Vikings ???'s

Hi, I'm new to the board. I am a Vikings supporter. I live in Indy, so I don't know the inside scoop. I have a few questions, if anyone can help.

Will Tice be the coach next season? I ask this because of new ownership. Is there any word? I figure if they skid, yes, but I doubt that happens. The Vikings are very talented IMO.

What is the word on the Vikings Cap status for next season? I'm pretty sure there is a bunch of dead cash from trading Moss. Not 100% though.

What positions do you think the Vikings will try to upgrade @ the end of the season? My first thoughts are LB, another TE & CB. Any players or incoming rookies in mind?

Whats going with Napoleon? Is he playing inside or outside. If outside, why? Didn't he play ILB for the Raiders in both the 4-3 & 3-4? Doesn't he have more speed than Cowart?

What will happen with Cowart? Doesn't this guy have a gigantic contract? He is pretty good still, but is aging. Do you think he will stay a Viking after this season? Will he be cut, re-negotiate?

What do you guys expect from your rookies? Williamson, James, Fason, Johnson.

Finally what are your predicitons for the team, the D, & Culpepper? I expect the Vikes to go to the NFC Champ at least. I think their D is going to be a lot better, maybe top 10 or 12. I predict Culpepper to throw 34 TD's, and run for 5.

Welcome to the board. I think the season being played out will answer many of your questions. But I have to say I think Williamson will have a big impact. I am hoping he will get to catch some long balls. Kind of like how Kelly Campbell, that homerun threat.

"hovan" wrote:

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Welcome to the board. I think the season being played out will answer many of your questions. But I have to say I think Williamson will have a big impact. I am hoping he will get to catch some long balls. Kind of like how Kelly Campbell, that homerun threat.

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umm, i think the point of it was to predict what you thinks gonna happen... :lol:

I think that Tice will be the coach, most definatly... I think he would have to be 9-7 or worse to get fired, and im sure thats not gonna happen.

I also am not real big on keepin track on the cap situations, so i cant help you there, but if i rememeber correctly, were in good shape..

As far as positions of need, i would have to say LB, no doubt. But if i had to pick another it would be Offensive Linemen, were in need of those, badly. I disagree with you thinkin we need a TE, i think we have good depth there, a good Run Blocker in Kliensasser, and a good reciever in Wiggins.

Alls i know is Napoleans playin Strongside Linebacker, im not sure which its called(inside,outside linebacker) but thats what hes playin right now, and he's not doin very good..

I think were gonna keep cowart around even if he doesnt start, because he's a great backup to have once our young guns get smarter..

I think Williamson will not have a great season, just aroun 30 catches, for 425 yards, and maybe 2-3 Tds, and thats only because he wont get playin time... Erasmas, I think will be the starter by week 2 and will finish the season with 7-8 sacks.. And marcus johnson i'm hearing as of now, is the starting right gaurd, and i think he will be solid, Tice had him high up on the draft board.. And Tice knows O Line.

I agree with you predictions for the D, and Culpepper, but i also will add that i think culpepper will through only 5 Int's or less..

Welcome to the greatest Viking Fan website there is! Good questions, all. Hopefully, we can answer some of them for you. Meanwhile, take a test-drive of the site, get to know the layout, and make sure you introduce yourself in the Free Beer forum so we can learn about you.

Welcome aboard!!!!

We ate the rest of the moss cap this year, so we are completely free of any cap effects of his deal after this season.

Hi, I'm new to the board. I am a Vikings supporter. I live in Indy, so I don't know the inside scoop. I have a few questions, if anyone can help.

Will Tice be the coach next season? I ask this because of new ownership. Is there any word? I figure if they skid, yes, but I doubt that happens. The Vikings are very talented IMO.


I think that Tice will hang on and keep his job. He would have to completly flop to lose it (I'm not gonna say it's impossible though... :lol: )


What is the word on the Vikings Cap status for next season? I'm pretty sure there is a bunch of dead cash from trading Moss. Not 100% though.


We aren't even thinking of cap space right now. Thats how much room we have. :grin:


What positions do you think the Vikings will try to upgrade @ the end of the season? My first thoughts are LB, another TE & CB. Any players or incoming rookies in mind?

O-Line for sure. We will probably go after one in FA and draft a good one as well IMO.

CB depends on if we get Brian Williams back or not. I don't see that happening as he wants to start. We need a solid backup/Nickle corner who isn't super pricey.

LB for sure would be great. Try for a very good MLB in the draft, Cowart can play till he's broken in.

We also need to think a little about saftey. FA, Draft, Wherever.

Whats going with Napoleon? Is he playing inside or outside. If outside, why? Didn't he play ILB for the Raiders in both the 4-3 & 3-4? Doesn't he have more speed than Cowart?

He is playing SLB (Strong Side Linebacker) right now. The "buzz" is that he isn't playing super well, but we need to see him in reg season before we freak out about it. He is supposed to play SLB better than MLB but He got stuck there cause the Raiders D is awful.

What will happen with Cowart? Doesn't this guy have a gigantic contract? He is pretty good still, but is aging. Do you think he will stay a Viking after this season? Will he be cut, re-negotiate?


We got Cowart for a 7th round pick so I don't think his contract is that much (I could be wrong though) He isn't the most athletic LB out there due to age, but he is smart, He is doing a good job with leadership as well.

What do you guys expect from your rookies? Williamson, James, Fason, Johnson.


Fason was doing really well, than he got hurt. He'll be back in not too long and provide RB depth and be a powerhouse back like Moe Williams.

James is a great pass rusher and can also stop the run. I forsee him and Johnstone sharing time for a few weeks than James taking it over.

Williamson is going to mainly be a playmaker like Kelly Cambell this year. He will come in on long yardage plays and stretch the field. I can't wait to see this guy next year. (BTW, Travis Taylor (who is the #2 WR) is looking awesome, he was a steal in FA :grin: )

Finally what are your predicitons for the team, the D, & Culpepper? I expect the Vikes to go to the NFC Champ at least. I think their D is going to be a lot better, maybe top 10 or 12. I predict Culpepper to throw 34 TD's, and run for 5.

I predict 11-5, NFC north title of course.


Offense Ranked 8th

Duante 33 passing TD's, 3 rushing TD's.


Nate Burleson 1230 yards, 11 TD's

Travis Taylor 900 yards, 8 TD's

Marcus Robinson 650 yards, 7 TD's

Troy Williamson 400 yards, 4 TD's

Kelly Cambell 300 Yards, 3 TD's



Bennett 200 yards, 2 TD's

Melwede Moore 700 yards, 5 TD's

Moe Williams 200 yards 4 TD's

Ciatrick Fason 100 yards, 2 TD's



Defense Ranked 9th


Antoine Winfield 4 INT, 65 Tackles, 1 Sack

Fred Smoot 6 INT, 42 Tackles, 0 Sacks

Darren Sharper 7 INT, 50 Tackles, 1 Sack

Corey Chavous 5 INT, 52 Tackles, 2 sacks

Sam Cowart 1 INT, 82 Tackles, 2 sacks

Napolean Harris 1 INT, 71 Tackles, 1 sack

Dontarrius Thomas 0 INT, 61 Tackles, 2 sacks

Kevin Williams 1 INT, 57 Tackles, 11 sacks

Pat Williams 0 INT, 43 tackles, 5 sacks

Erasmus James 0 INT, 32 Tackles, 6 sacks

Kenechi Udeze 0 INT, 40 Tackles, 5 sacks

Welcome to the site! You ask some very good questions!

IMO, Tice stays the coach unless we get ousted the first round of the playoffs or worse. You never really know though, because Zygi might be eyeing someone else. I still think Tice sticks around though, everyone around the organization seems to like him.

Cap status I think we're pretty good. We won't have A LOT of money cuz of signing Smoot and such, but we will have some to maybe make one or two moves. It will be new territory because it'll be our first offseason under Zygi!

Upgrades might include LB, or a backup QB depending on whether Johnson retires or sticks around for another season or two. Kicker may or may not be a question again, personally I think it's going to get a lot better this year and we won't have to worry about it for a while. Punter is a position that needs to be adressed though, IMO.

I think Napoleon is playing outside. I'm 99% sure of it. The Raiders really didn't use him very well on the inside of that 3-4 the last few years, which is probably the reason for his sub-expectation numbers.

Cowart, I have no idea. I guess it depends on how he plays. Some people say he's over the hill, some don't. I don't have an answer for that one.

Williamson is gonna have a good year. He won't have a Moss-esque year, but it will be good. I say 30-40 catches and 400-500 yards or something of that nature. I really expect to see him come on strong the second half of the season.
James might be held back because of his holdout, but after a few games I think he could start being more of an impact player. He's got a lot to learn I think, so I expect him to be a lot like Udeze was last year. Kind of quiet.
Fason has looked really good so far, but he's a little banged up right now. I don't expect him to see a lot of time, because Moe will get the short yardage, Bennett is the starter, and Moore is his primary backup. So I don't expect to see Fason take too many carries.
Marcus Johnson is starting for us opening day, so I hope he comes in and plays well. Tice is really high on him, so we all hope he's right.

Predictions go as follows: Daunte has another Pro Bowl year, so does Burleson. Daunte could pull off the MVP, IMO. From an objective standpoint it's a disappointment if the Vikes don't at least go to the conference championship, from a fan standpoint if they dont win the whole damn thing it's a disappointment! The D will be top 15, maybe top 10 if we're lucky.

By the way, if you want some good places to get the "inside scoop" kfan.com and startribune.com/vikings are both good sites for Vikes news. If you stick around here though, you'll get plenty o'vikes news.

For Tice to be here next year the team has win the division (with record of 10-6 or better) and wins playoff game(s).

Napoleon is playing outside because he has speed. He played ILB in Oakland because that was the position they needed when they draft him, but his skills are more suited for outside. Napoleon has been non-existent this preseason but I expect he will he will come around as he refreshed to his college position. Cowart is playing in side because he put together +100 tackle seasons till the jets tried to move him outside. Then when he was moved back he had an 11-tackle game but then got injured.

Positions to upgrade @ the end of the season will be LB, OL, S, P, and K.

Viks have pretty good cap room next season but Cowart, Taylor, and Bennett all have contract that expires. Cowart contract was re-negotiate to a one-year contract when we pick him up.

Hmm... Rookies......... Well Williamson has speed and hands to a deep threat right away, and if he polishes up his routes could a deadly receiver. Two or three years he be a 1000 yd wr. This year he will have at least 400 yd 4 tds.
Fason has the talent and speed to have been a first round talent but is very inexperienced. He sounds to have a real good work ethic so he might be a sleeper for the end of the season or next year.
Johnson has great size and is impressive to be starting as a rookie. During the draft I heard he was a very versatile lineman. He's good at pass blocking but needs to work on his run blocking. Also has the ability to play tackle.
James, they said he was the best pass rusher on the draft but is inconsistent and can be handle by bigger tackles.

Predictions: Vikes will make the Superbowl, Cpep will throw for 5000 yds 35 tds rush for 500 yds and 5 tds. The defensive will inconstant like high teens in points allowed but timely defensive playmaker will put games away with int, forced fumbles, and sacks.