Vikingsboard.net reports:

By Mike Lurie
3/12/06

The Vikings announced the signing of three free agent players today, as well as
the changing in a general philosophy. Okay, well maybe they didn't come right
out and announce that they have changed the way they do business, but their
actions spoke as loud as any words could have, and the acquisitions tell us
everything we need to know about the new philosophy.

While the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams were
overpaying for big name veterans such as LeCharles Bentley, Adam Archuleta,
Brandon Lloyd and Corey Chavous respectively, Zygi Wilf and the Vikings were
taking a more methodical approach to free agency and looking at role players to
fit their image of the "new" Minnesota Vikings. Namely, Minnesota signed LB Ben
Leber from San Diego, K Ryan Longwell from rival Green Bay and RB Chester Taylor
from the Baltimore Ravens.

Taylor, Jamal Lewis' backup in Baltimore, signed a four-year, $14.1 million
contract that included $5.6 million in bonuses. Longwell's deal is reported to
be a 5 year contract worth $10 million, with another $3 million in bonuses,
while Leber's pact is worth $20 million dollars over 5 years, with a $4 million
dollar signing bonus. The one common element between all of these deals is that
none of them are knocking any of the fans' socks off. That however should not be
the measuring stick for how effective any of these moves will be.

I can't help but have flashbacks to the 2004 motion picture "Miracle" that
featured Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey
Team. The part of the movie that specifically comes to mind is when Brooks and
his assistant (Craig Patrick) are selecting the boys that they will take with
them to Lake Placid to compete for the gold. A boggled Craig Patrick turns to
Herb Brooks, who appears to be selecting the worst possible players available,
and says "This is the final roster? You're kidding me, right?... You're missing
some of the best players." and Brooks nonchalantly replies; "I'm not looking for
the best players, Craig. I'm looking for the right ones."

You see I have a theory that Brad Childress, Zygi Wilf, Rob Brzezinski, Scott
Studwell and Fran Foley know exactly what they want the 2006 Minnesota Vikings
to look like, and oddly, it looks nothing like the 2005 Vikings. The players
that will find a home on this roster will not be big name veterans that command
exorbitant amounts of money and whose egos don't command an exorbitant amount of
respect. The players that will fill out the 2006 rosters will have a unique
skill set that fits the description of their respective position.

Ben Leber is the perfect example of this. A starter since his rookie season in
2002, Leber was coming into his own as an outstanding linebacker in the National
Football League. With speed as his forte, Leber's effectiveness working through
"garbage" made him a prime candidate for a cover-2 defense like the one Coach
Tomlin will be implementing in Minnesota. Unfortunately, San Diego was in the
market for a DE/OLB tweener who was more effective at rushing the passer, and
when first round draft pick Shawne Merriman stepped onto the scene there was
little chance of Leber retaining his starting spot. This paired with a foot
injury that nagged Ben for much of the later part of the 2005 season, and the
writing was on the wall. The price was right, the talent fits the system and the
ego isn't going to feed the local media with stories of bizarre and twisted
sexual tales for years to come. Unfortunately, this also means that the
acquisition doesn't have enough teeth for some fans, and that
is a shame.

While some people were hoping the Vikings would be targeting high profile
runner Jamal Lewis, the real deal was being cut with Lewis' backup Chester
Taylor, another example of selecting a player for need and not for big name
shock value or hype. Taylor is an extremely tough runner that will provide the
Vikings with a force to plow between the tackles that they haven't had since
Alfred Anderson. Along with a hard nosed running style, Taylor also possesses
good footwork and the speed of a much lighter back. In 2004 Taylor saw action in
all 16 games, starting 4, and setting a career high with 714 yards. Slowed
slightly by the return of Jamal Lewis in 2005 and some nagging injuries, Taylor
achieved a more modest 487 yards, however it should be noted that Chester
averaged an impressive 4.2 yards per carry during that time. Behind a more
effective offensive line, he could very well become a premier feature back in
this league. It is not yet clear if that is the plan for Taylor, or if the
Vikings plan on using him as a role player, but either way it was a solid
acquisition that should contribute to the team's overall success in 2006.

Ryan Longwell will replace Paul Edinger as the Vikings kicker, a necessary move
despite Edinger becoming a fan favorite after helping Minnesota defeat the
Packers twice in 2005. While I agree that being responsible for two Packer
defeats in one season probably trumps being stolen from the Packers roster,
Longwell's leg is longer and more accurate than Edinger's. Of all the free agent
kickers, only Mike Vanderjagt has a higher career completion percentage with
87.5%, however he did that in a dome while Longwell was booting his from the
worst surface in NFL and in bad weather.

"I know the Vikings-Packers rivalry is about as heated as it gets," Longwell
told reporters Saturday night. "I'm happy to be wearing purple and be on the
other side of the battle for the next bunch of years."

While Longwell, Leber and Taylor are not the neon signings that everyone
expected on the first day of free agency, the Vikings have expressed a serious
interest in one big name player; Seattle Free Agent Offensive Lineman Steve
Hutchinson. Vikingsboard has been told that Hutchinson may be in Minnesota as
early as tomorrow morning, and a deal could be completed by noon. Hutchinson's
agent Tom Conton has not immediately returned our calls.

Hutchinson appears to be both the best player available at his position, as
well as the right fit for the team. Sometimes, they are one in the same,
sometimes they are not.



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