Jun 19, 2012; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams (93) gets ready to run a drill at Vikings minicamp at Winter Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIR

A couple highlights of Jeremy Fowler’s piece on Kevin Williams from the Pioneer-Press. First off, Kevin’s talk of wanting a contract extension from the Vikings. Williams, who has three years left on his current deal but will have a prohibitively large cap number after this season, opening up the possibility that he will be cut, says he approached the team about a new deal this offseason but received very little in the way of a response. “They might not feel the same way [about keeping me],”  Williams said.  ”We have a lot of things to take care of between now and then. My main thing is to have a good year and whatever happens after that happens after that.”

Williams sounds determined to play well in 2012 and prove to the Vikings that he’s worth keeping around. For him to improve on an inconsistent 2011, that admittedly got started on totally the wrong foot because of that suspension, he will need to stay healthy. He will also need more help from whoever lines up next to him at nose tackle. Last year was a struggle for the Vikes at the nose, and the result was lots of double teams for the 3-tech K-Will. A big part of that struggle was the failed Remi Ayodele experiment. About his ex-teammate Ayodele, Williams would only say, “That didn’t go so well.”

Understatement.

Ayodele’s likely replacement Letroy Guion is himself not exactly Pat Williams, but he does have talent and the coaches seem to be behind him. For Guion to improve and take some pressure off Williams he’ll need to learn to harness his physical skills and play with more discipline. And that goes for the whole Vikings defense according to Williams.

“Sometimes young guys, they take for granted they can just play balls to the wall and it will be OK,” the 9-year veteran Williams explained. “In the NFL, a split second here or there is a difference between a 2-yard run and an 80-yard run. If you think you can beat a play backdoor and get stuck, then you’re selling the other 10 guys out. Or someone else is trying to make up for you and then you’re responsible for them. You’re leaving a gap somewhere.”

K-Will and his fellow veterans, not to mention new defensive coordinator Alan Williams, have a tough task ahead of them teaching this young, rebuilding Vikings defense to play under control.

And what of Williams’ prospects for receiving a new contract in light of the Vikings’ obvious youth movement? Given the Vikes’ lukewarm response to Williams’ overtures, I have to believe a new deal is not in the cards. I also don’t see the Vikes keeping him around on his current deal which will pay him $7 million per after this season. As has been the case with so many veteran players the last couple years, especially this offseason when the Vikings allowed a whole bunch of aging guys to walk, Williams seems destined to hit free agency. If he produces up to his capabilities in 2012, I expect there will be a fairly brisk market for his services come the end of the year.

Bottom line, I wouldn’t be surprised if 2012 ends up being Williams’ last season in purple. Given the way things have gone this offseason I wouldn’t even be entirely shocked if they cut him in camp. Rick Spielman is determined to start over with youth and right now only a handful of older guys seem entirely safe.

(Note: Williams was originally reported to have a two-year option at the end of this season. This information is apparently bad.)

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October 3, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Remi Ayodele (92) walks off the field following a win over the Carolina Panthers at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints defeated the Panthers 16-14. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

I’ll give Rick Spielman this: He isn’t afraid to admit a mistake. The move to sign Remi Ayodele on a three year contract worth $9 million last offseason? Spielman told Tom Pelissero it never should’ve happened. “That’s something where we made a mistake,” Spielman told Pelissero at the owner’s meetings in Palm Beach. “And I’ll put that on me making a mistake, as far as making sure that the players that we sign fit the scheme that we’re trying to run.”

Ayodele was brought in to replace Pat Williams at nose tackle but chafed when the Vikings tried to alter his technique. By season’s end the coaches surrendered and let Ayodele play his way, leading to a slight uptick in his production. Despite the late season semi-surge it was obvious Ayodele was never going to fit the Vikings’ system and the decision was ultimately made to release him.

The release would’ve been barely a blip on anyone’s radar screens if not for the whole Bountygate tie in. Ayodele as I don’t need to remind you was one of the main culprits in the Saints’ team-sanctioned plan to injure Brett Favre during the NFC title game. Ayodele’s whole situation with the Vikings became rather awkward, at the very least, after Bountygate went public. Despite calls to cut Ayodele right then and there, the Vikings waited on a decision.

Why not dump him right away? They were likely concerned about depth issues with Fred Evans and Letroy Guion still unsigned. But when the Vikes locked up Evans and Guion, Ayodele became eminently expendable. It was just a coincidence that Ayodele was finally let go on the same day the league announced the first wave of sanctions against the Saints for the bounty scandal. It wasn’t Bountygate that got Ayodele cut, Spielman assures us. It was suckage pure and simple.

Conspiracy theories tied to weird timing aside, there’s no question that cutting Ayodele was the right move. And I like that Spielman was so willing to admit the mistake of signing him in the first place. Spielman was around during the Brad Childress era and surely learned a lesson from Chilly’s stubborn insistence on always blaming the players for everything. The result of Chilly’s blame-the-players approach was, when Chilly himself came under fire, there weren’t many players willing to step up to the plate for him. The world is lonely for guys who think they never do anything wrong.

Spielman will make life a lot easier for himself by showing a willingness to stick his own head on the chopping block over the team’s mistakes. But you know what would be even better? Not making mistakes in the first place. It’s not enough to clear away the bad contracts and ill-fitting players, you have to replace them with players who do fit, on contracts that make sense. So far this offseason the Vikings have shown immense prudence in handing out contracts and seem to have a plan when it comes to identifying players who fit their schemes.

The plan will look like genius if those players end up producing on the field. And if not? Spielman will have a lot more admitting to do. At least until Zygi Wilf fires him.

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October 3, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Remi Ayodele (92) walks off the field following a win over the Carolina Panthers at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints defeated the Panthers 16-14. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Remi Ayodele was brought to the Vikings last offseason with the belief that he would be a run stopper at defensive tackle. Unfortunately Ayodele never adjusted to the Vikings’ scheme and by season’s end was an unqualified bust. Now the experiment is over. Ayodele will reportedly be released by the Vikings on Wednesday.

The other factor to consider here of course is Ayodele’s likely imminent suspension by the NFL for his part in Bountygate. As many a ticked-off Viking fan can tell you, Ayodele was the guy who went low on Brett Favre when he was illegally high-lowed during the NFC title game. It probably would’ve been a tough year for Ayodele in Minnesota, having to put up with bitter fans yelling crap at him. And let’s face it: he just wasn’t right for the scheme. So it’s best for both sides that Remi is moving on.

The plan at nose tackle now involves rotating Letroy Guion and Fred Evans. Neither of those guys is Pat Williams. But they’re both better than Remi Ayodele. I guess that’s called splitting the difference?

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