Couple of ideas what do you think?

[720pete]

After watching this season I'm convinced of a couple of things.

1. Regular season games are no longer won with a strong running game. Teams that win in this league are teams that throw the ball, have a good quarterback, and put up points. In order to make it deep into the playoffs you either need a running QB or a QB who can throw the ball well (or both).

2. The Vikings are trying to win games the old way, making a RB (Adrian) their star player and feature of the offense.

3. This season's losses can also be attributed to the fact that there has also been no help with the defense. Our defense giving up points left and right.

4. It is very difficult to find a franchise QB in the draft. Drafting a franchise QB has a high failure rate regardless of who is analyzing the draft picks.
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That being said,

1. How would you feel about trading Adrian Peterson? His cap number is $11 million and will escalate to $14 million in the next few years. Considering that the Colts were willing to give up a first rounder for an unproven Trent Richardson, I think the Vikes could get a high 1st rounder for Peterson or a 1st and 2nd round pick that could be packaged and traded for a high 2014 first round pick.

2. Retain Toby Gehardt. He has had flashes of being an average back and with the cap space cleared from AP we could afford it.

3. Use the hypothetical first rounder acquired for Peterson, plus the Vikings (assumed) high first round pick to pick two first-round top prospect QBs. The bust rate for franchise QBs is too high to assume that picking one QB will solve the QB problem, and the QB position has become too important to put all our eggs in one basket. Ponder and Cassel are not the answers, and if Freeman doesn't pan out, I don't see any reason to keep any of them on the roster. How do you feel about the idea of drafting two prospects and then bringing in a Veteran backup if one is available?

4. Use some of the remaining draft picks to try and pick up help for our secondary. We can't play 2 games per year against Aaron Rodgers, two against Stafford/Megatron, and two against Cutler/Marshall and win them without having a strong secondary.

5. Random thought - Top tier QBs make about $20 million/yr. That's just about what AP + Jarred Alan's combined cap number is this year.


Adrian is counting $11.25 million against the cap, Jarred Allen is counting $14 millionThose things being said, how

[720pete]

Get rid of Peterson to draft 2 1st round QB's? Not on your life. I like the idea of keeping Gerhart though.

I know it wouldn't ever happen, but just throwing it out there. AP could very well be one of the best RBs in NFL history and he is the face of the franchise. At the same time the Vikings have had 20 starting QB's since 1992: Rich Gannon, Sean Salisbury, Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Daunte Culpepper, Todd Bouman, Spergon Wynn, Gus Frerotte, Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger, Brett Favre, Joe Webb, Donovan McNabb, Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, Josh Freeman.

Some of those guys were good QBs, but others were pathetic. We need to focus our efforts on creating stability at the QB position. I realize defense is a huge concern but if our offense didn't go 3 and out so often, our defense wouldn't be on the field so much.

[PurpleMustReign]

I know it wouldn't ever happen, but just throwing it out there. AP could very well be one of the best RBs in NFL history and he is the face of the franchise. At the same time the Vikings have had 20 starting QB's since 1992: Rich Gannon, Sean Salisbury, Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Daunte Culpepper, Todd Bouman, Spergon Wynn, Gus Frerotte, Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger, Brett Favre, Joe Webb, Donovan McNabb, Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, Josh Freeman.

Some of those guys were good QBs, but others were pathetic. We need to focus our efforts on creating stability at the QB position. I realize defense is a huge concern but if our offense didn't go 3 and out so often, our defense wouldn't be on the field so much.

The best stat ever was the Vikings have used four starting qbs in the last 8 games, while tha pack have used 4 since 1992. What an eye opener.

[joe h]

Seriously, trade Peterson then who is our running back? Gerhardt sucks, and we will be force to waste a first round or a high second. Downgrading positions is how you create teams like the browns, jaguars and bucs. It is why we are in this mess, Spielman let decent veterans walk, then replaced them with mid rounders. He sucks at balancing a roster and salaries.

[Eli]

4. It is very difficult to find a franchise QB in the draft. Drafting a franchise QB has a high failure rate regardless of who is analyzing the draft picks.

It's far more difficult to find them any other way. A guy like Drew Brees becomes available maybe once a decade, if that. The Broncos took a huge chance on Peyton Manning and he'll only be around for a few years.

However difficult it may be... franchise quarterbacks are drafted.