Rick Spielmann article in ESPN Insider-Vikes FA moves

Dis is an excoipt from an article by Rick Spielmann from ESPN Insider. It poity much is nuttin' new, but it's a nice read compared to da crap by goons like Tom Powers and Patrick Reusse.
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Minnesota Vikings

New coach Brad Childress already is making his mark in Minnesota. While the Vikings appear ready to set sail in a different direction at the quarterback position, that didn't stop them from coming out the gate strong to address other needs.

Their biggest move to date has been trying to snatch All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson from Seattle. With Hutchinson carrying the transition tag, the Vikings must wait seven days to see whether the Seahawks will match. With the second-most cap space behind Green Bay, Minnesota was able to front-load a deal that Seattle will have a tough time matching. That contract will count against the Vikings' cap until the Seahawks decide whether to match.

Hutchinson is the best guard in the league. Not only does he have the size, strength and athletic ability to be an effective run blocker, he also is very solid in pass protection. With him on the left side between tackle Bryant McKinnie and center Matt Birk, the team's offensive line woes would become a thing of the past.

Minnesota's biggest need was at running back, and a lot of people felt they would wait until the draft and pick from a deep first-round class at the position. Instead, they opted to sign Chester Taylor from the Ravens. He had been playing behind Jamal Lewis but now will get his opportunity to be the featured back, teaming with Mewelde Moore. Childress has said he envisions Taylor as a 20-25 carry type of back who should fit well in the team's new West Coast offensive scheme.

The Vikings need to revamp their linebacking corps to fit new defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin's Tampa 2 scheme. They need to add linebackers with speed, quickness and athletic ability, and the signing of Ben Leber from San Diego was a start. He is a solid starting NFL linebacker with the speed, range and athletic skills the Vikings are seeking. They also addressed the kicking issues that have haunted them the past couple of years by signed Ryan Longwell from the rival Packers.

With the 17th overall pick in the draft and Taylor already on board, look for the Vikings to address their defense in the first round. They will need to fill the void left by Corey Chavous at safety as well as add more help at linebacker. The best fit and possibly best-developed player available at No. 17 could be Ernie Sims, an early-entry linebacker from Florida State who has been compared to Derrick Brooks.

nice read omv.

good article. i enjoyed it.

But...but we haven't done anything.

Good article there. It's nice to see a break down of how active we've been...I truly believe we've made some great moves.

Last year we made a bunch of moves and a lot of sources had us picked to win the superbowl. We still have to wait and see how well the guys from last year and the new guys gel. Add in new coaches and the new off. and def. thats a lot of changes.

Hopefully everything works out great and we will have a great season this year, but I am notgoing to get to excited just yet.

Thanks OMV, nice read.......

Sad that we have to revamp the LB corp. Seems like LB's are always coming here and not performing.

Don't we already have LB's with lotsa speed? Dontarrius Thomas? EJ Henderson? Keith Newman?

They're kinda dumb in pass coverage though which may be why we're still looking for LB's.

Get Peterson and draft 17th a LB, then get a safety in the second along with a QB