Something I have been thinking about

**PsychoViking** · 03-27-2007, 06:38 AM

Childress keeps saying he wants to bring in "good character" type players....that is all fine & dandy...but sooner or later I hope the Vikings relax on this just a little and attempt to bring in players who have some talent.
Not every player in the NFL is a "saint" (not the New Orleans kind either), and sometimes a player will get into a little trouble, does this make that player a bad man, NOT by any means...people make mistakes and to only take players who have spotless records and have never been in trouble is NOT the way to build a winning team.
Sometimes who have to swallow your silly pride and give people the benefit of the doubt.
I am not saying go out and sign the T.O.'s and PacMans of the world, but to openly say you are only going to sign "good character" type guys is IMHO taking the easy way out and making excuses for not attempting to bolster the roster and build a quality type winning franchise.

**Del Rio** · 03-27-2007, 08:04 AM

"PsychoViking" wrote:

Childress keeps saying he wants to bring in "good character" type players....that is all fine & dandy...but sooner or later I hope the Vikings relax on this just a little and attempt to bring in players who have some talent.
Not every player in the NFL is a "saint" (not the New Orleans kind either), and sometimes a player will get into a little trouble, does this make that player a bad man, NOT by any means...people make mistakes and to only take players who have spotless records and have never been in trouble is NOT the way to build a winning team.
Sometimes who have to swallow your silly pride and give people the benefit of the doubt.
I am not saying go out and sign the T.O.'s and PacMans of the world, but to openly say you are only going to sign "good character" type guys is IMHO taking the easy way out and making excuses for not attempting to bolster the roster and build a quality type winning franchise.

I like their code of conduct and I like that they are following through with it. You can have a record, you can make mistakes. What you can't do is violate the NFL's policies or the teams and if that player has a record of doing things that violates those policies we pass on them.

Simple and correct.

How many buisinesses would hire someone if that person had a vast history of behavior that is behavior that if he/she executed while on the job would result in punishment?

This is a job there are many people capable and willing to fill. Wether they are coming out of college, or vetrans. You can be picky.

**NodakPaul** · 03-27-2007, 08:32 AM

This implies that the only reason that we have been as quiet in the off season as we have been is because of the code of conduct.
This is a huge misconception.

Childress is bringing players into Minnesota who will fit his plan.
Players who can contribute over the next few years to help build the Vikings in to a Superbowl team.
This offseason was remarkably short on players that would fit that bill.
I honestly believe that we brought in every player that did, and we signed all but one.

Childress is working to build a winning franchise.
The route he is taking might take a little longer than we are used to in the past, but it is also designed to keep the Vikings at the top (something else we aren't used to).

And finally, Childress never said he was only going to sign "good character" type guys.
But he did say that character was going to be a factor.

**ejmat** · 03-27-2007, 08:42 AM

I think Childress knows not every player is going to be clean.
What I do like is he doesn't mind disciplining them.
For instance, it looks as though he's keeping Dwight Smith.
We all know what he did.
Chilly disciplined him and the guy stayed quiet the rest of the year and had somewhat of a productive season.

I think we all can agree that the goal of every football team is to win superbowls.
In the most recent years the teams without the character problems have won superbowls.
Look at the Colts, Steelers and Patriots.
The only team I can remember winning a superbowl that have had character issues was the Ravens and Ray Lewis.
I don't know if his issues came before or after the superbowl but that may have and most likely was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
the big difference is everyone believed in Lewis and he was close with all his teammates.

Character problems on a team cause bad morale and lead to not playing to potential because they don't play as a team or in other words, they don't gell.
You need that in football.
Another example is this years Bengals.
IMO they are one of the most talented teams inthe league.
They have a bunch of character problems and they finished without making the playoffs.
Do you think that maybe has something to do with having character issues on the team?