O-line changes have begun -- Vikes release Fusco, Harris

[chicagopurple]

actual quality OL players I can recall.....

Matt Birk
Randal McD
Mike Tinglehoff
Steve Hutchinson
Gary Zimmerman
Todd Steussie
Bryant Mckinnon
Dennis Swilley

Its hard to come up with much in recent memory.....I am sure there are more, but not lately

I guess you could put Phil Loadholt in there.....

[Mothman]

Some more stats to throw into the mix:

Heard on the radio today: typical time it takes a 3rd or later round guy (who doesn't get cut and a significant % get cut) to take meaningful snaps in the NFL is 3 1/2 years. Let that sink in for a bit. Harrison Smith will be 32 years old when a guy we take in this draft is likely to be viable to start.

That's possible but stats like that are just averages. Every player and situation is different so a player chosen in the third round or later might take 3.5 years to take meaningful snaps in the NFL or he might be a good starter by the end of his rookie season.

Guys taken in the 1st and 2nd rounds are not guaranteed starters either. In 2015 only two of something like 15 OL taken cracked the starting line up. I'm sure a guy we take could crack the starting line up, especially at tackle, but that isn't because he is good it is because our Tackles are bad.

... or it could be because he's good. There ARE still good offensive linemen coming out of college, players who start and play well in their first or second year.

Cliff Notes Version: Free Agency is needed for players THIS year.

I agree but I think that's been obvious from the start because the Vikes have created a mess that's going to require action in both free agency and the draft to fix over the next few years.

[720pete]

Jets decline to pick up option on tackle Ryan Clady. He is a two time pro bowler but he's also 30 years old.

[fiestavike]

Jets decline to pick up option on tackle Ryan Clady. He is a two time pro bowler but he's also 30 years old.

I think there is a case to be made for 3rd contract type players. They'll come cheaper, sign shorter, provide an upgrade and buy some time.

[Alaskan]

http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/ ... nt-market/

[PurpleMustReign]

http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/ ... nt-market/

Beachum would be better than Kalil I think. Idk how cheap he would be.

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[Alaskan]

Beachum would be better than Kalil I think. Idk how cheap he would be.

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Sign them both and let them Duke it out in Camp. Not a likely scenario, but that would be real competition. The potential is there with both of them.....injuries have had an effect on both no doubt.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Next Year, Alex Boone will be slated to make over 7 million with zero dead money. I don't think it is safe to assume that he is in the team's plans after this season unless he performs much better than he did last year...and given that, if they can get comparable play from a younger/cheaper option, I don't think his job is even secure for this season.

I think he will be fine. He played with Joe Staley next to him his whole career and had pro bowl seasons in SF. This year he played next to the worst tackle of the modern area. If you put someone at least average next to him, I think you will see an improvement

[Pondering Her Percy]

it couldnt get any uglier then the warm plate of manure we have been given for an OL so far...the hard part is not the lack of quality its how long this garbage has been allowed to fester. Changes are so overdue and have been so neglected that they ruined a window of opportunity for both the team and epic careers like AP. It never should have come to this. Think back to the last time we had an OL you could be proud of....its depressing to see how far back you need to go and also just how good those guys were compared to the junk we have been subjected to for so many years.

If we start listing the OL alumni that we hold dear, it gets me angry that most of the current guys were even allowed to wear the Purple.

The OL hasnt really effected AP's play though. He went for 2000 yards behind an average at best OL.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Could they pick up Ron Leary for the LG spot?

Does the Front Office think that a couple of the younger players will step up...Nick Easton, Jeremiah Sirles, TJ Clemmimgs, Willie Beavers, Zac Kerin, Reid Fragel, Marquis Lucas, and Austin Shepherd.
I think we will be lucky if we get more than 2 FA's, Will Rick work a trade?

I'd rather draft a guard. If we pay decently good money to one, we will have two highly paid guards and limited tackle options. I would rather put the money into a tackle like Wagner instead of a guard. Unless we really want to drop big money into the OL and pick up Wagner and someone like Leary but I'm not sure that will happen. Plus that would give you two ~28 year old guards that might only have a few years of good play left. We need to balance it out. Get a younger guard in the draft, shoot for a tackle in the draft, and put a vet at tackle as well like Wagner

[Pondering Her Percy]

Jets decline to pick up option on tackle Ryan Clady. He is a two time pro bowler but he's also 30 years old.

I saw that. Beachum was let go as well. However, Clady is coming off a season ending injury and Beachum struggled this year. I mean if they want to shoot for one of these guys instead of Kalil, so be it but we still HAVE to draft at least 1 tackle

[Pondering Her Percy]

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports the Vikings haven't closed the door on re-signing LT Matt Kalil.
Kalil missed almost all of 2016 to hip surgery. He's been in decline the last three seasons but the Vikings need all the help they can get at tackle. Returning on a one-year, prove-it deal could make sense for both sides.

[fiestavike]

I'm good with that. Sign him to the league minumum and tell him his pizza place gets a year lease in US bank stadium

[Mothman]

The OL hasnt really effected AP's play though.

Of course it's impacted his performance. To suggest otherwise is to suggest run blocking makes no difference on running plays!

[Pondering Her Percy]

Of course it's impacted his performance. To suggest otherwise is to suggest run blocking makes no difference on running plays!

Ok so it's impacted him in the 3 games he played this year? Over the years though, no I don't believe it has. The guy has how many 1000 yard seasons plus a 2000 yard season. Doesn't seem like it was slowing him down much