Thread: 10 Things The Draft Revealed

1. The Coaching staff has confidence in Tarvaris Jackson.
The fact that we passed on Brohm and waited until the 5th round to draft a quarterback shows that the guys in charge have faith in Jackson and are ready to give him another year to prove himself. Neither Gus Frerrote or John David Booty have what it takes to be the long term answer at quarterback, so its up to Jackson to step up. I Expect Jackson to take command of this team and declare himself as the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings once and for all.

2. This is Darren Sharper's last year in Minnesota.
We traded up ahead of Chicago to grab Tyrell Johnson, a safety that will be a perfect fit in our defense. Sharper has lost a step or two since the days of his prime, and with his contract up after this year and a successor in place, Sharper's days here are numbered.

3. Matt Birk is also on his way out.
By drafting John Sullivan, the Vikings now have two centers who were highly rated in college behind Birk. Like Sharper, Birk is also in the last year of his contract, and given his past history with injuries and his decreasing quality of play, Birk will probably have to find somewhere else to play in 2009.

4. The coaching staff likes Chase Johnson.
One thing that many fans were looking to be addressed in this year's draft was a left tackle to backup Bryant McKinnie who could play if he gets suspended due to his recent legal trouble. After passing on playres like Carl Nicks in the later rounds, it would seem that the coaching staff has enough confidence in Chase Johnson to say that he would be better than any rookie that they were in a position to take. Johnson certainly has all the physical tools to be successful, and after spending last year learning the system, he certainly would have an advantage over any incoming rookie.

5. Visanthe Shiancoe will get another chance.
The other position many people felt was a need was the tight end position. In his first year with the Vikings, Shiancoe didn't do anything to win the fans over, but he should show improvement next year. Childress has said on multiple occasions that the TEs in general will be more involved in the passing game, and that with another year in the offense Shiancoe will be better suited to contribute. Also look for Garrett Mills to see a bigger role.

6. The NFC North is scared of Jared Allen.
Both of the NFC North teams that used first round picks (Lions and Bears) both took offensive tackles to fortify their line. The Vikings and Packers boast two of the best defensive ends in the league (Allen and Kampman), while the Lions and Bears have two of the worst offensive lines in football. Allen led the league in sacks last year while on playing 14 games on a team where he was not surrounded by talent. Look for Allen to be improve on last year's numbers now that he is playing next to a pair of Pro Bowl defensive tackles.

7. The Packers have questions about Aaron Rodgers
With their first pick of the draft, the Packers took Brian Brohm, as well as Matt Flynn later in the draft. The addition of two quarterbacks can not be taken as a vote of confidence for Rodgers. Either because of his injury history or what the coaches have seen in practice, the Packers are obviously not content with Rodgers. Now he really has his work cut out for him; he is coming in to replace one of the most prolific quarterbacks this league has ever seen, and if he stumbles all of Wisconsin will be calling for Brohm. Rodgers hasn't even taken a snap yet and there is already a quarterback controversy in Green Bay.

8. The Bears are content with Rex Grossman
Like the Vikings, the Bears also passed on Brian Brohm, which leaves their starting quarterback job open for either Grossman or Kyle Orton. The Bears re-signed Grossman this offseason, and due to his advantage over Orton in terms of experience, he looks to be the favorite to win the job. Behind an aging offensive line and lacking any consistent receiving targets, its going to be a long season for whoever is under center in Chicago this year.

9. The Vikings will have a full training camp.
After the draft, Minnesota signed 16 undrafted free agents, including the likes of Erin Henderson and Marcus Griffin. There will be some fierce competition in camp this year as the rookie try to compete for the few remaining available roster spots. With all the young guys we have brought in, the Vikings should have no problem finding some quality guys to fill out the roster.

10. 2008 will be an exciting year for Vikings' fans.
Following the emergence of Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Chad Greenway last year, and the addition of Jared Allen and Madieu Williams, It would appear that all the pieces are in place for the Vikings to make a serious run deep into the playoffs this year. With a wide open NFC, the Vikings have just as good of a chance as anybody of making run at an elusive Super Bowl appearance. As long as we can stay clear of injuries, and if Tarvaris Jackson can continue to improve, there is no reason why the Vikings can't be one of the best teams in the NFC this year.

Nice list!

Looks promising.
Can't wait to see if it pans out to a Super Bowl bid.

this is a good list, the only thing i dont agree about is that i dont think Sharpers days are numbered, i think he will be resigned and will retire a Viking, he even said he wants to retire as a Viking. Also, i dont think theyre going to give tyrell johnson the starting job if Sharper is let go after limited play im sure he will get this season.

Top Shelf my friend.
Top shelf indeed.
One comment.....

10. 2008 will be an exciting year for Vikings' fans.

If the Front Office keeps doing things like this we have alot of exciting years ahead of us.
I really like how they not only addressed glaring issues at key positions (WR, DE, S) but also addressed future replacements for our aging vets.

That is how you stay competive for years to come.

Props to Spielman and crew.
;D

Love the post. I said that Sharper comment on kfan on my way home from MN and they did not like it. They said he will be around for 2-3 years here. Did anyone here me on the radio?

"aaeyers" wrote:

1. The Coaching staff has confidence in Tarvaris Jackson.
The fact that we passed on Brohm and waited until the 5th round to draft a quarterback shows that the guys in charge have faith in Jackson and are ready to give him another year to prove himself. Neither Gus Frerrote or John David Booty have what it takes to be the long term answer at quarterback, so its up to Jackson to step up. I Expect Jackson to take command of this team and declare himself as the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings once and for all.

2. This is Darren Sharper's last year in Minnesota.
We traded up ahead of Chicago to grab Tyrell Johnson, a safety that will be a perfect fit in our defense. Sharper has lost a step or two since the days of his prime, and with his contract up after this year and a successor in place, Sharper's days here are numbered.

3. Matt Birk is also on his way out.
By drafting John Sullivan, the Vikings now have two centers who were highly rated in college behind Birk. Like Sharper, Birk is also in the last year of his contract, and given his past history with injuries and his decreasing quality of play, Birk will probably have to find somewhere else to play in 2009.

4. The coaching staff likes Chase Johnson.
One thing that many fans were looking to be addressed in this year's draft was a left tackle to backup Bryant McKinnie who could play if he gets suspended due to his recent legal trouble. After passing on playres like Carl Nicks in the later rounds, it would seem that the coaching staff has enough confidence in Chase Johnson to say that he would be better than any rookie that they were in a position to take. Johnson certainly has all the physical tools to be successful, and after spending last year learning the system, he certainly would have an advantage over any incoming rookie.

5. Visanthe Shiancoe will get another chance.
The other position many people felt was a need was the tight end position. In his first year with the Vikings, Shiancoe didn't do anything to win the fans over, but he should show improvement next year. Childress has said on multiple occasions that the TEs in general will be more involved in the passing game, and that with another year in the offense Shiancoe will be better suited to contribute. Also look for Garrett Mills to see a bigger role.

6. The NFC North is scared of Jared Allen.
Both of the NFC North teams that used first round picks (Lions and Bears) both took offensive tackles to fortify their line. The Vikings and Packers boast two of the best defensive ends in the league (Allen and Kampman), while the Lions and Bears have two of the worst offensive lines in football. Allen led the league in sacks last year while on playing 14 games on a team where he was not surrounded by talent. Look for Allen to be improve on last year's numbers now that he is playing next to a pair of Pro Bowl defensive tackles.

7. The Packers have questions about Aaron Rodgers
With their first pick of the draft, the Packers took Brian Brohm, as well as Matt Flynn later in the draft. The addition of two quarterbacks can not be taken as a vote of confidence for Rodgers. Either because of his injury history or what the coaches have seen in practice, the Packers are obviously not content with Rodgers. Now he really has his work cut out for him; he is coming in to replace one of the most prolific quarterbacks this league has ever seen, and if he stumbles all of Wisconsin will be calling for Brohm. Rodgers hasn't even taken a snap yet and there is already a quarterback controversy in Green Bay.

8. The Bears are content with Rex Grossman
Like the Vikings, the Bears also passed on Brian Brohm, which leaves their starting quarterback job open for either Grossman or Kyle Orton. The Bears re-signed Grossman this offseason, and due to his advantage over Orton in terms of experience, he looks to be the favorite to win the job. Behind an aging offensive line and lacking any consistent receiving targets, its going to be a long season for whoever is under center in Chicago this year.

9. The Vikings will have a full training camp.
After the draft, Minnesota signed 16 undrafted free agents, including the likes of Erin Henderson and Marcus Griffin. There will be some fierce competition in camp this year as the rookie try to compete for the few remaining available roster spots. With all the young guys we have brought in, the Vikings should have no problem finding some quality guys to fill out the roster.

10. 2008 will be an exciting year for Vikings' fans.
Following the emergence of Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Chad Greenway last year, and the addition of Jared Allen and Madieu Williams, It would appear that all the pieces are in place for the Vikings to make a serious run deep into the playoffs this year. With a wide open NFC, the Vikings have just as good of a chance as anybody of making run at an elusive Super Bowl appearance. As long as we can stay clear of injuries, and if Tarvaris Jackson can continue to improve, there is no reason why the Vikings can't be one of the best teams in the NFC this year.

Great job!

As regards #10...getting to the SB isn't enough...I most certainly don't want the Vikes to be 0-5.
Win or bust!!!

Nice Work!
My only objection involves the Pukers.
As much as I'd like to think they have issues at and maybe even a "QB controversy," I don't think thats the case.
Rodgers has been there for 3 years, he isn't a rookie by any means.
He completed over 70% of his passes in his only on field appearance last year against a pretty good defense in a pretty rough setting, at Dallas.
They've kept only 2 QBs on the roster for several years due to Favre's toughness.
When they lost him, it was like they lost 2 QBs worth of depth, which have now been replaced by draft picks.

My guess, is that the Vikings will need to create those problems by applying steady pressure, getting sacks, and perhaps, forcing one of the rookies onto the field.

Sharper might sign for a few years at a lower rate to stay...or, maybe not.
I also think that he is pretty set on doing the broadcasting thing when he does retire, and, may decide to call it quits earlier than some think.

Great list.

My only quibble is that we don't just want to appear in the Super Bowl, we want to win it.

11) It isn't going to be easy to win the division.The Packers are building a young, talented team and they appear focused to continue their dominance even without their newly retired QB