| Vikings Roster Breakdown Part 1...Defense |
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| Written by Drakesax | ||||||||
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Eleven days into free agency (FA) the Vikings have addressed some of their more pressing needs. The draft is the next phase of retooling their roster for playoff contention. Its probably still fool-hearted to think of the Vikes as Championship contenders but they are on the right path. Here is my take on the current roster on the defensive side of the ball.
I'm going to start with defense which on the face is top 15. No one can run on the Vikes but everyone can pass. What'd the Vikes do so far this off-season? They lost arguably their best defensive end to cancer. Cut ties with all buy two of their safeties. Let their number one back-up linebacker leave via FA. Lost depth at the defensive line. In all fairness we all wish Kenechi Udeze the best through his battle with cancer. I can't complain about letting the three safeties leave that we let leave. Dontarrious Thomas deserved a shot at starting in the NFL and that wasn't going to happen sans injury with the Vikes. Spencer Johnson also tested the FA market as a starter and received starters money to leave. All of our losses make sense. So do our additions.
The Vikes have brought in Madieu Williams to replace Dwight Smith, so now all we need is added depth behind Williams and Sharper. Other then that we've swung and missed on the rest of our perspective FA signings on the defensive side of the ball. I guess they had Nathan Jones a corner-back/special teams ace in on Tuesday. That would give us three special teams aces in Jones, Heath Farwell, and Vinny Ciurciu. Jones played at Rutgers when the Vikes current special teams coach Paul Ferraro. With special teams specialists on the team, if we sign Jones, we had better have killer kick/punt coverage next season.
Let's start breaking stuff down with the defensive line. Left Defensive End is a trouble spot due to Udeze's situation, the probably defection of Darrion Scott (unrestricted free agent/UFA) and that would leave the current depth chart with only Jayme Mitchell. At the right defensive end position Ray Edwards and Brian Robison were able to show potential. Robison hit the rookie wall around the twelfth game last season. Edwards was suspended for the use of a banned substance, which doesn't fit in with Childress' culture of accountability. Erasmus James has proven to be a flop in the NFL with multiple knee surgeries I don't expect much of anything from James this year or ever. Rounding out the left defensive end position is Otis Grigsby a late season acquisition to cover for the loss of Edwards to suspension. Grigsby will be lucky to make next years team but who knows our depth sucks to bad he might just make the team.
What do the Vikes have to work with in honest terms? Probably Robison and Edwards. Robison didn't look bad last season and if he can add a little bulk maybe, just maybe he'll pan out to be a LE in the NFL. The main question on him will always be how will he fair against the run? Edwards seems to be a player of NFL caliber and ability. Can he keep his head screwed on long enough for all of that talent to pan out is the main question I have for him. Edwards football IQ is questionable in my opinion. From watching games last season Edwards tended to get lost from time to time. Both of these guys could be NFL starters but I see them more of rotational players which bodes well for the Vikes on the left side, but the flip side to that is we have nothing on the right side.
What do the Vikes do there? There are no options in FA. Maybe Jason Taylor is a possibility for the Vikes. I can't imagine the rumors that the Dolphins will only accept a first round pick for Taylor is true. Taylor can't have more then three seasons left in the tank so if the Vikes give much more then a third round pick for Taylor I think they've overpaid. I understand that the Vikes might not have the chance to draft an elite pass-rushing defensive end at seventeen in this years draft but is Taylor still an elite pass-rushing end? I imagine the Vikes are making calls around the league to see if anyone else is interested in moving a starting quality DE. With no FA possibilities and limited trade possibilities the Vikes are more then likely going to have to invest some quality first day draft picks again this year on DE. I haven't broken down the draft just yet but I think drafting a DE in the first might end up being a reach, which I would argue has been the Vikings problem over the years draftingDE's in the first round. I'd rather the Vikes look for more of a sleeper in the second or third. Maybe it makes sense for the Vikes to swallow hard and resign Scott just so we have something at right defensive end. I could also see the team starting Edwards andRobison on either side with the two being able to switch sides often through-out games. I think I might actually like that situation because that would also allow for the Vikes to develop this year DE draft picks. Time will tell but this is currently the Vikes most pressing need.
At defensive tackle (DT) the Vikes still have the Williams Wall in Pat and Kevin and last year they look as stout as they have over the past three season. Losing Spencer Johnson hurts their depth but Fred Evans is passable to decent depth. The Vikes will probably have to add one or two guys via the draft at theDT position but history has proven the Vikes are decent at finding DT depth late in drafts and even through signing undrafted FA rookies. I'm not too worried about the DT position. I'd like to see the Vikes start to address the future because Pat Williams can't have more the three years left in the tank. I also like the idea of moving Erasmus James toDT due to his injury problems. James was a solid player in college at Wisconsin but I'm not holding my breath on this experiment, it wouldn't surprise me if the Vikes cut James before the start of next season. At line-backer (LB) the Vikes are returning all three starters. E.J. Henderson was borderline Pro-Bowl last season, in my opinion he was but he didn't get the nod due to lack of nationally televised games. ChadGreenway, in his first full NFL season, showed lots of promise and looks like a solid NFL player for the future. Ben Leber had a slightly quiet season in comparison to his first season with the Vikes. That having been said about Leber his numbers speak for themselves and the Vikes should have no issue with him at starter. The only real question about the Vikes LB position would be the overall depth. Dontarrious Thomas was the primary back-up at all three positions last season. Heath Farwell should be able to set-up and become the primary back-up on the strong side and possibly the weak side too. Who is backing up E.J. in the middle? Rufus Alexander was a true ball-hawk in college and if he's able to come back from last seasons, season ending injury he could become the primary back-up atMLB position. Alexander will be an interesting player because if he doesn't show early and often that he's recovered from last years injury he could find himself unemployed before the start of next year. DavidHerron is a practice squad player and it wouldn't surprise me if he's lost in the numbers game. I also wouldn't be surprise especially if the Vikes sign Jones, the special teams ace/corner-back, thatCiurciu ends up being cut. Look for the Vikes to watch the transfer wire for depth at LB and look for them to draft a LB or two in the middle to late rounds. The Vikes don't need a starter out of this draft, but they'd be wise to draft someone with promise for the future.
Corner-back (CB) and safety (S) are interesting position for the Vikes. Safety went from a major question mark at the end of last season to the beginning of FA but with the addition ofMadieu Williams the Vikes look solid at the S position. Sharper is getting a little long in the tooth but Williams youth/speed should allow for Sharper to have a few more excellent seasons in his strong safety (SS) role. Last year the Vikes had four solid hitting, excellent tackling starters at the CB/S position in Cedric Griffin, Antoine Winfield, Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith. They lacked high end speed andthusly were exploited on crosses over the middle and long balls down the field. Williams might not be as sure of a hitter/tackler as Dwight Smith but he does have more ball-hawking skills and brings more top-end elite speed to the defensive backfield. Which should allow for the other three starters to really dig in and play to their strengths. I had kicked around the idea of moving Griffin toFS to allow the Vikes bring in another top-flight CB such as A. Samuel formerly of the New England Patriots, presently the Philadelphia Eagles. Lito Shepard is supposedly on the market so maybe the Vikes make a move for Lito to replace Griffin but I think Griffin has the ability to play CB at the NFL level. I know the Vikes got eaten up the last two years in the passing game but making the move of Williams for Smith the Vikes really should have a different feel to the defensive backfield. Smith couldn't cover deep and tended to cheat up as a run stopper. With Smith/Sharper at the S position we really had two guys that claim to be FS playing SS. There was no deep cover for our CB. Charles Gordon and Marcus McCauley give the Vikes excellent depth at the nickel and dime back positions. Overall the Vikes need to add a DE that can actually get to the opposing QB. Otherwise, they are going to have to keep blitzingLB's constantly which has been opening up the middle of the field to crossing patterns and TE's on curl routes. If we don't land a DE worth mentioning the Vikes might want to think about moving towards a 3-4 defense with Kevin Williams at one of the DE positions. If they move to the 3-4 I thinkLeber would probably become one of the interior LB's with Farwell moving to the WLB position.
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