Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #27
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #27
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
This could be considered the first 'surprise' of the rankings, as we have already seen RFox, Beat, Glenn, Pat, and Andrew. Maybe you consider Pat a surprise at 31, but that team...woof.
#27 - Minnesota Vikings (Eikim)
(5-11 Projected Record)
Yeah, this hurts. Bad.
I love my Minnesota Vikings, and so does everyone with a brain. Prince loved the Vikings. Lizzo loves the Vikings. Josh Duhamel loves the Vikings. Nick Swardson loves the Vikings. Is that enough celebrities for you yet?
Alright, fandom aside, did anybody's stock take a bigger hit over the course of last cycle than Eikim's? After a run with the Colts that ended in a disappointing firing, he returned as interim head coach for the Chiefs and managed to win an average of 3 games per season. Ouch.
The jury is out on Eikim as a head coach and game tactician right now, but we have never doubted his ability to build teams. Just look at his time with the Colts, he drafted one of the best wide receivers of the cycle, and then did the same in an even shorter stint in Kansas City.
Can he find a way to get back to success on the field? He has never been a force to be reckoned with, but has built teams that can do the heavy lifting. After a year that sent him into the bottom tier of Red Zone coaches, is Season 62 the beginning of a redemption arc? Let's find out....
One Big Question
With a youth movement on defense, the Vikings will likely start four to five rookies. With Coach Bubba Bitz's stock at an all-time low, can he redeem himself in a division that appears to be already handed to the Packers?
Lot of work to be done in Minnesota, and everyone knows that the Packers are favored to mop the floor with their inter-division competition and claim the NFC North with ease. The Vikings roster has blue chip players all over it, but due to salary cap isuses, had to release several key contributors this past offseason.
Gone are the likes of Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, and Stefon Diggs. The defense took the biggest hits, while the Diggs move came via trade. The Vikings held the most draft picks in the latest player draft, and will hold another 10+ next offseason. Eikim is in heaven.
Let's take a look at the rookies they added who will likely start immediately.
In the first round they selected Justin Jefferson (WR) out of LSU, and Jeff Gladney (CB) out of TCU. They added Ezra Cleveland (OT), Cameron Dantzler (CB), and D.J. Wonnum (DE) with their next three picks. 4 of those 5 are expected to start or highly contribute. In total the Vikings made 15 picks.
This is a lot of youth and a lot of potential on both sides of the ball, and Eikim will need to find a way to manage it properly. We will dive deeper into the secondary issues later, but how will he manage two rookie corners, along with two inexperienced ones? How can Justin Jefferson help replace Diggs' production? Can this shaky offensive line protect Kirk Cousins?
There are some elite pieces as I mentioned on this team, and it is the team most prepared to challenge the Packers in the NFC North. I can't remember the last time that Eikim had a signature win, and Lefty would have to be that for him. An offseason to continue to build the great youth they've acquired could push him towards those wins.
One Big Schedule Issue
One of the main reasons that the Vikings are ranked at #27 is due to the schedule that they have, I just don't see a feasible way that they come out of September with a winning record.
vs. Packers (Lefty)
@ Colts (Jake)
vs Titans (Roc)
@ Texans (Metal)
That is the first four games of the season, brutal. I don't favor them in any of those games, although I think they are more talented than a few of those teams. I don't give them much of a chance in the opener against Green Bay, then going to a very talented Colts team on the road is a difficult task.
I could see a win against Tennessee or Houston, but my most likely outcome for the Vikes is 0-4 in this stretch, which is a death sentence for a football team. They have the Packers again, then the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Saints, Falcons, Seahawks, and Panthers. Yikes.
Reasons for Optimism
Let's start with the defense, as I think the best elite players on the Vikings lie on that side of the ball. Right now Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are the best safety duo in the league, and will be a massive help to a rebuilding cornerback group. Eric Kendricks blossomed into one of the best linebackers in football, while Danielle Hunter continues to improve each year off the edge.
Players like Anthony Barr and Michael Pierce are very solid contributors as well, Pierce just brought over in free agency is regarded as one of the best defensive tackles in the league, while Barr is one of the most athletic linebackers.
Mike Hughes and Holton Hill are the two returning corners from last year, Hughes a former 1st rounder and Hill an undrafted player who has improved each year. They will compete with Jeff Gladney and Cam Dantzler for snaps, the two rookies coming in we mentioned before. This is the shaky part of the defense, but the presence of Smith and Harris at safety will help mask some of these weaknesses.
Offensively, Kirk Cousins has hovered somewhere between the 10th and 12th best quarterback in the league the past couple seasons, enjoying back to back 4000 yard seasons. He is owed $21 million this year, $31 in Season 63, and $45 in Season 64.
Dalvin Cook is currently holding out, but will be on roster for Eikim. He is one of the best running backs in the league currently, but has struggled with health issues. He will be a financial decision early for the Bitz regime to make.
Adam Thielen and Irv Smith are two of the best receivers on the team, Thielen known for his acrobatic catches, while Smith is coming into his second year as a tight end. He showed real flashes of brilliance his rookie year, and soon will takeover for Kyle Rudolph.
The offense will rely on the development of Justin Jefferson from LSU, who will likely lead the team in receptions if he can develop a rapport with Cousins early enough, he fits the role of the slot receiver this offense needs.
Reasons for Negativity
The offensive line is the best place to start, as it is the weakest unit on the Vikings roster outside of the cornerback spot. Left to right, they are painfully average to below average. Garrett Bradbury the starting center, was their 1st round pick last season, and currently has the most upside. Riley Reiff at left tackle is making $13 million per year, while Pat Elflien and Dru Samia may be the worst starting guards in the league. Brian O'Neill at right tackle has shown promise, but is still very raw at the position. Look for Eikim to try and develop Bradbury and O'Neill, and start making decisions elsewhere.
These weaknesses at the line will trickle all over the offense, and for the first time in a writeup we will use a player in the positive and negative writeup - Dalvin Cook. If the Vikings pay Cook what he wants (16 million per) I consider that a major negative, as running backs simply aren't worth the investment. If Cook is extended, he needs to be able to stay healthy, which has been the issue.
The depth behind Thielen and Jefferson is concerning with guys like Tajae Sharpe, Olabisi Johnson, and Chad Beebe fighting for snaps. If Thielen goes down to injury, this passing attack will be in trouble. I also can't stand that the unathletic Kyle Rudolph at age 30 is signed for 4 more seasons at an average of $10 million plus.
Defensively, look for Eikim to experiment with the defensive line. Guys like Shamar Stephen and Ifeadi Odenigbo have flashed in the past, but now are thrust into bigger roles due to other departures. The Vikes drafted three defensive ends, so there is plenty of room for competition. Also, Stephen is under contract for $10 million over the next two years, yuck.
In a league where secondary is so important, the first couple years of this cornerback experiment could really hurt Minnesota. If they can't generate a pass rush, these corners are going to struggle mightily. Developing these players early will be a massive part of the Vikings success as the cycle goes on.
Finally, the thing about this roster that is the most concerning is the lack of cap flexibility. The Vikings actually lose cap room going into next offseason, as they have many long-term extensions on the roster. Armed with 10+ draft picks next year, they'll have to make their noise in the draft again, flooding this roster with cheap late round deals.
Last Word
It is so hard to predict if Eikim can bounce back, as everything we saw from him last cycle was nearly a disaster on the field. We know that he is going to excel in the draft war room as he always does, and have a very good grip on the salary cap. The big thing for this Vikings roster is being able to manage their shaky cap situation, along with maximizing the high amount of draft capital they have.
Even if they do, does it really matter? Can Eikim put a product together to compete with Green Bay? If he can't in the first two seasons, a ton of major decisions that could set this franchise into rebuild mode will have to be made; replacing Kirk Cousins, extending Dalvin Cook, replacing Harrison Smith, rebuilding the offensive line.
There are many franchise changing decisions to be made, but the Vikes are ready to compete now. Can Eikim reclaim his status as a competitive coach in the league, and get into the NFC playoff mix? If he can't, I think the NFC North belongs to Green Bay for the forseeable future.