Is this organization to loyal to its players?

[coyote62]

I guess my point is, do we keep players past their usefullness to the team? Look at Sherels, now Griffin and Rudolph, who can’t block at all anymore. And i know these guys are good off the field. But its time to concentrate on players production on the field.

[Guest]

Yes, they are.   Don’t forget about paying Jared Allen his full salary in his last year here.  Rudolph needs a big restructure and if he balks, he needs to be cut.  Griffin should have taken a larger pay cut, but we only shaved off a few million.   It’s ruthless, but it’s the NFL.  Rick needs a bigger set....

[Guest]

Vikes are faithful to a fault.  Anyone remember Jared Allen making $19 million in the last year of his contract?  They pay out to the end.

[Guest]

To Allens credit however, I didn't hear him calling for more money after his 22.5 season, like every other player would in that position.  Just sayin'

[Guest]

 they have a pretty solid record of also asking loyal vets to take pay cuts to stay.  Greenway and Robison,  and now Griff...they will target guys that are loyal as well and use that to their advantage.

[Guest]

sounds like you are saying too loyal.  i dont agree i beleive they make decisions in the orgs best interests, not that they are perfect in doing so. 

I also strongly disagree that Sherels, Griff and Rudy are examples of misguided loyalty. They are all productive players that have been highly productive.  its very easy to fall into the shiny new toy trap as we as fans want to be excited, but productive players dont grow on trees

[Guest]

Here's what Zimmer said about retaining his guys he loves so much on D  :

“Days like today are really important to me because without the ownership and the way they help us to keep guys like Anthony and Shamar, it’s really, really important and dear to us,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “They’re both great people. That’s kind of the type of players we’re trying to get here: Great people, great players who want to learn and get better, [be] great people in the locker room and help each other get better. They’ll always be Vikings and they’ll always be Zim guys.”

http://www.startribune.com/with-initial-...507257132/

Ok, they have "good guys".   A locker room full of good guys hasn't won a championship and chokes in the playoffs.  So that's what ya got in Purple.  Good guys.  Hurray.

[Guest]

I wondered how much of a role Ziggy had i. keeping some of these guys and paying them well.  sounds like Zim is giving and nod to the owners for taking care of people.

[Guest]

As much of a loyal fan that I have been to the Vikings, I guess I would like them to be a little bit like the Patriots. 

[Guest]

I'm pretty tired of "loyalty" being touted as a reason fans should overlook this team's lack of playoff success - Zimmer, and a lot of fans, sometimes talk like Minnesotans are sending these guys off to fight in Kandahar. They're entertainers. Any player who ever made more than a million dollars in the NFL should be grateful.
The biggest puzzle and problem this week is Griffen. Why is he being given a base salary of $7.9M? We have better players on the D-line, a competent young replacement in Weatherly, a pipeline of young pass rushers, and (proclaimed loudly and constantly by every Zimmer/Patterson supporter) a coaching staff that's great at molding talent. But we need to give top-25 DE money to a 31-year-old who is coming off a mental breakdown?
Overpaying Griffen essentially ended free agency for the Vikings. He should have been offered a deal that would convert his remaining guaranteed $1.2M to a base salary, with incentives if he proves he is still a star. People laud the Vikings (Brzezinski Genius) when they craft contracts with low dead cap in later years and say we will have the opportunity to drop a player when he declines - but then we don't do it! An extra $6.7M in available cap right now would not exactly bring in a star, but it would let them have a shot at a competent lineman or #3 WR. Instead we have cap tied up with a guy who might be a training camp cut. Oh well, if we had the cap space, Zimmer would be signing Tom Johnson, George Iloka, and Sendejo, or getting Newman to un-retire.
This came up on the radio Friday: why does Zimmer, supposedly the best coach and scheme genius on the Vikings, have to keep all his defensive pieces at his disposal - but offensive coaches are supposed to turn garbage into gemstones? Kubiak and Stefanski must be far better coaches if they can accept having their present depth chart featuring one OG who was a 6th-rounder that couldn't push Remmers or Compton last year (Isadora) and the other an undrafted free agent coming off an injury that might convert from OT (Collins). That would be the equivalent of telling Zimmer he's going to have to start Ifeadi Odenigbo and Ade Aruna next fall - imagine the panic!