S197 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 20, 2021 2:42 am
On paper things certainly look improved but there’s still a lot that needs to go right for this team to turnaround. A lot of assumptions.
We assume Hunter will be back to 2019 form. But neck injuries are no joke. See Mike Hughes. Let’s also not forget that Barr is also coming off a serious peck injury. Wonnum and Weatherly don’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of anyone. And it’s not inconceivable they’re our starting DEs at some point.
Peterson isn’t coming with a time machine. Maybe in a zone scheme he’ll perform better but it remains to be seen. Peterson, Breeland, and Woods had some pretty significant regression last year. As did Tomlinson. The vet presence is nice but we could easily be grabbing these guys with their best years in the rear view mirror.
Our OL will likely have a rookie LT and a tackle playing out of position at guard. The long term plan for Cleveland is pretty baffling.
Odds are the team should be better next year. At minimum, the interior rush defense should be improved so guys like Kamara shouldn’t be scoring 6 TDs on us. My best guess is the team is a wildcard team, which is about on par for a Zimmer odd year. If all the above goes right, this could be a deep playoff team but I think that’s a bit overly optimistic. Or maybe I’m overly pessimistic. To me, you build through the draft. Signing half the team with vets on one year deals seems like a desperation move. But I admit decades of getting burned has left me pretty jaded and skeptical of just about anything these days.
A rookie at LT is a big gamble. K Mack is licking his chops. They screwed Cleveland over. I don't know every detail on the difference between T's and G's but typically a G will need to be a bigger and stronger player because of the size of the players he's going up against. Cleveland has said he is working on his strength. In a physical/contact sport I would prefer the bigger player. This is something they focused on this year. Bradbury gets his #### kicked when trying to be a pass blocker. I don't see that changing. But the moves on defense were desperation. They had no choice they needed players. IMO guys hit FA because the team they were with didn't want them. Of course one man's bag of #### is another man's bag of gold. If Rodgers is the same or better the Pack will win the division. If most of the stuff works for us we will be a wild card team. Below is from PFF regarding our 2021 OL.
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The two most important picks the Vikings made in the 2021 NFL Draft, at least in terms of immediate impact, were Virginia Tech left tackle Christian Darrisaw in the first round and Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis in the third.
Why? Because this may have been the final push needed to turn Minnesota's offensive line — perennially one of the worst in the league and a massive weakness — into an above-average unit. For the fourth straight year, the Vikings spent premium draft capital on the big guys up front. This time, they used more than one top-100 pick to address that weakness.
Both Darrisaw at 23 and Davis at 86 feel like steals. These are two big, strong, athletic linemen who will significantly improve the Vikings' O-line right away. Darrisaw has a chance to be an instant upgrade from Riley Reiff, at least in run blocking, while Davis's ability to anchor on the interior could make him the best guard Minnesota has had in quite some time.
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Well it's a close call but I'm thinking he belongs more so in the just missed the cut or honorable mentions category. According to the Vikings he's just so great at helping Kirk which I thought was an attribute that was supposed to belong to a coach instead of a back up QB especially when the starter is a vet. And as for his career being over we all know no other team is going to sign him so if the Vikings don't experience an injury in the quarterback room I'm thinking that day has arrived for Mr. Mannion.