Vikings: The perfect safety to play with Harrison Smith
By Dan Zinski
The Vikings are still looking for the perfect safety to line up alongside star Harrison Smith.
The Vikings have tried a lot of players at the “other” safety spot in recent years, but none has been able to catch on.
This camp Mike Zimmer is trying out a bunch of different players in hopes of identifying that ideal second safety. The competition at this point is as wide open as it could be.
Unfortunately, when you look at the current options, it quickly becomes clear that none of them represents an ideal solution to the safety conundrum.
Thankfully I am here to solve this problem. I have identified the perfect safety to line up alongside Harrison Smith.
I took a look at the candidates on the roster and determined that no single one of them can do the job. The only way to have a perfect safety is to build him by combining the candidates’ best attributes.
Yes, I realize this is a totally absurd and fictional solution. But let’s have some fun with it anyway and imagine that the Vikings could call up Victor Frankenstein and have him make an ideal safety out of the men available.
Here are the pieces of each player I would use.
Michael Griffin: Experience and deep coverage ability.
Griffin is the veteran in the bunch and has a reputation as a solid deep cover man.
Andrew Sendejo: Toughness and tackling ability.
Sendejo is the best downfield player in the bunch and he is a big-time hitter.
Antone Exum: Athleticism.
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Mike Zimmer believes Exum is the best athlete among the Vikings’ safeties.
Anthony Harris: Smarts.
What Harris lacks in athletic ability, he makes up for with brains.
Jayron Kearse: Size.
Kearse has freakish size for a safety. Physically he is comparable to George Iloka.
If real life were like Madden we could create this guy. Sadly, create-a-player doesn’t actually exist. So the Vikings will have to settle for good enough.
And that means…probably Andrew Sendejo.