Minnesota Vikings' Offseason Laundry List

Now that the Hawaiian fun is over, the drought of six months of no helmets clashing begins. And now begins the stage when people leave, come, go and just plain drive you crazy. (Curse you Brett Favre and your dramatic life.)

Certain players are set to depart and become unrestricted free agents this offseason. The key players in mind would be C Matt Birk, FS Darren Sharper, and TE/FB Jim Kleinsasser.

Birk would be huge if he isn't re-signed. His ability hasn't leveled off yet and until it does, shouldn't be discarded. Word has it he's settled in Minnesota and would like to keep it that way.

After playing eight seasons in Green Bay, Sharper came to Minnesota via free agency in 2005. He's set to go on and be the career interceptions leader but won't be finishing his career in Vikings purple.

Chances are he's headed to a dilapidated New Orleans secondary.

Jim Kleinsasser has been through thick and thin with the Minnesota ever since he was drafted in '99. Jim was a great athlete and brute force, and those of us who grew up watching him will surely miss him and wish him the best.

The Minnesota Vikings now enter another offseason short of their goal, but another offseason closer. After finishing 10-6 to improve on their '07 season 8-8, the Vikings are slowly, but surely, improving.

However, time is running out. With the likes of Jared Allen, the William's Wall, Antoine Winfield and Steve Hutchinson's careers ready to take a dip, Minnesota needs to solve their issues now. Their needs are, in order...

• QB The obvious need is a Quarterback who can lead this talented squad beyond the first or second round of the playoffs. Franchise or not, they need a talented signal caller. This much is clear. They have plenty of avenues to go about getting a talented QB. They could grab a franchise QB in Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, or Graham Harrell this year in the NFL Draft. With the 22nd pick, Stafford and Sanchez seem unlikely choices as they will most likely be gone by pick ten. The Vikes could also take a shot at free agency for veteran player with proven and current ability. This vet could come in the form of Kerry Collins, Derek Anderson, Jeff Garcia, or lone and behold Brett Favre coming back out of retirement and demanding a release. A trade sending Tarvaris Jackson and/or Chester Taylor to New England with a draft pick for surprise backup QB Matt Cassel is an option.
• C With Pro Bowler Matt Birk set for free agency, the Vikings need to seriously figure out who will fill his shoes, because a John Sullivan is not the answer with the caliber running attack Minnesota uses. Expect them to re-sign Birk. With him committed to Minnesota's team and franchise, the guy is a true believer. Expect him to accept a smaller pay check to play in Minnesota a few more years. This should also pay off for Sullivan to get a year or two of grooming before Birk's retirement or tenure elsewhere.
• CB With an aging Antoine Winfield, the Vikings need to find his successor now. Cedric Griffin is only going into his fourth year, but still has to prove he can fill the void that Winfield covered. Expect a second or third-round draft pick designated for a cornerback, maybe a first rounder if they choose to address the QB situation in non-draft method.
• T Ryan Cook is currently the starting right tackle for the Vikes, but I just don't them sticking with him too much longer with how much yellow laundry he leaves on the field. With McKinnie in doubt at times and age factoring into this line, expect a lineman to come in the form of a mid-round draft pick. Otherwise, the Vikes may explore their options in free agency. Marvel Smith will come cheaper due to injury last year, but will come with talent. Either way, risky business.
• WR2 Now Minnesota needs to focus on a direct threat behind Berrian. The Vikes may use their 22nd overall pick here as the receiving draft class runs too thin for their aim if they go too far beyond the top 20. That or they'll hope Sidney Rice or Aundrae Allison will step up. Bobby Wade has that WR3 spot down as their possession receiver. This No. 2 receiver needs to be more a route running threat then a deep threat, as Berrian has already claimed that role. I'd expect this to be where Sidney Rice proves his ability and takes the No. 2 role.

As for the current team, Minnesota is going to have an interesting time putting in new pieces to make this team a winner and more importantly, a World Champion. Here's our eval going into the 2009 season.

Vikings Offense

QB [Current Depth Chart: Tarvaris Jackson, Gus Frerotte, John David Booty]

It's pretty clear the starting QB for the Vikes '09 team isn't on the roster yet. Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte are clearly not the answer. Expect one or both of these guys to be jettisoned. Gus for sure. (Preseason Grade: N/A)

RB [CDC: Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Maurice Hicks]

Okay, seriously? With Adrian Peterson on this squad alone its clear they need no help here. Expect another season near 2,000 yards rushing. (PG: A+)

WR [CDC: (1) Bernard Berrian, (2) Bobby Wade, Sidney Rice, Aundrae Allison]

With a top notch QB, this position should see a spark in '09. If Allison or Rice step up, expect a receiving core that is returning to its form it had in the late '90s in Moss and Carter. (PG: B)

TE [CDC: Visanthe Shiancoe, Garrett Mills]

With Shiancoe finally living up to his salary, we just need to see his blocking ability improve to see him become much more rounded tight end rather then a super-sized receiver. (PG: C+/B-)

OL [LT: McKinnie LG: Hutchinson C: Sullivan RG: Herrera RT: Cook]

Obviously you see why I can't see Minnesota NOT re-signing Birk. This line still needs growth and another "center" piece. Otherwise, expect Minnesota to grab a threat to improve their dynamic running game. (PG: C+)

Vikings Defense

DT [CDC: Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Fred Evans, Ellis Wyms]

Hard to improve on perfect. These guys helped Minnesota keep its reputation for the best run-stopping defense in football. Expect these guys to be back in form and still frustrating running backs and quarterbacks alike. (PG: A+)

DE [CDC: Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, Erasmus James, Kenechi Udeze]

With Allen coming in after Uzede' and James' medical issues, the ends on the Vikings D-line have and will make a name for themselves. With Allen coming in and amassing 14.5 sacks, and scaring QBs half to death, the Vikings secondary was able to improve and get more opportunities for turnovers. It should only get better as this squad gets healthy. (PG: A)

LB [SLB: Chad Greenway MLB: E.J. Henderson WLB: Ben Leber]

E.J. Henderson. Remember this guy? Injured his foot? Yeah... I knew you wouldn't forget him. Now with him returning to an already dangerous defense, expect Minnesota's stock to only go up. Up until the injury, Henderson led the defense in tackles AND sacks.

It should come as no surprise he's hungry to get out there and make up for lost time. Greenway in the meantime of Henderson's absence picked up the slack and fulfilled Minnesota's tackle leader. (PG: B-/A+)

CB [LCB: Antoine Winfield, Marcus Mcauley RCB: Cedric Griffin, Benny Sapp]

Can we clone Antoine Winfield? Hehehe...Wishful thinking. Antoine Winfield, after nine years in the NFL earned his stripes as a Pro Bowl corner. Cedric Griffin has also been progressing on the opposite side, but there is always room for improvement in the corners. It would also help for the younger corners to watch out for the yellow. (PG: C)

S [FS:Madieu Williams SS: Tyrell Johnson]

With Madieu now healthy and able to lead this secondary, it's on Johnson to prove his ability and to fill Sharper's shoes. Not an easy task fill. (PG: C+)

Special Teams

K [Ryan Longwell]

He was still out clutch kicker with three game winning field goals in '08. Range will begin to become an issue, but no fatigue is apparent, so just keep kick 'em through Ryan. (PG: A)

P [Chris Kluwe]

All we ask is that you don't kick it to Reggie Bush, or any other super human speedster. On that note, Kluwe's kick's inside the 20 dropped a little, but so did his attempts. We can only hope his killer accuracy only gets better. Lets hope though that those four returned punts for touchdowns were a fluke. (PG: C+)

Kickoffs/Returns

Lets be as realistic as we can. This sucked in '08 and was a major Achilles heel to the team when ever they got some momentum. Expect Childress to make some changes now with Murray in charge of Special teams. Hopefully the Vikings won't break their record of giving up the most touchdowns in NFL history with seven.