The Skoloholics Mailbag – THE 12-3 MAILBAG

Good Morning!

It’s time for our weekly mailbag here at Skoloholics. As always our staff will research your questions about the Vikings, NFL or life in general with a well thought out mediocre answer.

For salary cap questions I’ll continue using overthecap.com so I’m consistent with the numbers.

Any trades involving draft picks I’m using the updated NFL Trade Value Chart developed by Rich Hill available at https://www.drafttek.com/NFL-Trade-Value-Chart-Rich-Hill.asp

For evaluating or looking up draft prospects or rookies my go to is thedraftnetwork.com

If I can’t come up with what I think is a legitimate answer, I’ll ask someone who I think can provide one.
Leave us a question in the comments section, I’ll revisit it later in the week.

Enough from me, let’s see what’s on everyone’s mind.

Skoldiers pondered: Who would you rather play in round 1 now that things are taking shape?

I looked at the likely candidates; (Giants, Commanders, Detroit) and settled on the Giants. I know the Vikings defense made Jones look all pro for one game but the Vikings were able to move the ball and score.
It shouldn’t matter who is on the opposing sideline, it’s a home playoff game, just win and move on.

DE Viking pondered:

Hey Rob.

Long time reader, first time mailer poster.
For years, we were told wins are not a QB stat. It wasn’t Cousins fault because “it’s a team game”. Now, most Cousins lovers say Kirk is winning games.
Are wins now a QB stat?
I will hang up and wait for your answer.
Thanks.

My backpage brethren haven’t embraced the new “can’t lose in the 4th quarter Kirk?” LOL.
Let’s back up a few years…when Kirk was signed it was for one reason, to win a Super Bowl. The management at that time didn’t think Case or Teddy could elevate the team based on their play, so Rick signed Kirk to that (at the time) ridiculous contract.
One way of looking at Kirk is that the Vikings have not won a Super Bowl with him at QB.
Collectively, we as a group have spent the past four season pasting labels on Kirk based his on the field performance, whether those were based in reality is an entirely different discussion.
Ask yourself this: are game winning drives a QB stat, or is a come from behind 4th quarter score a team stat because once the offense scores the defense has to prevent the opposing team from scoring.
A lot of this is NFL media driven since the rules favor QBs.
Wins are a team stat, it takes all three phases of the game plus coaching to win.

Pirateflip pondered: After the season is over, should we try to trade Beaker for a boatload of picks and cap savings? I mean obviously we are going to be older and slower and unable to compete anyway. And where is that sarc font?

I looked at over the cap for Kirk’s contract…next year his cap hit is $36.2M with a deadcap of $48.7M and a negligible savings of $12.5M. He is not going anywhere next year, however 2024 is his void year, cutting him then is $12.5M dead cap. Depending on how this season ends and how next season goes, I’d expect the Vikings to move on from Kirk in 2024 in favor of a rookie.

Rob pondered: Give us a score predicition.

The NFL media morans have been going on and on all week about how this is a must game for @the great Aaron Rodgers@ and the Packers, even Vegas gave the cheeseheads the benefit of the doubt with a 3.5 betting edge.
LOL on them.
This is as much a must game for the Packers as it is for the Vikings, the Vikings need to stay in front of the 49ers for 2nd place, and with the Eagles faltering the 1st round bye is potentially within reach.
FTP
Vikings 27
Packers 21