SBNation.com User Blog: viking_#28

Peter King has the Vikings at #10 in his fine 15 rankings

viking_#28 — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:16:55 -0000

Holy cow, what a difference a week makes eh? Last week the Vikes were considered almost the lowest of the low. After a huge upset, have moved into the top 10! that is just crazy, and by crazy, I mean crazy awesome. Is that 75 words yet?

1. Houston (3-0). The AFC South race could be over before the American League East race is.

2. Atlanta (3-0). Mike Smith is going to get hired by those multinational companies that deal with employees getting travel burnout. The Falcons are 6-0 on the West Coast since Smith took the coaching job in 2008. And this one -- 27-3 in San Diego -- was a tour de force game from the opening kick.

3. San Francisco (2-1). Sunday, in Minnesota, was the first real sign that the Niners might be mortal.

4. Arizona (3-0). I am very nearly a believer. I love what Ken Whisenhunt did with the offensive game plan, moving the chains with Kevin Kolb. And giving up 13.3 points per game -- that is one impressive defense. By FOX's count, 20 pressures and hits on Mike Vick.

5. New York Giants (2-1). Sitting in a good position after three weeks. They're the hottest offense in football -- Giants 61, Foes 14 over the last five quarters -- and they now sit back on their mini-bye, three days away from football, while the Eagles wake up after a long trip home from Arizona and a very short night. The Giants will be well-rested when they arrive at the Linc next Sunday night.

6. Green Bay (1-1). Looks like Greg Jennings plays tonight. I'll change the old training-camp saw about injured rookies of "Can't make the club in the tub,'' to something special for the 29-year-old Jennings, who's in the last year of a contract at a quite-low salary of $3.89 million: "Can't make $12 million a year in the tub."

7. Baltimore (2-1). Never heard a manure chant that loud in my life, Al Michael said Sunday night. Imagine

what those fans would have done if the Ravens had lost.

8. New England (1-2). So much for the mothballing of Wes "8 for 142'' Welker.

9. Chicago (2-1). Mayhem turns to fine working order in the span of a week. The Bears held St. Louis to 160 yards, and physically handled the St. Louis offensive line.

10. Minnesota (2-1). Wins over Jacksonville and San Francisco have nearly convinced me, as Christian Ponder tried to do with me late Sunday afternoon, that the Vikings will be a major factor in the NFC North.

11. Seattle (1-1). Barometer game for this franchise tonight. Congrats, by the way, to Trent Dilfer. He'll be the representative of the fans, the 12th man, in raising the flag in the south end zone before the Monday night game against Green Bay. Glad to see the franchise embracing him like that.

12. Cincinnati (2-1). I get it. The defense (34 points per game surrendered) can't hold up. Maybe -- probably -- it can't. But I love the offensive explosiveness, and let's give Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins (seven tackles, two sacks, five quarterbacks hits on Robert Griffin III) a chance to play with the relentless Michael Johnson before we say they're going to stink on D all year.

13. San Diego (2-1). Atlanta 27, San Diego 3. Mulligan, Norv said. Looked like an overwhelmingly bad shank to me, but we shall see.

14. Dallas (2-1). I can't figure the Cowboys out. But they beat the Giants on the road, then took all the roundhouses the Bucs could throw and won again.

15. Denver (1-2). For those who'd like to throw Peyton Manning out with the trash, here's a stat for your consideration. Yards per attempt in his last healthy season, 2010: 6.9. Yards per attempt this season: 7.2. Time, people. Time.

Percy Harvin: How does he stack up with the other Top 5 Wide Receivers from the 2009 draft class??

viking_#28 — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:58:19 -0000

Well this has been interesting hasn't it?

The whole situation with Percy over the past couple days led me to check and see just how much he stacks up with the other 4 top member of the 2009 draft class. I wan to try to see if he has really outplayed his contract in relation to any of the other top WRs drafted in the same 2009 draft class.

The top 5 (not in any order thus far) are: Mike Wallace, Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin, Hakeem Nicks, and Austin Collie.

I am looking at where Percy stands in comparison to these guys in terms of production and also contract situation.

Well this has been interesting hasn't it?

The top 5 (not in any order thus far) are: Mike Wallace, Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin, Hakeem Nicks, and Austin Collie.

I am looking at where Percy stands in comparison to these guys in terms of production and also contract situation.

Mike Wallace

Year	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	100+	TD	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	100+	TD	Lost
2009	PIT	16	39	756	47	19.4	1	6	5	48	3	9.6	0	0
2010	PIT	16	60	1257	79	21	7	10	5	39	2.4	7.8	0	0	0
2011	PIT	16	72	1193	74.6	16.6	4	8	5	57	3.6	11.4	0	0	1

Hakeem Nicks

Year	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	100+	TD	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	100+	TD	Lost
2009	NYG	14	47	790	56.4	16.8	2	6	2	8	0.6	4	0	0	0
2010	NYG	13	79	1052	80.9	13.3	4	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	NYG	15	76	1192	79.5	15.7	3	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Percy Harvin

2009	MIN	15	60	790	52.7	13.2	1	6	15	135	9	9	0	0
2010	MIN	14	71	868	62	12.2	3	5	18	107	7.6	5.9	1	1
2011	MIN	16	87	967	60.4	11.1	2	6	51	342	21.4	6.7	2	2

Jeremy Maclin

2009	PHI	15	55	762	50.8	13.9	1	4	2	-7	-0.5	-3.5	0
2010	PHI	16	70	964	60.3	13.8	2	10	3	36	2.3	12	1
2011	PHI	13	63	859	66.1	13.6	3	5	1	1	0.1	1	1

Austin Collie

2009	IND	16	60	676	42.3	11.3	0	7	2	1	0.1	0.5	0
2010	IND	9	58	649	72.1	11.2	2	8	0	0	0	0	1
2011	IND	16	54	514	32.1	9.5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0

As you can see from the numbers, the only person that PH is clearly out performing has been Austin COllie (which it could be argued that that is only due to concussions that Collie has sustained over the last year and a half). He clearly trails both Mike Wallace, Jeremy Macline and Hakeem Nicks in Yards per Reception (which negates any complaint about the amount of snaps Harvin plays).

In 3 years he has produced 6 100 yard receiving games. Trailing Wallace with 12, Nicks with 9 and tied with Maclin at 6. He also is 4th out of 5 in receiving TDs with 17. Maclin has 19, Wallace and nicks both have 24.

Ok. So the question comes down to money. So far NONE of these receivers have gotten any deal beyond their rookie contracts. So everyone is question the FO for this, why? Mike Wallace and Nicks have both been more productive and have yet to receive any pay increase.

Tannenhill shines at pro day, is now a concensus top 5 pick?

viking_#28 — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:21:48 -0000

Let the intrigue of the #3 spot begin. Tannenhill had his pro day yesterday and put up a "Franchise" level display.

From Mayock "Athletically, he passes all the tests," Mike Mayock of the NFL Network said of Tannehill. "More importantly, they moved to the throwing portion. Nine spot throws, then 50 throws in the field, and nine red-zone throws. My take was, it was a high-level workout. It was a franchise-type workout. Three-step drop, five, five with a hitch, seven ... every throw an NFL quarterback has to make -- both statutory and on the move. From an accuracy perspective, here's my take after watching every throw this kid made on tape all year. All the out-breaking routes were beautiful -- the kid can make every throw outside ... but they're the easier throws to make. Single-high safety, one-on-one coverage, you can trust it and rip it. Where he struggles on tape are on the in-breaking throws, and let's face it -- there's a lot more traffic on the inside. I never thought he trusted it, and that's where I thought he got in trouble, staring down receivers."

Let the intrigue of the #3 spot begin. Tannenhill had his pro day yesterday and put up a "Franchise" level display.

The article talks about how much the browns (specifically Childress) like him at #4. Does this mean that the Fins, Seahawks, etc... now need to move up to #3 to nab the #3 QB in the draft?

Link to original article

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tannehill-shines-pro-day-sends-top-10-tizzy-015511720.html

MTD update after round 1

viking_#28 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:42:36 -0000

Hey guys. So I have made my two picks in the draft so far.

Remember, I have made a trade for the #15 pick with the Eagles for there #15, #90, #143, #162 for our #37, #69 and next years first rounder. I figured that the Bucs will have a pick somewhere in the mid-twenties or higher, so it would be a good idea to target Kuchely at #15.

SO the picks we have this year are #5, #15, #90, #133, #143, #162, #165, #197.

This has been a crazy draft. The Vikings took Claiborne at #3. The brown took Tannenhill at #4. So at #5 I had to Take BPA on the Board with Matt Kalil OT USC.

Then at #15, There were so many good player available i traded down to #18 to pick up a few more picks.

So current picks were 5, 18, 82, 133, 143, 146, 162, 165, 197

At #18 I took Luke Kuchely ILB Boston College. He was BPA available, and the team before me took Dre Kirkpatrick.

So what do you guys think so far? How bad did a Fail?

Hey guys. So I have made my two picks in the draft so far.

SO the picks we have this year are #5, #15, #90, #133, #143, #162, #165, #197.

This has been a crazy draft. The Vikings took Claiborne at #3. The brown took Tannenhill at #4. So at #5 I had to Take BPA on the Board with Matt Kalil OT USC.

Then at #15, There were so many good player available i traded down to #18 to pick up a few more picks.

So current picks were 5, 18, 82, 133, 143, 146, 162, 165, 197

At #18 I took Luke Kuchely ILB Boston College. He was BPA available, and the team before me took Dre Kirkpatrick.

So what do you guys think so far? How bad did a Fail?

Mocking the draft mock draft

viking_#28 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:01:20 -0000

Good morning all. There is a mock draft over at Mocking The Draft tonight and I am acting as the GM for your Bucs. I have a needs list and BPA that I have created, But I was hoping to be bale to get some last minute input from you guys on your specific order. I have the Bucs needs (in nor particular order) as CB(1), OLB(1), ILB(1), RT(1), RB(1), Safety and DL depth. Could you all please leet me know what you think are the most dire positions of need. I know Barber is coming back, but Talib might be in jail or at least suspended.

Also, something to consider, I have made a trade for the #15 pick with the Eagles for there #15, #90, #143, #162 for our #37, #69 and next years first rounder. I figured that the Bucs will have a pick somewhere in the mid-twenties or higher, so it would be a good idea to target Kuchely at #15.

SO the picks we have this year are #5, #15, #90, #133, #143, #162, #165, #197.

Please tell me whom you would best like to see with those two first round picks. Also, If Kalil falls to #5 ho mad would you all be if i took him there to be the RT?

Thank you

SO the picks we have this year are #5, #15, #90, #133, #143, #162, #165, #197.

Please tell me whom you would best like to see with those two first round picks. Also, If Kalil falls to #5 ho mad would you all be if i took him there to be the RT?

Thank you

Franchise Tags

viking_#28 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:21:24 -0000

Well, a lot of the players many of you wanted to sign in FA this year have now been tagged.

Players who have been tagged thus far include

Desean Jackson WR Philly

Dashon Goldson S SF

Tyvon Branch S Oak

Brent Grimes CB Atlana

Tendered

Mike Wallace WR Pit (1st round tender)

I will add more if/when they come up. It looks like we may be running low on FA Corner Back options.

Have I missed anyone relevant yet?

Well, a lot of the players many of you wanted to sign in FA this year have now been tagged.

Players who have been tagged thus far include

Desean Jackson WR Philly

Dashon Goldson S SF

Tyvon Branch S Oak

Brent Grimes CB Atlana

Tendered

Mike Wallace WR Pit (1st round tender)

I will add more if/when they come up. It looks like we may be running low on FA Corner Back options.

Have I missed anyone relevant yet?

Looking in on the upcoming FA Running Backs for the 2012 season

viking_#28 — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:58:33 -0000

With both Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart recovering from varying degrees of knee problems this offseason, there has been a lot of chatter about the Vikings picking up a FA running back (or possibly drafting one) this year. I will come out and say that I am against using a draft pick on a RB this year, unless someone drastically drops in draft (I.e. if somehow Trent Richardson falls into the 2nd round). I just do not believe drafting a guy who will probably be third on the depth chart when AD and TG are fully healthy is a good use of draft picks.

I am going to list the 3 Free Agent running backs who I believe would be a good fit in the purple and gold next year as insurance against AD and even TGs injuries. These are not in a particular order

Jason Snelling – ATL :

Why is he a good fit:

Snelling would fit in here well because he is a very similar runner to AD. He likes to runner through tacklers instead of run around them. He possesses great hands and an ability to catch the ball coming out of the backfield. As a back up to Michael Turner in Atlanta, he was used mainly on passing situations, catching 100 passes for almost 800 yards and 5 TDs in the last 3 years. He is also well regarded as a very good pass protector. He will be a pretty cheap option.

Why he will leave his current team:

Snelling saw his yards and touches cut in half as the Falcons worked in rookie Jacquizz Rodgers this season, and did not have a great deal of production the few occasions he was asked to run the ball.

Likelihood of being a Viking:

I would say 40%, if the Vikings want him I see no reason why he would not sign here to be a third down back. He will also be relatively cheap after having a down year working with 2 other RBs. He is my 2nd favorite choice.

Peyton Hillis – CLE

Why is he a good fit:

Peyton Hillis is a monster running back that averages just over 4.5 yards per carry. He is a bruising power back who is able to get good yards after initial contact, which is something we desperately need with out current O-line roster. He comes from a pass-happy team, so pass-blocking and catching are nothing new for him.

Why he will leave his current team:

It has been made clear over the past year that CLE will not sign him to the long term contract that he wants.

Likelihood of being a Viking:

2.5%. Even though he had a down year last year and missed a lot of time, he still wants a good chunk of money. I do not see the Vikings tying up that much money in a running back when they have their 100 million dollar man and will have to decide what/if to pay TG in a couple years.

Mike Tolbert – SD

Why is he a good fit:

He was San Diego's 2011 Special Teams Player of the Year. Tolbert is also a bowling-ball short-yardage runner and one of the league's top pass-protecting backs. He can run well and he is even better as a receiver out of the backfield catching 54 passes for 443 yards last season. He has worked in a RBBC approach before and would work well spelling AD. He is the best all around option for a FA RB that is out there.

Why he will leave his current team:

“The Union-Tribune San Diego considers free agent Mike Tolbert "likely" to leave the Chargers in free agency”, due to Salary Cap issues for the charges and that they have more pressing needs with two other RBs on the roster.

Likelihood of being a Viking:

30%. If the Vikings pursue him they will probably have to pay some decent money to get him and again, they may not be willing to spend that much on the RB position with two other good RBs on the roster. I hope they do. He would be great as a 3rd down pass catching RB and a pass blocker. It has been shown that Toby and AD are not the best in those areas, yet he excels at them.

Please add any other RBs you would like to see in Purple and Gold next year and comment on these guys.

Spielman on the 2012 draft

viking_#28 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:55:49 -0000

http://profootball.scout.com/2/1161522.html

That is a shot video of spielman talking about a lot of aspects in this draft. it is a good watch if you want to head over to that site and watch the clip. However, I will say that I am not to thrilled with the way he discussed the LT position.

http://profootball.scout.com/2/1161522.html

He basically said that all you need is a functional left tackle on not a start left tackle. If he truely believes this and passes on Kalil if available, then he needs to go first thing next year,

Quick thanks to DN crew

viking_#28 — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:28:51 -0000

So I was just reading an article over at the "Hockey Wilderness" site for the Minnesota Wild. Someone had created a FanPost based on what they had heard from Jeremy Roenick (who works on a nightly hockey show) about how the Blackhawks might be open to trading one of their star players because of Cap constraints, etc... So naturally, one of the members posited that if true, would the Wild have the pieces ability to land such a start player (which obviously should be discussed as similar situations are discussed here all the time). The guys (will call them douche pickles) that run the site, immediately went after the guy who posted this Fanshot, saying that they do not allow for that garbage to be posted on their website. So the guy protested asking "why he shouldn't be able to talk about it" and I threw in my two cents that it was a FanPost, not an article, so he should be able to talk about whatever he wants. The next thing they do is say that if you don't agree with us we can always "ban the guy that annoys us because we get 60k hits a month", what jokers. Anyway, long story made slightly less long, it made me appreciate the freedom you guys give us to throw out whatever crazy ideas we want to for discussion and that you guys will do the same without passing judgement. It clearly obvious why you guys get as much traffic here as you do. So thanks.

Matt Barkley is returning to USC

viking_#28 — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:37:10 -0000

Well, it is a good think Matt Kalil declared for the draft last week because the QB he said he would abse his dcision off of is staying in school next year. So what impact does this possibly have on the vikings draft next year? Does it make the Vikings draft slot at #2 or #3 worth more for a QB needy team to trade up? Does it limit their trade chances? Or does it not matter at all because they would take Kalil no matter what?

Please discuss.

Chiefs release OT Gaither

viking_#28 — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:10:47 -0000

Should we be looking at him?

The Kansas City Chiefs have released offensive tackle Jared Gaither just days after he committed a costly false start penalty in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 6-foot-9, 340-pound Gaither was once viewed as a cornerstone offensive lineman in Baltimore, where he started five postseason games. But injuries kept him out last season, and he was unable to reclaim the same form from early in his career with Kansas City.

Should we be looking at him?

The Kansas City Chiefs have released offensive tackle Jared Gaither just days after he committed a costly false start penalty in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What's Andrew Luck worth?!

viking_#28 — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:01:44 -0000

Interesting tidbit from Peter King in his MMQB column this morning, talking about what it will cost a team to trade up to draft Andrew Luck. He interviewed Ernie Accorsi, who had been responsible for working out trades of first round QBs like John Elway and Eli Manning’s whole draft fiasco. He suggests that the price tag for Luck should start at 3 first round picks, with the 2012 first round pick being in the top 10. Remember that the trade for Eli Manning rights we for 2 firsts, a third and a fifth. So now on to what is really important, do the Vikings draft him if they wind up with the first pick?

That all depends on how much time Christian Ponder is given to prove his worth this year. It is a big reason why he needs to start ASAP. Give him these 10 games, we will know what he has by then. If he is able to show any promise playing behind this offensive line, like he did last night, you keep him and get yourself up to two additional first round picks. Two things happen the more Ponder plays. Either plays really well, we see our QBoTF, and pick up a bunch of picks for the #1 overall pick or we pick Luck and trade Ponder. This pick could then be used to shore up the LT spot while also getting Luck.

If the Vikings have the #1 pick, personally I would trade it (assuming Ponder plays well, I think he will). Last year for the #6 pick in the draft the Atlanta Falcons gave up the following to draft Julio Jones. Their 2011 and 2012 first round picks, a 2011 second round pick and both 2011 and 2012 fourth round picks. Remember that is just for the #6 pick and it did not include a “sure thing” QB.
Keep ponder, trade their #1 pick to a team picking in the top 10 for 2012 and 2013 first round picks, a second in 2012 and thirds in 2012 and 2013. That would give still give us a pick in the top 10, 2 high seconds and two high thirds in 2012. 2013 would bring us with 2 1st rounders, 2 second rounders and 2 third rounders. Meaning would could drastically alter the landscape of our roster over 2 years while STILL keeping AP and JA during their primes.
What would you do? please share below (especially you mark :) )
Link to above mentioned story: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/10/16/Week6/1.html

Should Frazier be on the hot seat?? and if not now when?

viking_#28 — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:55:32 -0000

Ok, So LF is 3-7 in his first ten games as a head coach. He has shown that he is incapable of making half time adjustments and leading a team to victory. My question to everybody is at what point does he need to start taking some of the blame? I think people who coach with his passive style are not meant to be head coaches as they fail to motivate anyone during the games (evidence being 3 double digit half time leads blown). Do you really think Tony Dungy was a great head coach or was it because he had Payton Manning? Clearly the colts revolve around manning and not the coach since they went 14-2 with Jim Caldwell as a first year coach and can not seem to win a game when manning is not playing.