Nolan Teasley’s first year with the Seahawks was the year the team won their first Super Bowl. His last year with the team was the year the team won their second Super Bowl. It’s a nice bookend. In his 13 years with the Seahawks, he learned how to build an NFL team and he learned what it takes to win. Building a team that competes is one thing. Building a team that wins is a whole other thing. Over the past 60 years, the Vikings have come so close to winning a championship so often that it’s a shocking thing that they’ve never just lucked into one. For a team that’s long been trying to win, it’s just seems like a good deal to bring in someone that has.
66 years. Over 66 years the Vikings have hired two general managers with a history of football scouting. Jim Finks and Rick Spielman. Nolan Teasley is the third. There are so many ways to build a top-notch team. I’ll always believe that the person best able to build that team is one that focuses more on the player than the spreadsheet.
A younger Nolan Teasley played running back for Central Washington. His football-playing career ended there. After six years with a marketing firm, he wanted football as his life’s work. Teasley sent letters to all 32 teams looking for a football job. Only the local Seahawks answered. He took advantage of his singular opportunity and turned it into career. Now, he’s the Vikings general manager. Thank you Seahawks for answering that letter.
Nolan Teasley comes with pro and college scouting/evaluating experience. That isn’t a common combination. His peers consider him an “innovator” and a “grinder.” Many thought his GM opportunity would’ve come earlier. I’m not so sure about that as I’ve never seen Teasley as a target for any recent GM opportunities. Whether true or not, his opportunity to build a team was coming. If for no other reason, the Vikings making a GM search in late May might actually have been a good thing. If Teasley was their guy, they probably would’ve had serious competition for him next offseason. He was once voted the best talent evaluator in the league. That’s a very subjective thing. But it is a thing.
Minnesota Vikings franchise fixture Rob Brzezinski was one of the candidates for the GM job. As the team’s interim GM through this unusual offseason and his nearly 30 years with the Vikings, he deserved consideration for the full-time job. I hoped that Brzezinski wouldn’t get the job because he was too important to be put on the annual chopping block. An NFL GM is always on the chopping block. Since the announcement of Nolan Teasley’s hire, it’s been reported that Brzezinski will continue in his role as executive VP. Teasley’s hire is a great thing. As great, is Brzenzinski’s continued role with the team. He will always be a great and very important presence within spectacular TCO Performance Center.
It’s been an unusual offseason for the Minnesota Vikings but it’s been a productive offseason. From the field to the front office to the salary cap, the Vikings are in much better shape now than they were in January. Kevin O’Connell won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. Brian Flores won Super Bowls as a coach and defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Nolan Teasley saw a Super Bowl win as an intern and helped build a Super Bowl winner as the assistant general manager. Those three have come together as the top decision-makers of the Vikings. Now they are tasked with finally bringing Super Bowl wins to Minnesota.
