Well, it happened. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said that the Broncos will try and accomodate Jay Cutler and his trade requests. The Vikings are a popular choice for a landing spot for him, though I don’t think it will happen. More as this story develops! Stay tuned!
Source: Bill Williamson, AFC West Blog
The Vikings’ preseason schedule was released by the NFL yesterday. The Vikings will visit Lucas Oil Stadium against the Colts on either August 14 or 15, then host the Kansas City Chiefs on August 21 or 22, and finish out the year against the Cowboys in the Metrodome on September 3 or 4. The actual date of the games will be finalized in the coming weeks.
Ragnar: My personal idol
You may have noticed that there are only three games there, and the ever important third preseason game is not listed. That particular game will be played on Monday, August 31 against the Texans in Houston on Monday Night Football. While that may not be the greatest news to a lot of people, it’s extraordinary news for me, because I live in Houston, Texas. Besides Dallas, there aren’t very many feasible options to visit around this gargantuan state to see the Vikings play, so even if it’s only preseason, having the Vikings come to town is awesome news. Since I’ve been in middle school, I’ve seen the Vikings play at the dome every year at least once, and the streak finally broke just last year, so I’m ecstatic to be able to see them again this year.
What does that mean for you? Well, the third preseason game is the game where the starters play for the majority of the game before resting the fourth game. It’s the time when the coaches and players get a final, real attempt at running the offense before putting the final touches before the regular season begins. And as I have every intention of attending the game, I will have firsthand eyes on everything, and hopefully a camera as well, to get some pictures of the experience.
Of course, you will be watching it on ESPN anyway, but hey, it’s something neat.
Besides that, it’s still been pretty quiet on the Minnesota side of things. The draft is finally less than a month away, so we get to visit that oasis in the desert of the offseason, but news is fairly scant at the moment. Mostly, it’s just speculation, hearsay, rumors, and random analysis, most of it related to the draft at this point.
On the dreaded Jay Cutler front, it looks as if things are going to be fixed between him and his new head coach, Josh McDaniels. While it’s only been through text messages, the two are communicating, so that’s a step in the right direction for Broncos’ fans. Hopefully, this situation will just get put to rest, one way or another. I’m sick of Jay Cutler.
Other than that, it’s been a slow moving free agency. Thankfully, as stated before, the draft is rapidly approaching, and the Vikings have a first round pick this year (as of now), so we have something to look forward to. It was a little boring last year, but Jared Allen was definitely worth it.
That’s all I really have for now, so keep checking in for more news, rumors, hearsay, random analysis, and all that good junk. Until then.
Jay Cutler
Even though this topic has been debated endlessly for weeks now, I thought I would share my take. Jay Cutler is a great quarterback; a la Brett Favre, he plays a risky game. The touchdown total will be there consistently, but so will the interceptions. If you account for the team Cutler played with last year, however, you realize that he took the role of field general while behind on the scoreboard almost every single game.
With a defense as atrocious as the 2008 Broncos, and the running back situation in Denver (also known as “the place where running backs go to die”), it is something short of a miracle that Cutler put up the numbers he did.
Very few people would argue that Cutler would make the Vikings a better football team. All but a small group of Vikings’ fans would love to have Cutler taking snaps in 2009, but the question remains: how to lure him to the Twin Cities?
The number one goal for the Broncos, should they trade Cutler (which is becoming more likely by the hour), would be receive a starting quarterback in return. With a roster filled by Tarvaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels, and John David Booty, that issue is a tough one for Minnesota.
If Cutler leaves Denver, the Chiefs, Jets, or Browns will need to be involved. Here is a trade proposition that would bring Cutler to the Vikings.
Minnesota receives:
Jay Cutler, QB, Denver Broncos
Cleveland receives:
22nd pick, from Minnesota
Selvin Young, RB, Denver
Denver receives:
Brady Quinn, QB, Cleveland
Chester Taylor, RB, Minnesota
I don’t know about you, but I would gladly trade the 22nd pick and Chester Taylor for a franchise quarterback. The biggest hit/potential debate is the loss of Chester Taylor. He is one of the main reasons why Peterson is such a good running back, but with the addition of a quarterback that linebackers actually have to worry about he shouldn’t have to face many more 8-man fronts.
Taylor, 29 years old, is a veteran to the league but still has a few quality years left. While his opinion doesn’t matter in a trade, he would be the starting running back in Denver in the above scenario. That may result in an increase in money, but would tax his legs more than spending the rest of his career in Minnesota.
Cleveland, while not publicly, is trying to get rid of their quarterback “controversy.” They could trade Anderson, and enter 2009 in rebuilding mode with the potential of a great quarterback in Quinn, or they could trade Quinn and try to compete in 2009 with an established veteran.
The 22nd overall pick could land the Browns an additional receiver, which would greatly aid Anderson in 2009. Selvin Young, while not a great runningback, would be an improvement over Jamal Lewis, who is getting old and doesn’t have very many seasons left in him.
The Broncos get rid of their troubled quarterback, and add a high risk/reward guy in Quinn. If looking at this trade through tunnel vision, the Broncos take a hit in quarterback talent but improve at the running back position.
Selvin Young was the primary Denver running back last year, but landed on the IR… along with five other Broncos’ running backs. While devastating to the team, a flute like that probably won’t happen again, and Denver can count on healthy running backs next year. Taylor would be the starter right away, with Buckhalter and Jordan (along with a plethora of other able backs) as his backups.
This trade isn’t perfect. I’ll leave that up to you readers – what’s missing, and where did I go wrong?
A couple of notes before we dive in:
(Note – With the dozens of mock drafts being published every day, an original title is in high demand. I am not sure how Monroe can “take a fall,” seeing as how this is the first version of this particular mock draft. Anyway, whatever was going on in my brain is besides the point.)
(Note – This is “how they should draft,” not necessarily “how they will draft.” For example, the Lions will probably pick Curry, only because he is the safest pick in the draft and any member of that front office doesn’t want to hitch his career on a quarterback right off the bat.)
Let’s get started!
Hey gang, been a lack of updates for one main reason: there’s not much to talk about right now.
The Vikings haven’t done much more than re-sign some specific position players, one of which is Heath Farwell. While it’s not a flashy signing, getting Farwell back will be a nice addition to the depth chart. Farwell will be the backup to the three linebacking positions, as well as lend his abilities to the special teams’ units. Last year, the Vikings were dreadful on Special Teams and Farwell was injured. Coincidence? Probably, but having him back can only mean good things for the guys in purple.
Matt Birk is gone; I touched on that last post. His most likely successor is John Sullivan, a second year man out of Notre Dame. Another possible competitor is Ryan Cook, who played center in college. If the Vikings draft a tackle, he could compete for that position with Sullivan. All signs point to Sullivan being the man right now, according to various reports from inside the Vikings’ camp.
Nickleback Benny Sapp has also been re-signed. He replaced Charles Gordon in that position when Gordon’s ankle tried to escape from his leg. Sapp got a decent amount of playing time, and he adds some depth, but he’s mostly a reserve player. Still, having the depth is not a bad thing.
Defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy re-signed with Minnesota. The Vikings picked him up late last year with the possible suspensions of Kevin and Pat Williams looming over their collective heads. Kennedy is an insurance policy should they lose their case concerning StarCaps and the NFL suspends them for the first four games of the this coming season. While it would be a blow, the Vikings have ample time to bury their nuts for the wintry time without the two big guys.
Aside from that, it’s been a fairly quiet free agency for the Purple People Eaters. Karl Paymah, a free agent corner from Denver, will be visiting the Vikings tomorrow. The Vikings are, once agian, looking for depth in the secondary. Paymah has already visited numerous teams, but hasn’t signed any deals so far.
Orlando Pace was cut by the Rams, so the Vikings couldpursue him for his services. The Rams are expected to cut Torry Holt before he gets his roster bonus in the next few days. Holt is 32, the same age as the Housh-bag, and could still be a major factor in an offense. I would not be sad if the Vikings signed him, at least as a stop gap for the next few years. That would leave them truly open to take the best player available at 22 for the draft, wide receiver or not.
The Cutler talks still persist, and I maintain that unless the Broncos were to get a starting caliber quarterback in return, they are not going to trade him. Easy as that. No amount of draft picks or players that aren’t a starting quarterback are going to pry him away from the Broncos. That’s just how it’s going to be. Unfortunate or not, the Vikings are set with Sage, Tarvaris, and Johnny Boy at QB for this year. For now anyway.
That’s all I have for now. Just lots of speculation, rumors, and wishing going on for Vikings’ fans at the moment. Hopefully we’ll have something substatial to talk about soon.
