RIP Rondale Moore

This is supposed to be the time when we’re thinking about the Scouting Combine, that next mock draft, or your team’s new assistant defensive line coach. Silly, innocent stuff. Instead came the devastating news that Minnesota Vikings receiver Rondale Moore died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Statement from the Minnesota Vikings:

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rondale Moore. While we are working to understand 

the facts, we have spoken with Rondale's family to offer our condolences and the full support of 

the Minnesota Vikings. We have also been in communication with our players, coaches, and staff, 

and will make counseling and emotional support resources available to anyone in need. Our 

thoughts are with Rondale's family and friends during this devastating time."

Statement from Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell:

"I am devastated by the news of Rondale's death. While Rondale had been a member of the Vikings for a short time, he was someone we came to know well and care about deeply. He was a humble, soft-spoken, and respectful young man who was proud of his Indiana roots. As a player, he was disciplined, dedicated and resilient despite facing adversity multiple times as injuries sidelined him throughout his career. We are all heartbroken by the fact he won't continue to live out his NFL dream, and we won't all have a chance to watch him flourish. My prayers are with Rondale's family, friends, teammates and coaches as we all deal with this tragic news."

Statement from Jeff Brohm, Moore’s college coach at Purdue:

"Rondale Moore was a complete joy to coach. The ultimate competitor that would never back down to any challenge. Rondale has a work ethic that was unmatched by anyone. A great teammate that would come through in any situation. We all loved Rondale and we loved his smile and competitive edge that always wanted to please everyone he came in contact with. We offer all of our thoughts and prayers to Rondale and his family, and we love him very much!!!"

Nothing feels right at times like this. Thoughts, prayers, condolences can’t bring someone back. My thoughts, prayers, condolences are with and for his family, friends, teammates, everyone that knew Rondale Moore. Considering the suspected nature of his passing, there’s the “why?” of it all. Of all the sentiments posted by teammates, Hollywood Brown’s perhaps stings the most as he said that Moore “just messaged me a few hours ago.” The moments, hours, days before a tragedy like this are times that we wish we had back. As many have said since Moore’s passing: “Check in.” Check in on your loved ones, even liked ones. 

RIP Rondale Moore. 

Minnesota Vikings Coaching Ledger

Another week. Another entry in the Minnesota Vikings coaching ledger. So far this offseason, the Vikings have seen eight coaches depart Minnesota. 

Mike Pettine: Assistant Head Coach - retired

Michael Hutchings: Assistant DB Coach - swiped by Cal

Chris Kuper: Offensive Line Coach - contract expired 

Marcus Dixon: Defensive Line Coach - contract expired

Daronte Jones: DB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator - swiped by Washington Commanders

Imarjaye Albury: Assistant DL Coach - swiped by Texas Tech

Tony Sorrentino: Assistant Receivers Coach - swiped by Arizona Cardinals

Brian Angelichio: Tight Ends Coach/Pass Game Coordinator - swiped by Pittsburgh Steelers

The coaches that were swiped by other teams left for career advancement:

Michael Hutchings - Cal DC

Daronte Jones - Washington Commanders DC

Imarjaye Albury - Texas Tech Defensive Line Coach

Tony Sorrentino - Arizona Cardinals WR Coach

Brian Angelichio - Pittsburgh Steelers OC

The coaches with expired contracts quickly found new coaching homes:

Chris Kuper - Philadelphia Eagles OL Coach

Marcus Dixon - Dallas Cowboys DL Coach

To replace some of the departed coaches, the Vikings have hired five new coaches:

Frank Smith - Assistant Head Coach

Gerald Alexander - DB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator 

Ryan Nielsen - DL Coach/Run Game Coordinator

Derek Warehime - Assistant Offensive Line Coach

Kyle Caskey - Offensive Assistant

To fill two of the holes that resulted from the departures, the Vikings promoted from within.

Keith Carter - OL Coach

Ryan Cordell - Tight Ends Coach/Game Management Coordinator

By my estimation, the Vikings still have at least three coaching vacancies to fill.

Assistant Receivers Coach

Assistant Defensive Line Coach

Assistant Defensive Backs Coach

Again, the best news of this edition of the annual Minnesota Vikings coaching churn is that defensive coordinator Brian Flores signed a new contract. While he deserves another head coach opportunity, the longer he stays in Minnesota the better. 

Minnesota Vikings Current Player Personnel Structure

Three weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The timing was odd as it was about three weeks later than changes of such significance are typically made. Finding a new general manager in February and getting that general manager up to speed with a new team in time for free agency and the draft is a difficult deal. Rushing any of those important processes can be crippling. Despite the timing of the move, it was still surprising to many that Vikings ownership decided to put off the search for a new general manager to after the 2026 NFL Draft. I wasn’t all that surprised. When ownership named their interim general manager, I wasn’t surprised at all.

Rob Brzezinski has been with the Vikings since 1999. He’s been the team’s salary cap wizard for nearly all of those years. He’s probably the most respected person in the front office. When asked, Mark Wilf said that Brzezinski will be considered for the permanent general manager job. I’d be very surprised if Brzezinski is even interested. He’s been crushing his full-time job for going on 30 years. If being a general manager was ever an interest, he probably would’ve expressed it long before the job was forced upon him. In my opinion, Brzezinski is simply stepping up at a time of great need. He’s doing what he must do for the team. I see Brzezinski’s temporary role at the top of the team’s personnel structure as a unifier, a consensus-builder, an argument moderator. From top to bottom, the Vikings have a bunch of skilled talent evaluators. They are the people that really do all of the grunt work. It’s the general manager that brings it all together. I’ve heard some pundits question why assistant general manager Ryan Grigson wasn’t tapped to lead after the Adofo-Mensah firing. Grigson has general manager experience with the Indianapolis Colts. Since it would’ve kept Brzezinski in his primary role, it did seem to be the easiest transition. For some reason, I’m more comfortable with Brzezinski leading the room than Grigson. I liked Grigson’s scouting background as a balance to Adofo-Mensah’s analytics but, for some reason, I don’t really want him at front of the room. It will be a challenging time but I believe that the Vikings have the people to handle it. 

To further help Brzezinski for a couple of challenging months, the Vikings wisely hired recently-retired, former Seattle Seahawks cap guy Matt Thomas. With Thomas, Emily Badis, and whatever assistance they get from Brzezinski, the contract side of things will be in good shape. 

Every offseason is a challenging. The personnel structure tweaks that preceded this offseason make it even more challenging. Perhaps the timing could’ve been better but a change needed to be made. Better late than never. The Vikings can’t afford another unproductive draft. After a significant change, here’s a look at the Vikings current player personnel structure. 

Minnesota Vikings Current Personnel Structure 

Interim General Manager: Rob Brzezinski 

Senior Vice President of Player Personnel: Ryan Grigson

Vice President of Football Operations: Demetrius Washington

Director of Player Personnel: Ryan Monnens

Assistant Director of Player Personnel: Chisom Opara

Director of Pro Personnel: Sam DeLuca

Senior Personnel Executive: Jamaal Stephenson

Director of College Scouting: Mike Sholiton

Senior College Executive: Pat Roberts

National Scout: Sean Gustus

National Scout: David Williams

College Area Scout (Midwest): Jake Essler

College Scout: Blaine Gramer

College Scout: Matt Kelly

College Scout: Steve Sabo

College Area Scout (Northeast): Michelle Mankoff

College Scout/BLESTO: Jack Murphy

Pro Scout: Salli Clavelle

Pro Scout: Alex Dale

Pro Scout: Shane Normandeau

Senior Player Personnel Analyst: Taylor Brooks

Senior Football Operations Manager: Kaitlin Zarecki

Senior Manager of Football Administration: Emily Badis

Senior Manager of Family Engagement: Quinn Gjersvig

Football Quantitative Methods Senior Analyst: Chris French

Football Quantitative Methods Analyst: Cole Bransford

Director, Football Information Systems: Luke Burson

Database Administrator: Mike Desplenter

Football Information Systems Developer: Anthony Caron

Football Information Systems Developer: Derek McCormick

Football Administration Associate: Austin Lavitt 

Player Personnel Consultant: Paul Wiggin

Scouting Associate: Dabness Atkins

Scouting Associate: Brian Schnorr

Football Operations Associate: Jordyn Hall

Family Engagement Associate: Michela Brown-Mayfield

SQL Database Associate: Grace Liebi

Football Quantitative Methods Associate: Claire Morrison

Throwback Thursday: Favorite Football Books

I bring this list back when I’m thinking about football books. Since I’m often reading a football book, I don’t actually bring it back as often as I’m thinking about them. I am this time. Here are 27 of my favorite football books. 

27. Namath: a Biography, Mark Kriegel, 2005
If you're at all curious about the Joe Namath legend this is the book to read.

26. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger, 1990
A football classic. As much sociological study as football book.

25. Going Long: The Wild Ten Year Saga of the American Football League in the Words of Those Who Lived It, Jeff Miller, 2004
Perhaps the best book on the wildly entertaining American Football League.

24. The Mannings, Lars Anderson, 2016
Any book about the Mannings that's still talking about Archie's football career 150 pages in is an entertaining read. Not to take anything away from the Manning kids but their careers are so fresh in our football minds. Archie was a very good quarterback on a very bad team. He was also one of my favorite non-Minnesota Vikings players of his era. He's a better dad. This book is as much, or more, about raising a family and relationships as it is about football. A great book.

23. About Three Bricks Shy of a Load, Roy Blount Jr., 1974
This book is an excellent season-long, inside look at the Pittsburgh Steelers just before the team took over the NFL.

22. Chuck Noll: His Life's Work, Michael MacCambridge, 2016
Blount's book took a close look at one season before the Steelers' dynasty. MacCambridge's book looks at the life of the man behind it. It's hard to imagine the Steelers being a laughing-stock but they were for nearly all of their first 40 years in the league. When Dan Rooney hired Chuck Noll in 1969 the Steelers started to change. Quickly. MacCambrige tackles one of the game's great coaches and perhaps least known.

21. Giants and Heroes: A Daughter's Memories of Y. A. Tittle, Dianne Tittle De Laet, 1998
A look at a football star from the rare perspective of his daughter. This book is simply wonderful.

20. Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe, Kate Buford, 2010
This is the best book on one of America's greatest athletes.

19. Kassulke, Karl Kassulke, 1981
The former Vikings safety delivers the wildly entertaining characters on the Minnesota Vikings of the 1960s. It's a must for Vikings fans.

18. Paper Lion, George Plimpton, 1966
George Plimpton's writing. George Plimpton's football talents. The 1963 Detroit Lions. Fun times.

17. PB: The Paul Brown Story, Paul Brown with Jack Clary, 1978
From stories of his days attending San Francisco 49ers games at Kezar Stadium in the 1940s, my father introduced me to the coaching legend of Paul Brown. As a result those Cleveland Browns teams and their coach will always have a fond place for me.

16. A Civil War, John Feinstein, 1997
A terrific, intimate look into the incredible Army-Navy rivalry.

15. Dutch Clark: The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions, Chris Willis, 2012

This book would probably make the list simply because of the subject. Dutch Clark is one of the best, and one of my favorite, players of the NFL’s early years. His story has been woefully covered. Chris Willis uncovered him. 

14. Finding the Winning Edge, Bill Walsh, 1997
This is the coach's manual on how to run a football team.

13. Instant Replay, Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap, 1968
Jerry Kramer's diary of the Packers 1967 season. There are a few season-long, peak-behind-the-curtains books on this list. This book is one of the first to be written and still one of the best.

12. Halas by Halas, The Autobiography of George Halas, George Halas with Gwen Morgan and Arthur Veysey, 1979
George Halas' story is the story of the NFL.

11. The Pros: A Documentary of Professional Football in America, Robert Riger with commentary from Tex Maule, 1960
This is a unique coffee table-type book. It presents the NFL to the reader through the fantastic artwork and photography of Robert Riger and commentary of Tex Maule.

10. Total Football/Total Football II, Bob Carroll, David Neft, John Thorn, and Michael Greshman, 1997/1998
You want a pro football encyclopedia? Here's your pro football encyclopedia.

9. Run to Daylight, Vince Lombardi with W.C. Heinz, 1963
Perhaps the first "inside look" football books. Vince Lombardi takes the reader through a week of preparation for a game during the 1962 season.

8. The Game That Was, Myron Cope, 1970
Some of my favorite football books are the oral histories of the early days of the game. Myron Cope reached many of the game's best in this one. Dutch Clark, Johnny Blood, Marion Motley, Bill Willis, Bulldog Turner.

7. The Pro Football Chronicle: The Complete (Well Almost Record of the Best Players, the Greatest Photos, the Hardest Hits, the Biggest Scandals), Dan Daly and Bob O'Donnell, 1990
As the title suggests the book has a lot of everything.

6. Education of a Coach, David Halberstam, 2005
What could be better than a book written by a writer like David Halberstam about a coach like Bill Belichick?

5. What a Game They Played, Richard Whittingham, 1984
This is probably the best oral history book on football. Whittingham brings the reader the voices and experiences of many of the greats that made football great. Mel Hein, Don Hutson, Sid Luckman, Sammy Baugh, and so many others.

4. Red Grange: The Life And Legacy of the NFL’s First Superstar, Chris Willis, 2019

This might be the most thoroughly researched and comprehensive book on an individual football player. And it’s a fun read. 

3. A Thinking Man's Guide To Pro Football/The New Thinking Man's Guide To Pro Football, Paul Zimmerman, 1970 and 1984
This book is so great that it had to be done twice. I only wish that there was a Newer... and Newest... editions as well. Zimmerman was probably the most knowledgeable football writer in the business. He could talk and write about the game like a coach.

2. When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi, David Maraniss, 1999
The best football biography that I've read. There were a handful of years in which I had to re-read this book prior to the start of the NFL season. Just to get ready.

1. America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation, Michael MacCambridge, 2005
Michael MacCambridge tells the story of the NFL since World War II through a focus on the Browns, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Raiders, and Rams. Well researched and very well written. If you want one book on the history of the NFL to read, this is it.

It’s Tagging Time

The window for NFL teams to use the franchise tag on one of their soon-to-be free agents opened yesterday. It closes on March 3. The franchise tag is a desperate tool to inhibit the movement of a prized free agent. There are two versions of the franchise tag. The “exclusive” tag prevents the tagged player from negotiating with another team. Unless the tagged player is traded, he’s staying put if the exclusive tag is slapped on him. The “non-exclusive” tag allows the tagged player to sign with another team. The player can sign with another team if that team is willing to pay the steep cost of two first-round draft picks. There’s also the rarely used transition tag. There was a time when the lesser tag was occasionally used. The transition tag simply gives the tagging team the right of first refusal. Essentially, a team is allowing another team to do the negotiation for them. Anyway, it’s tagging time.

If a player does get slapped with a tag, team and player have until July 15 to come to an agreement on a long-term deal. If not, the player gets a single-season, guaranteed deal that represents the average of the top-five salaries at each position.

Franchise Tag Numbers:

QB - $47.4 million

WR - $28.0 million

OL - $27.8 million

LB - $27.6 million

DT - $27.4 million

DE - $26.7 million

CB - $20.8 million

S - $20.8 million

TE - $16.0 million

RB - $14.2 million

K/P - $6.8 million

There’s so much that’s messed up about the above numbers. To start, the offensive line should be broken down by position. The geniuses do that with the defensive line. Speaking of the defensive line, since the big contract numbers on defense go to the pass rushers, defensive ends should be combined with 3-4 outside linebackers to form an edge rusher group. Further, combining 3-4 outside linebackers with the off-the-ball linebackers is absurd. Finally, I can’t imagine the incredibly coincidental math that shoots out the same tag numbers for corners and safeties. 

There once was a time when running back was right behind quarterbacks in offensive importance and compensation. That time wasn’t all that long ago. With that in mind, it’s stunning to see running backs ahead of only specialists in terms of compensation. 

The teams love the franchise tag. Players hate it. Teams love it because it’s another tool to restrict player movement. Since 1920, owners have loved controlling players. Players hate it because it keeps them off the open market. If the tag doesn’t lead to a long-term deal and they play the season on the franchise tag, the player sees no signing bonus. They get the great, one-year, guaranteed deal but they don’t see the much greater signing bonus. 

The franchise tag has been around since the 1993 birth of NFL Free Agency. For most of that time about a dozen players were tagged each season. Those numbers have dwindled in recent years. Only two players (Trey Smith and Tee Higgins) were tagged last season. We’ll see if more than two players are slapped with the tag this year. Here are some of the contenders for the 2026 Franchise Tag,

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Trey Hendrickson, DE, Cincinnati Bengals 

Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

Odafe Oweh, Edge, Los Angeles Chargers

A team can use only one tag so the Indianapolis Colts might have a decision to make. 

League’s Roster of Offensive Coordinators

The NFL’s annual head coach churn gets the attention. Makes sense. It’s the top coaching job in professional football and there’s only 32 of them. It’s an under-the-radar coaching churn but the annual shuffling of offensive coordinators can be interesting as well. There’s also only 32 offensive coordinator jobs. All of the league’s coaching changes start with the new head coaches. There were ten this year.

10 New Head Coaches

New York Giants: John Harbaugh 

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh

Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley

Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter

Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken

Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak

Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur

Buffalo Bills: Joe Brady

Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy

Because the NFL is such a pass-centric league, teams looking for a new head coach are often looking at the hot offensive playcallers. Of the ten teams looking for a head coach, four hired a coach that worked as an offensive coordinator last year.

Todd Monken

Klint Kubiak

Mike LaFleur

Joe Brady

Only two of those left the team that employed them. 

Klint Kubiak

Mike LaFleur

Todd Monken was the offensive coordinator for John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens. Monken lost his job when Harbaugh was fired. Joe Brady was the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and promoted to head coach after Sean McDermott was shockingly fired. 

Because of the head coach churn, 10 teams were looking for new offensive coordinators. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams were also looking for new offensive coordinators because Klint Kubiak and Mike LaFleur were taken from them. Another nine teams were looking for a new offensive coordinator this offseason because they weren’t satisfied with the results of last season. In total, 21 of the league’s 32 teams were looking for new OCs. About 65%. That feels like a lot.

Teams with New Offensive Coordinators

Tennessee Titans: Brian Daboll

Los Angeles Chargers: Mike McDaniel

Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Bieniemy 

Detroit Lions: Drew Petzing

Miami Dolphins: Bobby Slowik

Washington Commanders: David Blough

Atlanta Falcons: Tommy Rees

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Zac Robinson

Baltimore Ravens: Declan Doyle

Buffalo Bills: Pete Carmichael 

Philadelphia Eagles: Sean Mannion

Cleveland Browns: Travis Switzer

Denver Broncos: Davis Webb

New York Giants: Matt Nagy

New York Jets: Frank Reich

Arizona Cardinals: Nathaniel Hackett

Pittsburgh Steelers: Brian Angelichio

Chicago Bears: Press Taylor

Las Vegas Raiders: Andrew Janocko 

Seattle Seahawks: Brian Fleury

Los Angeles Rams: ?

For most of the above, the changes are just a shuffling of offensive coordinators. Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel were head coaches last year. 14 of the 21 offensive coordinators in new places were either offensive coordinators elsewhere last year or recently. Only six of the above are first-time NFL offensive coordinators. When Sean McVay finally makes his decision (Nate Scheelhasse?), there could be a seventh. 

David Blough

Sean Mannion

Travis Switzer

Davis Webb

Brian Angelichio

Brian Fleury

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the above six newbies is that David Blough, Sean Mannion, and Davis Webb played quarterback in the league in the 2020s. With the thousands of football coaches that have done the grunt work for decades for a head coach shot, it’s shocking how quick some of these offensive-centric coaches get to this level of the football-coaching world. Blough, Mannion, and Webb are probably only a year or two from their own shots at the top job. Webb even interviewed for a couple this year. 

One of the great coaching mysteries of the NFL is how Eric Bieniemy has never gotten a head coach opportunity. He was Andy Reid’s right-hand man for the early years of the great run of the Kansas City Chiefs. He had some interviews but never offered a job. Perhaps to pave his own path to his own team, he left Kansas City after a second Super Bowl win. He even went back to college football for an assistant head coach job. Still, nothing. Now, he’s back with the Chiefs as Reid’s offensive coordinator. I’ll bet Blough, Mannion, AND Webb get a head coach job before he does. Wonder why?

Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Monday

Here’s another stab at a mock draft for the Minnesota Vikings.

1. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

2. Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State

3. Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska

3. Brian Parker, C, Duke

5. Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

6. Dallen Bentley, TE, Utah

7. Kage Casey, OT, Boise State

7. Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington

7. Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

I like this draft. I wrestle with the decision of cornerback or defensive tackle with the first pick. One day, I like defensive tackles Caleb Banks or Lee Hunter. The next day, I like one of about four cornerbacks that could be available at #18. More often than not, that corner is Avieon Terrell. 

Avieon Terrell and Domonique Orange would be Day 1 starters at positions of significant need. 

Emmett Johnson is fast becoming a draft crush. 

I believe the Vikings will find their center of the present and future in the third round. In this mock, that player is Brian Parker. He played tackle at Duke but projects as a center. 

In this mock, I believe the Vikings would add two pass-catchers on Day 3, Ted Hurst and Dallen Bentley, that could make an immediate impact. 

Kage Casey, Ephesians Prysock, and Cole Payton are seventh-round swings at intriguing football players. 

While I like the players selected in this mock, I’m disappointed that I didn’t come out of it with any linebacker or safety help. To avoid that, I might have to sacrifice Emmett Johnson on Day 2.