2007 Draft Review

Well the draft is over, the Vikings are signing a bunch of undrafted free agents who are all sure to be the next John Randle. But lets worry about the actual draft picks. Here are my thoughts...

1st round (#7) - Adrian Peterson - as discussed before I think this was absolutely the right pick. Tremendous upside to be an elusive and fast game breaker at RB. If our OL can gel better than they did last year we could move from a good ground game to one of the best in the league. Rumors of his injured clavical do not concern me at this point. Even if he elects to have surgery and miss the early part of 2007. We still have Chester and we are not expecting AP to carry the load with this offense just yet.

Rick Spielman was interviewed on ESPN radio and brought up an excellent point that most successful teams have a couple reliable and often diverse RBs that they count on. I like this pick, AP may not be the next Barry Sanders but he should be successful and I don't see any argument that this was not the correct pick at this point. Years down the road we may look back and dream of Brady Quinn in purple but we weren't the only ones to pass on him. And most importantly is that in my quick math QBs drafted in the top 10 have about a 50% success rate, whereas RBs have a much higher success rate. You can't fault this pick and now we hope for health and improved OL play.

2nd Round (#44) - Sydney Rice, WR, SC - This will be the controversial pick of the weekend, we traded down in the 2nd round since there were a handful of WRs still available. We then passed on Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith of USC and took Rice of South Carolina. Some reports are that he is very talented and some reports are less flattering. The Good? He is 6'3" with a near 40" vertical. Brad the Red Hot Childress Pepper (BRHCP) tells us that he has good hands. So combine those and you have a playmaker who can be your possession and red zone guy. Other reports are that he is immature and overly confident in his abilities. I am not a fan of Jarrett or Smith really so I'm OK with this pick. Drafting AP in the first was the right move regardless of what happens down the road, this pick however will surely be debated down the road.

3rd Round - Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno State - I like this pick a LOT. Many reports are that after his Jr year MM was a 1st round lock and maybe a top 10 or 15 pick. He has good size and speed. So why did he drop to the 3rd round you ask? Well, he kind of sucked his Sr. year and was even benched. Ooooh great we spent our 3rd round pick on a guy who was benched at Fresno State on a team that went 4-8! Obviously your Kool Aid has gone stale in the offseason. Here is the RIGHT way to view this pick. MM's soph and jr seasons were fantastic because he had others around him who knew how to do their own jobs. His Sr. year they all graduated and he tried to make up for the mistakes of the guys around him. When he tried to do too much he wasn't able to perform his own job. Well this is the NFL, he can concentrate on doing his own job and he'll be JUST FINE. And really with a 3rd round pick taking a gamble on a guy with 1st round talent is one worth taking.

The rest of the picks...
4th - Brian Robison, DE, Texas - good size, "blue collar" work ethic and big vertical.
5th - Aundrae Allison, WR, East Carolina - scoutsInc had him as high as a 3rd round pick so this is at least good value.
6th - Rufus Alexander, OLB, Oklahoma
7th - Tyler Thigpen, QB, Coastal Carolina - this one seems odd but rumors are that they'll convert Thigpen to another position.
7th - Chandler Williams, WR, Florida International

Here is what I'd like to see...

After addressing the #7 pick, here is what I'd like to see the Vikings do tomorrow...

1. Get a WR or 2 - after Calvin Johnson I don't know that any other 1st round talent is worth it to me. I feel strongly that I do not want to see Teddy Ginn Jr. in purple and here is why. We have the fast, elusive guy in Williamson. If you can guarantee me that TG Jr will have a Devin Hester impact on this team then trade down and take him. But if not, then we are still lacking someone with reliable hands, who can run crisp routes to get open and can be a big target in the middle of the field. Outside of TG Jr I think there number of good WRs out there. Remember that last year's most successful rookie WRs were taken in the 2nd through 7th rounds so there can always be late value found at this position. It is my hope that 2 WRs are taken, one on Sat and one on Sun.

2. Get some C/G/RT help - somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round I expect a G or maybe a RT will be drafted. Some help is needed here and I think they'll have someone in mind they hope they can get a little later.

3. Matt Speath would look good in purple - a big TE who can catch and block would be a nice mid-round pick if he's still around.

I love the draft and look forward to scrutinizing it on Monday.

What to do with the 7th pick...

I was thinking about doing an unimaginative and boring draft anlysis based on position (Monday - WRs, Tues - QBs, etc), but that is boring. So instead I'll provide you with an unimaginative and boring breakdown of our #7 possibities. Here is my list of top 7 things the Vikings should be doing on Saturday.

1. Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech - the best talent in the draft and the Viking's biggest need. This is a no brainer that if he is there at #7 you take him even if Mike Ditka calls to offer you all of his picks. He won't be there at #7 but I think this is the 1 guy you try to trade up for.
2. Joe Thomas, OL, Wisconsin - he won't be there when we pick but he is a sure bet and would help us dramatically. The problem with this pick is that we gave a truckload of $$ to McKinnie, I am not super high on Mt. McKinnie but that is a lot of cash to ignore.
3. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma - a lot of people are saying that he is a game changer and has HoF credentials. Injuries are a concern, but if he falls to #7 there is no reason to pass on him (even with Chester in your backfield).
4. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame - QBs are always a coin flip in the top 10 of the draft. For every Peyton Manning there are Tim Couches and Ryan Leaves. But Quinn comes from ND and I have always like his QB skills. I'm tempted to say trade the pick at this point but I wouldn't fault them for drafting Quinn.
5. TRADE the pick - I know I haven't listed a few big names yet, but that's because if JaMarcus Russell is still here either there is a reason(drugs, injury, jail, etc.) OR you can trade him for a ton of picks. I put Quinn above Russell because you'll get way more for Russell than Quinn at this point. But he won't be there so don't get too worked up. Realistically LeRon Landry may be here and you could trade him to New England for possibly both of their 1st round picks (24 and 28). I'd make that deal.
6. Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson - every player at this point is if you CAN'T work out a good trade. Adams would be good to have but realistically he might be our #3 DE for this year. You can argue that you need to look longterm and I'm throwing out a perennial All Pro DE because I want a short term impact. But what I really want is both, an impact player who will be here for years to come.
7. LeRon Landry, S - this is an update to the original post, but if LeRon is sitting here and you don't have a suitable trade, I have no problem drafting him. By all accounts he is a great talent and would be an outstanding safety for as long as we keep him under contract. Safety is supposedly an important cog to the Tampa-2 machine so there is no harm in locking down that position for the next 5+ years.

8. TRADE down - I know I already used this one, but #5 was a scenario when a top notch guy was there and you can get significant value. At this point, nobody hits me as an impact player. Move down to the middle of the 1st round and add a 2nd or 3rd round pick. I can see an argument for Levi Brown, Jamaal Anderson or even Leon Hall; but I can make just as strong an argument for one of the mid-1st round WRs or Marshawn Lynch or another good but not projected at GREAT player.

I think I'll address WRs tomorrow since that is such a high need and deep position in this draft. ( I will NOT be addressing WRs, sorry)

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.

Viking Fan Apathy

Tom Powers' column today addresses a ridiculous conspiracy theory that the Wilf Group is intentionally killing fan enthusiasm for the Vikings so it will be easy for them to leave town. Powers isn't promoting the the theory but it has legs because whether it's intentional or not they are killing fan interest for the Vikings in this state.

It wasn't more than 2 years ago that the Vikings dominated this town. The Twins could win the World Series, the Gopher football team could be going to the Rose bowl and the Wild could be making a run at The Cup, but if the Vikings were playing the Texans, letting their 3rd string K go or signing their 7th round draft pick to a contract and that would dominate the headlines. But that is slowly going away.

The Vikings are fortunate that nobody with the exception of the Twins have mustered any sort of sustainable success.

• Gopher Football has moved from terrible to mediocre, but that isn't exactly filling the seats at the Dome.
• Twins have been very successful winning 3 of the last 4 division titles but going down early in the playoffs are thwarting their momentum.
• Gopher hockey is strong but that fan base is always going to be smaller and more niche.
• Wild are still parading as a building expansion team and have enjoyed a long honeymoon. But here again regardless of their success at best their Minnesota Sports domination will only last during the playoffs.
• Gopher Basketball is capable of taking over the town but in their current state they are miles away from that, step 1 for them is to get 14,000 fans back into The Barn.
• Timberwolves have potential but they would need to be successful over several seasons (note to Kevin McHale, 8th seed and losing 1st round may get you ranked #1 amongst all GMs, but that is not "successful").

What is my point? Well the point is that if the Vikings aren't careful they will lose their crown of top dog in the Minnesota sports scene. And that is a crown they have worn for decades. It has weathered 2 Twins' World Series titles, 4 Super Bowl losses, 2 NFC Championship disappointments (Drew Pearson pushed off!), a Gopher basketball Final Four run (er, wait, I mean that never happened), and a Gopher Football Rose bowl victory (er, wait, I mean that REALLY never happened).

The Twins, Gopher football and Gopher basketball are really the only teams that could ever overtake the Vikings.

• The Twins are closing the gap. 4 straight successful seasons and a dynamic young nucleus of Santana, Mauer, Morneau, Nathan etc mean they could be great for the next several seasons. They have a new stadium coming which will make for an exciting 2010 season. If they were to go out and win the 2007 World Series they would make a serious dent in the Vikings #1 ranking.
• Gopher football is poised to go from mediocre to good, and if we are lucky, great. New coach and new stadium could be a catalyst to move up the list. Gopher football could take over faster than the Twins and Tim Brewster has said all the right things to move Gopher Nation into #1 in this state.
• Gopher basketball could, but they would need a decade of success including a couple (few) Final Four runs. But recruiting news and a long season could be interesting enough news to captivate the masses.

The teams listed above cannot take over #1 on their own, they need a collapse by the Vikings and that is happening. After dominating in the 70s, late 80s, early and then late 90s they have now strung together 6 mediocre seasons. Beyond their lackluster play they have jettisoned or lost but not replaced any superstars that we once enjoyed watching. They gave us a likable but an "in over his head" head coach in Tice, then followed him up with a boring and vanilla coach who hasn't shown he's above mediocrity in Brad the Red Hot Childress Pepper.

They now have their hats hung on a D1aa QB who nobody knows anything about to go with an offensive core that includes Bobby Wade and Visanthe Shiancoe as their newest additions. And a defense that is very good but skitzo. This team is boring, their moves are boring, their players are boring, their stadium is boring, Brad the Red Hot Childress Pepper is boring and if they are not careful everyone is going to ignore them.

Outrage and disgust are signs of passion and shows that people still care. I don't see emotion surrounding this team anymore. Nobody cares and apathy is the worst thing a franchise can be faced with because you cannot endure and survive (or get stadium built).

Hang on to those jerseys!

Adios to a now former-former Viking.

Brad Johnson's days of wearing purple have ended for a 2nd time. This should give the team an additional 1 million in cap space according to Kevin Seifert. But I hope you all learned your lesson before, DON'T throw that B. Johnson jersey away just yet cause you never know.

Other jerseys to put in the back of the closet, but not yet ready for the Goodwill pile are...

Wiggins - apparently asked to be waived and we complied. Look for Jacksonville(Tice) and St. Louis(Linehan) to clamor over his services.
Rosenthal - the Red-Hot-Childress-Pepper threw up a smokescreen last week that Rosenthal might not be cut, but we were all fooled yet again. Mike was cut today.

Hang on to this one (for now)...

Smoot - still a Viking but as I understand it his cap-salary could be spread out over 2 years if they cut him tomorrow (after free agency starts).
Kleinsasser - I know there are a lot of these jerseys out there (really, there are for some unknown reason). Jimmy's chances of remaining a Viking are about 50/50 in my estimation. Depends on a number of things like will he restructure his contract? Will we land Daniel Graham? Will we draft a TE?

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.

2007 Vikings (Offense)...

Anybody remember the 1998 Viking offense? I was starting to forget then the 2006 Viking offense reminded me of it. Not because they were so good but because they were SO BAD. Brad the Red Hot Chidress Pepper (BRHCP)* has refered to his offensive system as a "Kick Ass Offense." (KAO) The caviat of course is that you need the right personnel to run this KAO. This is an easy excuse but time will tell if the breakdown is in the coaching/play calling or if the problem rests with the personnel.

Here is a preview of the 2007 Viking Offense...

Quarterback

Starter - Tarvaris Jackson
Reserves - Brooks Bollinger, Brad Johnson (for the moment)
Analysis - well, BRHCP is going to give the reins of the KAO to essentially a rookie QB. BRHCP will have the opportunity to groom TJax into the next Donovan McNabb but I'm not going out on a limb here expecting growing pains. But I'll take a rookie with promise over the oldest and boringest QB in the League. Everyone expects Brad to be cut and I'm sure we'll sign a nobody as another backup (maybe Spurgeon Wynn is available). Other possibilities are rumors of trading for David Carr or drafting Brad Quinn. Both would be agreeable to the PKA, but who knows if they are capable of running BRHCP's KAO?

Running Back

Starter - Chester Taylor
Reserves - Mewelde Moore, Ciatrik Fason
Analysis - Chester was what we (and Denny Green) thought he was going to be and maybe a little more. 1200 yards and 6 TDs isn't lighting the world on fire but it is solid and respectable coming from the worst offense in Viking's history (urgh, KAO). Good free agent signing and improved O-Line play with improved play calling (crossing my fingers on that one) should make for a better year for Chester in 2007.

Wide Receiver

Starters - um anyone who can catch please raise your hand. I guess it'll be Troy Williamson and yet to be deteremined
Reserves - again, anyone?
Analysis - This was brutal in 2006 and it is probably the biggest question mark of 2007. Williamson has to get another chance and after that it is anybody's guess. Travis Taylor and Bethel Johnson are free agents who have a shot at coming back. I'd be comfortable with Bethel coming back. But likely this will be addressed in the draft and/or free agency.

Tight Ends

Starter - Jermaine Wiggins
Reserves - unknown
Analysis - reports tell me that Jimmy "Sioux Suck" Kleinsasser is going to be cut. What? Our "franchise player"? I know, hard to believe but Jimmy is probably gone. Expect him to be signed by Jacksonville. Wiggins is adequate but this position should be upgraded to official KAO status as well.

O-Tackles

Starters - Bryant McKinnie and Ryan Cook/Marcus Johnson
Reserves - Ryan Cook/Marcus Johnson
Analysis - Left side is probably the most overrated OT in the game and the other side is full of more ineptitude and blown assignments. Mike Rosenthal is going to be cut as well but that is just fine with the rest of us. McKinnie is OK 8 out of 10 plays he does just fine but it seems that he gets beat on crucial plays more than anybody else. The right side could use some help but I don't see this as a very high priority and will likely be addressed with a 2nd day draft pick or a 2nd tier free agent. Either way it is an opportunity position, both young guys and maybe a cheap free agent will be given the opportunity to win the starting job.

O-Guards

Starters - Steve Hutchinson and Artis Hicks
Reserves - Anthony Herrera and who knows
Analysis - Hutch was solid but not the greatness everyone expected. I think he'll be fine and better in 2007 than 2006. The other side is probably the 2nd highest priority on this side of the ball. I would expect a draft pick in the first 3 rounds to fill this spot next season.

Center

Starter - Matt Birk
Reserves - ?
Analysis - Birk didn't seem to dominate as he used to but he did still make the ProBowl. I'm not sure how much of that was reputation vs. actual assesment by his peers on his 2006 performance. Birk is still one of the best, making this position one we don't need to worry about.

My biggest concern for 2007 is the BRHCP calling plays again. I expect that he will continue with those duties but I sincerely wish that he'd focus on overall game plan, execution, motivation and game management rather than thinking about the specific play to call. If you don't trust current OCoord (quick what's his name) then hire someone with experience who you trust to do it. I got the feeling as the season wore on the team's overall prep and readiness suffered because BRHCP spent too much of his time during the week scripting plays. Tim Brewster has this figured out and he's never been a head coach before.

Unfortunately this offense CAN be worse than it was in 2006, but hopefully it won't be. My name for this offense has always been the Midwest Coast Offense (MWCO) and it lived up to it's humble and boring origin. It was a very polite and non-invasive offense that was concerned about pushing the opposition too much for fear they'd be offended. Well I'd love to see the KAO not the MWCO in 2007!

* - BRHCP is credited to Swan, very funny and is the official PKA nickname of Brad Childress.