Vikings Message Board.Com

TSonn wrote: How much is Jeffery gonna cost in free agency this summer (assuming the Bears don't franchise him)?

I don't know but I think the Bears actually will franchise him so it may be a moot point.

dead_poet wrote:Not sure why they wouldn't franchise or re-sign him, though. They're uninspiring and completely unproven behind him even with White and I'm not sure who else on the roster would be worth the tag and he's arguably their best offensive player. Probably losing Bennett, too, who is a big receiving threat. Only sticking point may be injury history, but I don't expect that to be that detrimental to him. I'd be surprised if they let him get away.

His injury history is why I think he may get tagged rather than getting a new contract. If he is on the market, his injury history should give teams pause when considering how much to pay him. One way or another though, he'll get paid.

dead_poet wrote: There's clearly a fine line between "threading the needle" and "throwing into coverage." The funny thing is that it usually depends on the result. If it's caught, it's "threading the needle" and a "great throw." If it's intercepted it's "a covered receiver" and "a ball that should never have been thrown."

Well, to be fair, by definition it wouldnt be threading anything, much less a needle, if it was picked off or deflected.

mondry wrote:Yeah, basically all of our WR's right now fit into the speedy / quick small guys and none of them are really the type to win tight contested 1 on 1 battles.

Patterson is 6' 2" and weighs 220 pounds, while Johnson is 6' 2" and weighs 217 pounds. They're both fast but they're big enough to make plays on the ball as receivers.

But they've been relegated to the bench so I guess it doesn't really matter.

losperros wrote: Patterson is 6' 2" and weighs 220 pounds, while Johnson is 6' 2" and weighs 217 pounds. They're both fast but they're big enough to make plays on the ball as receivers.

But they've been relegated to the bench so I guess it doesn't really matter.

Oh, it matters... and it's perplexing!

PFF ranks all qualified WRs: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/676861065829990404

Vikings (in order) (out of 120):

27. Diggs (81.6)
65. Wright (68.2)
101. Wallace (52.5)

Wallace and his $11.45 million contract are as good as gone.

dead_poet wrote:PFF ranks all qualified WRs: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/676861065829990404

Vikings (in order) (out of 120):

27. Diggs (81.6)
65. Wright (68.2)
101. Wallace (52.5)

Wallace and his $11.45 million contract are as good as gone.

I'm guessing he'll be fine with that. The strengths of his game are almost entirely wasted with the Vikings.

Should have kept Greg Jennings. Yeah, he was expensive, and yeah, he was old. But, damn it, Teddy trusted Greg. I am sure this offense would be at least a little more productive if Jennings were still here.

HardcoreVikesFan wrote:Should have kept Greg Jennings. Yeah, he was expensive, and yeah, he was old. But, damn it, Teddy trusted Greg. I am sure this offense would be at least a little more productive if Jennings were still here.

Agreed, I mean I was fine with the Wallace move at first so I don't really blame them for getting him but boy has it not amounted to much. Would have made sense to keep him just for chemistry / trust reasons but I wonder if them giving up on Patterson made Greg expendable. (in their eyes)

I'm not really sold on the idea that Wallace is the issue. I get that he hasn't been perfect, but it just feels like the current starting line up is not able to make use of what Wallace does best. If anything, his numbers are probably a bigger black mark on Norv Turner than they are on him. Given the woes we are having with our OL, why put a guy out there who excels in the deep passing game? Or why not ask him to do more from the line of scrimmage? If the guy can't do it, then why put him out there? This is even a bigger conundrum when you look at #84 sitting on the bench.

Maybe there are things we do not know about going on at practice, in the locker room, etc. but from our current vantage point there are some inconsistencies that beg certain questions.

Since this thread is about the offense, here is an observation from the AZ game. AZ as a defense does not have a dominant pass rusher. So they create pressure via the blitz. TB did very well against them. Our OL, while still no where near even average, did better in this scenario than they have done against teams that have talent up front. Obviously they need to improve in this regard. However, it makes me wonder, will we see teams next year drop 7 into coverage and let Teddy have time (assuming the blocking gets better?) Can he beat that coverage? Or will they resort to the blitz? I think in the latter scenario we can have some comfort that Teddy can perform. Another way to look at that is that ultra fast pressure plus 6-7 guys in coverage is very hard to throw against, at least for TB. Maybe making it harder for defenses to play that way will improve our passing game?

The above is just me thinking out loud. Curious how other read into it?

losperros wrote: Patterson is 6' 2" and weighs 220 pounds, while Johnson is 6' 2" and weighs 217 pounds. They're both fast but they're big enough to make plays on the ball as receivers.

But they've been relegated to the bench so I guess it doesn't really matter.

That's a great point.

We haven't had a receiver who can truly go up and take the ball away from a defender since Sidney Rice in '09. Patterson and Johnson have the size and athleticism to go get the ball or win on back-shoulder throws. Yet another reason I wish we'd get them on the field.

J. Kapp 11 wrote:That's a great point.

We haven't had a receiver who can truly go up and take the ball away from a defender since Sidney Rice in '09. Patterson and Johnson have the size and athleticism to go get the ball or win on back-shoulder throws. Yet another reason I wish we'd get them on the field.

Johnson even went up and won the fight for a contested pass on a critical play near the end of the Vikes/Bears game in Chicago. It feels like we've barely seen him targeted since then.

Mothman wrote: Johnson even went up and won the fight for a contested pass on a critical play near the end of the Vikes/Bears game in Chicago. It feels like we've barely seen him targeted since then.

Charles Johnson's last target was in week 9.

Mothman wrote:
Oh, it matters... and it's perplexing!

Perplexing, frustrating, infuriating, just to add a few.

dead_poet wrote: Charles Johnson's last target was in week 9.

Wow... what the heck is going on?

I hope the Vikings dont go afteer another big FA WR who is known mainly for speed. People see Beckman play and think speed is the answer, that guy is also extremely talented. And Eli has a lot more time to throw it to him. CP and Wright are pretty darm fast too (if the Vikes keep CP, I have a feeling they wont keep him just for KR). We have a fast group at WR. What we need is a good route running WR, doesnt have to be blazing fast, just run a good route, and be shifty.