LACHAMP, who and hell is Groy? never heard of him
Or is his name Gory? LOLOLOL Hell, I never heard of him either until last week.
Dag nabbit, this is a Sullivan thread!
https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-5-roster-cuts-that-can-make-an-impact-elsewhere/
1. John Sullivan, C
Cut by the Minnesota Vikings
In 2013, John Sullivan was as good as any center in the game, and at that point, had three straight seasons graded among the top three centers in the league. Coming off knee problems, his 2014 season was less impressive, and he missed the entire 2015 season with back issues, but at only 31 years old, chances are that Sullivan can still be a very effective player. His issue in Minnesota was that Joe Berger—the player that replaced him at center in 2015—played at an All-Pro level in his stead, surrendering just one sack all season and ending the year with a PFF grade of 88.0, trailing only Cowboys C Travis Frederick. Sullivan was going to have his work cut out for him winning back his job anyway, but Minnesota bringing on board Tony Sparano to the coaching staff—who has history with Berger as a player in Miami—seemed to seal his fate. Sullivan hasn’t enjoyed the best preseason of his career, earning poor grades in the 44 snaps he has played so far, so his best football may still be some time away, but for any team in need of a center, the chance of acquiring a potential All-Pro heading into September should prove a very attractive proposition. Sullivan may not be ready to hit the ground running at that level, but he should be able to upgrade several situations around the league.
JOHN SULLIVAN CEMENTS STATUS AS ONE OF NFL'S TOP UNDERRATED STARS WITH EXTENSION
Zach Kruse Senior Analyst IApril 7, 2015
The
Minnesota Vikings have ensured that one of the game's most underrated stars will anchor the middle of the club's offensive line for at least the next three seasons.
According to
Field Yates of ESPN, the Vikings and All-Pro center
John Sullivan agreed on a contract extension and pay raise, which will add an extra season to his current two-year deal and bump up his salary in each year through 2017:
✔@FieldYates
Source: the Vikings have signed C John Sullivan to 1-year extension through 2017. New base salaries over next 3 years: $7M, $5.5M, $5.5M.
5:39 AM - 7 Apr 2015
The 29-year-old Sullivan also received a $1 million signing bonus. The extension adds a total of $8.5 million to the five-year deal he originally signed back in 2011, while increasing his cap number to $7.33 million next season.
The structure of Sullivan's new deal can be viewed below,
via Spotrac:
John Sullivan: New Contract Structure
Base Signing Workout Cap Hit Dead Hit
2015 $5.9M $1.3M $100K $7.3M $2.3M
2016 $5.5M $333K $100K $5.8M $666K
2017 $5.5M $333K $100K $5.8M $333K
Source: Spotrac.com
Sullivan will now make $18 million over the next three seasons, which is still a bargain price for the Vikings.
Few have been better at the position since 2009, when Sullivan first took over the starting center job in Minnesota. He's started 93 of the last 96 games for the Vikings, all while steadily developing into one of the league's most dependable interior linemen.
In fact, "dominant" might be the better word.
According to
Pro Football Focus, Sullivan has graded out as a site's top center in the league since 2011. His plus-81.7 mark is rivaled by only the
New York Jets' Nick Mangold, who has a plus-79.0 grade over the last four seasons.
Sullivan finished as PFF's best center in 2012 and third-best in 2011 and 2013. He slipped to 12th last season but still managed positive marks as Minnesota's best offensive lineman.
Ed Zurga/Associated Press
The Vikings drafted Sullivan with the 187th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He eventually took over for longtime center Matt Birk in 2009, and after an up-and-down start to his career, Sullivan made a big leap in 2011.
He somehow does not have a Pro Bowl season, despite being one of the four best at the position during at least three different seasons. However, Sullivan was named a first-team All-Pro in 2012, when running back
Adrian Peterson rushed for over 2,000 yards. He had a strong case to return to the All-Pro team in 2013 but was beaten out by Ryan Kalil and Alex Mack.
Last March, Matt Miller ranked Sullivan as the
NFL's fourth-best center in Bleacher Report's
"NFL 1000" series.
"
Sullivan is one of the smarter centers in the NFL and does a great job running the Vikings’ line," Miller wrote. "He’s patient, shows great balance and has the strength to be a factor opening rushing lanes for Adrian Peterson, the game’s most athletic running back."
Miller gave him a grade of 88 out of 100.
Sullivan has never been dominant in the passing game—he allowed five sacks in 2013 and 20 total disruptions last season—but there's no questioning his abilities in the run game. Miller rated Sullivan's run-blocking abilities at 46 out of 50.
His year-by-year run-blocking grades on PFF also speak volumes:
John Sullivan: Road Grading Run Blocker
Run-Block Grade NFL Rank
2011 +22.2 3rd
2012 +25.7 2nd
2013 +16.9 4th
2014 +7.5 8th
Source: Pro Football Focus
The Vikings will now pay him a salary that lines up better with his production. Spotrac indicates that his
yearly average ranks ninth among centers and his
total contract value ranks 10th.
But unless there is a significant dip in performance in the coming years—centers typically age well—Sullivan will still be considered a bargain for the Vikings through the 2017 season.
The one worry might be paying an older player (he will be 30 in August) who isn't great in the passing game, especially with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater likely to assume more and more control of the offense.
That concern is certainly small, though, and Sullivan has rarely been considered a liability in pass protection.
The more important aspect of this move for the Vikings is locking up the anchor of their offensive line and rewarding a player who paid his dues and earned the comfort of a raise.
Minnesota is still attempting to rebound up front after an injury-filled and disastrous 2014 season. Having Sullivan under contract for at least the next three years can only help as the Vikings search for answers at other problem areas in front of Bridgewater.
And while the overall impact may be negligible, there's something to be said about an organization taking care of its own. Sullivan outperformed his original contract extension from 2011, so the Vikings made the effort to further compensate a valuable employee.
A premier run-blocker and a criminally underrated all-around player, Sullivan remains one of the game's most overlooked interior stars.
Minnesota will now have his services in the middle of its offensive line through the 2017 season.
Want more? Sure ya do
https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/03/rams-host-john-sullivan-on-visit
Rams Host John Sullivan On Visit
by Sam Robinson
The Rams’ effort to pry a center away from the Bills via RFA offer sheet did not work after Buffalo matched Los Angeles’
Ryan Groy offer. But the team continues to look for available snappers. The Rams brought in
John Sullivan on a visit today,
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Sullivan played under new Rams HC
Sean McVay last season in Washington after signing in late September. The former longtime Vikings starter, though, served as a Redskins backup to
Spencer Long. Now 31, Sullivan started just one game with the Redskins after being the Vikes’ starter from 2009-15.
However, Sullivan saw a back injury alter his career. Signed to a Vikings extension in April of 2015, Sullivan underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure that September and then suffered a setback in his recovery, missing the entire ’15 season. The Vikings placed Sullivan on the trade block last year before cutting him and going with the older
Joe Berger at center. Sullivan started 93 of 96 Vikings games from 2009-14, with the 2012 season obviously serving as one of the best rushing slates in NFL history once
Adrian Peterson finished with 2,097 yards.
Sullivan has not been connected to any teams as a UFA in 2017 prior to this Rams visit. The Rams have only
Demetrius Rhaney as a pure center on their roster presently. The Rams cut 2015-16 starter
Tim Barnes earlier this month.
still hungry?
