Iowa's Albert Young rushes over left tackle for a 29 yard pick up down to the Michigan State 3 yard line, setting up his touchdown run on the next play during third quarter action, Oct. 27, 2007 in Iowa City.(Lee News Service / Quad-City Times, John Schultz).
Well, the Minnesota Vikings came close to truly living up to that credo in 2008.
The Jared Allen trade, and two subsequent moves up in the second and fifth rounds, whittled their pool of picks to five this year. The only player taken in the first four rounds was a safety, where three established players are already set at two spots in front of Tyrell Johnson.
Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is far from established, but the fifth-round selection John David Booty is at best a third-stringer for now. And Letroy Guion, another fifth-rounder, is a defensive tackle. He’s not going to be cracking the Williams Wall for significant playing time anytime soon.
The Vikings have proudly claimed all week that their roster is stronger and deeper than it’s been in several seasons, and their draft-day decisions followed suit.
“You hate to waive good football players, but hopefully when your talent level increases and your team gets better you know that you are going to be having to get rid of and cut good football players,” coach Brad Childress said. “That beats the alternative.”
Late Sunday, the Vikings agreed to terms with 16 free agents: running back Albert Young of Iowa, safety Husain Abdullah of Washington State, defensive end Martail Burnett of Utah, defensive tackle Leger Douzable of Central Florida, safety Marcus Griffin of Texas, kicker Steven Hauschka of North Carolina State, linebacker Erin Henderson of Maryland, wide receiver Nate Jones of Texas, cornerback Travis Key of Michigan State, linebacker J Leman of Illinois, center Tim Mattran of Stanford, offensive tackle Drew Radovich of Southern California, wide receiver Darius Reynaud of West Virginia, cornerback Brandon Sumrall of Southern Mississippi, cornerback Marcus Walker of Oklahoma, and quarterback Kyle Wright of Miami.
Henderson is the younger brother of Vikings starting middle linebacker E.J. Henderson.
CENTER ATTENTION
Depth on the offensive line was definitely an area of need for the Vikings in this year’s draft, and their only address of that was in the sixth round with Notre Dame center John Sullivan.
Incumbent Matt Birk is entering the final year of his contract, and the team has indicated no plans to negotiate an extension for now. But coach Brad Childress said Sullivan was the highest-rated lineman when that pick came up. Birk’s only backup last season was Ryan Cook, who became the starting right tackle.
“It really doesn’t have anything to do with Matt Birk at all,” Childress said.
Sullivan sounded eager to learn from a six-time Pro Bowl pick.
“I think that’s as great a situation as a young player can have. Matt Birk is an incredible player. He’s someone that I have looked up to for a long time. When it comes to centers in the NFL, he is second to none,” Sullivan said.
FITTING IN JUST FINE
Jared Allen spent part of the weekend getting to know his new teammates on the Vikings defensive line, and it was apparent that he’s going to fit in just fine with perhaps the closest-knit position group in the locker room.
Pat Williams teased him about wearing tight jeans, Kevin Williams was eager to hear how he once used a knife to kill a wild boar, and Ray Edwards put an arm around his neck.
Edwards has the biggest adjustment to make in light of Allen’s arrival, because he’ll be moving from right end to the left side. But Edwards, who had five sacks in 12 games last season, said switching hands in his three-point stance is no big deal. He played on the left in college at Purdue.
ATHLETIC GENETICS
Tyrell Johnson, the safety from Arkansas State selected in the second round, has a former college track star for a mother. Though he was not raised by his father, Johnson is also the son of three-time NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson.
Johnson, who completed an undergraduate degree in computer information technology and said he plans to one day go back to school for a masters in business, was asked why he chose football over basketball.
“I knew I had to be realistic with myself,” Johnson said. “I loved basketball just as much as I did football. When I stopped growing around 10th or 11th grade, I knew I had to give it up.”
I hit 6-foot and I stopped growing, so I was just like, ‘Hey, Tyrell, you’ve got to commit to one sport and run with it.”
Johnson, incidentally, was the highest-drafted Vikings safety since Orlando Thomas in 1995.
Robertson played most of his career with the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks and received the league’s defensive player of the year award in 1986. He has had plenty of legal trouble since he retired, mostly for altercations with former girlfriends.
TRIPLE J: Wide receiver Jaymar Johnson, chosen in the sixth round out of Jackson State, played against Tarvaris Jackson, who went to Alabama State. The Southwestern Athletic Conference, a collection of small historically black colleges in the Gulf Coast states, has churned out its share of stars from Walter Payton to Jerry Rice. Johnson is not very big, at 6-foot and 176 pounds, but he’s not worried.
“I took it as motivation. I use that as energy and I use that to work harder,” Johnson said.
