Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by hibbingviking »

Vikings will draft lb or dl in the first. ponder needs a big target not another one dimensional percy harvin imo.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by Funkytown »

I'll be shocked if we don't go WR in round one. I see some people suggesting going all defense. I don't get it. What was our number one weakness last season? The passing game. It was Ponder and our receivers. We have been settling at the WR position for far too long. It's simply not working. We can't afford to do it any longer. WR please! Thank you! Also, it's a key point this season to evaluate Ponder--ya know, that guy who is supposed to be our franchise QB? Let's give him some legitimate targets.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by big deli Vike »

MelanieMFunk wrote:I'll be shocked if we don't go WR in round one. I see some people suggesting going all defense. I don't get it. What was our number one weakness last season? The passing game. It was Ponder and our receivers. We have been settling at the WR position for far too long. It's simply not working. We can't afford to do it any longer. WR please! Thank you! Also, it's a key point this season to evaluate Ponder--ya know, that guy who is supposed to be our franchise QB? Let's give him some legitimate targets.
They can still get really good targets in the 2nd round if they go defense in 1. Dobson, Hunter, maybe Da' Rick rogers later on too.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by Demi »

Yeah draft might be deep and it's not like the top 3-5 are really separated that much from the 2nd and 3rd tier guys
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

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That may be true, but why get a "good" guy when you can get a "great" guy? I'm not saying anyone is guaranteed to be great or anything, but the point is: We've been picking up number 2 and 3 guys (or 4 or 5 lol) for the past few years. It's not working! We need a number 1 guy! The same thing people are always crying in their beer about--the Vikings settling at the WR position--is the same thing that is being suggested yet again. I don't get it. I want a top WR. Someone young, fast, hungry, etc. Someone to build chemistry with Ponder and get this offense going. I really like this "going young" thing. If we do this right, we can be good for years. I love it, but we still need a top WR.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by Demi »

There are no #1 guys. If there were they'd be gone long before our pick and we wouldn't even be discussing them.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

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By #1 or Top WR, I basically mean the best available at our pick. Why wait until late into the second to address our number one concern when we don't have to?
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

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MelanieMFunk wrote:I'll be shocked if we don't go WR in round one. I see some people suggesting going all defense. I don't get it. What was our number one weakness last season? The passing game.
That's true but things have changed since the season ended. The Vikings don't have a starting middle linebacker and their best corner is no longer on the roster. WR is still a need and there's definitely a case to be made for drafting a WR in the first round but there are some serious needs elsewhere on the team as well. They need to draft a wide receiver (or two) but they don't necessarily need to draft a wide receiver at #23 or #25. I'm not against that, I just don't think it's something they have to do.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

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MelanieMFunk wrote:I'll be shocked if we don't go WR in round one. I see some people suggesting going all defense. I don't get it. What was our number one weakness last season? The passing game. It was Ponder and our receivers. We have been settling at the WR position for far too long. It's simply not working. We can't afford to do it any longer. WR please! Thank you! Also, it's a key point this season to evaluate Ponder--ya know, that guy who is supposed to be our franchise QB? Let's give him some legitimate targets.
trust me I know WR was by far our worst category, I just believe there isn't a true first round deep threat like a Julio jones that we need or is worth trading up for. So I also believe by our 23# the level of skill at that position with still be deep until the second, third round where other position may not be. With all that being said if a top Quality receiver slips like tavon Austin or Patterson I hope they don't hesitate to grab him.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by Funkytown »

I understand about the LB, DT, and CB positions; however, our receiving corps was by far the weakest part of our team last season. Losing Harvin and Jenkins and picking up Jennings is hardly an upgrade. If anything, we might be slightly worse off than last season. Equal or slightly worse off is unacceptable. This is a make or break year for Ponder. I think we put the best guys around him that we can. We did what we could during free agency, and now we have an opportunity to do it in the draft.

I understand people don't think the WRs in this draft are all that special. So? Awesome. So the *best* WRs aren't that special, so we should wait until the late second to pick someone? If the *best* WRs in this draft aren't that good, what the heck does that say for the guys in the late second and beyond? That is the point. We've been settling at the WR for years now, and I don't want to continue it. We ALL know addressing the WR position is TOP priority.

I understand the D needs some help too, but not like the offense. The Vikes let some guys go in free agency and seem to be okay with it. They are obviously confident about who is already on the team--or who they might potentially get to replace them. That's all fine and good--but the WR position still hasn't been upgraded, and they can't possibly be confident about that. I'd rather pick up a guy who could potentially become a number 1 guy (this is OUR team we are talking about...don't pretend he needs to be a Calvin Johnson to be a number 1) or a number 2 guy--than to automatically settle for a guy and just be like "Eh. If he's a number 2 or 3 receiver we are okay with that." That is what we HAVE been doing. How's it working? It's not.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by Mothman »

MelanieMFunk wrote:I understand about the LB, DT, and CB positions; however, our receiving corps was by far the weakest part of our team last season. Losing Harvin and Jenkins and picking up Jennings is hardly an upgrade. If anything, we might be slightly worse off than last season. Equal or slightly worse off is unacceptable. This is a make or break year for Ponder. I think we put the best guys around him that we can. We did what we could during free agency, and now we have an opportunity to do it in the draft.
I understand and I don't disagree that WR is a significant need or that they need to assemble the best talent they can around Ponder but in this draft, nobody can even agree about which receivers are best and when it's all said and done, a second or third round WR could easily end up being the best receiver to come out of this class. Meanwhile, even though WR was the team's biggest need last season and remains a significant need, it's not necessarily their biggest need now.
I understand people don't think the WRs in this draft are all that special. So? Awesome. So the *best* WRs aren't that special, so we should wait until the late second to pick someone? If the *best* WRs in this draft aren't that good, what the heck does that say for the guys in the late second and beyond? That is the point
In this case, what it says is that there may not be much difference between the WRs available in the late first round and those available in the second.
I understand the D needs some help too, but not like the offense.
There's no starting middle linebacker. The team doesn't have a bigger need than that.
The Vikes let some guys go in free agency and seem to be okay with it. They are obviously confident about who is already on the team--or who they might potentially get to replace them.
Exactly, and it's pretty clear they intend to replace at least one of them in the draft.
That's all fine and good--but the WR position still hasn't been upgraded, and they can't possibly be confident about that. I'd rather pick up a guy who could potentially become a number 1 guy (this is OUR team we are talking about...don't pretend he needs to be a Calvin Johnson to be a number 1) or a number 2 guy--than to automatically settle for a guy and just be like "Eh. If he's a number 2 or 3 receiver we are okay with that." That is what we HAVE been doing. How's it working? It's not.
Drafting a WR beyond the first round isn't automatically settling for a mediocre player. There will be receivers available in at least the first 3 rounds of this draft with the potential to become quality starters. Again, I'm sure the Vikes are considering drafting a receiver in R1 and frankly, I expect them to do that. All some of us are saying is that it's not 100% essential for them to do that and depending on the talent available when they pick, they might actually be better served by drafting defense at #23 and #25 and drafting a WR in R2.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by RandallioCobb18 »

MelanieMFunk wrote:I understand about the LB, DT, and CB positions; however, our receiving corps was by far the weakest part of our team last season. Losing Harvin and Jenkins and picking up Jennings is hardly an upgrade. If anything, we might be slightly worse off than last season. Equal or slightly worse off is unacceptable. This is a make or break year for Ponder. I think we put the best guys around him that we can. We did what we could during free agency, and now we have an opportunity to do it in the draft.

I understand people don't think the WRs in this draft are all that special. So? Awesome. So the *best* WRs aren't that special, so we should wait until the late second to pick someone? If the *best* WRs in this draft aren't that good, what the heck does that say for the guys in the late second and beyond? That is the point. We've been settling at the WR for years now, and I don't want to continue it. We ALL know addressing the WR position is TOP priority.

I understand the D needs some help too, but not like the offense. The Vikes let some guys go in free agency and seem to be okay with it. They are obviously confident about who is already on the team--or who they might potentially get to replace them. That's all fine and good--but the WR position still hasn't been upgraded, and they can't possibly be confident about that. I'd rather pick up a guy who could potentially become a number 1 guy (this is OUR team we are talking about...don't pretend he needs to be a Calvin Johnson to be a number 1) or a number 2 guy--than to automatically settle for a guy and just be like "Eh. If he's a number 2 or 3 receiver we are okay with that." That is what we HAVE been doing. How's it working? It's not.
You dont need a number one if you have 3-4 number two type caliber guys, I realize thats easier said then done but just throwing that out there.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by allday1991 »

I think Greg Jennings is a better WR than Harvin but obviously Harvin brings more to the table as far as lining up as a HB and returning kicks but as far as catches, yards, and receiving TDS Jennings is better. Simply put Jennings is a better WR but Percy brings more overall to a team.

As much as I've said before we need and I would love to get a WR in the first round, forcing picks never turns out well. Also as bad as our WR where last year I still have nightmares of the 2011 season with our secondary blowing our first 4 games ( if I remember correctly) witch we had decent leads in and I don't want to fully rest that responsibility of not happening again on Smith especially if we don't get Winfield back.
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by Funkytown »

You dont need a number one if you have 3-4 number two type caliber guys, I realize thats easier said then done but just throwing that out there.
I agree. But we still need to draft someone good to acheive that!
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Re: Tavon Austin is a must for Minn...

Post by RandallioCobb18 »

MelanieMFunk wrote: I agree. But we still need to draft someone good to acheive that!
Of course, I was just mentioning because I think alot of people have this idea in their head that you need a Calvin Johnson/Brandon Marshall like WR to have an elite WR corps, while that is just simply the farthest thing from the truth.
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