All Things 2022 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

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Not sure how well this is sourced if at all, but it's a pretty high-volume account.

 

Harbaugh is intriguing but by no means a sure-fire success. He might be tired and burned out. Burnout is hard to recover from, and a change of scenery isn't always (or ever?) the tonic for it. All that said, he's the only one of their candidates with a head-coaching track record. Hiring an assistant is inherently speculative.
 

Seems like an unusually quiet day for the Vikings considering a couple coaches should have been available for interviews.
 

What does Meatsauce say. He is a draft expert or so PA says every year.
 





Bad Gopher said:
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Sometimes when people decline, it's because their network already knows a hire is in place.
This would not be a shock that Harbaugh and him both know what's going on.

Patrick Graham is the only person I don't think it head coach ready. I would have liked Ryans, but I'm hoping it's Harbaugh.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Yeah, who would want to be a Rams or Bengals fan today with their anonymous thirtysomething, dime a dozen head coaches?
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Well, in all fairness, another common denominator there is #1 overall draft pick QBs.

All the arguments, young or older more experienced Head Coach, offensive minded or defensive minded Head Coach.... at the end of the day, the right QB erases all that. Tomlin was a young HC for the Steelers, and only one year as a DC, but he had a future HOF'er in Big Ben. If Rodgers happens to leave GB in the next couple months, LaFleur will be gone in 2 seasons or less, easily.
 




Some of the highest praise I heard of Harbaugh: one of his 49er players was asked how JH turned things around so quickly on his arrival. The player said this, paraphrased: He simplified things down to playing football. He eliminated all the noise and just let us play ball.
 





Ope3 said:
I think of it as "acerbic" rather than "negative" but it's in the eye of the beholder. I also saw his viewpoints as the offset to the blind faith homer sunshine of Sid. I appreciated Sid as well, for what he was worth, just liked the balance.

As a long time follower of Townball, I always like whatever coverage he gives. Many times I have seen him in Dundas, Miesville, Chaska or wherever.
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My dad grew up in Fairbault and played for Dundas way back in the day - great ball in southern Minny. Did you play townball?
I played town ball against Eisenreich in between his Twins and Royals stints (when he retired to get his Touretee's treatment) and in a tourney in New Ulm against some of the Steinbach boys.
Ope3 said:
I also appreciate his columns on the MIAC, including this Sunday writing about the Augsburg at Carleton men's & women's games. I would have been there too, if not for the pandemic fan restrictions, plus the men's game was cancelled anyway due to issues with the Auggies. 😷
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What MIAC school did u go to? Are you an Auggie Doogie? I'm a Pipper!
 



coolhandgopher said:
Yeah, who would want to be a Rams or Bengals fan today with their anonymous thirtysomething, dime a dozen head coaches?
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Makes me wonder ... if for some reason the Bengals lose their DC, would they have interest in taking Zim back (assuming he would want to)?

Leslie Fraser is DC again. I feel like Zim still has some solid defensive football in him.
 

STrib summary. Only tidbit in here that folks haven't already posted about is that interviewing Graham satisfies the Rooney rule.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will fly to Minnesota to interview with the Vikings on Wednesday — the day college teams show off their new recruiting classes on national signing day. Instead, Harbaugh will interview with the Vikings after an "exploratory conversation" on Saturday, as he considers a return to the NFL seven years after the 49ers fired him.

...

It will come a day after Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who impressed the Vikings in a virtual interview on Saturday, has his second interview with the team on Tuesday.

The Vikings were supposed to talk to 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans in the Bay Area on Tuesday, but returned early from California after the 37-year-old Ryans pulled out of the search, choosing to stay with the NFC runners-up. Harbaugh's presence in the race for the Vikings job might have also been a factor in Ryans' decision to withdraw.

On Monday, at least, the Vikings were focused on the two coordinators from the NFC's Super Bowl representative.

A Vikings contingent including Adofo-Mensah, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski and co-owner Mark Wilf boarded a plane bound for Southern California on Monday morning, for second interviews in the afternoon with O'Connell and Morris a day after they helped Los Angeles win the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium.

The 36-year-old O'Connell also had a second interview with the Texans for their coaching job on Monday, and reportedly has interest from the Jaguars — though any conversations with Jacksonville would have to wait until after the Super Bowl. The Jaguars had not requested to talk with O'Connell during the league's window for initial interviews with coaches from playoff teams.

O'Connell was Washington quarterbacks coach in 2017, Kirk Cousins' final season as the starter there, and would figure to run a similar system in Minnesota to the one the Vikings first installed with Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak in 2019. O'Connell also worked with Adofo-Mensah in San Francisco in 2016, when he was on the 49ers staff doing special projects under Chip Kelly.

Morris, 45, went 17-31 as Buccaneers coach from 2009 to '11, before taking over for the fired Dan Quinn as Atlanta's interim coach in 2020 and going 4-7. He has coached both offense and defense in the NFL, and after he was one of the last coaches added to the Vikings' initial round of interviews, he impressed the team enough to earn an in-person interview Monday.

Before the Vikings can hire a coach, they must conduct at least two in-person interviews with minority candidates. Meeting again with Morris and Graham, who are Black, would satisfy that requirement.

While the Vikings could reach a verbal agreement with either O'Connell or Morris this week, neither coach could start with the team until after the Rams play the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.
 

Michigan will come back with an over the top offer, Harbaugh will stay. Maybe his goal all along.

O'Connell will sign (or come to an agreement with) the Texans, thinking Harbaugh is getting the job.

#MinnesotaSports

Change-My-Mind.jpg
 

I don't see Harbaugh staying at Michigan at this point no matter how much money they throw at him. He's already made a ton of money over his career and will be highly paid in the NFL.

With recruiting becoming more and more difficult due to the transfer portal, plus I believe Harbaugh wants to prove he can win a Super Bowl, the NFL is more attractive to him.

He's leaving Michigan on a high note and in a good spot by finishing out this recruiting cycle after winning a B1G championship, beating Ohio St, and making the CFP. He did that after nearly being fired and taking a big pay cut. Now is the perfect time for him to move back to the NFL.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Michigan will come back with an over the top offer, Harbaugh will stay. Maybe his goal all along.

O'Connell will sign (or come to an agreement with) the Texans, thinking Harbaugh is getting the job.

#MinnesotaSports

Change-My-Mind.jpg
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The bridge is burned in Ann Arbor IMO. Either the Dolphins will swoop in today and nab him or he'll be the Vikings coach by Thursday.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
He's not a Michigan man!
Fortunately for us, they're even more provincial than Minnesotans. All you have to whisper is - Rich Rod 2.
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It's awfully late in the college cycle, even for Michigan. I think they'll name an interim or promote an assistant on a cheap contract a LA Tracey Claeys.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Michigan will come back with an over the top offer, Harbaugh will stay. Maybe his goal all along.

O'Connell will sign (or come to an agreement with) the Texans, thinking Harbaugh is getting the job.

#MinnesotaSports

Change-My-Mind.jpg
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Agreed. He is simply yanking his bosses chain.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I don't see Harbaugh staying at Michigan at this point no matter how much money they throw at him. He's already made a ton of money over his career and will be highly paid in the NFL.

With recruiting becoming more and more difficult due to the transfer portal, plus I believe Harbaugh wants to prove he can win a Super Bowl, the NFL is more attractive to him.

He's leaving Michigan on a high note and in a good spot by finishing out this recruiting cycle after winning a B1G championship, beating Ohio St, and making the CFP. He did that after nearly being fired and taking a big pay cut. Now is the perfect time for him to move back to the NFL.
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OK. You've changed my mind!
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
My dad grew up in Fairbault and played for Dundas way back in the day - great ball in southern Minny. Did you play townball?
I played town ball against Eisenreich in between his Twins and Royals stints (when he retired to get his Touretee's treatment) and in a tourney in New Ulm against some of the Steinbach boys.

What MIAC school did u go to? Are you an Auggie Doogie? I'm a Pipper!
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I didn't play past high school, but started following the Dukes as far back as 1980, then the Northfield Knights as well when they re-established in the late 80s. I also remember watching Eisenreich during that stint, as well as the Steinbachs playing for the NU Kaiserhoff.

Fyi, Dundas & Faribault are co-hosting this years State Tournament, should be fun. Both have put ton's of dough into refurbishing their ball parks.

I am actually a Gopher alum, not the MIAC...just have always followed St Olaf & Carleton as a former townie. I usually don't really have a preference unless a friend has a kid playing for either of them, just like to see them both do well.
 


Bad Gopher said:
Yep, you've burned your bridge by hopping on an airplane on signing day. He's going out on a limb here.
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The bridge is only burned if the other side thinks so.

Can be amazing what money can do! Though I tend to agree with GWG, that it probably is not about the money for Harbaugh.

Also as brought up with recruiting, Mich still seems fairly locked out in a position behind Ohio St, and maybe Penn St a tad. https://247sports.com/Season/2022-Football/TeamRankings/?Conference=Big-Ten

Only so much you can do to win, if you don't have equal talent. That's much less of an issue in the NFL, in a sense.
 

howeda7 said:
It's awfully late in the college cycle, even for Michigan. I think they'll name an interim or promote an assistant on a cheap contract a LA Tracey Claeys.
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If he leaves, I think you're right.

Also, both their coordinators had good seasons (though, I don't know their CVs). If ND can promote from within then anyone can at this point and I think if your team was successful, it makes much more sense than going to a hire a HC.

Rossi might be waiting to see if Fleck jumps and then move up internally, while also getting more seasoning to be an HC in the future, maybe for some MacAction!
 


Had the 2021 experiment with Stafford and the Rams failed with a San Francisco 49ers defeat, a little bit of stink would exist on Los Angeles trading expansive draft capital to get their man. But there is no stink now.

It worked for Stafford – even though he made humongous, naughty mistakes in spots throughout the 2021 season. Cousins makes those, too. However, Stafford’s teammates masked those errors, sending the Rams to the Super Bowl.

That can happen to Cousins, too, if the Vikings want to move on. And now, because of the Los Angeles experiment, Cousins’ trade price tag is higher.
 

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