Vikings Draft Needs

As the initial NFL Draft post, this one is easy...

There isn't a position on the field that couldn't be upgraded even a little bit. We obviously need somethings more than others but for the purposes of this post a small need is equal to a bigger need.

QB - TJackson is not just unproven but he is a complete unknown. Would anybody argue that Brady Quinn wouldn't be an upgrade and make you feel more comfortable about our longerm QB situation?
RB - Chester was very nice last year. But RB is a fragile position where depth is always needed AND Chester wasn't exactly a game changer. If the Viking's front office felt that Adriann Peterson was the next LT or LJ, would anybody have a problem drafting him?
WR - well this is the most glaring need. We have nothing this position will HAVE to be addressed at some point this weekend.
TE - Wiggins is gone and NYG TE2 is a complete unknown. A 2nd day pick at TE wouldn't be at all shocking.
OL - the left side is pretty well set, but an early G or T pick could be a huge upgrade, especially for an essential rookie at QB.

DL - we NEED a DE to put pressure on the QB. We are set at DT, but Pat Williams is aging and drafting insurance or at least an eventual replacement wouldn't be a bad idea either.
LB - I think they have starters set and I'd be SHOCKED to see the #7 pick go towards LB, but depth and someone to push the the current starters would upgrade the position.
CB - I like Winfield and Griffin, but you have to have at least 3 or 4 CBs you can count on. The Vikings do not have that.
S - seems like we have a handful of safeties (Doss, Sharper, Smith), but it is a KEY position in the Tampa 2 defense and there is speculation we'll draft a safety with the #7 pick.

I implore you to defy my logic that we could use an upgrade at any position on the field. But this is an exciting week! Will we land the next Randy Moss, Culpepper, Robert Smith? Or will we get to add a new name to the likes of Dimitrius Underwood, Derrick Alexander, Troy Williamson :)!

WAKE UP VIKINGS FANS

All right, it is time to wake from the most boring off season in the history of off seasons. Seriously here is the list of the most exciting off season moves for the Vikings.

1. EJ Henderson moves to MLB (that's middle linebacker, not Major League Baseball). This was his "natural" position. He did struggle at MLB in the past so it will actually be important to the defense that he succeed in this new position but not exactly compelling season ticket renewals.
2. Free Agent signings!!! - we were major players this year and by major players I mean we signed a back up TE (I can't spell his name so I'll just refer to him as NYG TE 2), we signed Bobby Wade and Mike Doss. Doss is actually a great value and a player who will contribute next year, but again I didn't exactly call all my friends (read friend) about any of these moves.
3. Police Blotter News - even this was boring (and we are talking the Vikings here)! Ronyell Whitaker was arrested for an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court on a careless driving charge. And Cedric Griffin was maced for refusing to pull up his pants while trying to gain entrance into a downtown nightclub. Somewhere Keith Millard is wondering how these Vikings went so soft!
4. And finally we have some exciting stadium news. Oh wait, nope this is the lamest of them all. The Vikings unveiled plans for a new stadium to be built on the Metrodome footprint, but there are no plans to actually finance the stadium.
   

But there is hope, the NFL draft is next weekend! I love the draft and I can't wait to see what the Vikings do with their pick? Brady Quinn? Adrian Peterson? a move for Calvin Johnson? Gaines Adams? So much to think about and I'll have some positional previews this week!!!

NFC North Offseason Needs

Here is a brief look at what Purple Kool Aid thinks are the primary needs of NFC North teams...

Chicago - This team was in the Manning Bowl so the cupboard is not exactly bare. They don't need much but they still need to improve if they want to get back to the SB and have a shot at winning it. Here are some things they need to figure out...

1. Figure out the QB situation. I know Rex was the guy that got them to XLI, but to call his play erratic is an understatement. Rex was fortunate to have his defense and Hester win games for him, over the long haul he won't be so fortunate. The Bears need him to figure things out and take 2 steps forward or they'll suffer the fate of the recent trend of SB losing teams.
2. Coaching stability - a couple days ago this was a bigger deal, but today they wrapped up Lovie to a contract extension. The departure of Rivera is kind of intersting but it will remain to be seen if that affects the defense.
3. Depth on defense - the loss of Tommie Harris and Mike Brown severely hurt their run defense. This unit was an historic unit for the first half of the year, but did enough to get by as the regular season came to a close.

Detroit - This could be a long list but I'll try to keep it brief. The problem is their weakest link is the one calling the shots in the months of February through July. As a Vikings fan I love Matt Millen but he has yet to show he can help a team to actually improve it's talent level.

1. Find a QB - Kitna was adequate as he tried to lead a losing team to not lose as much, but he clearly is not a viable long term solution. They'll have the opportunity to draft a QB with the #2 pick in the draft but they are projected to take OT Joe Thomas. This is probably a wise move but they have to figure something out for QB. Fortunately Matt Millen is around to solve this mystery.
2. Fix the Defense - While the Lions have struggled in recent years (the Millen Era) at least they used to have a feared defensive front 4. Now there is very little about the Lion's D that frightens anyone except Lion's fans. 30th in the league in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed. Ernie Simms was a nice draft pick last year and is one of the pieces that can help build this unit back to respectability. But that is one piece and Millen needs to find several more to go with him.
3. Offensive Line - We already addressed the QB situation, the WR situation is good and Kevin Jones shouldn't be judged to harshly since has no OLine. Speculation is that the Lions will draft Joe Thomas with the #2 overall pick and that should be a big step in the right direction (I wouldn't rule out a Jarrett or Ted Ginn Jr. pick there though). The trenches need to be addressed if this team wants to take any steps forward.

Green Bay - this team finished hot and now Brett Favre is energized to come back and capture that career INT record (and I think he's somewhere near some career TD record). Really though this team was very young and steadily improved over the course of the 16 games, especially the OLine. Here are the things they need to get back into the playoffs...

1. Wide Receiver - having Donald Driver is always nice but they are missing a big play guy that will open up the shorter routes for Driver and theoretically make thing easier on Favre. Rumors are now surfacing that the Pack might make a move for Randy Moss. While this is intriguing I don't know if it will be as beautiful a marriage as people think. The other wild card is Koren Robinson. Reports are that the Packers are keeping Koren on their roster and plan to utilize his talent when he is eligible to return from his NFL suspension. That is a possible dirty bomb waiting to go off.
2. Running Back - Ahman Green is an unrestricted free agent so ittle explanation is needed here. There is nothing behind Green so sign him and drafting a RB would probably be a great idea. Early Indications are that the Packers will draft Mashawn Lynch RB Cal. Lynch has some baggage but also loads of talent.
3. Quarterback - This is a skill position heavy list of needs, but Favre can't and won't play forever. Is Rogers ready to take over in 2008 or more importantly is he ready to play should Favre have to miss some time due to injury? For a team that could be in the wild card hunt losing a couple games because of an inexperienced backup QB can't happen.

Minnesota - here is a more detailed list of the Viking's needs. 6-10 was a very disappointing finish for a team that started hot and had expectations of playoffs. A team that was the best in the league against the run and was capable of running the ball should be a playoff team. But there were some problems...

1. Wide Receiver - This is slightly more of a pressing need than the Packers have. Green Bay at least has Driver, Minnesota has Troy Williamson? This is an ugly situation that doesn't look solvable in the near future. Free agency is weak but this is a WR heavy draft and that will help but the Vikings need 2 good WRs to contribute NOW. Rumors persist that the Vikings might make a move for Ashley Lelei. This is a step in the right direction but not enough, my dream is that we move up in the draft and land Calvin Johnson, but that won't happen.
2. Right side of OL - Guard and Tackle were atrocious in 2006. Youngsters Ryan Cook and Marcus Johnson will likely battle for RT, but upgrading RG would make the RT hole a bit easier to swallow. Could be a 1st day draft pick or a mid-level free agent signing to "fix" this problem.
3. Defensive End - This might be taken care of by returning Erasmus James from injury, but the pass rush was non-existent in 2006. The DT combo of the Williams brothers was easily the best in the division but the attention they require did nothing to help the outside get to the QB. Most likely scenario I predict is the Vikings use the #7 pick on DE and 2nd round pick on a WR.

Offseason NEEDS

Here is the PKA assesment of the Viking's needs in order...

1. WR - this position is embarassingly bad. Upgrade at any cost. The problem is that the free agent class is headlined by Kevin Curtis. Not exactly a marque name, I mean 40 receptions, 479 yards and 4 TDs is really good and all but um help from the free agent pool might not actually be of any help. Other free agent WRs include...

Donte Stallworth
Travis Taylor
Drew Bennett
Bethel Johnson

The other obvious source of help is the Draft. In this case the draft's deepest position might be WR. Most mock drafts currently have the Vikings taking Ted Ginn Jr. He is the 2nd highest rated WR by most ratings, but he is eerily similar to Williamson (small, fast, questionable routes and hands). Ginn is supposed to be a dynamic punt/kick returner which would be a nice weapon to have but Williamson was supposed to be that same threat which goes to show that there is no sure thing. Here are some potential early picks at WR...

Calvin Johnson - super talent who is big, fast and has great hands, likely gone by #7
Ted Ginn Jr. - small SUPER fast (4.30 40 by some accounts)
Dwayne Jarret - USC WR who is big but questions surround his character and not likely a guy the Vikes will covet
Sidney Rice - S. Carolina guy (like Williamson) but could be the real sleeper of the draft. Potential Vikings pick should they trade down in the 1st round. A guy the PKA covets!
Robert Meachem - Tenn, I don't know much about him other than a 1st round talent
Craig Davis - LSU, see Meachem

2. Right side of the OL - Hutchinson anchors the right side and McKinnie is OK (although overrated), but the right side is brutal. Landing a G and a T is like asking for an XBox 360 and a PS3 for Christmas it's just plain greedy. I think that Marcus Johnson and Cook have shown a bit of talent and maybe some experience will allow them to be adequate. My hope is that we find an answer for RG. If we get down to just 1 hole on the right side we can concentrate on helping that leak. I don't claim to be a great offensive line mind but scout.com lists the following OGs as 4 or 5 star free agenst...

Eric Steinbach - Cin, 5 stars
Mike Gandy - Buf, 4 stars

I'm too lazy to look up their contract status at this point but I'm going to assume they are still available and as far as I know they'd look good in purple.

3. Defensive End - many would likely put this as #2 or even #1 on the Vikings offseason priority list. The defense was not the problem in 2006 and the areas above would dramatically improve the offense without a complete overhaul. And this position might be upgraded by Erasmus James returning from injury. James has shown signs of being a very good DE. James and Udeze figure to be the starting ends in 2007. The big name free agent DEs were either Restricted or Franchised so that would leave the draft as the next best option. But there is no guarantee that said drafted DE would be a better option that the 2 projected starters.

Gaines Adams - Clemson, figures to be a top 7 pick (hey, we pick 7th). Gaines might be gone by the time we pick but if he is around chances are good that he'll be a Viking. Pass rusher but his "motor" and size have come into question.
Jamaal Anderson - Arkansas, also figures to be available or a recent pick when the Vikes are on the clock. Anderson's motor doesn't come into question but his upside probably isn't as high as Adams'.

4. Middle Linebacker - Napo is a free agent and I'll be surprised by not shocked if he comes back. He was better than expected last year but he had his breakdowns to do along with this "moments." I suppose the answer is Greenway but if he is as out of shape as I hear he is then we may need some help. I'd expect a 2nd day LB draft pick and some free agents coming through town. The only thing that excites me outside of Napo would be enticing Adalius Thomas to come here and leanr MLB! He is a stud and probably the best defensive FA out there but I'm not holding my breath.

5. Tight End - we could use an upgrade here in my opinion, especially if Kleinsasser is gone then depth is an issue as well.

6. Depth at Corner - Winfield and Griffin are solid, but with the expected release of Smoot we have little depth.

Offseason Review

This was an offseason full of change at all levels for the Vikings.

Coaching Staff - Mike Tice and his ineptitude is out, Brad Childress (aka Major Dad) and his discipline is in. Owner Ziggy Wilf and his front office wasted very little time hiring Childress. What does it mean for Vikings fans?

• Sippin the Kool-Aid - Childress has no head coaching experience and he didn't even call plays as offensive coordinator in Philly. He seems to be disciplined, straight forward and prepared, but can he lead a team full of massive egos and a long police blotter.
• Gulp, Gulp, Gulp the Kool-Aid - This is the guy Ziggy wanted. He didn't need to interview anybody else cause this is our guy. He put up with TO and developed McNabb into the superstar that he is today. An offensive genius who will whip these kids into shape and have them ready to go each and every week. Culpepper wasn't on board so he shipped him out and we'll move forward as Major Dad leads us to Super Bowl ring after Super Bowl ring!

Free Agency - With more money to spend than most NFL teams the Vikings new staff was busy in the free agency period getting guys that they targeted. Here is basic rundown...

• G - Steve Hutchinson - We used the "Poison Pill" to steal one of the best Guards in football away from the Seahawks. The O-line goes from a weakness to a superior left side with the addition of Hutchinson.
  
• RB - Chester Taylor - The 5th year back has had limited carries in his first 4 seasons as the back up to Jamal Lewis in Baltimore. As the feature back expect him to have a Priest Holmes type breakout and post 1400+ yards this season.
• LB - Ben Leber - this addition should help to stabilize the biggest question mark on defense. Leber is young, hungry and ready help turn the purple defense in to a dominant group.
• K - Ryan Longwell - the former Packer has been very consistent and reliable in his 10 years in Green Bay. Now he comes to a domed stadium and will remind Vikings fans of a regular season version of Gary Anderson.
• FB - Tony Richardson - a FB is necessary in the West Coast Offense and Richardson is as good as anybody out there, this may be one of the best signings of the year. Let's see, lead blocker for Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson I like where this is going!
• S - Dwight Smith - a late release by the Saints and the Vikings outbid other suitors. This turned out to be a valuable signing as Tank Williams was lost for the season. This completes the defensive backfield and makes it one of the best in the league, Brett Favre will have 7 INTs vs. the Purple this year!
• QB - Mike McMah0n - back up QB. He's OK. But he knows Childress' system and will speed the learning curve for the rest of the offense so we can hit the ground running in Week 1.

Draft - After trading Culpepper to the Dolphins the Vikings owned several picks in the 2006 Draft. They owned the #17 overall pick then made trades to end up with three 2nd round picks. Here is the analysis...

• #17 LB - Chad Greenway - this is a great pick for need. The Vikings have question marks all over with their LB core. Greenway is a straight laced kid, who works hard, follows his assignments and makes plays. He will be a solid if not great for years to come.
• 2nd Round #48 CB - Cedrick Griffin - the CB from Texas will likely be a in immediate contributor backing up Smoot and Winfield. This adds depth and athleticism to the defense.
• 2nd Round #51 C - Ryan Cook - this one was considered a reach by many. Cook is an BIG, athletic O-lineman who will provide depth at all positions. Likely will be moved to T at some point but also is insurance if Birk should go down with injury for a 3rd straight season.
• 2nd Round #64 QB - Tarvaris Jackson - this was considered a reach by everyone outside of the Vikings organization. Jackson played 1-AA football, but is considered to have unlimited upside. Whether or not he reaches that potential is the gamble that Chidress took. But this is the guy he wanted, so look for Jackson to develop into an outstanding QB!

Conclusion - The team added key personnel in the right areas. All that remains to be seen is whether we are wearing our purple or white jerseys in Miami for the Super Bowl.