rview with Vikings senior sports writer - Sid Hartman - and had a few words that doubtless made an impression across the organization:"I expect to..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesDaily Norseman homepageHorizontal - WhiteDaily Norsemana Minnesota Vikings communityFollow Daily Norseman online:Follow Daily Norseman on TwitterFollow Daily Norseman on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchDaily Norseman main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryVikingsOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Vikings 2019 PreSeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsZygi Wilf:I Expect to be in the Playoffs This YearNew Marcus Epps Jersey nfl draft ,32commentsCDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Zygi Wilf:I Expect to be in the Playoffs This YearTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Hannah Foslien/Getty ImagesVikings lead owner Zygi Wilf recently had an interview with Vikings senior sports writer - Sid Hartman - and had a few words that doubtless made an impression across the organization:“I expect to be in the playoffs this year and, as every year, reach for that championship.”While every NFL team owner wants to win the Super Bowl every year, Wilf has not been particularly vocal in the past about his expectations, and his saying he expects to be in the playoffs this year could be seen as a warning that changes will come if the Vikings don’t make the playoffs this year. Odds-makers currently have the Vikings on the bubble to make the playoffs this season.Hartman added that the Wilfs have been the best ownership group in town when it comes to spending money trying to win a championship, and are looking for a better return on that investment this year than they got last season.But while all that may seem ominous, or at least a shot across the bow,Wilf himself remains particularly optimistic about the upcoming season:“We are going into our 15th year and I’m always optimistic but this year I am especially optimistic about the direction we’re going.I’m looking for a good year.”The Wilfs have owned the Vikings since 2005, and since then have managed to do what the previous owner failed to do:build a new world class stadium for the Vikings. The Wilfs have added to that by building the Vikings a world-class training facility as well - TCO Performance Center - providing the Vikings and their fans with the most state-of-the-art venues worldwide.Zygi Wilf also talked about his new coaching investments made this off-season, which Sid wrote, “couldn’t have come cheap,” referring to Gary Kubiak and Company:“They are great, they’re really helping with our players and we are ready to go,” he said. “Every time you have people with the intelligence, the football intelligence, as these guys have, it rubs off on everybody and everybody understands what to do. There is more supervision and more teaching and everybody can get better.”On player acquisitions during the off-season Youth Marcus Epps Jersey , Wilf had this to say:“We got better in every area of our game,” he said, “and I think we’re up for this year to be a good year.”Lastly, when asked about how the Vikings can improve on the 8-7-1 record of last season, Wilf simply said, “Win the close games.” Odds-makers currently have Mike Zimmer, who’s never been fired in his coaching career and was extended another year this off-season, as tied for the 6th most likely coach to first leave his post this season. Perhaps last year’s disappointing finish, combined with a former Super Bowl winning head coach currently on staff, could lead some to speculation that a poor start could lead to a coaching change.Wilf’s comments don’t rule that out, but we’ll have to wait and see.Another trip deep into the post-season could lead to contract extensions, while another poor season could lead to some changes.It’s the NFL, after all. With the moves the Vikings have made on the offensive line, could they still make more?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Vikings 2018 SeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsMinnesota Vikings 2019 OffseasonVikings Still Interested in Ryan Schraeder?New,109commentsWith the moves the Vikings have made on the offensive line, could they still make more?CDTShareTweetShareShareVikings Still Interested in Ryan Schraeder?Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsA month and a half ago, the Vikings expressed interest in right tackle Ryan Schraeder Womens Marcus Epps Jersey , who had just been released from the Atlanta Falcons.The Houston Texans also had interest, but so far Schraeder remains a free agent.Perhaps the reason Schraeder has not been signed is that he is designated for a June 1st release, which allows the Falcons to spread his dead cap hit into next year.Given that, he may not be able to sign with anybody else until that time.But the question remains - are the Vikings still interested in him post-draft?The Vikings drafted likely starters at center and guard, but not tackle - presumably because they’re comfortable with Brian O’Neill and Riley Reiff. But then why were they interested in Schraeder, who played right tackle for the Falcons, in the first place?There is one potential explanation.Brian O’Neill played left tackle in college, and has all the athletic and size traits to play left tackle in the NFL.He didn’t allow a sack in his rookie year, according to PFF, and had a higher pass blocking efficiency than Reiff.There has been speculation since O’Neill was drafted that at some point O’Neill will replace Reiff at left tackle.Mike Zimmer also mentioned prior to the draft that the Vikings had entertained the idea of moving Reiff to left guard.Given the acquisition of Dru Samia, that may no longer be in the Vikings plans, but it may also signal that the Vikings aren’t 100% satisfied with Reiff at left tackle.Ryan Schraeder, 30, is the same age as Reiff and had declined in performance since Steve Sarkisian took over as offensive coordinator for the Falcons from Kyle Shanahan in 2017.Kyle Shanahan was Gary Kubiak’s offensive coordinator when he was head coach in Houston, and runs a similar offense- including an outside zone run scheme.Schraeder graded very well in both pass protection and especially run blocking - with a near-elite 88.9 run blocking grade - under Shanahan in 2016.His overall PFF grades in 2015 and 2016 were 79.3 and 83.4 respectively.The point here is that Schraeder may be a better fit for Kubiak’s offense than Riley Reiff.He also may be cheaper from a salary cap perspective.Schraeder is coming off a contract that averaged $6.3 million a year.Reiff, by contrast, has a $11.7 million cap hit this year Ameer Abdullah Jersey , which increases to $13.2 million next year, and nearly $14 million in 2021. A post June 1st release or trade of Reiff would free up $9.5 million in cap space for the Vikings this year, including a $2.2 million dead cap hit.There would be an additional $4.4 million dead cap hit next year.So, if the Vikings traded or released Reiff and acquired Schraeder for $6 million a year (his previous average) for 2-3 years, they would save about $3.5 million in cap space this year and $2.8 million next year, and $8 million in 2021.That’s not huge, but it is substantial for a team that’s up against the salary cap limit for the foreseeable future.Of course the primary issue isn’t salary cap, but whether the Vikings would be better served with Schraeder at right tackle and O’Neill at left tackle, rather than the status quo.One can make the argument that O’Neill, as the better pass protector should move to the blind side, while Schraeder is a good scheme fit that could do well at right tackle.And if that saves some salary cap dollars in the process, which helps the Vikings to extend adefensive back like Anthony Harris, MacKensie Alexander or Trae Waynes - all on the last year of their contracts - so much the better.There hasn’t been any news or update on Ryan Schraeder or the Vikings interest since March, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.