2011 Vikings

[pike doctor]

How to fix the Vikings. I have complied a priority list of things I would do if I were Vikings GM.

1. The O-line needs to be rebuilt above all else! It doesn’t matter who our QB is next year if we can’t give the guy a little time to throw. We need some guys with some speed and good footwork, not McWorthless. I would try to trade my first round pick and a player down and try to pick up two linemen in the first 40 picks. Gabe Carimi (Wisconson) LT to replace McKinnie. Mike Pouncey (Florida) C/G to replace Sullivan (if he is as good as his brother that plays for Pittsburgh he will be a stud). Hutchinson and Herrerra will be back, We will have to live with Phil.

2. QB- I would do whatever it takes to get Kolb from the Eagles. They have a need at OL. We could try to trade Sullivan, McKinnie and Berrian for him. Throw a late pick in if need be. IMO this would be way better than drafting another project. Cam Newton wont be any good. Kolb has proven that he can play in the NFL. We will also need to get a half decent backup and I am open to suggestions.

3. Our D-line. Get rid of Pat Williams. Let Guion, Kennedy and K Williams in the Middle. Start Robison and have Edwards "find" himself. Keep Allen and hope he comes back around.

4. The Secondary. Enough said. Hopefully Cook and Griffen get healthy, but we really need a safety. I think this will be best addressed through free-agency. Get rid of Ashley Allen. He is terrible.

5. LB-Its time to replace Leber. It would be nice to see them go after a stud FA to replace Leber, but it isnt our biggest concern. Sign Greenway and Keep EJ.

6. WR- They better keep Rice. Get rid of Berrian, Camirillo, Kendra, Greg Lewis. Keep Percy in the slot where he is a stud. And maybe they should sign Moss to play across from Sidney Rice. Make Joe Webb a receiver and keep him there. Great athlete, but not a QB.

7. RB- It would be nice to see if Booker could be a good 3rd down back like Taylor (help with blitz and catch some passes). I have been impressed with his speed and footwork. I don’t know how smart he is. Make Toby #3.

Cutting the following players and their outrageous salaries

Jim Flyingsaucer

Heath Farwell

Pat Williams

Madieu Williams

Bernard Berrian

The O would look something like

LT Gabe Carimi QB Kevin Kolb

LG Sally Hutchinson RB Peterson

C Mike Pouncey WR Rice

RG A. Herrerra WR Moss

RT Phil Blowholt WR Harvin

TE Shiancoe

I think we run better out of 3 WR.

I really need more to do at night! But really, we need to get younger and faster. It would be nice to get a return guy like Quiz Rodgers from Oregon St. He would be small, faster, and one heck of a weapon (just like hester/donte hall). To bad we don’t get to draft in the third round. More than anything I would do whatever the Patriots do, and do it before them. It is just amazing how they crank out players from the draft. And I do believe they have A TON of early picks this year.

[Juneau4]

It's easy to say, there's 31 other NFL teams that want the same-now see what you can get.

[zepman]

Your #1 and #2 are pipe dreams....there's no way both of those things will happen at the same time. It is either get the q-back (via draft or trade) with our #1 pick or possibly trade down for a couple of o-lineman. It's one or the other.

There is no easy or quick fix for this team without a q-back...it's a quarterback's league and you have to keep your playmakers happy and confident in their QB to resign them...we need to adress QB first and foremost!!!

Chilly and the Vikes have really seemed to overestimate the talent on this team. Weren't we all told the last few years that the draft was almost an after-thought because our roster would be almost impossible for a rookie to make. It seems they have been looking for that needle in the haystack the past few drafts instead of building the foundation of this team. Trade up here...throw away a draft pick there...Well, it all caught up to them and it will take years to get out from under this mess.

We should have some pretty good $$$$ to spend on free agents though if they play their cards right.

[MuleShack]

Your #1 and #2 are pipe dreams....there's no way both of those things will happen at the same time. It is either get the q-back (via draft or trade) with our #1 pick or possibly trade down for a couple of o-lineman. It's one or the other.

Load Squat and speed bump (Mc turnstile) have to be two of the biggest tackles in the game. They are not fat, they have the talent they just seem to lack the effort. It definately is some form of coaching that is not taking place or not enough pressure being applied. These guys should be eating the defensive players for lunch.

I do agree we should look at getting rid of sullivan for someone who can block for petersen.

[zamboni]

I have cooled on Kolb. What did he play- 2 games this year and he got hurt both times?

I would love to see the Vikes try and work a package with the Cardinals for Derek Anderson and Fitz. Fitz wants out of there, and you know he'd love to come home, and after the laughing on the sidelines debacle you can bet Anderson wouldn't mind a change. It wasn't but a few years ago he was money for the Browns, and he has the talent, and is young he just doesn't have the right personal around him to showcase it. That being said, if he came here we would need to re-work that putrid O-Line

[zepman]

I'd take TJack over Anderson in a hearbeat.....

[JBMasterAngler]

McKinnie has been an underachiever since his college days...he's way past any coach being able to help him out of that! He has been garbage for far too long, he needs to be dumped!

Re-tool the O-line and bring Favre back.

I personally like Albert Young, but if the vikes are going to continue to use Gerhart over him (Young is better by the way), then we should try to trade him (and maybe a defensive player) for something good.

Hire Steve Marriuci as the coach and reunite him with Favre...2011, the dream season!

[bucketmouth64]

There are many tradeable players that can get us draft picks. Patriots have a great format in accumulating picks by trading players and replacing them thru the draft. This does three things: one, it gets younger players; two, it reduces payroll; and three, it allows team to pay those who deserve the money. It's up to our scouting dept. to do their homework finding good players. If Frazier ends up the coach he needs to get some new coaches. O-line, special team coaches are terrible. Does he want the current offense format with Bevell? And I think Wilf's need to stop the 3 headed monster of authority. Make Spielmann the GM and has final say or go and find someone who can takeover the football operations. Vikes need to sign a FA qb and use a high draft pick and get a future qb (preferably a pocket qb) who can be groomed.

[MNice]

The biggest need we have is a heart. How about playing with some passion, like you care more than just your paycheck. I doubt that day will ever come.

[zepman]

Mckinney may be an under-achiever but he is the LEAST of our O-line problems. Sullivan and our guards are where the breakdowns repeat themselves time and time again.

It's not easy to just "dump" and replace a player like McKinney. His mistakes are magnified because he plays the edge...overall, he does a pretty decent job.

Sullivan may be the worst center in the league...it all starts with him.

Williams IS the worst safety in the league...and has been for 2 years running. I would cut him today and just be done with it.

[Stcloudangler]

Cam Newton wont be any good.

Kolb has proven that he can play in the NFL.

And maybe they should sign Moss to play across from Sidney Rice.

I think we run better out of 3 WR.

What you just said, has made everyone dumber for reading this.

Good comedy though

[zamboni]

I'd take TJack over Anderson in a hearbeat.....

You just made pop go out my nose. His last bad year in Cleveland was 99% to blame on Braylon Edwards forgetting how to catch a ball. My theory is Braylon and Troy Williamson became friends before that season and he rubbed off on him. This year the Cards line is actually worse than ours, if that's possible. Anderson's still young and workable.

[SkunkedAgain]

Replace the front office and some of these things are possible. How they could even pay McKinney pro bowl money BEFORE he made the pro bowl is beyond me. That solidified (in his mind) that he was playing good enough. He's a lazy player, it shows in his play, and you can't coach that out of someone. Lombardi, he wouldn't have wasted the time. Bud Grant, same thing. Those guys purge the problems and get players with heart. Even Bellicik has the mindset (save for Moss).

Back to my core point, the Vikings organization does a good job of external scouting. Sidney Rice, Greenway, AP, Harvin, and others highlight that. The skill that they truly lack is assessing their current talent, the ability to cut ties with non-performers, and the number one problem....

They went for the money shot without a stable/franchise quarterback.

Now you've got a playoff-caliber team (I believe that) with no skipper at the helm. You can plug in FA at virtually any position EXCEPT quarterback. So now the Vikings have money tied up everywhere else and it's going to take several years to find and develop a true franchise QB. Childress and the Vikings went all-in with Favre, it failed, and now they are set up for failure for years to come.

I think that we've all just witnessed an excellent case study in how to look at the short term and completely ignore the long term.

My fix would be to purge the team of big contracts, stock pile draft picks, and start building from scratch. This team did something with one of the greatest QBs and a shaky o-line. Without that caliber of QB, this team is just a running team. Draft some good O-linemen to block for AP. Make this a run-first offense while a QB is developed. Draft and develop the defense again. By the time all of this comes together, AP, Greenway, Rice, and Harvin will be the core veterans on a playoff team.

[zepman]

Childress and the Vikings went "all-in" with TJack...let's not forget that. That's what will set this team back for years to come.

Favre was their shot a winning a Superbowl...without him, they had no chance with this group of players.

That doesn't excuse the Vikings for not drafting or aquiring a q-back the last 4 years and having one ready for next year. The writing was on the wall very early with TJack...yet, Chilly let him take up a roster spot and ultimately pass on many q-backs the past couple of years.

[pike doctor]

Cam Newton wont be any good.

Kolb has proven that he can play in the NFL.

And maybe they should sign Moss to play across from Sidney Rice.

I think we run better out of 3 WR.

What you just said, has made everyone dumber for reading this.

Good comedy though

[FISHINGURU]

I'd take Anderson over Junkson personally.

Very first thing I'd do is get Mankins on this squad.

[koonie]

I think the main thing is to get some new younger talent on the team.

The offensive line needs a boost which should be taken care of in free agency. This years draft is very weak up front. There are no stud tackles. Most of them are raw prospects. The center prospects are decent but not spectacular. This years Pouncey is not near as good as last years. Most of the oline guy will start coming off the board late in round one. Sullivan absolutely has to go. He's just awful and can't hold the point on anyone. I'm afraid we're stuck with McKinney and his contract. Phil is young and playing in a scheme that doesn't suit him. Hutch is on the downside of his career. The biggest thing with our line is that none of them are a good fit for our zone blocking scheme. With their size we would be much better off running a power man scheme.

Kolb is not the answer at qb. If we can't trade up and get Luck I'm hoping we take... I don't know yet. Lol!

First priority is to get the coach and staff in place asap. I'm hoping Frazier isn't the choice.

[PurpleFloyd]

The first thing they need to do is to get a real GM and scrap this Triangle Of Authority experiment that has failed to bring the leadership and stability that the team needs. Then let the GM decide what needs to be done and how to do it.

The team has glaring holes all over the roster so a quick fix is really out of the question if we really want to win a championship. IMHO the best thing the team can do at this point is tank for a few years so they can get a few blue chippers to rebuild the team around.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Come on, seriously? We have a solid core of studs on this team! It's been a horrible year, yes, but to proclaim complete destruction and rebuild from scratch is a little extreme. Yes we have some big needs, but with the way our front office has been for the most part, it's not out of the question to plug in a few key players, shuffle up the coaching staff and be back in the running for the division, even by next season.

[PurpleFloyd]

Quote:

Come on, seriously? We have a solid core of studs on this team! It's been a horrible year, yes, but to proclaim complete destruction and rebuild from scratch is a little extreme. Yes we have some big needs, but with the way our front office has been for the most part, it's not out of the question to plug in a few key players, shuffle up the coaching staff and be back in the running for the division, even by next season.

Yeah, we could probably add a few players and get close to winning the division if the other teams have a bad year but if you think that we can just add a few players and seriously contend for a SB title then I disagree completely.

QB- Going into next year we have Joe Webb under contract. We need one starter and a quality backup at a minimum because:

OL- The Tackles are not suited to pass blocking in the WCO, the LG is getting older, the R Guard has been erratic at best and the Center is way undersized for the position as well as incapable of consistently executing a shotgun snap. Behind them is basically zero depth of NFL caliber talent and that pretty much means we will be seeing our 2nd QB playing a chunk of 2011.

WR- We have Harvin who is great when we can get him on the field but Rice is due for a contract and there is no guarantee we can sign him for the money he is going to want and he is brittle anyway. The rest don't warrant mentioning

RB- Peterson is a stud but gerhart is a ? we have no depth behind him.

TE- We might be OK at this position but there are none who will put up pro bowl numbers next year.

DL- Should be the strongest group of the draft. Edwards is probably gone but Griffen and Robison will take his place. Pat Williams might not be back but Guion will be an OK replacement.

LB- We will probably lose Leber or Greenway. OK group but not real deep in talent.

Secondary- probably the weakest group on the team. basically we have Winfield who will be what, 34 years old? And after that we have nothing. In a division of talented QB's and potent offenses this group should be the highest priority to get fixed.

So yes, we do have some talent at some positions, but depth is the killer and we don't have enough of it to be able to stay competitive if any of the core guys go down.

[FISHINGURU]

The sky isn't falling, we had a bad season, we still have a solid young core we just needed better coaching.

QB has to be the biggest question mark because of that pie hole Junkson and the coach that moved up in the 2nd round to take a 5th-6th round project to be our franchise.

Oline and safety need major improvements.

We better sign Rice and Greenway or I'll be pi$$ed.

Depth comes out of nowhere and you never know what you have unless they get a chance on the field. We've had guys come in and step it up in the past, kind of sucked for us because we lost almost all of our corners this season except Winfield and he's never been a real #1.

Oh yeah, and I wouldn't mind getting John Fox if he leaves or gets fired from Carolina.

[greebs]

never underestimate the value of an easy schedule. case in point is this years chicago bears. it would be a huge surprise for them to win more than one playoff game and they might be not favored in their first playoff game. they aren't terrible (like many on this site predicted) but they had favorable schedule and things fell in to place and they have a very nice record for the year.

if vikes lose to philly and the lions next week they will likely have a schedule similar or even more easy than 2009 and if there's a season next year, we are possibly debating this time next year about playoff matchups and similar stuff we debated about last year at this time.

[FISHINGURU]

Nice win for the squad tonight, hurts our draft position but it's worth it. Frazier is making his case to be a decent coach so far, gonna be a tough call for the Wilfs on that one, especially if we beat the lions on the road next week.

Joe Webb looked better then Junkson with half a game experience then Junkson did in 5 years. Not sure he's Franchise material but he definitely earned a right to be looked at. He was really poised all game and made some key plays. Great game for him though for the circumstances forsure.

The defense showed up today, it was nice for them to get to play with a lead for once. Over rated Mikey looked like his old self when he started to get smeared. Just goes to show what happens to any QB when you get leveled all day.

[JBMasterAngler]

Webb might have the goods. 1 season backing up Farve next year will do him some wonders, and he should be good to go in 2012

[klecker]

never underestimate the value of an easy schedule. case in point is this years chicago bears. it would be a huge surprise for them to win more than one playoff game and they might be not favored in their first playoff game. they aren't terrible (like many on this site predicted) but they had favorable schedule and things fell in to place and they have a very nice record for the year.

if vikes lose to philly and the lions next week they will likely have a schedule similar or even more easy than 2009 and if there's a season next year, we are possibly debating this time next year about playoff matchups and similar stuff we debated about last year at this time.

Bears: Carolina, Seattle

Vikings: Saints, Arizona

The only difference in the schedules between the Bears and Vikings are two games. The bears just took care of business with in the division. What are the Vikings going to end up with one division win, maybe?