Vikes thread!

[dutchboy]

The gal from Philly wouldn't have been black enough for the NFL.

[LPS]

I was hoping Ossenfort that is from Luverne would have a chance at GM.  I know his parents. 

[mike89]

Report: Ryan Poles is Vikings' 'top choice' for general manager

just seen this....

[Gunner55]

  Read where a guy from Cleveland's front office is still in the running too. Mn wants a 2nd interview with both is what I seen. 

[Cooperman]

I like the idea of Poles as the new GM, But I got a feeling if he gets the job, he will try and bring in Eric Bieniemy as HC.

[LPS]

I'm not keen on Bieniemy neither. 

[dutchboy]

I'd be OK with Bowles. He did ok as a head coach before.

[LPS]

Just googled Poles from KC who is a GM candidate.  It said that he is good at finding talent.  Chicago wants him too so I hope we get him first.  Someone else said that too.  Said he realizes how you have to have harmony in the locker room.  That is a big plus.  I think we could use some of that.

[dutchboy]

Get 2 stud D-Linemen, a stud middle linebacker and 2 pieces in the secondary and the harmony in the locker room will be fine.

Winning fixes most of your locker room issues.

[Steve-o]

Finding talent and guessing right are probably the best attributes of a good GM.  Trouble is...  Past performance is no indicator of future success.  Each draft is different.  Still, if they can manage the roster and salary cap such that the talent is improving and peaking all at the same time, it puts them in a position to win.

I REALLY want to see an offensive-minded head coach.  After watching the games yesterday, those teams made the 2021 Vikings look like a junior varsity squad.  Why can't we have a dynamic, high-powered offense too?   

Still, our old, defensive-minded head coach left the Vikings defense in a shambles - at the bottom of the league in the past two seasons. 

There is a school of thought that says get another defensive head coach to build it back up and hire the right offensive coordinate - and STOP micro-managing the OC.  But I really don't like that, because say they do get the right guy at offensive coordinator, he'll be gone in 3 years for the next head-coaching opportunity.

This league is built for offense.  Hire a head coach to knows how to coach offense.

[LPS]

The Vikes playing any one of those teams would have been an embarrassment.  I sure hope we get things under control again.

[dutchboy]

Truth be told, as long as the Packers keep falling on their face I don't care what the Vikings do.

[mike89]

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-sports/reports-ryan-poles-hired-as-bears-gm-vikings-may-move-quick-to-get-kwesi-adofo-mensah

just seen this

[Steve-o]

That is always the cliche...  The Bears didn't let him leave the building without signing a contract.

I guess the Wilfs have some work to do before the Vikings are the best organization in the NFL.

[LPS]

Darn.  I hoped we would get him. 

[Steve-o]

I don't know any of these General Manager guys' qualifications and have no rationale to speculate.

Ryan Poles - Chiefs' ASSISTANT Director of Player Personnel might look like a bloody genius because the Mahomes dropped to #10 in the 2017 Draft and the Chiefs' CHIEF Director of Player Personnel had the foresight to take him.

The real test of being a successful general manager for the Chiefs will be if they can sustain greatness now that they have signed Mahomes to a record money deal and all of the other good players get into free agency and want to be paid.


It is a little easier for an armchair quarterback like me to speculate on head coaching candidates...

One of the big knocks on Chief's Eric Bieniemy for head coaching jobs is, as Offensive Coordinator, is he ready for the next step, or are is the Chiefs offense successful because Andy Reed still calls all the offensive plays. 

... But then most of "my" takes are just repeating crap I hear and see elsewhere.   

[dutchboy]

I saw Bienemy carrying a call sheet around on Sunday. I think the Chiefs are doing their part to get him a job. I would take him if he brings Mahomes & Kelsi with.

[Steve-o]

I saw Bienemy carrying a call sheet around on Sunday. I think the Chiefs are doing their part to get him a job. I would take him if he brings Mahomes & Kelsi with.

Yeah, Mahomes is one of the best QBs in the league, and there are other good young ones too.  And like I said, I think the Chiefs are going to have a hard time paying other player's with Mahomes' cap numbers...

2022   $31.45 million
2023   $42.45 million
2024   $39.95 million
2025   $41.95 million
2026   $41.95 million
2027   $59.95 million
2028   $44.45 million
2029   $44.95 million
2030   $50.45 million
2031   $52.45 million

By contrast, here are the Cousins cap hit numbers.  Note that Cousins has the biggest cap hit in the final year of the contract because Spielman kept kicking the bill for his salary down the road because they were in "win now" mode - or more precisely - "win now or get fired" mode.

2018   $24 million   (13.5% of the total cap)
2019   $29 million   (15.4% of the total cap)
2020 $21 million   (10.6% of the total cap)
2021   $31 million   (16.6% of the total cap)
2022   $45 million   (21.2% of the total cap)

The absolute WORST salary cap hit for the Cousins contract equals the AVERAGE salary cap hit per year for the Mahomes deal.  The main difference with the Mahomes deal is (I think) that it is not 100% fully guaranteed.  (That and Mahomes is a winner who makes players around him better.   )

[dutchboy]

Mahomes is also only 25 years old. They can re-do his contract to get more cap room when they need it. If he wins another Super Bowl they will be fine whichever way the cap works out. BTW, Erins cap hit is over $40 million. Who ya want?

[KEN W]

Tough to guess who will be the next coach.

[glenn57]

read an article this morning that Thelen and Jefferson are campaigning the powers to be to keep there wide recievers coach!!!! sounds like they really like him and there 2 top backups really improved since he took over coaching recievers!!!!

[LPS]

Sounds like it is a done deal.  Mensah is the new GM

[Gunner55]

Read that he's a very smart money man with degrees from Princeton & Stanford.

[LPS]

He was with San Fran for 7 or 8 years too so that makes me feel better too. Then he went to the Browns who improved with him. 

[Steve-o]

Read that he's a very smart money man with degrees from Princeton & Stanford.

God bless him. 

I hope he can also...

Hire the right coaches,
Evaluate talent and make smart draft decisions,
Make smart trades with other GMs,
And bring in free agents who add talent and enhance team chemistry rather than mercenaries who only want to get paid and "build their brand."

[Gunner55]

Pretty sure he was involved in all of that during his last 3 years with 49'ers who brought him into the league in 2013. https://www.twincities.com/2022/01/26/vikings-hire-browns-executive-kwesi-adofo-mensah-as-general-manager/

[Steve-o]

Just looked at an article, which all veteran Vikings fans are used to looking forward to in January... 

Lunchbreak: CBS Sports Proposes 'Perfect Vikings Draft Plan'

Inside there is a section that according to cybermetrics used by Pro Football Focus, the Vikings had the worst production out of their 2021 draft class out of every team in the NFL!!!   

The bottom line - if I read it right - was although Darrisaw got off to a slow start, he did pretty good; their one bright spot.  They had no 2nd round pick and took QB Kellen Mond in the 3rd round and basically got nothing from him.  And apparently none of the other picks made significant impact compared to their 2021-drafted peers either.

So if Spielman was drafting in 2021 to save his job and "win now" (in 2021), he certainly crapped the bed.

[Gunner55]

Because Mensah was already a minority member of another team's front office his signing will cost the Vikings a 3rd draft pick for 2 years in a row under a new rule just passed in 2020.

[Steve-o]

Because Mensah was already a minority member of another team's front office his signing will cost the Vikings a 3rd draft pick for 2 years in a row under a new rule just passed in 2020.

Browns Receive Draft Compensation as Vikings Hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Browns will receive NFL Draft picks in both the 2022 and 2023 draft. These picks will be each in the third-round. The NFL implemented a rule that rewards teams for developing front office members and coaches. For example the Baltimore Ravens received draft compensation when the Houston Texans hired David Culley as a head coach.

This hire benefits the Browns. Cleveland will receive assets in return of having to replace an executive. You really can’t complain when you receive valuable draft picks for a front office remember who will be replaced. Adofo-Mensaah is a solid hire for the Vikings and the Browns have to be happy with how it played out.

I think the Browns get EXTRA 3rd round picks as a reward/incentive to continue to develop minority personnel within their organization.  I think those picks come from the NFL, not the Vikings.

[Leech~~]

Pretty sure he was involved in all of that during his last 3 years with 49'ers who brought him into the league in 2013. https://www.twincities.com/2022/01/26/vikings-hire-browns-executive-kwesi-adofo-mensah-as-general-manager/

Because the Brown's have such a winning organization?