Thanks for the clarification.KSViking wrote:Maybe I didn't explain my point well enough, or maybe it was misinterpreted. But let me try again. Lets just go back to years from Tice on. Guys that we have drafted in the first few rounds, that we have had high expectations of, have either turned out good right from the start, or have been first year disappointments, and have never lived up to what we had hoped. They didn't come into the league their rookie years, flop, and then turn it around in the subsequent years to become really solid players. Some players that we draft improve over time, Sully, Robison (though, I could argue that he was pretty good when we drafted him) Everson Griffen might be the best example to counter what I am saying actually, maybe even Cedric Griffin. Regardless, I think there are expectations when you are picked in early rounds of the draft, that you will be a starting quality player. Most of our guys have been solid hits, or way off misses. Ponder, Erasmus James, Troy Williamson, Chris Cook, Asher Allen, Tyrel Johnson, TJax, Ryan Cook, Kenichi Udezi, Dontaious Thomas, Darrian Scott. All of these guys were taken towards top of vikings drafts. Some due to injuries, some just never performed well, but all of them were expected to be better than they were when they first joined the league, and none of them really improved enough through "development, and patience" to ever live up to the expectations when they were taken.
How this relates to the current discussion regarding Floyd? He was taken in 1st round, prior to draft day, he was considered a top 5-10 pick. When we got him around 20, it was felt that we got a steal. Last year, IMO and opinion of some others, he really didn't live up to his billing, that he would be a dominant DT. Now several people on the board keep predicting he will be a Pro Bowl player in next few years to come. Im just saying, our teams history would dictate, that while he may not have reached his ceiling, he probably also will not be developed into something MUCH better than what we have already seen from his last year. And followed that up with, I hope that Zimmer and his staff can change that.
I don't think Vikings history says much about what will happen with Floyd one or the other. If you want to focus exclusively on recent history I see your point but like every other team, the Vikings have been able to develop some very good (even great) players over the years. Every case is unique anyway. What happened with player X or Y 10 years ago under a different coaching staff really has no bearing at all on Floyd's development or the future of his career.
I don't think Floyd can accurately be described as a first year flop and predictions of future Pro Bowl excellence are premature. He hasn't shown that kind of ability yet either. The Vikings chose to bring him along gradually, to let him play behind an accomplished veteran they felt was still a better option, and consequently, Floyd didn't get the chance to succeed or fail as a starter. It looks like he'll get it this year.
Regarding expectations: there are expectations when a player is chosen in the first round of the draft but those expectations vary quite a bit and I don't think it's fair to Floyd to expect him to play like a dominant top 5 tackle. He wasn't drafted in the top 5. He was drafted at #23. It doesn't matter where he was projected to be drafted. People have become crazy over that stuff as the NFL and the draft have grown more and more popular. Every year we're inundated with months of changing opinions from draft gurus. mock drafters, etc. but the teams ultimately decide where players are selected and it's their assessment of players that matters most. Mock-drafters and draft insiders miscalculate where players will be chosen all the time.
Anyway, Floyd was drafted at #23 and the expectations for him should be in line with the 23rd pick in the draft, not a top 5 pick. Did he live up to his billing last year? Probably not... he didn't have a huge impact on the team but he wasn't asked to play a huge role. I think it's premature to call him a bust or even to say, as you did above, that he will "probably" not be developed into something much better than he was last year. That's a guess, just like the Pro Bowl predictions are a guess. Sometimes, we just have to sit back and see what actually happens.
That's my take anyway.
You just agreed in your post that Sullivan was an example of the Vikings developing such a player.
