Yesterday we began our look at the defensive end position for the Vikings with an overview and a look at Kenechi Udeze. Today we continue that analysis with the always tantalizing, and frequently injured, Erasmus James.
Erasmus James: #99/6'4"/266/Wisconsin/18th overall pick of 2005 Draft
College: At the University of Wisconsin James was a dominant defensive end when healthy. He was a three year starter, and would have been a four year starter had he not missed his entire junior campaign with a hip injury. While at Wisconsin he had 124 total tackles (25.5 for a loss) and 18 sacks. He was widely regarded as one of the premier defensive ends in the country and was a consensus All-American and was the Big-Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He left college with nothing to prove.
Pro Career: Since becoming a Viking James has always flashed the talent necessary to be a high-end pass rusher, the quick burst, good speed, and nice moves, they're all there. To that end ESPN's scouting says,
"James is tall, rangy and flashes good pass-rushing potential. He is very athletic, has excellent change-of-direction skills and lateral mobility. He plays with natural leverage and knee-bend. He has good instincts and snap anticipation. He seems to locate the ball well and has natural playmaking tools. He has good body control and plays with discipline, even when coming off the edge. He can adjust his angles and rarely gets fooled. He uses his hands extremely well and can regularly create separation."
The problem has been staying healthy. Besides his season ending hip injury with the Badgers, James suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee in 2006, and by now I'm beginning to wonder if his hip and knee can hold up to the pounding a starting position will demand. Furthermore, it's unknown whether or not he'll return with the same burst that he used to have or if he'll be able to execute the high torque movements defensive ends are routinely asked to make.
Last Year: Played in just two games and didn't register a tackle. Missed remained of season with injury
The Forecast: Its tough to say. Once upon a time he had dominant skills and was on track to be a great pass-rusher but those hopes have faded considerably. At this point Vikings fans should just be happy to see James on the field. While he says he expects to be ready by opening day, I'd hope the team uses the utmost caution with him and makes sure he is back to full strength before playing him. This year I'd guess I'd predict him for maybe 7-8 starts and maybe 4 sacks. But I think expecting him to come back from an ACL tear and become a dominant defensive end, which he's never been at this level, would be fool-hardy.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
The Vikes of the Future
With last years season behind us, what can we hope for in the future? Well there are a few factors that can determine this most common question. I'm thinking that our future looks bright but remember it will take a few years until the rebuilding of this franchise is over.
But to start out, the coaching is probably one of the bigger factors for this teams future. Head coach Brad Childress must not use the same style of play calling again this year if he wants to achieve his goals of making this a winning team. I know it was his rookie year at head coach but now he has had a taste of what happened to our play calling, so he must devise a new plan. He has to take advantage of Tarvaris Jacksons' powerful and accurate cannon of an arm and start throwing deep balls. Childress didn't have this luxury with Brad Johnson behind center. But with additional weapons from this years excellent draft in Sidney Rice, Aundrae Allison, and Chandler Williams, I believe our passing game will be effective and deadly. Also with the addition of Running Back Adrian Peterson, defenses will also be focusing on him while leaving a wide receiver open. One last note on Childress, he must take full of advantage of the Vikings depth at running back and a one-two punch with AP and Chester Taylor while Mewelde Moore and Ciatrick Fason focus on kick returning duties while Artose Pinner (who was just recently resigned) keeps returning punts. The running game, it will be deadly.
On the the right side of the offensive line they must find away to get Artis Hicks to earn his money. Too many times last year he was he run over and Johnson was sacked. I'm not worried about Ryan Cook because it was his rookie year and mistakes are expected of him. Time will tell how this kid will pan out but I believe he will do just fine. We still need to go out and sign a few more linemen to add depth. Even though we just signed guard Brian Daniels and tackles Josh Day and Chase Johnson, we need another veteran who can do his job well.
On onto the defensive side. I'm not too worried about this side of the ball as much because with the addition of defensive end Brian Robison and linebacker Rufus Alexander, and returning linebacker Chad Greenway, I think we will be stronger then before. Also players like Greg Blue and Mike Doss can bring it and get their jobs done. We also have defensive ends coming back from injury to help the much needed pass rush. The safety and cornerback situation is not of concern because we have the hard-hitting vet in Darren Sharper and the best tackling cornerback in football, Antoine Winfield. The Vikings have 6 cornerbacks so I dont worry about depth especially with players like Ronyell Whitaker, Antoine Winfield, Macrus McCualey, Cedric Griffin in the line up.
Now all in all, expect mistakes and a few bad plays because you guys have to remember, this is a young team and with the schedule, the way it is looking, be ready for a record around 8-8 or 9-7. Just pay attention to see if everyone works together and gets there jobs done properly. It's not whether if they win or lose, it's whether if they can handle themselves and play in the NFL.
But to start out, the coaching is probably one of the bigger factors for this teams future. Head coach Brad Childress must not use the same style of play calling again this year if he wants to achieve his goals of making this a winning team. I know it was his rookie year at head coach but now he has had a taste of what happened to our play calling, so he must devise a new plan. He has to take advantage of Tarvaris Jacksons' powerful and accurate cannon of an arm and start throwing deep balls. Childress didn't have this luxury with Brad Johnson behind center. But with additional weapons from this years excellent draft in Sidney Rice, Aundrae Allison, and Chandler Williams, I believe our passing game will be effective and deadly. Also with the addition of Running Back Adrian Peterson, defenses will also be focusing on him while leaving a wide receiver open. One last note on Childress, he must take full of advantage of the Vikings depth at running back and a one-two punch with AP and Chester Taylor while Mewelde Moore and Ciatrick Fason focus on kick returning duties while Artose Pinner (who was just recently resigned) keeps returning punts. The running game, it will be deadly.
On the the right side of the offensive line they must find away to get Artis Hicks to earn his money. Too many times last year he was he run over and Johnson was sacked. I'm not worried about Ryan Cook because it was his rookie year and mistakes are expected of him. Time will tell how this kid will pan out but I believe he will do just fine. We still need to go out and sign a few more linemen to add depth. Even though we just signed guard Brian Daniels and tackles Josh Day and Chase Johnson, we need another veteran who can do his job well.
On onto the defensive side. I'm not too worried about this side of the ball as much because with the addition of defensive end Brian Robison and linebacker Rufus Alexander, and returning linebacker Chad Greenway, I think we will be stronger then before. Also players like Greg Blue and Mike Doss can bring it and get their jobs done. We also have defensive ends coming back from injury to help the much needed pass rush. The safety and cornerback situation is not of concern because we have the hard-hitting vet in Darren Sharper and the best tackling cornerback in football, Antoine Winfield. The Vikings have 6 cornerbacks so I dont worry about depth especially with players like Ronyell Whitaker, Antoine Winfield, Macrus McCualey, Cedric Griffin in the line up.
Now all in all, expect mistakes and a few bad plays because you guys have to remember, this is a young team and with the schedule, the way it is looking, be ready for a record around 8-8 or 9-7. Just pay attention to see if everyone works together and gets there jobs done properly. It's not whether if they win or lose, it's whether if they can handle themselves and play in the NFL.
Positional Analysis: Defensive End, Part 1/7
Going into the draft this year the Vikings had a number of pressing needs on the offensive side of the ball, quarterback, and wide receiver being the main two. However last years defense was widely thought of as being quite stout, especially against the run. But as the year dragged on teams became aware that it was possible to abandon trying to run the ball against what was the NFL's top rated rush defense and instead throw the ball. This trend began in week _ when the Vikings faced the Patriots. Bill Belichek came into the game with the plan and Tom Brady executed it to perfection, picking apart the Vikings secondary time and again as the Vikings defensive front seemed incapable of applying pressure. The trend would continue on throughout the season and would cost the team many games.
So with this years NFL draft shaping up quite well for the team with good players at many areas of need including two possible franchise quarterbacks, (Russell and Quinn), a franchise wide receiver (Johnson), and two legitimate star prospects at defensive end (Gaines Adams, and Jamaal Anderson). We all know who the Vikings went with in that first pick, and few including myself are disappointed. However the Vikings then waited until the fourth round to address their defensive end situation. With that pick they took Brian Robison, a speed defensive end who I've heard many think could become a Lance Johnstone. And while that certainly isn't bad, its not the type of impact player the team really needs. Regretfully to say before this draft the Vikings have blown a couple of first round picks on would-be star defensive ends including Kenechi Udeze, and Erasmus James. While I qualify James as a bust, he certainly has the talent to emerge as a capable or even dominant end, but his numerous knee injuries make the likelihood of his being a bust far greater than his chances of becoming the player his talent had promised.
With all of that having been said, I'll be taking a look at one of the Vikings defensive ends every day for next week to help you get to know the guys and what I expect from them this season. Today we begin with Kenechi Udeze.
Kenechi Udeze: #95/6'3"/281/USC/20th overall pick of 2004 draft:
College: Three year starter on vaunted USC national championship teams. Started off as defensive tackle but made move to D-end as a redshirt freshman. Totaled 28 sacks in his collegiate career, including 16.5 in his final year as a Junior. His 28 sacks were also a USC record. All-Pac 10, made numerous All-American team.
Pro Career: In his first season Udeze showed some promise as he recorded 36 tackles and had five sacks while starting fifteen games. However his sack numbers were immediately disappointing and it was apparent that he lacked high-level NFL burst to go around offensive tackles which meant he usually had to bull through blockers to reach the ball carrier.
In the third game of the 2005 season Udeze suffered cartilage damage to his left knee and would miss the remainder of that season. He registered only one sack.
Last Year: Depending on how you look at it, Udeze either had a promising season or a very bad one. While he rebounded from his injury to start 15 games, its questionable whether he belongs as an NFL starter. The upside? He led the team in tackles for a loss with 13 and was second in quarterback hurries with 41. The downside? He had no sacks, and that is completely unacceptable for an NFL defensive end, where 8 should be the minimum number expected from a quality DE.
The forecast: I wouldn't expect Udeze to be held sackless once again given the number of times he hurried the quarterback as some of those numbers are sure to translate into sacks. But I also wouldn't expect him to break out as a solid pass-rusher. That said, he is probably one of the top 20 run-stopping defensive ends in football, but is that enough? I'll predict 30-25 tackles with 10 for a loss, but still only 3 sacks.
So with this years NFL draft shaping up quite well for the team with good players at many areas of need including two possible franchise quarterbacks, (Russell and Quinn), a franchise wide receiver (Johnson), and two legitimate star prospects at defensive end (Gaines Adams, and Jamaal Anderson). We all know who the Vikings went with in that first pick, and few including myself are disappointed. However the Vikings then waited until the fourth round to address their defensive end situation. With that pick they took Brian Robison, a speed defensive end who I've heard many think could become a Lance Johnstone. And while that certainly isn't bad, its not the type of impact player the team really needs. Regretfully to say before this draft the Vikings have blown a couple of first round picks on would-be star defensive ends including Kenechi Udeze, and Erasmus James. While I qualify James as a bust, he certainly has the talent to emerge as a capable or even dominant end, but his numerous knee injuries make the likelihood of his being a bust far greater than his chances of becoming the player his talent had promised.
With all of that having been said, I'll be taking a look at one of the Vikings defensive ends every day for next week to help you get to know the guys and what I expect from them this season. Today we begin with Kenechi Udeze.
Kenechi Udeze: #95/6'3"/281/USC/20th overall pick of 2004 draft:
College: Three year starter on vaunted USC national championship teams. Started off as defensive tackle but made move to D-end as a redshirt freshman. Totaled 28 sacks in his collegiate career, including 16.5 in his final year as a Junior. His 28 sacks were also a USC record. All-Pac 10, made numerous All-American team.
Pro Career: In his first season Udeze showed some promise as he recorded 36 tackles and had five sacks while starting fifteen games. However his sack numbers were immediately disappointing and it was apparent that he lacked high-level NFL burst to go around offensive tackles which meant he usually had to bull through blockers to reach the ball carrier.
In the third game of the 2005 season Udeze suffered cartilage damage to his left knee and would miss the remainder of that season. He registered only one sack.
Last Year: Depending on how you look at it, Udeze either had a promising season or a very bad one. While he rebounded from his injury to start 15 games, its questionable whether he belongs as an NFL starter. The upside? He led the team in tackles for a loss with 13 and was second in quarterback hurries with 41. The downside? He had no sacks, and that is completely unacceptable for an NFL defensive end, where 8 should be the minimum number expected from a quality DE.
The forecast: I wouldn't expect Udeze to be held sackless once again given the number of times he hurried the quarterback as some of those numbers are sure to translate into sacks. But I also wouldn't expect him to break out as a solid pass-rusher. That said, he is probably one of the top 20 run-stopping defensive ends in football, but is that enough? I'll predict 30-25 tackles with 10 for a loss, but still only 3 sacks.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Rookie Preview: Marcus McCauley
While most in Viking nation are excited about the offensive prospects for the team with first round pick Adrian Peterson and second round pick Sidney Rice sure to add some explosiveness to what was one of the worst offenses in football last year, the Vikings also drafted a superbly physically gifted cornerback in the third round who I think is being seriously overlooked. That player is Marcus McCauley.
With the Vikings running the wildly popular Tampa Cover 2 defense McCauley is a perfect fit. He's has prototype size at, 6-1, 205, and he's very athletic, running a 4.39-40 in the combine. His physical talents have often been said to be first round quality but his senior year at Fresno State was terrible as he gave up numerous big plays and was eventually benched. He'll certainly be a project for the Vikings coaching staff but there is little doubt in the minds of anyone that he has the talent to be a #1 type corner. His size in particular could be of use in the central against the Lions with big receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. I for one would love to see that matchup, especially if McCauley can pull it together. The other thing a larger corner such as McCauley does it enables the Vikings to slide smaller corner Antoine Winfield inside where he could be used to blitz the quarterback, an under-rated skill of his.
Despite his fantastic physical gifts scouts have consistently said that he seems to lack the ability to anticipate the play, and often seems lost on the field. Scouts.com says...
"Did not consistently play aggressive football as a senior. Bit on play action passes, pump fakes and showed minimal instincts last year. Slow getting his head back around then positioning himself against opponents to make a play on the ball."
Scott Wright's NFL Draft Countdown says;
"His technique and footwork can be inconsistent...Will gamble and take too many risks...Hands are questionable and he will drop some interceptions...Needs to get a little stronger...Was not really thrown at a lot in college...Has trouble locating the ball...Struggled mightily at times in 2006 and didn't have a great senior year."
Those are not small issues, and makes him sound eerily like a slightly taller version of Fred Smoot.
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Overall though, I'm excited. If the Vikings can successfully coach him up, he could emerge as the the best cornerback from this draft and even one of the best of the NFL. To that end the Vikings have just signed highly regarded secondary coach Leslie Frazier. While McCauley is more likely to become a physically gifted playmaker who spends a career tantalizing people just enough with his talent to hold a starting role. That said, any time a team can draft a starter with huge upside in the third round, its a great pick.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Our Picks So Far...
With the Vikings first round pick in the 07 NFL Draft they selected Adrian Peterson. Adrian was my second choice after LaRon Landry. However, the Redskins picked up Landry one spot ahead of us and left the Vikings with the choice between Peterson and Quinn. I am very glad that the Vikes took Peterson over Quinn. Everyone in the room thought that Miami wanted Quinn so at first we were disappointed that the Vikings didn't trade the pick down to Miami and received a 2nd or 3rd rounder. A few minutes later Miami made what could have been the worst pick of the draft by picking Ted Ginn Jr. with the 9th pick. Sort of reminds me of us picking Troy Williamson with the 7th overall a couple years ago.
Due to other obligations I was not able to watch the 2nd or 3rd rounds of the draft.
In the 2nd round the purple and gold took WR Sidney RIce and in the third CB Marcus McCauley.
I am a little surprised that the Vikes did not take Dwayne Jarrett in the 2nd round but what the heck do I know? These guys do this for a living and I am going to trust that they have valid reasons for picking Rice. I am glad the Vikings took a corner in the 3rd. I would be pumped if the kid can play nickleback.
Looking forward I hope to see the Vikings draft Troy Smith in the 4th round. The kid has got talent and I think would be worthy of a 4th round selection. I would also like us to take another wide out and a defensive end.
Due to other obligations I was not able to watch the 2nd or 3rd rounds of the draft.
In the 2nd round the purple and gold took WR Sidney RIce and in the third CB Marcus McCauley.
I am a little surprised that the Vikes did not take Dwayne Jarrett in the 2nd round but what the heck do I know? These guys do this for a living and I am going to trust that they have valid reasons for picking Rice. I am glad the Vikings took a corner in the 3rd. I would be pumped if the kid can play nickleback.
Looking forward I hope to see the Vikings draft Troy Smith in the 4th round. The kid has got talent and I think would be worthy of a 4th round selection. I would also like us to take another wide out and a defensive end.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
LaRon Landry is my pick
I want the Vikings to pick Laron Landry with the first pick of the 2007 NFL draft. A ton of fans seem to want Adrian Peterson. The logic is that he will provide a spark on the offense. I think that he will improve the offense but there is some major concerns about how well the kid will hold up in the NFL.
The Vikings can't miss on this pick. The Vikings need to start the habit of picking good solid football players and forget about drafting for need. They have to find a player that is going to be a legitimate starter for the next 5 years and I think LaRon Landry will be much less of a bust risk than Adrian Peterson.
One thing that I like about the kid is that he finished his senior year at LSU. He would have been a mid to late first round pick last year but he went back to LSU. To me that shows he has his head on straight. I have not been able to find any off the field issues involving Mr. Landry. The kid has started for LSU as a true freshman and does not appear to be an injury risk. If you haven't seen the kid play he is an absolute beast! Take a look.
I think safety is a very important position now that we see freaks like Antonio Gates line up at tight end. We need to make sure we have a guy that can cover guys like Gates and I think Landry is fully capable.
The Minnesota Vikings pick LaRon Landry with the #7 overall pick. That's what I want to hear on Saturday morning!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Give Brad Some Time
Why is is that football seems to be the only sport in which fans want to throw the coach under the bus after the first losing season. Perhaps, it is because there are more people passionate about football than any other sport? Perhaps because us males are generally inpatient and want instant gratification? Maybe because firing a coach and hiring a new one feels like we are accomplishing something, even though in many cases it sets a franchise back years every time it happens?
The 2006 NFL season was not even finished yet and I started to hear fans grumbling about the coach. I was even one of them. The Vikings are my favorite team ever and I can't stand to see them lose. Eventually, the rational part of my brain took over though. This was not Brad's team. This was Mike Tice's. Sure, Brad may have added a few players through the draft and sure he added a couple free agents but this team still had the Mike Tice era written all over it.
Let's not give up on Brad Childress yet. We gave Mike Tice 4 years. I say we give the same to Brad. Let's take a look at a few other coaches in the league and how they did in their first couple seasons. I am sure there were fans that wanted to see their coaches get canned too only to find that a couple more years was all that it took to find success.
When Dick Vermeil returned to the NFL by coaching the Rams in 1997 he went 5-11. In 1998, he did worse, 4-12. In 1999, the Rams exploded and went 13-3 and won the Super Bowl.
The Philadelphia Eagles hired Andy Reid in 1999. Andy led the Eagles to a 5-11 record that year. In 2000, the Eagles reached the post-season after posting a 11-5 record.
The Patriots employed Bill Bellichick in 2000 after a subpar season by Pete Carroll. In Bill's first year they went 5-11. In 2001 the Pats flip flopped the record to 11-5 and won the Super Bowl. We all know the rest of the story.
John Fox took over a struggling franchise in Carolina. He went an impressive 7-9 in his first season. The following year they lost to the Patriots by 3 points in the Super Bowl.
Lovie Smith, current head coach of NFC North Champion Chicago Bears only went 5-11 in his first season as coach. The year after they went 11-5 and made the playoffs. The season after that they lost in the Super Bowl.
As Brad Childress has said the difference between 6-10 and 10-6 is only a few plays. The margin is razor thin. I think that Brad Childress has a plan and it will take 2-3 years before we truly see the affect of that plan. There are positive things about this franchise. The defense is very good. A couple more pieces and the defense will be considered top 5. The offense had very little talent at the skills positions when Brad took over for the team. However, the offensive line is looking pretty good and should only get better as they continue to play together.
It seems that the teams that stick with a coach over the long haul seem to do better. The Steelers were always competitive when Bill Cowher was head coach. The Broncos are always going to be a team to be reckoned with as long as Mike Shanahan is coach. It can take many seasons for a brand new coach to shuttle out the old players that don't fit his system and to find the rookies and free agents that do. If you switch coaches every couple years you will always be in a state of rebuilding.
If by the end of the 2010 season the Vikings franchise has not moved in the right direction then by all means you can go Donald Trump on Brad Childress. "You're FIRED!"
The 2006 NFL season was not even finished yet and I started to hear fans grumbling about the coach. I was even one of them. The Vikings are my favorite team ever and I can't stand to see them lose. Eventually, the rational part of my brain took over though. This was not Brad's team. This was Mike Tice's. Sure, Brad may have added a few players through the draft and sure he added a couple free agents but this team still had the Mike Tice era written all over it.
Let's not give up on Brad Childress yet. We gave Mike Tice 4 years. I say we give the same to Brad. Let's take a look at a few other coaches in the league and how they did in their first couple seasons. I am sure there were fans that wanted to see their coaches get canned too only to find that a couple more years was all that it took to find success.
When Dick Vermeil returned to the NFL by coaching the Rams in 1997 he went 5-11. In 1998, he did worse, 4-12. In 1999, the Rams exploded and went 13-3 and won the Super Bowl.
The Philadelphia Eagles hired Andy Reid in 1999. Andy led the Eagles to a 5-11 record that year. In 2000, the Eagles reached the post-season after posting a 11-5 record.
The Patriots employed Bill Bellichick in 2000 after a subpar season by Pete Carroll. In Bill's first year they went 5-11. In 2001 the Pats flip flopped the record to 11-5 and won the Super Bowl. We all know the rest of the story.
John Fox took over a struggling franchise in Carolina. He went an impressive 7-9 in his first season. The following year they lost to the Patriots by 3 points in the Super Bowl.
Lovie Smith, current head coach of NFC North Champion Chicago Bears only went 5-11 in his first season as coach. The year after they went 11-5 and made the playoffs. The season after that they lost in the Super Bowl.
As Brad Childress has said the difference between 6-10 and 10-6 is only a few plays. The margin is razor thin. I think that Brad Childress has a plan and it will take 2-3 years before we truly see the affect of that plan. There are positive things about this franchise. The defense is very good. A couple more pieces and the defense will be considered top 5. The offense had very little talent at the skills positions when Brad took over for the team. However, the offensive line is looking pretty good and should only get better as they continue to play together.
It seems that the teams that stick with a coach over the long haul seem to do better. The Steelers were always competitive when Bill Cowher was head coach. The Broncos are always going to be a team to be reckoned with as long as Mike Shanahan is coach. It can take many seasons for a brand new coach to shuttle out the old players that don't fit his system and to find the rookies and free agents that do. If you switch coaches every couple years you will always be in a state of rebuilding.
If by the end of the 2010 season the Vikings franchise has not moved in the right direction then by all means you can go Donald Trump on Brad Childress. "You're FIRED!"
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