2014 Free Agent Tracker & Discussion

[headless_norseman]

No it's not, but it's not a recipe for good play, either.

[Webbfann]

What's the opposite of cherry picking? Lemon sucking? I'm not saying Webb is a great QB or ever will be, just that you can't judge him on one lemon. If we'd done that with Ponder he'd have been gone several orchards ago.

[Funkytown]

What's the opposite of cherry picking? Lemon sucking? I'm not saying Webb is a great QB or ever will be, just that you can't judge him on one lemon. If we'd done that with Ponder he'd have been gone several orchards ago.

Your admiration for Webb is, well, admirable.

You love him so much you had to fail at your own challenge just to defend him. That's good stuff!

He is easy to root for, though. I'm curious to see if he's finally able to find his place in the NFL and how long he'll be able to stick around.

[Mothman]

No it's not, but it's not a recipe for good play, either.

It certainly doesn't help but I think he just performed poorly against Green Bay that evening. He's shown he's capable of playing better than that, even on short notice.

[King James]

He knew it was a possibility all week and he practiced knowing that Ponder might not be able to go. As a backup QB, it was his job to be ready to play even if he only had a minute's notice. That's how the position works but in that case, he actually had more preparation than that. Finding out he was going to start at game time isn't an excuse for poor play.

Exactly! That's football 101. Coaches preach this all the time. As a back-up always be prepared to play because you can be one injury riddled play away from being a starter. I don't think Webb was unprepared. He was just simply garbage that game. Like who throws the ball in the air up for grasp, in a poor attempt to avoid a sack? No excuses, for that piss poor performance but he's not our problem anymore so I'm over it.

[Webbfann]

Exactly! That's football 101. Coaches preach this all the time. As a back-up always be prepared to play because you can be one injury riddled play away from being a starter. I don't think Webb was unprepared. He was just simply garbage that game. Like who throws the ball in the air up for grasp, in a poor attempt to avoid a sack? No excuses, for that piss poor performance but he's not our problem anymore so I'm over it.

Rubbish, Ponder Apologists! We're talking about a guy who had what, 3 career starts, and had barely touched the ball all year, going up against the Packers in the freeking playoffs! He played poorly, but you guys act like he had some substantial experience to draw on so that he was "prepared". How do you prepare for being an extremely inexperienced QB thrown into a playoff start with a poor game plane against a hungry (and much better) packer team? You hope it turns out well but the odds were against it. Ponder would not have done any better in that game, and I was disappointed he didn't start so he could prove that.

[Mothman]

Rubbish, Ponder Apologists!

Please, don't be obnoxious.

We're talking about a guy who had what, 3 career starts, and had barely touched the ball all year, going up against the Packers in the freeking playoffs! He played poorly, but you guys act like he had some substantial experience to draw on so that he was "prepared". How do you prepare for being an extremely inexperienced QB thrown into a playoff start with a poor game plane against a hungry (and much better) packer team?

Study game film like crazy all week, study the game plan, put in as much work as possible in practice and get mentally ready in case you have to start the biggest game of your career. I don't think the game plan was poor, I think the execution was poor, which is why we're saying Webb had a bad game. You seem to want to blame anybody but the player who was actually taking the snaps and throwing the passes that night. He had a bad game. It happens.

Webb played better in his first pro start and he was certainly more experienced by the end of 2012 than he was against the Eagles in 2010 so while his lack of experience may have been a factor in his performance, it's not a legitimate excuse.

Webb knew he might have to play. He practiced and presumably studied game film of the Packers (who he also had a chance to watch from the sidelines a week earlier) and he simply had a bad game. It happens. He's not a victim and I imagine he'd be the first one to own his performance that night. In fact, I don't have to imagine it. Here's what he said after the game:

"There's a lot of plays I'd like to have back -- I haven't been tested on the field since August, but that's no excuse," he said. "Hopefully we could have had a couple more drives like the first one," he said. "Can't go back in the past." Then he repeated, "Can't go back in the past."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/ne ... z30yAqI6sf

I still feel bad for the guy. That was a rough night for him. I like Joe Webb. but overall, he wasn't a "fabulous" backup for the Vikings. He was a good soldier, a player who did his best when called upon and sometimes, delivered great plays and exciting moments for us fans.

[King James]

Rubbish, Ponder Apologists! We're talking about a guy who had what, 3 career starts, and had barely touched the ball all year, going up against the Packers in the freeking playoffs! He played poorly, but you guys act like he had some substantial experience to draw on so that he was "prepared". How do you prepare for being an extremely inexperienced QB thrown into a playoff start with a poor game plane against a hungry (and much better) packer team? You hope it turns out well but the odds were against it. Ponder would not have done any better in that game, and I was disappointed he didn't start so he could prove that.

Sir, calm down. Ponder has nothing to do with this. Don't get mad because people think your boy Webb sucks. I'm not buying the inexperienced part. He had all week to prepare. He knew Ponder was injured. He knew that the possibility of him starter grew greater as more reports of Ponder injury grew. The Packers actually weren't all that good, we had plenty of opportunities to turn things around but we couldn't get nothing going with Webb under center. He has had starter experience before so he is not inexperienced. As a back-up you always have to be prepared to start because you can just be one play away from assuming the starter role.

To say Ponder wouldn't have beat GB is foolish though. I mean he did beat GB the week before. Even with the big help of Peterson, Ponder really carried the team in the 4th quarter. Neither QB is that good but Ponder has had more good games than Webb. There's a reason why Webb never got the opportunity to compete for a starting job, he's not a good QB. He is a very talented athlete but not who you'd want behind the center of your team.

[PurpleMustReign]

What does all of this have to do with Vikings free agents? I thought the board was going to be more strict about staying on topic?

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[Webbfann]

Sir, calm down. Ponder has nothing to do with this. Don't get mad because people think your boy Webb sucks. I'm not buying the inexperienced part. He had all week to prepare. He knew Ponder was injured. He knew that the possibility of him starter grew greater as more reports of Ponder injury grew. The Packers actually weren't all that good, we had plenty of opportunities to turn things around but we couldn't get nothing going with Webb under center. He has had starter experience before so he is not inexperienced. As a back-up you always have to be prepared to start because you can just be one play away from assuming the starter role.

To say Ponder wouldn't have beat GB is foolish though. I mean he did beat GB the week before. Even with the big help of Peterson, Ponder really carried the team in the 4th quarter. Neither QB is that good but Ponder has had more good games than Webb. There's a reason why Webb never got the opportunity to compete for a starting job, he's not a good QB. He is a very talented athlete but not who you'd want behind the center of your team.

Ponder beat Green Bay because teams hadn't figured him out during that stretch, though I don't know why. Green Bay would easily have adjusted to Ponder the second time around. It wasn't that hard to see how vulnerable he really was during that stretch, he just managed to limit his most hideous blunders. You say Ponder has had more good games. Well he has started more than 9 times as many! What kind of comparison is that? You call someone with only 3-4 prior starts "not inexperienced"? Seriously? This is silly. I'm not going to post again until draft day.

[S197]

Since Webb has moved on, I think it's time we do to. Lets get back to Viking related issues.

[Funkytown]

After testing his options for the 2014 season, J'Marcus Webb is joining the Kansas City Chiefs.

The offensive tackle is signing a one-year contract with the Chiefs, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, citing a source informed of the player's plans. (The Chiefs confirmed the signing on Monday.)

Webb visited the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings last week, but settled on the team he worked out for in March.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200000 ... ity-chiefs

[Slick Rick]

So having seen the bulk of our offseason unfold, I was just thinking a little bit about what the top of our depth chart would look like.

Offense:

QB - Teddy
HB - Peterson
WR - Jennings
WR - Patterson
WR - Wright
TE - Rudy
OT - Kalil
OT - Loadholt
OG - Baca
OG - Fusco
C - Sully

Defense:

DE - Griffen
DE - B-Rob
DT - Floyd
DT - Joseph
LB - Barr
LB - Brinkley
LB - Greenway
CB - Rhodes
CB - Munnerlyn
S - Smith
S - Ex Factor? The Executor? Just "Ex"? Anyone?

Bonus: (42 nickel set)

DE - Barr
DE - Robison
DT - Griffen
DT - Joseph/Crichton
LB - Greenway
LB - Brinkley
CB - Rhodes
CB - Robinson
CB - Munnerlyn
S - Smith
S - Exum

I was also thinking that maybe Crichton would just start at DE, and Griffen would become out DT. Not sure if that's going to happen, but he always looked good on the inside in our nickel sets. Not sure what Zimmer has in mind so I'll just stick with this.

[Mothman]

My guess is Sanford will hold onto his job at safety and I won't be surprised if Corey Wooton is involved in the nickel defense.

The competition at left guard could get interesting.

[Slick Rick]

My guess is Sanford will hold onto his job at safety and I won't be surprised if Corey Wooton is involved in the nickel defense.

The competition at left guard could get interesting.

I'd be kind of surprised if Sanford started again, but I wouldn't be shocked. He's such a liability in coverage. I realize he's good in the box and everything, but I'm not sure whether or not that's the type of thing that Zimmer's going to want or not. Hoping they get someone a little more well rounded at safety. Maybe Bishop or Exum. If it's Sanford I'm sure he'd be in that enforcer role, but that's usually more of a zone coverage type of thing. We're going to be playing quite a bit of press, and having another safety who can cover (or even move up into the slot and cover, who knows) would be nice to have.

I could see Wooton being a DT in nickel sets as well. Not sure if he'll beat Crichton out for that job, they kind of seem like similar players, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if he won that job over Crichton.