Vikings working out Everson Griffen

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Pondering Her Percy
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

CharVike wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am
Pondering Her Percy wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:45 pm

There’s no doubt in my mind that Griffen has been on their radar all along. I think it was more the fact of giving weatherly that shot or to see if wonnum or a rookie stepped up but they are quickly finding out that’s not the case although I can see Patrick Jones as a future starting DE for us. But we all know the last thing mike zimmer does is give a rookie (on either side of the ball) a starting job day 1 unless he’s absolutely forced to. Hell, JJ didn’t see the field as a starter until week 3 and was arguably a top 10 WR in the entire league this year. Fricken Bisi Johnson was starting over him
Barr started from day 1. Gladney started 15, EJ 11, O'neil 11. IMO Darisaw could still start. Unfortunately for all it's taking much longer to recover from his groin problem. If everything goes perfect he could still start week 1. The expectation is he will be ready by then. Hopefully he is which will be a benefit. It's better than the swinging gate we have now. The coaches are around these guys every day. They know who is ready and who isn't. Pre season games mean nothing. Sloter had some great games and he has a hard time making a practice squad but he does have great physical tools but didn't play much in college which didn't help him.
Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by CharVike »

Pondering Her Percy wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 pm
CharVike wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am
Barr started from day 1. Gladney started 15, EJ 11, O'neil 11. IMO Darisaw could still start. Unfortunately for all it's taking much longer to recover from his groin problem. If everything goes perfect he could still start week 1. The expectation is he will be ready by then. Hopefully he is which will be a benefit. It's better than the swinging gate we have now. The coaches are around these guys every day. They know who is ready and who isn't. Pre season games mean nothing. Sloter had some great games and he has a hard time making a practice squad but he does have great physical tools but didn't play much in college which didn't help him.
Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
I agree with what you posted. That's Zimmer approach. Darrisaw also has nothing in front of him which is why he will start once he's healthy. IMO they screwed Ezra over from day 1. The kid is still struggling at G but the guy never was a G. So your starting at square one which is stupid for a 2nd round pick. Later pick sure and Matt Birk is the highlighted example as he moved from T to C. But it took years for that transition to happen. Ezra is forced on the fly. You get inside against these monster players you need girth yourself along with a solid base. P Jones really isn't being mentioned. It's like he doesn't exist at this point.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

CharVike wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:29 am
Pondering Her Percy wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 pm

Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
I agree with what you posted. That's Zimmer approach. Darrisaw also has nothing in front of him which is why he will start once he's healthy. IMO they screwed Ezra over from day 1. The kid is still struggling at G but the guy never was a G. So your starting at square one which is stupid for a 2nd round pick. Later pick sure and Matt Birk is the highlighted example as he moved from T to C. But it took years for that transition to happen. Ezra is forced on the fly. You get inside against these monster players you need girth yourself along with a solid base. P Jones really isn't being mentioned. It's like he doesn't exist at this point.
Agreed. I have a feeling Darrisaw won’t see the field until either hill is playing horrid or gets hurt. Hill isn’t nearly as bad as guys like Samia or Dozier though. But I agree with Ezra.

As for Birk, I remember Birk was terrible his first year or two at center. Definitely took him a while to transition
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by CharVike »

Pondering Her Percy wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:10 am
CharVike wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:29 am
I agree with what you posted. That's Zimmer approach. Darrisaw also has nothing in front of him which is why he will start once he's healthy. IMO they screwed Ezra over from day 1. The kid is still struggling at G but the guy never was a G. So your starting at square one which is stupid for a 2nd round pick. Later pick sure and Matt Birk is the highlighted example as he moved from T to C. But it took years for that transition to happen. Ezra is forced on the fly. You get inside against these monster players you need girth yourself along with a solid base. P Jones really isn't being mentioned. It's like he doesn't exist at this point.
Agreed. I have a feeling Darrisaw won’t see the field until either hill is playing horrid or gets hurt. Hill isn’t nearly as bad as guys like Samia or Dozier though. But I agree with Ezra.

As for Birk, I remember Birk was terrible his first year or two at center. Definitely took him a while to transition
Hill actual provides great value for our team. He's a swing tackle with experience that can come in and play when called upon. That's an important piece for any team. As for a long term starter no. He will eventually break down to a bum. Samia and Dozier shouldn't be on an NFL roster. We need to look very closely at the finale countdown and try to get some help. Of course we won't be the only team in that position. At least Davis is still at G and perhaps he will be ready to step in around mid season. I also understand the fact of looking at him at center. If Bradberry goes down we need a body to step in. You need to be able to snap the ball before that can happen.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

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Pondering Her Percy wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 pm
CharVike wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am
Barr started from day 1. Gladney started 15, EJ 11, O'neil 11. IMO Darisaw could still start. Unfortunately for all it's taking much longer to recover from his groin problem. If everything goes perfect he could still start week 1. The expectation is he will be ready by then. Hopefully he is which will be a benefit. It's better than the swinging gate we have now. The coaches are around these guys every day. They know who is ready and who isn't. Pre season games mean nothing. Sloter had some great games and he has a hard time making a practice squad but he does have great physical tools but didn't play much in college which didn't help him.
Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
This bugs me an always has, don't know if it's all zimmers fault however multiple times have left a better player on the bench for a much worse one. One of the biggest ones that comes to mind is Diggs, the guy was a 5th round pick however right away was one of the best route runners on the team and catchers (kind of what WR's do) however have a start till injuries. If I recall correctly he came in and put up over 100 yards the the jets best CB in less than 2 quarters and was a start ever since. The fact it took injuries to realize this scares me, I seriously question our coaches ability to determine the best play and get them out on the field. Just like JJ wasn't ready the first two weeks but is ready the 3 week, just non sense.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by allday1991 »

Pondering Her Percy wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 pm
CharVike wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am
Barr started from day 1. Gladney started 15, EJ 11, O'neil 11. IMO Darisaw could still start. Unfortunately for all it's taking much longer to recover from his groin problem. If everything goes perfect he could still start week 1. The expectation is he will be ready by then. Hopefully he is which will be a benefit. It's better than the swinging gate we have now. The coaches are around these guys every day. They know who is ready and who isn't. Pre season games mean nothing. Sloter had some great games and he has a hard time making a practice squad but he does have great physical tools but didn't play much in college which didn't help him.
Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
This bugs me an always has, don't know if it's all zimmers fault however multiple times have left a better player on the bench for a much worse one. One of the biggest ones that comes to mind is Diggs, the guy was a 5th round pick however right away was one of the best route runners on the team and catchers (kind of what WR's do) however never started till injuries. If I recall correctly he came in and put up over 100 yards the the jets best CB in less than 2 quarters and was a starter ever since. The fact it took injuries to realize this scares me, I seriously question our coaches ability to determine the best players and get them out on the field. Just like JJ wasn't ready the first two weeks but is ready the 3 week, just non sense.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by J. Kapp 11 »

CharVike wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:29 am
Pondering Her Percy wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 pm

Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
I agree with what you posted. That's Zimmer approach. Darrisaw also has nothing in front of him which is why he will start once he's healthy. IMO they screwed Ezra over from day 1. The kid is still struggling at G but the guy never was a G. So your starting at square one which is stupid for a 2nd round pick. Later pick sure and Matt Birk is the highlighted example as he moved from T to C. But it took years for that transition to happen. Ezra is forced on the fly. You get inside against these monster players you need girth yourself along with a solid base. P Jones really isn't being mentioned. It's like he doesn't exist at this point.
I think you’re being too hard on Ezra Cleveland.

Seth Galina of PFF ranked the top 15 breakout candidates who “could become stars” in their sophomore years and placed Cleveland at No. 3 on his list — ranked behind only Joe Burrow and Jerry Jeudy.

Here’s what Galina wrote to support his prediction.
From Week 6 — the beginning of his tenure as a starter — to Week 10, Cleveland was the 52nd-highest-graded player at the position (57.2) among 70 guards who played at least 100 snaps. From then on, everything started to click. His grade rose to 71.5 over his last five games, which put him 17th among guards to close out the season. He graded out better as a run blocker over the course of the season, which makes sense given the intricacies of switching from tackle to guard in pass protection, as he was tasked with taking on bigger bodies inside.
https://heavy.com/sports/minnesota-viki ... -darrisaw/

Now he’s switching to the left side, which is his natural side. That should help further. Also, according to Brian O’Neill, he’s come to camp noticeably stronger and with tighter footwork. Says Cleveland is in great shape.

Don’t automatically assume Cleveland will continue to struggle at guard just because he started that way. Guys improve, especially talented guys.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

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Pondering Her Percy wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 pm
CharVike wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am
Barr started from day 1. Gladney started 15, EJ 11, O'neil 11. IMO Darisaw could still start. Unfortunately for all it's taking much longer to recover from his groin problem. If everything goes perfect he could still start week 1. The expectation is he will be ready by then. Hopefully he is which will be a benefit. It's better than the swinging gate we have now. The coaches are around these guys every day. They know who is ready and who isn't. Pre season games mean nothing. Sloter had some great games and he has a hard time making a practice squad but he does have great physical tools but didn't play much in college which didn't help him.
Like I said, he doesn’t start rookies unless he’s absolutely forced to. Gladney started because we literally had zero corners worth a damn. Barr started because we had nothing at LB. Bradbury started because we didn’t have another center. O’Neill started 11 because Rashod Hill got hurt. If that didn’t happen, O’Neill wasn’t going in. It was there only option. The fact that Jefferson didn’t start the first few games, or that O’Neill didn’t start his rookie year over hill day 1, or that Ezra Cleveland didn’t start over Dru Samia, etc drives me insane. Play your best damn players. Period. I don’t care if they are a rookie or if they are 38 years old. Nobody can sit there and tell me that whether those rookies were “ready” to play or not, that they weren’t already better than guys like Hill, Bisi Johnson, Dru Samia, etc. They were 100% better. I know Zims mentality…. Rookies have to “earn their spot”. Okay? Isn’t them being drastically better than who’s in there earning their spot?

I’m not saying we should just hand a starting job to Patrick Jones at DE, but I can tell you right now, he’s already better than Stephen Weatherly. There aren’t many DEs on this roster that aren’t already better than him.

Play your best damn players, period
Of those rookies you stated, Jefferson ran the second most routes in those first two games, he just didn't have the started designation.

Ezra wasn't very good as a rookie and struggled early on especially.

Gladney was terrible as a rookie and shouldn't have been starting.

Bradbury was terrible as a rookie and shouldn't have been starting.

Barr was pretty good as a rook and did start.

O'Neill was an okay rookie and should have been able to beat out Hill, he was NOT good right out of the gate though. His first 4 games he was graded at a 60, which was 51st among qualifying tackles and graded worse than Hill during that time period. He gave up 0 sacks which is great for a rookie, but gave up 31 pressures in 12 starts and was not a very good run blocker (55 grade per pff).

Zimmer is trying to put the best team out there and dislikes starting rookies for good reason. Most of them aren't very good in their first years or make mistakes vets don't. Even the great ones need a while to acclimate most of the time. He follows this to a fault sometimes true, but I think that is typical of a lot of head coaches.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

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J. Kapp 11 wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:28 pm
CharVike wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:29 am
I agree with what you posted. That's Zimmer approach. Darrisaw also has nothing in front of him which is why he will start once he's healthy. IMO they screwed Ezra over from day 1. The kid is still struggling at G but the guy never was a G. So your starting at square one which is stupid for a 2nd round pick. Later pick sure and Matt Birk is the highlighted example as he moved from T to C. But it took years for that transition to happen. Ezra is forced on the fly. You get inside against these monster players you need girth yourself along with a solid base. P Jones really isn't being mentioned. It's like he doesn't exist at this point.
I think you’re being too hard on Ezra Cleveland.

Seth Galina of PFF ranked the top 15 breakout candidates who “could become stars” in their sophomore years and placed Cleveland at No. 3 on his list — ranked behind only Joe Burrow and Jerry Jeudy.

Here’s what Galina wrote to support his prediction.
From Week 6 — the beginning of his tenure as a starter — to Week 10, Cleveland was the 52nd-highest-graded player at the position (57.2) among 70 guards who played at least 100 snaps. From then on, everything started to click. His grade rose to 71.5 over his last five games, which put him 17th among guards to close out the season. He graded out better as a run blocker over the course of the season, which makes sense given the intricacies of switching from tackle to guard in pass protection, as he was tasked with taking on bigger bodies inside.
https://heavy.com/sports/minnesota-viki ... -darrisaw/

Now he’s switching to the left side, which is his natural side. That should help further. Also, according to Brian O’Neill, he’s come to camp noticeably stronger and with tighter footwork. Says Cleveland is in great shape.

Don’t automatically assume Cleveland will continue to struggle at guard just because he started that way. Guys improve, especially talented guys.
That is not true, Kalil was a talent guy and he did not improve
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by J. Kapp 11 »

RandyMoss84 wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:26 pm
J. Kapp 11 wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:28 pm
I think you’re being too hard on Ezra Cleveland.

Seth Galina of PFF ranked the top 15 breakout candidates who “could become stars” in their sophomore years and placed Cleveland at No. 3 on his list — ranked behind only Joe Burrow and Jerry Jeudy.

Here’s what Galina wrote to support his prediction.



https://heavy.com/sports/minnesota-viki ... -darrisaw/

Now he’s switching to the left side, which is his natural side. That should help further. Also, according to Brian O’Neill, he’s come to camp noticeably stronger and with tighter footwork. Says Cleveland is in great shape.

Don’t automatically assume Cleveland will continue to struggle at guard just because he started that way. Guys improve, especially talented guys.
That is not true, Kalil was a talent guy and he did not improve
What is wrong with you?

I just provided solid evidence that Ezra Cleveland has improved his play, and you come back with this? I thought you said I was on ignore. Feel free to go back to that.

Even though I have no reason to rephrase, since I never said EVERY talented player improves, I’ll be the adult in the room and do it anyway.

Guys CAN improve, especially talented guys.

Better?
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by RandyMoss84 »

J. Kapp 11 wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:50 am
RandyMoss84 wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:26 pm

That is not true, Kalil was a talent guy and he did not improve
What is wrong with you?

I just provided solid evidence that Ezra Cleveland has improved his play, and you come back with this? I thought you said I was on ignore. Feel free to go back to that.

Even though I have no reason to rephrase, since I never said EVERY talented player improves, I’ll be the adult in the room and do it anyway.

Guys CAN improve, especially talented guys.

Better?
I have been busy with personal family matters that I forgot to put you on ingore but thank you for reminding me, you are on ingore now, bye!
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by Rhodes Closed »

RandyMoss84 wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 9:50 am
J. Kapp 11 wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:50 am
What is wrong with you?

I just provided solid evidence that Ezra Cleveland has improved his play, and you come back with this? I thought you said I was on ignore. Feel free to go back to that.

Even though I have no reason to rephrase, since I never said EVERY talented player improves, I’ll be the adult in the room and do it anyway.

Guys CAN improve, especially talented guys.

Better?
I have been busy with personal family matters that I forgot to put you on ingore but thank you for reminding me, you are on ingore now, bye!
God forbid you don't try to turn everything into an argument just to feel right all the time. :roll:
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by VikingsVictorious »

J. Kapp 11 wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:50 am
RandyMoss84 wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:26 pm

That is not true, Kalil was a talent guy and he did not improve
What is wrong with you?

I just provided solid evidence that Ezra Cleveland has improved his play, and you come back with this? I thought you said I was on ignore. Feel free to go back to that.

Even though I have no reason to rephrase, since I never said EVERY talented player improves, I’ll be the adult in the room and do it anyway.

Guys CAN improve, especially talented guys.

Better?
OMG Kapp. Randy is off his Rocker on that one. Just desperately looking for something to argue about.
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

StumpHunter wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:40 pm
Of those rookies you stated, Jefferson ran the second most routes in those first two games, he just didn't have the started designation.

Ezra wasn't very good as a rookie and struggled early on especially.

Gladney was terrible as a rookie and shouldn't have been starting.

Bradbury was terrible as a rookie and shouldn't have been starting.

Barr was pretty good as a rook and did start.

O'Neill was an okay rookie and should have been able to beat out Hill, he was NOT good right out of the gate though. His first 4 games he was graded at a 60, which was 51st among qualifying tackles and graded worse than Hill during that time period. He gave up 0 sacks which is great for a rookie, but gave up 31 pressures in 12 starts and was not a very good run blocker (55 grade per pff).

Zimmer is trying to put the best team out there and dislikes starting rookies for good reason. Most of them aren't very good in their first years or make mistakes vets don't. Even the great ones need a while to acclimate most of the time. He follows this to a fault sometimes true, but I think that is typical of a lot of head coaches.
I'm sorry but what???

-Jefferson played 65 snaps the first two weeks compared to Bisi Johnsons 75. And if you recall, we got blown out both of those games which forced more 3 WR sets which is why Jefferson was getting in. It might've been a blessing in disguise because if we were running with GB and Indy, Jefferson would've seen less snaps and probably wouldnt have blown up week 3 vs. the Titans

-Whether you thought Ezra was good as a rookie or not, he was 10000 times better than Dru Samia. Samia finished the year with a 33.1 PFF grade compared to Ezra's 66.2. At one point, Samia was the worst graded started of any offensive player in the entire NFL. Yeah he was THAT bad. But it literally wasnt even close with Cleveland and the fact that Samia started for as long as he did, was embarrassing in regards to this coaching staff. And if you recall, the only reason Cleveland started is because Samia had a wrist injury so they inserted Cleveland. It took an injury to Dru Samia for them to realize Cleveland was galaxies better than Samia.

-So Gladney was terrible as a rookie yet our two main starters were Mike Hughes and Holton Hill??? Holton Hill was getting burned on the reg and was an embarrassment. Mike Hughes wasnt far off. And mind you, Gladney got better as the season went on. I still say he shouldve had a pick 6 vs. Evans and the refs botched the PI call because Evans slipped. But either way, our two starters were horrid. Gladney struggled with mental mistakes early on but was much better than any CB not named Dantzler by mid year.

-As for Bradbury, he wasnt the greatest but was an exceptional run blocker. The only other option we had was Elflein back at center. And did we really want to go that route again? Either Bradbury started at center his rookie year and Elflein kicked to guard or Elflein played center that year and we have nobody at guard. Take your pick or name me a better option. I'll answer that, there wasnt one.

-Barr was good as a rookie but also started day 1 because what else did we have? Greenway was passed his prime and needed a reduced role. Who was the other LB? Brinkley? Either way, it was beat the crap out of Greenway taking on a full time role at SLB or start Barr.

-As for Oneill, regardless of what you think, he allowed zero sacks for practically two full seasons. I dont care what his run blocking looks like or whatever else for that matter. If you tell me Christian Darrisaw will not allow a sack this year but will be a below average run blocker, I'd tell you to get his as# in the starting lineup ASAP. I'd rather have a guy in there that is excellent in at least one area than a guy that is terrible in all areas. Bradbury is another example of that. Good run blocker, poor pass blocker. Whether you think that's justifiable or not, it's at least "partially" better than any other option.

Like I said in my original post, some rookies will start when there is literally nobody there to fill the need. But more often than not, he's keeping rookies on the bench. Which is fine and dandy when someone else is in there that can at least walk and chew gum. When you're starting the Dru Samia's and Bisi Johnson's of the world over much better players just because they are the "vets that know the system" then that's a problem. If you're starting Brian Robison over a raw Danielle Hunter, okay. Robison is still a solid player that can get to the QB and is a leader. What on earth does Dru Samia or Bisi Johnson or any other bum I listed above bring to the table other than absolutely nothing?

Which brings me to this year. If Griff isnt signed, Weatherly is starting guaranteed. I can already tell you Patrick Jones is the better DE even after one preseason game because Weatherly is truly that bad, especially when it comes to rushing the passer. But Jones will rot on the bench until Weatherly goes down or Jones makes enough plays in a rotational role where Zim has no choice. I understand Hill starting this year at LT because Darrisaw has had the injury and missed a lot of valuable practice time. I can also probably tell you that Chaz Surratt is a better LB than Nick Vigil. Surratt has been all over the field the last two games. But Vigil will get the old "Zimmer veteran nod". Udoh and Davis are up in the air because I just havent seen enough of Udoh to really know but I have a weird feeling he might be solid simply because of his strength and anchor which is what this interior has been missing.

But if you ask me, Surratt and Jones should be day 1 starters (barring a Griffen signing). And Darrisaw too if he was healthy but unfortunately he is not. Will that happen? Absolutely not and that is pathetic.
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent and the choices you make will shape your life forever.
-Chazz Palminteri
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RandyMoss84
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Re: Vikings working out Everson Griffen

Post by RandyMoss84 »

Rhodes Closed wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:24 pm
RandyMoss84 wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 9:50 am

I have been busy with personal family matters that I forgot to put you on ingore but thank you for reminding me, you are on ingore now, bye!
God forbid you don't try to turn everything into an argument just to feel right all the time. :roll:
You are also on ingore :roll:
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