Minnesota Vikings????

The best thing about the NFL is that the draft system means they likely won't be terrible for long.

Joshua Jones wrote: »

How does it work?. Is it the worst teams get first draft pick or something?. Do the players not geta choice where to go?.

Yep. Worst teams first so the Vikings will pick up a top college player this coming draft. Looks like it'll be someone like Kalil (who will help protect the QB). They weren't as bad as the record showed this year. Donovan McNabb was pretty terrible until midway through the season they decided to replace him with rookie Christian Ponder who done pretty well. Only lost their games by a couple of scores and they'll be stronger again next year IMO.

Players don't really get a choice but there's certain very rare cases where the player will refuse to play for a certain team (Eli and the Chargers for instance).

Like someone said, 2 years ago they were up there with the best in the league. Don't pay too much attention to the 3-13 record. They are nowhere near that bad. They lost most of their games this year by less than a touchdown, and a series of crucial injuries cost them a lot.

Basically the team at the moment has 2 critical areas which they are desperate in. In offence, it's the offensive line. They have the worst OL in the league. The one player who actually had the ability to be a decent player, was cut at the start of the year because he's a fat lazy slob. The rest are a mix of players with decent ability but a lack of dedication and ambition, and a couple with just a plain lack of ability. This part of the team handicaps the offence.

They have drafted a new QB, who despite what some who haven't paid close attention to him have said, has shown flashes of brilliance. He was apparently drafted too high, which some uneducated folk will always hold against him. He won the starter job about half way through this season, and has since combined the sublime with the downright terrible. Still, I would rather a rookie that made mistakes yet showed flashes of brilliance, than one who did things right yet looked distinctly average. The jury's still out, but there are promising signs for Ponders future. He has had a tough time because of the ridiculous OL he has played behind.

Behind him is the best running back in football, Adrian Peterson. He is another player handicapped by the terrible OL. Despite every fan agreeing that he is a far better player than when he was a rookie 5 years ago, he is still putting up similar numbers. While they are good, they are nowhere near what he should be averaging. Sometimes Vikings fans contemplate what AP could achieve behind a good OL like the Texans. Up on 2000 yards a season is no exaggeration, yet we will never find out unless the Vikes fix the OL.

In defence the secondary is the problem. It consists of a very good but old antoine winfield who was injured for the second half of the year, a moderately talented Chris cook who is more interested in breaking the law than football, and a bunch of scrubs who have no place in the NFL. While the Vikings have a very good pass rush (Jared Allen arguably the best DE in the league, robinson, Williams and Greenway excellent pros), their terrible secondary has let them down time and time again. They are good versus the run but terrible versus the pass. In a division with 3 excellent passing QBs, it's suicide.

For the future? Well get them 2 components sorted out and you honestly have a good playoff team. However, those 2 areas are so bad that it might take a couple of successful drafts to sort them. They may also need one good WR. No matter how Ponder turns out, AP is good enough to carry this offence, even in this pass happy league. However, the OL will need serious upgrades to give him some help. This team is also never gonna survive in their division without sorting the secondary. If AP, Allen, Greenway and Robinson are still playing to a high level in a couple of years, then this team will go places. But the next couple of drafts are crucially important

Joshua Jones wrote: »

Must try and keep a closer eye on them next year, they've the best jersey in the league anyway so that's one thing I suppose lol.

Is the draft open to abuse like has it been known for a team not going to make post season throwing games to get a better draft pick?. Or is that unheard of.

Not particularly because a) the players are playing for their jobs, b) the head coach is trying to keep his job and c) losing games means the fans don't turn up which means loss of money for the franchise. If the player isn't carrying their weight on a 1-15 team then they'll be replaced by someone better in the draft.

Richie90 wrote: »

I've seen plenty of people talking about Ponder. However when he picked up that hip injury Webb got a few snaps. I didn't get to see much of him but from what I saw I thought he looked pretty decent. Any chance that he could overtake Ponder or is there a major gap between them?

Webb is a serious athlete and will certainly make it in some respect in the league. I'm not sure it will be as a starting QB though. It's true that he did start to play at a higher level than Ponder down the stretch, but to my mind I think he was simply better suited playing behind the awful OL. He could use his great scrambling ability to get himself out of trouble and make positive plays. But he doesnt really have the accuracy in the passing game at this stage to be a starter. He is a very good option for the odd wildcat play however, and you can even line him up as a WR. Ponder is accurate but is inconsistent so far. As far as head office is concerned though, he's the future.

If the Vikes miss out on Kalil, then they gotta go with Blackmon IMO. I know there secondary is poor and they could do with a CB or S, but Ponder needs weapons and Blackmon is an unbelievable talent.

So how'd the draft go for the Viks?. Reasons to be optimistic?.

I guess people were right saying last years results werent a true reflection on performance. Tried watching a few games only rocky performance was against the Redskins where we missed three red zone possessions in the first quarter but only came away with 9 points. Were poor 2nd and 3rd then rallied fourth but too little too late. Been impressed with Harvin, is he a little under-rated?. Never hear him mentioned much.

So basically I think we all get a feeling for an NFL team by strange routes.

For me, I got a tip on the Vikings to win the NFC back in 2012 at a very big price. I only had a tenner, but they unbelievably made the playoffs after a crazy run from Thanksgiving. I was sitting on a grand if they had navigated the playoffs, but no dice.

Ever since then, I have watched the ups and downs with interest. 2013's win in Wembley was brilliant, but the team always seemed to come out the wrong end of close games. Then last year seemed like nothing happened apart from Bridgewater settling in and Peterson saga.

I thought (pre-draft) that they are in good shape for this year. I think Detroit will struggle relative to last year, but the division is tough, especially if Chicago get their rear in gear.

So do we have any Vikings fans here?
I don't ever watch US college football, so I am relying on newspaper reports to tell me how they drafted. The additions in corner and WR look promising. Anybody got an opinion?
And what is the consensus for next season? I am going with 9-7, with an outside chance of a playoff place if Teddy smashes it.

Another fan, spent a year in Minneapolis in the mid 90s, maintained an interest ever since without being particularly knowledgeable about the game. I get my updates from Daily Norseman. Kalil has had knee "maintenance" type surgery again this year, looks to be a busted flush. I'd be wary of how much we'll get out of Peterson but always thought he'd stay with us given his age profile and the fact that he'd attract negative press wherever he went. Goodell has his sites trained on him. If he falls out of line once he's out of the NFL. Would love to see us get to 9-7, breaking the .500 mark. Anything below 8-8 would be poor enough. Regardless of how good Teddy is or is not, if we lost him for a run of games we'd be in some hot water!

whilst im a packers fan i have a soft spot for the vikes - met Rudolph, Smith and Sullivan in Croke park a couple of years back and i have to say they were awesome guys and i have liked them ever since.

I liked Vikes draft - they actually got some great value. Waynes has the potential to be an elite corner - and given Zimmers rep with training Corners he could be excellent playing along side rhodes. Kendericks was a top 3 ILB in the draft - to take him in the second round @ 13 was great - considering he was mocked at going end of round 1 with some. I think he could start on week 1 if he progresses fast enough replacing Greenway - who like AJ Hawk ex Packers has lost something over the last few seasons.

TJ Clemmings could be their pick of the draft - in the 4th - whilst there is medical issues im sure that they have done their research and he could be a huge player for them over the next 5-10 years.

Pairing those picks with the roster already there - with Peterson coming off a rest year (regardless of issues he must be itching to play - even at 30 with a full year off he will be refreshed and his body should be in a good place) - i would expect vikes to challenge for playoffs - looking at the schedule they have its quiet tough this year... 49ers, Cardinals, Falcons, Broncos all away - I think a great season would be 8-8 or 9-7 - but that will mean some big wins at home to push them to the playoffs

Sceptical at first but love Zimmer now. Thought he might be some hard nosed old style coach, good motivator and no bs but lacking tactically and in innovation. However as you can see from Rhodes, Griffen and even Josh Robinson this past year, he an amazing developer of defensive players. The D was quietly competent last year and should make a big step up with the new pieces. Hopefully Norv can develop the offense the same way

AP is angling for a trade. Interesting times.

Has to be oline to protect Ted.