Monday Morning Mailbag

Do you have a comment or question? Send it to the vikings.com Mailbag! Every Monday during the offseason we’ll post several comments and/or questions as part of the vikings.com Monday Morning Mailbag feature. Although we can’t post every comment or question, we will reply to every question submitted.

To submit a comment or question to the mailbag, send an email to Mike Wobschall at wobschallm@vikings.nfl.net. Remember to include your name and town on the email.

With the Vikings selecting Cordarrelle Patterson and acquiring Greg Jennings, they obviously are addressing one specific one portion of our offense that needed to be addressed. But Adrian Peterson said he will break Eric Dickerson's record and reach 2,500 yards. How will the offense balance both a good receiving core, but also allow Peterson to reach this milestone?
-- Kenny G.
Kalispell, MT

That's a key question and one the team will have to figure out as they go through Organized Team Activities (OTAs), mini-camp, training camp, the preseason and then of course the regular season. As Vikings fans know, Leslie Frazier demands that his team runs the ball well on offense and defends the run well on defense, so my sense is the offense will begin and end with the running game once again this season. But with the improvements Kenny mentioned along with another year of maturity for some of the Vikings young players, including quarterback Christian Ponder, I’m looking forward to the Vikings passing game taking a big step forward in 2013. Vikings fans should look forward to their offense being paced by Peterson, but they should also look forward to that great running game opening things up for the passing game, which will lead not only to balance but also to a more explosive offense through the air.

With the Vikings still a little weak at cornerback, could you see Robert Blanton moving to corner since he played that in college, or do you think he'll stick at safety?
-- Mike D.
Chicago

I don’t agree with the suggestion that the Vikings are weak at cornerback. Yes, Antoine Winfield is gone, but a few veterans will return, including starter Chris Cook. Plus, Josh Robinson now has a full season under his belt and the team added one of the top cornerbacks in the draft to the roster in Xavier Rhodes. On top of that, there are some young/developmental prospects on the roster who could jump up and impress, including former CFL star Roderick Williams.

As for Blanton switching to cornerback, I can see him making that change and making the change well because of his history of playing the position at Notre Dame and because he has the size/athleticism combination you look for at that position. But my sense right now is that the Vikings don’t plan to move him. I think he’ll remain at safety and compete with Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford, among others, for the starting safety job next to Harrison Smith.

Can you name a few little-known rookies that were at the Vikings rookie mini-camp that impressed you?
 -- Dakota B.
Ennis, TX

Wide receiver Adam Thielen (Minnesota State-Mankato) impressed me right out of the gates at last weekend’s rookie mini-camp, and he must have played well throughout the weekend because the Vikings signed him last Monday; they also signed offensive tackle Brandon Keith on Monday. Other lesser-known players at the mini-camp who impressed me were safeties Brandon Bishop (NC State) and Darius Eubanks (Georgia Southern), who were both signed as undrafted free agents after the draft. I also thought defensive tackle Chase Baker, wide receiver LaMark Brown and tight end Chase Ford were impressive, and all three of those players are on our roster as well.

I watched highlights of most of the 16 undrafted free agents, and Brandan Bishop stood out the most to me. He's a hard hitter and seems to read plays well to break-up/intercept passes. Just wondering what his weaknesses are since all the film I watched was just highlights. Also, do you think he could make a push to make the 53-man roster?
-- Jordan K.
Albert Lea, MN

To be honest I didn’t get a long enough look at him during camp, or at least not a great enough look to be able to list his weaknesses. Bishop was a guy who looked good during the mini-camp, though. I do think he can make a push to make the 53-man roster. There is going to be a big competition for a starting spot at safety next to Harrison Smith, and Bishop should have his eye on that spot while also keeping an eye on finding a way to contribute on special teams.