Now that the Vikings are officially done for the season (the game against the Bears is a joke - Tice has already come out to say that they will be 'auditioning' some of their younger players), its a good time for a year in review. First, the Vikings should be very happy that 2005 ends in less than a week. From the Wizzanator to Tice scalping tickets to the love boat, it has not been a good year. Throw in an ownership change, the trade of Randy Moss, injuries to Birk and Culpepper, a new defense, a new offensive coordinator (who was also a coach for the O-Line and some other positions), and the year has been hectic and chaotic to put it mildly. The fact that the team is going to end up 8-8 (assuming a loss against Chicago) is a testament to the talent on the team, and the coaching staff to some extent. Ok...on to where we need help: Running Back - I would be willing to see the team take a chance on Ricky Williams. Of course, this assumes we can't pick up one of the other big names in FA. I personally think that Seattle has burned a bridge with Alexander who will cash in on the free agency market. With the Vikings holding $20 mil in cap room, they may make a serious run at him (pinch me, I'm dreaming). If there is no FA back picked up, then they need to make this the top priority in the draft and get rid of the running back by committee approach they currently have. Find a solid #1, keep Fason as a backup, and move on to other priorities. O-Line - This is the other major area that needs to be addressed. I think we have a good base in place, but they are all injured. Fonati is a beast if he's healthy - get Birk back for a few more seasons, somebody needs to get McKinnie mad again, and hope that Marcus Johnson settles down. With these in place, I think we have got an incredible offensive line. Then again, I won't complain if we are able to get a beast in the draft. WR's - This is a tough one. No single star, yet a lot of talent. All of the receivers are very talented...I just think we need to get a better passer in at QB. Williamson showcased his speed and talent with just one catch against Baltimore, but it was tempting. The kid turned a simple crossing pattern into a 55 yard play. He is a smooth runner (almost as smooth as Burleson), but needs to develop some football smarts. I don't think they should make any changes here, just lock up what you have. QB - Anyone who thinks we should trade Pep must be smoking something. The guy is a great QB who was under some incredible circumstances during the first 7 games of the season. Even if he is not 100% I would rather have him than a team of a Rex Grossman, Michael Vick, Joey Harrington, or any other number of starting QBs. When looking at the QB market on the whole, Pep is still in the top 5 category IMO. D-Line - Next year will be fun. The D-Line should be E. James, K. Williams, P. Williams, and K. Udeze with Darion Scott backing up K. Udeze and Lance Johnstone in on pass rushing situations. That is a beast of a front four, especially if they stay relatively healthy. I don't believe you can ever have too many pass rushers, but I like who we have right now. Linebackers - We are one linebacker away from being a very good defense. Maybe Arrington? There will probably be someone on the FA market to pickup or trade for, although I wouldn't mind seeing a top pick spent on a linebacker. Secondary - There might be a need at SS as Chavous is getting old, but the rest of the crew is pretty solid. Brian Williams is a FA, and I don't expect him to stick around unless he becomes the starting corner. That makes Smoot one very expensive nickel corner. Special Teams - Kluwe is going to be a solid punter for years to come, but Edinger could go. I don't know if there are any good kickers on the market, but I am not sold on Edinger unless he has to hit a 54 yarder with time expiring. The missed field goals from 30-40 yards without the game on the line add up. Overall, next year should be fun, assuming the team doesn't change too much and no one gets caught with a whizzanator.
Damn, you stole my idea of what I was going to do with the Ravens at the end of the season. Anyways, I agree with the running back situation. Mwendle Moore and Michael Bennett seem to be going back and forth and it isn't working, like one week Bennett has a solid day and the next Moore has one. The Vikings should try to go for Ricky since we know what he can do when he gets the carries for himself against the Titans.
From what I have seen, I dont think there are a huge amount of things to clean up on this team. Depth seems to be as much of a problem as anything. Of course, that can happen to any team with injuries. QB isn't an issue unless BJ is gone. A solid backup is obviously worth a lot. As long as Johnson is backup again next year, things are fine. RB - I agree its time to get a stud. I'm not sure I agree with Fason as a #1 backup yet. He would be great to spell the starter, but if the starter goes down, do you feel comfortable with Fason taking the load and the team to the playoffs? I know you can't have steak at every position, but I'm not sure I've seen enough out of Fason to make me comfortable. OL - I think a top OL player would be nice to bring in. Even a vet that can effectively play multiple positions would be good. LB - I think this is probably where the first rounder should get invested.
I don't know how the talent works out with the draft this year - I am not a great college football mind - but if the Vikes choose a stud linebacker or O-Lineman I will be happy. Of course, if we somehow wrangle a deal to pickup one of the incredible running backs I will be happy as well, but I doubt any will be available at 17.
I would be happy if we could pick up either Laurence Maroney or Greg Eslinger. Either of these two guys would solve one of our problems. I know that Maroney got hurt but if you account for about 85% of your teams offense you probably get hurt too. Eslinger would work fine with the offense that we have and we can't count on Matt Birk being healthy.
