Faceoff - LB Chad Greenway, Minnesota Vikings

Posted 8/3, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Downside - by John Norton

Greenway spent all of last season on IR after tearing up his knee during camp but at least the injury happened very early so he's had a full year to recover. He's never played a down in the NFL so obviously the upside on this kid is based completely on potential and situation. That said, here is what I am taking into consideration. Much like the Tampa-2 run by the Buccaneers, the scheme in Minnesota is centered around the WLB position. It's basically the same scheme that has made Derrick Brooks a top 20 linebacker in 9 of his 12 seasons as a pro. Last year E.J. Henderson shifted into the WLB position after Greenway was injured. While the coaching staff pretended to be elated with his play, the reality of it is that Henderson was a natural MLB who did a good job while playing out of position due to necessity. Even so he was the Vikings second leading tackler behind Antoine Winfield and managed to finish among the top 25 linebackers. There are a lot of similarities between Greenway and Brooks. Both are quick, athletic and smart, can make plays all over the field and have good coverage skills. Maybe the most important factor is that like Brooks, Greenway is a natural leader. This is something the Vikings have been in need of at linebacker since Jack Del Rio retired. He still has a long way to go before we can proclaim him the next Derrick Brooks but Greenway has the physical skills and the intangibles to be a very good player and is in the most productive position/situation that the Vikings defense has to offer. There is a lot of reason for optimism.

Downside - by David Baker

Chad Greenway, a first round pick in 2005, has been tabbed as the starting weakside linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings and the team likes what they have seen in Greenway. Greenway missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, but he appears fully recovered and ready to go. So what's not to like about Greenway in 2007?

It's not so much that there are things not to like, it's just I'm not as optimistic as others are about his prospects. While the reports about Greenway's comeback from last year's torn ACL sound great, the bottom line is that it was a serious injury and sometimes only time will tell if it affects Greenway's performance on the field. Until he plays at full speed with pads on and gets hit, we can only speculate. Will he favor it however slightly subconsciously? Will his game speed be the same? While the ACL recovery might not affect him at all, the questions remain.

And let's face it, Greenway is not exactly a six-year NFL veteran. There is still plenty he needs to learn about the game and if he took several weeks to get completely acclimated, he would be far from the first highly valued draft pick to do so. In all practical senses, he is still a rookie. A lack of experience in the NFL is an obvious question mark and although plenty of defensive rookies succeed in a big way (see DeMeco Ryans last year), the fact should not be completely dismissed.

Greenway is a steady player that is a solid tackler, but he's not a playmaker. He's unlikely to force a lot of turnovers or get sacks, so in order to become a value LB in fantasy circles, he'll have to rely on tackles. And since Greenway must rely on tackles, he'll need the carrier to get past Kevin and Pat Williams on the line. Lacking playmaking shine means one less opportunity for Greenway to produce fantasy points.

And while Greenway has been handed the starting job, it would not be unheard of for him to lose it. EJ Henderson is tabbed to start in the middle, but they could decide he's more effective on the weakside. Dontarrious Thomas has also been effective at times, albeit raw, and the team might feel he should get another shot starting, especially if Greenway starts slowly.

Chad Greenway is a talented young player and he has a good chance to have a favorable impact in 2007. The question then becomes how big will that impact be? Anytime a player is returning from a torn ACL injury, it's a legitimate reason to lessen their upside. And when that player has never played an NFL game and is not a playmaking type star, I grow more skeptical about their ability to be a highly ranked IDP player. He'll have to prove a little more to me before I make him a top 25 guy.