The St. Louis Rams released wide receiver Torry Holt today. They did it mostly to free up some salary cap space and so the 32-year-old Holt wouldn't take away playing time from their younger receivers.
When NFL Network analyst Rod Woodson was asked for his take on the move, he said, "Younger doesn't necessarily mean better in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE." (By the way, Woodson has this habit - Ron Jaworski and Chris Collinsworth do it as well - where anytime he mentions the league, he can't just say "the NFL", it's always "the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE." It's like by pronouncing the full name rather than the acronym, he's indicating the global importance of the league. This never gets old for me.)
Anyway, there's been speculation that the Vikings might go after Holt if he got released.
But I don't know about that. If you look at the free agents the Vikings have signed since Brad Childress became head coach and Rick Spielman took over player personnel, it's pretty clear the pair don't think like Rod Woodson.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh was one notable exception, but other than him, the free agents the Vikings have gone after the past three years have all been players in their mid-to-late twenties - players who could be expected to play four or five seasons for the team.
What Childress and Spielman have resisted doing thus far is applying band aids to roster weaknesses. They don't sign veterans on the downside of their careers who might be able to help the Vikings for a season or two.
So while Holt might make sense for a team that still needs to get better at wide receiver, I'd be surprised if the Vikings try very hard to sign him.
The other thing to consider with Holt is how much better is he than Bobby Wade - the guy on the Vikings who he would be replacing as a starter.
Last year Wade had 53 catches for 643 yards and two touchdowns. Holt had 64 catches for 796 yards and three touchdowns. In Football Outsiders statistical analysis, Holt ranked 67 among all wide receivers in 2008. Bobby Wade ranked 71st.
Now when the 2009 season starts, Holt will be just two years - in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - removed from a 93 catch, 1,189-yard, seven touchdown season. But Holt will be 33 when that season starts and when you're 33 - in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - two years can be a loooooong time.
Mike Lombardi at the National Football Post writes all the time about team's needing their players to improve five-to-10 per cent from the year before to get better.
Would Torry Holt be a five-to-10 per cent improvement over Bobby Wade? At Holt's age, I'd say the answer is "no."
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5 comments:
I disagree. I think that Tory Holt would definitely be a 5-10% upgrade over Wade (no offense to Wade) as well as be a a mentor to SRice...that said, I would much rather go after Boldin. ARI says he is not on the market, but in the NFL nobody is untouchable.
The Vikings could definitely use a player like Holt. A one/two year booster is right up our alley - let's face it, the clock is ticking on the squad we have right now. Anything can happen, but the way I see it - the Vikings could be on the verge of mediocrity in two years without a solid youth movement.
Our receiving core is decent, but it's not good. We still have room for improvement there, whether it be from young players stepping up (RICE) or free agent signings.
On the other hand, we still have unproven QBs and offensive coaching. Unfortunately, I can't see us being a choice destination for any receiver unless we put up a pile of money that nobody else can match.
Boys:
A debatable call by me to say Holt wouldn't be five to 10 per cent better than Wade. St. Louis was horrible last year and had big QB problems and that played into the year Holt had.
However, he's still a player whose best days are past him. I wouldn't be terribly upset if the Vikings got him. But everyone has to remember we're getting the 33-year-old version of Holt, not the 26-year-old version. He's not a game-changer anymore.
I also agree with Travis that Minnesota's QB situation makes the Vikes a less than desirable destination. And Holt's likely to have plenty of suitors.
Well said about Holt, at this point it's hard to imagine him being an upgrade over Wade. However Wade or Holt as the third receiver would be an improvement. If nothing else Holt could be good for Sidney Rice in the form or pushing him for PT.
Woodson's comments remind me of how Tice used to refer to everyone as a football player. You know, so there was no confusion what sport he was talking about.
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