Some Football Thoughts

Here are some of my footballs as we work our way through the early days of the league’s offseason. 

1. Everyone should know Joe Roth’s story. He lost his battle with cancer on February 19, 1977. He was only 21. He filled those 21 years. He’s right there with Aaron Rodgers and ahead of Carson Palmer as the best college quarterbacks I’ve ever seen from stadium seats. Roth played his final season at Cal while battling cancer. Few knew. Have a Joe Roth type of day. 

2. The Detroit Lions traded quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and some top picks. The Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for some picks. One of those picks could be a top pick. There are two things that I find interesting with these quarterback deals. The first is that Jared Goff is an afterthought in this quarterback movement and he’s the only one that’s played in a Super Bowl. The second hasn’t gotten much, if any, mention. Lions general manager Brad Holmes, recently hired from the Rams, sent Stafford to his former team. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, recently hired from the Colts, sent Wentz to his former team. Perhaps that convenient familiarity greased the dealings between the teams.

3. Some fans of teams shut down during the offseason. Most fans that I know lose sleep crafting offseason plans for their teams. The ease with which some of these fans shed players from their team’s roster to create cap space never ceases to amaze me. Minnesota Vikings fans are trading Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter. They are releasing Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, Riley Reiff, and Kyle Rudolph. I get the roster debate of Reiff and Rudolph. I don’t get the rest. They’re trying to fix issues by creating more issues. 

4. I hope that the Vikings and Kyle Rudolph can come to an agreement that keeps team and player together. I hate the thought of seeing Rudolph in the uniform of another team but I’m worried that the team’s needs and his needs aren’t the same needs. It’s Irv Smith Jr’s and Tyler Conklin’s time. Rudolph’s role in the Vikings offense would probably be a supporting one. I don’t think that suits him.

5. Not one of the Vikings 13 Hall of Fame players spent their entire career in Minnesota. It’s always been painful to see Vikings greats with other teams. Alan Page in a Chicago Bears uniform was the worst. Even non-Hall of Fame Vikings greats like Jim Marshall, Chuck Foreman, Ahmad Rashad, and Joey Browner spent time with other teams. Thank goodness for Matt Blair and Chad Greenway. 

6. Every day brings rumors of a new team loading up to take a run at DeShaun Watson. Is that news? Is that a surprise? If Watson is on the trading block, every team with the slightest need at quarterback is going to take a shot at acquiring him. Ah, the NFL offseason. It’ll suck the life out of you. 

7. Occasionally I hear media talking heads chatter about quarterbacks playing into their late 30s being a new thing. I wonder what they make of the careers of the following quarterbacks. 

John Unitas: 1956-73, 18 years

Fran Tarkenton: 1961-78: 18 years

Sammy Baugh: 1937-52: 16 years

Earl Morrall: 1956-76: 21 years

Len Dawson: 1957-75: 19 years

Craig Morton: 1965-82: 18 years

Y.A. Tittle: 1948-64: 17 years

Bart Starr: 1956-71: 16 years

Charlie Conerly: 1948-61: 14 years

Charlie Conerly was a 27-year old rookie. He was 40 during his final season with the Giants. Then there’s George Blanda. He was an emergency quarterback during his final few seasons with the Raiders. Still, he played 26 professional football seasons. He was 48 when he finally retired. Quarterbacks playing into their late 30s isn’t a new thing. Nearly all football players will keep playing as long as they’re bodies allow it. What’s truly remarkable about the long careers and durability of the above quarterbacks is that they played without the protections of today’s pampered quarterbacks. 

8. My Minnesota Vikings first round draft preferences look something like this:

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern 

Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech 

Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC

Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami

Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan 

Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama 

At least four of those players should be available at #14. Is that reason enough to trade back a bit?

9. Some rumors have it that the Cincinnati Bengals might release defensive tackle Geno Atkins in a cap-saving move. The Bengals have loads of cap space. If he’s released, it’s probably a move to get younger and save a chunk of money along the way. Whatever the reason, I’d like to see Atkins on the open market and I’d love to see the Vikings sign him. I’ve wanted to see him in Minnesota every year of the 2010s. I often dreamed that Mike Zimmer brought Atkins along with him from Cincinnati when he was hired as the Vikings coach in 2014. Atkins will be 33 in a month and he dealt with a shoulder injury for the entirety of the 2020 season. He missed the first four games, appeared in only eight games, played only 119 snaps, and had surgery on the shoulder in December. If healthy and a contract works for player and team, Atkins would be a dynamite addition to the Vikings defensive line for a year or two. It’d also be great if he could be bring defensive end Carl Lawson with him.

10. Hearing the salary cap floor will be at least $180 million, and perhaps close to $190 million, was great news for cap-strapped teams like the Vikings.