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David Levine -> RE: Vikes talk for Twins Fans (11/28/2016 2:43:37 PM)
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ORIGINAL: Trekgeekscott
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ORIGINAL: David Levine
quote:
ORIGINAL: Trekgeekscott
OK Glaring deficiencies.
Who could possibly predict the Oline catastrophe this team has endured?
Seriously?
When they were opening camp they had Oline that was supposed to look like this:
Kalil Boone, Berger/Sullivan, Harris, Loadholt
Before camp can begin Harris gets a mysterious head ailment, Loahholt retires.
They thought well Fusco looked good at RG before they moved him to LG. With Boone back they can move him there...Not been so good.
Smith plays about half the season before he's lost for the year.
Kalil plays three games and probably should have only played 2. done for the year.
Berger went down on Thanksgiving.
So did our THIRD option at RT Sirles.
Long was signed at the bye and looked rusty to be sure but just as he was shaking off that rust...bam! there goes the achilles.
By the end of the game on Thursday we were literally on our fourth option at RT. Third at LT, Backup C. a underperforming schlep at RG and Boone our big name free agent.
Kalil, Harris Loadolt, Long, Sirles, Berger, Boone missed time too, No team has ever had the problems we've had.
It shouldn't be Speilman fired, it should be Sugerman for not keeping these guys healthy.
Lots of bodies, not much talent. Poor allocation of resources.
Kalil: Was likely playing his last year for us even before he got hurt. Only picked up his 5th year option because of complete lack of other options.
Boone: Nice pick-up of a complimentary player. Solid, but only as good as the guys around him.
Berger: Solid stopgap. Ideally a back-up G/C at this point.
Harris: No idea when they first learned about his issues. Predraft? Pre-Free Agency?
Fusco: Gamble that moving back to the right would bring back his 2013 production.
Loadholt: Odds of him not retiring were almost nil. Guys that size don't tend to recover from the injury he had.
Smith: Bust. Lazy and Bengals had no interest in bringing him back. Had to sign a 1-year prove it deal. Poor man's McKinney.
Clemmings: Athletic ability but incredibly raw. Was awful as a rookie.
Everyone else was completely untested.
So the only "sure things" we had were a 34 year-old Center, Alex Boone, A bottom 3rd (at best) LT and maybe a 4th year Guard that only last year flashed signs of being a player.
Kalil - even you say there were no better options available...
Berger is the stopgap for Easton who they like and are grooming to replace him in a year or two if not sooner.
Fusco was good in 2014 at RG. It's why they thought they could move him to LG, but that destroyed him. Figured moving him back might bring back that magic. Didn't but it wasn't a bad idea. and it was to back up Harris who was very good last year...but this head ailment destroyed that..
Loadholt you are probably right about...but they did try to hedge their bets with Clemmings returning and signing Smith.
It's a mess, but you have to really look at what was available, how much cap space we really had to work with, and injuries to other players too, like Bridgewater who was more mobile than Bradford and Peterson who can at least break an occasional tackle...
They need to address the Oline in a major way this offseason. Like half the draft.
I hope they are scouting the shit out of Oline in college this year.
I say we had no better options than Kalil, because we never considered competition for him, or were able to develop any other OTs. And it would be great if some of the 7th round or undrafted guys we're "grooming" work out, but the odds aren't great. For every Matt Birk, there are literally thousands of guys who don't make it.
And that's all because Spielman has put OLine as his lowest priority for years. 2 picks in the Top 3 rounds in a decade. And bargain shopping free agency.
(It was OLine and LB, but Zimmer fixed the latter).
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