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2007 Team Report: Minnesota Vikings

Quarterbacks

Starter: Tarvaris Jackson
Backup(s): Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger

Starting QB: A lot of NFL pundits may have questions about Tarvaris Jackson's ability to lead the Vikings, but HC Brad Childress doesn't. The 2nd year pro has gotten all the first team reps and started each preseason game. Furthermore, the Vikes haven't entertained bringing in any veterans to challenge for the job. Jackson is somewhat of an enigma. Physically he has all the tools but his collegiate resume and limited time as a rookie starter don't tell the tale. Expect Jackson to endure a baptism by fire, as he acclimates himself to the pro game while also dealing with a young receiving corps. His mobility may be the X-factor, but he's on the short list of NFL starting QBs that offer little fantasy value on draft day.

Backup QB: Brooks Bollinger's bid to challenge for the starting job was short-lived, and his preseason struggles necessitated the acquisition of veteran Kelly Holcomb. Holcomb, traded from the Eagles in August, will give the Vikings a steady veteran presence should Tarvaris struggle. Bollinger rarely saw live action in 2006 but did play a fair amount for the Jets in 2005. Bollinger is probably best suited for what his role currently is - an NFL backup QB.

Running Backs

Starter: Adrian Peterson [R], Chester Taylor
Backup(s): Mewelde Moore
Fullback(s): Tony Richardson

Starting RB: With the Vikings offense seemingly devoid of big playmakers, the team selected highly talented and elusive Adrian Peterson with the seventh overall pick in this year's draft. Peterson is a home run threat that can take any play the distance. Despite fears about his collarbone earlier this preseason, Peterson has been healthy and explosive in practice and most recently the team's 2nd preseason game. It looks like he will see a lot of action regardless of whether Chester Taylor retains the nominal starting job. Taylor fared very well last year as the featured back before running out of steam at the end of the year. Flying under the radar of most people, Taylor finished the year ranked as the No. 12 fantasy back in 2006. Running behind that mammoth offensive line, and with an inexperience QB and receiving corps, Taylor and Peterson could become one of the league's most productive RB tandems this year.

Backup RBs: Mewelde Moore may still see some work as a receiving threat out of the backfield but his long-term value in Minnesota took a major hit when Peterson was drafted. He has been able to produce ample yardage when given spot starts, but has never shown a knack for the end zone.

Fullback: Two-time Pro Bowler Tony Richardson was signed away from Kansas City last season in the hopes that he could again be a force blocking out of the backfield. But Richardson broke his arm early on and was placed on injured reserve. Richardson will turn 36 during the season and still has health concerns.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson
Backups: Robert Ferguson, Sidney Rice [R], Aundrae Allison [R]

Starting WRs: The Vikings starting WR situation remains fluid. For now, Troy Williamson and Bobby Wade are running with the 1st team. Wade is experienced, but he's had several injuries in the past and has yet to distinguish himself as a bona fide NFL starting wide receiver. Williamson, the 7th overall draft pick two seasons ago, had a procedure this offseason to correct his visual focus. That appears to have dramatically improved Williamson's ability to reel in the ball; and makes him the most intriguing player in a jumbled WR corps.

Backup WRs: Robert Ferguson, a Packers castoff, was signed in mid August and will compete for a spot; but it's unlikely he can catch up enough to be more than a 3rd or 4th receiver to start the season. The corps is rounded out by two promising options were selected in this year's draft: South Carolina's Sidney Rice and East Carolina's Aundrae Allison. Rice, in particular, projects as a possible starter in the next year or two. He is tall and has great body control but can be disrupted by physical press coverage.

Tight Ends

Starters: Visanthe Shiancoe
Backups: Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan

The Vikings surprised many by signing Visanthe Shiancoe to a big free agent contract. Shiancoe was limited offensively in New York, but the Vikings expect him to flourish with starter's minutes. Jim Kleinsasser will do his best to contribute as a blocker and occasional pass catcher.

Place Kicker

Ryan Longwell : In 1998, Gary Anderson scored an NFL record 164 points for the Vikings. Since then, they have averaged 99 kicking points a year. Last year, Longwell scored only 90 points. He had averaged 117 points during his nine previous years with Green Bay. He did well with his limited opportunities, hitting 21 of 25 (84.0%) field goals. The four misses were all from long range. He was perfect from under 40 yards, for only the second time in his career. After impressive kickoff stats as a rookie, his numbers have been unimpressive since. CAMP UPDATE: Longwell will be closely watching the punter competition between incumbent Chris Kluwe and rookie Alex Reyes, since the winner could end up also being the holder. Another option at holder is backup QB Brooks Bollinger. Longwell is very particular when it comes to his holder.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Bobby Wade; Troy Williamson; Artose Pinner; Mewelde Moore; Adrian Peterson; Chandler Williams; Ciatrick Fason; Chester Taylor

Free agent acquisition WR Bobby Wade led the Titans in kickoff returns last year (50 returns, 23.9 avg.). WR Troy Williamson begin last year as the Vikings starting kickoff returner (14 returns, 23.1 avg.), but was eventually replaced by Bethel Johnson. Wade and Williamson will probably compete for the starting job this year. Rookie RB Adrian Peterson averaged 23.1 yards on kickoff returns during his final year at Oklahoma. Rookie WR Chandler Williams averaged 23.2 yards on kickoff returns during his career at Florida International. Potential backups include RB Artose Pinner (4 returns, 19.0 avg.), RB Mewelde Moore (1 returns, 25 yards), and RB Ciatrick Fason (2 returns, 2.0 avg. in 2005). RB Chester Taylor has experience returning kickoffs from his years with the Ravens, including 12 returns with a 21.1 avg. in 2005. CAMP UPDATE: Against the Jets, players vying for a roster spot handled the returns. Rookie WR Aundrae Allison averaged 20.0 yards on there kickoff returns. Rookie WR Chandler Williams had a 28 yard kickoff return, and WR Martin Nance had a 23 yarder. WR Jason Carter had a ten yard punt return. Once the regular season arrives, WR Bobby Wade, WR Troy Williamson, and RB Mewelde Moore are expected to handle returns.

Punt Returners: Mewelde Moore; Bobby Wade; Charles Gordon; Dwight Smith; Tank Williams

Mewelde Moore took aver the lead punt returner role two years ago. He averaged 11.7 yards in 2005 and 10.1 yards last year. He scored a TD both years. Bobby Wade handled punt returns for the Bears in 2005 (33 returns, 9.6 avg. 1 TD), but had troubles hanging onto the ball and was waived. He appears to have since corrected that problem. He averaged 9.0 yards on three returns for the Titans last year. CB Charles Gordon returned punts for Kansas in 2005 (9.7 avg., 398 yards ranked 8th), and earned All-American honors as a result. He's small but handles the ball very well. FS Dwight Smith had one return for eight yards last year. SS Tank Williams had one for nine yards with the Titans in 2005.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Bryant McKinnie, LG Steve Hutchinson, C Matt Birk, RG Artis Hicks, RT Marcus Johnson
Key Backups: Anthony Herrera, T/G Ryan Cook

Bryant McKinnie is a cornerstone at left tackle for the Vikings, but his play on the field has never been able to match his incredible potential. Steve Hutchinson, however, is a star player. Matt Birk made the Pro Bowl again last year and deservedly so since he is an elite center. Artis Hicks was picked up last year and started 14 games for the Vikings; but is being pushed by 4th year Anthony Herrera. Finally, at right tackle Marcus Johnson, who started 10 games a season ago, and second-year lineman Ryan Cook, who is a center in a tackle's body waged a spirited camp battle for the starting nod. For now, Johnson will start as Cook's versatility makes him ideal as the team's 6th lineman.

Team Defense

Don't look at the Vikings 32nd ranked pass defense and assume they aren't any good. In reality the pass defense suffered greatly because teams simply couldn't run on the Vikings #1 rush defense. This unit allowed only 2.8 yards per carry and just 985 for the entire season. In comparison the second ranked Ravens were at 1214. Minnesota finished 8th in total defense, were among the league leaders in takeaways and landed among the top 5 fantasy defenses. The one area of need is pass rush. The early loss of Erasmus James was devastating, and there are mixed signals coming out of Minnesota on where he is in the recovery process. Of course James himself says all is well. The club must be comfortable that he's correct since they did nothing to address the DE position over the offseason. In fact the only additions defensively were injury prone SS Mike Doss who will likely serve as a backup, and second round pick Marcus McCauley who will cover the nickel. On the other hand, the return of Chad Greenway is like having another first round pick coming in.

Defensive Line

Starters: DE Kenechi Udeze, DE Darrion Scott, NT Pat Williams, UT Kevin Williams
Backups: DE Ray Edwards, DE Erasmus James [PUP], DT Spencer Johnson, DE Jayme Mitchell

Starting DL: The Vikings are blessed with the best defensive tackle combination in the league. Pat Williams is the classic immovable object at nose tackle. He is showing a renewed commitment to watching his weight this offseason, although he's scheduled to become a free agent after this year. Kevin Williams still has not gotten back to his dominant 2004 level of play, but he's one of most athletic pass rushers from DT in the league. Williams signed a seven year contract extension late last season. Minnesota is still waiting for the back to back first round picks they spent on DE to pay dividends. The 2004 pick, Kenechi Udeze, had a promising rookie year before wearing down late in the season. Since then, he has missed the better part of 2005 with microfracture surgery, and struggled to make an impact when he returned in 2006. The Vikings hope that his lack of sack production was a product of being uncomfortable on the right side of the line. DE Darrion Scott has played more important than the Vikes could have envisioned when they drafted him in 2004. He's a tough grinder in run defense who creates a pass rush with determination more than outstanding athleticism or moves. Scott started ahead of Kenichi Udeze at left end in a recent OTA.

Backup DL: Rookie Ray Edwards made a valiant attempt to earn a starting role, and may end up starting in place of Darrion Scott sooner rather than later. Edwards has a good motor and is an instinctive pass rusher. RThe Vikings only viable backup at DT, Spencer Johnson, is probably not suited to play nose and he's yet to play a full season. The team will be in trouble if either Williams suffers a serious injury.

Linebackers

Starters: WLB Chad Greenway, MLB E.J. Henderson, SLB Ben Leber
Backups: Vinny Ciurciu, Dontarrious Thomas, Heath Farwell, Jason Glenn, Rufus Alexander

Starting LBs: The Vikings were comfortable enough with the idea of E.J. Henderson in the middle that they let 2006 starter Napoleon Harris walk in free agency without a serious attempt to re-sign him. They also signed Henderson to a five-year contract extension. Henderson started at MLB for the Vikings in 2004, but he was somewhat overwhelmed, and replaced by Sam Cowart in 2005. He does have the natural range and awareness to remain in the middle. Chad Greenway will assume the weakside linebacker role they expected him to fill when they drafted him 17th overall last year. Greenway has looked healthy and fresh this preseason. Leber has been a solid pickup. His pass rush ability and instinctive play were welcome additions to the defense.

Backup LBs: Dontarrious Thomas lost out to Henderson in a battle for a weakside job in 2005, and he failed to win the open middle and weakside linebacker jobs in 2006. He's athletic enough, but his fundamentals have not caught up with his physical ability. Heath Farwell is a gritty undersized linebacker who came into the league as an undrafted free agent. He has proven his worth on special teams and his value as a backup on defense continues to grow. Farwell led the team in tackles in the 2006 preseason and has an endless motor.

Defensive Backs

Starters: CB Antoine Winfield, CB Cedric Griffin, SS Darren Sharper, FS Dwight Smith
Backups: CB Marcus McCauley [R], S Mike Doss, S Tank Williams, CB Charles Gordon, CB Mike Hawkins

Starting DBs: Antoine Winfield is the Vikings cornerstone defensively. He's excellent in both man coverage and when put into zone situations. Winfield is a sure tackler, and has a nose for the ball. 2nd year CB Cedric Griffin will replace departed Fred Smoot in the starting lineup. Griffin is a smart aggressive player, but he'll be tested by opposing offenses until he gives them reason not to. Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith remain solid players in the middle, but both are past their primes.

Backup DBs: The Vikings have a very deep safety corps. Greg Blue is a big hitter and he was surprisingly decent when asked to fill in for Dwight Smith last year. Mike Doss had a few solid years and a few injury-riddled years for Indianapolis before Antoine Bethea took his job. He's also a hitter, but lacks recovery speed when he is beaten deep. Tank Williams was brought in to play strong safety last year, but never had a chance, tearing his ACL before the season began. Like Doss and Blue, he projects as a run stuffing strong safety and is somewhat of a liability in deep zone coverage. The cornerbacks are much thinner. The team hopes Devonte Edwards can step up to play nickel back. Rookie Marcus McCauley could play a large role if he bounces back from his disappointing senior year and returns to his outstanding 2005 form. He's a good fit in the Cover 2. Charles Gordon is a talented undrafted free agent who was solid filling in for Cedric Griffin when he was hurt late in 2006. Gordon should contend to play in nickel and dime packages.

Last modified: 2007-09-02 15:27:51