Minnesota Vikings
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer (0-0 all-time in Minnesota)
Last Year's Results: 5-10-1, no playoffs
Projected Starters:
(My Player Rankings Guide:
E - Elite Starter: Franchise changing player at his position
HQ - High Quality Starter: One of the best in the game at his position
GS - Good Starter: If this guy's on your team, he's likely starting and you should be perfectly fine with it
AS - Average Starter: This guy is OK, but if possible, I'd be looking for an upgrade
BAS - Below Average Starer: This guy should not be starting, but he will because he's the best option
??? - Not enough information regarding this guy and the jury is still out on him
R - Rookie: Pretty self-explanatory
PS - Poor Starter: This guy shouldn't be starting for your football team. NO EXCUSES!)
OFFENSE:
QB: Matt Cassel (PS)
RB: Adrian Peterson (E)
FB: Jerome Felton (GS)
WR: Greg Jennings (GS)
WR: Cordarrelle Patterson (GS)
TE: Kyle Rudolph (AS)
C: John Sullivan (HQ)
RG: Brandon Fusco (HQ)
LG: Charlie Johnson (BAS)
RT: Phil Loadholt (HQ)
LT: Matt Kalil (AS)
DEFENSE:
DE: Brian Robison (GS)
DE: Everson Griffen (AS)
DT: Sharrif Floyd (AS)
DT: Linval Joseph (GS)
WLB: Chad Greenway (PS)
MLB: Jasper Brinkley (BAS)
SLB: Anthony Barr (R)
CB: Xavier Rhodes (AS)
CB: Captain Munnerlyn (GS)
SS: Jamarca Sanford (AS)
FS: Harrison Smith (GS)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: Blair Walsh
P: Jeff Locke
Schedule:
vs. @ St. Louis
vs. New England
vs. @ New Orleans
vs. Atlanta
vs. @ Green Bay
vs. Detroit
vs. @ Buffalo
vs. @ Tampa Bay
vs. Washington
BYE WEEK
vs. @ Chicago
vs. Green Bay
vs. Carolina
vs. New York Jets
vs. @ Detroit
vs. @ Miami
vs. Chicago
Predicted Results: 5-11 (2-4 in division), miss playoffs
Team Analysis: The poor Minnesota Vikings. After enduring years of misery with Matt Cassel under center with the Kansas City Chiefs, I know what it's like to cheer for a team quarterbacked by Cassel, and it's not a good thing. However, there is some silver lining in it all. The Vikings drafted Teddy Bridgewater in hopes that he would be their quarterback of the future. Bridgewater has actually looked pretty good this pre-season and it wouldn't shock me to see him get the start once Minnesota is finally knocked out of playoff contention. Even though the Vikings have a glaring hole at quarterback, there is still enough talent on this team that it wouldn't shock me at all to see them potentially sneak into the playoffs. I'd call it a long shot, but it's not an impossible task.
Outside of the QB position, this team has some pieces on offense. Everyone knows how dominant Adrian Peterson can be when he's healthy, so as long as he manages to stay on the field this season, the Vikings will be able to pound the rock. Cassel actually has some decent weapons to throw to. Greg Jennings has been of a bit of a disappointment since arriving in Minnesota, but he could be due for a big season especially with Cordarrelle Patterson continuing to improve. The Vikings also have one of the best offensive lines in football. So like I mentioned earlier, there is talent on the offensive side of the ball with this team. They are really in desperate need of a competent guy who can lead the team to victory. Matt Cassel is not that guy, but Bridgewater very well could be. There will be times this season when Vikings fans will want to tear their hair out due to costly errors made by the QB, but keep your heads up because things could be looking up with Teddy at the helm.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings are pretty average. They don't have a single player that I would classify as "elite" or "high quality", but they do have a bunch of guys that are either just good enough to start or should probably be playing on the team's practice squad instead of actually playing in meaningful games. The position where the Vikings will likely really struggle will be at linebacker. Chad Greenway and Jasper Brinkley aren't good enough to start in the NFL, yet the Vikings will likely need both of them to play significant minutes. The jury is out on rookie LB Anthony Barr. Barr was one of those guys who people were going absolutely nuts over during the college football season, but his hype died down as the draft process moved along (always cause for concern). If Barr turns into the player that everyone thought he was going to be last year, head coach Mike Zimmer may have hit gold. Like I mentioned earlier, there is plenty of talent on this Vikings team to like. I just personally don't have a lot of faith in Matt Cassel or new head coach Mike Zimmer to get it all together this season. Prove me wrong Minnesota.
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