batmansupermanI see a lot of “hot takes” in a given day, but they don’t get much hotter than the e-mail I received last night, the title of which was “A Peterson & His Dum Agent.” (Yes, it was spelled like that).

Why Don’t All Of You Just “STOP” Writing About A P & His Agent, Who Cares.This Team Could Have Batman & Superman On It They Will Only Win 6 Games This Year, Our Great Q/B Can’t See Over The Line, He Is To Short.

There was so much in such a small space that it would have been easy to overlook one of the most glaring points of controversy: A team with Batman and Superman would only win six games? I don’t think so. Thankfully, a lot of other folks jumped in on Twitter after I posted the letter. What follows here is a smattering of their thoughts combined with my scouting report of Batman, Superman and how they would impact the 2015 Vikings.

SUPERPOWERS

In this area, it seems as though Superman has a clear edge over Batman. In fact, I’m not even sure a lot of Batman’s powers are relevant on a football field because he’s so dependent on gadgets and a fancy car. Superman, though? Faster than a speeding bullet; able to leap tall buildings in a single bound; those are transferable skills. Also, there’s this intangible:

That said, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges jumped into the Twitter discussion on Wednesday morning with a good point in favor of Batman, calling Superman, essentially, a one-trick pony while Batman has the ability to evolve in an ever-changing NFL.

FILM REVIEW Any good scout, though, will go back to the film instead of just relying on preconceived notions and raw data. Here we see the official trailer for Batman vs. Superman. At around the 30 second mark, you see Superman’s strength really coming through when he holds up what appears to be an entire rocket ship. The combine doesn’t test for that kind of thing, but I have to think in basic bench press drills, he’d kill it.

The first glimpse of Batman is around 1:10, and he’s stoic; dark; brooding. He’s not even really doing anything. Sure, in previous film sessions he’s saving people and showing off tremendous strength. But I want to see it every time I turn on the film.

MOTOR

Superman is a reluctant hero, but he never seems to shy away from the call of duty. That’s a guy I want on my team on 3rd-and-6 with the game on the line.

Batman? Yeah, maybe if the play is called for him he will go all out, but he seems to have some Randy Moss “I play when I want to play” in him. The guy has also retired and unretired more than Brett Favre. Am I questioning Batman’s motor? Yeah, I think I am. Not saying I don’t want him on my team or that he couldn’t help the 2015 Vikings. Just wondering how much he wants it.

BEST POSITION

Superman seems like a natural wide receiver with his speed/athletic ability. Maybe even a modern tight end considering he’s so strong. Imagine trying to cover him in the Red Zone. Talk about a matchup nightmare.

Batman, while a tremendous athlete himself, seems like a man without a position. Maybe try him at running back? Middle linebacker where he can scan the field and fly to the ball? I just don’t know, but I guess it’s a good problem to have?

NFL CRACKDOWN

We haven’t even opened the Pandora’s Box of what the NFL would do about both these guys. This is the No Fun League that was mad T.O. had a Sharpie. There would be anti-superhero rules in place within five minutes, not to mention this:

FINAL ANALYSIS

As great as both of them would potentially be on the field for the Vikings, I don’t see either as a QB. And this is still a quarterback league. Regardless of how good we think Teddy Bridgewater will become, the Vikings will only go as far as he can take them, even with Superman and/or Batman are on the roster. And we haven’t even gotten into player acquisition. Are they free agents? I’m not even sure they’re draft-eligible, and even if they are, there’s this:

Maybe it’s for the best? I see the Vikings as a 13-3 playoff team with Superman, maybe 11-5 with Batman and probably 14-2 with both. But in the playoffs … can one of them kick a field goal when the Vikings need it most? Will they avoid jumping into the huddle and causing a critical penalty? Will they try to do too much? Those kinds of questions are best left unanswered.

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