12-10-2018, 03:03 PM
“It does take a commitment by the franchise to keep your guys together,” Carroll said. “Because free-agency guys are coming and going a lot. You have to stick with your guys if you’re going to hope to develop the kind of chemistry that allows you to really get good playing together.”
Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman has made that commitment. Six foundational Vikings defenders — safety Harrison Smith, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Eric Kendricks, nose tackle Linval Joseph and defensive end Everson Griffen — have signed multiyear extensions in the past 30 months.
“The Vikings have had that over the years,” Carroll said. “I know [Andrew] Sendejo isn’t playing, but it’s been there. You can see the benefit of it in the great play that they have.”
Erosion happens. Stars get older. Young overachievers leave, trying to maximize paychecks in free agency. Injuries, which the Vikings’ 2017 horseshoe prevented, ruin plans. The Vikings defense has already missed a combined 26 games from key contributors because of injury this season, including safety Sendejo and cornerback Mike Hughes to injured reserve. That’s compared to only three games a year ago.
Above the field, the Vikings front office will face more questions this offseason. In the secondary alone, three safeties — Sendejo, Anthony Harris and George Iloka — can hit restricted or unrestricted free agency, and cornerbacks in Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander are set to enter contract seasons in 2019.
Linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson are the heavy hitters set to become free agents this spring.
The Vikings’ attempts to keep the right players are the precursors to year-over-year success against opposing quarterbacks.
“I think that has a lot to do with it,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “It all goes so much hand in hand. You get a bunch of guys on the defensive line hurt, you can’t rush the quarterback. Linebackers are not … I mean there’s a lot of different things, not just the secondary.”
At each level of the defense, Spielman has boasted about the Vikings’ ability to practically “clone” the types of players they target — from wingspans and agility down to personality traits — and even the Vikings’ attempts to quantify a young man’s determination and love for football.
http://www.startribune.com/dynastic-seah...502312591/
Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman has made that commitment. Six foundational Vikings defenders — safety Harrison Smith, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Eric Kendricks, nose tackle Linval Joseph and defensive end Everson Griffen — have signed multiyear extensions in the past 30 months.
“The Vikings have had that over the years,” Carroll said. “I know [Andrew] Sendejo isn’t playing, but it’s been there. You can see the benefit of it in the great play that they have.”
Erosion happens. Stars get older. Young overachievers leave, trying to maximize paychecks in free agency. Injuries, which the Vikings’ 2017 horseshoe prevented, ruin plans. The Vikings defense has already missed a combined 26 games from key contributors because of injury this season, including safety Sendejo and cornerback Mike Hughes to injured reserve. That’s compared to only three games a year ago.
Above the field, the Vikings front office will face more questions this offseason. In the secondary alone, three safeties — Sendejo, Anthony Harris and George Iloka — can hit restricted or unrestricted free agency, and cornerbacks in Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander are set to enter contract seasons in 2019.
Linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson are the heavy hitters set to become free agents this spring.
The Vikings’ attempts to keep the right players are the precursors to year-over-year success against opposing quarterbacks.
“I think that has a lot to do with it,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “It all goes so much hand in hand. You get a bunch of guys on the defensive line hurt, you can’t rush the quarterback. Linebackers are not … I mean there’s a lot of different things, not just the secondary.”
At each level of the defense, Spielman has boasted about the Vikings’ ability to practically “clone” the types of players they target — from wingspans and agility down to personality traits — and even the Vikings’ attempts to quantify a young man’s determination and love for football.
http://www.startribune.com/dynastic-seah...502312591/
