The tragedy of Rubio and Juliet. I guess we'll consider Juliet the Minnesota Timberwolves. The bane of Juliet's existence was her lover Romeo. Once Romeo was dead, Juliet killed herself out of pure agony. The T-Wolves are now bereft of not only Rubio but also their energy, synergy, and motivation. Then again, why should we continue to expect our depleted roster to play like a playoff team. Sometimes reality can hit hard. The bubble of excitement brought by Rubio was popped and thus the cold truth was revealed: this team is not very good.

Before I talk more about the Timberwolves, I wanted to state just how much this specific team, despite its recent tailspin, has meant to me. Basketball was the first sport I ever watched. The bait that reeled me in was the 2009 NBA Playoffs and the Orlando Magic's magical run to the finals. I was living in Minnesota at the time but I adopted the Magic as my favorite team. Seeing as how horrific the Timberwolves were at the time, as a new and ignorant fan, they weren't very appealing. I really loved the Orlando Magic and my interest in basketball started to make me enjoy watching any basketball game.

In 2010 I moved to Wisconsin and still remained a Magic fan. However, the supposed incompetence of David Kahn and the terrible roster intrigued me. In 2011, despite still being a die hard Magic fan, I started visiting this blog. I didn't really have any emotional connection with the T-Wolves. I just really enjoyed Tim's facetious game previews. It was then that I slowly started liking the Timberwolves more and more. My fandom was also helped my the arrival of the magical Unicorn. When I found out Rubio was coming to el Estados Unidos I immediately started to pay attention to the box scores. After every Timberwolves game, I would look on Youtube for Ricky Rubio highlights. I started making it a priority to watch T-Wolve games. While this was happening, the Magic had turned into a circus. This fact certainly expedited my transfer of primary fandom from the Magic to the Timberwolves. I just loved watching this team. Thanks to Rubio and this website, I started to follow an extremely entertaining team.

*ironically, the only Timberwolves game I had been to while in Minnesota was also against the Suns

Onto the Grades!

Kevin Love - B - 25/13/2, 39 minutes, 7-19 shooting, 4 TOs

At this point, Love has nothing to play for. When he fouled Robin Lopez intentionally near the end of the game, he, like many fans watching the game, wanted out. We should honestly start worrying about Love's future with the team because the end of this season seems to have really worn him down and irritated him. Despite an off shooting night, the best power forward in the game still finished with 25 points and 13 boards. One thing I noticed during the game were that Love is an underrated passer. He found Barea for an open three and really did a good job with his outlet passes. One thing I would like to see from Love is to stop forcing shots from the high post. While his pull up from there looks great when it's falling, when it's not there isn't much else Love can do from that part of the floor.

Martell Webster - F - 7 rebounds and 27 minutes too many

The Timberwolves better not keep Martell around for next season. He is a tremendous athlete but just doesn't bring much to the table. He cannot make spot up jumpers and is timid and idle on the offensive end. While his defense is supposed to be his calling card, Webster got abused by Shannon Brown early and often. If Martell has any redeeming quality then it is his stelar rebounding position wise. Unfortunately, on a team with Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic, above average rebounding from the 2 and 3 is a superfluous skill. I also noticed visible frustration between Webster and Love after Webster fumbled a handoff from Love. Losing really brings these little schisms to the light.

Wesley Johnson - D+ - 9/2/1, 4-8 shooting, 1 block, 3 TOs

Johnson actually shot the ball well today and looked confident pulling up for jumpers. He is just a very limited player. He never moves much on offense which is odd considering that his great athleticism would help him cutting to the basket. At worst he could give us what Corey Brewer gives the Nuggets or Jared Dudley gives the Suns. Despite barely putting the ball on the floor, Wesley committed 3 turnovers. An example of this ineptitude was when he dribbled off of his foot in the first quarter while trying to score on a fast break.

Anthony Tolliver - MIA

Adlemen's rotations really confuse me at times.

J.J. Barea - B- - 16/3/5, 7-17 shooting, 32 minutes

Barea really has an affinity for shooting the basketball. His misadventures to the rim can end with the spectacular finish or an epic fail. I just wish that he would drive with a purpose. Another reason why we miss Ricky and Luke: Barea always misses Love rolling to the basket during pick and rolls.

Michael Beasley - B - 12/2/3, 5-14 shooting, 29 minutes

I was extremely impressed with Beasley's passing today. I can't believe he only had two assists. He created for everyone on the team off dribble penetration and swung the ball across the court. I also can't believe he missed so many shots. He really seemed to play within the flow of the offense. On defense Beasley spent too much time watching the ball. He played good iso defense but got beat on cuts by Josh Childress and Markeif Morris.

Wayne Ellington - MIA

What happened? See Tolliver, Anthony.

Nikola Pekovic - C+ - 11/0/2, 3-6 shooting, 30 minutes

Pekovic is developing into a fine center and might even be a top five center in the league right now. He needs to learn the rules of the game. I saw him set a lot of moving screens that weren't called. Along with that, he had another 3 second violation and a travel. Also 2 rebounds is rather underwhelming. I would also like to see him improve his hands as he struggles to corral some passes. On the bright side, Pek showed nice touch on his free throws and had some adroit post moves. This wasn't his best game but Pekovic still altered the Sun's game plan with his sheer mass and I remember Alvin Gentry saying that Pekovic was the guy the Suns needed to focus on.

Derrick Williams - F - Does it even matter?

Apparently Rubio was feeling homesick so Williams tried to make him feel better with some matador defense. He lost Markeif Morris on cuts repeatedly. While Beasley at least played solid isolation defense, Williams could not even do that. He at least hit his free throws today. Along those same lines, Williams seems to shy away from contact when driving. Could he maybe be afraid of shooting and subsequently missing free throws?

Anthony Randolph - :(

Malcolm Lee - C - 5/5/2, 1-4 shooting, 23 minutes

Lee has some potential and really has some decent athleticism. He is still very raw and trying to learn the game. At times he tries too hard to emulate Rubio and Ridnour and tries too hard to make plays. On one possesion he threw the ball of an opponent's foot twice. He could really use an off season working with coaches on his dribbling and passing.

Other Observations -

• Sebastian Telfair was great today and was probably a little lucky too
• Robin Lopez is just a horrible basketball player
• Markeif Morris reminds me of a lesser version of Chris Webber
• Michael Redd is definitely back
• Adlemen is trying hard to get Wes going early by running him off screen and curls. This would be awesome if he could shoot.
• Adlemen's rotations are more volatile than the weather this year
• Grant Hill has a future career is broadcasting
• Adlemen's offense is beautiful when run well. The off the ball movement can actually be exciting for some basketball nerds. The problem is that the offense needs shooters to function. Yet another reason Luke's health is imperative to our success.

Hope you guys enjoyed the report card!

The Timberwolves were on the road to the playoffs. What we didn't know was that their was a huge ditch halfway along the road. Words can't describe how Rubio's injury make me feel. Words like devastated, shell-shocked, and disheartened just don't cut it. I feel compunction since this once promising season will end up for naught. This season was like the Titanic. Innovative in that we had never seen anything quite like it. Awe-inspiring. Entertaining. Then the ice berg of Kobe Bryant came. The hull of the ship cracked and water started pouring in. The ship started sinking. And that's where that analogy ends.

The emotions that Rubio's injury has elicited are powerful but when I look at it now, after a couple hours of reflection, getting too down on the Wolves is myopic. We haven't sank folks. Ali's blows have struck hard but Frazier is going to keep getting back up. Their is duality in life. There are falls and ascents. The stock market plummets one day and skyrockets another. We will have our moment in the sun and when we do Rubio will be the one dishing out the dimes.

If we had made the playoffs this year we probably wouldn't have done much damage. The thing is we were expecting playoffs and dreaming about the 2nd round. Now the playoffs seem like a pipe dream. We were counting our eggs our eggs before they hatched which made the loss of Ricky pain even more.

Despite all of this, next year we will still have our lovable cast of characters. The only difference is that Love will be better. Same with Pek, Wes, Williams, Lee, and maybe even Randolph and Ellington. Beasley could even become valuable if he stops playing like someone shot him with a tranquilizer gun. Ricky's development will stagnate a little but he will still be young. As Minnesota sports fans we've been cursed with the anathema of bad luck. AP, Rubio, Mbakwe, and Mauer have all been hit with significant injuries. They're also the type of people who have the work ethic to overcome them.

I'm not saying that we are winning it all in 2013 but it is in the realm of possibility that we could get better. Our players are just pups; wait until they become Timberwolves. Wait until Derrick Williams can shoot free throws, Rubio can shoot, Wes can dribble, and Pek learns what a 'travel' is. Once our players follow their natural progression, we only become better. With players like Love and Rubio, we can attract coveted free agents from all around the league. Batum anyone? We can become a perennial powerhouse.

Professional sports can rip your heart out. What we have the realize is that this team is riding a roller coaster; we just went up a little and thus had a little drop. Now we are climbing up again only this time the sky is the limit.

As the Twins inch closer and closer to the AL Central lead, we as Twin's fans gain more and more hope concerning this current season. Unfortunately, reasonable Twins fans can see that coming back and barely winning the AL Central doesn't make our team favorites to beat the Yankees or the Red Sox. This is what I would like to be done at the trade deadline and in the offseason. Also, consider this an opportunity to trade your trade ideas and offseason strategies.

Continue reading this post »

As of right now, one could make a pretty convincing argument  that Ben Revere is the Twin's most exciting player. I certainly believe so. Anyone who has a penchant for catching balls practically off a park's grass itself is certainly worthy of such a title. It's safe to say that Revere has broken out in a way this year and his emergence has got me thinking to how good he can be.

                                                                       What We Know About Ben Revere

• He make's contact at a high rate - 91% of the time - and thus doesn't strike out much
• He is blazing fast and puts pressure on fielders to make even the simplest throws (I think it can't be stated enough that when Revere gets on base due to an error, he usually earns it by making infielders rush their throws)
• He has great range, better than any other Twin's outfielder or any other center fielder in the league for that matter. His UZR/150 of 17.5, if he had enough innings, would be the best in the league with Andrew McCutchen coming as a distant second at 14.4
• Despite his low OBP which as of right now is about .310, he has shown outstanding plate discipline, only swinging at 22% of the pitches he sees out of the zone. To put that into perspective, thats better than the following players: Trot Tulowitski, Albert Pujols, Matt Kemp, Alex Rodriguez, and Prince Fielder. Heck, if he played enough he would rank 15th in the league in this category
• His BABIP is .299 and ZiPs projects it to be .310. Even that number is out of line with his minor league averages. His expected BABIP is even higher, in the .330s range, because of his tendency to put the ball on the ground and his speed

All in all, my final assessment on Revere is that he is not even close to the player he can be and the numbers above show that. My personal theory for his low OBP is that he needs to take a few more pitches in the zone overall so he can draw another ball rather than swinging at a pitch on the corner and hitting it weakly. So whats your opinion on Revere? Do these stats make your view on him more optimistic or vice-versa? What do you think his ceiling is? 

Poll

Revere's on base percentage will eventually be _____

1%

Less than .310

3 votes

17%

.310-.330

35 votes

46%

.330-.350

94 votes

23%

.350-.370

48 votes

10%

Above .370

21 votes

201 votes | Poll has closed

I read Patrick Ruesse's article in the Star Tribune today. I was absolutely disgusted. Why would a Minnesota sports fan boo the best player on their favorite team?

The simple answer is ignorance.

Injuries are part of sports and the position Joe Mauer plays, catcher, leaves a player extremely susceptible to injury. How can you blame a player for getting injured? Sometimes players bring injury upon themselves by playing recklessly or not being in good shape. Mauer has done neither. Have any of us experienced bilateral leg weakness? Have any of us had knee surgery and subsequently squatted at hours at a time practically daily just a few months after?

Mauer isn't wasting the Twins money while he's on the DL; he's making sure they spend it well. What does the media want Mauer to do? If Mauer 'toughed it out' and ended up battling the Mendoza line while putting extreme pressure on his knees the last few months, people would have called him foolish. He could be jeopardizing the rest of his career by playing through his injury.

The picture the media has painted is that Mauer has spent the past 2 months on a vacation in Hawaii. No, instead Mauer has been rehabbing and trying to return to the Twins as soon as he possibly can. I don't know Mauer personally but I can tell you with no doubt that Mauer wasn't enjoying the Twins play like a softball team or seeing Drew Butera being overmatched by major league pitching. Newsflash: Mauer want's to make the playoffs and win the World Series and he knows the Twins can only do that with him on the field.

Finally, Mauer has earned and will earn every single cent of his 183 million dollar deal. He is the face of the Minnesota Twins and franchise. He plays a position that historically doesn't produce anything offensively and puts up MVP type numbers. Some people call Mauer a glorified singles hitter but that is simply not true. He hit over 40 doubles last year and has the best plate discipline in the Major Leagues. Despite all of this players like Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton produce more and are cheaper. Unlike them, he catches well enough to be a perennial Gold Glove winner. Do I wish he could hit 400 foot bombs? Yes, but that thought process isn't realistic.

Joe Mauer, production wise, isn't worth 23 million a year.

However, he is worth more than that to the Minnesota Twins.

Hi, I'm a huge Vikings fan and since the Vikings just drafted your former QB Christian Ponder, I was wondering if you guys should tell me a bit more about him. Not many Vikings fans are too happy about the pick, labeling it as a reach. I personally think Ponder is the best QB in the draft and don't understand the negativity towards the pick. I just had a few questions.

Was the talent around Ponder in Florida State any good?

Are injury concerns about Ponder valid?

What are Ponder's biggest weaknesses and biggest strengths?

All in all, I'm the minority as far as Vikings fans go in my liking of Ponder. I see him as having no major weaknesses. He has mobility, accuracy, maturity, intelligence, and ran a pro style offense in FSU. The backlash about Ponder is more about where he was picked rather than his actual skill level. I think he is a long term solution behind center for the Minnesota Vikings and I hope all of you FSU fans become Vikings fans too!

Thanks a lot.

Poll

Will Ponder be successful for the Vikings

99%

Yes

419 votes

0%

No

4 votes

423 votes | Poll has closed

I'm a relative newbie when it comes to fantasy baseball but this year I've decided that I want to get serious about it. I just had a couple of questions. Would you guys be concerned about Hanley Ramirez and his dismal start to the season if you owned him? Also my team is ranked, as of now, 1st in my yahoo league by 4 points. Is my team set or should I trade Hanley for some more power?

My Team

Catcher : Russel Martin

1st Base : Carlos Pena

2nd Base: Brandon Phillips

3rd Base: Danny Valencia

SS: Hanley Ramirez

OF: Alex Rios

OF: Matt Kemp

OF: Chris Young

Utility: Michael Bourn

Utility: Casey McGehee

Bench: Ike Davis

Bench: Adam Jones

DL: Ryan Zimmerman

SP: Josh Johnson

SP: Jered Weaver

RP: Brian Wilson

RP: Michael Boggs

P: Chad Billingsley

P: Gio Gonzalez

P: C.J. Wilson

P: Josh Beckett

Bench: Clay Buchholz

Bench: Carl Pavano

Thanks

 

 

We need more of this

 

 

The Vikings defense needed a bit of toughness last season. Especially the linebackers. They seemed to take the punch from opposing offenses and not retaliate. The Vikings linebackers, besides E.J. Henderson and his titanium leg, ddin't make plays last year. Enter Mike Singletary. The Bear's Hall of Fame linebacker's rash style and willingness to get into his players' faces was exactly what the Viking's coaching staff needed. I think he is the perfect complement to Leslie Frazier's laid back style. He's going to add a mean streak to our linebackers which can only be a good thing for the Viking's defense. Unfortunately for Singletary, we don't even know who the Vikings linebackers will be in 2010. Let's look at the Vikings situation at linebacker.

 

Chad Greenway and Ben Leber, the Viking's two starting OLBs last season are free agents. Leber is getting up there in age and should be let go in my opinion. Greenway on the other hand will be given a monster contract by someone this offseason, hopefully the Vikings. Greenway led the NFC in tackles last season and is becoming one of the top 4-3 outside linebackers in the NFL. Here's the contract I'd offer Greenway and why:

 

Contract: 5 years, 54 million

Guaranteed Money: 35 million

2011: 9 million

2012: 9 million

2013: 11 million

2014: 12 million

2015: 13 million

 

The franchise tag for linebackers last year sat at $9,680,000. Now the franchise tag amount is the average of the salaries of the 5 biggest contracts given to linebackers around the league. Greenway isn't quite top 5 yet but he will be eventually. Almost 11 million a year seems right.

 

Now we need someone to replace Ben Leber. I think the Vikings should draft UCLA's top linebacker, Akeem Ayers, in the first round. The guy is just a playmaker, something the Viking's defense really needs. The Viking's defense forced only 13 fumbles, 2 of which by wide receiver Greg Camarillo, and only intercepted 15 passes. They're sack totals dropped from 48 last year to 31 this year. Now I fully expect the Vikings defense to make more plays next season as Cedric Griffin will come back from injury and I think Jared Allen and Kevin Williams will have bounceback seasons. Nevertheless, the Viking's could use one more playmaker. Ayers hits hard, can drop back in coverage, and can rush the passer. He just a great talent and he'd fit well in the Viking's 4-3 Tampa 2 defense.

 

Now you can just add in Jasper Brinkley, Erin Henderson, and Heath Farwell for depth and you have the Vikings new and improved linebacking core.

 

Now one more thing before I end this blog post, the Viking's organization is extremely high on Jasper Brinkley and believe he can be a stud in the NFL. If there is anyone who can develop Brinkley, it's Mike Singletary. It looks like the Viking's linebackers have a pretty bright future.

 

- Coolio

Poll

How much money should the Vikings give Chad Greenway?

52%

40 million

34 votes

33%

50 million

22 votes

9%

60 million

6 votes

4%

Don't resign him

3 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed

 

 

 

If you can't beat them, join them.

 

 

I'm going to write one of these articles for every position on the Vikings. This one is about the halfbacks and fullbacks.

 

Let's start with running back. Well, Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson. He's the best running back in the league. Who's better? Arian Foster may have had a great year but that was because teams didn't gameplan to stop him, at least not until midseason, and because teams couldn't stack 8 in the box against him because they had to double cover Andre Johnson. Chris Johnson is way too feast and famine. He had two games this season in which he rushed for under 20 yards. The guy has a good offensive line, don't show me how many times he was stuffed in the backfield because that's because he dances around back there like he's Barry Sanders. So now that we've got that out of the way, let's get to Peterson's contract extension.

 

Putting the franchise tag on a player gives them the salary of the top five highest paid players at the position averaged out. Putting the franchise tag on running backs this year would mean shelling out $8,156,000. Due to raising market value and Peterson's talent level, I would give him 10 million a year. Now we have to decide how long the contract will be. When (if) the NFL season starts next year, Peterson will be 26 years old. Running backs usually drop off in production at age 30 but Peterson is a physical freak. I'd extend him till he's 31 with a five year deal. Here's how I'd structure it.

 

Contract : 5 years, 52 million

Guaranteed : 40 million

2010 : 8 million

2011: 9 million

2012: 10 million

2013: 12 million

2014: 13 million

 

Now as for depth, we already have Toby Gerhart and Albert Young. Gerhart was disappointing as it seemed that Peterson passed the fumbling bug to him. He had 3 fumbles in limited touches. Albery Young is your typical 3rd string running back. Really the Vikings don't need to sign any free agents or draft any players for the position. One guy I'd like the Vikings to check out is Vai Taua, the starting running back for Nevada this past season. He is a powerful, bruising back that people figure will go undrafted. He would be a low risk, high reward pick up in the 7th round or as an undrafted free agent.

 

Now let's get tot the full backs. Peterson has said before that he prefers to run without a fullback. This could be because he really doesn't like to run with fullbacks or because the only fullback he's ever known is the inept Naufahu Tahi. Tahi's role in the offense is so miniscule, the Viking's might as well release him. In fact, there are three players that I think are no-brainers for the Vikings to release: Bernard Berrian, Madieu Williams, and Naufahu Tahi. Everson Griffen could join that list too after his misadventures in Hollywood this past week. Now who can replace Tahi's production? My grandmother could but she's too old to play in the NFL so the Vikings might have to go with Jeff Dugan or a free agent. The Texan's Vonta Leach and the Raven's Le'Ron McClain will probably prove to be too expensive for the Viking's tastes but the Packer's John Kuhn could fit in quite well. Just in case you didn't know, people in Wisconsin are so stupid, they root for the Green Bay Packers. So don't give them more credit than they deserve when you hear them booing their own team on occasions. They are actually screaming KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN!!!!! Now imagine Viking's fans chanting KUUUUUUUUUUUHN in the NFL's loudest stadium, the Metrodome.

 

8 months later...........

 

Vikings Stadium Collapses

 Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

 

The Minnesota Vikings were playing a home game against the Detroit Lions when John Kuhn took the field. Whenever the former Green Bay RB appears on the field, fans chant KUUUUUHN!!!! Unfortunately, the powerful sonic waves created by the chant made the Metrodome roof collapse for the 2nd time in a year. Luckily, nobody was seriously injured. Later Vikings DE, Everson Griffen, was heard screaming " HELL YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO L.A. BABY!".

 

 

We really need a stadium..................

 

 

- Coolio

Poll

What do you think?

4%

Your a Genius!

2 votes

31%

I agree with most of your ideas

14 votes

40%

I agree with some of your ideas

18 votes

24%

This is horrible

11 votes

45 votes | Poll has closed

Hey guys I actually have a Vikings blog at http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/. If you want to read more of my articles click there.

I'm going to be writing one of these articles for every position on the Vikings. Today I'm going to blog about the O-line.

 

 

There is one thing I hate to see as a Vikings fan. It's the most frustrating play I've ever seen and it happens so often, it makes me want to pull my hair out. What is that play? You know the one where Adrian Peterson gets the ball and then runs into a wall a nanosecond later. The Vikings offensive line is truly wasting Peterson's talents. It needs to be fixed. Every position on the line played horrible last season. Of course there are different reasons for that. Steve Hutchinson is getting old and was injured. Sullivan was injured and, let's face it, has as much talent as Cam Newton has intelligence. Bryant McKinnie is just fat. The right guard rotation doesn't have a keeper and Phil Loadholt is way too penalty prone. Add in how inept Visanthe Shaincoe is at blocking and you have an offensive line that is going to get manhandled in every NFC North game. Here's how we're going to fix it.

 

 

1. Center - John Sullivan would be a quality starting center in the UFL. But this the NFL and Sullivan's inadequate size and run blocking just won't cut it. To fix our problem at center we will have to go to free agency. The Viking's new offensive line coach, Jeff Davidson, used to be the offensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers. While the Panthers had a dismal season, their team had a couple bright spots including the development of stud center Ryan Kalil. Unfortunately for the Panthers, he's a free agent. Minnesota going to have to hand over some cash for Kalil to wear purple and gold next season but it will be worth it. The guy is well on his way to being the best center in the league. I think Kalil is the only major free agent who has a great chance of signing with the Vikings. Hopefully he follows the coach who developed him to Minnesota.

 

 

2. Left Tackle - Bryant McKinnie is a waste of talent. A really fat waste of talent. The guy doesn't care about the team and can't stay in shape. Regardless, the Vikings with have to keep him because

 

 

A. No one wants him

 

and

 

 

B. He actually has some value to the team, just not at left tackle.

 

 

I just wrote an article suggesting that the Vikings should draft offensive lineman early but I'm going to contradict myself here. I have become particularly enamored with a few players that are not offensive lineman at the 12th pick. Anyways, I don't think any of the offensive lineman in this draft class are worthy of such a high pick. I think we should once again go to free agency. The top two tackles in this free agent class, in my opinion, are Doug Free and Tyson Clabo. I think Doug Free is the better of the two but Tyson Clabo will cost a lot less. That's not because Free is that much better than Clabo but rather because Free is, as of now, a Dallas Cowboy. The owner of the Dallas Cowboys is Jerry Jones. Jerry Jones throws his money around like he's playing Monopoly. Jerry Jones is going to overpay for Doug Free and that's why I want Clabo.

 

 

Note - Ryan Kalil and Tyson Clabo are the only major free agents I have the Vikings signing in my offseason plan so I don't think I'm being unrealistic.

 

 

3. Right Tackle - Now for the big question: What do we do with Bryant McKinnie? People might notice he's missing.... Maybe we could just hide him in a closet in the Vikings training facility? Here's a better idea, we can just send him over to the McDonalds in Eden Prairie! He'll never leave! He can eat to his hearts content! Oh wait, he already does that.......

 

 

In all seriousness, I think we should move McKinnie to Right Tackle. the switch would allow McKinnie to faceoff against worse defensive ends and the switch would hide some of his flaws. Bryant McKInnie could have some use! By the way, McKinnie has hired a personal trainer to make sure he stays in shape! How much do you want to bet that Frazier hired the guy?

 

 

4. Right Guard - This is where Phil Loadholt comes in. The guy has talent. He just seems incapable, at least for now, of handling speedy defensive ends. If a DE gets behind him he'll resort to grabbing the facemask or holding the opposing player. Loadholt is 6-8 and weighs 343 pounds. He could easily slide over to the right guard position. With his massive size, Loadholt could be a great right guard for the Vikings.

 

 

5. Left Guard - This is the only position on the line that is staying intact. I want Hutchinson to start, at least for one more season. Yes he's getting up there in age but the guy is a first ballot Hall of Famer and can teach guys like Chris DeGeare a lot. Despite having a down season, he was still our best offensive lineman. He was injured last season too. Let's see what he can do once he's healthy again.

 

 

6. Depth - Ryan Cook can play every position on the offensive line if need be. He has to stay. Add in Chris DeGeare and a 4th or 5th round draft pick and you have your new and improved 2011 Vikings offensive line!

 

- Coolio

Poll

What Do You Think?

17%

Your a Genius!

19 votes

50%

I agree with most of your suggestions

54 votes

24%

I agree with a few

26 votes

1%

This is horrible

2 votes

5%

I just like taking shots at Bryant McKinnie

6 votes

107 votes | Poll has closed

Imagine you live in a suburb of Chicago. You have grown up in Illinois and have always wanted to start a restaurant, specifically a pizza place. You took a loan to make your dream come true. The only lot you could build your restaurant on was next to a famous pizza place that was known around the US for having world class deep dish pizza. You don't take into account that you'll be competing for business with the famous restaurant and pull the trigger towards starting your dream.

 Your restaurant has finally been built. You spend money advertising for your restaurant and perfecting you and your employee's pizza making craft. You dedicate yourself to using the finest ingredients. You should be highly successful, right?

 Months later...................

 Your business isn't doing well. Every hungry stomach that ventures into the area goes to the famous pizza place. You go and try some pizza there and you have to admit it's actually really good. You decide to just suck it up and wait for people to discover you.

 Note - Don't worry, this is Vikings related. You'll realize the point of this soon.

 

A year later.....................

 

The famous pizza restaurant's owner dies. The newly appointed owner doesn't have much money. He decides to cut costs and the quality of his pizza suffers. You visit there again and you almost throw up. The crust tastes like a sponge and the sauce like ketchup. You can see the other people don't like it either. It tastes so bad, you KNOW your restaurant is better. You figure business will spike for you soon.

 A couple months later ..................

 You are still getting no business. People keep going to the horrible restaurant nextdoors. You ask a random individual walking by your restaurant why he's going to the other restaurant. "I heard it was really good" he said. You then asked him if he'd visited it before and if he taught the food lived up to the hype. " Yeah I have gone before. The food was actually pretty bad! I figured they just messed up on my order, I mean it's so successful! Have you seen the amount of awards it's collected?" he replied. You say no and thank him for his help.

 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................

 This is the story of the QB situation for our Minnesota Vikings. T-Jack is the new restaurant and Favre is the old one. Don't you think it's unfair that no one has even tried the new guy's restaurant despite the food at the old one being horrible?

 Against the Packers, when Favre threw his 17th interception of the year, the Fox cameras showed Jackson on the sideline shaking his head after watching the patented Brett Favre turnover. Of course T-Jack got no reps even with the Vikings down 28 in the fourth quarter. Why? Ask Childress. Oh wait................................................

 You have to feel bad for the guy. He isn't being given a chance, not even when the guys in front of him is losing games for hsi own team. How much of an insult must it be to Jackson for him to know the coaching staff doesn't believe in him enough to start him over possibly the worst QB in the NFL?

 Now that Leslie Frazier has announced Favre will start for the Vikings, I just wanted to give a shout out to T-Jack. He deserves better. He hasn't even been given a chance to prove himself. As of right now, I'm not buying the Favre gives us the best chance to win argument. Why does that even matter know that we're practically out of the playoffs? At the very least see what we have for next year.

 Throughout all this drama, T-Jack has seen his starting hopes rise and then be smashed instantaneously. You have to feel bad for him. He has never spoken out and, for all we know, hasn't caused any turmoil. I hope he gets a chance, with the Vikings or not.

Poll

Should T-Jack Start For the Vikings?

69%

Yes

200 votes

30%

No

86 votes

286 votes | Poll has closed

The Twins as of now have $67,750,000 dedicated to Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, Micheal Cuddyer, Denard Span, Scott Baker, and Nick Blackburn. My estimate for the Twins 2011 payroll is $115,000,000. So the Twins have $47,250,000 left.

 

Options - The Twins will definitely buy out Punto's option. I think the same should be done to Kubel. Payroll - 48,100,000

Arbitration -  I have no idea how arbitration works so I'll just go with Jesse's estimate. So the Twins have about 21 million to spend for about 8 players ( Danny Valencia wasn't included on the numbers above). Here's where it gets interesting.

Free Agency and Call Ups - The Twins now need a bench bat, a strike-out pitcher, a couple of quality relievers, a 2nd baseman, Outfield defense and some speed (These are just my opinions).

Relievers- The Twins have some great options in the minors. Kyle Waldrop and Anthony Slama should become mainstays on the Twins MLB roster starting next year. Rauch can be resigned cheap and that's how I think the bull pen should shape out. I think 1.5 million for Rauch is appropriate. Payroll Left - 18.7 million

Bench Bat - Jim Thome filled this role this year but he might go looking for more money elsewhere. if Thome doesn't come cheap, Jason Giambi could probably be signed for little cash. For either of them a 1 year, 2 million dollar contract would be appropriate. Payroll Left - 16.7 million

2nd Baseman -The Twins must look at free agency for their 2nd baseman because we don't have an in house option besides Casilla and I'm not sure he's ready for that role. The Twins will probably resign Orlando Hudson for 2 years at about 5 million a year. Payroll Left - 11.7 million

Strike-out pitcher -Carl Pavano should not be resigned in my opinion. I love the stache but he doesn't strike out anyone and was lucky this year with a BABIP of .286. His xFIP was 4.06. We are nto going to get Cliff Lee. We just don't have the money. Some options in free agency are Ben Sheets, Brandon Webb, and Hiroki Kuroda. Sheets and Webb could come cheap considering one is coming off a bad season and the other a serious injury. Kuroda seems like a safe bet if you ask me. He pitched over 195 innings, struck out 7.3/9, and had an ERA of 3.39. His FIP was 3.26 and his WHIP was 1.16. He could probably come for 1 year, 8 million. Payroll Left - 3.7 million

Outfield Defense - Ben Revere will probably be on the team next year. He would provide us with some much needed speed and some good defense to go along with solid hitting.

Add a back up catcher and that's how I think the Twins offseason will unfold. What do you think?

First of all I'm sorry for puttting up so many fanposts about fantasy baseball. This will be my last one. Most of you probably saw my horrible trade that I made some time ago. Right now I've revamped my roster with some trades and waiver additions. As of right now I'm 7th in a 12 team league but just 2 days ago I was 4th so I can easily regain that postition with a few strong days. Could my team make a run for 1st? Here it is-

 

Catcher- Carlos Santana ( He looked like he got hurt pretty bad so he probably won't start for long)

1B- Adam LaRoche

2B- Robinson Cano

3B- Amaris Ramirez

SS- Starlin Castro

OF- Jose Bautista

OF- Andre Ethier

OF- Nelson Cruz

Util.- Chris Young

Util.- Placido Polanco

Bench- Garret Jones

Bench- Carlos Quentin

Bench- Angel Pagan

Bench- Kurt Suzuki

Bench- Erick Aybar

SP- Josh Johnson

SP- Trevor Cahill

RP- John Axford

RP- Hong-Chih Kuo

P- Travis Wood

P- Madison Bumgarner

P- Livan Hernandez

P- Francisco Liriano

Also some other questions I have are: Who would you rather start, Castro or Aybar. Should I be starting different OFs? What do you think I could get if I traded Garret Jones and Carlos Quentin?

Due to already having a huge SB lead over everyone in my fantasy baseball league and having Erick Aybar on my bench I have decided to trade Elvis Andrus. Also due to aquiring Tommy Hunter I've decided to trade Travis Wood(2.76 ERA). Also I'm willing to trade Kurt Suzuki.

I'm really need a good OF or 1B. What player who plays those positions would be worth Elvis Andrus and Travis Wood and Kurt Suzuki?

 

I actaully ended up making a totally different trade. Who won in this trade?

 

I got: Andre Ethier, Jose Bautista, Livan Hernandez

I gave: Dustin Pedroia, Elvis Andrus, Tommy Hunter R.A.Dickey

 I already accepted this deal but I just wanted some opinions. Is this a good deal for me in my fantasy baseball league?

I Give: A-Rod, Carl Crawford, Miguel Montero, Matt Garza

I Get: Scott Rolen, Austin Jackson, and F-Bomb

 

I'm going to use this thread to ask for opinions for my fantasy team. If someone else isn't sure about a trade and wants some opinions before you pull the trigger just tell me and I'll put your trade up here.

 

Ok I basically found out that I was screwed. As of right now I'm 6th in my league out of 12 people. This is my roster assuming the new trade goes through.

Catcher- Carlos Santana a.k.a the Indians last hope

1st Base- Adam LaRoche - He is known to have a better 2nd half compared to his first

2nd- Robinson Cano

3rd- Scott Rolen

Outfield- Nelson Cruz - Was injured for more than half of the first half and still put up huge numbers

Outfield- Austin Jackson- Carl Crawford Lite

Outfield- Tyler Colvin- The Cubs are struggling so he'll get more at bats. The rookie has jacked 12 homers in just 170 at bats.

Utility- Carlos Quentin- He's on a huge hot streak. He's the reason why the White Sox are breathing on the Twin's back.

Utility- Adam Jones

Bench- Matt LaPorta

Bench- Kurt Suzuki

Bench- Placido Polanco (He's on the DL)

DL- Dustin Pedroia

SP- Josh Johnson- NL ERA leader

SP- Trevor Cahill- Before getting roughed up by the Yanks yesterday his ERA was 2.76

SP- F-Bomb

P- Doug Fister

P- Ted Lilly

P- Jhoulys Chacin- ERA under 4 when playing half his games in Coors Field

RP- Frank Francisco- ERA is 3.79

RP- Darren O'Day- ERA is 1.60

Do you think I could get into the top 3 by seasons end?

3rd

 

An idea the NFL has been looking into lately is an 18 game regular season. I will be looking into the pros and cons of the idea after the jump.

As most of you know I'm coolio and I have my own Vikings blog. You can check it out at http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/. Also we are looking for new columnists for the blog. If you are interested infrom me in the comments section.

Poll

What is the most apropriate length for the NFL regular season?

3%

14 games

3 votes

53%

16 games

41 votes

36%

18 games

28 votes

6%

20 games

5 votes

77 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

 

Everyone has their own opinion about this subject. Who is better, Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson? This is my unbiased take on the subject.

 

Speed- Chris Johnson is the unofficial fastest man in the NFL. Adrian Peterson is no slouch when it comes to speed but you can't compare him to Johnson in this aspect. Advantage Chris Johnson

 

 

Turnovers- Adrian Peterson is notorious for his butter fingers. He has 20 fumbles in his NFL career or about 7 fumbles a year. Chris Johnson on the other hand, in two NFL seasons, has 4 fumbles. Advantage Chris Johnson

 

 

The Big Play- Chris Johnson had 29 runs of 20+ yards and 7 of those were 40+ yards. Peterson on the other hand had 15 plays of 20+ yards and 3 of those were for 40+ yards. These stats are only for the 2009 season. The thing is Peterson has acheived this type of stuff in the past. Draw

 

 

The O-line Factor- It is a running backs job to gain yards after he passes the line of scrimmage. Before that it's all up to the O-line. Thus lets see which line gave up the more negative rushes. The Titans O-line gave up 46 negative rushes. The Vikes O-line gave up 51. Also consider that the Titans rushed 32 more times that the Vikings. The advantage is given the the RB with the worse O-line. Advantage Adrian Peterson

 

 

Blocking- Pro Football Focus gave Chris Johnson a -2.3 blocking rating. Adrian Peterson got a rating of 1.7. Peterson was exactly 4 points better. Advantage Adrian Peterson

 

 

Recieving- Johnson caught 7 more passes than Peterson in the 2009 season. This difference is because the Vikings already have 3 great targets in Rice, Harvin, and Shaincoe. The Titans just have Kenny Britt. Peterson isn't even the 4th option on the team and that not his fault. They both averaged 10.1 yards per catch. Draw

 

 

Intangibles- Johnson is currently holding out on the Titans untill he gets a new contract. If you ask me he seems pretty cocky and I know Peterson would never hold out on the Vikings. He is too much of a team player. In Johnson's defense, he was picked later than Peterson thus he earns less money. Johnson should really shut up and play like Peterson. On the other hand remember Peterson had his 'little' speeding incident. I don't blame him at all for the Adrian Peterson day incident that pissed of Chilly. Advantage Adrian Peterson

 

 

I'm giving 2 points for an advantage and one point each for a draw.

 

Chris Johnson- 6 points   Adrian Peterson- 8 points

 

 

Johnson had an amazing season but it was still just one season. As of now, Peterson will most likely fumble less next year, Peterson is slightly better.

 

To read more of my articles check out my blog http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/. Also if you interested in writing about the Vikings please tell me using the comments section for this article.

Poll

Who is the best running back in the league?

24%

Chris Johnson

28 votes

73%

Adrian Peterson

84 votes

1%

Other ( specify who in the comments section)

2 votes

114 votes | Poll has closed

Once again, this is another article from my site http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/. This is my opinion on the Sharper vs. Shaincoe fued. 

NOTE- This article was made before Shaincoe created Osama Bin Sharper

Personally I think Sharper is an *** and should remember that he hasn't even been signed by a team this offseason! Your betting that the guy who is 3rd in the league in touchdown receptions the last 3 years won't have 3 catches or even a touchdown. If the NFL is becoming 'cleaner' then why do they allow a player to say that they will intentionally hurt another player? Doesn't that stain the NFL's crystal clear shield?

 

 

It's really this type of stuff that makes me want the Vikings to teach the Saints a lesson next season. It's these types of players and coaches that make me want to scream. I really think Drew Brees is a nice guy, but as far as I see it, he's the only nice guy on that team.

 

 

I'm not whining about the game. That's history now, dirty or not we committed too many turnovers to win that game. What I don't like about this is that it tarnishes how people view the sport. Why aren't there any nice guys in the sports anymore. Who's going to be the 2nd coming of Derek Jeter? Charles Barkley once said that he shouldn't be a role model for kids and that's absolutely true. Gone are the days where athletes can be role models. Just look at Big Ben.

 

 

Sharper deserves a fine and Roger Goodell needs to get his act straight. When you have publically annouced that you are going to be extremely strict to protect the NFL shield, how can you not fine Sharper? How can Darnell Dockett not get fined for filming himself showering? I love Chad Ochocinco but are some of his antics really appropriate? What about Dwayne Bowes comments?

 

 

Do you really want a nice short summary of how sports has changed these past few decades? Think about all the kids and teenagers that looked up to Tiger Woods.

 

 

What do you think of sports these past few decades? Do you agree with me or think I'm taking this a bit too seriously? How doyou think sports will look over the next decade?

 

-Coolio

Hey all you Dailynorsemans. As most of you know, I'm coolio and I have my very own Vikings blog. I was just wondering if any of you guys had any interest in writing for my blog, as a columnist. I'm not going to be picky so have a go at it. If you want to try respond in the comments section.

Also I have a question for all you Viking fans. Did you hear that Joe Webb has been moved back to QB and what do you think about it?

Also I have a random poll for you guys.

Poll

What should the Vikings do with their 2011 first rounder?

49%

Try to adress our QB issue Ex. Andrew Luck, Ryan Mallet (There is no way Jake Locker will be available)

28 votes

7%

Adress our Safeties Ex. Deunta Williams or Rahim Moore

4 votes

12%

Adress out O-line Ex. Clint Boling or Jacob Pinkston

7 votes

10%

Adress our DTs Ex. Marvin Austin or Jared Crick

6 votes

1%

Trade for Jared Gaither

1 votes

19%

Trade for Albert Haynesworth

11 votes

57 votes | Poll has closed

 

The Vikings didn't make a play for a defensive back until the draft almost began. That's when they signed Lito Sheppard. Then they promptly selected Chris Cook with their first pick in the draft, number 34. Now when you look back at the cornerbacks on the Vikings roster you'll see a lot of new faces.

 

The 49ers signed away Karl Paymah, just another move that changed the position that made the Vikings rank in the bottom half of the league in pass defense for the past two years, 19th last year and 18th in 2008. No longer is Antoine Winfield a stud. Teams are no longer afraid of throwing into tight spaces against the Vikings. Can they become better as a group? Let's break it down.

 

The Old

 

 

 

The main thing with our old corners is their age and injuries. Against the Saints in the NFC Championship game overtime kickoff, Cedric Griffin tore his ACL. He might not be ready for the 2010-2011 season's beginning. When healthy he is a decent and aggressive corner. Remember he was our main playmaker last year so if he doesn't come back from his torn ACL and play like he did last year, we need someone else to step up.

 

Winfield is getting up there in age and suffered many injuries last season. When healthy he can be a shut down corner and I don't expect him to be moved to safety. This guy was once my favorite Viking's player and I think, if he regains his old form, the Vikings pass defense will prosper.

 

Asher Allen didn't see much playing time in 2009. When he was playing he recorded one interception. The Viking's 2009 3rd rounder has a lot of potential. What he lacks in size (he's 5-9) he makes up for with speed and strength. While his playing time will increase in 2010 he will probably not be a starter.

 

 

The New

 

 

 

The Vikings were expected to draft a corner early in the draft and they certainly did. The 34th pick in the NFL draft the Vikings selected Chris Cook. While the pick wasn't extremely popular it added some much needed size to our CB position. At 6-2 he is now the tallest corner on our team. He showed great tackling ability at Virginia but little to no playmaking ability.

 

The Vikings also signed free agent Lito Sheppard this offseason from the Jets. He has shied away from tackling his whole career but has shown great playmaking ability which is showcased by his 19 career interceptions. He has stated that he came to the Vikings becuase he thought he would have a good chance of being a starter. Unfortunately for Lito I doubt that will be the case.

 

All in all I think the Vikings won't finish in the bottom half of the league in pass defense next year but at the same time they won't be great. Chris Cook can be a great NFL player and I think he will immediately start alongside Winfield. I doubt Griffin will be ready to begin the season. My prediction for the Vikings rank for pass defense is 10th to 12th overall.

 

Corner Rankings (To begin the season)

 

1. Antoine Winfield

2. Chris Cook

3. Lito Sheppard

4. Asher Allen

5. Cedric Griffin (This is his ranking for when the season begins, not his actual rank)

6. Benny Sapp (Now you see why I didn't even write about him)

 

Once again this is another article from my site http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/

I would really appreciate it if you guys became members on my site and left comments there and also thanks for reading my article!

Poll

Do you like this article? Did you feel it was good enough to visit my site?

29%

Yes and Yes

10 votes

35%

Yes and No

12 votes

8%

No and Yes

3 votes

26%

No and No

9 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

                                                                                            Everson Griffen

                                                                                              

 

 

Everson Griffen was a 1st round prospect. They key there is was. See the thing is, things that are supposed to happen on draft day sometimes don't happen. Tyson Alualu wasn't supposed to go 10th overall and Jimmy Cluasen wasn't supposed to escape the Vikings, Bills, and Browns twice throughout the draft. 'The Freak' wasn't supposed to go at the 100th pick and should have been earning millions more in his rookie season. Unfortunately, life isn't so fair.

 

Everson Griffen was a like a wolf on the field, stalking and pouncing on his prey, the domestic Pac-10 QB. The flip-side is he was an animal off the field too, to be exact a party animal. The Viking's director of college scouting, Scott Studwell put it quite simply.

 

Griffen is a "college student that enjoyed the college life a little bit."

 

Griffen was once arrested in Tantucket, MA for breaching the public peace while he was throwing a party. The charges were later dropped. Another main reason Griffen suffered his freefall was because of teams saying that he was inconsistent. The thing is when players come to the NFL they feel the urgency and the need to preform at a high level.

 

-Note- The above sentence qualifies for any NFL layer not name Jamarcus Russell-

 

Sometimes the players realize that they are needed and can be special. Ex. Percy Harvin

Sometimes they don't- Ex. Darko Milicic (Search Darko Milicic on Google if you aren't a NBA fan)

 

The NFL has become a league where character comes first with the tone being set this year by Roger Goodell who suspended Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes. You could tell in the draft too. Tim Tebow got taken over Jimmy Clausen and Demaryius Thomas got taken over Dez Bryant. Teams want their image safe, no matter what talent is available.

 

Luckily for the Vikings, teams overlooked Griffen's actual game performance for the most part. While most teams argue that he didn't have the switch turned on at all times, he did improve each season. He is coming off his best season of his collegiate career despite missing a game. He recorded 7 sacks, a QB pressure, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a broken up pass, and 45 tackles. All our DEs except Jared Allen are on the last year of their contract so this move gives us more depth. Ray Edwards doesn't like his situation with the Vikes, and since we now have Griffen, he has become pretty expendable in my opinion.

 

-Note- Griffen admitted to playing with turf toe for much of last season which might me a cause of some of his iconsistency-

 

Analysis- Griffen is a very good tackler and has a lightspeed first step when rushing the passer. He may appear strong in the weight room but struggles to push some O-lineman back. His Rip and Swim moves are not yet NFL ready. Has a great extra burst of speed when having an open path to the QB. Struggles to locate the ball. Very good run stopper.

 

Combine Stats:

 

40 Yard Dash- 4.66 seconds Bench Reps- 32

 

Highlight Reel- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJGs-W0iXg

 

All in all I think Everson Griffen could be the best player we selected in this draft. He is a great player and fills a future need. The Vikings made a smart descision in selecting him in the 4th round. He's a top 25 talent that fell in the new 'sqeaky clean' NFL. Trust me, Aaron Rodgers is probably peeing in his pants right now. I would be too if 'The Freak' were out to get me.

Thanks for reading my article and you can read more of my work at my Vikings blog called Victorious Vikes.

Here's a link-  http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/

Poll

Do you like this article and would you consider checking out my site if you could read more of this quality work?

60%

Yes and Yes

36 votes

23%

Yes and No

14 votes

0%

No and Yes

0 votes

16%

No and No

10 votes

60 votes | Poll has closed

I have my very own site called Victoriousvikes.webs.com. Here is a link: http://victoriusvikes.webs.com/. I actually already made a fan post on this but I wanted to show a guest article to you guys. Here it goes:

 

Why the Vikings Should Get Oshiomogho Atogwe

The Viking’s secondary was burned on many occasions last year such as the losses to the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, and Carolina Panthers. It was a huge weak spot in our defense as our DBs could not generate big plays. Sure Cendric Griffin had his moments but they were against lesser competition. The Vikings need a spark, a great DB that can help us win a Super Bowl. That spark should be Oshiomogho Atogwe.

Oshiomogho Atogwe is a relatively young, 28 years old, full safety. He went to college at Stanford and excelled at football, he led his team in tackles every year, and at studies. Atogwe was drafted 66th overall by the Rams and has prospered since his sophomore season.

Oshiomogho Atogwe is a hard hitting sure tackler and is a ball hawk. He recorded 8 interceptions in 2007, 5 interceptions and one sack in 2008 and in 12 games in 2009 had 2 interceptions, 1 sack, and 3 forced fumbles. Through 12 games in 2009 he already had as many tackles as Madieu Williams had in 16 games.

For some reason the Rams don’t want this guy anymore. He was tendered at the lowest level and will be a free agent in June. He has never been portrayed as a locker room disease so it seems like the Rams just want to get younger. They might be slightly worried about the shoulder injury he had on December 9, 2009. This forced him to miss the final 4 games of the regular season.

We need a stud defensive back. The Vikings were 19th last year in pass defense. Look at the chart below showing the top 5 teams in pass defense last year and then the Vikings.

Pass Defense

1.    New York Jets Darrelle Revis

2.    Buffalo Bills Jairus Byrd

3.    Denver Broncos  Brian Dawkins

4.    Carolina Panthers All- Combined 11 int. and 8 FFs

5.    Green Bay Packers   Charles Woodson

19. Minnesota Vikings    ????????????

As you can now see all the teams in the top 5 of pass defense has a stud defensive back. You could have said Antoine Winfield a few years ago but not now. How does Cendric Griffin compare to these guys? Our safeties made one play the entire season, a Tyrell Johnson interception. We would have a great safety if we got Atogwe.

You need a good safety or defensive back for success. Look at last years Super Bowl teams. The Colts had Antoine Bethea and Bob Sanders. The Saints had Darren Sharper.

How good is Oshiomogho Atogwe? Let’s break down his performance against good QBs last season. He had 7 tackles against Peyton Manning. He had 5 tackles and an interception against Drew Brees. He had 6 tackles and a sack against Brett Favre

Those are pretty good performances. Also he missed only 3 tackles last season or 1 for every four games.

Who should our DBs be in 2010? We should Keep Cendric Griffin as he is a pretty decent corner( He had 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles last season). We should draft Devin McCourty to play alongside Griffin. Winfield should be given the nickel back role. Cut Williams and bench Johnson. Get Atogwe and start Sanford. I would much prefer this tandem of DBs than to what we have now.

 

Thanks for reading!

Poll

What do you think of the Article?

36%

Great!

19 votes

40%

Good

21 votes

15%

Okay

8 votes

5%

Bad

3 votes

1%

I don't agree with your arguement

1 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

Hi my name is Coolio and for a while now I have had a Vikings blog called Victorious Vikings. I update daily and really want more people to know about it.

 

Here's a link: http://www.victoriusvikes.webs.com/

 

Please check it out and give me your opinion of the site and what I can do to make it better.  I would really appreciate it if you guys could become regular readers and comment. I already have a 20 member fanbase that is still growing. Thanks a lot!

Poll

What do you think of my site?

29%

Great!

5 votes

23%

Good

4 votes

35%

Okay

6 votes

11%

Bad

2 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed