I find it interesting to see how an NFL team is put together. Each general manager and coach has a different philosophy as to how it's done so each goes about it differently. Brad Childress came to the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 and he quickly made changes. He even brought in a new secretary. On the field, he brought in free agents Chester Taylor, Steve Hutchinson, Ben Leber, and Ryan Longwell in his first months on the job. Childress used free agency far more than any Vikings decision maker had before. It seemed that every other year the Vikings spent on experienced players. After that first spending spree in 2006, the Vikings traded for and paid a ton to Jared Allen. They added Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams in free agency. Childress found help in the draft as well but it was mostly at the top of the draft. His first round picks were lights out. Chad Greenway, Adrian Peterson, and Percy Harvin. The latter rounds offered little with only John Sullivan making an impact. Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, and Everson Griffen showed that the Vikings were strangely efficient at selecting defensive ends in the fourth round. The mixing of new veterans with some key draft picks created the dynamite Vikings team in 2009. Signing Brett Favre as training camp was getting underway certainly completed that team. It also made for a fairly aged team. It was a team that had to win when they had a chance. They didn't and the Minnesota Vikings team that Childress built fell apart in a hurry. It also cost Brad Childress his job.
Enter Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman. One of the unusual aspects of the Vikings decision makers now is that they were all part of the previous regime. Frazier as Childress' defensive coordinator and Spielman as VP of Player Personnel. It appears that Spielman and Frazier have a terrific working relationship. Spielman, as GM, makes the final decisions. Frazier, as head coach, puts the team on the field. They, as well as assistant GM George Paton, VP of football operations Rob Brzezinski, college scouting director Scott Studwell, the coaches, and the scouts are all on the same page. That wasn't always the case. The Vikings took advantage of the extra time forced upon them by the ridiculous lockout of 2011 by getting everybody working together. The scouts and coaches took that time to become more cohesive. Meetings became more efficient when each group knew better what the other needed. This made the group of people behind the team more of a team.
The Vikings also became a team much more dependent on the draft. Rick Spielman has made it clear that he will build the team through the draft. The Vikings will spend in free agency, if necessary. The signing of Greg Jennings this offseason shows that. Spending big on veteran free agents will be the exception. If Spielman is successful with his drafts, he won't need to spend heavily in free agency. The draft will be key going forward. That also makes the Vikings a very young team now. They currently have ten former first round picks on the roster. Five of those have come from the last two drafts. Over 2/3 of the training camp roster have less than four years of NFL experience. Spielman was promoted to GM in 2012. He may not have had the title for the 2011 draft but it's likely the draft was his in practice. His three drafts have been tremendous and make up the current core of the Minnesota Vikings. In 2011, eight of their nine selections are still on the roster. Christian Ponder, Kyle Rudolph, and Brandon Fusco make up over a quarter of the starting offense. Mistral Raymond has started at safety. The 2012 draft was simply nuts. Nine of the ten selections are on the roster. Matt Kalil and Blair Walsh ended their rookie season in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl. Harrison Smith will make it to Hawaii soon. Josh Robinson, Jarius Wright, Rhett Ellison, and Robert Blanton made significant impacts as rookies. Each will start in certain formations and defenses this year. Three first round picks, Shariff Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, and Cordarrelle Patterson, from the 2013 NFL Draft will impact this season and certainly future seasons. Jeff Locke has already locked up the punter job. Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti may form the future core of the linebackers. It would come as a real shock if fewer than six of the eight picks in the most recent draft made the 2013 roster. I've never seen three drafts so completely change the Minnesota Vikings roster. If the Vikings can win that final game, hopefully more than once, in the coming seasons, these drafts will be viewed in the same light as the fantastic Pittsburgh Steelers drafts of the early '70s. With this incredible influx of youth there is still a nice veteran presence in Minnesota. Kevin Williams is the oldest player on the team. He's only 32. Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, Brian Robison, and now Greg Jennings only seem old because there's so much youth around them.
There is a tremendous amount of excitement building around this Minnesota Vikings team. Most of that excitement is isolated in Minnesota. Much of the national media is still skeptical. Much of that skepticism is due to their views on quarterback Christian Ponder. If he performs to the level that confirms his first round selection, the Vikings could be in for a very successful season. Three successive drafts that, so far, look to be franchise-changers have stocked the team with talent. Right now, Rick Spielman's belief in the draft seems to be working.
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