Vikings - what a mess

[STATE12]

I didn't question the decision at the time, nor do I question it now. It serves no purpose. It's done and we can't go back. The front office thought they were one QB away from a SB and Cousins was the top guy available. Dumping all that money into the QB position cripples your ability to address other issues, though. However, the type of money the Vikings spent is the kind of money you spend on a player who can win you games in spite of other weaknesses. Doesn't appear that Cousins is that (hindsight being 20/20).

I agree on almost all of that, hopefully salary cap increases along with dropping other fat contracts at less critical positions will allow them to address some of the other issues.

Also - though I fully expected them to go OL when they took Hughes last year, the OL wasn't too different from the previous year (during the offseason). You don't expect Easton to be lost for the season, or to have to go to O'Neill so early because of injury, or Elflein to regress slightly (maybe due to slow start from injury recovery at beginning of season). They remained pretty healthy in 2017 if I remember correctly, which maybe gave them a false sense of safety at the position that really actually needed to be improved for depth.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I agree on almost all of that, hopefully salary cap increases along with dropping other fat contracts at less critical positions will allow them to address some of the other issues.

Also - though I fully expected them to go OL when they took Hughes last year, the OL wasn't too different from the previous year (during the offseason). You don't expect Easton to be lost for the season, or to have to go to O'Neill so early because of injury, or Elflein to regress slightly (maybe due to slow start from injury recovery at beginning of season). They remained pretty healthy in 2017 if I remember correctly, which maybe gave them a false sense of safety at the position that really actually needed to be improved for depth.

I said it on here before and it bears repeating, Vikings had some big assumptions in the offseason that did not come to fruition, chief of them was assuming the patchwork OL would perform as good as they did in 2017 so as not to be as much of a liability.

 

[IcSyU]

They didn't sign Cousins to be a mobile quarterback. He never has been and he never will be. I'm guessing they didn't plan on their OL coach dying right before the season started which certainly didn't help anything.

Zimmer did completely whiff on the DeFilippo hire. If you wanted to run the ball why on earth did you hire a guy whose history suggested he's a throw first type of guy? Shurmur had it figured out last year...get the ball out of the QB's hands quickly and run the ball to set up play action. Flip threw that out the window.

It was probably unrealistic to expect the Vikings offense to pick up where they left off last year after a new coordinator and new quarterback came in. If nothing else, Keenum proved last year was a hell of a lot of luck by being terrible this year for a little less money than Cousins got.

I don't think the Vikings can touch Zimmer any time soon. They've committed a TON of money to that side of the ball and hit for the most part.

1. $29M Cousins (questionable)
2. $13M Rhodes (bad...hurt constantly)
3. $13M Hunter (good)
4. $12M Diggs (good)
5. $12M Griffin (likely to be cut I'd guess)
6. $12M Reiff (bad)
7. $11M Smith (good)
8. $11M Joseph (ok)
9. $9M Waynes (last year rookie contract)
10. $8M Theilen (steal)
11. $8M Rudolph (restructured for significantly less or cut)
12. $7M Kendricks (steal)
13. $6M Remmers (bad)
14. $3M Treadwell (bad)

That's $78M next year on the offense of which 29 is questionable, 21+ is bad (Rudolph is overpaid), and whatever you assign of Rudolph's to good plus Diggs and Theilen.

Defensively that's $76M next year of which some of Rhodes is bad. The rest is fine.

I think you'd struggle to find a worse line on a team that finished about .500.

LT Reiff - Terrible
LG Easton - Injured
C Elflein - Misused -> athletic center for pulling...tried to set him in pass protection all the time
RG Remmers - Terrible (out of position)
RT O'Neill - Good
G Isadora - Terrible
G Compton - Terrible
T Hill - Terrible

Most teams 3rd and 1 or 2 is automatic. There isn't a single guy on the line who was for sure going to move their guy off the LOS. Football is a lot harder that way.

 

[acoustimac]

Based on what? The O line was crap all year, so what are you basing this on?

Bottomline: vikes had zero business dropping 84 guaranteed on ANY QB without first getting an offensive line in place.

Based on his decision making throughout the season. Even when he was protected he made bad decisions. He holds the ball too long and takes too many sacks. His throwing even while protected is erratic. And yes, your bottom line says it all. I agree.

 

[SWCy13]

Honestly the Vikes are doomed to 7-9 to 9-7 with Kirk at the helm. He shrivels up in anything that remotely resembles a big game. He was terrified of the Bears defense before the first snap yesterday, and it showed throughout.

You have two top 10 receivers in the league and ****** secondary weapons behind them - I don't care how "well-covered" they are, you need to throw them the ball and just give them a chance and more often than not, they make something happen. Thielen and Diggs were both visibly frustrated with him yesterday, and it's hard to blame them.

Say what you will about the o-line, but it's not that much different than the one we had last year, and our OC and QB made adjustments. As a fan, it's extremely hard to get excited about the next two years knowing that we have 28 mil per year tied up in that guy. Not to mention we're going to waste away the prime of the defensive core that has revived this franchise under Zim.

This franchise is a **** show every year, so tiring.

 

[MeowingCows]

The kicker is the least of their problems, but for what it's worth, 2018 Season Stats:

Dan Bailey - 21/28 (75%) on FGs, 30/31 PATs, Long of 52 yds

Daniel Carlson - 17/21 (81%) on FGs, 24/24 PATs, Long of 50 yds

Seems like cutting him and spending the money on Bailey was a bit of a waste of money for the value. Again, hindsight being 20/20.

I wish they'd fire Priefer already. How many failed kickers is that guy going to have (amongst other not-great ST) before they pull the trigger?

We have a decent returner or two, and nothing else special or reliable for ST.

 

[cmjh10]

 

[Die4Cy]

To win in the modern NFL you have to draft well and make a run at the Super Bowl while your most important players are on their first deal. By the time you sign your best proven skill players to market contracts and fill in draft misses through big free agent deals, you can't fill out a team with the cap space remaining to compete.

 

[IcSyU]

Say what you will about the o-line, but it's not that much different than the one we had last year, and our OC and QB made adjustments.

And that didn't happen AT ALL this year. Last year they ran the ball, had an experienced OL coach who maybe overachieved with the line, and had a QB who could make plays with his feet (who came crashing down to earth this year).

This year they decided to do nothing to address the OL, had their OL coach pass away right before the season started, and have a pure pocket passer for a QB who didn't have a pocket more often than not in what their OC apparently thought should be the air raid offense.

I find it extremely difficult to fault them for grabbing Cousins. Keenum's numbers last year were so different than his normal numbers that you can't bank on them. Teddy blew his leg into smitherenes and you never know what you're going to get besides getting him cheap. Bradford has gotten paid more than anyone in NFL history to do virtually nothing.

 

[Die4Cy]

And that didn't happen AT ALL this year. Last year they ran the ball, had an experienced OL coach who maybe overachieved with the line, and had a QB who could make plays with his feet (who came crashing down to earth this year).

This year they decided to do nothing to address the OL, had their OL coach pass away right before the season started, and have a pure pocket passer for a QB who didn't have a pocket more often than not in what their OC apparently thought should be the air raid offense.

I find it extremely difficult to fault them for grabbing Cousins. Keenum's numbers last year were so different than his normal numbers that you can't bank on them. Teddy blew his leg into smitherenes and you never know what you're going to get besides getting him cheap. Bradford has gotten paid more than anyone in NFL history to do virtually nothing.

Exactly. Last year the Vikes were #3 in the League in time of possession. Yesterday, they let the Bears have the ball for 3/4 of the game. Even with the good defensive players the Vikings have, that's hanging your defense out to dry.

 

[somecyguy]

Exactly. Last year the Vikes were #3 in the League in time of possession. Yesterday, they let the Bears have the ball for 3/4 of the game. Even with the good defensive players the Vikings have, that's hanging your defense out to dry.

You'd think ISU fans would know only too well, what it's like for the offense to hang the defense. We watched it happen multiple years under CPR.

 

[CTTB78]

....Yesterday, they let the Bears have the ball for 3/4 of the game. Even with the good defensive players the Vikings have, that's hanging your defense out to dry.

No doubt Cousins and OL didn't help their D much, but you can't hide the fact how bad the Vikings were on third down. Troy talked about missing their pro bowl DB, but they guy they really missed was Kendricks. Injuries on D was the story for the Vikes all year.

 

[jbindm]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...ility-for-offensive-coordinator-in-minnesota/

I wouldn't hate this if I was a Vikes fan. Lousy head coach but he's always been a capable OC. And he and Zimmer have worked together before.