Zimmer talks Michael Floyd’s Baggage and Fit

Few have shown as much excitement regarding the signing of Michael Floyd to the Vikings than me. As a lot of you know, because I keep telling you, I’m a sucker for large, skilled wide receivers. Coming up during the Randy Moss era, I always am trying to hearken back to the time when the Vikings could (And often did) score from any position on the field, like a drug addict chasing his first high. While Floyd isn’t Moss, like no one outside of Moss… Is? or Isn’t, he’s still closer than anything the Vikings have had on their roster pretty much since they traded away their crown jewel after the 2004 season.

Sure, Floyd is going to miss a game or two this year thanks to the baggage he’s had to check before getting onto the flight that is the Vikings (I hate that metaphor). But, he should still be a huge part of the Vikings offense this season, depending on his chemistry he develops with Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford. Thanks to a ruling last week, Floyd will be able to create that chemistry sooner than expected/during this week’s OTA’s, because he is now able to serve his house arrest here in Minnesota as opposed to Arizona. That baggage worries some, myself included, but I have off-set that worry by saying that for the Vikings to sign Floyd, he would’ve had to say the right things to the Vikings brass. Namely head coach Mike Zimmer, who has a lot of experience working with troubled NFL players. Over the weekend, Zimmer discussed Floyd and how he came to the conclusion that he’d be a good fit on his team, saying:

“We understand [his legal history]. We always try to weigh every situation, but you know, he’s from here. I think he has a good support system with [former Notre Dame teammates] Harrison Smith and Kyle Rudolph, partly. A lot of those things were factored into it.”

I hadn’t really thought about the support system he had on the team. While Floyd was in New England for the short amount of time he was, he said that he felt like he’d be able to keep his nose clean because he wasn’t around anyone who could get him into trouble. While that’s not the case here in Minnesota, it’s good to know that some of the team leaders are the same players that played with Floyd in college. While there’s some familiarity there, it’s not going to be the type that allows Floyd to slip up, at all.  So, let’s pretend that his off-the-field issues are done. What does this mean for the Vikings offense? Zimmer discussed this as well.

“Michael’s a very, very intelligent person, so I don’t think he’ll have any problem catching on to the system or anything like that, but to get out here and do it, and be around the other guys, and be around the quarterbacks, I think that will help him.”

As we all know, the Vikings have had trouble when it comes to wide receivers learning their system. Hearing that Floyd is smart enough to figure it out is a huge relief, as that means he could step in sooner rather than later (Which is what the Vikings will need him to do while others, like Laquon Treadwell, still struggle with the playbook). So, tomorrow’s OTA’s could show how much the Vikings plan to use Floyd, or how they plan to use him in the offense. He’s always been a number two guy in his career, despite having number one receiver size and talent. That’s more of a testament to Larry Fitzgerald than Floyd, and while the Vikings do have talent at the position, they don’t have the type of talent that Floyd brings (Deep ball, large, physical, etc.). So, while I expect that this week’s practices will be more about feeling one another out (Bradford and Floyd), as OTA’s progress over the next month or so we should see if the Vikings plan on making Floyd a focal point or like some people have guessed, more of a bit player.

I, personally, think that Floyd is simply too talented to simply chip in here or there and also think that the Vikings wouldn’t have bothered bringing in a troubled player like Floyd if they didn’t plan on really utilizing him to his full potential. Even in his limited time in New England he showed how amazing he is on the field. He laid out crushing blocks, made sideline catches that made him look nearly peerless and carried multiple defenders into the end-zone by himself. Considering the lack of that type of receiver that on the Vikings offense roster, I really just can’t imagine that as he enters into his physical prime (27) the Vikings won’t utilize him to his fully. Looking back, this move really could end up being the one that got the Vikings over the hump and that’s why I find it so exciting. If you would’ve told me in November of last season that the Vikings would end up with Floyd, for less than two million dollars, I would’ve never believed you. He’s that good and could be that important to a Vikings offense that is looking to bounce back after falling apart after the Bye last season.

The good news is that on paper, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has done everything in his power to ensure that that happens. I, for one, really do believe that that’ll translate to the field. Good to know that Zimmer thinks so, too.

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