5 Vikings Players Facing Pivotal Seasons

[jackal]

I would say
Ponder
Allen
Cook
Simpson
Jennings -- the team spent a ton on him and are counting on him
to educate guys like Patterson, Wright, and Simpson

[jackal]

Xavier Rhodes is another good choice, a first round draft pick; in addition
the team will be counting on him to take a lot of the assignments Winfield
used to be assigned I believe.

[King James]

Blanton will be starting by week 5. mark my words

If Blanton has it in him then Im all for it. I never been much of a Sanford fan but after last season he deserves to be the starter for now. I haven't heard too much of Robert Blanton this off-season though.

[S197]

Xavier Rhodes is another good choice, a first round draft pick; in addition
the team will be counting on him to take a lot of the assignments Winfield
used to be assigned I believe.

Sounds like they're trying to make Robinson take the nickel role and keep Rhodes on the outside. Makes sense given Robinson's speed but he is apparently more comfortable on the outside so it remains to be seen what happens.

[Eli]

Sounds like they're trying to make Robinson take the nickel role and keep Rhodes on the outside. Makes sense given Robinson's speed but he is apparently more comfortable on the outside so it remains to be seen what happens.

I think the bigger factors in moving Robinson are a) Rhodes' height and b) his 1st round draft position. Like it or not, nickel and slot CBs are the 2nd tier. If you keep Robinson on the outside, then someone else has to play the slot, and the Vikings just aren't that deep. Besides, I think they like Robinson a lot, they're just not in love with him.

[losperros]

When healthy Chris Cook has proven he can hang in there and defend the top WRs. I know some fans complain about how he does have any INTs but that doesn't change the fact that he is actually a good defender. His focus this year should be staying healthy. He has the talent but staying on the field is a big question mark.

You hit the nail on the head. My only concern regarding Cook is his health. If thie guy can't play a full season, then that's going to weigh heavily on whether he gets re-signed or not.

I think Cook has shown plenty of promise as a player and I believe the INTs will come this year. I'm more worried about how the other DBs are going to perform when it comes to skill.

[J. Kapp 11]

I am still upset that we let Geoff leave. Geoff was 10X better than Fusco. Watch Peterson's two longest runs of the season. Who was out there pulling for him? Geoff. Fusco blows.

Some "experts" -- or talking heads, depending on your point of view -- might disagree.

OFFENSE
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers
Running back: Adrian Peterson
Wide receivers: Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Greg Jennings
Tight end: Kyle Rudolph
Offensive tackles: Jermon Bushrod, Matt Kalil
Guards: Brandon Fusco, T.J. Lang
Center: John Sullivan

In case you're wondering, this is Domeshek's All NFC North Team for 2013.

Yes, that's Brandon Fusco's name you see there. I'm not even kidding.

[mansquatch]

The FO / Coaches like Fusco enough that they didn't try to compete to get Schwartz back. I know that Fusco has had his issues but it is obvious that the professionals at Winter Park believe he has upside. Whether that comes to be who knows, but IMO it should be taken as a vote of confidence.

Simpson and Carlson are definitely in pivotal years.

Cook is as well. He is now hte old man in the Secondary, so he has a lot to shoulder. I agree on the take regarding his abilities in Coverage. People forget that he is one of the few guys in the league who can go toe to toe with Megatron and get positive results. Durability is the big issue. But if he can stay healthy he is a guy we want to keep.

Ponder is an obvious choice, but what else is there to say at this point?

The challenge with Allen is going to be the contract. He is entering the latter years of his career but he is still producing at an elite level. So you have to pay him elite $$$, but you also have to hedge that at some point he'll slow down. I kind of wonder if they'll give him a shorter deal with big $$$ to keep him happy. I think folks also do not fully appreciate how rare it is for a player with a contract as large as his current deal getting paid the full amount of $$$. That is a tremendous act of good faith on the part of the Vikings, and even Jared Allen has commented on it in this regard.

[King James]

I'm surprised Charlie Johnson isn't on the list. I see Fusco is taking a lot of falls for the online from fans and the media but Charlie Johnson needs to improve this year as well. He is not playing like the same guy who protected Peyton Manning in Indy.

[dead_poet]

I'm surprised Charlie Johnson isn't on the list. I see Fusco is taking a lot of falls for the online from fans and the media but Charlie Johnson needs to improve this year as well. He is not playing like the same guy who protected Peyton Manning in Indy.

Manning makes everyone look good. In particular, he's rarely scrambling so the linemen know where he is at all times, knows pretty much everything about the defense/protection schemes and gets the ball out of his hand quick. I think it's less that he's somehow so much worse and more that he's no longer protecting one of the best/smartest QBs in the league.

[Mothman]

Manning makes everyone look good. In particular, he's rarely scrambling so the linemen know where he is at all times, knows pretty much everything about the defense/protection schemes and gets the ball out of his hand quick. I think it's less that he's somehow so much worse and more that he's no longer protecting one of the best/smartest QBs in the league.

Exactly. Johnson is playing at about the same level he did in Indy. He was never an exceptional NFL player, just an average one and I think average is a pretty accurate description of his overall performance with the Vikings thus far.

[HornedMessiah]

For the most part I think this list is spot on. Fusco probably shouldn't be on there but you could maybe make the argument that Loadholt is better or equal to Bushrod. I agree that Jennings is still the third best WR in the division. Packer fans would cry that Nelson or even Cobb should be ranked higher than Jennings but they know deep within their cheeseheads that Jennings is truly superior.

Maybe Charlie Johnson was omitted from the list (in the OP) because he's already lost the job? Can one hope? It would be great next season if the Vikes are in a position to draft a guard in the first or second round. If they can get a solid young guy in there they could really turn into an elite unit

[tnvikesfan]

I gotta say Cook needs to do 3 things:

Stay out of trouble. Domestic violence is NOT acceptable, I don't care who you play for or how much money you make.

Play clean. He draws a lot of flags, he gets beat a lot. He depends too much on his size and gets caught out of position. He compensates by grabbing etc. and what could have been a good play goes to penalty.

Stay healthy. Accidents happen, but I don't see his attitude helping him stay healthy. He is too full of himself and I don't think he puts in the ground work.

I was NOT impressed with him last season. I remember the Randy attitude we accepted, but Moss backed it up with play. IMO, Cook is LUCKY to have a job after his off field antics, and he better start appreciating it.

As far as the rest go, I hope the building blocks are in place for the young or new guys to step up. Jared Allen will always be a fav of mine, he's come alive since being a Viking and is a huge asset to our D-line. We've lost Winfield, we can't afford to lose Allen!

[dead_poet]

Play clean. He draws a lot of flags, he gets beat a lot. He depends too much on his size and gets caught out of position. He compensates by grabbing etc. and what could have been a good play goes to penalty.

Interesting perspective. I haven't noticed the part about being penalty-prone. Is that true? I also don't notice him being beat often, in the sense that he lets receivers get behind him. Instead, I see him playing off-man and a lot of passes are caught in front of him. I'm really hoping with the addition of Rhodes they play more press, which has always been more of his strength.

Stay healthy. Accidents happen, but I don't see his attitude helping him stay healthy. He is too full of himself and I don't think he puts in the ground work.

I disagree here as well. Every interview I've seen with him (especially after his trial) he has conducted himself professionally. I've heard, read or seen nothing that gives me the impression he doesn't put in the work or that he's "full of himself."

IMO, Cook is LUCKY to have a job after his off field antics

That's the truth. But I do think he realizes how fortunate he is.

Jared Allen will always be a fav of mine, he's come alive since being a Viking and is a huge asset to our D-line.

Totally agree. Love Jared. Though I don't think he came alive with the Vikes. He entered the franchise having already notched 43 sacks in four seasons with the Chiefs!

[tnvikesfan]

I can't give specifics on which games/plays Cook drew flags (I've slept since then!), but it was called interference mostly. I don't think he did much in the way of just 'holding' or impeding progress. The flags he drew were on long, downfield plays as well. I do remember my tv learning new bad words though. The last couple seasons with him playing - such as it was - have been a dissappointment to me. We'll see what happens this year, if he can pull it together in all aspects. I do believe a lot of the trouble with these kids is they have way too much money way to early in life and lose their minds over it.

I know Allen had good play history before we snagged him, but he was on a downward spiral personally. Coming to The Boys gave him a fresh start with an organization and community. He was able to get it together before it was too late. If what I read about him is true, he's become a very good role model for kids to look up to.

Living in TN we don't get a whole lot of news off season (like we get much during the season???) so a lot of the new players or new to us players have a clean slate when I get to see them. I'm really hoping this year our Boys will come together and be the formidable force they used to be!