Vikings GM Spielman is building a future

[dead_poet]

The Vikings have 17 of what I’ll classify as “core players.” That doesn’t include rookies because they haven’t played a snap in the NFL so it’s premature to put them in that category.

But of those 17 core players, 13 are between the ages of 23 and 28, the ideal range for maximizing a player’s talent. That group includes Cordarrelle Patterson, Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith, Everson Griffen, Matt Kalil, Xavier Rhodes and Blair Walsh. (Adrian Peterson is 29.)

Even the Vikings’ two prized free-agent signings this offseason — Linval Joseph (25) and Captain Munnerlyn (26) — fit that mold.

The NFL’s salary cap creates fluidity in rosters that make retention rates fluctuate sharply some years. The Seattle Seahawks set the template for roster construction last season by winning the Super Bowl with an average age of 26.4 years.

A nucleus of talented players in their mid-20s who are at the end of their first contract or on their second contract serves as an ideal foundation.

“If we can win with these guys when they’re 24, 25 and have these guys under contract, in theory, you’re going to be able to maintain that success,” Spielman said. “It’s not going to be an ‘All In’ one year.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 15251.html

[Mothman]

Thanks for the link. This stood out to me:

But the roster looks more viable now than at any point since Favre retired. The shift in philosophy is illuminated when compared to that 2010 team. The Vikings had 16 starters who were 28 or older that season, including a dozen who were at least 30 years old.

The Vikings likely will start only five players age 30 or older this season. That group includes quarterback Matt Cassel, who still has to win the job in camp.

Not that I wasn't aware of that transition. We've talked about it numerous times here but it's still interesting to see it expressed in numbers.

[Demi]

We've heard this line before. Signing players coming off rookie deals. Building for the future. In a few years they won't be in their mid twenties anymore. Then we'll hear about the next group of mid twenties we're building around for the future.

Getting good young players for the long haul. Great...if you can find good young players. "Core" players become core players by how they play. Not by being a certain age, and not by a GM declaring them "core" players. If some of those players don't step their play up they likely won't be around past their current deals.

[Knoxx]

Looks like if Peterson can be trusted to catch the ball he'll add years to his career. Which is a good thing.

[jackal]

To win it all you also have to get real impact guys in very late rounds...

He is a real jerk IMO but 5th round Richard Sherman ... Seattle stacked their team with a lot of
late round guys...

[Cliff]

To win it all you also have to get real impact guys in very late rounds...

He is a real jerk IMO but 5th round Richard Sherman ... Seattle stacked their team with a lot of
late round guys...

You know, I'm not sure that anybody has tried to build quite like Spielman has been over the last couple of seasons. In the past it was important to hit on those late round guys because with the salary cap teams couldn't afford that many young 1st rounders on the same team. They aren't proven but counted a lot on the cap. That's no longer the case.

He's stacked a bunch of 1st rounders on the team during a period with the first rookie salary cap and not at the expense of mortgaging the future via trading away high picks from future years.

It's very interesting to watch.

[Mothman]

You know, I'm not sure that anybody has tried to build quite like Spielman has been over the last couple of seasons. In the past it was important to hit on those late round guys because with the salary cap teams couldn't afford that many young 1st rounders on the same team. They aren't proven but counted a lot on the cap. That's no longer the case.

He's stacked a bunch of 1st rounders on the team during a period with the first rookie salary cap and not at the expense of mortgaging the future via trading away high picks from future years.

It's very interesting to watch.

Excellent point. It's a strategy that wasn't possible before the rookie cap.

[jackal]

Excellent point. It's a strategy that wasn't possible before the rookie cap.

The problem with the new system is you hit and get a bunch of guys in a few years together and then
maybe win a Superbowl like Seattle did; a new problem. Russel Wilson is going to get 100 million dollars
soon. Richard Sherman 60 million plus most likely.. and all the other guys will want top money. Now
you have to hit on a whole new set of guys all over again.

[Eli]

He's stacked a bunch of 1st rounders on the team during a period with the first rookie salary cap and not at the expense of mortgaging the future via trading away high picks from future years.

It's very interesting to watch.

Yes, it is. Despite all the first rounders, it's still going to take several years to reach a verdict. The problem being that you have to hit an even higher percentage on all of those high draft selections and and many of them must be home runs.

The Vikings have very little depth at numerous positions right now, and if you examine their recent draft strategy, it's clear why. They're swinging for the fences in the first round and filling out the roster with scrubs from the late rounds. A few of those later round picks will develop - Griffen, Sullivan, Fusco, maybe Blanton, but the vast majoirty of them are throw-aways who will be gone before the end of their rookie contracts.

[S197]

The problem with the new system is you hit and get a bunch of guys in a few years together and then
maybe win a Superbowl like Seattle did; a new problem. Russel Wilson is going to get 100 million dollars
soon. Richard Sherman 60 million plus most likely.. and all the other guys will want top money. Now
you have to hit on a whole new set of guys all over again.

Yes, but the big difference is these guys are now getting those paydays after they've proven themselves. Unlike years prior where teams like the Lions would have to shell out 100's of millions to 1st round rookies who never produced anything. An elite player is always going to break the bank with their second signing, the new system just mitigates the hit from busts.

[PacificNorseWest]

Excellent point. It's a strategy that wasn't possible before the rookie cap.

Definitely an excellent point. Never really looked too deep into stuff like this, but that's a great observation.

[Cliff]

The problem with the new system is you hit and get a bunch of guys in a few years together and then
maybe win a Superbowl like Seattle did; a new problem. Russel Wilson is going to get 100 million dollars
soon. Richard Sherman 60 million plus most likely.. and all the other guys will want top money. Now
you have to hit on a whole new set of guys all over again.

I don't think so. Having to pay a bunch of proven players isn't the same as having to pay a bunch unproven 1st rounders. The odds are not all of them will pan out. If they do, having so many good players on a team and worrying about how to fit them all in is a good problem. Trade them away for more 1st rounders if you have to and do it all over again.

[Cliff]

's still going to take several years to reach a verdict. The problem being that you have to hit an even higher percentage on all of those high draft selections and and many of them must be home runs.

You've lost me here. The team had 4 picks in the top 4 rounds this year. They had 4 picks in the top 4 rounds in 2013 too. They aren't taking fewer players per round ... they're just managing to move their picks in those rounds up. Generally at the expense of extra picks or picks from the later "scrub" rounds.

Instead of a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th this year they had (2) 1sts, and (2) 3rds. Last year (3) 1sts and (1) 4th.

They don't seem to have less picks in those top rounds than other teams so why is it more important for them to hit on them than other teams? I do think they've increased the likelihood of those picks actually working out. The 1st rounders do generally have a better chance of contributing statistically.

[Mothman]

You've lost me here. The team had 4 picks in the top 4 rounds this year. They had 4 picks in the top 4 rounds in 2013 too. They aren't taking fewer players per round ... they're just managing to move their picks in those rounds up. Generally at the expense of extra picks or picks from the later "scrub" rounds.

Instead of a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th this year they had (2) 1sts, and (2) 3rds. Last year (3) 1sts and (1) 4th.

They don't seem to have less picks in those top rounds than other teams so why is it more important for them to hit on them than other teams? I do think they've increased the likelihood of those picks actually working out. The 1st rounders do generally have a better chance of contributing statistically.

Well said. It seems like a positive to me and the implication that they're swinging for the fences and forcing an increased reliance on later round picks doesn't really hold up under scrutiny.

[Eli]

You've lost me here. The team had 4 picks in the top 4 rounds this year. They had 4 picks in the top 4 rounds in 2013 too. They aren't taking fewer players per round ... they're just managing to move their picks in those rounds up. Generally at the expense of extra picks or picks from the later "scrub" rounds.

In 2012 the Vikings gave up a 4th round pick (#98) to move up and take Harrison Smith.

In 2013 they traded a 3rd round (#83) and a 4th round (#120) pick to move up and take Cordarrelle Patterson.

In 2014 they traded a 4th round pick (#108) to move up and take Teddy Bridgewater.

That's four additional mid-round players that would likely be on the squad today. They may or may not have made the difference in the long run, but it just means that those draft picks need to produce all the more.