The Daily Norseman Mailbag, June 18th, 2021

Good Morning!

A couple of Twitter questions this week, sweet!

No email questions. SAD!

For salary cap questions I’ll continue using overthecap.com so I’m consistent with the numbers I throw out there.

Any trades involving draft picks I’m using the updated NFL Trade Value Chart developed by Rich Hill available at https://www.drafttek.com/NFL-Trade-Value-Chart-Rich-Hill.asp

For evaluating or looking up draft prospects or rookies my go to is thedraftnetwork.com

If I can’t come up with what I think is a legitimate answer, I’ll ask someone who I think can provide one.

Enough from me, let’s see what was on everyone’s mind.

The Vikings Gazette asked:

Perhaps it’s merely my purple pessimism speaking, but I have some concern about the kicking situation in Minnesota. I love where things stand on O and D, but the kicking battle has me concerned. Have the Vikes done enough to address specials?

Red River Gopher pondered:

I’m curious as to your thoughts on our place kicking game. I see two no-names currently listed on the roster and have no idea what to expect from them and the special teams unit overall.

I combined these two questions:

Greg Joseph and Riley Patterson are the current Vikings kickers on the roster, I had to google them because I didn’t remember their names. At least we didn’t use a draft pick on a kicker....again.

Joseph gets the edge because he played in the league although he’s a career 85% on FG and 89.5% on PAT’s, really nothing special to see there.

Riley Patterson NFL.com Draft profile: link. He had a pretty good 2019 season but then fell off last year, as his draft profile says some of that was he attempted 8 kicks from 50 yards and beyond 3/8 and the wind might have caused some of his misses.

I did look at the available free agent kickers, top one listed is Dan Bailey so there are a few veterans out there but not really anyone of note. Hey, Blair Walsh is a free agent (ducks).

Have the Vikings done enough? The Vikings should be looking at the waiver wire when the time comes to see if any veteran kickers come available.

I’d expect whoever the Vikings pick as their kicker the other guy is going to the practice squad like last year, a sort of “just in case we need a guy because the other guy is making the fans mad.”

As to the special teams, I looked at PFF to see if the special teams grade from last year was available, it is, but I’d have to pay for a subscription to PFF and I maxed out The Daily Norseman Credit Card™ again this month. From memory, the special teams last year were historically bad, I don’t know if that was coaching, Covid, the players or a combination of all three. We here know to never say “it can’t get worse” (shoutout to the 2016 offensive line) but in plain language the Vikings special teams have to improve this year under new coordinator Ryan Ficken.

If you’re on Twitter give the guys at The Vikings Gazette a follow, they are new but have some really good writing and an excellent podcast.

AlmostCanada asked: in the last mailbag article, (I missed it)

Hindsight question. In the past 7 drafts what would be a potential starting offensive line that was available to the Vikings without trades?

Here’s Vike Me’s excellent answer.
Taylor Lewan RT
Andrus Peat OG
Cody Whitehair C
Joe Thuney OG
Trent Brown LT

I’m going to bring your question back for the next mailbag and answer it, I’ve been staring at it for two days and need moar time to do some research.

From Norzeman via Twitter:

Mailbag question for next time: What comes first Chorus Coral being “fixed” or the Vikings winning the Owl. (FTFY Norzeman)

Vikings winning the Owl, see rant below by me about Coral.

Norzeman had a followup question:

With the recent signing of another IDL, with the idea that they are going to be a pass rush specialist in the Sebastian Thunderbucket mold, who gets the most playing time (assuming no injuries come into play), the two “starters” who are more of run specialists or Richardson as a pass-rush sub?

I think Michael Pierce will come out on obvious passing downs in favor of sliding Dalvin Tomlinson to the NT spot with Sheldon Richardson playing Tomlinson’s vacated 3T spot. To me that’s the most likely passing down lineup for the defensive line. Also available, leave Pierce and Tomlinson where they are, bring in Richardson as a sub for Wonnum (or whoever is playing RDE). There are a lot of potential combinations with those three, and that’s a good thing for the the Vikings defense.

NorthwoodsVF asked:

Is this the year? Is it?

I’d like to say you never know and that’s why they play the game, but remember the 2013 squad? No one thought they’d do anything but lose (which they did exceedingly well).
I do think the Vikings front office went out and signed players that not only fill positions of need but make the overall team better, which really is there job.

The answer is yes.

NorseCoder pondered:

Where can I find some effective VooDoo rituals to perform before games to help ensure the Vikings win?

A good start is by not drinking Jobu’s rum, I’ve heard that’s very bad.

HiVike asked:

Just curious…………What hair color do they put on bald people’s driver’s licenses?

The Google provides this answer: Most DMVs require you to put down a/your natural hair color (brown, blond, black, red, gray or bald— other options depend on your state). So, put down whatever they require of you, be it your natural hair or, if allowed, whatever color you normally keep it, and don’t worry if you change it up later.

I looked at my drivers license, it doesn’t have a listing for hair color.

Droogville pondered:

How much time do you think we’ll be in zone vs man?

I went looking for a listing of percentage the Vikings play man v zone and couldn’t find a definitive answer. From my quick review it looked like last year teams that were playing a majority of man defense were getting ripped by giving up yards and touchdowns due to pre-snap motion and easy to find mismatches (hello Detroit).

I think the Vikings have enough quality players on defense now to have some flexibility in how the secondary plays, if the team they are playing cannot consistently create mismatches against a man defense, then do that and vice versa. HC Mike Zimmer and Asst. HC Andre Patterson have both said in interviews this offseason that they’ve taken a look at the defense and again made some adjustments.

Vike Me asked:

According to some of our eternally optimistic brethren, with the addition of Sheldon Richardson, the Vikings now have the best defensive line in football. What say you Mr. Mailman?
PFF laughs at this suggestion BTW. I would take Washington’s line over any other line all day every day and 10 times on Sunday.

The staff here at the Mailbag are excited about the recent additions to the defensive line since last year’s defensive line was in a word, offensive to say the least. Having played approximately zero games as a group it’s too early for projections, but on paper they look better than last year. Top five, no. Top ten, I think that’s within the realm of possibility. Let’s see the product on the field before we crown them.

GA Skol pondered:

I am hooked on the purple hopium. This team is starting to make me think they could be good. Can you prescribe me something to help? It isn’t good for my health to take this much hopium.

After the draft and free agency, when all fans of football feel hope at the recent signings and draftees and think “those are the guys to lead us to the Owl.” It’s a blessing and curse because only one team wins and there is no prize for finishing second. It also depends on what your definition of “good” is for the Vikings. If your one of the “Superb Owl or everyone gets fired” types then you’re likely to be disappointed. If you can enjoy the season when the Vikings win the division and more than one playoff game, then you’re probably going to be satisfied....yes, I think that’s the basement this year.

I agree with you my friend, I think the Vikings have made some very good moves this offseason to improve the team, but in the words of theartistformerlyknownasfil “it’s June” and way too early to project that this version of the Vikings will do anything other than disappoint. In the meantime enjoy the Hopium, it looks like it’s going to be fun year.

funkydrummer1970 asked:

When you empty the dirt out of your vacuum cleaner, do you become a vacuum cleaner?

Vacuum cleaner cleaner.

bbadger222 pondered:

Is there an update on the number of Vikings players vaccinated ? I haven’t seen any postings on this and how it could affect routines.

I didn’t know the answer to your question, so I asked Matthew Coller at PurpleInsider.com His response: “I haven’t. I saw NFLN report half the teams have more than 50 players vaccinated.” So nothing specific to the Vikings, if I remember the article correctly the league is reporting an average of 51 players per team are vaccinated, but that’s not great considering there are 90 players/team right now. Tom Pelissero had a breakdown on Twitter regarding the newest NFL Covid 19 protocols.

I did see today at Vikings.com that the team has brought in experts to talk to the players about getting vaccinated for Covid.

Blake Donlon asked:

As I look over the available free agents, a couple names jump out at me with our newly acquired cap

- Though perhaps outside of our price range, KJ Wright is somehow available, and he seems to me like a seamless scheme fit. What do we think about that prospect?

- Does Jurrell Casey have anything left in the tank? Might be an interesting signing though unlikely after the Richardson deal. Deploy one of them at DE if a deal is possible?

- Sack Daddy is always an option. Would you welcome him back? I know I would.

- There are a few decent wideouts available. Golden Tate, Kenny Stills, and Minnesota-Born Larry Fitzgerald all are still free agents. What do we think about any of those as a WR3?

It is mind boggling that KJ Wright hasn’t signed with a team to this point, although he’s played a lot of games (140) he still has some gas left in the tank. If he signed with the Vikings he wouldn’t have to play a majority of snaps with Barr and Kendricks secured as starters. I went to Sportrac to get an idea of Wright’s market value....around 7M/year. That’s a bit pricey for a guy who wouldn’t be a starter but for the right price he’d be a good addition particularly if Barr or Kendricks miss playing time due to injury.

As for edge, I think the Vikings should consider Justin Houston, although with the Richardson signing it’s less likely that they’ll look to add another defensive lineman. I do think Griffen probably burned a bridge with his tweet, but then again you don’t have to be best friends to work with someone.

Although the Vikings don’t play much three wide receivers on the field, I have been mumbling this offseason about bringing in a veteran WR3 since the Vikings are one injury away from not having Jefferson or Thielen on the field. I asked Myles Gorham from Climbing the Pocket who he thought would be a good player, his response “with who is left in free agency, Dede Westbrook.” Thanks Myles!

MidWinterViking pondered:

There’s been a lot of talk about almost our picks in the first 3 rounds - with the exception of Chazz Surratt. How excited should I be about him?

Quick review of this years Vikings 3rd round draft selections:
Pick #66 - Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M -potential replacement for Kirk in a few years, highest drafted QB by the Vikings in a long time. Has a decent arm and mobility, something we’ve been screeching complaining about.

Pick #86 - Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State-likely the starting right gourd at some point this season, he’s a big guy and system fit for the offense, displaces Dozier to the bench making many of us happy. IF (big if) he can reach league average in his rookie year will represent a huge upgrade over last years hot mess.

Pick #78 - Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina. First here’s his draft profile from NFL.com

I went to Football Outsiders to see what percentage the Vikings play a base defense, around 26% if you don’t want to click on the link, so a 3rd linebacker really isn’t on the field much over the course of the season. Considering Surratt’s draft profile his floor is special teams ace and with time and coaching he might see the field as a backup this year and could slide into Barr’s spot next year if Barr leaves via free agency. Surratt has a lot of potential and doesn’t have to be rushed into a starter role. The answer to your question is “yes” be excited about the guy, his future looks bright with the Vikings.

ArvildVornson asked:

As training camp nears, will there be a new slate of writers to cover the Vikes as well? It seems to be pretty thin on coverage for a while now with basically two consistent writers and then fanposts, though those are also enjoyable to read.

Although my username is all over the front page, this isn’t my site...so I posed your question to the founder and team manager of The Daily Norseman, Christopher Gates. Here was his response, “not right now, but we’ll see as we get closer to the start of the season and we’re always looking to the future.” By the way, my DN memory is fairly long and I don’t recognize your username...if you’re new Welcome Aboard and we’re glad your enjoying the site.

Vike Me pondered:

So we all hate Coral, but are there any features offered by this abomination of a commenting system that you enjoy? The ignore feature perhaps? How many times have you wielded said ignore feature?

I’m pretty much at the end with Coral, it’s an inferior commenting system as compared to Chorus. I’ve sent emails, posted on the SB Nation page and did a Zoom call listing all the problems AND solutions...none of it has happened and that legit ticks me off. The only thing I like about Coral is I can post gifs from my phone, as that is my primary way to access The Daily Norseman or any other SB Nation site. I don’t use the ignore feature because if someone is aggravating to me they are probably aggravating to someone else, and that I can take care of.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to pose questions either via Twitter, email or in the mailbag post. I’ll solicit for questions for the next mailbag on Tuesday the 28th of June and get the mailbag questions with my mediocre answers out that week.

Skol