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 Christian Ballard being a good rotation player between defensive tackle and defensive end, do you think he would have what it takes to be a starting defensive end if the worst-case happens and we don't get Jared Allen and Brian Robinson re-signed? We would have Everson Griffen and Ballard as starting ends.
-- Chris L.

Ballard is a player who has displayed versatility for much of his career, dating back to his college days at the University of Iowa. So I’m sure he could make the necessary adjustments to be a productive defensive end in this League. At this point, though, I see Ballard contributing more as a defensive tackle on a regular basis and a defensive end only on occasion. There are other defensive ends (Lawrence Jackson, George Johnson and D’Aundre Reed) currently on the roster who could step up in the event either Allen or Robison are lost during this season or are not with the team next season.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves at this point. As it stands right now, with Allen and Robison as starters, Griffen as a rotational player and Ballard bulking up to play defensive tackle, the Vikings defensive line is a team strength and it has been during head coach Leslie Frazier’s entire tenure with the team.

Everson Griffen had a very positive 2012! He's been a standout on special teams for years and had an impact late in the year with more playing time at defensive end. The game in Houston is recalled, as he started in place of an injured Brian Robison. We saw a glimpse of the kind of pass rusher Griffen can be. Should we expect GM Rick Spielman to lock up Griffen long-term with a new contract before season’s end?
-- Mike S.
Minneapolis, MN

I can’t speak for the Vikings front office as it relates specifically to their plan for Griffen, but we’ve seen the current regime at Winter Park place a priority on extending the contracts of young players who figure prominently into the long-term plans. This strategy has been the Vikings version of free agency – rather than overspend on pricey free agents for a quick fix they reinvest in their own roster by keeping ascending players. A great recent example of this philosophy is Phil Loadholt, and other examples include Chad Greenway and John Sullivan.

Have the Vikings signed all of their draft choices?
-- @VikingsFan1964

Of the Vikings nine draft choices, only the three first-round picks remained unsigned. It is not unusual for draft choices to be unsigned at this point, and in fact it’s more unusual to have as many (six) signed as the Vikings have signed at this point. My sense is there isn’t reason to worry about those top three picks signing in time.

When do Organized Team Activities (OTAs) start?
-- @tony55744

Phase 3 of the Vikings offseason program begins on Tuesday. This is the final phase of the offseason program, and it will include 10 voluntary OTAs that set the stage for the team’s mandatory three-day mini-camp which concludes the offseason program. Below is a quick rundown of the Vikings OTA schedule…

OTAs 1-3: May 28-30
*The Vikings will hold their 8th annual Playground Build following OTA #3 on Thursday, May 30, set to take place at Howe School in South Minneapolis

OTAs 4-6: June 4-6

OTAs 7-10: June 10-13

Mandatory Mini-Camp: June 18-20