WWE boss Vince McMahon would be proud. Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman is pulling no punches while setting the stage for a Mankato Summer Slam Battle Royale designed to forcibly upgrade an offensive line that has disappointed too many people for far too long.
"If you create competition, either guys are going to rise up or get beat out," Spielman said Thursday on KFAN radio while discussing the acquisition of guard Alex Boone, the team's No. 1 target in free agency. "That means you got better."
Actually, the O-line battle royale began weeding people out of Winter Park within hours and days of the wild-card playoff loss to Seattle two months ago. First, coach Mike Zimmer stepped into the ring, tossed offensive line coach Jeff Davidson over the top rope and declared that no lineman's job would be safe after Teddy Bridgewater faced more pressure than any other NFL quarterback last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
When asked two days after the season why he didn't renew Davidson's contract, Zimmer didn't even try to sugarcoat his dissatisfaction.
"Because I didn't want to," Zimmer said.
Later, in a quieter transaction, Zimmer pitched strength coach Evan Marcus over the turnbuckle, firing him as well. That also was a move made with the big fellas up front in mind.
In two years under Zimmer, the offensive line had a lack of cohesion on the field and a suspect environment in the weight room. Three of the team's five pectoral injuries suffered in 2014-15 were to offensive linemen. Meanwhile, in 2015, center John Sullivan was slated to come off injured reserve when he needed a second back surgery after reinjuring himself in the weight room.
As the start of the free-agency negotiating period neared on Monday, the Vikings sharpened their focus on the offensive line. Rather than cut right tackle Phil Loadholt, they negotiated a significant pay cut with no financial guarantee. They also signed exclusive-rights free-agent tackle Carter Bykowski, gave a one-year deal to right guard Mike Harris and put in place the four-year, $26.8 million deal that Boone inked when the signing period began Wednesday.