Sunday Evening Present: Madden Style

from: fansided.com (yes, I understand this is Madden 25, but it looks great)

My Sunday was a lovely day spent cleaning the house and then hanging out at a friend’s house. I came home and had dinner with my wife. Good day. Then I popped open facebook like I’m wont to do a couple times a week and BAM! Full Madden 15 player ratings reveals for the AFC and NFC North! Present for me. So let’s dive in. How did the Vikings fare?

You can see the ratings yourself here: http://www.easports.com/.

Obviously AP is the best player on the roster, as he should be. Good job, Madden Ratings Czars, good job. John Sullivan comes in at a 92 overall; he may not get much recognition during the season, but Madden at least gives him his due credit. Then Phil Loadholt comes in third at a 90. I’d actually say Loadholt may be a tad overrated, but on the Vikings roster, as a mauling and run blocking right tackle, that would be an accurate rating.

from: gomadden.com

Loadholt may be overrated, on a team like the Patriots, but is there anyone else who is overrated on the Vikings’ roster? Linval Joseph is rated an 86, about what he was rated last year. I've been hearing that he’s good, but I don’t know if I’d go 86 good. He has more of a reputation than Shariff Floyd does, but Floyd’s 77 rating seems a bit too far away. Jamarca Sanford is another player I think may be getting a slight boost in ratings. At a 79, he’s the best strong safety on the roster, and that he should be. But throughout training camp Sanford has been running predominately with the second team. I understand Zimmer wants a safety that can play more coverage as opposed to Sanford’s run support, but I feel like a 77 may be more appropriate. Next one up is Jasper Brinkley, rated a 76 overall. He’s great in run support, which may be what Zimmer is ultimately looking for, but Brinkley was atrocious in pass coverage for us when he played for the Vikings. I think a drop in his awareness and zone coverage (though it’s already at a 60) are due.

These are all stretches. Honestly, I don’t believe any Vikings players should be rated lower than what they are. What kind of Vikings fan would I be then? I just felt that before I start listing the people that need a boost in ratings, I should attempt to be fair and list a few that maybe, kinda, roughly could be dropped a bit. Maybe.

from: gomadden.com

So now for those that I feel are underrated. We have to start with Teddy Bridgewater. At a 77 overall, he has the same rating as Johnny Manziel. Come on, man! Teddy has great accuracy on short and medium throws (87 and 82 respectively), but his 69 deep accuracy really kills his rating. While I would argue that Bridgewater probably has better awareness than the 60 he was given, I'm more concerned with this deep accuracy. From what we've heard out of Vikings training camp, Bridgewater has a much better deep ball than what was expected. Granted, every team will be saying their rookies are performing better than expected in problem areas. Still, a 69? I’d go with closer to 74 (and that will be the first thing I edit when I get my copy). Then we have Blair Walsh, who gets an 81 overall rating. With 92 kick power and 87 kick accuracy, he’s pretty good. But if those ratings, combined with his 78 awareness, only grant an 81 overall, then stuff needs to be pumped up. Walsh should be an 85. I know Justin Tucker of the Ravens is good, but he’s got a 93 overall rating. Blair Walsh is not 12 points worse than him. Definitely not. Last one I strongly believe got gypped is Matt Kalil. This guy is a stud. I understand he had a down year, so he isn’t at the same level as John Sullivan or Phil Loadholt, but Kalil gets just an 80 overall rating. With 79 awareness, he only has a run blocking rating of 76 and pass blocking rating of 87. Now, I love Iowa players, but Riley Reiff on the Lions is also an 80 overall. I scoff at that disparity.

Just some notes on other players: Cordarelle Patterson gets an 82 overall with 98 agility. That’s about right. In only his second year, his overall rating is hampered a bit by his awareness and catch in traffic. I’ll still probably start him and put Jennings at the number 2 spot. Then we have Kyle Rudolph at an 84. Expect to see that rating jump throughout the year. Then we’ve got Anthony Barr, The Vikings’ first, first round draft pick, sitting at a middling 75 overall. That’s ok for now, though, in my opinion. His speed and quickness are amazing for a linebacker of his size, 90 and 89, but he’s hampered by awareness and play recognition ratings in the lower sixties. He has great pass rushing moves, however, so he should be an immediate impact player with Madden 15’s new pass rushing controls, especially if you get the jump on the snap.

from: reddit.com

I felt like this year’s ratings—what is out so far—have been staggered better. There are more sixties and seventies than previous years, so there is a bigger difference between the elite players and those that are simply average. Of all the players in this release, only Calvin Johnson is a 99. AP, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Thomas get 98s, but there’s a steady drop-off from there. I’m not comparing numbers to last year’s ratings at this point, so I could be completely wrong, but there seemed to be more low numbers on the bottom of those spreadsheets than in past years.

Madden 15 comes out August 26^th. Depending on how much time I get to play it, I think I can guarantee the Vikings a Superbowl by the second week of September. Yea, buddy.

2015 NFL Draft: Too Early for First Round Wish?

Is it too early to talk about the 2015 NFL draft? Yeah, it probably is, but I already know who I want the Vikings to take in the first round.

I was drooling over Marcus Mariota, but he didn't declare for the 2014 draft, and then the Vikings drafted Teddy Bridgewater. Mariota won't happen next year, not when we traded up to get Bridgewater. But that's ok. Bridgewater is going to do things at the position we haven't had for a long time, and he fits our offensive scheme better. So I'm getting over Mariota. I am not, however, giving up on an Oregon player.

from: cbssports.com

I would love if the Vikings drafted Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. The 5'10", 190 pound cornerback from Oregon could have declared for the draft this year, just as Mariota could have. Ekpre-Olomu would have gone in the first round, too. But he chose to stay another year, to gain more experience and get his degree I would assume. I commend him for that. It's also a ripe time for the Vikings to nab him. Xavier Rhodes is going to become our number one, in charge of guarding Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson on a regular basis. Opposite him we don't really have another true starter. Munnerlyn is as close as we'll get, but expect to see him in the slot for most of the time. But with his size, is Ekpre-Olomu really a starter on the outside? 

Ok, the answer to that is iffy. He's really ideally suited for the slot, where we have Munnerlyn for a few years. But here's my thinking: with Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, and Jay Cutler in our division, there is going to be a lot of passing. We need all the coverage help we can get. He'll also be a solid replacement when/if we lose Munnerlyn. He'll probably be better. Plus, Ekpre-Olomu is great in run support. Check out the video below for some highlights. He's making great tackles, and I think I saw him covering Brandin Cooks during one of the segments, the rookie Saints receiver already getting lots of praise, and covering him well.

He's had great stats, especially in the tackles department. As a true freshman in 2011, he didn't have any interceptions, but he had 34 tackles. He played in all 14 games. In 2012, he started for all 13 games, racking up 4 interceptions and 64 tackles. The highlight of his stats, in my opinion, was the six fumbles he was credited in forcing. I know there were a lot of comparisons of Captain Munnerlyn to Antoine Winfield, but maybe Ekpre-Olomu to Winfield might be better? Just this past season, 2013, Ekpre-Olomu improved again on his tackle total, recording a whopping 84 total tackles, 54 of them solo ones. While he intercepted 3 passes during the year, to me it still seemed like he improved a lot. (stats courtesy of goducks.com)

The 2015 mock drafts that are out have Ifo Ekpre-Olomu going in a myriad of positions, but always in the first round. One site has him going as low as 25, while another one has him going at 8. The Vikings won't be the worst team in the NFL. I can almost guarantee that. But I doubt they'll be picking from 26-32. Sorry, I just think we need another couple years of experience and talent before we can make a deep playoff run. But that means Ekpre-Olomu has a good chance of being available when the Vikings pick. 

from: zimbio.com

This is obviously very early, and I'm sure I'll change my opinion of who I'd like the Vikings to take ten times over the next year, but as of now I believe Ifo Ekpre-Olomu would be a great addition to our roster at a position of need. Unless a middle linebacker shoots up the draft charts. Then maybe we should go with that pick.

The Kluwe Debacle

from: snapshot.si-apps.com

This is an issue we've all heard about; well, all the Vikings fans. Yet it's an issue I've just touched the surface of. I really liked Kluwe. He obviously wasn't the best punter in the league, but he did great work for us when he was here. And he was different. I get tired of listening to interviews and statements from players thanking God for their ability and praying to God to perform well. I get tired of them talking about just putting it all out there, trying their best, and having their hard work pay off. That's all good, and is true (except about the God thing. God doesn't care about football), but Kluwe brought something different to the table. His outspokenness was a welcome change. I remember the interview he had with Donovan McNabb where Kluwe detailed all the things McNabb had to agree to before Kluwe would give up number 5. McNabb had to mention Kluwe's band a certain number of times in public appearances, and the new quarterback had to buy Kluwe an ice cream cone. You're not going to see that from the majority of NFL players. Then the Vikings drafted Jeff Locke, Kluwe was cut, and just like that the Vikings had moved on. Until Kluwe said he was going to sue the Vikings for cutting him for his activism and not his ability as a punter.

I am hopelessly addicted to the Vikings. Hopelessly. As in, we could lose our top ten best players and I would still be a Vikings fan. Purple and gold will always be my favorite colors. I can't play as another team in Madden for more than a year without having to go back to the Vikings. I feel guilty, like I'm betraying the Vikings. But this whole thing with Preifer and how the Vikings handled it has made me slightly ill. Not my Vikings, I said. My Vikings couldn't do this. 

from: thevikingage.com

Kluwe was cut after the 2012 season, one year shy of the end of his contract. In early January of 2013 he posted an article he wrote, which included a journal-esque account of the past season's events, on deadspin.com about how his reputation with the team and the staff's general feel towards him was steadily going down hill, that his political activism and view on homosexuality played a large part in his being fired. I hadn't read the article until recently. You can read it here: http://deadspin.com/i-was-an-nfl-player-until-i-was-fired-by-two-cowards-an-1493208214. Granted, all of this can't be taken as fact; or at least, one needs to keep an open mind throughout it all. The one thing that really stuck with me, however, is how Priefer acted through all of this. The one comment that is all over the place whenever this situation is brought up claims that Priefer said "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows."

Kluwe then said he would sue the Vikings for $10 million, but he held off in the hopes that tensions could be resolved without going to court. So far that's been avoided, but Kluwe has expressed his disgust with what the Vikings have given so far. After a six month investigation into Priefer and the organization, and a 150 page review, Priefer has been suspended for 2 games and a 29 page summary of that 150 page review has been released.

Oh yeah, and you've heard about some of Kluwe's not so appropriate actions as well, right? How he cut a hole in his pants and wore them around Tom Kanavy, the strength and conditioning coach for the Vikings and a former coach of Penn State, then told him to stay away while he was exposed? In a twitter response, Kluwe said he did make fun of Kanavy in that manner, but that it was only one time, and that other players continued to make similar jokes for another month. I have no idea what happens in locker rooms, but that seems somewhat hypocritical coming from a man whose activism and gay rights support is well known. Check out this great article that includes many of Kluwe's tweets: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/07/21/chris-kluwes-battle-with-the-vikings-takes-an-ugly-turn/.

I'm not quite sure where I stand on this issue. I can't abandon the Vikings. After all, one person or a small group doesn't make the team. The Minnesota Vikings are an entire organization made up of thousands of people. I really like Kluwe, but I question how much of what he's said is true. However, something is obviously going on, and I think Priefer definitely may have said some very inappropriate things. Then you get into more tweets from Kluwe, including one that said a couple Vikings players were "caught in a compromising situation with an underage girl". The Vikings are about a lot more than simply playing football, and I lose sight of that 98% of the time. These players and staff are people, and they have lives outside of football. What are they doing with those lives? I hope they aren't doing anything like Kluwe hints at. But I don't know, and I probably won't ever know. A report like that, more specifics at least, most likely won't be released to the media, meaning I'll never hear about it. 

from: joystiq.com

So I'm back to where I started. The Vikings are my team, even though that was never up for debate. I thank Kluwe for the great play he provided the Vikings while he was here, and wish him luck in the future. I hope nothing too serious results from this situation, but I also hope and wish that those responsible get punished fairly. I would preferably see Priefer suspended for much longer, but I don't make those decisions. The 2014 season is coming fast, and I'm excited for football! Skol, Vikings!

Get to Know: Tight End Kyle Rudolph

from: Advocare.com

With Norv Turner coming to the Vikings, everyone has talked about how Cordarrelle Patterson will flourish in Turner's down field passing scheme. I really believe that will happen, though maybe not on the level of Josh Gordon last year. Not yet. But the other player that came out of nowhere last year in Norv Turner's offense with the Browns was tight end Jordan Cameron. The 6'5", 250 pound tight end caught 80 passes for 917 yards and 7 touchdowns. And guess what else? That came while catching passes from three different quarterbacks throughout the season. Yea, for Vikings receivers that's 'been there, done that'. But with a new offense and a little more stability at the quarterback position, all the signs are pointed in the right direction for a breakout season for Kyle Rudolph.

Kyle Rudolph played three years of college football at the University of Notre Dame, a school that's produced very good tight ends over the years. He played well enough that he felt confident he'd get drafted if he left a year early. 

from: blogs.ajc.com

When the Vikings drafted Kyle Rudolph in the second round of the 2011 draft, we still had an aging yet good pass-catching tight end in Visanthe Shiancoe on the roster. I expected more two tight end sets than what was actually used, and Rudolph ended the season with only 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. 2012 gave us a glimpse of what we could expect from the 2nd round tight end, as he caught passes for 493 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He even went to the pro bowl as a replacement for Tony Gonzalez. Things were moving in the right direction.  

Then 2013 happened. Rudolph only caught 30 passes for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns, beating out his stats from his rookie year by just a bit. I've heard lots of whisperings that this past year was a bad sign, that maybe he wasn't go to be very good. But he only played in 8 games! He broke his foot in the week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys, on a large touchdown reception no less.  He didn't play the rest of the season.

But he's all better now. He better be, as the Vikings just gave him a 5 year, $36.5 million extension. Like Everson Griffin, Rudolph is being paid for potential. I love Everson Griffin and believe he will live up to expectations, but I believe the chances that Kyle Rudolph becomes the player the Vikings envision are greater than for Everson Griffin. 

from: m.1500espn.com

I think Rudolph will have a great year as long as he stays healthy. I'm predicting 700-800 yards receiving, and 10 touchdowns. Quite a jump, I know, but we don't really have a true redzone receiver, as in someone 6'3" to 6'5" who can make those ridiculous leaping catches. We've got Rudolph, and I think he'll produce nicely. At 6'6" and 259 pounds, he's a bit taller than Jordan Cameron, but also a bit heavier. He's not as fast as Jordan Cameron-Rudolph ran a 4.78 at the combine, while Cameron ran a 4.59-but Rudolph has been a great run blocker. As long as we have Adrian Pederson, that's a necessity. In Rudolph, we have a a great, soon to be the best, all-around tight end. With great quarterback play, Rudolph could easily be as good as Rob Gronkowski. His future with the Vikings will be great.

I really struggled to find information about Rudolph off the football field. What I did find comes from minnesota.cbslocal.com. Rudolph seems to have adapted to life in Minnesota quite well, which shouldn't be too surprising as he is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Same region but more snow. Rudolph likes bass fishing and wakeboarding, two things I don't get much enjoyment out of, but I'd still love to hang out with him for a while. He also likes Kenny Chesney, so there's another thing we don't agree on. But hey, I still want him on my fantasy team.

from: espn.go.com

Kyle Rudolph definitely has some proving to do this year and for years to come, but I truly believe he will live up to his hype. Whether Cassel or Bridgewater starts this year, we should have more continuity at the quarterback position. Then especially with the new offense Norv Turner will be running, AP's carries should be slightly reduced, meaning we'll be throwing it more and throwing it farther down field. Rudolph will definitely be a player to watch this year. 

And just to throw this in, 'cuz I know you all want to know, Rudolph is my favorite Vikings player. I'm ecstatic we locked him up for another five years!

Vikings Expected Defensive Scheme

I will be creating a page specifically for the Vikings Defensive Scheme, but until we know for sure what that is, I'm going to surmise in a blog post.

The Vikings have and will continue to run a base 4-3 defense. In it's very basic that means there are four down lineman (down meaning they have their hands on the ground) and three linebackers. See the image below.

from: bleacherreport.com

For many years the Vikings had run a cover two 4-3 defense, which meant that the four down lineman were relied upon to provide the pass rush while the linebackers were in pass coverage and run support. On a run play, each player of the defensive line and each linebacker would be in charge of a specific gap, such as between the guard and center or between the tackle and tight end (the image above examples this very nicely. For more information, you'll have to go to bleacherreport.com). We fared well with that when we had Pat and Kevin Williams and Jared Allen. With the loss of Pat Williams, though, we didn't have the big run stuffing nose tackle to go along with the 3 technique pass rushing defensive tackle of Kevin Williams. Now, before the 2014 season, the cover two is gone, replaced by Mike Zimmer's more aggressive, bringing-pressure-from-other-positions 4-3. Finally. We need this.

 While I am not completely sure what Zimmer is going to do with our defense, I can surmise based on personnel, what he's said, and what he's done in the past. Defensive Coordinator George Edwards should help a bunch as well, as he has extensive experience on the defensive side of the ball. 

Based on personnel, we will be putting Linval Joseph at the nose guard position. He will line up between the center and guard most often and be expected to take on double teams. He'll shift from side to side based on where the tight end lines up if there's a tight end. Shariff Floyd will play the 3-technique, lined up opposite Joseph but between the guard and tackle for most base sets. He'll be leaned upon for interior pass rush and run support. Then we have Everson Griffin and Brian Robison. Plan for Griffin to play the right defensive end spot to replace Jared Allen. In his first full season as a starter, Griffin will be relied upon to bring a lot of pressure from the typical pass-rushing end spot (I hope to be seeing a lot of the below image from Griffin). Brian Robison will play the left end spot, where he's been solid ever since we chose not to resign Ray Edwards in 2011. Robison doesn't usually put up flashy numbers, but he's always been solid against the pass and the run.

from: bleacherreport.com

The linebackers are much more of a mystery. Chad Greenway will definitely be starting at one position, but whether that's on the left side or the right side remains to be seen. Anthony Barr, the Vikings first, first round draft pick will most likely get the start on the other side. However, I can see him and Greenway being shifted around based on the opposing personnel and situation. Don't expect Barr to be in pass coverage very often, though with his athletic ability, I hope that gets better quickly (see my breakdown on his skillset: http://theinconsistentviking.blogspot.com/2014/05/first-round-analysis-anthony-barr.html). He was drafted for his athletic ability and potential, but the best way he can contribute immediately is with his pass rushing skills. The middle linebacker is more of a mystery. Typically in a cover two the linebackers would be smaller and quicker, able to get to a running back but also to cover a specific zone on the field. Expect that to change a bunch in Zimmer's scheme. In the past Zimmer has run more man coverage. With our corners being put into man coverage more often, our linebackers will be free to blitz. Expect Anthony Barr to be blitzing at least sixty percent of the time during his rookie season. Greenway could see some blitzing as well, as will our middle linebacker, but the pass rush from the linebacker position should focus on Barr.

If we're comparing what to expect to what was in the past, Barr would play a similar position to what James Harrison played for the Bengals. Harrison, however, was a situational pass rusher and didn't play often. The Vikings want Barr to play much more than that. Zimmer has already said he envisions Barr in a similar role to the one Von Miller plays for the Broncos. Miller is a superstar, rushing the passer from the linebacker position in some sets and from the defensive end position in other sets. One thing we could see coming is shifting Barr down to the right defensive end spot, taking Linval Joseph off the field, and sliding Everson Griffin into the defensive tackle spot. That gets four great pass rushers on the field at once. I'm seeing the Giants NASCAR set, where they would have their four best pass rushers down on the line, oftentimes that being four defensive ends. It's a thought that gives me chills. And the air conditioning isn't even running. They could also play only three down lineman and play Barr as a linebacker up against the line of scrimmage, like James Harrison is doing in the image below.

from: cincyjungle.com

Greenway could play a spot more similar to Vontaze Burfict of the Bengals. Granted, their skillsets are much different. Greenway is no longer the athlete he used to be, but he is still the Vikings smartest defender by a long shot. He should still break triple digits in tackles, meaning he may often be playing mop up duty. I'm very comfortable with that role for him. As to the middle linebacker, that's harder to predict. For the Bengals, Rey Maualuga was the starter for the last few years. He's big, able to dish out huge hits, but slow. They also had Emmanuel Lamur, who played a lot on passing downs as he was smaller and much faster than Maualuga. Who could play those roles for the Vikings. Well, returning from a year stint with the Cardinals is Jasper Brinkley. He's good in run defense but that's it. He's not fast and he's terrible in pass coverage. Then we have Audie Cole, seen below, who could be very solid, though he's not nearly the athlete that Lamur is. Cole has very little experience, yet what he does have has been very promising. We also have Michael Mauti, and Gerald Hodges will need to find a position somewhere. I really have no idea what could happen (though honestly, I'd prefer if Jasper Brinkley was our third or fourth option).

from: thevikingage.com

Obviously, a major part of this defense working is our secondary's ability to switch to man coverage. One thing we have going for us is that Xavier Rhodes should actually be more comfortable in man than in zone. The Vikings are relying heavily on the second year corner to guard the likes of Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Jordy Nelson. Captain Munnerlyn is a good addition in this aspect. He and Josh Robinson should compete for covering the slot corner. From what I've seen (and I will be shocked if I'm actually right), Josh Robinson has been better on the outside even with his blazing speed. That will allow Munnerlyn to play in the slot, where he should be very good. With Harrison Smith playing amazing-typical-we do still need a little help from the other side. Jamarca Sanford has not been great-about average at best, which is better than not even close to average-and his time may be coming to a close. Antone Exum may be a long shot for the other safety spot-he's only a year removed from a severe lower body injury-but his experience working out of the corner could translate nicely to what the Vikings may be doing. Give him a year or two to bounce back from the injury and learn the defense, then plug him beside Harrison Smith. Giving him some reps this year, even three or four snaps a game, could go a long way towards his development.

Just as our offense will benefit from a complete overhaul, our defense is going to benefit from the shift from the traditional cover two to a more aggressive, more man coverage dominated 4-3. Expectations are always high this time of year. I know the Jaguars and Raiders are super psyched about their rosters and their chances. They should be. No one has played a game yet. But the Vikings were long overdue for this change. With most defenses today throwing in exotic sets and blitz packages, and seeing the success that many of them have had (see Jets, Patriots, Bengals, Broncos, Seahawks), it was time the Vikings start doing something more unpredictable. What? You mean all three of our linebackers are going to drop into zone coverage again? I really didn't expect that. How shall they ever combat the four down lineman blitzing straight ahead like they have for the last eight games of the season? I'm very excited to see how our new defense fairs. Even if we aren't great this year, I see great things for the future. But we will be great. I mean, come one. We're undefeated so far this season. We're practically the best team in the league. 

End of Year Results for Vikings Rookies - According to Madden

from: blog.pier59.com

I love the Vikings. I love Madden. I was extremely bummed when no Vikings players were considered for the Madden 15 Cover Vote. But that's not what this post is about. This post is about how the Vikings rookies ended up after their first year in Madden 25. The rosters were downloaded from the Madden Community, and they include the 2014 draft picks for each team from rounds one through three. I did a little tweaking just because the cornerbacks taken in the first round had abysmal ratings. The tight ends suffered as well (Eric Ebron was behind Joseph Fauria and Brandon Pettigrew? Please). I only altered Teddy Bridgewater slightly, giving his awareness rating a slight bump up to 75.

In the first run-through I simmed the whole season. Teddy Bridgewater got the start at quarterback, Jerrick McKinnon was the backup to AP, Anthony Barr started at the left outside linebacker spot, and Scott Crichton backed up Everson Griffin as the right end. I used the stock Minnesota offensive and defensive playbook, though I did add a few more plays where Barr would be rushing the quarterback.

from: fansided.com

Teddy Bridgewater: 77 overall rating. 2875 yards passing with 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He had a 51% completion percentage. He also had 225 rushing yards with 1 touchdown. Let's compare that to the other first round quarterbacks. Johnny Manziel threw for 3568 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. More yards, but the Browns don't have Adrian Peterson. Blake Bortles backed up Chad Henne the whole year, but he did come in for a couple games and threw for 422 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Bridgewater definitely needs to get better, but he managed the game like we needed. 

Jerrick McKinnon: 71 overall rating. 749 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns. Peterson went down for a few games, so McKinnon saw a lot of action. He also had 105 receiving yards.

Anthony Barr: 82 overall rating. 58 total tackles, 9 tackles for a loss with 6 sacks. That's compared to Jadeveon Clowney who had 7 sacks and JJ Watt who led the league with 19 sacks. 

In this example, the Vikings went 10-6. We even beat the Packers in the Wildcard round, but then lost to the Seahawks in the Divisional round. I'd say that's a solid year all-around.

In my second example, I tweaked things a bit. I added a few more deep passing routes to the playbook, along with more wide receiver screens. For the defense, I used the Broncos playbook and added a few multiple fronts. I wanted to get Barr more involved rushing the passer, especially since Mike Zimmer has said he wants to use Barr in a similar role to how the Broncos use Von Miller. I simmed this season as well.

Teddy Bridgewater threw for 3,210 yards, with 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. 

Jerrick McKinnon got injured for a couple games and only ended with 132 yards and 1 touchdown. 

Anthony Barr had 48 tackles, with 15 for a loss and 14 sacks. He even had a forced fumble. Kind of think this was a bit ridiculous, but Barr gained a ton of experience!

Scott Crichton failed to get even a single tackle. Granted, Everson Griffin played very well, recording 12 sacks. Wasn't on the level of Barr, but if this happens in the upcoming season, it will legitimize the chance the Vikings have given Griffin.

The Vikings went 11-5 this time. We lost in the first round to the Packers.

In my third example, I did my normal tweaking. I used the Colts pass heavy offense with a lot of WR screens thrown in, and even signed T.Y. Hilton when the computer decided to release him from the Colts (yes, the computer does some very stupid things). I completely overhauled the defense. I switched from a 4-3 to a hybrid multiple front, started Linval Joseph at the nose tackle, Everson Griffin as a pass rushing right end, and moved Shariff Floyd over to a run stuffing left end. Barr played a 3-4 outside linebacker, which he is extremely well suited for, Crichton still backed up Griffin, and I shifted Chad Greenway to a middle linebacker. Yea, buddy. Rhodes is going to have to step up big in coverage 'cuz I'm sending the house on lots of plays. 

Teddy threw for 3,914 yards, with 28 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions. He also had a 60% completion percentage. That's the kind of game management we need from him (though if you've read my previous post, I'd prefer we wait a year to get it).

from: maddentips.com

Jerrick McKinnon only had a couple hundred yards with one score, but that's because AP ended with 2,283 yards with 20 touchdowns.

Anthony Barr ended with 71 total tackles, 13 sacks, and 1 interception. Again, a very good showing for him. Clowney beat him out for defensive rookie of the year, however, with 15 sacks. Combined with J.J. Watt's 24 sacks, the Texan's defense was crazy (their offense still struggled mightily, though). 

Scott Crichton only ended up with 5 tackles, but he did back up Everson Griffin who ended with 17 sacks on the year.

The Vikings went 14-2, but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs (I simmed it), so all in all, it was a very successful year. 

In conclusion, my Madden seasons have never been an accurate prediction of real life. When I'm controlling the offense, the Vikings are guaranteed at least 13 wins (and I'm not even that good. The all-madden difficulty just needs a lot of work, which supposedly is coming in Madden 15). Even simming the seasons didn't turn out very realistic. I honestly believe we can expect an 8-8 season, 9-7 at the best. But I don't play Madden to predict the upcoming or current season; I play Madden to control my favorite team and see how far and how well I can utilize those pixilated characters run by a somewhat vast ratings system that can be tweaked to my hearts content. 

Vikings Starting Quarterback

Teddy Bridgewater is the future. We all know that. Unless he gets into a freak accident that ends his football career, or four years down the road he is just utterly terrible, we have our starting quarterback. But who should start this year?

from: q.usatoday.com

Lots of people have said they want Bridgewater to start right away. He's the new, exciting addition, and all the analysts have said he's the most NFL ready quarterback that came out of the draft. From Facebook to Twitter, I've read lots of posts bashing Cassel and saying it's a no-brainer to start Bridgewater. Christian Ponder, sadly for him, is practically nonexistent in these discussions.

I completely disagree with that. Cassel wasn't anywhere close to terrible last year. No, he didn't get us to the playoffs. He went 4-3 as the starter (though he didn't really start in one of those, but played most of the game). That's much better when compared to Ponder's 1-6-1 record. Oh, and don't forget about Josh Freeman's abysmal outing against the Giants. I take that back; please forget about Freeman's abysmal outing against the Giants.

Cassel threw for a bit more than 1,800 yards with 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Given a full season, I could see 4,000, 20 and 14. Those aren't great numbers and won't guarantee the playoffs, but that will give Bridgewater a whole year plus another offseason to learn the playbook and watch games and film. Bridgewater is not Andrew Luck, nor is he Robert Griffin. He won't step in right away and do amazing things for us. But give him a year, and I think we will all be pleasantly surprised.

from: cbssports.com

The best example I can think of is probably not the greatest example, but I'm going to put it out there anyway. I don't think Aaron Rodgers would have been very good if he'd been thrown in right away. Because he got four years to sit behind Favre (granted, Favre was a better quarterback than Cassel), he was ready to go and could start producing at high level. Bridgewater will only get a year at the most to sit, but ideally he will also have Adrian Peterson for the first couple years. Having the best running back in the game goes a long way in improving the passing game.

from: startribune.com

I want Cassel to start and play the whole year. Mike Zimmer has expectedly not named a starter yet, though, and I agree with that. He's said that the best player will start, and that could easily be Bridgewater. I do hope it's really close, but Zimmer and Speilman end up going with Cassel. 2014-15 may not be a great year, but I honestly believe Bridgewater will provide a solid level of quarterback play for many years to come that will get us back into contention for the NFC North title and multiple trips to the playoffs. Bold prediction here, but I predict we win our first Superbowl with Bridgewater at quarterback.