Happy Hump day and welcome to Skoloholics. Our beloved Vikings will face off against the Colts at noon on Sunday. Initial injury reports come out today. I am excited to see who is on it, or more importantly, who is not on it. Hoping to get a bunch of missing pieces back this week or next.
For those who care, the Timberwolves season opens tonight. It should be a good year, I am interested in seeing how all of the new pieces fit together. They should make for entertaining games, at the very least.
Northwoods, who doesn’t like being asked questions for answers?
QOTD:
Is it worth trading away our 1st round pick for an upgrade at one of the positions the “experts” think we need to upgrade, knowing we are going to be looking to get a QB in the draft?
Let us know in the comments.
Vikings News:
Vikings Power Rankings
Encouraging injury updates could have Vikings’ offense poised to explode
https://www.vikings.com/news/running-back-jordan-mason-return-to-practice-week-7
adrian-peterson-career-football-journey-history-running-back-ring-of-honor
adrian-peterson-career-football-journey-high-school-east-texas-legend
adrian-peterson-epic-football-journey-oklahoma-sooners-phenom
adrian-peterson-epic-football-journey-minnesota-legacy
NFL News:
Media Selection:
Saw an article on the interweb thing that said Hitman is the lowest rated safety in the nfl according the to PFF, Josh M. isn’t much better. The Vikings are currently doing a good job of hiding their weakness at safety but they desperately need better safety play as they hit hard part of their schedule…….where is Cine??
Smith looks slow, sure. I wonder how the safeties would do in a more conventional defense.
Good question. According to Bowbunches post below. The Vikes and the Colts are at the opposite ends of the pressure measures. Kyler will get an opportunity to pass from the pocket this week.
Uh oh.
He won’t be able to see over the line if he stays in the pocket.
I don’t think PFF has a clue about Flo’s Defense and what their jobs are and what they are suppose to do in it.
The Safetys are doing exactly what Coach Flo wants them to do and if PFF doesn’t understand that then that is PFFs issue not the Safety’s.
I wanna rec that more than once. PFF has no clue.
Triple rec.
I would remind people that this is the Vikings. While the colts completely suck, we have all seen this play out before.
6-0 would be nice, and is kind of expected today, but anything can happen.
They may still have some residual anger for 2022. Not a game to overlook.
How many of the 2026 Colts were on the team in 2022?
Not sure, but they can have their guard back…..
Doesn’t matter – just ask any FTP fan.
They will lose to the Colts and somehow beat the Bills on MNF.
KOC does not blow people out.
He plays this cutesy coy thing all game.
Neither did Zimmer for that matter.
Maybe the Wilfs require the Minnesota Nice in coaches contracts to not make the other team feel bad.
This game will be a nail biter.
Book it.
I thought the object of the game was to win.
They are doing that just fine this year so I have no complaints about ‘style points’.
This defense will obviously not keep its historic success rate against better offenses, but that also doesnt mean it wont be good, and hold them to 20 or less. Thats all they have to do. This offense can and will score against poor defenses. Weeks 1-3 were our pre season, considering Kyler. To make you feel better, here’s some solid reading and break down of the defense and the Blitz so far this season. Educate yo selves.
https://wideleft.football/p/nobody-can-figure-out-brian-flores-5-plans-that-didn-t-beat-the-blitz
Overrated, gives up a big play every 4 to 5 quarters, cant allow that.
Well, the Vikings have had the 5th easiest schedule to this point, and they have one of the top 2 hardest moving forward, so we’ll see what his defense is made of over the next 6-8 weeks.
Correct. After that is when you make that assessment and statement, not week 5.
I am guessing plenty of big plays coming from Detroit, Buffalo, and some of the other teams with an actual offense.
We will have to wait and see, and assess from there.
For those that dont know, that was sarcasm.
Pretty obvious, but it appears that it has acquired some thumbs down nonetheless. Anyway, my point stands.
It stands on nothing at this juncture.
I guess we’ll see. I don’t think to say the defense hasn’t really been tested much to this point is a stretch of the imagination.
Its a strawman argument. Chicago had/has a top 10 offense, rain be damned. NO still has a top 10 rated offense and only got points from the Vikes turn overs. Packers shut down in the second half. Dysfunctional Miami and TB I will say sure but the full schedule? Nah. Just because they dont pass YOUR eye test, doesn’t mean they are overrated. Im looking at real numbers here. Please do read that article I linked up top.
I understand what you’re saying, but Bears are at best inconsistently good (look at Packers game – do they have a top-15 defense?) and NO has a young QB with no big playmakers besides Olave. They have gotten some significant garbage time as well, so those numbers are somewhat skewed for them.
And rain does make it harder to score, especially on a trash field like Soldier Field.
Regardless, we’re going to have to wait to see how it goes the rest of the way. I don’t think they’re going to be a historically good defense come end of season.
I sure hope you are wrong, since the team needs an elite defense for any chance in the playoffs.
Oh I agree, I hope I’m wrong too. I don’t want them to fail. But I’m a realist and also know the Vikings history.
People can always find things to complain about, even with an undefeated team.
You enjoy yourself, I will wait for something real to complain about.
Proving the old army saying ‘If it is stupid but it works than it is not stupid’.
but what if what he is saying is true?
I failed miserably to deliver on the crockpot recipe. Here’s one of my kids’ and my favorites: It’s a good meal to start in the morning and be nearly ready when you get home from work.
CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND GRAVY
Ingredients:
A half boneless/skinless chicken breast per person
2 packets chicken gravy mix
10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
2 cups water
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste
Prep:
Season both sides of chicken
In the slow cooker, whisk together the 2 packets of gravy mix, the cream of chicken soup, and the 2 cups water
Add in the chicken – hopefully they are submerged in the liquid, or you get a dried spot where it rides above the liquid
Cover, cook on low 6-7 hours for 1-2 pieces of chicken, 7-8 hours for 3-4
Remove chicken and break it up into chunks
Add the 1/2 cup of sour cream to the liquid
Note – if it is quite runny, you can add a tablespoon of thickener (flour or corn starch)
Return the chicken to the mixture
Serve:
My kids and I love to ladel it over a bed of buttered egg noodles, others prefer mashed potatoes or rice.
And here is the beef counterpart:
SLOWCOOKER BEEF TIPS AND GRAVY
Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat (or chunk up a round eye roast or similar)
2 cups beef broth/stock
2 packages brown gravy mix
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2-4 cloves minced garlic (depending on your taste)
1 TSP onion powder
1 TSP garlic powder (seems a bit redundant, but hey…..)
1/2 TSP black pepper
Instructions:
In your slow cooker whisk together the beef broth, brown gravy mix, Worcestershire, minced garlic, and powder seasonings
Add the meat, stir to coat everything
Cover, cook on LOW 7-8 hours
Can add a cornstarch slurry or flour slurry if you want the mixture thicker
Serve:
Again, a bed of buttered egg noodles are the favorite, but mashed potatoes or rice are good as well
Thanks for this. I will try this out.
Looks like I will get the Viking-Colt game here in western Idaho.
I won’t plan a watch party since the map/schedule cannot be trusted IMHO.
https://506sports.com
My tooth is gone. That guy was a pro. I sat down in the chair, and the tooth was out in about 10 minutes. No real discomfort. We will see how it feels when the Novocain wears off, though. I kind of think it won’t be that bad because I was in a lot of discomfort before the tooth was pulled. I have nowhere to go but up. Maybe…
Just saw McCarthy is named starter for Sunday. I look forward to seeing how he does in a whole game.
The discourse will be immense.
Maybe we can start McCarthy Mondays to go with our kirko Tuesdays
Had to double check, yes I have NYG for my pickem.
sticking with Houston.
I think the Houston defense is a bit better than what JJ faced in the 4th quarter last Sunday.
The path for the Vikings to lose to McCarthy in the first round of the playoffs has begun.
Wonder if he took his “game persona” with him there?
Reminds me a little of that kid on Alaskan Bush People who called himself “The Extreme” and “anything I do, I do it extremely.” Just a young kid trying to figure out life and who he is.
Hopefully JJ will grow up and realize he should have channeled his mental energy into the playbook instead of culturing an identity.
Unfortunately for the bush kid he succumbed to meth and committed suicide.
Yeah, dedicating time and energy to getting better instead of nonsense would have done him good (JJMac).
I mean, bush kid kept his word. That’s pretty extreme.
This is exactly what I expect to happen. JJ plays well enough to get the Giants to the playoffs and leads a 4th quarter comeback in US bank stadium.
Another screw-up by the Vikings.
If JJ turns out to completely suck, the Vikings messed up by drafting him, but recovered what they could.
If JJ ends up being an average or better QB, the Vikings are idiots for giving up on him too soon.
Can’t happen cuz vikes will be enjoying their bye week.
Cool!
NYG Texan game on here.
I will let you know when he starts his meditation routine!
It’s true! Teasley is being “very active” with the trade deadline approaching.
I’ll probably try to watch this series.
Kind of surprising given his NFL travels…
Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell has earned approximately $15,002,381 in career NFL cash earnings through the 2026 season, following his entry into the league as a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2016
So he’s been on the league minimum for 13 years?
He might end up more difficult to get rid of than Marcus Sherels.
Actually, I looked it up. Sherels was only in the league 10 years.
QOTD: Getting Jonathon Taylor would be very tempting, but I think he would cost more than a first-round pick. At this time, I would hold my first-round pick and somehow try to fix the O-Line issues.
Agree.
But maybe a new OL coach is needed?
Theory doesn’t account for Darrisaw, Jackson, and O’Niell. Coaching is fine with better talent.
Though, with a better OL coach, imagine how good the good players would be………..
Why does it seem that whenever we want to acquire talent we have to spend a 1st round pick, but we give away talent for popcorn?
McCaffery didnt even go for a first, I think it could be done with a 2nd and later day 2 picks.
In three hours I will have my tooth pulled.
I’m sure it will go fine, but I still hate dentist stuff. On the other hand, I’d probably hate a world without dentists more. Teeth are monstrous things when they go weird.
We need Dentists for sure, but……
As of today, all four NFC north teams make the playoffs.
Vikes are numero uno…..
Did freeze sell his lake homes to buy the Twins yet?
Good morning Skollers. FTP and lets go Wolves!
QOTD….I say no.
FTP, Bears & Lions.
Hoping for another tie.
GM!
FTP!
SKOL!
Happy Hump Day!
Good morning, SKOL!
FTP!
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