The Minnesota Vikings are working through a quarterback quandary this offseason [url=www.saintscheapstore.com]Patrick Robinson Jersey[/url] , with three pending free agents.

They have ample space under the salary cap, around $50 million, and an unfulfilled desire to produce a long-term answer at the position after years of questions.

Coach Mike Zimmer expressed caution about the strategy of spending their way out of the uncertainty.

"I think it's really, really important that we understand that we've won 40 games in the last four years and we've done this by being pretty good on defense for the most part," Zimmer said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. "This year the offense was much better. Part of the reason we've been winning games is because we've been staying in games on defense, we've been a smart team, all those things."

About half of the quarterbacks in the league are making an annual average of $20 million, and the standard prices will only increase this month with Kirk Cousins leading the list of soon-to-be free agents. Zimmer, for his part, pumped the brakes on the notion of trying to win such a bidding contest.

"I want to be really careful about taking away from our strength ... because of financial reasons," Zimmer said.

Staying in step with what general manager Rick Spielman said Wednesday [url=www.chargerscheapstore.com]Mike Pouncey Jersey[/url] , Zimmer told reporters the Vikings are still assessing the pros and cons of Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater with the market set to open on March 14. Zimmer said all three quarterbacks are "definitely" under consideration.

Breaking with the guarded style of his boss, Zimmer pushed the candor button at the podium. He acknowledged the realities and reservations of each of the three players he's had as the primary starter over the past three years.

"It's important for myself and Rick and the organization to pick the right guy that is going to help us continue to move forward," Zimmer said. "If we don't do that, then I'll probably be fired."

Keenum took over after Bradford hurt his knee following the season opener and enjoyed a career-best performance, helping the Vikings reach the NFC championship game. Before 2017, he'd just been a backup. Several times during the year, Zimmer hinted at mild skepticism about Keenum's ability to keep up such success.

"Is he the guy when he was at Houston or the Rams, or is he the guy who played for us?" Zimmer said, repeating a similar line of questioning for Bradford, who didn't experience much success early in his career with St. Louis.

Bradford's biggest issue is the knee [url=www.patriotscheapstore.com]Antonio Garcia Jersey[/url] , which Zimmer described as a "degenerative" problem. There's clearly no perfect answer for the Vikings in this complicated situation.

"At the end of the day, it's a guess and a hunch," Zimmer said.

Bridgewater presents the least-expensive option but also the least-known, considering he last started a meaningful game more than two years ago. The amount of time he missed while rehabilitating his knee injury has made it difficult to evaluate his ability to lead the team for the next decade, as the Vikings originally intended when they drafted him in the first round in 2014.

"It's really hard to evaluate just in practice. We have to go back a lot with Teddy on what he's done in the past, him as a person, his work ethic, all those things. Him not playing for two years and not being able to see him play in live situations, that's concerning a little bit," Zimmer said. "But I love the guy. He's a great kid, great competitor [url=www.vikingscheapstore.com]Pat Elflein Jersey[/url] , a winner."

Gerard Gallant didn’t consider pulling Marc-Andre Fleury as another game and perhaps the Vegas Golden Knights� Stanley Cup hopes slipped away.

The struggles and another pile of Washington Capitals goals are on the entire team. Gallant couldn’t pull all his players at once.

”There was nothing that he could have done,” Gallant said.

As the face of the franchise and its backbone on the ice, Fleury did just about everything to lead the expansion Golden Knights to the Cup Final with a .947 save percentage that made him the playoff MVP front-runner. In four games against Washington, Fleury has allowed 16 goals on 103 shots, a pedestrian .845 save percentage that speaks as much to Vegas crashing back down to earth as a team.

There is plenty of blame to pass around for the Golden Knights as they face a 3-1 series deficit that no team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs has overcome in the final. Vegas needs Fleury to be better and his teammates to improve in front of him in Game 5 on Thursday night or they will watch their opponent celebrate a championship their home ice.

”When you’re a goalie you don’t want to get scored on,” Fleury said. ”There was a lot of that (in Game 4). It’s never a good feeling. It’s a team game. Everybody’s trying hard out there, trying to help me out. We’ll find a way to make it work.”

It’s not working right now. The Capitals’ strategy of making lateral passes to get Fleury moving side-to-side is proving effective at even strength and on a power play that’s scoring at a 26.7 percent clip.

Forward Alex Tuch said staying out of the penalty box is one necessary improvement, but it goes beyond that. Vegas has ridden Fleury to this point and now has to cut down on the high-danger scoring chances he’s facing and too often allowing to turn into goals.

”Play better defensively,” Gallant said Tuesday. ”There’s too many guys staring at the puck carrier, and we’re leaving the back side open too much. Make sure we’re paying attention to the guys behind the puck and away from the puck. Marc will make the save on the guy shooting the puck. We’ve just got to make sure we’re taking away the passes.”

Fleury didn’t make the save on Devante Smith-Pelly on the doorstep in Game 4 as the Golden Knights fell behind 3-0 despite one of their best periods of the series that featured James Neal’s inexplicable shot off the post facing a wide-open net. As Gallant pointed out, Fleury had little chance on others as Washington put up six goals in a blowout .

Golden Knights players can’t help but feel like they’re letting ”Flower” down.

”We have the best goalie in the league and he’s been carrying (us) the whole year along and we feel like the goals … there’s not much you can do on those [url=www.chiefscheapstore.com]Chad Henne Jersey[/url] ,” center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. ”This is the frustrating part.”

Fleury acknowledged falling behind 3-1 was demoralizing. But the 33-year-old refuses to say fatigue has been a factor for him or his teammates.

”I think everybody’s fine,” Fleury said. ”It’s the same for their team, also. They’ve been through the same season, same playoffs. Being tired is no excuse.”

The Golden Knights have lost three games in a row as they near the end of an otherwise-charmed inaugural season. Perhaps Fleury has one more stand-on-his head, stop-everything game left in him in front of the home fans in Las Vegas, but the Golden Knights will need more than a singular effort from their goalie.

”Not where we want to be, that’s for sure,” Fleury said. ”Nobody’s quitting. We’re going home. We’ve had some success there. We just have to focus on period at a time, you know? Don’t think too far ahead. Just play our game, see where that takes us.”

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