Should the Minnesota Vikings trade their #1 pick for Kevin Kolb?
Most every quarterback which has been rumored to be on the trading block this season has been linked to the Minnesota Vikings at one point or another this year, but should the Minnesota Vikings use their #12 pick in the first round for Philadelphia Eagles QB Kevin Kolb?
It had been rumored that the Eagles were asking for two second round picks for Kolb, and I didn’t like the idea of the Vikings giving up those picks in order to obtain Kolb, and I really don’t like the idea of the Vikings giving up the number 12 overall pick for a quarterback which has basically just had a few good games in his career.
The Vikings cannot afford to surrender any more picks this season after giving up this year’s third round pick for the 4 week rental of WR Randy Moss. According to the Pioneer Press this weekend, the Vikings are actually trying to move down in the draft in order to acquire more picks, a move which would be wise.
In related news, newly released S O.J. Atogwe is expected to be meeting with the Washington Redskins this afternoon according to reports. Since Atogwe has been released, he is now a free agent and can sign with any team up until March 3rd. Atogwe would make a nice fit in the Vikings secondary. The seven year veteran recorded 73 tackles last season and has played both positions at safety, although he is best suited at free safety.
The Vikings have a need at safety and Atogwe has experience playing in the Tampa-2 defensive scheme.
Minnesota Vikings expected to use franchise tag, but on which player?
It is being reported that the Minnesota Vikings are expected to use the franchise tag on a player within the next week, but the only question remaining is, which player will they designate with the franchise tag. Two key players for the Vikings will be eligible for free agency if and when the free agent process begins this offseason, LB Chad Greenway and WR Sidney Rice.
Several teams are using the franchise tag on potential free agents this week, however it remains to be seen whether or not the use of the franchise designation is going to hold any weight when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is finalized. The franchise tag will hold weight until the date at which the current CBA expires, (March 3rd) and then all bets are off as to what will happen in the future.
On point of contention in the current talks is the point at which a player becomes eligible for free agency. Currently, four years of service qualifies a player, and the owners want to raise the eligibility to five years.
What is the smartest direction for the Minnesota Vikings to take in regards to the quarterback position?
With only rookie QB Joe Webb under contract next season, what is the smartest direction for the Minnesota Vikings to take at the quarterback position in 2011? The speculation is currently all over the charts depending on what you read. Webb claims he wants to be considered for the quarterback position, another story has the Vikings acquiring Donovan McNabb, and yet someone else speculates whether or not the Minnesota Vikings would give up the #12 pick for Philadelphia Eagles QB Kevin Kolb.
Webb showed poise in his first start this season in week 16, winning the road in Philadelphia against the Eagles, a strange game which had been postponed for two days because of a blizzard. However, even with Webb under center, the Vikings will still need to bring in a veteran presence to backup Webb. Someone like a Billy Volek from the San Diego Chargers might be a good fit for that position.
As far as Donovan McNabb, I think the Vikings should simply dismiss that idea and move on.
The trade for Kevin Kolb is an interesting thought. According to the last rumors I had read, the Eagles are reportedly wanting two second round picks for Kolb. He is under contract for 2011 and the Eagles do not have to move him. Th an expensive trade for a quarterback who hasn’t shown very much in very limited time on the field in his career.
However, Kolb is a young quarterback and if head coach Leslie Frazier thinks he might be the actual quarterback of the future for the Vikings, then by all means, go get him. Enough with the aging veterans.
One name that surfaced over the weekend is Green Bay Packers backup Matt Flynn. It is believed that he could be had for one second round pick. In a start of the Packers this season against the New England Patriots on the road, Flynn had a very impressive performance. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 251 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. While Flynn might be a budding young talent, there is no way that the Packers trade Flynn within the division to the Minnesota Vikings.
As far as surrendering the number 12 pick in the first round for Kevin Kolb or even using it on a quarterback, I say no. According to many mock drafts out currently, Mizzou’s Blaine Gabbert and Auburn’s Cam Newton are likely to be off the board by number 12, with Washington’s Jake Locker is falling fast.
Minnesota will only have three picks in the first four rounds this season, after sending their third rounder to the Patriots this season for the month long rental of WR Randy Moss.
Another Brett Favre comeback to the NFL in 2011?
This really is getting old, but could it be that Brett Favre will play in the NFL after all in 2011? Now it won’t be with the Minnesota Vikings, so fans can exhale. However, Charley Walters writes this morning in his “Don’t Print That” column in the Pioneer Press, that Favre could return to the NFL next season.
According to Walters, “There are smart people still not convinced that Brett Favre, 41, will remain retired and that he could surface next season, not with the Vikings, but perhaps the Carolina Panthers”.
The Panthers are in need of a quarterback, but Brett Favre is not the answer. The Panthers are a team in disarray, with problems on both sides of the ball. If Favre thought the receiving corps was bad in Minnesota, wait until he gets a look at the Panthers staff, outside of veteran Steve Smith, there is a very young roster. The Panthers have been known for having a strong running game, but it is quite possible that RB DeAngelo Williams will leave via free agency.
This would be a disastrous move for Favre, especially if he thought he had a bad season in 2010.
Packers bring home the Super Bowl, while Vikings scratch their heads
It was a painful day on Sunday as the Green Bay Packers returned the Super Bowl Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay, but many Minnesota Vikings fans have to be left scratching their heads. Aaron Rodgers could have been a Viking, before he was a Packer. A concept which is wrong on many different levels.
In the 2005 NFL draft, Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers was expected to be selected in the first few picks, he was invited to sit at the “primetime” table front and center during the draft. It was painful to watch the coverage, a talented college quarterback, predicted to go early in the draft, and he watched as 23 other teams passed on him. One of those teams? The Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings did not pass on Rodgers once, but twice. The Vikings had two first round selections and decided that the best route to go with the franchise was to draft WR Troy Williamson at the number 7 position. And then draft DE Erasmus James at the number 18 spot. That was a very successful first round, everyone associated in that draft, please take a moment, and have a tequila shot, job well done.
Could you imagine where the Minnesota Vikings might be right now if Aaron Rodgers had been under center for the last 6 seasons? Hopefully, everyone in the Vikings scouting department has been fired. Unfortunately, the Vikings will have to deal with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for years to come.
