Vikings Gab

Yes, the clock continues to tick as to when Brett Favre and the announcement of him officially being a member of the Minnesota Vikings will be made. It appears that all the formalities need to still be finished off, and while the state of Minnesota waits to go out and buy their #4 jerseys, they are still going to have to be patient.

Today the Star Tribune reports that the QB could be on the verge of buying a place to stay when he’s playing for the Vikings in 2009, as they are reporting he’s going to be grabbing a condo in Edina, a rumor that’s been floating around for awhile.

The evidence that Brett Favre will end his retirement to play for the Vikings in 2009 is overwhelming. In fact, the only surprise will be if the quarterback decides his surgically repaired right biceps tendon has not healed sufficiently enough for him to return to the NFL. We received a tip last night about Favre settling on a condominium in Edina but that doesn’t appear to be a done deal.

Maybe that’s the last hurdle that needs to be crossed for Favre, as the Vikings and the NFL awaits for the team to call the press conference to make the news of the future Hall of Famer coming to town official.

PFT.com reports that the Vikings announcement of Brett Favre officially coming to the club could take place within the week, as the team will put single game tickets on sale July 9th:

Ever since rumors and reports surfaced that quarterback Brett Favre already has struck a deal with the Vikings, we’ve been watching the coming July 4 weekend as the date on which the news of the move might be leaked by the team and/or the player, with an announcement coming at some point during the week of July 6. There’s no longer a reason to wait, now that coach Brad Childress has returned from his fishing trip to Alaska. And here’s the kicker — the Vikings will begin selling single-game tickets on July 9.

While we all sit and wait for a certain quarterback from Mississippi to decide if his arm is strong enough to withstand the rigors of another NFL season, there is still time and cap space available to upgrade the depth of the roster before the start of preseason camp next month. Here are a few suggestions that could help to make an already strong team even better.

Sign Antoine Winfield!

Then……

There are a few areas of concern with this group. The starters on both offense and defense are pretty much set. As are a lot of the primary back-up positions. But there are areas of depth that remain a concern to me, particularly at the dime back position, back-up safety, offensive line, receiver and special teams.

There are still quality players available via free agency.

One hotly rumored deal that is being bandied around is the idea of signing free agent wide receiver Marvin Harrison to an incentive laden contract. Brad Childress has expressed concern over acquiring a solid possession receiver to “Keep the chains moving.”

That is why the team went on a full court press to sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh earlier this year. Harrison is an excellent route runner who had a sub-par 2008 season with the Indianapolis Colts. He was released by the Colts after catching 60 passes last year. The Vikings were led last year in receiving by Bobby Wade who amassed 53 receptions.

If Harrison has anything left in the tank, then this would be a huge upgrade over anything the Vikings currently have on the roster. Harrison is also the consummate locker room personality with little or no baggage and an elite work ethic, who could teach young players like Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin the proper way that a player should prepare, work and carry himself as a professional. Something that seems to be lacking with Rice and is feared to be absent with Harvin.

There are a few back-up offensive linemen available via free agency as well. Mark Tauscher is coming off an injury and won’t be available until late in the preseason, but is rumored to be interested in an opportunity with Minnesota provided he can be reunited with his old pal Favre. He could provide veteran security at the RT spot and could mentor Phil Loadholt’s transition from the college game to the NFL.

Want a mauler at Guard ? Chris Naeole is still out there. As is Tom Nalen who could serve as a fall back at center if John Sullivan struggles.

As for help in the secondary, CB’s Aaron Glenn, R.W. McQuarters and Deltha O’Neil or safety Will Allen, could all be an upgrade at Dime back although it’s not certain that any of these three would want to serve in that capacity.

What about special teams ? The team has addressed it’s return team needs nicely by drafting Harvin, and by the signing of CB Karl Paymah from Denver and WR Glenn Holt from Cincinnati. But has the coverage units which were among the NFL’s worst last season been properly addressed.

All agree that the return of Heath Farwell will be an immediate improvement, but the team released Vinnie Ciurciu who later signed with New England so is this really enough? The drafting of Jamarca Sanford, Jasper Brinkley and Asher Allen may help, as could a few post draft free agents like RB Ian Johnson of Boise State, FS Colt Anderson out of Montana, Robert Francois is a strong tackling LB from BC, or S DeVon Hall of Utah State may upgrade this poor unit.

What about bringing in a few established special teamers to compete for a job on the coverage team like Edell Shepherd, Oliver Celestin, Michael Boulware, Dante’ Hall, or Fakhir Brown.

I think any and all of these moves could be beneficial to the team. Any Ideas, suggestions or comments?? Let me know! I’m all ears!

The Vikings have signed fifth round pick Jasper Brinkley to a contract, the team’s website reported.

Brinkley is expected to contribute immediately on special teams coverage units as well as backing up E.J. Henderson at Middle linebacker. Brinkley is a tough run stopper who struggles in coverage. He could find a niche on the short yardage defensive formations as well.

Brinkley is the second of the team’s five draft picks to sign leaving WR Percy Harvin, OT Phil Loadholt and CBAsher Allen remain in negociation mode.

Leading up to the beginning of the NFL Season, I’ll start looking at the Vikings upcoming opponents for the year, offering both a Good, Bad, and the Ugly scenario for each opponent. Consider it a level headed opponent preview done in an effort to not pump any sunshine to the Viking reader base and to hopefully prepare your expectations for reality. We start with Week One when the Vikings face the Cleveland Browns …

The Good: The Browns are a young team with loads of potential mired in a city that hasn’t been able to get out of its franchises own way. While currently in transition, one could argue that they have all of the major pieces in place for a successful team.

They have two relatively young quarterbacks on the roster that arguably have more potential than any QB currently with the Vikings, and a several young pieces to build around them. Notably at wide receiver they have Braylon Edwards in the fold and Joshua Cribbs as a Percy Harvin type play maker on offense and special teams. In 2009, they added further depth to their receiving position taking Ohio State stand out Brian Robiskie and Georgia receiver Mohamed Massaquoi.

They also have Joe Thomas anchoring the line and added touted rookie center Alex Mack to help out. Without a doubt, new Belichick prodigy Mangini will coach this team in a way much different then Romeo Crennel did, hopefully leading to franchise success.

The Bad: While having loads of potential on a team is a plus, facing a coaching change and perennial losing will take its toll. The Browns do have talent scattered around their team, but without aces at each position it’ll be easy for other NFL squads to take advantage of them.

And when looking at their roster it appears that they may have to rely on a lot of young talent early, which will inevitably lead to some rookie bumps in the road, both concerning production and comprehension of schemes. The Vikings benefit by facing the Browns early in the season where they will most likely still be adjusting to a new coaching scheme both offensively and through their switch to a 3-4 defense.

Also, whichever quarterback starts for the Browns will be rusty as both Quinn and Anderson were hurt last year and will be seeing their first real game action against the Vikings. Their offensive line won’t make their lives any easier as well as they face a top unit in the Vikings that will be starting a second year together. And the young receivers will have to face an aging and diversified defensive backfield, making points for the Browns seemingly hard to come by.

Offensively for the Vikes, it may not be much better. Traditionally, Childress coached teams haven’t fared too well against 3-4 defenses (Overlooking that remarkable, and fluky, Chargers game, obviously). Think about games against the 49ers, Steelers, and Ravens.

Part of the problem is that for the Vikings it is an unfamiliar defensive set, which has frequently caused confusion for Viking quarterbacks (*cough*Tarvaris Jackson*cough*). In addition, Adrian Peterson has struggled against some 3-4 fronts at times, most likely due to either the unfamiliarity of the scheme or the stacking of men in the box to confront him. Will this be the case with the Browns?

The Ugly: Probably not. Things could get, and should get, real ugly for the Browns in the first game of the season. There are a lot of factors that could come into play here. Will Brett Favre be throwing the ball? He’s familiar with 3-4 defenses, so there won’t be any confusion there. This will allow more room for Adrian Peterson to run wild as well. Will the Williams Wall be suspended?

Even so, there isn’t much of a running threat in Jamal Lewis anymore, or really anyone behind him, so the Browns Mangini lead offense, which likes to throw a lot anyway as evidenced by Brett Favre last year, shouldn’t hurt the Vikings on the ground too much. Even if the Vikings team on paper right now is the team that shows up they should have no trouble dismantling a team in transition like the Browns, especially when the Vikings have depth at many positions that the Browns lack.

Chalk this up as a Vikings win to open the season. Throwing numbers out, I’ll say 24-13 Vikings.

How’s Percy “The Sick One” Harvin for an NFL nickname? That’s right, Pro Football Talk is reporting that Percy Harvin is missing out on the rookie experience once again.

According to the article, Harvin was sent home from the rookie symposium due to flu-like symptoms.

A big part of the symposium is to tutor the young players on the importance that the NFL places on character and being a role model.

One could argue that Harvin is the one player in this draft class that will be most scrutinized as far as character goes, as the Vikings are thought to have taken a big risk by drafting him in the first round.

Harvin also missed out on the first round of OTAs earlier this year when he was hospitalized for an illness.

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com has come out with his annual list of the Top 50 NFL players, and the Vikings have four players on the list, including the number seven overall - Adrian Peterson. Here’s the Vikings on the list:

7. Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings: He puts fear in defenses every time he touches the ball. Imagine if he had real help from the passing game.

9. Jared Allen, DE, Vikings: He’s an all-out player who never lets up. He creates problems with his power and his speed. Turning around his off-field problems has really helped.

21. Kevin Williams, DT, Vikings: He plays the run well and he can rush the passer as well as any inside player.

25. Steve Hutchinson, G, Vikings: After a drop in play in 2007, Hutchinson regained the top spot at the position last season.

Got questions? Comments? Suggestions? An argument? Send ‘em in!

Send your emails to our new Vikings Gab Mail Bag at adam@vikingsgab.com and we’ll be glad to answer anything and everything you send our way about once a week or so.

So get to it, folks.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks I’m going to take a look at the fantasy football impact that should be expected from a few of your favorite Vikings players. What better place to start than with the league’s reigning rushing champ?

THE GOOD: Peterson dominated opposing defenses last year, rushing for 1,760 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s the biggest beneficiary of what should be an improved passing game with the additions of Sage Rosenfels, Percy Harvin and maybe Brett Favre. The Vikings are showing a committment to making defenses pay big time when they put nine defenders in the box. The stage is set for a huge year for #28.

THE BAD: Believe it or not, Peterson struggles getting into the end zone from within the 5 yard line. On twelve career carries from inside the 5, Peterson only has a career total of 2 yards. While he has scored on 7 of those twelve carries, the number of times he gets pushed backwards has been a big reason for the Vikings opting to put in Chester Taylor on short-and-goal situations. This could also account for his low touchdown numbers in ‘08.

THE BIG QUESTION: Whether or not Adrian Peterson pans out for you in fnatasy football will be largly based off of whether or not he stays healthy. Peterson has yet to fully quiet those critics that worry about his injury riddled career. Afterall, Peterson has yet to start a full season of football in the NFL, and his college career saw him on the sideline pretty often. However, if he can stay healthy, he’ll produce.

PREDICTION: I predict that Peterson will rush for 1800 yards and score 13 touchdowns in 2009. I also see him increasing his pass catching productivity and by getting an additional 325 yards and 2 touchdowns. If he stays healthy, Peterson will use improvements on offense to his full advantage.

WHERE TO DRAFT: At this point, there is no reason why Peterson shouldn’t be the consensus number one pick in most fantasy formats.