Quote: @"Geoff Nichols" said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@"Geoff Nichols" said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@"Geoff Nichols" said:
On first glance you don't think TE is a need, but this generally makes them more multiple on offense. 12-personnel is what gets brought up, but its the ability to force teams out of their nickel defense that's more compelling.
Between Oliver & Hock you get a top 3 receiving and blocking TE committee.
In the pass game out of 12 you also get a high-end blocking TE who can help with any matchup on the outside. The contract won't be nearly as expensive as it looks either. Nothing to pop bottles over, but its a forward thinking move.
But TE wasn't a need and Oliver has never even amassed 150 yards receiving, not in a game, but for an entire season. So to me there is still a lot to be proven from him as a consistent receiving threat and we just ponied up a nice contract and spent money that should have been spent on the defensive side of the football. Like I said if they really wanted a second TE so bad why not look at the draft where we could have taken advantage of a deep crop and had them on a rookie contract? There is just not much that this front office does that makes a whole lot of sense and this is just the latest example.
He's not a receiving TE, his role will be to be a 6th offensive lineman who has enough ability as a pass catcher to allow the Vikings to dictate their matchups on the offensive side of the ball. Could you have drafted a TE? Sure. But would he be a top 2-3 in-line blocked in the NFL? Probably not. The Vikings targeted and paid for a unique skillset rather than a well rounded player. You don't always need a single well rounded player to fill every role.
It's just strange money allocation. There are apparently escalators in his deal that could raise the total value to 24 million with 11 million guaranteed and we still don't have Hockenson signed to his extension yet. Hope it works out. I find myself saying that a lot with this front office.
We need to wait for the contract details to come out. Ultimately the deal won't look as strong as it does on paper.
https://twitter.com/vikesinsider/status/...52097?s=20
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
hard to be overly excited for his signing when saints fans are reportedly happy he is gone. sounds like he was kind of a disappointment for them. also just a one year rental deal, so its just a player at that point, not something you really expect to be a big part of the future or a new face of the defense kind of thing at this point.
Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@ purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
hard to be overly excited for his signing when saints fans are reportedly happy he is gone. sounds like he was kind of a disappointment for them. also just a one year rental deal, so its just a player at that point, not something you really expect to be a big part of the future or a new face of the defense kind of thing at this point.
Glass 1/2 full or glass 1/2 empty???
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
Bitches gonna bitch. We aren't even 24 hours in and we've already signed two starters. That's not typical for the Vikings.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
Bitches gonna bitch. We aren't even 24 hours in and we've already signed two starters. That's not typical for the Vikings.
Oliver isn't a starter. He's a role player who will get some snaps when we run 12 personnel.
I like the Davenport signing. It's ok for fans to express some disappointment about our off-season to date. Doesn't really feel like we have a plan at this point.
We cut half our old (30+) high cap hit vets (Thielen and Kendricks) and are still over the cap a day before FA officially starts. We have two others that we don't know what we're doing with (will Harry restructure and is Z gonna get released now)...
Be nice to get some clarity on the direction we're going, but it sure seems like we're straddling the "retooling" fence for the 3rd year in a row.
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
@ JimmyinSD said:
@ purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
hard to be overly excited for his signing when saints fans are reportedly happy he is gone. sounds like he was kind of a disappointment for them. also just a one year rental deal, so its just a player at that point, not something you really expect to be a big part of the future or a new face of the defense kind of thing at this point.
Glass 1/2 full or glass 1/2 empty???
not really sure we have a glass at this point, the longship doesnt seem to have a direction, shes looks like shes in heavy seas and just letting the waves dictate direction. I am not bitching about the signing, but it doesnt really give any indication of what the goal of this offseason is.
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
Bitchings to be expected.
Things feel more like burning things down than building a
contender. All we really have in the news
is all the fan favorites that are moving on, and an expensive backup TE and a
downgrade at edge rusher.
Quote: @Wetlander said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ purplefaithful said:
More fans bitching about this signing vs applauding the upside of the Davenport acquisition...
Bitches gonna bitch. We aren't even 24 hours in and we've already signed two starters. That's not typical for the Vikings.
Oliver isn't a starter. He's a role player who will get some snaps when we run 12 personnel.
I like the Davenport signing. It's ok for fans to express some disappointment about our off-season to date. Doesn't really feel like we have a plan at this point.
We cut half our old (30+) high cap hit vets (Thielen and Kendricks) and are still over the cap a day before FA officially starts. We have two others that we don't know what we're doing with (will Harry restructure and is Z gonna get released now)...
Be nice to get some clarity on the direction we're going, but it sure seems like we're straddling the "retooling" fence for the 3rd year in a row.
I'm not sure why fans should expect to know the plan of our GM and other decision makers. But it would be incredibly cynical to think they don't have one. Do you really think they're just signing, releasing and restructuring random players without a vision for the future? Seriously?
I think if we're starting to get a glimpse of the plan, it's that we're avoiding money in 2024 and trying to improve our run game. Wouldn't you agree?
Yes, it's OK to be disappointed, Wet. It's also OK to acknowledge we're far from finished.
I'm disappointed we brought Hicks back, but I can sorta understand the thinking there. Worst case, he's a league average starter for us. Best case, he's cheap, experienced depth. I'm also pleased we didn't chase Peterson's and Tomlinson's money. I think we were wise not to.
I'm also happy that in less than 24 hours we've rendered Z's threat irrelevant and improved our run game by signing the 2nd best run blocking tight end in football last year. You really want to argue about whether Oliver is a starter or not? He will be in 12 personnel. But you're right, he won't be a starter in 11. That better?
Another thing to think about is, we don't really know how many players we approached with an offer. We only hear about the ones that agree to sign. Of course, with our salary cap situation, we can't really compete with other teams money-wise.
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