Ryan Longwell, 37, is a veteran leader on the Vikings team, and he told Sports Headliners the team’s 2-11 record and on field performance deserves scrutiny. Accountability, he said, needs to be assessed among players, coaches and front office.
“I think everything has to be looked at when you have a record like this. …We should all be held accountable and ultimately we are,” Longwell said.
The Vikings are having one of the least successful seasons in franchise history and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Personnel needs are numerous and major reconstruction of the roster must be addressed.
Asked about possible roster changes for next season, the Vikings placekicker said, “Probably a lot of turnover, as there should be. Obviously this combination didn’t get it done. I think we’re all aware of that. We’re all aware our jobs are on the line each and every week. We know it’s a very fleeting profession.”
Leslie Frazier is in his first full year as head coach and he probably gets a “mulligan” for another season from owner Zygi Wilf. That doesn’t mean all the coaches will return, though, and the Star Tribune speculated last week about the job security of defensive coordinator Fred Pagac.
Longwell believes the Vikings should be comparing themselves to teams like Green Bay and New Orleans, two of the most successful NFC organizations in recent seasons. Those clubs have franchises headed by strongly positioned and clearly defined front office football authorities.
The Packers’ Ted Thompson is executive vice president, general manager and director of football operations. The Saints’ Mickey Loomis is the team’s executive vice president-general manager, and “responsible for the club’s entire football operations,” according to the franchise website. The perception about the Vikings —fair or not — is that decision making and leadership of the football department is less defined. The franchise’s most visible department figure is vice president Rick Spielman who oversees the “pro and college scouting departments,” according to the team website.
Fans and media complain the Vikings fragment the decision making process and should have one voice. Longwell was asked if he anticipates changes in the front office after this season.
He said “it’s tough to have people in power” and not provide “clear lines” of responsibility. He believes there are better organizational “setups” than the Vikings have and it will be up to ownership to decide whether changes are needed in that structure and with individuals.
Longwell doesn’t fault the effort of the players this season. He said, “Our record is not an indication of not getting along, being lazy, or not putting in the work.”