Well, if you weren't aware, the economy sucks. No, really, it does. But it's not quite as bad as the off-season the Minnesota Vikings have constructed to this point.
They're not in danger of dropping off the cliff into Green Bay Packer suckitude, but let's recap to this point:
1) Two year quest for a quarterback ends with...Sage Rosenfels. You can't make it up.
2) Jim Kleinsasser re-signed. Yeah!!!!! We love Jimmy here at THE Purple Buckeye, and that moves gets a big thumbs up. Glad to see JK will more than likely retire a Viking.
3) TJ Howsyouspellit spurns the Vikings for Seattle. Fuck 'em, we still got Hutch, and Seattle is still full of a bunch of bitchy, whiny, Birkenstock wearing ass monkey tree huggers.
4) Matty Birk sleeps with the fishes, but now in Baltimore. He went to Harvard.
5) There is still no stadium deal.
Of all those happenings, the Birk one was the most puzzling, in many ways. It seemed like Matt Birk, being the man that he is, was able to put his differences with Brad Childress aside and wanted to finish his career in Minnesota. The money he was asking for wasn't ridiculous, and he was very affordable for the Vikings. Yes, Birk's play dropped off some last year, but he was still the best offensive lineman on the team who's name wasn't Steve Hutchinson. Letting Birk leave does a couple of things, and I don't see an upside in any of them:
1) A legiitimate locker room leader leaves, and now someone else has to fill the void. In the darkest days of the Vikings off the field issues with Tice scalping Super Bowl tickets and the Love Boat, he was the "good guy" life preserver that we could look to as fans and find something positive about.
2) The Vikings are now worse on the offensive line, and that's not speculation. One of three things happens now. John Sullivan, a very raw second year guy, could move into the starting slot. If he can do it, I think this is the direction the Vikes need to go. Remember, we were pretty worried when Jeff Christy left for Tampa and the Vikings turned to an unknown in Matt Birk. But Tice was the o-line coach at the time, and head coaching foibles aside, Mike Tice can develop offensive linemen. If he said Birk was ready, then Birk was ready. After the cut and dried Sullivan option, things get muddied up. The next option would seem to be moving college center turned false start machine...I mean right tackle...Ryan Cook back inside. Cook was a very good center in college, and it's a tough adjustment going from college to the NFL and learning a new position at the same time. Cook actually acquitted himself well, for the most part, and he has the size to be absolutely dominant as a center. But if you move Cook, you need a new RT to take the place of Cook. So now, you've got essentially two new starters on the offensive line, and you either move up Marcus Johnson or Artis Hicks, get someone else in free agency (and no one really jumps out), or you draft someone. Either scenario represents a downgrade at this point. The other option that the Strib mentioned was moving Anthony Herrera to center, which seems to be about as far fetched as Skip Schumaker moving from right field to second base...oh wait, nevermind. I think Herrera is one of the more under rated linemen in the NFL, and has been a solid player that plugged a big hole in that line.
Cook was the weakest link on a pretty good line, and moving him back inside can turn him into a potential strength, buit now you need to plug the RT hole. If the RT replacement sucks, you can at least line up a TE to help out, go from a shotgun formation, and run to the left side to help alleviate a perimeter issue like that. If you move Herrera inside and he falters, and the replacement RG sucks, you now have two new guys on the inside that can't do the job, pressure comes a lot quicker, is extremely disruptive, and your offense will have a lot more issues than we've seen since the advent of the KAO.
Maybe Sullivan works out, maybe Andre Smith drops thanks to his WTF combine, maybe Sage Rosenfels blossoms after getting his chance, maybe Tarvaris Jackson realizes his potential with some earnest competition.
But for a team at a critical juncture in their history, and seemingly ascending, now is not the time for maybes.
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Marcus Johnson's contract has expired. He was inactive for 10 games last season and will be lucky if he ever plays in the NFL again. He was half decent under Mike Tice's tutelage but since then doesn't even rate holding Ryan "the false start machine" Cook's jock strap.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of my boy, if Ryan is moved back to center, the false starts should be greatly reduced. He'll be able to hear and feel the quarterback's snap count.
Cook moving to center seems to be the least of the options for Col Klink. He has mentioned Sullivan and Herrera but not Cook telling me that he is happy with Ryan at right tackle. How happy? Not very if word was correct that the Vikes wanted to make a play for Gross, but who wouldn't have wanted Gross. Barring a trade, there are no available free agent tackles on the market that are better than Ryan. That will leave the draft and hopefully a fall of one of the top tackle prospects. Again, we'll have a new starter at center and most likely right tackle unless the developmental light clicks on sometime this offseason.
Speaking of the development light, hopefully the competition between TJack and the Spice will do the same thing for both of them because the dream trade of acquiring Jay Cutler looks more and more like wishful thinking and another unfulfilled fantasy of Vikings fans everywhere.
Heath Farwell needs to be a priority re-sign, but looks like Chilly doesn't care. I guess nobody ever accused Brad Childress of being a special teams genius.
Matt Birk talked of the "special things" going on in Baltimore. Why don't we hear that about the Vikings? You are correct about "underwhelming" (just like the head coach).
You can make an argument for Cook to stay at RT. He was average, but not terrible, and he's improved, for the most part, every season. To put him at C and getting a new RT means you have 40% turnover on the o-line. Sullivan seems to be the guy, and if he could do it, great. I think Herrera would be an idiotic move. He's the second best lineman now that Birk has gone, so I hope the Vikes keep him at RG.
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