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Vikings Discussion & Random Thoughts
What’s going on with the Bills offense? That’s two weeks in a row, I’m guessing our entire Pick ’em league got that one wrong. The Bears are currently peeing away the lead they built in the first half, I’ll be in bed before this one ends.
The NFL head coaching chaos officially begins for the 2025 season, as the Titans fired Brian Callahan. Any time you’re firing a head coach within the first 6 games of the season, the team should also fire the GM, because firing a head coach that early means the GM didn’t do his job in the offseason. There are rumors that Kevin Stefanski might be the next head coach to be fired, which is laughable considering that the Browns still employ Andrew Berry, the GM who showd Baker Mayfield the door, then signed the ridiculous Deshaun Watson deal.
Vikings and NFL News
From Fox9, Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell was non-committal on the Vikings starting QB on Sunday against the Eagles. Whoever is the least hurt, or if they’re both still broken, it’ll be Brosmer time.
The Vikings opened the practice window for Blake Cashman, per Vikings.com.
The Titans fired HC Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start to the season, per NFL.com.
Sports Illustrated wonders whether Kevin Stefanski will be the next head coach to be canned.
Newsweek shares rumors that the Ravens may be looking to trade Derrick Henry.
Mike Vrabel vented his frustration with NFL officiating after some questionable calls during the Pats-Saints, from NBC Sports.
Speaking of suspicious officiating….. The Chiefs were not penalized at all in their game against the Lions on Sunday night, per Sports Illustrated. Many Lions fans are claiming that the game was rigged, per the Hindustan Times (WTH is the Hindustan Times?).
Media Selection
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Tuesday… can’t you read?
Adam Amin, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver are on the call this weekend for Vikings-Eagles on FOX.
Must mute game.
‘Must mute game’
Aren’t they all?
Yeah…
mostly peaceful bounties, though
Bounties on federal agents of the US Govt and the Democrats aren’t saying jack. In fact, encouraging this type of behavior. Excuse the language, but what a sick group of mother fuckers.
Haven’t you heard.
It is both sides therefore it is ok when they do it. Duh!
You must remember I went to school when they still taught real math. 90% versus 10% may be both but hardly close to equal.
I was/am dyslexic and then they tried to force ‘new math’ down my throat, so math has never been my friend.
So in the end, I think the facts of the matter are, this team needed to carry McCarthy till he could stand on his own two feet. The O-line, the receiving corps, the system, the scheme, was all set up for him. All he has to do is not make bad mistakes, and make good throws on time.
I still think this is the case, and I think that’s how KOC sees it too. McCarthy isn’t going to carry the team initially. He’s going to run plays and try not to cock it up.
When McCarthy returns to the line-up that’s gonna be the plan. Just don’t cock it up.
I do agree with you on this.
I am also fine if coach decides to continue to start Wentz.
I want the team to win now, I really do. And I agree with people stating that Wentz has played better than JJ.
I still would rather see JJ.
See? Cognitive dissonance is real for me. Maybe I should be a democrat…..
You’re not unreasonable… sometimes a little irrational, but not unreasonable. The Dems would just shoot you.
I see the standard QB talk is going on. I can solve the dilemma for everyone.
Have a great Tuesday!
Bad logic. Start the lesser of the two QB’s because why? Hello? You play to win the game. You play the guy that gives you the best chance to win. Playing a guy to “develop” him cheats the team and the fans. “One day he’ll be good”, is not a reason to start a guy.
I rarely use logic when discussing QB’s. This is known.
That said, I still think with the O Line JJ played behind, we are lucky he is still breathing.
I’m playing JJ unless he is still not healthy.
The only guy missing from the O-line in front of him was Darrisaw. Yes Darrisaw is among the best LT’s the league, but the line wasn’t decimated until Wentz was playing.
The way Skule was playing, that’s huge.
I’ve been around and watched football for a long time. This term – QBOTF – seems sort of a recent times term.
What does a player do to earn that title?
Get drafted in the first round.
Yep. Vikings missed with Ponder and Teddy (RIP knee).
Trying again.
Biggest mistake this team made was hiring Rick. The H Walker trade is second IMO.
Gets drafted high, by a team that has had a revolving door at QB, and the GM and Coach will be married to that decision.
The last few QB’s that were drafted #1 overall, the head coach has been fired. I do not think that will happen here.
Penix and Maye both look improved over last season. That is showing the value of playing time.
Guess it’s my background in business and sports for that matter, always felt I had to earn what I got.
The term QBOTF has a bit of a person being “anointed” and I don’t like that. But again that’s just me.
You want to see him earn his position. That makes sense. I think the level of expectation placed upon JJ and the Coach to succeed sooner vs later is probably part of what is driving the decisions.
Level of expectation indeed. And putting that level too high is wrong and totally unfair to the individual.
That’s why to me, it is better for JJ and the whole team, to have reasonable expectations and don’t over sale it. Give the kid time to get where he needs to be.
All about selling shirts.
Gotta keep the hype train rolling.
This is true,
I threw two interceptions in my first two quarters of play as a junior. I sat the bench for three games, till the other guy got hurt. I played my ass off every single game after that. I was far from great, but I played as hard as I could every single snap.
Were they forced into play during the season because the QB1 went down or sucked royally, or were they the starter day one of their rookie season?
We need to play JJ, simply because we need to know what we have in him before the offseason…if he is struggling I (the almighty I, who has no skin in the game whatsoever) would think about drafting another QB in the offseason. Last I checked the only QB on the roster for 2026 is JJ, so we need someone to be QB2 anyhow.
He’s 22… we don’t need to play him to find out anything yet.
That’s one POV. One possible outcome of that scenario is that about the time he starts to perform consistently we need to sign him to the big $$$ second contract which limits the ability of the team to sign other good players which takes us on a roller coaster we are all familiar with.
Another possible outcome is that the game starts to slow down for him by next fall and we win the SB.
As you know, I was always a fan of one thing in particular with Kirk Cousins, and that was his durability. Guy balled out and played through pain. He was there for darn near every snap.
I agree with that.
He still sucks though….
I really point to all the young QB’s in the NFL that have come before McCarthy. Very few have had immediate success… i.e. in their rookie year. Even fewer have had sustained success, no matter how talented they are.
I maintain that NFL QB’s need a lot of work to become a really good, and competent player. Young guys can come out and make athletic plays, but that’s the sum total of their talent. They run around and make a play or two. Running an NFL offense competently is not about running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It’s understanding the play call, seeing the defense, and making very fast decisions.
I feel like we should keep Brandel at center over the lotion guy. He may not have as much experience playing center, but he does have a ton of experience in an NFL offensive line and in the offensive line meetings.
I think Kelly is done, so yeah, we need a starting center.
I would at least like to see him play next to Jackson, just to see how they work together.
Which one?
Brandel or the’ lotion guy’?
Brandel, we have seen lotion man play next to Jackson.
I agree he played well – but he’s also a pretty versatile/important depth piece to move around the line for need. I think his value is in his ability to play OG/OT – Jurgens needs work for sure – but I’m inclined to give him the job and save Brandel’s versatility – we’re likely to have additional injuries on the o-line given the year we’re in.
That said he played really well considering all things and if we can get Fries/Jackson back healthy that might be our best 5 given that it looks like Kelly is done.
I saw a video on Twitter where Alec Lewis who is a Vikings pundit, talked about McCarthy’s bad mechanics and footwork. While I know this is what NFL coaches look at to improve accuracy and consistency, I also know some guys don’t really fit that mold. Aaron Rodgers mechanics and footwork have always been criticized for instance. I obviously think better footwork and better mechanics will help improve accuracy and consistency, but in the end, the most important thing is what is going on between a QB’s ears. Tom Brady was about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 athletically comparatively speaking in the NFL. He was great because he knew what he was doing. He studied defenses hard, and he knew where he was going with the ball almost immediately post snap. He beat teams with his brain. As good as McCarthy is as an athlete, he has to get to that next level of QB play mentally.
I’m not worried about “next level” of play.
Id like to see if he can even stay healthy to play enough games in a season at this point.
Exactly, durability and recuperative ability are a concern.
The Most Important Ability is Availability.
We used to say at work ‘if you’re not here you can’t get the ob done.’ Dependability is a big deal.
That said, there is a part two – when here you must perform and being here is but table stakes.
When I worked in the fast food industry, I would ask the manager why so and so still had a job. The usual answer was we need bodies. I would tell them we don’t need bodies standing in the workers way.
It’s all about performance. If you’re not here, you can’t perform. If you’re here, you need to perform.
Yes, I did not like the fact that management was okay with people standing around 95% of the night, just because we needed them for 30-45 minutes during a rush. I would have rather found another gear during the rush than have some schmuck standing around for 3 of the slower hours.
I like that.
I hated it at the Prison when people called in sick on days when there was more work to be done.
Breaking down Canteen and passing it out, or laundry day, mass searches or a large intake. And they would brag about how it was ‘an effect use of a sick day’.
Well let’s look at this logically. Sam Darnold had all the talent in the world, but it took 7 seasons to start playing to his potential. Daniel Jones took 7 seasons to start playing to his potential too. Trevor lawrence is still working towards being great. Mahomes couldn’t read a defense till his 4th year.
Anyone who thinks McCarthy will be really good, really soon, needs to take a step back. It takes years.
I read your first post above and thought it was pretty logical. And really didn’t understand why someone downvoted it.
That said, i think this seven year thing is unfair to both Sam and Daniel given the bad circumstances they were playing in.
Now JJ, I have no idea how long it will take him to learn. But to that end. I’m not overly concerned with “really good” at this point. Will settle for adequate right now.
I think if you are on a good team, in a good system, three years might be the benchmark. Three years of meetings, practices, game film review, and studying defensive schemes. It takes a long time to get your brain around it all. In the NFL you have two seconds. After that bad things start to happen. Two seconds to see, understand, decide, and execute a throw. I love the after the fact play reviews of “experts”. They are looking down on the field, and studying the route combinations and defensive set for several minutes. “Look, the defense is playing quarters here. The offense is running a spread mesh concept, and he checks the ball down to the running back, instead of hitting the deep corner ball that’s open.” Yeah, that’s great when you aren’t about to get sacked 2 seconds into the play.
It’s hard to read defenses, and hard to get to right guy against that defense everytime. There are 4 to 5 options for the QB on most passing plays. That’s a lot of stuff to weigh and decide on in 2 seconds. We often see a ball that is thrown to a heavily covered guy as well. That’s because you can’t get to every route on a play in 2 seconds, and sometimes you just have take a chance, and get the ball out.
Cant get to 4 years if you are not on the field.
JJ won’t be the Vikings QB if it takes 7 years.
7 years and 4 different teams.
McCarthy is 22 years old. No need for him to start yet. He definitely has a LOT to learn, and he definitely can develop off the field, like Rodgers and Love did.
People get enamored with a guy because the media glorifies him. Darnold got all sorts of publicity, so did Daniels. They didn’t fail because of anything other than their own limitations in playing the position of QB in the NFL. It takes time. IF you are with a solid team, with a solid system, for several years, before you start, you can be great. If you aren’t, and get bounced around with different OC’s for years, it takes longer.
I think KOC will put McCarthy back out there for many reasons. I don’t think it’s particularly practical. Just my opinion.
I’m not enamored.
If he doesn’t play, he can’t improve.
I’m no expert on this, but would think there’s room for plenty of improvement that can be learned even when. not playing.
That is not true DE. As I’ve said, neither Rodgers nor Love played for three years. They were ready to play when they got their first starts. You absolutely learn and develop without playing.
After sitting for 3 years Rogers was not good his first year. The packers went 6-10. It took a full year of playing to be good.
This is why it is better to start JJ rather than letting him sit.
And Love didn’t look that great his first year starting, but the Packers were forced to pay him without really knowing what they had because they sat him.
Wow… talk about an untruth. Love became the starter in 2023. He completed over 64% of his passes for 4,159 yards, 32 TD’s and 11 interceptions. According to you Love “didn’t look that great” with these numbers.
Oh yeah, Green Bay went 9-8 that year, and beat Dallas in the WC playoff game.
Correct.
That is the norm for the first full year as the starter. Not great.
But they have to PLAY.
My whole point is that JJ hasn’t played.
And I’m concerned he is never going to be a full time starter.
Rodgers was pretty damn good his first year. He had 8 games in fact where his play was exceptionally good, and another 3 where he personally played well enough to win. The Packers could have won 11 games that year.
Peaceful settlers looking for a better life.
Believe it was the PM of Australia who was confronted with something like this few years back. His response went along these lines as I remember.
‘ We have 10 or 12 very good religions in our country. We don’t need another one. If you think this is not enough, you should migrate to another country.’
And yet, Australia has a Muslim problem, like all the Western world. Muslims are definitely making the push to take over the world in the name of Allah. Very dangerous times right now. This is not a fight that is brewing. It is here.
Even Richard the Lionhearted couldn’t get the job done.
Ice isn’t in charge of ‘Revoke any protected status they have. Cancel their visas’.
Trump has done those things but the courts have held them up while the cases work their way to the Supreme Court.
Habeas corpus
All they are saying is “God is most great”. Is that bad?
It is when your “great God” allows you to rape, murder, and enslave “non-believers”.
Oh we are talking about the Crusades now.
Doing battle in a war, is one thing. Especially a religious war to seize the Holy Land back from the Muslims who conquered it. I fail to understand people who use the Crusades as some sort of proof Christianity is bad. Islam is a conquering religion. A religion that condones rape, murder and enslavement in the modern world.
Nice try though MT.
Meh, as an atheist I think there are bad people and good people that practice every religion, just like there are bad people and good people that practice atheism.
All the gentlemen are doing in that clip are chanting God is most great, which sounds okay to me.
As I said… their God condones rape, murder, and enslavement. That is NOT good or peaceful. It is a war chant.
Sorry, I don’t believe that the Islamic religion condones Muslims to rape, murder, or enslave. Some may twist the words of the Quran to suit their beliefs but my cursory review is that their God is the same as the Christian God, with the exception of the view of the Holy Trinity.
Islam absolutely condones it. You need to listen to some of the Imams who openly profess this. Then maybe you will “believe”.
The issue is the fundamentalists of most religions become zealots that condone killing anyone of a different faith. Thinking GOD wants them to cleanse the world.
god can send another flood if he wants. Let him handle it.
Islam is the most extreme currently. Looking at the Muslim nations and the way humans are treated for violations of what we would think are minor infractions is very sobering.
China took out god, and things did not really get much better.
I do not have the answer, I can just point out that allowing the Fundamentalist Muslim faith to change policies in America is not going to end well for anyone.
I’m just going to point out I’m a secularist, so believe Church and State must be separate.
Yeah, I am NOT okay with the spread of any religion that holds a primary objective of killing all non believers.
Buddhists are probably one of the few non-warmongering faiths.
Not a fan of the Muslim faith.
Don’t get me started on the Catholics….
Which God?
But it’s the second part that’s troubling.
”Death to America!”
Next step,
Listening to this guy. I wonder – if America is so bad and so rotten, why are you here? Why migrate here, go to Russia or China or someplace else.
They came to conquer us, not assimilate.
Go to China and conquer them!
Russia could use some military aged males.
Russia will work too!
More proof that I live in the stupidest place in America….
Make it happen
I’m confused…we are currently in daylight savings time. Are they saying that once we switch to standard time here in a month or so we won’t switch to daylight savings in the spring?
I believe we would stay where we are now and not switch so sunset is later in the winter.
We are currently in daylight savings time.
So he should be saying, “keep daylight savings time permanent “
Yeah, I have no idea who the guy is that shared Trump’s tweet, but in general people, especially on the internet are dumb.
And as to Trumps point, it will be darker sooner in the summer and light at 4am if no change is made.
The summer would be the same as it is now and sunset would just be an hour later in the winter.
I would be okay with this.
Yes, I believe that is what they are trying to say, without explicitly stating that we will abolish standard time.
So we are having the toughest schedule in the NFL after the bye? Poopeaters, for one, will surely be p*ssed after losing 2 in a row…
Curious how we’ll look coming out of the bye, can’t afford our usual slump if we want to make the playoffs.
The Loins just finished with the Chiefs and have coming up Tampa, Us, at Redskins, and then at Poopeaters. Not exactly easy.
#nojinx
Good news…
yes he’s a missed tackles MACHINE
It’s a special gift.
At least he’s the best at something.
Undersized.
@Cut him@
Indianapolis and Tampa have the two best records in the NFL.
No team seems really dominant at this point.
Though I think the Chiefs are the strongest at 3-3.
So far, every team has shown that they can look like garbage on any given Sunday. 6 games down so preseason is now over, it should be interesting to see who is any good!
I’m correcting a statement yesterday which was if we get out act together we can go to SB. Correction – we can WIN the SB.
Live look at JR….
We can, but we need more than a 6 point outing from the offense every game. We need to score at least 24 points IMO to make us hard to beat. KOC is working with a vet who is still learning the play calls, much less running the offense at a high level, and a 22 year old that really isn’t good at running the offense yet either. O-line has been the biggest issue on the team though. Hopefully that will be better as we get guys back this week.
Look around, every team has problems. And since they really don’t give it to you, the team that wins will overcome its problems better than the rest.
The Bills looked very bad last night. Their offense especially. The defense allowed that one big 81 yard run for a TD by Robinson, but other than that played pretty well. Allen and the offense just didn’t have it though. I kept waiting to see the big play from them, but nada, nothing. Is Allen past his prime already? Hmmmm?
I wonder if Atlanta is a little better than everybody thinks?
Our loss to them doesn’t look as bad now. That was still a shitty game, though.
Dog shit shitty for sure.
Driving to Williston & Tioga today, should be mostly a peaceful day on the road,
Mostly peaceful… laughing
Peaceful until I get to Williston, Williston is not peaceful.
Thankfully, I only have three inspections there. My time there should be minimal.
Well be safe GF. Don’t want to miss out on your future bike jumping antics.
I might write a book on it
There I was… facing my destiny… just me, my bicycle, and the ramp…
Crazy to think that I haven’t been to Williston in 28 years, despite living not too far away. My first and last time visiting Williston was to stop at WalMart immediately after that interview they conduct at the border after you get married, to get my “green card”, where they ascertain whether it is a marriage of convenience or a sham.
We had planned to spend most of my third year of medical school there as part of the rural opportunities in medicine (ROME) program at UND but they would not let us keep our dog in the offered housing.
Of course, that was all before the Bakken exploded.
Peaceful
It says 3 comments. I count 2. The third one is mine but it has disappeared.
Now it is back. Weird.
I saw your comment.
Logged in and it went away.
My bad….
1st
FTP
Skol
FTE
Good morning, SKOL!
FTP!
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