Ben Goessling
Minnesota Vikings beat writer at Star Tribune; track/cross country ass't coach at Apple Valley and Augsburg. Husband, girl dad, sinner saved by grace.
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- Many know Rob Brzezinski as the #Vikings' cap wizard, working in relative anonymity to manage the team's money. Within the building, though, few are as highly regarded or well-liked as Brzezinski, who's played a variety of key roles in 27 years with the team. www.startribune.com/minnesota-vi...
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had two mandates when he became #Vikings GM: Fix the team’s salary cap picture and refresh the roster. The Vikings’ draft misfires meant they couldn’t fulfill those mandates, leading to Adofo-Mensah’s firing this week: www.startribune.com/minnesota-vi...
- The Vikings made four moves for their coaching staff on Saturday, hiring former Dolphins OC Frank Smith as assistant head coach while promoting Keith Carter to the OL coach job. On defense, they hired Ryan Nielsen as their DL coach and brought in Gerald Alexander to replace Daronte Jones.
- Smith, in particular, is an interesting hire; he'd played a big role in Mike McDaniel's run game in Miami, and will have a key voice in the Vikings' run game. He's coached OL and TEs, and will speak into some of the Vikings' scheme and technique design.
- Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf said the team will conduct a "thorough search" for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's replacement. The Wilfs lean toward "a traditional role where the GM is the decision maker, with extremely heavy input from the head coach and the coaching staff," Wilf said.
- They'll approach this search that way, but "if something comes up and we want to be nimble," they'll consider it.
- There had been tension in the Vikings organization over the past couple years, particularly as the team's drafts had failed to produce consistent starters. But Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had been down at the Senior Bowl this week, as the Vikings had deliberated about what to do.
- Rob Brzezinski will provide some stability for now, but it's another major change for the front office. Assistant GM Ryan Grigson's future could be in doubt, and it's fair to wonder if a new GM will trigger a larger series of moves.
