July 17, 2008
I make a few predictions in my look at the Vikings. If you don't feel like watching me blab, here they are:
1. Adrian Peterson will lead the league in rushing. (And Chester Taylor is absolutely worth reaching for a round or two early if you take AP).
2. Sidney Rice will out-gain Bernard Berrian.
3. Gus Frerotte will start at least five games this year, whether due to a Tarvaris Jackson injury or performance-related issues.
June 23, 2008
Uh oh, Vikings fans: Dr. Z picked your team to win the Super Bowl.
Do the Redskins have the personnel for a West Coast Offense? Mike Lombardi doesn't think so. I agree: They are a huge mystery going into this season.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Vikings prepare to be trendy pick" »
April 15, 2008
Tim L. up with the Vikings with this pick. Once again proving Pancake Blocks readers have better reasoning and know more about their teams than a lot of the people who get paid to do this stuff.
When the Panthers took Derrick Harvey, all of Viking nation shed a tear. With this edge rusher off the table, the Vikings do not see a DE that makes sense in their Tampa 2 system. Groves is a 3-4 DE/OLB who's undersized as an every down lineman, while Phillip Merling is a "run stopping DE" who most scouts say is not a great pass rusher. With a Cover 2 scheme, speed off the edge is a must so Merling is not the choice. So, even though this is arguably the greatest need for the Vikes, the 17th pick will not be used on this position.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 17" »
April 02, 2008
So much for Sage. The Vikings agreed to terms with Gus Frerotte Wednesday, setting their hopes for a passing game in 2008 somewhere between passable and mediocre. I'm not as down on Frerotte as Rams nut Evan Silva and even agree with Brad Childress that Frerotte can still "fling the football".
Watching tape of Frerotte from 2007, I was amazed how strong his arm was and how he could nail low percentage throws under pressure. I also saw him as highly mistake prone, and watched him hand a few games away. Frerotte is a decent backup, but this move is still a step back for Minnesota. Unless the Vikings draft another quarterback, It's basically admitting that Tarvaris Jackson is all the upside Minnesota needs at quarterback long term. I disagree, and Sidney Rice owners especially should be disappointed.
March 31, 2008
It's been a while since the Sage Rosenfels Experience//Vikings trade rumors were in the news, but look for that to change as we get closer to the draft. The local Minnesota papers believe a deal is still in the offing. It would be a risky move for the Texans to give up their quarterback depth, but they probably can't turn down a first-day draft pick when push comes to shove.
The deal would provide needed insurance for Tarvaris Jackson. Brad Childress needs to make a playoff run and can't feel comfortable at the position. Frankly, I'd be a lot higher on the Vikings skill players if Rosenfels was on the roster. He's a competent West Coast quarterback, and I have my doubts Jackson will ever be. Rosenfels makes a fine pickup you are in a deep dynasty league looking for a quarterback with potential to start in 2008.
February 22, 2008
8-10 teams are supposedly interested in Troy Williamson, but I wouldn't expect any of them to give up much for the kid. His agent is fluffling up the situation, but Williamson has had a disastrous career since being taken in the top-ten of the 2005 draft.
He bottomed out with only 18 catches last year and has been benched at various points in his career for the following players: Robert Ferguson, Martin Nance, Aundrae Allison, Billy McMullen, Travis Taylor, and Marcus Robinson.
Continue reading "Williamson much ado about nothing" »
January 31, 2008
I just got back from the NFL Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year press conference, which was pretty dry. Adrian Peterson won, but that may not bode well for his future.
The last four winners were Domanick Davis, Ben Roethlisberger, Carnell Williams, and Vince Young. Three have suffered career-threatening injuries (with Ben bouncing back strong), and Young struggled in his second season.
Marshawn Lynch, one of the most entertaining players in the league, livened up the place by wearing a Bills t-shirt that appeared to be airbrushed ... with himself on it. Rich Eisen said he was "pushing product." That's one way to get rich.
October 02, 2007
Judging by Aaron Gleeman's chat, Fantasy Nation is abuzz with the Chester Taylor/Bryant McKinnie deal that the Tampa Tribune mentioned this morning.
Let's make one thing clear: There is little-to-no chance the Vikings would deal a quality young tackle like McKinnie. And it's highly unlikely they'd trade Taylor during the season, even if that deal makes more sense because of Adrian Peterson.
If any team was going to make a blockbuster deal for a veteran, though, Tampa would be it. The whole franchise is in win-now mode and they always favor experienced players. That said, Brad Childress doesn't have great job security either and these sorts of deals almost never happen.
As a Michael Pittman owner, I'm not thrilled to hear these rumors. I'm surprised they feel it necessary to upgrade to a similar back. I'm also confident the Vikings aren't ready to give up on 2007, so a deal is still unlikely.
September 20, 2007
One of the Pancake Block commentors Jon, presumably an Adrian Peterson owner, asks whether Peterson will return to the bench when Chester Taylor is healthy.
Jon writes, "I've heard grumblings that AP has a tough time protecting the QB and lacks patience as an inside runner. Plus, his big game was against the Falcons."
Continue reading "What about when Chester returns?" »
August 22, 2007
I posted Matt Pitzer's debut column under the Daily Dose today, so some of the material I was collecting will go here.
First up is Robert Ferguson's signing in Minnesota. Like Keenan McCardell and Eric Moulds' signing elsewhere, Ferguson's addition is an indictment on the younger options in Minnesota. Ferguson, though, is still in his upper twenties and has a bit of upside if healthy. Which he never is.
Continue reading "Rice growing stale" »
August 09, 2007
There are so daily injuries training camp, and most of them only last a few days. We attempt to sift through the noise in our player news by only highlighting major players or major injuries, but the amount of information is still overwhelming. Here's my quick take on what injuries matter thus far during camp, and which ones don't.
LaMont Jordan (back) - Becoming an issue, but not a big one yet. He's about a week away from getting a downgrade.
Clinton Portis (knee) - Just don't know at this point, but it's hard to imagine him starting the year getting 20 carries a game. He hasn't eased any concerns.
Vernand Morency (knee) - A serious problem. Morency is going to struggle to be ready for Week 1, and a committee seems inevitable.
Continue reading "What Injuries Matter" »
August 03, 2007
Childress needs some reliable wideouts
Troy Williamson reportedly caught 20,000 balls this offseason to improve his hands, which is great. If it actually translates to practice.
The following report in the Star-Tribune has us a little concerned though.
Receiver Troy Williamson dropped another pass in team drills but to his credit Williamson later came back and made a very nice diving catch. Williamson also stayed after practice to catch passes. It’s clear he is trying not to get discouraged and plans on continuing to work at improving
The use of another indicates he's stil having issues. And this is in practice, when he knows he's not going to get belted. It's great Williamson is now taking his career seriously, but this may be a mental problem more than physical. (And don't tell me about his eye exams). Williamson is a player that needs to prove it during the preseason or he's going to turn into the NFL version of Chuck Knoblauch.
July 20, 2007
Billy McMullen: Candidate for the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars?
# 29. Vikings number two wide receiver: Troy Williamson vs. Sidney Rice vs. Billy McMullen
The Vikings are convinced Bobby Wade will be their “number one” receiver, so who am I to argue? Williamson should be considered the slight favorite in this battle despite an awful 2006 season. He’s more experienced than Rice and has been more productive than McMullen. He’s also 23 years old and can run under some Tarvaris Jackson rainmakers.
Rice has a chance to make an impact, but betting on rookie wideouts on poor passing teams isn’t worth the risk. Williamson is the only player here worth a flier pick in fantasy leagues. He just has to avoid a case of the drops in camp.
Gonna keep cranking through the battles today with camp looming
July 17, 2007
Most of Fantasy Nation has forgotten about Adrian Peterson's collarbone issues by now. Rotoworld was cautious ranking Peterson initially because of the risk, but summer reports that he was cleared to practice eased our concerns. That's why this post on Access Vikings gave me pause.
Peterson still hasn't been fully cleared for contact. Perhaps it will happen next week, and this is a non-story. Until that happens, though, too many fantasy owners are taking Peterson's health for granted. It sounds like Minnesota will play it safe, but I'll feel a lot more confident in drafting Peterson as a top-50 pick once he takes a couple preseason hits.
***
* Footballguys started a blog. If it's anything like Doug Drinen's awesome profootballreference blog, it will be worth a daily look. Once we get a blogroll here (working on it), we'll link to both.
* John Clayton (Insider) has posted every day for over a week. Maybe he feels Sando in the rear view mirror.
* Some position battles coming in a few
June 04, 2007
Some NFL links this morning as I get over the fact that Eric Mangini is infinitely cooler than I am. And cooler than his old boss.
The most ridiculous talk radio fueled debate of the last few weeks? Is Tony Romo becoming too Hollywood?
The Dallas Morning News gets it right, while the usually excellent AOL Fanhouse blog and Fort Worth Star-Telegram try to tell Tony Romo how to do his job and lead his private life based on what they know from reading tabloids.
Romo has climbed from a small school quarterback to an undrafted free agent to near the top of a highly competitive profession. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he knows how to do his job and live his life. Joe Namath, Joe Theisman, and Tom Brady didn't exactly struggle after dating starlets.
Johnnie Morton's MMA career? Gone in 38 seconds. Nice to get knocked out and suspended.
A solid scouting report on Kevin Jones by MLive.com's Tom Kowalski. The reports surrounding Jones' foot continue to be positive, but really it's too early to know anything.
Tarvaris Jackson bounces back from a rough Saturday at Minnesota minicamp. Rarely do you hear such uniformly negative reviews at a summer session.
Not a good sign for Robert Meachem that he was "overshadowed" by Rheema McKnight and Dante Ridgeway.
Here's a look at the Bengals backfield. It was a surprise that running back was such a priority for Cincy, but Kenny Watson is just a guy and the team probably isn't counting on Chris Perry this season.
May 22, 2007
The Vikings start OTAs this week, giving Tarvaris Jackson his first chance to show growth from his rookie season. It's being billed as a competition between Jackson and Brooks Bollinger, but the local media knows it's Jackson's job to lose.
Minnesota has the shakiest-looking passing game in the league, and Brad Childress made a bold statement about Jackson's future by passing up Brady Quinn.
Key to helping Jackson will be integrating Adrian Peterson into Minnesota's new two-back system. The Pioneer Press looks at different ways the Vikings could split up the carries. So far the team and Chester Taylor have been silent. I would expect Taylor to play most passing downs this year, with Adrian Peterson slowly gaining the majority of work on the ground in the second half of the season. At worst, Taylor could fill an early-career Brian Westbrook role. Perhaps 125-150 carries, with 50 catches thrown in. Minnesota is going to want to rush the ball as much as possible to protect Jackson and take advantage of their offensive strength - the line.
Taylor - More Westbrook or Dominic Rhodes?
Here's the most in-depth story I've seen on the battle for the Colts backup running back job. DeDe Dorsey and Kenton Keith are unknowns, but one of them is going to be worth drafting in all fantasy leagues this year. The Colts say they want to keep a rotation in the backfield, but I have to think it will be a 3:1 split in favor of Joseph Addai. The slight uncertainty hurts Addai's stock slightly, but he's safely in our top eight picks.
Which reminds me: My first mock draft analysis of the year is up.
Don't expect Keyshawn to sign with the Titans anytime soon. Keyshawn will probably wait out the summer so he can skip as much practice as possible. Plus he'll hope for injuries elsewhere to create a demand. It looks like Tennessee is the only team interested in him, so I expect something to happen eventually.
Included in the same article is the news that LenDale White still isn't practicing. It's only May, but the Titans coaching staff has to be very frustrated.
Willis McGahee has talked about being motivated so much this offseason, I wonder if he's trying to convince himself. There are still doubts about the Baltimore offensive line, but McGahee is the rare back this season that is nearly guaranteed 350 touches. That should keep him as an early-second round pick at worst.
Not only is Junior Seau returning, but it looks like Vinny Testaverde is going to be a Patriot again. I wonder if Vinny or Matt Cassell would get the call if Tom Brady ever gets hurt.
March 09, 2007
It has come to this for the Minnesota Vikings. The organization looks so aimless, conspiracy theorists are starting to believe that the team is intentionally tanking so they can move out of town.
Now this is absurd, of course. But this is the type of article that gets written when you spend big free agent dollars on Viscanthe Shiancoe and Bobby Wade. Ugh.
Continue reading "Boring Vikings" »
February 28, 2007
Last week, I wrote about my early preparation for our magazine. I'm wrapping up my tape review and last night had a chance to sit down to watch two 'tapes' of Tarvaris Jackson. I was looking forward to it because I own Jackson in my dynasty league team and desperately need a "quarterback of the future." I was disappointed with what I saw.
I know that Jackson wasn't exactly playing with a stacked deck. His top three receivers in Week 17 last year were Billy McMullen, Travis Taylor, and Martin Nance.
But there was no way to watch Jackson and think he was even close to being ready to be an NFL starting quarterback. He threw three ridiculous interceptions in the five quarters I watched. His athleticism and arm strength are amazing, but he pulled down the ball to run too quickly after his first read was covered. His stats weren't terrible, but most of his yards came on dump offs with his team trailing big. He was in over his head. Keep in mind my tapes didn't include his 50-yard, 0 point effort in Lambeau.
Continue reading "Tarvaris and Brady" »
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