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Smash Articles
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Of our 53 man roster, I like what I see however there are two (2) positional players that made our roster that indicate something significant about this 2012 squad. Last year Marcus Sherels was solid as a kick returner in that he rarely made mistakes however he was no break-away threat per se. Too often, he'd receive a punt with zero return yards. He may have also been a solid special teams players, again rarely making mistakes in his lanes. Personally, my belief is that the special teams coach should be swimming in anti-acids ... the no comfort zone ... when it comes to selecting his players. His safe choices just might hurt us in the long run. The special teams coach primary responsibility is to develop impact players that'll either turn into starters or that will pay heavy dividends on special teams. A great special teams coach will turn skills & liabilities into game day warriors. What is most distressing is the degree of paranoia in regard to keeping 11 rostered spots for safeties and Defensive Backs. This was obviously based upon last years unexpected attrition in our defensive back field. Here's the thing. What happened to our 2011 squad happened in 2011. There is no certainty that it will happen again. Last year, our DB's had learned a great lesson, and now we have much more depth than a year ago. Might this be paranoia like a general preparing his troops for the last war rather than the for understanding the nature of the upcoming threat. Here's the most important question of all, when Sherels was on the field did he bolster our defense or was it exposed? To be direct, I'm not all warm and fuzzy. In acting in this way, have we opened up opportunity for others? Last night Jordan Todman blazed upon that field, posting 132 total yards. He ran like the rookie Ted Brown in a Dave Megget body. I know ... too big a risk, but isn't that the nature of the business. That kid was no dime a dozen and thinking that he's going to end up on our practice squad is delusional. Jordan may be a raw talent as a kick returner and he's definitely an initial liability on kick coverage's but he has something that just cannot be denied. Why do I get the feeling that we just cut Rocky Blier? Jordan, like that Houston kick returner that we faced last night that rammed one down our throat is of the same mold as Todman. I don't think the Vikings have ever had a break-away kick-returning threat like Todman, except for our starting receivers on odd occasions. Sure, for playoff, I might expose one of our receivers, but there's no way that I'd let a player like Harvin take the shots on returning kicks. He's way to valuable to the offense to expose him to ultra-momentum (mass x velocity). Todman was our solution and our brain trust cut him. Personally, I'm a very angry loathing Beserker Viking fan where I'd for once like to give Chicago a taste of their own Devon Hester medicine and would love to ram one down their throat ... but now ... that ain't going to happen. The other glaring issue is at line backer. Why does it seem that we've always had depth issues at line backer? Could it be that one of those linebackers shouldn't be part of that final 53? Simply stated that players stature and skill set are a glaring liability. We should be pouring over the waiver wire tonight searching for that linebacker that will turn our core into a solid core with real solid depth. We know there are teams stashing players hoping to secure them to the practice squad. Something about the Raider's is screaming at me for some reason, but there were no waiver postings at the time of this publishing. San Francisco has such a solid core of linebackers they may have had a numbers issue. Any teams with a solid line backer core is going to face a numbers game as obviously their line backer's coach knows horse meat when he sees it and can be quite persuasive acquiring talent. It's time to take a chance that could pay off handsomely. We've got to shore up the line backer position ... it's just not an option to let it slide. Funny! Looks like a quarterback did show up on the waiver wire. It was on our waiver wire. If I'm not alone in feeling this way then we shouldn't be settling in at this point. We've got to act as our ultimate purpose is to upgrade and bolster this team. Who had to watch his team win an Olympic Gold medal in hockey? If that didn't happen, there would not be a 1980's Gold in hockey. It's nothing personal ... it's a business. The bottom line ... if you're going to shake up this roster ... then by all means shake it up. There are athletes slated for the practice squad that are NFL ready. It's time to make that a reality. Our team is not set. The Viking Ghost Writer http://MyVikingBlood.org Date: September 1, 2012 
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