Last Year:
Out went Dennis Green, and in came Mike Tice as the Minnesota Vikings felt that they had to make some kind of a change after Dennis Green led Minnesota to its first losing season through his whole time on the job. For some reason people felt that Mike Tice did a good job last year because the Viqueens finished on a three game win streak but the reality is that the team only finished 6 ? 10. Minnesota finally established a running game with the help of 1000+ yard rusher Michael Bennett. That is something this team desperately lacked since the days of Robert Smith. We know Minnesota has Randy Moss, and Daunte Culpepper, but will that be enough to propel them out of mediocrity? With Michael Bennett missing serious time this year you would have to smoke some purple haze to think this team will be in the playoffs.
What we learned from Last Year:
In the first 4 weeks of the season Minnesota looked like an absolute mess. Problems such as signing Bryant McKinnie, finding a running game, getting solid play from the offensive line, and finding a receiver opposite of Randy Moss were all major problems on this team. Everyone got a close look at how bad Minnesota was when they got spanked like a bad 3-year-old in week 4 to Seattle on national TV. When the offense finished 10th in the league nobody was shocked because this team can put up points, but what was eye-popping was the fact that this team ranked second last overall in turnover differential and total giveaways. Don?t be deceived by the three game win streak this team had, because it is was an illusion. Two of the three teams they beat, Miami and New Orleans were both struggling badly at the time. The last win was against lowly Detroit and might I add they won all three games by the skin on their neck.
I would love to sit here and tell you that Minnesota has finally found a running game that they can rely on but the problem is that Michael Bennett is injured, and might not play for most of the season. If you think finishing second last in giveaways is bad, I wonder where they would have finished if they wouldn?t have been able to run the ball. They are back to square one, and will be doing the running back by committee thing once again.
Minnesota will still be looking for a second option to pass to after Randy Moss. Byron Chamberlain did an good job for this team last year but unfortunately they still need a second receiver. Chamberlain does take coverage off of Randy Moss, but unfortunately he doesn?t play every down. Dewayne Bates has always been average at best so Minnesota might want to find some help.
I think the main focus on this team should be the offensive line. They were one of the worst in 2002 as they allowed Culpepper to be sacked 47 times. Daunte is still one of the best QB?s in the league but he doesn?t get the time he needs to make the right decisions. Culpepper had 23 interceptions last year but a big share of those should be blamed on the O-line. Mike Tice, being a former offensive line coach, should be embarrassed at their performance last year.
What has changed?:
I think one thing that all of us noticed is that the offensive line isn?t actually that bad, but they just didn?t have enough time to practice together and gel at the beginning of the season. They did a really good job of blocking for Michael Bennett at by the end of the year but they still have trouble protecting for the pass. They now have had all the time and practice they need to work out all of the kinks and they will have to prove that they are better than what they showed last year.
The biggest adversity this team will have to overcome is the loss of Michael Bennett. It?s really a shot in their foot because they don?t really have anyone to fill in for him. Shmoe Williams is only good at running the ball when it?s an inch away from the goal line. If he needs to pick up yardage then he?s in big trouble. Doug Crapman has never accomplished anything and has shown very poor running ability in the limited carries he did see. The only possible savior for this team will be, one of their draft picks, Onterrio Smith. It?s hard to say whether Minnesota stumbled upon a diamond in the rough with him but as of right now the team has to use the dreaded committee which won?t take them very far.
On the defensive side of the ball this team is making nice strides. The defensive line has vastly improved from years past and now is actually very capable. Chris Hovan headlines this group but 1st round pick Kevin Williams is also expected to contribute right off the bat. For Minnesota, Greg Biekert was a great midseason addition last year. This year he will get some help from a quiet, but talented linebacker named Chris Claiborne. Detroit was foolish for letting him go, and he could really put his name on the map in Minnesota. The secondary does have question marks all over the place. At safety this team will be doing a lot of shifting depending on how people perform. Corey Chavous was moved to safety this year, but he doesn?t know whether it will be free or strong safety as of yet. At cornerback Denard Walker will help out a very poor group of DB?s but besides him there?s a bunch of nobodies. They better answer these questions pretty fast.
This team really doesn?t look much better or should I say different than last year. Without Bennett, this team actually looks worse. Culpepper may have a real tough time passing the ball this year because teams won?t be sending any extra defenders to protect against the run. Looks like they have their work cut out for them.
O/U 8:
Well the only thing helping this team is that they play Detroit and Chicago twice, and they should get one win from Green Bay. Unfortunately Detroit is improved, but three wins is par for this team in the division. I don?t know if they?ll be able to pull off another 6. Nonetheless, here?s who they face: 49ers, @Falcons, Broncos, Giants, @Chargers, @Raiders, @Rams, Seahawks, Chiefs, Cardinals. Not exactly what one might call a walk in the park. Have a good look at the under.
Fantasy Sleeper:
I think it?s safe to say that everyone?s eyes will be on Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper early on in the draft so you might want to look elsewhere for a sleeper. Byron Chamberlain has been Culpepper?s only other reliable target next to Randy Moss, and he is definitely worth drafting. He is tough to cover one-on-one and Daunte often finds him when he?s scrambling. Look for Culpepper to find him more and more if Dewayne Bates or whichever #2 receiver Minnesota is using can?t step up.
Out went Dennis Green, and in came Mike Tice as the Minnesota Vikings felt that they had to make some kind of a change after Dennis Green led Minnesota to its first losing season through his whole time on the job. For some reason people felt that Mike Tice did a good job last year because the Viqueens finished on a three game win streak but the reality is that the team only finished 6 ? 10. Minnesota finally established a running game with the help of 1000+ yard rusher Michael Bennett. That is something this team desperately lacked since the days of Robert Smith. We know Minnesota has Randy Moss, and Daunte Culpepper, but will that be enough to propel them out of mediocrity? With Michael Bennett missing serious time this year you would have to smoke some purple haze to think this team will be in the playoffs.
What we learned from Last Year:
In the first 4 weeks of the season Minnesota looked like an absolute mess. Problems such as signing Bryant McKinnie, finding a running game, getting solid play from the offensive line, and finding a receiver opposite of Randy Moss were all major problems on this team. Everyone got a close look at how bad Minnesota was when they got spanked like a bad 3-year-old in week 4 to Seattle on national TV. When the offense finished 10th in the league nobody was shocked because this team can put up points, but what was eye-popping was the fact that this team ranked second last overall in turnover differential and total giveaways. Don?t be deceived by the three game win streak this team had, because it is was an illusion. Two of the three teams they beat, Miami and New Orleans were both struggling badly at the time. The last win was against lowly Detroit and might I add they won all three games by the skin on their neck.
I would love to sit here and tell you that Minnesota has finally found a running game that they can rely on but the problem is that Michael Bennett is injured, and might not play for most of the season. If you think finishing second last in giveaways is bad, I wonder where they would have finished if they wouldn?t have been able to run the ball. They are back to square one, and will be doing the running back by committee thing once again.
Minnesota will still be looking for a second option to pass to after Randy Moss. Byron Chamberlain did an good job for this team last year but unfortunately they still need a second receiver. Chamberlain does take coverage off of Randy Moss, but unfortunately he doesn?t play every down. Dewayne Bates has always been average at best so Minnesota might want to find some help.
I think the main focus on this team should be the offensive line. They were one of the worst in 2002 as they allowed Culpepper to be sacked 47 times. Daunte is still one of the best QB?s in the league but he doesn?t get the time he needs to make the right decisions. Culpepper had 23 interceptions last year but a big share of those should be blamed on the O-line. Mike Tice, being a former offensive line coach, should be embarrassed at their performance last year.
What has changed?:
I think one thing that all of us noticed is that the offensive line isn?t actually that bad, but they just didn?t have enough time to practice together and gel at the beginning of the season. They did a really good job of blocking for Michael Bennett at by the end of the year but they still have trouble protecting for the pass. They now have had all the time and practice they need to work out all of the kinks and they will have to prove that they are better than what they showed last year.
The biggest adversity this team will have to overcome is the loss of Michael Bennett. It?s really a shot in their foot because they don?t really have anyone to fill in for him. Shmoe Williams is only good at running the ball when it?s an inch away from the goal line. If he needs to pick up yardage then he?s in big trouble. Doug Crapman has never accomplished anything and has shown very poor running ability in the limited carries he did see. The only possible savior for this team will be, one of their draft picks, Onterrio Smith. It?s hard to say whether Minnesota stumbled upon a diamond in the rough with him but as of right now the team has to use the dreaded committee which won?t take them very far.
On the defensive side of the ball this team is making nice strides. The defensive line has vastly improved from years past and now is actually very capable. Chris Hovan headlines this group but 1st round pick Kevin Williams is also expected to contribute right off the bat. For Minnesota, Greg Biekert was a great midseason addition last year. This year he will get some help from a quiet, but talented linebacker named Chris Claiborne. Detroit was foolish for letting him go, and he could really put his name on the map in Minnesota. The secondary does have question marks all over the place. At safety this team will be doing a lot of shifting depending on how people perform. Corey Chavous was moved to safety this year, but he doesn?t know whether it will be free or strong safety as of yet. At cornerback Denard Walker will help out a very poor group of DB?s but besides him there?s a bunch of nobodies. They better answer these questions pretty fast.
This team really doesn?t look much better or should I say different than last year. Without Bennett, this team actually looks worse. Culpepper may have a real tough time passing the ball this year because teams won?t be sending any extra defenders to protect against the run. Looks like they have their work cut out for them.
O/U 8:
Well the only thing helping this team is that they play Detroit and Chicago twice, and they should get one win from Green Bay. Unfortunately Detroit is improved, but three wins is par for this team in the division. I don?t know if they?ll be able to pull off another 6. Nonetheless, here?s who they face: 49ers, @Falcons, Broncos, Giants, @Chargers, @Raiders, @Rams, Seahawks, Chiefs, Cardinals. Not exactly what one might call a walk in the park. Have a good look at the under.
Fantasy Sleeper:
I think it?s safe to say that everyone?s eyes will be on Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper early on in the draft so you might want to look elsewhere for a sleeper. Byron Chamberlain has been Culpepper?s only other reliable target next to Randy Moss, and he is definitely worth drafting. He is tough to cover one-on-one and Daunte often finds him when he?s scrambling. Look for Culpepper to find him more and more if Dewayne Bates or whichever #2 receiver Minnesota is using can?t step up.
