All-Itty-Bitty Team

ESPN’s Jeff Legwold recently released his All-Short-Guys Team. Football players are expected to be big guys. Some of them aren’t. At least by NFL standards they aren’t. Legwold came up with this team to recognize players that aren’t big (by NFL standards). Some of them are among the best in the game. One might even be the best in the game.

All-Itty-Bitty Team (All-Short-Guys Team)

Offense

Quarterback

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (6-0)

QB Backups:

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (5-10)

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (5-11)

Running Backs

Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers (5-9)

RB Backups:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs (5-7)

Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos (5-8)

Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills (5-7)

Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens (5-9)

Receivers 

Jamison Crowder, New York Jets (5-9)

Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills (5-8)

KJ Hamler, Denver Broncos (5-9)

WR Backups:

Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills (5-8)

Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints (5-6)

Jakeem Grant, Miami Dolphins (5-7)

Olamide Zaccheaus, Atlanta Falcons (5-8)

Tight Ends

Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

TE Backups:

Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers (6-2)

Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans (6-2)

Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts (6-2)

Left Tackle

Chuma Edoga, New York Jets (6-3)

Left Guard

Will Hernandez, New York Giants (6-2)

Center

Rodney Hudson, Las Vegas Raiders (6-2)

Right Guard

Damien Lewis, Seattle Seahawks (6-2)

Right Tackle

Mike Onwenu, New England Patriots (6-3)

OL Backups:

Brett Jones, Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

Shaq Mason, New England Patriots (6-1)

Jermaine Eluemunor, New England Patriots (6-4)

Nate Davis, Tennessee Titans (6-2)

Brian Allen, Los Angeles Rams (6-2)

Defense 

Defensive Ends

Shelby Harris, Denver Broncos (6-2)

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams (6-1)

Defensive Tackles

Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons (6-0)

Poona Ford, Seattle Seahawks (5-11)

DL Backups:

Ed Oliver, Buffalo Bills (6-1)

Brandon Williams, Baltimore Ravens (6-1)

Mike Daniels, Cincinnati Bengals (6-0)

Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)

Linebackers

Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks (6-0)

Eric Kendricks, Minnesota Vikings (6-0)

LB Backups:

Roquan Smith, Chicago Bears (6-1)

Anthony Hitchens, Kansas City Chiefs (6-0)

Danny Trevathan, Chicago Bears (6-0)

Shaun Dion Hamilton, Washington (6-0)

Cornerbacks

Bryce Callahan, Denver Broncos (5-9)

Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams (5-9)

Mike Hilton, Pittsburgh Steelers (5-9)

Safeties

Antoine Winfield, Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9)

Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City Chiefs (5-9)

DB Backups:

Avonte Maddox, Philadelphia Eagles (5-9)

Buster Skrine, Chicago Bears (5-9)

Amik Robertson, Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)

Tavon Young, Baltimore Ravens (5-9)

Lamarcus Joyner, Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)

Special Teams

Kick Returner

Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints (5-6)

Punt Returner

Jakeem Grant, Miami Dolphins (5-7)

Kicker

Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

Punter

Cameron Johnston, Philadelphia Eagles (5-11)

Special Teams Backups:

Diontae Spencer, Denver Broncos (5-8)

Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears (5-6)

Cairo Santos, Chicago Bears (5-8)

Rigoberto Sanchez, Indianapolis Colts (6-0)

***

It wasn’t long ago that Geno Atkins was the only diminutive defensive tackle in the game. Now, there’s a bunch and they’re ripping up offensive backfields. Was it Atkins that opened the door for “little” guys on the interior of the defensive line? Or was it John Randle? If Atkins and/or Randle opened the door, Aaron Donald ripped the door off it’s hinges. 

Three Vikings made the team:

Irv Smith Jr.

Eric Kendricks

Brett Jones

Jones is a backup on on this team. He’s also a backup for the Vikings. A very good backup. He only started two games for the Vikings this year as an injury replacement. Considering the season-long play of Dakota Dozier at left guard, Jones should’ve been a full-time starter. 

There’s room for short guys in the NFL. 

NFL Head Coach Hires

The NFL’s 2021 head coach hiring cycle is complete. 

Atlanta Falcons-Arthur Smith

Detroit Lions-Dan Campbell

Houston Texans-David Culley

Jacksonville Jaguars-Urban Meyer

Los Angeles Chargers-Brandon Staley

New York Jets-Robert Saleh

Philadelphia Eagles-Nick Sirianni

If I were to rank those hires from best to worst it might look something like this:

1. Jets-Saleh

2. Jaguars-Meyer

3. Texans-Culley

4. Falcons-Smith

5. Chargers-Staley

6. Eagles-Sirianni

7. Lions-Campbell

First of all, with Eric Bieniemy, Leslie Frazier, Todd Bowles, and Jim Caldwell part of this cycle I don’t get half of these hires. But what do I know? For all I know now, the above seven coaches could dominate the league for the next decade. I do know that the one hire I truly don’t get is the Lions hiring of Dan Campbell. There were rumors a few years ago that he was a contender for the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator job. If those rumors were true the Vikings dodged a bullet. Campbell reminds me of some of my past football coaches. All were in high school. All stayed in high school. These are coaches that are all bluster with little to no substance. Maybe there’s some substance to Campbell’s bluster. Right now, I have my doubts. As a Vikings fan, I’m happy that he’s in Detroit.

Age as a requirement?

Robert Saleh, 41

Urban Meyer, 56

Arthur Smith, 38

David Culley, 65

Nick Sirianni, 39

Brandon Staley, 38

Dan Campbell, 44

The league’s head coaches continue to get younger. The Texans hiring of David Culley to complete this hiring cycle threw a blow to that trend but youthful head coaches have become the norm. There was a time, not long ago, when a 30-year old head coach was a rarity. Now, it’s rare for a 50-year old coach to receive serious consideration. Culley, Urban Meyer, Jim Caldwell, and Marvin Lewis were lost among the dozens of kids standing in interview lines. Culley is older. And black. Another rarity in NFL head coach hires. 

Owners will hire the coach that they like. They also won’t wait to hire a coach. Some of the best candidates are often coaching Super Bowl teams. This year, those candidates include Eric Bieniemy and Todd Bowles. I’d take either over most of the seven coaches that got jobs this year. It’s stunning to me that an owner won’t wait a couple of weeks for a coach that might be the best fit for his team. Too often, their settling for a coach that’s available now. Maybe that’s why their teams are often looking for their next head coach. If I was an owner looking for a leader, I’d wait until Super Bowl was in the books before I made a decision on my next head coach. Owners don’t like waiting. They also don’t like being told who to hire. The NFL can continue to incentivize teams to develop minority coaches and hire minority head coaches but it won’t work. Ultimately, rich, white men will make these decisions and rich white men will always do what they want. They’ll hire a coach that they like. Some will do so for sound reasons. Some will do so for racist reasons. Few will hire a coach that they feel that they are being told to hire. Many will even hire the coach that they like next-best if they have to wait to hire the one that they like best. It’s an often messed-up process being orchestrated by rich, entitled, white men. 

Congratulations and best of luck to the new NFL head coaches. 

 

Vikings Coaching Shuffle

The Minnesota Vikings have some coaching decisions to make. Those decisions are highlighted by the need for a new offensive coordinator. Gary Kubiak opted to retire this month rather than return for a second season of calling plays for the Vikings offense. Finding a new offensive coordinator isn’t the only coaching decision that needs to be made. The contracts of special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf and strength and conditioning coach Mark Uyeyama weren’t renewed and LSU plucked defensive backs coach Daronte Jones to be their new defensive coordinator. 

Gary Kubiak has been playing and coaching football for so long that whether to coach another year was an annual decision that he had to make. He debated that decision for a few weeks and decided that the 2020 NFL season would be his last. My primary hope had been that he’d return as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. That won’t happen. My secondary hope had been that he’d return as an adviser. When Kubiak joined the Vikings during the 2019 offseason it was as an adviser to rookie offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. I was hoping that he’d do the same this year for perhaps rookie offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, his son and current quarterbacks coach. That won’t happen either. Junior is most likely in consideration for the job. If he gets it, he’ll be on his own. He’s 33. He’s never called plays. He’s coached quarterbacks in the NFL for four years. Maybe it’s a little early for him to run his own offense. He’s been around NFL coaching for all of his 33 years. Going by this and recent head coach-hiring cycles, it’s turning into a young man’s game, especially on offense. It’s become routine for teams to gamble on coaches with little to no experience calling plays. I go back and forth on this. I can see the Vikings gambling on Junior. The only thing we know for sure is that Mike Zimmer wants to retain the Kubiak offense. He’ll get that with Klint Kubiak. The Vikings do have some experienced playcallers in Rick Dennison and Kennedy Polamalu to assist him. Dennison and Brian Pariani have been coaching so long with Gary Kubiak that Senior’s presence will be felt. 

As for the other coaching vacancies, the Vikings’ special teams were so bad that it would’ve be a stunner if Marwan Maalouf was still with the team. An excessive number of injuries can be bad news for a strength and conditioning coach. The Vikings had an excessive number of injuries. From afar, it’s difficult to judge the work of a team’s strength and conditioning coach. If the injuries are a reason for the change, it isn’t a surprise that Mark Uyeyama’s contract wasn’t renewed. Losing Daronte Jones hurts. The Vikings needed rookie cornerbacks to step up this season. Due to an absurd number of injuries, the Vikings needed a lot of cornerbacks, rookies and street free agents, to step up this season. Jones was instrumental in the development of rookies Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, and Harrison Hand and getting in-season additions Chris Jones and Dylan Mabin into the playing rotation. Zimmer was very complimentary of Jones’ work with a group of players that changed weekly. He left for a great opportunity. He’s earned it. It’s a shame that he was in Minnesota for a single season. 

So, the Vikings need:

Offensive Coordinator 

Special Teams Coordinator 

Secondary Coach

Strength and Conditioning

I hate this time of year when the Vikings have coaching vacancies. It’s a completion thing for me as it’s difficult to think about other (more important?) things when there’s these coaching unknowns. It’s possible that the Vikings fill all vacancies internal promotions.

Offensive Coordinator-Klint Kubiak

Special Teams Coordinator-Ryan Ficken

Secondary Coach-Roy Anderson

Strength and Conditioning-Derik Keyes/Chaz Mahle

Maybe. Maybe not. 

There were reports this week that the Vikings interviewed New York Giants’ assistant defensive backs coach for the Special Teams job. Instead, the replacement for Maalouf came from within. Yesterday, it was reported that Ryan Ficken was promoted from assistant special teams coach. He probably should’ve gotten the coordinator job over Marwan Maalouf two years ago. That was then. It’s Ficken’s job now. He’s the Vikings’ most tenured coach as his time with the team stretches to the Brad Childress era. He’s assisted the special teams for eight seasons. 

There have also been reports that the Vikings are hiring former Philadelphia Eagles’ strength and conditioning coach Josh Hingst to replace Mark Uyeyama. Hingst had been with the Eagles since 2013 but wasn’t retained by new head coach Nick Sirianni. Prior to the Eagles, Hingst worked with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Nebraska.

With these current coaching vacancies it’s interesting that the Vikings’ first external hire of the offseason is for a position that wasn’t vacant. News popped early yesterday that Keenan McCardell will be the new receivers coach in Minnesota. This is an outstanding addition. McCardell was one of the league’s better receivers in the 1990s. He first appeared on my radar as a coach when he was at Maryland from 2014-15. There, he coached Stefon Diggs. McCardell jumped to the NFL in 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’d been there until Urban Meyer brought in his own coaches this month. From Diggs to D.J. Chark to Laviska Shenault, receivers get better with McCardell’s coaching. Diggs raved about the impact of his college position coach. I’m excited to see to what McCardell can do with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Chad Beebe, Olabisi Johnson and the rest of the receivers that the Vikings’ bring to training camp next summer. 

The Vikings have a receivers coach and that makes things interesting. The thinking is that current receivers coach Andrew Janocko will move to quarterbacks coach and Klint Kubiak will make the move from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Quarterbacks would be Janocko’s third position group with the Vikings. He coached offensive line from 2017-19 and receivers last season. He played quarterback at Pitt and coached the position at Mercyhurst in 2014. Kubiak at 33 and Janocko at 32 would put a lot of youth and inexperience in critical coaching roles. For what it’s worth, both come from coaching families so both have been around the game for all of their 30+ years. 

Until the coaching decisions are made it’s all speculation. 

What isn’t speculation is that the Vikings have a new special teams coordinator, a new strength and conditioning coach, and a new receivers coach. So, in the time that it took to piece this post together the Vikings have promoted a coach to fill a vacancy, hired a coach to fill a vacancy, and hired a coach for a vacancy that they didn’t have. 

Throwback Thursday: Where’s The Thorp

This Flicker was originally posted on September 26, 2019. With the Super Bowl LV matchup decided and the game approaching I figured it was a good time for a return look at the trophy that (sometimes) preceded the Lombardi Trophy. 

Before there was a Lombardi, there was a Thorp. As the NHL has the Stanley Cup, the NFL once had a traveling trophy. The Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was awarded to each NFL Champion from 1934 to 1967. It was supposed to have been awarded to the Baltimore Colts in 1968 and the Minnesota Vikings in 1969 but the Green Bay Packers hacked up the process. Typical.

For most of my life as a fan of the Vikings and of the NFL, I was forced to believe that the Vikings had lost the Ed Thorp Memorial Thorp. There were many that believed that the Vikings were cursed for losing the trophy. I mean, how else could the Vikings have possibly lost those four Super Bowls? I'm not one to believe in such nonsense but I never much liked the thought that "my" Vikings could be so careless with something of such great historical significance. For more of the story of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy I turn to this article by Minneapolis Star Tribune writer, and Hall of Fame voter, Mark Craig.

About that ’69 title: Evidence is lacking

The Ed Thorp Trophy never quite made it to Minnesota

Who was Ed Thorp and how in the world is he connected to this weekend’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Vikings’ 1969 NFL championship team?

Good question.

“Ed who?” asked Gary Larsen, one of the famed front four forever known as the Purple People Eaters.

Ed Thorp. A friend to several NFL owners in the early ’30s. A referee. Ran a sporting goods store. The league loved him so much it created the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy upon his death in 1934.

Much like the Stanley Cup in hockey, the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was supposed to be a traveling trophy first awarded to the Giants in 1934. Presumably it should have been awarded to the Vikings, who beat the Browns 27-7 at Met Stadium in the final NFL Championship Game before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

“I ain’t never seen it,” said Lonnie Warwick, the leading tackler on that 1969 team.

You’re in good company, Lonnie.

“I don’t even know what you’re referring to,” said Bud Grant, the Hall of Fame coach who took the Vikings to four Super Bowls in eight seasons from 1969 to 1976.

For years, it was assumed the Vikings had misplaced the trophy or lost it after the merger. But there was no visual evidence of the Vikings ever receiving the trophy.

“We’d have people calling us wanting to know if it was in a closet somewhere at Winter Park,” said Bob Hagan, Vikings vice president, football and media communications. “But no one around here has ever seen it.”

There’s a reason for that. According to Packers historian Cliff Christl, who set out to solve the mystery for an article he wrote last year, the trophy never made it out of Green Bay after the Packers won it for the record eighth time in 1967. The Packers’ Hall of Fame discovered in 2015 that it had the trophy, which is now on display in the Packers Hall of Fame.

“Maybe they’ll loan it to us,” Grant joked, kind of. “We got a trophy room now in our new Vikings Museum.”

Or at least call off the supposed Super Bowl curse that Thorp’s ghost was said to have cast upon the Vikings when it was rumored the team had lost the trophy. In fact, not only didn’t the Vikings receive the trophy, they’re one of three teams whose names aren’t on the trophy.

The 1960 Eagles aren’t on the trophy, although there’s a spot where they were supposed to have been listed. The 1968 Colts and 1969 Vikings are the other missing teams, which further suggests the trophy never made it out of Green Bay.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, the celebration will go on. The Vikings are hosting 124 former players at their annual Legends Weekend. The 1969 team will be honored at halftime of Sunday’s game against the Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“My favorite memory isn’t a very good one because we didn’t win the Super Bowl,” said Warwick, referring to the 23-7 loss to Kansas City in Super Bowl IV.

“But that was one great team,” Larsen said. “We really came together that year and were a different team over the next decade.”

NFL Films once named the 1969 Vikings as one of the five best teams not to win a Super Bowl.

In the franchise’s ninth season and third year under Grant, the 1969 team featured six future Hall of Famers while boasting the league’s best defense and highest-scoring offense.

Led by the Purple People Eaters of Jim Marshall, Larsen and Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller, the defense gave up just 133 points, a record then. Meanwhile, with blue-collar quarterback Joe Kapp, two future Hall of Fame linemen in Ron Yary and Mick Tingelhoff, and hard-nosed running backs Bill Brown and Dave Osborn, the offense scored 379 points.

“People forget how many points we scored that year,” Larsen said. “Joe Kapp doesn’t get enough credit.”

In their 59-season history, the Vikings have scored 50 or more points six times. Three of them came in 1969, when they beat Pittsburgh 52-14, Baltimore 52-14 and Cleveland 51-3 in what remains a team record for biggest margin of victory.

“I remember getting three interceptions in that win over Cleveland,” said cornerback Bobby Bryant, who had eight interceptions before a season-ending knee injury in the ninth game. “One of them was against [Hall of Fame receiver] Paul Warfield. We both went up for the ball. I have three pictures of that play. We’re upside down, but there’s a white hand holding the ball. That’s my hand. After that, Warfield didn’t like me that much.”

The Vikings went 12-2, beat the Rams 23-20 for the Western Conference title, plowed through the Browns and were 13-point favorites vs. Kansas City.

Warwick admitted the Chiefs confused the Vikings defense with motion out of multiple formations. Meanwhile, the Vikings’ vaunted running game was stonewalled by a five-man line that put massive Curley Culp, a future Hall of Famer, directly across from Tingelhoff.

But the Vikings did actually win an NFL championship. And there actually was a trophy that went with it. Sort of.

“Maybe we can borrow it [from Green Bay],” Grant joked. “We should at least have it for a year if you say it was a traveling trophy.”

***

Considering all of the facts, it seems to me that the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy should be on display in the Minnesota Vikings museum. They are the current and permanent holders of the trophy. They were the last to win it and they were never given the opportunity to even hold it. Damn, dirty Packers. Actually, the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy should ultimately be on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On it’s travel to Canton maybe it can spend a few weeks with the Vikings. One place that the trophy shouldn’t be is in Green Bay. 

Head Coach and General Manager Search Revisited

The NFL’s head coach and general manager search is winding down. 

Coach

Jacksonville Jaguars-Urban Meyer

New York Jets-Robert Saleh

Atlanta Falcons-Arthur Smith

Houston Texans-

Detroit Lions-Dan Campbell

Los Angeles Chargers-Brandon Staley

Philadelphia Eagles-Nick Sirianni 

Only the Houston Texans are still looking for their next head coach. Being the only team without a head coach the Texans can move at their own pace. Considering recent history, I wouldn’t have much faith in their process at any pace. 

Interviews for Texans’ head coach job:

Houston Texans

Eric Bieniemy-second interview expected

Joe Brady

Jim Caldwell-interviewed twice

David Culley

Matt Eberflus 

Leslie Frazier-second interview expected

Marvin Lewis

Tim Kelly-planned

Barandon Staley-hired by Chargers

Josh McCown

Josh McCown! Are you kidding me? There are way too many coaches that have waited for years, even decades, for a shot at a head coaching job. A shot. An interview. How does McCown jump all of those coaches for a spot at the front of the interview line? Pathetic. This isn’t on McCown. He’s just responding to an opportunity. It’s on the Texans. I’m not sure why any coach would want to work for those dipshits. There’s only 32 NFL head coach jobs. I suppose even a shitty one is worth taking. 

Speaking of coaches waiting for a shot at one of the head coach jobs, I’m surprised that Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus didn’t get one of the available jobs. Then, I was surprised that Dan Campbell, Nick Sirianni, and Brandon Staley did. Bruce Arians and Mike Zimmer nearly hit their 60th birthday before they got an NFL head coaching shot. Sirianni and Staley haven’t hit 40. Teams are hiring coaches that are younger than some of their players. McCown is older than some of these coaches getting jobs and he just retired as a player. On this day in 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers made Chuck Noll the youngest head coach in league history. He was 37. A head coach in his 30s was a rarity as recently as a decade ago. Now it’s closer to the norm. The old guys are hanging in there. The coaches still coaching average 65. 

As a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, I’m glad that the Lions hired Campbell. 

General Manager

Jacksonville Jaguars-Trent Baalke 

Atlanta Falcons-Terry Fonenot

Carolina Panthers-Scott Fitterer

Houston Texans-Nick Caserio

Detroit Lions-Brad Holmes

Denver Broncos-George Paton

Washington Football Team-Martin Mayhew

Baalke! I’m scrambling to imagine a worst general manager of the last 20 years than Trent Baalke. The fact that he managed to keep his job with the San Francisco 49ers year after year was an annual shock. I can not believe that he got a second shot at running a team. Urban Meyer’s job got a lot more difficult. 

Other than the Jaguars very questionable hiring of Baalke, all of the general manager vacancies have been filled. 

Daniel Jeremiah’s First Mock

NFL Draft season officially starts when Daniel Jeremiah posts his first mock. He posted that mock on Friday. Here it is. Of course, the order of the last two picks is still an unknown. 

1.   Jacksonville Jaguars-Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

2.   New York Jets-Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

3.   Miami Dolphins-Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU

4.   Atlanta Falcons-Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

5.   Cincinnati Bengals-Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

6.   Philadelphia Eagles-DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

7.   Detroit Lions-Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

8.   Carolina Panthers-Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

9.   Denver Broncos-Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

10. Dallas Cowboys-Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama

11. New York Giants-Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

12. San Francisco 49ers-Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

13. Los Angeles Chargers-Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC

14. Minnesota Vikings-Gregory Rousseau, Edge

15. New England Patriots-Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

16. Arizona Cardinals-Jaelan Phillips, Edge, Miami

17. Las Vegas Raiders-Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

18. Miami Dolphins-Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

19. Washington Football Team-Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida

20. Chicago Bears-Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan

21. Detroit Lions(from Colts for Stafford)-Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan

22. Tennessee Titans-Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

23. New York Jets-Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

24. Pittsburgh Steelers-Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State

25. Jacksonville Jaguars-Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU

26. Cleveland Browns-Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

27. Baltimore Ravens-Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia

28. New Orleans Saints-Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Joe Tyron, Edge, Washington

30. Buffalo Bills-Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF

31. Green Bay Packers-Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville

32. Kansas City Chiefs-Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington 

***

Jeremiah has the Indianapolis Colts making the strong move of acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions. 

Speaking of quarterbacks, Jeremiah has four quarterbacks among the first seven picks. He’s probably not wrong. 

Jeremiah is high on Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater. So high that he mocks Slater in a higher draft slot than Oregon’s Penei Sewell. I’m not a fan of it as Slater is currently one of my favorites for the Minnesota Vikings. Actually, it might not be such bad thing. If certain teams feel the same way about Slater maybe it pushes Penei Sewell to within reach of the Vikings. I like Slater a lot but getting Sewell in Minnesota would be a dream.

My current draft favorites for the Vikings at #14:

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern 

Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami

Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan 

Jeremiah’s biggest mock surprise might be the San Francisco 49ers selecting Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. When you think of a physical, playmaking quartet of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Pitts, the pick looks more shrewd than crazy. 

NFL Draft season has started. 

Championship Thoughts

The Super Bowl LV is set. 

Kansas City Chiefs vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Buccaneers-Packers

1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play in Super Bowl LV. Not only that, they’ll play in their own stadium. They are the first team in Super Bowl history to play the big game in their own stadium. 

2. I was sure wrong about this game. So wrong. I expected a Packers blowout. I was wrong. 31-26 Buccaneers. 

3. It was a surprise to see the Packers opt for a field goal from the Buccaneers 8-yard line with just over two minutes to play. They were down 31-23. Instead of going for the chance to tie the game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur decided to cut the Buccaneers lead to five points. He might be thinking about that decision for a while. If the Packers missed on the touchdown, they needed to get the ball back. If they kicked the field goal, they needed to get the ball back. I’d think that the opportunity to tie the game would be worth the gamble. It’s easy to question the call on this side of it. It always is. 

4. Been there. Done that. This will be Tom Brady’s 10th Super Bowl. It’s a remarkable thing. Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham played in ten championship games. He played 10 seasons. Championship appearances was an annual thing for Graham. He won seven of those championship games. 

5. Speaking of Brady, he didn’t play great against the Packers defense. He threw three interceptions and came close to throwing more. This game wouldn’t have come down to the final minutes if he hadn’t killed second half scoring opportunities with interceptions. 

6. The Buccaneers are going to the Super Bowl because of their defense. Brady turned the ball over three times. The Packers could only score six points off of those turnovers. Maybe some of those teams looking for a head coach should’ve given Todd Bowles more consideration. 

7. Aaron Rodgers wasn’t his usual highly efficient self. The Buccaneers defense made sure of that. 

8. The Packers missed left tackle David Bakhtiari. Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had some pass rushing fun with Billy Turner. 

9. Buccaneers corner Carlton Davis was flagged near the end zone for a helmet to helmet hit. Most people will bitch about the call. Many did bitch about the call. I’m not sure how much more clear the rule can be. Don’t lower your head! Not only is leading with the helmet illegal, it’s really, really stupid. It isn’t safe for the player being targeted. It isn’t safe for the idiot player doing the targeting. These stupid hits are a big reason some players have so damn many health issues later in life. Some people don’t care about that. They just care about the game that they’re watching now. 

10. The fourth quarter screen pass to Rob Gronkowski was brilliant. It was brilliantly called, brilliantly timed, brilliantly executed. The 29-yard gain flipped the field. More importantly, it felt like it broke the Packers defense. 

11. I hated seeing the Buccaneers clinch this game on a defensive pass interference call. Packers corner Kevin King did have a fistful of Tyler Johnson’s jersey. If this game was officiated by the books, that’s an easy penalty. This game wasn’t officiated by the books as defenders were repeatedly allowed to have a fistful of jersey. Why call it at that point in the game after ignoring it throughout the game?

12. Former Minnesota Vikings corner Antoine Winfield played 14 years. The closest he got to a Super Bowl was the 2009 NFC Championship game. Antoine Winfield Jr. is going to the Super Bowl in his first season. An injury kept him out of yesterday’s game. I’m certain that he’ll be ready for a game in two weeks. 

Bills-Chiefs

1. The Kansas City Chiefs are returning to the Super Bowl. 

2. The Bills’ fun ride ends a game short of their goal. 

3. The game wasn’t really as close as the 38-24 final score. The Chiefs thoroughly controlled the game after the Bills jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. 

4. After the Bills recovered Mecole Hardman’s muffed punt, they only had to move the ball three yards for their first touchdown. They didn’t score their second touchdown until four minutes remained in the game. Basically, the Bills spent the majority of the game not being able to get into the end zone. They could only manage field goals. Two of those were in red zone. It’s tough to keep pace with the Chiefs when you’re settling for field goals. 

5. The Chiefs lost left tackle Eric Fisher to an Achilles injury. With the way that Jason Pierre-Paul raced around and through Billy Turner that’s a big concern for the Super Bowl. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is on injured reserve. Maybe he can return in time for the Super Bowl. If not, the Chiefs will be going with backup tackles against Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett. 

6. Patrick Mahomes is a very good quarterback. 

***

It’s Buccaneers-Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. I was certain that it’d be a replay of the first Super Bowl. 

Flea Flicker Championship Predictions

Four teams are one win away from Super Bowl LV. Here are guesses at the two that will be playing in Super Bowl LV. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers

Pick: Packers

I’m hoping for a terrific game but I’m thinking that the Packers run away with this one. I expect the opposite of the game that these two teams played during the season.

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Chiefs

Both teams need to play better than they’ve played in recent weeks. The Bills could’ve easily lost to the Colts and to the Ravens (if Lamar Jackson hadn’t left a quarter early with a concussion). Despite posting the league’s best record during the season, the Chiefs have done just enough in most games all season. The last time that they won a game by more than two scores was in Week 8. That was against the New York Jets. This game against the Bills is close to a toss-up but I think that the Chiefs do enough. 

Draft Early Entrants

The list of college football players granted early entry to the 2021 NFL Draft was released on Friday. These are the players that are leaving school short of receiving their degree. Each of the players has met the NFL’s three-year eligibility rule (three years removed from their high school graduation). Each has submitted a written application in which he forfeited any remaining years of college football eligibility. Each is now on their way to the NFL Draft evaluation process. Whatever that process might be this year. 

The draft’s early entrants. This year the number of early entrants totals 98. The number of college players that leave college early has hovered around 100 each year. I wasn’t sure what to expect during this very different time. It feels weird for something to be close to normal.

The 98 players that were granted special eligibility for the 2021 NFL Draft: 

• Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
• Calvin Ashley, OT, Florida A&M
• Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville
• Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
• Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
• Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
• Larry Borom, OT, Missouri
• Bobby Brown, DT, Texas A&M
• Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina
• Shakur Brown, CB, Michigan State
• Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
• Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson
• Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU
• Brady Christensen, OT, BYU
• Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse
• Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
• Aashari Crosswell, S, Arizona State
• Drew Dalman, C, Stanford
• Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
• Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky
• Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State
• Brendan DeVera, LB, ASA JC
• Brennan Eagles, WR, Texas
• Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
• Simi Fehoko, WR, Stanford
• Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
• Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh
• Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
• Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
• Kendrick Green, OG, Illinois
• Olaijah Griffin, CB, USC
• Javian Hawkins, RB, Louisville
• Darius Hodge, edge rusher, Marshall
• Jevon Holland, S, Oregon
• Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
• Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
• Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC
• Jermar Jefferson, RB, Oregon State
• Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana
• Ernest Jones, LB, South Carolina
• Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami
• Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky
• Brenden Knox, RB, Marshall
• Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
• Terrace Marshall, WR, LSU
• Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan
• Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan
• Isaiah McKoy, WR, Kent State
• Alim McNeill, DT, N.C. State
• Evan McPherson, K, Florida
• Davis Mills, QB, Stanford
• Dax Milne, WR, BYU
• Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
• Elijah Moore, WR, Mississippi
• Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina
• Marcus Murphy, S, Mississippi State
• Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern
• Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa
• Azeez Ojulari, edge rusher, Georgia
• Joseph Ossai, edge rusher, Texas
• Jayson Oweh, edge rusher, Penn State
• Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo
• Ronnie Perkins, DE, Oklahoma
• Jaelan Phillips, edge rusher, Miami
• Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
• Gregory Rousseau, edge rusher, Miami
• Asante Samuel, CB, Florida State
• Anthony Schwartz, WR, Auburn
• Stevie Scott III, RB, Indiana
• Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
• Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU
• William Sherman, OT, Colorado
• Jamien Sherwood, S, Auburn
• Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC
• Caden Sterns, S, Texas
• Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
• Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
• Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State
• Bryce Thompson, CB, Tennessee
• Tommy Togiai, DT, Ohio State
• Tommy Tremble, TE, Notre Dame
• Joe Tryon, edge rusher, Washington
• Jay Tufele, DT, USC
• Christian Tutt, DB, Auburn
• Jaylen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh
• Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC
• Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
• Ar'Darius Washington, S, TCU
• Rachad Wildgoose, CB, Wisconsin
• Adam Williams, P, Memphis
• Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
• Milton Williams, DT, Louisiana Tech
• Pooka Williams Jr., RB, Kansas
• Seth Williams, WR, Auburn
• Trill Williams, S, Syracuse
• Marco Wilson, CB, Florida
• Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
• Nahshon Wright, CB, Oregon State

There’s an NFL legacy with a couple of the above players. 

Asante Samuel

Patrick Surtain

It’s easy to spot the legacy as they carry the name of their fathers. 

Then there’s Amon-Ra St. Brown. He’s, surprisingly, the brother of Green Bay Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. At least Amon-Ra is a lot easier to spell. A third receiving St. Brown brother is at Stanford. His name is Osiris St. Brown. Also easier to spell than Equanimeous. 

Another name stands out for the “college” that he attended. Linebacker Brendan DeVera from for-profit college ASA College. Perhaps I’m just being ignorant but the place sounds more cult than college. DeVera is probably wise to leave early. 

There’s another 30 college football players that are entering the 2021 NFL Draft early. These are the players that have graduated with remaining college football eligibility. 

• Jack Anderson, OG, Texas Tech
• Aaron Banks, OG, Notre Dame
• Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
• Adrian Ealy, OT, Oklahoma
• Darren Hall, CB, San Diego State
• Trey Hill, C Georgia
• Anthony Hines, LB, Texas A&M
• Wyatt Hubert, DE, Kansas State
• James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati
• Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
• Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
• Joshua Kaindoh, DE, Florida State
• Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
• Hunter Long, TE, Boston College
• Isaiah McDuffie, LB, Boston College
• Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB, Syracuse
• Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
• Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
• Josh Myers, C, Ohio State
• Tre Norwood, CB, Oklahoma
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
• Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
• Blake Proehl, WR, East Carolina
• Chris Rumph, DE, Duke
• Benjamin St-Juste, CB, Minnesota
• Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest
• Marlon Tuipulotu, DT, USC
• Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State
• Connor Wedington, WR, Stanford
• Pro Wells, TE, TCU

That brings the total number of college football players leaving early for the 2021 NFL Draft to 128.

With 6, USC was hit hardest by early departures.

Olaijah Gibson

Talanoa Hufanga

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Jay Tufele

Marlon Tuipulotu

Alijah Vera-Tucker

Then it’s a couple of annual powers:

Alabama

Christian Barmore

Mac Jones

Dylan Moses

Patrick Surtain II

Jaylen Waddle

Ohio State

Wyatt Davis

Justin Fields

Josh Myers

Tommy Togiai

Shaun Wade

Alabama and Ohio State reload each year. Then there’s this Jr. University.

Stanford

Paulson Adebo

Drew Dalman

Simi Fehoko

Davis Mills

Connor Wedington

I know how they feel. As soon as I get near Stanford Jr. University I’m looking forward to leaving the place. 

Super Bowl Officiating Crew

The NFL officially announced the crew that will officiate Super Bowl LV. Referee Carl Cheffers will lead the seven-person crew of on-field officials to work the big game on February 7, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Cheffers may lead the crew but Sarah Thomas highlights it. She’ll become the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl. 

From NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent, Sr.:

“Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official. Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honor.”

Super Bowl LV Officiating Crew

Referee: Carl Cheffers 

21st NFL season/17 career playoff games (including Super Bowl LI)

Umpire: Fred Bryan

12th NFL season/9 career playoff games (including Super Bowl LIII)

Down Judge: Sarah Thomas

6th NFL season/4 career playoff games

Line Judge: Rusty Baynes

11th NFL season/13 playoff games (including Super Bowl L)

Field Judge: James Coleman

16th NFL season/9 career playoff games

Side Judge: Eugene Hall

7th NFL season/10 playoff games (including Super Bowl LIII)

Back Judge: Dino Paganelli

15th NFL season/15 career playoff games (including Super Bowl XLVII)

***

NFL playoff officiating crews are all-star groups. Congratulations to those that earn this extra work. The officiating crews that work regular season games are a team. They work together each week. They come to know each other over as many as 17 weeks. They are familiar and coordinated. Again, they are a team. I’ve never understood the NFL’s practice of putting together these all-star crews to officiate the most important games of the season. Especially, the Biggest game of the season. I’ve always thought it a terrific idea to use the best graded crews for the playoff games and the very best graded crew for the Super Bowl. But that’s just me. Despite that, congratulations to the seven officials that have been selected for Super Bowl LV. I’m thrilled that Sarah Thomas is one of them. 

Throwback Thursday: History of the Super Bowl Coin Toss

This Flicker was originally published on 2/6/20. 

The only excitement over the opening coin toss of the Super Bowl probably comes from the people that have a bet riding on it. It's always important to get a fast start in a game but a fast start has to be made on offense and defense. It doesn't really matter much which comes first. More significant than getting the ball first in the first half is getting the ball first in the second half. If played right, a team can get consecutive possessions. If a team can score at the end of the first half and at the start of the second half while stealing a possession from their opponent they can blow the game open. The opening coin toss is more pageantry than important. The most important coin toss in Super Bowl history didn't come at the start of the game. Here's the history of the Super Bowl Coin Toss. 

Super Bowl	Teams, Score	Coin Toss Winner
I	Packers 35,  Chiefs 10	Packers
II	Packers 33, Raiders 14	Raiders
III	Jets 16, Colts 7	Jets
IV	Chiefs 23, Vikings 7	Vikings
V	Colts 16, Cowboys 13	Cowboys
VI	Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3	Dolphins
VII	Dolphins 14, Redskins 7	Dolphins
VIII	Dolphins 24, Vikings 7	Dolphins
IX	Steelers 16, Vikings 6	Steelers
X	Steelers 21, Cowboys 17	Cowboys
XI	Raiders 32, Vikings 14	Raiders
XII	Cowboys 27, Broncos 10	Cowboys
XIII	Steelers 35, Cowboys 31	Cowboys
XIV	Steelers 31, Rams 19	Rams
XV	Raiders 27, Eagles 10	Eagles
XVI	49ers 26, Bengals 21	49ers
XVII	Redskins 27, Dolphins 17	Dolphins
XVIII	Raiders 38, Redskins 9	Raiders
XIX	49ers 38, Dolphins 16	49ers
XX	Bears 46, Patriots 10	Bears
XXI	Giants 39, Broncos 20	Broncos
XXII	Redskins 42, Broncos 10	Redskins
XXIII	49ers 20, Bengals 16	49ers
XXIV	49ers 55, Broncos 10	Broncos
XXV	Giants 20, Bills 19	Bills
XXVI	Redskins 37, Bills 24	Redskins
XXVII	Cowboys 52, Bills 17	Bills
XXVIII	Cowboys 30, Bills 13	Cowboys
XXIX	49ers 49, Chargers 26	49ers
XXX	Cowboys 27, Steelers 17	Cowboys
XXXI	Packers 35, Patriots 21	Patriots
XXXII	Broncos 31, Packers 24	Packers
XXXIII	Broncos 34, Falcons 19	Falcons
XXXIV	Rams 23, Titans 16	Rams
XXXV	Ravens 34, Giants 7	Giants
XXXVI	Patriots 20, Rams 17	Rams
XXXVII	Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21	Buccaneers
XXXVIII	Patriots 32, Panthers 29	Panthers
XXXIX	Patriots 24, Eagles 21	Eagles
XL	Steelers 21, Seahawks 10	Seahawks
XLI	Colts 29, Bears 17	Bears
XLII	Giants 17, Patriots 14	Giants
XLIII	Steelers 27, Cardinals 23	Cardinals
XLIV	Saints 31, Colts 17	Saints
XLV	Packers 31, Steelers 25	Packers
XLVI	Giants 21, Patriots 17	Patriots
XLVII	Ravens 34. 49ers 31	Ravens
XLVIII	Seahawks 43, Broncos 8	Seahawks
XLIX	Patriots 28, Seahawks 24	Seahawks
50	Broncos 24, Panthers 10	Panthers
LI	Patriots 34, Falcons 28	Falcons-opening/Patriots-OT
LII	Eagles 41, Patriots 33	Patriots
LIII	Patriots 13, Rams 3	Rams
LIV	Cheifs 31, 49ers 20	49ers

The most important coin toss in Super Bowl history was the one that the New England Patriots won to start overtime in Super Bowl LI. 

The New Orleans Saints winning the coin toss in Super Bowl XLIV turned out to be pretty significant. Kicking off to start the second half allowed the Saints the opportunity to stun the Colts with an onside kick.

The Rams have won the coin toss in all four of their Super Bowls. They are 1-3 in those four Super Bowls.

Teams winning the opening coin toss of the Super Bowl are 24-30.

Draft Darlings

It’s early in the draft evaluation process. So early. It’s never early for the people at the Draft Network. Evaluating draft talent is a year-round thing for them. The Draft Network has become my go-to site for rankings, mocks, and all things draft. I respect all of their scout’s views. Jordan Reid is a personal favorite. It probably helps that he’s a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Speaking of the Minnesota Vikings, the team’s primary draft needs are along the offensive and defensive lines. Offensive line has been an annual draft need for far too long. The talent level is getting closer to NFL quality but there’s still work to be done. Defensive line, a strength as recently as a year ago, popped up as a serious need this year. There was simply no pass rush in too many games. Little to no pass rush in all 16 games is probably more accurate. Losing defensive end Danielle Hunter to a neck “tweak” in August and defensive tackle Michael Pierce to a COVID opt-out didn’t help. Hunter and Pierce will be back but upgrades along the defensive line, three-technique in particular, are needed. The respective lines aren’t the only needs. The Vikings could use a boost at receiver. The top of the depth chart is terrific with Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Chad Beebe and Olabisi Johnson are sound options but they don’t put much stress on a defense. Right now, the top third option for Kirk Cousins more often comes from a tight end or a running back.  Besides the receiver depth concerns, Thielen is on the wrong side of 30. Safety is a need. Linebacker might be. And a Mike Zimmer defense can never have enough corners. 

As it stands now, I only see offensive and defensive linemen among the Vikings’ early picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Here are the current Draft Network rankings of the offensive and defensive linemen. 

Rankings:

Offensive Tackle

Penei Sewell, Oregon, 6-5 325

Christian Darriswaw, Virginia Tech, 6-5 314

Rashawn Slater, Northwestern, 6-4 315

Jalen Mayfield, Michigan, 6-5 319

Alex Leatherwood, Alabama 6-6 310

Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame, 6-6 305

Samuel Cosmi, Texas, 6-7 300

Jackson Carman, Clemson, 6-5 345

Daniel Faallele, Minnesota, 6-8 400

6-8, 400!!!

Interior Offensive Line

Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC, 6-4 300

Wyatt Davis, Ohio State, 6-4 310

Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma, 6-5 316

Josh Myers, Ohio State, 6-5 312

Landon Dickerson, 6-6 325

Trey Smith, Tennessee, 6-6 325

Deonte Brown, Alabama, 6-4 338

Ben Cleveland, Georgia, 6-6 341

Drake Jackson, Kentucky, 6-2 310

Edge

Kwity Paye, Michigan, 6-4 277

Joseph Ossai, Texas, 6-3 245

Gregory Rousseau, Miami, 6-5 260

Jaelan Phillips, Miami, 6-5 258

Azeez Ojulari, Georgia, 6-3 240

Jayson Owei, Penn State, 6-5 257

Joe Tyron, Washington, 6-4 251

Interior Defensive Line

Christian Barmore, Alabama, 6-5 310

Jay Tufele, USC, 6-3 315

Tommy Togiai, Ohio State, 6-2 300

Levi Onwuzurike, Washington, 6-3 288

Daviyon Nixon, Iowa, 6-3 305

Tyler Shelvin, LSU, 6-3 362

Marlon, Tuipulotu, USC, 6-3 295

Alim McNeil, North Carolina State, 6-2 315

Marvin Wilson, Florida State, 6-5 311

Darius Stills, West Virginia, 6-1 281

Jaylen Twyman, Pittsburgh, 6-2 290

I took the Draft Network rankings of the defensive tackles down to 11 just to include Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman. His seemingly depressed ranking could be due to his opting out on the season. Personally, I think that Twyman is somewhere between Christian Barmore and Daviyon Nixon. Barmore, Twyman, and Nixon are easily my three favorite defensive tackles. 

It’s the middle of January and I’ve just scratched across the surface of the draft evaluation process. It’s early and I don’t know near enough to form any opinions. Despite that ignorance, I’ve formed opinions. I already have some favorites. My Draft Darlings. Here are the offensive and defensive linemen that flood all of the my current draft thoughts. 

My most dreamy draft darling is Penei Sewell. It would take a miracle for him to fall to #14 and I don’t think that the Vikings can afford the price it’d cost to move up far enough to get him. 

Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami (FL)

Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

Christian Darrrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State

Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC

Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa

Jaylen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh

Currently, the Vikings don’t have a second round pick. I don’t see Rick Spielman sitting out the second round. He’ll either trade back in the first and add a second round pick or trade into the second with their extra picks in the third and fourth rounds. 

Right now, my first round preference for the Vikings bounces between Gregory Rousseau, Rashawn Slater, and Christian Barmore. If the pick is Barmore, I currently think that the Vikings could trade back and still select him. However, I only see his draft stock rising. Come draft time, the Vikings might be lucky to find him on the board at #14. 

My current favorite three-round scenario for the Vikings probably looks something like this:

Gregory Rousseau 

Trey Smith

Jaylen Twyman

or

Rashawn Slater

Jayson Owei

Jaylen Twyman

For some reason, I’ve really latched onto Jaylen Twyman. 

Head Coach and General Manager Search

The NFL’s head coach and general manager search is in it’s third week. This year’s churn had seven head coach and seven general manager vacancies. Here’s a look at how those 14 searches are going. 

Coach

Jacksonville Jaguars-Urban Meyer

New York Jets-Robert Saleh

Atlanta Falcons-Arthur Smith

Houston Texans-

Detroit Lions-

Los Angeles Chargers-Brandon Staley

Philadelphia Eagles-

Dan Campbell is reportedly the favorite to land the Lions job. 

Interviews for open head coach jobs:

Houston Texans

Eric Bieniemy

Joe Brady

Jim Caldwell

David Culley

Matt Eberflus 

Leslie Frazier

Marvin Lewis

Tim Kelly-planned

Barandon Staley-hired by Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

Joe Brady

Eric Bieniemy-requested

Todd Bowles-requested

Kellen Moore-requested

Jerod Mayo-planned

Josh McDaniels-planned

Robert Saleh-hired by Jets

Arthur Smith-hired by Falcons

Brandon Staley-hired by Chargers

I’m not sure how a team can have a planned interview without actually having requested it. It just feels like a step is being skipped. 

Is Eric Bieniemy going through another hiring cycle without being offered a job? He interviewed for the four vacancies that have been filled and the vacancy that has been reportedly filled. I would like him for the Texans job if it weren’t for the fact that he doesn’t deserve the shitshow that’s going on there. That leaves the Eagles. I can see that. I can easily see a Bieniemy-Eagles pairing. If he doesn’t get a job this cycle something is seriously wrong. There’s no need for further proof of that. There is something wrong. For a few years now, simply breathing the same air as Sean McVay or working for Andy Reid was enough for a coach to get hired. The Chiefs offensive coordinator position was a stepping stone to a head coach job. That came to a stop when it was Bieniemy’s turn.

General Manager

Jacksonville Jaguars-

Atlanta Falcons-Terry Fonenot

Carolina Panthers-Scott Fitterer

Houston Texans-Nick Caserio

Detroit Lions-Brad Holmes

Denver Broncos-George Paton

Washington Football Team-

Marty Hurney is reportedly the favorite for the Washington job. 

Interviews for open jobs:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Ray Farmer

Jerry Reese

Louis Riddick

Rick Smith

The loss of George Paton leaves a giant hole in the front office of the Minnesota Vikings. He’s an excellent talent evaluator and vital #2 to Rick Spielman. He’s had several opportunities to run his own team but decided to stay in Minnesota. His departure was more a matter of when than if. He’s earned and deserves this shot to run a team but he’ll be missed. The Broncos are fortunate to have him. 

Divisional Thoughts

After the season that the Minnesota Vikings just had, it’s difficult to believe that they were playing in the Divisional round last season. Here are some thoughts on the games that took place this season. 

Rams-Packers

1. This game felt like all Packers throughout. It felt like a blowout. Until Aaron Rodgers’ 58-yard touchdown toss to Alan Lazard with about seven minutes to play the Rams were right there. 

2. If the A.J. Dillon fumble hadn’t bounced as if on a string right to Rodgers maybe it’s a different game. The Rams could’ve had the ball, down seven, at about the Packers’ 30-yard line. Instead, the ball only had eyes for Rodgers. Three plays later Rodgers is throwing deep to Lazard for the game-sealing score. 

3. Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff leading their teams in this game had me thinking about the Cal quarterback presence in Super Bowls. Five Golden Bear quarterbacks have started in a Super Bowl.

Joe Kapp

Craig Morton

Vince Ferragamo

Aaron Rodgers

Jared Goff

That’s two more quarterbacks than the schools with the next most. 

Alabama-Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler

Notre Dame-Daryle Lamonica, Joe Montana, Joe Theisman

Purdue-Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Drew Brees

Cal might have the most Super Bowl starters but they haven’t had much Super Bowl success. Only Rodgers has led his team to a win in the big game. All three Alabama quarterbacks won. Two of the three Notre Dame quarterbacks won. All three Purdue quarterbacks won. 

Not only does Cal have five quarterbacks that started in the Super Bowl, they have one quarterback that went to five straight. Gale Gilbert was a backup for the Buffalo Bills when they went to four straight Super Bowls. Then he moved to the San Diego Chargers for their lone Super Bowl season. Gilbert saw as much success as the other Cal quarterbacks not named Rodgers. His teams lost all five. 

Ravens-Bills

1. This game turned on a single play. The Ravens were on the doorstep of tying the game at 10-10 late in the third quarter. Instead of a touchdown, Lamar Jackson threw an interception in the end zone. Taron Johnson returned that interception 101 yards for a Bills touchdown. In a blink what could’ve been 10-10 was 17-3. 

2. It sure would’ve been fun to see Lamar Jackson play in the fourth quarter. A concussion took him out of the game with five seconds to play in the third quarter. 

3. Tyler Huntley did an admirable job in Jackson’s place. He even had a real shot at getting the two touchdowns that the Ravens needed. On his first full possession, he overthrew Marquise Brown on what would’ve been a 71-yard touchdown. On his second full possession, he drove the Ravens to the Bills 8-yard line. He couldn’t get any further on the Ravens’ final four plays of the season. 

4. I miss Stefon Diggs. He’s such a fun football player. It’d be a lot harder watching him play for Buffalo if Justin Jefferson wasn’t playing in Minnesota. 

Browns-Chiefs

1. Chad Henne leads the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game! 

2. Andy Reid’s play call on 4th and inches with the game in the balance was brilliant. 

3. I was on the Browns side of things after they were robbed late in the first half by the worst rule in football. A fumble through the end zone should not go to the defense. Possession of the ball is a foundation of the game. It’s as fundamental as blocking and tackling. The defense never possessed the ball so they shouldn’t be gifted the ball. 

4. I was on the Browns side until Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game with a concussion. The Browns winning because Mahomes was taken away didn’t feel right. 

5. Chiefs safety/nickel/linebacker/whatever Tyrann Matthieu was great. There were times when it looked like four of him were on the field. 

Buccaneers-Saints

1. Saints turnovers served up a Buccaneers win. 

2. The Saints gave the ball away four times. Three of those giveaways gave the Buccaneers the ball in the shadow of the Saints goal posts. The fourth was at midfield and sealed the win. With that sort of field position the Buccaneers didn’t have to move the ball very far to score points. Good thing as they struggled to move the ball. 

3. Everything that the Buccaneers have done this season has been about Tom Brady. No surprise there. This win wasn’t much about him. 

Championship Sunday

AFC Championship

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs

NFC Championship

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings 2021 Free Agents

The Minnesota Vikings have 16 players with contracts set to expire when the NFL flips their calendar on March 17. While the salary cap has yet to be set it’s expected that the Vikings will be several million dollars over it. If 2020 had been a normal sort of year, they would probably be fine with cap. 2020 wasn’t anything close to normal. Many things have been impacted. The NFL salary cap is one of those things. It’ll drop. The Vikings will be forced to do some contract manipulation just to get in compliance with the salary cap. They will also have to be very selective in the players that they re-sign and sign. All of that starts with decisions on their own free agents. 

Unrestricted Free Agents

Anthony Harris, S

Eric Wilson, LB

Todd Davis, LB

George Iloka, S

Rashod Hill, OT

Ameer Abdullah, RB

Sean Mannion, QB

Dakota Dozier, OG

Brett Jones, IOL

Jaleel Johnson, DT

Hardy Nickerson, LB

Restricted Free Agents

Ifeadi Odenigbo, DE

Chad Beebe, WR

Mike Boone, RB

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Kyle Hinton, OG

Chris Jones, CB

The most significant unrestricted free agents are Anthony Harris and Eric Wilson. The guess here is that it would take a minor miracle for the Vikings to be able to sign one, let alone both. 

Most years, it’s easy to look at the Vikings’ list of free agents and see multiple players that they will likely re-sign. It’s tough to do that this year since their salary cap restraints are such an unknown. If the Vikings re-sign any of their unrestricted free agents, I think that it starts with the following:

Rashod Hill

Brett Jones

Ameer Abdullah

Rashod Hill’s ability to step in at either tackle spot has been valuable. Often game-saving. He might’ve priced himself out of the swing tackle job. It might be time for that job to go to Oli Udoh. 

Dakota Dozier starting over Brett Jones at left guard was a season-long mystery. It feels like the Vikings value Jones. They traded for him in 2018 and have brought him back each season since. Yet, they kept him on the bench despite Dozier’s season-long struggles. He’s a solid, valuable offensive lineman. His would be a good re-signing if the Vikings can afford him. 

Ameer Abdullah is a nice change of pace back, a good kick returner, and a valuable contributor on other special teams units. The Vikings must get more from their return game. If Abdullah’s the kick returner it’s not a terrible thing. That’s not a ringing endorsement. He’s had some big plays out of the backfield on scattered snaps. The pro for bringing him back is that he gives the Vikings quick, shifty, versatile option out of the backfield. He’s also a strong team leader and voice. The con for bringing him back is that the Vikings have nice depth at running back. Especially if restricted free agent Mike Boone returns. Quick, shifty backs with return ability can be found in the later rounds of the draft. 

The next free agent decisions may or may not involve the following:

Sean Mannion

Jaleel Johnson

Todd Davis

Sean Mannion, by all reports, is like an extra coach for Kirk Cousins on the sideline, practice field, and quarterback room. Fine. Hire him as the quarterbacks coach or co-coach. I’d rather see a quarterback with potential backing up Cousins. Whether that’s Jake Browning, Nate Stanley, or a draft pick. The Vikings are fortunate that Cousins has been so durable.

Jaleel Johnson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft to perhaps become the three-technique that the Vikings have so desperately needed. He’s had flashes of being that player. Those flashes haven’t come often enough. Perhaps that’s from a lack of consistent playing time. Personally, I felt better this season when Johnson and Armon Watts were in the middle of the defensive line. The decision of nose tackle Michael Pierce to opt-out due to COVID concerns altered many of the plans for the line. It would’ve been fun to see Johnson lined up next to a space-taker and block-eater like Pierce. The Vikings must get better play from the interior of the defensive line and the decision-makers have to decide whether Johnson can do more often what they’ve only seen him do on occasion. 

Todd Davis was an emergency signing after Anthony Barr was injured and lost for the season. Davis provided a veteran presence and experienced play. The Vikings really needed him when Eric Kendricks was lost later in the season. Davis is a solid veteran linebacker. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings signed him to a light contract and bring him to camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. 

I expect that the Vikings will bring back all of their restricted free agents.

There’s an initial, brief look at the 2021 free agents of the Minnesota Vikings. For a variety of reasons, it doesn’t look like the pursuit of their own free agents will be as suspense-filled as previous years. 

Flea Flicker Divisional Picks

It’s on to the Divisional Round. Here are some guesses at the games.

Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers

Pick: Packers

The Rams defense was great last week. They have to be even better this week. 

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills

Pick: Ravens

The Bills fun ride ends. They’ll be back. They’re set up to challenge for a while. 

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Chiefs

The Chiefs appeared to cruise to a 14-2 regular season record. If they can effortlessly switch to playoff mode they should cruise to the AFC Championship. The Chiefs have the weapons on offense to wipe out any team but they don’t always do so. They could’ve easily lost each of their playoffs games last season. They can’t look past any team. Especially this Browns team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Pick: Buccaneers

The Saints won the two games during the season by two scores and a lot. This game still feels like a toss-up. The Buccaneers got all they could handle from a plucky Washington team last week. The Saints mostly had their way with a Bears team with little offensive punch. I guess that I’ll go with the narrative that it’s tough to beat a good team three times in a season.