From: jag@unislc.uucp (John Ganske)
Subject: Minnesota Vikings News 9/2/92
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Distribution: us
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 17:40:31 GMT
Keywords: cuts signings jordan tice


I've fallen behind on getting the Vikes news out.  I appologize for not
posting any timely info. on roster moves to get down to the 47-player
limit.  The following article, titled "Vikings recall Nelson, Novoselsky,
sign Everett", by staff writer Steve Aschburner will address roster
tuneup. 

      To no one's surprise, the Vikings fine-tuned their roster Tuesday
      by calling back running back Darrin Nelson and tight end Brent
      Novoselshy, signing free agent cornerback Eric Everett and assigning
      the expected players to injured reserve and the developmental squad.

      Three roster spots were freed up when cornerback Najee Mustafaa
      (former Reggie Rutland), rookie defensive tackle Roy Barker and safety
      Tripp Welborne were placed on injured reserve.  They will be ineligible
      for at least the first four games.  The five players assigned to the
      practice squad were linebacker Ed McDaniel, wide receiver Joe Randolph,
      running back Chuck Evans, quard Scott Adams and safety David Wilson.

      Nelson, in his 11th season, and Novoselsky, a member of the Vikings
      since 1989, were virtualy certain to be recalled after the Vikings
      cut down to the 47-player limit Monday.  Both cleared waivers and 
      neither had even bothered to clean out his locker.

      Everett, who worked out for the Vikings on Monday, is a five-year
      veteran waived by Kansas City this summer.  With Mustaffa sidelined,
      the Vikings needed to add a fourth cornerback to the group of Carl
      Lee, Audray McMillian and Anthony Parker, and felt that Everett 
      could be effective based on his experience under defensive coordinator
      Tony Dungy while both were with the Chiefs in 1991.  "We needed a guy
      who is a coverage specialist," coach Dennis Green said.

      The Vikings weren't able to add a backup offensive lineman, and with
      former starter Todd Kalis (me: bummer! Injured his knee in the game  
      with the 'skins) out for the season, depth at the position might be
      a problem.  But Green said he felt good about backups Tom Rehder,
      Adam Schreiber and snapping specialist Mike Morris.  "Rehder adds a 
      lot of NFL experience and has a Super Bowl ring (with New York in
      1990)," Green said.  "He can play left tackle, right tackle, right
      or left guard.  Adam Schreiber can play center or guard.  (Morris)
      is a judgment call, but the emphasis we're putting on special teams
      makes it worth it."

  My thoughts: I posted an article earlier about Tripp Welborne.  The article
	       in the StarTribune literally gushed about Welborne being ready
	       to play this season.  Now it appears that the former Michigan
	       star, who blew out his knee in college, is not ready to go
	       on his rebuilt knee (I think Tripp has already spent one full
	       season on injured reserve).

Another StarTribune article, titled "Jordan agrees: Two are better than one"
(with a subtitle of "Tight end comes to like new offense), might be interesting.
This article was written by StarTribune staff writer Steve Aschburner.

     Given his Ivy League education and offseason job as a civil engineer,
     it didn't take Steve Jordan long to do the calculations in his head:
     One tight end position divided by two players equals half the 
     opportunities.  Heck, even a guy named Moose could have handled the
     math on that one.

     For nearly a decade, Jordan had held exclusive rights to the Vikings'
     tight end spot, catching more passes (411) than any other receiver in
     team history and playing in more consecutive Pro Bowls (six) than any
     other NFL tight end.  He had been an erudite constant throught 10 
     inconsistent, tantalizing and ultimately disappointing season.

     Then last winter, new coach Dennis Green hired former Washington assistant
     Jack Burns as his offensive coordinator, in the process embracing the 
     Redskins' successful "two tight-end" attack.  Uh oh.  Suddenly, Jordan
     was going to have company.  He would be asked to share.

     "At first, he was skeptical," said Mike Tice, the Plan B free agent
     signed in March for one of those spots.  "Steves said, 'Two tight ends?
     Does that mean they will cut back on the balls I used to get?'"

     Remember, in recent seasons, Jordan had heard bold talk from the Vikings
     coaches about getting him more involved in the offense.  Yet his recep-
     tions had dwindled from 57 for 756 yards in 1988 to 35 for 506 in 1989.
     His numbers improved to 45 catches for 636 yards in 1990 and 57 for 638
     in 1991, but cutting them in half would have resulted in his least
     productive season since he became a start in 1984.

     "Once you see the offense, you realize that we have specialists," Tice
     said.  "We have the mainly blocking tight end who will catch 5 to 15 
     balls a year, pass protect, block on the run.  Then we have a smaller
     guy who's usually the better of the two athletes, who has to be
     extremely intelligent, do a lot of movement and shifting and get down-
     field.  Once he started to understand the offense after the first two
     minicamps, Steve started to feel more comfortable with his role."

     Tice spent a year in this system with Washington in 1989 and 10 other
     seasons carving out a career in Seattle more with his body (6-7, 253
     pounds) than his hands (93 lifetime receptions).  His best statistical
     season was 1988 when he caught 29 passes for 244 yards - about seven
     games' work for Jordan in his prime.  "So right away, if you look at
     those descriptions, you'd say,  'Mike Tice can't play 'H' back and,
     sure, Steve Jordan could play 'Y' but he'd be better suited for the
     other spot.'"

     Excuse the alphabet soup.  In laymen's terms, it means that when the
     Vikings use three wide receivers and one tight end, Jordan will fill
     that traditional "Y" role.  But when they go with two wide receivers
     and double up on tight ends - at least half the time - Tice will be
     the banger ("Y") while Jordan shifts to a more versatile "H" spot.
     He will become what Green calls a "multi-motion type of player."
     Sometimes he will look like a fullback, sometimes a lineman, sometimes
     a wide receiver.

     "Steve's a very fluid athlete and a very intelligent athlete," said
     new tight ends coach Brian Billick.  "Those are the two prerequisities
     for the 'H' back.  You need someone who can do things on the run,
     recognize them, and then have the ability to get on an individual or
     break away from the defensive back."

     Said Jordan: "I like it a lot.  I get to move around and I'm constantly
     thinking.  I'm like a kid in a candy store.  I can line up wide, I can
     play tight end.  That's fun."  

     The mental adjustments to this offense appealed to Jordan as much as
     any change in his style of play.  "The last couple of years, after knowing
     the system so well, you don't necessarily get complacent but it's like,
     'Why go back to the books?'  I had lost a little bit of the challenge
     of the learning process," he said.

     Oh, Jordan still will have some blocking responsibilities.  "The concept
     of the 'H' back is important to our running game," Billick said.  "We
     call him a chipper.  The key is getting an advantage on the defense
     by out-angling them and outmanning them.  We'll use him as an extra man
     at the point of attack."

     Occasionally, Jordan and Tice will switch to keep defenses off balance.
     But the intent is to play to each player's strengths.  "I can do the 
     blocking stuff," Tice said.  "But if I get the ball in the open field,
     there isn't much that's going to happen."

     Jordan has been a full-service player for years and feels he gets 
     wrongly typecast as a "receiving" tight end.  But narrowing his duties
     now, at age 31, cold extend his career.  For one thing, he will be 
     blocking inside linebackers and strong safeties more often than outside
     linebackers and defensive ends.  At 6-3, 240 pounds, he won't suffer
     such a size disadvantage.

     Already Jordan sounds transfused by the plan.  "This whole thing of
     having a new coach, a new system, really sparks an enthusiasm in me,"
     he said.  "I've always been a self-motivator, but with Denny and the
     new staff coming in, that lit up a bulb in my head.  I wanted to see
     what I could do with this system.  New horizons, you know?"

John Ganske      -------------------------
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Unisys Corp.                            jag@unislc.slc.unisys.com 
Roseville, Minnesota                  jag@unirsvl.rsvl.unisys.com
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