I'm still viewing all of this as an extended preseason for 2021. It helps me mitigate the hysteria that would otherwise occupy my mind. There are realities out of Kirk's control that do not excuse his play, but need to be considered when we're looking at where the Vikings go from here. On defense, It is true we are missing Hunter (big loss), we are missing our nose tackle (big loss), Barr is out for the season (big loss). Consider all of them will be back in 2021 most likely. We will most likely still have Harrison Smith. I expect Harris and Rief to be gone. I have mixed feelings about Rudolph as a player but he's not worth that salary. The corners still have the potential of improving, I actually think they are but they are rookies and they are playing possibly the most difficult position in football given the slant in favor of the Offense and the difference between college and the pros. The issue to me, which you're probably sick of reading, is that Kirk Cousins cannot play at the level the team expects him to play. I'm convinced Diggs, Theilen, Rudolph, and now Irv Smith know that he is not the quarter back to take them over the top.
The dilemma is the handcuff from that enormous salary paid to Kirk and the lack of alternatives as a result. Benching Cousins? If you are expecting to win you will never play Mannion. I realize Cousins is pathetic but Mannion is pathetic +. If you resign yourself to losing, which I have, then play rookies you expect to develop as long term, get rid of the almost but not quite NFL players, bite the bullet on Cousins or just bench him. Frankly, I would not only bench him, I would deactivate him for the game he's benched to clearly send the message... get your #$&#*# together; I understand that this might not do much because he is who he is but he is also necessary to train the WRs in live action. Jefferson is an exception but he thrives in live action. O. Johnson seems to be lost. C. Kelly is a marginal player. I have zero confidence in Mannion. Even the O line, as ridiculous as this sounds, Kirk's pathetic play causes the O line to have to block longer than normal, they need the practice. O'Neill, Bradbury, and Cleveland need the work. Reiff will be gone and I think Dozier will be a back up. If they fire Zimmer and Spielman, wait until the end of the season in order to not add to the depression the players are already feeling. SKOL 2021!!
I just rewatched the first half and to my uneducated eyes, Cleveland looked pretty darn good actually, especially for his first game. Disaster seemed to strike from the edges (especially with missed assignments). He did, at times look a little lost when he got to the second level, but I thought he did fine in pass pro.
Regarding the first half, it often felt like the Atlanta defense had more players on the field. Was that bad play calling, missed assignments, or both? There were times where Cousins really hung on the the ball for what seemed an eternity.
The General Manager is responsible for managing this 1-5 Vikings team. When the Vikings line up to play the Packers on Nov. 1, the current General Manager, the “genius” (homage to Sid Hartman) who extended Kirk Cousins, the genius who almost completely ignored the offensive line in the draft (again), and the genius who still has too many veterans on fat, long-term contracts, that genius GM should be watching the Vikings play the Packers on a flat screen TV in his home. The new GM can use the remaining 11 games to determine whether Mike Zimmer has reached his expiration date. If the new GM decides the Vikings need a fresh, offensive-minded approach, the Wilfs are going to have to swallow hard and pay Mike Zimmer not to coach for three years. Getting rid of Cousins is more daunting, but a new GM is the best person to address that issue, and all the other organizational challenges that have long mystified Rick Spielman.
This team needs to have a bye week fire sale. What are the chances of trading Reiff, Rudolph, Barr, Smith, Harris or Ngakoue and what kind of compensation would they fetch?
All I want to hear this week is a breakdown of the CB play and Tuesday morning LG should be solely about Cleveland, O’Neil, and Bradbury since reiff and dozier do not matter for the teams future
From draft scouts to coaching, they really need to overhaul offensive line evaluations. They have also got to find a way to stop the pileups on these train-wreck games. Jefferson sure is fun.
They showed up like a team who knew there season was over. Hardly any energy on offense except Jefferson and maybe Irv. Keep playing all the rookies now!
Does that Sotawtick.com place you always talk about sell large paper bags?
(I’m looking for one that says “1-15” or has a picture of a car with the wheels falling off
I'm still viewing all of this as an extended preseason for 2021. It helps me mitigate the hysteria that would otherwise occupy my mind. There are realities out of Kirk's control that do not excuse his play, but need to be considered when we're looking at where the Vikings go from here. On defense, It is true we are missing Hunter (big loss), we are missing our nose tackle (big loss), Barr is out for the season (big loss). Consider all of them will be back in 2021 most likely. We will most likely still have Harrison Smith. I expect Harris and Rief to be gone. I have mixed feelings about Rudolph as a player but he's not worth that salary. The corners still have the potential of improving, I actually think they are but they are rookies and they are playing possibly the most difficult position in football given the slant in favor of the Offense and the difference between college and the pros. The issue to me, which you're probably sick of reading, is that Kirk Cousins cannot play at the level the team expects him to play. I'm convinced Diggs, Theilen, Rudolph, and now Irv Smith know that he is not the quarter back to take them over the top.
The dilemma is the handcuff from that enormous salary paid to Kirk and the lack of alternatives as a result. Benching Cousins? If you are expecting to win you will never play Mannion. I realize Cousins is pathetic but Mannion is pathetic +. If you resign yourself to losing, which I have, then play rookies you expect to develop as long term, get rid of the almost but not quite NFL players, bite the bullet on Cousins or just bench him. Frankly, I would not only bench him, I would deactivate him for the game he's benched to clearly send the message... get your #$&#*# together; I understand that this might not do much because he is who he is but he is also necessary to train the WRs in live action. Jefferson is an exception but he thrives in live action. O. Johnson seems to be lost. C. Kelly is a marginal player. I have zero confidence in Mannion. Even the O line, as ridiculous as this sounds, Kirk's pathetic play causes the O line to have to block longer than normal, they need the practice. O'Neill, Bradbury, and Cleveland need the work. Reiff will be gone and I think Dozier will be a back up. If they fire Zimmer and Spielman, wait until the end of the season in order to not add to the depression the players are already feeling. SKOL 2021!!
I just rewatched the first half and to my uneducated eyes, Cleveland looked pretty darn good actually, especially for his first game. Disaster seemed to strike from the edges (especially with missed assignments). He did, at times look a little lost when he got to the second level, but I thought he did fine in pass pro.
Regarding the first half, it often felt like the Atlanta defense had more players on the field. Was that bad play calling, missed assignments, or both? There were times where Cousins really hung on the the ball for what seemed an eternity.
Fav line in this arty: “ they got supremely creative and ran right up the middle“.
The General Manager is responsible for managing this 1-5 Vikings team. When the Vikings line up to play the Packers on Nov. 1, the current General Manager, the “genius” (homage to Sid Hartman) who extended Kirk Cousins, the genius who almost completely ignored the offensive line in the draft (again), and the genius who still has too many veterans on fat, long-term contracts, that genius GM should be watching the Vikings play the Packers on a flat screen TV in his home. The new GM can use the remaining 11 games to determine whether Mike Zimmer has reached his expiration date. If the new GM decides the Vikings need a fresh, offensive-minded approach, the Wilfs are going to have to swallow hard and pay Mike Zimmer not to coach for three years. Getting rid of Cousins is more daunting, but a new GM is the best person to address that issue, and all the other organizational challenges that have long mystified Rick Spielman.
This team needs to have a bye week fire sale. What are the chances of trading Reiff, Rudolph, Barr, Smith, Harris or Ngakoue and what kind of compensation would they fetch?
All I want to hear this week is a breakdown of the CB play and Tuesday morning LG should be solely about Cleveland, O’Neil, and Bradbury since reiff and dozier do not matter for the teams future
I remember back in the day Fran Tarkenton always threw to receivers that were beyond the sticks on 3rd down usually to Stu Voigt.
I remember saying in a comment that the secondary could hardly be worse than last year. Boy, was I wrong! 😔
From draft scouts to coaching, they really need to overhaul offensive line evaluations. They have also got to find a way to stop the pileups on these train-wreck games. Jefferson sure is fun.
They showed up like a team who knew there season was over. Hardly any energy on offense except Jefferson and maybe Irv. Keep playing all the rookies now!