07-22-2018, 02:16 AM
After his playing career, Voigt became an astute Vikings radio analyst. Many times, from his perch in the broadcast booth, he called plays for listeners before the quarterback on the field did.
The former tight end, noted for his broadcast objectivity, still watches the Vikings closely. As the 2018 Vikings begin practice this week at their new Eagan facility, Voigt was asked for his assessment of a team that seems to have enough talent to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 42 years.
“They have the shutdown defense — they’ve got great performers on defense — and now they’ve got an established quarterback (Kirk Cousins),” Voigt said. “They’ve got a big-time running back (Dalvin Cook) and good receivers.”
Voigt sees some parallels between the current Vikings team and the 1976 NFC champions.
“I think we (1976) were a little more of a veteran team on our defense — we were getting a little bit long in the tooth,” he said. “We weren’t quite like the defenses we had in the early ‘70s, the ’74 and ’75 Super Bowls.
“There were a few glitches along the way (with last season’s Vikings), like that playoff game against Philadelphia (38-7 Eagles victory) where the defense kind of got undressed — that was men against boys. I hope they don’t have a hangover from that.
“But their defense will keep them in all their games. I think they’ve got a veteran quarterback who probably is in the height of his productivity years.
“If Cook can come back (from season-ending knee surgery), and they’ve got a good backup running back in Latavius Murray, good receivers, all the pieces are there.”
There is one question mark, though, Voigt said.
“Offensive line, with (Joe) Berger’s retirement and guys coming back from injuries,” he said. “It has to prove it’s better than just an average line. Our line, with (Mick) Tingelhoff, (Ron) Yary and Ed White was an established line.”
Voigt said the current Vikings “have to be in the conversation for a Super Bowl. But a lot can happen with injuries.
“It’ll be very interesting to see the production of Cousins.”
Voigt praised Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf.
“I’ll give them credit — they’ve spent money on the guys, and guys seem to be happy and ready to get to work in training camp,” he said. “The schedule (Packers, Rams and Eagles among first five games) is pretty tough.”
Despite also playing for the 1973 and 1974 Vikings Super Bowl teams, Voigt said the 1975 Vikings probably were the best team.
“We got beat on that (Roger) Staubach to Drew Pearson Hail Mary pass in the playoff game at Met Stadium,” he said. “We were upper echelon, one of the most respected teams in the NFL.
“The (current) Vikings have not quite earned that respect — strong year last year, and I’m sure they’ll put together a strong year this year. But the competition is there. What happens with Green Bay, Philadelphia is still for real, the Rams have got a good team — it’s competitive. It’s no shoo-in — they’ve got to prove it on the field.”
https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/21/ch...per-squad/
The former tight end, noted for his broadcast objectivity, still watches the Vikings closely. As the 2018 Vikings begin practice this week at their new Eagan facility, Voigt was asked for his assessment of a team that seems to have enough talent to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 42 years.
“They have the shutdown defense — they’ve got great performers on defense — and now they’ve got an established quarterback (Kirk Cousins),” Voigt said. “They’ve got a big-time running back (Dalvin Cook) and good receivers.”
Voigt sees some parallels between the current Vikings team and the 1976 NFC champions.
“I think we (1976) were a little more of a veteran team on our defense — we were getting a little bit long in the tooth,” he said. “We weren’t quite like the defenses we had in the early ‘70s, the ’74 and ’75 Super Bowls.
“There were a few glitches along the way (with last season’s Vikings), like that playoff game against Philadelphia (38-7 Eagles victory) where the defense kind of got undressed — that was men against boys. I hope they don’t have a hangover from that.
“But their defense will keep them in all their games. I think they’ve got a veteran quarterback who probably is in the height of his productivity years.
“If Cook can come back (from season-ending knee surgery), and they’ve got a good backup running back in Latavius Murray, good receivers, all the pieces are there.”
There is one question mark, though, Voigt said.
“Offensive line, with (Joe) Berger’s retirement and guys coming back from injuries,” he said. “It has to prove it’s better than just an average line. Our line, with (Mick) Tingelhoff, (Ron) Yary and Ed White was an established line.”
Voigt said the current Vikings “have to be in the conversation for a Super Bowl. But a lot can happen with injuries.
“It’ll be very interesting to see the production of Cousins.”
Voigt praised Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf.
“I’ll give them credit — they’ve spent money on the guys, and guys seem to be happy and ready to get to work in training camp,” he said. “The schedule (Packers, Rams and Eagles among first five games) is pretty tough.”
Despite also playing for the 1973 and 1974 Vikings Super Bowl teams, Voigt said the 1975 Vikings probably were the best team.
“We got beat on that (Roger) Staubach to Drew Pearson Hail Mary pass in the playoff game at Met Stadium,” he said. “We were upper echelon, one of the most respected teams in the NFL.
“The (current) Vikings have not quite earned that respect — strong year last year, and I’m sure they’ll put together a strong year this year. But the competition is there. What happens with Green Bay, Philadelphia is still for real, the Rams have got a good team — it’s competitive. It’s no shoo-in — they’ve got to prove it on the field.”
https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/21/ch...per-squad/