Injury Updates

Just a quick one here. Woke up to an update from vikings.com saying Cassell and Fusco were placed on injured reserve. Looks like it really is Bridgewater for the rest of the season.

They also signed Chase Ford to the active roster in the wake of Rudolph's injury. Rudolph will probably be out six weeks.

There's a video with the notification i got. Here's the link: Vikings Place Cassel, Fusco on IR, Announce Other Roster Moves (via http://ble.ac/teamstream-) http://teamstre.am/1tZ0IgG.

Vs. Saints

It was a considerable improvement over last week, in my opinion, even though I didn’t get to see it. For some reason the Lions and Packers were more important on the local channel here. Ugh. We still lost, but 20 to 9 is much better than 30 to 7.

from: nola.com

Biggest storyline first: Teddy played! I was always a proponent for giving him a whole year before playing, so I can’t say I was ecstatic. I was interested to see how he did, and he didn’t disappoint. 12 for 20 for 150 yards, no touchdowns but no interceptions. According to Bleacher Report and numerous tweets Bridgewater had very good pocket awareness, stepping up when he needed to and scrambling outside of the pocket when he was pushed out. With shaky line play (Fusco went out with an injury and Kalil continues to struggle), Bridgewater was either scrambling (he had nearly as many yards rushing as the running backs) or throwing on the run. Knowing that and then looking at his stats again says a lot. The Saints sent blitz after blitz at him, which only makes sense, and he seemed completely calm. Not at all like a rookie quarterback thrust into action. I’m not going to get all giddy and say our season is going to be great, but it’s a small spark in a dreary week.

from: courier-journal.com

Let’s go to the other side of the ball now. The Saints picked on Anthony Barr. Why not? He’s a pass rusher that has had little experience playing the strongside in a 4-3. He’ll figure it out. On the plus side, he got his first sack! Sadly, that was the only one of the game.

The rest of the defense had its ups and down. Harrison Smith had a good game. Brees did well, but that was to be expected. I read an article that said the Vikings had no answer for Jimmy Graham. Two things I say to that. One, haven’t analysts compared Graham to Calvin Johnson, in that he’s going to get his yards, you just have to do what you can to contain that, to prevent it from getting out of hand? So were we expected to have an answer? Two, Graham had six catches for 54 yards and no touchdowns. That certainly doesn’t seem like we let him have his way. Granted, I didn’t watched the game, but the stats don’t seem to say he could do whatever he wanted. Brandin Cooks, on the other hand, tore us up just like Edelman did last week. It appears as if we have an issue covering the quick receivers. Wait a second, wasn’t Captain Munnerlyn supposed to help that so Josh Robinson could move outside? Um, silence?

from: nola.com

Our running game is atrocious. I know we leaned heavily on Peterson because he was a stud, but we should be allowed to expect more than 34 yards out of our running backs. Yes, Asiata had 35 yards rushing, but Mckinnon had -1. Asiata and Mckinnon can’t take all the blame though, as Brandon Fusco went down with an injury and Kalil has struggled. Well, the whole line has been really. Either Mckinnon needs to be given more chances, or Banyard needs to get a look. Things can’t get that much worse.

Not much to say about our receivers. Rudolph is out with a groin injury for six weeks, but nobody panic! He will still be amazing. Sometime soon. I think. Patterson and Jennings were decent but not spectacular. They didn't have a lot of help, though. A solid run game goes a long way towards a solid passing game. Oh, and a pocket to throw from. With Bridgewater having to move around so much, the receivers didn't really have a chance to put up big numbers. Patterson didn't get a chance to run the ball much either, but we can’t overdue that too much. I guess.

from: vikings.com

I’ll just mention the Munnerlyn play once. I didn't see it, but the pictures didn't look nice. Regardless of what happened and who was at fault, the penalty gave the Saints a first down, which they turned into a score. We get them off the field at that point, maybe score on that next drive, and the game would have been entirely different.

Bridgewater can work solely with the first team now, and he’ll get a full game to run the offense. Our defense will be more confident and will hopefully continue to get better. The Falcons don’t have an Edelman/Cooks, but they do have Devin Hester. While the game the Falcons played against the Buccaneers might not be the best example, Hester played all over, running and catching the ball. We’ll have to gameplan for him. And Julio Jones. And the duo of Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers. But their defense isn't fantastic. If our defense plays like they did during the Saints game, minus a few mistakes, and our offensive line plays better, we have a very good chance of being 2-2 at the end of week 4. 

Who Could Make the Switch?

The Vikings have always run a 4-3 defense and will probably always run a 4-3 defense. Even with new defensive coordinators, our defensive scheme seems as stable as the horn that sounds after each Vikings’ touchdown. Mike Zimmer is shaking things up a bit, though. We expect to actually see blitzes from the linebacker position and linemen dropping into coverage at times.

But what if the Vikings ran a different defense? A 3-4 is the first that comes to mind. Who would play what position? I want to take that a step further: what 4-3 defensive ends would make the best 3-4 outside linebackers, and vice versa?

4-3 ends into linebackers

Everson Griffin. I have to start with a Vikings player. We’re going to get a good long look at Griffin this year, but we already know a bit about his production from last year. For 273 pounds, Griffin is fast; he ran a 4.66 forty yard dash at the combine. That was four years ago, but I doubt he’s lost any of that speed. With his ability to rush inside and out, and his combination of size and speed, Griffin would make a fearsome rush linebacker.

from: profootballfocus.com

Robert Quinn, Rams. He’s a stud. He has the power to bull rush, and, sadly to admit, an even quicker burst than Everson Griffin. With a slightly smaller frame, Quinn could be decent in coverage as well.

from: espn.go.com

Michael Johnson, Buccaneers. For all the same reasons as Quinn. Johnson is fast, and while he may not be as strong, he can still get to the quarterback. He’s bulked up to about 270, so he may benefit from dropping a bit of weight if he had to make the switch, but he would still be very effective.

Ezekial Ansah, Lions. A raw product who hasn’t played football long, he’s a crazy athlete. As a 3-4 outside linebacker, he’d be a bit big, but his athleticism would allow him to excel.

Dion Jordan, Dolphins. I love Oregon, and Dion Jordan was all over the defensive field playing multiple positions. While he hasn’t lived up to his early draft position yet, hopefully that turns around soon. Jordan will excel by being lined up all over the place. As an outside linebacker Jordan could rush from multiple positions.

from: philly.com

3-4 linebacker into ends

Aldon Smith, 49ers. He has some personal issues to deal with, but Smith would be a terror lined up as a left or right end. He can rush the passer and stop the run equally well, and he’s very fast for 265 pounds.

Quinton Coples, Jets. At 290 pounds (this varies based on what website you reference), Coples could really be a small 4-3 tackle or a 3-4 end, which means he could play a bigger 4-3 end. He’s not nearly as quick as the others in this article, but coming out of college playing at 280 he ran a 4.78 forty yard dash. That’s very good for his size. He’s got the arm length to reach to either side of the tackle to pull down a runner and enough of a burst to occasionally get a sack.

from: newsday.com

Jadeveon Clowney, Texans. Need I say anything? Ok, I will. He played a 4-3 end at South Carolina, and he’s a freak athlete. Done.

Brian Orakpo, Redskins. He’s just great at everything. He can shed blockers on his way to the passer and to bring down the runner. I would imagine he could do something similar from a three-point and four-point stance.

from: washingtonpost.com

Robert Mathis, Colts. Mathis has proven he can play both positions. He was a stud in their 4-3 defense two seasons ago and led the NFL with 19.5 sacks last year. If he needed to, I believe he could make the switch back to an end. If he hadn’t torn his Achilles, of course. That might slow him down.

I know I left plenty out as there are a lot of crazy defensive athletes in the league, but these are the first ones I thought of. Feel free to comment with others you think could easily make the switch.

Vs. Patriots

from: livewire.wcvb.com

How ‘bout that first drive? Yeah, we looked really good for that five minutes. And that was about it.

I will be honest and say I only saw about two and half quarters. I didn’t see the whole thing; I couldn’t stand it. So I’m going to share some of the things I saw knowing full well that I missed some other plays.

That first drive was amazing. The Patriots keyed in on Cordarrelle Patterson so heavily it gave Cassel wide open looks to the other side of the field. Phenomenal play calling. I understand that couldn’t go on the whole game, but we needed something else. Maybe start going back to Patterson, run him on some end arounds, something to keep the Patriots guessing.

Chandler Jones is great, yes, but he made Matt Kalil look like a rookie. And the rest of the line didn’t play much better. Loadholt got beat easily by a few of the Patriots slower pass rushers, and our guards weren’t doing much better.

from: pressherald.com

Asiata looked pretty good though, running and catching. No, he wasn’t Peterson. But like Cassel supposedly said before the game, playing without Peterson makes the Vikings more unpredictable. I didn’t see Asiata drop a pass, and while he isn’t going to juke his way around two defenders before being taken down, he runs hard through the line and almost always falls forward for two or three more yards. Granted, he ended with only thirty six yards and no rushing touchdowns, but he did have a pretty twenty five yard touchdown catch and run to cap off that first drive.

I don’t really need to say much about Cassel. He threw four interceptions. I only saw the first, and if you’re going chuck it, don’t underthrow your guy. I’m still all for Cassel starting to give Bridgewater more time to learn everything, but I may change my mind if we see a couple more days like yesterday.

from: usatoday.com

Where was the defense from a week ago? I know Tom Brady is much different than Austin Davis, but we were getting beat in so many other aspects that Brady didn’t even stress himself. With the defense causing so many turnovers and stopping our offense, the Patriots didn’t have to drive far to score. The blocked field goal that was returned by none other than Chandler Jones to end the first half didn’t help our situation at all either. Tom Johnson had the only sack, we had a few tackles behind the line, but the majority of tackles came from our safeties and linebackers four and five yards past the line of scrimmage. Brady never really had to pass, so we rarely had a chance for any sacks. When he did though, we gave him the space. Edelman in particular was all over the place. Our secondary could still use some work, but hopefully Zimmer will whip everyone into shape soon.

from: concordmonitor.com

It wasn’t pretty. That’s all I’m going to say. But it has to get better. Right? Well, we have a tough road ahead. The Saints, Falcons, Packers, and Lions. Granted, they all have their weaknesses, but the Vikings have a way to go for perfection. Let’s just hope next week we can see some progression. It has to be better than this week. Right?

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!