Vikings Offense: Position by Position Grades and Breakdowns

Statistically speaking, the Minnesota Vikings had a bottom-third offense in 2014. They held their own in the running game (14th), but only 4 teams in the NFL had more stagnant passing attacks.

Yes, things improved dramatically towards the end of the season. Norv Turner seemingly made an offense from scratch. However, no matter how you look at it, changes have to be made this offseason.

Now that we have defense covered, let’s breakdown the offense, position by position, and see where we can improve.

Quarterback (B-): This grade would be much higher if I was just looking at the last 5 games of the season. But we can’t disregard the rest of the year. There were some serious struggles. The Vikings finished with just 17 passing touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Pass protection didn’t help, allowing 51 sacks.

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I would feel a lot worse about it if not for the emergence of the future of the Vikings under center:

Teddy Bridgewater

. Over the last 5 weeks, no quarterback in the NFL had a better completion percentage. As Teddy improved, the offense followed suit. There hasn’t been this much excitement surrounding this position in Minnesota for a long time, and it’s because of the calm, cool, let-the-play-do-the-talking nature of one Teddy Bridgewater.

I hope Matt Cassel is the back up next year. He’s in an unfortunate situation, because this was likely his last shot at a starting job. But I think he enjoys mentoring Bridgewater. If Teddy goes down, Cassel would be a wonderful second option (knocks on wood).

Running Back (B): I really don’t care to go through the broken record that is the Adrian Peterson saga, so let’s just look at next year. Matt Asiata did a nice job filling in at starter. I just don’t think he’s the answer. I’d love to keep him around for his short yardage/red zone ability, but he just doesn’t break long runs.

The jury is still out on Jerick McKinnon, though I liked what I saw. It would have been nice to see more because quite honestly he might be good enough to start. He finished with 113 carries for 538 yards, an average of 4.8 per carry. Those are nice numbers.

All that said, I would love to have Adrian Peterson back. He would be a game changer for Teddy Bridgewater. Hopefully it will be 28 in the backfield. If not, the Vikings should look at Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, TJ Yeldon or Tevin Coleman in the draft.

Full Back (B): It would be great for the Vikings to keep Jerome Felton around, but it’s unlikely at this point. He’s owed 2.45 million next year, which just won’t happen. Felton said he would be open to restructuring, so we’ll see how that goes.

The writing is on the wall, though. It looks like Zach Line is the next man up at full back for the Vikings.

Wide Receiver (C+): Similar to what I said about the offense in general, as Bridgewater improved, so did the receiving core. Most notably, Charles Johnson came out of nowhere and made the most of his opportunities. He has the size and speed to be special, but a long way to go.

Some want to get rid of Greg Jennings and the $9,000,000 he will be owed next year. I strongly disagree. Yes, cap space is nice, but so is the mentorship Jennings provides both Teddy and other receivers. Not to mention, he can still play. He led the team in both receiving yards (742) and touchdowns (6).

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No one on the team has a more important offseason ahead of them than

Cordarrelle Patterson

. It was a humbling year for him and hopefully that is just what he needed. Unless he’s going to try to survive as a trick player/kick returner in the NFL, Patterson has got to work on the basic essentials of receiving: route running, blocking and catching. Especially in Norv Turner’s offense. Let’s see how he improves with his livelihood on the line.

Jarius Wright had his best year as a professional, finishing with 42 receptions for 588 yards. He’s cheap, durable and good for the locker room. Nothing to report here. Wright will have a nice role next season.

Adam Thielen provides too much at too little of a cost to let go. He makes the most out of every opportunity given and been praised for it by seemingly everyone in the organization. I’d be shocked if he is cut.

Now it’s time to contradict myself, because I want the Vikings to bring in a big time receiver. Whether it’s Demaryius Thomas, Torrey Smith or Dez Bryant through free agency or Amari Cooper, DeVante Parker or Kevin White in the draft, we’ve got to give Teddy another weapon. In order to do this they would either have to use six receivers next year or cut one that I mentioned above, which is more likely. It would probably be Jennings.

Tight End (B-): The big year Kyle Rudolph was supposed to have was marred by a groin injury during the 3rd game of the season. Fortunately for the Vikings, Chase Ford and Rhett Ellison stepped up nicely. The two of them combined for 466 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, there is no doubt the Vikings missed the range and athleticism Rudolph provides.

I look forward to seeing what kind of connection he and Bridgewater are able to build. Hopefully it will be big enough to warrant the $37,000,000 contract Rudy was awarded in July. Ellison will be back, but Ford is a little more questionable. He is a free agent who I think is worthy of a new contract with the Vikings.

Offensive Tackle (C): It’s tough to use the injury excuse for the downfalls of this position. This is because almost every team deals with injuries on the offensive line. That said, the Vikings sure could have used Phil Loadholt for the last 5 games of the season. He suffered a torn pectoral in week 12 that required surgery. He’ll be back for training camp and that’s good news for Minnesota. Loadholt was having a solid year before his injury. Mike Harris was the replacement and it was a very noticeable downgrade.

That brings us to Matt Kalil, who took more criticism for his play than another Viking this season. He had a horrific stretch of games in the middle of the year. I may be in the minority, but I don’t want to give up on the 4th overall pick just because of a bad stretch of games. His play improved drastically towards the end of the season and if anyone is going to have a chip on his shoulder this offseason, it’s Kalil.

If it goes horribly wrong next season, Austin Wentworth and Antonio Richardson opened some eyes in their rookie campaigns.

Offensive Guard (D+): This is my lowest grade for any position on the team. The inside of the Vikings’ offensive line took a monstrous hit in week 3 when Brandon Fusco‘s season ended due to a torn pectoral. In came Vladimir Ducasse and in came a plethora of sacks. Even more devastating was the fact that Fusco had just signed a 5 year contract weeks before. Thank goodness he’ll be back for training camp.

Charlie Johnson had a very forgettable year. He was responsible for several of the 51 sacks allowed, which was 5th worst in the league. He has been good in the past, but at age 30 with a 2.5 million dollar contract, I highly doubt he’ll be back. When Johnson went down with an injury in week 14, Joe Berger stepped in nicely. However, a ten-year veteran who just made his first start is not the answer.

Look for a big move from the Vikings at offensive guard, likely in free agency.

Center (A-): I wanted to end on a good note, so let’s talk about John Sullivan. The center position isn’t just about blocking. It’s actually one of the most difficult positions in the game. Half of the screaming you hear before the snap is Sully directing traffic. Then he has to make a perfect snap on the correct count every single time.

Most teams in the NFL would take John Sullivan as their starter in a heartbeat. Luckily, we’ve got him locked down for two more years.

Next: Vikings Defensive Grades and Breakdowns

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) throws in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

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