I fully expect the NFL lockout to end sometime before the 2011 regular season is scheduled to begin. Anything else would be uncivilized. Assuming that happens, here is an early forecast of what could be the last season the Vikings ever play in Minnesota.
First off, the quarterback position. This week, rumors circulated of a mutual interest between the Vikings and Washington Redskins QB Donovan McNabb. I think this would be a great move.
In the last 20 years, there have been three instances of the Vikings bringing in a star QB on the downside of his career: Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and Brett Favre. Each player had one great season with the team (Moon, 1995: 33 TD, 14 INT; Cunningham, 1998: 34 TD, 10 INT; Favre, 2009: 33 TD, 7 INT), and then fell apart the following year (Moon, 1996: 7 TD, 9 INT; Cunningham, 1999: 8 TD, 9 INT; Favre, 2010: 11 TD, 19 INT).
So basically, the Vikes should sign McNabb after Washington releases him, enjoy one spectacular season, and then cut ties (slash, keep him around as a quality backup).
Unless Blaine Gabbert falls to the Vikings at number 12 (which isn’t going to happen), I don’t think they should draft a QB until the mid to late rounds. QB prospects seem like a total crapshoot, and if you take a bad one early (like a JaMarcus Russell or a Ryan Leaf), it can set the franchise back five years (or more; just ask the 49ers).
Here’s my gameplan for resurrecting the Best Team in Football:
The Vikings should bolster their deteriorating lines with early picks, take some defensive backs in the middle rounds, then take a QB late in the hopes that we win the lottery and he becomes the next Tom Brady (I can dream). In the meantime, McNabb will be good enough to take defenders out of the box and let Adrian Peterson run wild.
To save money and increase entertainment value, we’ll let Sidney Rice’s now overrated ass walk, and then re-sign Randy Moss, the greatest Vikings of all time. It should go without saying that we’ll cut Bernard Berrian. Also, I’m not sold on Toby Gerhart, so I think the team should sign LaDainian Tomlinson as AP’s backup, after he’s released by the Jets, of course. Then, somebody should steal Percy Harvin a shitload of Vicodin from the Saints’ locker room.
McNabb. Peterson. Moss. Harvin. Tomlinson. Goddamnit, the Vikings are back, baby! With Brett Favre as a possible Ewing Theory candidate, along with a soft 2011 schedule, you can pencil in the Purple for 10 wins, minimum! The hated Green Bay Packers are likely to experience a season long Super Bowl hangover, and the Chicago Bears are also poised to take a step back after Jay Cutler suffers a full scale mental breakdown, so the division is ours for the taking. And take it we will. All the way to the mother effing Super Bowl.
Have an overly optimistic day, and a slightly delusional tomorrow!
your friend, Beck DeRobertis
