DAILY CLIPS
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020 LOCAL NEWS: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Star Tribune
Is Kirk Cousins going to finish his career with the Vikings? By Michael Rand https://www.startribune.com/is-kirk-cousins-going-to-finish-his-career-with-the-vikings/570865052/
The Athletic
10 big questions for the Vikings in 2020: Will the offensive line get better? By Chad Graff and Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/1844385/2020/05/29/10-big-questions-for-the-vikings-in-2020-offensive-line-cleveland- bradbury-reiff-oneill-samia/
Purple Insider
Friday mailbag: Starting lineups, receiver heights and the Vikings path to the Super Bowl By Matthew Coller https://purpleinsider.substack.com/p/friday-mailbag-starting-lineups-receiver
NATIONAL NEWS: Saturday, May 30, 2020
ESPN
'Change happens': Vikings primed for defensive line challenge By Courtney Cronin https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/29963/change-happens-vikings-primed-for-defensive-line- challenge
CBS Sports
Vikings' Mike Zimmer defends Stefon Diggs in trade aftermath: 'I've been around way worse guys than him' By Jeff Kerr https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vikings-mike-zimmer-defends-stefon-diggs-in-trade-aftermath-ive-been-around- way-worse-guys-than-him/
NFL.com
Zimmer: Diggs trade wasn't about getting rid of 'pain in the butt' By Kevin Patra https://www.nfl.com/news/zimmer-diggs-trade-wasn-t-about-getting-rid-of-pain-in-the-butt
MULTIMEDIA NEWS: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Pick 6 Mailbag Featuring PA: Sharpe's Fit In The Offense, Dye's Big-Time Special Teams Potential, and More By Vikings Entertainment Network https://www.vikings.com/video/pick-6-mailbag-featuring-pa-sharpe-s-fit-in-the-offense-dye-s-big-time-special-t
Cris Carter Ranks His Five Best "Receiver Hands" Of All-Time By NFL Network https://www.vikings.com/video/cris-carter-ranks-his-five-best-receiver-hands-of-all-time
Tomlinson: Packers Should Remain The Favorites To Win The NFC North By NFL Network https://www.vikings.com/video/tomlinson-packers-should-remain-the-favorites-to-win-the-nfc-north
Forbes Highest-Paid Athleties By KMSP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=32d8f85c-2010-47bc-becc-f42174286b1b
VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK NEWS: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Lunchbreak: Frequency of Dalvin Cook's Speed Bursts Sets Him Apart By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/dalvin-cook-vikings-speed-bursts-sets-him-apart
Vikings 'Mother of Legends' Retires After 3 Decades By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-mother-of-legends-retires-after-3-decades
PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 5/30/20
Is Kirk Cousins going to finish his career with the Vikings?
By Michael Rand
Good morning from South Minneapolis – from my house, which I’ve rarely strayed from except for essential trips and exercise during the last 2 1/2 months of a global health pandemic … which sits about 20 blocks from the smoldering wreckage of Lake and Minnehaha … and about 30 blocks from where George Floyd died in police custody.
No, things are not normal.
On Wednesday – after Floyd’s death, after an initial wave of protests spurred by justified anger, but before the world started watching the Twin Cities burn – we recorded the latest episode of the Access Vikings podcast.
Some of it focused on what this NFL season might look like given the coronavirus pandemic. But the last 15 minutes or so addressed a host of questions from listeners via Twitter – and the vast majority of those were about football and an assumption (or at least a hope) that things would be normal-ish during the 2020 season and beyond.
One of the questions we tackled was regarding quarterback Kirk Cousins and his future with the Vikings – a subject that became front-brain for fans seemingly the minute he signed here in 2018. The question read: “Kirk’s final year in 2022. $45 million cap hit. What are the team’s most logical options when that approaches?”
Less than 48 hours after that question arrived, the notion of whether sports do more to bond us or simply distract us – one I grapple with constantly already – is even stronger.
If you were so inclined, you could draw a line from an economic system that pays someone tens of millions of dollars a year to play football while others struggle just to survive and get pretty uncomfortable about how that inequality contributes to the pain and anger spilling out in our cities.
But … we also live complicated lives that allow us to compartmentalize and care about wildly disparate things. You can care about climate change and reality TV. You can care about coronavirus and whether the NHL season will resume. And you can care about both what is happening around you in this moment and the distant future of the Vikings’ quarterback position. The proportion is key, but it can be done.
If you have room in your life today for both the truly important and relatively inconsequential, and would like a break for a few minutes from endlessly scrolling through your news feed, here are a couple extra thoughts about the Cousins contract:
*One point of important clarity regarding his two-year extension: though it wasn’t fully guaranteed, the final year of the deal in 2022, which carries a $45 million cap hit, becomes fully guaranteed by the third day of the league year in 2021. Barring a disaster in 2020, it’s hard to imagine Cousins not being here by then. So you might as well mark him as realistically signed through 2022. ESPN deems him one of the most locked-in QBs in the league.
*As our Ben Goessling and Andrew Krammer noted on the podcast, though, the new deal did not include a no-trade clause. It’s plausible that if things aren’t working out, or there is a regime change, the Vikings could seek to trade Cousins – most likely after the 2021 season, when there would “only” be $10 million in dead money counted against their salary cap. If they tried to trade him after 2020, the hit would be $20 million – a steep price to pay.
*But the reality that seems most likely is that Cousins is here for the long haul and that the Vikings two years from now do what they did earlier this offseason: restructure Cousins’ deal with another medium-length extension. That, of course, becomes far more likely if Cousins performs well in 2020. And that, of course, is dependent in part on what exactly happens with the NFL season in general.
A quarterback graded No. 6 in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2019 sure seems like he’s here for a while – and quite possibly through the end of his career, if he keeps signing a series of extensions. There are worse things if you’re a Vikings fan.
And there are far worse things in life. PUBLICATION: The Athletic DATE: 5/30/20
10 big questions for the Vikings in 2020: Will the offensive line get better?
By Chad Graff and Arif Hasan
Editor’s note: This is the third in a 10-part series examining the biggest questions facing the Vikings with the 2020 season looming. Most recently: How does the wide receiver depth chart shake out? Up next: Was 2019 Kirk Cousins’ peak?
Chad Graff: Ah, the annual question that faces the Vikings — did their offensive line get better? And will it matter?
We examined this last year, but it’s worth another look as the Vikings prepare to replace two or three starters to a group that improved but was still just average a year ago.
If you’re an optimist, your thoughts on the offensive line might go something like this: All five starters should now fit the zone scheme the team is looking to run, the interior should be better because Garrett Bradbury enters Year 2 and the starters next to him presumably learned quite a bit in 2019, and, hey, Rick Dennison and Gary Kubiak always seem to get the best out of their offensive lines and this season they don’t have to spend so much time simply teaching the basics of the system.
But not everyone is an optimist and there are some valid points if you’re looking at this the opposite way. One could argue that the Vikings cut their best guard (Josh Kline), kept the incumbent who has struggled for two straight years (Pat Elflein), used a second-round pick on a developmental tackle who may not be ready as a rookie, and didn’t get a ton out of their first-round pick a year ago.
Let’s start with that last point. Bradbury certainly didn’t have a great first season. Unlike Brian O’Neill and Ezra Cleveland, the Vikings thought Bradbury would be ready to play well from Day 1 and that wasn’t the case. But now, Bradbury returns to the same scheme hoping to show significant growth in Year 2.
“I think in terms of improvement, consistency is kind of the biggest thing for me,” Bradbury said on a Zoom call with reporters this week. “It’s such a long season, so you watch a few stretches where you have a few good games and you kind of don’t have such a good game, and so with all this time you’re able to reflect on what was I doing, what was I not doing that was kind of prohibiting me from having the consistency? And something I pride myself in is being able to get better from year to year, from game to game, and so that’s kind of my goal this offseason. My goal for this coming season is just to be better in Year 2 and make the improvements that I want to.”
So, Arif, let’s start there. What evidence is there that Bradbury can take a big step forward in Year Tw0? And beyond that, what do the Vikings do at guard?
Garrett Bradbury A few very poor games brought down Garrett Bradbury’s stats in 2019, but there’s still plenty of reason for optimism headed into Year Two. (Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today) Arif Hasan: In total, his performance looks extremely worrisome. His pass blocking PFF grade ranks dead last among any center with at least 750 snaps (or any with 500, 300 or 150, for that matter). His allowed pressure rate, per PFF, ranked third to last among all centers as well. It’s not just PFF, either — Sports Info Solutions tracked “blown blocks,” whether or not they resulted in pressure and found that Bradbury ranked 36th of 39 centers in blown block rate.
But Bradbury’s essentially right — it’s mostly localized, with a few very good games and a few catastrophic games. In four of the 18 games the Vikings played this year, Bradbury allowed a pressure rate of 11.3 percent, a rate so poor it’s not even comparable to any full-season performance. The other 14 games saw a pressure rate of 3.2 percent, a bit better than NFL average. While any player will look much better if you get rid of their worst games, that pattern holds if you get rid of his four best games, leading to a rate of 4.2 percent in the middle 10 games. That’s a little below average but it does make clear how much those poor games drag down his season-long performance.
Consistency is a difficult thing to achieve — it’s the name of the game for successful offensive linemen, after all, and only the good ones are consistent — but for most of his games he played about as you might expect a rookie to play. While it’s not up to the standard of someone like the Saints’ Erik McCoy (drafted 30 spots after Bradbury in 2019) or the rookie year we saw from former the Cowboys’ Travis Frederick in 2013, it’s fairly typical. Centers don’t usually show up until Year Three, according to recent research from PFF. It’s particularly helpful that Bradbury played well in games where the matchup emphasized his weaknesses, including against former ACC rival Dexter Lawrence in the Vikings’ game against the Giants.
Interestingly, his worst games were concentrated in the first and last weeks of the season, with his six worst pass- blocking grades in Weeks 1, 2, 4, 14, 16 and the divisional playoff game. That seems consistent with a rookie learning as he gains more experience, then hitting a “rookie wall” as he finally plays more games than one typically sees on a college schedule. All of this is to say that there’s reason to believe he’s much more than his aggregate performance.
As for the guard position, the Vikings still have the option of re-signing Kline. I wouldn’t expect them to go after non- system fits like Larry Warford or Kelvin Beachum, who are available. They could go after former 49er Mike Person, but it really seems like it’s Kline at right guard or an in-house option. The Vikings seem optimistic about Dru Samia, and if he doesn’t pan out, they could fall back on Dakota Dozier, who played significant snaps as a backup last year. As a last resort, they could rely on Pat Elflein to play right guard, as he should be available when the Vikings make a decision to kick either Riley Reiff or Cleveland inside, presumably to play left guard. I expect Reiff to play inside given the different strengths and weaknesses of the two, but that’s not a hard expectation.
Dru Samia The Vikings think 2019 fourth-round pick Dru Samia (right) will be ready to step into a big role on an offensive line with questions to answer. (Rich Barnes / USA Today) Chad: Who would’ve thought the question of who plays left guard would be so intriguing? So before we wrap up, Arif, let’s get your thoughts on two subjects — how Reiff or Cleveland would perform at guard, and your prediction for who the five starting linemen are Week 1.
I think the Vikings could have a dilemma with the former question that goes something like this: Reiff is probably the better tackle if only looking at the 2020 season. However, Reiff is potentially in his final year with the Vikings and Cleveland is the team’s long-term tackle opposite O’Neill. So does it make sense to have Cleveland work at his natural position even if he’s not as good in 2020 as Reiff would be? Or, the Vikings could try Cleveland at guard as a rookie, allow him to grow accustomed to the speed of the game, then move him back to tackle next season.
If you’re in charge, Arif, which decision would you make and how would your offensive line shake out?
Arif: Adjusting to the NFL is difficult enough and if you don’t have to learn a new position as you adjust, all the better. It’s common to argue that a player should develop at guard, then kick out at tackle, but I’m not sure that acclimates any player particularly well. The difference between the best and worst guards is smaller than at tackle, but the style of play at guard can be demanding for someone who is used to the relative patience one gets to deploy at tackle — defenders get in their face a lot quicker. Defensive ends may be faster than defensive tackles, but defensive tackles get to start much closer to the point of attack.
While there are a number of college tackle-to-guard converts who play well right away, Cleveland doesn’t fit that profile — scouts say his middling core strength, tall pass sets and thin frame paint a picture of a player who would get bullied on the inside. At the same time, they would be hiding his strengths — a rare true-pass set pedigree in college with an incredible amount of responsibility isolating one-on-one against edge rushers with patient hands and great movement skills. It seems like just the opposite of what you’d want to do. Reiff’s mix of strengths and weaknesses make for a reasonable transition, particularly his more consistent leverage and capability to win in short sets. I don’t think the move will be clean — he has off-balance power and punch-timing issues — but his awareness and phone-booth quickness will serve him reasonably well there.
In the end, I’d project a fairly rough year for Cleveland at guard and a reasonable one for Reiff at tackle. That doesn’t sew it up — I don’t expect Cleveland to be all-world at tackle right away — but I think it makes the question of who to play where a little easier.
With that in mind, I think the starting five would be Cleveland at left tackle, Reiff at left guard, Bradbury at center, Samia at right guard and O’Neill at right tackle. Samia’s choice here is a bit optimistic, but it generally implies some pretty good things as they wouldn’t play him unless he was at least better than the other options. PUBLICATION: Purple Insider DATE: 5/30/20
Friday mailbag: Starting lineups, receiver heights and the Vikings path to the Super Bowl
By Matthew Coller
Happy Friday, everyone. Thanks as always for your support! Before we get into your questions, here’s a sneak peak at Monday’s Purple Insider podcast with Sam Monson:
Alright let’s have a look at some of the things that Vikings fans have on their minds…
This note came from Curt in response to my article about the XFL kickoff: Could you take the time to go through the projected change in the onside kick to the 4th and 15 option"? I’m here for you, Curt. One of the people behind the idea (which the NFL rejected on Thursday) to replace onside kicks with a fourth-and-15 play posted a Twitter thread that’s worth a read about why it might make sense. It’s very mathy so I’ll make it simple: The new onside rules implemented in 2018 to make the play safer also made it basically impossible for teams to recover onside kicks. Success dropped from 13% to before 2017 to 9%, which doesn’t seem like much but that’s a handful of exciting endings that never happen. And how about this: In the last two years, teams are 0-for-104 when attempting an expected onside kick.
So they looked for an offensive play that would have similar odds to the old onside kick and put the offense in a similar position. Fourth-and-15 accomplishes both. This type of thing is what the XFL (RIP) is made for. Maybe if someone buys the XFL and brings it back next year, we’ll see a rule like this implemented and we can get a look at it in real football action. It’s gimmicky but there were probably people who wanted to keep the goal posts in the front of the end zone too.
A bunch of folks sent in questions on Twitter so let’s have a look at those…
Ben Jackson @benjackson0812 @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Do you think the defense will struggle all year with lots of new faces and a makeshift off season?? May 28th 2020
1 Like I think the better way to phrase it might be “bumps in the road.” Mike Zimmer said at the Combine he remembered back in 2014 when he took over that there were only two or three players on the defense that he thought were any good and yet that defense still finished 11th in points against. The 2020 group is going to have a lot more talent than they did in 2014. I look at Anthony Harris as the swing man for the defense being decent-to-good rather than bleh-to- bad. The cornerbacks are the biggest concern but their cornerback play wasn’t good last year and they still managed a strong overall performance because of Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris. If they had been trying to replace Harris with a rookie or bargain free agent — yikes. There might have to be some bend-don’t-break that goes on without Everson Griffen being able to consistently pressure the QB. If we’re talking a guess at where they rank, I’ll say 14th in points allowed. It’ll be on the offense to answer when the young corners are having a tough day.
Al Strain @alstrain @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Which Vikings players share the most characteristics with your favorite Law & Order characters and what are those characteristics? May 28th 2020
1 Like Since I’m old school Law and Order, I’ll say that Zimmer is the DA Adam Schiff and Kubiak is Lenny Briscoe. Adam was the old school, by-the-book guy who’d seen everything and Lenny was street smart. He had great instincts. Mike Logan was Stefon Diggs. Great at his job but had some troublesome outbursts. Ray Curtis could be Dalvin Cook. Smart, understated. Jack McCoy was Case Keenum. Took a lot of risks and sometimes went rogue but when it worked out, it was wild.
Jake Peterson @jakepeterson171 @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler With the Covid crisis affecting players offseason programs, who do you think the starting offensive line will be for Game 1? Pure speculation welcome. May 28th 2020
1 Like Without having OTAs and minicamp to at least give us some indication, your guess is as good as mine. There’s probably a dozen combinations that make sense. If I’m betting, I’d go with Reiff-Elflein-Bradbury-Samia-O’Neill. The way Elflein played last year, nobody wants to see him starting at guard again but it’s possible they give him some benefit of the doubt with last year being his first shot at guard. He was also a top graded run blocker by PFF and we know they value that pretty highly. Best combo might be starting Ezra Cleveland at LT and moving Reiff to guard. He’s quick enough and so much stronger than Elflein that he can handle the monster DTs of the NFC North.
Jack Trowbridge @jacktrow42 @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Do you think there is any way Oli Udoh starts next year or soon. Looks to be a promising Olineman with size and athleticism. @MatthewColler May 28th 2020
They really liked what they saw from him in Week 17 last year but starting seems like a long shot. If they believed he was a starter, they wouldn’t have picked Cleveland in the second round. As a swing tackle he might be good. And maybe even continue developing into a starting-caliber player. You never know with injuries though. Someone might go down and we see him step in and make a name for himself. He does have athletic gifts and ridiculously long arms.
Norm! @BaseballNorm @Purple_Insider who are the best wide receivers all-time by height...so for example 5’10, 5’11, 6’0...going and down to the shortest and tallest May 28th 2020
The closest I could get to answering this is by using Pro-Football Reference’s Combine results search. So maybe I missed someone who didn’t get invited to the Combine but here’s the top two in “Approximate Value” for each height since 2000.
5-foot-8: Tavon Austin, Jamison Crowder
5-foot-9: Steve Smith, TY Hilton
5-foot-10: Antonio Brown, Santana Moss
5-foot-11: Laveranues Coles, Greg Jennings
6-foot: Reggie Wayne, Chris Chambers
6-foot-1: Anquan Boldin, Roddy White
6-foot-2: Andre Johnson, Dez Bryant
6-foot-3: Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones
6-foot-4: Brandon Marshall, AJ Green
6-foot-5: Calvin Johnson, Vincent Jackson
I suppose the lesson here is that receivers can come in lots of different sizes and still dominate.
Coach Beauvais @beauvaisCCPS @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Do you know if you and @CourtneyRCronin and others will be allowed in to watch games at the stadium if the season happens? May 28th 2020
1 Like No idea. Everything is completely up in the air. It’s pretty hard to socially distance in a press box, that’s for sure. But if there were only 10,000 fans at a game, maybe reporters would be in the stands? How we’d go about interviewing players, whew, that’s a tough one. Honestly, the Vikings’ Zoom calls with the media have been great. Maybe that’s how they would do things. Have reporters get on a call with players after games rather than all busting into the locker room at once.
John Fiegel @john_fiegel @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Experts are staying away from Vikings receivers in fantasy drafts because of the run heavy offense. Do you think there is a chance that the Vikings young cornerbacks struggle to the point that MN has to rely on the passing game, even elevating them to a top 1/3 passing offense? May 29th 2020
1 Like It’s definitely hard to see any games in which Kirk Cousins only throws 10 passes in 2020. I’d expect more back-and- forth offensive games, especially with the QBs they are matching up with this year. The point about the receivers is interesting because Kubiak offenses tend to lean heavy on the No. 1 receiver and tight end(s). Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Demaryius Thomas…these guys all had huge years on run-first offenses. Thomas had 105 catches from broken Peyton Manning in 2015. Even in 2017 the Vikings had a lot of games where they limited the passing attack and Adam Thielen still had a huge year.
Jon Vaala @jonvaala @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler If the Vikings win the division next year, what will be the #1 reason why? May 28th 2020
1 Like Two things come to mind: Kirk Cousins plays just as well as last year or even a little better and the NFC North is extremely mediocre. There’s no reason to think Cousins will be much different than he was in 2019 considering it’s the same system and you assume that the progress of someone like Irv Smith and healthy Adam Thielen make up for the absence of Stefon Diggs. If Cousins plays well and the Packers slide back (GB’s Expected Win-Loss based on point differential was 9-7), the Bears maintain their vice grip on mediocrity and the Lions have something impressively Lionsy happen to them, it’s easy to see the Vikings at the top of the NFC North, even if the defense isn’t as good as usual. The Lions are the major wild card for me. Lots of things point to them being better but it’s just hard to see based on their head coach and history. It’s like pumping up the Browns. They have to show you first.
Nick Chapin @thehawkeyefan24 @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler What would the Vikings have to do to the roster to realistically have a shot to win the Super Bowl? May 28th 2020
1 Like Depends on your definition of realistic and when we’re talking. They have a realistic shot this year with their current roster if you put them within the top six or seven NFC teams who could get there. But it’s probably just patience and development. If they hit on Ezra Cleveland, Jeff Gladney and we see big improvement from Irv Smith and Garrett Bradbury plus a few surprise players emerge, the roster could get back to where it was in 2017 fairly quickly because guys like Kendricks, Hunter, Thielen, Cousins etc. are very much in their primes. They have the top-end players to get there, it’s about filling the holes with solid players. Of course, there’s always going to be the question about whether Cousins can string together multiple playoff games but the roster can be strong enough to be in that conversation fairly soon, especially if the NFC sees Brees and Brady retire after this year.
Ben Olson @BenOlsonMN @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler What does the defensive line look like week 1. Hunter and Pierce are obviously starters, but after that? Who starts next to Pierce and at the other DE spot. And how does the depth look at D-line overall. Thanks! May 28th 2020
1 Like Ifeadi Odenigbo and Shamar Stephen will be the starters on the other side. There’s no clear competition for Odenigbo at defensive end unless their veteran free agent signing Anthony Zettel really shocks us. The most interesting part is defensive tackle. They trust Stephen but he managed only six QB pressures last year. S I X. They’re throwing bodies at that position. Rookie James Lynch is really interesting there. Hercules Mata’afa tweeted that he’s gained a bunch of weight this offseason. Jalyn Holmes might get more chances. That battle for rotational rusher spots is going to be among the most interesting to watch in camp.
Christopher @CaliChris74 @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Do you see the Vikings making any other FA additions before camp? May 28th 2020
1 Like They left a few roster spots open for a reason. Best guess is a defensive back. There are still numerous veteran DBs on the free agent market who surprisingly haven’t found homes. Maybe teams want to be at a point where they can bring them in for workouts. Another outside corner to compete with Holton Hill would be a good play. Could also see Josh Kline coming back if they aren’t confident in the interior of the O-line. And just because they’re the Vikings, we should always be refreshing Twitter in case they make a stunning move and somehow find the cap space for Jadeveon Clowney or something.
Isaac Hanson @IsaacJHanson @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler Who will be the best cornerback on the Vikings in 2020? May 28th 2020
2 Likes Mike Hughes seems like the obvious answer but I’ll go with Jeff Gladney. His college experience gives him a shot to play well right away. He’s a terrific athlete and you can see his competitiveness on tape pretty clearly. If Hughes ends up playing nickel corner, he’s going to have a lot on his plate. It’s a complex position, hence the reason it took Mackensie Alexander three years to master it. Dark horse might be Cam Dantzler if he can beat out Holton Hill for a job.
Travis Carr @carpetkaiser @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler When should we expect extensions for Zim/Spielman? May 28th 2020
1 Like I’m not sure they’re coming. The Vikings’ owners might want to wait and see how things play out. They might want to see what the next phase of the Zimmer/Spielman era has to offer before deciding on their futures. If the plan falls apart this year, they might see an opportunity to change directions but if the Vikings are in the playoffs again next year, it’ll be a pretty solid job by head coach and GM considering all the turnover. Another angle is that they might feel last year was good enough to earn multi-year extensions and could just be at an impasse with the Wilfs.
Chris Rodriguez @Chris4Rodriguez @Purple_Insider @MatthewColler How does the offensive roster compare to successful offenses Kubiak has had in the past? May 28th 2020
1 Like It sure as heck isn’t the ‘99 Broncos but it’s a better group than he had in Houston. Cousins is better than Matt Schaub and the other weapons outside of the No. 1 receiver are an upgrade from the Kevin Walter days in Houston. There’s no Peyton Manning here so it doesn’t compare to his second stint in Denver (though the Vikings have a better offense than the Ronnie Hillman ‘15 team that won the Super Bowl). His roster in Baltimore in 2014 is probably comparable. Good QB but not “elite,” one great receiver in Steve Smith, a young RB at the top of his game (Justin Forsett averaged 5.4 yards per carry that year) and a couple other good weapons, including a solid fullback in Kyle Juszczyk.
PUBLICATION: ESPN DATE: 5/30/20
'Change happens': Vikings primed for defensive line challenge
By Courtney Cronin
As he scans the 14 faces in his virtual position room, there's something about this offseason that reminds Andre Patterson of a time six years ago when he helped usher the Minnesota Vikings through a similar period of transition.
Patterson, the Vikings' co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, was part of a staff led by Mike Zimmer that inherited the NFL's worst defense in 2014. The secondary was young, the Vikings lost the majority of their linebackers and only one starter (Brian Robison) remained on the defensive line.
"[The defense] was going to be the weakness of the team, and by the middle of the season it was the strength," Patterson said. "That's how I look at it. Change happens. You can't be afraid of change. You coach them up and let them go out and play, and you help them improve and get better. We've done it before, and I feel like we're going to do it again."
2020 NFL offseason
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The Vikings lost five starters on defense in free agency, including two staples up front. The departure of former Pro Bowlers Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph along with backup edge rusher Stephen Weatherly commences a new era for the Vikings' defensive line in 2020.
Minnesota signed nose tackle Michael Pierce to a three-year deal in March to fill Joseph's role. Ifeadi Odenigbo, who ranked third on the Vikings in sacks (7.0) last season, is primed to take over Griffen's duties at defensive end. The Vikings also added four rookies in April and expect to have a wide-open competition for several rotational roles in training camp.
Odenigbo's opportunity is one Patterson could see coming at the beginning of camp last year. Drafted in the seventh round in 2017, Odenigbo spent his rookie season on the Vikings' practice squad before bouncing to Cleveland, Arizona and then back to Minnesota in 2018. He finally cracked the 53-man roster in 2019 and showed the Vikings what he was capable of.
Griffen remains an unsigned free agent, but Odenigbo says he's approaching this offseason with the mindset that he's going to take over opposite Danielle Hunter at defensive end. That means conditioning his body to play anywhere from 40 to 60 snaps per game and utilizing what he learned playing inside at 3-technique to make him a more effective pass-rusher on the outside.
The tips and tricks he picked up from Griffen over the past three seasons will help Odenigbo take on a bigger role.
"Everson is a remarkable player, a mentor," Odenigbo said. "For guys like me, I'm 6-3, a little shorter for defensive ends, so having a guy like Everson and I being the same size, I got to really watch his game. There were two or three years in a row where I got to watch him play. My rookie year, where he had 10-plus sacks, I really got to study his mechanics.
Ifeadi Odenigbo, left, and Danielle Hunter will be counted on to play even bigger roles for the Vikings in 2020. Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports "Everything about Everson and how he goes about it, there's no wasted movement. For the most part, as a vet now, I know the technique and fundamentals. It's just working on the mechanics and fine-tuning the details."
But Patterson doesn't want Odenigbo to get caught up in trying to make up for the loss of Griffen's production.
"The worst thing Ifeadi can do is say, ‘Oh, I've got to replace Everson. I've got to put up Everson's numbers. I've got to do the things that Everson did,'" Patterson said. "That's the worst thing he can do. He's got to be Ifeadi Odenigbo, and he's got to be the best Ifeadi he can be. If he keeps his focus that way, he'll help us win football games."
Last season, Hunter became the youngest ever (25 years and 40 days old) to reach 50 career sacks. He tied a career-high 14.5 sacks, registered 22 QB hits and capped off the 2019 season by making back-to-back Pro Bowls.
His production aside, Griffen's leadership will be hard to replace. But it doesn't fall on Hunter to be the one to fill that void in the eyes of his coaches.
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"D's an extremely hard worker, and he's going to lead by the way he works," Zimmer said. "He's a fairly quiet guy anyway, so the worst thing a guy can do is to try to manufacture something he isn't. Like Harrison [Smith] leads by the way he works and the way he does things, and that's what I expect Danielle to do."
So what's next for Hunter? Staying at left defensive end or moving over to Griffen's spot on the right side could be in the cards. Hunter is approaching 2020 trying to pave the path for the next five years of his career, which includes passing down the knowledge he has gleaned from veterans such as Griffen and Joseph. That's the leadership role he thrives in.
"Every year, you just start over again, and it becomes easier and easier to start over," Hunter said. "But you've got to make sure you sharpen those tools first before you move on the, ‘OK, what move am I going to try to do this year or what run move am I going to try to this year?' Just simple stuff like that.
"I was at the Pro Bowl, and I talked to a whole bunch of the pass-rushers and all that. Chandler Jones. [Za'Darius] Smith. We sat down and we talked about, like, moves that they saw that we use together as individuals. And Chandler, he said he saw me using moves, and I said I saw him using moves, and I said once I get back into my form, my pass-rushing form, I'll try some of those. So, I'll definitely be trying moves down the line, but you just got to take it at the start by going back to the basics."
PUBLICATION: CBS Sports DATE: 5/30/20
Vikings' Mike Zimmer defends Stefon Diggs in trade aftermath: 'I've been around way worse guys than him'
By Jeff Kerr
The Minnesota Vikings insist Stefon Diggs wasn't traded because he was a problem in the locker room. Diggs was sent to the Buffalo Bills this offseason by the Vikings in exchange for a first-round pick (and other draft compensation), ending his polarizing relationship with the organization.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer went to bat for his former No. 1 wideout, defending Diggs amid the idea that the Vikings wanting to distance themselves from him because of the locker room issues.
"Really, if you said somebody was a pain in the butt, you probably wouldn't say him," Zimmer said on The Rich Eisen Show Thursday, via NFL.com. "I've been around way worse guys than him. I hope he has a great career and finishes up strong. Honestly, Diggs did not have to go. We really didn't have any intention of trading him. Quite honestly, he put out a couple tweets, and there were some things going on there.
"But Stefon worked extremely hard. He practices like crazy. He wants the ball -- like all receivers do."
Diggs' relationship with the Vikings appeared to have soured over the past year. He showed signs of frustration on the sideline when the Vikings pass game was struggling in the early part of the season and was absent at a Vikings practice in October that was "not injury related." Eventually things came to pass and Diggs finished with 63 catches for a career-high 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. His 17.9 yards per catch shattered his previous career-high of 13.8 from his rookie season in 2015.
Diggs' trade value was probably never going to be higher, especially with four years and $49.7 million left on his deal. The Vikings looked to shed some cap space after all the extensions handed out over the past couple years caught up to them and couldn't pass up receiving a a 2020 first-round pick (which became Justin Jefferson), a 2020 fifth-round pick, a 2020 sixth-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
A win-win for both sides.
"We just felt like we could save some money, get a bunch of picks, maybe get a young receiver like (Justin Jefferson) that we got," Zimmer said. "So, I wish him well. He's a good kid. He worked hard for me."
PUBLICATION: NFL .com DATE: 5/30/20
Zimmer: Diggs trade wasn't about getting rid of 'pain in the butt'
By Kevin Patra
The Minnesota Vikings moved on from Stefon Diggs, trading the receiver to Buffalo for a bounty of draft picks earlier this offseason.
Coach Mike Zimmer joined The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday and said that the Diggs trade wasn't the case of the team wanting to rid itself of a disgruntled thorn.
"Really, if you said somebody was a pain in the butt, you probably wouldn't say him," Zimmer said. "I've been around way worse guys than him. I hope he has a great career and finishes up strong."
While Diggs' time in Minnesota wasn't without incident, Zimmer brushed those aside, suggesting it was no more trouble than dealing with any other star receiver.
In the end, the Bills made an offer Minnesota couldn't refuse -- a 2020 first-round pick (No. 22 overall used on WR Justin Jefferson), a 2020 fifth-round pick, a 2020 sixth-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
"Honestly, Diggs did not have to go," Zimmer said. "We really didn't have any intention of trading him. Quite honestly, he put out a couple tweets, and there were some things going on there. But Stefon worked extremely hard. He practices like crazy. He wants the ball -- like all receivers do. Really, what happened was, Buffalo came in and gave us all those picks. And we were up against it in the salary cap. So we just felt like we could save some money, get a bunch of picks, maybe get a young receiver like (Justin Jefferson) that we got. So, I wish him well. He's a good kid. He worked hard for me."
How well Jefferson plays in 2020 and beyond will play a big part in determining whether the trade was ultimately smart for the Vikings.
PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 5/30/20
Lunchbreak: Frequency of Dalvin Cook's Speed Bursts Sets Him Apart
By Lindsey Young
It's not uncommon for NFL players to be described as "explosive" on the football field, but how does one really define the term?
NFL.com's Nick Shook tackled the topic and ranked the league's top 10 most-explosive players. He provided the disclaimer that the criteria is complicated because "it doesn't rely on one simple differential to define efficiency or effectiveness over the large sample size of an NFL season." Shook wrote:
Explosiveness, by nature, can't be defined by one statistic. It's a combination of blinding speed and productivity. What's the point of breaking 15 mph if you're not also gaining adequate yardage?
Speaking of 15 mph, that will be our final determining statistic. But before we use that metric – specifically, the percentage of runs on which the ball-carrier reached or exceeded 15 mph – we need to separate further by another key indicator of explosiveness: distance covered. For this, we'll institute a baseline for 10-plus-yard runs. The magic number: 20.
To summarize, players on Shook's list needed to fit the following criteria: A minimum of 100 carries in 2019; at least 20 carries of 10-plus yards; percentage of runs during which the player reached 15-plus mph.
Spoiler alert: Minnesota's Dalvin Cook was the highest-ranked running back on Shook's list.
Dalvin Cook 2019 Season Highlights But interestingly, Cook was not the top player but rather the second. The award for No. 1 went to Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, who recorded an incredible 47 runs of 10-plus yards.
Jackson carried the ball 176 times in 2019, and he hit a speed of 15 mph or faster on over half of those runs. Add in his ability to stop on a dime, and you see why defenses were so incredibly flummoxed by him for the majority of the season, and why he ended up sprinting (literally) to the MVP award. Jackson's total of 15-plus mph runs crept toward 100 (93), which is 20 more than the next closest runner on this list – Dalvin Cook, who had 73 – and was by far the most in the entire NFL, regardless of the criteria we listed above. No one was more explosive than Jackson in 2019, and it wasn't even close.
When it came to Cook, Shook said, "it should be of little surprise to anyone that a few running backs operating in zone schemes will appear on this list." Cook in 2019 racked up 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns on 250 carries.
2019 Season in Photos: Vikings RB Dalvin Cook View the top photos of Vikings RB Dalvin Cook from the 2019 season.
The most notable of these backs is Cook, who flourished in a Vikings offense that committed to two-tight end sets and allowed Cook to build up speed on his carries. Cook averaged 10.93 mph at the line of scrimmage on runs in 2019, the second-highest mark among running backs in the NFL with a minimum of 100 rushes. That build-up helped him rip off 25 runs of 10-plus yards and put together a rush efficiency – the distance traveled by the ball carrier on a run play divided by the net yards gained – of 4.2, proving the angles taken on zone runs inside and outside (such as stretches) weren't for naught.
Worth mentioning is the fact that Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, who finished his rookie campaign with 100 carries for 462 yards and a touchdown, "barely missed the mark" with just 15 rushes of 10-plus yards but would have been included on the list otherwise.
After Jackson and Cook, Shook ranked 49ers RB Raheem Mostert, Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake, Packers RB Aaron Jones, Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay, Colts RB Marlon Mack, Falcons RB Todd Gurley (who played for the Rams in 2019), Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey and Seahawks RB Chris Carson.
Hunter tabbed as Vikings 'most underrated player' by PFF
Vikings fans have known for quite some time that defensive end Danielle Hunter is something special.
Last season, Hunter seemed to finally gain some national recognition when he became the youngest player (25 years and 40 days) to reach 50 career sacks since they became an official stat in 1982.
But he continues fly under the radar. Analytics site Pro Football Focus recently named each NFL team's "most underrated player" heading into the 2020 season, and Ben Linsey pointed to Hunter for the Vikings. Linsey wrote:
Danielle Hunter 2019 Season Highlights
Hunter is one of just eight edge defenders to record overall grades of 75.0 or higher on 500 or more snaps in each of the past four seasons, and he took things to an entirely different level in 2019. Hunter's 89.0 overall grade was one of the best marks at the position, as were his 88 quarterback pressures (second to Za'Darius Smith). If not for sitting out all but one snap in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Chicago Bears, Hunter may have finished the season with the most pressures in the NFL. That kind of performance deserves recognition — he's in the elite tier of edge defenders, and still at just 25 years old, he's only improving.
Looking at the rest of the NFC North, Linsey highlighted centers Cody Whitehair and Frank Ragnow for the Bears and Lions, respectively.
2019 Season in Photos: Vikings RB Dalvin Cook View the top photos of Vikings RB Dalvin Cook from the 2019 season.
He highlighted safety Adrian Amos from the Packers roster. Amos signed with Green Bay in free agency last year after spending four seasons in Chicago. He started all 16 games for the Packers and totaled 84 tackles (league stats), two interceptions, 1.0 sack, four tackles for loss and eight passes defensed.
Even though Amos may not have made the splash plays safeties get noticed for, PFF lead draft analyst Mike Renner reasoned that he excelled in the second key component of play at the safety position — not giving up plays. It led to a grading profile that downgraded him in both 2017 and 2018, yet he put up a strong season with an overall grade of 75.7 for the Packers last season. PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 5/30/20
Vikings 'Mother of Legends' Retires After 3 Decades
By Craig Peters
Plastic dragons landed on a desk in the middle of the third floor of Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
A nice, but standard-issue office chair became the Iron Throne with help of some tin foil and imagination.
DebBDayDesk It was April 2019, and colleagues knew the perfect way to celebrate the birthday of the "Mother of Legends."
They catered to Deb Jones' enthusiasm for Game of Thrones as the epic series was just weeks from its final episode. The "Mother of Legends" moniker was inspired by heroine Daenerys Targaryen, the "Mother of Dragons," and Jones' role as Senior Manager of Alumni Affairs.
DebSign Jones and dozens of Vikings employees received permission to watch the finale together in the theater-style Vikings team meeting room last May. Some had unpacked each episode with Jones since the early days. Others were newer additions to the series and group.
Jones loved the bonding opportunity the show provided with coworkers like Manager of Special Events C.J. Rugh and eventually Brett Taber, who is now Vikings Executive Director of Social Impact.
Rugh remembers being surprised that Jones watched it and then loved her idea for staff to watch an episode in the Stadium Preview Center after missing the live airing that conflicted with a preseason game.
"There's something about that era and that time that has always been interesting to me," Jones explained. "Those are the things that intrigued me. In my opinion, the very last episode, they did the best they could, but I thought it was too rushed."
— Spoiler Alert in next paragraph —
"Some of it was like, 'Did you really do that? You didn't have to do that.' Like when Cersei is walking down the stairs at the end, there's this big fight going on, and she slips through everything just to die with the whole building coming down. I thought it should have been more dramatic. She inflicted a lot of pain."
In addition to the plot twists, Jones loved the camaraderie that the show forged, but she's not eager to invest as deeply in another show.
"I thought it was fun," Jones said, "but I decided I would never get involved in another series like that again. It was draining at times."
Retirement plans deb-2560 Jones retired earlier this month, capping 30 years with the Vikings organization. A grand finale with coworkers is currently on hold because the Vikings office has been closed since mid-March because of COVID-19.
Colleagues look forward to providing a proper and fond farewell.
Instead of re-watching Game of Thrones with her increased free time, Jones plans to honor her late father, Booker, by diving into some yardwork projects, continuing to connect with her mother, Ernestine, and spending more time with her husband, Clarence.
"My father groomed his lawn really well," Jones explained. "I haven't had the time to do that. My lawn is horrific. I'm trying to get some things lined up so I can get out in my yard and do some landscaping. I want to do some remodeling."
Jones has had to adjust from visiting her mother three times weekly at her residential care facility to relying on FaceTime conversations with help from the staff.
"My mother has Alzheimer's, but when I talk to her, she's amazing," Jones said. "I told her that I retired, and the first thing she asked me is, 'How much money we going to get?' I was like, 'Seriously? You've been acting like you have Alzheimer's, and I'm starting to doubt this.'
"It's her laughter that really keeps me going," Jones continued. "I miss going over and doing the things I would do to help her, but I understand because I don't want her to be sick."
Jones also has helped her church, St. Alban's, work on a strategy that follows guidelines and allows for a gradual reopening.
"We found out that some members of the congregation had friends outside of the country, and they've been tuning in faithfully [online] as well," Jones said. "We've carried Bible study now through a video online. People are staying connected that way. We have some that have a prayer service at noon everyday on a conference call."
Full-circle career
Jones' official tenure with the Vikings began in 1990, but her connection to the team goes much further back to the era of the Purple People Eaters, Chuck Foreman and Sammy White.
"I can hear my father calling out some of those names," said Jones, revisiting time spent with her parents and two brothers huddled around a heavy wooden console television.
"I was the remote control because I was the youngest," Jones laughed. "When I wanted to watch TV, we watched football."
After graduating from the Minnesota School of Business and taking additional classes, Jones applied for positions with Vikings public relations and in the team's personnel department. She was offered both positions and picked PR, a decision she is grateful to have made, even if she didn't envision being with the organization for three decades.
"I know that I would not have enjoyed [the personnel job]. It was more administrative work," Jones said. "With PR, there was more interaction. I interacted with the fans, with the media."
In addition to seeing those same names proliferate the media guide, Jones began working directly with eventual Pro Football Hall of Famers Chris Doleman, Cris Carter, Randall McDaniel and Gary Zimmerman in her first NFL season.
DebCrisCarterRing "I remember for sure the first time I met Chris Doleman," Jones said of boisterous Legend who tragically passed away in January after battling brain cancer for more than two years. "He was very verbal, just wanted to talk my ear off. He looked across the table at me and said, 'You'd never date an NFL player.' I said, 'That's right. I never would.' I thought, 'Really, how bold of you to even ask me that?'
"I met Cris when he first came to Minnesota," Jones added. "He was really into football, really focused on becoming a better player. He was very into having his family settled and those types of things because his life was really changing at that time."
Jones said McDaniel was quite the prankster along with the likes of Mike Morris and Dave Huffman.
"The offensive line took [Huffman's] locker and put it out on the field at Winter Park and rigged up a hose so he would have to shower out there. Dave Huffman actually took off his clothes and showered out there. It was hilarious. I heard about what was going on, and they said, 'You can't look,' cause he had no clothes on. Right under the goal post."
Jones worked on fan-outreach initiatives during her time in public relations before shifting to special events and eventually defining a role in the Vikings Legends program. The initiative has grown the past several years to encompass organized community appearances and special events like some Ring of Honor induction ceremonies that have been open to the public.
She attended the Hall of Fame enshrinements of McDaniel, Randle, Doleman, Carter, Mick Tingelhoff and Randy Moss, helping with festivities in Canton, Ohio.
DebCrisCarterBust "Those are just special, special times," said Jones, explaining that the visitors to Tingelhoff's after-party on the Hall of Fame campus included Dan Marino.
"Everyone's party was unique for them and a little different, but when those parties were on the Hall of Fame grounds, you really got to interact and see the Legends from other teams," Jones said. "There were quite a few who came by for Mick Tingelhoff because it took a while for him to get in. They just remembered him and respected him and made it a point to come by."
Jones' care for former Vikings players wasn't limited to "Gold Jackets" — a nickname for Hall of Famers — or with the 25 individuals presented Purple Jackets for their induction to the Vikings Ring of Honor.
Safety John Harris played three seasons (1986-88) for the Vikings and sourced one of Jones' favorite stories that he shared during a Legends Weekend. Jones had invited Harris to return to Minnesota multiple times, and when he did, he relayed his memory from joining the Vikings after eight successful seasons in Seattle.
"He told this story that there was this 'little kid' who came to pick him up at the airport, and come to find out it was Pete Carroll," Jones said.
Carroll coached Vikings defensive backs from 1985-89 before eventually becoming head coach of Harris' first team in 2010.
Jones said kicker Fuad Reveiz is "one of the nicest men I ever met," and mentioned John Henderson and Bob Lurtsema provided helpful information regarding efforts that the Lions and Giants had launched for their alumni. chalk-talk-2560 Alumni Affairs Coordinator Tracy McDonald has worked directly with Jones for the past several years as the Vikings Legends program has expanded its footprint. More than 100 former players have attended annual Legends Weekends each fall for the past several years. Last year, the weekend had the biggest turnout yet and overlapped with a special 50th anniversary celebration of the 1969 team that won the NFL Championship and made the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance.
"It has been a pleasure working with Deb the past few years," McDonald said. "We have experienced many happy memories such as Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor inductions but also sad experiences such as the passing of Legends. Deb has been a wonderful friend and a great mentor. The Legends and I will miss her dearly, but I wish her and Clarence all the best."
The desks of Jones and McDonald at TCO Performance Center form a quadrant with the desks of Community Relations Coordinator Quinn Adams and Community Relations Manager Logan Johnson.
Johnson described Jones as "one of my favorite people in the organization" because of all the impactful work and non-work conversations.
"She's a very good representation of what you would hope your career would look like and how she has gone from so many different roles in the organization and seeing things change so much, so the perspective she brings is so unique," Johnson said. "That's something that we're definitely going to miss, not only workwise, but on an everyday basis."
Johnson said the memory that will stand out the strongest is how much Jones "meant to the Legends," which he said was on full display this past September.
He and Adams were assisting Doleman's exit from the stadium after the game. As Doleman was getting into a car, he looked at Jones and said, "When are we coming back?"
"Things were not easy for him at that point, but he cared so much about being with everyone, and it had so much to do with Deb, too," Johnson said. "You could just tell the impact that she had on him and her attention and being intentional about making things as easy as possible. That really stuck with me, 'Deb, these guys love you. It's because of the care you have for them.' deb-1-2560 The final Legends Weekend for Doleman was not his last trip to Minnesota. Doleman returned in October to attend the Ring of Honor induction of his former teammate Steve Jordan.
Source of Honest Mentorship
The size of the Vikings staff and scope of events have grown during Jones' tenure. Jones has provided memorable welcomes to newcomers along the way, providing perspective and mentorship.
Rugh, the earliest Game of Thrones co-critic with Jones, thought back to 2008 when he was an intern working his first event, a cookout for employees, players and families near the team's former Winter Park headquarters.
"Deb was in charge of putting the event on, so she lined up the catering, musical entertainment, a petting zoo and pontoon rides around the lake," Rugh recalled. "Since I had literally just started, maybe two weeks before the cookout, I didn't have a large role to play but my one job was to make sure to get the speakers set up so we could have an iPod play when the live music was done.
"I got everything set up just as people were starting to arrive, and Deb came up to me with the iPod and told me to play some music until the band was ready," Rugh continued. "It turns out I had the wrong adapter cord so the iPod wouldn't work."
You had one job!
Rugh described receiving a "strong piece" of Jones' mind for the bungle. He scurried to a store to purchase the correct cord and returned as a drizzle began falling.
"As I was plugging in the iPod to turn on background music (finally), Deb walked up to me laughing and said not to worry about it," Rugh recalled. "The band was here, and everybody was inside anyway. I'm pretty sure she hasn't apologized to me, but we have a good laugh about it still.
"Since that day, Deb has become a close friend of mine and was somebody I would consider a mentor within the organization," Rugh added. "We got to travel together, plan events together and talk a lot of Game of Thrones together. I'll cherish the times I got to spend with her, and I still hope to give her a hard time even though she's retired now."
Eight years later, Jones welcomed Foundation Programs Coordinator Monterae Carter on her first day.
"Working with Deb has been amazing for me," Carter said. "My very first day, she welcomed me with open arms and solid belly laughs, and that's continued through my whole employment with the Vikings. It's definitely going to be hard without her and seeing that empty space at her desk for a bit. I'm just so used to her being a part of the Vikings. That's what it means to work there for me, to meet with her and get her mentorship."
Carter said Jones has been a "constant" mentor, providing insightful guidance.
"Deb is always 100-percent honest, which is a rare and underappreciated quality in a colleague," Carter said. "I could always go to her with any type of idea and she would shoot me straight on if it was a good idea, if I was being too sensitive, anything like that, she would give me an honest response. Something else that really stands out to me is her care for everyone around her. deb-2-2560 Carter said she was "super impressed" in her first year in seeing the work of Jones and McDonald for the Legends program. In addition to the reunion events, the program also has been instrumental in keeping former players of all eras connected with the community and a Black History Month content series.
"It's really grown in a great way for the former players, that now they have such an appreciation for the organization again," Carter said. "They're willing to come back and spend time, and Deb has created an environment for them to do that."
Although so much of her career has involved planning events and content for the Legends Newsletter, it's the unscripted moments that Jones might miss the most.
"I enjoyed sitting around the table, discussing our Legends Newsletter, what we were going to put into it and going with the best thing for that," Jones said. "I'm going to miss sitting around and having that creative conversation about game day and Legends Weekend and how it's all going to play out. I like that collaboration.
"Just walking through the hallway, seeing somebody and saying hello and sharing a smile," Jones added. "Sometimes it's at lunch, just talking smack with coworkers. During the season, I often would eat at my desk, but it's that interaction that you have day to day, I will miss that."