I'm taking a shot at Spielman

[Mothman]

This is the main problem when you're only given quasi-GM status. You go into the draft and free agency with one philosophy in mind while your coaches may have a different mindset (and you do not have ultimate say on whether they stay or not). The better way to do it is to have one manager so that he and the coach are on the same wavelength, making personnel decisions more cohesive.

However, some of what has been said is hindsight driven and I don't think rookies should be judged on what they have done after the first 3 games of their career. I think we got a little spoiled with guys like AD and Harvin coming out strong right away when the more natural progression is for a rookie to develop over time. We knew going into the draft that there were too many holes to fill in a single year, I think Spielman did an adequate job of filling as many as he could.

Where I'm most critical of Spielman is at the quarterback position and it has nothing to do with Christian Ponder. The issue I have starts back when we took on a 40-year old Brett Favre as our starter. It was at that point that we should have started developing his successor, not wait until he was out of the picture. The contingency planning was poor at best, non-existent at worse, and Spielman being director of personnel at the time should front a lot of the blame.

He was pretty clearly being overruled by Childress. Names weren't named but the Vikes expressed in interest in trading for Cutler and that was nixed by a coach. It's not hard to figure out who would have been inquiring and which coach had the authority to put the kibosh on talks. Childress wanted Favre. Childress got Favre. Spielman signed Rosenfels. Childress didn't want Rosenfels so he was shipped off and Webb was promoted.

It's pretty clear that the era in which Spielman had any real say over the QB position didn't begin until Childress left and even then, if I recall correctly, he didn't want McNabb but didn't yet have the authority to say no to the idea either. He's had that authority since 2012 so his choice of QBs since being put in charge of the roster have been Ponder, Webb, MBT and Cassel.

It's still doesn't look like a great track record but it's not a long one either.

[Mothman]

Who knows I guess, if the draft was as weak as they say, perhaps the best we could do is find guys with raw ability to try and develop down the road. Other teams seemed to still manage to find impact starters though.

We're 3 games into the season. All 3 could still become impact starters as early as this year. Two have made an impact anyway. I don't know why Rhodes isn't seeing the field more. He should be starting next week and Robinson (who's been brutal) should only see the field as the slot CB (if then).

Spielman's job is to take both the long view and the short view and in this year's draft, some of the picks may be more "long view" choices. That doesn't mean they were bad choices or the wrong choices and he's not the one who isn't starting them anyway. It seems to me like this is more of a complaint about the playing time Frazier is giving this year's 3 first round picks than about the choice to take them in the first place.

Jim

[mondry]

We're 3 games into the season. All 3 could still become impact starters as early as this year. Two have made an impact anyway. I don't know why Rhodes isn't seeing the field more. He should be starting next week and Robinson (who's been brutal) should only see the field as the slot CB (if then).

Spielman's job is to take both the long view and the short view and in this year's draft, some of the picks may be more "long view" choices. That doesn't mean they were bad choices or the wrong choices and he's not the one who isn't starting them anyway. It seems to me like this is more of s complainng about the playing time Frazier is giving this year's 3 first round picks than about the choice to take them in the first place.

Jim

Yeah, maybe when it boils down to it, Frazier and Musgrave just need to play our #1 picks more, in fact it probably does. Still, I can't imagine if Spielman didn't take the best 4-3 cover 2 shell CB in the 1st round he wouldn't be playing right now. Same thing with LB, we could have taken any 4-3 mike LB (except ogeltree, he was already off the board) and he'd easily be starting now over Henderson and an immediate upgrade like Harrison smith, Matt Kalil, etc and we'd be saying how spielman knocked it out of the park again.

Instead we're 0-3 waiting for these guys to blossom, if they ever do. Season essentially over. I guess when we're 2-8 (assuming we can even win 2 games) and officially, mathematically, eliminated from the playoffs Frazier might be willing to let the young guys get some snaps.

I realized I'm just mad, so thanks Jim I like Patterson, Rhodes, Floyd, but I do have a bone to pick with Frazier right now. I just think Spielman could have maybe done a bit better in the short term that wouldn't have sacrificed the long term all that much either, though he's probably not even enough of the problem to worry about it.

[Eli]

Speaking of younger guys, I wonder whether after this seasons becomes a complete disaster and embarrassment, if it will hasten Kevin Williams' retirement. If the Vikings end up something like 4-12, what's the sense in coming back for another year?

[mondry]

Speaking of younger guys, I wonder whether after this seasons becomes a complete disaster and embarrassment, if it will hasten Kevin Williams' retirement. If the Vikings end up something like 4-12, what's the sense in coming back for another year?

Meh, with the way spielman operates he'll probably just be cut like Winfield anyway. LOL

Okay now I'm done, too much anger right now! :O

[Eli]

You also have to wonder what the Vikings will do with their gold-plated, diamond-encrusted running back if they go into December with zero chance of making the playoffs. I'm guessing it would mean no more 20 carry days for Peterson. Hell, I wouldn't put him on the field for a single down. He'd be watching the last four or five games either from the sideline or from his sofa.

[Mothman]

I realized I'm just mad, so thanks Jim

If Patterson, Floyd and Rhodes become standout players over the next the course of the next few seasons, we'll be thanking Spielman for the excellent choices! I hope that's how it works out. I wish Patterson and Rhodes were getting more playing time though. I understand what they're doing with Floyd and so far, I'm okay with it.

[TheFoxInDetox]

You also have to wonder what the Vikings will do with their gold-plated, diamond-encrusted running back if they go into December with zero chance of making the playoffs. I'm guessing it would mean no more 20 carry days for Peterson. Hell, I wouldn't put him on the field for a single down. He'd be watching the last four or five games either from the sideline or from his sofa.

Based on what I saw in December of 2011, they will probably run him into the ground even if they have 2 wins under their belt. Get him seriously injured in a meaningless game and then gloat about the meaningless victory.