The Vikings’ decision not to bring back LG Charlie Johnson may be the best thing that ever happened to Matt Kalil.
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Certainly Kalil’s knee issues were a big part of why he struggled in 2014. Another factor arguably was the bad luck of having to face multiple top-level pass rushers (though it certainly wouldn’t do for Kalil to use that as an excuse; you gotta play who you gotta play).
Ultimately though, the Vikings think that one of the biggest factors playing into Kalil’s bad season was the man lining up alongside him for most of the year.
Ben Goessling dropped this knowledge while discussing the left guard spot in his mailbag post on ESPN.com:
"I know this: The Vikings believe part of Kalil’s problem last season was he didn’t have enough support from Charlie Johnson on the left side of the line, particularly on blitz pickups. Getting better left guard play is definitely a priority heading into the season."
Miscommunication between Kalil and Johnson did seem to play a part in several of Kalil’s whiffs. And even if communication wasn’t a problem, Charlie Johnson just flat out was not a good player last year. Or the year before frankly.
But now Johnson is gone and the Vikings are clearly hoping that playing someone new alongside Kalil will boost the former first rounder’s performance. Having healthy knees would also be a big help.
Going into this year, the Vikings figure to have veteran Joe Berger holding down the left guard spot. How much better than Charlie Johnson is the journeyman Berger? The Vikings obviously like Berger, or they wouldn’t have signed him to a multi-year deal.
Berger is clearly not the long-term answer at left guard, but he should be better than Charlie Johnson in the short-term, and Matt Kalil should be better off having Berger by his side instead of Johnson. And that would be good news for Kalil as he attempts to convince the Vikings they should keep him around beyond this season.
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