Vikings open camp, already take a loss.

Vikings training camp officially opened today. Rookies reported already, but now everyone has shown up.

But one guy who won't be showing up, and won't be showing up all year, is Michael Pierce, our one significant free agent signing, who we nabbed to replace Linval in the middle of the DL. 

Pierce opted out of the season, as players are allowed to do this year  whether for medical concerns or not. His is medical related. Look, that's his decision and it's okay. I will not be ripping any player who taps out of this season.

But from a football standpoint it sucks for the Vikings. Interior DL play was an issue last year. We got handled in the run game on multiple occasions, including the playoff loss at San Francisco. Upgrading there was a key, and Pierce was going to do that. 

Now with him gone the Vikings have a big hole in the middle all over again. But they do have options. Right now it would probably be Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson. But I'm all in on James Lynch, who could get thrown into the fire. There's also a few other young unproven guys. 

And then there is also the option of signing somebody, especially with the couple million in cap savings the Pierce move provides. 

Everson Griffin is still out there. Yes, I know he's an edge rusher, but Zimmer put him and Hunter inside against the Saints and they were dominant. Either way, bringing Griffen back improves the line overall, and it prevents the awful scenario of him signing in Green Bay.

This will probably not be the last time COVID or COVID concerns impact the Vikings roster. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Message Board Classics: 2004 NFL Season

Preseason kickoff post (and other posts): Oh yes, it IS that time again. Training camps are open. The first preseason games are less than a week away. Players are already being idiots. It's the best time of the sports year. It is not yet the time for predictions, but I'll hit on some of the big recent stories. Ricky Williams retires. Well, we know now he did so cuz he was gonna be suspended for using marijuana. He's a little shit as far as I'm concerned. You do not abandon your team when he did. He had every right to retire, but do it at least before the draft. He's left the Dolphins with zero chance of making the playoffs. They couldn't go get Eddie George or Antowain Smith, nor could they draft a RB. The Cowboys cut Quincy Carter. I spent all offseason pleading with Dallas to go get a QB like Warner or Collins or Garcia. Instead they fail to upgrade, and now take a step back. Vinny is 80 years old and has little if anything left. My prediction is that Drew Hen...
Read more

Awful NFL season ends with awful Super Bowl

BUCCANEERS 31 CHIEFS 9 The 2020 NFL season is over. Thank god! A season that was almost across the board unenjoyable, and felt empty and largely felt manipulated, ended with the worst outcome imaginable. With a result that not only continues this 20 year nightmare but that will frankly hurt the NFL for years to come. I was not looking forward to this game. I knew this was going to happen. Maybe not in blowout fashion but I knew the NFL was going to see to it that Tom Brady got his 7th title. The house wins. The game was never fun. Right from the start the Chiefs seemed sleepy, like they weren't really in it. This team plays with swagger, but in this game they had none. Patrick Mahomes was under enormous pressure from the start. The Chiefs grabbed the 1st lead at 3-0 but then from basically the end of the 1st quarter until halftime it was a nightmare. The Chiefs offense remained lifeless. The Chiefs defense did manage a goal line stand that at the moment seemed like it could be a tu...
Read more