Vikings Message Board.Com

Good article here. Worth the read.

@TomPelissero: #Vikings plan to make Greg Jennings their flanker. That's Percy Harvin's old spot, but it'll operate far differently

http://m.1500espn.com/pages/sportswire. ... ings032013

dead_poet wrote:Good article here. Worth the read.
http://m.1500espn.com/pages/sportswire. ... ings032013

Thanks for the link. The comments about Harvin's strengths and limitations in that article were as interesting as the stuff about Jennings!

I'm very eager to see what the Vikings do in the draft. If they can add the right rookie WR to the mix (I wish I knew who that is), their passing attack could look very different this season... and hopefully much better.

Mothman wrote: Thanks for the link. The comments about Harvin's strengths and limitations in that article were as interesting as the stuff about Jennings!

I'm very eager to see what the Vikings do in the draft. If they can add the right rookie WR to the mix (I wish I knew who that is), their passing attack could look very different this season... and hopefully much better.

On that note, having visited Vikings.com earlier, a fair few analysts have us picking a DE with a first rounder. The prospect never entered my mind but I guess it's a probability, with ageing vets in Allen and Robison.

A bevy of picks makes for more excitement than ever, shall certainly be awake at the crack of dawn to see all the action unfold live, I'm depending on you guys to keep me (relatively) sane.

ViciousBritishVike wrote:

A DE seems like such a wasted opportunity, but you are right about aging veterans. I usually do not follow the draft prospects very closely until right before draft time, are there any amazing DE's that are expected to be available at our picks?

I'd still like to see a WR and LB/DB over a DE in the 1st round but I guess it depends who is there at our picks, and who they are targeting in later rounds.

ViciousBritishVike wrote:On that note, having visited Vikings.com earlier, a fair few analysts have us picking a DE with a first rounder. The prospect never entered my mind but I guess it's a probability, with ageing vets in Allen and Robison.

It's definitely possible. MLB, WR, DT and CB seem the most likely positions for them to draft in R1 but I can imagine them selecting a DE, a guard a safety or even a TE if they feel it's the right player for them.

LOL! Things get pretty wild here during the draft so I wouldn't count on that!

dead_poet wrote:Good article here. Worth the read.
http://m.1500espn.com/pages/sportswire. ... ings032013

I wonder what that says about Jarius Wright. Where will the Vikings play him? Wright played both wide out and slot receiver in college, and he's proven that he can get deep.

Also, Jennings has said that he's more comfortable as a slot receiver.

losperros wrote:I wonder what that says about Jarius Wright. Where will the Vikings play him? Wright played both wide out and slot receiver in college, and he's proven that he can get deep.

Also, Jennings has said that he's more comfortable as a slot receiver.

They might put him there and line Wright up outside in 3 WR situations. In 2 WR situations, there obviously is no slot receiver so he'd be playing flanker. I suspect he'll move around quite a bit so it's tougher for defenses to double team him.

Jim

Mothman wrote: They might put him there and line Wright up outside in 3 WR situations. In 2 WR situations, there obviously is no slot receiver so he'd be playing flanker. I suspect he'll move around quite a bit so it's tougher for defenses to double team him.

I might be wrong about this but I was thinking the Vikings might do more 3WR sets next season, which is why I brought up the slot receiver issue. Not that they would abandon having AD and Felton in the backfield or 2TE sets but I just thought they may show more formations next season than last, especially if the draft goes well for picking another WR.

I'm also just thinking out loud about Jarius Wright, who I like a lot as a receiver.

Mothman wrote: I feel the same way. I understand what John's saying but Peterson would make that trade a "no go" for me and call me crazy, but I'm not yet convinced that Wilson will be better than Ponder over the long haul, although he's certainly off to a better start and I love the way he plays.

Let's put it another way. I just don't seem to find many running backs to be very interesting. I tried finding interesting backs for fantasy football, but there are only two running backs that I would pay to see play, AD and Lynch (Jamaal Charles is good, but his style just doesn't wow me).

The funny thing I find about the criticism is that last year no one criticized the Bucs for overpaying an "old" player who's "past his prime" despite Vjax being the same age as Jennings is now. Jennings made less because of the injuries, but he's every bit the player that VJax is when healthy (albeit a different breed of player).

As for the criticism about him being a timing receiver, which is bad for Ponder, I don't really agree with that at all. I think Ponder has been at his best when he's been on time with his throws and he doesn't have to move too much in the pocket. His feel for the pocket isn't the best so having him get the ball out on timing routes is ideal if anything. He's been very solid with slant and drag routes. However, it's hard to be a consistent timing QB when he doesn't trust his 1st reads. Now is that in part his fault? Sure. But a lot of that blame has to land on the WRs as well. You can't throw on timing if your WRs aren't running precise routes and getting to where they need to be on time. That's what Jennings excels at, he's an explosive player and an excellent route runner. There will be no complaints of Jennings "struggling" to create separation. Jennings is also very talented catching contested balls in traffic, he's versatile and he can make plays after the catch.

Not to say that Ponder doesn't need a WR who can provide a size mismatch, but Jennings won't be the only WR on the field, and I'm sure they'll be looking at adding a bigger, stronger WR in the draft.

As for Cruz, I think anyone hear would love Cruz. But when you consider what it would have taken to get him, I'm ok with sticking with Jennings. Someone mentioned that we could have gotten Cruz for the same price we got Jennings, which is far from the truth. I'd say anyone who wants Cruz needs to offer him a Wallace type deal, if not better to pry him away from the Giants. The Giants have the chance to match any offer, so overpaying is really the only way to steal him. Plus you give up a 1st. And I don't see the point of trading Percy only to use the bulk of the trade to replace him when we already have what appears to be a competent replacement on the team. Swap Cruz for Percy and we're basically in the same spot we were before with two slot WRs and a huge need at both positions on the boundary.

saint33 wrote:The funny thing I find about the criticism is that last year no one criticized the Bucs for overpaying an "old" player who's "past his prime" despite Vjax being the same age as Jennings is now. Jennings made less because of the injuries, but he's every bit the player that VJax is when healthy (albeit a different breed of player).

As for the criticism about him being a timing receiver, which is bad for Ponder, I don't really agree with that at all. I think Ponder has been at his best when he's been on time with his throws and he doesn't have to move too much in the pocket. His feel for the pocket isn't the best so having him get the ball out on timing routes is ideal if anything. He's been very solid with slant and drag routes. However, it's hard to be a consistent timing QB when he doesn't trust his 1st reads. Now is that in part his fault? Sure. But a lot of that blame has to land on the WRs as well. You can't throw on timing if your WRs aren't running precise routes and getting to where they need to be on time. That's what Jennings excels at, he's an explosive player and an excellent route runner. There will be no complaints of Jennings "struggling" to create separation. Jennings is also very talented catching contested balls in traffic, he's versatile and he can make plays after the catch.

Oh no, it's absolutely wonderful to have a WR who can properly run routes. Outside of Randy or Megatron it's basically the next best thing. Doesn't matter WHAT kind of QB you are, it's easier to do your job if the guy you have to throw to is where he is suppose to be at a certain time. If that fails then hey you can still run around like a chicken with your head cut off.

It's hard to even say Ponder would be bad at it, think about our WR's even, Harvin, Aroma, and Simpson have all been labeled fairly poor route runners. I'm not sure about Jenkins but his overall ability was so low anyway he probably didn't matter.

he isnt a big physical guy like boldin or a burner like mike wallace, but he runs crisp routes and has good hands. he can do more than percy harvin imo. i heard migraines can go away with age, probably just an excuse for percy harvin. he seemed like a bad apple.

I wouldn't exactly say he can do more than Percy. That's just silly talk. He's definitely a much more polished route runner and given that Ponder, AP, and this offense could really use some receiver separation down the field to add some vertical threats...Jennings is a welcome addition and cushions the blow a bit from losing a dynamic player like Percy.

Again though...It's been said time after time this offseason, but Minnesota adds another young receiver or two like we expect them to do then it definitely levels out the balance of this offense and should make them that much better next year.

PacificNorseWest wrote:I wouldn't exactly say he can do more than Percy. That's just silly talk. He's definitely a much more polished route runner and given that Ponder, AP, and this offense could really use some receiver separation down the field to add some vertical threats...Jennings is a welcome addition and cushions the blow a bit from losing a dynamic player like Percy.

Again though...It's been said time after time this offseason, but Minnesota adds another young receiver or two like we expect them to do then it definitely levels out the balance of this offense and should make them that much better next year.

percy is a homerun threat, but he is undersized. good on kick returns. jennings is more verastile imo.

hibbingviking wrote: percy is a homerun threat, but he is undersized. good on kick returns. jennings is more verastile imo.

Size isn't a variable that translates into whether someone is versatile or not. Percy is a bona fide football player. Jennings cannot return kicks and cannot gash a defense with runs up the middle. You can move both around in different receiver positions be it out wide or in the slot, but Jennings isn't nearly as versatile as Percy.