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Vikings Discussion & Random Thoughts
It’s always a different feeling when the Vikings are on their bye week. I feel far more relaxed about the NFL on these weeks, it borders on apathy. Normally, my focus turns to hoping the Packers lose, but since they’re coming off of a bye week and playing the Bengals, I won’t even bother getting my hopes up. Let’s hope the week off will give some of the Vikings’ injured players enough time to get healthy, it has been a horrible year for injuries for the Vikings. I still think the decision to sit the starters for virtually all of the preseason is a contributing factor to the injuries, and to the offense’s slow start. Maybe KOC will re-evaluate that approach going forward.
Vikings and NFL News
Vikings.com looks at where the Vikings sit in the main power rankings.
On Lunchbreak, Vikings.com looks at how the Vikings were able to prevent Myles Garrett from wreaking havoc in last Sunday’s win.
CBS Sports has NFL week 6 score predictions, bets, odds, and more.
Baker Mayfield is leading the pack for the MVP race, per CBS Sports. Good, I like Mayfield & I’m glad that he’s found success in his career, and that he got out of Cleveland.
The Cardinals fined HC Rich Gannon $100,000 for getting into a sideline altercation with Emari Demarcado, per NFL.com. The NFL says they’ll take no action. Hell, he was just doing his job, I would have been irate if a player did that.
Media Selection
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The Norwegian Nobel Committee received a total of 338 candidates for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. 94 of these are organisations.
Hmmmm…
I’m good with that.
He’s gonna get killed by the McCarthy fanatics. Blasphemy.
Perhaps, but then he “actually” played football. The fanatics, probably not.
I can relate… grin.
Trump announced Hamas will be releasing all the hostages, and will sign off on a peace deal.
Armed conflict #8 ended since he took office the end of January.
Well they have said that they are willing to sign off on Phase 1.
We will hope for the best but personally I will hold off celebrating.
Getting all the hostages released isn’t worth celebrating?
OK
Are they released? No.
Once they are I will celebrate.
But Hamas will never change and it’s just a matter of time and they will be right back at it.
Israel has stated that Hamas leadership can get free passage to whomever will take them in and they will not interfere.
Once they are at their new location though, all bets are off. Israel has a very long memory and are great at keeping a grudge. Hamas is dead man walking, we just don’t when it will happen.
Just when you believed WNBA players couldn’t get any dumber.
“Happy Tuesday. Our government is shut down because Republicans want to take hardworking Americans healthcare. ISRAEL has free healthcare. Paid for by none other than THE US TAX PAYERS. Like what tf are we actually talking about?”
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wnba-player-natasha-singles-out-israel-oct-7-amid-government-shutdown-complaints
Not true about Isreali healthcare (google it). But they do have compulsary military service….
‘compulsary military service’
We should to. That would make the Woke/Libs melt down and self deport. US would be a better place if the snowflakes got a dose or reality.
Idiots. We had an election and people decided. They voted in a Repub Congress and President. They then legally did what they ran on to do, repeal “free healthcare” from able body people capable of working who were skimming off the system,
Now, in the immortal words of Obama – elections matter, If you want to override what the Repubs did, WIN some elections. Shutting the gov’t down, is circumventing democracy.
They interview some Dim and he stated that since the GOP controls all branches of gov it was their shutdown.
When he was asked about the 60 vote filibuster he simply stated that the GOP can vote that away and open the government if they want.
So he was asked ‘is that what the dems are saying that they should do??’ He said ‘of course not that would be dismantling democracy.
Circular Logic Much.
He’s back!
My wife told me there was a baby racoon on the doorstep. She fed it some dry cat food.
This isn’t going to end well.
Haha!
PS the neighbor has an outside “barn cat” that is a good mouser. She cut an opening into a “storage closet” on the outside of the house that has no access to the interior of the house.
My wife is not fond of cats, to say the least. We rely on good ol’ rat poison bait traps.
Ergo, the cat will either vamoose when we close the opening to the closet or experience a quick shuffle off this mortal coil.
Congratulations on your new pet!
They love frogs, crayfish, and especially marshmallows
Bro has mono and pneumonia. Better than the luekemia they worried about due to warning signs.
Regardless, he is down for the count.
I continue on. When I feel faint I look up at the ceiling of the tractor cab at photos of Skoloholics in various states of undress for the strength to keep going…
The surge of adrenaline from the horror perks me up…
Hopefully your Bro improves quickly.
He will milk it. Wimp!
He will be ‘all better’ once the harvest is in.
Slacker!
My pictures are getting better as I have lost 10lbs in the last couple of months, down to 210 lbs.
Nice! We weigh the same.
Only you are about a foot taller than my 5’11”.
Believe, I noticed!
We’re here for you Wren.
You in speedos is my fav. By fav I mean…yikes!
Laughing
Oh man when you said he was hospitalized for the plague I figured you meant COVID. Assuming your brother is an adult, mono is nothing to laugh about. I felt like utter dog poo when I got it fresh out of college from a skanky Montana gal.
Hope his pneumonia clears up quickly and he enjoys his sponge baths from the cute candy striper.
No worries. I thought it was covid when I posted that. The got news of low white blood cells, low blood plattlettes and enlarged spleen and bone marrow rests.
So…mono maybe sint that bad considering.
Matt LaFleur not happy that his team has to face Flacco again.
Honestly, I think they will still face Browning.
Flacco Starting.
Mike Garafolo
@MikeGarafolo
·
3h
Joe Flacco gets the start right away for the #Bengals against the #Packers, per Zac Taylor. Second game against Green Bay for Flacco this season.
For sure a fake news post.
NFC North Meme war…its not real
Oh OK, fell for a fake then. Should check the source, I guess.
Edit: OTOH, DT posted some piece below that seems to verify Flacco starting for the Bengals?
Reports are Flacco is starting.
Right, he’s starting but the whole bit about Laflower being mad about it is fake. NFC North Memewar is a subreddit that functions basically like The Onion
This never gets old to me. I thought about it because Flacco is heading to the Bengals, where he’ll have to learn another system, and all the verbiage that comes with it.
Belichick could be fired soon….
https://sportsnaut.com/college-football/belichick-fired-situation-unc/
UNC trying to get out of buyout clause.
Due to players getting free stuff among other rules violations.
No idea what this metric is, but OK
It has to be wrong if we are #2.
Always have a curious mind. Else you’ll end up in uninformed ignorance.
And don’t be afraid to ask something for fear of looking ignorant.
Believe it or not, in my initial interviews with new employees this was one of the first things I told people. I’d say “I don’t care where you’ve been, or what you know, there’s a lot of stuff we say that you won’t understand what the heck we’re talking about. Don’t nod and pretend you understand. If you don’t understand the words coming out of my mouth, stop me and ask.” People responded well to this. It gave them permission to ask questions without feeling stupid or anyone passing judgement.
Planning a trip to Tetons and Yellowstone next year (since they are so close to each other). Are these some of the best National Parks to see? We haven’t been to any, but hear different things about which ones are best. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!
We did a trip out there 2 years ago. Stayed at a VRBO in Idaho. Very picturesque, and enjoyed both Yellowstone and a trip down to Jackson Hole. Be prepared for cold water if you like splashing in any of the lakes/rivers. Also be prepared for traffic jams in Yellowstone – 2-lane roads, and if anyone spots an elk, bear, or bison you can get a 2-hour backup as they all stop and take pictures (no place to pull off 99% of the time).
I would love to go back. Are you driving? And from where? We went through SD, stopped at Sturgis, Rushmore, Deadwood, then a short detour to see Devil’s Tower.
Thanks for the advice and heads-up. Driving from twin cities. Looking at staying at AirBNB. Want to hike a bit with the 7 and 9 year-olds in June.
Highly recommend Yellowstone. June is gonna be busy. I’d look into renting a RV – as Northwoods points out you can easily get stuck in a two hour traffic jam and having the bathroom can be nice. There are lots of camping options within and just outside of Yellowstone.
The Mt. Rushmore program was very inspiring, we went to the evening show.
If you’re into breweries, Last Mile Brewing and Sick ‘N Twisted Brewing are both near there and worth a stop in.
FTP !
YES!!!
I think someone here disagrees with the number of drops Thielen has this year.
Does this mean that only 50% of the balls thrown his way are completions – 8 targets, 4 receptions?
Yes, including the one drop. So three misses by the QB.
I guess they changed the definition of ‘drops’ so they don’t hurt the WRs feelings.
He had one in each of the first 3 games. If the ball hits your hands in the general vicinity of your body, and you dont catch it, thats a drop.
The DOJ has arrested someone for starting the Palisades Fire in Jan.
He started a fire on New Years, it went underground into the roots of a hilltop covered by heavy brush. A week later the strong winds reignited the fire and spread into the Palisades.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/arrest-made-connection-deadly-pacific-palisades-fire-sources-say
Newsome just vetoed a bill that would have given those firefighters a pay raise BTW. Said the bill would create significant cost pressures for the state and circumvent the collective bargaining process. According to a State Assembly Analysis, the bill would have cost the state between $373 million and $609 million in the first year, if signed.
Also keep in mind that Newsome is spending over $4B a year on illegal alien healthcare.
‘the bill would have cost the state between $373 million and $609 million ‘
But he found $400M to fund the redistricting bill to ‘fight DJT’.
Just like when Trump went to LA after the fire Galvin was pressuring him for federal funds at the exact same time they were voting millions of $$ to Trump proof the state.
You can’t make this sh*t up, so glad it is ‘not my monkey, not my state’.
Newsome is somehow able to convince people he’s a great Governor while wasting Billions of taxpayer dollars every year, and a viable candidate for the Presidency in 2028. Yeah. Can’t make this shit up.
‘Newsome is somehow able to convince people he’s a great Governor’
Not anyone with a working brain.
The National media loves him. They will carry the water for him, but he’ll still have to face up to this.
The Dims have better options.
Like the Govs of Pennsylvania or Kentucky for example.
I like Fetterman actually, but man, his dress code would need significant upgrading if he ran for President.
The Dims hate him now.
He is more likely to become a Reb than he is to become the Dim Nominee for Prez.
True
I have no problem with transplants from Cali or Minnie, as long as they vote the right way.
As an example, there is this burgeoning interest in reopening the north coast Hiawatha rail route through Montana’s largest cities in the southern half of the state, which would include a stop in my home town. I personally think it is a big ol’ boondoggle and waste of government money but run into some who just think it will be the biggest thing since sliced bread, a boon for the local economy and local travelers who will utilize it for a myriad of reasons, ignoring the fact that the already federally funded essential air service from here to Billings is woefully underutilized. The biggest supporters seem to think of Amtrak as “free” money.
Whenever asked here in Boise about moving from SoCal we tell them that we are Political Refugees from Cal.
There is also evidence that people like us are helping to keep Idaho red/conservative.
Re: our 5 day old purchase of the neighbor’s place. The owner asked for a couple of weeks after closing to get moved out of the shop and newer house.
The older house is ramshackle and we plan to eventually have a guy come in with a trackhoe, excavator, and dump truck and dig a big pit, drop the majority of the house in the pit, burn it, and bury it…plus cover up the cellar. In the meantime, we are having the utilities pulled from it.
Stepson (engineer by trade) and I went down to scope out the water situation. There is a shutoff in the basement but of course it would freeze back further into the pipe and rupture it unless we shut off at the well. There is an old pump house on the property that sits more or less between the newer cased well and pump, so we went to check it out. He was standing on a flimsy piece of plywood shining a flashlight around the pump house, looking at an old pump jack, and I warned him he was probably standing over a well pit. Flipped over the plywood, and staring down the old well pit, looked hand dug about 30 feet down. Wet crumbly sides, etc…With his engineer mind he devised that the new well water supply was tied in down there to take over water supply to the old house, and the well pit basically abandoned. To my eye, I was looking at an old black plastic hose with seven hose clamps on it, every clamp leaking water down into the well, and trying to imagine a world where I would have to climb 15 feet down this 2 1/2 foot wide shaft bracing against the dirt sides and work on that hose, knowing that I could fall to the bottom and sink into whatever substrate lies under the surface of the water, to become friends with the salamanders and snakes down there. Ugh.
We think there will be a shutoff with a manifold inside a culvert closer to the new pump. I sprayed for the little mini zoo of spiders living in the batts of insulation stuffed inside the culvert and we will check it out this weekend. We can’t monkey with it too much until the previous owner moves out as if we break a pipe we would have no choice other than to power off the pump.
Good times. I appreciate his engineering approach to the problem as I was fixated on the horror of looking down an old well pit with an old pressure tank sitting on the bottom, obviously discarded down there at some point.
I is engineer too. Me math good.
Of course you know the engineer. He is a good hand to have in these situations. We hope to be able to flatten the pump house at the same time as the old farmhouse, put a strong cover on the old well pit. If what we hope to see is under the insulation in the culvert, should be easy.
Hoping you get the easy solution.
Did you buy that half section to the south of your place?
No, it’s the old Bridger Bronze place, to the east and southeast, a quarter section and change.
Ok. Just investing in land or buying for a specific use?
In a word diversification. Also I always say if you enjoy your view the only way to preserve it is to own it.
It doesn’t sound like Schepens (south half section) will sell in my lifetime, but I now own the land out to the highway. I have no particular use for it but feared that some oil baron North Dakotan or software developer from Cali would move in and start raising alpacas or some such critter, and start flying a GB Packers flag on gameday.
Glad you snatched it up. Every time I drive by I’ll dream of buying a few acres from you to build my own place. Maybe in 5-10 years I’ll be in a financial place to consider it. Haha.
There are two types of engineers in this world.
The first is the book smart engineer. He has a 4.0 GPA, but grew up playing video games and rarely left the house. This engineer has no concept of how the real world works and assumes that how it works out on paper is how it will be. This engineer is basically worthless and a huge frustration to anybody that has to work on his projects. He will struggle to find a job despite his GPA. He usually ends up getting hired by a government agency because nobody else will hire them and the government agency can’t find anybody else to hire. My uncle worked with many of these at the state highway department.
The second engineer grew up in a farm, ranch, construction, etc family. He grew up getting his hands dirty and having to find solutions to real world problems. He may struggle to pull B’s and C’s in his classes but is a great engineer if he can complete his degree. Construction crews love working with him because he has already considered the challenges of construction and addressed as many as he could. This engineer has no problem finding a job.
Post of the day right there.
Hold my beer.
I will post a better comment.
After all of you shut down for the night of course.
#grin
Stu is definitely a 1 guy
You know it is bad when Law Enforcement has to climb into the ring. They look like LA County Sheriffs.
Your story reminds me of a story my SIL told me (he’s a PE).
There was an instructor in an engineering class. there were two engineering students – one the book type and the other the more practical one.
The teacher asked – suppose you are at one end of the room and a naked woman is at the other. But you can only travel forward jumping half way to her with each jump. When will you get there.
The book guy thought and got frustrated and said he’d never get there.
The practical guy says I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but I’ll be close enough for engineering purposes in about two seconds.
Haha! That’s awesome!
While I am no engineer, I find the problem set fascinating to read about MT. Having deployed to remote places on the planet and having to have solved many problems like this to set up a functioning site (like in Bosnia for instance) I love reading about it. Have fun, be safe, and I’m sure you’ll figure it all out. Improvise, adapt, and overcome!
I was telling my wife this morning that it gave me chills the thought of squeezing down that shaft working around the old pump jack pipe and crumbly walls and she said, uh you’re NOT going down there period
I hate confined spaces, so my wife wouldn’t have had to tell me I wasn’t going down.
My wife (The Teacher) is not the ‘Boss of Me’, she can’t tell me what to do!!
Of course I am not stupid enough to ignore her advice when she offers it.
#grin
I find it fascinating the conditions that the pioneers in this country lived in, that would be almost unthinkable in the current day.
My mother grew up in a two room farmhouse with three siblings, woodburning stove for cooking and coal furnace, and no indoor plumbing. Their water came from a pump jack much like this place, and would freeze up in the winter requiring them to melt snow and pour boiling water on it to restore it to operation. Outhouse for a privy.
I guess that was how they survived on the spoils of a section and a half of Alberta prairie.
Now I have a toilet with a heated seat that sprays my bottom automatically with warm water and then dries it with nice warm air.
This is a salient take. When deployed, the latrines were usually 55 gallon drums we put in place with a tarp around them for privacy. I lived in conditions like this for months at a time, in tents with no modern conveniences. I told my wife I proved to myself I could live in a cardboard box. She said “knock yourself out. I’m not gonna join you”.
My relatives in Kentucky when their outhouse was full just put a box with a hole cut out of it on top of the seat so it could be used longer.
So we visited and when we had to use the outhouse we had to climb on top of the seat and balance on the box while we held our breath while we ‘did our business’.
Good thing as a young teen boy I probably thought of it as ‘an adventure’.
Laughing… and kids these days complain if they don’t get the latest video game as soon as it comes out.
I remember on the trip home after camping (vault toilets) our way back to SoCal our last night we actually stayed a motel in Arizona. My mom went to check out the room and took my youngest brother with her while the rest of us unpacked the car.
My brother came running out to the parking lot screaming with joy yelling ‘The Toilet Flushes’!!
And there was much rejoicing.
As Trump tries to address crime in our cities, along with the homeless encampments, trash and filth ruining them, politicians and judges continue to oppose him. They spout all sorts of things, and make rulings in a court of law that are not correct though.
The Supremacy Clause is a key provision in Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, establishing the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties as the “supreme Law of the Land.” This means that when federal law conflicts with state law, the federal law takes precedence, and state judges are bound to follow it regardless of contrary state provisions.
Thus when some judge rules that the President cannot use the National Guard to assist Federal Officers in any State or locale, they are violating the President’s Constitutional authority and power. Same with Mayors or Governors. If there is Federal law enforcement going on, they cannot impede any Constitutionally authorized actions of the President.
Agreed.
Would like to start a little poll here.
Who should be the Vikings starting QB against the Eagles?
If we want to have a chance to win, it should be Wentz.
If we want to get a full evaluation of our QBOTF done by the end of this season so we can obfuscate and pontificate in the offseason about drafting another QB next May, it should be McCarthy.
It will be McCarthy, and should be McCarthy. I don’t think we stand a chance the way our run defense is performing.
Why would I ever want to field a team and not want the best chance to win.
Wentz has earned it and there are still questions about JJs (QB) ankle.
i go back and forth. the thing JJ needs the most is reps and real game action, in order to improve…but he could get absolutely killed against the eagles.
I remember making this argument long ago (on the DN) regarding Teddy Bridgewater playing in a key game in Arizona. That he was going to get killed and the Vikes should play the backup QB. I remember getting savaged for that opinion, that the team had to play for the best chance to win. As it turned out, we had a chance to drive for the win but IIRC there was some botched handoff to AD that led to a turnover.
and AD turnover?!?!? say it aint sooooooooo
Next you’ll tell me he was terrible in pass pro…..
Oh my God was he bad at pass protection….
I think you ride Wentz one more game – if nothing else to make sure JJ is 100 percent healthy.
If Ginger Jesus leads us to a victory then you almost have to keep playing him. If he doesn’t then you go with JJ. Sitting JJ one more start isn’t going to hurt his development much.
#10 pick in the draft misses his entire first season…suffers a high ankle sprain stated out 2-4 weeks in game 2 of his second season…by my maths week 7 is 5 weeks from week 2…you can’t bullshit a bullshitter.
If he ain’t playing it’s got nothing to do with the ankle, it starts to invoke a word that rhymes with trust for a #10 pick and I don’t trust coachspeak.
I always thought high ankle sprains were around a 6 week healing timeline, but everyone is different. He’s just 22 so maybe healing a little faster.
I think KOC will put him back out there sooner rather than later, even if Wentz is able to go, and playing well.
Just curious, why do you think KOC will do that even if Wentz is playing well?
It seems a good way to lose the locker room. If the team is winning and KOC goes away from the hot hand.
If Wentz crashes and burns, likely, then putting in (JJ QB) is much easier/more logical.
My thoughts too.
Just a sense that in the NFL, where you are drafted matters. Like RGIII in Washington all those years ago. Tom Brady was asked about Griffin after a joint practice once and he said, “if I were you, I’d have my eye on that #8 out there” (referring to Cousins of course). No one really took that to heart, but Brady was telling everyone who the better QB on the team was in his opinion. Two years later, Jay Gruden finally pulled the plug on Griffin, and started Cousins in 2015. The rest is history.
I’m not say McCarthy is Griffin. I’m saying once you draft the “QBOTF” the franchise commits to that guy no matter what.
I just see no need to “rush” JJ.
Green Bay seems to have a very solid record of developing QB’s. How many years did Rogers sit (and learn) behind Favre? How many years did Love sit (and learn) behind Rogers?
I don’t disagree. That said, I just think KOC and KAM decided on day one they were going to have a rookie on a rookie contract under center as the organizational model. Having a vet under center as a “stopgap” measure was the way ahead, initially, but in the end they don’t want to pay a guy $50M a year to play the position.
The maturation process isn’t a bad thing, having them come into a game when needed, but this is a different scenario.
They already handed JJ the keys and title to the Ferrari. It’s hard to take them back and give them to someone else without ruffling feathers.
As NVF cogently pointed out, a lot goes into playing the QB position in the NFL. The only way JJ is going to learn is against real defenses. If the NFL were more like the CFL (or NHL) they would swap in and out QB1 and QB2 at will, but because of the added complexities of the American game it is difficult for the other 10 players to adjust to a different QB each series.
I guarantee Wentz will make a bad throw or a bad decision week 7, probably on the first drive. Do you then toss in JJ to see if he does better on the next drive? Who gets all the practice time with the 1’s?
It better be the #10 pick that has so far missed 20 games out of a possible 22.
Two thoughts. First see below about Packers. They had no problem letting Rogers a first vote HOFer sit on the bench for for 3 years. He seemed too learn a lot doing that.
Second, did JJ look even remotely ready to play.
I agree with this 100%. Plus, Wentz used to play for the Eagles, so he might have a chip on his shoulder for the game.
Yeah… this is the million dollar question, and it boils down to are we a win now organization, or are we investing in some long term assessment? KOC knows that McCarthy is very talented. I think he’s convinced he is the long term QBOTF. I think he has decided that McCarthy is the starter. I think he starts when he is healthy enough to play.
Well, couple of thoughts.
Looking around the NFL, if we get healthy and have ‘adequate’ QB play (Jimmy G comes to mind) we can go to the SB. Thus, the future can be now.
Second, I believe in competition and the best 11 should be on the field. You owe that to the entire team.
And third, this is from my business background. Many times you debate selecting someone for a junior executive position. Doing this, you accept you going to have some ups and downs along the road. But there’s a part two to that – the person “must” be ready to even be at the “up and down” level. JJ, in my opinion, didn’t appear to be at level yet. Simply, for seven of eight quarters he looked lost out there.
Lastly, there’s the injury thing. Our line is still shakey and the Eagles have a good dline. Good chance a slow processing QB, with an injury history to begin with, can get hurt again.
Just a few thoughts.
I’m with you on all of that JR. 100%
Wentz has earned another start.
KOC & staff believe JJMac is QBOTF – I do too, until I don’t.
IF JJMac is 100% – he starts.
Personally intrigued by the ‘Carson Wentz Revenge’ narrative against Philly…. Although it’s not really a revenge game as I’m certain he played them when he was the starter in Washington….
I’m not starting McCarthy against those DTs unless he’s 100% healthy.
Wentz deserves his revenge game vs the poopeaters. Of course JJ needs reps, but this one should go to Carson. Maybe he’ll pull off a miracle.
I would like to see that matchup too, and of course see Wentz have a strong outing and come out on top. There were teams I played I always wanted to beat, so bad. I think Wentz would be feeling it if he got out there.
Whoever is healthy
If JJ is healthy, I really want him to start. I’m just interested in watching him develop. I also want him to shut people up that are doubting him right now.
I do not believe Wentz will take us anywhere this year.
I would also like to see JJ with this new, quicker scheme KOC is cooking up.
A quick scheme is only as good as the QB’s ability to process it though.
Haven’t even seen him get the chance.
Only 1 of 8 quarters were good, yes, but that quarter was very good. The other 7 our coach refused to change and JJ had the opposing DL in his face.
Really that one quarter featured two throws and one run for the most part. Basically three plays. We’ll see how he plays moving forward. My personal opinion is in agreement with what KOC said. He needs another 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours.
I still think he starts sooner rather than later though.
I disagree about Wentz.
The NFC is up for grabs this year. If we get healthy, and with ‘adequate’ QB play we can go to the SB.
From what I have seen of Wentz, especially given his limited time here, he would seem to be fully “adequate” enough to get the job done. And he is tough as hell which is a good thing given the state of our line. Our rookie QB seems a little brittle, and far from adequate in my opinion.
And I think JJ will be at least adequate. It was his first two games. Give him some more time. The first two games don’t determine a career.
If he looks the same at the end of the season, I would be shocked and I wouldn’t blame them for looking for better QB insurance.
The brittle comment is fair…at this point.
I can appreciate the need to develop him. And yes, two games aren’t a career.
I just see no need to rush him – it is a long career.
We can go to the SB this year. But to do so, we need to win the division and you probably can’t do that if we throw a couple of games away training.
There’s plenty of time to train down the road, and still put max effort into winning games in the short run.
I can understand that. I just think if we make a run this year it will only be with JJ and not Wentz. And to do that, it’s important he gets his feet underneath him by the end of the season. I think he can play just as good as Wentz as he learns, and his ceiling by the end of the year is much higher.
I would probably share your sentiments had I not watched the first two games of the season.
I did watch them. Every snap. I also watched analysis after the game of every snap. The offense was a mess. JJ got the blame. Then he got hurt and couldn’t prove otherwise. Wentz meanwhile comes back with CD protecting his blind side and his coach (after a similar slow start) finally change things up.
I’m drinking the JJ kool aid for sure, but I’m also convinced KOC should take much of the flack JJ is.
Time will tell. Bye week will delay the verdict even more. 🙂
I can’t help myself, I think I’m so funny (yet I’m not)…I plugged in my time machine and got a live glimpse of JJ taking his first snap against the Iggles…
I thought the beaker gifs were reserved for Kirk…
So as we watch Wentz and McCarthy play, here are some “cues” I look for, to evaluate a QB pre-snap. Sorry if it is too long. You can pass on it.
You will often hear the quarterback yelling out a number and pointing at a linebacker. This can include “is the mike” in the call as well. Basically, they are establishing who is the middle of the defense (typically the middle linebacker, thus the “mike” call), which aligns the blocking scheme for the offensive line, tight ends, and running backs.
The quarterback is also looking to figure out what kind of coverage a defense is running for that play. To do this, a quarterback will start at the deepest part of the field and move toward the line of scrimmage. Reading the locations of the safeties first, then the cornerbacks, and the outside linebackers. All this will help a quarterback determine if the coverage is fundamentally man or zone, and where the holes in the defense should be. The quarterback also needs to use his brain and film study to sense if a blitz is coming, and/or if he needs to change his protection. We all know that a quarterback will put a man in motion to see if it’s man or zone, but also clue him on some more subtle things that indicate where the defense is trying to force the ball to go. There is a lot going on in the QB’s head at this point, including keeping an eye on the clock.
Again, this is all before the snap. After reading the defense, a quarterback could already begin eliminating routes being run by receivers, or know of an option to a route being run that he expects to see from a receiver. You will also start to see hand signals or the quarterback making calls out to the receivers to let them know what he is seeing and what he wants them to do.
Finally, the quarterback can shift the formation to improve the odds of the play against the defense he’s seeing. He can shift a receiver (mostly the TE) from one side of the formation to the other which changes the “strong” side. He can move a back around to help with protection or again change the strength of the formation to the offense’s advantage.
Watch the QB’s head, watch his hands, watch to see if he is in command with the offense and telling everyone what he wants them to do. Rodgers may be the supreme example of a QB who is in command. He sees the defense quickly. Nine times out of ten he knows where the ball is going long before he takes the snap. When the ball hits his hands, he’s into a throwing position and letting it fly instantly.
This command, this extended understanding, and ability to get to the right read instantaneously after the snap is what I look for.
That’s interesting – I like the ‘grass’ stuff.
Was wondering about this. Seems the new trend in the NFL is to show one look pre snap and then jump to a different coverage right at snap – like show single high and then jump into three deep or quarters post snap.
Exactly. This is where film study comes in. Knowing the potential post snap shifts of a defense is part what the QB must factor in. Sometimes there are calls that are looking for these specific post snap movements by the defense, to take advantage of them. Safeties like the Hitman and Kyle Hamilton line up everywhere, and post snap completely change their positions on the field. Hitman likes to come up to the line of scrimmage, feign a blitz, then run deep and end up in a cover two position. Knowing his tendencies against certain formations, helps the QB decide where to attack the safety though.
Nice.
From the DN:
“In the case of the Minnesota Vikings victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, one number tells the story: Carson Wentz’s average time from snap to throw was 2.43 seconds, the fastest in the NFL in Week 5 per NFL NextGen.”
i also saw PFF graded Turner at 71, 5th highest vike defender
You didn’t call anyone over there a Pansy did you?? If so you can never go back.
I read the articles there occasionally but I don’t sign in and never comment.
The quality of the articles there has decreased a lot. I blame SB Nation for the “corporatation” of the site.
This site is more fun.
I think random people now post articles.
I’ve seen that across a couple of other SB nation sites as well.
Like it gets posted to the front page.
I get the option of a “fan post”.
But it makes the site look pretty clunky imo.
Unless the turnover of writers are high.
Yep, there are fewer and fewer articles worth reading every month.
Less and less comments on their articles I have noticed as well.
And no open thread
Yes, that really surprises me…I guess its not a site “for the people”
On that last drive, Wentz was really fast. He saw it, and he hit it. Best he’s looked in years. My hope is as he gets more immersed in the offense this will start being more of a norm.
If he even starts against the Eagles….we do not yet know the plan.
True
What???? Did the guys making the call watch the Falcons game, and then the last two?
While McCarthy is young, and he has a long way to go, as I mentioned here before, I really think having Cousins run the scout team in the week’s practices leading up to the game, gave the Falcons defense a big advantage. They looked like they knew what was coming on pretty much every play. They may have known our offense better than McCarthy.
So – he looked completely lost out there and the game seemed far to fast for him.
OH trust me, he’s lost out there… a lot. Every young QB in the NFL is lost out there. Worse, McCarthy has been on running teams his whole life. He has never had to process like he’s having to now, and he’s never carried an offense with his brain and his arm. Ever. Note in his first game he only threw 20 passes, and he only threw 21 in his second game. In the NFL, on average, OC’s are calling passing plays 60 to 65 percent of the time. Average plays per game this year is around 60 offensive plays a game. Thus we would expect a guy like KOC to call around 36 passing plays a game. Of course if you’re going three and out a lot, the number of plays in a game is going to be affected. Still, if KOC had a lot of confidence in McCarthy, he’d be throwing it a lot more IMO.
One of the things I key in on, for better or worse, is time on the play clock when the huddle breaks. 5 seconds more or less makes a huge difference. Against ATL the majority of the time the huddle broke with 10-12 seconds on the play clock…against CLE more like 15-17 seconds. Makes a huge difference in calling out protection and audibles.
I don’t know if that is a McCarthy/Wentz issue or a KOC play calling issue.
So I think the reason for the delay coming out of the huddle with McCarthy is this. The QB’s headset cuts off when there is 15 seconds left on the play clock. I think KOC is trying to give McCarthy “further instructions” after giving him the play call, to help him know what to do. This is just a guess. Wentz has now started 101 games in the NFL, so the number of “reminders” KOC might need to provide are far fewer.
Just my opinion of course.
That is my assumption as well, partially based on the body language (hands pressed to the ear holes of the helmet) at the 0:15 mark.
I do miss some of the interactions with some of the HOFer on the DN…MarkSP, warrior, filbert. Oh well, life moves on.
Who I do miss is Mick over here, and LFA. Anybody know what’s up with those guys?
Yeah those were great guys on skoloholics (and DN).
Again, it was because the scheme changed. It was obvious that the passing routes were very different, as they needed to be.
As I posted yesterday after NLV had posted the Cardinal coach fine.
Can you imagine if Lombardi, Parcels, Shula or any of a number of other great coaches had been coaching and this happened.
And, just the week before a Colts back did the same thing. You think that wasn’t a coaching item across the league.
i can’t even imagine what are they fining the coach for? Now I could see the back getting a big fine for a dumbass play like that.
Plus, the team captains during practice on Monday should have grabbed this guy, taped a football to each of his hands and made him walk around like that all day long. It’s a team sport, the other members of the team should have been incensed also.
Zimmer and Cousins should have been fined.
Guess they both need to go to sensitivity training.
It annoys me when a player drops the ball as soon as they are in the end zone or when they catch it in the end zone and almost immediately drop it on purpose. Hold on to the ball so there is no doubt that you made it in or that you caught it in the end zone. Unless you are a superstar, how many touchdowns are you really going to make in your career? Make sure it really counts.
The whole “look at me” aspect of football irks me. I assume it’s just because the entertainment part of sports entertainment is the most important thing now, not the sports. Choreographed celebrations, and guys jumping into crowds so they can be touched by the fans, is lame to me. Also all the whacky “special” uniforms and other costuming efforts.
Just play ball.
Wasn’t there a great coach – can’t think of his name – used to tell his players ‘when you get to the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.’
I know that Penn State’s Joe Paterno said it.
I think John Riggins and Barry Sanders have too.
All that posturing that goes on after each and every play, offensive and defensive player all do it if they make a play, sure gets old. It doesn’t matter if the make a 1st down or a tackle while down 20 or 30 pts. One would think it is a clause in their contract or something.
Yeah, too many peacocks on the field now. Painted up cleats with their causes highlighted, etc. I don’t like any of it. Make a catch, and do a backflip. Whoopee.
Amen
For those talking about Cardinals HC Gannon’s altercation with RB, here it is:
$100K fine for that? The NFL pussification is staggering.
Its not the NFL the Cardinals organization themselves sent down the fine. No league office was involved.
My college coach used to reach up, grab your facemask and violently shake your head back and forth if you screwed up on a play…it was much worse that what Gannon did…yes the pussification of the NLF is staggering.
Same… back in the day I had long hair that hung out the back of my helmet to between my shoulder blades. I have had a coach grab me by the hair and scream at me as I went by more than a few times.
If I were you I would have cut that hair!
Chicks… what you gonna do? This was the 70’s man.
The NFL is kind of like those parents who in public heap all kinds of praise on their kids and want everyone to love their kids, but in private are the draconian parents from hades who at the very slightest hint of inappropriateness punish the kids severely.
The fine was justified as he obviously invaded the snowflakes ‘safe space’.
Wow, is everyone skeeping in?
SKOL and FTP
Good morning, SKOL!
FTP!
Rec for first and FTP. Good morning PA.
SKOL
Raining here, my golf is canceled. Grrrrrr
Sigh… you know what they say though… can’t win the British Open if you can’t play in the rain.
I’m not sure what skeeping is, but I would rather be doing that then getting ready for work right now.
Used to think that way. Then I retired and still get up at the same time.
Same here, in bed about 11:30, read for a bit, asleep a little after midnight, up around 7am.
The Teacher doesn’t understand it, after decades of getting up before 5am to get to school on time she relishes sleeping in until ‘the crack of noon‘.
I’m just stuck as a 5 amer. Actually, like the peace and quiet of the early morning.
PS @I can’t wait for MST to start I love when it is dark as I drive to work and dark as I drive home@
Correct spelling is optional.
Fat fingers, small phone……
FTP Auto Rec.
You east coasters have the jump on us here in God’s country.