Preseason Power poll - Vikes at 27

[Eli]

That report totally sucks. They should be rated least number 20.

[John_Viveiros]

THE COWBOYS AT TWO????? Excuse me while roll around on the floor.

This dude is a complete joke, its almost charity on your part that you posted this moronic nonsense.

Yeah. Pete Prisco is my "slow" brother. I do this to send a few page views his way.

Some times I like the Vikes to be underrated, and play hard, thinking they get no respect. But this is such a ridiculous ranking, that we can't even use it for motivation.

[Raptorman]

Power polls are not worth the bandwidth they take up. Useless.

[DanAS]

No lie. Not even alone at 27. Tied with the Buffalo freaking Bills at 27. And the Cowboys at #2. All courtesy of Pete Prisco.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/2232 ... -contender

Think these might be a little off? Check out his 2012 rankings, and while you are there, congratulate the 2012 season champs, the Cowboys: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1930 ... hers-climb
That one had Carolina #5, Philly at #7, and the Chiefs at #9. You think he might have come up with another system to evaluate teams in the meantime.

All the "experts" are saying that the Vikes will take a dive this year. It's the main reason why I am relatively upbeat about them.

One of the few things I have less respect for than Ponder's skills as a QB is the "experts'" ability to predict NFL trends. Or to put it another way, I have less trouble envisioning him having a big year than I do in envisioning much that is insightful coming out of the talking heads from Bristol.

[HornedMessiah]

This guy's ranking is ridiculous but it shouldn't surprise anyone that the Vikings aren't a hot pick to make it back to the playoffs. They were a wildcard team last year while dangerous teams like the Giants, Saints, and Bears missed out. Plus, we all know about the high turnover rate of playoff teams year-to-year.

Can you imagine if the Cowboys were actually an elite team and won the super bowl? I think the entire NFL fanbase, most Cowboy fans included, would cringe in disgust at the Jerry Jones spectacle that would unfold. That'll never happen though because today there was a story about how Jones is taking playcalling duties away from the HC Garrett and giving them to the OC. So I'm sure things are all fine and dandy down in Dallas right now

[Hunter Morrow]

This team traditionally plays better when the media craps on it, anyhow. Keep counting us out until we're 10-6 or 11-5 again and
win a playoff game. Then it'll be "Wow, this is a stacked, dangerous team and All Day is a beast! I was saying it since Draft Day!"

[Eli]

Yeah, but #27?? After an offseason where its very difficult to say the team's roster DIDN'T improve?

The Vikings had a fine draft, but it's immediate effects are uncertain and many people wouldn't agree that this year's draft will have a major impact on the upcoming season. Combined with the other roster moves, a lot of people wouldn't agree with your premise. I think the general viewpoint of many observers can be summed up with:

- They subtract Percy Harvin, add Greg Jennings. A lot of observers have already claimed that this may end up being a step backward, maybe even a significant one. Jennings is the better, more polished downfield receiver, but Harvin could be used more effectively with a less than stellar quarterback, and is by far the more dynamic player.

- On defense they needed the most help at linebacker, but they drafted a defensive tackle and a cornerback in the first round.

- Xavier Rhodes may pay dividends immediately, but they subtract Antoine Winfield and replace him with a rookie. Could easily be an upgrade, and almost certainly well be over the long run, but for this season, it's uncertain.

- Sharrif Floyd will help, but with Kevin Williams expected to continue his decline, and still nobody to fill the post of nose tackle, this is an incremental improvement, not a major upgrade.

- Cordarrelle Patterson is seen as a project that won't pay off for a while and they didn't draft any other wide receivers.

- They did nothing to improve the starting offensive line.

I also think that it's the general feeling that the Vikings played above themselves last year and won a number of games based on the once-in-a-career performance of Adrian Peterson. With a tougher schedule and if Peterson comes back down to earth for a more typical 1400 yard rushing season, it could be a tough year.

[Purple Domination]

The Vikings had a fine draft, but it's immediate effects are uncertain and many people wouldn't agree that this year's draft will have a major impact on the upcoming season. Combined with the other roster moves, a lot of people wouldn't agree with your premise. I think the general viewpoint of many observers can be summed up with:

- They subtract Percy Harvin, add Greg Jennings. A lot of observers have already claimed that this may end up being a step backward, maybe even a significant one. Jennings is the better, more polished downfield receiver, but Harvin could be used more effectively with a less than stellar quarterback, and is by far the more dynamic player.

- On defense they needed the most help at linebacker, but they drafted a defensive tackle and a cornerback in the first round.

- Xavier Rhodes may pay dividends immediately, but they subtract Antoine Winfield and replace him with a rookie. Could easily be an upgrade, and almost certainly well be over the long run, but for this season, it's uncertain.

- Sharrif Floyd will help, but with Kevin Williams expected to continue his decline, and still nobody to fill the post of nose tackle, this is an incremental improvement, not a major upgrade.

- Cordarrelle Patterson is seen as a project that won't pay off for a while and they didn't draft any other wide receivers.

- They did nothing to improve the starting offensive line.

I also think that it's the general feeling that the Vikings played above themselves last year and won a number of games based on the once-in-a-career performance of Adrian Peterson. With a tougher schedule and if Peterson comes back down to earth for a more typical 1400 yard rushing season, it could be a tough year.

I think this is a pretty negative outlook. I don't disagree with your points (except that I think Jennings + Patterson > Harvin who only played 3/4ths of the season), however, even if we did take a slight step back in LB and CB the rest of the roster should improve, even though the players might be the same. That's what should happen when a young team returns players. Especially one that is still in the early stages of a new coach.

[Purple bruise]

Here is another take on team from a some what respected source: Lindy's Pro Football Preview: Overall View Of The Vikings, "When doing their team rankings, the folks at Lindy's rank teams in nine different categories. . .coach, quarterbacks, running backs, receivers (which includes tight ends), offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, secondary, and special teams. They then throw in something for "intangibles" that ranges from -1.5 to +2 that gets added to the team's overall score. I'm assuming that it would go to -2, but a -1.5 is the lowest score any team was given....... http://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/6/6/4 ... ta-vikings

[jackal]

I dont agree with everthing in the Lindy ranking but I admit it seems to be consistent through most of the teams
with very little man crush involved...

Honestly I can see the Vikings winning a playoff game (maybe two)
or only winning 5-6 games total depending on how Ponder and our defense
pans out with Winfield gone and a new line up at LB

[HardcoreVikesFan]

I am not afraid to say it: this team is no worse than an 8-8 team. I feel that we will be in the thick of the playoffs again this year.

[Demi]

I am not afraid to say it: this team is no worse than an 8-8 team. I feel that we will be in the thick of the playoffs again this year.

That confident? Our defense is a big question mark. Our dline is a year older. Our linebackers are a mess. Our corners are young and totally unproven.

Combine that with even more questionable play at the quarterback position and I find it hard to "lock" them at .500 with no chance of doing any worse...

[Hunter Morrow]

I think Woods and Floyd are immediate impact starters. It is a shame that our linebackers are so bad but the secondary is heads
and shoulders above where it was 2 years ago in my opinion. I do think Woods and Floyd will help Allen have a stronger season
when it comes to getting quarterback pressure and he could have a Pro Bowl year.

Providing they stay healthy, I think Patterson and Jennings for 16 games is at least worth Harvin for 10.

I can't see this team being worse than 6-10 just because Peterson, Gerhardt and Walsh jacking 50 yarders with leg
to spare should be worth 6 games.

If we regress due to tougher schedule, Patterson and Jennings not being up to snuff to replace Harvin,
Kevin Williams declining, no Winfield mighty-mouse heroics, I can't see regressing much worse than 2 or 3 games.

[Eli]

Rhodes?

[mondry]

Ohhhhhhhhhh I want to do one!

#1 : Denver Broncos - Peyton has one good year left in him and this is their all in year. I think they got a nice couple of pieces for peyton on offense in monte ball and wes welker. They signed a lot of guys on defense to try and shore that up as well. I don't think they can go all the way and win it all but it's June and they seem like the most solid team on paper.

#2 : Seattle Seahawks - Seattle was a solid young team last year that only looks to get better as more guys mature. Trading for Percy Harvin and signing Winfield from our beloved Vikes should help them take the next step, if they don't get injured.

#3 : Atlanta Falcons - A strong team, although I don't think they really did enough on defense to take that next step and win the superbowl. Still, at 13-3, it's not like they're going to go backwards with Matt Ryan in his prime and a good receiving corp.

#4 : Minnesota Vikings - NFL MVP Adrian Peterson, damn that sounds good! Greg Jennings will do wonders for Ponder and the offense. Patterson will fill in well with Harvin's absence but I'm watching Jarius Wright and Kyle Rudolph who will both have big years with the attention going to Jennings and Peterson. The defense has some question marks but anything's an upgrade over Brinkley and rhodes + floyd will make a big impact while Harrison smith, Jared Allen, and company hold it down.

#5 : Houston Texans - I don't like Schaub much, he's too immobile and ultimately the reason this team won't win the superbowl. Still, the talent can't be denied on this roster and they drafted DeAndre Hopinks!

#6 : San Fransico - They would probably be higher but without Crabtree I think the offense will struggle. Kapernick is always a threat but I think teams will figure him out a little. Should be good defensively.

#7 : Cincinnati Bengals - These guys are always under the radar but quietly make the playoffs off solid defense. Andy Dalton and AJ green make a good combo and they have some other good role players.

#8 : Green Bay Packers - Waited as long as I could, but when you have the best QB in the league you can only fall so far in these sorts of things. Of course it's their defense that has them all the way down here.

#9 : Washington Redskins - A healthy RG3 is dangerous but considering what they gave up to get him, this team will be slow to develop and I don't see them making huge strides. Rg3 will be forced to make plays and I don't see him holding up if he plays the way he does.

#10 : Baltimore Ravens - The SB champs at #10 you say? Well, the defense is almost unrecognizable losing their leader Ray Lewis and Ball hawk Ed Reed. I just don't think it'll be the same for them, in a bad way.

#11 : Indianapolis Colts - Luck should get better and this team will be on the up still.

#12 : New England Patriots - When you got Tom Brady you always have a chance but his supporting cast just doesn't seem to be keeping up.

#13 : New Orleans Saints - With their head coach returning from suspension I think we'll see the saints bounce back a bit, still not good enough to make a serious run though.

#14 : New York Giants - They'll be good enough to make a little noise as they usually are.

#15 : Chicago Bears - Another team that has hit a wall and become stagnant and no matter how many Julius Peppers and Brandon Marshals they sign they can't draft for squat.

#16 : Tampa Bay Bucs - Revis island is in town and that should help the awful pass defense but they really need Josh Freeman to improve if they want to be elite.

#17 : Pittsburgh Steelers - Look to get back on track but they'll struggle again this year. Big Ben is having a tough time with injury and no mike wallace will be an issue. The defense won't be at an elite level that it needs to be to carry this team.

#18 : Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton will have to carry this team again and he should be able to, straight to an 8-8 record

#19 : Miami Dolphins - I'm not sold that Tannehill is a franchise QB and it's rare that the big Free Agency spenders really get any where.

#20 : Saint Lous Rams - Looks like they finally got some O-line and WR help for Bradford which should mean a couple extra wins

#21 : Dallas Cowboys - A talented team that hasn't been able to progress with crazy Jerry Jones running the show.

#22 : Kansas City Chiefs - I'm not a huge Andy Reid fan but when you pick first in the draft you get a solid amount of new talent. Alex smith should be able to manage the team to a few more wins

#23 : Philidalphia Eagles - Reids old team, but they should be better than last year. College coaches coming into the NFL usually don't have a ton of success.

#24 : San Diego Chargers - Hopefully they can keep rivers up right to make use of his new WR Keenan Allen and the defense can stabilize.

#25 : Arizona Cardinals - Hopefully they can improve on the o-line and since they spent some high picks there they probably should.

#26 : Buffalo Bills - I like E.J. Emanual but only time will tell on that pick. They did get another solid weapon in Robert woods and I love C.J. Spiller if he can stay healthy. Unfortunately too many problems on this team.

#27 : Detroit Lions - Yes Stafford will put up huge numbers and Megatron will be Megatron but at the end of the day the defense is still crap.

#28 : Tennessee Titans - I don't think much of Jake Locker and I'm super glad the Vikes got Ponder who's the best out of that whole QB class

#29 : New York Jets - Maybe Geno Smith will be the real deal, otherwise this team lost it's best player in Revis and it won't be getting better.

#30 : Oakland raiders - It's the raiders LOL

#31 : Cleaveland Browns - It's the browns!

#32 : Jacksonville Jaguars - the only QB worse than locker from that class, Blain Gabbert. He may not be the starter but it doesn't really matter, that team is a mess.