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Bradford Trade
After yesterday's debacle, wouldn't you have loved
to have been the fly on the wall during the Sam Bradford trade. This
Viking franchise was not in a favorable position where it was quite apparent
that both sides needed to ante up to the table. On the one side Sam
Bradford was going to be given his exit visa from hell as there was no real
future for him in Philly. Philly's franchise was also on the hook for
Bradford's guaranteed money. To balance the trade the Vikings franchise
had to ante up our 2017 #1 draft pick along with a conditional 2nd round pick in
2018. The only question ... was that all that had to be put on the table
or did it somehow involve yesterdays game ... and if so, did the team sense a discrepancy
from a practice-like precision that caused residual trust issues that evolved
through the franchise.
After watching Coach Zimmer's post game rants & ravings, it would be
impossible to implicate him in any manner however body language speaks volumes
which brought up one conclusive issue that Coach Zimmer must address with a
sledge hammer between the eyes. It's not talent and it may not be either
experience or ability ... it's trust.
What was blowing into my ears was the immediate installment of Jake Long at left
tackle ... rust be damned! What we all immediately observed was the
installation-try-out of T.J. Clemmings at right tackle that blew up in our faces
near the goal after Zendejo's miraculous catch & return, which almost
resulted in a pick 6. Unusual for a man with hands of stone
(H>O>S>). For Coach Zimmer, it begs the question, "Did we
observe talent? ... Did we observe ability? ... Did we observe experience? ...
or did we observe trust?
At some juncture, Coach Zimmer is going to have to chuck everything within him
and rely upon his one and only indicator that he can rely upon and that is
trust. Most times trust is directly tied within the fire in ones belly
where he has to find his five (5) ... dam the torpedoes & full speed ahead.
Coach Zimmer is not going to want to hear these names, nor is he going to want
to hear this monumental project, but he's got to correct the issues of trust ...
and everything else be dammed.
Long at left tackle, Boone at Left Guard, Kerin at Center, Berger at right guard
& Sirles at right tackle. To start, keep one thing in mind ... Jake
Long was sent to this franchise for a reason. These are your five
(5).
Why would you take what maybe a Pro-Bowl center & move his outstanding line
calls & abilities and shift them onto a project. Of course this makes
no mention of shifting Berger out of position? The answer lies in Sam
Bradford having to replace Teddy Bridgewater the week just prior to opening
day. It's not a choice.
Kerin is without question this teams future center and Berger was made to do
what very very few others can do in this league. Berger can develop a
project (Kerin) into a Pro-Bowl talent. Berger is also the best interior
swing offensive lineman on the planet. At this juncture, moving from
center to right guard is not only impossible ... it's insane ... however it is
exactly what needs to be done.
Unfortunately for Fusco, he will never be an offensive tackle. So why did
he lose his job? It's because you have to chose between Fusco & Berger
and to be direct there is a vast number of things that Berger can do that Fusco
cannot. There maybe an even bigger question to ponder ... why would Coach
Zimmer risk both of his centers playing next to each other?
So ask yourself the question ... is Berger a Pro's Pro. Why would he
accept this monumental feat? Berger already knows the answer ... he's
always know the answer. It's fairly simple ... it's what he's
got to do to make this thing work.
To be direct, for Coach Zimmer these are the kinds of decisions that get coaches
fired. There is no question in that regard however at this point he knows
the experiment has failed. Now, Coach Zimmer has everything that he needs at his fingertips,
including time, where it is
time to utilize the fire within these bellies to find the solution.
Things happen for a reason. When something is subtracted we are given a
vision that is sometimes overlooked. When Fusco went down we were given
the gift of seeing Kerin, Sirles & Berger ... all with a stuck out sore
thumb. Kerin & Berger were out of position where everyone but Coach
Zimmer knew it but no one was willing to stick their necks out and do anything
about it.
This isn't about playing the Chicago Bears, although you might consider the
Bears to be an opportunity of experimenting with insanity. It's about the
day Adrian Peterson steps back onto that field already sporting a well oiled
machine on offense.
In ones mind the thoughts of 31 other teams might be, as they throw up their
hand in desperation ... "What exactly are we to do now".
The upcoming Philadelphia Eagles schedule is beyond daunting where if they are
lucky ... and that defense holds up ... we just might get the chance to see them
again in what will be a very important contest. At that time, they will
have no answer for Bradford & Peterson but they will benefit nonetheless.
Yup, I was there in row #6. The hand of the big guy did arrive to quell
the winds making Bradford's task quite difficult indeed. He will be under
no further duress.
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: October 24, 2016
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