Misguided Media

For the past eight months I've been amused by the media blindly speaking of the Minnesota Vikings defensive end situation. Despite signing Brian Robison to contract extension in February the supposed experts kept insisting that the team had a hole opposite Jared Allen. Ray Edwards was clearly not coming back. The team simply must fill the hole created by Edwards' eventual departure. So they had to draft a defensive end, probably with their first round pick. The majority of the mock drafts had the Vikings drafting Cameron Jordan, JJ Watt, Ryan Kerrigan, etc. at #12. Of course mock drafts mean little. Even the NFL Network talking heads were all over the Vikings need for a defensive end. There was no end to it. I kept laughing to myself assuming that the media might wake up and notice that the Vikings had signed Brian Robison. It's clear that the team has plans for him. The Vikings were happily replacing Edwards with Robison. Even beyond that Everson Griffin showed promise as a rookie last year. Defensive end was not a team need.

Brian Robison has played very well whenever given a chance since he was drafted in 2007. When he is in the game positive things happen for the Vikings. His engine never stops. I've been hoping for a lineup that regularly includes Jared Allen and Brian Robison since 2008. Two players that absolutely will not stop. Ray Edwards is a fine football player, but he often seems to require motivation. He'd coast for a few plays, even a few games. Then he'd make some plays just so that we won't forget about him. His lack of regular effort was always annoying. Despite his talent he will not be missed. Now he's the Falcons problem. Many questioned whether Robison could be an every down player. They questioned whether he had the size to withstand every down pounding. I've never understood why some people just assume that a person can't do something. Robison has excelled every time that he's been on the football field. He's done nothing to indicate that he can't take the pounding. The contract extension is a pretty good indication that the Minnesota Vikings believe that Robison can handle it.

Fast forward to the Arizona game this past weekend. Allen and Robison each picked up a couple of sacks. They terrorized the Cardinals quarterbacks the entire game. Through five games they have been outstanding. Especially since defensive tackle Kevin Williams returned to the lineup in week 3.

ESPN writer Kevin Seifert focuses on the NFC North. He wrote for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune before that. He supposedly knows the Minnesota Vikings very well. After Sunday's game he wrote of how surprised he was of Robison's performance. I just had to laugh.