08-24-2018, 01:57 PM
Quote: @Jor-El said:I agree with everything he says here.... but as we have seen ST is a big part of the game and we need those athletic LB/TE/FB reserves on ST IMO. DBs and WRs are great as the outside gunners, but we need some people with size to block for them but they still have to be able to haul ass when needed. IMO its ST that might end up costing Marcus Sherels his spot, yes he plays on all 4, but we need more depth at DB and MS doesnt do that well enough to displace somebody else if his ST roles are able to be covered by somebody that can contribute on O or D. I doubt it happens this year, but I think its as close or closer now than it has been the last few years.
This article is based on "we only keep 6 CBs" thinking. It's dumb, for various reasons.
- No one will be surprised if we keep 6 LBs, but we have 3 CBs on the field twice as often as 3 LBs. Reality is closer to the idea that we have 3 "starting positions" for CBs and 2 "starting positions" for LBs.
[*]So we have 4 CBs with ability to start for 3 positions. Hill is not, by most accounts, ready to start. BUT: neither Newman or Sherels are going to get better. Hill, OTOH, has tons of potential. Keep him on the team, and he can improve. By midseason or late in the year when players are getting dinged, he could be acceptable if he needed to step in for a game.[*]Do we have any other young CBs with high potential on the roster (aside from the top 4)? No.[*]2 of our top 4 (Waynes and Alexander) will be seeking extensions next spring. Would the Vikings like to have another talented young CB already on the roster when they start negotiating? Yes. If either of those leave after the 2019 season, would they like to have a 23-year-old CB with 2 years experience with the team ready to step in? Hell yes.
- I don't expect Terence Newman to be cut - though I don't think he is the lock some assume - but how much can he play? I think he's a situational sub, not a full-game starter.
- Same perspective on Marcus Sherels. IMO Newman and Sherels are only part-time CBs.
I really think he remains, even if it means keeping 7 CBs. We kept 7 WRs early last year, because we thought Rodney Adams had good future potential and would be claimed if we tried to get him to the PS. (They were right about him being claimed, wrong about his future..) Waive Hill and it's 50-50 he goes unclaimed so he can get to our PS. Keep him and waive Reshard Cliett or whoever, he'll be on the PS without trouble. Hill isn't competing with Newman or even Sherels - he's competing with Cliett, Antoine Williams, Odenigbo, Colby Gossett, etc.
The question of Mac Alexander's health is a big factor. How seriously is he injured?
