July 4 1776
Proud Vikings Lover
I saw one for the Skins so i figured as one of the few die hard Vikings fans on here i might be qualified for this
Quarterback: Christian Ponder, B-
I give this a B- because the first time in a long time we have known who our QB is going to be since the end of last season. Said to be a reach by many (including myself) Ponder showed both flashes of brilliance and some really boneheaded picks. He has put on weight to help the injury bug that has been plaguing him since college and GM Spielman thinks that Ponder is on the same curve of greats such as Brees and Eli. Hopefully Ponder can show growth so the Vikings dont experience a losing season for the third year in a row, something the Vikings have never experienced in the history of the franchise.
Quarterback Depth: D
Behind Ponder Joe Webb is unproven at best. A good runner who plays great in spot situations Webb is not a long term answer at QB. Sage is a solid #3, but you typically dont want your #3 to be in his late 30's.
Runningback: Adrian Peterson, A-
The only thing keeping him from an A+ is his injury from last year. In recent year the ACL tear is not the doom it once was (See Wes Welker) although coming back from it so quickly is still a risk decision. If healthy book him in for 1200 and 15 tds.
Runningback Depth: A+
One of our strengths is our Running Back depth. Toby Gehart filled in marvelously when AP got hurt last year, and has earned the right to be part of a 1 2 punch for the Vikings. Gehart has great ability to block on 3rd downs as well as catch the ball out of the backfield. Throw in Jordan Todman as a speedy #3 and the other 5 RB/FB we have signed to compete and the Running Back position shouldnt be a problem for years to come. Finally Percy Harvin can sub in for RB as he did last year and is a more than competent back.
Wide Receiver: Percy Harvin, A-
This is a toss up between a B+ and A-, but being a homer I go with the A-. Percy is possibly the best slot receiver in the NFL, and can even fill in at RB. Howerver he is not a #1 receiver and might not ever develop in a Steve Smith/Desean Jackson type. Still he is good for 900 yards receiving and 10 TDs a year.
Wide Receiver: Jerome Simpson, B
Jerome has received nothing but high praises from Vikings staff, although he has not shown the #1 receiver talent we need him for while a Bengal. Entering his fourth year if Ponder develops he could end up being a 1,000 yard receiver, if not he will struggle to break 500. It doesnt help that he is suspended the first three games of the season.
Tight End: Kyle Rudolph, B+
Rookie TE Kyle Rudolph has amazing hands and showed great promise his rookie year. Starting this year he may be able to be a Gronk type reciver, especially when matched up with John Carlson. Its also been reported that he has gained a half of step finally being fully recovered from a previous college injury. Expecting to use more of a 2 TE set this season this guy is a fantasy league sleeper.
Wide Receiver Depth: D
Past the starters (and possibly even them) the cupboard is bare. Mike Jenkins is a solid #3 at best. 4th round rookies Greg Childs and Jarious Wright wont contribute much, if at all. Devin Arush had the lowest catch percentage in the entire NFL last season and probably wont make the team. Emmanuel Arcennuax and Stephen Burton both are young talents that might eventually develop, but neither are ready for anything better than 4th at best on the depth chart. On the TE side John Carlson was a top 10 TE a few years ago but injuries have hampered his career as of late. Hopefully Rhett Ellison will develop into a Jim Kliensasser type TE/FB but as a rookie its unlikely. We are not in a good place in the WR position, and have possibly have the worst receiving corps in the NFL.
Left Tackle: Matt Khalil, A-
The number 4 pick in the NFL draft and the first O-line man taken of the board. Even as a rookie he should contribute to imroving one of the worst lines in football last year. As close as a thing to a lock as there can be, he has the size, speed, and talent to be a top 3 NFL tackle in a few years, and a top 10 this year. As long as he is as good as advertised, we are set for years to come. But he is still a rookie so he gets an A-.
Left Guard: Charlie Johnson, C
Rated the worst left tackle last year on many ratings boards CJ was consistent in getting beat off the edge. However from what im told, and i admittedly havent seen to many old Colts games, he is much better at his natural position of LG. I will admit that its gonna be harder to get beat off the edge in the guard spot so maybe this grade is a little low, but what ive seen from his last year I am in a see it to believe it mood with this guy.
Center: John Sullivan, A
What is there to say about this guy. Hes good and consistent and earned a new 5 year contract because of his outside play. The only knock on him is that he may be a bit undersized, but so was ex Viking HOF Matt Birk.
Right Guard: Brandon Fusco, C+
This will be a toss up between Fusco and Geoff Swartz, but from reports coming out of Minnesota Geoff has still not fully recovered from last years injury and is currently number 2 on the depth chart. Either player will be the same grade however, as Fusco filled in surprisingly well at guard last year after a string of injuries at the guard spot. He could develop and be a solid starter in the league.
Right Tackle: Phill Loadholt, A-
Ask anyone that has seen a Vikings game in the last 3 or 4 years about Loadholt and you'll notice 2 things. Loadholt has the talent to be an elite RT in the NFL, but has the mindset of someone close to getting cut. While rarely getting beat he gets penalized with way to many false start and holding penalties, that usually happen at the most inconvenient of times of the game. Im hoping with Khalil taking off some of the pressure off Loadholt his mind will be at ease and these penalties will subside. Im basing this grade completely on the assumption that he will finally decrease his penalties this year and become the tackle we know he can be.
Offensive Line Depth: B
Surprisingly not as bad as with recent years. We have Chris DeGeare and Geoff Swartz both giving backup at the gaurd spot. Swartz has shown the talent to be a top 10 guard when healthy and his run blocking is amazing. Degeare knows the system well and should be able to fill in without much of a miss of a beat. Brandon Fusco, who will probably start at RG, can move over to center flawlessly and only have a slight fall off in talent on the line. The tackle backups of Demarcus Love and Patrick Brown have both shown promise last year before being hurt but neither are anything spectacular or even average as of yet, and they bring the depth grade down a whole letter grade.
Left End: Brain Robbinson, B+
When the Vikings let Robinson go to the Falcons many thought that there would be a drop off in talent at the LE position, those people were wrong. Very strong against the pass he had 8 sacks a 3 FF last year, while Ray Edwards has a pedestrian 3.5 sacks. Lets be real though, this position isnt a weakness only because Jared Allen and
Kevin Williams take so many double teams.
Defensive Tackle:Kevin Williams, A-
Dealing with injuries and a star caps suspension at the beginning of last season Kevin Williams had a slow start last year. It appeared as though his age might finally be catching up with him until the end of the season where he came on strong notching 5 sacks in his last 7 games. He is in a contract year this year so expect big things from him as he tries to get a deal that would have him retire a Viking.
Defensive Tackle: Letroy Guinn, C
Well the good news is he cant be much worse than Remi was for us last year. Letroy is a 3 year pro thats expected to improve greatly this year as he cracks the starting lineup, however in spot play he has been inconsistent u to this point and rarely commands the double team Pat Williams did. This grade could be higher by the end of the season but as of now, this DT spot is a weakness in a strong D line
Right End: Jared Allen, A+
With a league leading 22 sacks last year Jared Allen is a beast that stops the run and the pass. With a ridiculously high motor his only weakness, if there are any, is that while blitzing so hard the screens sometimes get him. Fear the Mullet
Defensive Line Depth: A
We have plenty of Depth at the D line position. Christian Ballard has shown even as a rookie that he might be able to take Kevin Williams spot one day and Everson Griffin could be a starting end on other teams getting 4 sacks in spot play last year. While we may not have the NY Giants pass rushing depth, I do believe we are number 2 in the league in depth. Throw in Fred Evans and D'Aundre Reed to compete for reps and we have a dtrong depth behind our starters, making everyone on the line not named Jared Allen replaceable without missing much of a beat.
Outside Linebacker: Chad Greenway, A
Chad Greenway is as solid and consistent as the come. He may not be flashy but he gets his job done. This cause many to view him as taking a drop off last year in production although if you look as his stats that arent much different then previous years. Greenway does need to develop into a leader thought and improve the players around him, one thing he does not do well.
Middle Linebacker: Jasper Brinkly, C-
I dont feel as comfortable replacing longtime EJ Henderson starter with Jasper who was injured from last year as the Vikings do, but he did play well his rookie season 2 years ago when EJ went down with a broken leg. I felt as though we should have went after Hawthorne from the Seahawks to play our very important MLB position in the Cover 2 system, but if Brinkly plays as good as he did before the injury this might not be a problem. That being said Brinkly has spent the first part of minicamps injured with a hamstring injury, proving he might not be reliable
Outside Linebacker: Erin Henderson, B
An undrafted rookie cracking the starting lineup last year Erin played surprisingly well at the LB spot. Playing the run almost flawlessly he still needs to work on his passing defense. Hopefully he will continue to improve this year and develop into a solid starter, if not a top 15 talent at his position.
Linebacker Depth: D-
There is nearly no depth at the linebacker spot. We have had to convert Everson Griffin into a lb just to cover our needs, and while he may have the speed and size to do it, we shouldnt have to take one of our best de and convert him. The only other person in the lb depth worth mentioning if Solomon Elimimian the Canadian Football Leagues Defensive Rookie of the year and rate the hardest hitter in the CFL. A bit undersized for the NFL he could develop into our starting MLB in a few years. We also drafted Audie Cole in the 7th and he could be Greenways backup this year but thats not because of his sever talent. No one else in camp has been brought in for anything other than sever need at the position and no one stands out as a possible sleeper.
Cornerback: Antoine Winfield, B-
Finally healthy after an injury plagued season last year, Winfield is a solid talent who plays the run better than any other corner in the league. That being said he has lost a step with old age and can get beat deep moving him over to the slot on 3 WR sets. Better safety play could help prolong Winfields career however as he might have another 1 or 2 decent years left in him.
Free Safety: Mistral Raymond, C
Mistral Raymond was forced into a starting spot last year but did surprisingly well in the position. He broke the Vikings record setting number of games without an interception last year were many veterans couldn't. This in my number 1 pick for a sleeper this year as I see him as someone that can develop into an averge starting safety as soon as this year. However he was a 6th round pick last year and assuming he can take that leap is a little overly optomistic.
Strong Safety: Harrison Smith, B
Our first round pick at Saftey Smith should be a solid Safety from day one. Many had him as a second round pick but our dire need at the position has us trade up to get him. Hopefully he develops into a quality starting safety this season, and an above average one later.
Cornerback: Chris Cook, A-
Before getting into trouble last year Cook had our secondary almost looking like a secondary. If he can stay out of trouble and healthy Cook has shown the ability to be a top ten talent in this league and can be a shut down corner to the leagues top receivers. This is all speculation however as his strong start last year was shut down by his inability to stay out of trouble. I fully expect him to be the top corner Vikings fans see him as.
Secondary Depth: C+
We have brought in a ton of competition for the corner spot as well as drafting the speedy Josh Robinson in the beginning of the third round, whom many predicted to be an early 2nd round pick up. Both Cris Carr and Zach Bowman should be upgrades over what we had last year, and both could possibly compete for a starting spot as they have both been competent starters at one time in there career, although Bowman does have to overcome his knee injuries that have seemingly slowed him down since his Pro Bowl caliber season with the Bears 3 years ago. For the safety we have former starter Jamarca Sanford and 5th Round converted CB Robert Blanton who is also competing for one of the starting safety position with his strong minicamp performances. With Asher Allen retiring we do lose a veteran, but his contribution was little more than being a man on the field. We also have a few returning project players such as Brandon Burton and Marcus Sherels. All in all we are much improved in this position from last year and this grade should be higher by the end of the year, assuming some of the players meet there potential. Having a head coach that was a CB coach as well and a Defensive Coordinator thats was CB coach there should be no excuse for these players to not exceed there potential.
Kicker: Blair Walsh, C
Releasing kicker Ryan Longwell was a risk, but if there was any time to do it, it was after the worst season on his career. Drafting UGA kicker Blair Walsh is a boom or bust move as he has the the leg power and accuracy to be a good kicker in this league, however his senior season was uncharacteristically bad as hit only 19 of 31 field goals. Before that though his two previous seasons he went 40 of 45 including 6 of 7 from 50 yards+ out. Add in his 48 touchbacks on kickoffs in the last 3 years and he has shown that he can be a solid contributer. However his senior season still lingers keeping this from being anything other than a major risk.
Punter: Chris Kluwe, A-
Kluwe is a solid punter who consistently puts the ball where it needs to be, even if he does have trouble kicking away from Reggie Bush as Brad Childress has said. Regardless of that mishap a few years ago he has above average leg power and accuracy, and while neither is great, he is one of the better punters in the league.
Overall the Vikings should be a much improved team this year, as at the very least the talent of there roster is improved. They lost 9 of their 13 games last year by 7 or less, and with Chris Cook and Winfield back the secondary shouldnt be nearly as bad as it was last year. Add in a better offensive line and the development of Ponder and we have realistic chance of being .500 team. Hopefully a relatively week first ten weeks has us playing good football going into the last 6 weeks in which we play the Packers and Bears twice each. Also a possibility however is the Coach Frasier shows no improvement as a coach, Ponder doesnt improve, and AP isnt fully healed leading us to another top 5 pick in next years draft. As a true Vikings fans I have to be optomistic though and have us being the Cinderella story of the year going 9-7.
Thanks for the read and SKOL Vikings
Quarterback: Christian Ponder, B-
I give this a B- because the first time in a long time we have known who our QB is going to be since the end of last season. Said to be a reach by many (including myself) Ponder showed both flashes of brilliance and some really boneheaded picks. He has put on weight to help the injury bug that has been plaguing him since college and GM Spielman thinks that Ponder is on the same curve of greats such as Brees and Eli. Hopefully Ponder can show growth so the Vikings dont experience a losing season for the third year in a row, something the Vikings have never experienced in the history of the franchise.
Quarterback Depth: D
Behind Ponder Joe Webb is unproven at best. A good runner who plays great in spot situations Webb is not a long term answer at QB. Sage is a solid #3, but you typically dont want your #3 to be in his late 30's.
Runningback: Adrian Peterson, A-
The only thing keeping him from an A+ is his injury from last year. In recent year the ACL tear is not the doom it once was (See Wes Welker) although coming back from it so quickly is still a risk decision. If healthy book him in for 1200 and 15 tds.
Runningback Depth: A+
One of our strengths is our Running Back depth. Toby Gehart filled in marvelously when AP got hurt last year, and has earned the right to be part of a 1 2 punch for the Vikings. Gehart has great ability to block on 3rd downs as well as catch the ball out of the backfield. Throw in Jordan Todman as a speedy #3 and the other 5 RB/FB we have signed to compete and the Running Back position shouldnt be a problem for years to come. Finally Percy Harvin can sub in for RB as he did last year and is a more than competent back.
Wide Receiver: Percy Harvin, A-
This is a toss up between a B+ and A-, but being a homer I go with the A-. Percy is possibly the best slot receiver in the NFL, and can even fill in at RB. Howerver he is not a #1 receiver and might not ever develop in a Steve Smith/Desean Jackson type. Still he is good for 900 yards receiving and 10 TDs a year.
Wide Receiver: Jerome Simpson, B
Jerome has received nothing but high praises from Vikings staff, although he has not shown the #1 receiver talent we need him for while a Bengal. Entering his fourth year if Ponder develops he could end up being a 1,000 yard receiver, if not he will struggle to break 500. It doesnt help that he is suspended the first three games of the season.
Tight End: Kyle Rudolph, B+
Rookie TE Kyle Rudolph has amazing hands and showed great promise his rookie year. Starting this year he may be able to be a Gronk type reciver, especially when matched up with John Carlson. Its also been reported that he has gained a half of step finally being fully recovered from a previous college injury. Expecting to use more of a 2 TE set this season this guy is a fantasy league sleeper.
Wide Receiver Depth: D
Past the starters (and possibly even them) the cupboard is bare. Mike Jenkins is a solid #3 at best. 4th round rookies Greg Childs and Jarious Wright wont contribute much, if at all. Devin Arush had the lowest catch percentage in the entire NFL last season and probably wont make the team. Emmanuel Arcennuax and Stephen Burton both are young talents that might eventually develop, but neither are ready for anything better than 4th at best on the depth chart. On the TE side John Carlson was a top 10 TE a few years ago but injuries have hampered his career as of late. Hopefully Rhett Ellison will develop into a Jim Kliensasser type TE/FB but as a rookie its unlikely. We are not in a good place in the WR position, and have possibly have the worst receiving corps in the NFL.
Left Tackle: Matt Khalil, A-
The number 4 pick in the NFL draft and the first O-line man taken of the board. Even as a rookie he should contribute to imroving one of the worst lines in football last year. As close as a thing to a lock as there can be, he has the size, speed, and talent to be a top 3 NFL tackle in a few years, and a top 10 this year. As long as he is as good as advertised, we are set for years to come. But he is still a rookie so he gets an A-.
Left Guard: Charlie Johnson, C
Rated the worst left tackle last year on many ratings boards CJ was consistent in getting beat off the edge. However from what im told, and i admittedly havent seen to many old Colts games, he is much better at his natural position of LG. I will admit that its gonna be harder to get beat off the edge in the guard spot so maybe this grade is a little low, but what ive seen from his last year I am in a see it to believe it mood with this guy.
Center: John Sullivan, A
What is there to say about this guy. Hes good and consistent and earned a new 5 year contract because of his outside play. The only knock on him is that he may be a bit undersized, but so was ex Viking HOF Matt Birk.
Right Guard: Brandon Fusco, C+
This will be a toss up between Fusco and Geoff Swartz, but from reports coming out of Minnesota Geoff has still not fully recovered from last years injury and is currently number 2 on the depth chart. Either player will be the same grade however, as Fusco filled in surprisingly well at guard last year after a string of injuries at the guard spot. He could develop and be a solid starter in the league.
Right Tackle: Phill Loadholt, A-
Ask anyone that has seen a Vikings game in the last 3 or 4 years about Loadholt and you'll notice 2 things. Loadholt has the talent to be an elite RT in the NFL, but has the mindset of someone close to getting cut. While rarely getting beat he gets penalized with way to many false start and holding penalties, that usually happen at the most inconvenient of times of the game. Im hoping with Khalil taking off some of the pressure off Loadholt his mind will be at ease and these penalties will subside. Im basing this grade completely on the assumption that he will finally decrease his penalties this year and become the tackle we know he can be.
Offensive Line Depth: B
Surprisingly not as bad as with recent years. We have Chris DeGeare and Geoff Swartz both giving backup at the gaurd spot. Swartz has shown the talent to be a top 10 guard when healthy and his run blocking is amazing. Degeare knows the system well and should be able to fill in without much of a miss of a beat. Brandon Fusco, who will probably start at RG, can move over to center flawlessly and only have a slight fall off in talent on the line. The tackle backups of Demarcus Love and Patrick Brown have both shown promise last year before being hurt but neither are anything spectacular or even average as of yet, and they bring the depth grade down a whole letter grade.
Left End: Brain Robbinson, B+
When the Vikings let Robinson go to the Falcons many thought that there would be a drop off in talent at the LE position, those people were wrong. Very strong against the pass he had 8 sacks a 3 FF last year, while Ray Edwards has a pedestrian 3.5 sacks. Lets be real though, this position isnt a weakness only because Jared Allen and
Kevin Williams take so many double teams.
Defensive Tackle:Kevin Williams, A-
Dealing with injuries and a star caps suspension at the beginning of last season Kevin Williams had a slow start last year. It appeared as though his age might finally be catching up with him until the end of the season where he came on strong notching 5 sacks in his last 7 games. He is in a contract year this year so expect big things from him as he tries to get a deal that would have him retire a Viking.
Defensive Tackle: Letroy Guinn, C
Well the good news is he cant be much worse than Remi was for us last year. Letroy is a 3 year pro thats expected to improve greatly this year as he cracks the starting lineup, however in spot play he has been inconsistent u to this point and rarely commands the double team Pat Williams did. This grade could be higher by the end of the season but as of now, this DT spot is a weakness in a strong D line
Right End: Jared Allen, A+
With a league leading 22 sacks last year Jared Allen is a beast that stops the run and the pass. With a ridiculously high motor his only weakness, if there are any, is that while blitzing so hard the screens sometimes get him. Fear the Mullet
Defensive Line Depth: A
We have plenty of Depth at the D line position. Christian Ballard has shown even as a rookie that he might be able to take Kevin Williams spot one day and Everson Griffin could be a starting end on other teams getting 4 sacks in spot play last year. While we may not have the NY Giants pass rushing depth, I do believe we are number 2 in the league in depth. Throw in Fred Evans and D'Aundre Reed to compete for reps and we have a dtrong depth behind our starters, making everyone on the line not named Jared Allen replaceable without missing much of a beat.
Outside Linebacker: Chad Greenway, A
Chad Greenway is as solid and consistent as the come. He may not be flashy but he gets his job done. This cause many to view him as taking a drop off last year in production although if you look as his stats that arent much different then previous years. Greenway does need to develop into a leader thought and improve the players around him, one thing he does not do well.
Middle Linebacker: Jasper Brinkly, C-
I dont feel as comfortable replacing longtime EJ Henderson starter with Jasper who was injured from last year as the Vikings do, but he did play well his rookie season 2 years ago when EJ went down with a broken leg. I felt as though we should have went after Hawthorne from the Seahawks to play our very important MLB position in the Cover 2 system, but if Brinkly plays as good as he did before the injury this might not be a problem. That being said Brinkly has spent the first part of minicamps injured with a hamstring injury, proving he might not be reliable
Outside Linebacker: Erin Henderson, B
An undrafted rookie cracking the starting lineup last year Erin played surprisingly well at the LB spot. Playing the run almost flawlessly he still needs to work on his passing defense. Hopefully he will continue to improve this year and develop into a solid starter, if not a top 15 talent at his position.
Linebacker Depth: D-
There is nearly no depth at the linebacker spot. We have had to convert Everson Griffin into a lb just to cover our needs, and while he may have the speed and size to do it, we shouldnt have to take one of our best de and convert him. The only other person in the lb depth worth mentioning if Solomon Elimimian the Canadian Football Leagues Defensive Rookie of the year and rate the hardest hitter in the CFL. A bit undersized for the NFL he could develop into our starting MLB in a few years. We also drafted Audie Cole in the 7th and he could be Greenways backup this year but thats not because of his sever talent. No one else in camp has been brought in for anything other than sever need at the position and no one stands out as a possible sleeper.
Cornerback: Antoine Winfield, B-
Finally healthy after an injury plagued season last year, Winfield is a solid talent who plays the run better than any other corner in the league. That being said he has lost a step with old age and can get beat deep moving him over to the slot on 3 WR sets. Better safety play could help prolong Winfields career however as he might have another 1 or 2 decent years left in him.
Free Safety: Mistral Raymond, C
Mistral Raymond was forced into a starting spot last year but did surprisingly well in the position. He broke the Vikings record setting number of games without an interception last year were many veterans couldn't. This in my number 1 pick for a sleeper this year as I see him as someone that can develop into an averge starting safety as soon as this year. However he was a 6th round pick last year and assuming he can take that leap is a little overly optomistic.
Strong Safety: Harrison Smith, B
Our first round pick at Saftey Smith should be a solid Safety from day one. Many had him as a second round pick but our dire need at the position has us trade up to get him. Hopefully he develops into a quality starting safety this season, and an above average one later.
Cornerback: Chris Cook, A-
Before getting into trouble last year Cook had our secondary almost looking like a secondary. If he can stay out of trouble and healthy Cook has shown the ability to be a top ten talent in this league and can be a shut down corner to the leagues top receivers. This is all speculation however as his strong start last year was shut down by his inability to stay out of trouble. I fully expect him to be the top corner Vikings fans see him as.
Secondary Depth: C+
We have brought in a ton of competition for the corner spot as well as drafting the speedy Josh Robinson in the beginning of the third round, whom many predicted to be an early 2nd round pick up. Both Cris Carr and Zach Bowman should be upgrades over what we had last year, and both could possibly compete for a starting spot as they have both been competent starters at one time in there career, although Bowman does have to overcome his knee injuries that have seemingly slowed him down since his Pro Bowl caliber season with the Bears 3 years ago. For the safety we have former starter Jamarca Sanford and 5th Round converted CB Robert Blanton who is also competing for one of the starting safety position with his strong minicamp performances. With Asher Allen retiring we do lose a veteran, but his contribution was little more than being a man on the field. We also have a few returning project players such as Brandon Burton and Marcus Sherels. All in all we are much improved in this position from last year and this grade should be higher by the end of the year, assuming some of the players meet there potential. Having a head coach that was a CB coach as well and a Defensive Coordinator thats was CB coach there should be no excuse for these players to not exceed there potential.
Kicker: Blair Walsh, C
Releasing kicker Ryan Longwell was a risk, but if there was any time to do it, it was after the worst season on his career. Drafting UGA kicker Blair Walsh is a boom or bust move as he has the the leg power and accuracy to be a good kicker in this league, however his senior season was uncharacteristically bad as hit only 19 of 31 field goals. Before that though his two previous seasons he went 40 of 45 including 6 of 7 from 50 yards+ out. Add in his 48 touchbacks on kickoffs in the last 3 years and he has shown that he can be a solid contributer. However his senior season still lingers keeping this from being anything other than a major risk.
Punter: Chris Kluwe, A-
Kluwe is a solid punter who consistently puts the ball where it needs to be, even if he does have trouble kicking away from Reggie Bush as Brad Childress has said. Regardless of that mishap a few years ago he has above average leg power and accuracy, and while neither is great, he is one of the better punters in the league.
Overall the Vikings should be a much improved team this year, as at the very least the talent of there roster is improved. They lost 9 of their 13 games last year by 7 or less, and with Chris Cook and Winfield back the secondary shouldnt be nearly as bad as it was last year. Add in a better offensive line and the development of Ponder and we have realistic chance of being .500 team. Hopefully a relatively week first ten weeks has us playing good football going into the last 6 weeks in which we play the Packers and Bears twice each. Also a possibility however is the Coach Frasier shows no improvement as a coach, Ponder doesnt improve, and AP isnt fully healed leading us to another top 5 pick in next years draft. As a true Vikings fans I have to be optomistic though and have us being the Cinderella story of the year going 9-7.
Thanks for the read and SKOL Vikings
