The confetti is still not cleaned up from the field in Miami where the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts, and already it is open season on Minnesota Vikings players. It is a safe bet that the roster that lines up opening day will look a bit different than the one that slowly hobbled off the Superdome field at the end of the NFC Championship. That's part of the NFL--always looking forward and changing to stay competitive. But if you were to leave it to the fans, the Vikings would be going into rebuilding mode right now--despite being a field goal attempt away from the Super Bowl.
Trade Adrian Peterson and sign Chester Taylor; let Taylor go and trade for Donovan McNabb; move Antoine Winfield to safety, draft a shutdown corner and trade either of the Vikings current safeties; get rid of Bryant McKinnie and wait for him to twitter about it; fire Brad Childress and hire Gregg Williams; sign Julius Peppers and say so long to Ray Edwards; get Randy Moss and waive Bernard Berrian; let Brett Favre retire, allow T-Jack Era II to begin or trade up for one of the blue chippers coming out, and so on.
All of the above have been brought up, considered, talked about and laughed at on various Vikings chat boards throughout the world wide web. If the Vikings were to act on even half of these suggestions, they would have carried out the largest overhaul of a team on the precipice of a Super Bowl in NFL history--a Super Bowl many are convinced the Vikings would have won had they gotten there.
Well, that is why fans and media don't make personnel decisions. There are several problems with the fans' desires to makeover this team, principal among them are the rules for free agency that restrict the Vikings (they can't sign a free agent until they've lost one) because of the SUCCESS they had this season. Secondly, the Vikings draft in the 30th position of the first round because of the SUCCESS they had this season. Third, the Vikings are not going to make wholesale changes, or even monumental ones, because of the SUCCESS they had this season.
Right, they didn't win the Super Bowl. They didn't even get there--that much we know. But it is hard to argue the fact that they didn't have the talent to do both, so while tweaking the lineup is necessary, wholesale changes are not.
The pressing personnel issues, as we see them, start at quarterback. If Favre returns, the Vikings are good for another season. If there is a quality project available late, it might be worth a look. But if Favre retires and means it, then all bets are off. A need the team could fill elsewhere becomes second priority to getting an elite quarterback for right now--we saw this season how important they are to have while your short window is open to go all the way.
Another potential retiree in Pat Williams puts a hole in the Williams Wall and takes a perennial strength of the team and makes it a concern. The Vikings have solid reserves in Jimmy Kennedy and Fred Evans, but Pat Williams is an elite player that offensive coordinators tried to avoided, so losing him would be a blow. Perhaps we haven't heard his decision yet because he may be waiting on Favre--certainly he is not waiting on the resolution of the StarCaps court case.
As for the ends of the defensive line, re-sign free agent Edwards--the season he had this year showed he is a young player on the rise. As Jared Allen received more double teams, Edwards took advantage of the single blocker and made hay with it. Perhaps he turned the corner and this pair could be devastating next season.
The defensive secondary is a big question mark with a befuddling injury to Winfield, a late-season and long-recovery injury to Cedric Griffin, and a possible upgrade needed at safety. Perhaps the team is satisfied with the play of Tyrell Johnson and Madieu Williams, but many are looking for Jamarca Sanford to push them both if not supplant one of them as a starter next season.
E.J. Henderson's return from a broken femur is a concern, but some reports have him ahead in his recovery. Jasper Brinkley filled in admirably during his battlefield promotion, but he still needs to grow as a pass defender. Some depth at linebacker might be nice, but a lot depends on Henderson whether or not the Vikings use a draft pick or free agent opportunity until they know more.
The offensive line should be better next season, as two first-year starters performed very well at times and should only get better. They need to improve on their run blocking and do an even better job at keeping elite pass rushers off of their quarterback--as much fans wanted to point fingers at the Saints for dirty play in the NFC Championship and at the refs for not calling it, it is the job of the offensive line to not even let the defense get close to their signal caller. The only thing needed here is some quality younger reserves as Steve Hutchinson and McKinnie won't be around forever.
Special teams made vast improvements this season both in the coverage and return units, despite some lapses at crucial times. The addition of Karl Paymah, Percy Harvin, Sanford and Darius Reynaud and the return of Pro Bowler Heath Farwell certainly helped. They must continue the improvement and clean those lapses up--but the group may be set personnel-wise.
As to all of the "skill" positions on offense, the thoughts of moving them seems kind of silly for the number two scoring offense in the regular season (there was even a thread in a chat room postulating that the Vikings try to trade Favre before he could decide to retire--even though the trading deadline had passed, there are so many things wrong with idea). We don't advocate trading AP under any circumstances (even under a Hershel Walker-type scenario--the Vikings aren't rebuilding); handcuff Taylor to him and keep them both in the backfield rotation. Just make sure to count how people are in the huddle before break it.
Berrian, who played most of the season injured, started to return to form late, and the Vikings still need him to stretch the field to open things up for Sidney Rice and Harvin. We wouldn't say no to a Randy Moss-type upgrade--he flourished here when he had Cris Carter and Jake Reed to attract the defense's attention, but Moss is under contract for another season and would require too much to get him.
On the coaching staff, the Vikings dodged a couple of bullets as defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers were sought for other coaching jobs but will be returning. And now is when head coach Brad Childress is at his best--in recognizing and acquiring talent. Says here, we would much rather see the Vikings go down to New Orleans next season and exact a little revenge on Gregg Williams than have him come in and takeover for Childress. With the coaching staff intact, they needn't chase down replacements and can get to work on the roster all the sooner.
It's early yet for all these decisions--Favre's ankle is still probably a little purple, and he's still deciding if he wants his uniform for next season to match. The Vikings have some issues and some changes will certainly be made. They can't and won't choose to make all of them. But it will be fun to watch, and in the meantime, speculate on what they will do. Stay tuned.
Comments
Oberle is likely just cherrypicking every suggestion he has read from Vikings fans. I really doubt most Vikings fans want to overhaul the team or even make major changes. Seriously, Oberle do you really think most fans want to trade AD?
Mike H: While I will admit to a little cherrypicking, I never quantified it in anyway. Perhaps I should have said "some fans" want changes--but to be honest, I am amazed at how many times I hear and see the Peterson topic discussed. Some fans think he is at the peak of his production and trade value and will only tail off from here. Others don't see his running style and lack of vision working behind our line. They like Chester's vision and patience to find a hole rather than AP's full on blasts into the back of his linemen. I don't think the majority of Vikings fans want to trade him or an overhaul, but I guess the point I was making is that the list of changes some fans want made is long and varied.
While some may say if it ain't broke dont't fix it, the Vikes did
not win the Bowl so some changes or tinkering to make it past the last hurdle seem necessary. As you know Joe, I'm a backer of Chester T. He is a better fit in the west-coast offense. Now
that doesn't mean I would trade AP but it wouldn't hurt to test his value. We need upgrades in the o-line, at fullback, maybe add a receiver and the secondary. It's unrealistic to believe we can add enough thru the draft so free agency and trades should be explored. I'm not advocating blowing it up but adding the right pieces to improve the team. I enjoyed the season but the way it ended left a bad taste in my mouth. Please Brett make it one more, please.
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