Vikings Message Board.Com

"I think you have to see the potential," Hall of Fame quarterback and Denver Broncos general manager John Elway said. "You have to have the raw potential of the arm strength and the ability to move around and to process information. Those are the three things you try to find out about in a quarterback. It's up to us in that point in time to coach them and see if they can mature and become the player you want them to be at the position. You have to have that ability, first, and then hopefully we can get it out of you."

Texas Vike wrote:He surprisingly left out leadership, something that others in the article highlight about Drew Brees and Russell Wilson.

Much more at link: http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2014/story/ ... igh-stakes

Lots of quotes from Norv Turner… interesting stuff.

Teams administer numerous personality tests and learning assessments and get all the outside help they can on how to find what makes a player tick; the Vikings, for example, talk to psychologists and corporate headhunters to fine-tune their interview process. They, and other teams, keep a file of every data point they can find on a player, from height and weight to Myers-Briggs personality type. If there's a precedent for a player of similar attributes being successful in the NFL, all the better. For many, the trick is not to let the subtler traits of quarterbacking get obscured by a big arm or ideal stature.

"A lot of times, people overemphasize certain skills," Grigson said. "Sometimes you'll overemphasize arm strength, but if a guy can't read a defense, he can't use that arm. And then sometimes, you'll overemphasize athletic ability, but a guy might not have the top arm strength or the release quickness or the size. A lot of things have to line up."

Mothman wrote:
Thanks for the link. That might be the best piece I've read by Ben Goessling.

When I read stuff like this...
... I can't help wondering if teams over-analyze and make the job even more difficult by thinking too much.

I believe impatience is a key factor. Teams understandably want quick returns on high draft picks and they want quick development from young quarterbacks. The success some young QBs have had in recent years only reinforces that it's possible to draft a young QB and be successful with him early in his career. There are older examples of that too but it feels like the process has accelerated and patience has been reduced. As we've discussed many times, the environment a QB is in, the team around him, can have a big impact on his development. Putting too much on a QB too early can be detrimental to his development. Drafting the "right guy" is just the first step. He's only going to BE the right guy if he's put in position to succeed and if the team gives him the time he needs to develop. Some players will need more than others. It took Bradshaw quite a while to get there but he was the QB on a team that won 4 Super Bowls. Brees didn't really begin to excel until his 4th year in the league and he didn't play the kind of "lights out" football he's known for now until a few years after that.

One thing I'd say for any team looking for a QB is to forget "the rules" and just look for the guy you believe can solve the problem. In other words, we all know the Vikings are looking for a QB and they're likely to draft one in May. However, it's possible that there are no franchise QBs in this draft or that the one or two there are won't be available for the Vikes. If they spend a first round pick on a QB this year and find themselves doubting that guy next year, or thinking there's a much better choice available to him, does that mean they have to be married to their 2014 choice for 2-4 years just because they spent a first round pick on him? I don't see why, especially in the era of the rookie salary cap. I realize a statement like that seems to fly in the face of what I said about patience but my point is to throw out the rules. If you think a player has what it takes and you think that should be completely evident after 3 years but it's not, stay with him longer. If you believed in him when you drafted him but a year into the process, you're already extremely discouraged or you just feel there's a much better prospect available, be willing to make a move. I think everyone from fans to GMs gets too wrapped up in what needs to happen, how the process should go, when all that really matters is results.

I hope that made sense.

mmvikes wrote:Rick? Is that you?
I did enjoy the post. And I agree.

Mothman wrote:
I hope that made sense.

David Fales says he has a workout with the Vikings this weekend.

dead_poet wrote: @mattbarrows on Twitter

mondry wrote: I hear ya, basically you're just trying to say screw the outside world and what the norm is or what others think. If you got a guy you think can be the guy, stick with him, if you don't think you got a guy that can be the guy, find someone else. Don't necessarily have to put 3-4 years into him if he isn't cutting it or if you do think he can get there but hasn't made it yet, keep him on the team for 5 years if that's what it takes. Just find the right guy!

petev_sj wrote:Oh boy, I try not to be on the negative side, but Speilman and the scouting staff have not been very good at evaluating QBs. I know we have Norv Turner, but he's doesn't have a great record of drafting QBs either. He just lucked out with the Troy Aikman era.

I just wished we had a fresh set of eyes in the scouting team. If we are going to loot GB, why not someone on their scouting team? Favre and Aaron Rodger, 2 home runs in a row. Hell, offer Ron Wolf a ton of money to help rebuild the scouting team.

mondry wrote:The thing is, who IS good at picking QBs? Pretty much no one! Favre and Rodgers were so far apart I'm not even sure the same people were involved with acquiring either of them!

Mothman wrote: forget "the rules"

NFL draft 2014: Minnesota Vikings could face Christian Ponder-esque quarterback dilemma with No. 8 pick

The Minnesota Vikings could be on the outside looking in at the elite quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL draft. Four quarterback-needy teams are on the board in the top five picks, and a fifth — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — could still look at the right quarterback if he falls to the No. 7 pick.

At No. 8, the Vikings are faced with a dilemma that helped put themselves in the market for a quarterback in the first place: reach for a signal caller in the first round or roll the dice and wait? There’s urgency to find the right leader after the failed Christian Ponder experiment, but the big question is the value that can be found in the first round.

Many draft scenarios have pegged the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders competing for the services of quarterbacks Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel. Manziel might be the most likely to slide out of the top seven picks, at which point Minnesota could pull the trigger on his elite quickness and improvisational skills.

Minnesota could also be evaluating the second tier of quarterbacks and leaning toward Fresno State’s Derek Carr or Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo later in the draft. Or, like they did with Ponder, the Vikings could secure their quarterback of choice at the top of the first round, regardless of where he falls on most pundits' draft boards.

Trades could open another set of scenarios as general manager Rick Spielman has the flexibility to either trade up for his quarterback or down to collect more picks. Minnesota is also in the market for help at linebacker and the interior of its offensive line and could have an elite wide receiver fall into its lap.

The options are many at pick No. 8, but most of the pieces that could help the Vikings most grade out lower in the first round. The franchise's valuation of quarterbacks will go a long way toward defining early draft strategy, whether they enamored with one of the big three or content to use an early pick on Carr.

Only time will tell, but that won’t stop us from laying out educated guesses. Here are five players Minnesota could consider at pick No. 8, in our predicted order of top priority:

5. Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame: While a bit of a reach, Martin is an intriguing prospect for the Vikings, who are set at tackle but could look at Martin is an ideal fit inside. Martin, a career tackle at Notre Dame, stands at 6-4 and 308 pounds and could be developed into an elite interior lineman. He’s short by the NFL’s offensive tackle standards but has the strength, quickness and toughness to become a Pro Bowl-caliber guard.

4. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson: Watkins is hands-down the best wide receiver in this draft class and should find a home in the top 10 picks and, more likely, in the top five. He’s dynamic after the catch, runs polished routes and makes the grade physically as the type of well-rounded prospect who could blossom into a true No. 1. If available at No. 8, the Vikings could have visions of grooming Watkins as Greg Jennings’ successor and pairing him with Cordarrelle Patterson.

3. Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo: While Mack isn’t exactly what the Vikings need in their front seven, he would almost certainly be the highest-rated player available at No. 8. The real story is whether he slips past the Falcons or Buccaneers, who could both benefit from an established playmaker on their respective defenses. Mack set an NCAA record with 16 forced fumbles and tied another with 75 tackles for loss, then showed big-time explosiveness at the NFL combine.

2. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M: No quarterback in this draft class has the ability to instantly change a franchise’s fortunes like Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner who can win a game with both his arm and legs. That appeal comes with risk, of course, but it’s the type of risk floundering franchises such as the Jaguars, Browns or Raiders could all be willing to take. If not them, then the Vikings could be in the market for his “instant offense” potential.

1. Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State: While just about any scenario could play out in the top seven picks, it’s safer to assume Bortles, Bridgewater and Manziel all disappear. That leaves Carr as the next most appealing option, Minnesota is a decent fit to draft and groom him as its quarterback of the future. The Vikings could play out the 2014 season with Matt Cassel under center and give Carr all the time he needs to transition from Fresno State’s spread offense into a skill pro-style quarterback with a quick release.

Texas Vike wrote:Moth, isn't this what you mean to say?

Demi wrote: I like Bridgewater, but I'm starting to think maybe his ceiling is a healthy Bradford. Is that enough?