I don’t know anything about the tilt technique, I just know Remi Ayodele didn’t want to play it last year, and this didn’t exactly endear him to his coaches. So now Remi Ayodele is probably on his way to becoming a former Viking. We’ll have to see how things shake out but the team re-signing Fred Evans doesn’t bode well for Remi. There had been a thought, after Letroy Guion was signed to a new contract, that Remi might split time with Guion at the nose but with Evans in the mix? Sounds like one nose tackle too many.
You won’t see me crying if Remi Ayodele is shown the door. Dude was terrible last year. For him penetration was only a rumor and even holding the point was often a challenge. Chad Greenway’s production likely suffered from his having to play behind Ayodele and another below-average run defender in Brian Robison. Ayodele did get slightly better late in the year but that was only after the coaches relented and let him go back to employing a four-point stance as he did in New Orleans.
I’m a long way from being sold on Letroy Guion as a starting nose tackle, but there’s no question he deserves a chance at the job ahead of Ayodele. Guion actually plays the technique the Vikings want out of that position. Ayodele is a square peg in a round hole. Fred Evans can be a decent back-up when he’s not committing idiotic penalties. And the Vikings can build depth by drafting a nose tackle at some point on the second day. A guy to keep your eye on? Baylor’s Nicolas Jean-Baptiste. He’s raw but with the Vikings in rebuilding mode, they don’t mind a little rawness.
Like The Viking Age on Facebook.
Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.