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.
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On a unrelated note, Christian Ponder has updated his will and took out a big life insurance policy for the upcoming season.
Haha Norse, LMFAO again. But that could very well be true. Why do I keep hearing this voice saying "run Christian run"?
They were never going to brake the bank for a Guard. They are going to draft Kalil at 3 and move Johnson inside to guard where he belongs. Berger played better than Herrara did last year anyway, so I'ld say they are pretty much set for the starting 5 unless a draft pick or current guy plays better than expected. If those five guys stay healthy the line will be much better than it was last year. The contract the Bucs gave Nicks is crazy, they are paying him the money you expect upper level tackles to receive.
There are still a good amount of really good OLBs and ILBs available. There are also a few options at S and CB. Not so much at WR.
I expect that, if the Vikes make any more FA moves, it will be on defense for linebackers and the secondary. I think we'll see some news tomorrow.
It cracks me up! We're getting the same old lines that were dished out in the late '90s. They like to count retaining current players as FA signings. To paraphrase- 'people have to realize we gave contracts to Greenway and Sullivan, etc..'
They think we're stupid...