Mind Character

Damnn. I had the following info early yesterday and a post (below the line) in the post editor queue thing but wasn't able to finish and send it this morning as I've been swamped at work. Disregard all the wrong stuff about how "it's still likely to be official soon" blah blah blah as the news that Paton's withdrew from consideration has since been reported; however, the post included many conveyed info nuggets that point to what gave Paton pause amongst other things. One of the viking's staffers and my fam have a strong relationship going back 14 years. When the same information inevitably comes out in media follow-up stories from "insiders," I had it first. ------------------- Info & Developments on the GM Search: (info conveyed as of mid-day yesterday). It's still likely to be done officially b/c of the 3 main parties all moving in the same direction (Stefanski, Paton, & DePo), but there was/is a problem during the 2nd in-person formal meeting that has given pause to Paton though one of the primary people set to come with him is optimistic that things will be resolved. 1.) Within 48-72 hours after the first interview, Paton (and Stefanski) were led to fully believe that the job was (Paton's) unofficially, and that multiple video teleconference and phone conversations would occur before the 2nd official in-person meeting set to further come to agreement on Paton's desired structural/organizational adjustments to the sports performance, salary cap, and sports psychology departments and roles. 2.) Paton's perception was that everyone left the 1st meeting thinking that there was surprisingly a good fit with him and DePodesta as well as others in the personnel and personnel support departments. The core issues were able to be talked through headed toward resolution. It was at some point thereafter the 1st meeting that Paton informed two Vikings personnel members set to come with him of his intention to accept the official offer pending contract and structural finalization when it was assumed to be presented. 3.) However, Paton felt the tone and vibe was starkly different and less committal during the 2nd meeting with JW and Chris Cooper rehashing prior thoroughly discussed points leaving Paton to be caught off-guard and assume that something changed drastically and that the flow of questioning and tone seemed as if the search team had their eyes set on someone else. Jimmy Haslam sat back and was not engaging. From Paton's perception Stefanski and DePodesta looked bewildered by the change in tone as well as they tried to steer things back on track. Throughout the day there were individual meetings amongst members on the search committee and support staff as well as with Paton and individual members of the search committee. As the day went on, the energy and consensus conversations shifted back to a feeling from Paton's perspective that things could still work out, but it was made clear that he no longer had an informal offer, he wasn't the lead for the position, and the decision-makers would need to think through his proposed changes. 4.) The out of nowhere and stark change in commitment and the seemingly aggressive shifts in mentality and demeanor drained Paton of his excitement and newly-forming trust. He has since put the vikings staffers in a holing pattern, informed them that he'll let them know his decision soon, and if it's a go he would be seeking an additional year of commitment from Browns ownership for his key staffers. He's also seeking a 6-year contract and a revision of Stefanski's contract to be amended to include additional year along with key commitment detailed in writing. 5.) Even with all of this, the viking staffer is cautiously optimistic that Paton, he, and another will be headed to the Browns soon officially. Customarily, Paton pulls his name out of consideration after 2nd interviews when he feels things aren't right (he's done so 3 times), but he hasn't done so yet because of Stefanski and DePodesta efforts along with the quality of discussions during the 1st and many other conversations that occurred before the 2nd meeting. There's also been some work done post-2nd meeting to assure Paton he's still highly coveted. 6.) I asked "what are the vikings staffers' percent chance that it still gets done"? The Answer: "They say George is 90% in still. He loves Stefanski and thinks he'll work well not just with Paul but others in the organization as well. George feels as though the Browns are only 60%-70% in. My guess is that it still happens as both sides have come too far, and it's a norm for various parts of ownership or search committees to be two foot in and two feet out at various points out throughout the hiring process."

@Horseunit Man.. it always sucks to think that you've found a hidden gem while evaluating guys just to see the whole world get told about them during all star bowl and draft process season. Now, NFL scouts have been on a lot of these guys going back years of course I loved Deguara and evaluated him as a do everything TE/FB/HB prospect to pick in the 7th. Chinn had special tape, and I had him as one of my guys in the 5th, but he also wasn't asked to do a lot often in terms of safety responsibilities.

Jedrick Willls Jr., OT Alabama + Robert Hunt, RT Louisiana-Lafayette. PGAD spreads throughout the City .. Societal functions come to a halt because the masses cannot even walk due to PGAD (Persistent genital arousal disorder) The Dream of Dreams .... 1st time in forever two rookie starters get elected to the Pro-Bowl year 1 ... ... ehh ... who am I kidding... we're going to take Grant Delpit at 10 to the grand applause of the masses...

"Fake News" is a co-opted term used to distort reality in the very same way as the "media" entities the term supposedly intends to critique. The less co-opted term Propaganda still possesses most of its non-politicized/weaponized meaning. CNN is a dutiful propaganda arm of the military-industrial complex, the duopoly forever war party, and the corporate-imperialist State. As is the 'fair and balanced' media entity I have no doubt that you love; as is the 'lean in' media entity I have no doubt that you hate. Daniel Jeremiah's statements on Tristan Wirfs begin around the 5:30 mark of the video on NFL.com. Shortly thereafter, Jeremiah indeed as I paraphrased says that Wirfs has 'struggles in space.' He also goes on to categorize him as a Guard. At the end of the day, Jeremiah's evaluations are no different than anyone else's as they can be flawed and incorrect. Now that he's in the captain's chair of the top NFL Network Draftnik, he may be passing along the opinions of others around the league that Wirfs is a Guard not a Tackle or just his personal eval.

He's always been the one... So many WRs... we have to take one.. I had Pittman being overlooked and available in the 2nd with the value being too much to pass on him. He's worth it. A year from now we have no clue what will happen with OBJ or Jarvis. We also don't know the quality of future WR drafts pools. When an evaluator has the degree of belief in so many prospects within a given positional group to become quality starters, we have to select one.

Good call on Jefferson. He's been getting wild at the Senior Bowl.

Transitioning from one to the other always involves an adjustment period. It's clear that Wills has the athletic ability to switch. By all accounts he loves the game, is a diligent worker to grow his game, and has the mental acumen to process the game. As long as Wills can pass all the workmen character, grit, and mental acuity tests, background checks, and interviews he's the clear # 1 and he'll be just find with the LT transition if necessary.

Daniel Jeremiah with a wild Mock Draft that's going to start to set people's beliefs regarding prospects. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001097592/article/daniel-jeremiah-2020-nfl-mock-draft-10-four-qbs-in-top-15 Wild Highlights: 1.) Mekhi Becton the 1st Tackle off the Board going 4th to the Giants 2.) Tristan Wirfs "slide him inside at Guard; he struggles in space; all pro-Guard." 3.) We miss out on the best Tackle in the draft Wills but Andrew Thomas is available for us at 10. 4.) K'Lavon Chaisson goes 11th as 34-OLB. Many of us have called him a LB for a long time and in a 34 it maximizes his athleticism, but 11th is wild. 5.) Jordan Love goes before Justin Herbert. 6.) What I thought was a sure-fire late round value guy Patrick Queen, LB LSU shows up in the 1st round top 20. 7.) "My Stand on the Table Guy" Ross Blacklock goes 27th in the 1st which means the dream of him going to us in the 3rd doesn't exist as opinion in some circles around the league. 8.) "My Stand on the Table Guy" Zach Baun, LB Wisconsin unfortunately is projected in the 1st round. I was hoping we could get him in the 3rd. ------ I know some of us see Wills as OT1 while others see Andrew Thomas as OT1. I also know soon opinions will trend toward seeing Becton as OT1. I'm team trade-up for Jedrick Wills Jr., and I will be until the day of the draft. Perfect ZBS Tackle; Amazing MBS Tackle. If not Wills Jr., I'm team trade down for future and present draft capital while targeting immediate impact starters along the way.

Indeed good point. I did a quick scan overall DVOA without looking at it closely. However, looking closer does reveal some interesting things as well. Not fatal nor do I have a clue what the coaching versus non-coaching factors in the outcome were, but there is a seesaw trend in Woods' defense from year to year that wasn't there in Phillips' or Del Rio's defenses; that is, the pass and run game take turns being bad. Interestingly, if the weighted values are comparable (more negative/more magnitude of value means better defense), Woods' 15th ranked pass defense was of a lesser quality than Phillips' 21st ranked run defense. That may just mean that overall relative to peers in that year that the passing defense overall around the league was better in Woods 2017-2018 (+8.2 value) season compared to the relative run game defense around the league in Phillips' 2016-2017 year (-3.8 value). 2014-2015 -- Del Rio: 5th in pass and 3rd in run (4th Overall; 3rd Toward the End of the Season), but the Weighted Value Suggest that they were playing at a # 3 overall DVOA efficiency level by season's end. 2015-2016 -- Phillips: 1st in pass and 4th in run (1st Overall; 1st Toward the End of the Season); the Weighted Value Suggest that they were playing at a # 1 overall DVOA efficiency level by season's end. 2016-2017 -- Phillips: 1st in pass and 21st in run (1st Overall; 1st Toward the End of the Season); the Weighted Value Suggest that they were playing at a # 1 overall DVOA efficiency level by season's end. 2017-2018 -- Woods: 15th in pass and 3rd in run (10th Overall; 11th Toward the End of the Season); the Weighted Value Suggest that they were playing at a #3 overall DVOA efficiency level by season's end. 2018-2019 -- Woods: 4th in pass and 16th in run (5th Overall; 5th Toward the End of the season); , the Weighted Value Suggest that they were playing at a #5 overall DVOA efficiency level by season's end.

I didn't even factor in the fact that he'll be a UFA and could bring back a quality Comp Pick if he can ball out a little bit. Good point. Cutting him now without a free agent replacement or draft pick in place would be the worst decision as we're not up against the cap to the point where that 15mil can help us with any immediate issues. We'd then be more pressed to go need in the draft Now, should we cut him after the draft before his salary becomes guaranteed as a vested veteran, if we have a solution in place? Sure. If not, even getting a 5th round comp. pick would be a win.

We should all be sending positive vibes to Justin Herbert all week so that his Senior Bowl performance pushes Jedrick Wills Jr. to us.

Not bad at all. DVOA numbers tell an important part of the story. On-the-ground stories about Woods suggest that he's a quality and even high quality defensive coach. My only thing though is that the Denver Defense was 1st in DVOA Defensive Efficiency the year before Woods took over when Wade Phillips led the way. The following year they go to 10th which is a huge drop before then experiencing an upswing back to 5th which was promising for Woods. As I didn't watch them closely, it would be interesting to know what were the factors that contributed to fall-off from 1st to 10th and what if any part coaching versus non-coaching decisions led to the outcome.

Indeed, you're right. Prospects often shut-down their workouts whenever they get a promise. However, the idea that we needed a workout in order to draft a guy is frustrating as many top prospects never workout or even meet with teams.. All the stories and buzz around Sexton were that he came into the workout when morale was down and "uplifted everyone and lit the whole organization up." Stories abounded about how Altman and Gilbert felt his electricity and loved his work ethic. It was a feel good story, but really irrelevant when it comes to finding a longterm piece to build around. Sexton's issues were always how he plays and sees the game when on the floor with others not how he looks in an individual or small group work-out. We should've been confident selecting SGA workout or not, especially if the scouting was done right. I loved Sexton's mentality and athleticism coming out, but he was never going to grow behind playing with blinders on and he was never going to a acquire a next level feel for the game.

As it stands, it sounds like Paton's is likely going to elevate staffers Scott Kuhn and Jamaal Stephenson from the Vikings to the Browns staff if Spielman will let them go. Will be solid quality top exec hires under Paton though Stephenson though both are thought to likely receive major promotions and incentives to stay with the VIkings (their contracts aren't up yet either). Ryan Monnens who was the scout that found Adam Theilen is one of Paton's favorites, but has apparently already decided to stay with the Vikes beyond draft season during the contract renewal period.

George Paton having a 2nd interview means absolutely nothing in and of itself. Those thinking it's a done deal because they brought him back don't know that Paton has withdrawn himself from consideration 3 times after 2nd interviews when he was the lead candidate. He's going to be our GM because apparently he was able to work through things to his liking in the 1st interview which usually doesn't happen in depth until the 2nd interview. To me, the interesting question will be what becomes of Eliot Wolf, and who becomes Paton's #1 and #2 execs. Unlike coaches that stay at an organization a long time, staying at one organization as a personnel exec for an extended period of time often means that personnel exec doesn't collaborate and work with a diverse set of personnel execs.

To keep or cut Olivier Vernon Calculation (i.e., Can we readily replace him this off-season?): 1.) Is there a potential quality starting DE available where we select in round 1 and 2? -- Answer: Round 1 maybe (AJ Epenesa; Julian Okwara); Round 2 maybe if Okwara falls. 2.) If so, is it worth selecting those players over other players at 10th overall and 42 overall? -- Answer: No, Epenesa is a nice prospect but there's a lot of question marks so it would not be worth it at 10th overall to take Epenesa over the premium OTs, or even other better prospects at less needy positional groups like CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Javon Kinlaw, Krisitan Fulton, Derrick Brown, or Isaiah Simmons. --- It may make more sense if we traded down some then selected the DEs. At 42 overall, a Okwara selection over likely other more quality player OLineman and other positions will make it a tough call. How good is Okwara anyway? Is he really a longterm solution we want to spend a 2nd round pick on when we might be able to get a more sure-fire longterm solution at another position at 42? 3.) Are there quality starting DEs available in Free Agency? --- Yes, but at what cost? Free agency (https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/ufa/defensive-end/) --- We can go out and break the bank 54 Mil GTD or more for guys like Yannick Ngakoue or Jadaveon Clowney based on their market value projections. --- We can go out and Pay 30-34 Mil GTD for a guy like Robert Quinn. --- We could go budget shopping and pay 15 Mil to 30 Mil GTD with a cap hit over at least 2 years for Jabaal Sheard, Michael Bennett, Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson, Ronald Blair, or Emmanuel Ogbah. 4.) Is it likely we can/should replace Vernon in the draft? --- Doubtful. The value at 10 and 42 along with the quality of players available at this point seem to suggest it would not be a quality decision to spend that capital on a DE. 5.) Is it likely we can/should replace Vernon via free agency? -- Maybe, but would any of those players be longterm solutions? Would spending more GTD money and incurring bigger cap hits over multiple years be worth it relative to Vernon? 6.) So, what should we do? -- Keep Vernon as a 1-year bridge restructured deal to next year's draft and free agency, hope he's able to remain more healthy throughout the season, and cut him at the end of the year with no cap penalty.

Until he passes the Rite of the Nerds & the Analytics Trials we won't know for sure. Few men have come through such tests unscathed. ------------------ Live Look at DePodin in Analytoheim... setting up the Trials.... ------ Live look at Paton as we watch him enter the Arena ... ------------- A confident Paton ready to take on the trials.... --------------- Paton surviving Trial 1: "The Money-BALL" " ----------- Paton attempting to pass Trial 2 -- The Osweiler: "How to Steal a 2nd Round Pick for a Bag of Nothing" ------------------------- DePo's Final Trial Instructions.... ------------- Live look at Paton's Choice... -------------- The Rite of the Nerd has been successfully completed.... the Meathead is dead... Long live the Nerd.... ... Welcome our New Nerd King... George Paton...

I was actually joking man... lol ... hence the feigned sadness over the "lost", " ... dream of money-ball trade-downs forever is no more ..." as money-ball, trade-down forever is and has always been a mischaracterization of Paul DePodesta and Andrew Berry based in non-reality and misunderstanding of what analytics and their approach entails. Everyone's talk of Associated with analytics = Nerd; Not associated with analytics = Meathead has been a joy to watch for years. Just having a little fun saying goodbye to the "Nerd" Prince Andrew Berry. A sad day for the Nerds.

The Mingo comparison is not a good one because they had different play styles and Mingo was the superior prospect in all areas coming out of college. Chaisson isn't close to the edge-setter and forceful run stuffer as Montez Sweat was coming out of college. I don't see that skillset on tape at all. He's definitely going to be LB at the next level. We'll have to agree to completely disagree on this one as I don't see the good to potentially great you see. All I see is buttcheeks, and I'd be pissed if we spent a 1st or 3rd on him. If we do select him, let's hope you're right.

Huge loss not being able to retain Coach Walker, especially if we can't replace him with another quality coach with abilities beyond positional coaching. Not only a great coach and good person, but he puts out a lot of fires and rallies guys together at whatever team he works for.

Chaisson is buttcheeks and ineffectual as a DE. He'll be buttcheeks as a 34-OLB as well. He may be an effect 43-LB convert but he's not an instinctual quick processing guy. Whoever takes him will be pissing a high draft pick down the drain...

Not only have all signs pointed to Paton, he's already been hired, but it won't be announced until tomorrow am with the presser forthcoming as well. He's already informed at least 2 Vikings personnel members. Solid hire. Hope it works out. Nerds lost. Andrew Berry ... the dream of money-ball trade-downs forever is no more...

As long as you know you're trading up for a guard, then be at peace brethren... mock-draft bliss awaits thee... We still have 3 months for more insanity to ensue... what a time... No coach runs 1 thing all the time. I'm taking Hunt and Driscoll over Wirfs at Tackle regardless of scheme. Becton? If it's a man scheme, heads up 3/4ths of the time then I'd go Becton over Driscoll but I'm not so sure if I'd take him over Hunt.