2019 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

Sid: Vikings coach Mike Zimmer's expectations, excitement are sky high

This will be the sixth season with Mike Zimmer as Vikings coach, and as rookie minicamp got underway this weekend, he said he is as optimistic as he has been in some time about the state of the team heading into the start of major offseason activities.

“I am probably more excited this year than I have been in a while,” Zimmer said. “I just feel like if we get back and get our nose to the grindstone, play smart football, don’t beat ourselves and do the things we’re capable of doing, we’re going to have a good football team.”

One of the biggest reasons for his optimism is the completely reworked offensive coaching staff: starting with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski but also with bringing in Gary Kubiak as an assistant head coach along with several assistants who understand Kubiak’s system very well.

“I’m extremely happy with it. We had an opportunity to get Gary Kubiak and [offensive line coach] Rick Dennison and [quarterbacks coach] Klint [Kubiak] and [tight ends coach] Brian Pariani, they have been together for a long time and have been running this offense for a long time,” Zimmer said. “Every time I had to play that offense or Kubiak’s offense, it has been extremely difficult to stop. You know they are great guys. They think like I do, so it has been really good.”

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-...pectations-excitement-are-sky-high/509488582/

Skol Vikes!!
 

per Sid:

Praise for Bradbury

There is no doubt the Vikings got the man they wanted when they drafted North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury with the No. 18 overall pick. Even though he remains unsigned, the Vikings will get that done soon.

NFL.com recently ran a list of rookies they expect to make the All-Rookie team and Bradbury was on it.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told me last week that Bradbury absolutely can improve the line. More importantly, he’s a great fit for the new scheme the offense will run under line coach/run game coordinator Rick Dennison.

“Bradbury is obviously going to be, we feel like, a big-time player in this league,” Zimmer said.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-didn-t-wait-to-sign-key-free-agents-this-offseason/509729622/

Skol Vikes!!
 

https://youtu.be/6lRYXx0RQhg

Pro football focus says they had Bradbury as a early second rounder. They were suprised the Vikings didn't go tackle with Dillard. Bradbury great run blocker and not a great pass protector. They like TE Irv Smith but he's more of an H back and Rudolph can block and Smith cannot at this point, so he's not really a replement. Rb Mattison was a mystery as they needed more OL picks. Did like G Samia in 4th. Also liked A Watts DT in 6th. 5th round lb was ok to. They seem to have a better success rate at picking sleepers and busts than most.

They nailed that wr treadwell shouldn't have been a first rounder.
"His issue though is that he won’t separate regularly, and doesn’t actually take advantage of his ability to win contested catches as much as he should do. Treadwell reminds some of Dez Bryant or Michael Irvin, but to me he looks far more like Kenny Britt. Britt has had success at times in the NFL and was a first-round pick himself, so that’s not necessarily a disaster. He was taken with the 30th selection of the draft, in part because of exactly the same concerns over being able to separate. In my opinion, Treadwell is far closer to that area of the draft than a top-five pick."
 


<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Skol Vikes!!
 

per Sid:

Vikings need a backup QB

The Vikings went into the 2018 season with a proven backup quarterback in Trevor Siemian, a 24-game starter in 2016 and ’17 with Denver. There was at least some comfort in knowing that if Kirk Cousins got injured, they had an experienced player behind him.

That will not be the case in 2019, after Siemian signed with the Jets. The Vikings have Sean Mannion, Kyle Sloter and Jake Browning competing for the backup spot.

Sloter, a Northern Colorado product, has been with the team since 2017 and the Vikings have long thought he has the makeup to play in the NFL. In four preseason games last year, he completed 41 of 56 passes for 366 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, but he has yet to play in the regular season.

The Vikings signed Mannion away from the Rams, who used a third-round pick on the Oregon State product in 2015. Mannion has played in 10 NFL games, including three last year, and started once in 2017. He has only 33 career completions on 53 attempts for 258 yards with an interception.

As for Browning, he was just signed as a rookie free agent, but the Vikings are excited about him. In four seasons as the starter at the University of Washington, he completed 64.6% of his passes and threw for 94 TDs against 34 picks while also rushing for 232 yards and four scores.

One of the Vikings’ biggest battles going forward will be figuring out the best person to slot behind Cousins. There’s no doubt that if something happens to their franchise quarterback, the season could be in real trouble.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-pr...s-under-hitting-coach-james-rowson/509803682/

Skol Vikes!!
 

Sid: Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph won't take pay cut to stay but hopes he does

While Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has made it clear he will not take any pay cuts to stay with the team, he does believe that if a contract can be worked out, the offense will be much improved in 2019.

“I am really excited about where this offense is headed, under the guidance of [offensive coordinator] Kevin Stefanski, with the influence of [assistant head coach] Gary Kubiak. I am extremely excited about our offensive staff,” Rudolph said. “I think we have the best offensive staff in football and they’re going to put our guys in great situations to be successful.”

What does he think of Kubiak so far?

“I like him a lot,” the Pro Bowl tight end said. “I think he brings a lot of experience to this offense. He is a guy that has played and coached in a lot of Super Bowls.”

Still, Rudolph said “no way” when asked if he’d take a discount deal to stay.

“No I won’t, I am too young for that,” he continued.

Rudolph is due $7.6 million this season.

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-...-pay-cut-to-stay-but-hopes-he-does/509989712/

Skol Vikes!!
 




BleedGopher said:
per Shooter:

The guess here is that if the Vikings cut Kyle Rudolph, New England will sign the tight end for about $4 million. That would be about $3.6 million less than his Vikings contract.

The Vikings’ cash outlay for this year is $217.8 million, the highest in the NFL. Average payroll in the league this year is about $180 million.

https://www.twincities.com/2019/05/18/charley-walters-rocco-baldelli-says-his-twins-deserve-an-a/

Skol Vikes!!
Click to expand...

That would suck. I'm guessing that's what is happening; the teams that would like to pick up Rudolph are gambling that instead of having to give up something in a trade, they KNOW the Vikings will end up cutting him if they can't get a trade partner. They are just waiting things out.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
That would suck. I'm guessing that's what is happening; the teams that would like to pick up Rudolph are gambling that instead of having to give up something in a trade, they KNOW the Vikings will end up cutting him if they can't get a trade partner. They are just waiting things out.
Click to expand...

Rudolph is not going to net much in a trade. Maybe the FO is thinking that we can package him and get an upgrade at an offensive line position.
 

per Sid:

Jottings

• Pro Football Focus noted that Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the second-best red zone QB in the NFL last season behind only the Saints’ Drew Brees. Cousins had career highs in completion percentage (66.7) and passer rating (114.7) inside the opponent’s 20-yard line last season.

• Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is getting a lot of notice as a potential breakout star in 2019. CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco wrote: “Cook did average 4.6 yards per rush [in 2018], which shows it wasn’t a bad season, but just not the productive one that was expected. Now another year removed from injury, with an offensive line that should be improved, I expect a big season from Cook.”

http://www.startribune.com/jonathan-schoop-is-proving-to-be-a-smart-acquisition-for-twins/510355882/

Skol Vikes!!
 

CBS: Top 25 NFL Players Under 25:

6. Vikings EDGE Danielle Hunter (24)
It still feels like Danielle Hunter is criminally underrated even though he's racked up 40 sacks in four seasons. He's coming off the best season of his career, during which he brought down opposing quarterbacks 14.5 times. According to PFF, he's also generated 190 pressures since 2016, which ranks 11th (tied with Frank Clark) among edge defenders. Only six players have had more sacks since he entered the league. None of those players are under the age of 25.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...mayfield-finishes-as-third-highest-ranked-qb/

Skol Vikes!!
 



Sid: Anthony Barr will remain at linebacker for Vikings this season

The biggest signing the Vikings made this offseason nearly didn’t happen, when Anthony Barr initially agreed to a contract with the New York Jets.

But the Vikings were able to grab Barr back at the last minute and sign him to a five-year, $67.5 million deal.

There had been some talk before Barr re-signed that he could be moved to defensive end to help the pass rush, which lost defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who signed a three-year, $37 million deal with the Browns. Richardson is one of the better interior pass rushers in the league.

But as the Vikings prepare to go through Organized Team Activities, coach Mike Zimmer said Barr will stay where he is.

“He’ll be a linebacker,” Zimmer said. “We’re doing a few different things defensively so you’ll get a chance to see how it looks, but we’re going to make a few changes with some of the things schematically just from our offseason study.”

Zimmer said the linebackers are one of the most solid parts of the defense.

“[Eric] Kendricks is a good player, Barr is a good player, [Ben] Gedeon is a good player. We drafted the kid from USC [Cameron Smith] and so far he looks good, we kind of like him,” Zimmer said. “We have Devonte Downs, who was basically redshirted last year so we’ll see how he is. Eric Wilson played a lot last year. I think we’ll be OK.”

Barr said that even though the Vikings defense ranked fourth in the NFL last season in yards and ninth in points, they are committed to being even better following an 8-8 season.

“There’s a little more sense of urgency this time around,” Barr said. “Just having a disappointing end to last year, I think guys are more on point and looking forward to practicing at a good pace.”

So much of the focus this offseason has been on the changes the Vikings made on offense, but bringing Barr back means the defense should remain one of the league’s best.

Zimmer said losing Richardson hurt, and the Vikings have to hope that defensive tackle Shamar Stephen can fill in.

“Sheldon is a good player, but in this business it is how everything goes,” Zimmer said. “Guys come and go, and you know one thing we have always done since I’ve been here is not worry about who we don’t have, we worry about who we do have.”

http://www.startribune.com/anthony-barr-will-remain-at-linebacker-for-vikings-this-season/510432352/

Skol Vikes!!
 

Sid: Vikings GM Rick Spielman sees progress on both offense, defense

The Vikings OTA offseason workouts will end on Thursday and General Manager Rick Spielman said he has noticed early on this offseason that the team and the coaching staff are being motivated by their disappointing end to the 2018 season.

Spielman was instrumental in carrying out a number of major changes to the coaching staff and the roster during the offseason, and with a new contract that keeps him here through 2020, he knows that coming up short again in 2019 isn’t an option.

“We have to have a better season,” he said. “We have good players here, and I know the coaching staff is outstanding and I know Coach [Mike Zimmer] will lead us in the right direction.

“I think it’s getting better every day. I know the guys came in and everybody has a chip on their shoulder, including Coach Zim. The guys are improving every day and just look forward to finishing out strong for the rest of the OTAs.”

The Vikings added offensive guard Josh Kline, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, quarterback Sean Mannion, offensive linemen Dakota Dozier and Brett Jones, running back Ameer Abdullah and wide receiver Jordan Taylor. They also were able to bring back linebacker Anthony Barr and kicker Dan Bailey.

On top of that, they drafted 12 rookies along with signing a number of rookie free agents.

With so much roster and coaching turnover, Spielman noted that OTAs were important for getting everyone on the same page and the coaches are leading that.

“They have done a great job,” he said. “Rick Dennison with the offensive line and understanding what he’s looking for and the type of players we need up front to run the kind of scheme we’re going to run, and Gary Kubiak, of course, and [quarterbacks coach] Klint Kubiak and Brian [Pariani] the tight end coach, all have done a great job, [Marwan] Maalouf on special teams, there’s a lot of new ideas. I think it will pay off for us.”

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-gm-rick-spielman-sees-progress-on-both-offense-defense/510715242/

Skol Vikes!!
 

per NFL.com: Vikings COO Kevin Warren to be named Big Ten commissioner

Minnesota Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren is expected to be named commissioner of the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday, sources told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Monday.

Warren, 55, is expected to replace longtime Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney, who had served in that capacity since 1989. Delaney will vacate his post after the 2019-20 academic year, his 31st on the job.

The Big Ten Conference will announce the decision in a press conference Tuesday.

Minnesota's COO since February 2015, Warren was responsible for all business, financial, legal and operational aspects related to U.S. Bank Stadium and the design, development and planning of Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, per the team's website.

Warren has spent over 20 years in the NFL and 14 with the Vikings. Before his promotion to COO, Warren was Minnesota's vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer to chief operating officer. He was the highest-ranking African-American executive working on the business side for a team in the NFL and was the first African-American COO in NFL history.

Warren would be the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...kevin-warren-to-be-named-big-ten-commissioner

Skol Vikes!!
 

Sid: Vikings eye first-round pick Garrett Bradbury as rookie starter at center

Vikings assistant head coach and offensive adviser Gary Kubiak said there is no longer any question about who will start at center for the team this season. It will be first-round draft pick Garrett Bradbury.

“Oh yeah, that is where he’s going to be, and hopefully he will stay there for a long time,” Kubiak said.

The 24-year coaching veteran, a Super Bowl winner as a head coach with three more championships as an assistant, said there’s no question it will be a challenge for Bradbury.

“He is doing great. For a rookie to be put in there at center from Day 1, it’s hard on him,” Kubiak said. “But he is doing a good job.”

Of course, this will be the second time in three seasons that the Vikings have had a rookie at center. Pat Elflein started there in 2017 but has moved to guard.

Elflein has been the center for every snap of his pro career, 863 snaps last year and 958 during his rookie campaign.

Still, Kubiak said the change to guard has been a positive one, and Elflein has been open to the move.

“Pat has moved over to left guard and been a big-time pro, stepped in there and working really hard,” he said. “The guys are working good together.”

And the feeling around the Vikings is that those moves, in addition to adding free agent Josh Kline, should make for a more complete and balanced line this season. That means the team’s main priority in the offseason has been addressed.

“They’re doing good,” Kubiak said. “We have to keep them all in one piece, but we’re doing good.”

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-...adbury-as-rookie-starter-at-center/511025471/

Skol Vikes!!
 

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Skol Vikes!!
 

I don't understand the Rudolph contract, especially after the draft..
 


Rudolph is an above average blocker, Smith may never be. Our o line could still suck, meaning 2 TE sets and Rudolph blocking. Smith can now feature in the passing game and not have to block.

Unless Barr is rushing the passer in a new way it was a stupid resigning. (Like DE on passing downs).
 




howeda7 said:
They still needed cap room and didn't have many other places to get it.
Click to expand...

Yes I understand they were reworking his contract for cap room. I'm saying I don't get the big contract Rudolph got. Just doesn't make sense to sign him for 4 more years or pay him that much.
 

bottlebass said:
Yes I understand they were reworking his contract for cap room. I'm saying I don't get the big contract Rudolph got. Just doesn't make sense to sign him for 4 more years or pay him that much.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen the details, but the totals of NFL contracts are meaningless. It seems like it's basically a 2-year deal structured as 4 for cap purposes.
 

RandBall: The Vikings got the band back together in 2019. Was that a good idea?

Despite persistent challenges of attrition, salary constraints and the lure of the open market, the Vikings pretty much got the entire band back together in 2019.

Defensive end Everson Griffen is still here. Linebacker Anthony Barr is, too. Tight end Kyle Rudolph? Check. Nobody in the secondary was traded? Nope. The Vikings also found a spot for five guitarists, three keyboard players and a tuba player. The whole band, all under one salary cap.

The default mode is to praise the Vikings and executive vice president Rob Brzezinski for the sort of cap wizardry that has allowed them to achieve rare continuity even while adding expensive free agents like quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Maybe another way to look at it is this: Has Brzezinski's praise-worthy work kept the Vikings from having to make the sort of hard decisions that might, in the long run, give them a better chance at sustained success?

Or maybe even a more cold-blooded question: Has sentimentality and familiarity played too much of a role in the Vikings' roster construction?

Consider this: The Vikings' 2019 starting 11-player defense is likely to feature 10 players who were on the roster in 2015: Griffen, Linval Joseph, Shamar Stephen, Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Barr, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris.

Some like Hunter and Harris have grown into far more expanded roles since then. Stephen, too, is a bit of an asterisk, having left for Seattle before returning this year in free agency – though that also speaks to the Vikings and Mike Zimmer’s appreciation for the familiar.

"I don't know if it's necessarily exclusive to here, but it definitely doesn't happen a lot," Smith, the veteran safety who was drafted in the first round in 2012, said at minicamp Thursday. "That being said, every year is its own year. … But it's obviously nice having some continuity."

The Vikings have also been among the NFL's best defensive teams in the last four seasons – including 2018, when they ranked fourth in yards allowed and ninth in points allowed. And they've won 40 regular-season games in that span, an average of 10 per year.

So what's the problem?

http://www.startribune.com/the-viki...ether-in-2019-was-that-a-good-idea/511251932/

Skol Vikes!!
 

Sid: Vikings have ideal salary cap manager in Rob Brzezinski

Vikings officials get a lot of praise for the way the organization is run. The owners, coaches and players are often considered parts of a first-class team, and their practice and game facilities are some of the best in the NFL.

But there’s no doubt one of the most important roles is handled by Rob Brzezinski, the executive vice president of football operations. He is often tasked with figuring out how to not only sign key free agents such as quarterback Kirk Cousins, as he did in March of 2018, but also to find ways to keep talented players General Manager Rick Spielman drafts and Mike Zimmer and his assistants develop.

That was especially apparent in the tremendous amount of work that went into signing tight end Kyle Rudolph on Tuesday to a four-year extension that will keep the former first round draft pick here through 2023 and is fully guaranteed through the 2020 season.

Rudolph, who was set to make $7.625 million this season, will instead make a fully guaranteed $9.25 million.

The Vikings had $207.8 million allotted to 90 players, including Rudolph’s original deal, which only made the negotiation trickier.

“Every negotiation is unique and challenging, and we try to take care of our players and keep as many of our players as we can,” Brzezinski said. “But it is a challenge making everything fit within the economics of our system.”

The lack of salary cap flexibility meant that Rudolph’s name came up in trade rumors for weeks. With teams such as the Patriots in desperate need of a quality tight end, there was good reason to think Rudolph might not be back.

But the Vikings front office and Rudolph said all along that they believed a deal could be brokered. Both sides were insistent in saying their final goal was to ensure Rudolph remained with Minnesota.

As Rudolph enters his ninth season with the Vikings, he is undoubtedly one of the best tight ends in the league. He has started in every game for the past four seasons, and in that time he ranks third among tight ends in receptions (253) and touchdowns (24) and eighth in yards (2,501).

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-have-ideal-salary-cap-manager-in-rob-brzezinski/511216512/

Skol Vikes!!
 

per Sid:

Jottings

• The 2019 NFL schedule didn’t give the Vikings any breaks. They have the 10th-toughest strength of schedule in the NFL and third toughest in the NFC. Their opponents’ combined record last year was 130-124-2. The defending NFC North champion Bears are tied for the fifth hardest strength of schedule.

• Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he has liked what he’s seen from running backDalvin Cook this spring, saying: “Cook has had a really, really good spring. Gary [Kubiak] and I were talking about him this morning. He looks really, really good, especially with the things we’re trying to do in the running game.”

http://www.startribune.com/kyle-rudolph-always-wanted-to-remain-with-vikings/511354041/

Skol Vikes!!
 

per Sid:

• Pro Football Focus recently published its ranking of the top 50 players in the NFL, and safety Harrison Smith was the lone Vikings player at No. 21. PFF also believes Everson Griffen is due for a big bounce-back year after the website rated him as the 10th-best pass rusher in the NFL in 2017. “Despite the year’s [2018] challenges, Griffen still showed off his rare talent in bursts in 2018. He tallied three or more pressures in seven of the 11 games he played.”

http://www.startribune.com/twins-looking-to-carry-their-success-beyond-this-year/511680812/

Skol Vikes!!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom