Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM

[SemperFeist]

I do like the colleague rather than subordinate approach that Kwesi has taken towards his players. 

I know it’s always the type of management I’ve responded to the best. 

[Sad People]

23 hours ago, SemperFeist said:

I do like the colleague rather than subordinate approach that Kwesi has taken towards his players. 

I know it’s always the type of management I’ve responded to the best. 

One of the truest thing ive ever heard was "people done quit companies, they quit bosses" and it seems to be true for the old regime.

[swede700]

I've quit companies before, because how the managers manage, in some instances, flows down from the top.  Walmart fits that example to a tee.  I worked there for 6 months in my early 20s...I liked the direct manager I worked for, but the people above him were not the type of people I liked to work for, as they deflated any positivity I had and treated employees poorly.  And it was consistent across the country, as my ex-wife was treated similarly at a Walmart in Seattle and my mother the same up in Minnesota.  So, that to me, was the culture, not the specific boss.  So, I had to quit...I took less money to go back to a previous company that wasn't as toxic.

Zimmer's culture may have been needed initially, but it grew thin over time...this one may as well, but it's needed right now.  We'll see where it goes.

Edited September 13, 2022 by swede700

[vikingsrule]

13 minutes ago, swede700 said:

I've quit companies before, because how the managers manage, in some instances, flows down from the top.  Walmart fits that example to a tee.  I worked there for 6 months in my early 20s...I liked the direct manager I worked for, but the people above him were not the type of people I liked to work for, as they deflated any positivity I had and treated employees poorly.  And it was consistent across the country, as my ex-wife was treated similarly at a Walmart in Seattle and my mother the same up in Minnesota.  So, that to me, was the culture, not the specific boss.  So, I had to quit...I took less money to go back to a previous company that wasn't as toxic.

Zimmer's culture may have been needed initially, but it grew thin over time...this one may as well, but it's needed right now.  We'll see where it goes.

I don’t remember culture being as toxic under Childress or Frazier as it was Zimmer. You look at the common GM/front office guy during that time, Spielman, I think it ultimately starts with him and he was given too much leeway for some nice drafts in the early to mid 2010s. His drafts were mostly poor thereafter, outside of a few nice surprises like Jefferson, Cook and O’Neill, but not drafting a QB and not producing playoff success should have been reasons to move on sooner. I doubt it would have saved Zimmer but I know he didn’t see eye to eye (Cousins signing for example), seems that’s when things unraveled. Money was tight, Spielman’s poor drafts got exposed, and the roster became depleted. 
 

Ultimately, I’ve always felt the Wilfs are okay with mediocre and consistency as long as the boat isn’t being rocked, hence why they all got passes for all of these years.

Edited September 13, 2022 by vikingsrule

[swede700]

15 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

Ultimately, I’ve always felt the Wilfs are okay with mediocre and consistency as long as the boat isn’t being rocked, hence why they all got passes for all of these years.

That may be the case, but I'd rather have that than the Cowboys/Commanders situations or the Jaguars/Jets/Lions/Bears, et al.  While the Vikings haven't been elite, by any stretch of the imagination, they've been in the hunt as far as the playoffs for most seasons.  The NFL play, as a whole, has largely been mediocre in that time as well. 

I think the play is finally starting to pick up a little, but it's still not anywhere near where play was 20 years ago.  A lot of that has to do with the lack of offseason work by the O-Line (because they aren't prepared to play at the NFL level in college so they're behind the 8-ball when they get there) and the rules significantly favoring offense, but it's better.  I think that has allowed the Vikings to stay in the hunt despite having such a poor offensive line for the last decade.  

It's still early in the Kwesi era to see if his drafts can be better than Rick's were.  I don't believe, outside of the 2021 draft, that Rick's drafts were nearly as bad as some think, but there were some pretty bad ones (2016 and 2017 come to mind), and yes, that probably ultimately did him in.  If Kwesi can manage to build competent depth in the later picks, along with hitting on some of the higher picks, that would be a plus, because that's where Rick failed.  

Edited September 13, 2022 by swede700

[vikingsrule]

1 hour ago, swede700 said:

That may be the case, but I'd rather have that than the Cowboys/Commanders situations or the Jaguars/Jets/Lions/Bears, et al.  While the Vikings haven't been elite, by any stretch of the imagination, they've been in the hunt as far as the playoffs for most seasons.  The NFL play, as a whole, has largely been mediocre in that time as well. 

I think the play is finally starting to pick up a little, but it's still not anywhere near where play was 20 years ago.  A lot of that has to do with the lack of offseason work by the O-Line (because they aren't prepared to play at the NFL level in college so they're behind the 8-ball when they get there) and the rules significantly favoring offense, but it's better.  I think that has allowed the Vikings to stay in the hunt despite having such a poor offensive line for the last decade.  

It's still early in the Kwesi era to see if his drafts can be better than Rick's were.  I don't believe, outside of the 2021 draft, that Rick's drafts were nearly as bad as some think, but there were some pretty bad ones (2016 and 2017 come to mind), and yes, that probably ultimately did him in.  If Kwesi can manage to build competent depth in the later picks, along with hitting on some of the higher picks, that would be a plus, because that's where Rick failed.  

Always being in the hunt but never good enough is probably the worst spot to be if you’re unable to land a franchise QB. Vikes are in that grey area of not knowing if they have a franchise QB, but the same could be said for the Rams with Stafford and that worked out well for them. 

[vike daddy]

anyone else notice this guy does his job, but does it quietly in the background?

when's the last time he's even be interviewed or quoted...?

 

Spielman loved jabbering with the press.

[viking]

31 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

anyone else notice this guy does his job, but does it quietly in the background?

when's the last time he's even be interviewed or quoted...?

 

Spielman loved jabbering with the press.

I think he's still feeling the burn from his QB comments in the off-season

[SemperFeist]

3 minutes ago, viking said:

I think he's still feeling the burn from his QB comments in the off-season

This 

[Sad People]

9 minutes ago, viking said:

I think he's still feeling the burn from his QB comments in the off-season

I’m forgetting what did he say? 

[viking]

4 minutes ago, mattyice0401 said:

I’m forgetting what did he say? 

He said it's easier to win a Super Bowl with a Brady or a Mahomes. Pretty much taking a dig at Kirk

[Sad People]

1 minute ago, viking said:

He said it's easier to win a Super Bowl with a Brady or a Mahomes. Pretty much taking a dig at Kirk

Ahhh totally forgot about that. 
 

but he isn’t wrong, imo. Lol

[JDBrocks]

That looks really good - maximizing available resources. 25% of the roster for 12% of the cap to work around the roster he inherited, and most have been important contributors.

Edited November 2, 2022 by JDBrocks

[vikingsrule]

28 minutes ago, JDBrocks said:

That looks really good - maximizing available resources. 25% of the roster for 12% of the cap to work around the roster he inherited, and most have been important contributors.

Outside of Hicks and Smith, it’s not a very impressive list. Sure they are cheap and have contributed, but they are all replacement level players. Not a bad start, would rather add bargain free agents and build through the draft than trying to overpay. 

[JDBrocks]

13 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

Outside of Hicks and Smith, it’s not a very impressive list. Sure they are cheap and have contributed, but they are all replacement level players. Not a bad start, would rather add bargain free agents and build through the draft than trying to overpay. 

What? A quarter of the roster using less than 12% of the cap seems like a bargain to me? Who is overpaid here?