Vikings Message Board.Com

PacificNorseWest wrote:Michael Johnson almost feels like a lock to come here

If Allen doesn't resign then ya I think there's a strong chance Johnson ends up here. If Johnson wants a ton of money though, I'd probably rather resign Allen instead for equal (or less?) money.

PacificNorseWest wrote:Linebacker needs to be addressed and if not in the draft then the list of names out there is underwhelming after Brian Orakpo.

I was looking around on some Bengals fan forums and a name I saw come up a couple times was Vincent Rey. Apparently he got a chance to start at MLB when Rey Maualuga was hurt and he lit it up in a game against Baltimore. 15 tackles, three sacks, three pass breakups and one INT. Future Vikings starting MLB? He's an RFA, we'll see!

HornedMessiah wrote: If Allen doesn't resign then ya I think there's a strong chance Johnson ends up here. If Johnson wants a ton of money though, I'd probably rather resign Allen instead for equal (or less?) money.
I was looking around on some Bengals fan forums and a name I saw come up a couple times was Vincent Rey. Apparently he got a chance to start at MLB when Rey Maualuga was hurt and he lit it up in a game against Baltimore. 15 tackles, three sacks, three pass breakups and one INT. Future Vikings starting MLB? He's an RFA, we'll see!

Good find on that guy. He's worth a look in my opinion from the sounds of it, but obviously we have the best man in Zimmer to know whether he's that diamond in the rough kind of guy once given a legit opportunity. Ravens had one of the worst O-lines in football, so hopefully those numbers have the potential to carry over on a consistent basis if he came to Minnesota.

I like Allen just as much as the next guy, but he'll be 32 next football season. Michael Johnson only 27. If given the choice of one over the other then I think the Vikes should say goodbye to #69.

Adrianpeterson28mvp wrote:
Doesn't imply he has to start or be relied upon, watched him in hard knocks and him and Zimmer had a great connection, Mays seemed to be a great locker room guy and got on the field for 40% of the snaps for a top 10 defense, his last deal was at around 1 mil per and he's coming off IR which means he could be had for really cheap. Not arguing against you by any means but for the sole purposes of being one of Zimmers' guys for cheap and with some possible untapped potential, could be nice to get him into camp. Again I've always just liked him personally as a true college stud, was rooting for the team to pick up Vontaze burfict and look what happened

Didn't Burfict slip way down, or even go undrafted because of some issues?

PurpleHalo wrote:Didn't Burfict slip way down, or even go undrafted because of some issues?

Burfict was projected to be the #1 LB taken that year but everyone knew he was going to fall. Especially after his dreadful combine performance. I mocked us taking him in the 7th round that year....instead we took Trevor Guyton

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if we saw at least 1, if not more Cincy guys come here via free agency

mrc44 wrote:Defensive end can be taken care of in free agency, it's a strong group this year with a lot of talent.

First round: Justin Gilbert, cornerback from Ohio state. At 6ft 200lbs, he is a big physical corner that makes plays and hits like a truck. I take him 8 overall.

If Dennard is available at 8, he is light years better than Gilbert. No way Gilbert should go this high.

2nd round: Shayne Skov, ILB from Stanford. Dude is a beast. Sometimes a little too feisty but he hits hard, has great vision and is a great leader. Tore his acl in 2011 I think but showed no signs of it slowing him down in 2013. I absolutely want this guy on our team if we are going to draft another linebacker.

Sorry, this is another reach, IMO. There are better options at LB that will still be on the board. There is a small crop of NTs and I think this is a good spot to find one. Or OL. Heck, if LBs Mosley or Mack is available at 8, we should grab one of them!

Trade 2013 3rd round pick and conditional 3 or 4 next year for Ryan Mallet for our qb. I think some people forget he was possibly the best qb coming out that year but was an immature #### in college and he paid for it.

I like Mallet, but wonder where he is at right now. As a backup for Brady, you don't get to see much daylight.

3rd from Seattle: Ahmad Dixon SS. Physical safety with good size at 6' and loves to come down in run support.

Interesting idea, considering Harrison Smith's injury this season. But I would rather see a FS here.

4th: Aaron Murray Georgie qb. Looks to be dropping a bit due to his injury but that could change on his pro day. Wouldn't mind grabbing a guard or defensive lineman here instead. Aaron Murray is my choice because we can get our defense taken care of early and still get a qb that has experience In a pro style offense .

If you are trading for Mallett, then skip Murray. Heck, I say skip Murray anyway. But we all have our own ideas about who will succeed as an NFL QB. Definitely OL here, or LB/DL

mrc44 wrote:First round: Justin Gilbert, cornerback from Ohio state. At 6ft 200lbs, he is a big physical corner that makes plays and hits like a truck. I take him 8 overall.

Gilbert is from Oklahoma St....not Ohio St.

I think the DB class this year is rather weak. As much as we need help there I think they'll go a different route this year unless the scouting changes on some of these guys.

mansquatch wrote:I think the DB class this year is rather weak. As much as we need help there I think they'll go a different route this year unless the scouting changes on some of these guys.

Good thing that there are several FA DBs to look at this year. Captain Munnerlyn from Carolina is intriguing. A pesky undersized cornerback like Winfield. I think it would be a great signing.

Are there any decent guards on the market this year?

I feel like Zimmer has just made Minnesota a place that players want to come to now. Money talks, of course, but defensive players will be lining up at the chance to play for Zim. Offensive players will soon follow.

PacificNorseWest wrote:I feel like Zimmer has just made Minnesota a place that players want to come to now. Money talks, of course, but defensive players will be lining up at the chance to play for Zim. Offensive players will soon follow.

Norv Turner ought to help out on that end.

If DeAngelo Hall doesn't resign with the Redskins, I could see us targeting him. He seems to fit the bill of guys that Zimmer likes to pick up. Former player of his, kind of cast off in the league a lot of people don't think he has much left in the tank, but he's still very instinctive and can make big plays for a defense, he just has to be used in the proper role. He'd be a cheap option who could really shine under Zimmer as a #3 CB

GBFavreFan wrote: I've yet to see these Vikings find that gem at guard, if there's one position they should consider free agency its guard. Look at the Saints and Bears, and what a difference one free agent offensive linesman can make. I know the consensus seems to be don't waste money draft them instead, but you can get a guy for relative cheap, and it pays HUGE dividends. And considering how awesome our team is going to be with Zimmer/Turner, we might as well fortify that line!

Steve Hutchinson?

This year's FA guards are pretty weak, unfortunately

mrc44 wrote:Tillman is a free agent this year and he is a big physical corner... Be nice to get some playmakers in here to cause some turnovers. I would like to see Michael Johnson come over from the Bengals and maybe address the gays position in FA as well.

Any thoughts on Walter Thurmond from Seattle ? Got suspended this year but seems to be a good corner and he is only 26 years old?

Yes to Walter Thurmond. Good name drop. He had taken over from Brandon Browner after Browner was missed some early games with an injury. Played in nickel on his return.

I have been telling people around my way (Seattle) that the Seahawks need to win the SB this year because their depth right now is insane and there's no way they'll be able to keep most of these guys. At the start of the year with Browner still on the team, they had 5 or 6 legit corners that could all start in the NFL.

Sherman will be locked up, but that still leaves Thurmond, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane. Thurmond was #2 on the depth chart at RCB to begin the year only behind Browner because of Browner's ridiculous size, even though most people felt Thurmond was the better corner. Byron Maxwell is now the starter at RCB because Thurmond got suspended 4 games right at the same time Browner did and has played extremely well. Jeremy Lane saw a lot of time in Nickel and spells the other two fairly frequently. Very scrappy.

It's obvious they have a wealth of depth at that spot and I know a few of those guys will go somewhere else. Minnesota would be smart to grab one of those 3.

Packers NT BJ Raji has stated he will not resign with the Packers because of the 3-4 defense. he wants to be a true d tackle in a 4-3 and has told the packers this. pair him with floyd and we shored the middle of our defense for the next 7 years. robison and michael johnson or griffen on the outside. that covers up a lot of def back field deficiencies.