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vikingsrule
Joined: 15 Nov 2005
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Location: Land of 10,000 Lakes!
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 Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:56 am Post subject: Roster Assessment - Pre OTA/Camp |
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Now that most of the offseason is now behind us, for the most part, we know what the team will look like in 2012. With that said, how does the roster look? What are the strengths and weaknesses going to be? List some intriguing camp battles. What are the top needs going forward?
53 Man Roster -
QB (3) Christian Ponder // Joe Webb // Sage Rosenfels
RB (3) Adrian Peterson // Toby Gerhart // ?????
FB (1) Jerome Felton
WR (6) Percy Harvin // Michael Jenkins // Jerome Simpson // Greg Childs // Jarius Wright // Devin Aromashodu
TE (4) Kyle Rudolph // John Carlson // Rhett Ellison // Mickey Shuler
OL (5) Matt Kalil // Charlie Johnson // John Sullivan // Geoff Schwartz // Phil Loadholt
OL (3) DeMarcus Love // Joe Berger // Brandon Fusco
DE (4) Jared Allen // Brian Robison // Everson Griffen // D'Aundre Reed
DT (5) Kevin Williams // Letroy Guion // Fred Evans // Christian Ballard // Tydreke Powell
OLB (3) Chad Greenway // Erin Henderson // Marvin Mitchell
MLB (3) Jasper Brinkley // Solomon Elimimian // Audie Cole
CB (6) Chris Cook // Antoine Winfield // Zach Bowman // Chris Carr // Josh Robinson // Brandon Burton
S (4) Harrison Smith // Mistral Raymond // Robert Blanton // Jamarca Sanford
ST (3) Ryan Longwell // Chris Kluwe // Cullen Loeffler
KR Jarius Wright // Percy Harvin
PR Jarius Wright // Chris Carr
Potential Camp Battles:
#3 RB - Really a bunch of nobodies at this point. Will Peterson have any set backs?
#3 WR - Harvin/Jenkins have the top two spots. What about after them? Jerome Simpson v Greg Childs v Jarius Wright v Devin Aromashodu
Starting OGs - Charlie Johnson is probably the starter at LG but what happens at RG between Geoff Schwartz v Joe Berger v Brandon Fusco v Chris DeGeare v DeMarcus Love?
Starting NT - Will Guion make a smooth transition or will Evans be the starter. Does MN try and make a move for more DT depth?
Starting MLB - Jasper Brinkley has the inside track but can Elimimian or Cole be viewed as potential starters?
Starting RCB - Chris Cook will be the LCB, Antoine Winfield will be the NCB. Who will be the one likely to become the starting RCB between Zach Bowman, Chris Carr and Josh Robinson? Will Robert Blanton play CB?
Starting Safetys - You have to figure that Harrison Smith will be forced to start, whether or not he is ready. I think he will be the Strong Safety. Who wins the starting Free Safety job. Will it be Mistral Raymond? Maybe Blanton gets moved to FS, or else, does MN consider picking up someone off the street?
Last edited by vikingsrule on Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ProudHorn
Joined: 07 May 2008
Posts: 8708
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:10 am Post subject: |
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QB - Christian Ponder / Joe Webb / Sage Rosenfels
RB - Adrian Peterson / Toby Gerhart / Jordan Todman
HB - Rhett Ellison
TE - Kyle Rudolph / John Carlson / Mickey Shuler / Allen Reisner
WR - Percy Harvin / Michael Jenkins / Jerome Simpson / Greg Childs / Jarius Wright
OT - Matt Kalil / Phil Loadholt / DeMarcus Love
OG - Goeff Schwartz / Charlie Johnson / Brandon Fusco / Chris DeGeare
OC - John Sullivan / Joe Berger
DE - Jared Allen / Brian Robison / Everson Griffen / D'Aundre Reed
DT - Kevin Williams / LeTroy Guion / Christian Ballard / Fred Evans
LB - Chad Greenway / Erin Henderson / Jasper Brinkley / Audie Cole / Tyler Nielsen / Larry Dean
CB - Chris Cook / Antoine Winfield / Josh Robinson / Chris Carr / Zach Bowman / Brandon Burton
S - Harrison Smith / Robert Blanton / Mistral Raymond / Jamarca Sanford / Eric Frampton
PK - Blair Walsh
P - Chris Kluwe
LS - Cullen Loeffler
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| Quote: | | DISCLAIMER: I am not a sports agent, a player, a coach, or an NFL front office executive and I don't play one on TV. So basically, there's a good chance I'm full of BS, but maybe not... |
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Eric dunn
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 5050
Location: San Antonio, TX
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:15 am Post subject: |
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Proudhorn, let me get this straight. You think Robinson will start, Blanton will start at S, and Walsh will beat our Longwell in camp?
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JMac79
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: St. Anthony, MN
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:28 am Post subject: Re: Roster Assessment - Pre OTA/Camp |
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| vikingsrule wrote: |
Starting OGs - Charlie Johnson is probably the starter at LG but what happens at RG between Geoff Schwartz v Joe Berger v Brandon Fusco v Chris DeGeare v DeMarcus Love? |
This could be the most interesting competition through OTAs and Training Camp. If Schwartz or Love look good, but perhaps get outshone by somebody else at the OG spots, there could be the "downstream" effect of one or both of them then getting a chance to push Phil Loadholt for the RT position. Unless Kalil comes in and looks more raw than we're expecting, really the only positions where some meaningful competition doesn't exist would be LT and C.
| vikingsrule wrote: | | Starting NT - Will Guion make a smooth transition or will Evans be the starter. Does MN try and make a move for more DT depth? |
My guess is that they pencil in Guion as the starting NT to begin; Evans hasn't done anything to prove he's anything more than a rotational player, and Guion - while not overly productive as a rotational UT - has enough youth and potential to make giving him a shot at NT enticing. Some increased competition at DT (particularly at NT) would be great, but who's available?
| vikingsrule wrote: | | Starting RCB - Chris Cook will be the LCB, Antoine Winfield will be the NCB. Who will be the one likely to become the starting RCB between Zach Bowman, Chris Carr and Josh Robinson? Will Robert Blanton play CB? |
My guess would be Carr is likely the leading candidate for the RCB position, but it may be something of a battle between him and Bowman. I could see Bowman's past inconsistencies within a Cover 2 defense in Chicago being held against him from getting the nod right away, and he'll have to win the position away from Carr to get a shot, at least in OTAs/TC. Robinson may have talent, but my guess is that he'll need some time to get seasoned to the NFL and the scheme before he can really push for extended starting time. Either way, Asher Allen now has significant competition for his roster slot as a nickel/dime DB.
| vikingsrule wrote: | | Starting Safetys - You have to figure that Harrison Smith will be forced to start, whether or not he is ready. I think he will be the Strong Safety. Who wins the starting Free Safety job. Will it be Mistral Raymond? Maybe Blanton gets moved to FS, or else, does MN consider picking up someone off the street? |
I think you're right that Smith probably is going to be the starting SS, but I wouldn't mind them giving Raymond another "audition" in OTAs for the FS spot. See how he looks athletically and if he's mentally improved from last year before you start looking for a UFA to bring in as a starter. I'd like to see Blanton moved to FS (I don't know if he has the athletic skill to be particularly effective at CB, even in a Cover 2), but I'd guess he's something of a project player in that regard. Hasn't Carr also played some S as well? Jamarca Sanford is primarily a ST guy, but I think he's functional in a pinch at SS... you just don't want him starting for extended periods of time.
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Purplexing
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 3614
Location: Outside Valhalla, looking in.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:22 am Post subject: |
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With the extra draft picks this year, I think fewer UDFAs will be signed.
With the releases of OGs and not signing some of the DBs, there will be a great degree of competition for those jobs, with perhaps only Harrison Smith being an almost certain starter at S.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a CB replace Winfield as the slot CB, at the end of the season, depending on Winfield's health.
The Blair Walsh Project will be interesting to watch, to see if his role is as a KO specialist who will learn to be a more accurate FG kicker, or if there will be a true competition for one K spot on the roster. I think the former will be the case.
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Freakout
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Posts: 1767
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:32 am Post subject: |
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QB (3) Christian Ponder // Joe Webb // Sage Rosenfels
RB (3) Adrian Peterson // Toby Gerhart
FB (1) Jerome Felton
WR (6) Percy Harvin // Michael Jenkins // Jerome Simpson // Greg Childs // Jarius Wright // Devin Aromashodu
TE (4) Kyle Rudolph // John Carlson // Rhett Ellison
OL (5) Matt Kalil // Charlie Johnson // John Sullivan // Geoff Schwartz // Phil Loadholt
OL (3) DeMarcus Love // Joe Berger // Brandon Fusco
DE (4) Jared Allen // Brian Robison // Everson Griffen // D'Aundre Reed
DT (5) Kevin Williams // Letroy Guion // Fred Evans // Christian Ballard // Tydreke Powell
OLB (4) Chad Greenway // Erin Henderson // Solomon Elimimian // Marvin Mitchell
MLB (2) Jasper Brinkley // Audie Cole
CB (6) Chris Cook // Antoine Winfield // Josh Robinson // Asher Allen // Chris Carr // Zach Bowman
S (4) Harrison Smith // Mistral Raymond // Robert Blanton // Jamarca Sanford
ST (3) Blair Walsh // Chris Kluwe // Cullen Loeffler |
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Kellerman
Joined: 16 May 2010
Posts: 3185
Location: Amsterdam
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:34 am Post subject: |
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I hope Abdullah signs that one-year deal we offered him. That way we have an experienced FS that is a low-end starter, as opposed to Sanford who is a ST player/back-up.
Abdullah/Harrison
Raymond/Blanton/Sanford
Cut Frampton, I'm no expert, but I watched him a few times on coverage last year, and I wasn't all that impressed. Sanford can fill his role, and at least has a vague idea of how to play safety.
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vikingsrule
Joined: 15 Nov 2005
Posts: 39498
Location: Land of 10,000 Lakes!
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I think with Ellison's presence as a TE/FB, that could mean Felton could be out of work and maybe the team would carry Lex Hillard as the #3 RB, someone who is big enough to play some FB as well. |
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JMac79
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: St. Anthony, MN
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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| vikingsrule wrote: | | I think with Ellison's presence as a TE/FB, that could mean Felton could be out of work and maybe the team would carry Lex Hillard as the #3 RB, someone who is big enough to play some FB as well. |
TE/FB/H-Back could be an interesting battle too because of Ellison. While people like to scoff that Ellison is basically "Jeff Dugan v2.0", that underrates some of the value Dugan actually had. I think the team was correct in cutting Dugan in favor of younger prospects who deserved a shot at trying to prove something (Reisner, Shuler, D'Imperio), but none have secured any real role on the team. When looking at these three positions (TE/FB/H-Back) right now, it's an interesting mix as it stands:
TEs (in-line): Rudolph, Carlson, Shuler
H-Back (more TE): Reisner
H-Back (balanced): Ellison
H-Back (more FB): D'Imperio
FB (traditional): Felton
FB (one-back): Hilliard, Asiata
Could be interesting to see how things shake out, as there's definitely going to be some cuts among this group. The final mix of these guys and what they offer could really be interesting.
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| DJC71 wrote: | | That's like asking if I'd still buy my ex-wife flowers on our anniversary after she left me for another dude. Heck no. I hope she gets bedbugs. |
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ProudHorn
Joined: 07 May 2008
Posts: 8708
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Eric dunn wrote: | | Proudhorn, let me get this straight. You think Robinson will start, Blanton will start at S, and Walsh will beat our Longwell in camp? |
no, yes, and yes.
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| Quote: | | DISCLAIMER: I am not a sports agent, a player, a coach, or an NFL front office executive and I don't play one on TV. So basically, there's a good chance I'm full of BS, but maybe not... |
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ArcticNorseman
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 1431
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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Based on what's transpired the past two months, the roster appears to have a few holes plugged -- substantially younger, so we'll have to see how smart they are . . . lol.
The position battles I see are LG, WR (other than Percy), back-up RB, MLB, Safety, CB and Kicker.
I think:
1. Charlie Johnson gets cut. Brandon Fusco or Demarcus Love starts at LG.
2. Greg Childs starts at WR, along with fellow rookies Kalil and Smith at their positions.
3. Audie Cole will give Brinkley a run for his money at MLB.
4. The Vikes will carry three TEs (Rudolph, Carlson and Ellison)
5. Walsh will give Longwell a battle, but the vet wins out due to kick-off changes.
6. CB, CB, CB . . . I'll say we keep Winfield/Cook/Allen/Robinson/Bowman/Burton.
7. If Adrian is already running 40s, he'll be back sooner than later.
8. My final thought -- Ponder has to love what the FO did for this offense! |
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vikingsrule
Joined: 15 Nov 2005
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Location: Land of 10,000 Lakes!
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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ProudHorn, fix your avatar. You killed this thread.  |
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vikingsrule
Joined: 15 Nov 2005
Posts: 39498
Location: Land of 10,000 Lakes!
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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| ArcticNorseman wrote: | Based on what's transpired the past two months, the roster appears to have a few holes plugged -- substantially younger, so we'll have to see how smart they are . . . lol.
The position battles I see are LG, WR (other than Percy), back-up RB, MLB, Safety, CB and Kicker.
I think:
1. Charlie Johnson gets cut. Brandon Fusco or Demarcus Love starts at LG.
2. Greg Childs starts at WR, along with fellow rookies Kalil and Smith at their positions.
3. Audie Cole will give Brinkley a run for his money at MLB.
4. The Vikes will carry three TEs (Rudolph, Carlson and Ellison)
5. Walsh will give Longwell a battle, but the vet wins out due to kick-off changes.
6. CB, CB, CB . . . I'll say we keep Winfield/Cook/Allen/Robinson/Bowman/Burton.
7. If Adrian is already running 40s, he'll be back sooner than later.
8. My final thought -- Ponder has to love what the FO did for this offense! |
I dont think there is anyway Johnson gets cut. Even if he gets beat out for a starting OG job, he still provides valuable depth at LT and RT, something MN really doesnt have right now without Johnson, which is why I wanted MN to draft an additional OT at some point during the mid rounds. |
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Freakout
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Posts: 1767
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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| vikingsrule wrote: | | I think with Ellison's presence as a TE/FB, that could mean Felton could be out of work and maybe the team would carry Lex Hillard as the #3 RB, someone who is big enough to play some FB as well. |
You could also argue that Harvin can handle the 2nd option running back duties until Peterson is back (depending on his recovery). It isn't my favorite idea but Musgrave likes putting him back there.
Plus Wright gives you that play maker from the slot. |
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Freakout
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| ArcticNorseman wrote: | | 1. Charlie Johnson gets cut. Brandon Fusco or Demarcus Love starts at LG. |
Jeff Davidson is very high on Charlie Johnson at left guard. He has wanted to move him there dating back to week 3 last season before he even knew we had a shot at landing a guy like Kalil.
Hell he even introduce Kalil to Johnson once Kalil arrived in town. |
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