Thread: Offseason spending spree has Vikings thinking big

[size=13pt]Offseason spending spree has Vikings thinking big [/size]

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI AP Sports Writer
The Associated Press
duluthnewstribune.com

Monday, July 28, 2008


MANKATO, Minn.

When Jared Allen walked around the draft party at Minnesota Vikings headquarters in April, he could feel the optimism hanging in the air after a banner offseason....

Thanks for the read my friend.

"You never know when you're going to be able to have a team on paper the way we have a team on paper right now. So we have to go out there and perform like that and bring some truth to these expectations."

I disagree.
If the organization is going to continue in its ways then I believe we will have a team like this on the field for years to come.........

2006 - Glut of rookies.
Signed a few key vets.
Let the kids play allowing for a faster maturation process.

2007 - Glut of rookies.
Signed a few key vets.
Let the kids play allowing for a faster maturation process.

2008 - Signed some top flight Vets to replace draft busts/fix obvious holes in the roster as well as some low tier vets for backups.
Sprinkled in a few rookies to add depth/future starters.

2009 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

2010 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd/3rd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

ect ect ect.

At least thats the way I believe they will try to keep this team competitive for years to come.

The only problem I see is when all the 2006/2007 guys start to get closer to the end of thier rookie contracts.


We sure have alot of talent coming out of those two classes that will need to be resigned resulting in some CAP issues for ole Bryzcheapski to figure out.

:

"Marrdro" wrote:

Thanks for the read my friend.

"You never know when you're going to be able to have a team on paper the way we have a team on paper right now. So we have to go out there and perform like that and bring some truth to these expectations."

I disagree.
If the organization is going to continue in its ways then I believe we will have a team like this on the field for years to come.........

2006 - Glut of rookies.
Signed a few key vets.
Let the kids play allowing for a faster maturation process.

2007 - Glut of rookies.
Signed a few key vets.
Let the kids play allowing for a faster maturation process.

2008 - Signed some top flight Vets to replace draft busts/fix obvious holes in the roster as well as some low tier vets for backups.
Sprinkled in a few rookies to add depth/future starters.

2009 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

2010 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd/3rd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

ect ect ect.

At least thats the way I believe they will try to keep this team competitive for years to come.
The only problem I see is when all the 2006/2007 guys start to get closer to the end of thier rookie contracts.


We sure have alot of talent coming out of those two classes that will need to be resigned resulting in some CAP issues for ole Bryzcheapski to figure out.
:

That is always the trick, but with the cap you know as well as the rest of us that the reality never quite measures up to the theory teams have on their talent pool.You just never have the money to keep the roster solid at every position for an extended period of time like we would like to.

Combine that with the fact that injuries are always the wildcard on any roster and you get to what they were talking about. we are set up as well as we have been in a long time right now and may be through next, but then you know when some of our young guys come up for a new contract, if we are as successful on the field as we hope, they are going to get big dollars, then we will certainly lose some of that talent and need to pay big dollars to keep the ones we do.

Also, if the team wins the SB, the following year is not uncommon to have many players wanting their contracts revised or threatening to hold out. Right now things are peachy because the team is being built. The hard part is the keeping it together.

"UffDaVikes" wrote:

"Marrdro" wrote:

Thanks for the read my friend.

"You never know when you're going to be able to have a team on paper the way we have a team on paper right now. So we have to go out there and perform like that and bring some truth to these expectations."

I disagree.
If the organization is going to continue in its ways then I believe we will have a team like this on the field for years to come.........

2006 - Glut of rookies.
Signed a few key vets.
Let the kids play allowing for a faster maturation process.

2007 - Glut of rookies.
Signed a few key vets.
Let the kids play allowing for a faster maturation process.

2008 - Signed some top flight Vets to replace draft busts/fix obvious holes in the roster as well as some low tier vets for backups.
Sprinkled in a few rookies to add depth/future starters.

2009 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

2010 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd/3rd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

ect ect ect.

At least thats the way I believe they will try to keep this team competitive for years to come.

The only problem I see is when all the 2006/2007 guys start to get closer to the end of thier rookie contracts.


We sure have alot of talent coming out of those two classes that will need to be resigned resulting in some CAP issues for ole Bryzcheapski to figure out.

:

That is always the trick, but with the cap you know as well as the rest of us that the reality never quite measures up to the theory teams have on their talent pool.You just never have the money to keep the roster solid at every position for an extended period of time like we would like to.

Combine that with the fact that injuries are always the wildcard on any roster and you get to what they were talking about. we are set up as well as we have been in a long time right now and may be through next, but then you know when some of our young guys come up for a new contract, if we are as successful on the field as we hope, they are going to get big dollars, then we will certainly lose some of that talent and need to pay big dollars to keep the ones we do.

Also, if the team wins the SB, the following year is not uncommon to have many players wanting their contracts revised or threatening to hold out. Right now things are peachy because the team is being built. The hard part is the keeping it together.

And that is why you need to ensure that you draft wisely.

If it appears that you won't be able to sign a guy then you need to have a youngster standing in the wings waiting to take his place if necessary.

Lets take Sharp for instance.....

a.
Sharp - Still seems to have some skills but is declining.
Wants $XXXX to resign.
$XXXX is above his skill level, you let him test the FA market and he leaves.


b.
Insert kid you drafted to replace him if this situation should arise.
Kid is making $XX.

You now have a viable replacement that has learned the system and is 90% ready to produce at your Vets level at half the price allowing you to take the other $XX and apply it to the resigning of a guy you don't have a kid ready to take his place.

As you said, all theory, but still gonna be a challenge for Spielman and Bryzcheapski to handle.
In a year or so we will see if they are really up to it.

Again, my assumption is that they have a plan in place to do just that.

Edit:
Almost forgot......Excellent post my friend.

again though, you make that statement assuming that TJohnson will pan out and turn into a good safety, but you know as well as I do, the draft is a crapshoot, sometimes players don't stay.

"i_bleed_purple" wrote:

again though, you make that statement assuming that TJohnson will pan out and turn into a good safety, but you know as well as I do, the draft is a crapshoot, sometimes players don't stay.

You are correct, it is a assumption on my part that the kid will work out.
It is also a assumption on my part that if the kid doesn't work out they will go and get a vet FA (ala BB, JA etc) if the role of the dice doesn't work out.

2009 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

2010 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd/3rd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

By the way, this staff has been rolling the dice pretty good lately wouldn't you say?
Is that a result of fixed dice or maybe just alot of good homework/research from our scouting department as it finds cats who fit the scheme as articulated by the coaching staff?

I keep saying it, our new Ownership Group seems to have not only plussed up our scouts with respect to personnel but also thier budget, allowing them to travel a bit more to augment a aggressive film study of the players they are targeting to make sure the dice roll right.
;D

"Marrdro" wrote:

"i_bleed_purple" wrote:

again though, you make that statement assuming that TJohnson will pan out and turn into a good safety, but you know as well as I do, the draft is a crapshoot, sometimes players don't stay.

You are correct, it is a assumption on my part that the kid will work out.
It is also a assumption on my part that if the kid doesn't work out they will go and get a vet FA (ala BB, JA etc) if the role of the dice doesn't work out.

2009 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

2010 - Resign key vets, draft for depth/future stars.
2nd/3rd year players replace vets if necessary.
Add a few FA vets to fix a hole or two if necessary.

By the way, this staff has been rolling the dice pretty good lately wouldn't you say?
Is that a result of fixed dice or maybe just alot of good homework/research from our scouting department as it finds cats who fit the scheme as articulated by the coaching staff?

I keep saying it, our new Ownership Group seems to have not only plussed up our scouts with respect to personnel but also thier budget, allowing them to travel a bit more to augment a aggressive film study of the players they are targeting to make sure the dice roll right.
;D

I do think they brought in some good potential talent and also some proven talent and on paper they are doing a good job of filling some holes, but as I said in the other post, it is much easier in this market and with the salary cap to put a roster together initially than it is to maintain it over an extended period of time. If we do succeed, it will be a great accomplishment that has rarely been done in the past few decades and is harder to do now than even 15 years ago. But it is far from a given at this point. We should just be concerned that they have done enough to be competitive in the playoffs at this point.