Outperformed, and it was because of solid cores on both sides of the ball. What does 2018 look like from here? Opening lines are out for '18 over/under team wins, and the Vikes are tied-5th, 9.5 wins but a stronger upside than other 9.5-ers. What we know now, is that we'll still have a great defense in 2018. Wright, Thielen, Diggs, Rudolph, Dalvin, Jerick and Latavius on the other side, and we should have at least 5 of them back in 2018.
Both sides of the ball, a very good core. You can plug any QB in there, and we'll get 9.5 wins. $62 million to spread around this year, so it looks likely that we'll head into August with 2 high quality QBs and Sloter still in our pocket. But because of the good core of talent, the QB mystery is not so important. The crucial thing for next season, is to improve the O-Line as much as possible. First two draft picks, they must be offensive linemen.
I can't think of three RB's i'd rather go into a new season with, today in the salary-cap era, than McKinnon, Murray and Cook. The right ages, the right assortment of skills, there's no play that can't be run by at least 2 of those 3 guys. Cook is staying, so if we keep 1 of the M's then we can pick up a complementary RB in FA. But to turn them loose, we need top blockers. We need the most contested positions in camp to be for the OL.
Seen some amazing catches by our WRs and TEs this season, maybe add a 6'3" 216-pound WR to make the pickplays work or stay close to pick up a corner blitz. And probably should add a young paduwan TE to learn everything Kyle does. Other than that, our skill positions are good. But nobody can catch anything from a sacked QB, so the offensive line should be the best that capspace can buy.
The D-Line is good, but could use more pressure when only 4 are sent. Our 3rd draft pick should be a defensive end with a big wingspan and active feet. Make that freshman take dancing classes between the draft and camp. Will need a freshman CB too, and if Terrence Newman retires, then immediately offer him a coaching job. Usually in the NFL, the hardest thing to do is assemble a defensive secondary which rocks. Past two seasons, we built one. Keep it, feed it.
Can't think of anything we might need in free agency other than a QB, as odd as that sounds in January. Just like the draft, our aims in FA should be linemen. Pack the camp with OLs and DLs, and let the best 20 win. It's the most important thing a franchise can do, to remain competitive year after year.
Win the trenches and make decent RBs look like stars, then trade them for good draft picks, to keep the quality up in all the other offensive skill positions. Drill through the opponent's OL wall, and you get more time to have your own offense on the field. Which increases the success of the offense. Which increases the value of the backs and catchers, it's a non-vicious cycle, and it all starts on the OL and DL.
It's what Belichick has been doing for years, managing the churn of personnel by making his current players look better, then trading them for draft picks, extra effective because he has the luxury of not worrying about QB1. The Broncos did this and ended up with a SB: invested in their OL and parlayed the trades and picks they got from seemingly invincible RBs (Davis, Love, Anderson, etc) into Vonn Miller, Dem Thomas, Em Sanders, and Peyton M.
So we've got picks in the late 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds, and in 5th and 6th rounds. Philly gets our 4th-rounder for Bradford, grrrr. 1st pick: we're looking at Conor Williams out of UT, Billy Price from The Ohio State, or Bruins O-tackle Kolton Miller. The leprechauns Nelson and McGlinchey will be gone by pick #30, but if Orlando Brown slips, we'd better take him. Same with Chukwuma Okorafor out of WMich. In the nightmare that 7 higher pickers take O-Linemen, we'll be left with a best-case of Brian O'Neill from Pitt.
The point is, we must draft O-Line first. And second round too. 3rd round, we need a youngster DE with long arms and happy feet. 5th round a CB, and we'll either need a TE this draft or in 2019, but i'd prefer to do that in 3rd round of '19 instead of 6th round in 2018. TE in any year's draft, you're going to find one the top three in the 3rd round, but the drop-off to sixth round is steep.
A better idea would be using our 6th-round pick this year on a darkhorse OL, small college with teachable talent which has not been fully teached in a small program. A hefty cornfed Kansan, they're always a lockerroom asset. Or a 6th-round pick on a beefy WR who might not run the 4.3 but can clear a LB off a lane, and is a load to bring down when he catches one.
What we do NOT need to do, is draft a QB. Brees wasn't drafted by New Orleans. Eli was not drafted by the Giants. Brady was a 6th rounder. The chances of a QB winning a playoff game for the team that drafts him in the 1st round is very small, but is a big hit to the salary cap. Today, in modern football, only a fool drafts a QB in the first round. Witness: Andrew Luck.
Good season guys, see you in April
