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BwareDWare94
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
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Evaluate your team from the coaching staff on down. Who's overrated? Who's underrated? Who are the enigmas? Who doesn't belong in the stadium?
Vikings:
Overrated: Cordarrelle Patterson. Don't get me wrong, he's all kinds of electric, but he's still very raw as a wide receiver and it shows in his lack of targets through 4 games. He's been completely neutralized from week 2 on and purple fans would be wise to pump the brakes on the praise. Kyle Rudolph. Similar to Patterson, but Rudolph has every tool at his disposal but still disappears for weeks at a time. You factor that in with his injury history and it makes you wonder if the Vikings should have tried to hold on to John Carlson.
Underrated: Matt Asiata. No, he's not a great back. Yes, he's going to struggle to top 100 yards most weeks. At the same time, the guy is an absolute freight train who gains yards, even it's just 2-3 on some plays. He's hard to tackle, hangs on to the damn football, and is all but a sure thing anywhere near the goal line. Vikings fans need to appreciate Asiata a bit and try not to clamor for the Jerrick McKinnon show too soon. Anthony Barr. Everybody expected struggles for the UCLA product, but so far he's been Minnesota's best linebacker in a fairly strong grouping that's flying under the rader. Barr is a ferocious tackler with his speed and size, and has proven to be better in coverage than the team could have hoped for. Josh Robinson. Robinson was a laughingstock last year, but most fans knew he simply isn't a slot corner. Robinson excels on the outside, with good physical ability and a fierce competitiveness that he wears on his sleeve. In his natural position, Robinson has been making plays for this Vikings team, and I think we're a few weeks from seeing him supplant Munnerlyn in the starting lineup. Mike Zimmer. At this site, we know how great Mike Zimmer is, but from the perspective of general NFL fans, it's hard to believe that this coaching hire wasn't praised, universally. Zimmer coaches a heck of a defense and gets the most out of what he has. Minnesota is still having its hiccups, but is playing at an elite level in spurts and I hope that's the direction this team is heading.
Enigmas: Matt Kalil. He's not as bad as overreactive Vikings fans might tell you. He pretty much neutralized Robert Quinn in week 1, then followed it up with two sub par performances. Yesterday, he was a beast all over again. It just goes to show that in today's NFL, very few tackles can dominate with a statue at quarterback. Bridgewater makes Kalil's job much easier. Xavier Rhodes. The kid shows elite corner potential, but is still getting burned from time to time. Most corners will, but it's hard to look past some of the plays he gives up. Nevertheless, he makes flash plays that showcase his size and physical ability. He knocked a deep ball away from Julio Jones yesterday, which turned out to be a big play that might have saved the game. Jarius Wright. I wanted to cut him after the first 3 games and give Adam Theilin and/or Rodney Smith more snaps at receiver, but week 4 comes around and he makes me look like an idiot for doubting him. I don't know if Bridgewater will continue to use him as effectively or if this is just a flash in the pan, but we'll find out on Thursday. Wright had a nice 50+ yard reception early in yesterday's game, but he should have been able to take it to the house. Seeing a Saints DB scream up behind him and tackle him around the 20 was disheartening. Not every Vikings WR can take it to the house with YAC, but there's no way Wright should have been caught on the play. I'll give him his due--he had a great game, yesterday, but there were still some red flags, out there. Robert Blanton. Perhaps he's just a young safety, but Blanton is a lot like Rhodes in that he looks good a lot of the time, then gets embarrassed by guys like Antone Smith for a long TD run. Blanton makes nice plays in pass defense, and is a good tackler. He gets lost from time to time back there, and was responsible for the Josh Hill touchdown, last week. I think he'll come around, but his bust plays often lead to touchdowns for the opposing team, and they can't keep happening at the rate that they are, now. Norv Turner. Yeah, I get it, he's an offensive "mastermind" but to score 16 total points against two defenses that have proven inconsistent over the first four weeks is baffling. I'd rather see some consistency, some more effort to getting the ball to Patterson in other ways. Too many Patterson decoy plays.
Trash: Charlie Johnson. I don't care if he revitalized his career at guard. I don't care if he's a veteran presence. Charlie Johnson is still a mediocre offensive lineman, at best, and is penalty prone. The Vikings need to look for an upgrade in the offseason or this line will fail to meet it's potential with Kalil and Sullivan as cornerstones. Sullivan's nearly 30 already. Let's put a good guard to his left. Captain Munnerlyn. Thanatos warned every team that signed secondary members coming over for the Panthers, but few could speculate that Munnerlyn is as bad as he is. First and foremost, he has to be the worst tackling corner I've seen not named Mike Jenkins, and he's too small to be dominant in pass defense, though he has some skills, in that department. He's scored quite a few defensive touchdowns, but has yet to force a turnover for the Vikings. To top it all off, he's as dumb as a rock. Check that, he IS the rock by which all stupid people are compared. I am not impressed with Captain at all, and hope to see him cut or moved down the depth chart, where he belongs. Jeff Locke. Look, I get it--some people viewed Chris Kluwe as a distraction because he stood up for what's right when he really should have only cared about FUTBARR!! but to cut him and draft a mediocre replacement is going to burn this team, in the long run. Locke is not even close to as proficient as Kluwe at pinning teams inside their twenty, and I've yet to see him blast a punt with great distance when this team needs it. I expect Locke to be out of the league in a few years, but I hope it's the Vikings that send him packing after (or in) this season. Get the hell out of the league, Jeff Locke.
Vikings:
Overrated: Cordarrelle Patterson. Don't get me wrong, he's all kinds of electric, but he's still very raw as a wide receiver and it shows in his lack of targets through 4 games. He's been completely neutralized from week 2 on and purple fans would be wise to pump the brakes on the praise. Kyle Rudolph. Similar to Patterson, but Rudolph has every tool at his disposal but still disappears for weeks at a time. You factor that in with his injury history and it makes you wonder if the Vikings should have tried to hold on to John Carlson.
Underrated: Matt Asiata. No, he's not a great back. Yes, he's going to struggle to top 100 yards most weeks. At the same time, the guy is an absolute freight train who gains yards, even it's just 2-3 on some plays. He's hard to tackle, hangs on to the damn football, and is all but a sure thing anywhere near the goal line. Vikings fans need to appreciate Asiata a bit and try not to clamor for the Jerrick McKinnon show too soon. Anthony Barr. Everybody expected struggles for the UCLA product, but so far he's been Minnesota's best linebacker in a fairly strong grouping that's flying under the rader. Barr is a ferocious tackler with his speed and size, and has proven to be better in coverage than the team could have hoped for. Josh Robinson. Robinson was a laughingstock last year, but most fans knew he simply isn't a slot corner. Robinson excels on the outside, with good physical ability and a fierce competitiveness that he wears on his sleeve. In his natural position, Robinson has been making plays for this Vikings team, and I think we're a few weeks from seeing him supplant Munnerlyn in the starting lineup. Mike Zimmer. At this site, we know how great Mike Zimmer is, but from the perspective of general NFL fans, it's hard to believe that this coaching hire wasn't praised, universally. Zimmer coaches a heck of a defense and gets the most out of what he has. Minnesota is still having its hiccups, but is playing at an elite level in spurts and I hope that's the direction this team is heading.
Enigmas: Matt Kalil. He's not as bad as overreactive Vikings fans might tell you. He pretty much neutralized Robert Quinn in week 1, then followed it up with two sub par performances. Yesterday, he was a beast all over again. It just goes to show that in today's NFL, very few tackles can dominate with a statue at quarterback. Bridgewater makes Kalil's job much easier. Xavier Rhodes. The kid shows elite corner potential, but is still getting burned from time to time. Most corners will, but it's hard to look past some of the plays he gives up. Nevertheless, he makes flash plays that showcase his size and physical ability. He knocked a deep ball away from Julio Jones yesterday, which turned out to be a big play that might have saved the game. Jarius Wright. I wanted to cut him after the first 3 games and give Adam Theilin and/or Rodney Smith more snaps at receiver, but week 4 comes around and he makes me look like an idiot for doubting him. I don't know if Bridgewater will continue to use him as effectively or if this is just a flash in the pan, but we'll find out on Thursday. Wright had a nice 50+ yard reception early in yesterday's game, but he should have been able to take it to the house. Seeing a Saints DB scream up behind him and tackle him around the 20 was disheartening. Not every Vikings WR can take it to the house with YAC, but there's no way Wright should have been caught on the play. I'll give him his due--he had a great game, yesterday, but there were still some red flags, out there. Robert Blanton. Perhaps he's just a young safety, but Blanton is a lot like Rhodes in that he looks good a lot of the time, then gets embarrassed by guys like Antone Smith for a long TD run. Blanton makes nice plays in pass defense, and is a good tackler. He gets lost from time to time back there, and was responsible for the Josh Hill touchdown, last week. I think he'll come around, but his bust plays often lead to touchdowns for the opposing team, and they can't keep happening at the rate that they are, now. Norv Turner. Yeah, I get it, he's an offensive "mastermind" but to score 16 total points against two defenses that have proven inconsistent over the first four weeks is baffling. I'd rather see some consistency, some more effort to getting the ball to Patterson in other ways. Too many Patterson decoy plays.
Trash: Charlie Johnson. I don't care if he revitalized his career at guard. I don't care if he's a veteran presence. Charlie Johnson is still a mediocre offensive lineman, at best, and is penalty prone. The Vikings need to look for an upgrade in the offseason or this line will fail to meet it's potential with Kalil and Sullivan as cornerstones. Sullivan's nearly 30 already. Let's put a good guard to his left. Captain Munnerlyn. Thanatos warned every team that signed secondary members coming over for the Panthers, but few could speculate that Munnerlyn is as bad as he is. First and foremost, he has to be the worst tackling corner I've seen not named Mike Jenkins, and he's too small to be dominant in pass defense, though he has some skills, in that department. He's scored quite a few defensive touchdowns, but has yet to force a turnover for the Vikings. To top it all off, he's as dumb as a rock. Check that, he IS the rock by which all stupid people are compared. I am not impressed with Captain at all, and hope to see him cut or moved down the depth chart, where he belongs. Jeff Locke. Look, I get it--some people viewed Chris Kluwe as a distraction because he stood up for what's right when he really should have only cared about FUTBARR!! but to cut him and draft a mediocre replacement is going to burn this team, in the long run. Locke is not even close to as proficient as Kluwe at pinning teams inside their twenty, and I've yet to see him blast a punt with great distance when this team needs it. I expect Locke to be out of the league in a few years, but I hope it's the Vikings that send him packing after (or in) this season. Get the hell out of the league, Jeff Locke.
