Thread: 10 Vikings with the Most to Prove in 2011

#8

Everson Griffen

Outside of the legal troubles, Griffen will need to show improvement on the field too. Griffen seen limited action last year managing only 11 tackles in 11 games played. With Ray Edwards more than likely on his way out, Griffen will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. Brian Robison is in line to start but Everson could very well play a big role and see a good amount of snaps. For this to happen Griffen will need to prove to coaches what he’s capable of.

The Vikings seem like they are ready to give Griffen another chance but he needs to prove he belongs by staying out of trouble, and playing at a high level.

10 Vikings with the Most to Prove in 2011: #8

Couldn't agree more, unless he made this guy the #1 guy that has to step up.

Still say Rob doesn't have a shot in heck to start. Even if he does get the chance, it won't last long IMHO.

Starting him hurts us in 2 ways....

1. Makes us susceptible to the run.

2. Wears down our situational pass rusher (Rob) by using him against the run.

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100015

#8

Everson Griffen

Outside of the legal troubles, Griffen will need to show improvement on the field too. Griffen seen limited action last year managing only 11 tackles in 11 games played. With Ray Edwards more than likely on his way out, Griffen will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. Brian Robison is in line to start but Everson could very well play a big role and see a good amount of snaps. For this to happen Griffen will need to prove to coaches what he’s capable of.

The Vikings seem like they are ready to give Griffen another chance but he needs to prove he belongs by staying out of trouble, and playing at a high level.

10 Vikings with the Most to Prove in 2011: #8

Couldn't agree more, unless he made this guy the #1 guy that has to step up.

Still say Rob doesn't have a shot in heck to start. Even if he does get the chance, it won't last long IMHO.

Starting him hurts us in 2 ways....

1. Makes us susceptible to the run.

2. Wears down our situational pass rusher (Rob) by using him against the run.

Don't fret it my friend. Leber will be able to pick up the slack on the run plays....Doh!

Meh, don't agree with that. 2nd year mid-round player IMO doesn't have too much to prove at this point. He was a backup, and not even a primary backup. He gets another year IMO with more reps before people should start calling him out.

If I were to come up with a list, it would be:

10. Jaymar Johnson
9. Jasper Brinkley
8. Madieu Williams
7. Asher Allen
6. John Sullivan
5. Brian Robison
4. Phil Loadholt
3. Bernard Berrian
2. Leslie Fraizer
1. Zygi Wilf

Originally Posted by "marshallvike" #1100016

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100015

#8

Everson Griffen

Outside of the legal troubles, Griffen will need to show improvement on the field too. Griffen seen limited action last year managing only 11 tackles in 11 games played. With Ray Edwards more than likely on his way out, Griffen will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. Brian Robison is in line to start but Everson could very well play a big role and see a good amount of snaps. For this to happen Griffen will need to prove to coaches what he’s capable of.

The Vikings seem like they are ready to give Griffen another chance but he needs to prove he belongs by staying out of trouble, and playing at a high level.

10 Vikings with the Most to Prove in 2011: #8

Couldn't agree more, unless he made this guy the #1 guy that has to step up.

Still say Rob doesn't have a shot in heck to start. Even if he does get the chance, it won't last long IMHO.

Starting him hurts us in 2 ways....

1. Makes us susceptible to the run.

2. Wears down our situational pass rusher (Rob) by using him against the run.

Don't fret it my friend. Leber will be able to pick up the slack on the run plays....Doh!

I'm not sure. Lets not forget, Ben isn't under contract.

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100019

Originally Posted by "marshallvike" #1100016

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100015

#8

Everson Griffen

Outside of the legal troubles, Griffen will need to show improvement on the field too. Griffen seen limited action last year managing only 11 tackles in 11 games played. With Ray Edwards more than likely on his way out, Griffen will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. Brian Robison is in line to start but Everson could very well play a big role and see a good amount of snaps. For this to happen Griffen will need to prove to coaches what he’s capable of.

The Vikings seem like they are ready to give Griffen another chance but he needs to prove he belongs by staying out of trouble, and playing at a high level.

10 Vikings with the Most to Prove in 2011: #8

Couldn't agree more, unless he made this guy the #1 guy that has to step up.

Still say Rob doesn't have a shot in heck to start. Even if he does get the chance, it won't last long IMHO.

Starting him hurts us in 2 ways....

1. Makes us susceptible to the run.

2. Wears down our situational pass rusher (Rob) by using him against the run.

Don't fret it my friend. Leber will be able to pick up the slack on the run plays....Doh!

I'm not sure. Lets not forget, Ben isn't under contract.

True, but Ben has expressed a desire to return. HOpefully he'll be willing to accept a reduced contract, and remain a part of our team, because IMO I think we need him. He was a solid OLB for us, and honestly I don't think we have anyone on roster ready to fill in at that level yet.

(Unless we sign Ernie Simms, which I would love to see)

Originally Posted by "i_bleed_purple" #1100018

Meh, don't agree with that. 2nd year mid-round player IMO doesn't have too much to prove at this point. He was a backup, and not even a primary backup. He gets another year IMO with more reps before people should start calling him out.

If I were to come up with a list, it would be:

10. Jaymar Johnson
9. Jasper Brinkley
8. Madieu Williams
7. Asher Allen
6. John Sullivan
5. Brian Robison
4. Phil Loadholt
3. Bernard Berrian
2. Leslie Fraizer
1. Zygi Wilf

So you think players like Jasper, Asher, Sully and Load haven't atleast played up to their expected progression?

I'll give you JJ and M-will, but in all essence, JJ has been fighting an uphill battle with respect to a stacked position so I really don't lable him as a "Most to Prove" and M-will is a scheme player that has been playing in a scheme that has other issues that directly reflect on his play as well.

Jasper stepped in and played better than any would have expected when EJ went down.

Asher has done almost as good and I expect that this year will be the year everyone recognizes that progression.

Sully hasn't done as bad as most on here would contend. Truth of the matter is his first year starting he graded out as well as the guy he replaced. I do worry about him and all the extra weight he seems to need to carry.

Rob doesn't need to do anything other than what he has been doing. Now if he gets shoved into the starter role, I suspect that most will turn on him for poor play, when in fact he is being asked to do something he doesn't have the skillset to do.

Load....I put him in the catagory of Asher. I for one, don't like it when we have to start rooks. Almost as much as I don't like fans who hack on the kid cause he is put in a situation he probably isn't ready to be in.

BB. He is one I'm not sure on. Truth of the matter is, I think his numbers went down cause he was asked to play inside. Thats kindof like asking Randy Moss to run crossing routes in a 3 tree. Nothing good will come of it. Mix that in with the assumption that we are going to start a rookie QB and I just don't see the need for the "Deep threat" (8 & 9 route trees) that he is in the scheme to do.

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100023

Originally Posted by "i_bleed_purple" #1100018

Meh, don't agree with that. 2nd year mid-round player IMO doesn't have too much to prove at this point. He was a backup, and not even a primary backup. He gets another year IMO with more reps before people should start calling him out.

If I were to come up with a list, it would be:

10. Jaymar Johnson
9. Jasper Brinkley
8. Madieu Williams
7. Asher Allen
6. John Sullivan
5. Brian Robison
4. Phil Loadholt
3. Bernard Berrian
2. Leslie Fraizer
1. Zygi Wilf

So you think players like Jasper, Asher, Sully and Load haven't atleast played up to their expected progression?

I'll give you JJ and M-will, but in all essence, JJ has been fighting an uphill battle with respect to a stacked position so I really don't lable him as a "Most to Prove" and M-will is a scheme player that has been playing in a scheme that has other issues that directly reflect on his play as well.

Jasper stepped in and played better than any would have expected when EJ went down.

Asher has done almost as good and I expect that this year will be the year everyone recognizes that progression.

Sully hasn't done as bad as most on here would contend. Truth of the matter is his first year starting he graded out as well as the guy he replaced. I do worry about him and all the extra weight he seems to need to carry.

Rob doesn't need to do anything other than what he has been doing. Now if he gets shoved into the starter role, I suspect that most will turn on him for poor play, when in fact he is being asked to do something he doesn't have the skillset to do.

Load....I put him in the catagory of Asher. I for one, don't like it when we have to start rooks. Almost as much as I don't like fans who hack on the kid cause he is put in a situation he probably isn't ready to be in.

BB. He is one I'm not sure on. Truth of the matter is, I think his numbers went down cause he was asked to play inside. Thats kindof like asking Randy Moss to run crossing routes in a 3 tree. Nothing good will come of it. Mix that in with the assumption that we are going to start a rookie QB and I just don't see the need for the "Deep threat" (8 & 9 route trees) that he is in the scheme to do.

BB's hands have been injured since he came into the league.

It's really not that he doesn't have the ability, he just seems to lose focus on occasion during the game. Unfortunately, he was the best available reciever in a free agent year that we desparately needed a deep threat.

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100023

Originally Posted by "i_bleed_purple" #1100018

Meh, don't agree with that. 2nd year mid-round player IMO doesn't have too much to prove at this point. He was a backup, and not even a primary backup. He gets another year IMO with more reps before people should start calling him out.

If I were to come up with a list, it would be:

10. Jaymar Johnson
9. Jasper Brinkley
8. Madieu Williams
7. Asher Allen
6. John Sullivan
5. Brian Robison
4. Phil Loadholt
3. Bernard Berrian
2. Leslie Fraizer
1. Zygi Wilf

So you think players like Jasper, Asher, Sully and Load haven't atleast played up to their expected progression?

It's not who has or has not played up to expectations, it's who's going to play to their expectations next year. Jasper for example has played pretty well, but is really still a liability in pass coverage. If he's potentially getting a shot to start full-time next season in Lebers place(Don't think he should personally), is he ready? We'll see I guess.

I'll give you JJ and M-will, but in all essence, JJ has been fighting an uphill battle with respect to a stacked position so I really don't lable him as a "Most to Prove" and M-will is a scheme player that has been playing in a scheme that has other issues that directly reflect on his play as well.

Stacked position? You call (Hurt)Rice, Harvin, Berrian, Lewis, and even Baskett stacked? He should be able to beat out Lewis and Baskett if he's really as talented as some reports we've been hearing. Unfortunately he got hurt last season, but h e's like Allison. We just need to see some performance, otherwise he'll see the door.

Jasper stepped in and played better than any would have expected when EJ went down.

Already addressed this

Asher has done almost as good and I expect that this year will be the year everyone recognizes that progression.

Asher looked average at best, and absolutely awful at worst. He has not done what I expect from a (2nd?) round pick 3 seasons in. He needs to step it up. I'll be pleasantly surprised if he turns out like Griffin, as you might remember me harping on him about this time in his career.

Sully hasn't done as bad as most on here would contend. Truth of the matter is his first year starting he graded out as well as the guy he replaced. I do worry about him and all the extra weight he seems to need to carry.

As well as the guy he replaced? You're one of a handful of people who believe that. The others being Sullivan's immediate family. He quite frankly is NOT strong enough to handle some bigger DT/NTs. He gets pushed around, and has not really looked GOOD at any point in his career. He's looked acceptable at times, but never GOOD.

Rob doesn't need to do anything other than what he has been doing. Now if he gets shoved into the starter role, I suspect that most will turn on him for poor play, when in fact he is being asked to do something he doesn't have the skillset to do.

When you get paid the money he just got, I'm expecting he'll turn it up a bit. Now, whether he starts or not remains to be seen, I personally don't think he should. However, with that money, he's going to be our third down specialist, and he'll need to get some good numbers. I'm hoping for a Lance Johnstone-type player.

Load....I put him in the catagory of Asher. I for one, don't like it when we have to start rooks. Almost as much as I don't like fans who hack on the kid cause he is put in a situation he probably isn't ready to be in.

I thought he looked significantly better as a ROok than last year. Not sure what his issue was, but his play went downhill last year. Hopefully it was an undisclosed injury or something that he's overcome, but he NEEDS to step it up.

BB. He is one I'm not sure on. Truth of the matter is, I think his numbers went down cause he was asked to play inside. Thats kindof like asking Randy Moss to run crossing routes in a 3 tree. Nothing good will come of it. Mix that in with the assumption that we are going to start a rookie QB and I just don't see the need for the "Deep threat" (8 & 9 route trees) that he is in the scheme to do.

Regardless, we need to see more from him. With the money given to him, I'd like to see some reliable hands, and the speed we paid for. Now, granted he's been banged up lately, but he needs to come to play. I'm not one of the guys who wants to trade or cut him, he's by far our third-best receiver, but if Rice isn't back, we need to see some Berrian this year.

Originally Posted by "marshallvike" #1100027

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100023

Originally Posted by "i_bleed_purple" #1100018

Meh, don't agree with that. 2nd year mid-round player IMO doesn't have too much to prove at this point. He was a backup, and not even a primary backup. He gets another year IMO with more reps before people should start calling him out.

If I were to come up with a list, it would be:

10. Jaymar Johnson
9. Jasper Brinkley
8. Madieu Williams
7. Asher Allen
6. John Sullivan
5. Brian Robison
4. Phil Loadholt
3. Bernard Berrian
2. Leslie Fraizer
1. Zygi Wilf

So you think players like Jasper, Asher, Sully and Load haven't atleast played up to their expected progression?

I'll give you JJ and M-will, but in all essence, JJ has been fighting an uphill battle with respect to a stacked position so I really don't lable him as a "Most to Prove" and M-will is a scheme player that has been playing in a scheme that has other issues that directly reflect on his play as well.

Jasper stepped in and played better than any would have expected when EJ went down.

Asher has done almost as good and I expect that this year will be the year everyone recognizes that progression.

Sully hasn't done as bad as most on here would contend. Truth of the matter is his first year starting he graded out as well as the guy he replaced. I do worry about him and all the extra weight he seems to need to carry.

Rob doesn't need to do anything other than what he has been doing. Now if he gets shoved into the starter role, I suspect that most will turn on him for poor play, when in fact he is being asked to do something he doesn't have the skillset to do.

Load....I put him in the catagory of Asher. I for one, don't like it when we have to start rooks. Almost as much as I don't like fans who hack on the kid cause he is put in a situation he probably isn't ready to be in.

BB. He is one I'm not sure on. Truth of the matter is, I think his numbers went down cause he was asked to play inside. Thats kindof like asking Randy Moss to run crossing routes in a 3 tree. Nothing good will come of it. Mix that in with the assumption that we are going to start a rookie QB and I just don't see the need for the "Deep threat" (8 & 9 route trees) that he is in the scheme to do.

BB's hands have been injured since he came into the league.

It's really not that he doesn't have the ability, he just seems to lose focus on occasion during the game. Unfortunately, he was the best available reciever in a free agent year that we desparately needed a deep threat.

Some players do well catching the ball in traffic (i.e. Rice/Harvin) and some don't. BB is one of those guys I think struggles when you put him into the 4, 5, 6 and 7 route trees because of the congestion that is associated with those routes.

Unless of course you have someone clearing them out for him. He did have some success cathing the short stuff at times, but in those instances he was wide open.

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100031

Originally Posted by "marshallvike" #1100027

Originally Posted by "Marrdro" #1100023

Originally Posted by "i_bleed_purple" #1100018

Meh, don't agree with that. 2nd year mid-round player IMO doesn't have too much to prove at this point. He was a backup, and not even a primary backup. He gets another year IMO with more reps before people should start calling him out.

If I were to come up with a list, it would be:

10. Jaymar Johnson
9. Jasper Brinkley
8. Madieu Williams
7. Asher Allen
6. John Sullivan
5. Brian Robison
4. Phil Loadholt
3. Bernard Berrian
2. Leslie Fraizer
1. Zygi Wilf

So you think players like Jasper, Asher, Sully and Load haven't atleast played up to their expected progression?

I'll give you JJ and M-will, but in all essence, JJ has been fighting an uphill battle with respect to a stacked position so I really don't lable him as a "Most to Prove" and M-will is a scheme player that has been playing in a scheme that has other issues that directly reflect on his play as well.

Jasper stepped in and played better than any would have expected when EJ went down.

Asher has done almost as good and I expect that this year will be the year everyone recognizes that progression.

Sully hasn't done as bad as most on here would contend. Truth of the matter is his first year starting he graded out as well as the guy he replaced. I do worry about him and all the extra weight he seems to need to carry.

Rob doesn't need to do anything other than what he has been doing. Now if he gets shoved into the starter role, I suspect that most will turn on him for poor play, when in fact he is being asked to do something he doesn't have the skillset to do.

Load....I put him in the catagory of Asher. I for one, don't like it when we have to start rooks. Almost as much as I don't like fans who hack on the kid cause he is put in a situation he probably isn't ready to be in.

BB. He is one I'm not sure on. Truth of the matter is, I think his numbers went down cause he was asked to play inside. Thats kindof like asking Randy Moss to run crossing routes in a 3 tree. Nothing good will come of it. Mix that in with the assumption that we are going to start a rookie QB and I just don't see the need for the "Deep threat" (8 & 9 route trees) that he is in the scheme to do.

BB's hands have been injured since he came into the league.

It's really not that he doesn't have the ability, he just seems to lose focus on occasion during the game. Unfortunately, he was the best available reciever in a free agent year that we desparately needed a deep threat.

Some players do well catching the ball in traffic (i.e. Rice/Harvin) and some don't. BB is one of those guys I think struggles when you put him into the 4, 5, 6 and 7 route trees because of the congestion that is associated with those routes.

Unless of course you have someone clearing them out for him. He did have some success cathing the short stuff at times, but in those instances he was wide open.

He also seemed to drop a fair share of balls while wide open. Even in traffic, he'd drop or tip balls before a defender touched him.

it's one thing if youc an't hang on because you're getting hit or a guy is all over you, but I think it's just in his head.