Jeff: BJ, CJ, and More

Before we get to Calvin Johnson we'll pass along to you that the Vikes, to no one's surprise, released Brad Johnson yesterday. I'm sure there's a backup job for him somewhere, but as he displayed last year, his days as a starter are definitely over. To quote Jer: What was your favorite moment from the BJ era?

In that same story Chilly says it'll be an open competition between Tavaris Jackson and Brooks Bollinger (is he sure? There's gotta be a 3rd option there somewhere right? RIGHT?) but then says there could be some interest in taking Brady Quinn at #7. That, of course, is total BS, which is to be expected this time of year, when EVERY team talks nothing but BS about who they're taking (well except the Raiders). Do not trust what a team says, look at what they need. I would hope they'll at least entertain trade talks about David Carr or Jake Plummer because the options out there in free agency are slim to none, especially with the Chiefs resiging Damon Huard, who I really would have liked to have seen in Minnesota. Bringing him back can't be good news for Trent Green, but trust me when I say we don't want him either. The best "options" (and I use that term REALLY loosely) are Jeff Garcia, Aaron Brooks, or Kerry Collins. OK so how much do the Texans want for David Carr again?

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Ok then onto Mr SuperFreak Calvin Johnson. 6'5, 239 pounds, and he ran a 4.35 40 yd dash which means he's playing wide receiver in a linebacker's body with sprinter's speed. He's got TO's body with Randy Moss' skills and Marvin Harrison's work ethic and demeanor. In other words, he IS the perfect wide receiver! There's always been this stigma of not taking wide receivers high in the draft, partly because it's a difficult position to adjust to, and also because as Peter King mentions, the failure rate of 1st rounders has been pretty high. He guesstimates that only 10 of the last 30 WR's taken in the first round could be considered impact guys. For every Randy Moss or Marques Colston (who was of course a 7th round pick and not even a 1st rounder), there's so many receivers who struggle that first year. Now, the failure rate is also pretty high at quarterback and other positions, but because there seems to be less importance placed on wideouts than quarterbacks, well you're not going to see teams stop taking QB's #1 overall.

This is also a very strong wide receiver draft, so if the Vikes don't get CJ, they'll be in position at #7 to take Teddy Ginn of Ohio State, Robert Meachem of Tennesee, or Dwayne Jarrett of USC, just to name 3. It's all well and good, and I highly doubt the Vikes brass has the stones to deal up, but for me, all of these arguments just cement the fact you HAVE to go up to #2 or #3 to take Johnson, and deal anybody not named Hutchinson, Williams, or Winfield to do it. Seriously.

Simply BECAUSE wide receiver is such a volatile position and BECAUSE it can be such a crapshoot with first rounders, that is all the more reason to get Calvin Johnson! He's a CAN'T MISS PROSPECT at a position where MOST GUYS MISS!!! Don't you see? Because Johnson is such a safe bet to be a productive Pro Bowl-caliber receiver for the next decade at a position where it's so difficult to find assess, that's why they NEED to go up and get him. And yes it's a strong receiver class, but Johnson is that much better than everybody else! You're rolling the dice with any of the other guys who have some glaring flaw to their game. CJ? NONE! He's a physical freak with a great attitude, work ethic, and superior ball skills (and yes I just wanted the excuse to use "ball skills" in a sentence)!! He would also help their slipping attendance by putting a marquee player in Minnesota that could make a big impact from day 1. Do you have any idea how many CJ jerseys the Vikes would sell? I would order one on draft day if they took him!

He would solve so many of their problems and create so many for opposing teams, but because Minnesota lacks the stones to take the SAFEST PICK IN THE DRAFT, I'm sure we'll be watching him light up the league in a Bucs jersey for the next 10 years.

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Finally a shameless plug. I'm off to Hamilton, Ontario today to do play-by-play webcasting for Trinity Western University men's volleyball team, who are the defending national champs and are the top seed in the tourney. My buddy Ben is the assistant coach, so it'll be fun to watch him and the lads hopefully win for a 2nd year in a row! If you're bored Friday or Saturday night and want to listen to the game, tune in at www.spartanwebradio.ca at around 8pm Est both nights and you can hear me do what I love to do most. They also have some past games archived on there. Have a great weekend everybody!