Friday Mailbag: Does this game determine Vikings' deadline and future approach?

The Vikings face the Packers with a chance to get right back in the playoff race and fans have questions about what it means if they win or lose...

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By Matthew Coller

Eric… is there anyone on the team who could take over the QB duties for a tush push?

It would need to be someone who played quarterback before. I wouldn’t trust a random player to be able to take a snap without fumbling. That’s why the Chiefs do it with ex-QB Blake Bell. Jordan Addison played QB in high school. That’s going to be a hard pass for me on using him to slam up the middle. The thing that didn’t make much sense to me about the Vikings using the tush push is that they are usually fine with QB sneaks. Per Pro-Football Reference, over Kirk’s time in Minnesota before the failed push on Monday he ran 44 times with between 0 and 2 yards to go and got 33 first downs and four touchdowns. What the Patriots used to do with Tom Brady sometimes is spread out and then sneak. Look what I found from a YouTube compilation of his goal line touchdowns…they sneaked it out of this look below. There’s tons of room up front. That might be a better fit for Kirk because opponents would have to pay attention to the receivers.

Brian… Fist things first, I am NOT saying that Danielle Hunter is on the same level as Reggie White. However, we've seen elite pass rushers like Reggie White, Chris Doleman, Charles Haley, etc. succeed well into their 30s. Is the Vikings reluctance to sign him to a long-term extension simply the cap implications, or do they have concerns about him being a high mileage model due to the seasons he lost to injury? If he didn't lose those years to injury, it seems like a no brainer that he'd already be a year or two into a long, lucrative extension.

I think the Vikings had a price/contract structure that they didn’t want to exceed and stuck to that with Hunter last offseason and baked into that price/structure would be factoring for potential age-related decline. You have a point about some elite pass rushers but there are quite a few who didn’t carry it over too far past 30. I found all these examples of guys whose last double-digit sack came around Hunter’s age:

Jared Allen: age 31, DeMarcus Ware: 32, Robert Mathis: 32, Elvis Dumervil: 30, Robert Quinn: 31, Mario Williams: 29, Tamba Hali: 30, Dwight Freeney: 30.

It becomes risky to plop down $25 million to anyone, much less a guy with his injury history at an age that becomes very hard to predict. A lot of those rushers had massive seasons just before they fell off. And I say this with all the respect in the world for Hunter. If I were to bet, I’d guess he’s still good until 35 but it’s not my $25 million/year and with JJ and CD’s extensions looming there’s only so much money to go around. With that said, if they do extend him I’m not going to criticize it because, well, it’s Danielle and who doesn’t want that guy?

David…. Isn’t it time for Cam Akers to assume the lead back role? He breaks tackles, has the explosion through the hole that Mattison lacks, appears to have better hands than Mattison, might be a better screen option than Mattison. Haven’t seen enough of his route running to make a judgement on that, but overall he seems a much better option than Mattison.

Akers has definitely been effective since arriving here and we started to see him get more usage in the second half last week. That might be an indication of what’s to come. There is jolt in his game and some subtle stuff that I didn’t expect to see when he got here. Mattison really hasn’t justified the trust. He’s at minus-0.25 Rushing Yards Over Expected (11th lowest), 30th of 30 RBs by PFF grade and has an astonishing five drops (worst in the NFL). If the Vikings had even average running back play they would be a pretty darn scary offense. Maybe Akers gets them closer to that.

Pickle Enjoyer…. Do you feel that a trade for someone like Sweat or Young would be prudent? The Vikes have an easy schedule coming up and more juice on the edge could definitely help. On the other hand, if you're going to extend Cousins (which I fear I going to happen), then the cap is destroyed going forward and, being realistic, this team isn't close.

Well, Pickle Enjoyer, I like the idea of Sweat more than Young because he has been consistently effective and healthy. If they were able to acquire him it would be along the same lines as Hockenson where they would presumably plan to extend him. That seems like a good approach where they get a player for right now and a long-term piece and a position of serious need. As long as it doesn’t cost a first-round pick…

I still haven’t figured out how to properly talk about the Cousins extension issue. If they really wanted to do that they would have done it when he was the comeback king and Netflix hero last offseason, right? But if they suddenly think they’re a few players away, maybe they do it because they are afraid of the alternative and see if history repeats itself or not. Hey, speaking of history, Joe Flacco won the Super Bowl in similar situation in 2012 after a rocky regular season.

john… Hey Matthew was thinking of the 22 draft. Could that have been a function of over indexing to collaboration? In other words a young gm trying to please everyone but actually pleasing no one?

I wish we would stop thinking of the ‘22 draft because right now it doesn’t matter since they found two very good safeties in Bynum and Metellus that nobody saw coming at the time they drafted Cine and the book isn’t written on Booth Jr., Ingram or Evans. I have no idea if they over-collaborated or if they had the best process of all time and they failed or if they picked names and trades out of a top hat.

Personally, I think we can’t accept when things are random. When someone gets in a car accident we ask them why they didn’t drive differently and avoid the bus that T-boned them. What were the actual odds that a player that prolific on the Georgia defense was going to be this bad?

Here’s the players the Chiefs passed on to take Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020: Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr.. Jonathan Taylor, Trevon Diggs and Antoine Winfield Jr.

Here’s the players the 49ers passed on to take Trey Lance: Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Penei Sewell, Patrick Surtain, Micah Parsons, Rashawn Slater, Christian Darrisaw.

Let’s not even talk about Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson.

It happens to everyone. The only reason it stands out so much was because of the dubious trade down and the fact it was the GM’s first draft.

Kelly… Do you think if the Vikings turn things around this year and get into the playoffs, they will still try and grab one of the qbs in the draft? Like they would end up with a obvious worse pick so they would need to trade alot to move up. Or do you think it would be more likely they rebuild the defense in the early rounds if the draft and free agency and run it back again with Kirk after they resign him? I'm praying regardless of the outcome of this year they let Kirk go and trade what they need to to grab one of the 5 to 6 qbs in the draft.

I truly could see any outcome here. I could see them going 10-7 or 7-10. I could see them letting Kirk walk after they make the playoffs or extending him for two more years. I could see them missing the playoffs and drafting a QB hell or high water.

I keep coming back to two factors: The age/price tag of Cousins to go forward with him and the situation that a rookie would take over. Getting an absurd receiver and tackle duo and good TE with a former QB calling the shots is as good as any situation that any rookie has ever taken over. It’s like Big Ben, Dak or Brock Purdy as rookies. They should trust that the supporting cast moves the odds significantly in their favor. But they are also aware that missing on that pick is going to waste some great players’ primes and get them fired. Then again, 2018-2021 also did that and got someone else fired. It’s a tough biz.

Owen… Did Risner play well enough on Monday night to keep the starting LG position or does Cleveland get his job back when he returns?

I’m not sure. By the PFF numbers Cleveland is easily having his best year but it’s hard to argue with Risner’s play in a huge moment for the Vikings against elite competition. It’s not like the line was playing badly at all with Cleveland in there basically since they played Philly so they may go back to him.

Kelly… Mattison or Akers, who u want as Rb1?

To me, Akers is more of a bell cow back but they can use a true rotation with Chandler in the mix too.

Adam… Do we NEED the run game? Like do we REALLY NEED the run game? KOC has been scheming the crap out of the pass game. Kirk seemed incredibly locked in for a game where we maybe even should have run more! Using the screen as a pseudo-run game check play at the line of scrimmage seems effective enough for Kirk to decide. OL is protecting well. For whatever reason we just cannot get consistency in the run game, and it scares the bejeezus out of me to commit to a run game when the passing game is/has been so efficient. Play to your strengths. Let KOC cook is what im saying.

Everything is easier with a run game. There are many more favorable play-action situations when you get five or six yards right off the bat. It’s less stress on the quarterback when you can have drives that are dominated by running the ball and defenses absolutely hate it when they are getting slammed into over and over. Relying on the pass all the time is like having a three-point offense in basketball with nobody getting you easy layups. There’s more of a boom or bust nature to it unless you have Tom Brady throwing all those passes. I don’t think it should scare you that they are going to commit to the run game considering they never have under O’Connell.

Jeff… Is there any play the Vikings could possibly be less suited for offensively than the Tush Push?

The Cam Newton QB run out of the shotgun wouldn’t be a choice of mine either for this team. This is the result of not having a trusted run game. Most teams just slam it in there like what the 49ers did at the goal line.

Ryan… Have you noticed that Kirk has worn a play call wristband the last couple games? I think it’s the first time since 2018 that he’s worn one. Do you think that’s due to the operational issues with getting out of the huddle late and delays of game in previous games? Or has JJ’s absence altered their play calls enough that Kirk needs the extra assistance?

I noticed it against the 49ers. He didn’t give a huge explanation other than the play calls getting long but maybe it’s an attempt to improve the tempo issues. It has seemed like there’s been some trouble getting the calls in and the team lined up without the play clock running down etc. I suppose it’s also possible there were some changes with JJ out that he wanted to have on point. Here’s Kirk’s whole quote about it after the game:

“Plays are getting long, play calls, and just a few weeks ago -- I've been calling these long plays for a while now and you saw of the Netflix deal, I'm in the car trying remember. At some point let's just get a wristband because it's getting crazy. There is a lot of football that wristband.”

Skol Viking 44… With the Vikings' interior lineman getting swallowed up by opposing defenses and Cousins not physically equipped as a power running QB, what goal line package(s) would you dial up if you were the play caller?

Fullback dive over and over.

The one play that worked was that little swing pass to Addison. Stuff like that when you can get guys running flat routes with some motion tossed into the mix seems to be pretty effective around the league. It seems like even the near misses are high degree of difficulty. How about Josh Oliver faking a block and leaking out? Pop pass, anyone? I dunno, I’m not a play caller, I just kick butt at it on Madden.

Ben… Does the NFL have an officiating problem?? Some of these calls ( or lack there of) don’t make any sense.