New Generation: The 2009 Minnesota Vikings Secondary

Wow, how times have changed.

It seems like it was not too long ago where the league’s best receivers were having no problem cutting and dicing the Vikings secondary.

Come to think of it, it was only about five years ago when corners such as Chris Dishman, Wasswa Serwanga, and Denard Walker were getting beat up and down the field.

I will never forget the Vikings secondary breaking down on the last play of the 2003 season as Cardinals’ quarterback Josh McCown hooked up with wide receiver Nate Poole in the back of the end zone to stop the purple from winning the NFC North title and clinching a spot in the playoffs.

In 2008, the Vikings proved to me that indeed they can stop the pass. After finishing dead last in pass defense in the NFL in 2007, they make significant improvements with the help of new-comer safety Madieu Williams.

Williams was one of the biggest free agent signings before the 2008 season for the Vikings. The team had recently let go of 2007 starter Dwight Smith, who was signed by the Detroit Lions.

With excitement building in training camp, Williams suffered a serious neck injury that kept him out the first six games of the season, pushing rookie Tyrell Johnson into the starting role next to Darren Sharper.

However, when Williams returned, he provided a spark for the defense, intercepting quarterback Sage Rosenfels in the end zone and helping the Vikings win a much needed game.

He will return in 2009 with one year of experience in defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier’s system and be a leader in the secondary.

The man who filled in for Williams when he was down with a neck injury, Tyrell Johnson, will start next to him this season after the departure of veteran Darren Sharper to the Saints in free agency.

Johnson was a surprise pick of the Vikings in the second round of the 2008 draft but was definitely a guy the team doesn’t regret drafting.

He filled in nicely for Williams in the first part of the season, intercepting one pass and finishing the year with 31 tackles. Along with his aggressive style on defense, Johnson also was a key player on special teams.

In 2009 he, like Madieu Williams, will have a year of experience in the system under his belt. The Vikings have no problem starting him in only his second year.

At corner, the Vikings have their emotional leader in Antoine Winfield, who joined the team as a free agent in 2004. Since then, Winfield has been known for his help in run support, a corner who is not afraid to come up and hit a running back off the edge.

Drafted No. 23 overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1999 NFL Draft, he has been knocked for his height (5’9″). However, you will not find a corner more involved in tackles while also being a solid coverage corner.

In 2008, Winfield finished the season with 95 tackles and two interceptions, along with four forced fumbles.

He will be the leader once again for the Vikings secondary in 2009 and a guy you can always count on to make the big play.

Starting opposite of him will be third-year corner Cedric Griffin who the Vikings selected in the second round of the 2006 draft.

Many questioned his cover skills as a rookie, he occasionally got beat on some fade routes and slant patterns. Much of the time the team needed to put safety help over the top of him.

In the 2008 season, Griffin showed vast improvement, almost looking like a miniature Winfield. He showed he has no problem coming up to stop the run as well as being an aggressive hitter in the secondary.

Griffin finished the season with 91 tackles and had a spectacular interception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15. He also added an interception in the team’s lone playoff game against the Eagles.

In 2009, the team will expect Griffin to become another leader in the secondary. He has a bright future as a starting corner in the league.

The Vikings will have a competitive battle for the nickel position this summer in training camp. Last year, cornerback Charles Gordon assumed that role but his season was cut short after a severe ankle injury against the Packers in week ten while returning a punt.

Cornerback Benny Sapp, a free agent addition in 2008, stepped in a played decent. Sapp was a guy many quarterbacks picked on and he also had a problem with penalties, sometimes keeping oppositions’ offensive drives going with silly penalties.

Added this year is free agent cornerback Karl Paymah, who played in Denver last season. Paymah is a speedy corner who doesn’t have much experience, so this opportunity should let coaches see what he brings to the table.

With improvements showing last season, look for an even better season from the 2009 Vikings secondary. With young players having a chance to learn the system in previous years, this unit should gel in 2009 and make many big plays.

Vikings Show Guts, Create Fan Excitement

As if there is not enough excitement at Winter Park, the Vikings’ headquarters, right now, I just wanted to let Vikings fans know they have reason to be jacked up regardless of how this Brett Favre situation turns out.

In last month’s draft, the Vikings front office and coaching staff stepped up and did what I didn’t expect: drafted a player in the first round with high risk.

Now this is head coach Brad Childress and Vikings VP of Player Personnel Rick Speilman we are talking about here.

Ever since Childress was hired as the Vikings head coach before the 2006 season, off the field antics have not been tolerated.

One situation will always stand out to me, and this happened before Childress had even coached in a regular season game.

Newly acquired safety Dwight Smith, who was named the starter heading into a week one Monday night game at the Washington Redskins, was charged with indecent exposure the Saturday before the game with a 24-year old woman in a downtown Minneapolis stairwell.

Upon learning about the incident, Childress benched Smith for that weekend’s game, moving up rookie safety Greg Blue into the starting role.

Blue managed to play well for a rookie in a nationally televised game and the Vikings pulled out a 19-16 win after Redskins kicker John Hall missed what would have been a game-tying field goal in the final seconds of regulation.

This is when I was impressed with Childress as a head coach.

The media seems to waver on everything. If a head coach sits a starter, he gets criticized for not wanting the best players on the field. If he plays the starter after an off-the-field incident, he is a bad guy who tolerates that type of behavior.

Although fans and media alike have criticized Childress for basically anything he has done in his career (the best was when fans wanted him fired after the Vikings beat the Lions last year), the fact is Childress has taken and improved the Vikings’ record each year since taking over in 2006.

Now, he has my approval once more with his decision on draft day a couple weeks ago.

With the No. 22 overall pick, the Vikings took wide receiver Percy Harvin out of the University of Florida.

Before the draft, virtually every story written on Harvin mentioned him as a high-risk guy with numerous red flags.

Harvin tested positive at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, and many rightfully accused this as an immature act as all players knew a drug test would be administered.

Days before the draft, Childress flew down to Gainesville to have more time to get to know Harvin.

Many people don’t know that Childress got his degree in psychology from the University of Eastern Illinois back in the day, and this was a time that education was put into high gear.

He wanted to evaluate what kind of person Harvin is, what makes him go, and how important football was to the speedster.

When draft day came, fans and media did not have a clue about which way the Vikings were headed with the No. 22 selection.

Many predicted after that meeting that indeed Harvin would be the newest Viking, but others thought the positive marijuana test would turn Childress and the Vikings’ front office off to that idea.

Like you know, the Vikings did select Harvin in the first round. The fans at the team draft party in Eden Prairie, Minn. were buzzing with excitement as the pick was announced.

The Vikings projected starters for 2009 will be Harvin and Bernard Berrian, both of whom have the speed to make safeties play them honest.

This will give some relief to third-year player Adrian Peterson, the 2008 NFL leading rusher, who has been used to looking at eight and nine men in the box since his first year in the league in 2007.

The Vikings showed no budging at a time where they couldn’t afford to draft a player that would be an off-field distraction.

Harvin looks to turn this offense around, no matter who is under center this year for the Vikings.

And because Brad Childress and company have handled the pressure nicely, there is reason for excitement in Minnesota this year.

Brett Favre to the Vikings? Where It Stands Right Now

If you are lost in the roller coaster ride that is Brett Favre possibly coming out of retirement to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, you may not be alone.

It seems this story has a life of it’s own, and it just may be driving fans absolutely insane.

Oh, it is? Gotcha.

So in case you have motion sickness from this coaster, I am here to break down where this story stands right now.

Get a pen and paper out, you might need notes.

On April 29, the Jets officially released quarterback Brett Favre from the reserve/retired list, meaning if he were to come out of retirement, he would be free to sign with whichever team he chose.

Many media members thought that with the Jets selection of quarterback Mark Sanchez at No. 5 overall, Favre asked for his release because he knew he would get it. If Favre returned under contract with the Jets, his contract would count $13 million towards the salary cap. The Jets had around $12 million in salary cap space.

In order to avoid a case like this, the Jets released Favre so they wouldn’t have to worry about the issue later.

On April 30, many sources reported Favre had asked for his release twice from the Jets. That is where the speculation of Brett signing with the Minnesota Vikings began.

Some people said this was his chance to get back at Packers General Manager Ted Thompson for not accepting him back in 2008; others said this was Favre just wanting to sign a one-day contract to retire a Packer.

On May 1, Vikings head coach Brad Childress was asked if the team would make a run at Favre.

“I haven’t had time to do much aside from reeling in this draft,” Childress said. “We’ve had staff clinics this week from 8 to noon every day, then getting back and putting this mini-camp together, and then see our guys that are in the building.

I’m more focused on the guys that are here participating in the offseason program. I’m more focused on our three quarterbacks right now, Tarvaris (Jackson) and Sage (Rosenfels) and J.D. (Booty) that are progressing through our offseason program.”

Childress did say the team would discuss Favre at a later date.

Fast foward to May 5, when reports that Childress and Favre had planned to meet erupted across the NFL world.

That day, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Favre had agreed to go through a minor surgery and that the two sides could get a deal done very quickly.

The next day, May 6, Rich Schwartz of Yahoo! Sports reported that according to a source close to the team, Favre had a telephone conversation with Childress and that he had told the coach that he wanted to stay retired.

At that time, many—including me—thought this story was finally over.

Today, I learned a lesson that any reporting on Brett Favre is not always 100 percent accurate.

According to Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Favre sent X-rays of his shoulder to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.

The newspaper also reported that if Favre’s shoulder would not require any major surgery, he would sign with the Vikings.

ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap also reported Friday that the Vikings’ medical doctors were in the process of evaluating the X-rays.

So here we stand, not knowing what is true and what is completely false.

I hope I have painted a clear picture of this whole process for you.

It’s a shame I might run out of paint by the time this story finds a conclusion.

NFC North Offensive Analysis: Which Team Has the Advantage?

With what might have been the most offseason activity the NFC North has had in awhile, this division is preparing for an exciting season in which much more competition has been brought in.

In Chicago, the Bears might have made the biggest move of the offseason in the entire league when they traded two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and quarterback Kyle Orton to the Denver Broncos for Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler.

Cutler, 26, was reportedly angry with new Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels after McDaniels had used Cutler in some trade discussions. Many think McDaniels was trying to bring in Matt Cassel, who McDaniels worked with in New England last year when he was the Patriots offensive coordinator.

In Green Bay, the Packers again were quiet during the free agency period but seemed to make some significant improvements to their defense in the draft. In the first round, the Packers selected defensive tackle B.J. Raji out of Boston College and later traded up into the first round again to select linebacker Clay Matthews out of Southern California.

The Packers, who fired defensive coordinator Bob Sanders after the season, are switching to a 3-4 alignment after hiring new defensive coordinator and former Texans Head Coach Dom Capers.

The Detroit Lions significantly improved their team in this year’s draft, taking quarterback Matthew Stafford out of Georgia with their first pick, tight end Brandon Pettigrew out of Oklahoma State with the No. 22 pick, and safety Louis Delmas out of Western Michigan with the first pick in the second round.

The Lions also improved their linebacking core this offseason, trading defensive end Cory Redding to the Seattle Seahawks for linebacker Julian Peterson. This week, the Lions signed former Steeler Larry Foote to a one-year deal.

In Minnesota, the Vikings started the free agency period off by trading a 2009 fourth-round pick to the Houston Texans for quarterback Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels will compete with Tarvaris Jackson, going into his fourth year with the Vikings, for the team’s starting job.

The Vikings also made improvements in the draft, selecting wide receiver Percy Harvin with the No. 22 overall pick. Harvin, who ran a 4.41 40 time at the NFL combine in February, will add speed to the outside of the Vikings offense.

Brad Childress and Co. are hoping both Bernard Berrian and Harvin on the outside will stop some defenses from putting eight and nine guys in the box to stop running back Adrian Peterson.

So, with all the improvements to the NFC North this offseason, who has the advantage heading into the 2009 NFL season?

I will break down all offensive units and positions and tell you who has the advantage at what positions heading into this season.

 

Quarterback

As I mentioned before, the Bears significantly helped their offense when bringing in Jay Cutler in an offseason trade with the Denver Broncos. He will definitely help the Bears offense convert more third downs and relieve a mediocre running game in Chicago.

The Lions brought in arguably the best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft when taking Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick. I am not expecting him to be under center at the start of the season, but look for him to start later in the season if the Lions struggle with veteran quarterback Daunte Culpepper under center.

The Packers should be happy with the progress Aaron Rodgers made last year while under pressure after Green Bay legend Brett Favre retired, later un-retired, and was traded to the New York Jets. Rodgers threw for 4,083 yards with 28 touchdowns last year compared to only 13 interceptions.

The Vikings did themselves a favor by trading for Rosenfels when the 2009 free agency period started. Rosenfels will compete with Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job this summer in training camp.

Jackson was benched after Week Two last season after struggling against Green Bay and Indianpolis. Jackson was re-inserted into the starting job in Week 14 when Gus Frerotte was injured.

He played well down the stretch, but seemed to struggle in the face of the blitz in a loss to the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game. The quarterback position will need to improve for this team to repeat as NFC North Champions in 2009.

Advantage: Chicago Bears

 

Running Back

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was the NFL’s leading rusher in 2008 and has a very solid backup in Chester Taylor. With Percy Harvin added to the mix, Peterson should only benefit, as long as the quarterback play improves. If either Jackson or Rosenfels brings improvement to the Vikings’ passing game, don’t be surprised if Peterson becomes an MVP candidate.

The Bears have not had the best of luck with drafting running backs in the first round in the past decade or so. The most recent was Cedric Benson, who the Bears took with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Benson was released in June of 2008, leaving running backs Adrian Peterson and 2008 second-round pick Matt Forte to compete for the starting job. Forte won the job and had an impressive first year, rushing for 1,238 yards and eight touchdowns. With Cutler bringing improvement to the passing game, the Bears rush offense will improve in 2009.

In Green Bay, the team struggled with Ryan Grant’s contract situation before the 2008 season. Grant held out of training camp for seven days before the team gave him a new four-year deal worth $30 million. After an impressive 2007 season, Grant was a decent starter in 2008, rushing for 1,203 yards and four touchdowns.

This may be a make-or -break year for Grant, who needs to prove he can be a consistent back.

The Detroit Lions have struggled with finding a clear cut starter since Kevin Jones was a Pro Bowl alternate in the 2005 season. In the 2008 draft, the Lions took Kevin Smith out of Central Florida in the third round. Smith had a promising rookie season, rushing for 976 yards and eight touchdowns.

In 2009, Smith will team with newly acquired veteran Maurice Morris to get the Lions rushing game back on track.

Advantage: Minnesota Vikings

 

Wide Receivers

The Lions have one of the best up-and-coming receivers in Calvin Johnson. Johnson broke out in 2008 with 78 receptions for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, after the trade of Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys last season before the trade deadline, the Lions will need some help opposite Johnson.

Detroit recently re-signed Keary Colbert to a one-year deal and brought in free agent Bryant Johnson. The Lions will need a No. 2 receiver to step up and help the starting quarterback, whether it be Culpepper or Stafford.

The Vikings got a huge boost with the addition of Percy Harvin in this year’s draft. Harvin will team with Bernard Berrian on the outside, giving Minnesota two receivers that can stretch the field.

The team will need more production out of third-year man Sidney Rice, who has proved to be a very valuable red zone target. Bobby Wade has been a decent slot receiver whose leadership has been valuable for the younger receivers. With Harvin added to the mix, the Vikings receivers will look to improve in 2009.

The Packers probably have the best one-two punch at receiver with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. Jennings had his best season as a pro so far in 2008, with 80 receptions for 1,292 yards along with nine touchdowns.

Green Bay will look for promising second-year receiver Jordy Nelson to improve from last year as well as fourth-year man James Jones to up his 20 reception season last year.

The knock on the Bears after their trade for Cutler was who he would throw the ball to. We all know Devin Hester can be a dangerous player for defenses, but he’s still a raw receiver when it comes to technique.

Chicago will look towards fifth-year receiver Rashied Davis to step up and become a threat. Davis only caught 35 passes last year for 445 yards and two touchdowns. Second-year receiver Earl Bennett, who has not caught a pass in his NFL career, will also look to get in the mix in Chicago.

Advantage: Green Bay Packers

 

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen continues to prove the Bears made the right decision by taking him in the first round of the 2007 draft. Olsen proved to be the Bears’ go-to tight end in 2008, catching 54 passes for 574 yards and five touchdowns. With Cutler improving the passing game, look for Olsen to build off of last year.

The Vikings had trouble with their tight end position early last year when starter Visanthe Shiancoe had problems holding on to passes. However, Shiancoe vastly improved as the season went on, finishing with 42 receptions for 596 yards and tying Bernard Berrian for the team lead with seven touchdown receptions.

Like Olsen, Shiancoe will be looking to build off of an impressive 2008 campaign.

In Green Bay, the Packers are looking for someone to step in and take hold of the starting tight end job. Right now, it looks like Donald Lee fills that role. Lee, going into his seventh season in the NFL, caught 39 passes for 303 yards last year along with five touchdowns.

Tori Humphrey, going into his fourth season in the NFL, could also have an impact. Humphrey caught only 11 passes for 162 yards last year. If the tight ends in Green Bay breakout this season, Aaron Rodgers will be a happy man.

Detroit got what was probably the best tight end prospect in this year’s draft with the selection of Brandon Pettigrew out of Oklahome State. Like Green Bay, Detroit has had a hard time finding a solid starter at the tight end spot, and Pettigrew has the potential to do just that.

Along with Pettigrew, Detroit also has veteran Casey Fitzsimmons that can help the young rookie as the season goes on. Like their receiving core, Detroit’s tight ends will need to improve to help out the quarterbacks.

Advantage: Chicago Bears

 

Offensive Line

Detroit’s offensive line has struggled the past couple of years, but has up-and-coming players. Right tackle Gosder Cherilus was impressive as a rookie and at the other side, Jeff Backus has been solid. Center Dominic Raiola had been solid previous to the 2008 season, but his production has slipped.

The Lions have a bright future with their offensive line. With Culpepper being a fumble-prone quarterback and a heavy investment in rookie Matthew Stafford, the offensive line needs to live up to it’s potential.

The Bears have an offensive line that is similar to Detroit, veteran in the center with a young and promising tackle. Center Olin Kreutz has always been one of the league’s best in the middle, and 2008 first-round pick Chris Williams was solid last year. The team also signed veteran left tackle Orlando Pace on the same day that the team traded for Cutler. With Josh Beekman and Roberto Garza at the guards, Chicago’s offensive line looks to be solid in 2009.

In Minnesota, the Vikings lost one of the best centers in the league when Matt Birk signed with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason. In will step second-year man John Sullivan, who the team selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft.

The weakness of this unit is at right tackle, where Ryan Cook struggled last year.

In this year’s draft, the team selected right tackle Phil Loadholt out of Oklahoma, who will most likely step in and start day one. The Vikings are solid at left tackle and guard with Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson, respectively, as well as at right guard with Anthony Herrera.

Green Bay has not yet resigned right tackle Mark Tauscher, and the team decided to take offensive tackle T.J. Lang out of Eastern Michigan in this year’s draft. That could mean the end of Tauscher’s run in Green Bay. 

The team has a veteran center in Scott Wells, as well as up-and-coming guards Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz. The Packers also signed free agent Duke Preston, who will compete for one of the guard positions. Left tackle is locked up by Chad Clifton, who will be the starter in 2009.

Advantage: Tie, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.

Those are my previews and predictions of which units will be strong in 2009. The NFC North looks like a stronger division after the offseason.

Get ready for a black-and-blue fight to the finish.

 

 

No Brett Favre? Don’t Panic Vikings Fans

Well, it appears that this Favre to Minnesota story may be coming to a close.

On Thursday afternoon, Yahoo! Sports was told by a source close to the Minnesota Vikings that the team would not sign Brett Favre after Favre told Head Coach Brad Childress that he would remain retired after a telephone call in the past day.

After reading many articles and hearing fan reaction, it appears that the Vikings organization might just close down.

Wait, wasn’t this team 10-6 last year with a NFC North Division Championship?

Isn’t this the team with the best running back in the game as well as the best rush defense in the game?

Isn’t this a team that has had no problems with the quarterback position over the past three seasons?

Okay, well the answer to that last question is probably a no.

Vikings fans, cheer up. There is much reason to be optimistic heading into the 2009 season, even without Brett Favre under center.

First of all, the running game.

Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor arguably made up the best running back tandem in the league last year, with Peterson the NFL’s leading rusher.

When Peterson seemed to get worn out with his aggressive running style, Taylor seemed to pick up the load nicely, especially catching passes out of the backfield and moving the chains on third downs.

The Vikings had trouble moving the ball through the air last season, mostly due to inconsistent quarterback play. When we did see the Vikings throw the ball effectively, we saw the receivers come up huge.

Wide receivers Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin look to spread the field and take some heat off of Adrian Peterson this season. Berrian, after a slow start, seemed to come on as a deep threat in 2008.

Harvin, the Vikings’ No. 22 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, is an explosive receiver, running a 4.41 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

The offensive line took a hit this off-season when center Matt Birk signed with the Baltimore Ravens after they lost their starting center in Jason Brown to the St. Louis Rams.

At one point, around nine years ago, the Vikings had a Pro Bowl center in Jeff Christy. In 2000, Christy signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many wondered how the Vikings would fill this hole. Christy had been a leader on and off the field.

However, there was a kid from Harvard the team had drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 draft named Matt Birk. The rest is history.

Now, the team is in a similar situation, with center John Sullivan. Sullivan was drafted in, you guessed it, the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has had a year learning from Birk, is a smart guy, and is a good candidate to step in and be a leader.

As I mentioned earlier, the quarterback position is and has been a question mark in the Vikings offense.

After being benched after week two in favor of Gus Frerotte, Tarvaris Jackson was re-inserted as the team’s starter after Frerotte was injured in Week 14 at Detroit. Jackson played well down the stretch, throwing four touchdowns in Week 15 at Arizona on his way to winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

The part people will remember is his struggle against the blitz-happy Philadelphia Eagles. Jackson seemed rattled throughout the game. He was often forced out of the pocket to throw the ball and when he was in the pocket, had trouble stepping into throws down the field.

During this offseason’s free-agency period, the team traded a fourth round pick for Houston Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels, an eight-year NFL veteran, has never really had a chance to show what he can do as an NFL starter.

From what I have seen, he has a very quick release and can make decisions on where to go with the ball very quickly.

The negative is his touchdowns to interceptions ratio. Last season, Rosenfels threw for six touchdowns while throwing ten interceptions. He has a knack for not taking care of the ball, something the Vikings coaching staff will work on with him throughout the off-season.

Although neither quarterback has the ideal starting experience in this league, it should shape up to be a competitive battle this summer in Mankato, MN, where the Vikings hold their training camp. And competition is always good.

Although Brett Favre will most likely pass on the Vikings’ offer to come in and start, there is no reason to call off the 2009 season.

With talent all around and a quarterback competition that will push both Jackson and Rosenfels, there is no reason for panic in Vikings country.

Why We Can’t Wait For NFL Draft Weekend

I don’t know about you, but I sure am anxious for the Detroit Lions to get on the clock this Saturday after reading about 3,000,000 mock drafts.

It has been well over a month since the NFL free agency period got underway, and we know that most of the activity in that is over with. The biggest signings we have seen in the past couple of weeks are quarterback Byron Leftwich with Tampa Bay and wide receiver Torry Holt with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For NFL junkies who watch the NFL Network around the clock and check every NFL news source on the web at least ten times a day (like me), the draft is a fix in the midst of all the other sports’ seasons that don’t entertain me the least bit.

Here is my list of the top reasons NFL fans love this special weekend in April:

 

1. Non-Stop Action

If you don’t have the NFL Network and you’re an NFL fan, this day is like your birthday and Christmas combined. With ESPN and NFL Network both giving you every pick live, fans get analysis and stats about players virtually every second (unless both networks are on commercial break, I guess).

Then, when the first day is over and the excitement dies down a bit, a full day of coverage is back on Sunday. We love it because it seems to never stop.

2. The Excitement of Every Selection

I don’t know about you, but every time I hear the ESPN chime and see a new team logo come up, electricity shoots through my body.

What’s this clubs’ options? Who is the best overall player available? Will they possibly trade down?

What we love is the silence as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell steps to the podium and the reaction of fans at their team’s respective draft parties when their selection is announced.

3. Speculation

It appears that everyone (online sources, forums, draft gurus, and even everyday fans) know exactly what their team should do come the big day. Well, we finally get to test the wisdom on Saturday.

I specifically remember Steve Young telling the ESPN audience last year that he was writing wide receiver Devin Thomas down for the Titans when they were on the clock. I then remember him asking for an ink eraser after the team made a good selection with running back Chris Johnson out of East Carolina.

So, “draft geniuses,” put together a final mock draft. We want to see if your “knowledge” is any good.

 

4. The Wait is Over

For fans of teams that didn’t make too big of a splash in free agency, this goes out to you.

Being a Minnesota Vikings fan, I’ve gotten nothing but inactivity, as my club decided that no free agent was worth paying the amount wanted.

But now, finally, we get to make our moves. After hearing about teams handing out huge contracts and filling holes with solid players, we get a shot. Let’s just hope it works out.

5. NFL Fans United

This is the day for all fans, no matter who you cheer for or where you are from. Every team will make moves this weekend, and every fan base should have at least some excitement.

Even if you’re from Carolina, who traded away their 2009 first round pick in last year’s draft to move up and select offensive tackle Jeff Otah. You still will eventually have your moment, Panthers faithful.

But just because we’re united doesn’t mean I can’t slam the Green Bay Packers’ first round selection.

 

There is my list of why I believe we love the NFL Draft. I am sure there are many other reasons why fans can’t wait for April 25, and I would love to hear about them.

The NFL rules fall and winter weekends, yet also snags this one in spring. It seems like it has been too long.

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