Flea Flicker Favorite Football Films Again

With the recent Academy Awards still on the mind here's a return look at some of my favorite football movies.

21. The Waterboy (1998)

A guilty pleasure movie. The football action is outrageously entertaining.

20. Semi-Tough (1977)
A new addition to the list. Dan Jenkins' book is far more entertaining than the movie but the movie is still fun. Plus, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp is in it. He plays a quarterback named Hose. Gotta love it. 

19. Leatherheads (2008)

This movie depicting the very early days of professional football would probably be higher on the list if I hadn't entered into it with such high expectations. It's an entertaining movie but probably one that I need to see again. Maybe it gets replaced on this list by The Replacements.

18. The Express (2008) 

The tragic story of Ernie Davis. It might be higher if not for some liberties taken with history. Like Art Modell being the Browns owner in the 1950s.

17. Invincible (2006)

The improbable football career of NFL-walk-on Vince Papale. Who doesn't love a story like this?

16. All The Right Moves (1983)

The most amazing thing about this movie is that Tom Cruise is actually believable as a high school cornerback.

15. When The Game Stands Tall (2015)

You just knew that someone was going to make a movie about the incredible story of coach Bob Ladouceur and the De La Salle High Spartans. This was a nicely done look at the season that saw the loss that ended their 151-game win streak as well as the win that was arguably the greatest in school history. 

14. We Are Marshall (2006)

The remarkable rise of a town, a university, and a football team from a devastating plane crash. A great story. 

13. Rudy (1993)

Some people love this movie. Others hate it. I guess that I'm in the middle. 

12. Any Given Sunday (1999)

Oliver Stone with a football movie? Never would have pegged that pairing. 

11. The Longest Yard (1974)

It's a classic. And Joe Kapp's in it. And Ray Nitschke. 

10. The Program (1993)

Despite being a fictional story it probably touches frighteningly close to the truth.

9.  Draft Day (2014)

Some of the trades are ridiculous but it's a very entertaining look at the greatest non-playing day on the football calendar. 

8.  Brian's Song (1971)

This one set the bar for tear-jerker football movies. Great story. Memorable performances. 

7.  Knute Rockne: All-American

A timeless look at one of football's great coaches. 

6.  Everybody's All-American (1988) 

Adapted from the terrific book by Frank Deford. A great, depressing movie. 

5.  Paper Lion (1968)

Another movie adapted from a terrific book. Alan Alda is excellent as George Plimpton. So excellent that I often picture Alda when I think of Plimpton. 

4.  Heaven Can Wait (1978)

A terrific remake of Here Come's Mr. Jordan (1941) with a football spin. There was a time, a long time ago, when this was my favorite movie of any genre. 

3.  Undefeated (2011)

This is probably the only football movie to take home an Academy Award. It won for Best Documentary. A great story. A great movie. 

2.  Remember The Titans (2000) 

Great movie. Entertaining movie. You have Denzel Washington but you also have unknown youngsters like Ryan Gosling, Hayden Panettiere, and Donald Faison. 

1.  Friday Night Lights (2006)

Buzz Bissinger's book was outstanding. The movie was good but Friday Night Lights earns the top spot on this list because of the unbelievable television series. They may have lost some traction in the second season but they sure regained it and never lost it again. This series was one of the best things that I've ever seen on television.

There it is. Again. 

Vikings Free Agents Again

Nothing has changed since the last time I took a swing at the Minnesota Vikings soon-to-be free agents except perhaps my views on them. Here are the 22 players currently set to become free agents on March 9.

Unrestricted Free Agents
Matt Kalil, tackle
Andre Smith, tackle
Jake Long, tackle
Rhett Ellison, tight end
Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver
Zach Line, fullback
Matt Asiata, running back
Shaun Hill, quarterback
Justin Trattou, defensive end
Chad Greenway, linebacker
Audie Cole, linebacker
Captain Munnerlyn, cornerback
Terence Newman, cornerback
Jeff Locke, punter

Matt Kalil, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Rhett Ellison are the players that I consider to be the closest to be must-signs of the unrestricted free agents. Kalil has been underwhelming since his excellent 2012 rookie season. He's been, at best, serviceable. A serviceable left tackle would've been a dream asset last season. The entire offensive line was terrible last year. The left tackle play was worse. By all accounts, Kalil was primed for a rebound season in 2016. Health-wise and technique/fundamental-wise he was in top form last summer. A hip injury derailed all of that before the season started and he was on the injury shelf by the second game. With an underwhelming free agent market for tackles, especially left tackles, bringing back Kalil on a 1- to 2-year "prove-it" deal would be a wise move. Cordarrelle Patterson and Rhett Ellison are unique football players that would be nice to have on the roster. Patterson is one of the most explosive athletes in the league. He might not be the most technically sound receiver but he can wreck a defense. He's earned a second contract because of what he's done as a kick returner and what he might do on offense. The one thing that might prevent his remaining in Minnesota would be if his explosive offensive potential prices him out of the Vikings plans. Ellison has always been a favorite of mine. He does many of the unseen things that allows his teammates to shine. Every football team needs a player like that. He's an excellent blocker and a sneaky, effective pass receiver. He adds a nice blend to the Vikings tight end group. It would be great to have Captain Munnerlyn back. He's one of the best nickel corners in the league. As such the Vikings might not be able to afford him. It would also be nice to have Terence Newman back. He's ageless. He will turn 39 before the 2017 starts. He's still an incredibly effective player and team leader. With his long experience in head coach Mike Zimmer's defense he's a coach on the field. If he decides against retiring I wouldn't be surprised if he returns. It remains to be seen how offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur views fullbacks. If he needs one for his vision of the Vikings offense Zach Line should be back. Matt Asiata, Audie Cole, and Jeff Locke will probably be back on modest deals.

Chad Greenway is one of the Vikings all-time greats. On and off the field. It would be a surprise if he doesn't announce his retirement at some point over the next two weeks. He's been a favorite of mine from the moment the Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Restricted Free Agents
Adam Thielen, wide receiver
Charles Johnson, wide receiver
Jeremiah Sirles, guard/tackle

Adam Thielen might be the Vikings' one must-sign free agent. The hope here is that he's signed to a long-term extension. At the very least, the Vikings will place a high tender on him and perhaps sign him to a longer deal at a later date. His progression from tryout player to offensive difference-maker has been inspiring and fun to watch. Everybody loves Adam Thielen. Charles Johnson and Jeremiah Sirles should be back to show what they got.

Exclusive Rights Free Agents
Zac Kerin, center/guard
Rashod Hill, tackle
Willie Beavers, guard/tackle
C.J. Ham, running back
Toby Johnson, defensive tackle

All of the above should be back. Rashod Hill showed some intriguing potential in about two quarters of play in the final game of the season against an indifferent Chicago Bears defense. That might not seem like much but it's a lot for an offensive line that struggled mightily all season.

In summation. At the very least, I hope that the Vikings manage new deals with the following free agents.

Matt Kalil
Cordarrelle Patterson
Rhett Ellison
Zach Line
Matt Asiata
Audie Cole
Adam Thielen
Charles Johnson
Jeremiah Sirles
Zac Kerin
Rashod Hill
Willie Beavers
C.J. Ham
Toby Johnson

The Kalil, Patterson, and Thielen contracts would probably be the only ones that amount to something more than modest.

The Vikings have stressed signing their own players before they entertain players from other teams. None of the above will break the bank so there should be a enough salary cap room to sign a new player or three. I'll deal with that free agent fun soon.

Compensatory Issues

The NFL awarded 32 Compensatory Draft Picks to 16 teams on Friday. When the league implemented the process of handing out these picks in 1994 free agency was a brand new thing. The intent was to compensate teams for being outbid for their free agents. That's a grand intent but it always felt a bit counterproductive. The league is rewarding teams for not keeping their own players. Some teams have been using the process simply to collect picks. The Baltimore Ravens have received the most compensatory picks over the years. The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots aren't too far behind them. Those are three of the best teams since the turn of the century. As such they are considered the smart teams. The models. They've turned the compensatory pick process into a trade. They are letting players go and letting the league determine the compensation. That compensation determination formula has so many holes. It's based on the salary, playing time, and postseason awards of the players on their new teams. That's faulty from the start. The one given in free agency is that teams overpay for the players. Why should a team get rewarded because another team decides to spend more than they probably should for a player? More often than not free agency spending sprees turn into mistakes. Just look at pretty much every offseason move by the Washington Redskins in the early 2000s. Or the Philadelphia Eagles' supposed "Dream Team" of 2011. The salaries tossed out during free agency are rarely a proper gauge of a player's value to their original team.

Clear flaws in the pick-giving process are revealed each year. Here are some from this year.

The San Francisco 49ers received a fourth round pick because they "lost" guard Alex Boone in free agency last offseason. The Minnesota Vikings signed Boone to a decent 4-year $26.8 million contract. From the outside, it didn't sound like the 49ers made much attempt to re-sign Boone so did they really lose him? That really doesn't matter. What does matter is that Boone was probably the second best player (after Joe Berger) on a horrible Vikings offensive line. The league's compensatory calculation decides that a decent contract and a mediocre, at best, player equate to a fourth round pick? I don't see it.

With four compensatory picks the Cleveland Browns were tied with three other teams for the most awarded this year. In 2015 the Browns had one of the most promising offensive lines in the league.

LT	Joe Thomas
LG	Joel Bitonio
C	Alex Mack
RG	John Greco
RT	Mitchell Schwartz

The Browns are experimenting with a decision-making front office arguably more focused on analytics than football. Those thinkers thought themselves right out of that talented line. They lost Mack to the Falcons and Schwartz to the Chiefs. There were reports last offseason that the Browns front office negotiated with their free agents as if they'd never done it before. They hadn't. The Browns are floundering more than ever while Mack was a integral force in the Falcons drive to the Super Bowl and Schwartz kept Alex Smith safe from pretty much every defender coming from the right-side of the line. The Browns could use players like that. They also lost promising, young players in Travis Benjamin and Tashon Gipson. A right-thinking football team keeps players like these. Especially when they have more than enough money to do so. They shouldn't be rewarded for losing them.

The Baltimore Ravens annually rake in Compensatory Picks. This year they only added one but it was the third most valuable pick awarded. A third-round pick. They received that pick because they lost guard Keleche Osemele, quarterback Matt Schaub, and defensive end Courtney Upshaw. They added tight end Benjamin Watson and safety Eric Weddle. Schaub never played as the backup quarterback in Atlanta. Upshaw was a rotational pass rusher in Atlanta. Osemele was a dynamite signing for the Oakland Raiders. Watson landed on injured reserve. Weddle had an excellent, bounce-back, Pro Bowl season with the Ravens. Basically, the pick calculation came down to the loss-gain of Osemele and Weddle with a splash of Upshaw. It's a tough call. Osemele's worth to the Raiders' offensive line and Weddle's worth to the Ravens' secondary is closer to a push than the landslide determination of a third round pick.

The loss of tackle Kelvin Beachum last offseason was a significant factor in the Pittsburgh Steelers receiving a third round pick this year. Beachum was just released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The player was such a loss to the Steelers and he didn't stick with his new team for more than a single season. That should factor into the pick calculation.  

Perhaps my issues with the Compensatory Picks is that the Minnesota Vikings rarely get any. They simply don't play the game like the Ravens and others do. The biggest reason that the Vikings haven't received any extra picks in recent years is because their priority is re-signing their promising, young players. It seems like that should be the priority of every team. They spend 4-5 years developing these players why would they want to start all over with a draft pick that has far more unknowns than the player they just let walk out the door. Teams shouldn't be rewarded for this constant roster churn.
There's no denying the on-field success of some of the teams that have discovered a pick-generating system. That wasn't what the league had in mind in 1994. It was supposed to help teams that couldn't afford to keep all of their free agents stay competitive. The Compensatory Picks no longer serve that purpose. That's assuming that they ever did. Plus, they foul up the draft order. If the league wants to include another 32 college players to their annual draft they should just add an eighth round. 

Compensatory Picks Are In!

The NFL awarded Compensatory Draft picks to 16 teams yesterday. These extra picks are given to teams that lost more or better compensatory free agents than they gained in the previous season. The picks will be at the end of rounds three to seven. The placement of the picks are dependent on the relative value of the compensatory free agents lost. Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time, and postseason honors. A total of 32 picks are awarded each year.

One change this year is that the compensatory picks can be traded. That could spice up things.

Four teams were awarded four picks.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
So those four teams received half of the picks.

Here are the 32 picks. 11 third round picks seems like more than usual.

Third round

Round Choice/Overall Selection

33rd pick of third round; 97th overall: Miami

34th pick of third round; 98th overall: Carolina

35th pick of third round; 99th overall: Baltimore

36th pick of third round; 100th overall: Los Angeles Rams

37th pick of third round; 101st overall: Denver

38th pick of third round; 102nd overall: Seattle

39th pick of third round; 103rd overall: Cleveland

40th pick of third round; 104th overall: Kansas City

41st pick of third round; 105th overall: Pittsburgh

42nd pick of third round; 106th overall: Seattle

43rd pick of third round; 107th overall: New York Jets

Fourth round

32nd pick of fourth round; 138th overall: Cincinnati

33rd pick of fourth round; 139th overall: Cleveland

34th pick of fourth round; 140th overall: Los Angeles Rams

35th pick of fourth round; 141st overall: Cleveland

36th pick of fourth round; 142nd overall: San Francisco

37th pick of fourth round; 143rd overall: Indianapolis

Fifth round

33rd pick of fifth round; 178th overall: Cincinnati

34th pick of fifth round; 179th overall: Denver

35th pick of fifth round; 180th overall: Miami

36th pick of fifth round; 181st overall: Arizona

37th pick of fifth round; 182nd overall: Kansas City

38th pick of fifth round; 183rd overall: Cleveland

39th pick of fifth round; 184th overall: Green Bay

40th pick of fifth round; 185th overall: New England

41st pick of fifth round; 186th overall: Miami

Sixth round

33rd pick of the sixth round; 218th overall: Kansas City

34th pick of the sixth round; 219th overall: Cincinnati

35th pick of the sixth round; 220th overall: Kansas City

Seventh round

33rd pick of the seventh round; 253rd overall: Cincinnati

34th pick of the seventh round; 254th overall: Denver

35th pick of the seventh round; 255th overall: Denver

And the players lost and gained by the teams with the new picks.

ARIZONA

Lost: Rashad Johnson; Ted Larsen; Bobby Massie; Bradley Sowell; Sean Weatherspoon; Corey White

Gained: Tyvon Branch; Evan Mathis

BALTIMORE

Lost: Kelechi Osemele; Matt Schaub; Courtney Upshaw

Gained: Benjamin Watson; Eric Weddle

CAROLINA

Lost: Josh Norman; Brad Nortman

Gained: Gino Gradkowski

CINCINNATI

Lost: Marvin Jones; Emmanuel Lamur; Reggie Nelson; Mohamed Sanu; Andre Smith

CLEVELAND

Lost: Johnson Bademosi; Travis Benjamin; Tashaun Gipson; Alex Mack; Craig Robertson; Mitchell Schwartz

Gained: Demario Davis

DENVER

Lost: David Bruton; Vernon Davis; Ryan Harris; Malik Jackson; Evan Mathis; Brock Osweiler; Danny Trevathan

Gained: Jared Crick; Russell Okung; Donald Stephenson

GREEN BAY

Lost: Casey Hayward; Scott Tolzien

INDIANAPOLIS

Lost: Coby Fleener; Jerrell Freeman; Dwight Lowery

Gained: Patrick Robinson; Scott Tolzien

KANSAS CITY

Lost: Jeff Allen; Tyvon Branch; Chase Daniel; Sean Smith; Donald Stephenson

Gained: Mitchell Schwartz

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Lost: Nick Fairley; Janoris Jenkins; Rodney McLeod

MIAMI

Lost: Rishard Matthews; Lamar Miller; Derrick Shelby; Kelvin Sheppard; Olivier Vernon

Gained: Isa Abdul-Quddus; Andre Branch

NEW ENGLAND

Lost: Akiem Hicks; Tavon Wilson

Gained: Shea McClellin

NEW YORK JETS

Lost: Demario Davis; Damon Harrison; Chris Ivory

Gained: Matt Forte; Steve McLendon

PITTSBURGH

Lost: Kelvin Beachum; Antwon Blake; Will Johnson; Steve McLendon; Sean Spence

Gained: Ladarius Green; Ryan Harris

SAN FRANCISCO

Lost: Alex Boone

SEATTLE

Lost: Bruce Irvin; Brandon Mebane; Russell Okung; J.R. Sweezy

Gained: Bradley Sowell; J'Marcus Webb

Line Thoughts

Of all the position groups in football offensive line is the one that I least understand. I can recognize when a lineman or an entire line does their job well but I don't always understand why or how he or they did it well. It's actually pretty obvious when an offensive line is playing well. The quarterback has plenty of time to throw without being being hassled by the defense. The running backs have gaping holes through which to run. The offense just sails down the field when the line plays well. Everything's easy when the line plays well. That's easy to see. How the line makes things easy for everyone on their side of the field isn't so easy to see.

The Minnesota Vikings offensive line has left a great deal to be desired in recent seasons. Quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford have had little time to throw and are often running for their lives. The running backs encounter defenders before they even get to the line of scrimmage. Adrian Peterson's league leading rushing total of 1485 yards in 2015 might be a more impressive accomplishment than the 2097 yards that he gained in his MVP season of 2012. He had holes to run through in 2012. He didn't have many in 2015.

Why hasn't the Vikings offensive line played well? There's probably a whole host of reasons. Lack of talent is one of them. Lack of continuity was a problem last season. A line works in unison so much that each member has to know well how the others move, execute, and react in a variety of situations. The five on the line have to work as one. Injuries forced the Vikings into about a dozen different lineups. That's a rough road for a talented line. It can be catastrophic for a line that isn't so gifted. There were times last season when the Vikings best blocker appeared to be tight end Rhett Ellison. A 6'5" 250 lb tight end was doing a better job of keeping his quarterback clean than any of the five big guys up front. That shouldn't happen. A lot of Ellison's effectiveness was simply due to effort. He was active, hustling, doing everything that he could to stay between the defender and his quarterback. If he could control the intentions of an opponent at his size why couldn't the big linemen? Was it simply effort?

I need to understand offensive line play better so that I can fix the Vikings offensive line woes. Fortunately, one of the best offensive line coaches in the game wrote a book. Howard Mudd. His book is appropriately titled The View From The O-Line. The book has been a big help. It's entertaining too. Bill "Tiger" Johnson was the line coach for the San Francisco 49ers when Mudd played guard for the team in the 1960s. Johnson said that the most important traits an offensive lineman had to have were intelligence and character. Johnson had a Brown Bag Theory.

"You can take all the offensive linemen in the NFL, put them in a bag, shake them around, and throw them out there. Then you take two tackles, two guards, and a center. There won't be a lot of differences. What separates them is intelligence and character. The physical part takes care of itself."

"Our line coach in San Diego, Dave Levy, used to say there are a lot of 300-pound guys sitting on barstools. It's the three-pound brain that separates them from being great offensive linemen."
          -Ed White

Many football thinkers say that quarterbacks and offensive linemen are usually the smartest players on a team. Both have to differentiate the intentions of the defense before the ball is snapped. Then they have to interpret and react in an instant to the chaos to that transpires during a play. Big and smart. It's a combination that can be hard to find. Why would a smart man undertake what takes place in the football trenches.

Intelligence is pretty straight forward. Character is a little harder to define. As a result it can be harder to find. Mudd says that character, at least when it comes to linemen, starts with toughness. A lineman has to be tough to absorb the punishment that comes with being pounded on for 70+ plays each game. The five members of the offensive and the quarterback are pretty much the only players that aren't part of some rotation during a game. If all goes well the quarterback isn't touched on very many of those 70+ plays. The offensive line is a different breed of player. Every play is pretty much a fist fight. They have to be tough. They have to stay mentally engaged while they are in that fist fight.

Mudd's offensive line character also embodies courage.

"It's doing the right thing when things are getting difficult and you're getting tired. Can you keep using the right footwork, keep putting your head in the right place, and keep applying the correct techniques the entire game? Can you carry out your assignment and keep doing everything exactly right? I'm looking for a guy who will persevere.
And I'm looking for a guy who is going to pick up his lunch pail and come to work every day."
          -Howard Mudd

So are the Vikings.

When thinking about offensive linemen needing effort, character, toughness, and courage I can't help but think of former Vikings offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. I can't help but think of him because it never seemed like he had any of those qualities. McKinnie had the immovable size, feet, quickness, and talent to be one of the best tackles to ever play the game. He had everything but he just seemed to go through the motions. I guess that he realized he could be a decent player and earn a huge second contract without much effort so he did just that. He made one Pro Bowl and got kicked out of it before he even made it to the game. He just didn't care.

Offensive linemen are selfless. They have to be. Few know them. Fewer acknowledge them. Nearly every other player on the field is quick to celebrate their own accomplishments. Many players will bounce into an elaborate routine for even a routine play. They celebrate simply doing their job. An offensive lineman returns to the huddle or lines up for the next play. The only time an offensive lineman is seen celebrating is when a teammate does something great. That something great is usually a score. The very thing that takes the whole team to accomplish. Especially the line.

If you really like football it's real easy to love offensive linemen.

So, how do the Vikings improve their offensive line? Increasing the talent level is a start. As many as four new starters are needed. Some of the less optimistic might say that they need five new starters. That's a lot to add in a single offseason. Some combination of free agency and the draft has to provide those players. It would also be nice if the Vikings can avoid the injuries that wiped out any hope for continuity last season. The Vikings need some offensive linemen and effort, intelligence, character, toughness, and courage had better be some of the qualities that they possess.

Reading Howard Mudd's book shines a bright light on something that I've always really known. No matter how many times I might watch a play there are things that go on between the offensive and defensive lines that I'll never see. Or understand. Line play is an all-out brawl wrapped around a chess match tucked anonymously in a football game.

Throwback Thursday: Where's The Bubble?

This Throwback Thursday is a throwback to March, 19 2011. The Flea Flicker was a month old at the time and I was having some fun with one of my favorite draft evaluation terms. With the Scouting Combine starting in a week the timing felt right. Where's the Bubble?


I've been reading NFL draft prospect analyses and projections for years. They are everywhere now, dozens of magazines, Internet, etc. They can never replace watching game tape, but for fans this is often all we have. These analyses can be fairly generic for particular positions. They have also taken on a bit of "coach- or scout-speak". So much so that it can sound like a whole other language. A couple of years ago, nearly every player analysis contained a reference to a "bubble". I was a bit stumped at first. Through the usage of the word, it was soon obvious that the authors were referring to a part of the player's anatomy. With delicious Chicken McNuggets, one wonders where on a chicken a nugget is found. Where is a "bubble" found on a football player? You're probably ahead of me. The "bubble" is the tushy, the derriere, the butt. I'm not sure how this impacts a player's draft status, or if it even should. I can see the potential benefits of a big "bubble" on a lineman, but I can also see it getting in the way. The odd thing about the "bubble" and it's draft importance is that it has not been used since that one big "bubble" year. The "bubble" is no longer important to the NFL. For whatever reason, the "bubble" has gone.

Quarterback Acquisition Rankings

There's no winning in today's NFL without a capable quarterback. That's why every team needs one. Or more. If they don't have one they have to get one. SI's Chris Burke recently ranked the quarterbacks that might be available this offseason.

1.   Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (through 2019)
2.   Jimmy Garoppolo, New England Patriots (through 2017)
3.   Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (through 2021)
4.   Kirk Cousins, impending free agent
5.   DeSahaun Watson, draft prospect
6.   Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (through 2021)
7.   DeShone Kizer, draft prospect
8.   Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (through 2017)
9.   Mitch Trubisky, draft prospect
10. Nick Foles, Kansas City Chiefs (through 2017)
11. Brian Hoyer, impending free agent
12. Patrick Mahomes, draft prospect
13. Mike Glennon, impending free agent
14. Matt Barkley, impending free agent
15. Ryan Fitzpatrick, impending free agent
16. Case Keenum, impending free agent

Tyrod Taylor at #3 is a bit of a surprise but he might be a fine fit for some team. He was mostly terrific in that wildly entertaining game against the Seattle Seahawks last season. If he can make a habit of playing like that against a defense like that he can win some games.

I see the potentially available quarterbacks more like this.

1. Jimmy Garoppolo, New England Patriots
The 2017 quarterback shuffle starts with Garoppolo although recent reports are that the Patriots won't make him available.

2. A.J. McCarron, Cincinnati Bengals (through 2017)
It's puzzling as to why McCarron isn't mentioned more as a potential answer to a team's quarterback woes. If Garoppolo's considered available why not McCarron. Both are under contract through 2017. Both are ready to start and aren't doing so in their current situation.

3. Mike Glennon, impending free agent
This is probably a reach but he rates high for me for the simple fact that he's actually available. He won't cost a draft pick. He's shown some potential as a starter. Maybe an innovative offensive coach like Kyle Shananhan can get the best of that potential out of him.

4. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (through 2019)
Perhaps it's because I suffered through the Vikings assembly line of quarterback retreads throughout the 1990s but I have some reservations with older, richer quarterback solutions. If Romo moves on from Dallas it would have to be to a team ready to win now. So, he's not the answer for every team.

5. Kirk Cousins, impending free agent
I just don't think that Cousins will be available.

The soon-to-be rookies are next on my list.
6. DeShaun Watson
7. DeShone Kizer
8. Mitch Trubisky
9. Patrick Mahomes
10. Davis Webb

A team that doesn't get at least one of the above will probably be waiting for Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft. Why is it that the next quarterback class is so often the better one?

Flea Flicker Top 5 Free Agents At Each Position

The NFL free agency spending spree starts on the afternoon of March 9. The now annual tampering period starts a couple days before that so some of the big deals are a little anticlimactic once they become official. It's getting close so here's a Flea Flicker look at some of the best at each position that might be available in just over two weeks. Re-signings and franchise tags could take some of these players off of the free agent market.

Quarterbacks

1. Kirk Cousins

2. Mike Glennon

3. Ryan Fitzpatrick

4. Brian Hoyer

5. Matt Barkley

Running backs

1. Le'Veon Bell

2. LeGarrette Blount

3. Latavius Murray

4. Terrence West-RFA

5. Isaiah Crowell-RFA

Fullbacks

1. Kyle Juszczyk

2. Patrick DiMarco

3. Zach Line

4. James Develin

5. Jerome Felton

Wide receivers

1. Alshon Jeffrey

2. Terrelle Pryor

3. DeSean Jackson

4. Kenny Britt

5. Pierre Garcon

Tight ends

1. Jared Cook

2. Martellus Bennett

3. Jordan Cameron

4. Levine Toilolo

5. Jack Doyle

Left tackle

1. Andrew Whitworth

2. Matt Kalil

3. Kelvin Beachum

4. Ty Nsekhe-RFA

5. Ryan Clady

Right tackle

1. Ricky Wagner

2. Riley Reiff

3. Mike Remmers

4. Jordan Mills

5. Menelik Watson

Guards

1. Kevin Zeitler

2. T.J. Lang

3. Larry Warford

4. Ronald Leary

5. Luke Joeckel

Centers

1. J.C. Tretter

2. Matt Paradis-RFA

3. Joe Berger

4. Joe Hawley

5. Stefen Wisniewski

Defensive ends

1. Chandler Jones

2. Melvin Ingram

3. Jason Pierre-Paul

4. Mario Addison

5. Jabaal Sheard

Defensive tackles

1. Kawann Short

2. Brandon Williams

3. Calais Campbell-DT/DE

4; Dontari Poe

5. Chris Baker-DT/DE

Outside linebackers

1. Lorenzo Alexander

2. John Simon

3. Jarvis Jones

4. James Harrison

5. Michael Morgan

Inside linebackers

1. Dont'a Hightower

2. Kiko Alonso

3. Gerald Hodges

4. Zach Brown

5. Perry Riley

Cornerbacks

1. Malcolm Butler-RFA

2. A.J. Bouye

3. Stephon Gilmore

4. Logan Ryan

5. Trumaine Johnson

Safeties

1. Eric Berry

2. Jonathan Cyprien

3. Tony Jefferson

4. Duron Harmon

5. Barry Church

Gil Brandt's 2016 All-Rookie Team

Gil Brandt has been closely involved with the NFL for over sixty years. He worked for the Los Angeles Rams from 1955-59. He pretty much wrote the book on college scouting while working with the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-88. He's been an NFL analyst and maintained his status as a draft expert ever since. Gil Brandt posted his 2016 All-Rookie Team on NFL.com earlier this month.

Quarterback
Dak Prescott. Dallas Cowboys

Running backs
Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas Cowboys
Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears

Wide receivers
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Malcolm Mitchell, New England Patriots

Tight end
Hunter Henry, San Diego Chargers

Offensive tackle
Taylor Decker, Detroit Lions
Jack Conklin, Tennessee Titans

Offensive guards
Joe Thuney, New England Patriots
Laremny Tunsil, Miami Dolphins

Center
Cody Whitehair, Chicago Bears

Defensive linemen
Joey Bosa, San Diego Chargers
Noah Spence, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
DeForest Buckner, San Francisco 49ers

Linebacker
Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Darron Lee, New York Jets
Leonard Floyd, Chicago Bears

Cornerback
Vernon Hargreaves, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars
Eli Apple, New York Giants

Safeties
Keanu Neal, Atlanta Falcons
Sean Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers

Punter
Drew Kraser, San Diego Chargers

Kicker
Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints

Returner
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

Special teams
Miles Killebrew, Detroit Lions

Personally, I'd tap Minnesota Vikings linebacker Kentrell Brothers as the special teams player. But, that's just me.

The Cowboys rookie class led by Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott get a lot of much deserved attention. They should be successful and entertaining team as long as the pair are in the backfield. Bears' rookies Jordan Howard, Cody Whitehair, and Leonard Floyd kicked off their NFL in fine fashion. Chicago should be real happy with their young players.

Combine Invites By College

If the college football national title were determined by the number of players sent to the Scouting Combine, Michigan would be the runaway champs. The numbers also show that the Wolverines were well-stocked with talent before Jim Harbaugh took the reins. I guess that he just pointed them in the right direction. The fine folks at NFL.com's CFB 24/7 put together the 15 schools that will send the most players to the Scouting Combine at the end of this month.

Michigan (14): OL Ben Braden, TE Jake Butt, DL Taco Charlton, WR Jehu Chesson, CB Jeremy Clark, WR Amara Darboh, LB Ben Gedeon, DL Ryan Glasgow, S Delano Hill, CB Jourdan Lewis, S Jabrill Peppers, RB De'Veon Smith, CB Channing Stribling, DL Chris Wormley.

Alabama (10): DL Jonathan Allen, LB Ryan Anderson, LB Reuben Foster, TE O.J. Howard, CB Marlon Humphrey, DB Eddie Jackson, OL Cam Robinson, WR ArDarius Stewart, DL Dalvin Tomlinson, LB Tim Williams.

LSU (10): S Jamal Adams, LB Kendell Beckwith, DE Tashawn Bower, WR Malachi Dupre, WR Travin Dural, RB Leonard Fournette, DL Davon Godchaux, OL Ethan Pocic, LB Duke Riley, CB Tre'Davious White.

Clemson (9): LB Ben Boulware, RB Wayne Gallman, S Jadar Johnson, TE Jordan Leggett, WR Artavis Scott, CB Cordrea Tankersley, DL Carlos Watkins, QB Deshaun Watson, WR Mike Williams.

Miami (9): S Jamal Carter, WR Stacey Coley, CB Corn Elder, OL Danny Isidora, DB Rayshawn Jenkins, QB Brad Kaaya, DL Al-Quadin Muhammad, TE David Njoku, P Paul Vogel.

Texas A&M (9): OL Jermaine Eluemunor, S Justin Evans, DL Myles Garrett, OL Avery Gennesy, DL Daeshon Hall, QB Trevor Knight, WR Speedy Noil, WR Josh Reynolds, WR Ricky Seals-Jones.

Arkansas (8): PK Toby Baker, LB Brooks Ellis, WR Keon Hatcher, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, WR Drew Morgan, OL Dan Skipper, TE Jeremy Sprinkle, DL Deatrich Wise.

Florida (8): LB Alex Anzalone, DL Caleb Brantley, DL Bryan Cox, LB Jarrad Davis, S Marcus Maye, OL David Sharpe, CB Teez Tabor, CB Quincy Wilson.

Florida State (8): RB Dalvin Cook, OL Roderick Johnson, WR Travis Rudolph, RB Freddie Stevenson, DL DeMarcus Walker, CB Marquez White, WR Kermit Whitfield, WR Jesus Wilson.

Utah (8): CB Brian Allen, OL Isaac Asiata, OL Garett Bolles, OL J.J. Dielman, DL Pita Taumoepenu, OL Samiuela Tevi, RB Joe Williams, S Marcus Williams.

Ohio State (8): WR Noah Brown, CB Gaeron Conley, OL Pat Elflein, S Malik Hooker, P Cameron Johnston, CB Marshon Lattimore, LB Raekwon McMillan, WR Curtis Samuel.

USC (8): OL Zach Banner, RB Justin Davis, CB Adoree' Jackson, OL Damien Mama, WR Darreus Rogers, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, DL Steve Tu'ikolovatu, OL Chad Wheeler.

Louisville (7): LB Devonte' Fields, S Josh Harvey-Clemons, TE Cole Hikutini, LS Colin Holba, LB Keith Kelsey, WR James Quick, WR Jamari Staples.

Washington (7): S Budda Baker, TE Darrell Daniels, CB Sidney Jones, CB Kevin King, LB Joe Mathis, DL Elijah Qualls, WR John Ross.

North Carolina (7): WR Mack Hollins, RB Elijah Hood, WR Bug Howard, DL Nazair Jones, RB Tyrone Logan, WR Ryan Switzer, QB Mitch Trubisky.


Cal has three players heading to Indainapolis.

QB Davis Webb
WR Chad Hansen
LS  Bradley Northangel

The NFL is often interested in getting a look at Cal's long snapper. 

Vikings Complete Coaching Staff?

The Minnesota Vikings filled the last of their coaching vacancies with the hiring of former Kent State and Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell as wide receivers coach. That position opened up when the Chargers picked longtime receivers coach George Stewart to come with them to Los Angeles to be their special teams coordinator. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has often stressed the importance of having teachers on his coaching staff. Some of the best football teachers are found at the college level because it's needed there. NFL coaches spend so much time implementing a particular offensive or defensive system or game planning for an opponent that teaching techniques and fundamentals often fall to the side. In his three years as the Vikings head coach Zimmer has made teaching technique and fundamentals a coaching priority. Hazell certainly qualifies as a college football teacher. He was a college position coach for about 25 years before he finally got a head coaching shot in 2011. Hazell joins running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu and tight ends coach Clancy Barone as newcomers to the Vikings coaching staff.

Head Coach: Mike Zimmer
Offensive Coordinator: Pat Shurmur
Defensive Coordinator: George Edwards
Special Teams Coordinator: Mike Priefer
Quarterbacks: Kevin Stefanski
Running Backs: Kennedy Polamalu
Wide Receivers: Darrell Hazell
Tight Ends: Clancy Barone
Offensive Line: Tony Sparano
Defensive Line: Andre Patterson
Linebackers: Adam Zimmer
Defensive Backs: Jerry Gray
Strength and Conditioning: Brent Salazar
Assistant Wide Receivers: Drew Petzing
Assistant Defensive Line: Robert Rodriguez
Assistant Defensive Backs/Quality Control: Jonathan Gannon
Assistant Special Teams: Ryan Ficken
Offensive Assistant/Quality Control: Andrew Janocko
Defensive Assistant: Jeff Howard
Assistant Strength and Conditioning: Jeff Hurd
Assistant Strength and Conditioning: Chaz Mahle

It's interesting to follow the evolution of Mike Zimmer's coaching staff. The defense is easy to track. Zimmer brought in his own guys when he was hired in 2014. The only change since was the addition of assistant defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez in 2015. Defensive assistant Jeff Howard is the only holdover from the Leslie Frazier years. Defensive line coach Andre Patterson is on his second Vikings stint. He was Dennis Green's defensive line coach from 1998-99. While the defensive coaches haven't changed much in the last three years the offense is a whole other story. Assistant receivers coach Drew Petzing is the most tenured offensive coach at his current position. He came from the Cleveland Browns with Norv Turner in 2014. There's been quite a bit of shuffling of the offensive coaches in the past year. At the start of the 2016 season the Vikings offensive coaching staff looked like this.

Offensive Coordinator: Norv Turner
Quarterbacks Coach: Scott Turner
Running Backs Coach: Kevin Stefanski
Wide Receivers Coach: George Stewart
Tight Ends Coach: Pat Shurnur
Offensive Line Coach: Tony Sparano

A quick glance at the current coaching roster shows that Tony Sparano is the only coach at the same position now that he had in September. The coaching changes unfortunately started during the 2016 season. Norv Turner left in Novemeber. Pat Shurmur replaced him. Scott Turner left at the end of the season. Kevin Stefanski replaced him. Those moves left holes at running back and tight end. Kennedy Polamalu and Clancy Barone were hired to fill those roles. The Chargers gave George Stewart his long-deserved coordinator job. Darrell Hazell was hired this week to replace him.

Kevin Stefanski's NFL coaching life is really no different from that of most coaches. Because I've followed it closely since it's beginning I find it fascinating. He's been a Vikings coaching constant since Brad Childress brought him to Minnesota in 2006. He was an assistant to Childress from 2006-08. He assisted with the quarterbacks from 2009-13. A stretch that offered him the opportunity to work with a range of quarterbacks from the likes of Joe Webb to Brett Favre. Stefanski saw quarterbacking extremes in a single season. He coached tight ends from 2014-15 and running backs last year. Now, Stefanski is the Vikings quarterbacks coach. He's also the team's most tenured coach. An offensive coordinator post is likely his next step. Or, perhaps a head coaching opportunity at a smaller college. They teach technique there and Stefanski has been doing that at three different offensive positions in the last three years. It's been fun and interesting to watch his coaching evolution. An evolution that's much like that of most coaches. The only difference being that his has been with one team.

There's a chance that Hazell won't be the Vikings last coaching addition. Assistant offensive line coach Hank Fraley moved to the college ranks last month. UCLA hired him to coach their offensive linemen. It remains to be seen whether the Vikings will add another coach to help Tony Sparano with the linemen. Including the practice squad, the offensive line routinely numbers more than ten players. That's a lot for a single coach. Maybe Matt Birk or Steve Hutchinson (or both) are looking for something to do.

Franchise Tag Numbers

Wednesday was the first day that teams could use the franchise tag on one of their soon-to-be free agents. From their beginning franchise tags were always meant to give teams another way to control the free agency movement of their players. The players get a real nice one-year contract. The teams get to keep their player for another year. The players hate it because they get no signing bonuses or long-term security. The teams like the control and bargaining power that it gives them. The franchise tag tenders used to be the average of the five highest cap numbers at each position from the prior year. The 2011 CBA added a bit more math to the calculation. Now the tenders are determined by the aggregate sum of the franchise tags at each position over the prior five-year period divided by the aggregate sum of the salary cap over the same five-year period. Basically, the league determines what percentage of the salary cap that a player at each position should get when they are franchise-tagged.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the 2017 percentages are as follows:

Quarterback: 12.735 percent.

Defensive end: 10.14 percent.

Receiver: 9.39 percent.

Linebacker: 8.712 percent.

Offensive line: 8.546 percent.

Cornerback: 8.51 percent.

Defensive tackle: 8.016 percent.

Running back: 7.257 percent.

Safety: 6.524 percent.

Tight end: 5.856 percent.

Kicker-punter: 2.895 percent.

The actual dollar amounts won't be known until the salary cap number for 2017 is finalized. Based on a salary cap of $165 million, here are the franchise contract amounts.

Quarterback: $21.01 million.

Defensive end: $16.73 million.

Receiver: $15.49 million.

Linebacker: $14.37 million.

Offensive line: $14.1 million.

Cornerback: $14.04 million.

Defensive tackle: $13.22 million.

Running back: $11.9 million.

Safety: $10.76 million.

Tight end: $9.66 million.

Kicker-punter: $4.77 million

The league really needs to look into breaking down the positions even more. As it stands now pass-rushing linebackers are being paid like defensive ends. So much like ends that they should probably be grouped with them rather than interior linebackers. They separate defensive ends from defensive tackles. Why not separate interior and outside linebackers? The same goes for each of the offensive line positions. The NFL sometimes has a real slow learning curve.

Throwback Thursday: Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Looking at the potential 2018 Hall Class is more of a throw-forward than a throwback but the Hall of Fame is always a look at football's past. Canton has been on my mind lately. That's probably due to the continuous and intense debate over Terrell Owens' second Hall denial. He could face a third with the strong list of players that will be up for the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2018.

Ray Lewis

Brian Urlacher

Randy Moss

Steve Hutchinson

Ronde Barber

Richard Seymour

There's a decent chance that four of the five possible modern era inductees could come from the above first-timers. Ray Lewis is pretty much a lock. Brian Urlacher is a near lock. Randy Moss and Steve Hutchinson would have to leap a player or two at their respective positions to make it next year. Moss would have to leap the controversial Owens as well as Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt. Hutchinson would have to leap Alan Faneca. Personally, I would put Moss and Hutchinson in first simply because I think that they were better football players than those ahead of them. Moss was the most physically gifted receiver to ever play the game and he didn't let those gifts go to waste. He scared defenses like few, perhaps no, receiver ever has. In my book, Hutchinson was the best guard of his era and one of the best ever. So, the first part of my Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 would like like this. 

Ray Lewis

Brian Urlacher

Randy Moss

Steve Hutchinson

Brian Dawkins

But, I could see the actual class looking more like this.

Ray Lewis

Brian Urlacher

Randy Moss

Brian Dawkins

Alan Faneca

As for the two Senior nominees and one Contributor nominee. The voters really have to clean up some old and ridiculous mistakes. It seems as if the Senior Committee have closed the door on the first 4-5 decades of the NFL's existence. They aren't done so they have to open that door. Former Green Bay Packers end Lavvie Dilweg and Philadelphia Eagles tackle Al Wistert should've been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in one of the first 10-15 classes. They weren't and they haven't received much attention in the approximately 40 classes since. Both were All-Decade players, both earned stacks of All-pro nods. and both played major roles on teams that won multiple championships. Dilweg and Wistert have long been forgotten by the Hall voters and both are among pro football's best players. People moan about Owens having to wait a few years. Dilweg and Wistert have been waiting since the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in 1963. Neither has survived their wait. Dilweg died in 1968. Wistert died last year. Both should have seen this honor. 

The 2018 Contributor nominee is as easy a choice as the Senior nominees. Steve Sabol should've been inducted long ago. He certainly should've been inducted while he was alive. Ed and Steve Sabol have done as much as anyone in the league's history to move the game forward. They made the game more popular. They made the game more accessible. They made the game more artistic. They made the game better. Perhaps the voters feel that they honored Steve by honoring his father. That's not not near enough.

Flea Flicker Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Ray Lewis

Brian Urlacher

Randy Moss

Steve Hutchinson

Brian Dawkins

Lavvie Dilweg
Al Wistert
Steve Sabol

That's a fine class. 

Flea Flicker's Top 5 Prospects At Each Position

There will be a lot of draft stuff here and everywhere now that we've NFL's non-playing season. Free agency will raise it's greedy head on occasion but the draft is the most fun slice of the league's offseason pie. Everyone that cares about the draft has an opinion on what the players will do when they get paid to play and what the teams will do when it comes time to make a pick. But, no one really has a clue on either. We just like to think that we do. Here's my first stab at the top 5 prospects at each position. These rankings will change several times between now and the draft even though each player's college days are over a month behind them. The Scouting Combine and Pro Days jumble rankings such as these even though those events have little to do with what the players can do on the football field. Anyway, here's the first look at the Flea Flicker's Top 5 Prospects At Each Position.

Quarterbacks
1. DeShaun Watson, Clemson
2. Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina
3. DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame
4. Davis Webb, Cal
5. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

Running backs
1. Dalvin Cook, Florida State
2. Leonard Fournette, LSU
3. Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
4. Alvin Kamara, Tennessee
5. Wayne Gallman, Clemson

Wide receivers
1. Corey Davis, Western Michigan
2. Mike Williams, Clemson
3. John Ross, Washington
4. Cooper Krupp, Eastern Washington
5. DeDe Westbrook, Oklahoma

Tight ends
1. O.J. Howard, Alabama
2. Jake Butt, Michigan
3. David Njoku, Miami
4. Evan Engram, Mississippi
5. Gerald Everett, South Alabama

Offensive tackles
1. Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin
2. Cam Robinson, Alabama
3. Garrett Bolles, Utah
4. Roderick Johnson, Florida State
5. Taylor Moton, Western Michigan

Guards
1. Dan Feeney, Indiana
2. Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky
3. Dorian Johnson, Pittsburgh
4. Dion Dawkins, Temple
5. Isaac Asiata, Utah

Centers
1. Ethan Pocic, LSU
2. Pat Elflein, Ohio State
3. Tyler Orlosky, Pittsburgh
4. Kyle Fuller, Baylor
5. Jon Toth, Kentucky

Defensive ends
1. Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
2. Jonathan Allen, Alabama
3. Taco Charlton, Michigan
4. Solomon Thomas, Stanford
5. Derek Barnett, Tennessee

Defensive tackles
1. Malik McDowell, Michigan State
2. Chris Wormley, Michigan
3. Caleb Brantley, Florida
4. Elijah Qualls, Washington
5. Carlos Watkins, Clemson

Outside linebackers
1. Tim Williams, Alabama
2. Takkarist McKinney, UCLA
3. Hasson Reddick, Temple
4. Ryan Anderson, Alabama
5. T.J. Watt, Wisconsin

Inside linebackers
1. Rueben Foster, Alabama
2. Jarrad Davis, Florida
3. Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State
4. Kendell Beckwith, LSU
5. Anthony Walker, Northwestern

Cornerbacks
1. Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State
2. Sidney Jones, Washington
3. Quincy Wilson, Florida
4. Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
5. Teez Tabor, Florida

Safeties
1. Malik Hooker, Ohio State
2. Jamal Adams, LSU
3. Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
4. Budda Baker, Washington
5. Justin Evans, Texas A&M

A New Line

Last Friday the Minnesota Vikings released guards Brandon Fusco and Mike Harris. It was the first of likely several moves this offseason to overhaul the offensive line. The will be a new line in Minnesota. That's a good thing. The pair were the team's starting guards for the entire 2015 season. They probably would've formed the right side of the Vikings line in 2016 if Harris hadn't missed the season to an undisclosed health issue. Fusco's release could hardly be considered surprising but it was disappointing. He'd played so well after being a sixth-round pick in 2011 out of itty-bitty Slippery Rock that he earned a nice contract extension prior to the 2014 season. He was a rising offensive line star and cornerstone player. Everything was going great for Fusco in Minnesota until he tore a pectoral muscle in the third game of that 2014 season. He missed the rest of that season and couldn't work out for most of the following offseason. His switch to left guard in 2015 didn't go well. The hope was that he'd yet to regain his full strength after the injury and surgery. Or perhaps he was simply better suited for the right side. Maybe a combination of both. His switch back to right guard in 2016 didn't go well either. There's still a chance that Fusco could return to his pre-pectoral injury form but the Vikings clearly weren't willing to take that chance. They have to improve the offensive line this season. They have to put together a new line because it's been a while since an NFL-caliber offensive line has been seen in Minnesota. The efforts to improve the line won't include Fusco or Harris. So, who does it include? Here are the offensive linemen that the Vikings currently have under contract for the 2017 season.

Tackles
T.J. Clemmings
Austin Shepherd
Reid Fragel
Marquis Walker

Guards
Alex Boone
Joe Berger

Center
Nick Easton

Oh, that won't do.

The following players will probably be back as they are set to become exclusive rights/restricted free agents next month. They are each developmental players and the offensive line needs a lot of developing. And they won't cost much to retain. Each saw some playing time last season to varying degrees of proficiency. Hill showed some intriguing left tackle potential in just over a quarter of work in week 17. Beavers was a fourth round pick last spring. That isn't necessarily a good thing.

ERFA
Rashod Hill-T
Zac Kerin-G/C
Willie Beavers-G/T

RFA
Jeremiah Sirles-G/T

Assuming that the above restricted free agents return the Vikings will be entering the 2017 offseason with an offensive line group that would produce a starting line that looks a little something like this.

LT	Rashod Hill
LG	Alex Boone
C	Nick Easton
RG	Joe Berger
RT	T.J. Clemmings

My goodness. That definitely won't do.

Alex Boone is the only near certain 2017 starter that's currently on the roster. Joe Berger has been a solid starter the last two seasons. He's done so at both guard and center but the line will probably be at it's best if he's a backup at all three interior spots. He also turns 35 in May. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see Nick Easton as the starting center. Except for a snap that somehow never moved against the Green Bay Packers, he showed some promise in a couple of starts late last season. I doubt that any Vikings fan wants to see T.J. Clemmings listed as a starter. Ever. He's had a rough two years in the league. With as poorly as he's played it's stunning that he's started 30 of 31 games. He went to Pitt as a defensive lineman and was switched to offensive line as a junior. He's only played on the offensive side of the line for four seasons. Few fans accept that as an excuse anymore. Clemmings has prototypical size, strength, and athleticism but he's slow to react to outside pass rushers way too often. Perhaps he's better suited for guard. Rashod Hill has some intriguing talent. Maybe he can take the Donald Penn-path to the NFL. The path that goes from undrafted to consistent starter to the Pro Bowl. The difference being that Hill does so with the Vikings.

The Vikings also have three offensive tackles set to hit unrestricted free agency. Each started some games last season. Each was supposed to start a lot more than they did but were on injured reserve almost as soon as they stepped on the field.

Matt Kalil
Jake Long
Andre Smith

It might be a mistake to say never when it comes to the NFL but there's about zero chance that Jake Long and Andre Smith are re-signed. The Vikings selected Matt Kalil with the fourth pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He had a dynamite rookie season but he's been struggling (sometimes mightily) to reach that level of play ever since. Instead of being the franchise left tackle that he was drafted to be he's been serviceable. Simply serviceable would've been amazing compared to what the Vikings got from the left tackle position in 2016. The usually durable Kalil only played in two games due to a hip injury. Now, he's a free agent. It would be a safe move to re-sign him to a reasonable "prove-it" contract simply for security reasons. He's still young at 27 and despite occasional struggles he's a reliable, blind-side blocker. Perhaps playing next to a decent left guard in Boone, Kalil can be more than reliable. That was supposed to be the plan last season but his injury changed those plans after only two games. If the Vikings can find their future left tackle in the draft, Kalil can be a security blanket in case that player isn't ready right away.

Seeing as improving the offensive line is at the very top of their offseason to-do list, the Vikings will be looking at offensive linemen in free agency and the draft.

Free Agency
The players potentially available in free agency will change before the fun begins on March 9. The list of offensive linemen that are currently set to become free agents is topped by these players.

Tackles
Ricky Wagner, Baltimore Ravens
Andrew Whitworth, Cincinnati Bengals
Riley Reiff, Detroit Lions
Menelik Watson, Oakland Raiders

Guards
Kevin Zeitler, Cincinnati Bengals
T.J. Lang, Green Bay Packers
Larry Warford, Detroit Lions
Ronald Leary, Dallas Cowboys

Center
JC Tretter, Green Bay Packers

My Minnesota Vikings free agency wish list looks like this (for now)
1. Ricky Wagner
2. JC Tretter
But, any combination of the above players would be applauded.

Draft
It's way too early in the draft process to focus on much of anything. Prospects currently slotted for the third round could be first rounders by April. And current first rounders could go in the third round. Or later.

Tackles
Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin
Cam Robinson, Alabama
Garrett Bolles, Utah
Roderick Johnson, Florida State
Dion Dawkins, Temple
Taylor Moton, Western Michigan
Antonio Garcia, Troy
With no first round pick it isn't likely that the Vikings get within sight of Ryan Ramczyk, Cam Robinson, or Garrett Bolles. But, with the draft, you never know.

GuardsCenters
Dan Feeney, Indiana
Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky
Pat Elflein, Ohio State
Ethan Pocic, LSU
Dorian Johnson, Pitt

Right now, my Vikings draft wish list starts with Forrest Lamp. He played left tackle at Western Kentucky but most draft "experts" project him as a guard. He sure looked pretty good at left tackle when he was playing against Alabama's flood of NFL-caliber edge rushers. Maybe his position uncertainty drops him into the second round. As we stumble closer to the draft maybe that uncertainty becomes more certain. For now, Forrest Lamp is penciled into the Vikings draft plans. If for no other reason, I simply want him in the Vikings offensive line plans.

The Vikings have no first round pick but they do have five in rounds 2-4. One in the second, two in the third, and two in the fourth. Not too long ago I was thinking that three of those five picks had to be offensive linemen. I've whittled that down to two of the five. I'll take Lamp and Pat Elflein as those two, for now.

My "wish list" additions give the Vikings a new offensive line that looks like this.

LT	Matt Kalil
LG	Alex Boone
C	JC Tretter
RG	Forrest Lamp
RT	Ricky Wagner

My hope is that Kalil's "security" presence allows Lamp to ease into the NFL at guard without throwing him to the harsh realities of the league at left tackle. Boone was ok in his first season with the Vikings but he was far from an impact player. Maybe that was due to the revolving-door lineup and resulting poor play around him. With that in mind I might be inclined to go with this line.

LT	Matt Kalil
LG	Forrest Lamp
C	Nick Easton
RG	JC Tretter
RT	Ricky Wagner

This approach could lead to a more permanent 2018 offensive line that looks something like this.

LT	Forrest Lamp
LG	Pat Elflein
C	Nick Easton
RG	JC Tretter
RT	Ricky Wagner

If Easton can play like the last center from Harvard that the Vikings had, I like this line.

No matter how this offensive line overhaul actually plays out the Vikings have to be aggressive, but smart. Increased competition at each line position was the plan last year. That didn't work out like they had hoped. They have to add talent this year. They have to get younger, stronger, and simply better up front.

To T.O. Or Not To T.O.

The bellyaching over Terrell Owens not making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is getting tiresome. The ringleader of the bellyachers seems to be Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Each day he seems to bring a fresh column to his website with a new Owens rant or criticism of a Hall voter. I should be more sympathetic to Florio and those with similar Hall of Fame opinions of Owens. After all, I went through the same thing with Cris Carter and his place in Canton. He had to wait six years. Not one of those denials seemed fair. Part of me thinks that Owens should wait six years simply because Carter had to do so.

Cris Carter career stats
Receptions: 1101
Targets: 1515
Yards: 13899
Touchdowns: 130

Terrell Owens career stats
Receptions: 1078
Targets: 1867
Yards: 15934
Touchdowns: 153

Looking only at statistics, both Carter and Owens deserve to be in the Pro Football of Fame. It took Carter six years to get there. Why would it surprise anyone if it takes Owens more than two? There's been a receiver line outside of Canton for about a decade. Every receiver not named Jerry Rice has had to wait in it. Monk, Reed, Brown, Carter, Harrison. Why shouldn't Owens wait in it as well? Carter's best years were the 2.5 years that he caught passes from Warren Moon. Those were also the only years that he caught passes from a Hall of Fame quarterback. A Hall of Fame quarterback that was at the end of his career. Carter also benefited from a dynamite, revival year from Randall Cunningham in 1998. Other than that Carter had to deal with a revolving door of Vikings quarterbacks throughout the 1990s. Some of them were of the Sean Salisbury variety. Carter still managed to put up Hall of Fame numbers. Owens put up Hall of Fame numbers with Hall of Famer Steve Young, excellent-to-elite Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo, and the limited-yet-efficient Jeff Garcia throwing to him. That's a significant upgrade to the assembly line that Carter saw. The Hall of Fame is an individual honor but football is very much a team game. Looking only at their respective quarterbacks, Terrell Owens had an easier path to splashy receiving numbers than Cris Carter. Again, it took Carter six years to get to Canton. Owens still has three years to beat that wait. Why all the angst over two years?

My biggest problem with Owens' career and the respect given to it is his hands. He didn't have Hall of Fame hands. In my book, a Hall of Fame receiver should have Hall of Fame hands. He led the league in dropped passes twice. No Hall of Fame receiver should come close to doing that even once. It took Owens 352 more passes to catch 23 fewer passes than Carter. Not all of those passes that didn't end up in Owens' shaky hands were drops but too many of them were. The supposedly simple act of catching a football often seemed to elude Owens. At times in comical fashion. That doesn't mean that he wasn't a great football player but it does mean that he wasn't a very good receiver. Most of the voters and talkers that criticize Owens criticize him for his cancerous attitude. They seem to gloss over his hands. That's a mistake.

As for that cancerous attitude. Florio makes light of it. In his most recent rant he mentions that Steve Young vouched for Owens as a teammate. Of course Young vouched for Owens as a teammate because the then young receiver was on his best behavior in those years. First of all, he was the young kid on a veteran team. More importantly, he was the young kid receiver opposite Jerry Rice. Owens answered to those future Hall of Famers. He wasn't a nuisance in San Francisco until after Young retired and Rice moved on to the Oakland Raiders. When Owens moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles and later to the Dallas Cowboys everything was beautiful at first in both places. He didn't even last two years in Philadelphia and only three years in Dallas. Each stay ended up being a nightmare. The Eagles ended up feeling so much better about their team without him that they paid him to stay away. That should say it all. Owens was often looking for his next team in the 2000s, As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I didn't want any part of him. Even during those receiver-hungry, post-Randy Moss years. Shitty hands. Shitty attitude. I'd rather see that play out with 31 other teams.

Terrell Owens was a fantastic football player. At times it seemed like the only thing that could stop him was his shaky hands. Opposing defenses too often were helpless. Eventually his attitude rivaled those hands as an opponents best defense against his great talent. He's a Hall of Fame football player. but there are simply too many questionable aspects to his career to make him a first- or even second-ballot Hall of Famer. There are enough questions that a Cris Carter-like wait shouldn't be a surprise. I once thought that people were out of their minds when they said that the long wait wouldn't matter once Carter finally made it. Well, it turns out they were right. Six years of anger and frustration did fade away when the Hall finally called. That will happen for Terrell Owens one day.

No Football!

Maybe it's a good thing to have the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl. I was slow to accept that because I'm generally slow to accept change. It's far better to end the season with a Super Bowl like we had last week than the Pro Bowl that we had the week before. Heck, it's better to the end the season with any Super Bowl than any Pro Bowl. No matter how the NFL season ends we eventually reach a Sunday with no football. Today. This is the first Sunday without football for about the next six months. We probably need the break. The players certainly do. There's also a lot of work to do to get ready for the next long stretch of football Sundays. For the football people that do the real football work and the fans that do the fake stuff. After winning last week's Super Bowl, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said that he and his people were now five weeks behind in preparation for the 2017 NFL season. The funny thing about those comments is that he spent this past week in the Monterey area playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Now, he's six weeks behind. I'm sure that he looked at some film between rounds of golf and fun. Maybe he looked at it with Peyton Manning. There's a player that stepped away that's probably dying for some football film study. Anyway, Belichick deserved the break. I have no doubt that he'll put in the work to catch up with those chasing him and his team. That's what he does because he's always at least one step ahead of the competition.

No football today!

But, the Scouting Combine is less than three weeks away. Then free agency. Then Pro Days. OTAs. And the draft. Mini-camps. And suddenly training camp. Next thing we know, football Sundays are back. And we do it all over again. Hopefully it ends with the Minnesota Vikings holding that shiny trophy. In their own stadium.