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***OFFICIAL*** Minnesota Vikings 2015 Season Thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter snogger
- Start date
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
I was okay with a loss until they allowed me to dream with the long Rudolph completion. Then they Lucy/Charlie Browned me...again.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Just looking at the yahoo free agent list snogger linked. There really are not many good players available at any position. The few good names such as Von Miller or Josh Norman will not make it to free agency. So when you eliminate these few good players, a lot of the players who are left are not really players you want starting.
I am fine with the Vikings trading away Peterson, even if they only get a 3rd round pick or so in return. I would still try for a second round pick if possible, but he will be 31 years old. I do think Peterson has another good season in him, but I think it is clear that he declined a bit late this season. I have seen Peterson make some improvement running out of shotgun formations and also in pass protection. However he seems to fumble the ball at the worst times in the playoffs. The Vikings kind of benched him for a bit after the fumble because that is something you cannot do and expect to be able to win in such a close game. He put the ball on the ground against the Saints the last time the Vikings really had a chance in the post season as well. So I do not think the Vikings have wasted Peterson's career as far as playoff opportunities. Peterson has done that himself.
Anyhow Zimmer seems committed to Peterson. So maybe a trade will not happen, but I think it would be good for the team to get something for him before the wheels fall off and let Jet take over as the main RB.
Doug Martin and Lamar Miller are free agent RB who would be worth considering as replacements.
At WR the only player worth considering would be Jeffrey. He will not likely be available. Matthews from Miami played ok but I do not see him as an improvement over the WR the Vikings already have. He would be a limited impact player for the Vikings similar to some of their moves for Berrian and Jennings recently. I would rather stick with the guys the Vikings have or add a WR through the draft.
The free agent TE are not very promising. I do like Dwayne Allen but he is often hurt. The Vikings have some good TE players to work with although it is uncertain to me if Rhett Ellison will be able to come back from his injury. So a blocking TE could be useful, such as Stevens, but he isn't very young, so I don't think he fits the profile of the type of free agents Rick is looking for (players who could play out the contract offered to them).
There are some decent tackles available, but I would expect most of the good players there to be re-signed by their teams. We do not know if Loadholt would be able to play or play well next season. So if one of these players does become available I could see going after a tackle. if it were Glenn, Okung or Schwartz, Most of the tackles on that list I don't think the Vikings should consider at all.
Alex Mack would be interesting but I doubt he will be available.I might be interested in Wisniewski as I was last season for center/guard depth. The more I read about him however the more I realized that he hasn't played that well, so he may not be an upgrade over Fusco or Harris.
I have heard some talk about moving Clemmings to guard instead of tackle. I do think the Vikings need to look for a replacement at RT and I don't know if free agency will have one of those 3 I mentioned above available.
Bruce Irvin if the Seattle does not re-sign him would be worth considering. Seems unlikely he would be available. No way Von Miller is an option. The free agents on defense from the front seven are not players who could start for the Vikings for the most part. The Vikings may be looking for a replacement for Robison who is getting older, but I think they got a good player in Hunter already.
At cornerback Pacman Jones and Leon Hall have some history with Zimmer. Not sure if they will be available. Can always use more depth at this position. Not sure if Newman will be able to play next season given how old he is. Maybe he would move to safety? Waynes made some plays today. I feel good about him and Rhodes with Munnerlin. So corner is not a pressing need assuming those 3 will be the Vikings starters next year.
The Vikings should let Sendejo walk. He has been the weakest link of the defense most of the season. Reggie Nelson has played with Zimmer before, maybe he would be available? I am not seeing much help at safety being available. This years draft is supposedly pretty good for safeties, so I somewhat prefer that option to a free agent. Nelson could be good though.
I am ready for a new kicker and punter. Walsh has made a lot of kicks and he usually kicks for touchbacks as well. But he has missed so many chip shots and xtra points. I don't know if the Vikings can win close games with these kickers. I don't know enough about kickers to know if any of these free agents would be improvements over Walsh. I think most of the punters would likely be an improvement.
I see upgrades needing to come primarily from the draft. So the salary cap or contract situations with Peterson for the purpose of signing free agents does not seem to be a reason to get rid of him. If they get rid of him it should be because of age, the fumbles and the draft pick(s).
I am fine with the Vikings trading away Peterson, even if they only get a 3rd round pick or so in return. I would still try for a second round pick if possible, but he will be 31 years old. I do think Peterson has another good season in him, but I think it is clear that he declined a bit late this season. I have seen Peterson make some improvement running out of shotgun formations and also in pass protection. However he seems to fumble the ball at the worst times in the playoffs. The Vikings kind of benched him for a bit after the fumble because that is something you cannot do and expect to be able to win in such a close game. He put the ball on the ground against the Saints the last time the Vikings really had a chance in the post season as well. So I do not think the Vikings have wasted Peterson's career as far as playoff opportunities. Peterson has done that himself.
Anyhow Zimmer seems committed to Peterson. So maybe a trade will not happen, but I think it would be good for the team to get something for him before the wheels fall off and let Jet take over as the main RB.
Doug Martin and Lamar Miller are free agent RB who would be worth considering as replacements.
At WR the only player worth considering would be Jeffrey. He will not likely be available. Matthews from Miami played ok but I do not see him as an improvement over the WR the Vikings already have. He would be a limited impact player for the Vikings similar to some of their moves for Berrian and Jennings recently. I would rather stick with the guys the Vikings have or add a WR through the draft.
The free agent TE are not very promising. I do like Dwayne Allen but he is often hurt. The Vikings have some good TE players to work with although it is uncertain to me if Rhett Ellison will be able to come back from his injury. So a blocking TE could be useful, such as Stevens, but he isn't very young, so I don't think he fits the profile of the type of free agents Rick is looking for (players who could play out the contract offered to them).
There are some decent tackles available, but I would expect most of the good players there to be re-signed by their teams. We do not know if Loadholt would be able to play or play well next season. So if one of these players does become available I could see going after a tackle. if it were Glenn, Okung or Schwartz, Most of the tackles on that list I don't think the Vikings should consider at all.
Alex Mack would be interesting but I doubt he will be available.I might be interested in Wisniewski as I was last season for center/guard depth. The more I read about him however the more I realized that he hasn't played that well, so he may not be an upgrade over Fusco or Harris.
I have heard some talk about moving Clemmings to guard instead of tackle. I do think the Vikings need to look for a replacement at RT and I don't know if free agency will have one of those 3 I mentioned above available.
Bruce Irvin if the Seattle does not re-sign him would be worth considering. Seems unlikely he would be available. No way Von Miller is an option. The free agents on defense from the front seven are not players who could start for the Vikings for the most part. The Vikings may be looking for a replacement for Robison who is getting older, but I think they got a good player in Hunter already.
At cornerback Pacman Jones and Leon Hall have some history with Zimmer. Not sure if they will be available. Can always use more depth at this position. Not sure if Newman will be able to play next season given how old he is. Maybe he would move to safety? Waynes made some plays today. I feel good about him and Rhodes with Munnerlin. So corner is not a pressing need assuming those 3 will be the Vikings starters next year.
The Vikings should let Sendejo walk. He has been the weakest link of the defense most of the season. Reggie Nelson has played with Zimmer before, maybe he would be available? I am not seeing much help at safety being available. This years draft is supposedly pretty good for safeties, so I somewhat prefer that option to a free agent. Nelson could be good though.
I am ready for a new kicker and punter. Walsh has made a lot of kicks and he usually kicks for touchbacks as well. But he has missed so many chip shots and xtra points. I don't know if the Vikings can win close games with these kickers. I don't know enough about kickers to know if any of these free agents would be improvements over Walsh. I think most of the punters would likely be an improvement.
I see upgrades needing to come primarily from the draft. So the salary cap or contract situations with Peterson for the purpose of signing free agents does not seem to be a reason to get rid of him. If they get rid of him it should be because of age, the fumbles and the draft pick(s).
mr roboto
Footballguy
They aren't. Captain check down. His release is part of it. Offensive line as well. And no great downfield weapons. But he needs to step up, throw aggressively, drive the offense. And change that #### delivery.
snogger
Footballguy
I blame most of this on Norv.. he likes his QB's to stay in the pocket as long as possible.. with the way the OL played all year he never changed. Teddy showed PLENTY of scrambling ability and the ability to throw well on roll outs.. He also showed arm strength but needs to work on his accuracy on those... which does have to do with his delivery.
But also remember he just turned 23 during the season and still "growing".. would like to see the Vikes bring in someone that could work with him in the off season.. I saw plenty from him when they "took the leash" off that shows great promise for the future.
Rogi
Footballguy
fruity pebbles
Footballguy
Any way Wallace isnt released? Due to make 11.5 million next season.
skol asylum
Footballguy
sports_fan
Footballguy
As a long term option Teddy is still the best QB they've had in quite a while. We still haven't seen what he can do with a decent line/receivers. If they get rid of AD and get him better pass protection I think the TDs go up and people start to feel a lot better about him.
snellman
Footballguy
I see them keeping most of the core players from this year. I think Wallace stays and they will rework his contract. I think they rework Loadholt's contract. I think they need to move Fusco back to RG and find a LG, Fusco just did not look as comfortable at LG as he did in the past at RG. I really think they can go into the draft with a best player available mentality.
Hopefully no offseason drama will be big for this team. I might be a little nostalgic, but if Greenway truly does want to come back for one more season like he said today, I hope the effort is made to bring him back if he is comfortable in the reduced role.
Hopefully no offseason drama will be big for this team. I might be a little nostalgic, but if Greenway truly does want to come back for one more season like he said today, I hope the effort is made to bring him back if he is comfortable in the reduced role.
mr roboto
Footballguy
I would really like to see this team move away from AP. I know he's one of the greatest ever and still flashes but I'm not convinced he's the best overall back on this team moving forward (especially given his salary). He still dances too often, is not a great pass protector, not a great receiver and has ball security issues. Plus his unwillingness to run from the shotgun forces us to put Teddy under center when the weak line should dictate more shotgun and Teddy seems better from that position.
BigJim®
Footballguy
On fanline, Bercich said Peterson money is guaranteed for the next two seasons under the restructure, so cutting him won't free up money. I wasn't aware of that.. maybe its wrong. I tend to agree with your concerns re: AP. The whole offense seems like a bunch of round holes and square pegs. Norv prefers a vertical game, but has a line that can't pass protect, no blue chip WR and a QB who doesn't really have that skill set. Since they can't pass deep successfully, it's not much a threat to set up the run. So maybe screen passes or play action are alternatives to keep the defense honest, but AP doesn't have a receiving skill set and his own pass protection deficiencies limit play action. Due to all this, you're left stubbornly battering ramming a RB who prefers the I formation. He can pop one now and again, but lack of run blocking can't avoid challenging 3rd down distances on most series. At that point you're predictable with passing plays.
In APs younger days, I was a true believer in making a defense stop what you do best. However, given recent performances of 23/69, 18/63, 22/104. 19/67 and 23/45... they are, and Vikes offense is in trouble if that's what they do best.
Beo
Footballguy
I also think it is time to move on from Peterson. Him and Teddy just don't fit together. Teddy needs to operate from the Shotgun so he can sling it around the field like he did at Louisville. Also I think the obligation Norv feels to give Peterson the ball hurts his playcalling alot. We could find another RB to share some carries with Jet in the 3rd round or something. Just throwing a scenario out there, trade Peterson to Dallas for a 2nd round pick. With our 1st round pick grab a Wr like Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, or Michael Thomas. With our now two 2nd round picks we take a SS like Vonn Bell and a G like Cody Whitehair.
snogger
Footballguy
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Biabreakable
Footballguy
Mike Harris played RT for the Vikings in 2014. I don't think he played as well as a tackle as he has as a guard, so that may not be something they would want to do, but this would allow for Fusco to move back to RG, Harris move to RT and Clemmings moves to LG.
The left guard is generally where teams want their best guard to play. It is also important to have communication and consistency between the tackle and the guard, so this is why they moved Fusco to LG to begin working on that chemistry and communication with Kalil.
According to PFF Joe Berger was the highest rated center in 2015. This is amazing to me and it makes me wonder somewhat if the Vikings have their centers play differently than other teams? Because I know Sullivan was graded very high by them when he was starting and there is a long line of good centers playing for the Vikings going back about as long as I have been following the team.
Berger did have some good blocks at times, see the run blocking on McKinnon's TD run against the Giants for example, Berger and Fusco make that happen. For the most part it seemed like Berger was double teaming with Harris however and a lot of the time Clemmings was helping Harris as well (with the Vikings leaving the DE to Ellison or Rudolph a lot of the time.
When Fusco played well at RG he was getting help from Sullivan and Loadholt.
It just seems a lot easier to play well at RG compared to LG due to the extra help from the double teams that the LT and LG do not benefit from as often. That is why the LT and LG need to be the best offensive linemen.
Clemmings is a converted defensive lineman. Very athletic, so this is perhaps why he might make a good LG if he can improve his technique. He seems lost at RT and the main thing he struggles with is mirroring outside pass rushers. That might not be as much of an issue for him playing guard.
I would like to see upgrades to the offensive line, even if that means pushing some of our starters into back up roles (like Clemmings, Fusco and possibly Harris) but I think the coaches will stick with what they have and just hope they improve in time. Sullivan and Loadholt if they take roster spots leaves less room to add more linemen to compete. So there may not be much that changes at all. Another late round draft pick perhaps. Not saying I agree with that approach, but that seems like the way they have handled the situation so far.
The left guard is generally where teams want their best guard to play. It is also important to have communication and consistency between the tackle and the guard, so this is why they moved Fusco to LG to begin working on that chemistry and communication with Kalil.
According to PFF Joe Berger was the highest rated center in 2015. This is amazing to me and it makes me wonder somewhat if the Vikings have their centers play differently than other teams? Because I know Sullivan was graded very high by them when he was starting and there is a long line of good centers playing for the Vikings going back about as long as I have been following the team.
Berger did have some good blocks at times, see the run blocking on McKinnon's TD run against the Giants for example, Berger and Fusco make that happen. For the most part it seemed like Berger was double teaming with Harris however and a lot of the time Clemmings was helping Harris as well (with the Vikings leaving the DE to Ellison or Rudolph a lot of the time.
When Fusco played well at RG he was getting help from Sullivan and Loadholt.
It just seems a lot easier to play well at RG compared to LG due to the extra help from the double teams that the LT and LG do not benefit from as often. That is why the LT and LG need to be the best offensive linemen.
Clemmings is a converted defensive lineman. Very athletic, so this is perhaps why he might make a good LG if he can improve his technique. He seems lost at RT and the main thing he struggles with is mirroring outside pass rushers. That might not be as much of an issue for him playing guard.
I would like to see upgrades to the offensive line, even if that means pushing some of our starters into back up roles (like Clemmings, Fusco and possibly Harris) but I think the coaches will stick with what they have and just hope they improve in time. Sullivan and Loadholt if they take roster spots leaves less room to add more linemen to compete. So there may not be much that changes at all. Another late round draft pick perhaps. Not saying I agree with that approach, but that seems like the way they have handled the situation so far.
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BigJim®
Footballguy
Not saying this to be rude because I really appreciate the thought you put into your posts, but this is sort of how my wife cleans out closets. Move this unused thing to a drawer, that unused thing to a different closet, etc. For me, if a thing is unused, it's just garbage. It's hard to believe that players who routinely get beat by their opponent pass blocking and don't move their opponent rush blocking can be successful at those trades via positional change. Ultimately they need to be capable of beating the opponent across the line. I'm not convinced our guys are up to that task and my biggest fear is the Vikes head into 2016 under a belief that shuffling = improved performance. For my money, the guys they have are just slow and soft, and Vikes need an infusion of nasty in the OL.
biju
Footballguy
Came in here to just say good game to you guys and I think you're really building a great team. Seattle got lucky, period.
On another note...
On another note...
This guy is a Broncos fan who after SB XLVIII has one mission: make Seattle fans appear to be jackasses (not that we need a lot of help anyway). He's a Denver troll and his posting history says as much.BusterTBronco said:
Biabreakable
Footballguy
I somewhat see it the same way.
Clemmings was never supposed to start. He clearly was not ready to start. I did not really see significant improvement in his play over the course of the season either. Maybe he will get a lot better after a year in the program but I have my doubts about that as well.
Just relating some of the ideas I have heard over the course of the season and things they may look at during OTAs and training camp.
There isn't much there in terms of free agency. Maybe one of the Browns linemen (Mack or Schwartz) could be an option?
The draft looks like it offers several offensive tackles. So perhaps the Vikings look for some help there, which if they do add a RT then Clemmings would move to a back up role. Possibly at guard instead of tackle.
Although I think Ellison usually did a very good job in pass protection that should not be the long term solution. They were just making due with what they had. Ellison may not be able to recover from his injury, so that is another blocker the Vikings may need to look at replacing as well.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
If Loadholt and Sullivan come back healthy, they really only need a LG.
Positions that need shoring up most are WR, Safety, Robison's spot and Greenway's spot.
Positions that need shoring up most are WR, Safety, Robison's spot and Greenway's spot.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Harris, Line, and Thielen should stay.
Sendejo and Blanton have to go.
The rest can stay or go depending on price.
Sendejo and Blanton have to go.
The rest can stay or go depending on price.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
[SIZE=12pt]NCAA Top 10 Safeties in 2016 NFL Draft [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]2016 NFL Draft Prospects: Safeties[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Both Kearse and Cash seem like good options to pair with Harrison Smith. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The Vikings draft 23rd overall. Not sure about traded picks at this point.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]2016 NFL Draft Prospects: Safeties[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Both Kearse and Cash seem like good options to pair with Harrison Smith. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The Vikings draft 23rd overall. Not sure about traded picks at this point.[/SIZE]
Biabreakable
Footballguy
His tackling started off very good in the beginning of the season but no he would not be a long term solution. I would think of him as more of a free safety but ideally you want a player who can cover a lot of ground playing that position.
Smith can play either. I would like to add another player like him.
Newman is a free agent so not sure if he will be back at all.
Season musings
Improve the O-line. Having Loadholt back will help.
Take the training wheels off Bridgewater. A few passes over 15 yards on a regular basis would be appreciated.
Also, Bridgewater needs to learn how to throw the ball away. It infuriates me to see him take sacks because he refuses to throw the ball away to protect his completion percentage (or whatever the reasoning is).
Would like to see Rudolph featured more in the offense (when healthy).
Is there any reason to keep Cordarelle Patterson at this point ?
Outside of Greenway and Sandejo, I have no issue with any of the starters. Some depth would be nice as well on the defensive side of the ball.
Improve the O-line. Having Loadholt back will help.
Take the training wheels off Bridgewater. A few passes over 15 yards on a regular basis would be appreciated.
Also, Bridgewater needs to learn how to throw the ball away. It infuriates me to see him take sacks because he refuses to throw the ball away to protect his completion percentage (or whatever the reasoning is).
Would like to see Rudolph featured more in the offense (when healthy).
Is there any reason to keep Cordarelle Patterson at this point ?
Outside of Greenway and Sandejo, I have no issue with any of the starters. Some depth would be nice as well on the defensive side of the ball.
snogger
Footballguy
There are sometimes I do agree that he needs to just throw it away..
But there also many times, including many times during yesterday's game, where he drops back and within 2 seconds has a defender in his face..
In order to avoid a grounding call he has to either throw it at the feet of a eligible receiver close to him, or heave it down field and out of bounds..
Way too many times we see QB's try to throw it deep and out of bounds only to have it not get out of bounds, get intercepted and everyone yelling "Why the bleep did he throw that!!!???!"
Sometimes you do have to just "eat it" and take the sack and play the next down.
Ditkaless Wonders
Footballguy
Sage words.There are sometimes I do agree that he needs to just throw it away..
But there also many times, including many times during yesterday's game, where he drops back and within 2 seconds has a defender in his face..
In order to avoid a grounding call he has to either throw it at the feet of a eligible receiver close to him, or heave it down field and out of bounds..
Way too many times we see QB's try to throw it deep and out of bounds only to have it not get out of bounds, get intercepted and everyone yelling "Why the bleep did he throw that!!!???!"
Sometimes you do have to just "eat it" and take the sack and play the next down.
Johnnymac
Footballguy
I write this as a long time Packer fan who has always hated the Vikings. I grew up in the Bud Grant era and those teams beat the Packers like a drum for a long time. I like this Viking team alot. They are young for the most part and have a good young QB who shows tremendous poise for a 23 year old. I know the delivery is weird and maybe that can be corrected, but Viking fans should be excited about him as well as the rest of the team.
I think they have two major needs, OL help and a #1 WR. As far as Peterson goes, I can see both sides of it. He is a fantastic RB but he does put it on the ground at key times. Amazing for a guy with such strong hands.
Zimmer is the right guy for this team. They obviously have taken to his defensive scheme. Vikings have a great defense and they tackle really well.
The other thing I will say is that I have spent many days in the old Metropolitan stadium wearing my Packer gear and never had a problem with one fan in the stadium. They showed the same class with how they handled the loss yesterday. Like others have said, there are more important things in life. Brutal ending to that game but they will be back.
I think they have two major needs, OL help and a #1 WR. As far as Peterson goes, I can see both sides of it. He is a fantastic RB but he does put it on the ground at key times. Amazing for a guy with such strong hands.
Zimmer is the right guy for this team. They obviously have taken to his defensive scheme. Vikings have a great defense and they tackle really well.
The other thing I will say is that I have spent many days in the old Metropolitan stadium wearing my Packer gear and never had a problem with one fan in the stadium. They showed the same class with how they handled the loss yesterday. Like others have said, there are more important things in life. Brutal ending to that game but they will be back.
sports_fan
Footballguy
I feel like Bridgewater is willing to throw it away or out the back of the endzone when necessary. He does so fairly often. My main concern with him is the deep ball. I think his arm strength is good enough but I was surprised at his poor accuracy when throwing deep. He was consistently overthrowing guys by 2-3 yards and not really giving them a chance at it. He can get the ball there but his aim was consistently off. I can remember several plays where Wallace beat his man deep and Teddy overthrew him.There are sometimes I do agree that he needs to just throw it away..
But there also many times, including many times during yesterday's game, where he drops back and within 2 seconds has a defender in his face..
In order to avoid a grounding call he has to either throw it at the feet of a eligible receiver close to him, or heave it down field and out of bounds..
Way too many times we see QB's try to throw it deep and out of bounds only to have it not get out of bounds, get intercepted and everyone yelling "Why the bleep did he throw that!!!???!"
Sometimes you do have to just "eat it" and take the sack and play the next down.
snogger
Footballguy
I think part of that is timing, and some has to do with his delivery.. There isn't as much of an "arch" to his throws as most other QB's which allows the receiver to run under it..I feel like Bridgewater is willing to throw it away or out the back of the endzone when necessary. He does so fairly often. My main concern with him is the deep ball. I think his arm strength is good enough but I was surprised at his poor accuracy when throwing deep. He was consistently overthrowing guys by 2-3 yards and not really giving them a chance at it. He can get the ball there but his aim was consistently off. I can remember several plays where Wallace beat his man deep and Teddy overthrew him.There are sometimes I do agree that he needs to just throw it away..
But there also many times, including many times during yesterday's game, where he drops back and within 2 seconds has a defender in his face..
In order to avoid a grounding call he has to either throw it at the feet of a eligible receiver close to him, or heave it down field and out of bounds..
Way too many times we see QB's try to throw it deep and out of bounds only to have it not get out of bounds, get intercepted and everyone yelling "Why the bleep did he throw that!!!???!"
Sometimes you do have to just "eat it" and take the sack and play the next down.
As I mentioned above.. I'm hoping they bring in a ex-veteran QB who can work with him in the off season.
BigJim®
Footballguy
snellman
Footballguy
Vikings let go OL coach Davidson:
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2016/01/vikings-let-go-offensive-line-coach-jeff-davidson/
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2016/01/vikings-let-go-offensive-line-coach-jeff-davidson/
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Zimmer...
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Well that didn't take long. I love how Mike Zimmer is always grinding.
I am not liking the suggestion of Dan Campbell to replace Davidson. Why? Miami's offensive line has been terrible.
IF Phil Loadholt is healthy enough to play I have to question how well he will play after not playing for most of two seasons now. He never was that good at pass protection even at his best. Excellent run blocker, but he would get beat on outside pass rush frequently.
I think the team is moving towards an offensive line that can do a better job of pass protection. That is what they need to do. The offensive line for awhile now has been acquired and developed with the focus on what they can do for Peterson and the running game, at expense of pass protection. Loadholt is a great example of that.
Loadholt in his prime did clear a lot of space for the running game and was a big part of why Peterson would run to the right more than to the left.
Loadholt is/was better than Clemmings in pass protection, but maybe not as big of improvement in that area as we might hope.
I am not liking the suggestion of Dan Campbell to replace Davidson. Why? Miami's offensive line has been terrible.
IF Phil Loadholt is healthy enough to play I have to question how well he will play after not playing for most of two seasons now. He never was that good at pass protection even at his best. Excellent run blocker, but he would get beat on outside pass rush frequently.
I think the team is moving towards an offensive line that can do a better job of pass protection. That is what they need to do. The offensive line for awhile now has been acquired and developed with the focus on what they can do for Peterson and the running game, at expense of pass protection. Loadholt is a great example of that.
Loadholt in his prime did clear a lot of space for the running game and was a big part of why Peterson would run to the right more than to the left.
Loadholt is/was better than Clemmings in pass protection, but maybe not as big of improvement in that area as we might hope.
snogger
Footballguy
BigJim®
Footballguy
What I like is Zimmer was very blunt in his final presser that the OL coming back aren't assured anything, and will need to be prepared to compete. The elephant in the room, however, is how can we have guys like Loadholdt, Sullivan and Fusco in to 'compete' at their current multi million dollar salaries. It's just such a brutally overpaid group. At some point I'd think we have to make the keep/cut decision to avoid the possibility of having a benched player being paid that amount of cap space, and presumably that is long before people are actually competing in camp.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Transcript: Zimmer Addressed the Media Tuesday
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer
First, I want to thank all of you for your professionalism throughout the year – two years actually – and I appreciate you trying to do the best job you can and us working together the best we can. I also think it’s been really a great two-year run at the University of Minnesota. There’s a lot of people to thank for the coordinated effort that it has taken to do that. It’s been good. It’ll be different for me now because that’s all I really know is going over there to that place, but hopefully we can get in the new stadium and get excited, but we’ve got a ton, a ton of work to do. I’ve been looking at a lot of different things already. It’ll be a big, important offseason for us as far as moving forward to where we want to get to. We’ve got so much work to do and we’ve already started the process of some of it. Questions?
Q: What is the schedule like for the coaches this week?
A: Well, we turn in evaluations on players, then we have meetings on each player and kind of figure out where we’re going to go as far as start talking about unrestricted free agents, the players that we have here and kind of just do an in-depth self-evaluation.
Q: Do you want to bring Chad Greenway back next season and what did you think of his effectiveness this season?
A: I love Chad. I hope things work out for him. He’s a great Viking. I sat and talked to him for a while yesterday. I think his leadership is immense in the locker room, especially with a young football team. I think he took active ownership in the role that he had this year, so I hope it works out. He’s always going to be one of my kind of guys.
Q: What are some of the things you are looking at for next season?
A: Just the areas that we need to improve on. We’ve got to get better really in all three phases, but offensively we’ve got to get better; we didn’t do enough there. Defensively, there’s quite a few things that we still have to get better at that I’m not satisfied with. We gave up some returns in the kicking game that we have to get done. It’s really at the starting point of right now.
Q: Do you plan on bringing in another quarterback to compete with Teddy Bridgewater?
A: I think that we always want to look to bring quarterbacks in. Not necessarily to compete with Teddy. Teddy is our quarterback, he’s going to be our quarterback and there’s no doubt about that going forward. But we’re always going to be looking for quarterbacks. I think it’s an important position that whether it be in the draft or free agency or wherever, that we continue to have guys at that position.
Q: What does Teddy Bridgewater need to work on in the offseason?
A: Really just coming over the top a little bit more.
Q: Do you attribute that to some of the balls batted down at the line of scrimmage?
A: I don’t think that had anything to do with the ones batted down, but sometimes when you’re throwing the ball over the middle, it’s a shorter trajectory throws, but you still have to find windows to throw it in.
Q: Do you like his desire to be willing to take on more responsibility in the offense?
A: Yeah, everything about Teddy I love. There’s not one thing I don’t love about this kid. He’s got the right demeanor, the right heart, the right competitiveness and he’s a worker. He makes quick decisions and so, we need to continue to move forward with him and keep going.
Q: Do you think this offseason there will be more of a push to surround Teddy Bridgewater with more pass catchers or offensive linemen?
A: I think there’s some areas on offense that we need to get better at – a lot of areas, but I think it’s more about getting good football players in here and figuring out a way. The more good football players we can get, the better it is. And last year, we didn’t go in saying, “Hey, we’re going to draft [Eric] Kendicks and Trae Waynes.” And all of that at the beginning. Sometimes those kind of things just happen – a guy that you really like is there when you pick and that’s kind of really the mentality is to get good football players in here however you can get them.
Q: How would you assess the offensive line as a whole this year?
A: Sporadic I would say. We’ve got to do better.
Q: Did T.J. Clemmings show enough that you want to roll with him at right tackle next season?
A: I think at times he did and at times he didn’t, so he’s going to have to come back and compete.
Q: Where are Phil Loadholt and John Sullivan at in their rehabs and do you have confidence that you can plug them in next season?
A: I don’t know. I haven’t seen them in six, seven months now, so we’ll just have to see how all of that goes. I have no idea. Right now, I think we need to compete at that position. I think guys need to come in and compete whether it’s [John] Sullivan or [Phil] Loadholt or [Matt] Kalil or whoever it is. They need to compete, but that’s really what I want this football team to do as well.
Q: Do you see Terence Newman coming back?
A: I think Terence has value. A lot of it depends on what Terence wants to do. I did not talk to him yesterday before he left, but I’m sure that Terence and I will have conversations as we go forward.
Q: What was the reason for your offense ranking 29th in the league overall this season?
A: Well, there was a lot of areas that we didn’t do very well offensively. We didn’t get enough first downs, we weren’t a very good passing offense, we were good in rushing offense, but we’ve got to get a lot better there, that’s for sure.
Q: In what areas do you think you became a better coach this year?
A: I’m not sure that I have become a better coach. I’m trying to become a better coach every day. I don’t know, I have my mind going forward trying to get this team where I want them to go and how we can improve and how we can get better. Trying to figure out what’s the best way moving forward to go.
Q: How do you think the core group going forward will be able to handle the heightened expectations for next season?
A: Well, the one thing that I love the most about this football team is that we have a lot of great guys on this team, a lot of high character guys that know how to work. Somebody called me the other day and asked me, “How do they work? How do they compete?” And I said, “I’ve never had an issue with this team since I’ve walked in the door about competing or working or trying to get better.” That’s the one thing like I said before, there’s no guarantees moving forward. Next year is a whole new year. Things happen, you don’t know, different schedule, all kinds of things. But the one thing that I know about this football team is the work and they’re high character guys. So that to me, that’s a really good starting point to have these kind of guys. I think in that aspect, they’re very well-equipped to handle it.
Q: Have you been contacted by anyone to speak to Norv Turner of George Edwards as a potential head coaching candidate?
A: I have not been contacted, no.
Q: Which areas exceeded your expectations and which areas failed to meet your expectations?
A: I don’t know. I have such high expectations that I don’t think we exceeded expectations anywhere.
Q: What didn’t meet your expectations?
A: Well, everything else.
Q: Have you talked to Blair Walsh yet?
A: I talked to him in front of the team.
Q: Can you gauge where he is at a couple days after the miss?
A: I think our team handled it remarkably well, the things they said. And let me go back, I know people are giving me a hard time about saying he needed to make that kick, but if it would’ve been Kyle Rudolph in the endzone, I would’ve said he needed to make that catch, or if it would’ve been Xavier Rhodes, you need to knock that ball down. That’s my expectations going back to that. I expect our guys to perform all of the time, but I thought our team handled it remarkably well. He wasn’t on the field when we didn’t cover the guy when [Russell] Wilson grabbed the ball and ran it and threw it down to the one-yard line. He wasn’t on the field when we fumbled. There was a lot of other situations throughout the course of the ballgame. One play does not win or lose. Unfortunately for kickers, it’s the finality of the situation. It happens and we had many, many opportunities to win the football game.
Q: What can Adrian Peterson do technique-wise to decrease his number of fumbles?
A: I do think, and I’ve talked to Adrian [Peterson] about it as well, I had a nice, long talk with him yesterday about things that I think he needs to do. I go back and I happened to be in the NFC East when Tiki Barber was a veteran guy and had a lot of fumbles and he worked extremely hard on holding the ball correctly and fixing that issue – Adrian can do that as well. Those are the kind of things that, trust me, I’m going to stay on his rear-end about it as well.
Q: Adrian Peterson talked about being more versatile in the offense, where do you think he was in terms of his impact in the passing game from the expectations you had of him?
A: I thought he’d probably have some more catches, but you know, I probably made some mistakes going forward – he’s out for the year, we come back, I don’t play him in the preseason games and then we’re kind of figuring out things. I felt like we were figuring things out a little bit at the beginning of the year, especially offensively with that whole dynamic. That was probably a mistake that I made. I probably should have been more involved with trying to get things, and I don’t know, maybe playing him. Just different things that I probably should have figured out. I think Adrian Peterson can do anything that he sets his mind to do, I do believe that. If it’s being more versatile, being more involved in the passing game or it’s protection or running routes, any of those things, I do believe he can do anything that he sets his mind to do.
Q: Do you think you need to get Jerick McKinnon involved next season a little earlier?
A: Next season, I can’t think about next season touches yet. I’m just trying to figure out how we manipulate this a little bit better to get to where we want to get to.
Q: Do you think Adrian Peterson lining up more in shotgun would help Teddy Bridgewater be more comfortable in the offense?
A: I don’t know, you’d have to ask Teddy [bridgewater] that. I think he does a good job when he’s under center. I think Adrian can do a better job when he’s in the gun, there’s a combination of things.
Q: How do you feel about the young defensive group that you have?
A: I like this group. I think we have some playmakers, I think we have some competitors, I think we have guys that are starting to really kind of figure out this system and the things that we’re looking for defensively. I think it’s a good starting point for where we’re at – we’ve got a long way to go, though. We’re not anywhere near where I want us to be.
Q: Do you feel like Trae Waynes is ready to take on a starting role if needed next year?
A: I do, but he needs to come in and compete. I feel like he could be a starting corner next year, but it’s up to him. He’s got to come in and compete just like everybody else. I’m not really going to hand out jobs on January 12.
Q: What does Trae Waynes need to do better?
A: I think he’s improved in a number of different ways. He’s still got technique work to do, he’s starting to cover guys a lot tighter than he initially was. He’s been better with his grabbing, penalties, or whatever. The biggest area to me is, consistently not allowing your guy to catch the ball.
Q: Have you seen enough of Cordarrelle Patterson to make the determination that kick returning is what he’s going to do in this league?
A: I don’t know that for sure. Unfortunately, this is kind of a broken record, I said this a year ago, I have hope for him. There’s times when the proof’s got to be in the pudding. He’s got to do this and if he doesn’t do it, then that’s what he’s going to be – he’s going to be a returner. At the end of the day, it’s really up to him.
Q: What happened to Charles Johnson this season?
A: It came down to a numbers game a little bit. [stefon] Diggs came in and had a big role. I wanted to dress more guys on defense.
Q: How did you feel about how Mike Wallace’s year went overall?
A: I was disappointed and really - I’m disappointed more so that it wasn’t the season that he wanted or we wanted. I say this from my heart, I love this kid, I love the way he works, I love the way he competes. I texted him last night basically and told him the same thing. I said, ‘You know, I know this wasn’t exactly how we planned it out.’ But I love him as a person, a competitor, a football player and I’m disappointed that it didn’t pan out the way I envisioned it and that really and honestly, he’s always going to be one of my kind of guys. I like this kid.
Q: Do you think Mike Wallace will be back?
A: I don’t know. Those are all things we have to determine here in the next week moving forward. I would like him back, I love the kid, I love his heart. He didn’t ##### one time about not getting the ball. He just went and worked every day and tried to get guys better. He loves it here, he loves Teddy. If it can get worked out, I’d like to have him back. But I want to do what’s best for Mike Wallace, too. I told most of the players that are free agents, that I want them to do what’s best for them. Obviously, I want them back. It’s important to me, they have shorter careers, not always than coaching, but they have shorter careers and it’s important for me to make sure that they get to the right place, whatever they feel is right.
Q: What was the reason Stefon Diggs wasn’t as productive as he was his first four games and can he be the explosive playmaker you want?
A: Can he? Yes. Why he didn’t? There’s so many different numbers of factors that go on. We played some pretty good receivers that had two catches in games that we played against them. Things happen throughout the course of a ballgame. I don’t know, you run the ball as much we do, you’re not throwing it 50 times a game, I mean there’s a lot of different factors. But can he be? Yes.
Q: A lot of players talked about turning this loss into motivation heading into the offseason. Is that a mindset that you like to see from them?
A: Yeah, and I think that’s kind of what I’m talking about with this football team – they’ve always kind of moved on to the next challenge that we’ve always had. I think, and that’s why I like this team so much – is the way they go about their business. There’s a lot of places where I’ve been where you get beat on the last day and everybody is happy and joking around and can’t wait and they’ve got their U-Haul’s packed in the back, this team was not ready to go home. We have a lot of really good competitors on this football team.
Q: Is it a relief that you won’t have to field Adrian Peterson questions any longer?
A: I respect all of your questions. This is the last time you’re going to see me for a long time, so I’m in a good mood. I feel like Rocky, I’ve got it over with.
Q: How is the ranch coming along?
A: It’s coming along really well, really good. It’s under roof, got all of the windows up, looking good.
Q: Do you expect the coaching staff to remain the same?
A: I don’t.
Q: Anybody that you can say now that you think will be missing?
A: Yes. I’ve not renewed the offensive line coach’s contract.
Q: Is Dan Campbell a possibility to replace Jeff Davidson?
A: Everybody is a possibility.
Q: Why didn’t you renew Jeff Davidson’s contract?
A: I didn’t want to.
Q: After the game did you sleep at all or what was it like?
A: No I didn’t. I went home and my mom cooked me spaghetti, had a little wine. Woke up at 4:00 a.m., like I always do and came to work. Just a creature of habit I guess, but no I didn’t sleep very good. Disappointing. It was a tough day.
Q: Will Norv Turner be back?
A: I anticipate, yes.
Q: Who evaluates you on your job?
A: Well, besides you and the fans – Rick [spielman] and the owners.
Q: Bill Parcells is a friend of yours does he evaluate you?
A: Yeah, I probably talked to him five times in the last two days, so yeah. He’s always evaluating me, he’s always coaching me. But he’s not going to fire me, I don’t think.
Q: What offseason surgeries do you know of?
A: I have to get a knee operated on. Yes I do. Let’s see – offseason surgeries, let me think about it. Linval [Joseph] is going to get his toe, it’s not very many. [Adam] Thielen’s shoulder. Everson [Griffen] may have to get something done if he doesn’t go to the Pro Bowl. I think that’s probably about it that I can recall.
Q: Rhett Ellison?
A: He’s already had it, yes.
Q: What happened with your knee?
A: I don’t know, old age, stress.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer
First, I want to thank all of you for your professionalism throughout the year – two years actually – and I appreciate you trying to do the best job you can and us working together the best we can. I also think it’s been really a great two-year run at the University of Minnesota. There’s a lot of people to thank for the coordinated effort that it has taken to do that. It’s been good. It’ll be different for me now because that’s all I really know is going over there to that place, but hopefully we can get in the new stadium and get excited, but we’ve got a ton, a ton of work to do. I’ve been looking at a lot of different things already. It’ll be a big, important offseason for us as far as moving forward to where we want to get to. We’ve got so much work to do and we’ve already started the process of some of it. Questions?
Q: What is the schedule like for the coaches this week?
A: Well, we turn in evaluations on players, then we have meetings on each player and kind of figure out where we’re going to go as far as start talking about unrestricted free agents, the players that we have here and kind of just do an in-depth self-evaluation.
Q: Do you want to bring Chad Greenway back next season and what did you think of his effectiveness this season?
A: I love Chad. I hope things work out for him. He’s a great Viking. I sat and talked to him for a while yesterday. I think his leadership is immense in the locker room, especially with a young football team. I think he took active ownership in the role that he had this year, so I hope it works out. He’s always going to be one of my kind of guys.
Q: What are some of the things you are looking at for next season?
A: Just the areas that we need to improve on. We’ve got to get better really in all three phases, but offensively we’ve got to get better; we didn’t do enough there. Defensively, there’s quite a few things that we still have to get better at that I’m not satisfied with. We gave up some returns in the kicking game that we have to get done. It’s really at the starting point of right now.
Q: Do you plan on bringing in another quarterback to compete with Teddy Bridgewater?
A: I think that we always want to look to bring quarterbacks in. Not necessarily to compete with Teddy. Teddy is our quarterback, he’s going to be our quarterback and there’s no doubt about that going forward. But we’re always going to be looking for quarterbacks. I think it’s an important position that whether it be in the draft or free agency or wherever, that we continue to have guys at that position.
Q: What does Teddy Bridgewater need to work on in the offseason?
A: Really just coming over the top a little bit more.
Q: Do you attribute that to some of the balls batted down at the line of scrimmage?
A: I don’t think that had anything to do with the ones batted down, but sometimes when you’re throwing the ball over the middle, it’s a shorter trajectory throws, but you still have to find windows to throw it in.
Q: Do you like his desire to be willing to take on more responsibility in the offense?
A: Yeah, everything about Teddy I love. There’s not one thing I don’t love about this kid. He’s got the right demeanor, the right heart, the right competitiveness and he’s a worker. He makes quick decisions and so, we need to continue to move forward with him and keep going.
Q: Do you think this offseason there will be more of a push to surround Teddy Bridgewater with more pass catchers or offensive linemen?
A: I think there’s some areas on offense that we need to get better at – a lot of areas, but I think it’s more about getting good football players in here and figuring out a way. The more good football players we can get, the better it is. And last year, we didn’t go in saying, “Hey, we’re going to draft [Eric] Kendicks and Trae Waynes.” And all of that at the beginning. Sometimes those kind of things just happen – a guy that you really like is there when you pick and that’s kind of really the mentality is to get good football players in here however you can get them.
Q: How would you assess the offensive line as a whole this year?
A: Sporadic I would say. We’ve got to do better.
Q: Did T.J. Clemmings show enough that you want to roll with him at right tackle next season?
A: I think at times he did and at times he didn’t, so he’s going to have to come back and compete.
Q: Where are Phil Loadholt and John Sullivan at in their rehabs and do you have confidence that you can plug them in next season?
A: I don’t know. I haven’t seen them in six, seven months now, so we’ll just have to see how all of that goes. I have no idea. Right now, I think we need to compete at that position. I think guys need to come in and compete whether it’s [John] Sullivan or [Phil] Loadholt or [Matt] Kalil or whoever it is. They need to compete, but that’s really what I want this football team to do as well.
Q: Do you see Terence Newman coming back?
A: I think Terence has value. A lot of it depends on what Terence wants to do. I did not talk to him yesterday before he left, but I’m sure that Terence and I will have conversations as we go forward.
Q: What was the reason for your offense ranking 29th in the league overall this season?
A: Well, there was a lot of areas that we didn’t do very well offensively. We didn’t get enough first downs, we weren’t a very good passing offense, we were good in rushing offense, but we’ve got to get a lot better there, that’s for sure.
Q: In what areas do you think you became a better coach this year?
A: I’m not sure that I have become a better coach. I’m trying to become a better coach every day. I don’t know, I have my mind going forward trying to get this team where I want them to go and how we can improve and how we can get better. Trying to figure out what’s the best way moving forward to go.
Q: How do you think the core group going forward will be able to handle the heightened expectations for next season?
A: Well, the one thing that I love the most about this football team is that we have a lot of great guys on this team, a lot of high character guys that know how to work. Somebody called me the other day and asked me, “How do they work? How do they compete?” And I said, “I’ve never had an issue with this team since I’ve walked in the door about competing or working or trying to get better.” That’s the one thing like I said before, there’s no guarantees moving forward. Next year is a whole new year. Things happen, you don’t know, different schedule, all kinds of things. But the one thing that I know about this football team is the work and they’re high character guys. So that to me, that’s a really good starting point to have these kind of guys. I think in that aspect, they’re very well-equipped to handle it.
Q: Have you been contacted by anyone to speak to Norv Turner of George Edwards as a potential head coaching candidate?
A: I have not been contacted, no.
Q: Which areas exceeded your expectations and which areas failed to meet your expectations?
A: I don’t know. I have such high expectations that I don’t think we exceeded expectations anywhere.
Q: What didn’t meet your expectations?
A: Well, everything else.
Q: Have you talked to Blair Walsh yet?
A: I talked to him in front of the team.
Q: Can you gauge where he is at a couple days after the miss?
A: I think our team handled it remarkably well, the things they said. And let me go back, I know people are giving me a hard time about saying he needed to make that kick, but if it would’ve been Kyle Rudolph in the endzone, I would’ve said he needed to make that catch, or if it would’ve been Xavier Rhodes, you need to knock that ball down. That’s my expectations going back to that. I expect our guys to perform all of the time, but I thought our team handled it remarkably well. He wasn’t on the field when we didn’t cover the guy when [Russell] Wilson grabbed the ball and ran it and threw it down to the one-yard line. He wasn’t on the field when we fumbled. There was a lot of other situations throughout the course of the ballgame. One play does not win or lose. Unfortunately for kickers, it’s the finality of the situation. It happens and we had many, many opportunities to win the football game.
Q: What can Adrian Peterson do technique-wise to decrease his number of fumbles?
A: I do think, and I’ve talked to Adrian [Peterson] about it as well, I had a nice, long talk with him yesterday about things that I think he needs to do. I go back and I happened to be in the NFC East when Tiki Barber was a veteran guy and had a lot of fumbles and he worked extremely hard on holding the ball correctly and fixing that issue – Adrian can do that as well. Those are the kind of things that, trust me, I’m going to stay on his rear-end about it as well.
Q: Adrian Peterson talked about being more versatile in the offense, where do you think he was in terms of his impact in the passing game from the expectations you had of him?
A: I thought he’d probably have some more catches, but you know, I probably made some mistakes going forward – he’s out for the year, we come back, I don’t play him in the preseason games and then we’re kind of figuring out things. I felt like we were figuring things out a little bit at the beginning of the year, especially offensively with that whole dynamic. That was probably a mistake that I made. I probably should have been more involved with trying to get things, and I don’t know, maybe playing him. Just different things that I probably should have figured out. I think Adrian Peterson can do anything that he sets his mind to do, I do believe that. If it’s being more versatile, being more involved in the passing game or it’s protection or running routes, any of those things, I do believe he can do anything that he sets his mind to do.
Q: Do you think you need to get Jerick McKinnon involved next season a little earlier?
A: Next season, I can’t think about next season touches yet. I’m just trying to figure out how we manipulate this a little bit better to get to where we want to get to.
Q: Do you think Adrian Peterson lining up more in shotgun would help Teddy Bridgewater be more comfortable in the offense?
A: I don’t know, you’d have to ask Teddy [bridgewater] that. I think he does a good job when he’s under center. I think Adrian can do a better job when he’s in the gun, there’s a combination of things.
Q: How do you feel about the young defensive group that you have?
A: I like this group. I think we have some playmakers, I think we have some competitors, I think we have guys that are starting to really kind of figure out this system and the things that we’re looking for defensively. I think it’s a good starting point for where we’re at – we’ve got a long way to go, though. We’re not anywhere near where I want us to be.
Q: Do you feel like Trae Waynes is ready to take on a starting role if needed next year?
A: I do, but he needs to come in and compete. I feel like he could be a starting corner next year, but it’s up to him. He’s got to come in and compete just like everybody else. I’m not really going to hand out jobs on January 12.
Q: What does Trae Waynes need to do better?
A: I think he’s improved in a number of different ways. He’s still got technique work to do, he’s starting to cover guys a lot tighter than he initially was. He’s been better with his grabbing, penalties, or whatever. The biggest area to me is, consistently not allowing your guy to catch the ball.
Q: Have you seen enough of Cordarrelle Patterson to make the determination that kick returning is what he’s going to do in this league?
A: I don’t know that for sure. Unfortunately, this is kind of a broken record, I said this a year ago, I have hope for him. There’s times when the proof’s got to be in the pudding. He’s got to do this and if he doesn’t do it, then that’s what he’s going to be – he’s going to be a returner. At the end of the day, it’s really up to him.
Q: What happened to Charles Johnson this season?
A: It came down to a numbers game a little bit. [stefon] Diggs came in and had a big role. I wanted to dress more guys on defense.
Q: How did you feel about how Mike Wallace’s year went overall?
A: I was disappointed and really - I’m disappointed more so that it wasn’t the season that he wanted or we wanted. I say this from my heart, I love this kid, I love the way he works, I love the way he competes. I texted him last night basically and told him the same thing. I said, ‘You know, I know this wasn’t exactly how we planned it out.’ But I love him as a person, a competitor, a football player and I’m disappointed that it didn’t pan out the way I envisioned it and that really and honestly, he’s always going to be one of my kind of guys. I like this kid.
Q: Do you think Mike Wallace will be back?
A: I don’t know. Those are all things we have to determine here in the next week moving forward. I would like him back, I love the kid, I love his heart. He didn’t ##### one time about not getting the ball. He just went and worked every day and tried to get guys better. He loves it here, he loves Teddy. If it can get worked out, I’d like to have him back. But I want to do what’s best for Mike Wallace, too. I told most of the players that are free agents, that I want them to do what’s best for them. Obviously, I want them back. It’s important to me, they have shorter careers, not always than coaching, but they have shorter careers and it’s important for me to make sure that they get to the right place, whatever they feel is right.
Q: What was the reason Stefon Diggs wasn’t as productive as he was his first four games and can he be the explosive playmaker you want?
A: Can he? Yes. Why he didn’t? There’s so many different numbers of factors that go on. We played some pretty good receivers that had two catches in games that we played against them. Things happen throughout the course of a ballgame. I don’t know, you run the ball as much we do, you’re not throwing it 50 times a game, I mean there’s a lot of different factors. But can he be? Yes.
Q: A lot of players talked about turning this loss into motivation heading into the offseason. Is that a mindset that you like to see from them?
A: Yeah, and I think that’s kind of what I’m talking about with this football team – they’ve always kind of moved on to the next challenge that we’ve always had. I think, and that’s why I like this team so much – is the way they go about their business. There’s a lot of places where I’ve been where you get beat on the last day and everybody is happy and joking around and can’t wait and they’ve got their U-Haul’s packed in the back, this team was not ready to go home. We have a lot of really good competitors on this football team.
Q: Is it a relief that you won’t have to field Adrian Peterson questions any longer?
A: I respect all of your questions. This is the last time you’re going to see me for a long time, so I’m in a good mood. I feel like Rocky, I’ve got it over with.
Q: How is the ranch coming along?
A: It’s coming along really well, really good. It’s under roof, got all of the windows up, looking good.
Q: Do you expect the coaching staff to remain the same?
A: I don’t.
Q: Anybody that you can say now that you think will be missing?
A: Yes. I’ve not renewed the offensive line coach’s contract.
Q: Is Dan Campbell a possibility to replace Jeff Davidson?
A: Everybody is a possibility.
Q: Why didn’t you renew Jeff Davidson’s contract?
A: I didn’t want to.
Q: After the game did you sleep at all or what was it like?
A: No I didn’t. I went home and my mom cooked me spaghetti, had a little wine. Woke up at 4:00 a.m., like I always do and came to work. Just a creature of habit I guess, but no I didn’t sleep very good. Disappointing. It was a tough day.
Q: Will Norv Turner be back?
A: I anticipate, yes.
Q: Who evaluates you on your job?
A: Well, besides you and the fans – Rick [spielman] and the owners.
Q: Bill Parcells is a friend of yours does he evaluate you?
A: Yeah, I probably talked to him five times in the last two days, so yeah. He’s always evaluating me, he’s always coaching me. But he’s not going to fire me, I don’t think.
Q: What offseason surgeries do you know of?
A: I have to get a knee operated on. Yes I do. Let’s see – offseason surgeries, let me think about it. Linval [Joseph] is going to get his toe, it’s not very many. [Adam] Thielen’s shoulder. Everson [Griffen] may have to get something done if he doesn’t go to the Pro Bowl. I think that’s probably about it that I can recall.
Q: Rhett Ellison?
A: He’s already had it, yes.
Q: What happened with your knee?
A: I don’t know, old age, stress.
Sabertooth
Footballguy
snogger
Footballguy
Good Article here on Upcoming decisions and the ramification on the Cap.
Easiest one is Wallace.. wouldn't mind him coming back, but no way is he worth $11 Million.
And on this link, they once again show no "Dead Money" in regards to ADP
Easiest one is Wallace.. wouldn't mind him coming back, but no way is he worth $11 Million.
And on this link, they once again show no "Dead Money" in regards to ADP
Last edited by a moderator:
Funkley
Collar: Up
Zimmer is the best move this team has made since drafting Moss......and that was mostly good fortune. I thought I heard a few months ago that either Greco or Bitonio were free agents this off-season. Any truth to that? Hard to believe that Cleveland wouldn't franchise either one but I'm dreaming of the Wilf's new stadium money.
Danish Bengal
Footballguy
I really wish we would've let Marvin go and promoted Zimmer
Biabreakable
Footballguy
I can relate to this feeling. As a Vikings fan I felt that Tony Dungy was the better coach than Denny Green. Dungy went on to be a tremendous coach and the Vikings defense did not play as well after his departure. I had the same feeling again when Childress had Mike Tomlin as his defensive coordinator who went on to become the HC of the Steelers.
I mentioned this right after Zimmer was hired that the Vikings finally got the better coach. I thought the Bengals defense would regress without Zimmer but I was wrong about that. The Bengals have still been playing pretty good defense since he departed so it hasn't been quite as bad for them as it was for the Vikings post Dungy and post Tomlin.
snellman
Footballguy
Vikings have hired Tony Sparano to coach the OL.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2016/01/vikings-reportedly-hire-tony-sparano-to-coach-the-offensive-line/
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2016/01/vikings-reportedly-hire-tony-sparano-to-coach-the-offensive-line/
Biabreakable
Footballguy
hmm I feel kind of meh about this move to Sparano.
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