Vikings fire GM Rick Spielman and HC Mike Zimmer

[vikingsfan0845]

Raiche on staff I think would be a great idea, from what I've read...was just not sure she was ready to have that much authority...

I don't know much about her but sounds like she is well respected. My only concern is how she will get treated. The Vikings have at least one woman with a prominent role in the organization but I worry about dudes with egos mistreating or disrespecting her. The Vikings don't seem like an organization where that would be an issue but you never know.

[vikingsfan0845]

so this I wasn't aware of.....nor do I understand (since there's no drop in minorities over it).......but the Browns (and I suppose the Chiefs) will get compensatory 3rd rd picks for 2 years for losing Poles and KAM...even tho they're both going to better jobs

The NFL is trying to promote diversity. If you help develop a minority in your organization and he gets hired elsewhere for a prominent role then the NFL will reward you with draft picks.

[SiteWolf]

If Mond was impressing the coaching staff even a little bit I have to believe he would have started over Mannion. He only threw 3 passes against GB but the second pass was a really bad one. Shoulda been a pick six. He also didn't look good in the preseason. Most draft profiles suggested he would take a bit to develop. His mechanics at A&M were a big reason why he wouldn't be ready right away. Plus you gotta remember guys like Brady and Wilson and Dak are outliers. Most of the time middle round guys don't do much

not saying I know, obviously........but what we do know is if Zimmer didn't want it, it wasn't happening...because that's they things became the last couple years.....and he was being a brutally stubborn man by the end

plus, Mond could hardly be referred to as middle round...almost 2nd round

[goingfor28]

The NFL is trying to promote diversity. If you help develop a minority in your organization and he gets hired elsewhere for a prominent role then the NFL will reward you with draft picks.

I kind of get it, but it also seems really dumb at the same time.
I don't care if our organization is filled with the blueberry oompa loompas from willy Wonka as long as it means we're winning.

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[SiteWolf]

I kind of get it, but it also seems really dumb at the same time.
I don't care if our organization is filled with the blueberry oompa loompas from willy Wonka as long as it means we're winning.

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well, to me, it's kinda bass ackward, too......I mean, it's the Bears and Vikings that are hiring them into these positions...I thought that was supposed to be where the kudos was supposed to come from, not losing them

[SiteWolf]

[goingfor28]

well, to me, it's kinda bass ackward, too......I mean, it's the Bears and Vikings that are hiring them into these positions...I thought that was supposed to be where the kudos was supposed to come from, not losing them

Also a very good point lol

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[nasthemasta]

Hiring a GM who never played a down of football because of his college degrees, executive skills, and focus on “inclusion” scares the daylights out of me. I hope i’m wrong and that this guy becomes the next best young GM in football, but his credentials don’t sound like a guy you bring in to run a football team. Sounds more like a CEO of a hedge fund firm. Analytics are great and everything but they aren’t the be all end all. We need to put together a great scouting department for this to work imo.

[vikingsfan0845]

The hiring is now official


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[SiteWolf]

got a kick outta this tweet...

And here it is: http://www.nfl.com/news/vikings-fina...eneral-manager

[vikingsfan0845]

[vikingsfan0845]

Hiring a GM who never played a down of football because of his college degrees, executive skills, and focus on “inclusion” scares the daylights out of me. I hope i’m wrong and that this guy becomes the next best young GM in football, but his credentials don’t sound like a guy you bring in to run a football team. Sounds more like a CEO of a hedge fund firm. Analytics are great and everything but they aren’t the be all end all. We need to put together a great scouting department for this to work imo.

Whether or not you played a down of football doesn't mean you can't run a football team. KAM spent 7 years around the scouting department in SF learning. Andrew Berry said his role in Cleveland was basically "a miniature version of the GM job" and that he offered strong insights into their draft and free agent valuations.

IMO, this hire is going to basically be the difference between not taking somebody like Garrett Bradbury in the first round and instead drafting say Jeffrey Simmons. The football guy Kubiak tells the GM he needs a good center to run his offense but the data will say the center position is not worth a 1st round pick. I think this a refreshing change of culture compared to the dinosaur philosophies we've had to deal with recently.

[nasthemasta]

Whether or not you played a down of football doesn't mean you can't run a football team. KAM spent 7 years around the scouting department in SF learning. Andrew Berry said his role in Cleveland was basically "a miniature version of the GM job" and that he offered strong insights into their draft and free agent valuations.

IMO, this hire is going to basically be the difference between not taking somebody like Garrett Bradbury in the first round and instead drafting say Jeffrey Simmons. The football guy Kubiak tells the GM he needs a good center to run his offense but the data will say the center position is not worth a 1st round pick. I think this a refreshing change of culture compared to the dinosaur philosophies we've had to deal with recently.

I’m not saying you have to be an ex-NFL player to be a successful GM, but i do think it would help a lot to have played the game at some point and know what it takes to win on the field. This guy never strapped on pads before in his life, he was an ivy leaguer that the niners pulled off of wall street. He’s completely driven by analytics, which isn’t a terrible thing but sometimes analytics don’t tell you the full story on a player. I think guys who have played the game are better at identifying the “it” factor and players that have heart and the will to win. How many analytical GM’s who have never played the game before won superbowls? I know it’s a fairly new trend but their success rate isn’t staggering.

[SiteWolf]

I’m not saying you have to be an ex-NFL player to be a successful GM, but i do think it would help a lot to have played the game at some point and know what it takes to win on the field. This guy never strapped on pads before in his life, he was an ivy leaguer that the niners pulled off of wall street. He’s completely driven by analytics, which isn’t a terrible thing but sometimes analytics don’t tell you the full story on a player. I think guys who have played the game are better at identifying the “it” factor and players that have heart and the will to win. How many analytical GM’s who have never played the game before won superbowls? I know it’s a fairly new trend but their success rate isn’t staggering.

well, when he hires Catherine Raich as his Asst GM you might lose it then!

yeah, analytics is great....but some depend TOO much on numbers (hard for me to say out loud, accountant and sports site owner that I am).....but he won't be alone in making decisions

[vikingsfan0845]

I’m not saying you have to be an ex-NFL player to be a successful GM, but i do think it would help a lot to have played the game at some point and know what it takes to win on the field. This guy never strapped on pads before in his life, he was an ivy leaguer that the niners pulled off of wall street. He’s completely driven by analytics, which isn’t a terrible thing but sometimes analytics don’t tell you the full story on a player. I think guys who have played the game are better at identifying the “it” factor and players that have heart and the will to win. How many analytical GM’s who have never played the game before won superbowls? I know it’s a fairly new trend but their success rate isn’t staggering.

Most of the GMs I looked up never played football at any level higher than at a small college. Brett Veach, for example, is one of the best GM's in the league but I doubt playing RB at Delaware has helped him identity NFL talent. I doubt Bill Belichick credits playing center at Wesleyan University for his personnel decisions over the years.

I feel like people who hear the term analytics think decisions are being made on spreadsheets. The process, as I understand, is not that different really. Analytics is just another added layer. I mean PFF, for example, is strong into data and numbers but they still have a strong staff of knowledgeable people who grind film. KAM spent 7 years with scouts in SF learning that aspect of the game. He learned under John Lynch, a former player, so that should make you feel better. Even the 49ers, who are run by a "football guy", have one of the bigger analytics departments in the NFL. It's not like the Vikings will now be ignoring tape or something crazy. At the end of the day it's still a football approach but with a broader spectrum added to it.

Below is a video of Kwesi being interviewed after the Browns drafted Anthony Schwartz. You can get a decent look into how his mind works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DnkVGlgDY4