Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Jan 13, 2020 9:53:13 GMT -6
We can use this thread to discuss all the offseason additions / subtractions other than the 2020 Draft additions (there will be other threads for that).
Here's a start: Zimmer held a season-ending press conference on Monday, 1/13/2020 to discuss the season and possibly upcoming offseason and what needs to be done. Here are some highlights:
- Zimmer said the coaches will take some time away before making evaluations. He hinted at the importance of maintaining offensive continuity, so the players do not have to learn a new system this spring.
- Zimmer said DC George Edwards' contract was up and it "was probably best" to part ways.
- Zimmer on Cousins: "it may have been his best year that he's played in the NFL." He thought the scheme helped him quite a bit.
- Zimmer on the #Vikings offseason: "I think we'll have to make some tough decisions in a lot of areas, not just the secondary." He said there will be discussions with Spielman, Brzezinski and Paton about salary cap, age and which guys are going to be core players in the future.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Jan 13, 2020 9:55:46 GMT -6
Per PFT, Zimmer also expects to have talks about his contract soon, too.... The 2020 season is the last season on Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s current contract, but he doesn’t want it to be his last year in Minnesota.
Zimmer said today that he expects to have conversations with ownership about his contract and a possible extension soon, and that he’s confident he’ll be happy with the outcome of those conversations.
“I love these players and this organization,” Zimmer said, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The Vikings may be an organization in transition soon, as Zimmer, quarterback Kirk Cousins and General Manager Rick Spielman are all heading into the final years of their contracts. But for now, Zimmer is talking like a man who wants to be in Minnesota for the long haul.link
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Jan 13, 2020 10:30:42 GMT -6
Mike Zimmer said he spent an hour on the phone with his mentor Bill Parcells dissecting how the Vikings can get "over the hump" and to the next level. "We’ve been to the conference championship, we’ve been to the divisional game, we’ve been in a wild card game where we lost by a field goal and just try to figure out how do we get over this hump of getting to the next level and eventually winning this thing."Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer 1h ago linkWhile myself and the majority of Viking's fans do not doubt Zimmer's work ethic (he definitely works hard) and his desire to win (yes, he does want to get over the hump - same as pretty much all of us fans out there), I just don't think Bill Parcell's is going to provide any solutions to getting over the proverbial hump in today's NFL. Zimmer should be bringing in a very different DC that can challenge him and his defensive philosophies and push him in the film room and on gamedays - not another "yes man" in Patterson, Jerry Gray or his son, Adam. And on offense, he should bring in someone who, yes, will run the same "base" zone-rushing offense he wants to continue, but also can think outside of that zone-rushing box and create offense from other methods (ie, we're way too reliant on the zone-rushing attack and play-action passes; when they break down, we have no answer). I've been saying that Zimmer needs to rethink his approach to the game since the 2017 NFC Championship and if he continues with coordinators that run things the way they always have been run (for the most part), then I see no reason why 2020 will be anything different from what we've already seen and he'll (or us as fans) will never get over that hump he so desperately wants to get over....
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Thane (14,615)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Jan 13, 2020 11:22:56 GMT -6
So to me it all begins up front on both sides of the ball and as we saw on Saturday the Oline and the Dline need to be upgraded. The Dline there is a good chance Everson is gone with his age and salary. Really hope he comes back at a reduced rate, he and Hunter had the most QB pressures of any D end combo in the league according to PFF so he was still good. Linval to me is nothing like he was when he signed his extension. Just can't hold the point of attack anymore. With his salary he could be a candidate for release also. On the Oline, and Zimmer said they need a few more pieces on offense which I take as on the Oline, Elf has to be replaced and probably Rief. Bradbury and O'Brien are locked in and Kline was good but also aging. Zimmer did say they basically red shirted a couple of the young Olineman this year so Samia and not sure who the other guy would be probably will be given a shot. Free Agent Olineman always command more than they are worth because there just aren't that many good ones and with some of these teams with basically unlimited cap space it makes it a pipe dream to get the top guys. Here is a list of available Olineman so who do you think they go for Uncle ?
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OkieDokie
Surviving
Jarl (22,857)
Feb 5, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by OkieDokie on Jan 13, 2020 11:27:44 GMT -6
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Thane (14,615)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Jan 13, 2020 11:29:31 GMT -6
Sean Borman @seanbormannfl · 22h #Vikings free agents
UFA’s: T. Waynes A. Harris M. Alexander J. Kearse D. Bailey B. Colquitt S. Weatherly R. Hill A. Sendejo L. Treadwell S. Mannion D. Dozier A. Abdullah B. Jones K. Brothers
RFA’s: E. Wilson CJ Ham A. Collins
ERFA’s: C. Smith A. Hollins
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Thane (14,615)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Jan 13, 2020 11:30:53 GMT -6
Which sucks because he has advantages with his size but when you have the two safeties the Vikings have its hard to get on the field.
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OkieDokie
Surviving
Jarl (22,857)
Feb 5, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by OkieDokie on Jan 13, 2020 11:35:36 GMT -6
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Thane (14,615)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Jan 13, 2020 11:43:43 GMT -6
Another one
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Post by fairweatherfan on Jan 13, 2020 11:45:09 GMT -6
I'd love E Griffen to come to the green side!
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Jan 13, 2020 12:41:43 GMT -6
Here is a list of available Olineman so who do you think they go for Uncle ? I don't think they can afford the likes of Scherff (if he hits the open market...Ron Rivera is working on Trent Williams and I would assume he's work on Scherff, too). My top "want" is New England LG Joe Thuney, but I can't see New England letting him go. He's been a rock solid interior OL player for them for the past 4 seasons (drafted in Rd 3 in 2016) and is the 1st player in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl in his first 3 seasons. He made 2nd team All Pro in 2019 and played/started in 64 games - so unlike Scherff, he doesn't have an injury history to deal with (there is a risk w/ Scherff w/ him landing on IR the last 2 seasons in Washington). If Thuney hits the open market, he will command big-time money and only the teams w/ plenty to spend will be landing spots for him - so that means we're out. One "under the radar" (to the general public/fanbase) guy who I'm keeping my eye on who makes sense is backup Pittsburgh Steelers OG/C B.J. Finney. Undrafted out of Kansas St in 2015, he was a highly-coveted undrafted signing that signed w/ Pittsburgh and he's been a solid reserve since. He wasn't able to crack the starting lineup mostly because Pittsburgh's OL has been among the best in the NFL the last 5 years, but Pittsburgh thought so much of him they signed him to a 2nd Rd tender last season (1 yr for $3m) and now he'll get his crack at the open market. Pittsburgh utilizes a hybrid power/zone-blocking concept so he's no stranger to stretch-zone concepts that the 2020 Vikings will continue to implement (per Zimmer's 1-13-2020 presser). Here's a nice little write-up about him from a Steeler's website ( link). Over the course of the past four years, he has recorded a dozen starts between left and right guard and now center, and not only have the Steelers gone 11-1 in those games, he has individually performed at a level above the line.My only question is how much will he command? He won't be Tier 1 signing ($10m+) because he hasn't started as much as Thuney or Scherff, but if he can be had for Josh Kline money (3 yrs for $15m range), then I definitely do it. He'll want an opportunity to start and be on a competitive team and Minnesota should at least be competitive under Zimmer in 2020 (perhaps not a "contender"), and if he signs a bit of a short team deal (1 to 2 years) then he'll still have a crack at a bigtime payday since he's only 28 and won't turn 29 until October.
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OkieDokie
Surviving
Jarl (22,857)
Feb 5, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by OkieDokie on Jan 13, 2020 13:56:09 GMT -6
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Thane (14,615)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Jan 13, 2020 14:10:12 GMT -6
Here is a list of available Olineman so who do you think they go for Uncle ? I don't think they can afford the likes of Scherff (if he hits the open market...Ron Rivera is working on Trent Williams and I would assume he's work on Scherff, too). My top "want" is New England LG Joe Thuney, but I can't see New England letting him go. He's been a rock solid interior OL player for them for the past 4 seasons (drafted in Rd 3 in 2016) and is the 1st player in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl in his first 3 seasons. He made 2nd team All Pro in 2019 and played/started in 64 games - so unlike Scherff, he doesn't have an injury history to deal with (there is a risk w/ Scherff w/ him landing on IR the last 2 seasons in Washington). If Thuney hits the open market, he will command big-time money and only the teams w/ plenty to spend will be landing spots for him - so that means we're out. One "under the radar" (to the general public/fanbase) guy who I'm keeping my eye on who makes sense is backup Pittsburgh Steelers OG/C B.J. Finney. Undrafted out of Kansas St in 2015, he was a highly-coveted undrafted signing that signed w/ Pittsburgh and he's been a solid reserve since. He wasn't able to crack the starting lineup mostly because Pittsburgh's OL has been among the best in the NFL the last 5 years, but Pittsburgh thought so much of him they signed him to a 2nd Rd tender last season (1 yr for $3m) and now he'll get his crack at the open market. Pittsburgh utilizes a hybrid power/zone-blocking concept so he's no stranger to stretch-zone concepts that the 2020 Vikings will continue to implement (per Zimmer's 1-13-2020 presser). Here's a nice little write-up about him from a Steeler's website ( link). Over the course of the past four years, he has recorded a dozen starts between left and right guard and now center, and not only have the Steelers gone 11-1 in those games, he has individually performed at a level above the line.My only question is how much will he command? He won't be Tier 1 signing ($10m+) because he hasn't started as much as Thuney or Scherff, but if he can be had for Josh Kline money (3 yrs for $15m range), then I definitely do it. He'll want an opportunity to start and be on a competitive team and Minnesota should at least be competitive under Zimmer in 2020 (perhaps not a "contender"), and if he signs a bit of a short team deal (1 to 2 years) then he'll still have a crack at a bigtime payday since he's only 28 and won't turn 29 until October.
Vikings aren't going to be looking at a 10+ million a year Olineman so anyone that is going to command that is out of the picture. It will be for the Kline type players so Finney sounds like he could be someone like that. Even if they had cap space Rick has shown he won't go crazy with Olineman. If I remember correctly they were in on quite a few guys but eventually dropped out when the numbers got ridiculous.
Now that we know where abouts they will pick will have to start checking out Olineman but I doubt they go first round on another one unless the draft falls that way on their board.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Jan 13, 2020 14:20:46 GMT -6
I don't think they can afford the likes of Scherff (if he hits the open market...Ron Rivera is working on Trent Williams and I would assume he's work on Scherff, too). My top "want" is New England LG Joe Thuney, but I can't see New England letting him go. He's been a rock solid interior OL player for them for the past 4 seasons (drafted in Rd 3 in 2016) and is the 1st player in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl in his first 3 seasons. He made 2nd team All Pro in 2019 and played/started in 64 games - so unlike Scherff, he doesn't have an injury history to deal with (there is a risk w/ Scherff w/ him landing on IR the last 2 seasons in Washington). If Thuney hits the open market, he will command big-time money and only the teams w/ plenty to spend will be landing spots for him - so that means we're out. One "under the radar" (to the general public/fanbase) guy who I'm keeping my eye on who makes sense is backup Pittsburgh Steelers OG/C B.J. Finney. Undrafted out of Kansas St in 2015, he was a highly-coveted undrafted signing that signed w/ Pittsburgh and he's been a solid reserve since. He wasn't able to crack the starting lineup mostly because Pittsburgh's OL has been among the best in the NFL the last 5 years, but Pittsburgh thought so much of him they signed him to a 2nd Rd tender last season (1 yr for $3m) and now he'll get his crack at the open market. Pittsburgh utilizes a hybrid power/zone-blocking concept so he's no stranger to stretch-zone concepts that the 2020 Vikings will continue to implement (per Zimmer's 1-13-2020 presser). Here's a nice little write-up about him from a Steeler's website ( link). Over the course of the past four years, he has recorded a dozen starts between left and right guard and now center, and not only have the Steelers gone 11-1 in those games, he has individually performed at a level above the line.My only question is how much will he command? He won't be Tier 1 signing ($10m+) because he hasn't started as much as Thuney or Scherff, but if he can be had for Josh Kline money (3 yrs for $15m range), then I definitely do it. He'll want an opportunity to start and be on a competitive team and Minnesota should at least be competitive under Zimmer in 2020 (perhaps not a "contender"), and if he signs a bit of a short team deal (1 to 2 years) then he'll still have a crack at a bigtime payday since he's only 28 and won't turn 29 until October.
Vikings aren't going to be looking at a 10+ million a year Olineman so anyone that is going to command that is out of the picture. It will be for the Kline type players so Finney sounds like he could be someone like that. Even if they had cap space Rick has shown he won't go crazy with Olineman. If I remember correctly they were in on quite a few guys but eventually dropped out when the numbers got ridiculous.
Now that we know where abouts they will pick will have to start checking out Olineman but I doubt they go first round on another one unless the draft falls that way on their board.
Finney is someone to keep your eye on this offseason, for sure. What's great is that he doesn't pop up on Top 100 Free Agent charts because he's been a backup his entire time in Pittsburgh and the Steelers typically keep their coaching staffs in-tact for the most part so there's not many former Steeler offensive coaches out there than know a great deal about him. He could be a sneaky Tier 2 free agent signing that just might turn into a Tier 1 player for the Vikings - I do think the potential is there. Plus, the fact that he hasn't played many games in the NFL means there's plenty of mileage for his age (29 in Oct). The OL class is relatively deep - actually more OT's than normal. There will be a quality one available at #25, no doubt. The thing is, the CB class is pretty deep, too, so we don't necessarily have to go DB in Rd 1. We could do the opposite of what we did in 2018 w/ Hughes/O'Neill and go OL Rd 1 and DB Rd 2. What we absolutely have to do though is get at least 2 OL prospects because I feel there are quality OL prospects that can be had in the middle rounds. What I'd love is to trade away some of our high-priced vets (that we were possibly going to cut anyway) for Day 2 draft capital. I don't think anyone would trade Day 2 draft picks for Rhodes, but I'd still love for it to happen.
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Thane (14,615)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Jan 13, 2020 16:11:52 GMT -6
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