I'm with most of the people here in appreciating this article and calling out Zimmer's faults over this and season's past. Unlike Andrew I understood that it was more than about a single game, although as you note this game epitomizes Zimmer's failures. Listening to Courtney Cronin with you on the podcast after Friday's demolition was a cathartic experience as she dissected the GM and the coach.
We can all see that Zimmer is a great schematic defensive coach, but as a head coach he's in over his head with a 1985 mentality on offense and horrible game management. As a developer of talent he's over rated. His defenses here have been stacked with early round draft talent. Barr, Waynes, Smith, Floyd, Rhodes, Richardson, Hughes were all first rounders, Kendricks, Alexander, Joseph seconds, Hunter a third, and Griffen a fourth who was good when Zimmer got here. So congratulations on making undrafted Anthony Harris a Pro Bowl caliber safety. Using that logic I guess Norv Turner must be responsible for Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
The guess is the Wilfs just roll it all back next year, with a few key player departures due to the cap and a few essential ones back from injury and we go 8-8 breaking Zimmer's every other year playoff streak and that's finally enough for him to be let go and hopefully Spielman, too, because they're a package deal. Now, if Zimmer were to play his starters against Detroit (I hope Reiff does enough for his $2M bonus which he deserves) and they get rolled by a team that just lost by 40...well, that would be really interesting. For his own self-preservation I think he sits most of them and avoids the risk.
Thanks for listening to the pod Rob. You're right about the stacked defenses. I think what we see here is that there's no magic coaching wand that gets waved and suddenly you shut down opponents. In order to get back to where they were, it's going to take another pretty serious bunch of investments + luck to have a No. 1 defense again.
It'll be a truly fascinating offseason to see where ownership wants to take all this (and the front office as well). They have to know that status quo might not be enough. We expect them to run it back but then again... this team is seriously aggressive at times. I'm certain they'll keep it interesting.
Great stuff, Matthew. I guess my question is this - why play to win against Detroit? That outcome should in no way impact ownerships standing on Zimmer and Spielman. It’s meaningless and frankly 6-10 puts you in better draft position, which is very important for this team. Especially with no second round pick...As you can tell I was fully on board with the tank after 1-5 LOL.
Thanks Matt, happy holidays! I’m with you. The only reason to play starters is so they don’t end the season on such a sour note... but that doesn’t mean a whole lot to anybody.
As always, I enjoyed the article. I've been a Zimmer apologist, thought the team would go 8-8 from the beginning, and wondered how in the world anyone would think they would do better considering the number of rookies, the departure of the veterans, and the weakness of the O-lne. I'm still there. In my opinion, you cannot win even with the number 1 defense if your offense is not performing functioning at a peak because you still need points to win. I'm going to keep this shorter than usual. Zimmer's hard-headed run run run despite having two of the best WRs in the league and an up and coming TE is hurting the team. He needs to develop and support at least a balanced offense. To get to the Superbowl we need a better O-line, need an improved passing game focusing on Theilen and Jefferson, and draft another QB. Stats be damned, Cousins will not get us there so we need to move toward a different QB. Zimmer has to change his game or go somewhere else. This is not about his ability to coach, I think he's a decent coach, but he cannot or will not change the philosophy of Defense and run first no matter the consequence. We can start by denying Zimmer defense in the first 2 - 3 and use those 3 rounds (if we get a second back) to build the O-line.
I'm a little confused as you open by saying you're a Zimmer apologist but then go into reasons why he might need to be fired. I'll say this; Zimmer is too hardheaded. He knows he can win enough to stay around (the Marvin Lewis effect) but he's so stubborn that he won't deviate from the run first, second and third mentality. I used to believe he'd bring the first Lombardi to MN. Now I just pray that the team is enough of a dumpster fire to get rid of him. I think he negatively impacts Speilman (who has plenty of his own faults) and pushes his weight around to draft "his" players. Scouts should scout and coaches coach, IMO. Not to say they shouldn't get his opinion, but if he goes to bat for a player he'd better turn him into the next Kendricks and not the next Waynes or Hughes. I'd much prefer to see if an offensive minded coach like Joe Brady or Brian Daboll can coach up Cousins and if not find his replacement. I may not know much but I know that it sucks being in the .500 limbo year in and year out.
"I've been" a Zimmer apologist and am no longer is what that was intended to state. You and I are literally in 100% harmony. I experienced the same swing of emotions hoping Zimmer would bring us a Superbowl and not be a manifestation of Marvin Lewis but I was wrong. Zimmer's overall philosophy renders the Offense a secondary concern even in the run-first offense where he is trying to keep the defense off the field as long as possible to keep them fresh and , as a consequence, our WRs do not get to make the plays they are capable of. I know Cousins has been up and down which inadvertently supports run, run, run, but at the very least we need to be balanced when we have one of the best WR tandems in the NFL. Zimmer supports balance when there is no other choice and we are behind. Its no secret Cousins pads his stats in the 4th quarter when we are behind and have no choice. The fact that we can often gain a great deal passing during those times should have been a clear message that a balanced offense is the way to go. It would even be better for Cook and would unchain Kubiac. Anyway, I agree with you 100% and I'm no longer a Zimmer apologist.
Zimmer is a really good head coach and a great defensive mind. He's low risk to keep around because he will almost always have a solid, to good team. Marvin Lewis is the fear, but what is the ceiling of a team with Kirk Cousins at QB. You would think he would understand that fully after years of Andy Dalton. Until Zimmer has a superstar at QB (not holding my breath for that) we will really never know if he's a great coach, because all the "greats" had a hall of famer at QB. Just ask Andy Reid!
Andy Reid also took a team with McNabb at the helm to a Super Bowl. Zimmer teams have sh3t the bed at the worst of times in huge playoff games. Also, Andy Reid coached up the tenth overall pick to be on a HOF projection.
Andy Reid is a better coach but he's in his 21st year as a head coach, his playoff record is 15-14 and I am sure there are some bad playoff losses in there. I'm not making excuses for Zimmer but I do think the Vikings would be a contender every single year if he had a superstar at QB. I view the QB as more important than the coach and yes, obviously they have to be able to coach them up but guys like Kirk have ceilings that will always keep them out of the superstar category. People that think a coaching change is all of the sudden going to get you to the playoffs, let alone the super bowl are totally delusional. We need a QB that can take us there and carry the team when everything isn't perfect and that is NOT Kirk Cousins.
I never thought I'd say it but in terms of who I'd like to see shown the door first I flipped from Cousins #1 by a mile to Zimmer, and it's really not all that close. I've always liked Zim but there is a concerning history now with him with this year really highlighting how his overbearing shadow over the offense is a major issue. I am not a Cousins fan and he deserves a lot of blame as well, but it's clear we're spinning as a team. It's obvious a Zim / Cousins combo will not work, and while I don't think a Cousins / Anyone combo will work, doing this now is worth another year of feeling like we're stuck in the mud.
Always a risk the new coach is a disaster - but 7 (maybe) to 9 wins a season for 3 seasons in a row is the last place you want to be. With no cap space and no second round pick, adding a 4th season in a row as a middling team is the path we're on for 2021. The repeated weaknesses and issues give me no hope this team is anywhere close to being prepared for the 2021 expectations we had in May this year.
It's time for a shake-up and if they aren't going to get rid of Cousins then unfortunately it's time for Zimmer to go.
Why did he create the "co-defensive coordinators" of Adam and Andre? Why not one defensive coordinator? Or is Zim the actual coordinator and the others do as they're told? Also, what impact has Dom Caper's presence had on the team? He came to the team and then crickets...
Offensively, I do like Kubiak, though I agree he could improve his schemes much like his former protege's have done with success.
I loved Sirle's podcast comments: watching the game is like getting "repeatedly kicked in the balls!" Also, watching Dozier being tossed like a rag doll on the first play of the game while Brett Jones watches from the side lines holding his unit... LMBO!!!! The Game of Thrones bell clanging Walk of Atonement... Shame!!!!
Zimmer works over bad teams, can’t wait for the bounce back win vs Lions...that meaningless win (Zimmer could care less about draft position) will give him momentum into the offseason. Cousins, Cook, Jefferson, Thielen, Harrison Smith should not sniff the field Sunday...this is the Vikings and something fluky is bound to happen to one of them
It would be incredibly dumb to base any decision off one bad game, with so many key players missing. The Chefs lost to the Raiders. The Packers got dismantled by the Bucs, and lost to the Vikings. The Jets won a game. Things happen.
If one wanted to look at the entire body of work plus Zimmer's approach and make the change, ok, he isn't perfect. However, the odds of actually improving the situation are low. The Lions finally made the playoffs with Caldwell, fired him, and got what? The Bears fired Lovie, and got what? Jimmy G almost won a sb with this offence and a loaded DL. Fix the DL and everything else will get better.
There’s plenty of examples that go the other way of teams hanging onto coaches too long like Marvin Lewis and Dan Quinn. I’m not calling for a firing, I’m just laying out that the 52 point game absolutely changes things. It washes away a lot of the good will and shines a light on a lot of players who they leaned on all year and weren’t even close to good enough despite being draft picks and development projects. Fixing it is going to take a pretty serious investment.
The point of the article is not to say FIRE ZIMMER, but to capture the things that have to be considered after that.
Really? It's too soon on Quinn, but the same arguments were made about Mike Smith, who was replaced by. . .Quinn. I see no evidence firing Lewis made things better. Which is the point--getting a hot young assistant can work out. . .but far more often it doesn't.
It's one game. I'm old enough to remember BB cutting Lawyer Milloy, then getting shut-out 31-0 by the Bills. Nothing should change after one game, especially this one in this season.
The Bengals floundered in mediocrity until eventually needing to go full tank. I don’t think that’s what this ownership wants to do. Also the Patriots game you’re taking about was Week 1. Not the final chance to stay in the playoff race (and on national TV). Sure good teams have bad games but this is a team that has 5 abysmal losses this year, not 1. It’s not a pop up game it’s a trend. Mitch Trubisky had a 97 QBR the previous week. They went from the driver’s seat of the playoffs to possibly going 6-10.
There’s a fair argument for playing it slow and not overreacting. But there’s no pretending what just happened was totally fine.
This isn't just you--the tone about this team vacillates wildly and unjustifiable from week to week. From the moment the schedule was released, was there ever a point where this game looked good for MIN?
The Sinners were missing Thomas and Peat, so they weren't healthy either, but the number of missing pieces on D was very much not good. Either Hunter, Pierce, Barr and Kendricks are worth $45 mm per year and their collective absence makes a material difference, or they aren't and it doesn't, but it sure as shootin' cannot be both.
Moving on is more likely to make it worse than better. The goal is getting to the playoffs and hoping, e.g., Rahm Moore takes a terrible angle, the qb gets on a heater and you win. That's it.
Man, I enjoy the back and forth and I appreciate your comments and you spending the time to explain your points, so I don't want this to come across as snarky... but if they can't be criticized after going 6-9 and giving up 85 points in two weeks, I'm not sure when you'd ever say it's appropriate to do so.
The last thing I'm going to say on this is: The tone hasn't changed. Sorry man, that's just provably false. After the win over Jacksonville, I wrote that if they keep playing that way, they'll fall apart. Folks here in the comment section and the group of journalists who cover the team have consistently -- from start to finish -- wondered about the overall direction, criticized game management and play calling, offensive philosophy, wondered if they miscalculated in not trading away players like Reiff/Harris and acknowledging that this wasn't their year. Fans also expect their team to show up and give some type of effort on a national TV game.
I've also written that their outlook for 2021 overall is good... that the opportunity is there for them to quickly bounce back because of Jefferson + offensive weapons.
My goal here is always to be fair. Not to overreact and not to apologize either. I've covered the NFL for a long time now -- certainly long enough to know that giving up 85 points in back-to-back weeks with the playoffs on the line is not going to sit well with anybody and certainly puts a spotlight on everyone involved. It's frustrating to work hard to have the most fair analysis possible and then be told that I'm just a silly goose who can't keep my takes straight.
Coller - would love to see them fix this Oline. Maybe run a hybrid of the zone blocking scheme with big guards who can stop the pressure up the middle and leave pulling to the center and tackles. Cleveland needs to take over at either LT or RT and let Reiff walk. Pick-up a big guard in free agency and another in the draft. Thoughts?
Appreciate the Q. Of course I'm 100% with you on trying to stack the OL. They've invested recently but haven't found the solid guards they need. I'm not sure if it's a system issue as much as personnel. When you get to third down, there's no hiding or scheming the pass pro to be better. They have to line up and block. So it's gotta be a continued effort to get them over the hump. At very least they have the skeleton to work with in O'Neill, Bradbury and Cleveland. It'll be an interesting offseason.
Great read Matthew. There is clearly more talent and potential on offense than defense right now. Which isn’t a bad thing in today’s nfl. The key is Zimmer acknowledging it and having a philosophy around it. Sadly I don’t think he can and as owners you have to consider making a change at head coach
Thank you ben. I think their answer is going to be to spend more on the defensive side and try to repeat the last build. I'm not sure that's the route that gets them to being a top team quickly though. It'll be a fascinating offseason. Happy Holidays Ben!
I would love to see Fitzpatrick as the Vikings qb. They would be electric! He doesn’t give a flying. JJ would have 150 catches lol
I'm going to be very disappointed if offseason changes don't involve Spielman and Zimmer they've run the course in Minnesota.
I'm with most of the people here in appreciating this article and calling out Zimmer's faults over this and season's past. Unlike Andrew I understood that it was more than about a single game, although as you note this game epitomizes Zimmer's failures. Listening to Courtney Cronin with you on the podcast after Friday's demolition was a cathartic experience as she dissected the GM and the coach.
We can all see that Zimmer is a great schematic defensive coach, but as a head coach he's in over his head with a 1985 mentality on offense and horrible game management. As a developer of talent he's over rated. His defenses here have been stacked with early round draft talent. Barr, Waynes, Smith, Floyd, Rhodes, Richardson, Hughes were all first rounders, Kendricks, Alexander, Joseph seconds, Hunter a third, and Griffen a fourth who was good when Zimmer got here. So congratulations on making undrafted Anthony Harris a Pro Bowl caliber safety. Using that logic I guess Norv Turner must be responsible for Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
The guess is the Wilfs just roll it all back next year, with a few key player departures due to the cap and a few essential ones back from injury and we go 8-8 breaking Zimmer's every other year playoff streak and that's finally enough for him to be let go and hopefully Spielman, too, because they're a package deal. Now, if Zimmer were to play his starters against Detroit (I hope Reiff does enough for his $2M bonus which he deserves) and they get rolled by a team that just lost by 40...well, that would be really interesting. For his own self-preservation I think he sits most of them and avoids the risk.
Thanks for listening to the pod Rob. You're right about the stacked defenses. I think what we see here is that there's no magic coaching wand that gets waved and suddenly you shut down opponents. In order to get back to where they were, it's going to take another pretty serious bunch of investments + luck to have a No. 1 defense again.
It'll be a truly fascinating offseason to see where ownership wants to take all this (and the front office as well). They have to know that status quo might not be enough. We expect them to run it back but then again... this team is seriously aggressive at times. I'm certain they'll keep it interesting.
Great stuff, Matthew. I guess my question is this - why play to win against Detroit? That outcome should in no way impact ownerships standing on Zimmer and Spielman. It’s meaningless and frankly 6-10 puts you in better draft position, which is very important for this team. Especially with no second round pick...As you can tell I was fully on board with the tank after 1-5 LOL.
Thanks Matt, happy holidays! I’m with you. The only reason to play starters is so they don’t end the season on such a sour note... but that doesn’t mean a whole lot to anybody.
As always, I enjoyed the article. I've been a Zimmer apologist, thought the team would go 8-8 from the beginning, and wondered how in the world anyone would think they would do better considering the number of rookies, the departure of the veterans, and the weakness of the O-lne. I'm still there. In my opinion, you cannot win even with the number 1 defense if your offense is not performing functioning at a peak because you still need points to win. I'm going to keep this shorter than usual. Zimmer's hard-headed run run run despite having two of the best WRs in the league and an up and coming TE is hurting the team. He needs to develop and support at least a balanced offense. To get to the Superbowl we need a better O-line, need an improved passing game focusing on Theilen and Jefferson, and draft another QB. Stats be damned, Cousins will not get us there so we need to move toward a different QB. Zimmer has to change his game or go somewhere else. This is not about his ability to coach, I think he's a decent coach, but he cannot or will not change the philosophy of Defense and run first no matter the consequence. We can start by denying Zimmer defense in the first 2 - 3 and use those 3 rounds (if we get a second back) to build the O-line.
I'm a little confused as you open by saying you're a Zimmer apologist but then go into reasons why he might need to be fired. I'll say this; Zimmer is too hardheaded. He knows he can win enough to stay around (the Marvin Lewis effect) but he's so stubborn that he won't deviate from the run first, second and third mentality. I used to believe he'd bring the first Lombardi to MN. Now I just pray that the team is enough of a dumpster fire to get rid of him. I think he negatively impacts Speilman (who has plenty of his own faults) and pushes his weight around to draft "his" players. Scouts should scout and coaches coach, IMO. Not to say they shouldn't get his opinion, but if he goes to bat for a player he'd better turn him into the next Kendricks and not the next Waynes or Hughes. I'd much prefer to see if an offensive minded coach like Joe Brady or Brian Daboll can coach up Cousins and if not find his replacement. I may not know much but I know that it sucks being in the .500 limbo year in and year out.
"I've been" a Zimmer apologist and am no longer is what that was intended to state. You and I are literally in 100% harmony. I experienced the same swing of emotions hoping Zimmer would bring us a Superbowl and not be a manifestation of Marvin Lewis but I was wrong. Zimmer's overall philosophy renders the Offense a secondary concern even in the run-first offense where he is trying to keep the defense off the field as long as possible to keep them fresh and , as a consequence, our WRs do not get to make the plays they are capable of. I know Cousins has been up and down which inadvertently supports run, run, run, but at the very least we need to be balanced when we have one of the best WR tandems in the NFL. Zimmer supports balance when there is no other choice and we are behind. Its no secret Cousins pads his stats in the 4th quarter when we are behind and have no choice. The fact that we can often gain a great deal passing during those times should have been a clear message that a balanced offense is the way to go. It would even be better for Cook and would unchain Kubiac. Anyway, I agree with you 100% and I'm no longer a Zimmer apologist.
Zimmer is a really good head coach and a great defensive mind. He's low risk to keep around because he will almost always have a solid, to good team. Marvin Lewis is the fear, but what is the ceiling of a team with Kirk Cousins at QB. You would think he would understand that fully after years of Andy Dalton. Until Zimmer has a superstar at QB (not holding my breath for that) we will really never know if he's a great coach, because all the "greats" had a hall of famer at QB. Just ask Andy Reid!
Andy Reid also took a team with McNabb at the helm to a Super Bowl. Zimmer teams have sh3t the bed at the worst of times in huge playoff games. Also, Andy Reid coached up the tenth overall pick to be on a HOF projection.
Andy Reid is a better coach but he's in his 21st year as a head coach, his playoff record is 15-14 and I am sure there are some bad playoff losses in there. I'm not making excuses for Zimmer but I do think the Vikings would be a contender every single year if he had a superstar at QB. I view the QB as more important than the coach and yes, obviously they have to be able to coach them up but guys like Kirk have ceilings that will always keep them out of the superstar category. People that think a coaching change is all of the sudden going to get you to the playoffs, let alone the super bowl are totally delusional. We need a QB that can take us there and carry the team when everything isn't perfect and that is NOT Kirk Cousins.
I never thought I'd say it but in terms of who I'd like to see shown the door first I flipped from Cousins #1 by a mile to Zimmer, and it's really not all that close. I've always liked Zim but there is a concerning history now with him with this year really highlighting how his overbearing shadow over the offense is a major issue. I am not a Cousins fan and he deserves a lot of blame as well, but it's clear we're spinning as a team. It's obvious a Zim / Cousins combo will not work, and while I don't think a Cousins / Anyone combo will work, doing this now is worth another year of feeling like we're stuck in the mud.
Always a risk the new coach is a disaster - but 7 (maybe) to 9 wins a season for 3 seasons in a row is the last place you want to be. With no cap space and no second round pick, adding a 4th season in a row as a middling team is the path we're on for 2021. The repeated weaknesses and issues give me no hope this team is anywhere close to being prepared for the 2021 expectations we had in May this year.
It's time for a shake-up and if they aren't going to get rid of Cousins then unfortunately it's time for Zimmer to go.
I stand by Zimmer. But I do have a few questions.
Why did he create the "co-defensive coordinators" of Adam and Andre? Why not one defensive coordinator? Or is Zim the actual coordinator and the others do as they're told? Also, what impact has Dom Caper's presence had on the team? He came to the team and then crickets...
Offensively, I do like Kubiak, though I agree he could improve his schemes much like his former protege's have done with success.
I loved Sirle's podcast comments: watching the game is like getting "repeatedly kicked in the balls!" Also, watching Dozier being tossed like a rag doll on the first play of the game while Brett Jones watches from the side lines holding his unit... LMBO!!!! The Game of Thrones bell clanging Walk of Atonement... Shame!!!!
Zimmer works over bad teams, can’t wait for the bounce back win vs Lions...that meaningless win (Zimmer could care less about draft position) will give him momentum into the offseason. Cousins, Cook, Jefferson, Thielen, Harrison Smith should not sniff the field Sunday...this is the Vikings and something fluky is bound to happen to one of them
It would be incredibly dumb to base any decision off one bad game, with so many key players missing. The Chefs lost to the Raiders. The Packers got dismantled by the Bucs, and lost to the Vikings. The Jets won a game. Things happen.
If one wanted to look at the entire body of work plus Zimmer's approach and make the change, ok, he isn't perfect. However, the odds of actually improving the situation are low. The Lions finally made the playoffs with Caldwell, fired him, and got what? The Bears fired Lovie, and got what? Jimmy G almost won a sb with this offence and a loaded DL. Fix the DL and everything else will get better.
There’s plenty of examples that go the other way of teams hanging onto coaches too long like Marvin Lewis and Dan Quinn. I’m not calling for a firing, I’m just laying out that the 52 point game absolutely changes things. It washes away a lot of the good will and shines a light on a lot of players who they leaned on all year and weren’t even close to good enough despite being draft picks and development projects. Fixing it is going to take a pretty serious investment.
The point of the article is not to say FIRE ZIMMER, but to capture the things that have to be considered after that.
Really? It's too soon on Quinn, but the same arguments were made about Mike Smith, who was replaced by. . .Quinn. I see no evidence firing Lewis made things better. Which is the point--getting a hot young assistant can work out. . .but far more often it doesn't.
It's one game. I'm old enough to remember BB cutting Lawyer Milloy, then getting shut-out 31-0 by the Bills. Nothing should change after one game, especially this one in this season.
The Bengals floundered in mediocrity until eventually needing to go full tank. I don’t think that’s what this ownership wants to do. Also the Patriots game you’re taking about was Week 1. Not the final chance to stay in the playoff race (and on national TV). Sure good teams have bad games but this is a team that has 5 abysmal losses this year, not 1. It’s not a pop up game it’s a trend. Mitch Trubisky had a 97 QBR the previous week. They went from the driver’s seat of the playoffs to possibly going 6-10.
There’s a fair argument for playing it slow and not overreacting. But there’s no pretending what just happened was totally fine.
This isn't just you--the tone about this team vacillates wildly and unjustifiable from week to week. From the moment the schedule was released, was there ever a point where this game looked good for MIN?
The Sinners were missing Thomas and Peat, so they weren't healthy either, but the number of missing pieces on D was very much not good. Either Hunter, Pierce, Barr and Kendricks are worth $45 mm per year and their collective absence makes a material difference, or they aren't and it doesn't, but it sure as shootin' cannot be both.
Moving on is more likely to make it worse than better. The goal is getting to the playoffs and hoping, e.g., Rahm Moore takes a terrible angle, the qb gets on a heater and you win. That's it.
Man, I enjoy the back and forth and I appreciate your comments and you spending the time to explain your points, so I don't want this to come across as snarky... but if they can't be criticized after going 6-9 and giving up 85 points in two weeks, I'm not sure when you'd ever say it's appropriate to do so.
The last thing I'm going to say on this is: The tone hasn't changed. Sorry man, that's just provably false. After the win over Jacksonville, I wrote that if they keep playing that way, they'll fall apart. Folks here in the comment section and the group of journalists who cover the team have consistently -- from start to finish -- wondered about the overall direction, criticized game management and play calling, offensive philosophy, wondered if they miscalculated in not trading away players like Reiff/Harris and acknowledging that this wasn't their year. Fans also expect their team to show up and give some type of effort on a national TV game.
I've also written that their outlook for 2021 overall is good... that the opportunity is there for them to quickly bounce back because of Jefferson + offensive weapons.
My goal here is always to be fair. Not to overreact and not to apologize either. I've covered the NFL for a long time now -- certainly long enough to know that giving up 85 points in back-to-back weeks with the playoffs on the line is not going to sit well with anybody and certainly puts a spotlight on everyone involved. It's frustrating to work hard to have the most fair analysis possible and then be told that I'm just a silly goose who can't keep my takes straight.
Coller - would love to see them fix this Oline. Maybe run a hybrid of the zone blocking scheme with big guards who can stop the pressure up the middle and leave pulling to the center and tackles. Cleveland needs to take over at either LT or RT and let Reiff walk. Pick-up a big guard in free agency and another in the draft. Thoughts?
Appreciate the Q. Of course I'm 100% with you on trying to stack the OL. They've invested recently but haven't found the solid guards they need. I'm not sure if it's a system issue as much as personnel. When you get to third down, there's no hiding or scheming the pass pro to be better. They have to line up and block. So it's gotta be a continued effort to get them over the hump. At very least they have the skeleton to work with in O'Neill, Bradbury and Cleveland. It'll be an interesting offseason.
Great read Matthew. There is clearly more talent and potential on offense than defense right now. Which isn’t a bad thing in today’s nfl. The key is Zimmer acknowledging it and having a philosophy around it. Sadly I don’t think he can and as owners you have to consider making a change at head coach
Thank you ben. I think their answer is going to be to spend more on the defensive side and try to repeat the last build. I'm not sure that's the route that gets them to being a top team quickly though. It'll be a fascinating offseason. Happy Holidays Ben!