Rick Spielman, Vikings putting their focus on the here and now

General Manager Rick Spielman refused to call this year's Vikings the best of his career here when asked about the expectations as the team starts training camp in Mankato.

"I know our players are working hard, and I know this team led by Coach Zim [Mike Zimmer] is showing signs of having success and building up off of last year," Spielman said. "But every year is different. You have to take the same mental approach each year.

"I know everyone is excited this week to head down to Mankato and get started. We thought we did some good things in free agency and the draft to help improve from where we were at last year. But every year is different and you have to focus on the task at hand, and our No. 1 task right now is going down to Mankato and getting ready for the season."

While most of the Vikings news this offseason was positive, the retirement of right tackle Phil Loadholt means one of their anchors on the offensive line is no longer with the team.

Still, Spielman believes the work the Vikings did to build up a tremendous amount of depth on the line was just in case a situation like this came up.

"That's one area we wanted to address," he said. "We were aggressive in free agency there signing Andre Smith, signing Alex Boone from San Francisco, who we wanted to get a tougher mentality up there. Coach Zim made the switch to Tony Sparano as the new offensive line coach, and he has done an outstanding job and has a great reputation in the league and has a lot of the same philosophies that Coach Zimmer believes in.

"A couple of the young guys last year, T.J. Clemmings had a great offseason and has played very well so far in our offseason and our minicamps. And we're excited to see Willie Beavers, who we drafted in the fourth round."

"We missed John Sullivan last year when he got injured and missed the whole season, and I think he's in the prime of his career and kind of the glue of the offensive line up front, not only bringing that physical mentality of a run blocker up there but making all the checks and calls," Spielman said. "Then you know you saw Joe Berger step in when Sully got hurt in training camp and we didn't miss a beat up there from Day 1. He's a physical presence and a very good run blocker. Very smart, intelligent, so that will be a great battle heading down into training camp and we feel very fortunate to have both of those guys on the roster.

"Joe Berger also has the ability to play some guard as well, which he has done since he's been here. He has the flexibility to play center, and he also can play guard, as well."

If there has been one praise put forth for Spielman's recent work with the Vikings, it has been his success with a number of deep draft classes. The GM was asked what he thinks of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, this year's first-round pick out of Mississippi, drafted 23rd overall.

"I always kind of take a cautious approach when they first get in here," Spielman said. "He looked very good during OTAs and minicamp, very excited to see him down at training camp. He's the big, physical presence at receiver we're looking for.

"I know we have a very young group — I think Jarius Wright is our oldest receiver at 26 years old — but I know just like all our rookies they have to go down there and earn they play time and earn their spot on this roster and in the pecking order. But I also know we have a great coaching staff in Coach Zimmer and our coordinators and coaches and have seen that over the last couple of years they've really developed these young guys. You're seeing a lot of young guys make major contributions for us."

"It's hard to predict. I know the philosophy me and Coach Zimmer believe in is, we're bringing in these smart, tough, intelligent football players that are passionate about what they do, and high-character-type guys," Spielman said. "A lot of times you get a little better feel for that in Mankato. We've just been in shorts and getting acclimated to our system and learning the system.

"But last year you had guys like Danielle Hunter and you think, 'Wow this guy might have a chance at some point,' and you don't know when. Stefon Diggs is one that really stuck out all of a sudden at Mankato, as well. I know everyone is anxious to get down there and see which one of these group of rookies may be jumping out more than others down at Mankato. That should give you a pretty good indication of how they're going to be able to contribute."

JOTTINGS

• Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio is about to play in his second Olympics. He played in 2008 with Spain but missed the 2012 London Games after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that March. Current odds have Spain as the second favorite to win gold behind the United States.

• The NFL recently released a list of its bestselling players when it comes to league merchandise. If you want an indication that the Vikings are more of a team than a superstar, their No. 1 seller was Teddy Bridgewater at No. 44. Adrian Peterson was the only other Vikings player ranked on the list, at No. 48.

• The Gophers football program has set a recent record for early commitments with 10 already for the Class of 2017.

• One reason the Gophers got a commitment from Javan Hawes, a three-star receiver out of Tyrone, Ga., is because his grandmother lives in Minneapolis.

• Apple Valley guard Tre Jones, the brother of Tyus Jones, was recently ranked the No. 54 boys' basketball recruit in the country by ESPN for 2018.

• Alex Kirilloff, the high school outfielder selected 15th overall by the Twins in this year's draft, is off to a fantastic start at rookie league Elizabethton. The 18-year-old entered Saturday hitting .358 with six doubles, four homers, 19 RBI and 19 runs scored in 27 games.

• A.J. Pierzynski was back in town last week with Atlanta, nearly 13 years after the Twins traded him to San Francisco. Three of the four players in that trade — Pierzynski, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan — are still in the majors today. Atlanta is the seventh team of Pierzynski's big-league career, which began with the Twins in 1998.