Attention K-Mart Shoppers

[MarkSP18]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/11/report-broncos-to-sign-tackle-jawaun-james/
James has agreed to a four-year deal worth $52 million with $32 million
in guaranteed money. James will make an average of $13 million a year.

I hope the Vikings had a plan B but the options are dwindling.
We actually might miss Remmers or end up paying someone more who is just as bad.

[Guest]

The Vikings were 100% in on James. But making an average to above average guy the highest paid RT in the league when you'd have to move 3 players to new positions is a lot of risk. The contracts are still just too crazy at this point for the Vikings to get involved. 

With good coaching, a new scheme, they need to find one free agent and then draft competition for Easton (assuming he returns). Say they end up with something like: 

Reiff / Easton or Risner / Elflein / Cann / O'Neill 

That is an average line with good coaching. Obviously you would expect them to draft more depth behind that but they like Aviante Collins quite a bit too. Your investment is going to be more like $7M + a pick for that combination. Let free agency run its course. The best signings are the ones you can get in the 2nd/3rd waive. At that point the players want to make sure they're cashing in before the money runs dry vs. teams fighting to pay the most. 

[Guest]

@"Geoff Nichols" said:
The Vikings were 100% in on James. But making an average to above average guy the highest paid RT in the league when you'd have to move 3 players to new positions is a lot of risk. The contracts are still just too crazy at this point for the Vikings to get involved. 

With good coaching, a new scheme, they need to find one free agent and then draft competition for Easton (assuming he returns). Say they end up with something like: 

Reiff / Easton or Risner / Elflein / Cann / O'Neill 

That is an average line with good coaching. Obviously you would expect them to draft more depth behind that but they like Aviante Collins quite a bit too. Your investment is going to be more like $7M + a pick for that combination. Let free agency run its course. The best signings are the ones you can get in the 2nd/3rd waive. At that point the players want to make sure they're cashing in before the money runs dry vs. teams fighting to pay the most. 

You like Cann?  anyone else you think would be "serviceable" and better than Remmers was?

[Guest]

There's no way we'll miss Remmers... unless we moved him to RT again... and then moved O'Neill to LT... and then moved Reiff to LG...
Ugh.  I am sick of us moving our OL around.  So let's not.  We'll be OK.  We need to re-sign Easton for LG... but I still don't know why they don't give Isadora a chance.  If not him, then we'll need to get an old, cheap replacement (1 year deal)... or draft someone who can step in right away.

[Guest]

@pumpf said:
There's no way we'll miss Remmers... unless we moved him to RT again... and then moved O'Neill to LT... and then moved Reiff to LG...
Ugh.  I am sick of us moving our OL around.  So let's not.  We'll be OK.  We need to re-sign Easton for LG... but I still don't know why they don't give Isadora a chance.  If not him, then we'll need to get an old, cheap replacement (1 year deal)... or draft someone who can step in right away.

I suppose if they signed TJ Lang it would be an upgrade over Remmers IF Lang can stay healthy.
Saffold and Lang would be huge at this point.
Draft McGovern and Michael Jordan or Ben Powers and you have some youts that you can groom.

[Guest]

There's a reason Kubiak said in his presser that the Viking's current O-Line has talent (eye roll). Minnesota cannot fix the position in just one year. Prepare for disappointment. 

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:
There's a reason Kubiak said in his presser that the Viking's current O-Line has talent (eye roll). Minnesota cannot fix the position in just one year. Prepare for disappointment. 

Minnesota can definitely fix the position in one year.  Using 2x 1-3rd round draft picks should almost certainly net 1 starter, and reasonably likely 2.  Coupled with a mid level FA and resigning Easton, you're bound to get 2 starters out of that mix.  I think the real question is how much improvement do we expect to get out of Elflein and O'Neill over last year and will Spielman actually invest picks in the OLine or are we just getting a single 3rd rounder.

[Guest]

@medaille said:

@StickyBun said:
There's a reason Kubiak said in his presser that the Viking's current O-Line has talent (eye roll). Minnesota cannot fix the position in just one year. Prepare for disappointment. 

Minnesota can definitely fix the position in one year.  Using 2x 1-3rd round draft picks should almost certainly net 1 starter, and reasonably likely 2.  Coupled with a mid level FA and resigning Easton, you're bound to get 2 starters out of that mix.  I think the real question is how much improvement do we expect to get out of Elflein and O'Neill over last year and will Spielman actually invest picks in the OLine or are we just getting a single 3rd rounder.

You don't hit on players every year, that's the issue. Its why its important to keep taking shots each year in the Draft for an area like offensive line where you have 5 starters needed. That's a large amount, more than any unit on the team. Its math at that point and Spielman has been failing Intro to O-Line Math now for years. 

[Guest]

If the team really was interested in getting a player- which would then necessitate moving a few other guys around- then I would say that they haven't learned their lesson.  If it's Spielman's idea (I doubt it), then I would get on the NJVike turnpike and start bashing him.  But it's either Zimmer (who would be showing a real lack of intelligence when it comes to the OL) or his offensive coaches (who would, also, be showing their ignorance).  Either way: if someone thinks that the solution is to bring in one stud player... and then shift the other guys to new spots... they are an idiot.  It rarely works elsewhere- and hasn't worked here.

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:
There's a reason Kubiak said in his presser that the Viking's current O-Line has talent (eye roll). Minnesota cannot fix the position in just one year. Prepare for disappointment. 

They aren't going to go from worst to first. But I think with Kubiak's scheme and some upgrades the expectations should be that they're at least average. Anything less is a complete failure by this front office as they'd now had the same weakness for 4 straight seasons.