Pondering's End of the Year Mock

[Pondering Her Percy]

After a very surprising 10-6 season its time to look ahead.

I personally cant tell if Musgrave will be kept or not. Its hard to say but Ill say he stays for now even though I dont want him to.


PLAYERS KEPT/RE-SIGNED

FB-Jerome Felton- 4 yrs. Pro Bowler that has been great helping out AP. A must sign.

WR-Michael Jenkins- Takes a pay cut. A veteran with very reliable hands and would be a good keep.

WR-Percy Harvin- 5 yrs. One of the most dynamic/exciting players in the NFL and this team just cant afford to lose him. If we give him the money, he will stay. Frazier has told the media that there is no reason for him to leave. This shows me they give him his money.

TE-John Carlson- Restructured. He is being payed way too much and there is too little production but is a good backup.

RT-Phil Loadholt- 5 yrs. No need to make RT another need. Phil gets the job done and should be payed.

OG-Geoff Schwartz- 2 yrs- Personally I think he's better than Fusco and could start next year. He started a few years in Carolina.

DT- Kevin Williams- Restructured- We just dont have enough depth here to let him go and he still has some left in the tank.

MLB-Jasper Brinkley- 2 yrs. Has shown alot of improvement in coverage and is good vs the run. He will stay the starter next year but only on running downs.

LB-Marvin Mitchell- 1 yr. Good special teamer and backup.

LB-Larry Dean- 1 yr. Our special teams captain. He will be kept.

CB-AJ Jefferson- 2 yrs. I still see potential here. He's always on guys like glue but just has bad ball skills. This can be fixed.

CB/PR-Marcus Sherels- 1 yr. Good punt returner.

SS-Jamarca Sanford- 3 yrs. Showed a TON of improvement since last year and is great vs the run.



PLAYERS LET GO/CUT

RB/FB- Matt Asiata- Dont need him anymore.

WR-Jerome Simpson- Just didnt cut it. Hands are average at best. Time to move on.

WR-Devin Aromashodu- Hasnt even caught a ball in a while and just cant produce.

WR- Stephen Burton- Just never ended up doing much for us.

OG/C- Joe Berger- Getting old and dont need him anymore.

OT- Troy Kropog- No need for him.

LB-Erin Henderson- Cant cover to save his life and Brinkley has shown more promise so he is kept instead.

LB-Tyrone McKenzie- No need to keep him after resigning Dean.

S-Andrew Sendejo- Not worth keeping. Hasnt done much at all.


TRADES

Joe Webb is traded to NE for a 7th round pick - NE will find something to do with Webb. Typical NE.

Toby Gerhart and our 5th round pick is traded to San Diego for a 3rd round pick- Ryan Matthews hasnt really been what San Diego thought and they could use a solid runner to go along with him.

Charlie Johnson is traded to Arizona for a 2014 7th round pick- I think we can get trade value out of Johnson. I mean he did start all year and block for a guy that rushed for over 2000 yards. Arizona has a brutal line and anything would be an improvement. Either way...I just dont think he is a good lineman and we need to move on.


FREE AGENCY

OG- Andy Levitre-5 years
-Buffalo's guards will be a hot topic. Levitre will be an immediate starter here.




RB- La'Rod Stephens-Howling- 3 years
-Will be our new Chester Taylor. Showed some promise this year as a starter and will be a great backup.




QB- Jason Campbell- 2 years
-I would prefer Matt Moore here but we decide to snag Campbell instead as a reliable backup.




WR- Mohamed Massaquoi- 2 years
-We decide to look to the draft for big play WR's and snag Massaquoi to add some depth.




CB-William Middleton- 1 year
-A decent corner that gets a "prove yourself contract". We could always use depth here.





NFL DRAFT

Round 1
WR- Terrance Williams- Baylor
-Statistically, he was the best WR in college football this year and is a big time deep threat. Would automatically become the #1 we've been looking for.
HIGHLIGHTS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6J7iqDEsS8




Round 2
DT- Shariff Floyd- Florida
-Floyd is a monster that is a great run stuffer and gives K-Will a little help on the D-Line. He is also VERY athletic for his size and can get to the quarterback as well.




Round 3 via San Diego
LB- Gerald Hodges- Penn State
-Hodges can play both outside and inside. Since we decide to keep Brinkley, Hodges will play outside on running downs but he will stay on the field for passing downs and Brinkley will come off.




Round 3
SS- Shawn Williams- Georgia
-We could always use help in our D-backfield with the QB's we have in this division. Williams could definitely form into a starter with Sanford backing him up. We could then move Raymond to FS to backup Smith.




Round 4 via Detroit
WR- Aaron Dobson- Marshall
-Dobson is another big body (6'3) with great hands and ball skills. He could possibly come in and compete with Jenkins for a spot.




Round 4
CB- Justin Gilbert- Oklahoma State
-Gilbert could come in and compete. Like I said above, this D-backfield could always use improvement and another young corner would be nice.




Round 6
OG/C- Graham Pocic- Illinois
-Pocic would add depth at guard and would be a good backup for Sullivan.




Round 7 via New England
RB-Knile Davis- Arkansas
-Our 3rd string RB.




Round 7- traded to Arizona for AJ Jefferson


....Hope you guys like it. Let me know!!

[Dark]

Great, great job. I agree completely. Thank you for taking the time to do the research and make this.

[PurpleMustReign]

I'm curious why you would trade Gerhart and then sign Stevens-Howling.

[Demi]

I'm curious why you would trade Gerhart and then sign Stevens-Howling.

I think if nothing else he brings more as a pass catcher, and complements AD better than Gerhart does.

[Mothman]

TRADES

Joe Webb is traded to NE for a 7th round pick - NE will find something to do with Webb. Typical NE.

Toby Gerhart and our 5th round pick is traded to San Diego for a 3rd round pick- Ryan Matthews hasnt really been what San Diego thought and they could use a solid runner to go along with him.

Charlie Johnson is traded to Arizona for a 2014 7th round pick- I think we can get trade value out of Johnson. I mean he did start all year and block for a guy that rushed for over 2000 yards. Arizona has a brutal line and anything would be an improvement. Either way...I just dont think he is a good lineman and we need to move on.

Johnson started all season and blocked for a 2000 yard rusher so why trade him for a 7th round pick? That makes no sense to me. He's worth more than that even if they keep him as a backup.

There's no way NE would give up a pick for Webb, although it's a nice thought.

Personally, I think trading Gerhart for a 3rd round pick would be a mistake. He provides excellent depth behind Peterson and all trading him would do is create another hole to fill. I like Stephens-Howling but frankly, I'd consider him a downgrade from Gerhart.

Andy Levitre would be a nice signing but I think there's a good chance he'll remain with Buffalo. If the Vikes can get him, it would be a smart move. Good call.

Thanks for your thoughts on the roster and draft! Overall, I thought you had some good ideas. I just wasn't a fan of the trades.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I think if nothing else he brings more as a pass catcher, and complements AD better than Gerhart does.

Exactly.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Johnson started all season and blocked for a 2000 yard rusher so why trade him for a 7th round pick? That makes no sense to me. He's worth more than that even if they keep him as a backup.

There's no way NE would give up a pick for Webb, although it's a nice thought.

Personally, I think trading Gerhart for a 3rd round pick would be a mistake. He provides excellent depth behind Peterson and all trading him would do is create another hole to fill. I like Stephens-Howling but frankly, I'd consider him a downgrade from Gerhart.

Andy Levitre would be a nice signing but I think there's a good chance he'll remain with Buffalo. If the Vikes can get him, it would be a smart move. Good call.

Thanks for your thoughts on the roster and draft! Overall, I thought you had some good ideas. I just wasn't a fan of the trades.

1. I really dont think we would get more than a 7th for Johnson. He's aging and was one of the worst starting lineman we had. He cant pass block to save his life and many teams know that Charlie Johnson wasnt the reason AP rushed for over 2000 yards. If you think about it we gave Arizona a 7th for AJ Jefferson who is way younger and has potential. Johnson is aging and doesnt really have much more potential.

2. You might be right about Webb. I just know that NE always makes "nothing into something" so I thought they might give Webb a shot.

3. Toby Gerhart is nothing but a downhill runner that can only get you about 4 yards. He has no elusiveness and is fairly slow. Stephens Howling is built like Darren Sproles and if you remember, he ran for over 100 yards on us this year. He will be a better 3rd down guy than Gerhart because he is a better pass catcher and quicker. A nice screen type guy.

4. Buffalo recently re-signed Kraig Urbik, their other guard and Levitre will be asking for big money. I dont think Buffalo will be able to afford him. Especially after they already paid one of their guards a decent amount of money.

[Mothman]

1. I really dont think we would get more than a 7th for Johnson. He's aging and was one of the worst starting lineman we had. He cant pass block to save his life and many teams know that Charlie Johnson wasnt the reason AP rushed for over 2000 yards. If you think about it we gave Arizona a 7th for AJ Jefferson who is way younger and has potential. Johnson is aging and doesnt really have much more potential.

He's 28 so I wouldn't say his age is really a factor, although I agree he probably doesn't have much upside beyond what we've seen. However, Johnson's errors frustrate us when we watch him but he's not a liability who gets dominated week after week. He's a solid player who made more good blocks than bad this season. Don't you think he provides more value as a backup than a 7th round pick is likely to provide?
Oh, they might but I think they'd wait until he was cut rather than give up a pick for him.
Yes, but I don't he'd provide the Vikes with a reliable starter if called upon in that role for an extended period. I believe Gerhart does and I think he's a little more explosive than you made it sound above. Heck, his career average is better than 4.0 per carry. I'd rather keep Gerhart and add Stephens-Howling than exchange one for the other.

Good! I'd love to see him playing for the Vikes next year. Thanks for the info.

[Rus]

I guess I'm not entirely down on Musgrave yet as much as some are. A lot of the problem stemmed from a quarterback that just had an honest-to-goodness slump (and pretty much did all the negative things that everyone worried about when he was drafted). When Ponder was running Musgrave's offense effectively, he was kicking butt against some pretty good defenses. With what still looks like a garbage set of wide receivers. No OC, in the modern NFL, can run an effective offense with just a great running back. It's just too obvious that all you need to do is stack the line.

I don't think Joe Webb's performance should be confused with a problem in Musgrave's schemes. I think Joe Webb just might have been pretty seriously rusty and had no timing with a bunch of receivers that wouldn't start for most teams. At least Ponder had his outlet in Rudolph due to their chemistry...I really don't think Joe Webb has built up good timing at all. That was easily exposed by a very saavy Packer defense. Say whatever about Aaron Rodgers, but their linebackers and backs are very sharp. They make that offense look a lot better than it really is by giving them a lot more time and opportunities. I don't think Joe Webb is as bad a quarterback as he played in that game; but he's not a good quarterback. And he's NOT a quarterback. Childress ruined that guy's talent. The guy is built like Terrell Owens and can jump over the moon? Can you say possession receiver/touchdown machine? He had that kind of potential, may still have it. They've been keeping him on ice long enough.

My gut tells me that Percy Harvin is gone for a late 1st round pick. I think the Vikings won't get totally fleeced on it, but considering that when Percy's healthy, he's one of the best weapons in the game...and how many wide receivers in each draft can make that claim...they're still going to get fleeced.

I'm thinking that he may end up in Miami or Tampa for a second rounder, too, unless Spielman turns up the charm and constructs a trade that gets us another first.

Carlson is still going to be with the team, but Rhett Ellison is going to push him pretty hard. He might not make it through training camp, despite the possible cap hit (though I don't know anything about Carlson's deal).

With the exception of the Harvin trade, I see this team continuing to build through the draft.

The free agent quarterback market is basically a bunch of guys who are fringe starters/solid backups pitching themselves as potential franchise quarterbacks. Next. What a crap season for quarterbacks, I wouldn't normally trade a starter at any position for a backup quarterback, but this offseason (and with the way Webb played)...maybe. Depends on how the Vikings feel about MBT and possibly (finally) moving Webb into a wide receiver position. Where he should have been years ago. I'd feel great if he outplayed Steven Burton for that last spot because he probably could be utilized in more ways.

I have a strange, tingly feeling that the Vikings are picking a middle linebacker in the first round (with their own pick). There are some absolute beasts available in this draft, at least 3. I don't think they'll all be gone by the time they pick, too. Jasper Brinkley isn't a starter at the mike. He might be able to play strong side, but I don't think he'll push out Erin Henderson. You can't make those sorts of mistakes in the middle. You've got to be smart and make players around you better.

[J. Kapp 11]

Regarding John Carlson:

John Carlson's five-year, $25 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings could end up being a two-year, $11 million pact, depending how the veteran tight end produces.

According to a source with access to NFL salary data, only $9.1 million of the deal Carlson signed on Wednesday is truly guaranteed -- a $5 million signing bonus, plus Carlson's full $2.9 million base salary in 2012 and $1.2 million of his $2.9 million base salary in 2013.

The rest is tied up in scheduled base salaries of $3.9 million in 2014 and $4.9 million in 2015 and '16, plus annual workout bonuses of $100,000. It's the sort of pay-as-you-go deal the Vikings have used for years to keep their cap healthy.

The larger base salaries kick in the same year as the NFL's new TV deal, which is expected to significantly increase the salary cap in 2014. If the contract hasn't worked out by then, the Vikings could cut Carlson after paying him $11 million for two seasons and take a $3 million cap hit in 2014.

Read the full article.

John Carlson may get cut, but I doubt it because he's going to get paid at least $1.2 million for 2013 (plus the $100,000 workout bonus) no matter what. Given his injury history and immense 2012 suckiness, he's got no trade value. Bottom line: He's probably not going anywhere next year, so we all need to pray for a renaissance.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Regarding John Carlson:
Read the full article.

John Carlson may get cut, but I doubt it because he's going to get paid at least $1.2 million for 2013 (plus the $100,000 workout bonus) no matter what. Given his injury history and immense 2012 suckiness, he's got no trade value. Bottom line: He's probably not going anywhere next year, so we all need to pray for a renaissance.

John Carlson's production this year will always be a mystery to me. He was a pretty damn good player for Seattle. He comes here and essentially #### the bed. Was it bad coaching? Was it the injury? Was it a total regression in skill? It is hard to say. In all honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of all three aspects.

[VikingPaul73]

I sort of want to run some stats on:

$ per catch
$ per TD

Carlson vs. Harvin.

But I think it would piss me off too much to see the calculation!!!

[CyminologyVIKES]

Great post, fun read. I like your draft a lot, but I hope we get a pass rusher or CB with the second round pick

[losperros]

TE-John Carlson- Restructured. He is being payed way too much and there is too little production but is a good backup.

Very nice job. I enjoyed reading all of it.

Just one small thing, though. Am I the only one who thinks John Carlson was a bust? I'm thinking the Vikings should look to the draft or free agency for another receiving TE if that's what they want.

On another note, I'd prefer seeing more 3WR sets (with Harvin, Wright, and hopefully better WRs).

Seriously, how badly does the team really need Carlson?

[Pondering Her Percy]

Very nice job. I enjoyed reading all of it.

Just one small thing, though. Am I the only one who thinks John Carlson was a bust? I'm thinking the Vikings should look to the draft or free agency for another receiving TE if that's what they want.

On another note, I'd prefer seeing more 3WR sets (with Harvin, Wright, and hopefully better WRs).

Seriously, how badly does the team really need Carlson?

I dont think we really need him but I did read that if we cut him we end up losing money. So instead I'd rather them just restructure his contract.