Friday mailbag: Who wins this game?
It's Vikings-Packers week so there's lots to discuss, including what the Vikings do on the O-line and what this game means to the rest of the season
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By Matthew Coller
@AdPlusVerb I keep thinking about a nwangwu+chisena package on offense. Speaking of…when was the last time someone could use the phrase “take[s] the top off defenses” when describing the Vikings?
I’m not really sure Chisena can be trusted as part of the offense at this point. He did take steps during training camp that were noticeable but I’m not sure he’s quite ready for that. Nwangwu, on the other hand, should be touching the ball 3-5 times per game. Whether it’s fake punts or jet sweeps or throws out of the backfield, the guy has special speed and he isn’t small like some of the quicker/shiftier players who can’t really handle running back duties. I’m not sure it’s all that important to have a “pure deep threat” when Jefferson and Thielen both scare defenses deep. KJ Osborn is probably a better fit as the underneath guy who can rack up yards after catch when the defense is paying attention to those two.
@jeffintokyo1 with Camryn Bynum looking like a solid starter off the bat, do the Vikings try a few 3 safety looks with the idea of getting your best players on the field (Obviously this assume H Smith is back playing).?
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him out there for a handful of plays but it would be hard to just start adding entirely new packages to the defense at this point. They should be very happy with the way Bynum filled in at safety and now they know he might have a future there but I’m not sure he’s exactly a “chess piece” type player. Usually if you want the “big nickel” the guy has to be actually big. Bynum was a cornerback in college and doesn’t add a different dimension from Mackensie Alexander like they thought Jayron Kearse could at one point. It would be like having another nickel corner, only the guy has never played nickel in the NFL.
@KlausBSquadCapt It appears #56 is going to be starting again over Mason Cole, despite his strong play the past 2 starts. What do the coaches see in his play, that make up for his deficiencies in Pass-Pro? Kenny Clark has historically had his number
Well, we don’t know that for sure just yet. Bradbury is a good run blocker and really good when it comes to getting out on screens. I’m not sure against Kenny Clark that Mason Cole would be decidedly better. Clark is a much different beast from the last two types of defensive tackles Cole went against. Not that I’m against the idea of sticking with Cole after he’s played well, it’s just that we’re not exactly talking about Jeff Christy here. The thing I wonder about that can’t really be known unless we’re in the room is how each of those players handles adjustments at the line of scrimmage. The better one might get the nod but I can’t begin to guess which it would be or if there’s a difference.
@BeauSchmaltz Does Zimmer have a personal beef with JJ? Curious after: (1) Zimmer tells public he told JJ he’ll get the ball more, but he needs to practice hard (2) Zim publicly called out the ball toss to Allen (3) JJ saying him getting the ball more was a “big adjustment”
I think it’s the opposite. Zimmer knows that he can’t have the Diggs thing happen again. He has to make sure Jefferson knows that he wants him to get the ball. Zimmer is also an old school coach who is going to tell every player to work hard in practice. I didn’t think that was unusual. It was more of him saying: “I’m trying, we’re going to make it happen, don’t lose your s—t just yet.”
@gunnerviking If the Vikings win vs Packers and make the playoffs, should/will Zimmer still be fired?
It really depends on how it looks. If they beat the Packers and still end up 7-10, yet somehow get into the postseason because everybody else collapses, there could be a change. If they went 9-8 and lost by 40 in the playoffs, same deal. It’s hard to say. I’m not entirely sure that ownership is riding this roller coaster like we are. They could do something different even if they win a playoff game — it’s happened before with Tennessee firing Malarkey and going to Vrabel despite beating KC in the first round in 2017. Or, on the other side, they may have decided already to remain patient and make other changes to the roster instead after seeing how bad some of the newer coaches have been in recent years.
@kevinthouleBesides Zimmer and the coordinators we hear from regularly, are there other coaches or staff members you know of that are having a significant impact on the direction of the team?
Oh yeah. The two that are most significant are the offensive line coach and DBs coach. I’d argue there’s no more important assistant in sports than the O-line coach. Usually those guys have a lot of responsibilities, especially in the run game. They teach techniques and minute details that nobody else in the building fully understands and they have the task of getting five guys to play together in perfect unison. That’s hard. With the DBs, they have to master every scenario and read route combinations with lightning speed. If they don’t have it right, they give up 50-yard plays. It seems that Karl Scott has done a good job with getting the DBs on the same page after a slow start.
@SteidlerCharley Where is the Kene Nwangwu jet sweeps and screen passes
Cordarrelle Patterson: I dunno man.
It’s only been a few weeks since he’s gotten back but letting a player with that type of explosive play capability sit on the sidelines and watch might not be wise. They acknowledged that they should have used Patterson differently and he’s gone to New England and Atlanta and had success in a dynamic role. Nwangwu isn’t a receiver but there’s some of the same vibes there.
@skol_wars Why don’t we run the 2min. offense more, when it seems that’s where Kirk is most dangerous? I understand wanting to establish the run, but ffs Klint, we have arguably the most talented WR duo in the league
I’ve wondered about this, too. We’ve rarely seen the up-tempo thing happen this year. They don’t go no huddle much or catch the opponent by surprise by hitting them with a couple straight plays with quick snaps. I also have some sympathy for the plight of the play caller. Everybody thinks they have all the answers. Why aren’t you doing this, that, the other thing.
@benjackson0812 What’s an NFL record you look at and say “That record will never be broken”??
It’s really hard to see anyone catching Emmitt Smith or Jerry Rice’s yardage records but I’ll give you one that nobody will come close to: Brian Mitchell had 14,014 kick return yards during his career. There are only five players in history who have more than 10,000 and they all played in the golden era of kickoff return specialists in the 90s and early 2000s. Patterson would have to double his current total to reach Mitchell. With kickoff returns barely happening and apparently no apatite to adopt the XFL kickoff (which they should!), it’s hard to see anyone coming anywhere close to that one.
@TVanHatten Norv Turner was let go because he and Zim disagreed about the offensive scheme. Just curious about how you think Kirk would fit in Norv's offense.
That’s a tough one. Norv’s general principles included deep developing routes that required deeper drops from the quarterback and then routes underneath from the tight end and running backs. Cousins can make those throws but where it broke down in 2016 was with the poor offensive line play. Turner’s offense really required the O-line to hold their blocks and I’m not sure as a unit they could do that effectively here. I’ve also always suspected that different schemes don’t really change much when it comes to Cousins. He’s probably at his absolute best in a Shanahan style offense but my guess is that he’d be able to execute Norv’s offense and have the same strengths and weaknesses.
@smccullough5 How do you rate the young DL members after seeing them get some game time action (Lynch, Watts, Wonnum, Willikes, Jones, etc) on a scale of a)Just a guy b) Interesting and Developing c) Watch out world
Different shades of Just A Guy. The key is that if you have a few Just A Guy’s with one great guy (Everson Griffen) and a couple good guys (Richardson, Tomlinson), the Just A Guy types can help you. What you can’t have is Not An NFL Guy like they had with Mata’afa, Johnson and Holmes last year. I wouldn’t put bets on any of them being major, major pieces of the future. But Watts and Willekes might have the best chance at being decent rotational players in the future.
@mnjoker0015 I've heard the raiders get some flack for their defensive game plan against the Chiefs. Where do you think the balance lies with doing what your good at vs. trying to exploit what the other team struggles with?
Great question. I’d say that defenses need to be able to adapt when it’s really necessary. The Chiefs have been slowed down this year by teams dropping into deep zones and daring Mahomes to be patient. He doesn’t have the personnel to do that i.e. third/fourth receivers or running backs who are great out of the backfield and it has never been his mentality to dink and dunk like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady would do if you dared them. The Raiders sticking steadfast to a defense that Mahomes has smashed in the past because that’s their system is either because they felt they didn’t have the personnel to adapt or they were far too confident in that system.
But generally speaking, you want to play your system and then make adaptations week to week based on players or tendencies. Overhauling things each week would be incredibly difficult and confusing for players.
By the way, the crazy thing about Mahomes’s struggles this year is that he is now the same age as Aaron Rodgers was in his first winning season as a starter.
@WarleyOwl Who wins this game?
I’m going to go with the Packers 27-24. Here’s a crazy stat that I stumbled upon: In games against Rodgers during the Zimmer era, the Vikings have never beaten the Packers by more than seven points. They almost always play tight with Green Bay and I’m thinking the Packers’ defense will make it just hard enough on the Vikings’ offense. But who knows with these teams. I did not predict a tie in 2018.
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