subject: Harvin, Defense Might Not Be sufficient to get over Vikings' QB Shortcomings [print this page] Harvin, Defense Might Not Be sufficient to get over Vikings' QB Shortcomings
The objective of each NFL group is ordinarily to earn the extremely Bowl. Even if, by way of front-office hires and participant acquisitions, that does not continually appear to become the case. But to the final 15 clubs to hoist the Lombardi trophy, only two featured quarterbacks not labeled as "franchise caliber."
In 2000, the Ravens won everything getting a kick-ass defense. Trent Dilfer's job was to offer the ball to Jamal Lewis and get out to the way. Two years later: exact same story, unique team. The Buccaneers' defense do the heavy lifting; Brad Johnson was in can charge of game-managing Jon Gruden's style to the West Coast offense with brief passes and handoffs.
It's with that in mind that I provide up the Minnesota Vikings. A calendar year ago, persons who consider these kinds of problems declared the Vikings one participant aside to the extremely Bowl. Unfortunately, that participant was quarterback. Minnesota's reply to repairing the problem: deliver a fourth-rounder for your Texans for Sage Rosenfels.
It's an upgrade all-around Tarvaris Jackson -- subsequent a few tries, it is apparent that he is not the answer. But NFL Films' Greg Cosell, who might look at much more game movie than anybody to the planet, isn't really sold on Rosenfels, either.
The Vikings do not have got a starting-caliber quarterback on their roster, both in terms of come across or production. they are planning to test out to counterbalance that deficiency with plan and design. [Percy] Harvin will almost certainly be employed being a movable chess item within an try to dictate defensive fronts and coverages to produce matchups that favor the Vikings. This will almost certainly be the circumstance not only in Minnesota's passing game, but in addition within working game. Offensive coaches would prefer to take proper care of the eighth defender within box and remove him being a viable run-support player. Harvin, with shifting and motion, will almost certainly be in a position to take proper care of that eighth man, building strategic working opportunities for Peterson.
All this actually is fine, and also the Vikings will almost certainly be rewarding at times. But in each game, the quarterback should make some difficult throws in long-yardage situations versus stress defenses. In these moments, the playbook is reduced, the choices are limited, and also the onus is to the quarterback to generate correct throws lower the field, where by the chance is greater.
It's a system other clubs have attempted with mixed results: masking the quarterback's shortcomings by surrounding him with game-changers. once the Vikings chosen Harvin, three quarterbacks experienced been drafted, and teaming him with Adrian Peterson including a pretty wonderful Vikings defense isn't really a bad consolation prize. (And knowning that is assuming the front office environment was even considering about Josh Freeman in the accomplish to the very first round.)
Cosell admits that Rosenfels "has proven ... excellent mobility out to the pocket; he will make performs with his legs when improvisation is demanded. Of course, knowning that is much lower the checklist of required attributes to perform quarterback completely within NFL." Hey, it's a start.
If mobility out to the pocket and improvising happen to be the only real prerequisites to rewarding quarterbacking, I suspect Brett Favre could have by now been announced as being the Vikings' long-term quarterback. there may be even now time.
