Hey everybody! If you’re like me, right now you’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2013 NFL season. For the first time since 2009, Vikings fans have a lot of reason for hope this time of year (Last year at this time nobody thought we’d finish 10-6, and if you did you’re a football genius). Leading up to the start of the season, I’m going to give you 10 bold predictions of what you will hopefully see over the course of the 2013 season. Some of you may remember me doing this a couple years ago when I worked with Adam at Vikings Gab. I looked up my bold predictions from 2011 and it turns out I was right about half of them! I’m shooting for a better ratio this time around.

There’s no question the Vikings struck gold in 2012 by trading up in the first round to select safety Harrison Smith out of Notre Dame. Many were skeptical at first because the 2012 safety class was viewed as a fairly weak class, and some fans and experts thought it might have just been a desperation shot by the Vikings, trying to fill a glaring need in the secondary. It didn’t take Smith long to show everyone that despite a weak safety class, he was for real.

We saw his talent on display throughout the entire 2012 season. He delivered one hard hitting tackle after another, and finished with 3 interceptions on the year, 2 of them for touchdowns. I was honestly surprised Smith wasn’t more highly considered for Defensive Rookie Of The Year, and I felt he could have been a pro bowler this year. In 2013, I think Smith is poised for a breakout year. He’s already become one of the main leaders in our secondary, and his play will be huge for the Vikings. I think Smith will finish in the area of 80 tackles, 4-5 interceptions, and a couple forced fumbles. Hopefully we can see more defensive touchdowns from him as well.  I think the Pro Bowl is a place he’ll belong after the season is said and done, hopefully voters feel the same way when the Pro Bowl ballots are out.

Unfortunately for 1500 ESPN, however, they also decided to bring Patrick Reusse into the fold, as well.  The phrase “better to release a guy a year too early than a year too late” comes to mind in this situation.  He might have some sort of radio following, but the station should do everything they can to keep him away from a typewriter.

In my assessment, a gradual decline in Reusse’s work began years ago, but really came to a head when he made the ridiculous declaration that it was a “100 percent certainty” that Manti Te’o would end up being drafted by the Vikings.  Of course, declaring anything a 100% certainty in the NFL is a risky proposition, and it is downright stupid when talking about one of the most divisive college prospects to enter the Draft in history.  If the Vikings coveted Te’o, which it now seems obvious they didn’t, there were still 31 other teams that could have thrown a wrench into those plans.  A veteran in covering sports should know better than to make such lofty and brainless predictions using such definite terms.

There really is no harm in a reporter crying for attention by making such a stupid declaration, though, and nobody has felt the need to hold Reusse responsible for it now that the Draft has come and gone with Te’o now sporting a Chargers jersey.  Yesterday, Reusse decided to make the leap from harmless to damaging in one of the most atrocious pieces of “journalism” I have seen come from 1500 ESPN since their inception, and readers should find the article to be downright insulting to their intelligence.

For some reason, the national sports media seems obsessed with getting superstars to talk about the debate surrounding gay marriage and homosexuals playing team sports.  Adrian Peterson, being the biggest superstar in all of Minnesota sports, seems to be targeted at every possible chance by reporters that don’t have the respect shown by the aforementioned Zulgad and Pelissero.

In the last couple of weeks, Peterson has been asked about it multiple times, and the gist of his comments have revealed that he does not believe in it, could see how team showers could be a little more awkward with an openly gay teammate present, but would treat a gay teammate the same way he treats everyone else.

Reusse wasn’t one of the idiots that felt compelled to ask Peterson about his take on homosexuality, but it is almost worse that he felt the need to bring the issue up days later, jumping on an almost empty bandwagon of observers who feel his comments were somehow controversial.  The results are astonishingly ugly.

He foreshadowed the article with a tweet that makes him look either senile or uninformed, or both.

“Vikes dumped Kluwe because he wouldn’t shut up,” tweeted Reusse before referencing Peterson.  ”Will they do same w/ this loud mouth?”

Reusse’s lack of common sense never ceases to amaze.  He states that Kluwe was dumped by the Vikings due to his off-field campaigns as if it is a fact, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.  First, Kluwe’s willingness to have a public life away from football began years and years ago, and he somehow managed to spend those years on the team.  Second, countless other players have been cut through the years without being divisive personalities away from the Metrodome.  Oh, and you can also pick whatever other reasons you like from this gaggle:  Age, injury, production, salary, and he was entering the final year of his contract.

Choosing to single out Kluwe’s activism as the reason for finding his long-term replacement via the NFL Draft is about as lazy as claiming the Vikings drafted Blair Walsh last season because Ryan Longwell was spending too much time on the golf course.

Reusse starts his dribblings by pulling out a laundry list from Peterson’s past.  He cited his speeding ticket for driving over a hundred miles per hour, which is admittedly dangerous and should not go unpunished, but also not overly surprising to hear considering Peterson was in his early 20′s and had access to some pretty sweet sets of wheels.

Secondly, he brought up Peterson’s infamous “slavery” comments that came about during the NFL lockout, and unsurprisingly chose to ignore the fact the author of that article himself said Peterson did not mean to make a literal comparison.  Of course, guys like Reusse and other media vultures couldn’t take a step back, disassociate the word “slavery” with racism, and try to think of a modern profession (other than professional athlete) where the rights to a human being’s professional productivity can be drafted, bought, sold, and traded.  The comments were not the wisest in the world, but it is not a stretch to see how media types put more meaning to Peterson’s words than he ever intended to.

“This didn’t start with his recent seminars on gay marriage or how to deal with a gay teammate,” Reusse claims in his recent article, which can be read in full (bring a barf bag) by clicking here.

A quick trip to Dictionary.com led me to make a quick conclusion:  Despite years of training and experience, Reusse knows not what the word “seminar” means.  By using the word, Reusse suggests that Peterson had a pre-planned agenda to examine and study the social impact of homosexuality in football, or possibly hosted a session to educate others on the impact gay athletes might have on professional sports.

In reality, something that is increasingly clear Reusse has no grasp on, Peterson was asked about the topic and gave honest, respectful answers.  Of course, guys like Reusse will refuse to admit that guys like Reusse are the only reason Peterson was discussing the topic in the first place, because that would be admitting that the media has any role in this apparent trend of asking every player they come across what they think about the social issue.

“As far as the showers and things like that, you can drop the disclaimers. We got it, Adrian: you’re a flaming straight man,” Reusse writes at the end of the column.  ”Just because you play football without a governor doesn’t make it a bad idea to have one on the speedometer, or this gay gabfest.”

I don’t blame Reusse for suggesting Peterson end these conversations sooner, or before they even get started, but Reusse shows his true colors by calling Peterson “stupid” at one point and suggesting that his comments are somehow inflammatory, in addition to giving his media brothers a free pass for their contributions to this feeding frenzy of irresponsible reporting that try to paint a player as either homophobic or a brave warrior fighting for social equality.

I can’t recall Reusse ever suggesting that Kluwe should shut up about this particular subject, which leads me to believe that Reusse himself is applying more of a double-standard to Vikings players than the organization ever has.

This is the type of rhetoric that is not only counter-productive to finding a solution to a very serious discussion about social inequality, but also makes the mainstream media look like a group of biased hacks that are incapable of examining a subject with objectivity, even when there are some journalists out there worthy of widespread respect.

If blathering columnists are the judge and jury for citizens that might feel uncomfortable showering with somebody, other than their significant other, that is sexually attracted to them then we might be in for a long, long discussion about how this world needs to change from the way it is now.  Is it now unacceptable to feel uncomfortable showering with people of the opposite sex?  Or straight people of the same sex?  Or how about with someone with a major age difference? Heck, Tobias Funke is uncomfortable showering with even himself, is that wrong, too?

If we allow people like Judge Reusse to correct social injustices by overcorrecting, and creating an emotionless generation of people completely void of quirks and self-awareness, based off of the remarks made by a guy who plays football for a living, then I am sorry America… we’re doing it wrong.

Reusse is obviously paid to give his opinions, but that is no excuse for ignoring facts.  Also, 1500 ESPN editorial staff should consider moving his nonsensical click-grabbing B.S. to an area of their site that is clearly marked as opinion, instead of in the same location we have all grown to depend on for factual material out of the other fine writers.  After all, if the writer can’t seem to separate fact from fiction, then how can they expect the general public to do so while reading his work?

So, Mr. Reusse, on the off-chance that you are reading the work of other writers to gain factual knowledge or widen your narrow view of the world, then I would like to challenge you to a debate on the subject of the circumstances surrounding Kluwe’s release and whether or not Peterson’s insensitivity to sensitive subjects are a figment of your imagination.

I’ll debate you in writing, over the phone, or even on the radio show you are somehow still allowed to speak on.  Whatever you prefer, sir.

Of course, if you decline, maybe I’ll just opt to debate an empty chair.  I get the feeling you have a bias towards people that do that type of thing, and will blindly defend them from that point forwards, so maybe after that we’d be friends and you can tell my employers whether or not they are treating me fairly.

If I can, Reusse, I would like to pick my own time slot for the debate.

I’d like the one immediately following your report on how Manti Te’o is performing at Vikings OTA’s.

Jared Allen joined his teammates this week, but Leslie Frazier gave Vikings.com an update on the situation and has made it clear we shouldn’t expect to see him in action until the team goes to Mankato.

“We probably won’t see him until we get to training camp, but from everything that Eric Sugarman and our staff has told me medically, he is doing great,” said Frazier. “There won’t be any problem when we get to training camp and we’re looking forward to having him when the time comes. But the fact that he’s in town, he’s doing his rehab here, coming out to our practices, that’s a good thing. It’s good to have him in our meetings as well.”

Frazier also clarified that the staff is being cautious because of Allen’s shoulder and that his knee rehabilitation is more of a secondary issue.

Jacob Lacey signed as a free agent this offseason, and seemed like a guy with a solid chance at being a key reserve, but he will have to wait until training camp to try and earn his spot on the roster.  Lacey suffered a thumb injury during Tuesday’s practice and underwent surgery on Wednesday, according to Access Vikings.

Lacey was the nickel corner with the second team prior to the injury, with Josh Robinson playing that role with the first team, so the injury really seems to open the door for Bobby Felder to make a case for himself.

“I’ve still got a little deformity there with the bone popping up. It’s still there and it’s going to be there,” Robison told Viking Update.  “They say it’s pretty permanent. It’s been good. I’ve been getting strong in the weight room and been feeling good on the field so far, so it’s been going well.”

“Pretty well” might be a bit of an understatement for Robison after Wednesday’s practice session where he intercepted quarterback Christian Ponder not once, but twice.  On one occasion, rookie corner Xavier Rhodes tipped the pass back towards the line and Robison was able to make the heads up play.  On the other, he was simply able to get into the air and snatch Ponder’s pass before walking into the endzone.  While that isn’t exactly the news we want to be hearing about our quarterback, it is always good to hear that our defensive line is making some splash plays at the line.

Robison ended up with an arm harness last season and a brace for his elbow, which was a separate injury which he admits also impacted his game.

“A lot. It really did. There was some times out there where that, paired along with the elbow brace that I was wearing, I felt like a lot of times I was playing with no arms out there and it was kind of a weird deal,” he said .  “You can really see in the playoff game when I came back and then six days later we had to play another game, it was one of those deals where it just wasn’t ready to go, but the competitor in me didn’t want to sit out.”

Robison has never reached double digit sacks, with 8.5 last season being his career high, but he is a burst type of player that seldom seems to be a goat and has made his share of big plays from the left end position.  Like Jared Allen, Robison faces a contract year in 2013, and he will be expected to take a step or two towards improving even more.

According to 1500 ESPN, Allen did not participate in practices because he is still in the process of coming back from his offseason surgeries.  He was the only Vikings not present last week.

Tomorrow’s practice sessions will be open to the media.

Here’s the question:  Does Joe Weebb make it as a wide receiver or will this latest attempt to establish himself finally see him out the door?

Skeptics, on the other hand, may have a bit of a different outlook on the situation.  They may look at the positional depth chart and say the Vikings have a whole lot of question marks with no sure-fire answers.  An aging veteran forced to take a pay cut in Williams.  A first round selection that might look promising, but is still a mere rookie, in Sharrif Floyd.  An underperforming nose tackle Letroy Guion.  An unproven and inexperienced player in Christian Ballard.  A late round rookie in Everett Dawkins.  The quantity is undoubtedly there, but no we must wait to see if quality emerges from the pack.

One name that should not be dismissed as a possible starter on day one is veteran Fred Evans.

“The coaches keep telling me that, hey, we need to give Fred a shot to compete for the No. 1 job,” Leslie Frazier told 1500 ESPN on Sunday.

The reason that Evans is suddenly getting serious attention, after six seasons with the team, are a direct result of how much better he looked than Guion down the stretch last season despite playing fewer snaps.  What really separates him was his ability to come up with a pair of big plays that included a crucial sack against Houston and a big-time third down stop against Green Bay.

“Based on (what Evans) did coming down the stretch — he played some lights-out football for us,” Frazier said. “He really stepped up. And we’ve been harping on that with him, his consistency, and he showed that late in the season. So, we’ll see. We’ll just see if he can continue to elevate his play, and if he does, he’ll be in line for more snaps with the first unit.”

Frazier says “more snaps” with the first team because that is the role Evans played when the Vikings opened up OTAs last week.  That is a pretty good sign for a player that has never been much more than a rotational guy in his seven NFL seasons.  The previously mentioned depth at the position means Evans, and the rest of the defensive tackles, is still sure to be a part of a rotation this season, but becoming a starter would be a huge step forward for the 29 year old Evans.

If he does become a starter, then the Vikings will be facing even more drama next offseason, as he joins the rest of the starting line as a 2014 free agent.  Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Brian Robison, Everson Griffen, Lawrence Jackson, and George Johnson are all entering contract years in 2013 along with Evans.

The results show, among other things, that the selection of center Travis Frederick was indeed a reach by their own assessment which solidifies reports that the pick was a contentious one between various members of the team’s brass.  The Cowboys have Frederick with a second round grade, according to the report, and the Cowboys selected him at #31 after trading backwards with the Niners.  Five players that they graded as first round prospects were available to them at #18 and they could have had their pick of the bunch had they not traded down.

The other items you might find most interesting about this revelation are where the Vikings selections stacked up on the Dallas board.  Sharrif Floyd was not only their highest ranked defensive tackle, but he was ranked as the fifth best player in this class.  Wide out Cordarrelle Patterson was also the highest ranked at his position and came in at 13th overall for the ‘Boys.  Cornerback Xavier Rhodes was their second highest cornerback and they had him at 11th overall.

That means that the Vikings, who never owned a pick higher than 23rd this year, managed to get three prospects on their roster that were in the top 13 on the Dallas draft board.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys went into the event with the 18th selection, and managed to get zero players that they had graded out as first rounders.

To top it off, the Cowboys had third round grades on both linebacker Gerald Hodges and defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, whom the Vikings nabbed in the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively.

The Vikings and Cowboys have a long and bitter history, with the Vikings a lot more bitter than the Cowboys, so these are the little pleasures we have to enjoy from time to time.  According to Jerry Jones’ draft board itself, we got ourselves three franchise players in the Draft, and unlike the Cowboys of the 90′s we didn’t have to deal away our star running back to do it.

After failing miserably to get the Vikings a playoff victory last season, the Vikings have moved Webb to wideout, but the depth chart is suddenly very crowded.  Greg Jennings, when healthy, is sure to occupy a starters position considering his talent, experience, and the investment made to put him in purple.  Jerome Simpson and Jarius Wright both have more experience than the young pair and seem to be locks to eat up roster spots heading into this season.  Stephen Burton is someone the Vikings haven’t given up on yet and Greg Childs could throw a wrinkle into things if he is deemed healthy enough to contribute in the preseason.

As of today, the Vikings have 12 wideouts on the roster, and it is safe to say that total will be cut in half by the time the regular season rolls around.  Jennings, Simpson, Wright, and Patterson will surely eat up four of those spots leaving Webb to compete for one or two of the possible spots that would remain.

Last season, when Webb was made to be the backup quarterback only, reports surfaced from beat writers that he was having trouble catching the ball and running routes in practice.  According to multiple reports from this week’s sessions that were open to the media, however, Webb displayed excellent hands and was consistently snatching the ball with the proper away-from-the-body technique.  According to Kevin Seifert, he even was helping rookies learn where they were supposed to line up, suggesting he has a solid grasp of the playbook at this point.

“He has very good hands. He knows the offense very well. He’s actually helping some of the young guys in where to line up at,” Leslie Frazier said of Webb. ”Knowing how hard he works and knowing how much he wants to succeed as a receiver, he’ll have a very good chance of getting that done.”

Webb recently talked about how often he has had to change positions throughout his football career, including in high school and college, but he isn’t looking for any sort of sympathy.

“I just like football. I have a passion for the game. I’ve been playing it since I was a little kid. It’s a blessing to be out here on the field. Some guys graduate from college and don’t get a chance to come out here on an NFL field,” Webb said. “I’m just happy for the moment and just trying to take advantage of it.”

Patterson has already laid claim to one of the areas where Webb could potentially help the Vikings, as he has been named the go-to kick returner, and the nature of the NFL business means Patterson is likely to enjoy more chances to succeed at wideout than Webb because of where they were drafted.  Webb and Patterson, and Jarius Wright too for that matter, are essentially competing for the same reps within the offense.

Each possesses similar skills in the open field to Percy Harvin, and could be used the same way Harvin was on manufactured touches like bubble screens, but having three guys to fill this role would seem a little excessive despite the loss of Harvin to Seattle.  Webb is going to have to establish himself in some other fashion, perhaps as a redzone threat where he capitalizes on his height, in order to earn one of the few remaining spots on the depth chart.

Back in January, I suggested that Webb had value to the Vikings as a practice team quarterback capable of emulating any of the many mobile quarterbacks on their 2013 schedule, but using him in this fashion could also prevent him from focusing on being a polished receiver.  I still think Webb is an excellent option to run the practice team, and get the Vikings defense used to chasing down the likes of RGIII and Russell Wilson, but I am now less convinced that this will be enough reason to keep him on the roster.

The Vikings coaching staff, mainly receivers coach George Stewart, must really devote the time needed to find out just what they have in Webb.  It seems fair to say that we know he isn’t an NFL quarterback, so this preseason they need to give him all possible reasons to succeed as a wideout, or else it might be time to cut ties with one of the most popular players on the roster.

Keglar, listed at 6′ 2″ and 250 pounds, was a fourth round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2008 after being a standout at Purdue.  He played two seasons with the Titans, then signed with Houston in 2010 who cut him in September of 2011.  Keglar has not appeared in an NFL game since then, with a brief stint playing for Las Vegas in the UFL, and just simply appears like an odd choice for the Vikings to bring in.

He has experience as an outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense, but has no experience as a starter, and has “training camp fodder” written all over him.

If he makes it to training camp before the team decides to move on.