Following the release of the annual NFL Player Team Report Cards, the Minnesota Vikings must have rushed home to stick their scores up on the refrigerator door at the practice facility in Eagan. Those report cards measure how the players feel about several categories that represent their well-being and treatment during their daily lives playing for each team.
Like a precocious student, the players adorned Minnesota’s report card with plenty of positive praise: Shows initiative! Plays well with others! And that’s terrific. But how much does this player satisfaction correlate to on-field success?
The Minnesota Vikings earned fantastic grades across the board. In terms of an overall grade point average, Minnesota came in second to the Miami Dolphins. However, the report from the NFLPA indicates the Vikings and Dolphins separated themselves from the rest of the pack in this survey.
Minnesota, along with Miami, have separated themselves into their own tier in terms of what it means to run a world-class NFL workplace. The Vikings continue to impress across all categories in our second-annual survey. Their facilities are incredible; their staff is rated highly by players; and the workplace experience for Vikings players is enhanced by the continued commitment by ownership to providing a world-class experience for players. As an example, Vikings players unanimously believe that their strength staff contribute to their success by supporting each player with the best possible individualized plan; and for the second-straight year, Kevin O’Connell stands out as a head coach for whom players enjoy working.
Vikings players gave the franchise the following grades:
- A for Treatment of Families
- B+ for Food/Cafeteria
- A for Nutritionist/Dietician
- A for Locker Room
- A- for Training Room
- B for Training Staff
- A for Weight Room
- A for Strength Coaches
- A- for Team Travel
- A+ for Head Coach
- And A+ for Team Owners
The grades related to team facilities aren’t terribly surprising. The Vikings moved into their new digs several years ago, which have been lauded year after year as some of the best in the league.
But the As awarded to Kevin O’Connell and Vikings ownership are most important. An A+ grade in both categories? Something must be working there.
The feedback in the NFLPA report says that players strongly believe O’Connell is willing to listen to the locker room and that 98% of players believe O’Connell is efficient with their time. Meanwhile, the only context added by the NFLPA on the ownership grade was their willingness to invest in team facilities, evidenced by the repeated praise Minnesota’s team facilities receive.
A survey like this serves as a reminder of a couple of things. Perhaps the most important for fans is that the Vikings are an easy franchise to root for. They treat the players like they are people, providing top-notch services and facilities for anything they might need for their job. Especially noteworthy? The Vikings ranked first in the treatment of the players’ families.
The other takeaway from a survey like this being made public is that Minnesota can be considered an attractive place to play for free agents. Several variables go against the Twin Cities as a place to play, namely the weather and the income tax. Think about it: Players who play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, or Miami enjoy warm weather during the season and pay no state income tax on their six- or seven-figure salaries. It would take a lot to pry one of those players away from Florida to sign a contract to play in Minnesota.
But the feedback on this survey levels the playing field, so to speak. The Vikings have tangible evidence that suggests they treat players and their families better than almost any other team in the league.
However, the million-dollar question about this is whether these survey results will transition to success on the field. A quick look at other teams’ report cards does not suggest a clear relationship between these grades and on-field success. The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs did not receive any grade higher than a C+, aside from the head coach. The NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers received mostly positive grades but lagged far behind the Vikings.
On-field success comes largely from the general manager identifying the right players and building the team roster accordingly. Kansas City has nailed the draft over the last couple of years with the help of picks acquired when trading away superstar Tyreek Hill — and, of course, drafting one of the best quarterbacks of all time in 2017.
San Francisco also boasts one of the most complete rosters in the NFL, buoyed by a seventh-round quarterback who has stunningly become one of the best in the sport.
Upon hiring him, the Vikings handed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah the keys to a pretty freaking nice car. Players love almost everything about the way the organization is run. They love the head coach and the facilities.
But this doesn’t get the franchise closer to a Super Bowl unless the general manager successfully builds a competitive roster. Adofo-Mensah hasn’t done anything to lose the job to this point. But let’s remember that many of the cornerstone pieces to this roster were already in place when he arrived. Former GM Rick Spielman drafted Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, and Danielle Hunter.
Adofo-Mensah has not had the freedom to put his best foot forward to this point, perhaps due to Kirk Cousins’ contract. But it appears increasingly likely that Cousins is on his way out, so it’s time for Adofo-Mensah to seize his opportunity. It’s time for him to show why the Vikings hired him to build a championship team, to use his data-driven philosophy to assemble a team that doesn’t just look good on paper but also performs on the field.
So many of the pieces are already in place for Adofo-Mensah. This offseason presents his first opportunity to put his stamp on the Vikings. If he does so successfully, Minnesota could soon receive more significant awards, like conference championships and Super Bowls.
