Favre major factor in success for Minnesota Vikings
Talk about the success of a season being thrown into one basket. The Minnesota Vikings made it clear this off-season that they were relying on Brett Favre returning for a 20th season in order to be a Super Bowl contending team.
The team has all the necessary weapons on offence for a great quarterback to lead the team to a championship, with an elite running back and a young, talented receiving corps, as well as a good offence line to protect them.
The defence cannot be forgotten either as while it wasn’t ranked number one this past season, it could be argued they were the best.
The Vikings were 12-4 last year and were painfully close to a berth in the Super Bowl before a brain camp by the man who led them that far, came back to haunt them. Favre threw a costly interception in the dying moments of a tied game in the 4th quarter of the AFC Championship. The Vikings never got the ball back as the Saints kicked a winning field goal on their opening possession of overtime.
This year, if Favre comes back, they’ll likely pick up right where they left off. Without Favre, a weakness may be exposed.
The offence yields a preview of the situation with and without Favre. If Favre’s back, then he has shown he’s still among the greatest quarterbacks in the league. He still has a rocket of an arm and seems to make plays at will. He has experience and a heavy arsenal of weapons to lead the Vikings to success.
Plan B is Tavaris Jackson, who can manage a game well but just doesn’t bring what Favre can. He’s a decent quarterback but just isn’t enough to lead the Vikings to a Super Bowl.
This season will likely lead to Adrian Peterson being used more. With Chris Johnson’s 2000 yard season and Peterson’s fumbling habits, many are no longer calling him the greatest running back in the game. Wherever he ranks, there is no doubt he is physical and takes much attention from defences, allowing the entire offence to benefit.
The receiving corps is stacked with Sidney Rice as the number one option. His long strides and leaping ability show he still has his best years ahead of him. Bernard Berrian is the number two option but Percy Harvin will likely surpass him this season. The offensive rookie of the year is speedy and can run many routes well. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is always a safe option and benefits from stars around him receiving attention.
The offensive line is decent, but by no means the league best. Left guard Steve Hutchinson may be the strength of it all. Left tackle Bryant McKinnie is soft and inconsistent. While his physicality is displayed on running plays, his weaknesses are exposed in pass protection. Centre John Sullivan still has some learning to do. Right guard Anthony Herrera is a run-blocking liability and right tackle Phil Loadhalt may be 6’8” and 340 pounds, but he doesn’t play as big as his size suggests.
Defensively, the Vikings have the best front-four in the game. The Williams wall down the middle consisting of defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are elite run-stoppers.
On the edge, Jared Allen may be the greatest defensive end in the game. He’s a sack machine, stops the run and commands double-teams. On the left end, Ray Edwards is no slouch either with 8.5 sacks last season. These front four are really scary to say the least.
Behind them at linebacker, Jasper Brinkley shows good potential up the middle and will benefit from the experience he gained last year. On the strong side, Chad Greenway covers the pass well underneath while on the weak side, Ben Leber is a good role player.
The secondary may be the team’s only question mark. Cornerback (CB) Lito Sheppard was brought in, but the former Eagles star has been benched the last couple of years. Cedric Griffin is good but not great.
At safety, Tyrell Johnson must step up as a strong safety. He has great speed but must start improving in coverage. At free safety, Madieu Williams is intelligent, but not nearly as aggressive as he should be.
Ryan Longwell is a reliable place-kicker. He made 93% of his field goals last year, but was weak on kick-offs. The Vikings have brought in Rhys Lloyd to handle kick-off duties. Lloyd was unbelievable for the Panthers last year with 21 touch backs. Punter Chris Kluwe is dependable. Percy Harvin is electrifying in the return game, constantly putting the offence in good field position.
This team has very few weaknesses, as they are only on the offensive line and the secondary. If Brett Favre returns, then the Vikings are set for more success this season and will be in Super Bowl contention. Without Favre, the Vikings still have enough talent to reach the playoffs but may not be able to get past that hump. Perhaps we’ll know a lot more about their chances in a month from now.
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