Vikings To Try Atkins Diet?

33 years old, coming off of torn labrum and Zimmer's history with players from Bengals and elsewhere hasn't exactly paid off handsomely in recruiting...

Sorry, to piss in anyones cheerios, not sure how'd excited I'd be about this one???

@"purplefaithful" said: 33 years old, coming off of torn labrum and Zimmer's history with players from Bengals and elsewhere hasn't exactly paid off handsomely in recruiting...

Sorry, to piss in anyones cheerios, not sure how'd excited I'd be about this one???

Pretty darn. Sure he's 33, missed all of 2020, but he's been incredibly durable his whole career, and was Pro Bowl the year before. And all five years prior. 

A bridge for sure, but a player that would almost certainly give us the kind of inside pressure we need until we can find our long term 3T. Remember, we brought in Pat Williams when he was 33 and he played 6 more seasons. 3 of them at a Pro Bowl level. 

Most of all, it would allow us to remove 3T from the cluster of 1st round needs, so we could focus more on OL and DE. 

make it so---inside pressure is a serious balm for a struggling D

The thing is, Sheldon Richardson was supposed to be a "sure fire" upgrade to our inside pass rush. He wasn't, and there was some talk that he didn't want to stay within his assignments here, and he left quietly. I think players tend to need a year to understand Zimmer's defense well enough to excel in it. Captain Munnerlyn and Linvalle Joseph improved greatly in their second seasons. Barr and Kendricks started as rookies but that was pretty necessary, as it was with Gladney and Dantzler, and Zimmer admitted to simplifying the defense for last year's rookies. Atkins hasn't played for Zimmer in 8 years, so a lot has changed for both.

Point is that I don't see too much value in a "bridge" player. I think Zimmer needs to have players here for a stretch long enough to build up their understanding and hone their skills to his system. 

I agree some have taken a year or so to master technique played here, especially @ DB. But I dont think its much of a stretch to assume Atkins knows how Gunther and Zimsu want the 3t played from the get-go...

purp I think you're right given the history  he  would know the philosophy behind the play to go  in the direction desired my Zim.  Som backeone in jery ball williams mode moving the middle

@BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

I like the idea, and Zimmer might be in the market for a quick fix.

@"Jor-El" said: The thing is, Sheldon Richardson was supposed to be a "sure fire" upgrade to our inside pass rush. He wasn't, and there was some talk that he didn't want to stay within his assignments here, and he left quietly. I think players tend to need a year to understand Zimmer's defense well enough to excel in it. Captain Munnerlyn and Linvalle Joseph improved greatly in their second seasons. Barr and Kendricks started as rookies but that was pretty necessary, as it was with Gladney and Dantzler, and Zimmer admitted to simplifying the defense for last year's rookies. Atkins hasn't played for Zimmer in 8 years, so a lot has changed for both.

Point is that I don't see too much value in a "bridge" player. I think Zimmer needs to have players here for a stretch long enough to build up their understanding and hone their skills to his system. 

He's been in Zim's system in Cincy. He's got a total of 7 years under Zim or Gunther. Pretty sure by now he could teach the system.

for a moderate deal. . . jump all over it 

draft Phillips or Rousseau at 14.  

upgrade OG in the second round (trade up if there)

DL: Hunter-Pierce-Atkins-Fedi
Wonnum-Watts-Lynch- Phillips

Those young corners and the return of Hughes will be signifcantly better with Hunter, Pierce, and Atkins starting that line in 21

Defense healthy could be top 10, maybe better in one year

Considering that Zim has been looking for the next Geno Atkins for some time, perhaps the original shall suffice...  ;) 

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

I like the idea, and Zimmer might be in the market for a quick fix.

Depends how the market shapes up. With a decreasing salary cap I can't see a 33 year old interior D-lineman who is relegated to a 4-3 defense having a massive market. That isn't to say he is going to be cheap, but it may be very reasonable. Due to his 2020 injury the Vikings can hide cap in per-game roster bonus' as well. 

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

If you cut Rudy and Shamar... then ask Reiff, Barr, Thielen and Harry to restructure, how does that win a locker room? The Vikings don't need to push all those buttons, I get it, but restructure still needs to happen.

I think Zimmer and Cousins' ability to show great leadership in 2021 could be tested to the core. We all know more cuts and restructures are just around the corner. How will this team respond?

Does bringing Atkins on board rock the locker room boat too much? 

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

It's not just about getting under the cap, but also freeing up enough space to sign the rookies. I'm guessing $5M-$6M? So, restructuring Thielen & Barr, extending Hunter & Harry, may still not allow Minny to be players in FA.

@"Carl Knowles" said: If you cut Rudy and Shamar... then ask Reiff, Barr, Thielen and Harry to restructure, how does that win a locker room? 

You're not thinking of it correctly. You're not asking for pay cuts. For example, players don't even have to be involved in the decision to convert salary to bonus. Why? Because they love it. They get a huge paycheck and it doesn't change their salary. Only the cap. Kendricks and Thielen are good candidates for that. It kicks some money into future years so you do it only with players you really really want to keep around. And you don't do a lot of it. 

I seriously doubt the Vikings ask Reiff to take a pay cut. He will either be extended, released or traded. All of which save us money. 

Harry isn't a restructure either. He'd be an extension. He had a pretty good season and doesn't look like he's slowing down much. But you can't go too far: 2 or 3 more years at most. So you're not going to trim too much on that one. 

Undecided on Barr. His contract might just remain as is. But yes, Rudy, Shamar and Bailey are prime cut candidates. And I have no clue why that would have any sort of impact on the locker room. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

It's not just about getting under the cap, but also freeing up enough space to sign the rookies. I'm guessing $5M-$6M? So, restructuring Thielen & Barr, extending Hunter & Harry, may still not allow Minny to be players in FA.

If they keep all their picks, they could need as much as $8, but I've always accounted for at least $5 in all the scenarios I've drawn up. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

It's not just about getting under the cap, but also freeing up enough space to sign the rookies. I'm guessing $5M-$6M? So, restructuring Thielen & Barr, extending Hunter & Harry, may still not allow Minny to be players in FA.

If they keep all their picks, they could need as much as $8, but I've always accounted for at least $5 in all the scenarios I've drawn up. 

They need $3 to 3.5M if they keep all their picks. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

It's not just about getting under the cap, but also freeing up enough space to sign the rookies. I'm guessing $5M-$6M? So, restructuring Thielen & Barr, extending Hunter & Harry, may still not allow Minny to be players in FA.

If they keep all their picks, they could need as much as $8, but I've always accounted for at least $5 in all the scenarios I've drawn up. 

They need $3 to 3.5M if they keep all their picks. 

@"Carl Knowles" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Carl Knowles" said: @BarrNone55  Creative title... but he might be too rich for my taste palate. Meaning I don't think the Vikings can afford him unless Zimmer can do some serious recruiting and convince him to play for pennies in Minnesota.

Vikings can afford pretty much anything they want. Just depends on how many sacrifices they're willing to make.

Rudy, Shamar, Bailey? OK, now we're under the cap. Reiff? Now that's a much harder pill to swallow. But if they think Cleveland is ready to start at LT (or O'Neill), then there's another $12M. Convert some salary to bonus for Thielen, Barr? Another $2 to $4. Add years to Hunter, maybe Harry? Another $4 to $6. 

Now, of course, the Vikings aren't going to be willing to do all of this, but they'll have to do some of it. So we'll just have to wait and see how much.

The key to this whole thing and what is probably keeping Rick up at night is Riley Reiff. How do you let our best lineman walk? On the other hand, $12M is one huge chunk of change that will be hard to ignore a year after drafting Reiff's heir apparent. 

It's not just about getting under the cap, but also freeing up enough space to sign the rookies. I'm guessing $5M-$6M? So, restructuring Thielen & Barr, extending Hunter & Harry, may still not allow Minny to be players in FA.

If they keep all their picks, they could need as much as $8, but I've always accounted for at least $5 in all the scenarios I've drawn up. 

They need $3 to 3.5M if they keep all their picks. 

Javon Kinlaw (the 14th pick last year) had a rookie cap hit of 2.8 mil. 

I think you need more than 3.5 million in cap space to sign all the draft picks.