Vikes Geek

Scenarios Under Which Trading Down Could Make Sense for Vikings

2012-01-27T14:05:00.002-06:00

In a previous post, I offered the rationale for the Minnesota Vikings both retaining their number three overall pick in this year's NFL entry draft and using that pick to select USC offensive tackle, Matt Kalil. Barring an injury or arrest, I stand by that analysis. But that analysis assumes that Kalil is still on the board when the Vikings draft.

The Indianapolis Colts are widely reported to have already determined that they will use the number one overall pick in the draft on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Assuming that holds, there is but one selection between the Colts' and the Vikings'. And, as fortune would have it, the team currently picking in that slot, the St. Louis Rams, happen to have serious needs along the offensive line.

Should the Rams use the number two overall pick to select Kalil, a player almost universally regarded as the top offensive lineman in this draft, that would leave the Vikings one spot out of being able to take one of the two players that they would have considered a clear option so high in the draft, with Luck being the other. That possibility has given rise in some quarters to sentiments that the Vikings ought to trade up to ensure that they obtain Kalil. That's problematic for several reasons, however, two of which ought to suffice to quell consideration of such a move.

First and foremost, if the Rams are willing to trade out of the two spot to a team that they know covets Kalil, that, alone, suggests that the Rams are not committed to Kalil. Second, trading up will cost the Vikings dearly. Not only will it require the Vikings to concede their second-round pick--just a whisper outside of the first round--it also likely will require the concession of either a first- or second-round pick in next year's draft. That's a steep and foolish price for a team to pay for an unproven college player, particularly when that team needs quality players at so many positions.

If the Rams retain the second pick, they may well take Kalil, but, as of this moment, the grapevine is suggesting that St. Louis will move the second pick to either Washington or Cleveland, both of which covet Robert Griffin, and both of which draft far enough back in the draft to worry that a team ahead of them will take Griffin. If the draft plays out this way, the Vikings have an easy decision to make. Last year, that meant that they eschewed the obvious choice in favor of Christian Ponder. This year, one hopes, they stick with the obvious and take Kalil.

If the Rams draft Kalil--and only if Kalil is gone or otherwise fails a common sense standard for selection--the Vikings should strongly consider trading their pick and moving down the draft board with the caveat that they remain in the first round.

What could the Vikings get for the number three pick in the draft? That depends on with whom they trade. If the Vikings' trade partner is well down the draft board, the taking could be significant, particularly given that this trade has five players widely considered elite prospects, the remaining two being Justin Blackmon and Morris Claiborne.

If the Rams hold their pick, they almost certainly would do so to ensure that they get Kalil, realizing that the Vikings covet the tackle. That would leave the Vikings in the position of entertaining teams seeking an elite receiver, cornerback, or quarterback, i.e., virtually every team not yet having drafted.

If moving up one spot to ensure Kalil costs a minimum of two second-round picks, the bounty for granting a team such as Miami the choice of three players that they desperately need is probably worth a first-, two second-, and a third-round pick. The price could be even higher for a team such as the middle-round selecting Cardinals or Jets.

Trading down to the mid-teens would ensure the Vikings a solid return in draft picks, plus an opportunity to still pick a player that fills a need and is able to start immediately. Not long ago, Stanford tackle Jonathan Martin was being spoken of in the same lofty tones as currently is Kalil. Now, trading down even three spots almost certainly would still ensure the Vikings the option of taking Martin. There is virtually never a flaw in taking a solid offensive lineman from a school that merit screens its athletes. And if Martin is gone, Riley Reiff, the most recent among a string of Iowa-produced NFL-ready offensive linemen, should be available.

In fact, trading down to as low as the fourteenth slot in this year's draft would probably ensure the Vikings the right to choose between Stanford guard, David DeCastro, offensive tackle, Mike Adams, center, Peter Konz (for those not yet convinced that John Sullivan is the center of the future), middle linebacker, Dont'a Hightower (for those without an aversion to apostrophe- named players), and defensive tackle, Fletcher Cox, plus a bonus pick in the top half of round two.

Assuming the Colts select Luck, the only alternative for the Vikings to either selecting Kalil or trading down in the draft to somewhere later in the first round, is selecting Robert Griffin at three, assessing his ability in mini-camp and deciding whether to keep or trade Griffin and, then, what to do with Ponder and Joe Webb. And that route is fraught with peril not only because of the diminished value it establishes for both Webb and Ponder but also because, like a new car, Griffin loses significant value once off the board.

Whether selecting Kalil or trading down, this should be the most fool-proof of Vikings' drafts since taking Adrian Peterson. That almost certainly means, however, that the Vikings will neither select Kalil nor trade down to later in the first round.

Up Next: Preposterous Statement of the Week. Plus, Vikings the first to blink--thrice.

Vikings Left With Two Options in First Round of Draft

2012-01-25T13:18:00.000-06:00

The success of the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and New England Patriots in the 2012 playoffs demonstrates several points instructive for the Minnesota Vikings as they pare their 2012 draft board. Chief among these points is that successful teams are constructed by focusing on the offensive and defensive lines and that, while great receivers will boost teams, great receivers cannot overcome poor line play.

In addition to the winning teams, losing teams such as Atlanta, Detroit, Green Bay, and Cincinnati helped demonstrate the above points. Despite having elite receivers (or a purportedly unstoppable stable of receivers led by a purportedly near-elite receiver, such as Green Bay's), each of these teams failed in the playoffs either because their offensive lines failed to provide protection for the quarterback, the defensive line failed to put pressure on the quarterback and/or stop the run, or both.

Denver provided another insight particularly relevant for Minnesota, demonstrating that an athletically gifted quarterback must have the ability to consistently put the ball on the money. Tim Tebow made some very nice passes in the playoffs, several times putting the ball where only the receiver could get it and where the receiver did get it. He also, however, proved wildly erratic and utterly inconsistent.

The Vikings ought to take these messages to heart when drafting in 2012. Such heeding would not be knee-jerk but, rather, responsive to clear evidence pre-dating even this year's playoffs.

Should the Vikings heed the cautions afforded by the 2012 playoff contenders, they will focus on ensuring that, after the draft, the offensive and defensive lines are sound. Once that goal has been assured, the team can consider other positions of need.

Following this course would lead the Vikings to use their first-round pick on USC left offensive tackle, Matt Kalil. The 6'7" Kalil represents the surest bet of any player on the 2012 draft board and represents the best opportunity for the Vikings to fill a pressing need on the offensive line. Drafting Kalil also would permit the Vikings to move Charlie Johnson to right tackle and see whether Phil Loadhold can handle the right or left guard positions.

Securing the offensive line would give the Vikings a better idea of what Christian Ponder and/or Joe Webb can do when not required to flee the pocket or take a sack. It also should permit the Vikings to weather Adrian Peterson's injury.

The Vikings understandably are looking at several positions in the draft other than that of offensive line. Among those, with most logical selection in parentheses, are wide receiver (Justin Blackmon), cornerback (Morris Claiborne), defensive tackle (Michael Brockers), running back (Trent Richardson), and safety (Mark Barron).

In previous years, the Vikings would have had cause to weigh the costs and benefits of trading out of the three spot, strictly out of concern for salary cap issues. Under the new CBA, teams have no such incentive and no such defense for trading down. With the third pick in this year's draft, the Vikings will be able to sign a player to a four-year deal at less than half of what it would have cost to sign the same player in the same slot one year ago. That saves the team money, but, more significantly, it saves the team considerable cap space.

The Vikings' projected cap room savings in the draft ought to be put towards signing free agents at positions better filled by proven veterans than by mercurial and/or unproven college players. The Vikings will have an opportunity to woo free-agents such as wide-receivers Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson, and Dwayne Bowe, cornerbacks Brent Grimes, Carlos Rogers, and Tracy Porter, linebacker Anthony Spencer, defensive end Mario Williams, and running backs Ray Rice and Matt Forte. The Vikings also could look to bolster their offensive line with players such as Demetrius Bell, Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs and even the aging Jeff Saturday, should the Vikings not be convinced that John Sullivan had the year he is reported to have had.

Between the draft and free-agency, the Vikings are thus left with several options for remaking the team that finished as the worst in team history, without losing years to "rebuilding." But that starts with focusing on players at the top of the board whom the team rightly can expect to be productive for at least a decade without a falloff in performance. And that means focusing on Kalil, rather than a shorter, lighter-weight version of Calvin Johnson.

Up Next: The One Reasonable Argument for the Vikings Trading Down.

How the Vikings Can Put the Egg Back Together Again in 2012

2012-01-21T14:27:00.000-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings face as many challenges as many of the 2011 non-playoff teams entering the 2011-2012 off-season. Those challenges are mitigated, however, by the fact that the Vikings have some high-caliber players at key positions. Those players make the team's prospects brighter than are those for teams such as the Colts, Cardinals, Browns, Jets, Bucs, or many of the other teams left out of this year's playoffs.

Turning around the Vikings in short order is a tall task. And it could well be that neither the Vikings' front office nor the team's coaching staff is anywhere near up to the challenge.

The challenge will require the Vikings not only to bring in the right personnel, but also to use players properly and employ useful schemes. Scheming has been a problem for Frazier, dating to his days as a defensive coordinator. Though the Vikings generally did well against the run under Frazier, they did so largely due to the presence of both Pat and Kevin Williams, as well as a healthy E.J. Henderson. The recently released Karl Dunbar and demoted Fred Pagac arguably did more impressive jobs against the run this year, however, fielding a squad missing Pat Williams and absent a healthy E.J. Henderson.

Defending the pass, however, has been the Vikings' achilles, dating back to Frazier's arrival in Minnesota. Even in good times, when Antoine Winfield and Darren Sharper both played on a consistent basis, the Vikings had their issues on pass defense, rarely faring much better than average in yards allowed. Sharper was the first to put public voice to concerns over the Vikings' Cover-2, suggesting in strong terms that the team would be better suited with a read-and-react approach. Sharper's criticism led, in part, to his departure from Minnesota. One year later, under the Saints' read-and-react scheme, Sharper turned in one of his best seasons in the league.

The challenge with employing the Cover-2 is that it requires a star middle linebacker who can cover tight ends and defend against the run, cornerbacks who can tackle for short gains, and safeties who can close gaps between the corner and safety, either making picks or minimizing yards after the reception.

For the past two seasons, if not longer, the Vikings have attempted to play Cover-2 with an aging, oft-injured, and under-sized cornerback in Winfield, a mentally challenged cornerback in Chris Cook, a gimpy cornerback in Cedric Griffin, safeties who clearly have not been indoctrinated in any fashion of coverage, any number of rookie and off-the-street cornerbacks and safeties, and a middle linebacker who cannot cover tight ends and has lost explosion along the line.

There is no logical reason to stick with the Cover-2 either in Minnesota or anywhere else in the league when the game has changed so much to favor the passing attack and receivers are increasingly bigger and stronger. In this era, Cover-2, at its best, merely delays touchdown drives, particularly absent a star middle linebacker anchoring the system. All of this suggests that some form of a read-and-react scheme is more appropriate generally speaking and particularly more appropriate in Minnesota, given Minnesota's current roster.

If the Vikings insist on playing Cover-2 next season, therefore, it will be for one of two reasons--either Frazier is simply being stubborn or he does not know any other way to play defense, such as it is.

Assuming that the Vikings are committed to the Cover-2, to be competitive next year on defense they will need to add to their roster a middle linebacker, two cornerbacks, and at least one safety. That suggests that the Vikings could be eyeing LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, one year after the team passed on former Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara in favor of selecting quarterback Christian Ponder.

Ponder's selection was the Vikings' reaction to years of quarterback uncertainty in Minnesota. Given essentially the same decision-makers in Minnesota in 2012, albeit a modified chain-of-command, that likely means that 2012 will be the year that the Vikings, out of frustration with their secondary woes, select a presumed star cornerback in round one.

That decision, as would be the decision to address the long-standing short-coming at wide-out by selecting the speedy and athletic Justin Blackburn, would be a mistake.

Up Next: Beginning the Rebuilding on Offense.

Vikings' Hire Assures Similar Design in 2012

2012-01-20T10:01:00.004-06:00

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings announced the hiring of former Indianapolis Colts' defensive backs coach, Alan Williams. Willams' addition all but ensures that the Vikings will retain their 4-3 and Cover-2 schemes of 2011. More unsettling, continuing cronyism in hiring notwithstanding, are Williams' initial suggestions that personnel was not the problem for the Vikings' defense in 2011.

Williams' hire means that the worst possible scenario--the promotion of the lightly regarded Mike Singletary to defensive coordinator--did not transpire. Because of the manner in which the Vikings' dealt with their defensive coordinator search, however, the result is, at best, unclear.

Williams arrives in Minnesota after having served a decade as defensive backs coach for the Colts. Williams' resume thus raises two significant questions. The first is why he languished so long as a position coach? That's an important question in a State recently divorced of a significant mistaken hire of a long-time position coach.

The second and related issue is why Williams should be viewed as any more capable than Fred Pagac to coordinate the defense? Hopefully, the Vikings were relying on something more than the intuition that nobody could do worse in 2012--because somebody surely can do worse than what the Vikings did in 2011.

Who might do worse? Why not somebody associated with a team that actually yielded more yards in 2011 than did the Vikings or somebody who oversaw a secondary saved from being as putrid as the Vikings' secondary only through the grace of the Colts' even more susceptible rush "defense"? Against the pass in the 2011, the Colts ranked 15th in yards allowed and 20th in touchdowns. Those numbers appear better than the Vikings' 2011 comparables of 26 and 32, but, when factoring in opposing pass attempts, the numbers are very comparable on a pro-rated basis.

It's important to note, as well, that, although teams ran more against the Colts than they passed against them in 2011, they certainly did not eschew the pass out of fear of failure. Rather, what most opponents appeared to do against the Colts in 2011 was run until they got tired of running and then pass until they got tired of passing. Teams also passed on the pass late in games more often than they did so against the rest of the league because, by the third quarter, most Colts' games were already in the books as lopsided losses. As such, the Colts' 2011 opponents had great success with both the rush and the pass, just better success rushing because they rushed more often.

If you are prone to being skeptical about the current Vikings' organization's handling of personnel matters, Williams' hire certainly offers no reason to alter that disposition. In his first press conference following his hiring, Williams committed to the Cover-2 and "Leslie's vision." He also suggested that the players were not the primary problem, contending that an overhaul of the defense was not necessary. If by that, Williams meant that no overhaul of the defensive line is required, he probably is correct; anything more than that, however, suggests that Williams either is unfamiliar with what he is stepping into in Minnesota or that he does not have a grasp of despair when he sees it.

One of the hopes for the off-season was that the Vikings would take seriously their 2011 issues. Instead, the team elected to jettison their one bright spot on the coaching staff while taking steps to reinforce a vision on defense that, at least in terms of the passing game, has never been much better than average since Leslie Frazier's arrival. Average is certainly preferable to bottom of the league, but, at a time when the Vikings are transitioning anyway, there seems little meaningful reason to merely attempt to hold the fort when innovation is both called for and more appropriate.

Up Next: Following Childress' Path. Plus, Vikings tip their hand on the draft.

Decision to Sever the Body and Save the Heads Leaves Vikings in Dire Straits

2012-01-17T13:29:00.002-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of their worst season in team history, finishing 2011 with a 3-13 record. In the weeks since the season ended, the organization has determined that the solution to the team's 2011 woes is three-fold: promote one of the architects of the 2011 team to lead architect, retain the services of the coach responsible for the on-field performance, and fire anyone associated with a positions of strength on the team.

Following this modus operandi, the Vikings have moved Rick Spielman to General Manager, retained Leslie Frazier, discharged defensive line coach, Karl Dunbar, and offered a substantial demotion to former defensive coordinator, Fred Pagac. Pagac's new role, should he elect to stay with the team, would be that of linebacker coach, a position currently filled by the unpopular Mike Singletary, whom the Vikings are considering as Pagac's replacement.

It's difficult to assess Pagac's contributions to the Vikings in 2011. Taking over a unit led for most of 2010 by Frazier, Pagac inherited a defense that was solid along the line, good in the middle, and horrible in the secondary. As defensive coordinator, Pagac turned out a defense that was very good along the line, awful at linebacker, and awful in the secondary.

The suggestion regarding Pagac's performance is three-fold. First, either the Vikings' grasp of Cover 2 is weak or the Vikings do not have the personnel to run the scheme. Second, Pagac was a far better linebacker coach than was his replacement, Singletary. And third, Pagac, like Frazier, is not currently equipped to both oversee a larger unit and put his imprint on that unit where it is most needed. That the linebacking corps was so bad this year, thus, is both a complement to Pagac as a linebacker coach and an indictment on his defensive coordinator skills--or the team's inflexibility when it comes to allowing the defensive coordinator to make necessary changes.

Rather than attempt to determine whether Pagac was the problem or the problem rests with some combination of personnel moves and head coaching decisions, the Vikings decided that it was better simply to make the easiest decision and fire the defensive coordinator. The decision is far less difficult to comprehend than was the decision to dismiss Dunbar, but it is also far more difficult to understand than is the decision to retain a head coach who can lay claim to virtually no successes in 2011.

The Vikings' decision to offer Pagac the linebacking position makes sense, as, prior to becoming the Vikings' defensive coordinator, the former tight end was a career linebacker coach and had great success in that role. But the move, not announced until one week after the Vikings publicly began interviewing Pagac's successor, not only reflects poorly on an organization that continues to fail in the human and public relations departments, but also makes finding a viable successor to Pagac more difficult.

No currently employed coordinator or any coordinator with other options could conceivably view Minnesota as a stable situation. Those coordinators will go elsewhere, leaving Minnesota the likes of Singletary, who apparently is good enough to coordinate what he could not coach. And that almost assuredly will not be well-received either by the players or would-be ticketholders.

The Vikings' problem is much larger than merely finding a bona fide defensive coordinator, however. The lack of a credible defensive coordinator means that the Vikings will have more difficulty attracting defensive free agents in the off-season. That could make it difficult, as well, to attract any free agent, absent an overwhelming offer that unduly saps the Vikings' otherwise healthy free-agent budget.

And all of this plays greatly into what the Vikings will need to do in the draft. Clearly, the team needs cornerbacks, safeties, wide-receivers, and offensive linemen, to name a few of the team's needs. If free agents are willing to come to Minnesota, there is a possibility that the Vikings can fill most of their needs in free agency, leaving for the draft the selection of the best player available. Such a scenario would allow the Vikings to consider drafting Justin Blackmon over Matt Kalil or even trading down in the draft. Failure to fill needs through free agency could leave the Vikings without a player in the draft who they really want for the dollars committed and almost assuredly will result in the team having zero flexibility in the draft.

There are solutions to this problem. But, of course, the Vikings almost certainly will not entertain them.

Up Next: One Such Solution. Or, How The Vikings Can Succeed as Early as 2012.

Marty Does Not Go Far Enough in Denouncing Those Cooking the Books on Behalf of the Vikings

2012-01-09T16:33:00.003-06:00

Minnesota Representative John Marty has finally come out with it, the realization that the Vikings have enlisted the aid of those purportedly working on behalf of the public to identify a public-private stadium venture for the Minnesota Vikings that benefits the public beyond merely having an edifice that it doesn't even own. Marty's criticism of Ted Mondale, the crony pick of Governor Mark Dayton to head the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission while receiving pay from a separate position created by the Governor just for him, is that Monday is cooking the books for the Vikings.

In support of his claim, Marty notes that, in presenting what was to have been a neutral evaluation of the Vikings' stadium options and whether public subsidies were appropriate in the construction of a new stadium, Mondale omitted facts damning to his conclusions that generous public subsidies are the norm in the NFL and that cities pay three times the cost of what the Vikings are asking the residents of Minnesota to pay for a new stadium, in attempts to regain NFL teams once teams have left a given market. Marty pointed to facts that directly countered both assertions.

Understandably, no matter how belatedly Marty has come to the realization, Marty is irate, as should be all Minnesotans, regardless of their position on subsidizing a Vikings' stadium.

But Marty is only clawing at the tip of the collusion iceberg on this matter. In addition to Mondale's apparent betrayal of the public trust, similar actors have perpetrated similar betrayals in Ramsey County, and the Vikings, themselves, continue to play the game, arguing that the "cost of a new stadium" is over one billion dollars, when the cost of constructing a shiny new stadium, with accoutrements and a retractable roof is easily less than half that figure.

Marty is justified in his outrage and that outrage should only gain momentum that either kills a Viking stadium deal or confirms for all that the state, not the Vikings, hold the cards in this game. If Marty is interested in moving that shift along, there's no reason to stop with his note of Mondale's misrepresentation of facts.

Up Next: Draft.

Bucs' Move Shows How Desperate Things Have Become in Minnesota

2012-01-08T13:00:00.003-06:00

Near the end of last season, with the team in disarray, the Minnesota Vikings finally acknowledged their mistake in hiring Brad Childress, firing the fifth-year coach. The move created a vacancy which the Vikings filled with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

Rather than audition candidates for the head-coaching vacancy, the Vikings did what they essentially did when hiring Childress, signing the first "candidate" that they encountered. In part, the move was an acknowledgement that the team intended to pinch pennies on its new hire, still on the hook through 2013 for Childress' recently extended deal. Frazier's hire was also consistent with the team's continuing penchant for over-reaching to correct a past error.

Following Red McCombs' 2005 trade of Randy Moss to the Raiders, the Vikings used the number seven overall pick in the NFL draft to select the theretofore relative unknown, if speedy, wide-receiver, Troy Williamson. That move failed in spades.

Less than one year into his ownership cycle, Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf, addressing the perception that then head coach Mike Tice spoke too freely and was too cozy with players (in addition to other flaws), sought a disciplinarian with a commitment to a plan. For this role, Wilf hand picked Childress.

Childress was arrogant without cause, bringing with him the silly moniker of "quarterback guru" and "offensive genius" despite demonstrating virtually nothing in either regard as an offensive coordinator with assistant coordinator's duties in Philadelphia. But, Childress did make one particularly strong move, adding Mike Tomlin as his defensive coordinator.

One year into Childress' run in Minnesota, the fans already were cool to Chillyball and Chilly the man. But many fans identified Tomlin as a strong head coach in the making and clamored for the Vikings to replace Chilly with Tomlin.

Not willing to admit their mistake in so hastily hiring Childress, the Vikings committed to Childress, letting Tomlin leave for Pittsburgh. That the Steelers, a team long regarded as making good personnel decisions, passed on two hometown favorites in selecting Tomlin as their new head coach spoke volumes of Tomlin. That the Vikings allowed Tomlin to walk in favor of Childress, spoke volumes of the Vikings lesser decision-making.

The lesson that the Vikings learned from Tomlin's departure and Childress' subsequent failings as Vikings' head coach was, unfortunately, that Childress had an eye for defensive coordinators as coaches in training. That's why, in addition to wanting to save some money, the Vikings made Frazier the permanent head coach in 2011, without seriously entertaining any other candidates.

This off-season, the Vikings fired their one beacon of professionalism on the defensive side of the ball, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. That move, almost certainly linked to some internal disagreement(s) between Dunbar and someone of higher authority, signaled the apparent rudderlessness of the Vikings' team. The team's subsequent move demonstrated, however, that, if the team does have a rudder, it is often woefully misdirected and almost consistently steering upstream.

Upon reporting Dunbar's dismissal, the Vikings also announced that they were bringing in recently fired Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris for consideration as defensive coordinator--the position still held by Fred Pagac. Morris' only other job interview to date was for that of cornerbacks coach for Washington.

On Sunday, Tampa Bay announced that it was interviewing Childress for its head coaching position. With all that has happened in Minnesota since Childress' arrival in the land of the North, the Bucs' announcement, too, speaks volumes of the Vikings, if also of the Bucs. By bringing in Childress, the Bucs are making three statements regarding the Vikings. The first is that the Vikings had a good coach in Childress. In Minnesota, we know that was not the case, but we'll let the Bucs discover that on their own.

The second statement that the Bucs are making by bringing in Childress is that there is too much talent on Minnesota's roster for the team to finish with three wins. That's a direct commentary on the Bucs' feelings about Frazier's job performance the past year. On that point, it is difficult to quibble.

Finally, the Bucs are signaling their belief that the guy who was fired in Minnesota is a better coach than the guy who replaced him and the guy who Minnesota is considering for the position of defensive coordinator. In short, the Bucs are saying that, were they able to go back in time two years and trade Morris for Childress, saddling Conference rival Minnesota with Morris' defensive coordinating, they would do so in a heart beat.

That's fitting commentary on the delusion that continues to permeate Winter Park.

Up Next: Some Real Candidates Enter the Picture.

Consistent with On-Going Organizational Dementia, Vikings Fire Best Coach

2012-01-07T12:14:00.002-06:00

On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings made it official--the organization truly is clueless. After agreeing to interview the former head coach of the disastrous Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings showed the door to Kyle Dunbar, coach of the one consistently bright spot on their team. Asked whether he was getting a raw deal, Dunbar, playing the part of someone who knows he did get a raw deal but who also hopes to gain employment in the NFL in the near term, stated that the Vikings "did not kill my family. . . so, no, I did not get a raw deal."

Firing the quarterbacks coach, wide-receivers coach, linebackers coach, offensive line coach, secondary coach, special teams coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, or head coach all would have made some sense for Minnesota. But sense has not resided in Minnesota for some time now. So, perhaps thinking that the mantra that you cannot fire everyone ought to prevail under these circumstances, the Vikings opted to fire the one sign of competency on their current coaching staff.

Dunbar presided over a unit that consistently has been among the league's best at stopping the run. While some teams show strength agains the run due to a weakness against the pass, to the extent that teams passed well against the Vikings this season--and they surely did--it had little to do with the Vikings' inability to put pressure on the quarterback; in 2011, the Vikings' defensive line arguably performed its best in years. That, despite losing Pat Williams and left defensive end Ray Edwards in the off-season.

Under Dunbar, Jared Allen has been at least as productive as the Vikings had reason to hope when they traded a first-round pick to Kansas City for him, the left end has had success, no matter who has played the position, and the Vikings have survived the loss of a Pro Bowl nose tackle, with no heir apparent. Only Kevin Williams stands out as a player playing below his ability, and even Williams has played well enough to hold his position.

If the Vikings' defensive woes of 2011 and earlier had anything reasonably to do with Kyle Dunbar, World War II can be traced directly to Leslie Frazier. It's beyond absurd, but, so, too, has become this "storied" franchise.

Up Next: Probably Too Much to Hope for Draft Day and Free Agency Competence, But Here's Hoping Anyway.

What the #&*Z!! Exploding Head News

2012-01-06T17:18:00.002-06:00

In the wake of the worst season in team history, the Minnesota Vikings' first major off-season move was to promote to general manager one of the architects of that disaster. That decision came despite the availability of such experienced NFL veterans as Bill Polian and Jeff Fisher, among dozens of other equally competent talent evaluators.

The decision to pass on Polian seemed logical in that Polian had had a particularly poor run in the draft in recent years and the Colts' fortunes appeared to be predicated entirely on the health and fitness of star quarterback Peyton Manning. The Vikings not only passed on Polian, however, they did not even bother to interview him before making the decision to promote Spielman. That decision already appears not to be paying dividends.

Today, in his first major pronouncement as team general manager, Spielman announced that the Vikings will be reworking their defensive coaching staff and noted that the team had already scheduled an interview with former Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris to fill a position currently held by Fred Pagac. The move, of course, is yet another example of the utter cluelessness of this organization.

In 2011, the Vikings were the victims of mistakes in all phases of the game. Chief among the issues, however, was the team's porous defense. Were it possible to inflame the dire defensive predicament, Morris would be just the candidate to do so as he presided over the only defense that in 2011 surrendered more points than did the Vikings' defense.

Notwithstanding the fact that the team has yet to remove Pagac from the role of defensive coordinator or the fact that Morris guided the absolute worst defense in the NFL in 2011, there is the matter that only the Vikings seem to consider Morris in anywhere near as high of a regard. At the same time that Vikings are preparing to interview Morris for the defensive coordinator position, a Washington organization that routinely overvalues the ability of its personnel was interviewing Morris for the position of defensive backs coach. That should be a red flag for Minnesota. Probably, however, it will not be.

The suspicion is that Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier, apparently intent on continuing his string of suspect decision-making, favors Morris because Morris is wedded to the Tampa 2 coverage scheme that the Vikings so unflinchingly have failed to execute under Frazier. That suggests more of the same awful defense in 2012 and, unfortunately, a strong possibility that the Vikings are considering using their first round pick on a cornerback, rather than on an offensive lineman.

In Minnesota, the more things stay the same, the worse they get.

Up Next: Why Cornerback and Wide-Receiver Generally Are Wrong-Headed Picks Atop the Draft Board.

Vikings' Promotion of Spielman Another Hasty Move

2012-01-03T11:00:00.006-06:00

As player personnel executive in two previous posts, Chicago and Miami, Rick Spielman endured considerable criticism for player personnel moves. His decisions led to his dismissal from both posts and resulted in his taking a position with the Minnesota Vikings that clearly was at least a partial step down from his previous jobs.

Perhaps during his years as a personnel executive in the NFL, newly minted Minnesota Vikings' General Manager Rick Spielman has figured things out. As Vikings' Vice President of Player Personnel, Spielman contributed to identifying several players, however limited in base, now considered the heart of the team's current talent base--Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, John Sullivan, Kyle Rudolph, and Jared Allen. He also contributed to the decision-making that brought Brian Robison, Christian Ponder, Joe Webb, and Toby Gerhart to the team; though each of these players have shown promise, none have been consistent and all are still viewed as question marks in the league.

To the extent that Spielman receives credit for drafting Peterson and Harvin and bringing in Allen, he also deserves scrutiny for committing significant salary cap space to Peterson and Sullivan, with Peterson now on his second contract and probabilistically nearing the danger-zone of his running-back career and Sullivan having proven only that he is not as bad as those beside him; there is, subsequently, reason to be concerned that the team has over-committed in areas that it cannot afford to do so. There are also questions about Spielman's contributions to the team's apparent poor planning for the end of Steve Hutchinson's run at right guard, the possibility, now playing out, that Phil Loadholt is not a capable NFL tackle, how to replace Antoine Winfield at cornerback, and what to do about the secondary, in general.

Spielman also deserves scrutiny for putting together a team that focuses on the run but does not have the offensive line or the defense to make that a viable weekly system, envisioning a secondary that plays a scheme poorly suited for the Vikings' personnel, too often missing on players in the draft, and trading away picks to move up in the draft to take players that no other team appeared to have an interest in other than in much later rounds.

In Spielman's time in Minnesota, no single position is stronger, save for kicker. And, unfortunately, there appear to be few young players ready to step up. In fact, most disheartening of all in this lost season was that the Vikings failed to identify a single young player--outside of possibly Gerhart--who is prepared to play a meaningful role on next year's team but was not so identified going into the season. This, despite having nearly the entire season to audition talent.

When the Indianapolis Colts dismissed long-time General Manager Bill Polian, and his GM-in-waiting son, many assumed that the Vikings would at least test the waters, bringing in Polian, among others, to assess both interest and impressions of how to redirect the team. That the Vikings did not hire Polian is understandable. For all of his success in Indianapolis and Buffalo, much of it was the result of identifying great players early in the draft and working with those players through long careers. Polian had also made some poor decisions in recent drafts, however, most notably failing to identify a running back capable of carrying the load and failing to shore up the team's defense. That suggested that Polian was the polar opposite of Spielman and company, so wedded to the great quarterback system of the modern NFL that he too lightly regarded other areas; when Peyton Manning went down, the flaws inherent in such a perspective became both apparent and crippling.

Flaws notwithstanding, Polian had demonstrated an ability to put together an offensive line, draft the best offensive player available in later rounds of the draft, and identify a portion of what is necessary to succeed in the current NFL. That should have sufficed for the Vikings to at least bring Polian in for an interview, even if the team did not intend to hire him.

Instead, the Wilfs went with the easy, cost-effective, in-house move that suggests, in addition, that they think that the only problem with this year's team was that there were too many cooks in the kitchen. As if to signal that the less qualified cooks will remain in the kitchen, however, Zygi's brother, Mark, announced at the same press conference announcing Spielman's promotion, that he and Zygi were pleased to be keeping Spielman and head coach Leslie Frazier for another season. That sounds like the Vikings still have at least three cooks at the top, and it's not at all clear that any of the three either are up to the task of putting together a contemporary NFL team.

Up Next: Necessary and Wishful Moves.

Shocking Ineptitude Puts Vikings in Hole Following Peterson's Injury

2011-12-24T22:16:00.005-06:00

An MRI confirmed that Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson tore both his ACL and MCL against Washington on Saturday afternoon. The injuries likely will keep Peterson sidelined for at least nine months and could jeopardize his career in the NFL.

Though likely difficult for Peterson to accept, he does at least have the comfort of tens of millions in guaranteed money courtesy the long-term contract that he inked with the Vikings this season. While that should provide solace to AP, it should all but ensure the explosion of Zygi Wilf's head.

If the thought had not yet crossed Zygi's mind that he is surrounded by general incompetence, it ought to soon. How else to explain Rob Brzezinski and Rick Spielman coordinating a deal that hamstrings the Vikings' salary cap maneuverings for at least the next three years, Peterson's presence in a meaningless game, or the continuing on-slaught of bad decision after bad decision on the field? At some point, somebody has to put someone somewhere on notice that incompetence cannot become the norm and that professionalism is not only an aspiration but an expectation. Commence breath holding.

Up Next: Candies and Nuts.

In Victory, Webb Confirms Ability, Ponder Sputters, and Gerhart Shows Peterson's Expendability

2011-12-24T16:38:00.003-06:00

In a league in which the have nots tend to live in the past and the haves innovate and set or at least adopt trends, the Minnesota Vikings stand at the juncture defining the two roads. One path permits the Vikings to put their quarterbacking fortunes in a late-round pick over an early round draft choice and signals the end of the high-paid running back era. Along this path are quarterback Joe Webb and running back Toby Gerhart.

The other path, the path onto which Minnesota consistently insists on stepping its toes, is that of the standard ploy--playing high picks over lower picks in the hopes that what one's eyes saw in the draft eventually will materialize with the high pick playing up to expectations and the low pick down to expectations and entrusting a high percentage of the team's salary cap to a player who, though talented, plays a position proven to have a short NFL shelf life.

Last week's use of Adrian Peterson was inexplicable on every front. In a meaningless game, the Vikings had still to verify what they had in Gerhart and had every reason not to put into the game a player to whom they had just paid nearly $100 million dollars. The Vikings verified as much in the game, giving the ball to Peterson a mere 10 times--too little to make a difference, more than enough to risk serious injury.

This week, the Vikings again pressed their luck with Peterson, playing him in yet another meaningless game despite the team's insistence that Peterson is not 100%. Clearly, there was no point to this gamble and the Vikings finally were burned when Peterson went down with what is being described as a "serious knee injury." Now, Peterson not only is lost for the remainder of this meaningless season, he might well be lost for a significant portion of next season and may never be the same again, depending on the extent of his injury. All of this for a possible return of nothing.

Adding to the damage to the team and the team's payroll should Peterson be out or not tradable is the skid of poor play by this year's first-round pick Christian Ponder. Ponder started the season seemingly on par with Joe Webb, if a step slower and possessed of a slightly weaker arm. Despite having the playbook to study over the Summer--a luxury not afforded Webb--and placed one notch above Webb on the depth chart, Ponder clearly has regressed while Webb continues to impress whenever called upon, Blazer package excepted.

After Ponder left the Washington game with a concussion, Webb entered to toss two touchdown passes--two more than Ponder--and run for another. That should put to rest the nauseating commentary promoted by those covering the Vikings who want to show that they are in the team's corner that Webb cannot throw the ball. Yes, Webb can pass. Yes, Webb can be every bit the pocket passer that the Vikings want Ponder to be. And, yes, Webb has great instinct for escaping from and stepping up in the pocket. But for his late-round status, and Ponder's early round selection, Webb would be the starter in Minnesota. And that would be a meritorious decision.

Peterson's exit again confirmed that, as special as Peterson might be, his presence is absolutely wasted when it comes at the price tag that the Vikings paid to keep him. Peterson rarely puts up multiple touchdown games, rarely breaks 100 yards and is completely uninvolved in the passing game, often found on the sidelines in the red zone. Gerhart, meanwhile, broke 100 yards rushing on limited carries, stays in the game on passing downs, is a capable receiver, and is almost always in the game in the red zone. In short, everything that the Vikings ask of Peterson, Gerhart does, to no apparent detriment to the rest of the offense. Either the Vikings need to figure out how better to use Peterson or they need to admit that Peterson is the Ferrari that is great in limited situations but virtually unusable in most and worth the high price only to those for whom price does not matter. In a salary-capped NFL, price matters to every team.

The Vikings need to figure things out in a hurry if they want to return to being a competitive team. The decisions of the past two weeks, in particular, unfortunately suggest that they do not understand their personnel, how personnel fit together in the NFL, what the trends are in the NFL, what leads to success in the NFL, or what is in the team's best interests.

Up Next: What 2012 Ought to Look Like.

Despite Vote of Confidence, Frazier Still More Likely Than Not to Be Fired

2011-12-19T09:59:00.002-06:00

If there is any take-away from the Minnesota Vikings' 2011 NFL season it is that there is no telling what the team will do next--a reality that ought to be construed in the worst possible light. For a team with an atavistic offensive philosophy, seemingly no defensive philosophy, unless the team's front office is playing the over each week, substantial breakdowns on special teams, poor or non-existant play by last year's top two picks, and losses week after week, this recipe is further evidence that current head coach Leslie Frazier is not a good fit as head coach--at least not of a team that does not have all of the pieces in place.

There were numerous signs of coaching short-comings evidenced in yesterday's games. Chief among those was the Vikings' utter inability to make any sort of adjustment whatsoever to stop Drew Brees. At this point, nothing should be considered too extreme or too far-fetched. That certainly includes throwing out a Tampa-2 defense that depends on having very good corners, smart safeties, and a terrific middle linebacker--none of which the Vikings have.

Yesterday, the Vikings were gashed for nearly 600 yards of offense and five touchdown passes. The pass defense was so woeful that, despite carrying two legitimate goal-line backs, the Saints twice went to the pass on first and goal from the one yard line. Both times, of course, the Saints converted. Only when the outcome was secured five times over did the Saints show an sympathy, handing off to Pierre Thomas in a similar situation, leading, of course, to a similar result.

The Vikings' quip this season, too often aided by those covering the team, is that the team simply is bereft of talent in the secondary. While it certainly is true that the Vikings, owing to poor drafting and poor assessment of talent, are short on good corners and safeties, that should not be read to mean that good coaching cannot at least compensate somewhat for these shortcomings. What the Vikings are currently doing is nothing short of simply acquiescing to the passing game--no fight, no adjustments, no consideration of alternatives, nothing. It is and embarrassment traceable both to execution and design.

Switching out of the Tampa 2 requires switching to something. A read-and-react secondary philosophy is one option. It is difficult to imagine that this could produce a worse result than the present disastrous scheme--a scheme that has been highly unsuccessful during Leslie Frazier's entire run in Minnesota. It is also a scheme that is now favored in the NFL, particularly for teams that do not have an elite middle linebacker.

Switching to the 3-4 defense also would help this team, allowing the Vikings to move Kevin Williams to the middle and drop another player into coverage in the base package. That would require identifying another linebacker. The Vikings have that player, but on offense--fullback Ryan D'Imperio, a former linebacker with decent speed. That would give the Vikings four average linebackers. While reducing the pressure up front, that loss presumably would be marginal given the Vikings' penchant for all or nothing front line play.

Offensively, the Vikings need to join the rest of the league in employing the forward pass. Christian Ponder had his second straight awful game and, if overseen by this current staff, is likely to see many more such days. Ponder's check-down appears to be the primary play and is almost always a short dump off play in the flat. Understanding this, opponents routinely jump the flat and, too often, blow up the play.

The Vikings seem finally to have acknowledged that Ponder will have to learn the pocket game by being allowed to roll out. Unfortunately, the coaching staff has deemed it necessary to force Ponder to roll left. In one particularly embarrassing moment yesterday, the Vikings called a left-side rollout on third and two for the right-handed Ponder. Not surprisingly, the Vikings did not convert. If the game is about putting players in a position to succeed, that play epitomizes the Vikings' coaching decisions this season, more often seeming experimental--without purpose--than thoughtfully designed.

Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave also appear convinced that Joe Webb is a great athlete, yet they continue to jerk him around, putting both Webb and the offense in the worst possible situation when Webb is in the game. That, of course, was again true yesterday with the Vikings' continued and unwarranted use of the Blazer package.

The Vikings' use of the Blazer has no apparent upside but carries with it significant downside--both usually indications of a scheme that ought to be discarded but which the Vikings' coaches continue to trot out on the field, particularly when Ponder is struggling.

When the Blazer package is in the game, opponents know that either Webb is going to run the ball or try to get it to Percy Harvin. Of course, Ponder could accomplish either, making the Blazer unnecessary. Thus, bringing in Webb to run the Blazer merely puts the defense on notice that one of two plays is coming and offers no upside. If the Vikings want to get Webb in the game, the purported upside of the Blazer, they ought to find him a position that does not exist only in the Blazer package.

In addition to the clear and continuous coaching gaffes pertaining to defensive scheme, offensive philosophy, and use of personnel, there is the exasperating issue of non-use of personnel. At the beginning of the season, Musgrave touted his two-headed tight end attack, employing Visanthe Shianco and second-round pick Kyle Rudolph. Not only do the Vikings not have a two-headed tight-end attack, they do not have even a one-headed attack. The reason for this is anyone's guess. Shianco and Rudolph have proven their abilities as receivers--a seeming asset for a team with offensive line challenges. That would suggest greater use of the tight ends. This year, the Vikings are on pace to pass to the tight end less than any time since prior to Shianco's arrival. That flies in the face not only of the Vikings' needs but also of the direction in which the better managed teams in the league have moved. Whether Musgrave's or Frazier's decision, the decision ultimately ought to be Frazier's.

Frazier's assets as a head coach appear to be his pleasant personality and the occasional ability to jettison a cancer. Those can be useful traits in the NFL. But significantly more important is an ability to manipulate the talent on the team and oversee the minions. Frazier appears to do neither of these things remotely well. Combined with what is likely to be the Vikings' worst season ever in virtually every respect and there is little reason to believe that merely bringing in better talent will do more than make the Vikings an average team in the league under Frazier, as the Vikings have both personnel and scheme issues in all phases of the game.

Firing Frazier is not the proper first step toward rectifying the Vikings' current situation, however. That proper first step is for the owner to recognize that he does not have a firm enough understanding of the NFL to make personnel decisions and to hire someone who does. Rick Spielman has made some good moves--bringing in Jared Allen and drafting Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson--but those were obvious good moves. Spielman has been far less successful when the move has been less obvious, with the only significant addition in this category being Toby Gerhart, who has emerged from the garbage heap to become a decent power back.

Should the Vikings part with Frazier--a near necessity after yesterday's demolition--the sense is that they would lean toward hiring a coach in whom they also would invest GM responsibilities. That's almost always a mistake in the NFL. For an ownership group seemingly forever intent on learning the hard way and fighting precedent, that is, therefore, also almost a certainty.

Up Next: In a Season of No Rhyme or Reason, What Should Vikings' Fans Expect?

Detroit Loss Highlights Flaws in Vikings' Philosophy

2011-12-13T09:51:00.004-06:00

To the extent that the Minnesota Vikings have a team philosophy--something governing both front office and on-field maneuvers--Sunday's loss at Detroit highlights the flaws in that philosophy and suggests that the Vikings are well-behind the curve in football acumen in this era of the NFL.

For a team generally low on "explosive" plays, there were an inordinate number of such plays--on and off the field--on Sunday. On the field, Christian Ponder, last season's number one pick, was having an off game, looking more like a late-round pick than a first-day selection. Ponder began the day fumbling into his own end zone for a Detroit touchdown. He ended the day with his third pick--all earned and all well-advertised in advance--at the start of the third quarter.

Ponder's implosion should not be read to suggest that the rookie is incapable of becoming an established, bona fide starter in the league. But it should be read in the context of what happened next. Namely, Joe Webb entered the game and did everything that Ponder did not do.

With the Vikings trailing 31-14, Webb replaced Ponder and immediately began moving the team. Where the Vikings stalled under Ponder when the pass was not open, Webb took to his feet, dashing for a Vikings' quarterback rushing record of 109 yards on seven carries behind the same offensive line that had produced just three 100+ yard running back games all season. Webb also chipped in 84 passing yards, nearly equaling Ponder's passing statistics, with three fewer interceptions.

The lesson for the Vikings' front office, whomever that might be, is that the team had a player capable of being molded into the quarterback of the future prior to last year's draft. Presumably, the reason that the Vikings selected Ponder was because the team was less-equipped on the evaluation side than it is on the fear side--fear of resting the team's fortunes on a late round draft pick. Because of that fear, the Vikings opted for Ponder with the rationale that if Ponder fails the team can always fall back on the claim that it took the dip into drafting a quarterback high and it just did not work out. Had Webb failed, conversely, and had the team passed on Ponder, the team would have been left, in its collective mind, having to explain having passed on Ponder (or someone equivalent).

On Sunday, Webb demonstrated that he is at least the equal of Ponder at this point and there remains little reason to doubt his ability to develop--except that that development probably will never be pursued in Minnesota.

The selection of Ponder highlights a more fundamental flaw with the Vikings' organization, that of living in the past. The Vikings selected Ponder not just because of the fear of fan reprisal should a late round pick fail to become a star quarterback in the NFL, but also because of the team's continuing insistence that a starting NFL quarterback must be a pure pocket quarterback. The sample size guiding this rationale is small, at least prior to this year, with the Vikings unquestionably looking at the stunted careers of both Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick in support of the impression that quarterbacks that run do not survive or thrive in the NFL.

The latter part of that assumption has proven wrong, of course, even before this season. When healthy, both McNabb and Vick had spectacular success using their legs, and that allowed them to work on their passing games. The flaw in the theory that NFL quarterbacks must learn in the pocket is instructed, however, by the careers of McNabb and Vick, who both refused the opportunities to learn to become pocket passers during the height of their success running the ball. Webb shows no such disinclination, already evidencing a better arm than at the end of last season, despite rarely playing this season.

More fundamentally, however, the Vikings are assuming that a team ought to be built around pure pocket passers. The value of pocket passers is that they live longer in the NFL, sometimes as long as offensive linemen. But that does not mean that other styles ought to be eschewed, particularly if they are successful.

Webb is neither a pure pocket passer nor a scrambling quarterback. Rather, what Webb is, and what suggests that Webb's style can work in the NFL even if not modified too greatly, is a good passer who picks his running opportunities, protects the ball during the run, and mostly avoids contact. That means that Webb is productive and safe--the latter missing from the rushing ploys of McNabb, Vick, and Rodgers, who all often attacked a defense up the middle, lowered their helmets to gain extra yards, and took hits on virtually every running play. Webb's hybrid of the running-passing quarterback means that he is a threat not only to pass and run, but also to survive in the NFL. That, and ever-evolving rules that protect not only quarterbacks but also all players from hits, means that NFL GMs need to rethink their view of the "proper" quarterback. Right now, Webb ought to fit the conception, even if in Minnesota the front office cannot get its head around that fact.

Toby Gerhart arguably made a similar point on Sunday, if in even more dramatic fashion. Though I have been less than praising of Gerhart's heretofore plodding play--a well-deserved description until the second half of week 13's game--Gerhart did everything on Sunday that the Vikings have come to expect of Adrian Peterson, and more.

Not only did Gerhart rush for 90 yards, he also caught three passes for 19 yards and a touchdown, the latter something that the Vikings rarely expect of Peterson and the former slightly above Peterson's season average and more than adequate to do the job expected of an NFL running back.

Gerhart's performance, and Peterson's presence on the sidelines, highlight the folly of investing in a running back $17 million per season for any length of time, unless that running back is also a highly targeted receiver, such as Marshall Faulk. Clearly, Peterson is not highly targeted, making him a one-dimensional back. Either the Vikings need to figure out how to make Peterson multi-dimensional or, probably more prudently, the Vikings ought to trade Peterson for players and picks that allow the team to rebuild in a short period of time. There certainly would be many takers, even at a high asking price, despite all evidence pointing to the inherent flaw in making a one-dimensional running back the highest paid player in a passing league.

In addition to demonstrating the value of Webb and the absurdity of the team's extensive investment in Peterson, Sunday's game further highlighted the need for capable players at all positions. Either the Vikings have no such players in the secondary and at linebacker, or the coaching is abysmal. Given the low bar required for showing capability, the strong sense is that coaching is a problem with this team.

Two weeks ago, the Vikings' secondary was lit up when the safety failed to cover for an always overmatched Cedric Griffin. This week, with Griffin out, that problem abated somewhat, but the Vikings still failed to produce in the secondary the way one would expect of a team putting significant pressure on the quarterback.

Continuing a theme from Leslie Frazier coordinated defenses, Minnesota has a paltry six interceptions this season. That statistic ties Minnesota for dead last with the Indianapolis Colts who, so frustrated with the play of their secondary, earlier in the season fired their defensive coordinator. Green Bay leads the league with 27 picks. Three players have more interceptions than the entire Minnesota defense.

That's bad scheme as much as it is bad players as even bad players can be put in position to make plays. This team too often simply has players clearly out of position, and that's been a standard in the secondary for the past several years. That's not only on the secondary and defensive coordinator, but also on former defensive coordinator and current head coach, Leslie Frazier.

The secondary issue is exacerbated by the poor play of the linebackers, all of whom have looked terrible for much of the season. That shortcoming was no more evident than on tight end Brandon Pettigrew's touchdown on Sunday when the Vikings utterly failed to cover the lumbering end, possibly signaling the final nail in linebacker coach Mike Singletary's run in Minnesota.

Finally, there is the issue of wide-receiver. After force-feeding fans and teammates awful doses of Bernard Berrian, Greg Camarillo, and walk-ons for the first half of the season, the Vikings have decided that Percy Harvin can and ought to be part of the passing game, other than as a wild-card. The Vikings' coaching staff is to be applauded for this discovery, even if it only stumbled upon the revelation due to Peterson's injury. Harvin and anyone else out of the backfield is a scary proposition, unless Harvin is never used.

Some of these ills fall at the doorstep of the front office, some are on the hands of a coaching staff that appears consistently to arrive late for games or leave early, accept poor play too long, fail to innovate preferring staid, safe, if losing approaches, and take risk only when risk absolutely should not be taken. Whomever the culprit, the Vikings clearly have made their own bed out of outdated approaches to the game on both sides of the ball and outmoded methods of putting together a team. If the Vikings hope to have success in the future, they need to change these philosophies immediately, before the next round of changes in the league pass up the team's acceptance of the current successful approaches.

Some teams lead in innovation, others adapt, others, still, follow behind the curve. At present, the Vikings are miles behind the curve in many departments.

Up Next: Is Frazier Part of the Solution, Part of the Problem, or Both?

Second Drive a Microcosm of Vikings' 2011 Dysfunction

2011-12-04T12:19:00.003-06:00

The Vikings opened their game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday with something that Vikings' fans have not seen all year--sensible use of Joe Webb, Lorenzo Booker, and Visanthe Shiancoe. Unfortunately for Minnesota, execution did not meet design and the Vikings were forced to punt after five plays from scrimmage.

The ensuing punt hit the one-quarter-foot line where, thanks to the intelligent play of Jamarca Sanford, the Vikings were able to down the ball just short of the endzone. That downing led directly to a safety on the Bronco's first play from scrimmage.

After receiving the resulting free kick, the Vikings immediately went to work on one of the few weaknesses in Denver's defense, attacking with both Shiancoe and Kyle Rudolph, moving Percy Harvin inside, outside, and in the backfield, and even using Webb at quarterback. The result was a quick drive inside the Bronco's ten-yard-line.

That's when Bill Musgrave reverted to form, calling a mind-boggling sequence of plays culminating in Christian Ponder's fumble on a rushing attempt. Rather than using either Booker or Harvin in the backfield, Musgrave sent in uber-plodder Toby Gerhart. On first down, Minnesota ran a pitch play up the middle to Gerhart--a play destined to go nowhere the moment it was drawn up. The sloth-footed Gerhart obliged predictions losing one yard on the play; a quicker Harvin or Booker might have split whatever seam the Broncos were allowing on the play, but such a lineup would be antithetical to Musgrave Ball.

On second down, the Vikings attempted a swing play to Gerhart on the right side of the line. Gerhart predictably picked up two yards and the Vikings were faced with third and nine. Clearly, this was the place for a quarterback keeper up the middle--at least in this Vikings' World.

Up Next: Post Denver TD Interception.

Toby Gerhart Demonstrates Peterson's Potential and Vikings' Draft Failures

2011-11-28T12:26:00.004-06:00

Absent injured starting running back Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings turned to slow-footed Toby Gerhart, a short tight-end in fullback's clothing, to carry the ball on Sunday. For the season, Peterson had averaged 87 yards on 18 carries per game with just over one touchdown per game rushing. On 17 carries yesterday, Gerhart mustered 44 rushing yards. He was also stopped for a two-yard loss on a 4th and goal attempt.

Gerhart's numbers on Sunday were consistent with his career numbers of 484 yards on 122 carries. Peterson's are 10 yards per game below his career average but two carries below his career average, as well.

Gerhart's numbers, both Sunday and over his career, support the general impression of Gerhart as half the back--or less--than Peterson. That's not necessarily a bad place to be in the scheme of things and does not necessarily make Gerhart unworthy of an NFL roster spot on some team, but it does make clear that Gerhart is neither the number two, or even the number three back on the Vikings' roster--those roles rightly belonging to Percy Harvin, no matter his roster designation, and Lorenzo Booker. And it demonstrates, yet again, the Vikings' poor recent draft approach, obvious picks of Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin aside.

Gerhart, through no fault of his own, sits directly in the middle of one of the Vikings' most quickly discernible draft-day debacles, the 2010 NFL college entry draft. In that draft, the Vikings traded out of the first round to select Chris Cook early in the second round and then ceded a second-and a third-round pick to move up in round two to select running back Toby Gerhart. Both moves proved poor in all respects.

Trading down to the second round, the Vikings passed on two players that would have greatly improved their roster--running back Jahvid Best and offensive tackle Rodger Saffold. Both Best and Saffold were projected as middle to late first-round picks, with some mocks having each player going off the draft board in the first third of the draft. In short, there was no mystery surrounding either Saffold or Best with both regarded across the league as strong prospects.

Passing on Best was somewhat understandable as the Vikings already had a starting running back in Peterson, but Best was the change-of-pace back that the Vikings sorely needed given the loss of Chester Taylor. Moreover, the Vikings demonstrated their own belief in the need to identify Taylor's replacement by trading up to take Gerhart in round two.

Far more discouraging than the Vikings' decision to pass on Best, however, was the team's decision to pass on Saffold, a player that the Vikings expected the Rams to take one pick before them in round two. Saffold became an immediate starter for St. Louis and was named to the NFL's All-Rookie team.

The Vikings' decision to pass on Best and Saffold was magnified by the team's subsequent decision to select cornerback Chris Cook. Cook had demonstrated physical ability at the University of Virginia, but he also demonstrated his significant short-comings in the mental realm, having been suspended not only for the Cavalier's 2007 Gator Bowl, but also the entire 2008 season, as a result of failing grades. For a team purportedly all about talent combined with good character, Cook seemed to fall short in at least one regard. Nearly unintelligible interviews ought to have tipped the Vikings' off that Cook was not second-round worthy, at the least; two arrests since arriving in Minnesota, however, still have not cemented that notion.

Compounding their problems, the Vikings traded up to take Gerhart in the hope that Gerhart would more resemble John Riggins than Gino Torretta. Unfortunately, but predictably, Gerhart looks far more like a college player than he does an NFL back. Worse yet, however, is the fact that the Vikings utterly blundered in any respect in taking Gerhart. Though the team needed a change of pace back, Rick Spielman and company viewed Peterson as a speed back and Gerhart as the change of pace brute back. Clearly, Peterson is not a speed back. Rather, he is a very strong back with very good, not great speed. Gerhart merely represents an utter downgrade of a similar style back.

In trading up to take Gerhart, the Vikings essentially passed on all players taken from 52 to 99 in the 2010 NFL draft. That's a failure of epic proportions when the team's first two picks of the draft are Cook and Gerhart. That failure is magnified when the entire draft produced zero starters for the 2011 team, and the likelihood of zero starters in 2012, and the additional very real possibility that none of the Vikings' 2010 draft picks ever starts a game for a team again after this season. In contrast, the Green Bay Packers drafted four starters in the 2010 draft, Bryan Bulaga (OT), Morgan Burnett (S), Marhall Newhouse (OT) and James Starks (RB).

And if the Vikings' 2010 draft is not deflating enough, consider that since Rick Spielman became the Vikings Vice President of Player Personnel five years ago, the Vikings have drafted an average of one starter per season--Harvin, Peterson, Brian Robison, Phil Loadholt, and Christian Ponder--with Kyle Rudolph a notable non-starter. After this season, there very well could be zero draft picks from the 2008 and 2010 draft classes, combined, left on the roster. In a league with team turnover of nearly twenty percent per year and a constant need to address starting positions, clearly the Vikings' current draft scheme is untenable and destined to decimate a team that is unable to land free agents. With declining play, that latter issue will more greatly affect the former.

Up Next: Defense.

"Tweaking" the Offense

2011-11-27T10:36:00.003-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings began the year suggesting that there was a new sheriff in town and that things would be run differently. For Vikings' fans who have lived through this sort of mess in the past--see circa Les Steckel, Denny Green, Mike Tice, Brad Childress--the promise seemed more hortatory than certain. But with so many holes to fill and so little pressure on the team to make the playoffs, there was at least a measure of promise that things would not be run to rote.

Things did change for the Vikings in 2011, just not in any of the ways that Vikings' fans had hoped.

In place of Bryant McKinnie at left tackle was a lesser version of Bryant McKinnie, in the form of Charlie Johnson; in place of an injured, undersized, and ineffective John Sullivan at center, was a healthy, undersized, and ineffective John Sullivan; in place of a very slowly improving Phil Loadholt at right tackle was Phil Loadholt, easily underperforming McKinnie's least productive days on his most productive days. The play of Johnson, Sullivan, and Loadholt overshadowed the general ineffectiveness of Steve Hutchinson, for whom the best days are clearly behind, and veteran guard Joe Berger.

At wide-receiver, the Vikings stuck with Bernard Berrian two years and five games longer than they should have, finally releasing the purported receiver after the number one wide-out on the team had hauled in seven receptions for ninety-one yards--at the time placing him outside of the top 100 receivers in the league, regardless of salary.

Ousting Berrian left the Vikings with "possession" receiver Greg Camarillo (4 receptions for 62 yards), receiver Michael Jenkins (36 receptions for 441 yards), Devin Aromashodu (8 receptions for 195 yards), and the poorly utilized, sometimes injured Percy Harvin (43 receptions for 459 yards). Camarillo, Jenkins, Aromashodu, and Harvin have combined for five receiving touchdowns this season. Twenty-five individual NFL receivers have at least as many. New England tight end, Rob Gronkowski, has double the number of receiving touchdowns and nearly the same yardage, as the entire Vikings' receiving corps.

At running back, things are humming along just as well as ever, if by "humming" one means that Adrian Peterson is given the ball on most first-down and short-yardage plays, is stuffed or held to a short gain by an anticipating defense, and finishes the game with about 87 yards rushing on 18 carries--good for seventh in the league and $11, 494 per yard. Peterson has added eleven rushing touchdowns. Most of these have been gratuitous short-yardage touchdowns, however, the type that Green Bay's John Kuhn, at 1/32 the cost, routinely chips in for the the Packers.

The Vikings would be delighted if these were the only personnel issues on the team and if the personnel issues did not extend so clearly to the coaching staff. Predictable play-calling, underuse of some players, overuse of others, and inclusion of awful players make clear, however, that the Vikings' coaching staff is, at best, in its infancy. Certainly, head coach Leslie Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave would look infinitely better surrounded by more talent, but there is every reason to believe that talent is not the primary issue for either Frazier or Musgrave.

For a team with Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Kyle Rudolph, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Joe Webb, much more should be expected than what the Vikings' have produced in 2011. Numerous examples highlight the dysfunction that has been this offense in 2011. The team is among the league leaders in sacks allowed, quarterback hits, and missed blocks and, with the introduction of Christian Ponder at quarterback, is slowly inching up the board on interceptions ceded, despite employing what Vikings' coaches term a "controlled" passing attack.

The good news is that there are fixes for the Vikings' ills. The bad news is that this staff might not make them out.

The most pressing problem clearly is along the offensive line. The Vikings are several starters away from solid play along the line. The best bet for the team is to move Hutchinson to right guard, Loadholt to left guard, draft two tackles in the first two rounds of the 2012 draft and find a center in free-agency. Given where the Vikings likely will finish and the ample cash that the team will have on hand, that ought not be too difficult a task.

Nor should it be difficult to identify one or two free-agent receivers that produce more than the Vikings 2-4 receivers. Justin Blackmon would be a nice receiver to have in any offense, but the Vikings do not have the luxury of drafting an outside speed demon as the offensive line will undermine the passing game until it is rectified. That means that it would behoove the Vikings to decide whether Webb is, in fact, the receiver that the coaches claim him to be--rather than the quarterback that some of us maintain he ought to be.

At running back, the Vikings' have long had the wrong approach. Peterson needs more touches in the flat and over the middle and needs to be part of a oft-used two-back system, teamed, not with Toby Gerhart, but with Percy Harvin. Putting Peterson and Harvin in the same backfield would be a logistical nightmare for opposing defenses and give the Vikings the flexibility of running virtually any play on any down. That flexibility would give the Vikings the opportunity to use the wide-outs more effectively, regardless of speed, and should permit the team to make use of Rudolph.

Up Next: "Tweaking" the Defense.

Fantasy Fans Only

2011-11-20T11:30:00.003-06:00

In less than one-half hour, the Minnesota Vikings will take the field inside the frozen tundra materializing outside yesterday to take on the Oakland Raiders. At 2-7, the Vikings are only mathematically alive in this year's playoff race. At 5-4, the Raiders stand atop the AFC West. Combined, the two teams account for a negative 90 scoring differential.

Unfortunately for Vikings' fans, the only meaningful reason to tune into this game is for the stat lines. Running back Adrian Peterson is held in 100% of most fantasy football leagues and Jared Allen might be good for a sack or two. On the other side of the ball, Sebastian Janikowski, the early season point leader in fantasy football on the strength of numerous fifty-yard plus field goals, has come back to the pack following a groin injury that has limited his range and participation.

So it is in Minnesota, where the local team's marketing gurus are left with not even the common stand-by cliche of welcoming fans out to watch "tomorrow's stars." There are no clear future stars on this Vikings' team and the current stars--Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen--appear destined to receive little in return for their play, outside monstrous paychecks.

For the Vikings, this is now familiar territory following last year's debacle. For the front office, however, this is relatively new terrain. Last year, the Vikings were showcasing rookie Joe Webb, an athletic, intelligent player who appeared on the verge of making something happen at the quarterback position in spite of playing behind a broken-down and otherwise inept offensive line.

In the 2011 off-season, the Vikings committed to drafting quarterback Christian Ponder, a slightly slower, shorter version of Webb with comparable arm strength in the short game and less strength downfield. The jury remains out on Ponder who appears to have relatively good pocket presence for a rookie and who can move out of the pocket and around the end at this level.

What Webb brought to Minnesota that Ponder heretofore has not, however, is a penchant for an exciting play or two. Where Ponder wisely throws the ball away or takes a sack when the blitz comes through Phil Loadholt's slot, Webb steps up in the pocket and takes off, alternately challenging would-be tacklers, and winning, and bursting downfield for the endzone. It is a trait that is likely to get Webb killed sooner than Ponder, should the Vikings continue to employ a no-blocking offensive line scheme. It is also a trait that adds an element of excitement to the Vikings' offense that Ponder, so far, has delivered but once--that on his first pass from the line of scrimmage.

I have made no secret of favoring Webb over either any of last year's options at quarterback that the Vikings had any prospect of drafting and over Ponder after the Vikings' settled on Ponder. Despite the value of using a high draft pick on an offensive lineman or cornerback, the rationale was that the Vikings had, in Webb, not only the quarterback around whom the team could build for the future, but also a player that the team could market as an attraction in and of himself. Having Webb on the field today would make the game interesting, despite the Vikings' predicament in the standings. Having Ponder on the field merely makes the game one in which the Vikings spend another weekend assessing the quarterback position with the end game apparently already determined.

Wake me when the game is over.

Up Next: Five Linemen and a Secondary.

Poorly Conceptualized Plan Leaves Vikings in Worst State Since Inception

2011-11-16T09:55:00.006-06:00

If a veteran NFL General Manager were asked how to construct the prototypical unsuccessful NFL team, he undoubtedly would suggest that one must draft poorly, mismanage personnel, coach poorly, employ a run-first philosophy in a pass-first league, employ a run-stop defense in a pass-happy league, and give little regard to rules of play. Of those criteria, this year's Minnesota Vikings have attained all.

Establishing an awful NFL team in an era of mediocre play league-wide is a daunting challenge, but the Vikings appear more than up to the task. The work, of course, begins at the top, with horrendous decision-making in the NFL draft.

Since arriving in Minnesota after being released in previous stints with Chicago and Miami, Minnesota Vice-President of Player Personnel, Rick Spielman, has used high draft picks on Tyrell Johnson (2d), Toby Gerhart (2d), Phil Loadholt (2d), and Chris Cook (2d). He has also thrown away a third-round pick in the Randy Moss deal and traded out of the first round to take Gerhart.

Last year, Spielman used the Vikings' first and second round picks to select Christian Ponder, despite already having a taller, stronger, faster, more experienced Ponder in the ranks in Joe Webb, and Kyle Rudolph (2d). Rudolph looks every bit the talented receiver that the Vikings proclaimed him to be coming out of Notre Dame, but it hardly matters if the team virtually never calls his number, a hallmark of this Vikings' team when it comes to making use of talent.

Spielman has had the benefit of picking up passed over players like Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin, and he made a sagacious move in dealing a first-round pick for Jared Allen, but two gimmies and one bold move hardly make up for the disaster that has otherwise been the Vikings' draft under Spielman. Not only has Spielman not selected very many legitimate starters in the draft, he has had a grave tendency to reach where others have leapt back--see Johnson, Jackson, Cook, Cook, and Gerhart--and his draft picks seemingly have had little in congruence with the plan of the head coaches to incorporate players into the game plan.

Selecting players not fit to start in the NFL and/or drafting players rounds ahead of where they otherwise would have gone, sometimes even trading away picks for the right to make such a mistake, is a good enough start to putting together a worse-than-Les-Steckel type of team. Adding a head coach that appears utterly incapable of managing the team helps, however.

Determinations of who will coach the Vikings has fallen squarely on the ownership group and demonstrates how little that group understand the league. After firing Mike Tice, Zygi Wilf locked in Brad Childress, famously quipping that he wanted to make sure Green Bay did not get a crack at Childress. That decision clearly backfired in every conceivable way. Childress, known as quarterback guru despite never really doing anything to merit that or any other NFL accolades, was abrupt off the field, disingenuous on the field, and easily the worst coach in team history not named Les Steckel.

When Wilf and Company had seen what others saw of Childress before Childress even was hired, they settled on Leslie Frazier as Childress' replacement. Frazier, a defensive coordinator who had not shown an ability to stop opposing offenses and had demonstrated a particularly alarming ineptitude, having been a former cornerback and safety, at shoring up the secondary, has surpassed Childress--and Steckel--in ineptitude. A nice guy whom everyone wants to succeed, Frazier simply does not appear anywhere near up to the task of organizing an NFL team.

Among Frazier's major gaffes this season were his decision to stick with Donovan McNabb five games after it was clear that McNabb had nothing to give the team, failing to utilize Rudolph despite scheming for Rudolph in the shortened pre-season, sticking with Bernard Berrian into the regular season, failing to establish any semblance of a solution along the offensive line, at wide-receiver, or in the secondary, and, perhaps most egregious, making a mockery of a very talented Webb by inserting Webb into the game for one or two plays a game, at the most inopportune/inexplicable moments, for zero return.

There is very little, if any, evidence that Frazier has improved the team since taking over for the challenged Childress and substantial evidence to suggest that Frazier has accomplished the nearly unfathomable feat of making the team worse. Showing so little progress given such a tremendously low bar is more than embarrassing it is also one of the hallmark features of a decrepit NFL team.

All of Frazier's flaws could be forgiven if the team consistently came into games prepared to compete, Frazier made good use of his talent, the Vikings did not have Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Visanthe "Who" Shiancoe, Kyle Rudolph, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and Chad Greenway, and team did not forever emerge from losses dumbfounded about what hit them.

Alas, the Vikings increasingly appear unprepared for the competition, unable to adjust to opponents' game plans, unable to make use of the talent that they have, incapable of abiding by simple rules such as the off-sides rule, and increasingly incapable of even competing. Some of that is on the talent pool, but even the talent on the team is woefully underutilized and bad players continue to get run using the same bad schemes--how does one explain, for example, cover two defense routinely failing to cover on deep plays and corners failing to face the quarterback on corner-of-endzone routes?

Add to all these woes the team's seeming denial of its current status and the Vikings meet several of the criteria for achieving wretched status in a league in which wretched status is nearly impossible to attain.

Up Next: Fixing the Mess.

Soft League Might Tempt Vikings' Trade

2011-11-14T10:06:00.003-06:00

Depending on the outcome of tonight's game at Lambeau Field, the Minnesota Vikings could find themselves caught betwixt and between--betwixt and between good teams and bad, rather than merely drifting aimlessly among the bad. For, with a victory over the Packers tonight, the Vikings would move from 14th place in the NFC to 10th place in the Conference. Though the leap would still leave the Vikings three games out of a playoff spot, that the teams ahead of the Vikings that will be competing for a playoff spot play many games against each other would at least keep hope alive in the Great White North.

Even should the Vikings fall to Green Bay tonight--the oddsmakers and Packer fans have set the odds at Packers -13--and should the Vikings subsequently fail to make the playoffs, the weakness inherent in the NFC for several years now gives the Vikings reason to believe that stabilization of the quarterback position and the addition of a few players could turn the team's fortunes.

Chief among the Vikings' weaknesses, in addition to offensive line, safety, and cornerback, is wide receiver. The Vikings' current leader in receptions is Percy Harvin, with thirty-one receptions. That's good for sixty-fifth in the NFL. The League leader, Wes Welker, has seventy-two receptions.

More glaring are the Vikings' deficiencies in receiving yards. The Vikings' leading receiver in yards gained is Michael Jenkins with 362 yards. That's good for seventy-first in the NFL. The League leader, Wes Welker, has 1006 receiving yards. That represents a gap of approximately seven outstanding receiving games between the Vikings' best receiver and the League's best.

As soft as the NFC and the NFL have been this year, two or three more victories and the Vikings could be drafting near the twentieth pick in the draft--only slightly ahead of the playoff teams. That means banking on next year's draft to fortify the team's weak spots might be more of a gamble than it seemed when the Vikings were rolling out Donovan McNabb to take a knee in the endzone.

All of which means that the Vikings ought at least to be investigating what their options are with respect to next year's draft. And now might be a good time to begin prospecting.

If the Vikings fall outside the top five in the draft, they might miss out on two of the draft's best receivers--Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State and Robert Woods of USC. That's not necessarily a bad thing, given that, were the Vikings in position to draft Blackmon or Woods and were the team to select either receiver, the team would be using yet another high draft pick on a wide-receiver. Failure would be unacceptable both to the fan base and team ownership.

A more certain route, though one that could cost the Vikings a high draft pick in next year's draft, would be to trade for a proven receiver. As it happens, there is a receiver currently in the NFL who fits the Vikings' needs. Better yet, that receiver plays for a team that the Vikings already know to be willing to part with premium talent for market to below market price.

The team is Kansas City. The player is Dwayne Bowe.

Bowe, in his fifth season out of LSU, has 41 receptions this season for 667 yards and four touchdowns. That, despite playing with a quarterback that appears competent to bench-worthy in most of his starts and without a legitimate running back on the roster. When paired last season with premium running back Jamaal Charles, out this year with an injury, Bowe hauled in 72 passes for 1172 yards and fifteen touchdowns. The Vikings' receivers combined this season likely will not touch those numbers. Imagine, however, what Bowe would do in a system employing a quarterback at least as competent as Matt Cassel, with a running back such as Adrian Peterson and a slot receiver such as Percy Harvin.

The Vikings almost certainly could have Bowe for a first-round pick in next year's draft. But there is reason to believe that they could obtain Bowe for far less, right now, and on terms most favorable to Minnesota. That's because Bowe becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the receiver has already intimated that he is not interested in returning to a Kansas City team that Bowe believes failed to deal with him in good faith.

That could mean that the Vikings could swing a deal for Bowe for as little as a third-round pick and, perhaps, some cash. That would appease Kansas City's always frugal front office and net the team some return on a player that the team is unlikely to resign should he reach free agency. For a third-round pick in the middle of the draft board, that's not a bad move for Minnesota--presuming the Vikings can negotiate a pre-trade contract extension for Bowe.

Up Next: Addressing the Offensive Line.

Vikings and Their Cohorts Continue to Pitch Half-Truths and Pandering Logic in Stadium "Debate"

2011-11-05T10:02:00.007-05:00

The drum beat goes on from the NFL, local media, and NFL-orchestrated call for a publicly funded stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. Those whose jobs and/or high salaries depend on the Vikings remaining in Minnesota--virtually everyone working at the Vikings' flagship station, those with high paying sports commentator salaries, those working local news, and those with connections to the team--are, of course, among the most vociferous proponents of a publicly funded stadium, with the "what me worry" segment of the fan base, a small, but vocal group, a close second.

As the Vikings amp up their contributions to the coffers of those willing to play henchman and inform Minnesotans that the Vikings will leave if a new deal is not soon completed, thereby leaving the Wilf's the claim that they "have never threatened a move," the team has prevailed upon its many minions to trot out the same tired lines. Many of the lines, of course, would be readily diminished, if not otherwise debunked, by anyone inclined toward objectivity. Among these cliches:

1. "The stadium will create jobs." True, constructing a stadium will create jobs. So, too, however, would the construction of a stadium without use of public dollars. But if one is really interested in using public funds to build a stadium, then one certainly ought to be aware that public funds can be used for a whole host of things that would generate jobs.

2. "Keeping the Vikings means tax revenue for Minnesota." True, again. The Vikings certainly generate tax revenue--on ticket and merchandise sales and on employee and player salaries, at least the portion that stays in state. Again, however, so do all jobs. The question is how does the public get the best--or even a sound--return on its investment? The Vikings are selling the stadium deal as a panacea for the state's job ills. A more likely panacea would be taking all of the money that the Vikings are requesting from the public and funding public projects in numerous areas--particularly infrastructure. That would create tax-revenue creating jobs, provide tax-revenue creating services, and reduce the need for additional taxes in other areas, all well into the future. And it would do so without relying on the magnanimity of a single professional sports entity that almost assuredly will be back at the door with at least one hand out in five-year's time.

3. "I didn't support the Shubert, now it's my turn to get something others do not support." In addition to epitomizing the decline of civilization and the rise of the tit-for-tatters-no-matter-the-consequences, such rants miss the mark. That mark is that foolish spending in one area does not support foolish spending in another area. It also, of course, grossly exaggerates a purported parallel. The Shubert Theater, one of the most expensive renovation efforts ever in the world of dance venues, cost the state approximately $16 million, with the bulk of the $60 million or so needed to complete the job raised from private donations. That's about 25% public funding. It's also about $16 million in arguably mostly unwarranted public spending. That certainly does not justify engaging in even more egregious public expenditures by providing 67% (and up) of the funding for a grossly over-priced facility. With the nearly $700 million that the Vikings are demanding from the public to build them a new stadium that will return the team an estimated $225 million per year in revenue, the State of Minnesota could fund nearly 45 Shuberts. And that's before accounting for the fact that bonding $700 million will cost the public more than $2 billion when it is all paid off--this in a state that only recently auctioned off its future income from the tobacco settlement to bridge a far more modest budget gap today. Criminal.

4. "It's like $200 per person per year--get over it." Yes, it is like that. Like $200 a year for every affected resident for the next 30 years. It is just like that. And that means that it is just like taking $6,000 from every resident--adult, child, fan, non-fan, attending fan, non-attending fan over thirty years, or $24,000 over that thirty-year period for a family of four. For some--namely those willing and able to plop down the seat-licensing fee, $100/game ticket fee, and other costs of going to a game--that's chump change. But to the vast majority of Minnesotans, that at least causes pause. And if that does not cause pause, what should is that that cost comes with an opportunity cost--diminished flexibility for the relevant municipality to address some future crisis with a bonding measure. At some point, a society simply can no longer accept paying $6,000/person for every project. Ask the people of Minneapolis who already are paying for a Twins' stadium, and the Shubert, and the Guthrie, and the Walker, and a poorly managed Police pension fund, and a school board that appears to have run amok, all on top of already high property taxes. And pity the outlying areas if Minneapolis ever turns the tables on them and goes to Court to stop paying into the LGA fund from which it receives less and less return each year. In short, despite what to some appears to be a small amount of pain for those not interested in participating on this venture, the pain is actually far greater. If this is the Vikings' strongest selling point, they need to rethink their strategy.

There are many, many more such contentions, but none more ardently pressed by those who believe that these are the winning arguments. But all such contentions take a back seat in the panoply of this debate to the strategy of attempting to win the debate by making the same contentions over, and over, and over again, and making them louder. If you have not tuned into the Vikings' flagship station recently, that is all that you have missed. Under the guise of "just being sensible," the flagship folks have opted for full sell-out. Their jobs are at stake, they are under orders, but, they also, most assuredly, have discarded all semblance of personal pride.

I've stated it before and one would think that it was obvious, but apparently it is not. A publicly funded stadium for the Vikings can make complete sense if those bargaining the deal for the state understand the game. The Vikings can be a revenue asset for the state--and that is the only manner in which anyone in state government ought to view discussions over a new stadium--if the deal is a partnership that returns to the state revenues in proportion to the state's percentage of investment. If it does not, it's not a good deal for the state and the state ought to let the Vikings leave for wherever it is that the Wilfs think the NFL will let them go. If that's LA, that means the Vikings will have saved at least four other cities from being held hostage by an entity not worth being held hostage by, and permitted the residents of Minnesota the opportunity to more effectively invest their tax revenue.

Up Next: In Awful NFC, Vikings Not Yet Eliminated.

Astute Reading of League Rules Secures Vikings' Victory

2011-11-01T09:54:00.005-05:00

Adrian Peterson was fumbling along in his attempt to gain traction against one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL, mustering a paltry fourteen yards on six carries with half of his carries going for zero or negative yardage. That's when the Minnesota Vikings' coaching brain trust decided to consider the alternatives.

Option one was to continue banging their collective head into the proverbial cement wall. Reflecting on the stunted head-coaching careers of former Vikings' coaches Mike Tice and Brad Childress--both of whom employed said tactic, current head coach, Leslie Frazier, and offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave, opted against this option. Former Vikings' quarterback, Gus Frerotte, silently nodded his approval.

Option two was to stop running the ball and stop using Adrian Peterson. Frazier and Musgrave gave this option considerable thought, before recalling that they had tried this approach through much of the season without success. The Vikings' front office, which only recently inked Peterson to a contract extension worth $36 million in guaranteed money and as much as $100 million through the end of the deal, provisionally agreed, anxiously awaiting the alternative of which nobody had yet thought.

Flummoxed, Frazier suggested that there ought, indeed, be a third option. But what could it be?

Checking his rule book to confirm a sudden suspicion, Frazier got a gleam in his eye. Slapping his offensive coordinator on the back, Frazier doubled-over, half in tears, half laughing. "Mus!" Frazier quietly guffawed, if that is possible, "that's it! We can do it--at least until they tell us we can't."

Hesitant, at first, Musgrave for a quarter before finally relenting, agreeing that Frazier's take on the NFL rule book was at least plausibly sound. They would try it, the two coaches agreed, and, if they got flagged, well, they got flagged.

Thus was born the play that helped salvage a Vikings' victory in Carolina, a play that could revolutionize how the Minnesota Vikings, in the modern era, approach the game. Thus was born the forward pass to Adrian Peterson. Word is that, failing a league ruling that the team misread the rules, the Vikings might just try to make use of Peterson in similar fashion in coming weeks. That's not yet etched in stone, but, as Frazier suggested after the game, in his usual effusive manner, "it's possible."

Stay tuned.

Up Next: In a Weak NFC, Vikings Can Still Dream.

Last to Know

2011-10-27T11:52:00.003-05:00

For anyone close to a situation, there is nothing worse than being the last to know about a development. In the World of the Minnesota Vikings, being the last to know has become common place this season, with three additions to that list just this week.

On Monday, Minnesota Vikings' head coach, Leslie Frazier, announced that the Vikings had to sit down with erstwhile wide-receiver, Bernard Berrian, "to make sure everyone is on the same page." Berrian took that to mean yet another opportunity to solidify his role as the most overpaid player in Viking history.

Frazier had something else in mind. Namely, he wanted to make clear that all were on the same page regarding the Vikings' rationale for what would become Tuesday's release of Berrian. Berrian, as has been true of his much coddled association with the Vikings over the past two years, was, of course, the last to know, claiming until the end that he wanted to remain with the team--an odd contention for someone who has not been with the team for at least the past two years.

Berrian joins Donovan McNabb in the current edition of "last to know," having expressed dismay at his demotion in favor of rookie Christian Ponder. That dismay would not be surprising were it a reflection of McNabb's uncertainty over why he was merely demoted rather than cut outright. Alas, McNabb was merely expressing the confusion that he generally has exhibited on the field.

In his first game, Ponder passed for one-third the yards and half the touchdowns that McNabb managed in six full games as a starter this season. Adrian Peterson also had his most productive game of the season, rushing for 175 yards--fifty-two more than his previous season high and nearly double his season average. Ponder's ability to roll out of the pocket and make completions down-field and to receivers in stride demonstrated why the change to Ponder or Joe Webb should have been made several weeks ago--a fact that Frazier, himself, appeared to be the last to know.

Then there is the unfolding saga of state budgets, revenue streams, and ill-advised constitutional amendments. In 2008, Minnesota voters unwisely amended the state constitution to require sales tax contributions to a fund known as the "Legacy Fund." The amendment was pitched as one intended to ensure clean water and environment in Minnesota for generations to come. Unquestionably, the fund is used to achieve these purposes--much as legislation previously accomplished such goals.

Not surprisingly, however, at least to some, the Legacy Fund has become a welcome wagon for anyone with a notion remotely tied to claims of state heritage and/or culture, along with other problems.

This week, the Minnesota Historical Society, one of the large recipients of Legacy funds, has expressed outrage over Governor Dayton's attempt to raid the Legacy Fund endowment to pay for a new Vikings' stadium. Clearly, MHS and others were not paying attention to the wording of the Legacy amendment, an amendment that so generally defines Minnesota's cultural heritage as to permit funding of virtually anything in the state with Legacy funds. It's unfortunate for state residents that MHS and others failed to heed this generous wording--or simply preferred to look the other way on a referendum pitched as a clean air and water referendum that MHS and others knew also would amply fund their own non-water/air designs--but the language clearly permits, and practice clearly supports, the funding Dayton now, however disingenuously, proposes.

The ultimate irony, of course, is that the Vikings are now suggesting raiding a fund created through a referendum as a means of circumventing a referendum on stadium voting. If you love conniving politics, dunderheaded agencies, complicit legislators, mayors, and commissioners, there is nothing like the confluence of public funding of a Vikings' stadium achieved through expropriation of funds constitutionally mandated by virtue of a vote taken on a measure sold as an environmental stand. Classic.

Up Next: Who Will Be Next?

86 or 84?

2011-10-17T18:58:00.002-05:00

In 1984, the Minnesota Vikings finished 3-13. That was the year that Les Steckel and his no-nonsense boot camp received a tryout in the NFL. That tryout lasted but that one year, never again to return to the league.

2011 is shaping up to be every bit as uninspiring and demoralizing as was that 1984 debacle, only this version of 1984 comes courtesy of a soft-spoken, eminently likable individual in Leslie Frazier who appears utterly incompetent as a head coach. Where Childress stood by the likes of Bryant McKinnie and Bernard Berrian, Frazier stands by the likes of Donovan McNabb and Bernard Berrian--the former shows Frazier can be every bit as stubborn as his predecessor, the latter shows he has an even flatter learning curve.

But while Steckel at least left the Vikings with a roster including some young talent such as Steve Jordan, Wade Wilson, Joey Browner, Carl Lee, Tim Irwin, and Darrin Nelson, Frazier presides over a team with the bulk of the talent residing in the "veteran" category. Only the rarely used Kyle Rudolph, Percy Harvin, and possibly Joe Webb and/or Christian Ponder can be said to represent the up and coming youth of this Vikings' team. With veterans Kevin Williams, Chad Greenway, Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, Adrian Peterson, Steve Hutchinson, and Jim Kleinsasser, Frazier and the Vikings have proven that veteran talent cannot compensate for a lack of a plan. And this Vikings' team, unlike that 1984 disaster, bent on being more conditioned than the opposition, has no plan of which to speak.

Among the numerous confounding coaching decisions in last night's game were the decision to pull McNabb for Webb after McNabb had connected on one of his few completions. The first play called for Webb was bizarre, still not completely computing. The second appeared to be one for which the Vikings' coaching staff told Webb that he must refuse to run no matter the circumstances and that he must make the worst pass of the game to take some heat off of McNabb. Webb followed the plan to a "t" and McNabb re-entered on third down, only to throw a pass behind his intended receiver (the announcers, so accustomed to McNabb's utter inability to throw the ball, gushed over the pass, blaming the receiver for the incompletion).

That fiasco paled, however, in contrast with the debacle that was the two-minute warning timeout turned missed field goal attempt turned loss of timeout when the team could have used it. Returning from the television timeout for the two-minute warning--a lengthy timeout befitting Sunday night football--Frazier sent his kicking team onto the field to attempt a field goal on 4th and 3 then immediately called a timeout.

There can be no good explanation for Frazier's timeout immediately following a timeout--though that did not stop the ever implausible Greg Coleman from making the effort. "Cat and mouse," Coleman lauded. "Leslie's just playing his chess pieces."

Not even the heretofore ultimate homer, Paul Allen, was buying Coleman's pollyanna puke on this night, however, as PA turned to his broadcast partner, Pete Bercich, stating "I don't get it." Neither did the Vikings, as the timeout was followed by a false start and a failed field goal attempt--all a microcosm of everything that the Vikings have represented under Frazier.

In a season in which the Vikings are paying a running back $14-16 million to play behind a putrid offensive line, with an awful quarterback, non-existent wide-receiving corps that includes, as its best receiver, a player ranked 86th in the NFL in yards receiving, for an offensive coordinator with no sense of a game plan and a head coach apparently willing to just soak it all in, there is no doubt that this Vikings' team is far worse than the '84 disaster. What's not clear is whether anyone in this organization has the sense to make the proper adjustments.

Up Next: Berrian Still Being Frozen Out.

Vikings' "Public Aid for Jobs" Pitch a Loser

2011-10-13T09:30:00.002-05:00

Much like most of what emotes from the mouths of the Minnesota Vikings' inner circle of stadium building drum beaters these days, the Vikings' contention that building a stadium on the public dime is critical to local job building is an outright loser of a platform. For, while stadium construction certainly would create jobs, it would do so with an opportunity cost of not creating other jobs that likely would be more enduring and local.

By the Vikings' estimate, construction of a new stadium would mean approximately 1,400 jobs over four years. That, the Vikings' argue, would be a boon for the local economy.

The Vikings' number assumes, however, that all jobs would be for the entire course of the project, that the project would require four years to conclude, and that the jobs would go to local workers. The team's conclusion regarding the result for the local economy is more dubious than these assumptions, as a boost of 1,400 jobs would be a drop in the proverbial bucket even in the State's employment picture.

The goal of any publicly funded job program is to create jobs that are sufficiently sustainable to make a difference both to the local economy and to the overall job picture moving forward. Construction of a new stadium does little in the latter regard and arguably nothing in the former, particularly when taking into consideration the alternative job programs that the State could employ to foster job growth--assuming that's on the mind of those making policy these days.

The Vikings are requesting $300 million (and more) from the State and another $360 million (and more) from Ramsey County to construct a stadium and amenities in Arden Hills. Never mind that the stadium construction itself should cost no more than $360 million, with retractable roof.

With $300 million dollars, the State could employ 10,000 people at $30,000 a year to complete any number of public works projects that currently are not being completed. Both the $300 million and 10,000 figure rely on assumptions, of course. One is that all workers are paid $30,000/year, the other is that the State's pool of money is $300 million.

Neither assumption, of course, is correct. Many individuals would accept less than $30,000 a year for the opportunity to work at a meaningful job that would permit them to fill both a void on their resumes and a depleted bank account. More important, however, is the fact that that $300 million that the State is suggesting that it will contribute to the pot is more like $1.1 billion. That's because to pay the $300 million, the State will need to bond or engage in some other mortgaging type of arrangement. That means paying interest on a loan. And that means that the State ultimately will pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.1 billion--not $300 million--to construct a new stadium.

With $1.1 billion dollars, the State could hire those same 10,000 workers at $30,000 per year for nearly four years. That's more than seven times the number of jobs that the Vikings contend the stadium will create, but full time jobs for the full four years of the same window. And none of this takes into account the additional $360 million (or more) that Ramsey County must bond or the cost overrides that the Vikings want the State to pay. Putting Ramsey County's money into play means another 10,000 jobs at $30,000 per year for closer to five or six years. That's 20,000 jobs for four to six years, or more than 14 times the number of jobs that the Vikings contend the stadium construction job will create in the State.

None of these figures factor in that each worker will be paying local tax revenue rather than receiving unemployment benefits, that each worker will be establishing working credentials making themselves viable if and when the market does return, or that the significant addition of workers to the ranks of those paying taxes will actually help fuel a local recovery. And, of course, none of this factors the benefit to a far larger population than would be afforded by a commercial stadium that is a stand-alone entity providing value to a limited pool of consumers eight days of the year.

Are there job benefits, many probably even local, to constructing anything? Of course. But those benefits must be weighed against the opportunity cost of not having public money dedicated to said construction to put towards other projects. And if job creation is part of the Vikings' sales pitch, it is a clear loser in contrast with what can be done with the public money that the Vikings are soliciting to build their giant revenue stream.

Up Next: Will Frazier's Intransigence Cost Vikings' an Opportunity to Gain on Weak Field?

The Rest of the Story...or How the Vikings Intend to Shaft the Public

2011-10-11T20:33:00.003-05:00

In his long-running radio show, widely syndicated radio personality, Paul Harvey, would offer some surprising information without disclosing the subject or some mundane information about a subject without disclosing the surprising information until later. What came next was what Harvey referred to as "the rest of the story."

For some time now, the Minnesota Vikings have been attempting to channel Paul Harvey, only without disclosing the rest of the story. The opening to the story is that the Vikings want a new stadium. And they want the public to pay for "part" of it. And they want the public to agree to pay for "part" of it without being afforded the opportunity to agree (or not). And they want it now. And they want more concessions down the road. Oh, that's part of the rest of the rest of the story.

For now, we can settle for the rest of the story. The rest of the story is what the Vikings are not telling anyone who will be footing the bill. The rest of the story goes something like this--the Vikings want desperately to build a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis. They want a retractable roof on that new stadium. They want a stadium that can be used for other events. They want all of the revenue streams associated with the new stadium. They want all of the tax deductions associated with "owning" a new stadium. They want additional state and county tax concessions.

And, they really want the public to foot most if not all of the bill.

How's that?

Yes, the Vikings are looking to the public to foot the bulk of the cost of a new stadium--perhaps all of the cost.

But don't take my word for it, just look at the math.

Between 2000 and 2002, the City of Seattle built the Seattle Seahawks a new football stadium. Nobody has anything bad to say about Seattle's still relatively new facility, that comes with a partial roof and 111 luxury suites. The cost of constructing the stadium was $360 million.

There are several interesting points about the Seattle stadium. One is that the cost was borne during a hyper-active period for construction. Adjusted for the downturn in the economy and in the construction business, in particular, a similar stadium should cost even less to construct today. Logically, that should mean that constructing a new stadium in Minneapolis should cost less than $360 million, not the $1.1 billion dollars that the Vikings have pulled out of the sky to make it appear that the $360 million is but a small portion of the total construction cost.

Another interesting point regarding the Seattle stadium is that it was constructed as a public-private partnership with the public cost fixed at $360 million (not surprisingly the cost of actual construction of the stadium) and only after a state-wide referendum--yes, the very type of referendum which, according to Minnesota Vikings' officials, "the public always rejects." As the State of Washington has demonstrated, the public does not always reject such public-private ventures, but it certainly is more likely to do so when there is little sense that the venture will mean anything to the public other than a handful of football games.

In Seattle, the City, King County, and the State share in an annual $850,000 payment from the Seahawks. The team keeps everything else--somewhere in the neighborhood of $65,000,000. That's a great deal for the Seahawks, and far better than they deserve given the State's level of contribution to the team. And still, it is much less than the Vikings appear intent on taking from the residents of Minnesota.

If the Vikings want a stadium in Minnesota, they have three options. The first is to build their own stadium with their own money and recoup that money by putting a quality product on the field and charging fans what the market bears--that tends to be the option of the non-entitlement, open market crowd, at least when the issue is not a new stadium for them. The second option is to partner with the State and relevant municipality in a profit-sharing arrangement. That puts the sense back into a public deal. The Vikings don't seem to want that, however, because they prefer option three. That option is to make demands, effuse a sense of entitlement, insist that the public--on whom the team relies for the petty cash (truly)--not have any say save for the say of their corrupted representatives (see, e.g., Ramsey County Commissioners), and have a stadium built for them to the tune of $660 million in public funding, with the team contributing "the rest" of what will not be required to build the stadium.

As long as the Vikings stick with option three, and locals like Lester Bagley essentially tell the public to pay up AND lump it, there should be no tears shed if the Vikings ever finagle a move to LA--a remote option in any event. And if local "leaders" actually cave to this sophomoric charade, we surely will have confirmation as to who butters their bread.

Up Next: Wasting Webb in Favor of McNabb?

Storm Brewing in Minnesota

2011-10-06T10:50:00.004-05:00

Following the Minnesota Vikings' loss to previously winless Kansas City, a team without two of its three top safeties and without its dynamic running back, Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf let it be known that he was tremendously displeased with the team's results and that he expected far better going forward. Wilf strongly suggested that, given McNabb's performance at critical junctures against KC (if not also throughout the entire season), he expected Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier to make the proper adjustments.

There is no denying that Wilf's implication was that it was time to make a move at quarterback--a decision that could have meant imposing either Christian Ponder or Joe Webb at quarterback.

Rather than acquiesce, Frazier dug in his heals and insisted that McNabb was not the problem. If the stubborn approach in the face of sound logic to the contrary sounds familiar, it should. It was, after all, the very same approach embraced by Dennis Green, Mike Tice, and Brad Childress. And it likely could lead Frazier to the same fate realized by his three predecessors--and justifiably so.

Through four games, McNabb ranks thirtieth in the league in passing. He ranks far lower--a quite difficult feat--in passing statistics in the second half and, more significantly for a team that has played four close games, in the fourth quarter. There is no denying that McNabb's primary problems are that he cannot put the ball where he needs to put it and that he shrinks in the face of a challenge when the game is on the line. These traits are not unique to McNabb, but they are unique among quarterbacks playing for teams with purported playoff aspirations.

Aside from Frazier's apparent inability or unwillingness to acknowledge that McNabb is not his best option at quarterback--that title now belonging to Webb, followed by Ponder--Frazier is utterly delusional about the Vikings' prospects this year. The only hope that the Vikings' have of making the playoffs this year is to start Webb, a quarterback who can escape the pocket, make plays with his legs, and throw at least as accurately as McNabb has this season.

At 0-4, the Vikings likely would need to finish the season 10-2 to make the playoffs. Frazier still views the 0-4 start as a 4-0 start, however, failing to recognize that most NFL games are decided by what teams are able to do in the fourth quarter. Given that McNabb has done nothing in the fourth quarter, other than look absolutely horrible, the decision to stick with McNabb can only be explained as one of myopia induced by Frazier's initial guarantee to ownership that he could do with McNabb what Philadelphia and Washington could not.

Barring an immediate and overwhelming turn-around, the likes of which is against all odds with the Vikings having not yet faced the Packers or Bears and with two teams in their own division already four games ahead of them, Frazier is committing to a quarterback who not only offers the team little hope for recovery this season, but also little understanding of where the team is headed in 2012. Playing McNabb will ensure that the Vikings know nothing about Ponder after this season and cement the fate of a promising quarterback in Webb--all for nothing.

Frazier's decision to stick with McNabb, already at odds with the his owner's inclination and collective wisdom, not only will jeopardize the Vikings' season but also will jeopardize Frazier's tenure in Minnesota.

Up Next: Kingdom for a Receiver.

McNabb Done as Vikings' Quarterback

2011-10-02T14:57:00.003-05:00

With a fourth straight loss in the books to start the 2011 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to bench starting quarterback Donovan McNabb in favor of either Joe Webb or Christian Ponder next week. The decision comes more from the Vikings' ownership than from a coaching staff that, offensively, appears oblivious to the on-the-field product.

McNabb again was awful when it most mattered on Sunday, thrice making horrendous passes to nobody in particular during the team's final drive with the Vikings trailing by five. McNabb's erratic performance once again made Adrian Peterson virtually irrelevant and an ownership group that has invested heavily in Peterson, irate.

With McNabb moving to the sidelines--and quite possibly to the waiver wire--the Vikings are left to decide whether to go into full blown rebuilding mode or to try to be respectable this year. Taking a cue from the Carolina Panthers, however, the Vikings almost certainly will opt for a heavy dose of roll-out quarterback packages, something woefully lacking in this year's offense.

Entering the season, the Vikings sold their fan base on a short-passing game predicated on getting the ball to their two dynamic tight ends, Visanthe Shiancoe and Kyle Rudolph, and Percy Harvin and running Adrian Peterson. After four games, the Vikings have used Randolph and Shiancoe only on a limited basis and highly sporadically and, despite obtaining positive results every time Harvin touches the ball, have shied away from Harvin, as well. The only commitment that the Vikings have kept is to get Peterson the ball, but that commitment generally has waned in the second half of games, making Peterson the "highest paid decoy in the game."

As McNabb heads to the bench, scrutiny will only increase of a coaching staff that has not obtained results this season. Of particular concern is the play-calling and personnel management of first-year offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, whose decision not to have Shiancoe on the field on 4th and 10 on the Vikings' final drive against KC--a decision saved only by KC's decision to call a time-out--brings to mind the play-calling that led to Musgrave's dismissal as Carolina's offensive coordinator only two games into his tenure.

Up Next: Change in Quarterbacks Will Buy Frazier Some Time.

Ownership Disgruntlement Could Spell End to McNabb Era in Minnesota

2011-09-27T14:43:00.004-05:00

The word out of Winter Park is that, not surprisingly, the Minnesota Vikings' ownership group is substantially disgruntled with the Vikings' 0-3 start and, more specifically, how the Vikings' first three games have played out. In order of displeasure, Zygi Wilf and company are dismayed by the poor play of quarterback Donovan McNabb, the offensive playcalling, and the overall handling of the club.

The Wilfs' displeasure with the Vikings' poor start to the 2011 season appears already to have set change in motion with the Vikings contemplating a move at starting quarterback to either Joe Webb or Christian Ponder. At 0-3, a move to Webb would signal that the team still believes it can be competitive this year. A move to Ponder would more likely suggest that the team already has surrendered.

Replacing the starting quarterback will not alleviate the need for much more astute playcalling, better management of the team, or, more problematic, a lack of personnel at key positions. It will, however, address the question of whether the quarterback, poor play notwithstanding, is the primary source of an anemic offense that has produced nary a touchdown in six second-half quarters this season.

Replacing McNabb with Ponder will help mask the coaching staff's deficiencies, allowing coaches to blame poor performance on growing pains. It will also put under a microscope the Vikings' decision to select Ponder, rather than a cornerback, lineman, or receiver, in the first round of this year's draft. Both realities, in addition to experience and present ability, argue for Webb replacing McNabb--or at least for such a move to have the imprimatur of the Vikings' ownership group.

What is clear is that the Vikings already are setting the table for McNabb's departure, with head coach Leslie Frazier absurdly stating after last week's debacle that the team was going to "work on McNabb's footwork and throwing mechanics." That statement says as much about why there already are some questions about this coaching staff as it does about McNabb's present ability. But it also permits the Vikings to fall back on Mike Shanahan's excuse--that Donovan did not want to work on the little things--for parting with a quarterback that has been with the team for less than two months.

Also clear is that whatever the decision at quarterback, once that decision has been made, the magnifying glass will be shifting to offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. That will shield Leslie Frazier from scrutiny, but only for the moment. For an ownership group looking to build equity to secure a publicly funded stadium, there is little patience. And waiting on Frazier to remember that he has Adrian Peterson on his team or to acknowledge the end of the Brad Childress era is not something that this ownership group signed onto when removing Childress from his throne.

Up Next: If KC is Willing, Vikings Should Deal.

Vikings' Institutional Blinders Threaten Monumental Franchise Blunder

2011-09-25T17:26:00.004-05:00

It's troubling enough that the Minnesota Vikings have blown three seventeen point or greater first-half leads in three games this season. It's even more troubling that those leads have turned to losses. But most troubling of all is that the process that has led to the Vikings' come-from-ahead losses this season has been both the same in each game and indicative of a seminal concern, the failure of which to recognize could lead the Vikings to make one of the greatest blunders in franchise history.

As an organization, the Vikings have not escaped the imperfection that is assessing talent and properly aligning personnel. But with another season with a team mixed with quality veterans and youth about to go down the drain, the Vikings find themselves in the crosshairs of a potentially franchise-altering decision--a decision to which the organization appears utterly oblivious.

As in weeks one and two, the Vikings' difficulties in the second half of week three can be directly traced to the team's focus on keeping their own quarterback in the pocket. Pocket quarterbacks thrive when they have solid offensive lines and a deep threat. The Vikings have an improving line that requires fortification by two, sometimes three tight ends. This makes the probability of a deep threat less likely. Add to the equation the fact that the Vikings' sole downfield receiver is Bernard Berrian and there is a nearly zero probability of a deep threat for Minnesota.

Given the Vikings' shortcomings along the offensive line and at wide receiver, the most sensible offensive philosophy to employ is one that makes liberal use of the quarterback outside of the pocket. If the Vikings could depend on Donovan McNabb to roll and avoid injury, and if McNabb could deliver the pass, McNabb would be the most logical answer at quarterback in such a scheme.

But McNabb clearly no longer has the legs to be a consistent roll quarterback and his accuracy this season--particularly in the second half of games--has been nothing less than putrid. Sailing passes miles over receivers' heads, behind sloth-footed tight ends, and to areas of the field where nary a player on either team can be seen makes clear that, as McNabb no longer can be relied upon consistently to roll out of the pocket, neither can he be depended upon to pass in or out of the pocket.

On Sunday, Vikings' backup quarterback Joe Webb, a player who can roll and who now appears to be at least as accurate of a passer as McNabb, played exactly one down. Following this strategy of using Webb, the Vikings appear intent on sticking with McNabb, using Webb as an ineffective gimmick player who doesn't really even factor into the gimmick play, and ensuring that Webb's career in Minnesota amounts to nothing. For, if this is how the Vikings use Webb when his abilities are clearly better used as a rolling, starting quarterback, whatever could the team have in mind for Webb as the backup quarterback to Ponder in 2012?

It makes one wonder. It makes one vomit. And, most sadly, it suggests that the Vikings are in the process of making a colossal personnel decision by sticking with McNabb and relegating Webb to the long-term role of little- and improperly used backup--a waste not only for the future, but also in a season that can still be salvaged.

In short, if the Vikings want to fix their second-half problems, largely created by a failure of the offense to stay on the field, they need to convert to a system that rolls the quarterback out of the pocket on a regular basis. McNabb cannot be that quarterback. Either Webb or Christian Ponder could be that quarterback. Webb is infinitely faster than Ponder and has a stronger and more accurate arm and, therefore, deserves the nod.

It's not so difficult to see, unless, as the Vikings did in hiring then extending former head coach Brad Childress, you opt to put on your institutional blinders because what you would see does not conform to what you expected and therefore wished to see.

Up Next: B Factor.

Failure to Roll Dooms Vikings in Second Half

2011-09-18T16:12:00.003-05:00

In the first half of the Minnesota Vikings 24-20 come-from-ahead home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings mixed their offense nearly to perfection, lacking only a deep pass in the team's arsenal. Included in that mix were tight end passes, passes to Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin, and runs by Adrian Peterson and the surprisingly capable Toby Gerhart. More importantly, however, that mix included a blend of pocket and out-of-pocket passes by Donovan McNabb--with a heavy emphasis on rolling McNabb.

The second half of Sunday's second consecutive second-half disaster offered little of what the Vikings had to offer in the first half in building a 17-0 lead. That's largely the consequence of a complacency that led the Vikings to hold to pocket passing. This allowed Tampa Bay to focus its defensive efforts and made the Vikings' offense, clearly absent the deep-threat that makes the pocket pass so valuable, one and one-half dimensional, with only the run and short pass available.

Not surprisingly, the Vikings failed too often to move the ball in the second half. And Tampa Bay took advantage, dominating both time of possession and yardage total in the second half. The result was an exhausted Vikings' defense, most aptly epitomized by Cedric Griffin's non-play on Tampa Bay's final passing touchdown.

If the Vikings hope to overcome their second-half malaise, they must acknowledge two things--that they lack any meaningful downfield threat (leaving aside, for the moment, whether Donovan McNabb has the accuracy to hit such a target) and the offensive line is unable to maintain a consistent pocket. To win, the Vikings need either a quarterback who can roll out of the pocket on a regular basis for an entire game....or they need a much larger half-time lead. The first half of Sunday's loss suggested that McNabb is at least willing to roll. If he is not, or if he is unable, it would behoove the Vikings to move to a plan that permits them to dodge their greatest deficiency.

Up Next: Stadium Numbers.

Answer is Using Peterson More Intelligently

2011-09-18T11:01:00.002-05:00

Around the water cooler this past week, broad discussion has been had of the need for the Minnesota Vikings to give Adrian Peterson more rushing attempts this week and beyond. The thinking, presumably, is that more carries equates to more yards and a greater likelihood of Peterson breaking a large gain or two--all of which, presumably, will bolster the Vikings' offense.

There is no question but that giving Peterson the ball more times will equate to Peterson gaining more yards on the ground and increase the probability that he breaks a big play. And this all could help the Vikings' win games.

The bigger, and more appropriate concern, however, is not giving Peterson more rushing attempts each game but making certain that he is more wisely utilized. When Bill Musgrave joined the Vikings as offensive coordinator after yet another long stint as a quarterbacks coach, he emphasized the need to make better use of Peterson. Such use, Musgrave made clear, required that the Vikings more effectively utilize their best offensive weapon in the passing attack--something that former Vikings' head coach Brad Childress all but refused to do.

Musgrave's purported philosophy was hardly on display last week, despite the fact that the Vikings were facing a team absent one of its primary linebackers--a situation that should have opened up opportunities both in the middle and in the flat. That the Vikings did not utilize Peterson in the passing attack thus says more about Musgrave's unconvincing offensive philosophy and fear of losing than, unfortunately, it says about a particular scheme for a particular game. It also says something about the current coaching staff's short-sightedness, albeit in limited showing, regarding the use and preservation of a player to whom the team just committed no less than $44 million.

Getting Peterson the ball should be one of the Vikings' primary goals. But that goal should not come at the highest cost to Peterson. The most certain way to injure a running back or shorten that back's career in the NFL is to run that back up the gut on play after play. That was the Vikings' recipe against the Chargers and it appears that the team's greatest lament in the wake of a narrow loss to San Diego was that Peterson was not given more opportunities to run up the gut behind a loathsome offensive line.

The real concern for Minnesota, regardless of the opposition, should be balancing Peterson's rushing and receiving totals. Though, as Brian Westbrook certainly would attest, that is no recipe for running back health, it was the recipe for a long career for another great back, Marshall Faulk. Moreover, while one method of using a running back no more guarantees a long career for that back than another, the fewer hits any player takes, the greater the likelihood of longevity. Reducing hits by defensive linemen would go a long way towards ensuring that Peterson is both more productive and more productive through the life of his seven-year deal. And getting Peterson the ball in the flat would help ensure not only fewer hits for Peterson on a given play, but would also ensure the Vikings more long drives and increased scoring odds--a welcome possibility in the wake of a thirty-nine yard, one-touchdown opening week performance.

Up Next: Is Bernard Berrian Again Being Shut Out?

For McNabb's Sake, Time for Vikings to Install Webb at Quarterback

2011-09-13T09:21:00.004-05:00

In Sunday's loss to the San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Donovan McNabb went 7 for 15 for 39 yards with one touchdown and an interception. The woeful numbers speak volumes on their own, ranking McNabb dead last by a wide margin in any meaningful quarterback statistic.

Although it has only been one game, one game in the NFL is akin to ten games in MLB at 1/16th of the season. One more game like Sunday's and fans will be left pondering whether the Vikings can climb out of their 0-2 hole and finish strong over the final 7/8ths of their schedule. In short, while one game does not a season make, there is little time to remedy a poor start when the season is as short as is the NFL's.

While McNabb's performance was poor on Sunday, a great deal of his struggles were other than self-inflicted. In addition to playing on a team that confoundingly continues to view Bernard Berrian as a legitimate deep threat, McNabb finds himself mired in a system that requires nimbleness in the pocket and elusiveness for escaping the ever collapsing pocket. And all of those problems are dwarfed by the threat that is the reinvention of the Childress Coast Offense to an impossibly more offensive degree.

Given that the Vikings' offensive line is terrible and the offensive play-calling is fathoms below NFL grade, there already appears to be no point in retaining McNabb as the starting quarterback. Despite having the strongest arm on the team, McNabb is too slow to escape trouble, too errant on his throws, and too late on some of his reads to any longer support the claim that he is the Vikings' best quarterback under the circumstances.

Were McNabb playing behind the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line of the late 80s and early 90s, he would have the luxury of surveying the field and waiting for receivers to get open. This Vikings' offensive scheme, mired in the notion that a ten-yard play is an "explosive" one, and fixated on encouraging opposing defenses to stuff the box, thus creating more readily disguised blitz schemes, works against everything that ever made McNabb a success early in his career--particularly when McNabb appears to be in late-in-his-career running condition.

Both Joe Webb and rookie Christian Ponder offer greater elusiveness than McNabb and both appear to make good reads and have good releases out of the pocket. The great irony, in fact, is that both Ponder and Webb need to improve their pocket play. Given that the Vikings rarely have a pocket in which to play, Ponder's and Webb's greatest and similar weakness is essentially irrelevant and their abilities outside the pocket become all the more meaningful.

If the Vikings insist on playing Musgrave Coast Offense (MCO), there simply is no point and no value to having McNabb in the game getting pummeled and making bad plays. The wiser option would be to insert either Webb or Ponder. And given that Webb has more experience than Ponder and is more elusive, Webb is the better choice.

Switching to Webb not only would allow the Vikings to spread the defense horizontally, it should free up the middle of the field for one of the team's three tight ends as the middle linebacker would have to stay home to cover Webb.

Although it is early in the season, there is reason to worry about where this Vikings' team is going, both this year and beyond. Bill Musgrave appears to be about the same guy that was relegated to career quarterbacks coach before the Vikings--in another move wreaking of misguided ownership support--came to the rescue, Leslie Frazier appears unaware of the magnitude of the situation, and the Vikings' $100 million signee is stuck in a system that leads to him finishing in the middle of the pack or worse, week after week. It's beginning to resemble a house of cards at Winter Park with the builders having failed to recognize the need to establish a proper foundation. Only a dramatic change in philosophy now can salvage this season and give hope for the future.

Up Next: Musgrave Showing to Form.

Thirty-Nine

2011-09-11T19:14:00.003-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings took a quick 17-7 lead over the heavily favored home team, San Diego Chargers. Several attempts at stuffing Adrian Peterson up the middle later and the Chargers, absent their placekicker after the opening kickoff, emerged victorious, 24-17.

The stat of the day? Thirty-nine. That's how many passing yards Donovan McNabb had for the game. Thirty-nine yards on 7 of 15 passing. Pitiful on several fronts. Poor play-calling. Poor execution. Weak offensive line. Non-existant deep threat.

Apparently the Vikings were not merely "keeping it vanilla," as Paul Allen contended, during the pre-season. Rather, they are who we thought they were and, on Sunday, far worse offensively.

Yuck.

Vikings Flaunt Risk in Favor of Reward in Resigning Peterson

2011-09-10T14:53:00.003-05:00

Rather than wait for the off-season in what portends to be a season in which Adrian Peterson is both heavily utilized and shows that he can handle the heavy workload better than any other NFL back, the Minnesota Vikings, on Saturday, agreed to terms of a seven-year, $100 million dollar contract with Peterson. If done properly, the deal, which includes $36 million in guaranteed money, could be a boon for the Vikings. If done improperly, or if Peterson has a career-ending injury in the next two years, the deal could sink the franchise for years to come.

Though the full terms of the Peterson deal have yet to be disclosed, the deal must include no less than $14 million in guaranteed money, and cap hit, this year--a figure that assumes that the Vikings have designated all of Peterson's guaranteed money a salary bonus. That's a good deal for the Vikings on a year-by-year basis versus what Peterson would command on the free market and slightly more than what the Vikings would have had to pay their star back as a franchise player in 2012. The deal is not without substantial risk, however.

The greater the salary bonus, the greater the peril for the Vikings moving forward. If the Vikings designated all of the guaranteed money as salary bonus, rather than as a roster bonus, the team will be on the hook for $14 million plus for Peterson each of the seasons that he plays in Minnesota for up to seven years. That's in addition to the $8 million that the team is on the hook for for Chad Greenway for each of the years that he plays over the next five years. And all of this assumes that neither Peterson nor Greenway have any meaningful incentive clauses in their contracts, almost certainly not the case.

The Vikings' signing of Greenway and Peterson to large contracts demonstrates the team's continuing efforts, in the midst of a stadium drive, to portray itself as a team intent on winning. With a salary cap that will remain intact for the next two seasons and increase only marginally thereafter, however, the Vikings are banking large on both the success and the health of just two of the team's players with Peterson's and Greenway's contracts eating up nearly 20% of the Vikings' salary cap.

Despite the tremendous risk involved with assigning so much cap space to two players, the Vikings are signing two players who should be on the right side of their prime years to contracts that should carry both players through the end of those years. By signing Greenway and Peterson, the Vikings also ensure that they control the players but that the players are content--hopefully not too content. That means both players should remain tradable, should the Vikings falter and need to shed star power for potential and cap space.

Up Next: But Can They Win? Plus, money matters.

Vikings Have Options With Peterson

2011-09-09T10:12:00.003-05:00

The 2011 season marks the end to Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson's rookie contract. Unlike any other major league sport, however, free agency in the NFL rarely means free agency--at least to the extent that cornerstone players are involved.

Last night's season-opening game between the Green Bay and the New Orleans Saints displayed the value of a competent running game. Alternating Ryan Grant and James Starks, the Packers were able to coax just enough out of their running attack to keep the Saints honest--a condition that became all the more significant in the waning seconds of the game than it had seemed in the opening quarter.

With good, not great, running backs, Green Bay is among the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, with the running attack meaningfully augmenting a passing game that is the best in the league.

The Vikings find themselves in a diametrically opposite, if also less overwhelming, offensive position to that of the Packers. While the Packers rely on the passing game to set up the running game and rely on good to above average running backs to balance their passing attack, the Vikings rely on Adrian Peterson to set up everything in their offense. Given their lack of a deep threat at receiver and their shaky offensive line, that's both good, because Peterson is the best running back in the league, and depressing, because opposing teams know that, if they can stop Peterson, they can stop the Vikings.

At 26, Peterson is thus the face and the future of the Vikings. The question for the Vikings is what to do with a player on whom the team so heavily relies if continuing to rely so heavily on Peterson either coincides with or means that the team remains starved at other positions?

The ready answer for the Vikings front office is that, for the sake of the near-term bottom line, Peterson's return is essential. Jersey sales and interest in watching Peterson play eight times a year aside, without Peterson the fan interest in the Vikings almost certainly would precipitously decline. That's not necessarily an argument against trading Peterson for some healthy combination of picks and players, but it is the punctuation for being clear about what Peterson's departure would mean to the franchise in the wake of such a move.

The Vikings, of course, need not concern themselves with Peterson's departure if the team wants to keep him in the fold. All the cards, as they say, are in the Vikings' hands. The team can trade Peterson at his peak or retain him on the NFL's terms. And the worst case scenario for the Vikings is that the team loses Peterson for two first-round picks.

What makes the Vikings' situation relatively simple is that, barring a block-buster offer from another team, they have only one decision to make. That decision is whether to allow Peterson to negotiate a trade with another team, after the 2011 season, and after the team has franchised him. Any other ostensible decisions are made irrelevant by the fact that franchising Peterson ensures the Vikings the best return on the running back, not factoring in Peterson's possible sullen response to being franchised, and assuming no trade.

Franchising Peterson will cost the Vikings the average salary of the five highest paid running backs in 2011 or 120% of Peterson's 2011 salary, whichever is greater. At the moment, Peterson's 2011 salary is greater than the former. That means that franchising Peterson for the 2012 season would cost the Vikings approximately $13 million in 2012, or more than ten percent of the team's available cap space. Barring injury, Peterson probably will live up to such a salary in 2012, but the large cap hit might mean that the Vikings are without space to sign players to fill other voids already evident on the team.

The counter-concern to franchising is that re-signing Peterson outside of the realm of franchising continues to go up. With Chris Johnson recently signing a contract with $30 million in guaranteed money over six years, the much younger, stronger, and more productive Peterson almost certainly will command an additional $10 million in guaranteed money over five years. That's an $8 million salary cap hit per season without even accounting for what is certain to be an equivalent dollar figure in non-guaranteed money that becomes guaranteed each season. That likely would put the Vikings on the hook for $16-17 million in cap space over five years, just for Peterson.

For 2012, franchising Peterson, while expensive, appears to be the Vikings best salary cap move. The same can be said for 2013, during which the Vikings may again, for the final time, franchise Peterson. That would cost the Vikings 120% of Peterson's 2012 salary--approximately $15.6 million--in guaranteed money, but would still be less than the $16 or $17 million that the team likely would owe Peterson should it work out a contract with him rather than franchise him.

Where the Vikings would find themselves up against it would be in 2013, when the team could not franchise Peterson and Peterson could leave the team without any compensation to the team. Assuming Peterson remains a highly functioning running back in 2013, 2013 would be the year for the Vikings to negotiate a contract with Peterson. At that point, however, Peterson will see the light at the end of the tunnel and likely opt for free-agency, barring a market friendly offer by the Vikings.

What does all this suggest? it suggests that the Vikings' best option with Peterson, barring a lucrative trade, is to franchise him in 2012, assess his performance during the 2012 season, and, if merited, negotiate a three- or four-year extension, backloaded on non-guaranteed money, near the end of the 2012 season.

The alternative is to franchise Peterson after this season, allow him to negotiate with other teams, and let him go for two first-round picks--or to do the same after next season. That's not as bad as it might seem, as it would allow the Vikings to identify high-end free agents to fill at least two other holes and bring in the type of good to above average running back that suffices to make most NFL teams function these days. It would also save the Vikings the heartburn of having too many eggs in the basket of a position well-documented as the most injury prone in the league.

Decisions, decisions.

Up Next: The half-billion dollar fraud. Plus, playing more games with Webb.

Greenway Resigning Among Other Items Offers Yet Another Glimpse of Lack of Transparency on Stadium Issue

2011-09-06T11:49:00.006-05:00

If you think that the Vikings' extension of Chad Greenway is primarily about winning football games and appeasing fan sentiment to retain the second best linebacker on the team, think again. Greenway's five-year, $40 million deal includes $20 million in guarantees. Prior to negotiating the extension with Greenway, the Vikings were on the hook for $10 million for Greenway's franchise year. That meant that the Vikings had to count $10 million against this year's salary cap of $120 million--a hefty percentage of the payroll for an outside linebacker.

The new deal, depending on how the Vikings structured Greenway's bonus, means that the Vikings are on the hook for a minimum of $8 million against this year's cap and a maximum of $25 million--if the Vikings designated 100% of Greenway's bonus a "roster bonus." Because the Vikings were approximately $12 million under the cap prior to Greenway's extension--a figure that does not take into account allowances under the new CBA to spend over the cap to retain a veteran or to borrow from future caps--the most that the Vikings could put towards this year's cap from Greenway's contract is $12 million. The additional allowances would permit the Vikings to put an extra $5 million or so towards this year's cap, effectively overspending this year's cap by the same value.

All of this is interesting, at least to me. But what is more compelling is the minimum figure noted above. After Saturday's cuts, the Vikings shed approximately $3 million in salary cap space. They have since added at least $8 million for Greenway's contract and $2 million for post-cut pick-ups. That potentially puts them $3 million below where they were prior to extending Greenway and close to the salary cap floor. If the Vikings extend Adrian Peterson this season, we will know for certain that the Vikings had ample room to sign whatever free agents they wished to sign, and that they simply opted out, allowing their minions in the media and at their radio station to parrot the line that the Vikings are "hard against the cap." That's a line the Vikings, themselves, have never offered. But it's also a line that the Vikings have never denied, other than to say that the team was "in better position than many believe."

How much better the Vikings are under the cap, however, is less relevant in the current climate than how well off the Vikings are financially. In the context of number finagling, nothing quite bests the Vikings' constant drum beat of poverty and inequity in its commercialization of its stadium push. Conveniently quiet on the numerous cascades of revenue bestowed upon all NFL teams--and particularly NFL teams in the bottom third of the stadium revenue stream category--the Vikings continue to imply that they need a new stadium to make a go of it in the NFL. League revenues, salary cap ceilings and floors, and the Vikings' recent signing of Greenway clearly argue otherwise, however. Other indicia are even more condemning.

In a recent national posting, one of the architects of the Rams' move to St. Louis recalled team officials asking the City of St. Louis for the stars and the moon and suggesting, behind closed doors, that if the City did not agree they could always say "no." The City, the Rams' official somewhat embarrassingly acknowledged, said no to nothing. Worse, yet, for the City and its taxpayers, however, was the Ram officials' statement that the Rams knew they would get a sweetheart deal no matter the deal because the City was woefully uninformed on revenue streams and team officials were well versed on the subject of their enterprise. The Ram official even noted that the City was so clueless about such negotiations that they agreed to a stipulation that stated that the Rams could break their lease any time in the future should the City fail to maintain the Rams' stadium as a "state of the art" facility. Sixteen years later, the Rams are invoking this clause to get a new stadium on the taxpayer's dime.

As revealing as all of this is, the Rams' story and the Vikings' recent escapades still fail to detail how truly lucrative the NFL is for teams. In addition to all of the various revenue streams--national television, local radio, stadium advertising, naming rights, suite revenue, ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, franchise fees, parking, seat licenses, and additional revenue sharing for teams like the Vikings--NFL teams are permitted to deduct their expenses at tax time.

The last item might cause a shrug and a comment that teams ought to be allowed to expense. Yes, that's how our tax code is written and, frankly, that is for the better of businesses and growth.

What most fans almost certainly do not understand, however, is how a contract like Greenway's significantly benefits the Vikings' bottom line. That's because most fans presumably do not know that Greenway's contract can be amortized. Not only are the Vikings allowed to claim Greenway's contract as an operating expense, they also are allowed to claim depreciation on the contract. That leaves the Vikings actually paying a fraction of Greenway's and other players' contracts, rather than his entire contract. That's a pretty good deal for teams, and one absolutely not afforded most employers with respect to their employees. It's also something that the do not reveal when disclosing the team's full revenue streams--at least as a normal person would understand them.

Here's how one sport's economist, courtesy of deadspin.com, described this tremendous tax benefit:

"This can't be emphasized enough: Every year, taxpayers hand the plutocrats who own sports franchises a fat pile of money for no other reason than that one of those plutocrats, many years ago, convinced the IRS that his franchise is basically a herd of cattle. Fort calls it "special-interest legislation." "It's not illegal," he says. "It's just weird."

The rules have changed over the years, but the depreciation shelter remains one of the great graces of owning a sports team. In some ways, it's gotten more fanciful. Between 1977 and 2004, owners could write off half the team's purchase price over five years, thanks to the pretend-loss of player value. One consequence, Fort notes, is that teams would change hands every five or six years, once the exemption had dried up. Now, after tax law revisions in 2004, owners can write off 100 percent of their team's purchase price, albeit over a 15-year span. What they're buying, as far as the RDA is concerned, is a set of players — the brand identity, the right to stage games and charge admission, and everything else are throw-ins. (According to Fort's analysis [pdf], the new RDA rules had the twin effect of increasing both tax payments and team values.)"

Is it any surprise that, after fifteen years in their new stadium, the Rams are seeking a new facility?

In short, as the Vikings continue their pitched wail about poverty and inequity, it is worth reminding them what most in the public ought to, but, unfortunately, probably do not. That is that they already benefit far more greatly than any other business venture in town.

One would think that that reminder would humble the Vikings and quiet their insufferable whining. One also would think that such information would provide considerable leverage--as if any more were needed--to those offering a deal to the Vikings. Alas, that's probably wrong on both counts, but one would think.

Up Next: Options for Peterson. Plus, When you start at $1 billion anything less sounds relatively reasonable or How the Vikings pitched a $300 million deal as a billion dollar necessity.

What if Joe Webb Were White?

2011-08-28T11:56:00.004-05:00

Last week, ESPN ran an article that seemed as intent on regurgitating the Michael Vick dog-fighting issues as adding anything meaningful to the discussion on race in sports. More significant in the current climate, and a question facing the Minnesota Vikings, is the role of race in defining not a player's position on the field as much as the player's role within that position and how teams view their needs based on how they view their players.

Near the end of a disastrous 2010 season, the Minnesota Vikings lost starting quarterback Brett Favre to injury. Rather than relying on Tarvaris Jackson, a player the team knew it was not bringing back in 2011, the Vikings turned to rookie Joe Webb. Webb had his ups and downs in two starts at the end of last season--rallying the Vikings to an improbable victory at Philadelphia and falling to the Detroit Lions. Overall, however, he showed the type of promise that one would expect of a quarterback-in-training.

In the 2011 NFL college entry draft, however, the Vikings used their twelfth overall pick to select former Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder. At the time, the Vikings made clear that Ponder was their quarterback of the future, immediately declaring him the front-runner for starting quarterback and going so far as to provide him with new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's playbook--a respect not accorded Webb.

When the Vikings picked up Donovan McNabb in free agency, the Vikings slid Ponder to second-string and suggested that Webb's future with the team would be in some hybrid role. Ponder, meanwhile, was considered sufficiently ready to slide into the starter's role as early as sometime during the 2011 season, despite, unlike Webb, having shown nothing yet at the pro level.

As the 2011 pre-season has progressed, however, McNabb has established himself as head and shoulders above both Ponder and Webb. In last night's narrow loss to the Dallas Cowboys, McNabb showed poise in the pocket and a rifle arm both on the run and in the pocket. Through three pre-season games, but particularly in last night's game in which starters from both teams played well into the second half, the still relatively young McNabb established himself not only as the best quarterback option on the Vikings' roster, but also as a legitimate starter for the foreseeable future.

McNabb's apparent resurgence in Minnesota, albeit limited to exhibition games, has left the Vikings with a far less critical but still significant question of whether Webb or Ponder merits the number two position. Based strictly on pre-season performance, there is little question but that Webb is the number two quarterback. That's no slight to Ponder, who, until last night, playing with the third-stringers against the third-stringers, had looked like he was making progress toward becoming a starter in the NFL. Rather, it is a testament to Webb's continuing improvement and overall ability.

Unfortunately for Webb, the lesson many have taken away from his play this pre-season is that he is ideally suited for some role in a "wild cat" offense.

We know, of course, that "wild cat" is a euphemism for finding a role other than starting quarterback for a black quarterback who can run and pass but still needs some polish in the pocket. Ponder, too, can run, though not as well as Webb, and can pass when outside the pocket, but nobody is even considering him as a wild-cat option. Nor would they. That's because Ponder is considered a starting quarterback in waiting. And, despite having many of the same assets as Webb--the ability to scramble, run, and pass out of the pocket--and deficiencies--weakness in the pocket, Ponder does not meet one of the requirements of the cliched wild-cat quarterback. He is not black.

While it is conceivable that the Vikings' fixation on Webb as a wild-cat option is predicated on the team's view that Webb needs to be involved in the offense and that team understands that, for this to happen, he must do so in a role other than starting quarterback as long as McNabb is in the fold. But that does not explain why the team began making such suggestions even at the end of last season, well before the team even envisioned bringing in McNabb, or why that suggestion continued to permeate after the Vikings drafted Ponder, a player less ready to start in the NFL than is Webb.

The irony is that the Vikings and many NFL commentators and analysts have all the information in the world to suggest that Webb is a legitimate NFL quarterback who can build on his current assets to establish himself as a long-term starter in the league. Not only did Webb show his abilities last season, but everyone now has evidence, in Michael Vick, that a strong-armed, blazing fast player can be a good pocket quarterback, as well; speed and pocket presence, in other words, are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

The gnawing sense in the case of the Vikings' view of Webb, made all the more ironic by the fact that the Vikings have a black head coach and a black starting quarterback who once was known as much for his legs as for his arm, is that the Vikings have fallen back on the tired cliche that a speedy black quarterback is best suited to an esoteric offense. That logic, intentional or not, could cost the Vikings a quarterback, if not a player, who clearly has the skills necessary to be a very good NFL quarterback. Again, that's no knock against Ponder, who might also develop the necessary, though different skills. But it is an interesting question for the Vikings to consider as they handle what should be a good problem for the team and not one made of cliched views of players.

An objective assessment of current abilities would suggest that McNabb is the Vikings' best option at starting quarterback right now, that Webb ought to be involved in the Vikings' offense this season, and that Webb ought also to be the number two quarterback, rather than Ponder. The difference not only in how the team views this is monumental in terms of how the team treats Webb going forward. If Webb is groomed as the quarterback-in-waiting, he could become a very good starter. If he is treated as the "wild-cat option" only, however, he, unfortunately, will be relegated to a far less generous career. And the Vikings might be cheated out the young starting quarterback that they so greatly covet.

Up Next: Vikings Showing Promise.

Trading Peterson Best Move for Vikings' Long-Term Prospects

2011-08-23T17:02:00.006-05:00

Assuming Minnesota Vikings' Pro Personnel Executive, Rick Spielman, can avoid the reverse-Midas touch frequently exhibited by his local pro baseball team counterpart, there is no better time than the present for the Vikings to part ways with Adrian Peterson.

In the final year of his contract, Peterson likely will command a contract in the neighborhood of $40 million over four years with $26 million in guaranteed money. Despite continuing reports to the contrary, the Vikings currently sit approximately $12 million (not $320,000) under the salary cap. With limited creativity, the Vikings could sign Peterson to a long-term deal this year, halving their long-term obligation by bringing forward $12 million to this year's cap--more if the Vikings sign Chad Greenway to a long-term deal that includes less than $10 million in guaranteed money.

The issue facing the Vikings regarding Peterson, then, is not primarily one of long-term costs. Rather, the problem is that signing Peterson to a long-term deal means that the Vikings will be on the hook for several million dollars even as Peterson begins to decline in productivity. Given how many times the Vikings will need to get Peterson the ball in 2011 to be even remotely competitive, that decline is only likely to accelerate.

The Vikings can turn a dilemma into a bonanza, at least on the field, if, rather than signing Peterson, they put him on the trading block. That's a particularly difficult pill for the Vikings' front office to swallow, given that Peterson is the team's primary draw on and off the field and represents one of two clear strong draft selections in the Spielman era.

Whether to trade a star player near the peak of his career is a dilemma that most professional sports teams face at some point. Retaining Peterson would give the Vikings some hope of competing this year while trading him almost certainly would sour the locker room and demoralize an already fragile team. But if the best that the team can hope for in retaining Peterson is to have him oversee what likely will be a 2-3 year rebuilding process, then trading Peterson certainly could make sense.

What is Peterson, a good teammate, an upstanding member of the community, and one of the top players in the league likely to garner in a trade? Rather than looking at what other star players returned in a trade, a difficult proposition given the baggage that virtually all previously traded stars carried with them to their new teams, a better approach is to consider what a lesser player recently received as compensation.

The Carolina Panthers this week signed 28-year-old running back DeAngelo Williams to a five-year extension worth up to $43 million with $21 million in guaranteed money. By signing Williams to such an extension, Carolina essentially is acknowledging that Williams is worth more to them than a first-round pick and, likely, worth more to them than would be two first-round picks. Otherwise, Carolina either would have let Williams go in free agency and drafted a running back in what is likely to be a top-ten pick or traded Williams for a first-round pick--the minimum going rate for a bona fide starting running back. In the latter scenario, Carolina likely would have its choice of the best and the second best running back in the league.

Williams has not played a full season since 2008, when he rushed for over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. In 2009, Williams' production fell to 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. Last year, in just six games, Williams finished with just 361 yards and a single touchdown.

Peterson, meanwhile, has proven far more consistent and far more durable. In each of his four seasons in the NFL, he has played at least 15 games, rushed for at least 1,200 yards, and scored double-digit touchdowns. All of this, despite playing in a system clearly demonstrated not to take the greatest advantage of Peterson's assets, either as a running back or as a receiver.
And, at 26, Peterson is two years younger than Williams.

In just four seasons, Peterson has become the most recognizable and revered of all Vikings' running backs, save, perhaps, for Chuck Foreman. That makes parting with him difficult, at best. More difficult will be the financial hit that losing Peterson likely would mean to the team in the short run, both in terms of ticket and merchandise sales. This probably makes a trade of Peterson unlikely, even in a year in which the Vikings, with holes on both sides of the ball, seem improbable suspects for making a run to the Super Bowl, or even the playoffs.

If the Vikings are willing to admit to themselves, their aging veterans, and their fans that this season is a gap year (euphemism), they ought, as well, acknowledge that trading Peterson, if done properly, can reap a return that positions the Vikings well for the long-term, rather than leaving the team with holes for the remainder of what would be Peterson's extension.

If Williams essentially is worth two first-round picks, the younger, far more productive Peterson ought to be worth at least that as well as some starting talent.

Who would be willing to trade with the Vikings at this level? Probably numerous NFL teams, including all three division rivals who would love to win at the Vikings' expense and who all have long-standing holes at running. But virtually any team in the league would covet Peterson. The question is which team is willing to part with draft picks and players for Peterson's services. That's Spielman's job to figure out and it should be an easy task.

Up Next: Personnel Moves That Ought to be Made.

Jackson and Bevell Remind Vikings of 2010

2011-08-21T08:28:00.004-05:00

While it is difficult to assess a pre-season performance against a team as bad as Seattle, the Minnesota Vikings can be secure in knowing that the game revealed both weaknesses and strengths of this year's team.

The bad included the play of the offensive line--particularly the starting left tackle, Charlie Johnson. One series after Jared Allen inexplicably failed to rap up the much slighter Tarvaris Jackson on a broken play that left the Vikings' defensive end alone against the Seattle quarterback, Seattle's Raheem Brock made good on a similar opportunity when Johnson failed to pick up Brock--or even acknowledge his existence.

The bad also included an offense that still more closely resembles a Childress offense, but without any semblance of a deep threat. For the game, the Vikings did amass 142 rushing yards, include a nice 35-yard touchdown run by rookie Tristan Davis. But the Vikings' first team compiled a mere 16 yards of that 142 yards in nearly one half of play and failed to finish an otherwise good drive from deep in their own end, using one play in the final set of downs to run Peterson up the middle when Seattle had shown weakness on both edges in the drive.

And the bad included an offense that mustered a mere six points in the first half and thirteen for the game against a Seattle defense that was among the worst in the NFL last season. The Vikings and their cheerleaders can continue to insist that the Vikings are waiting until the regular season to unwrap the offense, but what's to unwrap. This is a short-passing, quick-hit offense without a deep-threat to make the short-game the threat that it could be. Absent the deep threat, and with continued issues on the left side of the offensive line, this offense will continue to struggle, particularly in the red zone.

While some significant issues linger for the Vikings, some other sources of concern abated, albeit in the face of woeful competition. Against Jackson, for whom it should now be clear that the NFL is not long, the Vikings were able to apply significant pressure and turn a pick into six. Jackson was scrambling most of his time in the game and that pressure made the Viking's secondary look fairly good.

The secondary looked even better, even accounting for the quarterback and the pressure up front, when former Gopher Marcus Sherels was in the game. It has been some time since the Vikings had a corner with Sherels' speed. Sherels displayed this speed on his pick for a touchdown, but, equally impressive, showed an ability to hold onto an easy pick and a penchant for being in on the play--all attributes that most Vikings' cornerbacks have been lacking since at least the Denny Green era.

McNabb also looked better this week, still missing on some open plays, but showing less rust than last week and moving the Vikings down field from their own one-yard-line. McNabb was not spectacular, but if he continues to show progress into the regular season the Vikings will be vindicated, if they have not already been, in picking up the hard-to-believe-he-is-only-34 veteran.

Along with the bad and the good, there were some mixed signs on Saturday. Those included a run defense that allowed 150 yards against a weak Seattle offensive line and running game, but which ceded only 23 yards in the first half, when both teams had their starting units in the game, and which stuffed Seattle on four attempts inside the five-yard-line--albeit with the significant assistance of Darrell Bevell's familiar play-calling.

There also was the play of Christian Ponder who, at times, looked awful--as when he attempted to pitch the ball into a sea of players or when he struggled to throw with the pocket collapsing--but who also appeared to be on track to being a legitimate NFL quarterback when he rolled out of the pocket and found receivers in stride, when his reportedly "weak" arm rifled a pass across the field, and when his reportedly "average" speed beat a corner to the sideline for a good--and safe--gain.

Although it is difficult to assess certain aspects of a pre-season game against a weak opponent, it is safe to say that, at the mid-way point of the pre-season, the Vikings have strong concerns at left offensive tackle, at defensive tackle, and at wide-receiver. Whether the lack of a pressing concern at cornerback and safety is the consequence of young players showing promise or the opposition being minimal likely will be answered next week against the Dallas Cowboys in a game in which both teams probably will play their starters for at least three quarters.

Up Next: Moves to Make and Not Make

Adrian Peterson a Wasted Luxury on This Vikings' Squad

2011-08-14T11:06:00.005-05:00

While it is unwise to put too much stock in a pre-season game, particularly the first game after a long layoff, Saturday night's Minnesota Vikings' game against the Tennessee Titans offered a glimpse of both the long- and short-term prospects for the Vikings. The conclusion is that the short-term will be bumpy and predictable. Unfortunately, that also suggests that Adrian Peterson's and the Vikings' future might be better served with Peterson finishing his career elsewhere.

With little time to show their wares, Vikings' starters complied with conventional wisdom against the Titans, showing little. Donovan McNabb looked like a rustier version of the average to above average quarterback that he has been for much of his NFL career, Peterson carried one time for the proverbial cloud of dust, and nobody really stood out in limited minutes and limited exposure.

What did stand out for Minnesota was a mix of discouraging and encouraging. On the discouraging front were the expected suspects. Bill Musgrave's offense, a work-in-progress for who knows how long, showed its limitations whenever it was necessary to gain more than three or four yards; the Vikings' deep-threat, presumably the province of the player that Brett Favre snubbed the past two seasons, was non-existent; the Vikings' defense had one sack and zero turnovers; and the Vikings' secondary was beaten both between the zones of the Tampa 2 and over the top.

Offensively, the Vikings look woeful. Bill Musgrave's system looks like a rip-off of the Brad Childress scheme with only a very heavy dose of Peterson receiving, Percy Harvin in the slot and a double-tight-end set of Kyle Rudolph and Visanthe Shiancoe remotely suggesting the potential for "explosiveness," writ small.

The more reserved and patient of Vikings' fans will note that: (1) it is very early in the pre-season; (2) the starters played sparingly; and (3) Musgrave's system will take some time to implement. All points are, of course, true. But they are readily countered with additional truisms: (1) As early as it is in the pre-season, the regular season is nearly upon us; (2) the starters at key positions are not significantly better, if at all, than the reserves who did nothing--see, particularly, deep receiver and safety; and (3) When in place, Musgrave's system will look very much like it looked last night--conservative and tight, but with no deep threat to keep the defense honest.

More striking in last night's game was that the Vikings did nothing at all against a defense that, at times last year, looked like little more than a paper tiger. The Vikings' three points paled in comparison to the points put up by numerous other offenses this week--27 by Cleveland, 33 by St. Louis, 47 by New England, 24 by Seattle, 24 by Dallas, 23 by Denver, 28 by Miami, 24 by Arizona, 34 by Detroit, 24 by New Orleans, and 25 by Tampa Bay, all of which played their starters roughly the same amount of time as did the Vikings. The Vikings' company? Cincinnati (3), Buffalo (3), San Francisco (3), and Kansas City (0).

Given how many teams already appear to have their offense in sync--many paired with respectable defenses--the Vikings, to say the least, have a very long way to go to be ready for the regular season. Which, of course, raises the inevitable question of why the Vikings bother to retain, rather than trade, Peterson. In the final year of his contract, Peterson also is nearing the expected shelf-life of an NFL running back. And though he has not been abused during his run in Minnesota, he almost certainly will be pummeled in Musgrave's short-yardage scheme. For a first round pick, an offensive lineman, running back, safety, and receiver, it probably would be worth parting with Peterson this year, even if it means that the trading partner is Green Bay and even if it results in Green Bay running away with the title.

Despite the negatives to last night's exhibition, the Vikings did show some signs of promise for the future in the form of Joe Webb, Christian Ponder, and Rudolph. Webb threw a bad pass resulting in an interception, but he also looked good escaping pressure and running, seemingly effortlessly, for 33 yards on five carries. Ponder also mostly appeared poised in avoiding the rush, one time making a Fran Tarkenton-like escape to complete a pass for a first down. But for a phantom call, the play might have led to something for the Vikings. And Rudolph showed the hands that Bernard Berrian claims to have.

For Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, Jim Kleinsasser, Steve Hutchinson, Adrian Peterson, Donovan McNabb, and Kevin Willliams, today is the present and the future. For the Vikings, however, today appears to represent a future that remains in the future. How distant that future is likely will be told before the 2011 regular season even begins.

Up Next: Prepping McNabb for Backup Duty?

From the "You Get the Government You Deserve" Files

2011-08-10T14:43:00.007-05:00

Earlier this year, Ramsey County Commissioners Tony Bennett and Rafael Ortega provided a glimpse of dysfunctional, obtuse government at its finest, promising the Minnesota Vikings the moon and the stars if only the team would deign to accept hundreds of millions of dollars from Ramsey County to take over a large tract of land that nobody else wanted...at least nobody that would have to clean the former munitions site with their own finances.

Listening to Bennett and Ortega discuss their meeting and "agreement" with the Vikings to build a new Vikings' stadium in Arden Hills was akin to listening to an Onion skit. Slightly unfortunately for the residents of Minnesota, and wholly unfortunately for the residents of Ramsey County, the Bennett-Ortega (BO) lovefest with Vikings' officials was all too real.

The Vikings left their stadium-announcing press conference with BO certain that they had found their huckleberries in the Midwest. BO did nothing to alter that impression.

From the Vikings' perspective, the Arden Hills maneuver played out perfectly--at least up to the near present. The deal hinged on Ramsey County footing most of the bill for the new stadium through bonding measures and taxation. The team would pay approximately one-quarter, fixed, of the approximate remaining cost of building the stadium and Ramsey County would go into full-court press to convince the State to contribute approximately $300 million, plus undisclosed clean-up costs and infrastructure overrides.

Vikings' stadium spokesperson for life, Lester Bagley, immediately began spinning Governor Mark Dayton's "commitment" of a firm $300 million for the stadium, with a specified amount for infrastructure, contending that the State was not properly factoring into the equation the necessary infrastructure upgrades absent a stadium. "That number has to be higher," Bagley scoffed, feeling, for some reason, that he and the Vikings had the leverage in the matter.

Then things began to turn sour for the Vikings.

First, some in the media had the audacity to question whether the Vikings were actually playing the local yokals of Ramsey County, a la the team's maneuverings in Anoka County, in the team's bid to secure its true, coveted stadium site in Minneapolis--a place where the team already owns other real estate in slightly less contaminated, already market established grounds. "No way," Bagley shot back, slapping Tony Bennett on the back and sliding a two-dollar bill into Rafael Ortega's pocket. "This is where we want to be. This is where we will be." As an aside, Bagley assured the nearly always pliable gathering of local media that there was no truth to the rumor--not started by the Vikings, he also insisted--that the Vikings had any interest in moving to LA.

Second, the Mayor of St. Paul, Chris Coleman, blanched at doling out money, largely from St. Paul, to finance the Vikings' new stadium. Coleman countered with a proposal so ridiculous that it had no chance of adoption. That proposal also made clear St. Paul's utter disinterest in the commitment that the St. Paul Commissioners resolved to undertake.

Third, the wise leaders of the State elected to embark on a budget impasse during which they made clear to all that they neither understood the purpose of government--to lead in making difficult decisions for the benefit of the citizens--nor could be counted upon to support any measure, good or bad, for anybody other than the person who shouted loudest at the baby-kissing contest that thrust them into office.

The Vikings groaned.

Then, LA County approved "the framework" of a new stadium in LA County. Why the Wilfs cannot be any meaningful part of an LA stadium plan has been covered at length on this site. Suffice it to say, the Wilfs gain nothing from selling to an LA agent that they don't already make in Minnesota and the NFL does not want an existing team in LA, a result that would cost the NFL over $1 billion in franchise fees.

But the Wilf's seized on the news--no, they insist, neither they nor the NFL helped generate the information to push Governor Dayton into a hasty decision--hoping to secure their Minneapolis location or so sweeten the Arden Hills option that even playing in Arden Hills made some sense.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, Lester Bagley did not count on some sly reporting from a Minneapolis Tribune writer handpicked by the team to report on an absurdly staged discussion of how the Vikings have no interest in moving to LA, during training camp in Mankato.

One of the folks that the good people of Ramsey County elected to represent them, the aforementioned Mr. Bennett, was on hand for the "impromptu" Bagley announcement and was eager to meet rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. The star-struck Bennett, no doubt donning his personal coaching fatigues, assured Ponder that he would soon be the starting quarterback. Almost certainly relieved to be receiving confirmation of his impending stardom from such an elite mind, Ponder replied, "I hope so."

Not to be outdone, fellow Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega gushed upon meeting Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier and thanked the coach for "calling my daughter to wish her a happy birthday."

As the gathering began to break, Vikings' wide-receiver Percy Harvin approached the Commissioners, Bagley, and the reporters and shook hands with the Commissioners. Eyeing the cameras, Harvin turned to Bagley--not the Vikings' PR people--and asked whether he was to do interviews too. A funny question, to be sure, of an impromptu gathering. Bagley quietly replied, "No."

For Minnesotans uncertain of whether there is a snake in the grass at Winter Park, there ought no longer be any doubt. For those in Ramsey County heartened enough to vote into office the likes of Bennett and Ortega, however, no amount of wall writing likely will suffice to make clear that you are being had. And like many others across the country, you will receive no sympathy for having elected such clueless officials.

Up Next: Any Fingers Left?

Is Bill Musgrave Vikings' Answer to Tim Brewster?

2011-08-05T11:30:00.007-05:00

New Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has not exactly lit the NFL world on fire with his offensive scheming. For nine of his fourteen-year coaching career, he has served as a quarterbacks coach, a position only slightly more glamorous than the tight-end coaching position so long held by former University of Minnesota head football coach Tim Brewster. For two more seasons, he served as an offensive coordinator at the University of Virginia. Other than the stint in the college ranks, Musgrave has but two years and a handful of games serving as an offensive coordinator at the NFL level, and the results have been anything but impressive.

How rough has it been for Musgrave in the NFL? Consider that his nine years coaching quarterbacks have come with five different teams, the most recent being Atlanta, and that his first four stints as quarterback coach resulted in one and dones with Musgrave leaving his position for the same position with another NFL team. Consider, as well, that, after joining Atlanta as the quarterbacks coach in 2006, Musgrave remained entrenched in a position regarded as a stepping stone position until his departure for Minnesota in 2011.

If the anecdotal does not suffice to chill the cockels of Vikings' fans, consider the performances of Musgraves' offenses.

Musgrave began his coaching career in 1997 as quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders. That season, under the quarterbacking guidance of Jeff George, led to a seventeenth-place offensive finish for the Raiders. The Raiders finished 4-12.

One year later, relieved of his duties in Oakland, Musgrave moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles to serve as quarterbacks coach. With Bobby Hoying, Koy Detmer, and Rodney Peete sharing quarterbacking duties, the Eagles finished 3-13 and 30th in the league in offense.

One year later, relieved of his duties in Philadelphia, Musgrave accepted the quarterbacks coaching position with the Carolina Panthers. Led by Steve Beuerlein, the Panthers finished fourth in the NFL in offense with an 8-8 record. Musgrave's performance, and head coach George Seifert's growing unease with offensive coordinator Gil Haskell's seemingly uneven performances, led Seifert to sack Haskell and promote Musgrave to offensive coordinator in 2000.

Musgrave's promotion in Carolina was short lived, however, as Seifert sacked him a mere four games into the 2000 season. That dismissal came only after Seifert called Musgrave to the floor and chastised his play-calling in front of the team.

After his dismissal from Carolina, Musgrave moved on to the University of Virginia where he served as Al Groh's offensive coordinator for two seasons, with mixed results, despite having Matt Schaub as his starting quarterback.

Subsequent coaching positions in Jacksonville, Washington, and Atlanta, led to similar results, with his final season in Atlanta proving his most resume-worthy, mentoring quarterback Matt Ryan to continued improvement.

In all, Musgrave left only one position on his own accord--that of five-year quarterbacks coach in Atlanta. In that final position, he had one of the better young quarterbacks in the league and was able to bring that player along. With lesser talent, Musgrave clearly has struggled in a role far subordinate to the position he now holds in Minnesota. All of which might explain why his exits from every stop prior to Atlanta were met with relief by the relevant fan bases.

For Vikings' fans searching for hope in Musgrave's hiring and promotion to offensive coordinator, there are at least two indications of promise. The first is that Musgrave has had some success working with veteran quarterbacks. McNabb certainly fits that bill. Although Musgrave did take a good Carolina offense with a veteran quarterback and make it awful under the same quarterback, as quarterbacks coach, he did what he was to have done. If he can get that to translate to similar results as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, the Vikings have reason for optimism.

A second reason for optimism, however muted, is that Musgrave has committed to using the running back in more than the staid, Childress formations, promising to use Adrian Peterson in the slot and get the ball in Peterson's hands through the air--two things that Childress stubbornly refused to do. That still does not address how Musgrave sees the field on a play-by-play basis, but it does offer hope that the imagination to see the field differently than Childress exists within his soul.

On the whole, however, while it is difficult to fathom a less creative offense than that offered by Childress and Darrell Bevell, it is equally difficult to imagine that Musgrave suddenly has become a savant at offensive coordinator. Rather, what Musgrave's track record suggests is that his greatest level of competence is that of quarterbacks coach and that he might not even be much above average in that role. Perhaps having Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Donovan McNabb will help paper over some of Musgrave's heretofore shortcomings. Perhaps not.

Up Next: More Moves?

Debunking Myths

2011-08-03T17:10:00.004-05:00

Two assertions are making the rounds of those covering the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL. One, extant since anyone began giving thought to this year's possible salary cap numbers, is that the Vikings are over the salary cap. The other, current since Tuesday but picking up steam, is that former Viking offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie was a solid player on whom the team could count, week after week. Neither assertion is supported either by the numbers or logic.

Salary Cap

Prior to any free-agent signings, the Vikings were committed to approximately $95 million in base salary in 2011. The only two additional payouts that could increase that figure are pro-rated portions of signing bonuses and unattained "likely-to-be-achieved" incentive bonuses. Incentive bonuses count against the cap for the year in which they are offered and are only meaningful salary cap surprises if the NFL deems that unattained LTAs were unattainable, whereby the NFL attributes the unattained salary to the subsequent year's salary cap.

Under the Wilfs' ownership, the Vikings, as has been noted in this column on previous occasion, have relied on front-loaded roster bonuses. As an aside, and to allay another myth, this strategy actually makes Rob Brzezinski's job one of the easiest in the NFL as he is not asked to make any tough balancing decisions between how much to pay now and how much to pay later. As a non-aside, this reliance on roster bonuses makes the Vikings' salary cap situation more transparent than it is for most other teams as there is limited to no calculation required for pro-rated elements of players' contracts.

What all this means is that even after signing Donovan McNabb, Charlie Johnson, Hussain Abdullah, and Ryan Longwell, the Vikings remain well below the salary cap ceiling of $120 million for 2011. And that would have been true even if the Vikings had not cut Bryant McKinnie or restructured Bernard Berrian's contract--both of which the team did. That means that the Vikings do, in fact, have money to spend on several more free agents, even if the team opts not to reach a long-term agreement with linebacker Chad Greenway (a move the team will make in the very near future) and even if the Vikings rely on roster bonuses in any restructuring or free-agent deals.

The question for Minnesota thus is not whether they have the cap space to sign more free agents but whether they will sign more free agents. Given the team's need to maintain a heightened fan base interest to spur the on-going stadium drive (one of the greatest arguments for limited public funding of NFL stadiums), it is a near certainty that the Vikings will yet add two or three more veterans--particularly players able to fill holes on the offensive line and at defensive end, nose tackle, and/or wide-receiver.

McKinnie Myth

Dove-tailing with the claim that the Vikings are over the salary cap ceiling is the absurd contention that former left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie was even remotely dependable. Rarely has a Viking player been less dependable than McKinnie. Despite all the benefits of a huge frame and purportedly agile feet, McKinnie was a disinterested sloth who routinely lost ground to on-coming defensive linemen.

The eye test is really all that is necessary to assess McKinnie's production in the NFL. In ten NFL seasons, McKinnie had one season that any objective eye test would find worthy of a Pro Bowl. Two years later, as is tradition in the NFL, McKinnie was rewarded for that one season, in the midst of a truly putrid season.

Whether taking a lead pipe to someone's head, failing to be in shape for games, or declining to assist his quarterback off the turf, McKinnie certainly could be counted on during his time in Minnesota. Unfortunately for his teammates and the fans, what he could be counted on was to be little better than a disinterested replacement-level player. He will not be missed either on the field or in the stands, unless one misses seeing the Vikings' quarterback lit up from the blind side.

Up Next: Possible Signings and Goings.

He Gone

2011-08-02T16:39:00.002-05:00

Early Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings did themselves a much belated favor, cutting ties with disinterested left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. The move saves the team approximately $6 million and saves Vikings' fans from what has to have been one of the more horrific two-year runs of blind-side cover in recent NFL history.

The Vikings' cutting of McKinnie comes one day after the team signed former Indianapolis Colts' left offensive tackle Charlie Johnson to a free-agent contract and one day after the team placed McKinnie on the Non-Football-Injury reserve list. At the time of Johnson's signing, the Vikings stated that McKinnie's status was still in flux. McKinnie, himself, suggested that he intended to play for the Vikings in 2011. But whatever the Vikings' intentions yesterday, the team made its determination today that McKinnie will no longer be a part of the Vikings' future. For that, McKinnie has only himself to blame and fans, at long last, have McKinnie to thank.

Serving as a turnstile for much of his tenure in Minnesota, McKinnie was better known for poor footwork, laziness on and off the field, and a penchant for South Beach partying than for providing any semblance of a dedication to football. That McKinnie would allow himself to become so slovenly that the Vikings were forced to cut ties with him when they otherwise were perfectly willing to overpay him merely for his potential, pretty much tells McKinnie's story with the team and suggests an almost certain decline for McKinnie outside of the NFL.

When Brad Childress and Zygi Wilf first entered the picture in Minnesota, they pledged to clean house of all players of suspect character. That mantra rang true, but only to the extent that it applied to players that not only were suspect of character but also suspect in their play. Though McKinnie was not bashful about hitting someone upside the head with a metal bar, Childress found his play worthy of excusing such hijinks. Hence, McKinnie was labeled a "veteran leader," a label that suggested character.

Now that McKinnie's physical disrepair is too apparent to shield from the eyes no matter the mask, McKinnie's run in Minnesota is done. And with more money in the shed, the Vikings ought now be in a better position to reassess other areas of need.

Up Next: Dead Man Walking?

Despite Reports to the Contrary, Salary Cap a Non-Issue for Vikings

2011-07-28T11:25:00.004-05:00

On Friday, assuming the accuracy of current reports, the Minnesota Vikings will finalize a deal that will bring veteran Washington quarterback Donovan McNabb to Minnesota just as the team bids adieu to wide-receiver Sidney Rice. Most in the media are reporting that this is the type of trade-off that the Vikings will need to accept to change their roster this year.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Since Zygi Wilf and company purchased the Minnesota Vikings from Red McCombs for approximately $625 million, ceding McCombs an undeserved profit of nearly $400 million, Wilf has made clear his intention of spending to the salary cap each year in the hope of garnering support for a publicly funded stadium. Those paid by the Vikings to cover the team, and even those whose careers are merely inextricably tied to the fortunes of the Vikings, pointed to Wilf's spending as an example of the team's "long-term commitment to fielding a competitive team in Minnesota."

That contention is, of course, nonsense. But that fact puts the Vikings in far better salary cap position this year than most in the media have yet acknowledged.

The Vikings' modus operandi in spending to the cap under the Wilfs' ownership has quietly been guided by the determination to spend to the cap in year one while freeing up space for spending (or non-spending) in future years. In the NFL, this is a relatively easy accounting move that most teams eschew because they truly are in it for the long haul and they do not want to commit to maximum dollars each and every year.

To explain the difference, consider the Vikings signing a player to a five-year deal for $20 million with $10 million guaranteed. A second team, meanwhile, signs a player to the same five-year deal. The difference between the Vikings' approach and that of most other NFL teams, however, is that while the latter will designate the $10 million in guaranteed money a "signing bonus," the Vikings tend to designate the guaranteed money in almost every case as a "roster bonus."

The Vikings' approach accelerates all guaranteed money to year-one salary cap commitments while the signing bonus is pro-rated over the life of the contract. For the Vikings, the benefit is two-fold--it gets the team up to the salary cap in a hurry and it pays off the guaranteed portions of contracts (i.e., the portions that must count against the salary cap) up front.

In 2010, the Vikings had approximately $126 million in salary cap commitments. With the new CBA establishing a salary cap of $120 million, some members of the media reported that the Vikings were $5 million over the salary cap for 2011. Based on the Vikings' approach--and the actual known salary numbers--that figure is grossly exaggerated.

For currently signed players, the Vikings have commitments in the neighborhood of $95 million. That number will go up when McNabb's contract is finalized.

McNabb's figure could quickly propel the Vikings' cap hit above $105 million--but that, again, assumes that the Vikings continue to rely on a roster rather than signing bonus with McNabb. Should the Vikings rely on a signing bonus and multi-year contract for McNabb, they can sign him with minimal impact to the 2011 salary cap, leaving even more room to sign additional players.

In short, the Vikings have as many options as do most other teams in the league--including those teams widely regarded as having extensive salary cap space. And that considerable space assumes that the Vikings retain the players that have not yet left or been cut by the team--players like Madieu Williams who will count over $5 million against the Vikings' 2011 cap if retained but nothing if cut, Bryant McKinnie ($4.9 million) and Bernard Berrian ($3.9 million). If the Vikings are able to sign an offensive tackle, McKinnie and his $4.9 million cap hit will reduce to zero. Berrian's hit of zero likely was determined last year.

The question for Minnesota is not, then, whether they have cap room to sign the players that they need to make another run at the Super Bowl. Rather, the question is whether they will take advantage of the cap situation in which they almost uniquely have placed themselves to build a team around veterans Adrian Peterson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Donovan McNabb, Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, Antoine Winfield, Ryan Longwell, Percy Harvin, and Chris Kluwe, that gives them such an opportunity. That question is left to be answered.

Up Next: Receivers and Blockers.

With Lockout Near End Vikings Likely in a Position to Make Big Moves

2011-07-21T10:55:00.005-05:00

With the NFL and the NFLPA appeared headed for an imminent labor accord, the Minnesota Vikings soon will be in a position to weigh their options for proceeding with the 2011 NFL season. Unlike most other teams, and certainly more so than any other team in their division, the Vikings are at a crossroad that might be irresolvable in the short term. But with the near certainty of money to spend and free-agents to lure, the future might be less dire than it currently appears.

As yet, there is no clear picture of what the new collective-bargaining agreement between the NFL and the soon-to-be-resurrected NFLPA will look like. While it is possible that the agreement will significantly curtail what otherwise would have been a banner year for free agency, that seems unlikely given what the lockout was all about--gaining for the NFL a greater percentage of the league's profits in exchange for something for the players. Conceding both gross/net profits and permitting curtailment of free-agency likely would not fit that bill.

That suggests that the NFL will experience the most bountiful free-agency period in league history when the labor dispute is resolved, leaving the most paramount question for teams in need of free agents what the salary cap will be in 2011.

With only a handful of free agents worth resigning and a healthy salary cap situation (assuming certain personnel decisions and CBA terms), the Vikings could be in strong position to sign numerous high-end free agents, particularly if they eschew any temptation to secure a high-end free-agent quarterback.

Among the Vikings' primary free-agent targets ought to be offensive linemen. Numerous linemen should be available in the draft, including New England Patriot Logan Mankins. The key for the Vikings will be to sort through the options and to sign two or three established linemen with significant years left in them. That will shore up the team's greatest weakness from the past two seasons and allow the team to focus on building around a young quarterback without having that quarterback--Joe Webb or Christian Ponder--suffer the mechanical lapses frequently associated with a collapsing or sieve pocket.

In addition to the offensive line, the Vikings are in need of a wide-receiver--either Sidney Rice or a capable replacement, a sure-handed, quick running back, yet another cornerback, a defensive end, a safety, and a linebacker. In short, the team is in need of most everything outside of a tight end. By late Thursday, they might already be on the road to addressing these needs.

Up Next: NFL Bubble?

LA Stadium "Deal" Outshines Minnesota's Dullard and Obtuse Politics

2011-07-15T09:12:00.005-05:00

The not so surprising word out of Los Angeles is that the purportedly "done deal" of a new NFL-ready football stadium in downtown Los Angeles apparently is not so done. As a fiscal matter, that ought to shock nobody outside of those eagerly standing in line to swallow the constant swill that the NFL and its ownership partners have been dishing out in attempts to garner team owners lucrative, publicly funded stadiums; Los Angeles, like the rest of the State of California, is in a financial mess and spending hundreds of millions on a new stadium is unlikely to do much to change that for the better.

The citizens of Los Angeles seemingly finally understand the illogic of the Anschutz-proposed stadium deal, however, and are beginning to make clear that, in this financial climate, real, rather than fanciful, financial decisions ought finally to prevail. That means no stadium deal on the public dime--certainly not without a team committing to sharing team revenues with the party footing the bills.

While Los Angeles undergoes its epiphany, the people of Minnesota are looking more and more like the people of Los Angeles, pre-epiphany. On Thursday, Minnesota DFL Governor Mark Dayton acquiesced to what the Republican-led state legislature essentially offered on June 30 as a new state budget. This, after two weeks of a state shutdown that kept "essential" services flowing while cutting off many state revenue streams.

Not satisfied with their inability to hammer out a budget deal by the state mandated deadline--but, as in the case of many legislators, perfectly willing to accept overtime pay as compensation for this inability--the Governor and Legislature offered a proposal that yet again balances the state budget by borrowing from the future, with the cornerstone of the deal a tradeoff of a portion of the tobacco settlement money today for future money from the fund. It is, of course, a dramatic loss for all who live beyond today and who will not have the luxury of selling off future assets to cover debts created earlier. In short, it is the height of fiscal irresponsibility.

Considering the move that legislators and the Governor have made to mortgage Minnesota's future without resolving underlying budget issues, it is no small wonder that the brethren of those same people, those serving Ramsey County, are proposing a similarly dysfunctional spending spree, without meaningful evidence of necessary public revenue streams, to build the Vikings a new stadium in Arden Hills.

Ramsey County's decision, of course, came against the backdrop of not one but two proposed LA-area, NFL-ready football stadiums. This, despite much evidence strongly suggesting the unlikelihood of either deal actually going through in the near term and further suggesting that the NFL is unlikely to allow an NFL team to relocate to LA--and that the Wilf's are, in any case, a highly unlikely relocation animal, given the limited return on relocating versus staying in Minnesota.

With LA seemingly set to pull the plug even on discussions about a publicly funded NFL-ready stadium, one ought to expect the entire Ramsey County stadium deal to undergo thorough reconsideration, if not outright rejection. That's what one would have expected of a state once lauded for balancing present and future interests and making wise decisions for its residents. If yesterday's budget deal is any indication, however, the Vikings ought to feel at least marginally comforted by the possibility that Minnesota is attempting to assume California's moniker--"only in."

Up Next: Favre's Interest Ought to Peak Vikings' Sensibilities.

Vikings Give Nod to Ponder

2011-06-03T11:44:00.003-05:00

When the Minnesota Vikings selected quarterback Christian Ponder in the first round of this year's NFL draft, Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier stated that the selection had no bearing on who would be the team's starter in 2011 and that the competition for the position remained "an open one." If common sense were not enough to tell you that this is not the Vikings' plan, this week's events ought to.

Having used a high first-round draft pick to select Ponder, the Vikings left themselves only two meaningful options at quarterback in 2011. One option is to sign a veteran quarterback to hold the position while Ponder learns the playbook and gets up to speed on the speed and designs of the NFL. The other is immediately to throw Ponder into the fire.

Neither option is very appealing for a team half-filled with aging stars and laden with a weak offensive. But, given the high-draft pick invested in Ponder, both options are far more sensible--save for considerations of Webb's talent that the Vikings clearly have no interest in--than starting Webb. For starting Webb only opens the Vikings up to criticism for using this year's pick on Ponder, should Webb, as one ought to expect, perform well at quarterback. No doubt, the Vikings have no interest in treading down that path.

This week's events only further laid bare the Vikings' true intentions regarding Ponder, however. At the outset of the week, the Vikings leaked that Ponder was orchestrating a mini-camp of his own to include several veterans--most notably, Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice. The leak was intended to demonstrate that Ponder had both the ear of veterans and the work ethic of an already entrenched NFL quarterback. That was to have been the springboard for the Vikings' Fall decision to give Ponder the nod at starting quarterback.

Of course, the entire episode was orchestrated by the Vikings and was not instigated by Ponder, who, nevertheless, undoubtedly welcomed the opportunity to step into the starter's role without ever competing for the position on the field. But the affair backfired when key veterans--Harvin, Rice, and Berrian, if Berrian can be considered a "key" anything--opted out of the mini-camp, leaving Ponder essentially to work out with rookies.

The situation became more embarrassing for the Vikings and Ponder when Ponder revealed that he had access to a limited version of new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's playbook for 2011--access that Webb apparently was not afforded.

The result of the Ponder mini-camp was to leave the Vikings appearing obsessed with demonstrating Ponder's leadership abilities, an attribute clearly intended as early justification for granting Ponder a leg up on Webb in the starting quarterback race while also justifying the team's failure, should it come to pass, for not signing a legitimate veteran quarterback to take over if and when Ponder shows he is not ready to start behind a shaky offensive line.

The Vikings have made their decision at quarterback for the long haul. There is no question that they believe that Ponder is the right player to lead the team. But force-feeding Ponder as leader to the fans smacks too much of former coach Brad Childress' obsession with foisting upon the fans Tarvaris Jackson and not enough of the new, low-key professionalism that was to have been the Frazier regime. For Vikings' fans, the hope is that the result at least differs this time.

Up Next: Barnum Would Have Loved Ramsey County.

Vikings' 2011 Fortunes Tied to Free Agency

2011-05-15T10:27:00.002-05:00

If and when the NFL and NFL Players' Association reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, one of the more anticipated resolutions will be which players will be free agents and under what terms. The closer to the beginning of the scheduled season the negotiations become, the greater the likelihood that any agreement will greatly curtail what otherwise would have been the mother load of all NFL free-agency periods.

Assuming that all those eligible for free-agency reach the free-agent market in 2011, however, virtually any team with holes to fill will have the opportunity to do so--if they are willing to pay the cost. For Minnesota Vikings' fans, that's the most encouraging news since Bud Grant retook the reins from Les Steckel.

With gaping holes along the offensive line, at wide receiver, in the backfield, along the defensive line, and in the secondary, the Vikings could not have asked for a better time for such riches in free agency. And given the team's determination under the Wilf ownership to minimize future expenses by relying on roster, rather than pro-rated signing bonuses, the Vikings will have as much cap space as almost any team in the league, assuming the new CBA has cap stipulations.

There should be numerous high-quality players available for the Vikings to consider along both the offensive and defensive lines in this year's free-agency period. On offense, tackles Tyson Clabo (ATL) and Adam Goldberg (STL) and guards Logan Mankins (NE) and Carl Nicks (NO) should be available. Goldberg is probably best suited to play right guard, but can fill in at right tackle and left guard, if necessary. He, thus, would give the Vikings some flexibility, if not also a starter, that they have not had since he last donned purple and gold.

Clabo, too, is best suited to play on the right side, but is good enough to play any of the non-center spots along the line and certainly an upgrade at left tackle over Bryant McKinnie. Signing Clabo would give the Vikings one of the best offensive linemen in the league and give the team considerable flexibility in using its other current linemen, offering the option of moving McKinnie to the right side and pairing him in some combination with Phil Loadholt.

McKinnie also could become expendable if the Vikings make either of the above moves on exterior linemen and also sign an interior lineman. Two of the more compelling options in the interior are Mankins and Nicks. Either player would be an upgrade over either Anthony Herrera or the persistently ailing Steve Hutchinson.

Solidifying the offensive line, a unit the decline of which became increasingly noticeable when Mike Tice's departure exposed the smoke and mirrors with which Tice was forced to operate, would greatly enhance the prospects of any quarterback starting in the Vikings' backfield and ought to have the corollary effect of improving both the running and passing games.

The running and passing games would benefit, too, from an infusion of a "change-of-pace" back and a deep threat at wide-receiver. At running back, the Vikings could have numerous free-agent options, including Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG), Jerious Norwood (ATL), Joseph Addai (IND), and, on the lower end, Mewelde Moore (PIT). Bradshaw clearly is the cream of this crop, offering both a brutish and quick runner and a pass-catching threat, while Norwood, Addai, and Moore would offer a speedier, pass-catching option out of the backfield. Any of these signings at running back would make Toby Gerhart expendable--a win-win for all but Gerhart.

Pairing the addition of a speedy, pass-catching back with a speedy, strong, downfield threat would round out the Vikings' offense quite nicely, assuming that the Vikings' offensive scheme and quarterback play out as the team hopes. While there are numerous downfield threat options likely to be available in this year's free-agency, among the best are Santonio Holmes (NYJ), Malcolm Floyd (SD), and Steve Breaston (ARI). Holmes might not fit the image that the Vikings have pretended to admire under the Wilfs' ownership, Floyd might be too mercurial, and Breaston might be an injury risk, but, if any of these players plays up to their average ability, the Vikings would have a significant upgrade at the downfield threat position over even the 2009 version of Sidney Rice.

Solidifying an offense with its most substantial question mark at the most critical position will take some considerable effort by the Minnesota Vikings' front office, if and when free-agency arrives. If the team takes advantage of what should be a sizable advantage in cap space and what likely will be one of the greatest free-agency periods in NFL history, however, the Vikings could still pull off the improbable and compete with the haves of the 2011 NFL, rather than lamenting a long rebuilding cycle.

Up Next: Reshaping the Defense.

A Tribute to Killebrew

2011-05-13T12:55:00.002-05:00

On Friday, May 13, former Minnesota Twins' slugger, Harmon Killebrew, announced that his battle with esophageal cancer was nearing its end. As always, Harmon's statement, focused on the Twins, his wife, and his acceptance of his fate, reflected the class and dignity that Harmon forever has exuded.

Throughout the 1960s and into the 70s, Harmon was as ferocious a hitter as ever played the game of baseball. His 11 all-star appearances and MVP season were more than matched, however, by his unwavering following among Twins' fans. Among those adoring fans was my grandmother, who went to Twins games not so much because she liked the game of baseball, but more because she was enamored with Harmon--his skill, his style, and his genuineness on and off the field.

Nearly a decade ago, my grandfather, a die-hard Twin and Viking fan, passed away. My grandmother was despondent. Knowing of her eternal fondness for Harmon Killebrew, I sent an e-mail to Twins' President Dave St. Peter inquiring whether it was possible to obtain a photo of Harmon for my grandmother.

Mr. St. Peter asked for my grandmother's address. I sent it, never expecting to hear back.

Two weeks later, I received a call from my father informing me that my grandmother had received a photograph of Harmon depicting him in his playing days. Accompanying the photo was a personalized message from Harmon.

When my grandmother passed away two years ago, she had lived long enough to distribute most of her possessions to her children and grandchildren. Among those items she passed along were numerous photographs.

Among the very few items that my grandmother retained until her death, however, was the personalized photograph of Harmon. However silly to some, the photograph and accompanying expression of sympathy and encouragement were invaluable to my grandmother, helping her make it through a very difficult time in her life.

Though Harmon's run here appears to be nearing an end, hopefully he will leave knowing that, like my grandmother, those who even had a passing affair with him cherished the experience. If there is something after this life, surely Harmon will make that something better for those around him.

Mondale Joins Self-Serving in Pitching Vikings' Stadium Deal on Vikings' Terms

2011-05-08T10:45:00.004-05:00

When the Minnesota Vikings first appeared on the Minnesota landscape fifty years ago, the team was comprises almost exclusively of individuals who played football as a second career, working in Minneapolis and the limited surrounding areas as their day job. That environment was closely analogous to the life of current Division I college football players who benefit from the love of the local fans to spot jobs and other opportunities in the off-season and reap other benefits throughout the year.

In those olden days, Vikings players routinely lived in Minnesota throughout the year, made friends, and stayed in the community after their playing days had come to an end. That connection was highlighted by the enduring community influence of players such as Alan Page, Bill Brown, Chuck Foreman, and Joe Sensor, among many, many other former Vikings' greats, and the tragic life arc of beloved Viking Karl Kassulke, who, three years ago, succumbed to the lingering damage resulting from a motorcycle accident just before training camp was to open in 1973.

The old days are mostly gone in Vikingland, however, with most players keeping their official residences far from Minnesota and the ownership group setting up shop, and registering their umbrella business entities, outside the State of Minnesota.

While the environment of professional sports has changed greatly since the 1960s, one thing that has not changed in Minnesota is the incestuousness of the local sports marketing network, a network that is now pulling out all of the stops to ensure that, even if those only staying the night are pitching something the benefits of which are so dramatically skewed in their favor, there ought be no reason why the heirs to the established families of Minnesota should not at least benefit from their presence.

In 1998, the DFL put forth four candidates for the post of Governor. Those four candidates were current Governor and heir to the Dayton's fortune, Mark Dayton, son of former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Skip Humphrey, son of former Minnesota Governor Orville Freeman, Mike Freeman, and son of former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale, Ted Mondale. All, of course, failed in their bid for the post. But all have maintained the ties that have offered them opportunities that most people without their connections ever are so gifted.

It was of little surprise, then, to see Ted Mondale make a career for himself carried in his father's footsteps. In 2011, needing another gig, Mondale prevailed upon his fellow silver-spooned-birther, Mark Dayton, for the post of Commissioner of the Metropolitan Sports Facility.

Since assuming the role of MSF Commissioner, Mondale's aim has been clear, if also singular. That aim has been the building of a new Vikings' football stadium. Despite Mondale's claims to the contrary, that aim includes no meaningful concern about the cost of that stadium to the public or whether the vast majority of even the current season-ticket-holding fan base will be able to afford attending Vikings' games in a new stadium.

Mondale's self-serving stadium pitch is far more transparent than Mondale likely believes it to be. Two weeks ago, he echoed Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat's contention that any new stadium in Minneapolis/Hennepin County would require at least a fifty percent contribution from the team. Opat seemed resolute that that number be at least fifty, perhaps much higher, and that the terms would require considerable negotiation with respect to various possible revenue streams and which party would profit from which revenue streams. Mondale seemed less resolute.

This week, Mondale showed his true colors, the type of colors, contending that the Vikings better be ready to pony up forty percent of the cost of the stadium--"maybe even high forties."

Mondale's current position would be disingenuous if retention of his post were based on merit or if he even needed to retain his post. Instead, his current position is merely condescending to all Minnesotans. That's because Mondale's current position is really no different from the Vikings' initial offering many years ago for a stadium constructed without a roof and for a stadium for which all of the revenue streams flow to the team. In short, what Mondale is attempting to do is pass off as a substantial gain for Minnesotans and taxpayers a plan that varies not one iota from what the Vikings pitched from the beginning--a plan that will make the Vikings a fortune and return to the State and governing municipality a pittance of what that entity would recover were someone truly representing the State/municipality's interests negotiating a deal with the team.

I've written numerous times on the potential value of a stadium deal to the governing municipality when such a deal fully takes into account all future revenue streams for a new stadium--parking, signage, naming rights, concessions, seat licensing, ticket sales, merchandise, other uses, etc. With his most recent attempt to create a false midnight in which Hennepin and Ramsey County purportedly are bidding against each other, Mondale has demonstrated both his disdain for Minnesotans and his priority of enriching yet another son of wealth in exchange for favors down the road. If the new stadium bears the name of "Mondale" we'll know for certain.

The path to a new Vikings stadium remains one of diligent negotiation that pairs benefits with public cost on a sliding scale. The more money the public commits, the more revenue the public receives. Somewhere along this continuum there is a point of equilibrium at which the Vikings and the public can be satisfied. Even without additional information, adopting the Vikings' original low-ball offer as the starting point for the public side of the negotiations is both a disservice to the public and a clear benefit only to the person negotiating.

Up Next: Will the Courts Order a Return to Business?

It's Not Thanksgiving, But Vikings Still Grateful for Twins

2011-05-03T10:14:00.002-05:00

Nothing smooths over off-season mistakes in the NFL quite like the misfortunes and bumblings of the local MLB team. When that team is the Minnesota Twins, even a questionable draft at one of the more critical junctures in the NFL team's history, seems acceptable.

For many years, this site has attempted to hold the Vikings organization accountable for its on- and off-the-field exploits, suggested moves and changes, critiqued moves, and applauded the relatively sparse moments due such credit. The rationale for this approach is simple--most, if not all, of the local media covering the Vikings are too heavily invested in the enterprise to do anything other than cheerlead. Even when the Vikings stand as one of the few, if not only, teams to select a bona fide starter at a position of need for 2011, the vast majority of those covering the Vikings have fallen back on the tired cliche, lifted this year from the mouth of Vikings' Director of Pro Personnel, Rick Spielman, that "we need to wait 3-4 years to assess this draft." That's a convenient excuse for all who produce suspect results and not very comforting either for fans or team veterans who do not have 3-4 years to wait.

Similar unquestioning coverage allows the Minnesota Twins to hide behind a thin veneer masking the teams annual problems. This year, with the team facing non-division rivals right out of the gate and much-improved division rivals shortly thereafter, the Twins have struggled. They have struggled to pitch, hit, field, run bases, and, yes, to coach and assess talent.

The current wisdom by the paid media, allowed only after the Twins stopped contending that "if this were an NFL season we'd still be in the first half of game one," is that the players on the field--read, the players with small contracts--are the problem. To be certain, Alexi Casilla and any relief pitcher previously considered only for a mop-up role in other MLB stops, are a tremendous part of the problem. But so, too, have been virtually all other players on the team.

Whether Morneau is making the Bad News Bears look professional in a botched run-down play, Denard Span is being picked off of first yet again, Michael Cuddyer is overthrowing the cut-off and launching one over the catcher's head, Sal Butera is creating a new Butera-zone (.100 BA), Francisco Liriano cannot find the strike zone, yet again, or players are routinely injured to the point that they are unable to play for long stretches at a time, the players on the current version of the Twins certainly bear much of the burden for the team's awful play.

That awful play, however, is really only different in marginal kind to the type of play long exhibited by the Twins. Since Ron Gardenhire took over for Tom Kelly, the Twins have "prided" themselves on playing Twins' baseball. Ostensibly, that meant moving the runners into scoring position, making efficient use of the hit and run, driving in runners from second and third with less than two out, working the opposing pitcher, leading the league in fielding (factoring in chances), hitting the cut-off, reading pitchers and pitch counts, and being accountable or being gone.

Under Gardenhire's watch the slide immediately began. Although the Twins have qualified for several post-seasons under Gardenhire, they have done so almost exclusively due to the weakness of the remainder of the division. With Kansas City, Detroit, and Cleveland re-joining the ranks of major league teams, the Twins no longer can pad a .400 non-division record with a .700 division record and make it into the playoffs.

The reason the Twins are in this predicament is not just because the current players cannot get the job done, however, but also because the current manager either does not preach or does not properly teach the fundamentals of baseball, and the current over-his-head General Manager, Billy Smith, does not know how to assess talent.

Despite the highest payroll in team history, the Twins are on pace to finish the season last of all MLB teams. Without an injection of speed at all outfield spots, MLB capable players up the middle (catcher, short, second, pitcher), a semblance of a starting pitching staff that includes at least one true number one starter and one true number two, better base running, and, generally, vastly improved fundamentals, the Twins face their current predicament not only for the remainder of this season, but also for the next several seasons.

What needs to go? That's the easy question. The Twins need a center fielder who can hit and cover ground, freeing up Denard Span to move to a corner position--preferably to Cuddyer's after-trade position. They also need a shortstop and second-baseman who have range, can field, and can hit above .225 with at least one of the two having some slugging power; the team had this last season, but felt they could improve on what they had by offering what they did this season. Clearly, along with the trades of Johan Santana, Wilson Ramos, and Jose Morales, and the permitted departures of Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain, the decision represents yet another coup for Smith.

This suggests that, in addition to several players that they are likely to obtain only in off-season free-agency, the Twins need also consider hiring a competent front office person to allow Smith to devote more time to mastering the art of proper tie-tying and suit-sizing. And maybe it's time to recall Tom Kelly or check on the status of Phil Roof, or anyone whose mind-set is not characterized by the philosophy that the number two spot in the lineup is the place to hide a weak bat.

Though the Vikings are coming off a 6-10 season with the strong possibility, absent some substantial free-agent acquisitions, of failing to return to the playoffs in 2011, they can at least lay claim, however faint the title may be, to being the best run "professional" sports franchise in the market. At least they have that going for them. For that, they owe a strong debt of gratitude to the Twins being who we thought they were.

Up Next: Assuming Free-Agency...

Candies and Nuts for Eternal Optimists

2011-05-01T11:14:00.003-05:00

When a team leaves a draft with its most ardent supporters--i.e., its Director of Pro Personnel and head coach--mustering little more than the usual self-congratulations, qualified with the statement that "we won't know until 3-4 years from now how this draft pans out," there is little reason for jubilation among the fan base. Nor is there much reason for excitement, even granting the Vikings' most optimistic self(serving)-evaluations of their draft, given what the Vikings did not accomplish in the draft.

For the record, with the number twelve pick in the draft, the Vikings, needing four to five offensive linemen, a defensive end, an interior defensive lineman, a cornerback, a safety, a legitimate number two running back, a safety, and possibly a wide-receiver, selected a rookie quarterback whom head coach Leslie Frazier contends will compete with Joe Webb for the starting quarterback spot in 2011.

I've noted before the absurdity of this contention. There is zero point to selecting Christian Ponder at twelve if he is not regarded as an immediate starter or at least better than what is essentially a seasoned rookie in Webb. If Webb, at nearly the same point in his career as Ponder, truly enters camp on equal footing with Ponder, as a viable candidate for starting quarterback, there was no reason to draft Ponder.

Most alarming, however, is the signal that Ponder's selection sends to the numerous quality veterans on the Vikings' current roster. Drafting Ponder means that the Vikings either are willing to embark on the process of breaking an unseasoned rookie quarterback at the expense of the remainder of the careers of such players as Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson, Kevin Williams, and, possibly, Pat Williams, or that the Vikings intend to pick up a veteran quarterback to start at quarterback in 2011. If the answer is the former, the Vikings may as well trade off as many valuable pieces as they can and truly begin the "rebuilding process."

If the answer is the latter, then, of course, drafting Ponder was an utter waste of a high, first-round draft pick, as, by the Vikings' own admission, they do not yet know what they have in Ponder and it really doesn't matter anyway.

Even if Ponder succeeds as the franchise quarterback that the Vikings must believe him to be taking him with the number twelve pick in the draft and committing to him number twelve pick dollars on his first contract, and even if Ponder is able to start this season, the pick makes no sense not just because the Vikings already had Joe Webb as the quarterback to groom, but, more significantly, because the Vikings failed to shore up their most glaring weakness, the five positions along the offensive line--the positions that protect the quarterback.

Although Minnesota selected offensive linemen late in the draft, there is no reason to believe that any of those linemen will be any better this year than what the Vikings put on the field in 2010. That means that, even if the newly drafted, late-round linemen succeed in wresting away a starting spot from Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, John Sullivan, Anthony Herrera, or Phil Loadholt, the result probably will be no better than similar to last year's pathetic performance by the line. For a rookie quarterback, that's a recipe for a short career--either as a result of injury or as a consequence of shock, the kind that ended Joey Harrington's starting career.

There is some hope in this draft, however. At least if one is an eternal optimist. That hope rests in the fact that the Vikings have at least settled on a quarterback, added another blocking tight end who can also catch the ball, and found some bigger bodies ostensibly to compete for positions on the offensive line. And the team drafted yet another late-round safety, either confirming their own assessment of Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson or offering yet another excuse for an outdated defensive scheme.

If the Vikings found even one starter for the offensive line, found a capable starter in Ponder, can move Webb to receiver where he immediately flourishes, have a replacement for Pat Williams, found someone who can put pressure on the (opposing) quarterback, and identified a safety (or scheme) that results in improvements over last year's secondary, the Vikings might be able to compete with the much improved Detroit Lions, the already talented, yet also improved, Green Bay Packers, and the also improved Bears.

But as other teams in the NFC North and NFC clearly upgraded their talent in this year's draft, the Vikings were content, even intent, on selecting a group of players with only one even remotely "sure thing." And that player, former Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph, plays a position where the Vikings arguably already had their greatest depth.

Asked to explain Rudolph's selection, Rick Spielman stated that the team was drafting the "best available player" at that point in the draft and that Rudolph fit that characterization. Why the Vikings were not selecting the best available player early in the first round of the draft, when there were at least five players that arguably fit that bill and fit a critical team need, even ahead of quarterback, was neither asked nor answered.

Up Next: Vikings Need to Make Big Moves in Free Agency, Assuming There is Any Meaningful Free Agency.

Patriots Twist Knife in Vikings' Wound

2011-04-30T11:23:00.002-05:00

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings gifted the New England Patriots a third-round pick for mercurial wide-receiver Randy Moss, a player that the Patriots no longer valued and a player that the Vikings rarely used before cutting him outright. The move was yet another example of the Vikings' front office speaking highly of second-day draft picks and acting conversely--see similar disregard for such picks involving trading up to take Toby Gerhart and trading up to take Tarvaris Jackson, neither of whom was targeted by any other team anywhere near where the Vikings took them.

In the second round of this year's NFL college entry draft, the Patriots added insult to their theft of the Vikings' third-round pick in this year's draft, selecting with that pick University of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet. Mallet, arguably the most physically gifted quarterback in this year's draft, was one of the quarterbacks in whom the Vikings had displayed a clear interest. The Vikings backed off of Mallet, however, due in large part, if not exclusively, to Mallet's tendency toward jackassedness. That the Patriots, a team that rarely misses in its evaluation of players, opted to roll the dice on Mallet in the third round not only suggests that Mallet might be redeemable, but also provides the Patriots with yet another high-caliber talent obtained on the cheap.

Thus, while Minnesota pays first-round money to a player that either will sit for one or two years or learn on the job behind what is now a weak offensive line, the Patriots will have a more physically gifted quarterback learning from one of the best quarterbacks and best coaches in the league and will pay him virtually nothing.

If ever there was a metaphor signaling the difference between where the Vikings' and Patriots' organizations currently stand, it is symbolized by the Patriots' selection of Mallet with the Vikings' pick.

Up Next: Vikings solidify offensive line--kind of.

Spielman and Frazier Add Fuel to the Draft Fire

2011-04-29T16:46:00.004-05:00

With the seventh overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected University of South Carolina wide-receiver Troy Williamson. Entering the draft, the Vikings' draft wonks insisted that their draft decisions would not be motivated by any desire to replace the recently traded wide-receiver, Randy Moss. They insisted as much in even stronger terms after selecting Williamson. While most fans scoffed at the Vikings' claims--both before and after the draft--many, knowing too little about Williamson, deferred to those drafting as "knowing more than us."

Though the Vikings entered this year's draft clear that they would consider a top quarterback if one were to fall in their laps, when the team subsequently selected the fifth or sixth best quarterback in a thoroughly mediocre class for quarterbacks, most fans rightfully balked, questioning whether the Vikings took a quarterback simply to take a quarterback.

Never one to allay fan fears, Vikings' Director of Pro Personnel, Rick Spielman, commented that the Vikings "had to swing sometime" and absurdly stated that "nobody knows what quarterbacks will be in next year's draft." Setting aside Spielman's clearly erroneous claim, his suggestion that the Vikings swung this year in selecting Christian Ponder certainly smacks of taking a risk at a position in the draft in which risk-taking to fill a need was not required.

Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier did nothing to calm concerns over the Vikings' waste of a high pick or Spielman's oblivious and disconcerting statements, contending that he really liked what he saw from Ponder at the Senior Bowl and at workouts and that, while he did not feel that great about the quarterback spot before the first round of this year's draft, he is excited about the Vikings' options now?

Clearly, Frazier is cut from the Mike Tice mold of being willing to be dazzled by workouts, even when the workouts suggest far greater ability than is warranted from a player's greater body of work. As Tice was wowed by Troy Williamson's speed in workouts, Frazier was wowed by Ponder's workouts.

More disconcerting, however, was Frazier's suggestion that he went from discouraged to excited about the Vikings' 2011 quarterback position with the selection of Ponder--a claim he made in conjunction with the statement that he planned to keep Joe Webb at quarterback.

Never mind that Webb remains the Vikings' best option at quarterback. Barring a grievous injury to Ponder, Ponder's selection makes Webb virtually irrelevant at the position. By drafting Ponder, the Vikings have committed to one of two things. Either Ponder is the starter in 2011 or a veteran is the starter and Ponder is the understudy. Webb is a no longer part of the equation--again, despite the fact that he is a better prospect than Ponder.

Up Next: More Rounds.

Much to the Misfortune of Vikings' Fans, Vikings Competing at Different Level in Draft

2011-04-28T23:10:00.002-05:00

On Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings continued their long tradition of torturing their fans with inexplicable draft day decisions. Such inexplicabilities are far-ranging and numerous.

Last year, the Vikings traded out of the first round and used the return on that trade to trade up in the second round to take superbust fullback Toby Gerhart. In 2005, the year that the Green Bay Packers drafted Aaron Rogers at the end of the first round, the Vikings used two first-round selections to take Troy Williamson and Erasmus James. In 1997, the team used its first three picks on Dwayne Rudd, Torrian Gray, and Stalin Colinet. In 1996, the Vikings used their number one pick on Duane Clemons, in 1995 on Derrick Alexander. And, of course, in 1999, they burned a first-round pick on Dimitrius Underwood, a player that Michigan State's own coaching staff warned the Vikings was, unfortunately, mentally ill and ill-suited for the NFL.

Of course, the Vikings have had their share of solid first-round selections, including Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Kevin Williams, Randy Moss, Robert Smith, Randall McDaniel, Chris Doleman, Joey Browner, Chuck Foreman, Ron Yary, Jeff Siemon, Alan Page, and Carl Eller, to name the most prominent. But all of these great Vikings' first-round picks had one very common thread--all were great college players and all came without any questions about whether they would succeed in the NFL. The same cannot be said of this year's first-round pick.

Selecting a quarterback rated sixth or seventh best in the draft on most draft boards with the number twelve selection in the draft defies all logic. Either the Vikings know something about Christian Ponder that nobody else knows, or the team simply does not understand the drafting game at the same level as the contenders in the league.

Entering the draft, the Vikings had numerous needs. Nowhere on that list was there an entry for an unpolished, rookie quarterback. The Vikings already have Joe Webb. Conventional wisdom, if there is such a thing at Winter Park, dictated that the Vikings shore up Webb's surroundings or at least make the offense less harried by shoring up a weakness on defense. Either route was defensible.

Rather than making a defensible, logical move, however, the Vikings opted for the inexplicable. How inexplicable? So inexplicable, so oblivious, that the Vikings' own draft day cheerleaders were dumbstruck, forced to take a commercial break to come up with a rational explanation for drafting Ponder. Alas, even after the break, no such revelations were forthcoming.

What Ponder's drafting means is that Minnesota is content in passing on the best college cornerback in the draft, confident, apparently, that Chris Cook, Antoine Winfield, and Cedric Griffin all will be healthy and good enough to mask the weaknesses in both defensive scheme and safety play, that offensive line issues can be addressed through free-agency, that a veteran quarterback capable of starting in the NFL can be found in free agency, and that the pending suspension of Kevin Williams somehow can be papered over.

Ponder's selection also suggests that Leslie Frazier has stolen one of Brad Childress' most ill-conceived schemes, that the Vikings think that it is more about the scheme than the players, and that the Vikings think they have in Bill Musgrave what nobody else thinks they have in Bill Musgrave.

In short, if, as appears to be the case, the Vikings are intent on beginning the season with Ponder at quarterback--or anyone at quarterback without the athleticism of someone like Joe Webb--the Vikings almost certainly are staring at an NFC North cellar finish yet again in 2011. For a team with so many high caliber players, that truly would be a waste of talent and yet another sign that the Vikings are critically behind their competitive brethren where it most matters--in the planning stages.

Up Next: Picking Up the Pieces.

Trading Down Not An Option for Vikings; Ingram in Mix?

2011-04-27T14:17:00.004-05:00

The last time the Minnesota Vikings traded down in the NFL college entry draft, they landed Chris Cook rather than the player most presumed that they would have taken had they not traded down, running back Jahvid Best. When not injured last season, Cook looked every bit as lost as he apparently was as an academic. Best, meanwhile, despite his own injuries, provided the Lions everything that the Vikings lost when they cut ties with Adrian Peterson's former security blanket, Chester Taylor.

Now, it appears, the Vikings are preparing to mine the same unsavory waters that resulted in last year's unsatisfying yield, but with a far worse plan. Rather than targeting a specific player as players come off the board in the latter regions of the first round, the Vikings are openly talking about trading out of the first third of the opening round--the area where a bona fide starter absolutely will be available--to "load up on picks." In Minnesota, we know that's code for loading up nothing of value and hoping that reaches lead to something.

In the NFL, reaches rarely amount to anything other than a reach. That's why, in an era of near full draftee transparency, few teams outside of Raiders engage in reaching. Should they prefer to remain outside the Raiders' dubious area code, the Vikings, too, ought to turn their backs on such endeavors, before it becomes so commonplace within the organization that the organization begins to accept reaching as the norm and making the clearly correct choice the aberration.

Since coming to the Vikings in 2006 as the replacement for Fran Foley, Rick Spielman has had two unquestionably perfect draft selections--Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin. Everyone fully acknowledges that Peterson's selection was both a no-brainer and fortuitous. Nearly the same can be said of the Harvin selection.

Of Spielman's remaining draft selections, only Sidney Rice stands out as even remotely remarkable and, given his early-second-round selection, probably not any more remarkable than any other mid-second-round pick usually is.

Spielman's record in Minnesota is, thus, average. But he now has the second highest draft position since having Peterson fall in his lap in 2007. What Spielman does not need to do with that opportunity is dismiss it as if it was worth nothing more than a high second-round/low first-round pick, or some combination thereof. He also does not need to select a quarterback with training wheels--the only kind available in this draft--with that pick.

What Spielman needs to do is fill a position of need by selecting someone such as USC OT Tyron Smith, Florida G Mike Pouncey, Auburn DT Nick Fairley, or, should he fall, Alabama DT Marcell Dareus. All good picks. All potentially available at number twelve. And all likely off the board past fifteen.

If none of these players are available at twelve, and no other clear star falls that far, the Vikings could also do far worse than filling a position that they thought they filled last year--that of Peterson's sub and heir apparent. That role could quite capably be filled by Alabama running back Mark Ingram, a player who would be near the top of the board, but for exaggerated concerns about his ACL surgery last year.

Whichever direction the Vikings turn on Thursday, Vikings' fans will have reason to deride the team should it fail to use its pick at number 12 or should it do so to select yet another young arm.

Up Next: The Draft.

Vikings' Best Option in Draft Not the One Team Currently is Considering

2011-04-22T10:03:00.003-05:00

The Minnesota Vikings approach the 2011 NFL entry draft with a plethora of needs. The team currently has listed atop these needs a starting quarterback. That incorrect assessment has led the Vikings to consider which of a long list of quarterbacks with projected NFL promise, ranging from bust to spectacular, the team should select with the number twelve pick in the draft.

In 2010, with Brett Favre out with an injury and Tarvaris Jackson displaying his limited NFL capabilities, the Vikings were forced to resort to rookie quarterback-turned receiver-turned quarterback, Joe Webb. In five games for the Vikings (two of them starts), Webb completed 60 percent of his passes, threw three interceptions, and had two rushing touchdowns (zero passing touchdowns). Webb also was sacked eight times.

Sacks aside, the bulk of Webb's negative statistics (i.e, the interceptions) came in the first game in which he played meaningful minutes--a 40-14 loss to the Chicago Bears. In that game, which he entered in the second quarter after Favre was knocked out with a concussion, Webb threw two picks. He also ran one in on a nice running play that displayed his agility, athleticism, and speed, and, at times, showed a strong and fairly accurate arm.

Webb improved from there, leading Minnesota to an improbable Sunday night victory at Philadelphia. In that game, he again ran for a touchdown and otherwise protected a Minnesota offense from self-destructing. Despite a continuing porous offensive line, Webb managed to take only two sacks while throwing zero picks.

What the Vikings have in Webb is the quarterback for whom they have been searching--a strong, athletic, young player who makes good decisions and can take some pressure off of his blockers. That the team continues to pursue a quarterback in this draft suggests that the Vikings do not recognize what they already have. It also suggests that the Vikings do not realize their most glaring warts.

Despite a quick release and one of the lowest snap totals in his starting career, Favre endured 22 sacks in 2010. Jackson's and Webb's sacks brought to 36 the total number of sacks allowed by the Vikings' offensive line in 2010. That put the Vikings in the middle of the NFL pack for sacks allowed--twenty behind the league leader--but for a team with a quick-release, West Coast offense and Adrian Peterson at running back, that's nearly the same as leading the league in sacks allowed. Vikings' fans who watched Bryant McKinnie continue to spin on the left side of the line also will attest that the Vikings eluded far more sacks than they allowed, by a combination of fortune, stacking of the line, quick releases, and scrambling.

That suggests that the Vikings' greatest need in the draft is not a quarterback who will need two years to learn under the tutelage of a highly suspect new offensive coordinator, but, rather, a beast of an offensive tackle who can protect the quarterback's blind-side with little to no coaching. Such a person is available in the draft in the form of USC left tackle Tyron Smith.

Drafting Smith would allow the Vikings to shift McKinnie to the right side where his lack of agility could unimpress for several more years without the downside of numerous sacks. And Smith's addition almost certainly would permit an already capable Webb to improve even quicker.

What the Vikings most need at quarterback in 2011 is not another young arm that needs mentoring for two or three or more years before being ready to lead a team already stocked with Percy Harvin and Peterson, but a relatively stable veteran capable of stepping in if Webb falters. The Vikings will have that option in either Kevin Kolb or Donovan McNabb, if and when free agency returns to the NFL. In this year's draft, however, the clear priority is offensive line.

Up Next: Bill Musgrave?

Time for Minnesotans to Turn Tables on Vikings' Pathetic Stadium Drive

2011-04-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

Nearly since the Metrodome first began housing the Minnesota Vikings, Lester Bagley has served as point man on the team's efforts to construct a new, billion dollar stadium. Bagley's utter fleecing of his employers over that span of time aside, the purpose of Bagley's endeavor has been to ensure that, for whichever Vikings' ownership group he has served as public-good-implications-aside mercenary, he obtained an expensive, publicly funded, retractable-roofed, luxury-box-ensconced, revenue-stream rich stadium, replete with public funding, in perpetuity--a stadium that would draw not only unrelenting revenue but also equity for the team and league.

Bagley and his minions--many of them found throughout the local media and most evidently displayed in local newscasts wondering such things as "where should the next Vikings' stadium be located?"--routinely and consistently have pointed to the end of the 2011 season as the bewitching point. That is when, we are cautioned, the Vikings will prove that they mean business, packing up their Minnesota shop and heading for the new stadium in the sky.

If not before, certainly now is the time for the good people of Minnesota to provide a counter-proposal to Bagley and his carpet-bagging cohorts. That message should read as follows:

"At the end of the scheduled 2011 NFL season, the State of Minnesota invites the Minnesota Vikings to renew their Metrodome lease. That lease will not include any of the perks that the Vikings currently enjoy to the tune of tens of millions of dollars every year, perks such as advertising, naming rights, and tax concessions. Rather, those rights will return to the operators of the Metrodome and the residents of Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota. Rent also will increase, placing the Vikings on the same footing as other tenants in the Minneapolis area. We recognize, of course, that the Vikings' ownership group might balk at this proposal and prepare for the team's departure. Should they opt to take this course, searching for a market that does not yet exist, we certainly wish them well."

The result for Minnesota will be either a far better return on a product that currently receives an unwarranted sweetheart deal or the loss of a mounting tax burden that occupies a valuable chunk of the downtown real estate. Instead of the choice falling to the people of Minnesota, the people of MInnesota ought to let the choice fall to the ownership group of the Vikings with notice clearly given that the State and local governments, not Bagley or his minions, hold the winning cards. If the Vikings wish to depart, so be it. Cheering for jerseys no longer has the broad appeal it once did.

Up Next: Fungible NFL.

Fans and Public Left Uninformed on True Cost of Publicly Financed Stadiums

2011-02-10T17:31:00.003-06:00

When the Minnesota Vikings trot out their proposals for a new stadium--a ritual in which they engage two or three times a week--they are fond of citing the most flattering talking points, even if they are not necessarily very flattering. The talking points include the Vikings' fallacious statement that they are content with a closed-air stadium, their claim that they are willing to contribute $250 million to the stadium venture, and their insinuation, if not outright contention, that they are not attempting to leverage Los Angeles, either through their own offices or the orifices of their many minions on radio and television, and in print, to expound upon the inevitable rapture should the good people of Minnesota not cave to the team's ludicrous demands.

There is, of course, utter silence on all matters outside of these talking points that in any way reflects negatively on the Vikings' efforts at a pure and plain money grab.

For many fans, the issue of whether to build the Vikings a new stadium is clear. "Build the stadium already," they cry. "What are we talkin'? A couple pennies here and there? Build the damn thing and quit whining." Other equally eager fans relish in citing funding for numerous other public ventures--the Walker Art Center, the Guthrie Theater, Target Center, Excel Energy Center, Target Field, and, for the more thinking fans, even the elements-ravaged Metrodome. All of which, of course, ignores whether any of those investments brought or will bring to the paying public a return equal to their investment.

Can a Vikings' stadium be built that meets the reasonable edict of meeting the Vikings' desires ("needs" is an absurd and overused term that the Vikings have foisted upon the all-too-pliant public in this discussion) and the public's reasonable expectation of a financial return consistent with its investment level? Absolutely. But history does not favor such an outcome.

The problem for cities, as most fans either ignore or simply do not understand, is that the money that the city or public entity contributes to such a venture as building a new football stadium is borrowed money. That means that the public must repay the money and at significant future cost.

What is the cost to a city for bonding such a venture? That depends on how much the city borrows, at what rate, and over what time period. In that sense, the bonding experience should be familiar to Vikings' fans, many of whom, presumably, have similar loan arrangements with their home mortgages. And if, in this environment, those very fans cannot relate to how bonding a stadium construction can put a municipality in substantial financial arrears, there is little hope for that fan base--and considerable possibility that those very fans will pay far more than they ever imagined possible when the bill ultimately comes due.

There are numerous examples regarding public funding of professional stadiums that illustrate the dangers of public funding of such large projects (and, yes, those dangers extend to public funding of non-NFL ventures such as the Guthrie).

In Arizona, the City of Glendale is facing bankruptcy because of its miscalculation in securing funding for its wide-ranging sports district, the epicenter of which is the Phoenix Coyotes' ice rink. To undertake the construction of its sports complex, Glendale borrowed $500 million. Over three decades, assuming it pays off its debt, Glendale will repay just over $1 billion on that loan--nearly $3500 for every resident of Glendale, and rising as those residents leave the City.

Glendale had planned to finance the debt by relying on revenues from the Coyotes, who have declared bankruptcy and could leave Phoenix in the near future, and on receipts from the two other cornerstones to the complex project--neither of which has materialized due to the financial difficulties of associated contractors.

While the City of Glendale suggests the general and great problems associated with bonding ventures by municipalities that are often out of their element when negotiating with specific professional entities, the problem is magnified when cities are beguiled by the promise of NFL riches that really mean riches for the NFL and but a team name and color upon which the municipality may hang its hat.

The debt issue is crippling to states, particularly when revenues are declining as precipitously as they have been in recent years. But making matters worse is the fact that most cities, in an attempt to make their arrangements with the local club more palatable to the less enthused residents of their state, hide the even more burdensome costs to the city and state, generally in the form of forgiven taxes--yes, those very taxes that the ardent build-a-stadium-at-all-costs fanatics most favorably cite in support of their generally and otherwise woefully uninformed take on the stadium issue. In New Jersey, for example, residents still owe $110 million on the old Giants stadium; the State has nevertheless deemed it appropriate to grant the Giants and Jets sweetheart lease arrangements at the Meadowlands.

If the Vikings were honest and forthright, the stadium issue in Minnesota would not be an issue. The Vikings and the NFL would sit down with representatives from the relevant municipality and work out an agreement that provides a meaningful financial return to the municipality and to the team, with the team not profiting without venturing a corresponding financial risk. That, of course, is not how the Vikings want to play things. Instead, they continue to lament their "lack of revenue" and their "need" for public funding without a meaningful public stake in the final product.

That's not how it ought to work. Unfortunately for the Minnesota tax payer, it is how it has played out across the country. Maybe Minnesota will prove its claim to an educated population, however, and stand as the aberration.

Up Next: The Coaching Carousel.

Snyder and Vikings Hurting Vikings' Stadium Cause

2011-02-02T11:01:00.005-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings' Metrodome lease expires after the 2011 season. Even if construction on a new stadium were to begin today, that stadium likely would not be ready for use until the 2013 NFL season.

Since well before Zygi Wilf took over ownership of the Vikings at an estimated cost of $625 million, the Vikings' organization, led by Lester Bagley, has, along with the NFL's vast network, helped bankroll and otherwise perpetuate the NFL's stadium-building cottage industry. The Vikings and the NFL share a common interest in this regard and that interest is two-fold. Both want to continue to increase the value of NFL teams, thereby creating leverage for both the league and team owners, and both want to have the public, rather than teams, on the hook for stadium expenses if and when there are work stoppages.

For purposes of the current CBA discussions, the Vikings and the NFL are playing from well-behind in the leverage game. Ownership groups in Jacksonville, Buffalo, San Diego, and Oakland want out of their current arrangements and are willing to sell to relocators. That makes some sense for each--particularly the relatively new Jacksonville franchise and the always moving Al Davis Raiders. It also makes some sense for seemingly mired and relatively cash poor Bills. For San Diego, as for the Vikings, it makes sense only as a bluff, however.

Like San Diego, the Vikings have an established, loyal (some say too loyal) fan base. Unlike San Diego, however, Minnesota, and Minneapolis and Hennepin County, in particular, have routinely rallied to the Vikings' rescue--even though the team is making money hand over fist. In recent years, public assistance has arrived in the form of forgiveness of millions in taxes and the gifting to the Vikings of naming rights to the Metrodome.

The Vikings, of course, conveniently omit these public gifts, as well as revenue sharing revenue from the league's top-earning teams, from discussion regarding team revenues, opting, instead, to note that in terms of stadium revenue, the team ranks near the bottom of the league. That issue has been addressed on this site numerous times in the past with the basic retort being that the Vikings' claim, while true, tells not even one-tenth of the revenue story for the team; much of that revenue comes in the form of television revenue and merchandise sales. Much more will come in the form of franchise fees, if and when a team finally returns to Los Angeles, a city that cares far less about the NFL than the NFL wants it to care.

Lack of transparency on known money issue, coupled with the workings of other owners around the NFL, rightfully raise public questions regarding the Vikings' intentions, commitment to the team after a stadium is built, and need for public assistance. In the end, the question ought to be whether the public-private relationship makes financial sense for the the public entity. But the Vikings' owners, and other NFL owners, like Washington's Dan Snyder and Dallas' Jerry Jones, have laid substantial groundwork to undermine that message and to frustrate an endeavor that ought not be viewed through either the Vikings' or the public entity's (pick any) current lens, but through a lens suggesting a significant benefit to all involved with all cards laid on the table for public consumption. That course remains open for the Vikings to take, but is unlikely to emerge as long as the NFL and the team are mired in the tired, pre-cable television threat that the team will move to a market open only to new franchises.

Up Next: Vikings Move Laterally on Coaching Hires.

Vikings Must Treat Free Agency As Though They Are Kids in a Candy Store

2011-01-14T16:00:00.006-06:00

Much has been made of the uncertainty surrounding the Minnesota Vikings' 2011 off-season. Skeptics point to new coaches, the likelihood of a new starting quarterback, and numerous free agents as reasons to discount the Vikings' 2011 playoff prospects. Even without the certainty that there will even be a free-agency period in 2011, those issues undoubtedly hover over the Vikings at the present.

Others, however, look at those same issues and see the potential for growth for a team that for several years standing has underperformed. The change in coaching staff provides an opportunity for someone to breathe life back into a stagnant offensive system; a new quarterback provides an opportunity to move the quarterback out of the pocket; and free agency has far more potential for upside than for downside attributable to any possible free-agent defections.

With historic numbers of high-end players, this year's free agency--assuming it occurs--will make or break several NFL franchises. That's because this year, unlike any other year, players that normally would have been due to hit free-agency over the next several years will all be signing contracts in the same year, most of them for multiple years. That means that next year and the year after will be particularly light on high-end free agents.

As bad for the Vikings as were last year's one-off free-agent signing restriction, this year's bounty of free agents could not be more propitious for Minnesota. With seventeen unrestricted free agents and uncertainty over Jim Kleinsasser's, Cedric Griffin's, and Chris Cook's futures hanging over the team, the Vikings need an influx of talent to augment an otherwise talented core of players. This year's free-agent pool more than allows Minnesota the opportunity to meet this need.

On offense, there are several players that the Vikings could add with confidence of crafting one of the best offensive units in the league. At quarterback, the Vikings have two needs, that of experienced third-string quarterback with room to grow and that of starter. As third-string quarterback, the Vikings ought to be looking at inexpensive, younger options such as Alex Smith, Tyler Thigpen, and Rex Grossman. As a veteran starter, they ought to be looking at Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb.

Although Hasselbeck has a lengthy injury history, providing him with the proper support will help alleviate that concern going forward. McNabb's issue is different, but the cure is identical. McNabb's failing is his propensity to disintegrate when pressure is applied. Given talent around him, however, McNabb is among the best in the league. If he has time and is not forced to make a play, McNabb will deliver.

To protect the quarterback, the Vikings need to bolster their running and receiving corps. That begins with either shifting Toby Gerhart to fullback or admitting that he was not what the Vikings needed at running back. Either opens a position at running back and there are many solid running backs in this year's free-agent class. Among those that should be at the top of the Vikings' list are Ahmad Bradshaw, Jason Snelling, and Kevin Smith. Bradshaw has no flaws other than the occasional fumble, Snelling is under-utilized in Atlanta, and Kevin Smith has the ability, if he can stay healthy. LeRon McClain would also provide a very nice upgrade over Naufahu Tahi at fullback.

The running game is only as potent, however, as the passing game permits it to be. For Minnesota, that passing game is predicated as much on who succeeds Brett Favre at quarterback as to whom that successor will have to throw the ball. Gone should be any receiver not named Percy Harvin or Sidney Rice. That leaves at least two openings on the roster for legitimate receivers--with one preferably a possession receiver and the other a deep threat. Steve Smith and Santonio Holmes represent outstanding possession receivers, with Holmes also a deep threat. Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, and Steve Breaston are all game breakers. Kevin Boss would be a suitable replacement for Kleinsasser, should the latter opt to retire, as some Vikings are speculating he might.

With the so-called skill positions set, the Vikings would still need to shore up their most glaring offensive weakness, the offensive line. At tackle, premier players such as Tyson Clabo, Doug Free, and Willie Colon will be hitting the market. At guard, Logan Mankins, Carl Nicks, Davin Joseph, and Alan Faneca will be available, and, at center, Olin Kreutz and Ryan Kalil should be available.

The dream scenario for Vikings' fans, and a reasonably possible prospect given that the Vikings should have loads of cash to spend on free agents, would be the following: Hasselbeck (or someone better) at quarterback, with backups Joe Webb and Rex Grossman, Adrian Peterson, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Jason Snelling at running back with LeRon McClain at fullback, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Steve Smith (NYG), and Steve Breaston at wide-receiver, Kevin Boss and Kleinsasser at tight end, Tyson Clabo and Doug Free at offensive tackles, Steve Hutchinson and Logan Mankins at guard, and Olin Kreutz at center.

The offense poised to be among the best in league history, the Vikings would need only spend a few more dollars to entice the final pieces of the defensive puzzle to the team.

Up Next: The Next Best Defense.

Out With The Old, In With the Gold

2011-01-07T13:26:00.002-06:00

With this week's naming of Leslie Frazier as the new Minnesota Vikings' head football coach, the Vikings' organization has signaled two things. One is that it is at least reasonably satisfied with the direction of the defense. The other is that it will not mind and probably would prefer a change of offensive philosophy. For Vikings' fans, one out of two is better than zero out two.

Although Frazier has yet to relieve current offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell of his duties, something that the new head coach already has done with three of his coaches, rumors are circulating that Bevell is not long for his current role and may be given the choice of either accepting a tremendous pay cut and demotion to quarterback coach or moving on with his career with another team.

The early leader to fill Bevell's role appears to be former Denver Bronco head coach Josh Daniels. If you like a-holish type coaches who fail to live up to their own hype, Daniel's is perfect. If not, there are more worthy options.

Until last week, there appeared to be a range of very good options to fill Bevell's role. That was before Charlie Weiss left KC for Florida, Houston retained Gary Kubiak, San Diego retained Norv Turner, Dallas retained Jason Garrett, and the New York Giants retained Tom Coughlin. All but Coughlin stand out as far better offensive coordinators than head coaches, and all would have looked good standing beside Leslie Frazier next season.

While the list is greatly paired down, there are still two A-list or near-A list coaches in the system who would make good offensive coordinators. The clear leader in that category is Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Philbin has an extensive coaching resume, having coached for nineteen years, with the past seven years serving as an assistant to or offensive coordinator. Over the past four seasons, the Packers have averaged more points than any Packer team over a similar stretch. Philbin accomplished this feat despite having no running back on whom he could rely and despite transitioning to a new quarterback.

The catch with Philbin is two-fold. First, he is unlikely to want to leave a good situation in Green Bay that should only get better with the maturation of the offensive line and the discovery of a running back. Second, to even discuss the role with the Philbin, the Vikings must offer him a step up in title. That means that the Vikings would have to offer Philbin an Assistant/Associate Head Coach position. That might be too close for Frazier, who will be working on a short contract, and will certainly be easy for the Packers to meet, thereby taking Philbin off of the assistant coach's market.

A near-A list possibility is former Oakland Raiders' head coach Tom Cable. Cable has made the Raiders' offense relevant despite having no true quarterback and no established wide-receiver. Cable has had the benefit of a good running game and a good offensive line, but he has made strides in areas considered outside of his offensive line expertise.

What keeps Cable off of the A-list is his propensity toward violence against those around him. For that reason alone, he is probably an animal around which the Vikings will not even sniff.

That leaves Daniels and a host of unknowns. In Daniels, the Vikings would get a coach who made Denver's offense look impressive, at least when Denver was playing the weaker teams in the league. Alas, Daniels also brings his unwarranted arrogance and difficulties dealing with players into the mix. That ought to be too great a concern for a team looking to establish offensive harmony after a season of dysfunction. And that should eliminate Daniels from consideration.

A dark horse for consideration could be Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator Greg Olson. Like Philbin, Olson would have to be offered an Assistant/Associate Head Coach position for the Vikings even to approach him. And, like Philbin, Olson might prefer to stay with an up-and-coming offense over an offense that currently is rudderless. If, however, Olson views Minnesota as a better franchise long-term, he might be willing to make the move.

The rest of the lot are coaches about whom we currently know too little to make much of an evaluation at the NFL level. Unquestionably, several coaches will emerge from this pool over the next several years, leaving fans from teams not benefiting from their services wondering why their teams did not identify the talent when the talent was still available. With the legacy of the Childress offense still weighing down the franchise and the organization still trying to curry public support for a new stadium, however, the Vikings are virtually assured of not going the route of the unknown.

Up Next: Changes on Defense?

Time for Vikings to Shed Dead Weight

2011-01-05T10:44:00.002-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings enter the 2010-2011 off-season with seventeen free agents. That's hardly the Vikings' most meaningful storyline, however, as the vast majority of those free-agents are highly expendable. Rather, the true storyline is that if the right 28 players were free agents, the Vikings would be in proper position letting all 28 walk, probably onto the street.

Among the Vikings' players not part of next year's free-agency class but meriting dismissal from the team's roster are Ryan Cook, Bryant McKinnie, Bernard Berrian, Tyrell Johnson, Madieu Williams, and John Sullivan. Combined with all but a handful of actual free-agents, the Vikings have approximately 28 players on roster with whom they should part in 2011 and an additional 2-3 players with whom they could part if they can sign that player's logical, free-agent replacement.

The following are the players that the Vikings should want to return next year and on whom they should be able to rely to produce: Adrian Peterson, Lorenzo Booker, Percy Harvin, Phil Loadholt, Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Antoine Winfield, Kevin Williams, Fred Evans, LeTroy Guion, Chad Greenway, Heath Farwell, E.J. and Erin Henderson, Jamarca Sanford, Hussain Abdullah, Chris Kluwe, Cullen Loeffler, Ryan Longwell, Sidney Rice, Steve Hutchinson, Cedric Griffin, Chris Cook, Jared Allen, and Anthony Herrera. The remainder of the squad, with the possible exception of Ben Leber, is merely dried kindling.

Having front-loaded most of their players' contracts through the years, the Vikings have the benefit not only of ample cap space from year to year but also the luxury of bidding adieu to players under contract without worrying about accelerated bonus hits to whatever salary cap the new CBA will bring. That means no worries about jettisoning McKinnie, Madieu Williams, Berrian, Johnson, Sullivan, Cook or any other under-contract players. The sole concern is first identifying a viable replacement. For most of these players, that search will not take long.

The Vikings' offensive line was woeful in 2010, allowing 36 sacks and three times snapping the ball over the quarterback's head, the secondary "led" by Williams, largely was invisible, except when getting burned, and the Vikings' rookies contributed nothing to the effort. By far the most offensive performance of the season, however, was that turned in by Bernard Berrian.

Berrian's replacement is already on the Vikings' roster. That person is any wide-receiver not named Berrian. On a team that produced only four 100-yard receivers all year, even a lame effort by Berrian would have shone brightly. Unfortunately, Berrian was not up to even that minimal standard, finishing the season with 28 receptions for 252 yards. That's 88 more receiving yards than Randy Moss had in his brief stint with the Vikings, 85 more than Toby Gerhart, and 28 fewer than Sidney Rice, meshing nicely with Berrian's zero touchdowns and two fumbles in 28 times holding the ball. Truly putrid. Berrian's pouting about how he plays injured was the cherry on top of this turd sundae.

To these players, the Vikings ought bid adieu. The question will be with whom will they replace them?

Minnesota Vikings Flush With Free-Agency Cash and Limited in Concerns About Pending Free Agents

2010-12-31T10:26:00.005-06:00

Reports are circulating that the Minnesota Vikings are on the brink of a major rebuilding effort in 2011. Those reports center on the fact that the Vikings have 17 unrestricted free agents on their roster heading into the 2010-2011 off-season. Not surprisingly, in an attempt to sensationalize and agonize an already anguished Vikings' fan base, those reports omit most of the pertinent details, such as a complete list of Vikings' free-agents, the Vikings' ample ability to re-sign any and all free agents, and the numerous alternatives that the Vikings will have to replace any exiting free agents.

Like most NFL teams, the Minnesota Vikings have numerous free-agents heading into this off-season, a consequence both of the uncertainty of the 2011 NFL season and logical layering of free-agent expiration dates on the 53-man roster. Also like most teams, the Vikings have some starters represented among their list of pending free agents.

Unlike some NFL teams, however, the Minnesota Vikings are in perfectly good position either to re-sign or replace pending free agents. And, unlike some NFL teams, the Vikings have only a handful of players for whom an upgrade will be difficult to find in free agency.

The complete list of Vikings' pending, unrestricted free agents is as follows: Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Naufahu Tahi, Sidney Rice, Greg Lewis, Ryan Cook, Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Pat Williams, Fred Evans, Lito Sheppard, Eric Frampton, Hussain Abdullah, Ryan Longwell, Chad Greenway, Ben Leber, Erin Henderson.

Of these free agents, the Vikings arguably have legitimate interest in retaining Rice, Williams or Evans, Longwell, Greenway, and Henderson. That's five free agents about whom the Vikings probably have any concern. In that group, only Rice, Williams, and Greenway would command meaningful money. That means that, of the Vikings' seventeen free agents, the Vikings probably need worry about competition for the services of but three. That's hardly a headache for the Vikings, who probably will have close to $40 million available under any new CBA (with a floor requiring that the team spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $26 million).

Given their likely cap space and limited free-agency concerns heading into the 2011 off-season, the Vikings not only are positioned to bring back the core of their team in 2011, but also are well-positioned to pick over what is likely to be the greatest free-agency crops in NFL history. Among the free agents likely to be available this off-season are Chicago Bears' center Olin Kreutz, New England's offensive guard Logan Mankins, Green Bay Packers' kicker Mason Crosby and safety Atari Bigby, Arizona wide-receiver Steve Breaston and guard Alan Faneca, Atlanta running back Jerious Norwood and tight end Tony Gonzalez, Detroit running back Kevin Smith, still just 23 years old, New York Jets' quarterback Kellen Clemens and wide-receiver Santonio Holmes, New York Giants' running back Ahmad Bradshaw and receiver Steve Smith (25), Pittsburgh cornerbacks Ike Taylor and William Gay, Kansas City center Casey Wiegman, and San Diego wide-receiver Vincent Jackson. All of these players will be unrestricted free agents this off-season and all would represent upgrades over their counterparts on the Vikings' current roster.

The sole outstanding issue for the Vikings going into the 2011 season, should it be played, is who will play quarterback? Ringing out a lousy 2010 year, that will be the subject of the next column.

Frazier's Roller-Coaster Ride Continues

2010-12-29T11:15:00.003-06:00

It wasn't the best defense in the NFL that Minnesota Vikings' rookie quarterback Joe Webb faced on Tuesday night, but it was considered good enough with its various blitz schemes to make the Philadelphia Eagles 14-point favorites at Lincoln Field. That Webb and the Vikings' defense left the field a ten-point victor, despite having a touchdown called back, thus makes a case not only for Webb as a starting quarterback, but also for the mercurially up-and-down short run of current interim Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier.

Three weeks ago, less than two weeks after assuming the head coaching duties of the Vikings in the wake of Brad Childress' overdue dismissal, Frazier appeared all but certain to take over the permanent head coaching duties for the Vikings. That certainty was built around Frazier's appealing persona, a road victory over Washington that snapped a nine-game road losing streak for the Vikings, and a home blow-out victory over the Buffalo Bills, despite the loss of quarterback Brett Favre on the opening drive of the game.

Two weeks and two blowout losses later, Frazier looked like the mop-up coach destined either to return to the NFL with some other team as a specialist coach or, as for more of a long-shot, to return to a blown-up, youth-laden Vikings' team.

After last night's surprising road victory over the Eagles, Frazier has won a new lease on the prospect of returning to Minnesota next year to coach a team with its veteran core largely intact. For that stunning change of events, Frazier may well have himself primarily to thank.

The Vikings' victory over the Eagles last night came on the strength of four on-field performances--that of the defense, generally speaking, Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson, and Webb. As important as, if not more important than the performance of players on the field, however, was the decision-making of Frazier. Where Childress almost certainly would have opted to start anyone other than Webb, even if it meant starting a quarterback who had not played in the league for three years, Frazier went with Webb. Where Childress almost certainly would have continued with his determination not to use Peterson on screen plays, Frazier employed Peterson in that capacity. And where Childress almost certainly would have limited Harvin's role in favor of more passes to check-down specialists Toby Gerhart, Jim Kleinsasser, and Naufahu Tahi, Frazier stuck with the hot player and allowed Webb to find his targets and move out of the pocket in so doing.

On Tuesday night, Vikings' fans were offered a glimpse of a quarterback with the makings of a legitimate NFL starter. They were also offered a glimpse of what the Vikings' talent looks like when used properly and when motivated to play. There has never been a question of Frazier's willingness to move outside the tiny box in which Childress operated, the question, following two brutal blowout losses, was whether Frazier could lead a team laced with veterans and young players when there was nothing for which to play. Frazier answered that question on Tuesday, in spite of a seemingly endless nightmare of scheduling and injury issues. A win against Detroit on Sunday thus might make possible what last week seemed improbable--the annointment of Frazier as the Vikings' permanent head coach.

Up Next: Webb Worth Consideration in 2011. Plus, Vikings' performance makes case for bringing back core of team.

Tampa 2 Has Run Its Course in Minnesota, If Not Also in the NFL

2010-12-24T11:06:00.003-06:00

Among the myriad problems leading to the Minnesota Vikings' demise in 2010 was the near futility of Leslie Frazier's Tampa 2 defense. Though noticeable last year, the problems were magnified this season when the Vikings were forced to use a legion of players in the secondary, most of them not properly equipped to play the Tampa 2 defense. The fall of the Vikings' defense might be further fuel for the Vikings' ownership group to reconsider the merit of hiring current interim head coach Leslie Frazier on a permanent basis.

The premise of the Tampa 2 defense is that individuals with speed, strength, and sharp tackling skills can overcome any offensive scheme. That premise has best worked for defenses compromised of solid cornerbacks, adept safeties, and superb middle and outside linebackers. Failing any of these assets, the Tampa 2 is less appealing.

Unfortunately for the Minnesota Vikings, their current roster is missing at least four of the requisite Tampa 2 pieces. Minnesota has a very good middle linebacker and one good, healthy cornerback. What they do not have is either safety or a second cornerback. They also lack a strong-tackling weak-side linebacker and a linebacker who drops in coverage--Henderson is very good going forward and has progressed greatly dropping in coverage, but he is not yet a strong dropping linebacker.

The result for Minnesota has been a run defense that does not always make the plays on the weak side when the run has been redirected to that side and a pass defense that neither covers nor tackles when Winfield is not part of the play.

The rub for the Vikings, of course, is that Tampa 2 might be the lesser of all evils defensively speaking. Playing the Tampa 2 allows the Vikings to employ a simple defense that permits numerous substitutions--great for a team dealing with injuries. A read and react defense, the type favored by many NFL players and for which former Viking Darren Sharper loudly lobbied as he headed for New Orleans, requires players not only to maintain their assignments, tackle, and keep the play in front of them, but also to read the offense and anticipate the play. Given the Vikings' numerous injuries this season and the questionable skills of three of four members of the 2010 Vikings' secondary, a read and react defense likely would look little different from Denny Green's prevent defense, except that it would give up more points more often.

Leslie Frazier's greatest liability thus might also be his greatest excuse. For, while Frazier inherited Darrell Bevell and the remnants of one of the most poorly conceived West Coast offenses of all time, he also inherited the weak safeties and fell victim to defensive injuries that made a transition out of the Tampa 2 nearly impossible--assuming Frazier wanted to go that direction anyway.

The sticky wicket for Frazier, if given the option, will be what to do with the Vikings' defense next season. With the anticipated return of Cedric Griffin and Antoine Winfield and an opportunity to once again check out the free-agent market, the Vikings could not help but find at least one safety more capable than one of their current starters and Henderson probably will continue to evolve, but with the expected loss of Pat Williams and Ray Edwards, the Vikings will find run defense even more difficult.

This might be the ideal time for the Vikings to switch to a 3-4 defense, but that would mean bringing in someone familiar with the 3-4 defense and that, along with recent troubles, might further signal the end to Frazier's run in Minnesota.

Vikings' issues aside, it seems clear that the Tampa 2, with one or two exceptions, has run its course in the NFL. In the current climate, most teams are loathe to spend big dollars on the secondary; the rules greatly favor the offense and money invested in three offensive players is deemed desirable to large money spent on safeties and cornerbacks. Moreover, offensive coordinators long figured out how to attack the Tampa 2--short passes in front of corners to build a lead then deep passes when the corners start cheating up. It never really was a mystery, it was just more difficult to do against the likes of Ronde Barber and John Lynch than against what most teams opt to payroll in the secondary these days.

For the Vikings, a team presumably committed to building around key offensive players and retaining most of the front end of their defense, this all suggests that it is time to reconstruct not only the defense but the defensive philosophy. The question will be who will lead the charge?

Up Next: Childress' Last Claim His Weakest.

Vikings' High School Performance Puts Frazier Behind the Eight Ball

2010-12-20T23:02:00.002-06:00

On Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings made a strong case for calling it a franchise. When ESPN's announcers were not shilling for the NFL's and Vikings' stadium drive, the Vikings were making fans wish that that was all that Monday night was about. With bad play on all fronts, Leslie Frazier has moved from a near-certainty to be the Vikings' next head coach to almost a certainty not to be.

Last week's performance at Detroit was putrid. This week's performance against a Chicago Bears' team that had been throttled at home one week earlier was putrid to the nth degree. The performance made Les Steckel's team, Denny Green's Spurgeon Wynn season, and Mike Tice's run in Minnesota seem laudable. In short, it was an utter disgrace.

Even those of us who like Frazier and believe that Frazier might have the makings of a good NFL coach have a hard time defending him in the wake of this performance. Yes, Brett Favre was hurt in the game and Joe Webb looked the rookie that he is, but the Vikings did everything poorly on Monday, when they were even making an effort.

Whether Madieu Williams was taking yet another impossibly inept route to the ball/receiver/neither, Ben Leber was dropping an easy pick (yet again), Toby Gerhart was fumbling, Sidney Rice was going through the motions, Ryan Longwell was giving up on a return by Devin Hester, the entire special teams coverage unit was MIA, Bryant McKinnie was taking another night off, John Sullivan was snapping balls over the quarterback's head or at the quarterback's feet, Phil Loadholt was taking another penalty, or Chris Kluwe was punting both short and to Devin Hester, there was no shortage of inexcusable miscues from this group of misfits.

Those who earned at at least some of their salary tonight, included a very small group of players--Antoine Winfield, EJ Henderson, and Percy Harvin. The rest should mail their weekly check back to the team or, better yet, to those who shoveled out the stadium so that the Chicago Bears could clinch in Minnesota instead of in Detroit.

It's very difficult to shake the stink of one putrid loss and virtually impossible to do that with two such losses--particularly when they are back to back. This will be a difficult hole out from which for Frazier to climb.

In Frazier's defense, the Vikings have an awful offensive line, a limited play caller in Darrell Bevell, no safeties, sub-par corners, and no receivers, after Harvin. Those limitations, albeit mostly of his making, were not enough to save Brad Childress' job in Minnesota and now seem unlikely to give Frazier the opportunity that he might deserve.

Up Next: Time to Discard Tampa Two.

Webb and Frazier Trending in Opposite Directions

2010-12-16T11:18:00.003-06:00

Last week, the Minnesota Vikings' front office was all but set to offer interim Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier the permanent head-coaching duties. That was after two Vikings' victories against league bottom-feeders and in the aftermath of former head coach Brad Childress' 31-3 going-away party at Lambeau Field. Vikings' officials had set this week, concurrent with the naming of the Vikings' top 50 players of all time, as a possible announcement date.

Monday night's drubbing at the hands of the New York Giants, a loss replete with all of the failures evident during the Childress regime, has the Vikings' ownership group second-guessing how quickly it needs to make their head-coaching decision. The thought process now appears to be that the team needs to accept any possible cost associated with waiting to make a decision on Frazier (i.e., the possibility of having other suitors bid up the price on Frazier) to make certain that Frazier is their man.

Monday disaster aside, it ought to be noted that Frazier is a breath of fresh air inside and outside of the locker room. He also remains saddled with Childress' offensive system, offensive coordinator, offensive line, and poor decisions regarding Tarvaris Jackson, Ryan Cook, and Matt Birk. Those are significant liabilities that the Vikings overcame, at times, during Childress' tenure and that Frazier appeared to handle well despite the added loss of Favre at the beginning of the Buffalo game. Things clearly unraveled against the Giants, however, raising questions about whether this team needs minor or major adjustments, outside of the evident holes.

No matter who is coach of the Vikings in 2011--or whenever the next season begins--that individual will need at least one bona fide interior offensive lineman, a quarterback, and a few other pieces before the Vikings can be considered favorites to win even their own division.

The money here is on Frazier, both in terms of who the Vikings will and ought to hire as their next head coach. But that says nothing about what the Vikings will or ought to do about other positions on the coaching staff. Fred Pagac might be the answer at defensive coordinator, but Darrell Bevell almost certainly is not the answer at offensive coordinator as his entire professional grounding is in a diseased version of the West Coast Offense.

Paramount among the concerns of the Vikings' ownership group this off-season will be ensuring continued public support for the team and sustaining a modicum of momentum for a publicly funded stadium. If the Vikings want to make a big splash, they need not change head coaches from Frazier to someone like Bill Parcells, a short-term mercenary at best. Rather, the Vikings can make a statement with Frazier at the helm if they also bring in an established offensive coordinator. If the Chargers flame out in round one, that might make Norv Turner available. If the Cowboys decide to go in a different direction, Jason Garrett would be available. And if the Vikings want to make him an assistant head coach, they can make a pitch for Green Bay Packer offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. All would represent an upgrade over the present as, undoubtedly, would numerous others.

Joe Webb Trending Up

With Tarvaris Jackson essentially having played his last game as a Minnesota Viking after being placed on injured reserve, Joe Webb almost certainly will start his first NFL game on Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Webb was not spectacular in his time against the Giants on Monday night, but he was intriguing. While Jackson continued to miss receivers badly and went into a shell when things did not go well, Webb showed a rifle arm, poise, and amazing speed to go along with a bounce-back personae.

It's not Jackson's fault that he was a reach in the draft. Nor is it his fault that his career was molded by a coach incapable of mentoring quarterbacks. At this point in his career, however, Jackson clearly is a lesser quarterback than even Webb. And Webb, the guy that Childress wanted to use strictly as a receiver--making that almost certainly the wrong decision--shows the kind of promise at this point in his career that suggests he might some day be the kind of quarterback that Childress always attempted to convince us Jackson already was.

Up Next: Shameful, Baseless Shaming.

Lipstick On A Pig

2010-12-14T09:24:00.003-06:00

A false start against Jim Kleinsasser on Monday summed up the Vikings' season. When the most valuable member of the offensive line consistently false starts in an attempt to gain the edge he needs to compensate for his fellow linemen's short-comings the end is never far behind. That end was obtained on Monday night, when the Vikings put forth one of their all-time worst performance en route to a pig-like 21-3 loss. All that was missing was the lipstick.

How bad was the performance? The Vikings trotted out two quarterbacks who each performed to the tune of sub-50 passer ratings. One quarterback's performance, that of rookie Joe Webb, was excusable, particularly given his clear assets. The performance of the other, was unacceptable and was merely one more nail in the coffin of a Minnesota career that never should have begun for Tarvaris Jackson.

For the game, Jackson was 15 of 30 for 118 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. Sidney Rice had five of those receptions, but for just 60 yards despite being targeted 12 times. Jackson chipped in 8 yards on four carries. Favre could have done that with his left hand and no legs.

The loss means the end to the Vikings' playoff hopes and a season ahead full of considerable questions. Who will play quarterback next season? Can the Vikings rebuild their offense and keep their defensive stars? Who will coach the team? The answers might make Vikings' fans content to suffer through protracted CBA negotiations.

Up Next: Voice of Vikings Embarrasses Self in Shilling for New Stadium.

Reports of Vikings' 2010 Demise Premature

2010-12-13T16:38:00.003-06:00

Most fans and pundits have already determined that the Minnesota Vikings are not playoff bound. While the odds of a Vikings' return to the playoffs appear fleeting, they nevertheless remain. An awful lot most go right for that to happen, however.

What must go right for the Vikings to make the playoffs this season, begins with the Vikings. They must win their remaining four games to finish 9-7. After that, the Vikings need the Packers to lose their remaining three games (unless Chicago does that), including a game against Chicago. They also need Tampa Bay to finish no better than 1-2, the New York Giants to finish no better than 1-3, with that one win coming against Green Bay (assuming Green Bay loses out), or have Philadelphia lose its remaining three games. And they need Seattle to lose one more game or beat out St. Louis for the NFC West title, and have either Green Bay or Chicago lose out.

All of that starts tonight, in Detroit, where the Vikings take on the beatable New York Giants. Under soon-to-be new head coach Leslie Frazier, those beatable opponents have translated into victories. If that trend continues tonight, the Vikings not only will be one-fourth of the way to an improbable playoff berth, they also will keep a conference competitor for that spot the same distance away from clinching the spot as they were going into the game. If, on the other hand, the Giants win tonight, the Vikings officially will be eliminated from the playoff race.

Up Next: Jackson's Mobility Something Favre Having Difficulty Overcoming With His Arm.

Always A Reason

2010-12-12T13:27:00.002-06:00

When the economy was firing on all of its artificial cylinders, the Minnesota Vikings implored the State of Minnesota and numerous municipalities to fund a new stadium for the team. "Now's the time," we were told. "With the economy humming and everyone flush with tax revenue, what better time could there be?" Our local octogenarian sports writer even opined that "the cost can only go up."

Surely, that was the time to build the Vikings' ownership group a shiny new stadium and let them reap all of the revenue streams accruing therefrom.

When the economy went south, however, that became the new "best time" to build a shiny new stadium for the Vikings' millionaire owners. "Building a new stadium now will help put people to work and boost the local economy," we were told. Our local octogenarian sports writer agreed. "The price will only go up," he argued.

Early Sunday morning, the snow provided yet another reason why now is the time to build the Vikings and the NFL--both of which stand to gain in the billions of dollars, long term, from a new Vikings' stadium (yes, in the billions of dollars). Reaching levels previously reached in Minnesota only five or six times, the snow put too much weight on the Metrodome roof, rupturing seems and collapsing the roof. "That's why we need a new stadium," we now are being told.

There is a lesson, here, of course, and it should be too obvious to require elaboration. Unfortunately, it probably is not, so I will elaborate. That lesson is that, if you want a new stadium, there will always be an angle for suggesting that the stadium is long overdue and ought to be built now. Economy up? Time to build. Economy down? Time to build. Record snow fall? Time to build.

Of course, there is always the flip side to the time to build mantra--the argument that it's not time to build, at least not without a sizable, on-going return to the funding party. A strong economy is an argument to let the owners invest their own capital and to cut taxes. A weak economy is an argument to establish priorities and not spend on discretionary projects. And heavy snow is merely an argument to suck it up and shovel out--not build a new stadium. Of course none of this will you ever hear from the lips or read in the scribblings of our local octogenarian sports writer.

Up Next: Motown?

Vikings' Stadium Push Policy Ought to Focus on State Blight

2010-12-10T11:36:00.003-06:00

Since Red McCombs purchased the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, the team has spent considerable time and money in an attempt to gain public funding for a new stadium. Four years ago, just one year after purchasing the team from McCombs, current Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf orchestrated a deal for a new stadium in Anoka County, before backing out of the arrangement. Rejecting a deal that, in hindsight, was nearly too good to be true, the Wilfs opted to continue their push for a downtown Minneapolis stadium--a stadium that would take advantage of the Wilfs' recent land purchases in the area.

During the entire new stadium push process, the Vikings have used local radio, television, and newspapers, and the NFL-induced, weekly assistance of FOX, CBS, and ESPN (and, presumably, NFL Network) play-by-play and color analysts to pitch their agenda. The focus from outside has been two-fold: (1) that the Vikings sit near the bottom of the league in stadium-generated revenue (never mind what the actually means) and (2) that a new stadium like team "X" has would be really cool.

Internally, the Vikings continue to lob the fireball that the team might just have to move to LA. They have recently suggested, while maintaining that they are not suggesting, that LA is looking for two teams, not just one. Apparently, that is meant to make Minnesota fans twice as nervous as were LA merely looking for one team.

Standing in the way of the rhetoric, however, are the details: (1) LA is not looking even for one team, rather it is the NFL that wants a team in LA; (2) the NFL is not interested and will not permit a move of a current team to LA, thereby foregoing the largesse that would be the franchise fee for any team in LA; (3) there is no stadium suitable for the NFL in LA, with the Coliseum long-ago discarded as a viable option; (4) the NFL does not want to lose a team in Minneapolis, the 12th largest NFL market with arguably one of the most loyal fan bases; and (5) even if the NFL were to permit the Vikings to move to LA, not even the NFL's or Vikings' concocted stories about LA would benefit the Wilfs; nobody is inviting the Wilfs to move to LA, rather, they are offering to buy the team from the Wilfs and, to be fiscally viable, that almost certainly would mean that the Wilfs would have to sell at a loss.

All of which means that the Wilfs, as they clearly understand, have only two meaningful options. One is to fold-up shop, thereby foregoing the annual $50-60 million that they clear just for being part of the NFL brotherhood. The second is to get a stadium deal done in Minnesota and/or renew their lease at the built-for-football Metrodome.

For Minnesotans, a new stadium could mean additional revenues, if the deal is properly structured. Assuming such a deal associated with anyone who has brought you a $6.2 billion deficit and believes that a salary freeze when others are losing their jobs is a meaningful "spending cut" might not be as far-fetched as it seems, as many of the same players who brought the now profitable Metrodome to the Minneapolis skyscape probably will also have a hand in any new stadium deal for the Vikings.

Of course the Vikings will make much more money on a new stadium than they do in the Metrodome--hand over fist, in fact, with reasonable estimates north of $100 million per season. That makes the entire dance offered by the Vikings both stomach-churning and foolish. Had the Wilfs and the NFL simply invested their own money in a new stadium when the Wilfs purchased the team, they would have, by now, far exceeded in revenue the investment that they are seeking from Minnesotans. That's stupid math both by the NFL and the Vikings. But the Vikings are erring even in the source of their angst and in their focus for gaining legislative support for their new shrine.

While the Vikings essentially point to the fans--those fans who shell out over $150/person, on average, for the privilege of attending just one Vikings' game and who buy Vikings' merchandise even away from the field--where they ought to be focusing their attention is across the river, at another Minnesota institution, the University of Minnesota.

Even with the clear potential for revenue gains (again, assuming a well-struck deal that returns stadium revenues to the State), Minnesota legislators and the Governor are stuck with considerable public debt. And, though relatively small compared to the State's projected budget deficit, the University of Minnesota Athletic Department's annual budget deficit serves as both the poster child and rallying point for those opposed to public funding of sports venues and ventures, in general.

In 2010, the University of Minnesota Athletic Department ran its now customary $3 million budget deficit. That deficit must, of course, be balanced. To meet this dictate, the Athletic Department must borrow from the University's central fund. And the University obtains most of its money--either directly or indirectly--from the State of Minnesota and the tax payer.

Since Clem Haskins' $1.5 million bailout--an amount paid upfront to Haskins but still being paid on borrowed money by the University of Minnesota--the University of Minnesota Athletics Department has spent $6 million, also in borrowed money, to buy out the contracts of Glen Mason, Dan Monson, and Tim Brewster. It has also spent in excess of $300,000 on coaching searches, with approximately half of that amount going to search firms that identified Brewster as a viable head coach and that did nothing to identify Bill Kill as a coaching candidate. All of this money spent, and, still, the Athletic Department is running a $3 million annual deficit.

If the Vikings truly wanted to ingratiate themselves to Minnesota politicians, rather than promising "not to move to LA," they would dig into their pockets and buy out the University of Minnesota Athletic Director before he makes another costly, state-funded mistake, pay to lure a true AD to Minnesota, and endow several scholarships to help the U avoid future budget deficits. It would cost the Vikings quite little to gain a tremendous windfall. And it almost assuredly would allow Minnesota politicians to reassess where the Vikings fit into Minnesota's financial landscape and to do so sooner rather than later.

Up Next: That Roof Thing. Plus, a wasted year for Peterson.

Vikings Ready to Make Frazier Permanent Head Coach

2010-12-07T10:03:00.002-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings are preparing to move on Leslie Frazier as their new head coach. The initial thought process at Winter Park was to give Frazier until the end of the season to prove his merit as head coach. That made sense, given some of the Vikings' defensive difficulties this season and the lingering question of whether any issues that existed on defense were the consequence of inadequate personnel or coaching. While the jury is still out on that question, the jury appears in on Frazier's acumen as a manager of talent. That, and other league dynamics, have shifted the Vikings' focus forward for making a decision on Frazier.

The one question remaining for the Vikings' ownership group regarding Frazier's merit as head coach is whether Frazier can deliver victories over the haves of the league rather than merely over the league's have-nots. Beating Washington on the road and running Buffalo at home showed that Frazier can do what a team loaded with talent ought to do. The test now is whether he can put his talent up against another team with good talent and emerge victorious. Fortunately for Frazier, that test will come first at home, rather than on the road. That test was to have been test three of four--the fourth being beating a talented team on the road, or at least playing competitively against such a team on the road. Other factors have made that fourth prong, and possibly the third prong, less salient in the eyes of Vikings' ownership.

On Monday, the Denver Broncos relieved their head coach of his coaching duties, approximately a year and one-half too late. The opening in Denver means more opportunities for Frazier. And given his rapport with players, media, fans, and coaching staff, and his humility in the face of immediate success--despite unexpected obstacles such as the loss of the starting quarterback--Frazier's stock has only risen since he took the reigns as Vikings' head coach. That fact has not been lost on the Vikings' ownership group.

While it is possible that the Vikings will announce Frazier's signing as early as this week, it is also possible that they will wait until after this week's game to determine whether Frazier can extend his run against better competition. The downside to the latter ploy is that the team allows Frazier more time to prove himself and consider that there are other openings in the off-season. That would increase Frazier's asking price and the Vikings would prefer, of course, to pay less rather than more for the same product. It would also at least create the possibility that the Vikings would be searching for a new head coach this off-season, having let get away the coach that they preferred.

Up Next: Even With PIcks and Against Buffalo, Jackson Improved.

What I Like About You

2010-12-02T11:53:00.003-06:00

It did not take long for interim Minnesota Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier to ingratiate himself with Vikings' fans. In the days preceding the Vikings' 17-13 road victory over Washington, Frazier immediately established himself as a more personable public face of the team than former head coach Brad Childress ever seemed capable of managing, despite much effort and expense by the Vikings' front office. Frazier not only spoke openly about his plans for the Washington game--careful not to venture into the Mike Tice territory of giving away the team's game plan--he also did so unscripted. That, in and of itself, was a refreshing change from the Childress era.

Frazier also elected to be interviewed by KFAN drive-time host, Dan Barreiro, rather than reprising Childress' interview schedule with the 9 to noon station host, Paul Allen. The move, almost certainly encouraged by the Vikings' front office, nevertheless was Frazier's to approve. By moving out of the softball, love fest that is the Paul Allen world, Frazier opted, instead, to weather the typically more blunt questions from Barreiro--the type of questions that often flustered Tice and the answers to which, in part, probably facilitated Tice's departure.

Not only did Frazier accept the challenge of moving from the warm cocoon to the real world of sports interviews, he did so with aplomb, answering questions directly so as not to agitate the host and being thoughtful enough in his responses not leave the type of negative impression which Childress all too often left with fans and talk show hosts alike.

Frazier took his image to Washington where he led the Vikings to the team's first road victory since November of 2009 and its first opening drive touchdown this year. And even with Adrian Peterson sidelined from the second quarter on with a sprained ankle, Frazier managed a victory where a Childress-led team almost certainly would have fallen to ignominious defeat.

More striking of Frazier than either his initial public impression or his in-game performance was his response to the victory. Never has an individual looked more genuinely happy than did Frazier on Sunday. And never have members of a team seemed more genuinely pleased for their head coach than did the Vikings' players. Frazier beamed from ear to ear, his players cheered, and the Vikings' left an opponent's field finally victorious. It was reminiscent of the closing scene from Rudy, only Frazier is no Rudy and his run is far from over.

As his in-game coaching of E.J. Henderson, caught by FOX cameras during Sunday's game, suggests, Frazier is no wilting lily. But neither, as his players will attest, is he clinically obsessive compulsive about his design. In short, while he is not a 180 degree change from Childress, Frazier appears to be a 90 degree shift in the right direction. And that might be just what the Vikings need to ensure that at least some of their many soon-to-be free agents have a desire to return next season, whenever that might be, and that the State legislature and Governor see greater value in gifting the team public money for a stadium, even if the team has no other place to play.

Up Next: Vikings' Being Dishonest and Disingenuous About Their Lack of Interest in a Retractable Roof on a New Stadium.

Why Childress' Ouster Had to Happen

2010-11-23T12:07:00.002-06:00

For many Minnesota Vikings' fans, former head coach Brad Childress' ouster occurred approximately four years and ten games too late. Even those dyed-in-the-wool Minnesotans, famous for deferring to the wisdom of decision makers until the decision makers prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that their decisions are faulty, must now acknowledge that Childress was a poor fit in Minnesota.

Ironically, Childress' downfall in Minnesota was the same ill that ultimately betrayed and led to the dismissal of his predecessor, Mike Tice. That commonality was the stubbornness portrayed by both in the face of blaring evidence of the appropriateness of acting differently.

Tice immortalized his stubbornness in two episodes that Vikings' fans still widely listen to today, more with a sense of bewilderment and enjoyment than with the angst with which they listened to the episodes at their inception. The first was Tice's insistence on forcing the ball to wide-receiver Randy Moss, no matter the circumstances. Tice's infamous "Randy Ratio" immediately put Tice in a dubious coaching class of his own. He added to that infamy by declaring that the Vikings would need to play "tough guy football" against the Chicago Bears because, of course, Chicago was a "tough guy town." It never entered Tice's mind that the Vikings could play to their strengths and still beat a team composed of different materials than is the City of Chicago.

Childress curiously picked up right where Tice left off, though he had a bit more of an offensive design than did Tice, and far more resources. Presumably, from Childress' perspective, Tice's issue in MInnesota was not that he had been stubborn, but that he had been stubborn and clueless. As it happens, Tice was both--but Childress was both and more so.

While Tice could make an acceptable offensive line out of duct tape, chewing gum, and a wisp of hair, Childress could not cobble together anything that would be acceptable of an offensive line even at the collegiate level. That issue persisted throughout Childress' tenure in Minnesota, despite the Vikings' use of high second-round picks on Phil Loadholt and Ryan Cook, drafting of John Sullivan and Chris DeGeare, signing of Steven Hutchinson, and retention of Bryant McKinnie and blocking tight end Jim Kleinsasser.

Despite Childress' inability to resolve offensive line problems that led to his quarterbacks routinely being murdered, one of the league's best running backs failing to reach his potential, and the subsequent passing and scoring problems, Childress compounded his woes by refusing to make alterations, other than to play musical chairs at center. Rarely did he bring in reinforcements in the form of a two tight-end set, never did he use a lineman in the backfield on goal line situations, and almost always did he run to the weak side of the line in critical situations. Increasingly, it was evident that Childress' head was made of firmer stuff than was even the brick wall into which he routinely ran his offensive philosophy.

Stubbornness notwithstanding, Childress' offense was not what he had advertised, his ability to mentor and mold quarterbacks was a canard, and his strength as a team leader had unraveled. During Sunday's non-performance, rookie bust Chris Cook told veteran defensive end Ray Edwards where to go in repeated fashion, the offensive coordinator again had problems getting plays into the game and refused to go no-huddle, leading to a confrontation with the quarterback following a pick, and too many Vikings' players simply offered minimal effort.

Childress' loss should be to the benefit of both the team and Childress. The team will have a new voice and an opportunity to weed out poor performers both on the field and on the sidelines and Childress will be able to enjoy a hefty severance check and, hopefully, regain his clearly deteriorating health.

The lasting memory of Childress, awful final season aside, likely will be something that has nothing to do with what Childress ever did in Minnesota. Rather, it is a statement made by a colleague who also is now gone from the local scene. Upon his arrival in Minnesota, former University of Minnesota football coach (term used loosely), Tim Brewster assured Vikings' fans that they were "going to love Childress." A telling comment on so many fronts.

Up Next: Frazier's Mandate.

Childress Out As Vikings' Head Coach

2010-11-22T11:31:00.002-06:00

Minnesota Vikings' head coach continued a trend among Minnesota coaches of accepting a lucrative, long-term extension only to be fired the following season. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will take over on an interim basis. More at noon.

Vikings Stink Up the Joint in Lopsided Loss

2010-11-22T02:05:00.003-06:00

The Minnesota Vikings effectively put a cap on a forgettable season, bowing to the Green Bay Packers, at home, 31-3. The Vikings could have scored more, the Packers could have scored less (or many more), but, from the end of the first half forward, there was little doubt which team was better prepared to play.

The Vikings' loss epitomized their entire season, if in most dramatic form. The offensive line was beyond putrid--whatever that would be; the secondary was horrific; the defensive line made two plays the entire day; and the linebackers chipped in one or two more. Add that to another underwhelming game plan that featured too much Naufahu Tahi and Toby Gerhart, too little Adrian Peterson, and consistently overthrown passes to short-armed receivers and the Vikings got their due on Sunday.

The obvious question in the wake of this time-wasting performance is whether it hastens head coach Brad Childress' departure. Previous arguments in favor of making an in-season change of what appears to be a fait accompli, if not now then at the end of this disastrous season, have centered on the belief that Childress' replacement would be assistant coach and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. If that means more of this woeful defense, translated into similar ineptitude on offense, that might not seem so magical.

What Frazier would provide the Vikings at this point is a seemingly more affable, but firm, head coach who speaks well in public. What is not known about Frazier is whether he has been a magician working with mirrors beyond the linebackers all season or not all that gifted at putting together a defense--and, hence, a team. Despite several Pro Bowl caliber players on the defensive line and at linebacker, and with a great corner in Antoine Winfield, Frazier has led a Vikings' defense that appears willing to sit back in a cover two that covers zero. On Sunday, the Packers exposed this ploy, throwing in front of, between, and behind every member of the secondary not named Winfield. It truly was a pathetic performance of epic proportions. And yet, despite this burn propensity, Frazier continued to hold to his don't press and don't blitz philosophy. Is this simply Childress in a different guise? Or, is Frazier stuck with a bad bowl of fruit? Whichever the case, it offers a less-than-certain future for this team, to say the least.

If and when the Vikings move on the head coach, they need also to spend some of their money on ensuring that the team has a legitimate offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. The latter goes without saying, but the former has had far too much of a free pass. There should be no possible way for Green Bay, which has no running game to speak of, to outperform a Vikings' offense that has Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Adrian Peterson, and Visanthe Shiancoe, even with Favre throwing high. It's simply not possible, unless the team is being guided in a fashion that makes it possible.

Up Next: Who the Vikings Should Hire. Plus, Vikings likely to split time between Jackson and Webb once they are officially eliminated.

Familiar Story Unfolding at Metrodome

2010-11-21T13:07:00.002-06:00

It's nearly halftime and the Minnesota Vikings are trailing the Green Bay Packers 10-3, that, despite nearly comparable statistics for the two teams.

The greatest difference through nearly two quarters has been the Vikings' inability to hold onto the football, Minnesota head coach Brad Childress' persistence in giving nearly as many early-game touches to Toby Gerhart and Naufahu Tahi as he has given Adrian Peterson, and continuing futility in the red zone.

In the first half, alone, three Vikings dropped balls. Each drop cost the Vikings' points. The parade of drops began with Greg Lewis' drop of a pass near the goal line. That drop negated what otherwise probably would have been a first down and forced the Vikings to kick a field goal. Minus four points for the Vikings.

The next drop came courtesy Toby Gerhart, who, presumably because he is a rookie who has fumbled in the past and has not been particularly noteworthy, was in position to receive a critical third-down pass. Gerhart caught the pass but failed to wrap it at the end of the run. The result was a turnover at the Green Bay 35-yard-line. Minus at least three points on the play and seven overall.

The final drop (so far) came courtesy Hussain Abdullah. With Aaron Rodgers dropping back in the pocket and clearly eyeing his intended receiver, Abdullah stayed his ground. Rodgers' pass was slightly to the inside of the nearest receiver, Abdullah, who turned and found the ball in his arms. Abdullah dropped the gift, however, and the Packers scored a touchdown on the subsequent play. Minus seven points on the play and fourteen overall.

Clearly, execution is abysmal for this Vikings' team. But, at some point, the coaching staff must assume responsibility for the play on the field. If not, there really is not point in having coaches.

Up Next: It Gets Worse.

Minnesota a Higher Employed Michigan as Vikings Fall to Par With Lions

2010-11-15T11:57:00.002-06:00

One of Minnesota's longest-living sportswriters long has quipped that, but for professional sports in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis would be little more than a cold Omaha. That sportswriter's entire universe is, of course, sports, so it is easy to understand how his perception of a city could be determined entirely by whether the market caters to each of the top four professional sports franchises in the United States and equally easy to understand his perception that the reason that businesses locate in Minneapolis is because of the sports teams.

A more valid comparison than the far less populated, less Fortune 500 situated Omaha, however, might be comparing the State of Minnesota to that of Michigan, at least in our sportswriter's sports only World. Only, in this comparison, one need not assume that either market is or will be without its current slate of professional sports teams, however loosely one wishes to use that phrase.

After a shellacking at the hands of the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings have nudged the entire State of Minnesota into the realm of discussions once reserved exclusively for the Detroit Lions. And the discussion is, to say the least, not a good one.

Through nine games this season, the Minnesota Vikings stand a mere game ahead of the last-place Lions in the NFC North. A strong case can be made, however, that that statistic will correct by the end of the season, flipping Minnesota and Detroit.

On the season, the Detroit Lions have scored 215 points, the Vikings 169. The Lions' point total is good for tenth in the NFL; the Vikings' point total is twenty-sixth in the league. And though the Lions have surrendered the eleventh most points this season at 202, Minnesota is only a touchdown off that figure.

At the end of the season, overall margin of victory/loss offers a good proxy on a team's relative standing within the NFL. At present, the Lions are at +13, the Vikings are a -26. Only 11 teams have a worse margin than Vikings. Is there any doubt that, with younger players at core positions and a coach who finally seems competent, the Lions soon will be overtaking the Vikings?

Tomorrow's forecast in Pontiac, Michigan is 54. In Minneapolis, it might reach 40.

Up Next: Who Pays What and Building a Stadium.

Vikings Look Disinterested, Inept in Loss to Bears

2010-11-14T15:12:00.004-06:00

If the Minnesota Vikings' game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday was a referendum on Brad Childress' tenure with the team, the vote is decidedly against perpetuation of the Childress regime. At 3-6 and effectively four games behind two division opponents, a change at the top likely will mean little for the Vikings this year. But a head-coaching switch to current defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, whose defense was at its worst today, would at least give the Vikings an opportunity to gauge Frazier's ability to lead a team in desperate need of new guidance without putting the Vikings' ownership on the hook for another coach's salary in what could be a coming year without football.

What went wrong for the Vikings on Sunday? It would be far easier to note what went right. Despite losing by only two touchdowns, the Vikings were the beneficiaries of several Chicago miscues; absent these miscues, the score could have been far worse. That, in short, is what went right for Minnesota.

The Vikings' failures included an inability to start the game with any sense of urgency, an inability to establish a cognizable, let alone successful, offensive philosophy, an inability to put meaningful pressure on a quarterback against whom all other opponents have exerted their will, an inability to play special teams, and an inability to function, generally speaking.

This was an ugly, plodding game, the type of game to which the Childress-led Vikings have become susceptible. What all of this is a recipe for is unclear, at least on the positive side, and it all suggests that last year was more a confluence of serendipity and overachievement than anything that the the Vikings' coaching staff culled from the players on the team.

Up Next: The Truth Hurts.

Three Reasons That Minnesota Vikings' Head Coach Brad Childress Ought to be on the Hot Seat That Have Nothing to Do With Randy Moss

2010-11-12T10:09:00.005-06:00

Over the past week, much ado has been made by the local Minnesota media about the continuing rift between Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress and the Vikings' fan base. Much of that media attention has been on the straw man created by certain members of the media that fan angst is directed toward Childress' dismissal of Randy Moss from the team. The bizarre conclusion, either directly stated or insinuated, is that Moss' dismissal has driven fans to respond both in an uninformed and irrational manner in calling for Childress' head.

With the notable exception of the fans that follow the team's play-by-play man to a local haunt every Friday, most Vikings' fans are far more rational than members of the media give them credit for being and, in many instances, far more rational than many of the media members propounding the straw man theory of fan dislike for Childress.

Only the most addled Viking fans would refuse to acknowledge that Moss' behavior in Minnesota was boorish. Most Vikings' fans probably even agree that Moss' petulance in team meetings, after games, and in games this year offered Childress legitimate grounds for dismissing the wide-receiver. As such, for most Vikings' fans, Moss' departure is a snapshot of Childress' greater issues rather than cause, in and of itself, for concern over Childress' ability to lead the Vikings. Those issues, when considered both individually and collectively, have created the overall anti-Childress sentiment, with Moss' dismissal merely offering the tipping point for venting frustration with the head coach.

Though Childress certainly has made some strides in his time as Vikings' head coach, there are numerous reasons to continue to question whether he merits the position he currently holds, none of which have anything expressly to do with Moss' dismissal or even with Vikings' player dislike of Childress. The following are three such issues.

Among the numerous problems that Childress continues to face is his persistently poor public image. What, for some unknown reason, receives virtually no attention in the regular media, is the fact that the Vikings' organization has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to have specialists work with Childress on presenting himself in public. That's almost too rich to believe. But that it is true makes it all the more remarkable that nobody has run with the story of a psychology major who cannot "psychologize"--as Childress might say, particularly as the angle meshes with the fact that the Wilf's hired Childress with very limited vetting. Childress' inability to make great strides in presentation of self in his five years with the team, despite the efforts of the team to assist him in this regard, ought to be cause for concern for anyone viewing any of Childress' other coaching liabilities.

One of those liabilities is Childress' continuing difficulty dealing with veterans, particularly those at skill positions. Last year, Childress attempted to pull quarterback Brett Favre from a game and replace him with the far more subservient, and infinitely less-skilled Tarvaris Jackson. That attempted move led to a heated sideline dispute out of which Favre emerged victorious, to a point.

But the real boiling point hit the subsequent week against the Chicago Bears when, frustrated by the chain-and-shackle conservative offense for which Childress has become a league punching bag, Favre erupted. The result was a torrent of points that almost allowed the Vikings to overcome a large deficit in spite of Childress' game plan. Other run-ins with the highly respected Brad Johnson, Matt Birk, and Gus Frerotte, and other players such as Marcus Robinson, Sage Rosenfels, Percy Harvin, Chris Kluwe, and Ryan Longwell, suggest an on-going control issue for Childress far beyond what normally could be expected of a head coach in the NFL. Clearly, Childress' control issues border on psychosis.

When Childress is not having difficulty with presentation of self and dealing with skill players, he seems irretractably unable to make the best use of the talent on his team. Much is made of the progression that Childress has made as head coach of the Vikings, moving the team from 6-10 to 8-8 to 10-6 to 12-4 last season. That's almost Brewster-like in its revisionism, however, in that it fails to note two extremely relevant qualifications to this progression. The first is that Childress inherited a 9-7 team. By that standard, he did not improve the team until year three of his run in Minnesota, and, then, only marginally so. Presumably, this is far less than even the Vikings' blindered ownership group anticipated when bringing in Childress to replace Mike Tice to coach a team for which, as Childress stated upon "picking the Vikings," was a team for which "the cupboard is not bare." The 10-6 record should have been expected in year one, the 12-4 in year two if things were progressing as expected--either that, or even Tice is superior to Childress, a possibility that cannot yet be discounted.

More damning in the face of Childress' purported success with the Vikings, however, is that, since Childress arrived in Minnesota, the team has upgraded talent virtually across the field and greatly improved its commitment to coaching salaries. Since Childress' first season with the Vikings, the team has added Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Steve Hutchinson, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian, Chad Greenway, Ben Leber, Cedric Griffin, Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, Phil Loadholt, and Visanthe Shiancoe. Somehow, Childress has managed to parlay that talent into a mediocre increase in victories and one playoff victory. That's inexcusable.

What's potentially even more indictable respecting Childress' failure to make more than modest progress with a team loaded with talent, however, is what his reported counterpart on defense, Leslie Frazier, has done. While Childress' offense did improve by 80 points in production from year one to year two of his regime--neatly coinciding with Peterson's arrival--it plateaued the next year before bumping up 90 points upon Favre's arrival. This year, it is on pace to regress to 2007 levels or worse.

Despite being dealt a secondary which, save for Antoine Winfield, should be far worse than anything that Denny Green ever put on the field, Frazier, conversely, has managed to maintain a defense that has retained a top five position in yards allowed and a top-third position in points allowed. That's even more impressive given significant injuries to EJ Henderson, Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, and Chris Cook, and the aging of Pat Williams, all of which have limited the Vikings' ability to blitz and, thus, to put pressure on the quarterback.

These are but three of the primary reasons why, Moss' departure aside, Vikings' fans have very rational reasons for questioning whether Childress is the right fit for this team and why they have fodder to consider that Frazier might be the better option. And while this certainly takes more time to lay out than the straw man argument put forth by some in the local media to explain the "irrational reason" why Vikings' fans would like to see a change at head coach, it is the grist upon which the Vikings' owners most assuredly will grit their teeth when deciding Childress' fate either later this season or at the end of the year.

Up Next: Da Bears. Plus, the real stadium solution.

Vikings' Victory Likely to Put Even More Pressure on Childress

2010-11-08T09:57:00.003-06:00

On Sunday at the Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings put on a head-scratching display befitting their embattled head coach. For roughly fifty minutes, the Vikings played conservative on both sides of the ball, awful on special teams, and with seemingly no determination or grit. For the final 10 minutes of the game, the team did what the team did at the tail end of last season, thoroughly dominating the regardless-of-record hapless Cardinals en route to a 27-24 overtime victory.

During his post-game press conference, Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress all but announced that Zygi Wilf and the rest of the Vikings' ownership group viewed yesterday's game as a measuring stick--a win would buy Childress time, a loss would result in his dismissal. Asked what Zygi said to the team following the Vikings surprising comeback, Childress said "he just said 'great heart,' and I think he meant that for everyone." Clearly, Childress' lingering doubt was over the extent of Zygi's support for him.

The predicament is not entirely surprising. Even when the Vikings were winning, improving on Childress' first miserable year as coach after adding talented player after talented player, year after year, the Vikings' organization was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on professional image builders to improve Childress presentation of self in public. With that image badly sullied in the wake of yet another of Childress' personal battles with a key player, Childress' decision to make an expensive decision on the owners' dime without first consulting the owners, and Childress' peculiar handling of Moss, all those hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of window dressing were about to unravel.

The first fifty minutes of the game on Sunday played out like virtually every Childress-led game in the pre-Brett Favre era with plodding offense, predictable running plays, lapses on defense, porous special teams play, and questionable coaching. From the constant runs up the middle, to Chad Greenway's failure to haul in an easy interception, to Percy Harvin's fumble and the Cardinals' return of a kickoff for a touchdown, to yet another unfulfilled Childress challenge, everything, including an eleven-point home deficit to a weak Arizona team suggested that Childress was taking his final steps along the Vikings' sidelines.

In the last ten minutes of a near-defeat, however, the Vikings reverted to the form that nearly brought the franchise a Super Bowl in 2009-2010. We saw a glimpse of what the Vikings could do on offense earlier, even without a stellar deep threat, when, earlier in the game, Bernard Berrian decided to make his annual appearance on the field, Childress deigned to call a screen to Peterson, and Percy Harvin did what he wanted to do. But the results were nearly non-existent until the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Favre took control of the offense, running the no-huddle, two-minute drill to perfection on successive drives. The result was a worn out Cardinal defense that could not stop Adrian Peterson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Favre, Harvin, Berrian, or any of the Vikings not named Jeff Dugan.

To make it to overtime, however, the Vikings needed not only a return to 2009-2010 playoff form by the offense but also a return to similar form by the defense. Held sackless for three straight games and outsacked on the season by the Detroit Lions' first-round draft pick in 2010, the Vikings' defense finally did what it has needed to do all season. With the game on the line, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier finally took off the gloves and blitzed, rushing linebackers, corners, and safeties. The result was six sacks and the ball, in overtime, with a chance to win. And where he did not have the opportunity against the New Orleans Saints in last year's NFC Championship game, Vikings' placekicker Ryan Longwell did have the opportunity to win the game yesterday--and, not surprisingly, he converted.

The Vikings' victory yesterday kept the team in the hunt for a playoff spot this year and bought Childress at least one more week to show that he can change fan perception of him. To accomplish the latter, Childress has to buy into the Vikings' offensive talent. That means more no-huddle offense, relinquishment of control of the game plan to the quarterback, more screen plays to Peterson, more passes over the middle to Shiancoe and Harvin, and, when he returns, more plays to Sidney Rice than the Vikings even attempted last year. It also means pressing Frazier to experiment on defense as he was forced to experiment with the blitz on Sunday.

The ultimate irony of yesterday's performance is not that the Vikings won the game by abandoning the control that Childress so often has difficulty relinquishing, but that Childress' most likely successor, should Childress not make it to the end of the current season, is a coach who finally, himself, figured out the 2009 season, Frazier. While Childress bought himself more time to show he can do what he ought to be able to do with a team this loaded with talent, Frazier might have ratcheted up the pressure on the ownership group to make a move even more than Childress quelled any such pressure.

Up Next: Not the Cowboys. Plus, Frazier and Childress Icing Approaching.

Childress Offers Yet Another Justification for Letting Him Go

2010-11-03T12:37:00.002-05:00

The press conference took approximately 20 minutes. Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress took about thirty seconds of that time to offer his "prepared" statements. Those statements, and the answers and non-answers to questions following therefrom offered further evidence that Childress simply is not meant to be the face or the mind behind an NFL football team.

Childress began his press conference by informing everyone of what they already knew, that the Vikings had waived wide-receiver Randy Moss. He then proceeded to throw everyone in the organization under the bus, before finally, absolutely begrudgingly acknowledging that coaching has something to do with the Vikings' current predicament.

"We need to catch the ball, throw the ball, and make plays on the ball better than we have," Childress said in response to a question regarding his decision to release Moss. Nowhere in that initial answer was there even a hint of Childress taking responsibility for the team's situation. That allowance came only at the tail-end of a response late in the testy press conference, during which Childress sounded like he had read the writing on the wall.

When questioned about his release of Moss, an explanation which seemed to be the entire purpose for the press conference, Childress offered that he was "not going to go there." He repeated this early and often. His only qualification to that poorly conceived response was that "it just didn't work--it just wasn't a good fit from a programmic [sic] perspective." Childress did allow that the decision to pick up Moss was on him, though the tab would be on the Wilfs. None of this makes the organization look good, none of it helps anyone.

After refusing to answer questions pertaining to the purpose of his press conference, Childress noted that he followed "process" in releasing Moss. When pressed, he stated that everyone in the organizational chain of command was in the loop prior to a decision being made and all but stated that he discussed the move with the Vikings' owners prior to making the decision. That, of course, debunks the Wilfs' claims of shock and dismay--and purported sense of helplessness--over the decision and should be recalled when our local octogenarian claims that "the Wilfs never supported the move and wanted to keep Moss."

More disturbing than Childress' refusal to answer straight-forward questions regarding his release of Moss was Childress continuing insistence on mischaracterizing information for which mischaracterizing serves no purpose. Like his childish misinformation regarding any number of previous acts, Childress claimed that, one hour prior to informing his players that Moss was no longer with the team, he did not know that he planned to release Moss. He also claimed that Moss' stay in New England was planned well in advance and that Moss' subsequent failure to return with the Vikings had nothing to do with his decision to release Moss.

Star-Tribune reporter, Judd Zulgad, became the first local reporter in recent memory to properly take a local sports coach or entity to task for a bold-faced lie, pressing Childress on clear misinformation. Childress' failure to provide an honest answer is simply a microcosm of Childress' inability to relinquish control of anything under any circumstances. It is a mind-set reflective of an individual who is not equipped to coach in the NFL. Mike Tice was stubborn, Childress is psychotically so, and it reflects poorly on the Vikings' organization and bodes poorly for the team which must continue to try to win in spite of Childress.

Up Next: Metal Pipe to Head Versus Childish Comment.

Zygi Selling Swampland

2010-11-02T13:27:00.002-05:00

On Monday, Minnesota Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf let "slip" that he was not informed of head coach Brad Childress' decision to release wide-receiver Randy Moss and that he was not pleased with the decision. Certainly, this news will serve as future grist for our local octogenarian apologist for local team ownership groups--particularly those ownership groups attempting to procure public funding for a new stadium. At best, however, the story is half-baked.

If Zygi is so upset over Childress' determination to cut Moss, he still as the opportunity to step in and make certain that Moss remains with the team. That is because, despite Zygi's protestations, as of noon on Tuesday, Moss had not yet been waived by the Vikings.

If Moss is waived by the team, Vikings' fans should be clear that Zygi's protest is nothing but window dressing. Zygi is letting Childress make the call on Moss and, in return, requiring that Childress stand up and take the fallout. Zygi wants none of it in his attempt to put a good face on the ownership group.

Anyone who believes that Zygi has been caught by surprise and is incapable of putting the brakes on Moss' waiver should expect a call from Zygi's realtor in the near future--or from mine.

Up Next: Eminently Winnable Games No Gauge on Childress.

Power Struggle PIts Vikings' Head Coach Against Ownership and Front Office

2010-11-01T17:49:00.002-05:00

While there are defensible reasons for Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress' preference to release wide receiver Randy Moss, apparently Childress did not set forth, defend, or carry out to a resolution those reasons with the Vikings' front office or ownership group, prior to making his announcement of Moss' waiver at 2 p.m. on Monday. As of 5 p.m. on Monday, there was no notice of Moss' waiver filed with the NFL. That meant either that the Vikings had not yet sent notice to the NFL or that the team was not going to release Moss. Either possibility remains in play.

The drama at Winter Park has reached epic proportions, even for a team that has dealt with the Red McCombs' era and Randy Moss in recent years. At this point, it appears virtually even odds that the Vikings will have a new head coach as early as tomorrow, with current defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier the most likely replacement.

Childress' dismissal, impossible one week ago, despite national attempts to fan the Childress flame, now seem more likely than at any time since the Vikings' ownership group came close to dismissing the head coach in 2007. With recent in-game gaffes, poor results despite one of the most highly paid and most talented teams in the league, and the ownership group's on-going efforts not only to secure public funding for a new stadium but also generous public funding for a "state-of-the-art" facility, the Wilfs will be hard-pressed to look the other way this time, favoring a head coach who fans have generally disliked over a mercurial, bizarre wide-receiver who puts fans in the seats, jerseys on fans' backs, money in the teams' coffers, and who has galvanized the fan base, regardless of what that might say about the fan base.

Up Next: Why Not Him, Why Not Now?

Childress Signals Own Troubles in Waiving Moss

2010-11-01T14:33:00.002-05:00

Randy Moss held up his arms prior to halftime last week, as his then head coach Brad Childress opted to sit on the ball rather than attempting to score. This week, Moss failed to catch a ball for a touchdown after being interfered with by a New England defender and having the ball float in front of him. Last night, Moss called out his coach.

Today, Moss is among the wealthy unemployed--a presumably temporary status.

The Vikings' waiving of Moss just three weeks after trading a third-round draft pick for the mercurial wide-receiver, signals not only the Vikings' bizarrely schizophrenic nature this year, but also Childress' on-going struggle to earn the respect of his players. Dating to the Christmas Eve release of unhappy wide-receiver Marcus Robinson and following with his well-documented disputes with quarterbacks Brad Johnson, Gus Frerotte, Sage Rosenfels, and Brett Favre, Childress continues to be the one person at the center of each dispute who remains with the team.

Clearly, these disputes are borne out of a belief on the part of the Vikings' players that Childress is both a control freak, as many NFL coaches are, but also one that insists on his way even when his way is not working. How it is not working for Childress has been documented here and elsewhere since day one of his tenure in Minnesota, with the occasional corner being turned, only to have it reestablished the following week.

Last year, Childress changed form in bringing Favre into the fold. Now, Childress is considering benching Favre for the hopeless but compliant Tarvaris Jackson and Moss is gone.

Moving Moss could be an important team unification move were the source of the problem Moss. Moss, no doubt, is a handful, but Childress is the petulant child who owns the ball and who, despite his lack of ability, threatens to take the ball and go home if he is not allowed to play quarterback.

This has all the makings of Childress' final move.

Up Next: More on Moss.

Childress Foils Vikings' Second-Quarter Drive

2010-10-31T16:26:00.002-05:00

Fourth-and-goal from the one-yard-line. Road game. Play card, the card that Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress so often cites, says take the points, kick the field goal.

Childress has other ideas.

After a time-out, the Vikings line up against the Patriots' eleven-man front. Apparently the Patriots know Childress as well as do most Vikings' fans. That is to say that Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick understands that on fourth-and-one on the goalline, Childress will be as conservative as possible, and as dunderheaded as possible.

Belichick was right. Facing that that eleven-man front, Childress handed off to Adrian Peterson on a play designed to follow the fullback, Naufahu Tahi, to the right side of the Vikings' line. Yes, to the right. Not to the beefier, stronger, left-side of the line.

Predictably, Peterson lost two yards on the play and the Vikings entered halftime without three points that it otherwise would have had. The play further demonstrated that even Peterson cannot overcome his coach's continuing and increasing decision-making gaffes.

Up Next: Second Half.

Childress Doing His Best to Undermine Vikings' Early Efforts in New England

2010-10-31T15:56:00.003-05:00

Two plays, two awful calls, and a handful of successful predictability have led to an early 7-0 Vikings' lead at New England, but Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress is doing his level best to undermine that effort.

On Minnesota's second drive, Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson clearly crossed the endline for a touchdown. Childress, however, declined to throw the challenge flag and the Vikings lined up for a second-down play from the one-foot line.

The second-down play led to a Peterson touchdown that should not have been. New England Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick threw the challenge flag and the review official blew the review. Just as clearly as Peterson had crossed the endline on first down, he did not pierce the line on second down. Justice was served, on the whole, though that did not remove the taint of Childress having failed to challenge a clear error on first down--a failure on Childress' part that, had the officials made the proper call on second down, might have thwarted yet another Vikings' touchdown that should have been.

Childress followed-up on his poor decision on drive two, with a horrendous challenge on the Patriots' subsequent drive. With Madieu Williams missing an easy pick and allowing the Patriots' receiver to haul in an otherwise awful pass from Tom Brady, Childress deliberated, then threw the challenge. The challenge was so ridiculous that even the normally focused play-by-play analyst, Troy Aikman, wondered whether he had missed something. There was, of course, but one thing that could be challenged, and that was whether there was a catch. That the catch was so apparent, made Aikman think otherwise, however.

Unfortunately, Childress' challenge was on the reception, and the officials took little time rejecting the challenge.

Childress also has opted to make his offense nearly one-dimensional on the first two drives, giving the ball almost exclusively to Adrian Peterson. Fortunately for Minnesota, Peterson remains in overdrive mode and has destroyed the Patriots' 3-4 defense through two drives.

Up Next: Patriots Answer, Will Vikings?

Vikings Lose Game In First Quarter

2010-10-25T10:03:00.002-05:00

The Minnesota Vikings nearly pulled out a win at Lambeau Field on Sunday night, despite trailing by 11 late in the game. The game ostensibly was sealed by a face-masking penalty against Vikings' right tackle Phil Loadholt that pushed the Vikings from the Packers' 15-yard-line back to the 40. Despite quarterback Brett Favre's near Herculean efforts, the Vikings fell just short of victory, however, not because of Loadholt's penalty, but because the offense, once again this year, failed to show for the opening of the game.

There were 13 games played in the NFL on Sunday. Of those, six involved winning teams that scored 30 or more points. Half of these winning teams scored on their first drive of the game.

More telling than first drive statistics was how winning teams performed on their first two drives of the game on Sunday. Of the teams that scored 30 or more points and won on Sunday, only Tennessee, starting a quarterback who had not played in a decade, failed to score on either its first or second drive. Of all winning teams on Sunday, only three failed to score on either the team's first or second drive.

What the numbers suggest is that winning correlates positively with success on the opening two drives of the game, with success measured by scoring drives. Given that the Vikings should have at least known that they would be involved in a relatively high-scoring game, they, thus, should have placed a far higher premium on their first and second drive than they apparently did. That they did not falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaches calling the same plays on opening drives, game after game after game.

On the Vikings' first drive, the team gained four yards on three plays in 1:54. On the second drive, the offense was equally inept, moving the ball five yards on three plays in 48 seconds. That's as abysmal as an offense can get, absent sacks and turnovers.

Most alarming about yesterday's Vikings' performance on the opening two drives was that this has become a trend for Minnesota. Through six games this season, Minnesota has yet to score any points on either its first or second drive of the game. That statistic is magnified by the fact that Minnesota has lost four games this year by an average of just over five points per game. A different outcome in quarter one might have been the difference between a win and a loss.

The four-point loss to Green Bay on Sunday leaves Minnesota standing at 2-4, with no road victories and one home loss on the season. After next week's game at New England, Minnesota should be favored to win at least seven of its final nine games. That means that the Vikings remain in an enviable position, even with a loss at New England. But being favored only means something if it translates into an actual victory. And if the Vikings do not come better prepared offensively for their remaining games than they have for their first six games, being favored will be little consolation to a team looking in on what should be a very beatable NFC field.

Up Next: He Said What?

Seriously?

2010-10-24T21:01:00.002-05:00

Minnesota Viking quarterback Brett Favre completed a deep pass to wide receiver Randy Moss. On the play, Moss clearly placed his hands on the back of the defending (term used loosely) cornerback and was flagged for pass interference. Moss need not have bothered with the hands as he had the defender beat. Whether he can accomplish this feat again, however, will have little to do with him and everything to do with those calling the plays on the Vikings' sidelines.

On the subsequent play, with just over thirty seconds remaining in the half, Adrian Peterson ran through the Packers' defense as though the defense was what it is, that is, porous.

Vikings' head coach Brad Childress, knowing that the Packers will receive the ball to begin the second half and presumably cognizant of the ease with which his players were dicing up the Packers' defense, opted, in Denny Green-like fashion, to sit on the ball. Rather than a near certain field-goal attempt or a better than even-odds touchdown possibility, Childress elected to go to the locker room up three but having put at least a short-term dagger into the Vikings' momentum. That's what Childress can do for an offense.

Childress' decision prompted Moss to raise his arms in incredulity and had Brett Favre shaking his head. The pure idiocy of the call had even Cris Collinsworth siding with Moss over the head coach.

Up Next: Moon Jumps Over Cow.

Vikings Open Up Offense and Defense

2010-10-24T20:37:00.003-05:00

After two awful offensive drives, the Minnesota Vikings decided to play some offense against the Green Bay Packers and promptly executed on three well-conceived scoring drives. Relying on Percy Harvin's speed, Visanthe Shiancoe's hands, and Brett Favre's return to passing accuracy, the Vikings moved with ease down the field, scoring three touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Vikings, the officials overturned the third touchdown on a call that can best be regarded as a misunderstanding of the rules.

Also unfortunate for the Vikings is the continuing poor play of Minnesota's safeties and the lack of pressure on the quarterback by the Vikings' front four--two issues no doubt related. For the season, that front four has a mere 3.5 sacks--next to last in the NFL. They've added one sack so far tonight, but that's in two quarters of play against the league's most porous offensive line.

Another poor call by the officials, this one against Frank Walker, keeps the chains moving for the Packers. If Rodgers is able to throw the ball anywhere near his receivers, one of two results appears likely tonight--either the receiver is going to catch the ball or the officials will catch it for them, at least long enough to keep ratings up.