needs.htm

Major

CB

Robert Tate, Kenny Wright, and Wasswa Serwanga all have the look of nickel backs. They would be hard pressed to even make the roster of most teams in the league. Tate has the athletic ability, but he lacks technique and loses his confidence quickly. Chris Dishman was supposedly let go because of his performance, but unless I was blind, he seemed no worse than what they finished up with, and was usually closer to his man than the other DBs when in coverage. The Vikings need a veteran presence to help the recently hired Willie Shaw turn this unit around, as well as a gifted rookie to groom.

DT

Chris Hovan may not have piled up sacks as a rookie, but he played as well as can be expected concerning the circumstances. He will benefit when a better supporting cast is in place and when he learns more techniques to overcome his short arms. He is a gamer that will pay the price to improve. He may never be great, but "solid" can be a reasonable goal. John Randle and Tony Williams were let go. Williams is an average player who is too inconsistent to be playing every down. Randle is but a shadow of his former self and his hefty salary does not match his production. Fred Robbins looks like a player who can push back the line of scrimmage, but he needs to study the game harder and be dedicated in the weightroom.

RB

Robert Smith's unexpected retirement leaves a big hole to fill. Looking at the cap situation it is unlikely that the Vikes will go for Corey Dillon or Charlie Garner. Instead look for them to watch closely what happens to Ricky Watters; if he is released or dangled for a mid-round pick, the Vikes may jump on him. They may also make a draft day deal for one of Denver's backs. Then again they may just let Doug Chapman and Moe Williams fight it out. I think Doug would be the victor.

OT

The cutting of Todd Steussie may be the biggest gamble the team has taken this offseason. He was no longer a Pro Bowler, but he was solid most of the time, when he was not false starting. Brad Badger cannot instill confidence no matter what Tice or Green say. Now Tice is talking up Lewis Kelly, yes, the guy who never took a snap. I know they hit the jackpot last year when they started unproven Matt Birk, but to hit the lottery two years in a row is asking too much.

LB

Dwayne Rudd left via free-agency. He always had the athletic ability to thrive, but he does not strike me as a player you can count on. He seems cocky and often celebrates the most simplest of accomplishments. He also makes alot of mental errors and is a hitter rather than a tackler. Ed McDaniel use to be one of the most underrated players in the league. He was stellar at reading plays and creating havoc in the backfield. Now he is a average player who seems to run around blocks(ala Rudd) instead of taking them on. He has seen better days. Kailee Wong has been subpar at MLB, but it may be too soon to write him off, being that it was his first year playing the position. Although he is smart, he seems to have a knack for filling the wrong hole. Keep an eye on Antonio Wilson, Green wants to bring him along slowly and is protecting him, but his computer numbers are almost as good as Urlacher's, so he might surprise you. Craig Sauer plays the run pretty well but still needs to prove he can handle coverage.

Lesser

FS

Orlando Thomas is a fading player who always gets hurt. Tyrone Carter seems to be too conservative to be a ballhawk and his height may be a problem, as it was verse the Giants, on deep jump balls. He is at his best coming forward to make tackles.

OG

Corbin Lacina and Dave Dixon are battlers, but they both are not very athletic and have a hard time adjusting to stunts. Lacina may not be back. They are thrashers who play hard but they don't get good movement in their run-blocks. Chris Liewinski flashed some promising skills during a few appearances, but also looked awful a few times, like the Giants game. They are not liabilities, but an improvement wouldn't hurt.

WR

The Vikes would make defensive coordinators cringe if they could add a deep burner to play opposite Moss in the three wide set. Carter can be taken away with a bump CB and a LB stacked behind him. Teams like the Giants and Packers had great success employing that strategy. Moss gets constant double teams so the third wideout often gets singled up. Mathew Hatchette didn't get it done when presented this opportunity. A blazer would force teams to not cheat over to Moss' side so much and would be deadly over the middle on slants that I swear is open all day with the coverages I see most teams using verse the Vikes. Lets face it, Moss is not a tough across the middle receiver, he is the ultimate deep threat.

CB	Robert Tate, Kenny Wright, and Wasswa Serwanga all have the look of nickel backs. They would be hard pressed to even make the roster of most teams in the league. Tate has the athletic ability, but he lacks technique and loses his confidence quickly. Chris Dishman was supposedly let go because of his performance, but unless I was blind, he seemed no worse than what they finished up with, and was usually closer to his man than the other DBs when in coverage. The Vikings need a veteran presence to help the recently hired Willie Shaw turn this unit around, as well as a gifted rookie to groom.
DT	Chris Hovan may not have piled up sacks as a rookie, but he played as well as can be expected concerning the circumstances. He will benefit when a better supporting cast is in place and when he learns more techniques to overcome his short arms. He is a gamer that will pay the price to improve. He may never be great, but "solid" can be a reasonable goal. John Randle and Tony Williams were let go. Williams is an average player who is too inconsistent to be playing every down. Randle is but a shadow of his former self and his hefty salary does not match his production. Fred Robbins looks like a player who can push back the line of scrimmage, but he needs to study the game harder and be dedicated in the weightroom.
RB	Robert Smith's unexpected retirement leaves a big hole to fill. Looking at the cap situation it is unlikely that the Vikes will go for Corey Dillon or Charlie Garner. Instead look for them to watch closely what happens to Ricky Watters; if he is released or dangled for a mid-round pick, the Vikes may jump on him. They may also make a draft day deal for one of Denver's backs. Then again they may just let Doug Chapman and Moe Williams fight it out. I think Doug would be the victor.
OT	The cutting of Todd Steussie may be the biggest gamble the team has taken this offseason. He was no longer a Pro Bowler, but he was solid most of the time, when he was not false starting. Brad Badger cannot instill confidence no matter what Tice or Green say. Now Tice is talking up Lewis Kelly, yes, the guy who never took a snap. I know they hit the jackpot last year when they started unproven Matt Birk, but to hit the lottery two years in a row is asking too much.
LB	Dwayne Rudd left via free-agency. He always had the athletic ability to thrive, but he does not strike me as a player you can count on. He seems cocky and often celebrates the most simplest of accomplishments. He also makes alot of mental errors and is a hitter rather than a tackler. Ed McDaniel use to be one of the most underrated players in the league. He was stellar at reading plays and creating havoc in the backfield. Now he is a average player who seems to run around blocks(ala Rudd) instead of taking them on. He has seen better days. Kailee Wong has been subpar at MLB, but it may be too soon to write him off, being that it was his first year playing the position. Although he is smart, he seems to have a knack for filling the wrong hole. Keep an eye on Antonio Wilson, Green wants to bring him along slowly and is protecting him, but his computer numbers are almost as good as Urlacher's, so he might surprise you. Craig Sauer plays the run pretty well but still needs to prove he can handle coverage.
	Lesser
FS	Orlando Thomas is a fading player who always gets hurt. Tyrone Carter seems to be too conservative to be a ballhawk and his height may be a problem, as it was verse the Giants, on deep jump balls. He is at his best coming forward to make tackles.
OG	Corbin Lacina and Dave Dixon are battlers, but they both are not very athletic and have a hard time adjusting to stunts. Lacina may not be back. They are thrashers who play hard but they don't get good movement in their run-blocks. Chris Liewinski flashed some promising skills during a few appearances, but also looked awful a few times, like the Giants game. They are not liabilities, but an improvement wouldn't hurt.
WR	The Vikes would make defensive coordinators cringe if they could add a deep burner to play opposite Moss in the three wide set. Carter can be taken away with a bump CB and a LB stacked behind him. Teams like the Giants and Packers had great success employing that strategy. Moss gets constant double teams so the third wideout often gets singled up. Mathew Hatchette didn't get it done when presented this opportunity. A blazer would force teams to not cheat over to Moss' side so much and would be deadly over the middle on slants that I swear is open all day with the coverages I see most teams using verse the Vikes. Lets face it, Moss is not a tough across the middle receiver, he is the ultimate deep threat.