The Minnesota Vikings have been hard at work trying to put together a roster to compete with the best teams in the NFL. This process has been going on for several years now and includes moving on from expensive veterans and making sure to bring in good locker room guys.
One of the issues with drafting good locker room guys is that you have to make sure they still have some fight in them on the football field. It's great to be Minnesota nice, but the team also needs a mean streak to strike fear into the opposition.
Recently, former Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a bold take on the current state of Minnesota's roster and give a reason the team has failed to be successful in recent history.
What was Erin Henderson's hot take about the Minnesota Vikings?
Henderson spent six seasons with the Vikings from 2008-2013 where he played in 64 games, starting 33 of those contests. During that time, he had 193 combined tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
Oh Friday, the former Vikings' defender posted on X a statement about the current state Minnesota's roster and that the current composition of the team could cause some problems when attempting to win the big one.
Folks don't want to hear this but as long as the Vikes locker room is filled with nice guys they ain't gonna win. Attitude reflects leadership and the Vikes are a nice family oriented organization top to bottom
— Erin Henderson (@that1guyerin) April 12, 2024
On the surface, this might seem like a harsh comment on the current state of the Vikings' roster but after giving it some thought, there is some validity to this statement. It's great to create a friendly atmosphere for a locker room and coaching staff, but they also need to understand that football is a violent sport and they need some vicious competitors on the field.
Some players have trouble flipping the switch from family-friendly locker room individual to become a hard-hitting force to be reckoned with. While the Vikings are doing a good job accumulating talent, they also have to be sure to create an atmosphere where it is okay to be aggressive when the time comes to play football.
One scroll of Henderson's timeline on X makes it clear that some of his comments can be directed at an individual or group of players. He makes it clear that he doesn't like that former Vikings first round pick Lewis Cine is struggling to make an impression with the team.
Ask yourself why a 1st round pick making 11m is the 5th safety. Maybe then it will make more sense for you https://t.co/op3NeYGL1p
— Erin Henderson (@that1guyerin) April 13, 2024
Are the Minnesota Vikings building a locker room full of soft players that will hold them back from winning or is Erin Henderson off in his evaluation in the roster of the team? We will learn more about this team when the 2024 NFL season is finally underway.