Spielman Admits Ayodele Was A Mistake

March 26, 2012, by No comments yet

I always think it takes a big man to admit his mistakes.

On Sunday, Rick Spielman earned a point or two in my book by admitting that it was his mistake to sign defensive tackle Remi Ayodele following the NFL Lockout last offseason.

“That’s something where we made a mistake,” Spielman said, “and I’ll put that on me making a mistake, as far as making sure that the players that we sign fit the scheme that we’re trying to run.”

Ayodele was cut by the Vikings on March 21st, only hours after the NFL announced its plan to punish the New Orleans Saints and management involved in the “BountyGate” scandal.  Ayodele, of course, was a member of the Saints during the time under scrutiny, placed a very questionable hit on Brett Favre during the 2009 NFC Championship Game, and may face a suspension as a result.

Spielman, however, says that “BountyGate” had nothing to do with the decision to release him and instead was a result of him not fitting the scheme.

“It had nothing to do with the other circumstances,” Spielman said of Ayodele’s release.  “This was purely based on a decision that didn’t live up to the billing and how he would fit into the scheme like we thought he would. Then, when we were able to sign Letroy back and Fred Evans back, we felt those guys were a better fit in what we were trying to do defensively than what Remi was for us last year.”

It was reported last season that it was Spielman’s decision to bring in Ayodele while Head Coach Leslie Frazier preferred to see long-time Viking Pat Williams return.  Ayodele was ultimately signed to a three year deal worth up to $9 million.

Just prior to Ayodele’s release, the Vikings re-signed Letroy Guion and Fred Evans and hope to see them take command of the nose tackle position moving forward.

It is inevitable that an NFL General Manager is going to make mistakes.  It is a rarity to hear one actually admit to it.  The best thing Spielman can do, however, is to learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Compensatory Picks Coming Soon

March 25, 2012, by 8 comments

The power players within the NFL have converged on Florida this weekend for the NFL’s meetings and it should make for a news filled week.

Aside from talks of cheaters (Saints), more cheaters (Cowboys and Redskins), and rule changes we can expect to hear word in the next couple days regarding compensatory draft picks.

The picks are expected to be awarded Monday or Tuesday and most media outlets, and Rick Spielman himself, have long predicted that the Vikings will receive two fourth round picks for letting Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards go last offseason.

Since early December, I have instead been predicting the Vikings will actually receive three compensatory picks from the convoluted formula:  A fourth, a sixth, and a seventh rounder.

Soon, we should find out the real answer.

Next year, it isn’t looking likely that the Vikings will receive any compensatory draft picks.  Their unrestricted free agents are not in high demand and they have already signed tight end John Carlson to a substantial contract.  Steve Hutchinson and Cedric Griffin do not count in the Vikings favor, as they were released instead of seeing their contracts expire.

Spielman Talks Up Jasper Brinkley

March 25, 2012, by 3 comments

With long-time starter E.J. Henderson, the Vikings are leaving the door open to his return, but it seems more likely they move on.  In an offseason where free agent linebackers are, for some reason, getting treated like they have less value than punters, the Vikings have kept their distance from any of them.

One reason for that is that they have high hopes for third year player Jasper Brinkley.

Brinkley is 26 years old and missed all of 2011 when he had hip surgery in August.  He had played in all 32 games of the previous seasons, including taking Henderson’s place in 2009 following the leg injury that ended his season.

“When (Brinkley) did step in for E.J., he continued to get better and really started playing well — especially as we went through the playoffs and the more experience he got,” Spielman said from the NFL’s owner meetings.

“He started off very well last year (in training camp) and it’s a shame he got his hip hurt,” Spielman continued, “but we’ve got a lot of high expectations for Jasper coming back.”

Henderson, age 31, does not seem to fit into Spielman’s youth movement strategy employed this offseason and the most likely scenario is that Brinkley’s main source of competition will come from the 2012 NFL Draft.

For now, consider starting middle linebacker Brinkley’s job to lose.

Mock Draft Update, Version 3

March 25, 2012, by 3 comments

Just wanted to let everyone here know that I made some major changes to my mock draft including the final draft order, free agency pick-ups and trades. While the Vikings pick hasn’t changed, you all might be excited to see the corner backs that fall to the second round.

To view the mock draft, click here. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts, feedback, etc… in the comments.

Only 31 more days left until the draft -  April 26th just can’t come soon enough.

Large, Speedy DB Johnson To Visit

March 25, 2012, by 9 comments

The Vikings just got back their young, lanky, talented cornerback with off-the-field issues when Chris Cook was acquitted of his most recent troubles.

As it turns out, the Vikings want to take a closer look at a young, lanky, talented cornerback with off-the-field issues prior to April’s NFL Draft.

Montana defensive back (he could end up at either corner or free safety) Trumaine Johnson will reportedly take part in a pre-Draft visit with the Vikings.

At 6’ 2” and 204 pounds, Johnson ran a 4.50 forty time at the Scouting Combine.  At the Combine, he also had to answer questions about an October incident in which he was tased by police and arrested.  He was charged with obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

In addition to his big frame, Johnson has solid instincts as a ballhawk, and is a very solid tackler.  It is expected that Johnson will be targeted around the second or third rounds of the Draft.

In addition to Johnson, so far we know that the Vikings will meet prior to the Draft with offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, and safety D.J. Campbell.

Vikings “Excited” Chris Cook Will Be Back

March 25, 2012, by 7 comments

The Vikings took a fairly big gamble with how they handled Chris Cook and the allegations that he assaulted and attempted to strangle his girlfriend, causing him to miss a game against Green Bay while he was jailed for the incident.

Recently, Cook was acquitted of all charges and the Vikings appear ready to get him back on the field.

“We are very excited about getting Chris Cook back,” Rick Spielman said, “not only to help us on the football field, but we think Chris Cook is a very good person, and we really believe that he’s moving on and going to be a better person.”

“We’re pleased that this has all come to a resolution, and now we’re looking forward to what Chris has learned, and he’s looking forward to moving on,” Spielman said. “I know he’s grown from this experience. He was very proactive in doing some things and making sure that he’s going to be not only a better football player but a better person as well.

“Sometimes you have to go through some hard lessons to give you a wake-up call, if there was a wake-up call. But you go through some tough times sometimes, and sometimes coming out of those situations really makes you a stronger and better person.”

Cook is no stranger to misconduct.  His Draft stock took a hit when he was suspended at Virginia for academic reasons.  In May of 2011, a Virginia judge cleared him of any wrongdoing resulting from an incident in which he was accused of brandishing a firearm.  He latest acquittal ended with rumors that he was celebrating the “victory” at the same strip club that he visited the night the allegations were made.

Spielman sounds hopeful that his third year player will finally get his act together, but the pattern emerging here is not only more obvious, but growing incrementally more serious.  Cook has shown fans of the Vikings no reason to believe he is a changed man, other than shaving his dreadlocks, so hopefully behind closed doors at Winter Park he has really given Spielman and Frazier true reasons to place trust in him again.

If not, they may be short handed at cornerback on Sunday again in the near future.

Brad Culpepper: Vikes Were Coached To Hurt Quarterbacks

March 24, 2012, by 2 comments

My reaction to the Saints “BountyGate” scandal has been pretty measured, considering the venomous reaction from most Vikings fan, and I recently penned that I was merely glad it wasn’t the Vikings being accused of such heinous actions.

As it turns out, a former defensive lineman of the Vikings remembers a time in which he was instructed to hit opposing quarterbacks in such a way that they leave the game prematurely.

“If you pull on their arm and land on their shoulder, you can dislocate (the shoulder),” said Brad Culpepper.  “And then they’re out. We used to practice that, too.”

Culpepper played for the Vikings the two years prior to the 1994 season in which the team was constantly under fire from those around the league for their reputation as one of the dirtiest defensive lines in the NFL.

Defensive Line Coach John Teerlinck, Defensive Coordinator Tony Dungy, and Head Coach Dennis Green were all at the center of the controversy.

“We practiced techniques to injure players,” said Culpepper.

This is pretty damning evidence to support the notion that the Vikings of the mid-nineties were not the cleanest of football players.  There will be denials and there have been no accusations of bounties specically, and this is sure to be in the rear-view mirror soon enough, but it goes to further illustrate the point that the New Orleans Saints were simply caught playing dirty in a modern era that will not tolerate such actions.

As for Culpepper, he has now had his fun, and it seems likely that he’ll just go back to doing whatever it was he doing before feeling the need to get some random attention on an Orlando radio station.