It's been almost a year since I've written anything, so I figured I would give my thoughts on where the Minnesota Vikings stand right now. Their biggest concern this offseason, a new stadium, was solved a few weeks ago after years of strife, allowing Vikings fans to focus their attention strictly on the team. Minnesota is coming off a rough season where they went 3-13 and had the 3rd pick in the draft, so there are questions a plenty for a club that shares its division with three teams that finished at least at .500 last year. Here are my three things to watch as the Vikings inch closer and closer to another training camp in Mankato.
1) Adrian Peterson's Knee
Peterson is the face and foundation of this franchise, and the eyes of Vikings and NFL fans alike will be on the left knee of the four-time Pro Bowler. Peterson tore his ACL and MCL during a Week 16 victory against the Redskins that cost the team both their best player and a higher draft position. The runningback nicknamed "All Day" is optimistic he will be ready for Week 1 of this season, but the team must be careful with a runner who relies so heavily on his lower body strength. If he isn't ready, third year player Toby Gerhart and a host of other unfamiliar backs will be forced to carry the load, clearly not the best situation for a team with a second year quarterback, Christian Ponder, who will need all the help he can get. The Vikings have been a top five rushing team every year Peterson has been on the roster, and a great ground game is vital to taking the pressure off of an inexperience pass-thrower. Minnesota faces a difficult quandary when it comes to how soon they need number 28 to comes back and just he needs to do to improve in Mankato. Adrian Peterson allows the Vikings to compete regardless who they play, but a healthy Peterson in the future is a worth more than a getting few victories in another rebuilding season. The Vikings training staff should make sure he is as close to 100 perfect he can be before letting him back onto the field.
2) Christian Ponders Development
The Vikings pick of Christian Ponder at the 12th spot last year rose eyebrows around the league, but the Florida State graduate showed several signs of promise in the 10 starts he made in 2011. Ponder will have to show a little more than signs and flickers of brilliance in his second season, a season that will tell the coaching staff whether or not he can be the signal-caller of the future. The rookie had a 54.3 percent completion percentage last season and threw 13 interceptions and though some of those picks were off deflections, his at-time erratic throws left fans worried about a quarterback whose accuracy was touted coming out of college. Ponder couldn't be blamed completely for the inefficiency of the passing game, as he had to play behind a patchwork offensive line for a large part of the year. This was the reason the Vikings took talented offensive tackle Matt Kalil out of USC, who figures to start at the blindside from day one. This was one indicator the Vikings have confidence in Ponder and this offseason they also picked up many weapons to aid in his progress as a young quarterback in an extremely tough division. Former Cincinnati Bengal Jerome Simpson headlines the group of newcomer pass-catchers which includes Minnesota native John Carlson and fourth round rookies Greg Childs and Jarius Wright. Minnesota still has Percy Harvin as well, one of the most explosive slot receivers in the league and without a doubt the Vikings most reliable target. Though the Vikings still lack a true number one receiver at the moment, the unit has been upgraded for a quarterback who had little to throw to in his first season. It is important that Ponder finds a receiver he can build some chemistry with during this offseason and training camp other than Harvin, whose size hinders him from being a true legitimate main target. If Ponder and the passing game in general don't improve, the Vikings will find themselves picking high in another draft and likely looking for another new quarterback of the future.
3) The Pass Defense
To put it kindly the Vikings pass coverage unit struggled last year, finishing last in touchdowns allowed (34) and second to last in opposing completion percentage at 68.2 percent. Injuries and depth were a big problem for the unit in 2011, but the unit was less than exemplary to begin with. The Vikings obviously had this in mind in the offseason, signing cornerbacks Zackary Bowman and Chris Carr and drafting Josh Robinson along with two defensive backs from Notre Dame, Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton. The safety position was in dire need of improvement, after featuring a revolving door of Eric Frampton, Mistral Raymond, Tyrell Johnson and Jamarca Sanford last season. The Vikings traded up into the first round to select Smith, who will likely enter training camp as the starting free safety. There is also talk that Blanton could start at the other safety spot, meaning the Vikings would have two rookie safeties in a division with defensive back terrors such as Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall. I think the return of former second round pick Chris Cook has the potential to greatly benefit the pass defense. He exhibited great promise the last two seasons and was looking strong last year before being suspended for 10 games by the team due to a domestic assault arrest. The Vikings made the decision to hang onto him through his legal issues and he will be depended on to cover the best receivers of the division. The other corner spot is up for grabs between Carr, Bowman and Robinson as veteran Antoine Winfield will cover slot targets as he always does. Robinson was one of the fastest players at this years combine and his athleticism has already drawn praise at OTAs this offseason. The Vikings have plenty of competition at cornerback and safety this offseason, so the depth is definitely there. The experience, talent and athleticism is what Minnesota fans should be worried about. The Vikings defensive line has done its job year after year with Jared Allen and Kevin Williams; it's time for the defensive backs to chip in their part in division that can shred secondaries at will.
