Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Ponder, progressing or regressing?


Four practices into training camp doesn't paint too good of a picture for any team, but people and stats will start to pop out. And with all eyes on the development of 2nd year quarterback Christian Ponder, his numbers are under the 'scope.

The first two practices, Friday and Saturday, were in shells. Ponder collectively went 28/31 (90%)  in 11 - on - 11's those two days. It showed the chemistry that he will likely have with Rudolph, Simpson and Harvin. This was a great start to training camp and showed great progress from last year.

The last two practices, Monday and Tuesday, were in full pads. Ponder collectively went 15/22 (68%) in 11 - on - 11's those two days. A significant drop from the previous two days, however 68% is still a good completion rate and is likely due to getting used to wearing the pads again. However, two passes today were reminiscent of McNabb throwing them into the ground last season. Frazier says this early in training camp, there's no need to panic after a drop in performance. I agree with that, but with strong hopes of a positive 2012/13 season, much of that rides on how Ponder plays.

There's much more time to make a true determination on Ponder and whether or not he's making progress or regressing in his 2nd year. From observations already made via tape or through reports, Ponder has made progress in the off season and is looking more confident than last year which I'm largely attributing to the reworked O-line with the addition of Kalil, Loadholt looking solid so far, Johnson looking great and more natural at the LG position and the competition for RG with two quality players. As well as the great chemistry he is building with Simpson, Harvin and Rudolph. I'm with the major hoping it's progress, but if it's regression I still don't think we'll beat out(or lose out) the Jaguars for the #1 pick.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Depth of the Vikings WR position - Updated 8/5/12

So as of right now, the depth at the WR position on the Vikings roster is at 11, being that A.J. Love was cut the other day. Greg Childs will also be on the IR for the season most likely. And it is likely that that number will be trimmed down to 5, maybe 6. Those on the roster currently are Percy Harvin, Michael Jenkins, Jerome Simpson, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, Stephen Burton, Bryan Walters, Kerry Taylor, Kamar Jorden, Devin Aromashodu and Manny Arceneaux.

I think it's clear that Harvin and Simpson are locking up two of the roster spots. The question is, who should the remaining 3 to 4 be? Training camp is going to be crucial in determining this. But I think we can start to make some projections. Jarius Wright has been impressing since his college days and I've seen lots of people already giving him a roster spot. So that will be three.
One concern I have is with Jenkins. Videos I've seen and reports I've read say he doesn't look healthy, that he's sluggish, not really shinning out on the field. I understand that he has the most experience in the WR group, but is that worth keeping him around? I personally would say no. The team as a whole wishes to get younger and stronger, and Jenkins is counter productive on both counts at this point. So scratch him.

Greg Childs tore both right and left Partellar tendons on 8/4/12 so he will out for the entire season, resulting that he will not turn out to be the steal of the draft. That means one, maybe two WRs will make the roster. So lets start...

Bryan Walters was an off season signing from the Chargers to provide depth at the position. Nothing super impressive has come from him thus far in training camp. Kamar Jorden has hurt his wrist, which was wrapped heavily on 8/4/12 and has a good chance of making the practice squad. Walters will likely be cut due to talents on the rest of the roster.

This leaves Stephen Burton, Devin Aromashodu and Manny Arceneaux whom are all returning receivers from last year. We have one, maybe two spots on the roster remaining. Stephen Burton has has just started to practice to show if he has made significant progress from last year or not. Manny showed some progress in practice so far, reports saying that he appears to have improved his route running and not being just a deep threat, which is a positive thing. At the same time, Ponder and Aromashodu showed some chemistry last season. With recent practices, Arceneaux might beat out Aromashodu for a roster spot, leaving the final spot for Aromashodu or Burton. Being Burton has just started practice, I'm going to say Aromashodu will likely make the last roster spot, unless Burton really flashes in the coming weeks. But still a good chance he'll remain on the practice squad.

So my final WR depth chart would look like this:
Percy Harvin
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Greg Childs (IR for the season)
Manny Arceneaux
Devin Aromashodu

Practice Squad:
Stephen Burton
Kamar Jorden

However, if it is determined to have 6 on the roster, I believe that Jenkins will remain on the roster also. If it isn't expanded to 6, I believe that Musgrave will want to keep Jenkins due to their history from the Falcons and him being the longest veteran on the receiver depth position. If this happens, I believe that Arceneaux will be replaced by Jenkins unless he continues to really perform, then it will likely be Aromashodu.

While we still don't have a clear #1 receiver outside of Harvin, it's good to at least have some young talent on the team that does show some promise of growth for our young QB. However, having that lack of a #1 could result in the Vikings taking a close look at Woods or Allen in next years draft.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Rebuilding the Vikings

So I've been idle for a while and will likely be quite idle in the coming months as I decided to return to college. But hopefully I will still be able to contribute to this blog while still working full time and going to school full time, as I still bleed purple.

But in my absence, I've still been reading a number of articles related to the Vikings. And I've seen a theme in a few of them. That drafting Matt Kalil was a mistake! Many people felt that being in the NFC North, Morris Claiborne would have been the better option with the QB/WR combos in this division. Saying that getting Kalil to protect (the mediocre) Ponder is like putting an (pick something expensive) in/on/around (pick something worthless). I still feel that giving Ponder his new WR's and new protection could be the deciding factor if he is a legit QB or not. I personally have some faith in him. But if I'm proved wrong, it is likely that Frazier is out the door and a new HC would love to have Matt Barkley tossing the ball for him. But none the less, if Ponder stays or a new HC gets a new QB, Kalil is still going to be an important cornerstone to the rebuilding process of the Vikings. And if Ponder pans out and our secondary still seems like swiss cheese, Dave Amerson will likely be there for us to draft.....