Post by Purple Pain on Jul 17, 2021 9:38:07 GMT -6
Piece from Purple Insider:
Positional confidence meter: Where are the Vikings most set for success?
> 5) Quarterbacks
> 4) Safety
> 3) Running Backs
> 2) Linebackers
> 1) Wide Receivers
purpleinsider.substack.com/p/positional-confidence-meter-where
Thoughts? Did they get it right or wrong? What does your confidence rating look like for each group?
Positional confidence meter: Where are the Vikings most set for success?
10) Specialists (Sam)
The case for confidence: The Vikings cleared up an iota of ambiguity when they cut Zach Von Rosenberg and opted to roll with Britton Colquitt as their lone punter after Colquitt took a pay cut to remain on the team.
Colquitt returning uncontested after a down year might ordinarily raise your eyebrows, but in the Vikings current special teams circumstances it’s the most stable part of the outfit that has a first-year special teams coordinator in longtime assistant Ryan Ficken.
At least Colquitt may offer some steadiness to a placekicking battery that needs a calming force. Turner Bernard and Andrew DePaola are both plenty raw at the long snapping position, about as raw as the two kickers Greg Joseph and Riley Patterson. Colquitt, the eldest Viking at 36 years old, will be needed as the fulcrum of that unit.
Cause for concern: Colquitt can’t put balls through the uprights. It’ll be on one of the two relatively anonymous kicker signings to become the stabilizers of a position prone to combustion. Whether rookies, veterans or home-grown draft picks, Vikings kickers have faltering for the better part of the Mike Zimmer era. Joseph, if he wins the job, would be the least renowned of the myriad kickers that have cycled through town. His last NFL field goal was in 2018, where he made 85 percent for the Browns.
Patterson, a 77% kicker in college, mysteriously missed a large chunk of the offseason program, which puts Joseph in the lead presently, but makes and misses in preseason games could end up determining the winner.
As we’ve learned, though, preseason means very little in the long run. Can the Vikings next kicker deliver in a close game at Lambeau Field? We don’t know.
It wouldn’t be a Vikings season without some kicking-related heart palpitations.
Confidence rating: 30%
9) Offensive line (Matthew)
The case for confidence: The Vikings now possess the most talent along the offensive line that they’ve had since Mike Zimmer arrived in Minnesota. All five projected starters were drafted within the first three rounds. Zimmer handed down the edict before the draft that he wants to get bigger and improve the team’s pass blocking, so they picked Christian Darrisaw in the first round and massive guard Wyatt Davis in the third. Both players have the physical capability to step in right away and make a difference.
At guard, Ezra Cleveland showed flashes last year. He’ll be switching to a more comfortable position at left guard considering he played left tackle in college. And former first-round pick Garrett Bradbury is reaching his third year, where centers historically take the next step. If it all comes together, the Vikings could make significant gains up front.
Cause for concern: If this was a confidence meter for 2022 or 2023 that the Vikings’ offensive line will be good, it would be much higher. For this season, there are still lots of question marks. Going left to right: Can Darrisaw win the starting LT position and adapt quickly with a murderer’s row of defensive ends on the schedule? Can Cleveland take a step forward while switching from right guard to left guard? Can Bradbury grow into an above average starter? Can Davis win the right guard job?
In the best case scenario, the Vikings will have a very solid line this year that ascends throughout the season as everyone becomes more comfortable. But there exists the possibility that Rashod Hill and Dakota Dozier end up as your Day 1 starters and the O-line struggles to hold up against good competition. It’s hard to say with any confidence which way it will go.
Confidence rating: 45%
8) Tight ends (Sam)
The case for confidence: As I wrote in Tuesday’s story, Irv Smith Jr. should be a productive player. Given how well he played in the TE1 role to end last season, along with his success as a blocker, there shouldn’t be reason for serious qualms, even if Smith isn’t what the league would consider top-end talent yet.
Cause for concern: This Confidence Meter is graded partly on depth, however, and the Vikings just don’t have much of it at tight end. Minnesota basically said, “We’re good,” at the first three tight end positions, doing nothing to add competition to the upper tier of that group. Rookies Zach Davidson (fifth round) and Shane Zylstra (UDFA) seem like the interchangeable fourth and fifth options.
For a team that relies heavily on two-tight-end sets, they are investing a lot of faith in Tyler Conklin and Brandon Dillon.
Conklin is a man with a wide variety of outcomes. It’s plausible that he delivers a productive year and lobbies for a multi-year contract next free agency. It’s also believable he could wind up struggling for targets in an offense with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and his counterpart Smith. The truth is we don’t know much about him other than the encouraging glimpse late last season.
It’s assumed, but not definite, that Dillon the No. 3, and he has one career catch.
An injury to Smith could be demoralizing to the tight end position, and when that much rides on one player, confidence should be lukewarm at best.
Confidence rating: 50%
7) Cornerbacks (Matthew)
The case for confidence: Hello, veterans.
Last year the oldest cornerback on the roster in Week 1 was Mike Hughes. This season Zimmer will roll out proven players who won’t be going through the growing pains that we saw in 2020. Now rather than hoping an inexperienced player like Cam Dantzler can rise to the occasion week after week, he’ll be given the opportunity to play a depth role behind Patrick Peterson, Mackensie Alexander and Bashaud Breeland (unless he beats out Breeland for the starting job). That leaves a lot less variance and could bode well for Dantzler’s future.
Cause for concern: The Vikings are asking their brand new group of cornerbacks to jell in short order. They’ll need to master Zimmer’s scheme and build chemistry with the linebackers and safeties in short order. In Zimmer’s first run as head coach, the defense was largely together from 2015-2019. It will take some adjusting to get everyone on the same page, even if they are experienced.
Plus, while corners often have ups and downs, it lands under the “concern” category that Peterson is in his 30s and coming off a down season.
Confidence rating: 55%
6) Defensive line (Sam)
The case for confidence: We spent a good chunk of the offseason criticizing the Vikings for their lack of attention to the defensive line, but when Sheldon Richardson signed and Danielle Hunter restructured his contract in a 24-hour span, things took a turn for the better.
Minnesota wouldn’t be without at least one high-end pass rusher. They wouldn’t be without at least one penetrating 3-technique.
The starting group now features a Pro Bowl end in Hunter and one a nose tackle in his prime with Michael Pierce. And though Dalvin Tomlinson is a bit of a tweener tackle, he forms a run-stopping interior that could be toward the top of the NFL.
Cause for concern: The depth at both end and tackle is suspect. Rotational end options include Jalyn Holmes, Hercules Mata’afa and Kenny Willekes. The depth at tackle isn’t any more inspirational with James Lynch, Armon Watts and rookie Jaylen Twyman. That group is packed with second, third and fourth year players that have largely underachieved, to the point where four, five or even all six are probably on the roster bubble.
Hunter coming back along with Pierce could restore the defensive line to its previous efficiency that set up more favorable pass-rush situations.
Health, as usual, will be paramount with this group.
Confidence rating: 65%
The case for confidence: The Vikings cleared up an iota of ambiguity when they cut Zach Von Rosenberg and opted to roll with Britton Colquitt as their lone punter after Colquitt took a pay cut to remain on the team.
Colquitt returning uncontested after a down year might ordinarily raise your eyebrows, but in the Vikings current special teams circumstances it’s the most stable part of the outfit that has a first-year special teams coordinator in longtime assistant Ryan Ficken.
At least Colquitt may offer some steadiness to a placekicking battery that needs a calming force. Turner Bernard and Andrew DePaola are both plenty raw at the long snapping position, about as raw as the two kickers Greg Joseph and Riley Patterson. Colquitt, the eldest Viking at 36 years old, will be needed as the fulcrum of that unit.
Cause for concern: Colquitt can’t put balls through the uprights. It’ll be on one of the two relatively anonymous kicker signings to become the stabilizers of a position prone to combustion. Whether rookies, veterans or home-grown draft picks, Vikings kickers have faltering for the better part of the Mike Zimmer era. Joseph, if he wins the job, would be the least renowned of the myriad kickers that have cycled through town. His last NFL field goal was in 2018, where he made 85 percent for the Browns.
Patterson, a 77% kicker in college, mysteriously missed a large chunk of the offseason program, which puts Joseph in the lead presently, but makes and misses in preseason games could end up determining the winner.
As we’ve learned, though, preseason means very little in the long run. Can the Vikings next kicker deliver in a close game at Lambeau Field? We don’t know.
It wouldn’t be a Vikings season without some kicking-related heart palpitations.
Confidence rating: 30%
9) Offensive line (Matthew)
The case for confidence: The Vikings now possess the most talent along the offensive line that they’ve had since Mike Zimmer arrived in Minnesota. All five projected starters were drafted within the first three rounds. Zimmer handed down the edict before the draft that he wants to get bigger and improve the team’s pass blocking, so they picked Christian Darrisaw in the first round and massive guard Wyatt Davis in the third. Both players have the physical capability to step in right away and make a difference.
At guard, Ezra Cleveland showed flashes last year. He’ll be switching to a more comfortable position at left guard considering he played left tackle in college. And former first-round pick Garrett Bradbury is reaching his third year, where centers historically take the next step. If it all comes together, the Vikings could make significant gains up front.
Cause for concern: If this was a confidence meter for 2022 or 2023 that the Vikings’ offensive line will be good, it would be much higher. For this season, there are still lots of question marks. Going left to right: Can Darrisaw win the starting LT position and adapt quickly with a murderer’s row of defensive ends on the schedule? Can Cleveland take a step forward while switching from right guard to left guard? Can Bradbury grow into an above average starter? Can Davis win the right guard job?
In the best case scenario, the Vikings will have a very solid line this year that ascends throughout the season as everyone becomes more comfortable. But there exists the possibility that Rashod Hill and Dakota Dozier end up as your Day 1 starters and the O-line struggles to hold up against good competition. It’s hard to say with any confidence which way it will go.
Confidence rating: 45%
8) Tight ends (Sam)
The case for confidence: As I wrote in Tuesday’s story, Irv Smith Jr. should be a productive player. Given how well he played in the TE1 role to end last season, along with his success as a blocker, there shouldn’t be reason for serious qualms, even if Smith isn’t what the league would consider top-end talent yet.
Cause for concern: This Confidence Meter is graded partly on depth, however, and the Vikings just don’t have much of it at tight end. Minnesota basically said, “We’re good,” at the first three tight end positions, doing nothing to add competition to the upper tier of that group. Rookies Zach Davidson (fifth round) and Shane Zylstra (UDFA) seem like the interchangeable fourth and fifth options.
For a team that relies heavily on two-tight-end sets, they are investing a lot of faith in Tyler Conklin and Brandon Dillon.
Conklin is a man with a wide variety of outcomes. It’s plausible that he delivers a productive year and lobbies for a multi-year contract next free agency. It’s also believable he could wind up struggling for targets in an offense with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and his counterpart Smith. The truth is we don’t know much about him other than the encouraging glimpse late last season.
It’s assumed, but not definite, that Dillon the No. 3, and he has one career catch.
An injury to Smith could be demoralizing to the tight end position, and when that much rides on one player, confidence should be lukewarm at best.
Confidence rating: 50%
7) Cornerbacks (Matthew)
The case for confidence: Hello, veterans.
Last year the oldest cornerback on the roster in Week 1 was Mike Hughes. This season Zimmer will roll out proven players who won’t be going through the growing pains that we saw in 2020. Now rather than hoping an inexperienced player like Cam Dantzler can rise to the occasion week after week, he’ll be given the opportunity to play a depth role behind Patrick Peterson, Mackensie Alexander and Bashaud Breeland (unless he beats out Breeland for the starting job). That leaves a lot less variance and could bode well for Dantzler’s future.
Cause for concern: The Vikings are asking their brand new group of cornerbacks to jell in short order. They’ll need to master Zimmer’s scheme and build chemistry with the linebackers and safeties in short order. In Zimmer’s first run as head coach, the defense was largely together from 2015-2019. It will take some adjusting to get everyone on the same page, even if they are experienced.
Plus, while corners often have ups and downs, it lands under the “concern” category that Peterson is in his 30s and coming off a down season.
Confidence rating: 55%
6) Defensive line (Sam)
The case for confidence: We spent a good chunk of the offseason criticizing the Vikings for their lack of attention to the defensive line, but when Sheldon Richardson signed and Danielle Hunter restructured his contract in a 24-hour span, things took a turn for the better.
Minnesota wouldn’t be without at least one high-end pass rusher. They wouldn’t be without at least one penetrating 3-technique.
The starting group now features a Pro Bowl end in Hunter and one a nose tackle in his prime with Michael Pierce. And though Dalvin Tomlinson is a bit of a tweener tackle, he forms a run-stopping interior that could be toward the top of the NFL.
Cause for concern: The depth at both end and tackle is suspect. Rotational end options include Jalyn Holmes, Hercules Mata’afa and Kenny Willekes. The depth at tackle isn’t any more inspirational with James Lynch, Armon Watts and rookie Jaylen Twyman. That group is packed with second, third and fourth year players that have largely underachieved, to the point where four, five or even all six are probably on the roster bubble.
Hunter coming back along with Pierce could restore the defensive line to its previous efficiency that set up more favorable pass-rush situations.
Health, as usual, will be paramount with this group.
Confidence rating: 65%
> 5) Quarterbacks
> 4) Safety
> 3) Running Backs
> 2) Linebackers
> 1) Wide Receivers
purpleinsider.substack.com/p/positional-confidence-meter-where
Thoughts? Did they get it right or wrong? What does your confidence rating look like for each group?
... and neither is this Chris guy.