4 Comments

I really appreciate the tone and gist of the article around how hard it is to figure out the QB position, because I truly agree. I just don't understand why this has become such a hot topic right now. I'm about 99% certain nothing is going to happen regards to Sam's contract before the end of the current season. So the next 4 games and the playoffs will go a long way to defining the nature of that decision. If he goes on a turnover spree and the Vikes lose 4 in a row on the way to a first round playoff loss, no one will complain if they let him walk next year. He stays on a heater and the Vikes make a deep run into the playoffs, well that will change the math as well. Nothing is going to be or should be decided right now, but the conversation is everywhere. I don't begrudge anyone who has to create content or react to the current conversations, but man, I just want to enjoy a legitimately awesome Vikings season, great team vibes, and hopefully a memorable run and let 2025's problems happen in 2025.

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Well said. This season has been a kick and this team is so fun to root for. I mean KOC's ascension, Flores and Darnold's redemption, new favorites like Van Ginkel and Greenard, and old favorites like Harrison Smith, the greatness of Jefferson, the list goes on and on. I do think it's possible to enjoy it--have you seen In the Trenches take on Greenard's True Pressure Rate! Can you believe The Ringer still rates Aaron Effing Rodgers ahead of Darnold in the QB rankings! Did you seen that moment when Darnold was on the Jumbotron and the fans gave him all that love!--and also discuss (not dwell endlessly in the rabbit hole) the future of the team. One can root for a deep playoff run and dream of an outside shot at a Super Bowl with Sam and do a little multi-tasking to wonder how it will all play out and the options at hand. If you're an "Armchair GM" you can wish McCarthy had been healthy for Kwesi and KOC to have a better sense of turning the keys over to him or not. Or if Darnold is the guy what could you potentially get for McCarthy at some point? You can think about the GM and when it comes time to make the decision feel much better with Kwesi in charge than Rick and Zimmer. If the next four games are middling for Sam and then he's good in one playoff victory I don't see Kwesi going on Tilt like Rick did after the playoff game in New Orleans that saved Zimmer and brought Cousins back. He'll evaluate the whole thing like he did with Kirk. I mean, is it ok for me to think about these things, Matthew? I'd say this is part of being a fan, too. Appreciating the here and now and also feeling good about the long-term of this team. I think most of us can think about locking down Caleb Williams this time, and beating the terrible, horrible, I-hate-them-so Packers, and upsetting the I-like-them Lions, and doing some serious damage in the playoffs, and spend a little bit of time thinking ahead to all the possibilities and options--nearly all of them positive--for next year and beyond. After all, we're fans today and for years to come.

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Dog gone it Matthew. Here you go sipping from the cup of reason when so many want to guzzle from the must-have-answers-yesterday tankard. This is a fun team. They look like they're having fun. And I think a that goes a long way in how they play. Players play the game but they also need to trust their coaching staff and that coaching staff is top notch. The players believe. You see it also in the Lions locker room, which is scary. The only thing for me is Sam Darnold the person. Seems like a good guy but he sometimes looks like he's having Jets induced PTSD flashbacks in front of a camera. His swag is somewhat Cousins-like, ie, no swag.

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Ironically, I think Woody Johnson might be interested in what situation exists with Sam at the end of this season.

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