Drafting a RB

[oldskoolvikingfan]

I would draft Charles Sims out of West Virginia in the 4 round and use him as the 3rd down back. Good pass blocker and can catch the football.

[headless_norseman]

I'm sure this staff has a decent list of RB's, and will probably nab one in the 5th or 6th round.

How's that for insight?

[dkoby]

James White in the 5th or 6th round. Can catch out of the back field, good vision, runs well off blocks and is a team player.

[w_huisman]

AD on the bench for every third down is what is best for the team? I don't know.... Am I the only one who foresees a gaggle of new posts, or remembers a pile of old posts, complaining about Musgrave doing this very thing?

[mondry]

AD on the bench for every third down is what is best for the team? I don't know.... Am I the only one who foresees a gaggle of new posts, or remembers a pile of old posts, complaining about Musgrave doing this very thing?

Think back to when we had Chestor Taylor and AD. AD pounded the rock mostly and Taylor had 400 yards receiving and a couple receiving TD's to go with it. It was very effective and well worth having that versatile back to COMPLIMENT AD. Instead we had Gerhart who was just Peterson but worse in every way.

AD simply can't be in on 100% of plays, especially not as he gets older, we need to keep him fresh and let someone else do some of the dirty work. As we improve and become expected to the reach the playoffs, we need to keep our best players healthy in the regular season, not have them obliterated by the time we lock up a wild card. AD in back to back seasons has been playing through groin, hamstring, and whatever else they don't tell us, injuries just for this team to have a chance, it's time for that to stop.

We're all use to an inept coaching staff riding on AD's back to keep their jobs so we're use to that but I really don't think it's the best for the team. What happened when Peterson was out vs the Eagles? Cassell threw for like a million yards and TD's, time to stop relying on AD. He'll still be top 10 in rushing attempts so don't freak out, I just don't want to see him leading the league around that 350 carry mark.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

We're all use to an inept coaching staff riding on AD's back to keep their jobs so we're use to that but I really don't think it's the best for the team. What happened when Peterson was out vs the Eagles? Cassell threw for like a million yards and TD's, time to stop relying on AD. He'll still be top 10 in rushing attempts so don't freak out, I just don't want to see him leading the league around that 350 carry mark.

So, if I were to look up Matt Cassel in the NFL record, he would hold almost every single all-time passing statistic!?


No, but you are right Mondry. If this was 2008/2009 and we didn't have a secondary back, I would disagree with you. However, at this point in his career, Adrain needs to come out a little more often. As great of a talent he is, Adrain will eventually wear down. I will say though that if the third down is a crucial one in a game situation you better believe I want Adrian Peterson out there.

[nightowl]

I like Terrance West from Towson. He wouldn't really be a change of pace from AD, but he would be a good backup for him.

[VikingsBoss]

Charles Sims 6'0" 214 lbs from West Virginia by way of Houston. He's got sub 4.5 speed, he catches the ball very well with 82 catches for six tds the last two seasons. 1095 yards and 11 tds last year, good for first team All Big 12 (coaches). If you want a true third-down back, you could do worse. If AP were to get hurt and miss a couple of games, he'd certainly provide more than Matt Asiata or Zach Line would, I think he'd be very similar to Gerhart production-wise. I don't think he'd be as consistent as Gerhart was (seemed like he was good for 4-5 yards on every carry), but he provides more of a home-run threat and could easily carry 15-20 times if the situation called for it. If he's still there when the Vikings draft in the 4th round, I'd give him serious consideration.

[Funkytown]

Just to echo some thoughts here:

Vikings GM Rick Spielman indicated he wants to draft a running back to remove some of the load off Adrian Peterson.

Peterson, 29, has over 2,000 carries on his tires. "He's getting to the point where you don't have to give him the ball 50 times a game for 16 games," said Spielman. "Adrian's the face of our franchise, but (new OC) Norv (Turner) has a history of having two backs to keep him fresh, because I think it's very important as you go through the season that they're still strong in Week 16 and they're still strong when you get into the playoffs." When push comes to shove, Peterson will likely remain a 2014 workhorse, even if Minnesota selects a running back in the middle rounds.
--St. Paul Pioneer Press

[Eli]

Oh no. What about that 2500 yard season?

[PurpleHalo]

I wonder if getting LaMichael James from SF would be a consideration? He's 3rd on their depth chart and is disgruntled. I'd give up a 5th for him

Or you could get Ingram from the Saints cheap too, a change of scenery could do him good.