Vikings should steer clear of Schaub

By Krupka  |   Thursday, April 06, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Minnesota Vikings
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Numerous reports have surfaced over the past few days that the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons are currently talking trade. Atlanta is seeking to regain a first-round pick in this April's draft, which they traded away a few weeks ago to get defensive end John Abraham from the New York Jets. Meanwhile, the Vikings are interested in finding their quarterback of the future, which is where Falcons backup Matt Schaub enters into the mix.

However, the Vikings should stay clear of Schaub for numerous reasons. For starters, it would take way too much to pry him from Atlanta, which is reportedly looking for a package of picks that includes the Vikings' first-round pick, No. 17 overall. And frankly, the Vikings have never shown the ability to make good trades involving draft picks (see 1989's Herschel Walker trade with Dallas). Albeit the past shouldn't keep a team from making future moves, but let's not kid ourselves, Schaub hasn't proven much of anything; he has only started two games in his short career. Also, it isn't only the draft picks that make Schaub expensive. He's in the last year of his contract and would seek a long-term deal next offseason in order to be paid in congruence with other starters.

In addition to being unproven, Schaub also seems vastly overrated by certain pundits. He has been the talk of the offseason among quarterbacks and is coveted by numerous teams. But why? In limited playing time, he has a lackluster completion percentage of 49.2 percent and a mediocre touchdown to interception ratio of five touchdowns to four interceptions.

Another reason that the Vikings should stay away from Schaub is for the simple fact that
he isn't necessarily a need right now. Brad Johnson is a solid starter in this league, as he brought the Vikings from the depths of the NFL leading them to a 7-2 record last season, and narrowly missing out on the playoffs. Johnson posted a 62.6 percent completion percentage, and an impressive 12 touchdowns to just four interceptions while throwing for 1,885 yards. Johnson is a proven winner as he has led all three teams he has played for to the playoffs, winning one Super Bowl. In his previous stint in Minnesota, he led the Vikings to the playoffs in 1997 and defeated the Giants in the first-round before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the second-round. In 1999, he led the Washington Redskins to the playoffs and defeated the Detroit Lions in the first-round before falling to Tampa Bay by a single point the following week. In Johnson's finest season, he helped lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in 2002-2003.

Finally, new Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress has proven to be an exceptional developer of quarterbacks. Because of this, the Vikings would be much wiser to save their draft picks, and let Childress find his quarterback on draft day. A perfect scenario would see them filling a very important need at linebacker with their first-round pick, possibly drafting Ernie Sims from Florida State. Sims is a very athletic, sure-tackling linebacker, who has the speed and coverage skills that are a must in the Cover 2 defense. This would then allow Childress to use a second-rounder on Bowling Green quarterback Omar Jacobs. Jacobs seems to have all the tools; size (6'4", 225 pounds), speed (4.55 in the 40), an absolute rocket for an arm, and first-rate decision-making skills as evidenced by his college stats(68 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions over the past two seasons).

If Jacobs isn't an option, Childress could still look to Brodie Croyle or Charlie Whitehurst, both of whom are expected to be available in rounds two or three. Croyle, a product of the Alabama Crimson Tide, is more of a risk. As his past has proven, he is an injury waiting to happen. He does have a strong arm, and he did impress scouts back in January at the Senior Bowl. When asked about Croyle's arm Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said, "Everybody talks about strong arms; he truly does have a strong arm." One drawback happened at the combine when he only participated in position drills and kept his numbers, hurting his draft stock. Thanks to that, Whitehurst is the more intriguing prospect at the moment. Despite his middle-of-the-road 11 touchdowns to 10 interception ratio last season, the former Clemson Tiger quarterback completed 67.2 percent of his passes in his senior season. He also has the ability to make plays with his legs; he ran a 4.74 in the 40 yard dash at the combine and even had a 65-yard run this past season, to go along with three rushing touchdowns.

Despite the knocks on Matt Schaub, he clearly has some upside. The fact that he'll only be 25 in June is an advantage, the fact that he stands an imposing 6'5" is advantageous, and the fact that he possesses some decent mobility is nice as well. Vikings fans witnessed that mobility first-hand when he rushed four times for 56 yards in relief of the injured Michael Vick last season. One last thing in Schaub's favor is the fact that he ran a form of the west coast offense with the Atlanta Falcons. Starting next season, the Vikings will be running the west coast offense as well.

Still, as far as the Vikings go, the negatives of Schaub outweigh the positives.

Without question, it would be in the Vikings' best interest to find their franchise quarterback with a late day-one pick in the draft's first day. Schaub has a nice amount of upside, but who's to say he isn't a product of hype? At this point, the numbers don't lie, and neither does Brad Johnson's production from last season.

-Send your comments or questions to Eric Krupka at ekrupka@realfootball365.com
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