After a playoff entry in 2012, the Minnesota Vikings racked up a baffling 5-10-1 record and witnessed teams exploit their areas of weakness.
One chip in the stone was by way of the coaching staff. Admittedly Leslie Frazier, then head coach, is a great defensive mind who groomed the Vikings defense to its success in years prior, but he proved that he was unfit to bring the team together as a cohesive unit and run the show on both sides of the ball. That is no knock on Frazier, it just goes to show that not everyone is cut out for head coaching duties. The offensive coordinator in 2013, Bill Musgrave, was extremely ineffective and inefficient with a playbook the size of a flashcard on the sidelines. It took him nearly three quarters of the season to implement the dynamic Cordarelle Patterson in an offense gasping for air.
The listless Vikings blew up the coaching staff and assembled a coaching staff of reasonable mention. We’ll start at the top with the head coach hire of Mike Zimmer, who spent his 20 year NFL coaching tenure on the defensive side of the ball. As the hot-headed firecracker on HBO’s Hard Knocks, Cincinnati Bengal DC last year, he expressed a passion that hasn’t been seen in Winter Park in a long time. Next, and most notably, the hire of Norv Turner. After toiling as a head coach in San Diego, Turner went back to his roots, last year, as an OC in Cleveland where he made a trio of mediocre QB look great with the use of second year WR Josh Gordon and his clever usage of TE Jordan Cameron. After assessing his grim outlook with the Browns, he moved to Minnesota where he saw a potential flourishing offense.
2014 Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Outlook
Quarterback:
The anticipation for starting quarterback is incumbent Matt Cassel and seems to have a slight edge over rookie Teddy Bridgewater. Although that is the notion for the time being, Bridgewater can arise as a contender for the reigns if he can prove that he is heads and shoulders above Cassel during camp and preseason games. Christian Ponder has been officially shuffled into back up duties and looks to stay in that role for the rest of his NFL days. Assuming either one get the nod at the helm, you’re probably looking elsewhere on draft day. There is potential for fantasy relevancy for field general here since Norv Turner is an offensive mastermind, but you’re better off using the “wait-and-see” method and adopting either option, Cassel or Bridgewater, from free agency if/when that happens.
Running Back:
Adrian Peterson. Not sure what else you need from me here. As a Minnesota native, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Peterson assert his dominance on the field with his toughness, tenacity, and bone-crushing trucks. What we haven’t seen from All Day is prolific pass catching, which is a trait that OC Norv Turner is known for installing in his running backs. The concern here is that has never been Peterson’s MO; his hands were made for stiff arming, not catching the ball. In his best receiving season (2009), Peterson caught 43 passes for a total of 436 yards (strangely no TDs) from the ol’ gunslinger Brett Favre. I wouldn’t expect much beyond that mark, but even that would supplement an already projected bountiful season. There have been rumblings, and even praise from AP, on rookie Jerrick McKinnon for his lightning speed, agility, and dynamic tendencies. Unfortunately, when you’re cemented behind the game’s best, you have to wait until an illness or injury strikes. If it happens, you know the drill.
Wide Receivers:
Let’s start with the sophomore Cordarelle Patterson. Recounting Norv Turners entrance into Valhalla, he instantly configured ten plays designed specifically for Patterson’s athletic aptitude . The plan should be simple, get the ball in his hands, give him space, and watch defenders eat cleats for 60 minutes. Bill Musgrave couldn’t figure out he was special until it was too late, so he hit the dust with the rest of the Frazier regime.
Next, we have Greg Jennings who was underwhelming as far as fantasy standpoints go, and you can let Christian Ponder shoulder most of the blame on that front.
With Matt Cassel: 34 Rec. 413 yards, 3 TDs in 6 starts
With Christian Ponder: 30 Rec. 350 yards, 1 TD in 9 starts
Needless to say, Cassel keeps his eyes down the field and will look for an open Jennings, who is known for his ability to create separation between him and his defender. Adding his superior ball-catching skills to the resume, Jennings could surprise the fantasy nation, and shrug the “old guy” consensus, as a plug-n-play option when teams are stretched thin due to injuries or bye week blues.
Jerome Simpson and Jarius Wright are great role receivers, but not worth fantasy consideration until further notice.
Tight End:
After receiving a five year contract extension, Kyle Rudolph figures to prove he’s worth the pay out. If you can’t tell, Norv Turner is the centralized theme in this piece, and it continues with Rudolph “the Redzone Reindeer”. Although he hasn’t toppled the 500 receiving yard mark (closest was 2012, 53 rec. 493 yds, 9 TD), Rudolph will return from an injury plagued 2013 and bolster his receiving numbers and pine for double-digit touchdowns with the help of our pal Turner. In the past, Norv has built his offenses around tight ends such as Randy McMichael, Antonio Gates, and Jordan Cameron. Rudolph has big paws and isn’t afraid to grab the ball in traffic swarmed by defenders. He’s getting paid like a top 5 TE, and being paired with Turner can make the dream come true.
D/ST & K:
The defense will be markedly better this year which could lead to a fine plug-n-play option if you subscribe to the rotational defense theory. To boot, Cordarelle Patterson and Marcus Sherels rank among the best return men in the NFL
Blair Walsh has one of the strongest legs today and should be considered as a top 10 K this year and for many years to come.
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Main Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
