The coach has a problem Tom Compton Jersey , but he’s trying to get better" />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 PodcastsZim Goes to a Cornerbacks Anonymous MeetingNew,25commentsThe coach has a problem, but he’s trying to get betterCDTScene: A dingy basement of what looks to be a Missouri Synod Lutheran church or maybe a VFW hall. In the room are about twenty or so people, sitting on metal folding chairs, sipping on bad coffee. A tall, lanky guy with a scruffy beard and nondescript clothing stands at a podium at the front of the gathering.‘Thanks for making it today. I’m glad to see each and every one of you, and you are all welcome here. Would anyone like to come up and share their story?’The gathered people shift uncomfortably in their seats, avoiding eye contact, some with their arms folded. After what seems like an eternity, a lone figure hesitantly stands, in jeans and a short sleeved purple golf shirt.‘Hi, and thank you, come right up,’ says the man at the podium, as he slips off to the side, motioning the man forward. The man in the crowd shuffles to the front.He looks fairly unremarkable, mid-60’s probably, with a weather beaten face. Of course, everyone who’s here is beaten, in some way. Everyone is broken, trying to heal. The man now at the podium is no different.‘Hello,’ he says haltingly, almost afraid to continue.‘It’s okay, we’re all friends here. There’s no judgement, and what we say here stays here,’ says a kind, matronly looking woman in the crowd, encouraging him to share his story.The man smiles, ever so slightly. It’s his first smile in what...weeks, months? Years, maybe? He finds a little more courage.‘Hello,’ he says again, a little stronger. ‘My name is Mike, and I’m cornerbackaholic.’‘HI MIKE’ the crowd replies in unison, their greeting echoing off the peeling paint on the cinder block walls.‘’Uh...so...it’s been one draft since I haven’t taken a cornerback in the first two rounds. And I gotta tell ya, it’s been the hardest draft of my life. But I’m moving forward, and I feel good.’‘Mmmmm-hmmmmm’ says someone in the crowd.‘It’s weird,’ Mike continues, ‘I never saw myself here Alexander Mattison Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , in this spot. Corners were just kind of a hobby for most of my life. I got introduced to them in high school, like I imagine a lot of you did. I was a quarterback, and I mostly avoided them, you know? But then I got to college, and I switched over to defense. I played linebacker, and just sort of got introduced to them more gradually. I guess that’s when I started my downward spiral, but I didn’t recognize it then.’His voice cracks at the end, and Mike steps back from the podium as he tries to compose himself. The bearded man who opened the meeting walks up to him, and puts a hand on his shoulder.‘Are you okay? If this is all you want to share, that’s fine. You can say as little or as much as you want.’‘No,’ says Mike. ‘I’ll continue.’‘After college, I just started getting in deeper and deeper with corners. It started on the periphery, but as I went farther into my defensive career, it just became more and more prevalent. When I got to Weber State, I was making more money than I had ever made, and they gave me a job where I did nothing but interact with corners all day. I became addicted...’Mike’s voice trailed off, and his bottom lip started to quiver, ever so slightly. Several people in the group encouraged him, saying ‘it’s okay’, or ‘we understand’, or ‘we’ve all been there too’.He paused a moment to regain his composure before continuing. ‘But at that age, no one thinks they’re addicted, right? I was young, good at my job, I had it all under control. I got a couple promotions to run entire defenses, even made it to the NFL, but I could never get that corner office, and that just fueled my cornerback addiction. Finally, I got my shot with Minnesota. By then, I knew I had a problem, but hey, I’m a man, I can stop drafting cornerbacks any time I want, right? I was pretty good at hiding things, at least initially.My first draft, I played it pretty cool. I took three corners, but none until the sixth round. It was hardly noticeable, as everyone focused on my first two picks. Besides, I already had a guy I could mold on the roster Minnesota Vikings Jerseys 2019 , and as soon as we hit the field I put all my efforts into him, and those old habits came rushing back like they had never left.I knew I was trying to put down a demon that wasn’t going to stay down, but my early job performance had given me a lot of leeway, and brother did I take advantage of it. In my next two drafts, 2015 and 2016, I went CB early, and it was intoxicating. It felt like old times, man. I was on top of the world again, and I was controlling IT; it wasn’t controlling me.Or so I thought.I was going to take a corner again in 2017, until my boss and owner basically had an intervention, although they didn’t call it that. They said they were worried about the offense, and they took two players from that side of the ball before they let me pick a defensive guy, and they said in no uncertain terms could it be a cornerback.Man, I was pissed. I didn’t see it then, but they were trying to help, to see if I got the message. I played along, and we went 13-3. I laid off the CB addiction, threw myself into my work, and we had a hell of a run. Once the season was over, I said all the right things, and looked at all the right film, and told my boss that I was on board with getting an offensive lineman in the first round. Cornerbacks had pretty much become an afterthought, and I thought all of that was behind me.But I remember my latest episode, the one where I realized I needed help, like it was yesterday.One night, the night before last year’s draft, to be exact—it had been a particularly long day, as we had been looking at guards and tackles on film. We had settled on one or the other, and our months of work had finished up. I was getting ready to leave, and out of the corner of my eye...I just saw it sitting there, on my desk. It was a CD-ROM that was simply labeled ‘CB video’. Everyone had been really careful around me—didn’t talk about going out and scouting CB’s on the road, no one watched video of them while I was in the room—but there it was.All I had to do was walk away. And I didn’t. I couldn’t. I could kick my own ass, but I failed. Was it because of the long hours I had been working? I don’t know. I do know I had been telling myself lies for over a month, though. Things like Tom Compton being a pretty decent player, or—and this was a real doozy—I convinced myself that Mike Remmers would make a good guard.Whatever the excuse was, well, I used them all. I kept staring at that CD-ROM, and telling myself I could just ‘look at one player, that’s it.’ My mouth went dry Alexander Mattison Jersey nfl draft , I started hyperventilating, and I broke out in a sweat. One became two, which became three, and the next thing I know, it’s 4:30 in the morning, I’ve watched CB footage of college players going back to 2003, and I’d been texting my favorite ex-CB Deion all night long.I was in no condition to draft, but after years of living with this, I knew I could hide it, at least long enough. When the draft started, I’d leave the draft room every couple of minutes, using classic excuses—need to talk to a prospect, getting a call about a trade—and no one any differently. That’s how good I had become at lying, at living a lie.When we came on the clock, I feigned another call and left the room really quick. I told my boss I think it’s a trade down offer, and to wait just a few minutes before calling the pick in. But I went outside, and called our guy in the draft room.The rest, as they say, is history. When I walked back in we were picking the CB, and my boss and his boss were just staring at me...and I knew that look of hurt and betrayal. I had seen it a hundred times before, I had never cared before, and I didn’t care now. I knew what was best! I AM IN CHARGE! My addiction didn’t control me, man. I’m different!Everything fell apart once my CB addiction was exposed for the world to see, though. My job performance really slipped, and our company fell out of favor with a lot of people; I had really damaged our reputation. Once the season was over my boss brought in a new guy to run the offense, and he carries as much weight as I do with draft picks now. This year we don’t even have any CB video on the premises, and they’re not going to let me have a phone on draft night. If I don’t turn things around, I might lose my job, and because my boss has covered for me, he might lose his.So yeah, rock bottom? I’m here.’Mike didn’t even realize that at some point he had grabbed the podium with both hands, and had been hanging on to it like a life jacket in the middle of the ocean. He let go all of a sudden, like he had grabbed a live electrical wire, and rubbed his hands against his pant legs, like he was wiping away years of pain.He stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do next.The group leader came to the podium, and started slowly clapping. One by one, the ragtag collection of people joined him, and soon Alexander Mattison Jersey Cheap , everyone was clapping and cheering for their new friend Mike as he began his CB-free life.‘Mike’, the group leader said, ‘before you sit down I have something for you.’He held out what looked like a poker chip, and gave it to Mike. Mike examined it, flipping it over a couple times. On one side was the saying ‘One Draft’, and on the other it said ‘One Draft At A Time.’Mike held the chip aloft as the clapping continued. He had tears in his eyes, and he knew that this wasn’t the end of his CB-free draft journey.It was just the beginning. Browns general manager John Dorsey has built a fearsome front on defense.One week after acquiring end Olivier Vernon in a trade, Cleveland added an inside presence to its line by agreeing with free agent tackle Sheldon Richardson on a three-year, $39 million contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.Richardson, who has played with three other teams since 2013 and been suspended twice by the NFL, will receive $21.5 million guaranteed, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because league rules prohibit teams from announcing signings until 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday.ESPN first reported the agreement.The Browns have also decided to bring back wide receiver Breshad Perriman, who has agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal for next season, the person said. Perriman revived his career with Cleveland last season after being released by Baltimore.The imminent signing of the 28-year-old Richardson gives the Browns a potentially menacing front four as he'll play alongside Pro Bowl end Myles Garrett, who had 13 ½ sacks last season and has 20 in 27 career games.Vernon, who didn't live up to expectations the past few seasons, gives Cleveland another threat off the edge, and Larry Ogunjobi emerged last season as a dependable run stopper.Cleveland's defense ranked No. 30 overall last season and had 37 sacks, and Dorsey has made upgrading the front seven an offseason priority.He's done it, and Richardson's addition will give Dorsey more flexibility heading into next month's draft. The Browns have the No. 17 overall pick and many experts had the team focused on adding a tackle in that spot from what's considered a deep class.It's possible Dorsey will use the selection — Cleveland currently has 10 picks in 2019 — to get another playmaker for quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Browns need a wide receiver who can stretch the defense and there are some highly regarded players who will be available.Another possibility is through trade, and speculation surrounding New York Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. and the Browns won't go away. Dorsey has a good rapport with Giants GM Dave Gettleman, who has repeatedly said he didn't sign Beckham to a five-year, $90 million extension last August to trade him.Beckham teamed with Browns receiver Jarvis Landry at LSU and the two have worked out in the past with Mayfield.In the meantime, Perriman gives Mayfield another target and a player with whom he has built a connection. A first-round pick in 2015, Perriman was a bust with the Ravens and they cut him before last season.He signed with the Browns in October after a rash of injuries ruined Cleveland's depth and was a pleasant surprise, finishing with 16 receptions for 340 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games. He expressed his desire to stay with the Browns and the team and agent struck a deal before he was set to hit the open market.With Perriman, Landry and Antonio Callaway, the Browns may have enough to dissuade them from giving up what it might take to land Beckham.Richardson will help the Browns get to the quarterback and plug the middle. The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder spent last season with Minnesota, where he had 49 tackles and 4 ½ sacks in 16 games. In six seasons as a pro, he has 23 ½ sacks and 195 tackles in 87 games.Richardson was the AP's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013.While talented, he has also run into some trouble.Richardson was suspended for the Jets' first four games in 2015 season for violating the substance-abuse policy for testing positive for marijuana. The league also suspended him for the first game in 2016 under its personal-conduct policy after he tried to outrun police in St. Louis, driving his Bentley at 143 mph before being stopped.NOTES:The Browns re-signed DL Carl Davis, who joined the team via waivers from Baltimore during final roster cuts last summer and appeared in five games. A third-round pick in 2015, Davis has appeared in 33 career games with 12 starts.