Vikings Meeting With Another Tackle?
Joe Johnson
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Growing up my sister was obsessed with the original ‘Herbie’ movies. For those of you who aren’t familiar, or are only vaguely familiar of the Lindsay Lohan abomination, Herbie was a Volkswagen Beetle that essentially was alive and got into all sorts of mischief, typically surrounding a race of some sort with Buddy Hackett.
I mean, she was obsessed. Her room was adorned with everything Herbie or Volkswagen Beetle-y and she even wrote her History Day paper about how Volkswagen made it’s way to America (Which she won some sort of state-wide award for). The year she turned 16 also happened to be the same year that VW brought back the Beetle, to much fanfare and an even longer waiting list. Somehow, my parents, who were of modest means, ended up not only on that waiting list but also snagging a brand spanking new Volkswagen Beetle in 1998 for my sister’s birthday. We all told her that she was just test driving it as a birthday present, and then she found a note attached to the flower in the dashboard flower pot and broke down in tears.
So, when I reached driving age I assumed that I would have a similar budget or amazing, once in a lifetime sort of story to tell people. I had it all figured out in my mind that I would get a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and that I’d be able to drive down to Lake Calhoun with my friends, music blasting like that scene from Zoolander where they get into a gas fight. However, when I turned 16 I ended up not getting the Jeep of my dreams but rather two used cars (#FirstWorldProblems). A 1991 Cadillac Seville and an ’85 Pontiac Fiero GT. They were both fine cars, but weren’t in anyway as amazing as my sister’s car (Which, to her credit, she still drives everyday). So, I guess you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up?
Well. Because, as I’m finding out more and more, the Vikings as an organization tends to reflect my life… More and more. So, for the sake of this analogy, let’s say that brand spanking new Los Angeles Ram left tackle Andrew Whitworth is the 1998 VW Beetle (Not solely because he also started playing professional football in ’98… ZING?) of left tackles and thus recently acquired Vikings tackle Riley Reiff is the Cadillac Seville. That means that the Vikings are in the market for that Fiero, and it just so happens that the Vikings apparently are meeting with yet another tackle today in Mike Remmers, formerly of the Carolina Panthers (Essentially the guy that Matt Kalil replaced and if he’s like a Fiero, also someone who spontaneously combusts).
I brought up this long, drawn-out analogy because it did best represent the disappointment that I’ve had with the Vikings free agency moves thus far. Sure, they’ve made some moves, but for whatever reason things just aren’t clicking yet (Just like the transmission on that Fiero). Either they’ve been outbid or outclassed, but either way, when you’re looking at bringing in two left tackles, essentially, things aren’t really going to plan. But, simply because things don’t go to plan doesn’t mean that things can’t also work out. For example, I had more fun in those two cars than should be legal and most likely wasn’t and the fact that the Vikings are looking at Remmers, too, means that they’ll both have depth and most importantly a lack of TJ Clemmings on their line if all works out accordingly.
Now, as has been reported in other articles on purplePTSD.com, new Viking Riley Reiff came into the NFL as a left guard, transitioning to left tackle in 2013 after the retirement of Jeff Backus. Since then, Reiff has alternated between left and right tackle, but can play both. Mike Remmers played right tackle before switching to left tackle last season to compensate for Michael Oher’s concussion issues. So, if nothing else, having both on your roster helps with depth should something 2016-ish happen.
According to Scout’s report from Pro-Football-Focus, Remmers had a score of 66.1 last season, which actually grades him out at one point lower (Whatever that means) than Jeremiah Sirles. That’s not a good sign. While I joked about what those numbers mean(t), clearly a higher score is better and if you’re playing worse than both Sirles (by those numbers) and Matt Kalil (by being replaced by him) you’re not very good. Then again, how many times did we say “If we only had a decent left tackle/offensive line we’d be unstoppable!”, so, there’s that and all the additional money they still have to spend on a marquee wide receiver/running back… Terrelle Pryor or Latavius Murray wouldn’t be too bad, especially with this newly revamped and stunningly average offensive line!