Rick Spielman's Post Draft interview

[dead_poet]

https://twitter.com/VikeFans/status/595927328590467074

[dead_poet]

Rick has six adopted kids? Huh.

[Texas Vike]

Rick has six adopted kids? Huh.

I heard that too, makes my head spin. 6 kids, adopted or not, would be insane.

Interested info about TJ Clemmings--they don't know when he suffered the foot injury, it may have been in High school!? May have played on it all through college--even so he's never missed a single game or practice. It sounds a little odd to me. I hope his foot is capable of healing at this point.

[dead_poet]

I heard that too, makes my head spin. 6 kids, adopted or not, would be insane.

Uhhh...yeah. I have two and some days that's two too many.

Interested info about TJ Clemmings--they don't know when he suffered the foot injury, it may have been in High school!? May have played on it all through college--even so he's never missed a single game or practice. It sounds a little odd to me. I hope his foot is capable of healing at this point.

Must not be too serious. He presumably never noticed anything wrong until doctors found it. I wonder exactly what it was/is and how that might affect him in the short- and long-term. Increased possibility of aggravation or break maybe?

[Texas Vike]

Uhhh...yeah. I have two and some days that's two too many.
Must not be too serious. He presumably never noticed anything wrong until doctors found it. I wonder exactly what it was/is and how that might affect him in the short- and long-term. Increased possibility of aggravation or break maybe?

1. I hear you on the kids front. They can drive a man nuts, even while being the coolest thing in life! 6 would put me on another planet. I mean to say that I would move to Mars.

2. Any medical doctors on this board? I'd love to hear an informed opinion about his situation and prospects for a future in the NFL. His awful showing at the senior bowl was attributed to his injury, but if that injury never slowed him down previously, why did it suddenly affect him there?

[Mothman]

2. Any medical doctors on this board? I'd love to hear an informed opinion about his situation and prospects for a future in the NFL. His awful showing at the senior bowl was attributed to his injury, but if that injury never slowed him down previously, why did it suddenly affect him there?

My guess is the position change )and perhaps the overall pressure of the situation) had something to do with it. I think they had him practicing at LT at the Senior Bowl and if I'm not mistaken, that was new for him.

[Mothman]

Rick has six adopted kids? Huh.

Yes, that came up in the early days of the peterson fiasco last fall. It's pretty cool that he and his wife have adopted 6 children. The guy must have a big heart.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

2. Any medical doctors on this board? I'd love to hear an informed opinion about his situation and prospects for a future in the NFL. His awful showing at the senior bowl was attributed to his injury, but if that injury never slowed him down previously, why did it suddenly affect him there?

Not a medical doctor, but I am an athletic training student who will soon be certified.

To answer your question, it depends what his injury is. HIPAA will not allow for disclosure of his injury without his expressed consent. If it is a stress fracture, it really depends on where the osteodefect is. It if is near the metatarsal heads that could potentially be a bigger problem. A stress fracture there would limit push off. However, if the stress fracture is higher, especially in the talus, there would be issues with ankle stability (especially eversion and inversion movements).

Then again, we don't know if the injury is even a stress fracture. I doubt is it is a Lisfranc injury - or he would have had surgery by now. It could sesmoiditis. It could be a great toe sprain (turf toe). There could be problems with his flexor tendons. It is too hard to guess without having more concrete information. I don't want to speculate on it either because it is not my place to do so.

[dead_poet]

His awful showing at the senior bowl was attributed to his injury, but if that injury never slowed him down previously, why did it suddenly affect him there?

I don't know if it did. I think the fact that he's still raw had more to do with it. He's only played offensive tackle for two years (previously defensive end). As Jim mentioned, he didn't have any experience at left tackle.

If you haven't read this yet, it's encouraging: http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 63551.html

Excerpt below:

Hueber said when it comes to raw skills, Clemmings is up there with any player he has ever coached.

“He has traits that some of the better players that we’ve had over the years have had,” he said. “The biggest difference was that he hadn’t had much experience on offense.

“He was a defensive player for a couple years in high school and then his first three years at Pitt. He wasn’t having much success, and then we moved him over and it wasn’t a bed of roses his junior year. He really had a lot to learn, but boy, once he learned it, he really became a good player.”

What was it in Clemmings that allowed for the switch to offensive line to be so successful?

“I think he has a little bit of a defensive mentality,” Hueber said. “He’s not afraid to get after you, he can finish, he’s got athleticism. He has the things you would think a defensive end might have. He can move his feet, he’s strong with his hands and his upper body. He is going to be able to do the things they want him to do. He’s just going to need to keep working and progressing.”

[dead_poet]

Then again, we don't know if the injury is even a stress fracture.

According to this, it was/is a stress fracture: http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 63551.html

Questions arose about a stress fracture in Clemmings’ foot that was discovered in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft and might have allowed the Vikings to get a first-round talent in the fourth round, but Hueber says there’s no reason to worry.

“That was really surprising when the thing came up about his foot injury,” Hueber said. “I texted him about it because he never missed any practice, never missed any games, and then as we got closer to the draft, this thing about his foot came up and I was surprised by it.

“It had to be way, way back in his career someplace, because our doctors never said anything about it, so I understand [Saturday] when he talked to people, he said it was a nonfactor. We’ll go with the company line there, because I believe it. He just was there all the time, played every game for us, never complained about anything.”

[Pseudo Everything]

Hard to understand how Clemmings was considered a late first or early second round pick. I bet if you got a hold of all 32 teams' draft boards that maybe a few had him with a third round grade and the rest had him in the fourth or later. He's a project with a possible medical red flag. Teams usually don't draft these types of guys in the first three rounds, especially if they are linemen. This idea that we got a "steal" in the fourth round ... I don't know ... seems like a stretch for that to be the case. The thing I find encouraging is that his development at Pitt took a big leap forward this past year so there's hope that he can keep making strides at an advanced pace.

I read where he had a navicular stress fracture in a tarsal bone in his ankle. It may not be a problem now but it could be in the future. I'd be surprised if he doesn't have some pain in his mid foot area despite his statements that it's not a problem. From what I've read the treatment options are very limited with surgery not being one of them. Usually it's six weeks in a cast and then a very gradual rehab program.

[Jordysghost]

I'm somewhat new here so bear with me, but what is your guys general opinion on Speilman.

[mondry]

I'm somewhat new here so bear with me, but what is your guys general opinion on Speilman.

Since he's been given full GM duty's we've been rebuilding and he finally got to bring in his own hand picked coaches with Mike Zimmer and company. I feel the best I have for the Vikings going forward in a long long time.

I think he's pretty smart with our salary cap focusing mostly on resigning our own players that we want to keep while mixing it up with a splash here and there. (over paying greg jennings)

Draft wise I think he's done an above average job since being given full control of the draft / GM duties. We don't see the really awkward reaches like Toby Gerhart in the 2nd round when Childress had the ability to over rule him. Obviously his biggest blunder so far is taking ponder #12 overall and a lot of people still hold that against him heavily. Trading back into #32 to nab Bridgewater though was brilliant and shows me he's learned his lesson.

I have no problem with his approach of wanting to move up and down and all around during draft day and think for the most part he does a good job. But that's me.

[fiestavike]

Yes, that came up in the early days of the peterson fiasco last fall. It's pretty cool that he and his wife have adopted 6 children. The guy must have a big heart.

That's awesome. Very impressive and wonerful.

[fiestavike]

I'm somewhat new here so bear with me, but what is your guys general opinion on Speilman.

I think he's done well since we got rid of the inane "Triangle of Authority".