Vikings’ offensive line competition heats up
As the Vikings slowly turn their team into a well-rounded competition based unit, many positions will have questions that need to be answered. That statement rings truest when talking about the offense line where the Vikings have competition at each of the five positions. Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer have made their offensive line the highest paid in the NFL and now they have the rest of the offseason to figure out who will start and who will provide depth.
The starting five along the offensive line in the first set of Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) is admittedly deceiving but had a starting five unit that most pundits might not have predicted. On the left side, Vikings had Jeremiah Sirles and Alex Boone at tackle and guard respectively. The right side was shored up by Phil Loadholt at tackle and Brandon Fusco at Guard. The battle for starting center is beginning with Joe Berger getting the edge over John Sullivan.
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Most fans should notice that two major names were missing from that list. Matt Kalil and newly acquired tackle Andre Smith are presumed to compete for starting positions but the team decided to take a look at Sirles and Loadholt. With the competitions just beginning, Zimmer and the other offensive coaches presumably wanted to see if Sirles could fill in for Kalil, should he struggle again. Sirles has yet to see any game action since being acquired from San Diego.
It was surprising to see Loadholt out there instead of Andre Smith because Loadholt is fresh off missing an entire season due to injury. The only way to tell if someone is healthy is by having them play and that is most assuredly what the coaches wanted to see. KFAN’s A.J. Mansour said via Twitter, “It’s obviously early but Danielle Hunter is killing Phil Loadholt one-on-one.” Shaking off the rust is also a major factor as to who starts in OTA’s.
Many sources are reporting that T.J. Clemmings will move from right tackle to the left side to compete with Kalil and Sirles. Clemmings performed shaky at times in 2015 but also showed the staff enough to give him an extended look on the left side. Most football oriented minds believe Clemmings would best be suited as a guard but for now it looks as though the Vikings want to keep him at tackle.
Projecting a starting lineup is a tall order, especially this early in the season. Kalil and Smith are expected to eventually gain top honors at the tackle positions while Boone and Fusco will anchor the guard positions. Zimmer has said that Sullivan will have to battle to regain the starting center position but most believe he will win the competition. After the next couple sessions of OTA’s, there will hopefully be a better idea of who is expected to start at what position on the offensive line.
OTA lineups are never a strong gauge as to whom the coaches like the most for a position but they are all the fans and writers have to go on. Needless to say, the competition is heating up along the offensive line and should be one to keep a close eye on. The Vikings are expected to make a deep run into the playoffs and it all starts with the big boys up front staying healthy and performing well. Skol Vikings, let’s go!
Justin Ekstrom can be followed on Twitter @thesportscrib21 and thanks all the brave men and women that gave their lives serving this country.
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