Wilf's
The Max Winter group owned the Vikings during their hay days. There were those who tried to buy the Vikings but couldn't find the funding when they were up for sale. Roger Hendrick and Carl Pohlad bought the Vikings in the late 80's. Red McCombs bought them in '98. McCombs was only interested in making money and moving them to San Antonio.
The Wilfs bought them from Red and said they would keep them in Minnesota., and they did.
Not too long after that, just before the first game of the season, I had the opportunity to talk to Zygi Wilf. The conversation was brief and lasted about 5 minutes. But from that short conversation I was, and still am, absolutely convinced that he wants a championship above all else.
The Wilfs are fantastic owners that have invested significant capital in facilities, players, and coaches.
The reason they haven't quite achieved the results they desire is their quest to be innovative.
Their methods have been unique.
It started with the Triangle of authority. When that didn't work they decided to hire the coach that no other team would hire, Mike Zimmer.
Their outside the box, or innovative approach, continued when they hired a GM with little football knowledge and a head coach who had never called plays. Both lacked experience.
If I look back all those years ago when the 49'ers hired Shanahan as head coach and Lynch as GM, that was innovative and unique. But those guys knew football.
I can only hope the Wilfs take a more traditional path in their future hirings or maybe they can find a guy like Don Coryell or Bill Walsh who were ahead of their time. But KOC is not it. He's a real good coach and could get there, but he is still learning.
This will be my last post here. I have grown weary of know it alls who know nothing. If you take offense to that, then you are probably one of them.
SKOL Vikings.
hogjowlsjohnny wrote:
The Max Winter group owned the Vikings during their hay days. There were those who tried to buy the Vikings but couldn't find the funding when they were up for sale. Roger Hendrick and Carl Pohlad bought the Vikings in the late 80's. Red McCombs bought them in '98. McCombs was only interested in making money and moving them to San Antonio. The Wilfs bought them from Red and said they would keep them in Minnesota., and they did. Not too long after that, just before the first game of the season, I had the opportunity to talk to Zygi Wilf. The conversation was brief and lasted about 5 minutes. But from that short conversation I was, and still am, absolutely convinced that he wants a championship above all else. The Wilfs are fantastic owners that have invested significant capital in facilities, players, and coaches. The reason they haven't quite achieved the results they desire is their quest to be innovative. Their methods have been unique. It started with the Triangle of authority. When that didn't work they decided to hire the coach that no other team would hire, Mike Zimmer. Their outside the box, or innovative approach, continued when they hired a GM with little football knowledge and a head coach who had never called plays. Both lacked experience. If I look back all those years ago when the 49'ers hired Shanahan as head coach and Lynch as GM, that was innovative and unique. But those guys knew football. I can only hope the Wilfs take a more traditional path in their future hirings or maybe they can find a guy like Don Coryell or Bill Walsh who were ahead of their time. But KOC is not it. He's a real good coach and could get there, but he is still learning. This will be my last post here. I have grown weary of know it alls who know nothing. If you take offense to that, then you are probably one of them. SKOL Vikings.
I’m with you on the Wilfs, completely and have said as much to whomever wants to listen. Everything they’ve shown over the years points to owners who genuinely want a championship, not just a profitable franchise. I haven’t had the chance to meet them like you did, but their actions, keeping the team in Minnesota, investing heavily in facilities, staff, and players, back that up. You don’t spend the way they do if you’re content with mediocrity.
Where I think it’s fair to critique them is exactly where you landed: their willingness to try innovative or unconventional structures. Sometimes that’s forward-thinking, sometimes it’s learning the hard way. They’ve clearly been willing to trust people, open the checkbook, and swing big, even if not every swing has connected.
And on the board dynamic you mentioned… I feel that too, but not in here. Go to other boards and you'll quickly realize that this board is like rainbows and unicorns...a breath of fresh air. The constant negativity and certainty from people who see everything in absolutes wears thin fast. Some folks thrive on arguing, some push back for a while and then step away, and others just quietly disengage. I think most of us have been all three at different points.
At the end of the day, reasonable disagreement is part of fandom. What gets exhausting is the volume, not the debate. Appreciate your perspective and the history you shared; those kinds of posts are why some of us still come back.
SKOL.
hogjowlsjohnny wrote:
The Max Winter group owned the Vikings during their hay days. There were those who tried to buy the Vikings but couldn't find the funding when they were up for sale. Roger Hendrick and Carl Pohlad bought the Vikings in the late 80's. Red McCombs bought them in '98. McCombs was only interested in making money and moving them to San Antonio. The Wilfs bought them from Red and said they would keep them in Minnesota., and they did. Not too long after that, just before the first game of the season, I had the opportunity to talk to Zygi Wilf. The conversation was brief and lasted about 5 minutes. But from that short conversation I was, and still am, absolutely convinced that he wants a championship above all else. The Wilfs are fantastic owners that have invested significant capital in facilities, players, and coaches. The reason they haven't quite achieved the results they desire is their quest to be innovative. Their methods have been unique. It started with the Triangle of authority. When that didn't work they decided to hire the coach that no other team would hire, Mike Zimmer. Their outside the box, or innovative approach, continued when they hired a GM with little football knowledge and a head coach who had never called plays. Both lacked experience. If I look back all those years ago when the 49'ers hired Shanahan as head coach and Lynch as GM, that was innovative and unique. But those guys knew football. I can only hope the Wilfs take a more traditional path in their future hirings or maybe they can find a guy like Don Coryell or Bill Walsh who were ahead of their time. But KOC is not it. He's a real good coach and could get there, but he is still learning.This will be my last post here. I have grown weary of know it alls who know nothing. If you take offense to that, then you are probably one of them.
SKOL Vikings.
I hope you find your way back to the forum someday. I always like reading your takes.
There are definately two sides to the Wilfs as owners. Facilities, spending money on players, keeping the team in Minnesota...all great. The bad is everything else related to the actual football team. For reference, I wonder how that contract extension for Kwesi tastes after all the bad shit thats come out about him and the dysfunction within the organization. It makes the Wilfs look worse than they already do. They have proven they are incapable of making good football decisions and the best thing they could possibly do is bring in a respected consultant to help them identify the next GM and streamline that process. Admit to themselves that they have a problem with decision making (as confirmed by 21 years of ineptitude) and take it out of their own hands. From there, go take your naps in New Jersey and leave the actual business of football decisions in the hands of the general manager.
The other big issue with the Wilfs is this "competitive rebuild" philosophy, which is flawed, unrealistic, and it's gotten us nowhere. Sometimes teams need a reset/change in leadership, and in doing so you are going to take some lumps recordwise. The hope is in that process, it lands you a high enough draft pick to take a franchise quarterback (like a Drake Maye or Caleb Williams) and build the team around them.
To me, it's even between the good and bad with Wilf ownership. They want to win, we all do, but the sooner they take the decision making out of their own hands...the better
Sports can be nice diversion from the derision and division in the real world these days...I was trying to find one more word that began with "D" but ran out of brain power.
2024 was that for me.
I wont take it too seriously anymore. Just like I wont post on the Sensitive Topics forum any longer. No disrespect to anyone, but for me it was not something that was joyful or productive. Life taught me some hard lessons and life is too short for pursuit of non-joy.
It's not about venting or not, expressing a pov or not about the team. There is room for that, lots of room. But there is a fine line that gets crossed when it comes to respecting other posters and threads.
And yah, I see it elsewhere, not just here. You can expect it more when the team is way below .500 or at .500. Almost winning is purgatory lol!
C'mon back when the seasonal timing is right and topics present themselves. I dont always agree with you, but I always enjoy your perspective and posts OP
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
Sports can be nice diversion from the derision and division in the real world these days...I was trying to find one more word that began with "D" but ran out of brain power.2024 was that for me.
I wont take it too seriously anymore. Just like I wont post on the Sensitive Topics forum any longer. No disrespect to anyone, but for me it was not something that was joyful or productive. Life taught me some hard lessons and life is too short for pursuit of non-joy.
It's not about venting or not, expressing a pov or not about the team. There is room for that, lots of room. But there is a fine line that gets crossed when it comes to respecting other posters and threads.And yah, I see it elsewhere, not just here. You can expect it more when the team is way below .500 or at .500. Almost winning is purgatory lol!
C'mon back when the seasonal timing is right and topics present themselves. I dont always agree with you, but I always enjoy your perspective and posts OP
I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. I admire your patience.
Judd hits the nail on the head (24 minute mark) on the flawed philosophies of the Wilf's and their competitive mandates. You want to know why we've had no long term stability or sniffed much postseason success under the Wilf's? There you have it.
supafreak84 wrote:
https://youtu.be/2grEvYOJgIU?si=PQDxOHN64CEvAEI9Judd hits the nail on the head (24 minute mark) on the flawed philosophies of the Wilf's and their competitive mandates. You want to know why we've had no long term stability or sniffed much postseason success under the Wilf's? There you have it.
Now there's something you don't hear often.
supafreak84 wrote:
https://youtu.be/2grEvYOJgIU?si=PQDxOHN64CEvAEI9Judd hits the nail on the head (24 minute mark) on the flawed philosophies of the Wilf's and their competitive mandates. You want to know why we've had no long term stability or sniffed much postseason success under the Wilf's? There you have it.
Interesting takes in that it puts a lot of the QB decisions on KOC, which makes sense as I would find it hard to believe that KOC is not the one who ultimately made the call on the QBs or at least had the most input. But the bigger issue was not having a football guy as your GM with personnel experience who had the experience in challenging situations like we had with the decisions with Darnold. There was absolutely no excuse to hire Kwesi.
They are great owners who have done a lot for organization and city, however they need to do a better job of ensuring there are the right people running the team. I wonder if they have someone who they are consulting with who is just not the right earpiece for them.
MaroonBells wrote:
Now there's something you don't hear often.
He's not wrong about this. The Wilf's constant desire to be "competitive" and not moving players for draft capital, like Danielle Hunter, have done nothing for us. I know this makes the Wilf boys skin crawl, but sometimes you need to eat a shitburger season or two to reload and try to set yourself up to be relevant long term. We are all tired of "competitive" with no higher upside than a wild card exit. The Wilfs have continued the insanity with the late firing of Kwesi and this new version of the "Triangle of Authority." I mean, what could possibly go wrong here. My trust in Wilf decision making is a zero at this point and I hope the absolute roasting of them in the media continues. Only four teams have less playoff victories than the Vikings in the 21 years time period of Wilf ownership and decision making. They are deserving of every criticism they get.
JR44 wrote:
Interesting takes in that it puts a lot of the QB decisions on KOC, which makes sense as I would find it hard to believe that KOC is not the one who ultimately made the call on the QBs or at least had the most input. But the bigger issue was not having a football guy as your GM with personnel experience who had the experience in challenging situations like we had with the decisions with Darnold. There was absolutely no excuse to hire Kwesi.
They are great owners who have done a lot for organization and city, however they need to do a better job of ensuring there are the right people running the team. I wonder if they have someone who they are consulting with who is just not the right earpiece for them.
^^^
Stephen Miller
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
JR44 wrote:
I wonder if they have someone who they are consulting with who is just not the right earpiece for them.
Do you remember when they were conducting the coaching search that yielded them Zimmer? As lifelong Giants fans, they consulted with Bill Parcells before making their decision and it was probably the best decision of their ownership tenure. I think they should absolutely consult with a respected football voice before making any critical decisions going forward. Hopefully, they listen to that voice and can leave the critical decisions to the General Manager moving forward
MaroonBells wrote:
I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. I admire your patience.
LOL. What a joke. It's more about you having nothing to back up your viewpoints that isn't totally hypocritical than it is about a lack of patience on your part.
supafreak84 wrote:
Do you remember when they were conducting the coaching search that yielded them Zimmer? As lifelong Giants fans, they consulted with Bill Parcells before making their decision and it was probably the best decision of their ownership tenure. I think they should absolutely consult with a respected football voice before making any critical decisions going forward. Hopefully, they listen to that voice and can leave the critical decisions to the General Manager moving forward
They were Giants fans and Parcells seemed to be a guy they looked to for advice. Not sure what happened there.
Greylock wrote:
They were Giants fans and Parcells seemed to be a guy they looked to for advice. Not sure what happened there.
When you look over their 21 year history and all the poor decisions they have made, they really need all the help and advice they can get. They haven't figured it out and keep reverting back to the same old dysfunction, poor decision making, and flawed philosophies. I don't think they are ever going to figure it out (despite their best intentions), and I'd shed no tears if they decided to sell the team and go back to New Jersey
Waterboy wrote:
LOL. What a joke. It's more about you having nothing to back up your viewpoints that isn't totally hypocritical than it is about a lack of patience on your part.
https://leavingmaga.org/
https://cultrecovery101.com
wiviking wrote:
For this of us that come here to get away from politics, this is how a message board about football dies.
Some people keep trying to expand their precious little echo chambers...and insist that partisan propaganda is "news".
Prepare to see knotted panties.
KOC, JJM, Flores...make a good plan, or you'll be following Kwesi....
Wi is right.
Plenty of other political cesspools out there to wade around in.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Mattyman wrote:
It's called Wilfing, and they've been doing it for 20 years
Indeed. They are the core of the ineptitude.
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