PONDERing the Vikings Future

With the 12th pick in the 2011 NFL draft the Minnesota Vikings select, Christian Ponder, Quarterback, Florida State.

When these words came out of commissioner Goodell’s voice all I could say was, “what”?

Most people outside of the Vikings organization (primarily packer fans) are laughing at the fact that we selected a quarterback that was a projected 2nd to 3rd round pick with the 12th overall selection. Yes, when looking at the pick from a fans point of view it seems the Vikings stretched like Mr. Fantastic in selecting Ponder. But that’s why these GM’s and Head coaches get compensated at the level they do. It is there job to see what nobody else sees, while seeing exactly what everyone else is seeing.



As a head coach in the NFL, if you are to keep your job for more than 3-5 years you must have a franchise QB along your side. Look at some of the league’s best coaches to date, Belichik (Brady), Reid (McNabb/Vick), Payton (Brees), Tomlin (Roethlisberger), what do they all have in common? Franchise quarterbacks. Take some great coaches that are out of jobs because they were unable to find or develop the “franchise” QB, the former longest tenured coach in the league, Jeff Fisher along with the QB evaluator himself, Jon Gruden. Leslie Frazier understands this concept.

My gut says the Vikings were locked on Locker, but knew Tennessee was also. With not enough firepower to move up high enough, the Vikings were left with the “who next” scenario. I feel if Gabbert would have been at 12 he would be wearing purple, but with the Redskins trading down to 16 and Jacksonville selecting Gabbert the race for Ponder started. I believe Speilman and Frazier had Ponder at the top of their available QB board and felt Washington did as well. This made trading down very difficult, due to the fact that they couldn’t go past 16 and still take Ponder. This goes back to my point of the draft being a giant game of chess.

The Vikings most certainly moved their queen first.

Does Ponder warrant the 12th pick? No, not yet. Could the Vikings have moved down, got back into the 3rd round and still have gotten Ponder? Possibly, but this is what makes the NFL draft so intriguing. Nobody has ever posted a perfect mock draft and it seems every year a handful of players fall due to injury and character concerns.

I would have loved to see the Vikes trade down in the late teens or early twenty’s, pile some draft picks and take Anthony Castonzo. Many Vikings rubes at the draft party chanted for Prince Amukamara, but none of us spent months on end scouting and evaluating these players. I trust the judgment of Speilman and the Vikings staff enough to give them the “let’s wait and see” card.

For those of you cheese heads that laugh and post comments about the stupidity of this pick, my response is how many people were ecstatic when the Packers selected Rodgers? Granted the Packers didn’t hold a top tier pick, but they had needs in other areas that could have been addressed with that pick. The answer, not as many that turned ship on Brett Favre.

In day 2 and 3 it will become vital to protect our queen. (Rook to Bishop 4)

Oh if you’re wondering how I feel about the pick?

I’m Pondering.

Jordan T.

D-Day

After one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory, this week’s NFL draft is vital in terms of taking steps forward for the Minnesota Vikings. With the “retirement” of Brett Favre (the reality show himself), along with and what was one of the oldest teams in the NFL last year, this draft may be the difference between rebuilding over the course of the next three years or “retooling” and competing in 2011.

With a record of 6-10 (tied for last in the NFC North) in 2010, the Vikings have many holes and question marks that need to be filled. With no true security in any position, with the exception of running back, the “best player available” method seems to be the approach the Vikings must take.



With gurus like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay analyzing the draft and its players year round and the continuous coverage of ESPN and all other major sports outlets, every player’s weaknesses and question marks are over analyzed and critiqued. In some cases, this causes some players to fall down the draft board. The Vikings have been the beneficiary of this in recent years with Adrian Peterson dropping in 07’ because of a collarbone injury his junior year along with Percy Harvin to 22 in 09’ because of character issues.

Social media has also changed the way preparation for the draft as well as the draft itself is approached. The NFL draft has turned into more of a giant game of chess where teams workout and interview players they may have zero interest in, hoping that a division rival may stretch or trade up for a particular player in fear of losing them. The Patriots and he who shall not be named (my man Bill Belichik) have become the masters of this, as we are seeing with the recent rumors of them taking a Locker or Mallet with the 17th pick. Do you really think they have serious interest in Locker if the genius himself was not present for these meetings/workouts? Not a chance!

The Minnesota Vikings enter the draft with 9 overall picks (two 5th, 6th, and 7th round picks). These picks will be used to address major needs from starting quarterback to minor special team linebackers. The Vikings currently sit with the 12th overall pick, for now. Many “experts” have predicted that the Vikings will select Cameron Jordan, DE out of Cal. Others speculate them selecting a QB such as Jake Locker, a CB such as Prince Amukamara, or trading the pick. Personally, I think they will do anything possible to trade this pick and move down to 14 to 25 range and regain a 3rd round pick. Who do they take?

My gut says the Vikings want Locker, but don’t want to stretch and take him at #12. Often time’s quarterbacks are taken so high simply because of the value of the position. I hope this is not the case for the Vikings. Locker is the sexy pick that many Minnesota fans want to see, but is too early?

Personally the safest pick in this draft is OL Anthony Castonzo out of Boston College who can play guard and tackle on both sides. With an aging offensive line full of question marks and injuries the O-line will definitely be addressed at some point in this draft. In the end, I feel that Castonzo is a stretch at #12, which takes us back to the Vikings trading down.

Now to the “what if’s”? What if Gabbert is still on the board at #6 and the Browns want to trade down? What if Nick Fairley drops to #12?

Listen, Gabbert is the ultimate QB prize and Fairley is going to be an impact player for many years to come. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Vikings moving up to take either. Thursday will be the day that sets up the weekend and the fortunes of many teams’ futures.

We’ll see who moves their queen first!

Jordan T.

2011 NFL Schedule Thoughts For The SnoTap Favorites

We have a wide fanbase here on Snotap ranging from the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts. It might be pointless to do all of this because they might take away a couple of the games, I figure if I can provide a one-stop location for some fans than why not. I will leave my thoughts after each schedule



Green Bay: 
9/8- vs. New Orleans (NBC)              9/18- at Carolina (FOX)            9/25- at Chicago (FOX)
10/2- vs. Denver (CBS)                      10/9- at Atlanta (NBC)           10/16- vs. St. Louis (FOX)
10/23- at Minnesota (FOX)                10/30- BYE                            11/6- at San Diego (FOX)
11/14- vs. Minnesota (ESPN)            11/20- vs. Tampa Bay (FOX)  11/24- at Detroit (FOX)
12/4- at New York Giants (FOX)      12/11- vs. Oakland (CBS)       12/18- at Kansas City (CBS)
12/25- vs. Chicago (NBC)                     1/1- vs. Detroit (FOX)

Thoughts: Personally, I love this schedule.  I mean I don' t like road games in Atlanta and Kansas City, but other than that?  I really feel if the Pack have a season they can be 13-3 for sure.

Chicago Bears:
9/11- vs. Atlanta (FOX)                   9/18- at New Orleans (FOX)       9/25- vs. Green Bay (FOX)
10/2- vs. Carolina (FOX)                10/10- at Detroit (ESPN)             10/16- vs. Minnesota (NBC)
10/23- at Tampa Bay (FOX)           10/30- BYE                                 11/7- at Philadelphia (ESPN)
11/13- vs. Detroit (FOX)                 11/20- vs. San Diego (CBS)        11/27- at Oakland (FOX)
12/4-   vs. Kansas City (CBS)          12/11- at Denver (FOX)             12/18- vs. Seattle (FOX)
12/25- at Green Bay (FOX)                1/1- at Minnesota (FOX)

Thoughts: The Bears start off with three straight playoff teams, they have a Jay Cutler Reunion in the Mile High, which is exciting.  They also head to London to play Tampa, and Philly on Monday Night isn't fun.

Minnesota Vikings:
9/11- at San Diego (FOX)                 9/18- vs. Tampa Bay (FOX)      9/25- vs. Detroit (FOX)
10/2- at Kansas City (FOX)              10/9- vs. Arizona (FOX)           10/16- at Chicago (NBC)
10/23- vs. Green Bay (FOX)            10/30- at Carolina (FOX)          11/6- BYE
11/14- at Green Bay (ESPN)            11/20- vs. Oakland (CBS)         11/27- at Atlanta (FOX)
12/4- vs. Denver (CBS)                    12/11- at Detroit  (FOX)            12/18- vs. New Orleans (FOX)
12/24-at Washington (FOX)                1/1- vs. Chicago (FOX)

Thoughts: If the Vikings can find a quarterback (see not Donovan McNabb), I like their chances to be successful. This isn't a brutal schedule by any shape of the imagination. The only tough road games are Atlanta and Kansas City

Oakland Raiders: 
9/12- at Denver (ESPN)                   9/18- at Buffalo (CBS)                  9/25- vs. New York Jets (CBS)
10/2- vs. New England (CBS)          10/9- at Houston (CBS)               10/16- vs. Cleveland (CBS)
10/23- vs. Kansas City (CBS)          10/30- BYE                                 11/6- vs. Denver (CBS)
11/10- at San Diego (NFLN)           11/20- at Minnesota (CBS)         11/27- vs. Chicago (FOX)
12/4- at Miami (CBS)                      12/11- at Green Bay (CBS)         12/18- vs. Detroit (FOX)
12/24- at Kansas City (CBS)               1/1- vs. San Diego (CBS)

Thoughts: The Raiders have a weird schedule with most of their home games in the front part of their schedule therefore they need to win early. If they want to be successful, it's a must for them to beat either the Jets or the Patriots because they aren't winning in Green Bay/Kansas City in December.  

Indianapolis Colts:
9/11- at Houston (CBS)                   9/18- vs. Cleveland (CBS)             9/25- vs. Pittsburgh (NBC)
10/3- at Tampa Bay (ESPN)            10/9- vs. Kansas City (CBS)        10/16- at Cincinnati (CBS)
10/23- at New Orleans (NBC)        10/30- at Tennessee (CBS)           11/6-  vs. Atlanta (FOX)
11/13- vs. Jacksonville (CBS)         11/20- BYE                                  11/27- vs. Carolina (FOX)
12/4-   at New England (NBC)       12/11- at Baltimore (CBS)            12/18- vs. Tennessee (CBS)
12/22- vs. Houston (NFLN)             1/1-   at Jacksonville (CBS)

Thoughts: Peyton Manning hopes for a healthy team this year with road trips to the Big Easy and Foxboro plus home games against Pittsburgh and Atlanta. It always seems they have a tough schedule, and a primetime game against Houston to make the Texans relevant.

-Charlie.

Don't Be Silly Adrian Peterson

Next thing you know AP will compare himself
to a f'n solider a la Kellen Winslow 

The NFL players are really pissing me off this week, and definitely stealing headlines from the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson decided to use the analogy of modern day slavery. Nothing like getting the point across by comparing professional sports to one of the worst times in African-American history.  Yes that's totally true AP because it's not like you get paid 10 million dollars for running the football or have a huge mansion that only one percent of America can own.  Here is the quote for all you wondering.

It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money … the owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money. I understand that; these are business-minded people. Of course this is what they are going to want to do

Of course, Peterson's agent is saying today that the quote is out of context. The author of the article says that as well, but here's the thing, it's one of those buzz words public figure's shouldn't say in sports situations. The other ones if you are curious or plan to work in public relations for sports are comparing yourself to U.S. Soldiers, any war comparison, and slavery. It's just stuff that will never make the athlete/coach look in good no matter what they or their suit try to tell us.  For Peterson to call his job modern-day slavery is such a disrespectful thing for him to say those sorts of things.

This situation has nothing to do with modern-day slavery because there is still slavery going on all over the world. Green Bay Packer running back Ryan Grant tweeted that, and is absolutely right. Grant added it's nothing like slavery.  Gotta love, it was his Packer counterpart calling him out on the comment, and not just a random team from the NFC West.

-Charlie.

Free Write Friday: Will They Still Love Me In Green Bay?

Adam Jackson steps in and gives us a Free Write for today. One of my favorite people in Eau Claire to talk sports with, and he does a great job with a look at Favre's legacy in Green Bay. Enjoy

A little over a week has passed since the Green Bay Packer’s Super Bowl XLV victory. I feel that enough time has passed from celebrating for a discussion about the reigning Super Bowl champs and that one guy who used to be the Packer’s quarterback. I really want to know how Brett Favre will be viewed from now on among Packers fans and the organization. The reason I bring this up is that the Packers just won the Super Bowl, three seasons removed from the “Favre Saga”, quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers, in Favre’s last season, and just a season removed from a Favre interception in the NFC Championship game and a potential game winning kick by Ryan Longwell from playing in a Super Bowl.

Brett Favre was considered almost godlike among Packers fans for the better half of almost two decades. It seemed like pretty much everyone in the great state of Wisconsin owned a number four jersey. Even when on vacation or out of the state a person would ask you where you are from and reply Wisconsin, the next thing mentioned from that inquiring person would be a statement that included his name. An example would be “Oh, you must be a huge Packers fan. That Brett Favre is a hell of a quarterback.” The man was synonymous with the state and its citizens. Over his tenure as the Pack’s qb, he became Wisconsin’s adopted son.

Then on March 4, 2008, Favre said he was done with football for good and held a tear-filled retirement speech a few days later in the Lambeau Field Atrium. The rest is history. His first unretirement created a rift among Packers fans and “Favre fans.” It even caused people to tell Aaron Rodgers during training camp that they hated him, he sucks, and things of that nature. Favre was quickly traded to the New York Jets ending his time with the Packers organization. The Jets had a collapse at the end of the season that cost them a playoff berth and the Packers missed the playoffs. During that first season A.F. (after Favre) fans at Lambeau still wore Packers and Jets Favre jersey’s. The state even bought broadcasting rights with the Jets so people in Wisconsin could still watch “their favorite quarterback.” Then the second retirement came. Again, this lasted only a few short months. He came back and signed with the hated Minnesota Vikings.

This time though it was becoming quite obvious what Favre’s true motivations and colors were. A me-first and a my way or the highway kind of guy. This turned people against him and revealed to everyone that maybe this guy actually is just a jackass. Signing with the Vikings also didn’t help, but that’s an obvious point to anyone who follows the NFL. Playing for the Jets, we Packer fans could handle, but the Vikings!? It was all sorts of wrong on so many levels. Anyway, his legacy in Green Bay took a major blow during this time. However, Favre somehow managed to pull a “He did WHAT!!??” type of season, which was by some standards his best statistically and brought the Vikes within a game of going to a Super Bowl and ol’ Brett could ride out into the sunset like he always wanted too (finishing with a Super Bowl win was something Favre became obsessed with after losing Super Bowl XXXII to John Elway and the Denver Broncos). His performance for that season kept him in the good graces of some faithful remaining Favre fans/Packers fans, even though he was playing for the fucking VIKINGS! (Which we all knew was a total “F-YOU” directed towards Ted Thompson and some Packers fans interpreted it as an “F-YOU” to them as well). But hey, the Vikings didn’t go to the Super Bowl so life was good, and we could stick it to Vikings fans again about not winning when it matters the most, plus a Favre interception joke was warranted.

This last season was quite different though. Favre took a huge hit in the eyes of Packers fans both figuratively and literally. This season was full of bad news of Favre that Packers fans knew of, but liked to keep in the dark; such as the “sexting” and voicemails left to Jenn Sterger (Favre’s womanizing in the Green Bay-Appleton area was no secret among fans for most of the 1990’s), the accusations from two Jets massage therapists, and the terrible showing that was Favre’s performance this year. He took hard hitting hits and for once was not able to shake them off. During this time, Favre’s successor, Aaron Rodgers (who was still being booed during this summer’s Family Night scrimmage mind you) and the Packers were struggling to make a push to make the playoffs after talks of the Super Bowl earlier in the summer. Well, A-Rodg proved that he is one of the elite quarterbacks in this league, the Packers made the playoffs and WON THE WHOLE FREAKING THNG! Who would ever think that Favre’s last season in the league the Packer’s would win it all and he wasn’t the qb!? This Super Bowl win happened pretty soon after he left and it also puts to rest all of the Favre related questions and comparisons to Rodgers.

So, what is his legacy in Green Bay as of now? Packers President Mark Murphy said after the SB victory that Favre was welcome back and that they will have some things to discuss concerning retiring his number 4 and such. Great public relations move and now the ball is in Favre’s court. This means that he will always have a legacy among the organization, but what about the fans? Will they stand and cheer when his number four is put on the façade of Lambeau next to guys like Reggie White and Bart Starr, or will they turn their backs? It was always a question of when Favre is no longer a Packer, “what will it be like for the next qb and how long will it take to win another Super Bowl?” That question was answered, and rather quickly. Also, A-Rodg has shown through his actions and answers to the media that he is a man of class, something that was revealed to be lacking in Favre’s life this last year. Only time will tell how Brett Favre will now be remembered among Packers fans. He can only hope that it is a positive one, because in a way, he deserves it. I’m positive since February 6, Favre pondered the question “will they still love me in Green Bay?” while breaking up a beaver dam on his Mississippi property. I guess only time will tell.

-Adam 

As The Daunte Turns

Do you want to know the definition of a really bad day for an NFL QB?

It's when a team chooses to sign Tim Couch instead of you.

That is exactly what happened to Daunte Culpepper this weekend, as the Jaxsonville Jaguars decided to go with the NFL's version of Nikoloz Tskitishvili instead of Daunte. What is especially troublesome about this development for Daunte is that the Jaguars were assumed to be the perfect fit. It was a foregone conclusion that he was going there. So what went wrong? Evidently the deal fell apart because Daunte wanted a one year deal, and the Jaguars were looking for something in the 2-3 year range. In examining the situation, both sides were right to stick to their guns. The Jags want two things, 1.) security behind Byron Leftwich and 2.) someone to push Leftwich. A one year deal would not have really fulfilled either of those needs. For Culpepper, a one year deal will help him prove that he is truly healthy whil allowing him the ability to pursue a starting job next year, or at least get premium backup money. Any contract Culpepper will sign this summer will be at a large discount, so minimizing the length of this deal is to Culpepper's advantage.

Now that the Jaguars are out of the running, where does Daunte land this year?
If you trust John Clayton over at ESPN, Tampa Bay looks like a contender. If that were to actually happen, and the Bucs added Daunte to a stable that already hosts Jeff Garcia, Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski, Luke McCown, and the rights to Jake Plummer, I would quit blogging and apply to become the new Bucs GM, since the current one is obviously an imbecile. All kidding aside, Clayton also throws out the Rams and Ravens as possible destinations for Daunte. I'm not sure where he came up with those two teams but hey, it's John Clayton, so I'll cut him some slack.

The momentum in signing Culpepper however, seems to lie with the Raiders. Culpepper is scheduled to work out for the Raiders in California today, and signing with Oakland just might be the perfect deal for him. JaMarcus Russell is still holding out, and with him unlikely the be ready to start at the beggining of the season the Raiders are looking at starting either Josh McCown or Andrew Walter at QB for the first 6-10 games of the season. Would an 80-90% healthy Culpepper be better than those two guys? Probably. Would starting for half a year be better for Culpepper's free agent chances next year than sitting behind Jeff Garcia in Tampa Bay? Certainly. Is there a better QB for Russell to learn from than Culpepper, the man he is a clone of? Not a chance.

Now...there is one other destination for Culpepper; Minnesota. Ok, maybe Daunte did not leave on the best of terms, but for goodness sakes, the Vikings are headed into the season with Tavaris Jackson as their starter with Brooks Bollinger as the backup. If the Vikings were a baby Zygi Wilf and Minnesota management would be charged with child neglect. Seriously, how can you not at least consider bringing in Daunte for a year? After seeing Jackson flee the pocket constantly and throw interceptions in the few games he played last season, does Brad Childress really believe that he couldn't use one more year of learning before being thrown into the fire? Maybe they are blind up in Minnesota, but Daunte looks like a good fit there to me. Wherever he lands, one thing can be for sure; he won't be looking to stay there long.