Minnesota Vikings: Prioritizing the Vikings 7 Biggest Needs Going into 2011
The longer the NFL locks out its players, the more Minnesota Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier and his staff fall behind their rivals in the NFC North.
Coming off a year when the Vikings fell from NFC North champions in 2009 to its cellar dwellers in 2010, the last thing Frazier could afford was a work stoppage.
The Vikings have plenty of holes to fill, and as of right now, only the upcoming draft to fill them. Due to the NFL mandates Frazier and his staff cannot sign any free agents or negotiate any trades to address their needs—that leaves assessing the collegiate talent pool for the upcoming amateur draft.
With so many holes to plug here is my assessment of the Vikings' priorities by position.
No. 7: Place Kicker
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In 2010 Ryan Longwell, who is a free agent heading into the 2011 season, scored the fewest points in his 14-year career. His 81 points were 32 points below his career average and only the fourth time he did not exceed triple digits.
Of course the decrease in scoring by no means rests with Longwell. The Vikings 29th ranked scoring offense provided too few opportunities and often the team was in a situation where they needed touchdowns—and there were far too few of those in 2010.
Longwell was 30 of 31 on extra points and made 17 of 18 field goal attempts, converting on the only two tries he had from greater than 40 yards.
His 87.6 percent accuracy in his five years with the Vikings is slightly better than that for his career of 83.5 percent indicating he has benefited from kicking inside the Metrodome.
At age 36, the rule change, moving the kickoff back to the 35-yard line, will help to extend Longwell's career.
At this point Minnesota would be best served securing his services for at least another year, allowing head coach Leslie Frazier the luxury of not having to worry about his kicking game.
No. 6: Linebacker
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Both Chad Greenway and Ben Leber are free agents. The Vikings used their franchise tag on Greenway to ensure they will retain the services of the 28 year-old outside linebacker. Greenway led the Vikings with 108 tackles, 35 more than the 72 tackles corner back Antoine Winfield was credited.
For Leber, a nine-year veteran, it looks unlikely he will be re-signed by the Vikings.
This currently leaves only Jasper Brinkley and Erin Henderson to battle for the other outside linebacker position.
Look for the Vikings to use one of their six picks in the last three rounds of the draft to provide some depth.
No. 5: Safety
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The Vikings pass defense achieved its highest ranking in 15 season when they finished the 2010 season as the 10th ranked team in the league yielding an average of 210.4 passing yards per game. In 1996 the Minnesota defense finished ranked ninth in the NFL at 195.1 yards per game.
Undrafted free agent Husain Abdullah started 15 games at strong safety last season for the Vikings and led the Vikings with three interceptions. Look for the Vikings to find a way to re-sign the three-year veteran who will be a free agent in 2011.
In 2008 the Vikings signed Madieu Williams to a six-year, $33 million dollar contract making him one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL. In his three years with the Vikings, Williams has underperformed. He has started only 38 of 48 games and has only three interceptions. Look for the Vikings and Williams, who will turn 30 in October, to part ways before the start of the 2011 season.
That leaves Tyrell Johnson and Jamarca Sanford, both of whom started two games in 2010, as the only other safeties on the roster.
If the Vikings part ways with Williams they will be looking to add some depth at safety. Based on the lack of experience remaining on the roster they will want to find a veteran that can step in and provide some leadership in the defensive backfield.
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No. 4: Wide Receiver
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Sidney Rice wants to test the waters of free agency. The Vikings frustrated with how he handled his hip injury following the 2009 may be willing to let him go.
Limited to only six games and 17 receptions last season Rice did not have the opportunity to show he was ready to return to his Pro-Bowl form of 2009 when he led the team with 83 receptions and 1,312 receiving yards.
The loss of Rice would leave the Vikings with Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo as the only wide receivers signed for 2011. Free agents Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis provided no reason whatsoever for Minnesota to extend their stay in Minnesota.
With Berrian constantly disappearing on the field for stretches at a time, playing like he would rather be golfing in January than participating in the playoffs, and the unpredictability of Harvin's migraines the Vikings will need to add a couple of serviceable receivers for 2011.
Look for the Vikings to draft a wide receiver somewhere in the first half of the draft and add a free agent once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.
No. 3: Cornerback
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Antoine Winfield will be 34 years old when the Vikings open the 2011 season, and Cedric Griffin will be returning from season-ending knee surgery that limited him to two games in 2010.
Winfield who has been known as a solid tackler has only averaged 1.5 interceptions over the past four seasons. His best seasons were the first two in Minnesota when he had four interceptions in both 2005 and 2006 and 89 and 83 tackles respectively—the second and third most tackles in his career. Because of his age Winfield could be moved to the nickel corner back in 2011.
The expectations were high for 2010 second round draft choice Chris Cook who, like Griffin, suffered a knee injury that limited the rookie to only six games in 2010. It will be interesting to see how well Cook rebounds from his injury and if he can earn a starting position in 2011.
That leaves 23-year-old Asher Allen, who at a year younger than Cook has one more year of experience than Cook, as the only other corner back on the current roster. Allen had two interceptions and started 14 games in 2010 for the Vikings.
The Vikings will need to find at least two more defensive backs to provide some depth on the roster. A later round selection in the draft will most likely be the direction the Vikings go for this position.
No. 2: Offensive Line
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The Vikings desperately need to add some depth to the offensive line. Age and injuries took their toll this past season.
For the most part the Vikings starting offensive line was the same in 2010 as in 2009.
While tackles Phil Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie were able to start all 16 games in 2010, a broken thumb for left guard Steve Hutchinson and an ACL injury to right guard Anthony Herrera caused them to miss a total of 11 games last season.
Once thought to be the strength of the offensive line, Hutchinson will turn 34 and McKinnie 32 during the 2011 season.
On the right side Herrera who will be 31 in June, will need to prove he is totally recovered after having ACL and triceps surgery.
John Sullivan, who became the starting center with the departure of Matt Birk via free agency to Baltimore in 2009, missed the first two games of the 2010 season from injuries that nagged him for the entire year.
Going into 2011 the only position along the line that appears to be solid is right tackle. Phil Loadholt has secured this position, supplanting Ryan Cook who started 30 of 32 games at right tackle in 2007 and 2008.
Cook is a free agent, and while he can play anywhere along the line in an emergency, he has not looked that good at any of them.
There isn't much help looking to the Vikings practice squad. Seth Olsen was drafted out of the University of Iowa and played in three games with Denver in 2009 was inactive the entire 2010 season.
The Vikings will need to add at least two offensive linemen to the roster. I see them taking one early in the draft and then possibly signing one or more undrafted free agents later.
Top Priority for the Vikings—Quarterback
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With the retirement (again) of Brett Favre and the departure of Tarvaris Jackson that leaves Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar as the only quarterbacks on the roster.
Webb, a quarterback from University of Alabama Birmingham, was drafted as a wide receiver and then converted back to quarterback, with injuries to Favre and Jackson. This path just doesn't provide the ringing endorsement that Webb is the franchise quarterback that Leslie Frazier is looking for.
Bomar was drafted by the New York Giants in 2009 and was placed on their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster in December of 2009, but never saw any action.
The Vikings signed Bomar off the Giants practice squad in December of 2010, placing him on the active roster as the third-string quarterback.
Look for the Vikings to draft a quarterback with their first pick in the draft. This could through a deal that moves them up in the first round from their 12th slot for a chance to draft Jake Locker or Blaine Gabbert, or by trading down to acquire another draft pick and taking a quarterback later in the first round or in the second round.
Either way the Vikings need to find their franchise quarterback, and trotting out another retread from Philadelphia or Washington is not the answer.
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