Happy Tuesday, and welcome to Skoloholics. The Vikings will be starting out there 8th week tomorrow, as Tuesday is the NFL’s day of rest. This week the Vikings will be preparing to face off against divisional foes the Detroit Lions. The Lions should be a good test for our defense, as they have a stout offense that has multiple ways of hurting an opponent. Their defense is suspect, but that should not keep our offense from struggling.
Speaking of the Lions defense, it sounds like they may be getting some of their key players back in the coming weeks. Amon-Ra had a swollen ankle after the game, but Campbell thinks he will be ready for Sunday.
The Vikings may be the worst undefeated team, but they are also the best undefeated team this year.
Timberwolves got their first loss last night against the Cleveland Cavs, in the back half of a back-to-back.
QOTD:
Will the Vikings go after a RB before the trade deadline?
Let us know in the comments.
Vikings News:
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:
Deforest Buckner, Colts, DT to the 49rs for a 2027 4th round pick.
https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/colts-continue-talent-selloff-sending-deforest-buckner-49ers-making-new-york-jets-happier
And the rich keep gettin richer.
I’m on board with trying to get Taylor. He’s 27 with 2 years remaining on his contract, through ’28. We have 3, 3rd round draft picks, so I’d definitely give one up along with a 5th (we’ve got 3 of those also). Unfortunately, it’ll probably take our 2nd rounder and then some, but may be worth it.
Quenton Nelson traded to the Seahawks
We could have used a good OG for the rest of the year while ours heals up.
A 2027 3rd and a 2028 5th is kind of pricy for a rental though.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50298913/sources-seahawks-get-pro-bowl-guard-nelson-trade-colts
Rental for them, or a rental in general?
Jackson played R guard in college. Next year slide him to RG, stick Nelson in at LG and draft a C.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Oh quit! You can’t show me even ONE example where the Seahawks made a play on a player we also could have had a shot at and it turned out good for the Seahawks. NOT ONE TIME EVER has that happened, especially not in the recent past, that’s for damn sure!
Nobody comes to mind…………..
You’re really going to bring up Tarvaris Jackson like that?
Just wondering what folks think, if we put the QB position aside (for now) do we have the talent otherwise to win the SB?
Outside of QB and Interior O line – yes I think we do.
Agreed, QB and O-Line. RB is also a question mark.
Close enough.
I think so too – nobody has everything. Fix the QB and we can beat anybody.
Agree, interior O-line is a little weak, but with good QB play we could win it all.
I wouldn’t want to jump back into cap hell that we just recently got out of, but believe we’d have a better chance with Wentz, and a much better chance at a post-season run with Cousins under center.
If whoever is calling the shots for this team thinks we have a shot, I say take it. Next year, Flo is gone, different defense the league is very different and so on. Sometimes, you need to push your chips into the pile.
You are correct.
I wish the team could have drafted better or gotten better free agents during the Kirko years. Needs a good pocket to survive though. I think Sam Darnold is moderately more athletic than Kirko, but Seattle wins last season with plenty of different QBs out there(Including Kirko, Purdy, Burrow, Allen,Goff). Winning with a great defense and running game is the way.
I do not want the team to overpay any position. Today the team is overpaying Justin Jefferson because nobody can get him the ball.
Maybe Kyler gets better suddenly or KOC drastically changes the play calling and moves to quick passes and rollouts to compliment the run game.
I think so
Comparison: 2000 Ravens
Elite Defense & Special Teams
Bad offense – went an epic stretch of quarters without scoring an offensive TD iirc.
They did have a good offensive line. And Jamal Lewis.
Good veteran leadership too. From Shannon Sharpe to Goose.
they also wore purple
Yes but the IOL is also suspect.
However, if the Superbowl final score is 12-3, I like the Vikings chances.
Sunday’s broadcast map is not filled in yet, but this schedule of games looks like we’ll get to see it in WI.
FOX SINGLE
Arizona @ Dallas
Minnesota @ Detroit
Las Vegas @ NY Jets
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
LA Chargers @ LA Rams (LATE)
Lions are beatable if the offense can score some points. So far this season, Wentz looks better than Murray for running this offense, but the runs Kyler made were crucial vs the Colts. I just wonder what this offense would look like with a more accurate QB. Right now the offense is hot garbage.
Probably making the traitor pick and going with the Lions this week. Kyler has given me no indication that he has suddenly learned this offense, and KOC is not changing, so I think this will be the first loss. Expecting Branch to get two INTs.
FTP!
Kirk still sucks. (but he is better than any QB on this roster today)
Yeah, a token TD and a few FGs isn’t going to cut it this time.
Kyler seems to have recognized that Jennings is on the team…..maybe he’ll spot him breaking open in the end zone this weekend.
Yeah, it will be tough to pick the Vikings this week probably, especially at Detroit.
Maybe I will yet…I will have to ponder it Thursday morning and see what vibes I have.
well, we beat Detroit twice last year – I would say our D is better than last year. We certainly have a chance.
Also believe Detroit’s secondary is very weak and the Packers dropped three TD passes last weak. We can score on them.
I really hate saying this but Love > Murray
We can always put Wentz in.
Maybe Kyler will get a headache or something (mild), nothing serious of course.
There is a lot of season yet, and Murray came up gimping multiple times Sunday.
We will likely see Wentz again.
Lions average 30 points a game. If our defense cuts that in half, that is roughly 14-17 points.
We average 20 points per game.
Lions defense is weak, but they are okay against the run, and Hutchinson can pressure the QB.
I guess we could have a chance, yes.
If Murray doesn’t run he is just a meh QB who is too short
and that is exactly why they let JJ go too soon.
I keep wondering what could have happened if Kwesi had not been such an idiot and maybe kept Jones so JJ did not need to start last season.
Now I get to watch another coach develop the QB (JJ)that may turn out ok, while the Vikings are stuck with a QB that is basically a WILDCAT QB that does not wanna run and can sometimes make a great throw.
Have to say, in my opinion JJM isn’t ever going to be an above average NFL QB. He’s a slow processor with an inaccurate arm. There are a number of throws he can’t pull off consistently. That’s why he was a detriment to KOC’s scheme. JJM limited the play calls. What I saw in rewatching the Giants game was a QB who throws the ball to the receiver physically closest to him most of the time, and then uncorks a pass to the receiver physically the farthest away from him. These throws are predetermined by JJM regardless of the defensive coverage. This is not a guy who is a great QB. He’s a great athlete playing QB. As long as he has a strong run game to carry him, he can do what he’s doing and pseudo get away with it. But he’ll never carry an offense with his brain and an accurate passing arm. He doesn’t have those two traits. Else KOC would have kept him.
If JJ never becomes above average or is a career backup, it is another Ponder-like draft failure for this organization. If he gets better with experience like he could, it is a complete failure by KOC for bailing too soon. Either way, the team once again blew it.
I get that finding a QB is rough, but this franchise is silly bad at drafting one.
It’s hard to evaluate how a college player will perform at the pro level. Scouts and coaches think they have a can’t miss player, but they don’t pan out. Or they think they have a diamond in the rough they can develop, and they don’t. Over the years though, as NFL offenses and defenses have grown ever more complex, it’s QB’s with a fast brain and an accurate arm that always bubble up to the top. These are two traits that can’t be developed much. Brady had a fast brain and an accurate arm. So did Manning, Marino, and Brees. Roethlisberger too, and he also had size and could escape pressure. Some QB’s are simply great athletes, and some are simply great QB’s.
Skoloholics Pick ‘Em League Update #7
It was a weird week. People did pretty good picking games, but most everyone seemed to get dinged by some big confidence point games. A lot of folks lost 14, 13, 11 and 10 point games. Oddly, everyone got their 12-point game right, though…
That must mean a lot of upsets this week. And, yes, five games were, in fact, upsets. Despite everyone doing better this week picking games, the gulf between the highest scorer and lowest scorer was 17 points.
Peterplaysbass was said highest scorer this week. His award is adulation. How does that affect the overall rankings?
Mjolnir is still in first but not by much. PA is only four points between him in second. It’s good to have back-and-forth battles. It’s not fun when someone runs away with it. Plus, this creates tons of pressure. Every pick is critical. The world hangs in the balance. Lives can be ruined. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. The whole bit…
Bowbunch is not far behind. He is in third place but only five points out of second. All he needs is one game to go stupid but stupid his way and poof…he’s at the top. This is a scary thought. Who knows what he will do when he wields that much power? Be afraid, be very afraid…
Peterplaysbass and JacksonVike are in the 4th and 5th positions. They’re hanging in there, but the podium positions are sliding away a handful of points at a time. Without a podium position, the good endorsements are not happening. They will end up the spokespeople for things like kitty litter and maxi-pads. Not much glory in that.
Meanwhile, myself, Surly and DE remained locked in our positions, unable to escape. I think we have been in 6th, 7th and 8th for about three weeks now, maybe more (I’m not going to do research). We are like astronauts trapped in the gravitational pull of Uranus. Man, that is an embarrassing name for a space body (not a planet apparently). If I was in charge of NASA I would change that first thing to something less giggle-worthy.
I would name it Mypenus instead…
Moving on…Everyone got the Vikings game right. That means no Traitor Picks this week. Where did all this newfound confidence come from? Do we believe in this team? I suspect things will change next week and Traitor Picks will happen again.
Everyone also got the Denver, Detroit and Dallas games right. The Cowboys are almost back to .500 now. Bwhahahahaha!
Surprisingly, everyone only got one game wrong: the Dolphins/Jets game. Miami comes back from the dead to win one. Who saw that coming?
We had one Iconoclast Pick. PA is the only one to take the Titans over Cleveland. The Browns have also come back to life. I thought they started badly, but now they are leading their division at 5-2. How can you not pull for Watson?
See what I did there?
We had two Genius Picks. JacksonVike is the only one who took Atlanta over the 49ers. Pretty shrewd move. Everyone else got dinged pretty badly on that game.
Meanwhile, JacksonVike was also the only one to take the Giants over Houston. That means he is a double genius! And maybe a secret McCarthy believer. We will have to watch him..
I actually had the Giants picked initially, but then I changed my mind because I am not a genius. I figured McCarthy would throw a pick or two, was my reasoning. But, not, nothing can stop the force of nature that is JJM…
GET YOUR PICKS IN FOR THE NEXT BATCH OF GAMES!
Love the updates, Wrenage. SKOL!
Isn’t somebody doing that what got him in trouble in Houston?
Some say his time in Houston still tugs at his heart strings…
It tugs at something…
At least he’s not a jerk…
I scored the most this week?
I’M THE BEST
I don’t think I have hidden my feelings about JJ.
TL/DR version…….
I SUCK !!!!
You downvoted me yesterday for saying it’s not the QB but KOC as the problem.
I got downvoted like crazy on Reddit for making this exact point.
I just don’t see how the guy can completely ignore it or explain it away. What’s his internal justification? “Oh, they just don’t realize how great this scheme really is.” Or “Ok, casual fan. You just don’t understand the intricacies of an NFL offense.” Well, I can see crap results on the field and know it’s crap and needs to change.
But whatever, I’m convinced it will never change and that KOC will be retained and Flores lost, because Vikings.
I had a thought this morning. KOC was never a super athlete QB and what success he had was because he followed a system and probably to an OCD level. Maybe he’s still just trying to prove that a boring, follow the system QB can be successful. That’s why he doesn’t like players like McCarthy and he would probably hate a QB like Josh Allen or Lamar. Why he was on board with bringing in Murray is beside me though. Murray was never a fit, even if KOC is ok with the off script stuff. To be successful, his system needs a QB who can stand in the pocket, at least at times and deliver the football. Murray can’t see from the pocket. He needs some designed roll outs and some off script plays to keep the defense guessing. If he stands in the pocket, he will never be successful. He can throw very accurately, but you can’t accurately hit what you can’t see, hence only one pass inside the hash marks on Sunday.
‘I had a thought this morning’
Did it hurt??
I try to avoid those, especially in the mornings and never before sufficient coffee intake.
Believe KOC said in his first presser when he got here what he expected in his QB. One, a guy who can stand in the pocket, read the defense and deliver an accurate throw all over the field. And two, a QB willing to stand in there until the last minute knowing he is going to take a big hit and still make an accurate pass – AND get up and keep on ticking.
Not much speculation needed Murray was almost free. I don’t have issue with him on the team I just don’t think he is the answer eff it go all in if we can’t get Burrows (pipe full of the good stuff dream) go after Herbert
I have been pounding the table for KOC to give the offense to the offensive coordinator. If you don’t have an OC you can trust to run the offense, then get one. KOC’s job should be to run the team, not one side of the ball.
Don’t understand all the metrics here, but when KOC had good QB play in 22 and 24, we were 8th and 9th in points scored respectively. Seems pretty good to me.
So far, only one QB has been able to run KOC’s system without simplifying it. It’s hard on both receiver’s and QB’s. KOC runs conversion routes on almost all the passing plays other than screens. For instance, a receiver is running a bench on the play call (10 to 12 yard out to the sideline) but if the DB is playing man, the route converts to an 8 yard comeback. This gets dodgy when the DB comes up looking like he’s playing man, but drops back into zone at the snap. The QB has to sort of read the receivers body language and try and figure out if he’s going to run the bench or the comeback. Multiply this times four routes, and every passing play can end up being a guessing game for all concerned.
I would say both Kirk and Darnold ran it pretty well.
You may recall that Jefferson mentioned in an interview they had simplified the offense with Darnold, which made it easier on everyone, including the receivers.
EXACTLY!!!! I think criticism of KOC is pretty funny. When he has a good QB he wins when he doesn’t, he doesn’t win (except this year). QB play is critically important. Yes, we have historically struggled to run the ball under KOC to the point where we should have just stopped trying. What was our Passing/EPA per play rank during that time period? Although its not listed we can agree it must be pretty high.
Seems to me like Wentz is a much better fit for this offense.
Agree.
I’ll upvote you. You, me, KFey, manly, Jackson have been making similar points for years. What we lack versus opponents with smoother offenses is the ability to get the play in quickly and give the offense time to make pre snap adjustments. Let’s just say…”Buffalo” or “Seattle”, team breaks huddle with 20 seconds on the play clock, pre snap adjustment, motion, etc complete well before 5 second mark…vs “Minnesota” we’ve seen it time and again the QB is breaking huddle at the 12 second mark, by the time the QB studies the cheat sheet on his forearm and motion completed we are at the 2 second mark. Obviously the defense knows the offense has to snap irrespective of snap count and they are going to be fully planted in the starter blocks to push the OL back.
They need an OC to eliminate this delay which is presumptively due to the workload of KOC plus the complexity of his playcalling. I guess it is Tuesday but I’ve only seen one QB able to get things organized with 10 seconds on the play clock, so it is not a Murray problem.
Somewhere MT is crying
https://x.com/profootballtalk/status/2114950399891480933?s=46
Seems a bit extreme?
Maybe to save a year of eligibility?
Was a pretty extreme hit, feel bad for the kid
So, he’ll be available for us to draft at 32 then, huh?
YES!!! At 32nd!!!
(we will trade down from 20th…..I kid, I kid!)
Is this the loser MT wants us to tank for?
Yes.
Only a loser if the Vikings draft him.
If he ends up on any other team he will do well.
True story!
We will see what this team is made of.
.576 record for opponants for us.
The next-toughest schedule belongs to the Bears (.563), with the Lions fourth in the NFL (.561) FTP are tied at 8th with 539.
Context is important.
Just having 4 games remaining against the NFCN tips the scales. It will look easier when the Packers and Lions keep losing.
When football was bad ass….
FTP!
That was awesome! LOL!
SKOL!
FTP!
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