Stunning

I have no idea how to react to this column by perpetual curmudgeon, Patrick Reusse. Frankly, I'm speechless.

A columnist in the Star Tribune actually picked the Vikings to be successful this year. And he actually backed it up with some analysis. Reusse's probably been whisked away to the Star Tribune's "re-education center" where's he being force fed pop culture references from three years ago and forced to compare Brad Childress' choice of running backs to "Bachellorette" Trista Rehn's choice of men.

Or maybe he avoided that by getting in a few shots at the unwashed masses that cheer for the Vikings' for being too negative.

...

Moving on to Sunday's game, it seems like those who get to watch it, will get to see the Vikings' start out the season with a win. As I wrote the past two days, the Vikings match up perfectly with the Falcons' offense and defense. And with Rod Coleman still very questionable with a quad injury, Atlanta's going to have even more issues stopping Chester and the Purple Jesus.

That's why I think the Vikings pull this one out easily. Chester and the Purple Jesus combine for 150 yards rushing, the Tarvaris Revolution completes between 55%-60% of his passes for 200 yards and a touchdown and the defense dominates Joey Harrington and the running game like it normally does, picking Harrington off once, sacking him once and holding the Falcons to just under 100 yards rushing.

Vikings win 27-10 and the march to the playoffs begins.

Anyone else care to make any predictions?

A Pessimist's Take on the Draft--Part 2

Yesterday, in an effort to keep my enthusiasm to a dull roar, I evaluated the Vikings' first four picks in the most negative way possible. To avoid confusion, I am ecstatic about the players the Vikings' drafted and I think they can make a big impact this upcoming season--I just don't want to be crushed if they play like the rookies they are.

#146 Aundrae Allison

With their fifth round pick the Vikings drafted a speed demon (4.39 forty) ,out of East Carolina. Of course, there are usually reasons why fast wide receivers last until the fifth round. In this case, they include a lack of season due to spending two years at junior college, poor work ethic, lack of toughness and some major concentration issues. 44 drops in one season is pretty Troy Williamson-esque, I'd have to say. That's not a good sign when he has questions about his commitment to football, stemming from the numerous times he was late to practices, workouts and meetings over the course of his college career. Scouts seem to think with proper coaching he can develop good habits, but let's be honest here--that rarely happens. And he needs those good habits to develop his route running and hands.

#176 Rufus Alexander

Alexander seems to be tailor made for the Cover-2. He's got great vision, good speed (4.62) and is better operating in space. And if he wasn't good in space, he'd be in trouble, since he lacks the strength and bulk to mix it up in the trenches. If he gets double teamed, he won't get out of it. And even in space there are problems with his game. His hands are such that errant passes in his zone are will be batted down just like he's Napoleon Harris wearing a cast. His motor is good, but his focus wanes when the play goes away from him and he tends to take out any frustration he feels on the opposing team, which sounds good, but usually ends with yellow on the field.

#217 Tyler Thigpen & #233 Chandler Williams

The Vikings obviously see something in Thigpen and Williams, but realistically neither of them will ever see much playing time for the Purple outside of special teams. Thigpen has one year of running an offense that wasn't copied from 1980s Nebraska and that was at the DI-AA level. If you think Tarvaris is a project, at least he spent four years running a modern style attack. Williams has potential as a returner, but he also has potential as an enforcer, since he played a prominent role in the Miami-FIU brawl and was consequently suspended. Which is nice, seeing as how the Vikings and NFL seem to be cracking down on that kind of thing.

#XX Offensive Lineman

You may have noticed that the Vikings did not draft an offensive lineman. This may have confounded you, seeing as how the Vikings' offensive line, particularly the right side of it, had some troubles last year. Of the linemen Brad Childress tried on the right side, only Ryan Cook, Marcus Johnson and Artis Hicks remain and none of them were able to play well enough last year to inspire confidence in their ability to produce this year. So naturally, the Vikings didn't pick any linemen to compete for the job, or at the very least, to add depth to an area that will likely have a decent amount of turnover. And it's not like Matt Birk is a young guy--he turns 31 this year and is in his eleventh season.

[Thus concludes my pessimistic take on the Vikings' draft. I think they added a lot of quality players, but as you can see, each of them have their question marks and flaws. Whether or not they turn into productive players depends on their own work ethic and the coaching they receive. If the Vikings are going to be successful this year, however, their going to need a lot of help from their rookies.]

A Pessimist's Take on the Draft--Part 1

Thanks to a great draft, it seems everyone is excited about the Vikings' prospects for the upcoming season. And they should be. Everyone of the Vikings' picks addressed a need (except for Tyler Thigpen--more on him later) and the offense finally has some players worth watching. The thing is, after four Super Bowl losses, numerous soul crushing playoff failures and countless other frustrating seasons, the Vikings' fan base has its fair share of pessimists (or realists, depending on if you are one). We know the Vikings' draft was great for the optimists, but was it great for the pessimists (realists)? In a word--yes. (Look Ma, I'm Joe Biden!)

So to rein in my enthusiasm and to widen my appeal to the pessimists (realists), I'm going to take off my rose colored glasses, think negatively and take another look at the Vikings' draft picks.

#7--Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson is a great pickup at running back, if you like your running backs injury prone. Yes, he's an amazing talent and a game breaker, but none of that matters if he's in street clothes. And after a dislocated right shoulder, a high ankle sprain, a broken collarbone and a reinjured collarbone, well, it doesn't seem all that unlikely he'll be missing time with some kind of malady. When you add in his upright running style and the fact he likes to mix it up, well, you're just asking for your #1 pick to miss his rookie year for the second straight season.

#44--Sidney Rice

Even the pessimists (realists) have to admit that trading down was a masterstroke by the Vikings. Nothing like adding picks while still getting to pick the player you wanted. Of course, when that player can be described as "very raw", "has durability concerns" and "very immature and not strong minded", well, that's not good. Nor is it good that Rice is a project, having only played two years of college ball and had his big games against lesser competition. Basically, you have to trust the Vikings' coaches to develop him, and even thinking optimistically, I can't say I have that kind of faith in them.

#72--Marcus McCauley

The corner back with the best physical tools for the position also had the worst season of any corner drafted. I think it's safe to say that I had a better season at corner in 2006--I didn't lose my starting job. And let's be honest here, it wasn't like he was starting for LSU, Florida or Michigan--Fresno State was awful last --4-8 was almost as bad as the Vikings. Yes, he could bounce back with proper coaching, but he could also be Willie Offord II.

#102—Brian Robison

Robison could be the answer to the Vikings’ inability to rush the passer. Or his lack of speed, mediocre strength and inability to shed blockers could render him a special teams player. And while a 40+ inch vertical is going to let you block kicks at the line of scrimmage in college, in the NFL, you’re still not going to get up high enough unless it’s Doug O’Brien or somebody brings back Morten or Gary Anderson. Even if he does get to the quarterback, his upside is Lance Johnstone, so don’t expect him to get many sacks on first or second down or even be in, since he’s like Keneci Udeze in reverse—effective against the pass, ineffective against the run. And I don’t even want to get into his injury issues—nothing like having lingering knee and leg problems when you’re depending on speed to succeed.

[That’s it for today—I can only handle so much pessimism in one sitting. I’ll be bringing more negativity tomorrow, as I take a pessimists’ view of the Vikings last four picks and wonder why they didn’t draft any help for the offensive line.]