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The upcoming offseason should be
very beneficial for the Vikings
as they have few free agents of
their own, money to burn, and a
high draft pick. Making a
playoff run next year in a weak
NFC is not out of the question
Wide Receiver: Travis
Taylor is a #4 wide receiver at
best, Marcus Robinson is old and
marginal, and there's really
nothing else on this roster. The
Vikings desperately need a #1
receiver to take pressure off
Williamson and allow him to
settle into his role as a
supporting player
Marcus Robinson, Travis Taylor,
and Troy Williamson make up the
core of the receiving unit, but
none of the three have stepped
up and taken their play to the
next level. The Koren
Robinson experiment backfired
and Troy Williamson has yet to
live up to his lofty 1st round
draft status. Koren Robinson
battled alcohol and drug
dependency leading to his
release, Nate Burleson was
signed away last year by
Seattle, and recently Travis
Taylor was arrested, possibly
facing as much as two years in
prison. Other than Taylor, Troy
Williamson is the only receiver
on the roster worthy of a
starting spot. We expect the
Vikings to use the seventh
overall pick on an impact WR
like Calvin Johnson (WR, Georgia
Tech) if available, or Dwayne
Jarrett (WR, USC).
Offensive Line: The
acquisition of left guard Steve
Hutchinson has had a positive
effect on the run game, but the
team is hoping to see their
investment payoff in a bigger
way in coming seasons. On the
right side of the offensive
line, Right tackle was a
revolving door and Artis Hicks
left a lot to be desired at
right guard throughout the '06
season,
improvements can be made, and
the team may look for an upgrade
over Hicks.
Cornerback: The defensive
secondary at times this season
was atrocious. Starting corner
Fred Smoot was benched in late
November and ended the season
with a broken jaw as a result of
a car accident. His replacement,
rookie Cedric Griffin, was up
and down, and yielded the
position back to Smoot after
inconsistent play. Griffin, due
to his inexperience at the
level, is no more than a nickel
defender at this point and Smoot
could be playing for another
club come next year. The Vikings
need to use a high draft pick or
go out and find a corner to
start opposite Antoine Winfield
Defensive End: The
Vikings used consecutive
first-round picks, in 2004 and
2005, on defensive ends. Those
two players, Kenechi Udeze and
Erasmus James, have totaled just
four career sacks each. Kenechi
Udeze somehow managed to not
record a single sack in 2006
even though he started every
game. James seems to have the
most upside, but will be coming
off a torn ACL that caused him
to miss the final 15 games of
the season. Udeze’s days are
numbered and the Vikings would
be wise to find his replacement
sooner rather than later. A
first-day pick should be used to
address the position, and that
player could see significant
time if Udeze continues to
flounder.
Tight End: Minnesota did
not get much production from the
tight end position this year.
Starter Jermaine Wiggins had a
down year catching only one
touchdown pass, and back up Jim
Kleinsasser is a converted
fullback used primarily as a
blocker. Fortunately for the
Vikings, this year’s incoming
rookie class of tight ends,
although not star studded, is
very deep and quality can be
found in rounds three through
five. They need to find one of
the new breed of Tight Ends who
can stretch the field and make
the third down plays.
Safety: There has been
much talk this season about the
league leading rush defense of
the Minnesota Vikings, and some
of the credit must go the
safeties, coming up and helping
in run support. But at the same
time, the Vikings also rank last
in the league in pass defense,
giving up more than 238 yards a
game through the air. This
offseason, decisions will have
to be made for the long term
future of the position as Tank
Williams (who missed all of 2006
with a fractured knee) is a free
agent, starting free safety
Dwight Smith has had off-field
discipline issues, and Darren
Sharper is 31.
Quarterback:
Brad
Johnson is just about finished.
Behind him, the Vikings have
Brooks Bollinger and Tarvaris
Jackson, but the team may not be
ready to hand the team over to
either player. Jackson is likely
the future at the position, but
he may not be ready to run the
offense just yet. Jackson showed
impressive flashes during the
preseason, but the team will
probably still need another arm
to at least serve as insurance,
if not to be a stop-gap starter
for a season or two. Look for
them to look for a backup in
free agency or a stopgap starter
to replace Johnson and groom
Jackson.
Notes: The focus of this
offseason will be filling in the
missing pieces. Specifically,
addressing the inadequacies in
pass defense and providing more
options offensively in the
passing game. Early estimates
put Minnesota’s salary cap space
around $35 million heading into
free agency; plenty of room to
go out and make a big signing.
Smart money would be trying to
lure one of the star cornerbacks
available this year, maybe
Asante Samuel (Patriots) or Nate
Clements (Bills). On the other
side of the ball, if the Vikings
want to give their young
quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson, a
chance to excel, they will need
to get him some weapons. The
addition of a few capable
receivers will go a long way in
helping the development of
Jackson
Minnesota Vikings Free Agency
Notes:
A barely acceptable group of
receivers made life miserable
for quarterbacks Brad Johnson
and Tarvaris Jackson. They also
need to create some heat by
putting pressure on opposing QBs,
a constant problem last season;
DBs routinely had to cover
opposing receivers for too long.
A rush end should be a priority.
Perhaps even a QB. Veteran Brad
Johnson was released, meaning
second-year pro Jackson and
backup Brooks Bollinger are only
QBs on the team.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
LB Napoleon Harris; WRs Travis Taylor and Bethel Johnson; G Jason Whittle; DT
Ross Kolodziej.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
DE Darrion Scott; LB Rod Davis; G Anthony Herrera; TE Richard Owens; RB Artose
Pinner; DT Spencer Johnson
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