I’m on record saying I support a push for Kolb – if the price is right.

Unlike most of the potential quarterback options available to the Vikings, Kolb would represent both a short- and long-term solution at the position. If the Vikings go with an older guy like Donovan McNabb they will still be left without a definite quarterback of the future. If they draft another young guy to go with Joe Webb they will have options for down-the-road but no established player to take the reins in 2011. Kolb represents the best of both worlds.

But what exactly is the right price for Kevin Kolb? A second-round pick to me would be reasonable. Kolb has a good skill-set for the WCO and has performed well at times in his career, but is not the kind of slam-dunk player who would warrant a first-rounder going back to the Eagles.

Of course Schefter’s tweet doesn’t mention which teams are interested in Kolb. For all we know the Vikings have no plan to pursue the quarterback. I have to believe, however, that the Vikings are at least considering a Kolb trade. They must realize that, among a multitude of less-than-ideal options, Kolb is one of the most appealing.

If history means anything, I have to believe Rick Spielman is intrigued by Kolb. During his Vikings tenure Spielman has shown a knack for identifying back-up players with the potential to step up to the next level, Chester Taylor, Ben Leber and Visanthe Shiancoe being the most prominent among these. Kolb could potentially join this list of good finds. The only difference of course is that Kolb would require a trade to bring over while those other guys were free agents.

If the Eagles demand a first-rounder as has been rumored, I’m not sure I would be so high on this deal. If the Vikings learned anything from the Brad Childress era it’s that draft picks must not be thrown around lightly. But like I said, if Kolb can be had for a 2nd, I would be all over this. I wouldn’t expect Kolb to quite pull the Vikings even with the Packers and Bears in the NFC North arms race, given the Pro-Bowl caliber talent those teams sport at the position, but he would at least close the gap.

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Taylor left the Vikings for the Bears in hopes of getting more touches, thinking Mike Martz‘s offense would suit his combination of running and receiving skills.  In the end, Taylor did get more carries than in either of his last two seasons in purple, but caught only 20 passes after averaging 40-a-year over his four years in Minnesota. Taylor averaged only 2.4 yards-per-carry with the Bears, way down from his Viking years.

The thought with Taylor when he joined the Bears was that, because he had spent the last few seasons backing up Adrian Peterson, he had relatively fresh legs despite his age. That theory kind of blew up in 2010 however, and the Bears finally decided he wasn’t worth keeping around.

So do the Vikings look at bringing Taylor back in 2011 as a back-up running back/3rd-down specialist? I can’t see a good reason why. They already have Toby Gerhart and Lorenzo Booker, both of whom are much younger. It looks like the Vikings caught a break by not re-signing Taylor last off-season.

Update: Now it looks like the Bears are willing to give it another shot with Taylor in 2011. This just tweeted by @ESPNChiBears: “Chester Taylor’s agent told me, he’s staying — Would make sense since Taylor only making 1.25 million next year.”

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The Viking Age:  Julius Peppers was a huge off-season acquisition for the Bears. How much of an impact has he had on the defense?

Chicago Bears Huddle:  Great question! And, I’m actually going to try and answer it without writing an entire column on Peppers’ impact on the Bears’ defense: Speaking in terms of sacks, Peppers’ numbers have been disappointing. However, there are zero complaints from the coaching staff – who rave about him – and truthfully, zero complaints from any fans who are actually paying attention. The Bears constantly move Peppers from sideline to sideline, and the attention that must be paid to him, opens up opportunities for other players. Consider that Bears’ DT Israel Idonije is currently making a case for the first Pro Bowl of his career. A long career, mind you. Idonije is currently in his 8^th season in the NFL, and he owes much of his current success to Peppers’ prominent prowess. Bears’ defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli, recently had this to say about Peppers: “Oh goodness, he (affects) the game in such a major way.” Going back to what I mentioned to start, Peppers may not have the sacks we expected, but he’s played the run exceptionally well, helping the Bears climb to the 3rd ranked defense against the run. Long story short: He’s had a HUGE impact!
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