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By The Jazzy One on February 24th, 2010
Chester Taylor? LaDainian Tomlinson? Brian Westbrook?
These are three names that a lot of Vikings fans are talking about today.
Chester Taylor, the Vikings solid, can-do-everything backup running back is about to become a free agent.
LaDainian Tomlinson was released a couple days ago by San Diego.
Brian Westbrook was released yesterday by Philadelphia.
Are the Vikings looking at any of these guys as options? Let’s break it down a bit.
Will Chester Taylor Stay With The Vikings
I for one will hate to see Chester Taylor go if he leaves. His playing time has obviously diminished since the Vikings drafted some
guy named Adrian Peterson, but Taylor is such a solid player in the running game, passing game, and he’s a very solid blocker. The screen pass to Taylor was one of Favre’s favorite security blankets this year, and it often went well.
But Taylor knows that he’s a third down back in Minnesota, and there are a lot of teams in the league that would be willing to feature him for a couple years as his career winds down. While it’s tempting for a player to stay with a team that (if Favre returns) has a shot to win it all, it’s also tempting to go to a team that will use that player more often. I completely understand why Taylor would leave Minnesota if he chooses that option. To be honest, I see that as being a likely scenario.
Will LaDainian Tomlinson be a Viking?
 Long time San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson was released from his contract this week. Because Tomlinson currently does not have a team, the Vikings would be able to sign him without worrying about letting one of their other free agents go. In case you don’t know, because of the rules of the uncapped year, any free agent signed by the Vikings from another team would require the Vikings NOT to sign one of their own players.
A lot of people are fascinated by the potential one-two punch of Peterson and Tomlinson, and I’ll admit that it is fun to think about, but I really see this one as a long shot. Tomlinson is definitely going to feel like he should start somewhere, and based on some comments made about Peterson at the beginning of this past season, I have a feeling he would not think too highly of sitting behind AD on the depth chart.
I think Tomlinson will go to New England, and I think he’ll have a big year there.
Will Brian Westbrook be a Viking?
Brian Westbrook was released from his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday.
If Chester Taylor leaves, I could see this one happening. Westbrook is still a great player, but he’s been held down with concussions and leg injuries in the past several years. It might be a smart move for him to go to a team where he could take the role of a 3rd down back.
I think Taylor is great at what he does, but if healthy, I think Westbrook can do all those same things… but slightly better. He can block, he can run, and he can catch. He’s extremely dangerous out of the screen.
I also think the fact that he has ties with coach Childress makes this likely. Childress likes to bring in guys that he’s coached before, and there aren’t many better than Brian Westbrook that fit that description.
My feelings about it
I really like Chester Taylor, and I’d love to see him stay, but unfortunately I don’t think it’ll happen. I really think that Brian Westbrook will be a Viking next year.
Personally, though, I’m really high on Albert Young, and I think he could fill Taylor’s role well. But I don’t think that’s likley to happen.
The one up-side to Taylor leaving and the Vikings signing a guy like Westbrook would be that it would give the Vikings a shot at picking up another free agent to fill another gap on the field (maybe defensive back?)
It should be an interesting couple of weeks.
Further Reading on the topic
By The Jazzy One on December 14th, 2009
The Minnesota Vikings are now 11-2
A lot of Vikings fans were worried about their team after the Cardinals demolished them last week. Many felt that it meant that the Vikings couldn’t play against other good teams. They had a chance to prove themselves this past Sunday when the 9-3 Bengals came to town… and prove themselves is exactly what they did, as the Vikings cruised to a 30-10 victory playing a solid game from pretty much every angle of play.
That was the best pass defense I’ve seen in a long time
Ever since Brad Childress has taken over, the Minnesota Vikings have had a good run defense, but I’ve watched teams rack up the passing yards on them time and time again. Cincinnati was a team coming in that lead the league in run plays on first down, but many thought because of the Vikings tough run defense the Bengals would change their ways.
The Bengals did not.
They came in trying to run, and were somewhat successful at it, but unlike other teams that the Vikings have faced, that did not open up the passing game at all. The Vikings held Carson Palmer (who many claim is one of the top QBs in the league) to 15 completions and 94 yards.
Antoine Winfield Is A Beast
Did the Vikings miss Winfield? In his first game since week 7, he made sure that Vikings fans knew why he was important to the team. He finished the team with 9 tackles and a forced fumble, and I saw him in there batting away a pass or two, not to mention the interception that he could’ve had if he would’ve concentrated on the catch a little more. Winfield picked up right where he left off… having a pro-bowl caliber year.
Welcome back Antoine!
Peterson looked like the old All Day.
After running 13 times for 19 yards last week, and struggling for yards several times this year, Peterson looked like the runner that we’re all a little more used to. He carried 26 times for 97 yards, and we saw a lot more of the 5 and 6 yard power runs that we used to see. The offensive line seemed to open holes better for him this week, and did anyone else notice that Cincinnati didn’t stack the box as often as other teams do? I wish the Vikes would see looks like that more often.
We got good games from the rookie defenders
Jamarca Sanford started for safety Tyrell Johnson this week, and he made some good contributions. He was 2nd on the team with tackles with 5 (plus an assisted tackle), and he played pretty solid coverage against a team with several good receivers. Jasper Brinkley also played well in his new role of middle linebacker, giving the Vikings 3 bone-crushing tackles. Both Ben Leber and Brad Childress had good things to say about Brinkley after the game.
And all of that was without Percy Harvin
The Vikings looked good on Sunday. I had to wonder what they would’ve looked like with Harvin. Greg Lewis caught a couple balls out of Percy’s position, and I have to think that Percy could make a few more guys miss than Lewis can. Also, even though I think Reynaud is a pretty good kick returner, he’s no Percy Harvin. Hopefully he’ll be ready to go by next week.
Even Albert Young got some carries
I was happy to see that. If you’ve read my stuff for very long, you know I’m a fan of Albert Young (for several reasons, one being that he was a Hawkeye). I was glad to see him getting a couple carries today. He did a good job, too. He only ran twice, but he carried for 5 yards, then 8.
I am a huge fan of Chester Taylor, and I hope he’s a Viking until he retires, but if we do lose Taylor to another team, I think Young will fill his role nicely.
By The Jazzy One on September 8th, 2009
The Vikings announced their practice squad over the weekend. The list of guys:
DB Colt Anderson
QB John David Booty
OT Chris Clark
RB Ian Johnson
DT Tremaine Johnson
TE Garrett Mills
WR Nick Moore
OT Drew Radovich
Overall I think the Vikings made the right moves. I was glad to see Booty make it to the practice squad. I’m guessing that the fact that he wasn’t claimed by another team just strengthens the opinion that he just isn’t ready to be an NFL quarterback yet, and he hasn’t shown signs that he DEFINITELY will be ready someday.
Ian Johnson had some decent runs during the preseason, but the Vikings decided to keep the slightly more experienced Albert Young. I’m glad they kept Young, both because I’m a fan of him personally, and because I think he’s a good young runner, but it’s nice to see Johnson on the practice squad. I’m wondering if next year the Vikings will offer Chester Taylor as trade bait, and move Young up to being Peterson’s backup. That might give Johnson a chance on the team.
To read some info on the rest of the guys, go to the ACCESS VIKINGS BLOG ENTRY
By The Jazzy One on August 20th, 2009
Well, we’re one week into the Preseason. The Vikings beat the Colts 13-3 Friday night. Like I mentioned before, winning and losing doesn’t mean much for the preseason, but we did see some important things.
Sage Rosenfels Looked Good
He went 10 for 13 for 91 yards. He looked sharp and he looked comfortable. I really like how they had him running plays. He was taking a 3 to 5 step drop and getting rid of the ball quickly. They also mixed in a lot of play action. If they keep up this kind of play calling in the regular season, it would take away some of the pressure on the running game, because opposing teams would have to have more guys back in coverage. I really liked what I saw.
Our Starting Defense Looked Great
Of course the Colts were playing a very vanilla game plan, but in the first series, Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, and Fred Evans all had a sack. Peyton Manning was sacked 3 times. He got off 2 passes, and completed 1 of them for 6 yards.
Actually, the defense looked strong all night. Even the reserves were putting pressure on the quarterback. That was nice to see.
Our Special Teams Looked Much Better
This one was very important. Our special teams was awful last year. Against the Colts they looked fast and sharp. That gives me tons of hope.
Albert Young Looked Great
Like I said before, Albert Young is not going to be one of those guys that has break away speed and scores a 90 yard TD (although many would say the same about Chester Taylor, and he has a 95 yard TD in his stats), but he’s a good solid runner. Friday night he played great. He was patient and waited for the holes, and as soon as they open he bolted through. He averaged over 4 yards a carry. I think he’s going to make the team, and I think he’s going to contribute as much as a 3rd stringer can. I have to assume he would’ve ran even better if he would’ve had the first stringers blocking for him.
The First Year Linemen Looked Good
First year starting center John Sullivan and rookie right tackle Phil Loadholt played some extra time even after the other starters sat down. Sullivan looked like he’s going to do just fine this year. Loadholt made a couple rookie mistakes, causing Tarvaris Jackson to have to run for his life a time or two, and he had one really bad false start, but I chalk those up to first game jitters. When he was on this game, there’s no way anyone was going to get around him. He’s a LARGE man, and he moves very well.
Other notes….
Tarvaris Jackson did not look good. At all. However, to be fair to him, Sage had a better line and a MUCH better supporting cast around him. Tarvaris spent some time being chased by defenders, and he had receivers that weren’t as experienced. Sage looked much much better, but I’ll reserve my final judgement until next Friday when I see how Tarvaris plays with the starters, and how Sage fairs with the backups.
Percy Harvin didn’t play at all. He had dinged his shoulder up a bit on Wednesday, and the Vikings decided to err on the side of caution. I think that’s just fine.
Bernard Berrian left on a cart, but Coach Childress acted at half time like it wasn’t as serious as it looks. I still haven’t found out the extent of the injury. Hopefully he’ll be fine.
By The Jazzy One on August 20th, 2009
THERE IS A VIKINGS GAME TONIGHT!!!!
Man, am I ever pumped up. I went to a Twins game at the dome yesterday (ugh, but they lost), and tonight I get to watch the Vikings on TV. Good times, I tell ya. Gooooooooood Times.
Anyway, sorry about the excitement. Moving on.
Tonight the Vikings will go to Indianapolis to play the Colts for the first preseason game of the year. Of course when it comes to preseason, winning and losing doesn’t matter very much. Instead we want to keep an eye on how the returning players have progressed from last year, and how the new players are going to fit in. Here’s what I’m personally going to be watching for:
How Sage Rosenfels Plays
This will be the storyline for the first quarter of tonight’s game. For the first time in quite a long time, the Vikings have a legitimate quarterback battle taking place going into the season. It was announced that tonight Sage will get the start with the first team, and next week Jackson will get those honors. Each of them will basically have probably a quarter of football to impress the coaches to try to win the job. I’m going to guess there will be a lot of passing going on, and hopefully we’ll get a good chance to see how Sage interacts with guys like Berrian, Shiancoe, and Harvin.
What Kind of Impact Will Harvin Have?
Speaking of Harvin, will the Vikings be able to work him into the offense tonight even though he’ll probably see limited action? I seriously doubt we’ll see any wildcat formations tonight, as I’m going to guess that if the Vikings decide to use that package they’ll save it for the regular season. However, I’d love to be wrong, because I think it’d be exciting to get a glimpse of what our guys can do with exotic lineups.
Which DB will Step Up?
Will it be Benny Sapp, who has all kinds of athleticism, but not always the greatest head for the game? Will it be Marcus McCauley who has played in the system for a while and has some valuable game time experience? Will it be rookie Asher Allen who has been reported as a very aggressive DB who is not afraid to hit hard and take the ball out of receivers hands?
How Will Albert Young Look?
I don’t know if this one will interest you a lot, but as I’ve pointed out many times, I’m a big fan of Albert Young. Chip Scoggins said on ACCESS VIKINGS that he was progressing well through training camp. I’d love to see him become our #3 RB for this year. To me he could fill the type of role held in the past by Mewelde Moore or Moe Williams… never the kind of backup who is going to step up and take over a game, but instead the kind of guy who you can rely on to fill whatever role he’s needed for. Albert Young is an up-the-middle type runner who would be usable in short yardage situations. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, he can return kicks and punts, and he can play special teams. I hope he makes the roster.
What About John David Booty?
I’m interested in watching Booty play tonight. I know that he’ll be playing with the third team, because he’s really not in the race for the starting QB position at all, but I really want to see how he’s progressed. Last year he looked shaky, even playing against 3rd string defenses. He’s had a whole year of practices now, and he’s most likely more comfortable with the Vikings system. He should most likely get to play the entire second half tonight, which will be valuable playing time for him. I’d like to catch a glimpse to see if it looks like a chance that he can be developed into a starting QB someday, or if he’s going to be one of those players that just turns into a solid backup.
Enjoy the game everyone, and HAPPY FOOTBALL SEASON!!!
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