KAM's approach to free agency

@"Havoc1649" said: I don’t see us as far away as others. Watching the Super Bowl, our offense could compete with either team even with the Zimmer restricted play calling. It was our defense and defensive play calling/coaching that destroyed the season. 

So for me, the key to a successful upcoming season has less to do with spending money and more to do with getting the right guys in place for the new system. The moves so far have been good in my opinion.  Jordan Hicks is an excellent signing. Paired with Kendricks, they should form a very solid tandem inside. Hicks is very durable, having started 51 games straight at linebacker. That’s 3rd longest active streak among NFL linebackers. He’s piled up the tackles the past few years and I suspect this will not change.

Harrison Phillips is another good pickup. He’s a rising player with talent and will likely fill Pierce’s position at a lower price. 
Ends are a big question mark for me and probably for the coaches as well. We have a number of guys with the size and athleticism to handle the spots, but I’m not sure how they’ll do in the new scheme. A couple played 3-4 in college, so for a few there will be familiarity. 
At safety I think we are good. Harry and a guy I’m high on, Cam Bynum, look set to handle the position.

Lastly, cornerback is a huge need. In my opinion, we only have one right now in Cam Dantzler. The rest do not appear to be adequate to start. I would have liked to see the team sign a starting contract in free agency with 3-4 experience. I know they’ve targeted a couple, but the prices have been pretty extreme. Regardless, I still see this as a big need. We need 1 at a minimum and I would like to see at least 2. On top of that, we will need to draft another early. 
Finally, in regards to Hunter, I think it’s ridiculous he’s being so difficult after only playing a handful of games over the past two years. What a pain in the ass. I’d normally say get rid of him, but at this point they are better off just keeping him. 
We fix this defense, we will compete for the playoffs next year.

Really want to see what we do at IOL, OLB and CB. If we can hit on all of those, the Vikings can be a pretty good team.--the team they should've been last year. The Vikings have already fixed what I think was the biggest problem: Replacing Zimmer. Just THAT should give us a couple more wins. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Havoc1649" said: I don’t see us as far away as others. Watching the Super Bowl, our offense could compete with either team even with the Zimmer restricted play calling. It was our defense and defensive play calling/coaching that destroyed the season. 

So for me, the key to a successful upcoming season has less to do with spending money and more to do with getting the right guys in place for the new system. The moves so far have been good in my opinion.  Jordan Hicks is an excellent signing. Paired with Kendricks, they should form a very solid tandem inside. Hicks is very durable, having started 51 games straight at linebacker. That’s 3rd longest active streak among NFL linebackers. He’s piled up the tackles the past few years and I suspect this will not change.

Harrison Phillips is another good pickup. He’s a rising player with talent and will likely fill Pierce’s position at a lower price. 
Ends are a big question mark for me and probably for the coaches as well. We have a number of guys with the size and athleticism to handle the spots, but I’m not sure how they’ll do in the new scheme. A couple played 3-4 in college, so for a few there will be familiarity. 
At safety I think we are good. Harry and a guy I’m high on, Cam Bynum, look set to handle the position.

Lastly, cornerback is a huge need. In my opinion, we only have one right now in Cam Dantzler. The rest do not appear to be adequate to start. I would have liked to see the team sign a starting contract in free agency with 3-4 experience. I know they’ve targeted a couple, but the prices have been pretty extreme. Regardless, I still see this as a big need. We need 1 at a minimum and I would like to see at least 2. On top of that, we will need to draft another early. 
Finally, in regards to Hunter, I think it’s ridiculous he’s being so difficult after only playing a handful of games over the past two years. What a pain in the ass. I’d normally say get rid of him, but at this point they are better off just keeping him. 
We fix this defense, we will compete for the playoffs next year.

Really want to see what we do at IOL, OLB and CB. If we can hit on all of those, the Vikings can be a pretty good team.

What makes you guys think we're done with FA?  There is all kinds of time before the season starts.  I'd much rather see us be careful about how we spend rather then make splash plays for big money that rarely work out. 

@"pattersaur" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Havoc1649" said: I don’t see us as far away as others. Watching the Super Bowl, our offense could compete with either team even with the Zimmer restricted play calling. It was our defense and defensive play calling/coaching that destroyed the season. 

So for me, the key to a successful upcoming season has less to do with spending money and more to do with getting the right guys in place for the new system. The moves so far have been good in my opinion.  Jordan Hicks is an excellent signing. Paired with Kendricks, they should form a very solid tandem inside. Hicks is very durable, having started 51 games straight at linebacker. That’s 3rd longest active streak among NFL linebackers. He’s piled up the tackles the past few years and I suspect this will not change.

Harrison Phillips is another good pickup. He’s a rising player with talent and will likely fill Pierce’s position at a lower price. 
Ends are a big question mark for me and probably for the coaches as well. We have a number of guys with the size and athleticism to handle the spots, but I’m not sure how they’ll do in the new scheme. A couple played 3-4 in college, so for a few there will be familiarity. 
At safety I think we are good. Harry and a guy I’m high on, Cam Bynum, look set to handle the position.

Lastly, cornerback is a huge need. In my opinion, we only have one right now in Cam Dantzler. The rest do not appear to be adequate to start. I would have liked to see the team sign a starting contract in free agency with 3-4 experience. I know they’ve targeted a couple, but the prices have been pretty extreme. Regardless, I still see this as a big need. We need 1 at a minimum and I would like to see at least 2. On top of that, we will need to draft another early. 
Finally, in regards to Hunter, I think it’s ridiculous he’s being so difficult after only playing a handful of games over the past two years. What a pain in the ass. I’d normally say get rid of him, but at this point they are better off just keeping him. 
We fix this defense, we will compete for the playoffs next year.

Really want to see what we do at IOL, OLB and CB. If we can hit on all of those, the Vikings can be a pretty good team.

Piece of cake!

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think part of the reason KAM was slow to rework veteran deals is they wanting to change how the handle the cap.  Sure you can be stupid and continue to back load contracts and add void years and other shit to kick the cam down the road,  but eventually that can needs to be picked up and its typically not an easy task. 

Rick was always playing for today and wanting to pay tomorrow,  KAM seems to want to do more pay as you go,   but still has to try and meet the Wilfs expectations.,  so after seeing what the trade markets were like for the 2 elephants in the room,  as well as the costs of replacing them,  the decision was able to be made to stay the course and then it became time to make the moves to pay for the course they were handed without making the situation any worse than they have to.  

I dont like giving Cousins more money and control but if the wilfs demand no rebuild,  then thats what KAM had to do, but I see a little method to his madness and while frustrating as a fan,  I think he reactive approach right now night be the best path.   

He has retained 2 of our better talents at their positions, to meet the wilfs demands,  and really only added 1 bad year of cap spending.  It could have been much worse if they had really extended Cousins and Hunter both to longer term higher dollar deals that both parties are looking for.

Now,   the question for me is,  will hunter play on his deal or hold out?

He'll play due to the money he'll receive for doing so, or I should say the money he will lose if he doesn't show.  I think KAM was put in a bad position as well.  He is a "value" guy.  A lot of the guys coming off the board now are not "values".  They may be highly sought after, in fact "too" highly sought after to the point where the overpays aren't worth it.  I think he sits back and waits for the right guys at the right times, knowing that he also has to satisfy the Wilf's need to stay competitive.  Which, I think is kinda stupid, but I digress.  I think you give the guy the keys with the orders to have the QB position fixed and a playoff caliber team ready to roll in year 3.   

@"Waterboy" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think part of the reason KAM was slow to rework veteran deals is they wanting to change how the handle the cap.  Sure you can be stupid and continue to back load contracts and add void years and other shit to kick the cam down the road,  but eventually that can needs to be picked up and its typically not an easy task. 

Rick was always playing for today and wanting to pay tomorrow,  KAM seems to want to do more pay as you go,   but still has to try and meet the Wilfs expectations.,  so after seeing what the trade markets were like for the 2 elephants in the room,  as well as the costs of replacing them,  the decision was able to be made to stay the course and then it became time to make the moves to pay for the course they were handed without making the situation any worse than they have to.  

I dont like giving Cousins more money and control but if the wilfs demand no rebuild,  then thats what KAM had to do, but I see a little method to his madness and while frustrating as a fan,  I think he reactive approach right now night be the best path.   

He has retained 2 of our better talents at their positions, to meet the wilfs demands,  and really only added 1 bad year of cap spending.  It could have been much worse if they had really extended Cousins and Hunter both to longer term higher dollar deals that both parties are looking for.

Now,   the question for me is,  will hunter play on his deal or hold out?

He'll play due to the money he'll receive for doing so, or I should say the money he will lose if he doesn't show.  I think KAM was put in a bad position as well.  He is a "value" guy.  A lot of the guys coming off the board now are not "values".  They may be highly sought after, in fact "too" highly sought after to the point where the overpays aren't worth it.  I think he sits back and waits for the right guys at the right times, knowing that he also has to satisfy the Wilf's need to stay competitive.  Which, I think is kinda stupid, but I digress.  I think you give the guy the keys with the orders to have the QB position fixed and a playoff caliber team ready to roll in year 3.   

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Waterboy" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think part of the reason KAM was slow to rework veteran deals is they wanting to change how the handle the cap.  Sure you can be stupid and continue to back load contracts and add void years and other shit to kick the cam down the road,  but eventually that can needs to be picked up and its typically not an easy task. 

Rick was always playing for today and wanting to pay tomorrow,  KAM seems to want to do more pay as you go,   but still has to try and meet the Wilfs expectations.,  so after seeing what the trade markets were like for the 2 elephants in the room,  as well as the costs of replacing them,  the decision was able to be made to stay the course and then it became time to make the moves to pay for the course they were handed without making the situation any worse than they have to.  

I dont like giving Cousins more money and control but if the wilfs demand no rebuild,  then thats what KAM had to do, but I see a little method to his madness and while frustrating as a fan,  I think he reactive approach right now night be the best path.   

He has retained 2 of our better talents at their positions, to meet the wilfs demands,  and really only added 1 bad year of cap spending.  It could have been much worse if they had really extended Cousins and Hunter both to longer term higher dollar deals that both parties are looking for.

Now,   the question for me is,  will hunter play on his deal or hold out?

He'll play due to the money he'll receive for doing so, or I should say the money he will lose if he doesn't show.  I think KAM was put in a bad position as well.  He is a "value" guy.  A lot of the guys coming off the board now are not "values".  They may be highly sought after, in fact "too" highly sought after to the point where the overpays aren't worth it.  I think he sits back and waits for the right guys at the right times, knowing that he also has to satisfy the Wilf's need to stay competitive.  Which, I think is kinda stupid, but I digress.  I think you give the guy the keys with the orders to have the QB position fixed and a playoff caliber team ready to roll in year 3.   

Thats a real tough sell to season tix holders...

We have 4 of em. I dont want to drop $12k on a 3 year plan. 

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Waterboy" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think part of the reason KAM was slow to rework veteran deals is they wanting to change how the handle the cap.  Sure you can be stupid and continue to back load contracts and add void years and other shit to kick the cam down the road,  but eventually that can needs to be picked up and its typically not an easy task. 

Rick was always playing for today and wanting to pay tomorrow,  KAM seems to want to do more pay as you go,   but still has to try and meet the Wilfs expectations.,  so after seeing what the trade markets were like for the 2 elephants in the room,  as well as the costs of replacing them,  the decision was able to be made to stay the course and then it became time to make the moves to pay for the course they were handed without making the situation any worse than they have to.  

I dont like giving Cousins more money and control but if the wilfs demand no rebuild,  then thats what KAM had to do, but I see a little method to his madness and while frustrating as a fan,  I think he reactive approach right now night be the best path.   

He has retained 2 of our better talents at their positions, to meet the wilfs demands,  and really only added 1 bad year of cap spending.  It could have been much worse if they had really extended Cousins and Hunter both to longer term higher dollar deals that both parties are looking for.

Now,   the question for me is,  will hunter play on his deal or hold out?

He'll play due to the money he'll receive for doing so, or I should say the money he will lose if he doesn't show.  I think KAM was put in a bad position as well.  He is a "value" guy.  A lot of the guys coming off the board now are not "values".  They may be highly sought after, in fact "too" highly sought after to the point where the overpays aren't worth it.  I think he sits back and waits for the right guys at the right times, knowing that he also has to satisfy the Wilf's need to stay competitive.  Which, I think is kinda stupid, but I digress.  I think you give the guy the keys with the orders to have the QB position fixed and a playoff caliber team ready to roll in year 3.   

Thats a real tough sell to season tix holders...

We have 4 of em. I dont want to drop $12k on a 3 year plan. 

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Waterboy" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think part of the reason KAM was slow to rework veteran deals is they wanting to change how the handle the cap.  Sure you can be stupid and continue to back load contracts and add void years and other shit to kick the cam down the road,  but eventually that can needs to be picked up and its typically not an easy task. 

Rick was always playing for today and wanting to pay tomorrow,  KAM seems to want to do more pay as you go,   but still has to try and meet the Wilfs expectations.,  so after seeing what the trade markets were like for the 2 elephants in the room,  as well as the costs of replacing them,  the decision was able to be made to stay the course and then it became time to make the moves to pay for the course they were handed without making the situation any worse than they have to.  

I dont like giving Cousins more money and control but if the wilfs demand no rebuild,  then thats what KAM had to do, but I see a little method to his madness and while frustrating as a fan,  I think he reactive approach right now night be the best path.   

He has retained 2 of our better talents at their positions, to meet the wilfs demands,  and really only added 1 bad year of cap spending.  It could have been much worse if they had really extended Cousins and Hunter both to longer term higher dollar deals that both parties are looking for.

Now,   the question for me is,  will hunter play on his deal or hold out?

He'll play due to the money he'll receive for doing so, or I should say the money he will lose if he doesn't show.  I think KAM was put in a bad position as well.  He is a "value" guy.  A lot of the guys coming off the board now are not "values".  They may be highly sought after, in fact "too" highly sought after to the point where the overpays aren't worth it.  I think he sits back and waits for the right guys at the right times, knowing that he also has to satisfy the Wilf's need to stay competitive.  Which, I think is kinda stupid, but I digress.  I think you give the guy the keys with the orders to have the QB position fixed and a playoff caliber team ready to roll in year 3.   

Thats a real tough sell to season tix holders...

We have 4 of em. I dont want to drop $12k on a 3 year plan. 

are you saying that in all the years of owning season tickets you have gone into the season thinking they would be competitive?  and by competitive I mean a legit shot to make some real noise in January,  not this belief that if the team somehow manages to make the playoffs that the season can be considered a success.

I am of the mindset that sometimes you gotta break some eggs if you want an omlet, Ive had a lot of omlets in my life,  imagine what needs to be broken for the Vikings to win a Lombardi.

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Waterboy" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think part of the reason KAM was slow to rework veteran deals is they wanting to change how the handle the cap.  Sure you can be stupid and continue to back load contracts and add void years and other shit to kick the cam down the road,  but eventually that can needs to be picked up and its typically not an easy task. 

Rick was always playing for today and wanting to pay tomorrow,  KAM seems to want to do more pay as you go,   but still has to try and meet the Wilfs expectations.,  so after seeing what the trade markets were like for the 2 elephants in the room,  as well as the costs of replacing them,  the decision was able to be made to stay the course and then it became time to make the moves to pay for the course they were handed without making the situation any worse than they have to.  

I dont like giving Cousins more money and control but if the wilfs demand no rebuild,  then thats what KAM had to do, but I see a little method to his madness and while frustrating as a fan,  I think he reactive approach right now night be the best path.   

He has retained 2 of our better talents at their positions, to meet the wilfs demands,  and really only added 1 bad year of cap spending.  It could have been much worse if they had really extended Cousins and Hunter both to longer term higher dollar deals that both parties are looking for.

Now,   the question for me is,  will hunter play on his deal or hold out?

He'll play due to the money he'll receive for doing so, or I should say the money he will lose if he doesn't show.  I think KAM was put in a bad position as well.  He is a "value" guy.  A lot of the guys coming off the board now are not "values".  They may be highly sought after, in fact "too" highly sought after to the point where the overpays aren't worth it.  I think he sits back and waits for the right guys at the right times, knowing that he also has to satisfy the Wilf's need to stay competitive.  Which, I think is kinda stupid, but I digress.  I think you give the guy the keys with the orders to have the QB position fixed and a playoff caliber team ready to roll in year 3.   

Thats a real tough sell to season tix holders...

We have 4 of em. I dont want to drop $12k on a 3 year plan. 

@"pattersaur" said: “The cap is a myth”

”Kwesi can’t make big moves because Rick screwed up the cap”

Which is it?

If you have no players willing to redo contracts to offset how the money is paid out, it is real. If you have players willing to restructures it's a myth. You cant honestly look at the Saints clearing $100 million in cap space in three weeks while cutting no one, and say with a straight face the cap is in any way what it used to be. 

There are ways to circumvent the cap, teams can structure contracts w/ built in restructure language that does not even require the players consent. But again, at some point you have to pay the fiddler. The Saints have over 29m in dead money this season, they may not have cut anyone, however they also aren’t signing 29m worth of players, & on the same token the Vikings have nearly 23m of dead money.

@"bigbone62" said:

@"pattersaur" said: “The cap is a myth”

”Kwesi can’t make big moves because Rick screwed up the cap”

Which is it?

If you have no players willing to redo contracts to offset how the money is paid out, it is real. If you have players willing to restructures it's a myth. You cant honestly look at the Saints clearing $100 million in cap space in three weeks while cutting no one, and say with a straight face the cap is in any way what it used to be. 

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think the optimism for KOCs offense is a little over the top,  yes we have the skill players,   but all the excuses made about offensive shortcoming in the past that centered on the lack of the OC having never had play calling duties some how is not going to be an issue with KOC?  Or somehow our OLine issues are going to go away because Zimmer isn't brow besting those that can't anchor in pass pro or get any push in run blocking?  Our O could be as big a mess as our D next year.

But at least we made a change so eventually we could/should see improvement. 

Dude, if we as Viking fans don't have optimism WTF do we actually have?  Its not like we can point to the trophy case and brag!!!!

@"AGRforever" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said: I think the optimism for KOCs offense is a little over the top,  yes we have the skill players,   but all the excuses made about offensive shortcoming in the past that centered on the lack of the OC having never had play calling duties some how is not going to be an issue with KOC?  Or somehow our OLine issues are going to go away because Zimmer isn't brow besting those that can't anchor in pass pro or get any push in run blocking?  Our O could be as big a mess as our D next year.

But at least we made a change so eventually we could/should see improvement. 

Dude, if we as Viking fans don't have optimism WTF do we actually have?  Its not like we can point to the trophy case and brag!!!!

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"bigbone62" said:

@"pattersaur" said: “The cap is a myth”

”Kwesi can’t make big moves because Rick screwed up the cap”

Which is it?

If you have no players willing to redo contracts to offset how the money is paid out, it is real. If you have players willing to restructures it's a myth. You cant honestly look at the Saints clearing $100 million in cap space in three weeks while cutting no one, and say with a straight face the cap is in any way what it used to be. 

Saints did release a handful of players, but they achieved most of that through restructures.

Either way, I agree that the cap not this inflexible albatross so many think it is. Teams are also much more willing to push money onto future years because of how much the cap is going to increase, especially if they think they're in a "window." And lets face it, with parity the way it is, all but maybe 6 or 7 teams think they're in their window. And they're not really wrong.