Quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers, offensive line coach Pat Morris and assistant offensive line coach Jim Hueber have all been let go, according to the Star Tribune‘s Judd Zulgad.
The Pioneer Press‘ Jeremy Fowler says interim defensive coordinator Fred Pagac will have his interim tag removed and will be our defensive coordinator next year and could also coach the linebackers.
QUARTERBACK PROSPECTS
I hope Joe Webb will at least get a chance to compete for the starting job at quarterback because though he’s raw, I really like his athleticism and we saw improvement in his game during the brief amount of playing time upon which we were able to judge him.
That said, now is the ideal time to figure out who will be the franchise quarterback and with the 12th pick, there could be some options in the draft.
Everyone has Andrew Luck going with the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. After that, the three most cited quarterbacks going in the first round are Ryan Mallett, Jake Locker and Cam Newton. Blaine Gabbert and Nick Foles have also been cited as potential Vikings picks.
I’ve got video highlights of these guys for you at the site. [WATCH Video Highlights of the Top 5 2011 NFL Draft Quarterbacks.]
FUTURES
The Vikings signed six players to futures contracts, Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com reports.
Those players are wide receiver Freddie Brown, defensive back Simeon Castille, defensive tackle Tremaine Johnson, guard Seth Olsen, cornerback Cord Parks, and fullback Ryan D’Imperio.
What? What? What was that?
Doesn’t that name–D’Imperio–sound a tad familiar? Oh, yeah, that’s right–he’s the guy I implored the Vikings yesterday to bring back. Glad they listened.
Am I good, or what? 😉
FYI: Players signed to futures contracts are being signed for the upcoming season even though that season does not officially begin until March (assuming there’s no lockout). Only players who were not on any NFL team’s active roster when the previous season ended are eligible to sign such contracts. If a player was under contract, then they would remain so until March. Players who were on practice squads at the end of the season can sign with any team.
HOW TO READ THE MOCK DRAFTS
It’s mock draft season and there’s a zillion of them to chose from but if you peruse a few, it quickly becomes apparent that they have no clue about the Vikings needs.
It’s not that they don’t know anything about the draft picks, they’re just a lot like your garden variety NFL play-by-play or color commentator: They typically know very little about most of the teams they cover. Witness last Sunday’s butchering of Nafahu Tahi‘s name by Ron Pitts.
So when examining the mock drafts just keep that in mind: They usually have very little clue of what the Vikings need. One mock draft, for example, has the Vikings taking a defensive end with their first pick because they’ll likely lose Ray Edwards.
Never mind the absence of a starting quarterback or our porous offensive line.
I just use them to see what the consensus is on who are the best players at a given position.
THROWBACK THURSDAY
For today’s Throwback Thursday video I give you the 2004 Vikings season highlights. Daunte Culpepper was on fire and would’ve won the league MVP award were it not for Peyton Manning, who was even more on fire. Though the team went 8-8, they knocked the Packers out of the playoffs in a wild card matchup. [WATCH Highlights of the Vikings 2004 Season.]