If you were Wilf.....

[VikingPaul73]

Is it the coaching, the personnel, or do we just need more time to build a winner?

[PurpleHalo]

I say blow it up, this team needs a fresh new approach, this regime isn't close to winning big. They think it's a sane approach to try and win by running the ball like the 1970s. The 49ers could pull that off, but they have a great defense, which imo is very hard to build in a dome. Domes are meant for light it up football, this style is meant for Soldier field.

My biggest issue I always say about domes, and the reason I hate them, any outdoor team can come into a dome and blow up the scoreboard. But it's much tougher for a dome team to walk into the elements and win. Denny Green knew what was supposed to be done in a dome, the faults he had, specifically building any defense at all, he was smart enough to know what the Vikings had to be. Leslie Frazier thinks he's going to build the 85 Bears indoors. What we need is the 99 Rams.

Does anyone else get the impression, by Brian Billicks demeaner when he does our games that he might take this job? Not saying he's a good fit, I don't usually like retreads, but he knows his stuff. and I really could see that marriage taking place. Plus we are seeing him quite a bit, I wonder how much say the announcing teams have in which games they do.

[Eli]

Does anyone else get the impression, by Brian Billicks demeaner when he does our games that he might take this job? Not saying he's a good fit, I don't usually like retreads, but he knows his stuff. and I really could see that marriage taking place. Plus we are seeing him quite a bit, I wonder how much say the announcing teams have in which games they do.

Billick definitely has a soft spot for the Vikings and it sounds like he either stays in touch with someone in the organization or else he follows the Vikings closely.

Would he make a great Vikings head coach in the 2010s? ... I doubt it.

[PurpleHalo]

Billick definitely has a soft spot for the Vikings and it sounds like he either stays in touch with someone in the organization or else he follows the Vikings closely.

Would he make a great Vikings head coach in the 2010s? ... I doubt it.

Remember how close that 98 season came from not happening? He tried to get out prior to the season, and it was ruled he couldn't, because the Vikings never gave him permission to interview. Now that team might have been so talented, it may have turned into a run away scoring machine anyways, but yeah.

[Webbfann]

Billick would be an upgrade if we can't get old Bill Parcells off the golf course. At very least he'd be an unpgrade at OC.

[PurpleHalo]

Billick would be an upgrade if we can't get old Bill Parcells off the golf course. At very least he'd be an unpgrade at OC.

Parcells isn't coming back, and he's way past his prime, you saw what he did in dallas, it was just okay. He did leave them with Romo tho.

[Webbfann]

I'd just give up and leave if we don't get a proven, offensive minded NFL coach. It would signal an inability to grasp the problem.

I'd be pissed if we end up with some unknown college or WR's coach or something.

[mondry]

I'm not so sure about Billick specifically, but if Frazier gets the boot they need someone on the Billick level. Cowher, Gruden, etc. Former HC's and pay them what their worth. I think the Vikings are at a fragile stage of going up or down, and if they roll the dice on some young college coach we'll have the coaching equivalent of Christian Ponder, 3 years of wasted time, when we need the coaching equivalent of Peyton Manning. I'd be pissed if we end up with some unknown college or WR's coach or something.

I think with Billick you'd at least get someone who would come up with a legit plan and know exactly what he wants to do, put his "stamp" on the team if you will.

[mondry]

What about Pete Carmichael from New Orleans? He's been the OC for the Saints for a while now. However, it is Sean Payton that does the play calling, but he's got to have learned plenty of Sean's trick to be a suitable HC.
.

Not sure, they'd have to do their work on him and see if he himself offers up what they want to hear and has the mind for it. Last time we hired an OC from a team with a potent offense that didn't actually call the plays was childress!

[losperros]

I think with Billick you'd at least get someone who would come up with a legit plan and know exactly what he wants to do, put his "stamp" on the team if you will.

I agree about Billick. He'd be a signature coach.

Also, guys like Billick and Cowher bring imagination and creativity to the team, which I believe is something the Vikings badly need right now.

[dead_poet]

Potential best-case scenario?

Freeman is a stud. Extend him. Fire Frazier 'N Friends. Hire offensive-minded coach with defensive coordinator rooted in 3-4. Re-sign Griffen to play OLB. Re-sign Cook relatively cheaply (whose press skills might improve in new scheme). Draft OLB Anthony Barr (UCLA) or NT Louis Nix. If Nix, move Erin back to OLB. Look at ILBs A.J. Johnson, Yawin Smallwood, Shayne Skov, Christian Jones / CBs Aaron Colvin, Kyle Fuller, Marcus Roberson, Louchiez Purifoy, Jason Verrett in R2 and NT Daniel McCullers in R3? Look at free agent market early for cornerback help (Sam Shields, Talib, Josh Wilson, Vontae Davis, Corey Graham).

I suspect Freeman won't impress to the point of extension, though, which is fine because at this rate there will be one of the Big Four QBs available when we pick, which, provided we select the right one, will go a long way in righting the ship.

Wow. I shouldn't have had that Red Bull. I can see into the future!

[Demi]

Keep Spielman? What has this guy done? The lack of talent and depth is obvious. The QB mess is on him. Who brought in Musgrave? The guy did nothing in Miami or Chicago and here he is with full control over the roster? And everything below the head coach?

[S197]

Keep Spielman? What has this guy done? The lack of talent and depth is obvious. The QB mess is on him. Who brought in Musgrave? The guy did nothing in Miami or Chicago and here he is with full control over the roster? And everything below the head coach?

I'd like to see Spielman get a shot at hiring his own coach. I think he's done enough to keep his job. He's drafted the offensive rookie of the year, twice. Traded for Jared Allen, got decent compensation for Harvin, fooled the Browns into giving us draft picks, found guys like Robison, Griffen and Sullivan in the later rounds, picked up numerous other solid starters (Rudolph, Walsh, Kalil, Felton, Smith, etc.). Ponder was a miss and his track record at CB so far isn't the greatest but I think he's brought enough talent to see whether he's part of the problem or with a better coach the team improves.

[mondry]

I'd like to see Spielman get a shot at hiring his own coach. I think he's done enough to keep his job. He's drafted the offensive rookie of the year, twice. Traded for Jared Allen, got decent compensation for Harvin, fooled the Browns into giving us draft picks, found guys like Robison, Griffen and Sullivan in the later rounds, picked up numerous other solid starters (Rudolph, Walsh, Kalil, Felton, Smith, etc.). Ponder was a miss and his track record at CB so far isn't the greatest but I think he's brought enough talent to see whether he's part of the problem or with a better coach the team improves.

Yeah I agree with that take for the most part. When he was made actual GM we already had Frazier and Musgrave so only the Wilfs really know how he feels / felt about them. I think it's incredibly important for the GM to pick his coaches because it generally means they're on the same page as far as what schemes they want to run, how to get the players for them, and what kind of style they want to play.

His drafting shows that he may want to move away from the standard cover 2 zone coverage scheme we're using and perhaps move to a more man coverage based scheme, rhodes would certainly like that idea. He's also drafting WR's and bringing in more guys to hopefully go to a 3 WR set as being the standard as opposed to this two tight end condensed formation stuff and I think that's a good idea as well.

I say he should get a chance to see this 3 year rebuild out and it's very possible with different schemes that more fit our players and some more creative coaches we could see a lot of improvement quickly.

[Texas Vike]

I'd like to see Spielman get a shot at hiring his own coach. I think he's done enough to keep his job. He's drafted the offensive rookie of the year, twice. Traded for Jared Allen, got decent compensation for Harvin, fooled the Browns into giving us draft picks, found guys like Robison, Griffen and Sullivan in the later rounds, picked up numerous other solid starters (Rudolph, Walsh, Kalil, Felton, Smith, etc.). Ponder was a miss and his track record at CB so far isn't the greatest but I think he's brought enough talent to see whether he's part of the problem or with a better coach the team improves.

Good take. It's also much more realistic... Zygi's going to salvage at least Spielman, IMO.