Posts tagged: Rick Spielman

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.

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.

Links Of The Week: Free Agency, Round 1 Edition

March 23, 2012, by 4 comments

We’ll start this thing off with something that happened yesterday that we really didn’t touch on here at VT… Tedd Ginn Jr. is staying with the 49ers.

Our ever-loquacious punter believes Jonathan Vilma should be banned from the NFL for life.

Rick Spielman seems to be trying to throw everyone off and put up smoke screens regarding our #3 pick. They are smoke screens, right? Right…?!

“In Attempt Not to ‘Spend to Spend,’ Vikings Seemingly Already Spending to Spend,” states this Vikings writer.

In the never-ending-stadium-story, it looks like the Vikings may be getting a sign-off by the Minneapolis City Council.

Over at KAB, our friends get a little crazy and question where the franchise would be had it used Rosenfels instead of Favre in 2010 (amongst many other things).

Do the referees deserve some of the blame for the bounties placed on Favre and how it affected the 2009 NFC Championship game?

Jared Allen thinks the Saints got what they deserved.

Chris Kluwe stands up for “snitches” and goes on (expletive-filled) Twitter rant.

Now, I don’t have any videos to show for the “moment of zen” that Adam typically does here… I do have a story though. (One I told Adam yesterday after he brought up his concern that WR prospect Stephen Hill reminded him of another ex-Viking who bolted up in the draft due to great workouts. He insisted that I try to fit this little story in somewhere and I guess right here is as good as anywhere.)

A few years ago, my family and I went to a buffet (they’re in every casino here in Vegas) around the corner for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Of course, I was in my big, purple, #28 jersey; I wore it proudly (the Vikes were hot stuff at the time). We all sat down and waited for our waiter to greet us and take our drink orders so we could be unleashed and pounce upon the endless spread of food. Our waiter came and this is the short exchange that followed:

“Good morning, I’m [Derek] and I’ll be your waiter this morning. Oh! You a Vikings fan?”

“Yep!”

“Cool! My little nephew actually used to play for the Vikings a while back.”

“Really?! Who was he?”

“Troy Williamson!”

“…”

“…”

“Oh, cool…”

“…”

“Iced tea, please.”

“Moment of zen?” I think not… And yes, Adam compared Stephen Hill to Troy Williamson. Hold your tongue, Adam!

Mock Draft Update

March 22, 2012, by 9 comments

This is just a quick note to let you all know that I have updated my 2012 NFL Mock Draft.

There are some major changes that might interest you, but the Vikings third overall selection has not changed, despite Rick Spielman’s best efforts to convince us he wants to select Morris Claiborne.

Click here to check it out, and feel free to question/criticize/praise my choices in the comments section.

Erin Henderson Takes To Twitter To Express Dissatisfaction

March 17, 2012, by 1 comment

If you visit our Tweet GRIDiron, you will quickly realize that free agent linebacker Erin Henderson is quickly growing unhappy with the Vikings attempts to retain him.

Henderson began the day by stating, “I wish I [could] speak freely on twitter…”

Then, probably against the wishes of his agent, Henderson proceeded to speak freely on Twitter.

Henderson went undrafted four seasons ago, but last year got a chance to start alongside his brother E.J. as the team’s weakside linebacker.  He also pulled some duties in the middle, when E.J. needed to be spelled due to injury.

“What’s crazy is I’m not even asking for big money,” Tweeted Henderson. “All I want is respectable money for what I’m asked to do…”

Henderson clearly plans on continuing to be a starter in the NFL, but it sounds like the toll it takes on his body is worth more to him than the $1.2 million he made in 2011.

“I got a taste of what it means to be a starting [linebacker]. [T]rust me if the money aint right it doesn’t make sense at all…” Henderson continued.

“In a nutshell… market value and franchise value aren’t always going to match,” Henderson said. “If someone can play [three] positions [for you], their value has to go up. … I watched every single [one] of my games from last [year] [ten times] over. I know what I’m worth.”

The Vikings have reportedly been in contact with Henderson’s agent at multiple points throughout the offseason, and they have expressed their desire to keep him on the roster, but there is currently no standing offer out there.

“Not to mention they [haven't] even [given] me an offer….” Henderson lamented on Twitter.

Henderson’s choice to vent his frustrations in a public setting may not be a wise one, and will be even less wise for Rick Spielman to respond in a public setting.

The truth is probably less sinister than some of the conspiracy theories floating around out there at the moment.  The free agency period has been very slow for the linebacker position, and much of the top talent is still available.  By all appearances, Henderson has yet to receive substantial interest from any other teams, and it is hard to blame the Vikings front office for holding tight and waiting to see where the market sets Henderson’s value.

The risk with this approach, of course, is that Henderson will grow so frustrated that he decides to ignore the Vikings moving forward and turns his attention from moving on from Minnesota.  Henderson’s risk, on the other hand, is that team’s will be turned off by his public rants and decide to pursue other talent… of which plenty is available.

Henderson needs to realize he isn’t the team’s only option to fill his shoes.  The Vikings, however, need to realize that solid talent only 25 years old is exactly what this roster needs now, and in the future.

The needs and wants seem mutual, and now we just need to see how the process plays out.

You Asked And I Try To Answer

March 17, 2012, by 5 comments

Friday evening I solicited questions from the audience and I will try to hit as many as I can in this segment.

A few of them were too silly to answer in this post, but I’ll try and match the silliness and reply to them in the comments section.

Here we go.

NORSEMAN66:  Is there going to be a live chat during the draft (each day)?

ADAM:  Yes!  Brett and I plan to host live chats here at VT for every selection of the 2012 NFL Draft and we are way excited!  Barring any last minute major changes, you can consider this a done deal.  One thing I might be interested in, though, is recruiting one or two of you to be a moderator during the chats to help out with the work load.  If you have interest, click the “Contact Us” tab at the very top of the page and let me know your availability that week.

BJOHNNY:  What are your thoughts on Speilman? Is he in over his head, clueless or a crafty genius?

ADAM:  Where is the “other” option, Johnny?  I think Spielman’s approach to free agency makes this year’s Draft even more important to him.  Building through the draft is regarded by almost everyone as the best way to put together a winning football team, but you still have to draft well to see those results.  Let’s wait and see how the Draft and the next few waves of free agency go (and maybe even a football game or two) before judging the approach too harshly.

Continue Reading →

Spielman Does Some Splainin’

March 14, 2012, by 5 comments

It has become clear that your average Vikings fan is frustrated with how Rick Spielman has conducted himself in the first 30 hours of so in free agency this offseason, which is his first as General Manager of the Vikings.

Wednesday, however, Spielman explained the team’s approach and strategy while urging the fan base to be patient.

“We’re going to be patient with this,” Spielman said. “We’re going to strike when we feel there’s a player out there that can help us win ballgames. The ownership has always given us the financial backing we need to go get players if we need to get them. But we’re also going to be very patient and prudent as we go through this.”

“I know plenty of our needs are going to be filled through the draft, but we are not done yet,” he continued.  “We are still looking at (unrestricted free agents) as we go along in this process, and we’ll continue to monitor that. There may be a couple guys coming in (for visits) over the next couple of weeks. We’ll continue to add players as we see fit.”

The media pressed Spielman on his conservative approach to free agency.

“I don’t think we’re a player or two away to go out and say you’re going to spend the money that’s being spent on all those players that have gotten contracts early,” he said.  “I think what we’re trying to do, again, is find some players that we think are going to be able to help us win ballgames that are going to contribute and then continually to build this through the draft and keep our draft picks and potentially add more draft picks and keep our roster competitive year in and year out that way.”

Spielman called tight end John Carlson a playmaker while revealing plans to move Letroy Guion to nose tackle, which gives you an idea as to what the thinking was behind those two signings.

Additionally, the Vikings are monitoring the status of Erin and E.J. Henderson, but there is very little urgency surrounding the linebacker position at this point.  As of this posting, not a single 4-3 outside linebacker has signed with a new team, and only a couple low-level middle linebackers are off the market.  Options are still there in this regard, and Spielman may have been wise in waiting for the big money to fly around and get some reasonable contract offers to these guys.

Overall, “patience” seems to be the word of the day.