Coach Leslie Frazier indicated Jerome Simpson's back injury has "definitely" affected his play over the past two months.
The injury's biggest impact has been in speed and the ability to plant coming in and out of breaks. "You can see he's not as crisp as he was before that injury," Frazier said. Quite frankly, Simpson has not been an NFL-caliber wide receiver since the weakness and numbness appeared in his lower leg back in early October. Source: ESPN 1500 Twin Cities
Thanks, DP. I found another article about Simpson's problems:
The injury bug has bit that receiving unit. It's not just losing Harvin the final seven games with a sprained ankle. Simpson has battled a back issue since October. His season totals: 15 grabs, 176 yards.
"You can't get around the injury," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Thursday. "It's definitely had an effect on his play. So we're doing the best we can."
Frazier seems resigned to the idea that Simpson will not be at full force this season and is instead asking the receiver to "give us whatever he can."
It has been clear to Frazier that Simpson's speed has lessened and that he is having difficulty cutting. "Coming out of his breaks," Frazier said, "you can see he's not as crisp as he was before that injury."
That actually explains a lot about Simpson's lack of performance this year. He was never supposed to be a #1 WR and he shouldn't be. But he was supposed to stretch the field, which is something Simpson usually can do because of his speed and overall athleticism. Unfortunately, the Vikings are stuck with a shell of Simpson that is operating below his usual abilities.
Man oh man, the Vikings passing game is in shambles. Poor QB play, banged up and/or inefficient receivers, and who knows what's next.
losperros wrote:That actually explains a lot about Simpson's lack of performance this year. He was never supposed to be a #1 WR and he shouldn't be. But he was supposed to stretch the field, which is something Simpson usually can do because of his speed and overall athleticism. Unfortunately, the Vikings are stuck with a shell of Simpson that is operating below his usual abilities.
Man oh man, the Vikings passing game is in shambles. Poor QB play, banged up and/or inefficient receivers, and who knows what's next.
Simpson's situation raises a question for the Vikes: do they re-sign him and hope that he can stay healthy next year and deliver what they thought they'd get from him this year?
Mothman wrote:
Simpson's situation raises a question for the Vikes: do they re-sign him and hope that he can stay healthy next year and deliver what they thought they'd get from him this year?
If they had better options, I'd say no. I'd like confirmation from doctors that whatever injury he has will heal (100%) during the offseason (surgically or otherwise). If this is the case, I'd probably still wait until after the draft and initial FA period to see about more significant upgrades. If someone else signs him, I'd be fine with it. If he's still available, sign him to another one-year contract as a #3 or #4 and see if the offseason healed him enough to propel him up the depth chart. Low-risk move with the unlikely possibility he regains some of 2011 form. I just don't know if enough (significant) moves will be made in the offseason to render him expendable, though in a perfect world, that's what would happen.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
dead_poet wrote:If they had better options, I'd say no. I'd like confirmation from doctors that whatever injury he has will heal (100%) during the offseason (surgically or otherwise). If this is the case, I'd probably still wait until after the draft and initial FA period to see about more significant upgrades. If someone else signs him, I'd be fine with it. If he's still available, sign him to another one-year contract as a #3 or #4 and see if the offseason healed him enough to propel him up the depth chart. Low-risk move with the unlikely possibility he regains some of 2011 form. I just don't know if enough (significant) moves will be made in the offseason to render him expendable, though in a perfect world, that's what would happen.
Not dissagreeing on substance, but I suspect this will be a case where the coaches know more than we do and that will be the determining factor on whether he gets re-signed. If they think he has upside he'll be really cheap. 2012 non-performance aside, that is good for the cap.
Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi
Coach Leslie Frazier indicated Jerome Simpson's back injury has "definitely" affected his play over the past two months.
The injury's biggest impact has been in speed and the ability to plant coming in and out of breaks. "You can see he's not as crisp as he was before that injury," Frazier said. Quite frankly, Simpson has not been an NFL-caliber wide receiver since the weakness and numbness appeared in his lower leg back in early October. Source: ESPN 1500 Twin Cities
LOL any excuse will work I guess. Fraizer's opinion of someones performance means next to nothing to me. Remember his comments about our secondary last year?
dead_poet wrote:
If they had better options, I'd say no. I'd like confirmation from doctors that whatever injury he has will heal (100%) during the offseason (surgically or otherwise). If this is the case, I'd probably still wait until after the draft and initial FA period to see about more significant upgrades. If someone else signs him, I'd be fine with it. If he's still available, sign him to another one-year contract as a #3 or #4 and see if the offseason healed him enough to propel him up the depth chart. Low-risk move with the unlikely possibility he regains some of 2011 form. I just don't know if enough (significant) moves will be made in the offseason to render him expendable, though in a perfect world, that's what would happen.
The true nature of the injury will be important. Given the numbness that Simpson has felt and his inability to go full tilt physically, it's possible that it's a nerve injury. The trouble is some nerve injuries never really go away even after surgery. And some surgeries, even when they're supposedly successful, provide relief for only a year or two.
I think we need to keep Simpson. He has shown he can perform. No one is going to want him after this year. We ought to get another one year contract out of him relatively cheap. Hopefully he'll heal up.j
