In my rookie NFL season as an assistant PR director with the Vikings back in 1976, I was married on July 10 and left for a six week training camp in Mankato 10 days later. I was stuck in Gage Hall on the Mankato State campus for 14 hour work days and made it home once a week on the players night off (other than escaping for our six—yes six, ugh!—preseason games).
The 2019 Vikings open training camp next week on Friday, July 26 at their year-round headquarters in Eagan’s TCO Performance Center. Their training camp—if you can call it that—lasts about three weeks with no two-a-day practices in full pads as was the case most days for the 1976 team which was Minnesota’s last Super Bowl team with Hall of Famers galore under the leadership of Coach Bud Grant.
There are now four preseason games—still about two too many—but definitely preferable to six of these lackluster affairs.
I’ve said it often—today’s players don’t know how great they have it with modern day training camp compared to the past. The days are still long early in camp with lots of meetings and walk-through practices to go along with the main practice each day. But it’s nothing like the grind of early Vikings camps in Bemidji back in the early 1960s before the move to Mankato for 40 plus years.
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This last week or so before the start of training camp is a mixed bag for players, coaches and staff. They can enjoy the last bit of down time although the front office staff is back at work preparing for the opening of camp. It will have been almost six weeks away from football for the players and coaches but the players have been staying in shape with off-site workouts and the coaches have been peeking at their iPads from time to time.
As for Vikings GM Rick Spielman, he’s happy to have the contract signing season behind him after finalizing Kyle Rudolph’s extension in early June which will keep the two-time Pro Bowl tight end in Vikings purple for at least the 2019 season and perhaps beyond depending on the tightness of the team’s salary cap and the potential emergence of second round pick Irv Smith Jr.
Back in my GM years, I was very happy once the salary cap came into existence in 1994 because it changed the mind-set of agents and players who used to wait until the eve of training camp to sign since it was pre-free agency and their only leverage was to hold out. With the salary cap in play, everyone wanted to get signed in March and April before the cap room tightened up. Draft choice deals also are much easier to get done today compared to the past with the rookie wage scale in existence and more money going to the veterans vs. the rookies today.
Next Week: I’ll preview 2019 Vikings training camp and break down the position battles to watch and the veteran players who are in danger of being cut by late August/early September.
Adam Thielen’s fine performance on the links: The Vikings’ Pro Bowl receiver played very well in last weekend’s American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, the premier celebrity golf event each year. He shot 77, 75 and 74 to finish in an impressive tie for ninth place. Ex-Cowboys QB and current CBS analyst Tony Romo won the tournament for the second straight year. Other Minnesota participants—Kyle Rudolph and Joe Mauer—finished back in the pack but looked like they enjoyed the experience.
Around the NFL Observations
Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, the former Wisconsin star who is a two-time Pro Bowler, is threatening to hold out from training camp and possibly into the regular season if the team doesn’t give him a lucrative contract extension now. He also is asking to be traded if his contract situation remains at impasse.
Gordon has battled injuries during his first four seasons and missed four games last year. The Chargers won all of the games he was out and since he’s under contract this season for $5.6 million, he would forfeit $329,412 per week he misses in regular season. He’s also coming off a bad game with 15 yards rushing and one reception in the divisional playoff loss to the Patriots. And the team has a good backup in Austin Ekeler (552 rushing yards, 5.2 yard average and 39 receptions last season).
It makes sense for Gordon and his agent to put the heat on the Chargers brass for a new deal but he’ll be wise to get into camp well in advance of the regular season and prove he can play a full season at high production in order to increase his market value. After all, he has only one 1,000 plus yards rushing season in his career thus far.
Perhaps he can squeeze a few more incentives out of the Chargers but the team has the greater leverage in this case since Gordon is under contract and can be fined $40,000 per day that he’s out of camp. And if he no shows the season a la Le’Veon Bell’s terrible decision in Pittsburgh last year (when he lost $14.5 million in salary), the Chargers can toll his contract (unlike Bell who was not under contract) and force Gordon to play for the same $5.6 million in 2020.
Gordon also wants a long term deal now to avoid the possibility of being hit with the franchise tag next year (that would prevent the big guarantee that players seek). Not a great situation for an L.A. Chargers team that is coming off a 12-4 season.
Jeff Diamond was the NFL Executive of the Year in 1998 after the Vikings' 15-1 season. He also is former president of the Tennessee Titans. He does sports/business consulting, media and speaking work including corporate and college speaking on Negotiation, Management, Leadership and Sports Business--contact him at diamondj4@comcast.net
