By Jeff Diamond, former Vikings GM who is co-hosting Monday Night Purple with Joe Anderson this season on Monday nights on News Talk 830 WCCO (next show is Monday, September 2 from 6-7 pm at the News Talk 830 WCCO booth at the Minnesota State Fair). Regular season shows will be at B-52 Burgers and Brew in Inver Grove Heights beginning Monday, September 9 with all-pro safety Harrison Smith as the player guest following the opener against Atlanta.
In my days as Vikings General Manager and Titans President, I found the 10 day stretch from the last preseason game to the opening day of regular season to be a huge contrast of activities and emotions…one of those wild rides on the NFL roller coaster.
It starts with the agony of the fourth preseason game—in Buffalo for the Vikings this year. I hated that game for many reasons. First off, the starters don’t play which makes the game a rip-off to the fans paying for tickets. Second, while the coaches pump up the game as important for the bubble players trying to win roster spots, the truth is that Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman already know who is making the team except perhaps for one or two roster spots that could be up for grabs in preseason game No. 4. That’s how it was for me and the coaches I worked with on determining the final cuts.
The only thing that will change how it shakes out when cuts come down on Friday and Saturday is if a player gets hurt in the game. Which leads me to the fact that the last preseason game drove me crazy, worrying about players getting hurt who we were either counting on for backup roles or players we were getting ready to cut so if injured, they wind up on injured reserve counting against the salary cap (not a good thing when a team is fairly tight against the cap as the Vikings are this year).
Then when cut day arrives, it’s sad to see players released who have worked hard throughout OTAs, minicamp and training camp and it’s tough on the coaches and GM who have to deliver the bad news. I always talked with every player who was cut and told them that there will be other opportunities to catch on with other NFL teams or in other leagues such as the XFL that is starting up next spring. But their dream was to make the 2019 Vikings squad.
Some players see it coming which is likely the case for receiver Laquon Treadwell who knows it doesn’t look good for him and he’s probably anxious for a fresh start elsewhere. Punter Matt Wile also won’t be shocked to be released after the Vikings traded for Kaare Vedvik. But many players are crushed by the news. TCO Performance Center will be like a morgue on Friday and Saturday.
When the depression of cut day lifts on Sunday and Monday, it’s a whole new feeling at team headquarters when 10 of the released players return as practice squad signees. And best of all, the regular season is here and preparation begins for the 53 active players who are excited for opening day on Sunday September 8 at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Falcons.
The start of the regular season always was my favorite time on the NFL calendar (other than when we were in playoff games). No more pretend games. The real deal is here and the Vikings will begin their quest to return to the playoffs and battle the Bears and Packers (sorry Lions) for the NFC North title.
And the good omen is that the Vikings are on a pattern of winning the division in odd numbered years. Minnesota won the NFC North in 2015 with an 11-5 record, fell short at 8-8 in 2016, won the division at 13-3 and made it to the NFC title game in 2017 and had the 8-7-1 disappointment last season. So 2019 is next up as an odd numbered year which bodes well for season two of Kirk Cousins in the new offense with all his weapons and hopefully a healthy Dalvin Cook for 16 games and a much improved offensive line while a top five defense has returned virtually intact. And hopefully the kicking game holds up. Bring on the regular season.
Around the NFL Observations:
The big news of the week was the retirement of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, a shocker just two weeks before the opener as he was battling a calf/ankle injury. Luck obviously was in need of a break from the game that has taken a physical and mental toll on him. He said he needed to escape from four years of ”this cycle of injury, pain, rehab; injury, pain, rehab” which had frayed him to the point that he felt “the only way out is to no longer play football.”
Time can be a healer. No one knows—even Luck himself—how his story plays out. He could truly be done with the game he loves at age 29 and he’s already set financially after earning $103 million in his seven seasons that includes the $12 million roster bonus he received this season that will not have to be repaid along with $12.8 million in prorated signing bonus that Colts owner Jim Irsay and the Colts could have demanded. But Irsay is smart to have let Luck keep the money thus retaining a good relationship with his four-time Pro Bowler so that Luck has good feelings about his owner and team in the event he wants to someday return.
The Stanford grad is not your typical quarterback and he doesn’t appear to be consumed by the need to maximize his potential earnings. But he loves the game and he’s also soon to become a father for the first time so perhaps he’ll want his kids to have the opportunity to watch him play in the future. So it will be interesting to see how the Luck premature retirement plays out.