Free agent frenzy

I nickname Quick “Aflac” for a reason. He is like a lame duck with lame arguments, lame opinions and lame discussions. I will put our disagreements aside to discuss information of actual importance.

Free Agency has started and the Vikings are on the verge of breaking the bank for players that will truly change the team outlook for 2008. Based on numerous reports, the Vikings are heavily pursuing wide receiver Bernard Berrian, defensive end Justin Smith and safety Madieu Williams.

WR - Bernard Berrian
Although we are using all efforts to bring Berrian to Minnesota, the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers might be players in this as well. Supposedly, the Titans and 49ers will be in a potential bidding war with the Vikings for Berrian’s service. With the addition of Berrian, the Vikings will have the deep threat they have been missing. Last year, Tarvaris didn’t have the tools to throw the ball deep even with eight men in the box to stop Adrian Peterson. Berrian will force defenses to respect our passing game with his ability to make the big play. With the addition of Berrian, the Vikings can wait to draft a wide receiver until the second or third round where they will most likely have their pick of James Hardy, Mario Manningham, Devin Thomas, Earl Bennett, DeSean Jackson, Donnie Avery, Andre Caldwell or Jordy Nelson (personal favorite in third round). Imagine these five receivers:
Bernard Berrian
Sidney Rice
Mario Manningham
Bobby Wade
Aundrae Allison

DE – Justin Smith
Justin Smith was a force on the D-line for six years with the Bengals averaging close to seven sacks a year. Smith saw a drop off in his numbers in his 2007 campaign where he had two sacks. The Bengals were a mess last year, and it doesn’t make it easier on stats when the team is losing horribly. Also, imagine Smith lined up next to two Pro Bowl defensive tackles commanding double teams in the Williams’ boys. Smith could be visiting the backfield frequently with the help his new defensive line would provide. Also, bringing in an experienced veteran would solve our never ending headache of drafting young, unproven defensive ends.

S – Madieu Williams
I will not get into this argument again. What Aflac fails to understand, is that I do not have extreme interest in Madieu Williams. The Vikings have widely reported interest in signing him. You need to recognize the players the team is interested in regardless of talent. The Vikings have to fill a need and Madieu will fill that need. He is a great character guy, which is always a plus. Also, the Vikings will draft a safety for depth in the first three rounds. I won’t only discuss players I want the Vikings to sign, but also will discuss the players I don’t want them to sign, unlike my cohort.

QB- Sage Rosenfels
Sage would be a solid veteran QB to have. However, for a third round draft choice? I don’t agree with that. Let’s evaluate. At age 29, Rosenfels is coming off a season where he went 4-1 as a starter with 1,684 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 84.8. Other than a noticeable blip on the radar in 2007, since he was drafted in 2002 he has limited game time experience in four seasons with the Dolphins and one season with the Texans. Although, I am not convinced, Rosenfels could quickly make me a believer with a few great games as a Viking.