|
Vikings Email
- wadE
For those of you wondering (and I'm sure it's kept you up at night), I decided to go ahead and
renew my Minnesota Viking Season Tickets for next year.
It was a tough decision. I wasn't a fan of the Randy Moss trade. But if Randy had become the
new Cris Carter, then it was the right move to make. I had said if they traded Randy I wouldn't
keep my tickets. Conveniently enough, my payment was due to the Vikings the same day trades were
officially able to be made. So I hedged my bet, and said to myself "one more year".
I know what you're thinking... "sucker"... but...
And what happened then...?
Well...in Viking-ville they say
That the Owner's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!
Well, maybe old Red's heart didn't actually grow, maybe he was just drunk on the power of spending
someone else's money, but the Vikings actually started picking up players who weren't cast-offs from
other teams.
At any rate, this morning I received an email update from the Vikings to highlight all the activity:
QB Brad Johnson: A guy Minnesotans are familiar with. He brings 13-years of experience to the Vikings. Johnson has good size. He is not a big scrambling threat but has good pocket presence with the ability to step up and avoid the sack. Overall, he is a very good back-up to have that could step in and start if needed.
LB Sam Cowart: Has good size and strength for the position. Shows good reads and reacts with a knack for finding the football. Good use of his hands to take on blocks with the strength to separate at point of attack. He can turn and run in pass coverage and is quick to pick up backs out of the backfield. In zone coverage, he does a good job of reading QB's eyes and recognizing routes. Should help his game that he is moving back to the middle linebacker position.
LB Napoleon Harris: Is a very good athlete for his size. Has good instincts for the position with the speed to play sideline to sideline. Is an aggressive player between the tackles playing with good leverage and strength to shed offensive linemen. Has the athleticism and quick twitch to make plays in space. Should significantly upgrade the linebacker position. Was out of place in a 3-4 defense last year.
DT Pat Williams: Williams is a big, run stopping defensive tackle. He is a perfect compliment to Pro Bowl DT Kevin Williams. Not a guy that is going to create a lot of pressure but has the size and strength to stack at the point of attack. One of the biggest things that he will bring is that, opponents will have to double team him allowing the linebackers to roam freely. The Williams duo provide one of the best compliments of DT's on any team in the league.
CB Fred Smoot: Smoot is a solid cornerback that will shut down one side of the field. He’s extremely athletic and gets his hands on a lot of balls. Teams up with CB Antoine Winfield to make one of the strongest cornerback tandems in the NFL.
S Darren Sharper: Vikings fans are pretty familiar with Sharper. He’s been tormenting us in Packers green and gold for years. He’s finally in the right color, purple. Sharper is a ball hawking safety that will bring a strong sense of leadership to the secondary.
WR Travis Taylor: Taylor is still a very young receiver in this league. He has all the intangibles that you look for in a receiver. Good size, speed and strength. Has the ability to get on top of corners vertically and outmuscle DB's on short to intermediate routes. Has very good zone awareness and feel for defenders. Displays very good hands both inside and outside of frame with the ability to adjust.
While this may be another off-season of high hopes that will be dashed sometime around Week 7, it
is nice to actually see the Vikings make some waves. And I'll be there to see it, first-hand.
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
|
