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In Good Faith
It's funny how we
are sent very strong messages but we tend to ignore the obvious. There is
a reason that Kyle Sloter is the only quarterback on our roster for the 2018
season. The message is ... this is your future franchise
quarterback. It's now time for this Vikings organization to send a message
throughout the league and that happens upon the wielding genius of the pen of
Rick Spielman. It's true .. It's true ... the pen is mightier than the
sword.
To start, Spielman should start with Kyle Sloter's agent to direct a Super Bowl
winning statement. In 2018, Kyle should be the highest paid back-up in the
league, where that amount will be guaranteed in 2018, his 2nd year in the
league. The assumption here is that he will eventually assume the
role of our franchise quarterback. In his 3rd year, if he's still our
backup quarterback, his contract in 2019 will be guaranteed at 10% more that his
2018 salary & if he starts & wins more than 8 games, his guaranteed
contract for 2019 will jump to 60% more than his 2018 salary. In
Kyle's 4th year, the Vikings will be given the option to guarantee his 2020
contract at 150% of his 2019 contract if he's he does not meet the starter
requirement in 2019 (he's still our back up quarterback). If Kyle's
the starter in 2020, the Vikings will have the option of guarantying his
contract at 75% of the top 25 quarterbacks in the league. In his 5th year
2021, the Vikings will have the option to pay him the average of 2020's top 25
quarterbacks, treating him as if he were a number 1 pick in the bottom order of
the draft. If Kyle doesn't work out, his contract will be void-able after
the 2018 season. The incentive is obvious, to be the highest paid back-up
in the league & if he becomes our valued franchise quarterback ... he'd be
paid accordingly similar to what was done for Wilson progression in Seattle but
with greater "franchise player" incentives. It's time to get
creative by investing in the franchises future.
Best of all, a contract of this type is so convoluted, that a commentator would
have to reluctantly spend an inordinate amount of time to explain the in-s &
out's of a series of 1 year contracts that would lock down a future franchise
player & pay an unknown 2nd year player a ridiculous salary. It also
takes potential money off the table that would be either be thrown at useless
free agents or over-spent on our own re-signed players. Creativity has its
own rewards. It comes from statement were a lawyer would tell you to cash
any check that you'd receive where we can always go back and argue later.
Believe me, if Sloter turns out to be that franchise player, he'll still have
the leverage that the needs to get what he's worth.
As for Kirk Cousins, he will certainly be a mega fat contract with great
expectations but little in results when it counts.
If there was anything that could be learned from the 2017 season is that we were
void of super stars & their fat contracts, less maybe Bradford. You go
back & research history & you'll find Barnyard Berrian fat contract with
little to no result. What good is a high price free agent in a Viking Key
position when they gut you like a pig when the chips are down. Does anyone
remember the end of our 2015 season with Blair Walsh's kick, or Gary Anderson's
kick ending our 1998 season, or Favre's interception in the 2009 championship,
or now Case Keenum's pick 6, followed by a 2nd interception or his fumble in the
red zone. The only focus this franchise should have is on doing your best
to pay your own pending free agents and developing true Vikings to put at the
helm when the crap hits the fan. Kyle Sloter can be that person.
Keenum & Bradford will never be where it's time to walk away from Ram's QB reclamations.
Just because the media goes nuts over the thought of Kirk Cousins ram-rodding
this organizations salary cap ... to ensure the statement ... we all know how
this ends, we need to reshape our process into winning championships. Mike
Zimmer's crystal ball (truth detector) didn't work because he was forced to rely
upon Keenum where his interest lies with his pocket ... not this
franchise. Would is surprise anyone if Keenum directed the dive for bookie
money at the last minute. Imagine a 5 million dollar bonus payout, over
his measly 2 million dollar 2017 salary for having Eagle Green on that Super
Bowl LII trophy. Did is happen? No, but maybe we should Leave it to
your imagination.
Will Teddy return in 2018? Well there are only so many starting jobs in
the NFL. Keenum will have one & someone will be stupid enough to give
Bradford the reins based upon his incredible skill set alone. You've got
to figure in Kirk Cousins as gang green will lavish him with the only green he's
ever cared about. Don't for a moment think Drew Brees will change venues
at this juncture based upon a few dollars knowing of those incredible weapons
& a defense that he's always longed for ... if he walks he's out of his
mind. That doesn't leave much for Teddy although Buffalo is an option with
Joe Webb but the horizon is vastly different in up-state New York than it is in
the friendly confines of the Ship. Whatever he is offered is going
to be waived under Zimmer's nose & it will take about 30 seconds for
Spielman to launch that torpedo.
Then there's McCarren, drafted
in the 5th round in the 2014 draft ... now an unrestricted free agent.
Will he beat Teddy to the punch
In the end, things
happen for a reason. Every one of these quarterbacks would both love &
relish the opportunity of starting in Minnesota. Maybe it's time this
franchise stop dropping its pants every time its about to make a sale.
Reggie White ended up in Green Bay because he heard the words, "God wants
you to play in Green Bay", from Ted Thompson. Maybe that's exactly
what we should do ... listen to what God tells us ... or better said, what he
has made us to bear. Maybe it's time to tell the media to go pound sand.
I remember the first time I saw Kirk Warner play. It was the one and only
Barnstormer games I ever watched. My thought ... this Warner guy should be
playing in the NFL. He's playing on a short track & he throws the ball
with the precision of Tarkenton. Enter Marshal Falk & the rest is
history. Mouth agape ... I watched the tapes on this kid Sloter & my
only thought was ... franchise quarterback. Thank you John Elway's ego.
Now we see "(John) Defilippo's Impact" taking over as our new
Offensive Coordinator. Yes, things do happen for a reason but no one seems
to see it yet. This is the guy that brought this league Derek Carr as he
exploded on the scene. He then chuck's Sam Bradford to the scrap heap &
tells us that this Carson Wentz kid can play starting him out of the gate in
that 2016 season leading us all to that 2017 Super Bowl. Now he's brought
to this Vikings franchise to
supposedly evaluate Kyle Sloter & lead this offensive unit. To be direct, everyone of that Vikings
coaching staff already know exactly what they've got in Sloter but they need
both the clout & a new set of eyes to confirm it all. What follows is Defilippo's statement, "We are going with
this Sloter kid (as our starter)
because he can play". Neither Spielman or Zimmer can say this either
together or on their own without the heavens opening hell upon them. The problem of course is timing. If
Defilippo said it today we'd say he was nuts but as some point in the pre-season,
the world is going to have is chair ripped-out from under them. The Stay
Puff Marshmellow Man has been unleashed ...
Everything has it's purpose ... and everything has its time. It's now time
for that unexplained strategic move, followed by ... "I like the
kid". What????
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: February 28, 2018
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