Letting Matt Kalil walk was a game changer for Vikings
Over a long season, there is never one event or decision that can be credited or blamed with the year’s outcome, but if you were ranking reasons that the Minnesota Vikings’ season has gone much better this year than last, you would put the decision to sign Riley Reiff and let Matt Kalil leave in free agency at the top of the list.Shortly after Kalil signed a five-year, $55.5 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, he made comments insinuating the Vikings’ offensive line coaches had not pushed him hard enough.
“(Matsko) is the first guy I’ve played for that kind of demands excellence from his offensive line room,” Kalil told the Charlotte Observer.
But that excellence hasn’t shown up on the field this year as Pro Football Focus ranks Kalil 44th of 56 qualifying tackles in pass blocking. They have graded him positively in just three of 13 games. Cam Newton has been sacked 28 times this season. In Carolina’s key matchup with the New Orleans Saints, the 2012 No. 4 overall pick committed two key penalties
Meanwhile Reiff just gave up his first sack of the season on Sunday against Atlanta (and head coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that the sack wasn’t entirely on Reiff). Case Keenum has been sacked just nine times total.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/12/letting-matt-kalil-walk-game-changer-vikings/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Steaming mount McKinnie must have left an indelible impression on Door mat kalil. Only took the Vikings 3-4 too many seasons to come to their senses in letting him walk
I don't care for slideshows, but they are funny
"Matt kalil with two penalties in one play while still allowing cam to get hit? Elite"
Cam will need to wear Depends because Kalil will get the shit beat out of Newton...unless of course the Panther's OL coach demands excellence out of him...
Kalil has the last laugh because he got paid in Carolina....after getting a big contract as a top pick in the Draft with Minnesota. The team needed to and did move on. He stinks as an OT.
For a guy who's game essentially left town when his knees deteriorated after one year, he sure got paid a lot to be mediocre. The OL upgrade is the biggest Viking story this year even if Keenum is overshadowing it. And the game changer to me was cutting Boone in camp.
Boone was great for sound bites...other than that... he appears to be the polar opposite of Reiff...
I cant believe the put that sack on Reiff on Sunday, that was clearly a matter of him trying to block 2 guys at the same time and he rightly took the inside guy because Easton couldnt get out of his stance quick enough. IMO that sack should have been on Easton.
@"JimmyinSD" said: I cant believe the put that sack on Reiff on Sunday, that was clearly a matter of him trying to block 2 guys at the same time and he rightly took the inside guy because Easton couldnt get out of his stance quick enough. IMO that sack should have been on Easton.I think Zim said something similar...it wasn't all on Reiff...
But Tak is a pretty $@&)!:?! good young DE so absolutely no muther!#$@&?! problem if it was on Reilly...
@"comet52" said: For a guy who's game essentially left town when his knees deteriorated after one year, he sure got paid a lot to be mediocre. The OL upgrade is the biggest Viking story this year even if Keenum is overshadowing it. And the game changer to me was cutting Boone in camp.Exactly what I was thinking. Bye Kalil, Bye Bye Boone. Two awesome additions by subtraction.
“That’s a tight knit group over there,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “I really like the demeanor that they play with….I think that’s a lot of it. And ya know, you don’t have to be a rah rah guy to be a leader. You have to be able to do your job and people respect you and do what you say you’re going to do. That’s usually the litmus test.”I think that is the big difference between this years group and last year. Boone and Kalil were paid to be top players. Boone talked like he was. But the on-field result wasn't there. And so the respect wasn't there. And with Boone, it probably was even worse because he talked so much. The other linemen probably had trouble respecting them and the unit suffered.
@"JimmyinSD" said: I cant believe the put that sack on Reiff on Sunday, that was clearly a matter of him trying to block 2 guys at the same time and he rightly took the inside guy because Easton couldnt get out of his stance quick enough. IMO that sack should have been on Easton.Agreed. Or Elflein. Something was off, whether it was the call, or a back should have picked that up. The DT seemed to loop outside Easton leaving Reiff with two guys.
@"BarrNone55" said: Boone was great for sound bites...other than that... he appears to be the polar opposite of Reiff...Bingo. All talk and no walk.
@"Maple Surple" said: https://247sports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/ContentGallery/Matt-Kalil-of-Carolina-Panthers-trashed-by-fans-after-double-penalty-on-Sunday-111678663one tweet comparing Remmers and Kalil, the response was "One of them is on the best line in the NFL, the other is Matt Kalil."I don't care for slideshows, but they are funny
"Matt kalil with two penalties in one play while still allowing cam to get hit? Elite"
I think the other thing about cutting Boone was it sent a clear message that the staff and front office were in lock step...if you don't play up to snuff, we'll cut your ass and suffer the cap consequences...
Need to thank Carolina for making such a strong push to sign Matt. Word was the Vikings were willing to give Kalil another shot at LT. Thankfully, Carolina made him an offer he could not refuse.
@"dadevike" said: Need to thank Carolina for making such a strong push to sign Matt. Word was the Vikings were willing to give Kalil another shot at LT. Thankfully, Carolina made him an offer he could not refuse.I think Minny was in on a low offer for Kalil, kind of a we will keep you, but not at a level that will prevent us from replacing you if something better becomes available.
@"JimmyinSD" said:And that was what Kalil meant when he said Carolina demands excellence. He meant, they pay excellent.@"dadevike" said: Need to thank Carolina for making such a strong push to sign Matt. Word was the Vikings were willing to give Kalil another shot at LT. Thankfully, Carolina made him an offer he could not refuse. I think Minny was in on a low offer for Kalil, kind of a we will keep you, but not at a level that will prevent us from replacing you if something better becomes available.
@"Vanguard83" said: Hide your hats people
and hide your hat people as well.
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