According to ESPN and PFF, the Vikings have Four Good Players

It doesn’t take an NFL expert to realize the Minnesota Vikings are not Super Bowl contenders at the moment. But just how far away are they? ESPN and Pro Football Focus set out to figure out just that for each NFL team.

Unfortunately for Vikings fans, they aren’t exactly drinking the purple kool-aid.

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They said the Vikings are 10 ‘above average’ players away from championship contention, which is 23rd among all teams not currently playing for the super bowl.

Yes, I am a fan, but either way I find that ranking completely ridiculous. Especially for a team that just found a stable head coach and quarterback. They have the Jets, Browns, Panthers, Bills, Dolphins and Falcons all listed ahead of the Vikings. I know they have a defense, but how on earth are the quarterback-less Bills ahead of the Vikings with a first-year head coach?

But then I read a little further and found out how such a judgement could have been made. And I was right. They don’t know anything about the Vikings roster, at all.

ESPN and PFF said there are only four players on the entire roster who are ‘good’ or ‘elite’. The rest are all listed in the average or bad categories. Some players listed in the ‘average’ category are John Sullivan, Xavier Rhodes, Anthony Barr, Greg Jennings, Kyle Rudolph and Phil Loadholt. Are you kidding me? John Sullivan, average? Did you watch Xavier Rhodes this year?

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Harrison Smith and Sharrif Floyd are listed as ‘elite’, while Everson Griffen and Robert Blanton are listed as ‘good’. First of all, they just decided to forget about Adrian Peterson, which makes no sense because even if he doesn’t play for the Vikings again they will improve via free agency or trade when he leaves. Also, the fact that they listed Robert Blanton as a better player than John Sullivan makes me want to never watch ESPN again. Questionable.

Here is another section of the review in which they highlighted some good news and bad news about the Vikings future.

"Good News: If the Vikings are going to keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North, they need a quarterback. And while Teddy Bridgewater didn’t have a flawless first year, he excelled when under pressure, which is rare for a rookie. Bridgewater posted the NFL’s best accuracy rate — which credits QBs for drops and removes throwaways and spikes from the equation — while under duress.Bad News: It’s good that Bridgewater wasn’t fazed by pressure: The Vikings’ offensive line proved to be the NFL’s least efficient pass-blocking unit in 2014, allowing 198 total QB pressures in 608 passing plays."

I would have to agree that the protection was quite bad. But they must not realize that three starters were lost due to injury throughout the season. Between Phil Loadholt and Brandon Fusco, the right side of the line is just fine. No changes need to be made. The problems started on the left side of the line. I believe the left tackle and guard positions will be much better next season. However the Adrian Peterson situation turns out will help the line also. If he stays, it will take a lot of pressure off pass protection. If he gets cut, it frees up 14 million dollars to beef up the line or other holes. If he gets traded, I’m sure the Vikings will receive a nice package in return. They also have the 11th pick in the upcoming draft and a brand new quarterback that is turning heads like a sports car.

I’m not saying it’s only a matter of time before the Lombardi trophy makes its debut in Minnesota. But the Vikings future is much brighter than ESPN and PFF have made it seem.

Next: Kiper: Minny has to be excited about this class

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler (46) snaps the ball on a punt to the Chicago Bears in the second quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

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