2019 Minnesota Vikings In-Season Thread

I fell asleep in the 2nd half.

I have discovered the reason for pre-season football - helps you take naps.
 


Supposedly Zimmer is not a big fan of Sloter because - the story goes - Sloter is not a good 'practice player.' And, he allegedly has a tendency to go "off-script" during games and do stuff that is not necessarily in the game plan. In short, not the type of QB that a control freak Head Coach wants to have.
 


I do think Sloter is better than Manion, but the Twitter outrage over this is ridiculous. If only Twitter had been around for Gino Torretta.
 


I do believe that Sloter is also not good pre-snap at the line of scrimmage, protections, et al. But who knows. I don't know that it's that big of a deal.
 

I do think Sloter is better than Manion, but the Twitter outrage over this is ridiculous. If only Twitter had been around for Gino Torretta.

I heard Barreiro say this about Gino.

Keep in mind, Gino had maybe one TD drive.
Sloter has had several which makes a far larger sample size.

Manion is horrible.


Spielman is awful at his job. It takes a long time for people to see it.
Been with the organization since about 2005 as Director of Player Personnel and somehow we are one of only a couple NFC teams to not make a Super Bowl during that period. It might just be us and the Lions.
 

We have wasted so many draft picks on kickers. You don't drsft kickers or trade for them ever.

You sign them as rookie free agents. Spielman is an idiot. Zimmer has zero patience for Special Teams. He has hurt the team and continues to hurt the team because of it.

Barr also never should have been paid, and they use him wrong. Thst money needed to go to the O-line.

Maybe he should go back to being a coordinator.
 

I heard Barreiro say this about Gino.

Keep in mind, Gino had maybe one TD drive.
Sloter has had several which makes a far larger sample size.

Manion is horrible.


Spielman is awful at his job. It takes a long time for people to see it.
Been with the organization since about 2005 as Director of Player Personnel and somehow we are one of only a couple NFC teams to not make a Super Bowl during that period. It might just be us and the Lions.

No Super Bowls since 2005:

Bucs 2003
Cowboys 1995
Redskins 1992
Vikings 1977
Lions Never

God Bless the Lions
 



I do believe that Sloter is also not good pre-snap at the line of scrimmage, protections, et al. But who knows. I don't know that it's that big of a deal.

If we need someone to finish 2 drives in a close game, I probably want Mannion. If we need someone to start multiple games I want Sloter.
 

No Super Bowls since 2005:

Bucs 2003
Cowboys 1995
Redskins 1992
Vikings 1977
Lions Never

God Bless the Lions

The Lions, the only team that would ever pair Barry Sanders and a good receiving corp with...Scott Mitchell, a quarterback that had to move as fast as he could just to get the ball to Sanders in time for a running play.
 

Charley Walters: Vikings look like playoff team, and they better be

Based on the four-game exhibition season, it appears the Minnesota Vikings are set to become a 10-victory playoff team when the regular season begins next Sunday at home against Atlanta.

But if the Vikings don’t make the playoffs for a second straight season, it would be interesting to see what owners Zygi and Mark Wilf do, especially regarding coach Mike Zimmer or general manager Rick Spielman. At least one of the two would seem gone for sure.

Defensive end Everson Griffen, 31, isn’t the player he once was, so at some point during the season he’s expected to be replaced by Stephen Weatherly.

The Vikings, thin at cornerback because Mike Hughes (anterior cruciate surgery nearly a year ago) won’t be able to play right away, and Holton Hill is out with an eight-game suspension, on Saturday traded a seventh-round draft pick for cornerback Mark Fields. But the deal’s only good if Fields make the roster.

https://www.twincities.com/2019/08/...gs-look-like-playoff-team-and-they-better-be/

Skol Vikes!!
 

We should just start speculating who the new GM & Coach will be next year.

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The Lions, the only team that would ever pair Barry Sanders and a good receiving corp with...Scott Mitchell, a quarterback that had to move as fast as he could just to get the ball to Sanders in time for a running play.

The Lions saved the Vikings from Scott Mitchell. They both wanted him but the Lions outbid us. We got Warren Moon instead. God Bless the Lions.
 




Pretty good first half to the season.

Consider me impressed when they do that for a full game against a good team on the road. Then they can start to get my hopes up again, only to crash them down fantastically in the playoffs. Again.

I see Case Keenum, now with the Redskins, is playing very well. Again. On the road, against a Super Bowl-level team. The QB we bought for huge money from the Redskins, for the purpose of replacing Keenum, would do well just to be as good with the Vikings as Keenum was.
 
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Consider me impressed when they do that for a full game against a good team on the road. Then they can start to get my hopes up again, only to crash them down fantastically in the playoffs. Again.

I see Case Keenum, now with the Redskins, is playing very well. Again. On the road, against a Super Bowl-level team. The QB we bought for huge money from the Redskins, for the purpose of replacing Keenum, would do well just to be as good with the Vikings as Keenum was.

Just because Cousins isn't worth $29 million, doesn't mean he's not better than Keenum. He is. BTW the Redskins lost.
 

Just because Cousins isn't worth $29 million, doesn't mean he's not better than Keenum. He is. BTW the Redskins lost.

Indeed, but the Redskins lost because of their poor D, and because Philadelphia is a really, really good team, not because of Case. As for the relative worth of a cheap Keenum versus a very-slightly-better-Cousins who is extremely expensive and has cost the team a ton of cap space with which they could have filled the roster with better players (including a better O-line), the better investment would have been to stick with Case and spend a lot of money on improving the O-line.
 

Just because Cousins isn't worth $29 million, doesn't mean he's not better than Keenum. He is. BTW the Redskins lost.
Second verse same as the first....

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Sid: Packers will provide truer test for Vikings in Week 2

Even though the Vikings completely dominated the Atlanta Falcons 28-12 in their season opener, coach Mike Zimmer didn’t seem overconfident when discussing how this victory will translate next week when they head to Lambeau Field in Green Bay for a huge NFC North game.

The Packers’ 10-3 victory at Chicago on Thursday, combined with the Vikings’ easy victory, sets up a game that will have huge implications if either team is going to compete for a playoff spot or a division title.

“We have work to do. We have to get better,” Zimmer said. “We have some ability to be a good football team but we have to be better. We have to eliminate the penalties. First run out of the block, I think we got a penalty. We have to eliminate those things. I am not happy with those.”

Judging by the stat book, you’d be surprised how thoroughly the Vikings dominated this game. They trailed in total yardage 345-269 and first downs 27-18, had 11 penalties for 100 yards and Kirk Cousins threw only 10 passes, completing eight for 98 yards and a score.

http://www.startribune.com/packers-will-provide-truer-test-for-vikings-in-week-2/559780652/

Skol Vikes!!
 

Souhan: Dalvin Cook reminds us how much he needs to remain healthy

His talent may have been enough to win friends in the locker room, but Cook has proven himself as a teammate with his work ethic and willingness to share the spotlight. Instead of looking for cameras when he hits the end zone, he looks for teammates and hands one the ball.

Saturday night, Cook gave each offensive lineman a “Chef Cook” T-shirt, and right tackle Brian O’Neill wore one after the game.

The ingredients for Zimmer’s favorite offensive stew are simple: “Coach Zim wants to run the ball and play defense,” Cook said. “As long as I’m on the field there’s a lot of special things that can happen. I just have to stay on the field. That’s the main goal — being available for my team.”

After handing out T-shirts and touchdown balls, Cook received a souvenir from Freeman. If Cook is able to give away 15 more sweaty jerseys this season, the Vikings will be back in the playoffs.

http://www.startribune.com/dalvin-cook-reminds-us-how-much-he-needs-to-remain-healthy/559777262/

Howl Wolves!!
 

Indeed, but the Redskins lost because of their poor D, and because Philadelphia is a really, really good team, not because of Case. As for the relative worth of a cheap Keenum versus a very-slightly-better-Cousins who is extremely expensive and has cost the team a ton of cap space with which they could have filled the roster with better players (including a better O-line), the better investment would have been to stick with Case and spend a lot of money on improving the O-line.

The Broncos are my 2nd team, so I've watched all his starts the last two years, yesterday excepted. The reality is his career #'s are much closer to the 2018 version than the 2017 version. We caught lighting in a bottle with him. It was never going to be replicated. And he still would have cost $18-20 million/year to keep. Cousins is somewhere between the 10th-15th best QB in the NFL. Keenum is somewhere between 20-25. Is the difference worth $10 million? TBD. But I understand why they chose the way they did. We were never getting to a Super Bowl with Keenum, IMO.
 

Well, 2017 we were one game away. You can always argue we "should've lost" to the Saints, and so the football gods were never going to let us win in Philly. But we were still one game away.

That's all I have to say for that debate. It's gone and over, the decision was made, and I'm hoping for the best with Cousins.
 

The irony is this:

The Vikings decided they needed better QB play to win a championship, so they went out and got Cousins, and brought in a OC who emphasized the pass.

That worked out so well that the HC fired the OC midway through the season.

Then, the HC brought in a new consultant with a new offensive system that emphasizes the run, and de-emphasizes the pass. Which makes having a better QB less important.

If the Vikes had brought in Kubiak and his system last season, they could have kept Keenum, saved a few mill on the salary cap, and they would be in the exact same place they are now. Only with a more mobile QB.
 

The irony is this:

The Vikings decided they needed better QB play to win a championship, so they went out and got Cousins, and brought in a OC who emphasized the pass.

That worked out so well that the HC fired the OC midway through the season.

Then, the HC brought in a new consultant with a new offensive system that emphasizes the run, and de-emphasizes the pass. Which makes having a better QB less important.

If the Vikes had brought in Kubiak and his system last season, they could have kept Keenum, saved a few mill on the salary cap, and they would be in the exact same place they are now. Only with a more mobile QB.

You can emphasize the run all you want, at the end of the day you will need a QB who can make big plays in the 4th quarter. Can Cousins be that guy? He was at times last year (@GB before Carlson ruined it) but not others (@Seattle).
 

They fired the OC because he did not get along with Zim. That’s all there is to that.
 

Chip: Scoggins: 'Nightmares' could power a Vikings dream season

The situation represented a pass rusher’s dream. Third-and-16, no threat of a run with a 21-0 lead and the home crowd whipped into a frenzy.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan might as well have been standing on a porch, ringing a bell, yelling “Come and get it!”

At the snap, Danielle Hunter blew past tight end Austin Hooper, who was supposed to chip him but whiffed. That rendered right tackle Kaleb McGary helpless as Hunter zoomed past him too.

Ryan spotted Hunter, the 6-5, 252-pound chiseled freak of nature, bearing down on him and did what any sane person would do at that moment. He dropped to the turf and rolled over in an act of self-preservation.

Hunter touched Ryan for a sack in the second quarter of a 28-12 win on Sunday. A split second later, Everson Griffen fell on top of Ryan after overpowering Atlanta’s left tackle on the other side.

For all the conversation this offseason about the Vikings new offense, Gary Kubiak’s arrival and Dalvin Cook’s impact when healthy, the season opener once again revealed the team’s heartbeat resides with the defensive line and a ferocious pass rush that can turn even veteran quarterbacks into a puddle of nerves.

“We’ve got some nightmares out there,” safety Harrison Smith said of the front four. “There’s not a lot of guys that are like them once they get that scent in the water.”

http://www.startribune.com/nightmares-could-power-a-vikings-dream-season/559858792/

Skol Vikes!!
 

Consider me impressed when they do that for a full game against a good team on the road. Then they can start to get my hopes up again, only to crash them down fantastically in the playoffs. Again.

I see Case Keenum, now with the Redskins, is playing very well. Again. On the road, against a Super Bowl-level team. The QB we bought for huge money from the Redskins, for the purpose of replacing Keenum, would do well just to be as good with the Vikings as Keenum was.

Consider me impressed when they do this in the last 1/4 of the season. They are perennial preseason champions, and typically do well for the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the regular season, before crumbling down the stretch. I'm not confident Cook can make it through a full season, and I've never been overly impressed with Cousins (especially at his salary), but I will just enjoy the success for as long as it lasts.
 




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