or the Vikings since 2011.In all those years Olisaemeka Udoh Jersey nfl draft , he has coached fundamentally sound special teams units.He’s been instrumental in drafting kickers twice - Blair Walsh and Daniel Carlson - and has had to scramble later to replace them.He’s had Marcus Sherels as punt returner nearly his whole tenure, and Cordarrelle Patterson among others as kick returner.He’s gone through a few punters as well - including 5th round draft bust Jeff Locke, Chris Kluwe, Ryan Quigley, and now has Matt Wile.He’s coached the Vikings special teams to be one of the top units in the league in multiple years.He’s done that in more conservative fashion - not allowing many big returns - rather than being more aggressive in generating big returns, blocked kicks/punts, and trick plays.And so he’s been a solid special teams coach.Except he tends to somehow have kickers who lack and/or lose confidence.Blair Walsh was a good kicker his rookie year - went to the pro bowl.But over time he lost confidence/ got the yipes / or whatever happens to kickers when they miss kicks they make over and over in practice.Daniel Carlson was a promising big-leg kicker who got off to a horrible start with the Vikings and Mike Zimmer pulled the plug on him only a few weeks after giving him the job.Carlson was picked up by the Raiders and missed only one kick the rest of the season.Even veteran Dan Bailey- 2nd most accurate kicker in NFL history when the Vikings acquired him to replace Carlson-struggled early on before settling down.And so this is a problem.Priefer is a hands-on coach whose military background is on full display when he runs practice - barking out orders to his troops.He is very meticulous and organized and often refreshingly candid in weekly press conferences. He’s a good coach and has coached many of his special teamers into top performers over the years.But the kicker thing is troubling.He seems to be the only connection between the bad kickers the Vikings have had.But this may be over-thinking things too.Zimmer may have been too quick with his trigger finger for a rookie with only a handful of kicks in two games.Dan Bailey being available may have influenced his decision, but in any case it’s not clear how much Priefer is to blame for the kicker fiascos.Time to Move On?It's tempting to say let’s move on from Priefer after the kicker issues over the years.But Priefer remains a solid special teams coach in all phases.And after some fiascos, he now seems to have a solid veteran kicker in Dan Bailey who hasn’t missed a kick in five games and a punter in Matt Wile who has proven to be a nice pick-up.I suspect the Vikings will keep both Bailey and Wile next season Minnesota Vikings Jerseys 2019 , so I’m not sure what immediate value the Vikings would gain by replacing Priefer, and they may lose some of his proficiency in coaching the return and coverage units to generally very good results for several years.No, keep Priefer.If Bailey blows up next season, then it may be time to move on.But for now, Priefer is too good a coach to let go for the kicker problems of the past - which hopefully are solved for the time being. Good Morning!While I was at work last night I was perusing the thread and I noticed a common theme in a lot of the comments, negativity.I’m the first guy to admit last years Vikings season was not what I expected coupled with the kick in the ‘nads that the end of the 2017 season didn’t provide much if anything in the way of anything other than a mediocre season.You, my fellow DN’ers are entitled to your opinion but if your only reason to log in to complain about how bad the next two seasons are going to be, might I suggest you take a DN break for a while.Go outside, try a new craft shandy or get started on that honey-do list you’ve been putting off during the season.Come back when you’re ready to talk Vikings football in any manner other than how bad this coming season is going to be.It’s starting to weigh on myself and some of the other readers (I have the emails) Olisaemeka Udoh Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , however if that’s what you think then by all means stay.Now that we have that out of the way, time to carry on with our news and links open thread full of beer recommendations, nap strategies, crock pot and smoker recipes. Fire up the mock drafts and drop by for some fan wisdom, snark and try a Marshall Zhukov.Around the DN since our last open thread:We’re adopting an AAF team for the inaugural season, but which one asks Chris.The Alliance of American Football starts Saturday, and it has some interesting rule changes per Ted.2019 NFL Draft: McShay Mock has Vikings projected to take DE, this from Ted and pretty sure I threw something after I read it.Chris writes another Winfield is making his way to Minnesota.Vikings news from other sources:From Vikings.com On The Line: Kirk Cousins on offensive staff changes, excitement for 2019 Youth Alexander Mattison Jersey , meeting With Fran Tarkenton.Lunch break: NFL.com reveals defining moment of the Vikings 2018 Season.Harrison Smith’s best plays from the 2018 Season.League news: From NFL.com a full list of participants invited to the 2019 combine.QB stock watch: Patrick Mahomes up, Aaron Rodgers down.Chiefs say ‘no more basketball’ for Patrick Mahomes.Falcons release veteran defensive end Brooks Reed.We come to today’s media selection: Disturbed “The Sound Of Silence”Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:-No discussion of politics or religion-No feeding of the trolls-This isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer-If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away-While navigating the open thread Super Bowl Alexander Mattison Jersey , just assume it’s sarcasm.With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up & tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, try the Tears of Our Rivals鈩?and as always, Welcome Aboard!