Accountability

A wise non-blogger recently postulated that resume puffing Viking VP of Player personnel Fran Foley may have been a Packer spy sent to infiltrate the Viking war room. Less than a week after the draft, where Foley had final authority in the draft room and managed to squander 3 of the Vikings first day picks on scrubs who will never play in the NFL - Foley got canned.

This is good news for the Vikings, but it also meant another year of follies for the Draft. In 2005 the Vikings first three picks were WR Troy Williamson at #7 (backup WR), DE Erasmus James (backup DE), and G Marcus Johnson (backup OL) and no one else of note. The Williamson pick was especially bad. In 2004 the Vikes selected another group of backups - DE Udeze (mostly hurt), DE Darian Scott, LB Dontarrius Thomas and RB Mewelde Moore. These guys have provided depth but have largely failed as starters. In 2003 and 2002 the Vikings missed their first pick! And thank goodness they did because the only bona fide starters the Vikings have on their teams were the missed leftovers - T Bryant Mckinnie in 2002 and DT Kevin Williams in 2003. To be fair, Nate Burleson was taken in 2003 and gave the Vikes one good year before signing big with Seattle, and in 2002 4th rounder Brian Williams will be a starter for Jacksonville after backing up Smoot nicely last year.

I'm glad that Zygi isn't so stubborn as to stick with a disaster like Foley, but Foley was as much a reach for his position as was C Ryan Cook in the second round. The Vikings need a GM, and they need one badly. This triangle of authority, draft by committee, circus of errors needs to end. There is plenty of outstanding young talent in the league. Zygi should be looking for the next Theo Epstein to run his team - not the next new wave organizational chart.