Searching For a Name: The Return of Tyler Thigpen

I'll be perfectly honest. I'm jealous of Pacifist Viking. It's not because of his writing, the fact that he's got help writing his blog or anything like that. It's solely because he came up with a great title for all of his link centered posts: "Blizzard". That's just genius. Genius. I've been trying to come up with something that good for a long time and have nothing.

Any suggestions for something equally catchy would be appreciated. While you're working on it, here are a few articles worth taking a look at:

Former Viking seventh round pick, Tyler Thigpen, might actually challenge for the Chiefs starting quarterback job. You may remember Thigpen as the player the Vikings tried and failed to slip through waivers onto the practice squad last year so they could keep Brooks Bollinger and Kelly Holcombe. Hopefully, if Thigpen does win the starting job, it's because the Chiefs are so awful they don't have a better option than a seventh round draft choice, otherwise we're going to have to add Holcombe over Thigpen to the list of really regrettable roster decisions by the Purple. Thankfully, it's highly unlikely he'll turn into a valuable player (more on that tomorrow and Friday).

The Vikings didn't make a first round pick this year, which means that they will likely avoid the problems that come with trying to sign their top draft pick. As Chris Cooley points out, rookies are vastly overpaid (consider that Jake Long was signed for a similar amount of guaranteed money as Jared Allen) and current players don't really like it. It's definitely been a problem for the Purple in the past (Bryant McKinnie sat out the first half of his rookie year), but a lot of that can likely be laid at the feet of Red McCombs. Whether or not the system is fixed, expect it to dominate the news as rookies sign and especially as they don't sign.

The Twins just missed being no hit by Gavin Floyd last night, avoiding it only because of a slicing double into the gap by Joe Mauer in the ninth inning. What makes the Twins' offensive performance even more embarrassing is that Floyd wasn't even pitching lights out--the Twins just made him look like he was by swinging at everything. Then again, I guess that's what can be expected from a team that has only four players better than league average at laying off pitches outside of the strike zone and feature the players who have swung at the third and fourth highest percentage of balls in the American League.

When I wasn't watching the bonus coverage of the Twins' game on ESPN (I don't know why they chose the Twins feed over the awful White Sox announcers, but after I realized they had, it was the happiest I've been with ESPN in a long time), I was watching Kevin Garnett actually outplay another NBA star in crunch time of a playoff game, the first time he's done so since he dominated the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Kings. Watching his post game interview only reinforced my feelings of hatred for Kevin McHale--I'm still a KG fan, even if I want the Celtics to lose horribly. Can't say I'm particularly happy that he's finally starting to realize that he can and should take over in crunch time though.

Finally, if you can, sign up to donate Bone Marrow and help fight Leukemia. Do it for Kenechi.

Two Quick Thoughts

I'm working on something big (and, I expect, both redundant and slightly negative), so I'm not going to write too much today, but I did find two articles worth posting.

First, via Access Vikings, NFL.com has an article that talks about teams playing "Big" Nickel and how the Vikings gave themselves that option by drafting Tyrell Johnson. Basically, "Big" Nickel is a package where you use a third safety as the nickel back rather than a third corner and it's used for two reasons, the first, of course, being that your third safety is better in coverage than your third corner. It wouldn't surprise me if this was true for the Vikings next year, especially considering that Tyrell Johnson is fast for a safety and has great closing speed. It's also used against offenses that feature quality tight ends, as the bigger safety is usually able to handle tight ends better than the smaller corner. Even though the Vikings will have seven games against teams with tight ends that had over 500 yards receiving last year (GB, HOU, CHI, IND, NYG), I'm not sure that's as big a deal for the Purple, as Marcus McCauley is the same height and only a few pounds lighter than Tyrell Johnson.

Secondly, via Daily Norseman, the Chicago Tribune thinks that the Vikings signed the best class of rookie free agents. Don't underestimate the importance of rookie free agents either, as this article from last year's playoffs points out, they can turn into valuable contributers on playoff and Super Bowl winning teams.

Offseason Plans and Some Links

The big news this weekend was the cutting of Dallas Starz by the Vikings. He lasted almost two months with the Purple after failing to make the Redskins last year despite being their fifth round pick in the 2007 draft. Also, Rookie Camp started, and from all accouints, it's going well. And by that, I mean that the Vikings didn't have a high draft choice show up late on the first day because he overslept. It wasn't that big of a deal though, as his brother explained, "Knowing Frederick [Davis] the way I do, he was probably just out late and he overslept, he probably just didn't hear the alarm. And I know he wasn't feeling too good the other day".

Ok. Enough wannabe Mike Florio talk. It's May, which means, that barring something negative happening, there's not going to be a whole lot going on. This time last year, I took a sabbatical for the summer. I'm not going to do that again, but I'm not going to confine myself to just football talk. I love the NFL, but I love baseball and college basketball too, and if I tried to confine myself to just football in the offseason, I won't have anything to write about.

For example, I could talk about the Vikings' Rookie Camp, or I could talk about the first place Minnesota Twins. I'm going to go with the Twins, who, thanks to slow starts by the Indians and Tigers, were able to wrest first place away from the White Sox with a five game winning streak that included a two game sweep of the White Sox and a three game sweep of the Tigers. Now, I'd love to say the this is all about the Twins, but the reality is that the Tigers and Indians are better than their sub .500 records show, while the Twins are playing at about the level that their most optimistic fans thought they'd be able to pull off. Carlos Gomez isn't walking yet (but man, is he fast) and Delmon Young isn't hitting for power (but his walk rate is up), but despite that, the Twins have overcome the injury to their clean up hitter and are, well, second to last in the AL in runs. And now, Scott Baker, their best pitcher is likely going on the DL. I don't think a team that gives up as many outs as the Twins can compete unless all of their pitchers are pitching well. So far, they have, but there have been cracks in the bullpen and I don't trust Nick Blackburn and Livian Hernandez to continue to be successful with such low strikeout rates.

It's only been a month, but still-it's nice to see a team I didn't expect to be good until later in the season in first place. It probably won't last, but, like the Vikings last year, all I want out of the Twins is for them to be in contention, and so far, they're doing everything I could ask of them.

And now, some quick, football links worth taking a look at:

• The Pioneer Press Vikings' blog has a scouting report for all of the Vikings' rookie free agents.
• While the Vikings didn't have one of their draft classes make the list, the Pro Football Reference blog has an interesting take on the top draft classes of all time.
  
• Sports Illustrated is starting to hop on the Vikings bandwagon. Don Banks has the Vikings as a "riser" and Peter King has the Purple ranked #7 in his power rankings.
• The Vikings weren't the only team that had an awful 2005 draft. As Pro Football Talk explains, the 2005 first round was full of players that didn't turn out (just another reason why trading for Jared Allen is more likely to work out than keeping the picks or using them to move up in the draft)
  

Snatching Up All the Quality Free Agents

In case you missed it, the Vikings recently signed sixteen rookie free agents (and also invited a few players with local ties to come try out for a contract). And they did a good job of signing some quality players. NFL Draft Countdown listed their top 50 rookie free agents (based on their predraft rankings) and the Purple cleaned up, signing eight of them, including two in the top ten and Erin Henderson, the brother of starting middle linebacker E.J. Henderson and NFL Draft Countdown's top rookie free agent.

Vikings' Signees on the top 50 Rookie Free Agent List:
#1: Erin Henderson, OLB, Maryland
#6: Drew Radovich, OG, USC
#23. Darius Reynaud, WR, West Virginia
#27. Martail Burnett, DE, Utah
#28. J Leman, ILB, Illinois
#38. Marcus Griffin, S, Texas
#40. Kyle Wright, QB, Miami (FL)
#49. Steven Hauschka, K, North Carolina St.

And while many of these rookie free agents will end up on the practice squad or won't make the team at all, if you're going to bring in rookie free agents, might as well bring in the best, right?

Wrapping Up the Draft: Almost an Unqualified Success

The Vikings' draft was almost an unqualified success. They were able to draft players to add depth at almost all of the positions they needed to add depth at except tackle, and they ignored a position, tight end, where they have depth but don't have any quality players And while I'm not happy that the Vikings didn't draft a tight end that might actually be worth throwing to, the fact that they didn't draft a tackle means they didn't add any depth to the position at which they'll likely need depth the soonest.

After trading their fourth round pick to draft Tyrell Johnson, who was perhaps the top safety in the draft, I wrote that the Purple's trade cost them a draft pick they would need if they wanted to find players at all of their positions of need, specifically focusing on quarterbacks that were likely to be gone by the fifth round. I was wrong that the Vikings wouldn't have their choice of quarterbacks, as Andre Woodson, Josh Johnson and John David Booty were all available to the Vikings in the fifth round (or, at least, were available after the Vikings moved up). I was right, however, about the fact that the Purple traded away their chance to add depth at all the positions they needed to, as they missed the chance to pick up any of the three tackles that were available with their pick in the fourth round and were off the board by the time they went on the clock in the fifth round.

While I liked seeing the Purple pick up the eventual successor for Pat Williams late in the fifth round (Letroy Guion from Florida State) and the successor for Matt Birk (John Sullivan from Notre Dame) and a wide receiver with punt return experience (Jaymar Johnson from Jacksonville State) in the sixth round, I'm not sure that I like the choice of John David Booty as the Vikings' developmental quarterback. While Booty has the accuracy and ability to make all the reads needed in the West Coast offense, he is a pocket passer and doesn't have that good of an arm. His upside is that of a league average quarterback, unlike Andre Woodson and Josh Johnson, who could both turn into stars, as they both have similar accuracy, ability to run an offense and combine that with a good arm and the ability to make plays with their feet. And neither Woodson or Johnson are likely to inspire any awful jokes. If anything, I think Johnson was probably the best developmental quarterback available, due to his speed and arm strength. Like Tarvaris, he played for a 1-AA school, but unlike Tarvaris, he was statisically dominate, completing 68% of his passes in his 3+ years of starting and throwing 43 touchdowns to 2 interceptions his senior year. And he had a good coach with NFL experience in Jim Harbaugh.

So while the Vikings may have answered the questions about who will succeed Darren Sharper, Pat Williams and Matt Birk and picked up a receiver that can return punts, they left open the question as to who will step into the lineup if Bryant McKinnie is suspended for four games or if Ryan Cook doesn't improve and they choose the developmental quarterback with the least upside. So while it's something of a waste of time to try and grade a draft immediately after it's completed, the Vikings choice not to draft a tackle and to pick Booty over Woodson and Johnson mean that the Purple won't receive an "A" from me, but the depth they added at other positions and the fact that Jacksonville gave up more draft picks to move up and draft Derrick Harvey than the Vikings did to trade for Jared Allen means that the Purple's draft was still relatively successful.

Mixed Feelings About Tyrell

I'm of two minds about the Vikings' decision to trade their fourth round pick (117th overall) to move up in the second round and draft Tyrell Johnson, a 6'0", 206lb safety from Arkansas State. I like the addition of Tyrell (yes, I will be referring to him by his awesome middle name and I might even break out his equally cool first name, Marcellous, sometimes), but I'm not sure I like the fact that the Vikings gave up their fourth round pick in order to get him.

First, let's talk about the newest Viking. Tyrell Johnson is big, he's fast and he may just have been the best safety available in the draft. The Vikings clearly need a safety who'll be ready to step in and replace Darren Sharper when age finally catches up to him (even ageless ones, like the soon to be 33 year old Sharper, get old sometimes) and Tyrell Johnson will probably be ready to do so by the end of this year, if not sooner. Tyrell is perfect for the Cover-2, combining the best aspects of the free and strong safety positions, able to both bring the pain and with good coverage instincts, great closing speed and good hands. He's also will be able to step in and help out on special teams right away, yet another reason why he'll fit in well in Purple.

What I don't like about the Vikings' first day at the draft is the fact that they gave up their fourth round pick in order to move up. I understand that the Vikings likely needed to do so in order to select Tyrell, what with safety hungry Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati waiting to draft Tyrell before the 47th pick. The thing is, the Purple have other needs that they need to address besides safety and even if Tyrell wasn't going to be available to them at the 47th pick, they could have used that choice to draft a wide receiver, tight end, offensive lineman or even a defensive tackle, which are all positions that the Vikings need depth at. Also, by trading away their fourth round pick, the Vikings gave away the chance to add another player at one of those positions, or at quarterback, a position that the Vikings have no plan at aside from Tarvaris Jackson. I like Tyrell Johnson, but I'm just not so sure I like him more than Martellus Bennett and Andre Woodson (or Josh Johnson, or a defensive tackle, etc).

The Second Round--A Left Tackle or Tight End Please

Luckily for the Vikings, whether or not their draft is a success this year won't just come down to whether or not they are able to turn their second round pick into a productive player. The Purple have had quite a bit of success with their fourth round picks over the last few years, drafting Brian Robison and Ray Edwards the last two years and they were also able to find useful players like Mewelde Moore, Ontarrio Smith and Brian Williams in that round.

That being said, their second round pick, being their first, is the one that will be the most visible and the one that is most likely to turn into an impact player. By acquiring Jared Allen, the Vikings eliminated one of their needs (rendering this post moot), but they still have quite a few holes, and the 47th pick should be able to get them a player that will help fill one of them.

At this point, the Vikings' biggest need is on the offensive line, specifically tackle and center. Both Steve Hutchinson and Artis Hicks should be around at guard for a few more years, but the same cannot be said about Bryant McKinnie, Ryan Cook and Matt Birk. Cook is nominally Birk's replacement, but whether the Vikings want to hand him the position without any competition after his struggles at right tackle is a whole 'nother question. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Purple draft a center this year, but that's not a position that most teams draft for in the second round (Let's all just ignore what round Cook was drafted in right now, ok? Thanks). That means if the Vikings are going to address their line in the second round, they're likely going to do so by drafting an offensive tackle.

There are four tackles that I've seen going in the second round of the mock drafts: Sam Baker, (6'5", 309 lb) from USC, Duane Brown, (6'5", 300 lb) from Virginia Tech, Anthony Collins, (6'6" 308lb) from Kansas and Oniel Cousins, (6'4", 315lb) from UTEP. Baker is held in the highest regard, which isn't surprising, considering he held down the left tackle position at USC for four years, earning all kinds of accolades. If he somehow falls all the way to the Vikings, he should be their pick. Brown, Collins and Cousins were all impressive in college as well, but were not at the same level as Baker. They all need to improve their technique, footwork and strength, as well as show greater aggression. Brown seems to the best of the group, but at this point, differentiating between them isn't something I can do--they all have potential and with the right coaching, anyone of them could be a good tackle.

If Baker isn't available and the Purple don't want to use a pick on a developmental tackle, they should look to tight end as the next position to address. As the Eagles and L.J. Smith have shown, a good, pass catching tight end makes the West Coast Offense a lot more dangerous, and Visanthe Shiancoe has not given any one much of a reason to believe he can become a good, pass catching tight end in his five years in the NFL. There are three good tight ends that are projected to go in the second round, Dustin Keller from Purdue, Martellus Bennett from Texas A&M and John Carlson from Litchfield, MN...I mean Notre Dame. I wrote about them earlier, and while Keller seems the most likely to be able to step in and make an impact as a rookie, I think the Vikings should take a long look at Martellus Bennett. He's the perfect height for a tight end (6'7"), has great hands and, while still learning the game since giving up basketball, has all the speed (4.68 forty) and athletic ability that a dominate tight end (he declared for the NBA draft out of high school) should have. I'm not a big fan of Carlson, but I can't tell if its because he isn't an elite athlete for his position, because his stats dropped like a rock after Brady Quinn left or because I tend to judge Minnesotans harshly because I don't want to overrate them because they're from Minnesota. Either way, I'd rather have Keller or Bennett and I think I'd probably pass on Carlson even if he was the only tight end available.

If the Vikings don't like the left tackles and tight ends on the board when they draft, I think, as I just hinted, it's time to grab the best player available at any position, with an emphasis on cornerbacks, wide receivers and safeties, in that order. I would look at cornerback first, because, as the saying goes, you can never have enough corners, especially when your top three corners are two young guys that looked a little too shaky last year in Marcus McCauley and Cedric Griffin and a soon to be 31 year old that missed six games because of injury last year in Antoine Winfield. If the Purple prefer the wide receivers left, they should make sure to draft one with punt return experience, something that no one on their roster currently has any NFL experience with. Earl Bennet (6'1", 205lbs) from Vanderbilt, Eddie Royal (5'11", 182lbs) from Virginia Tech and Donnie Avery (5'11", 186lbs) from Houston all spent time fielding punts in college and might be available with the 47th pick. The last position I'd look to in the second round is safety. While the Vikings need a successor for Darren Sharper, the Purple plan on competing this year and should try to use their highest pick to pick up a player that can impact this season. Michael Boulware provides them the depth they need to cover an injury at safety and there are enough capable safeties in the draft that they can likely find a successor to groom in the later rounds. That being said, if the Purple decide to draft a safety, Tyrelle Johnson (6'0", 198lbs) from Arkansas State would be the best choice. DaJuan Morgan (6'1", 205lbs) from North Carolina State is likely to be the only safety available with the 47th pick, however, and he's a question mark, as he was only a starter as a junior and sat out his senior year because of a hip injury. He has a ton of talent, but is very unproven.

Finally, I would stay away from a quarterback in the second round, because now is not the time to put that kind of pressure on Tarvaris Jackson. If the Vikings want to accomplish their goals next year, they need Tarvaris to be good and bringing in a second rounder will put pressure on him in a way that will likely hurt his ability to play well. If the Purple want to use a 4th, 5th or 6th rounder on a quarterback to develop, that's fine, but their second round pick should be used to address another position. Brad Childress has hitched his fortunes to Tarvaris Jackson and this is the year he finds out if he was right to do so. Let's all hope he was.