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Vikings Discussion & Random Thoughts
Being a fan is a rollercoaster ride. You have slow climbs that lead to free falls that transform into twists, turns, inverts, and everything else to get your adrenaline pumping. You put up with the boring climbsbecause you know your wait will be rewarded with exhileration. So far this season, it feels like the Vikings are a rollercoaster car that is not even completely on the rails. Everything runs as clunky as an old wooden rollercoaster, the fun parts aren’t quite as fun and the brutality of the ride makes you forget that any of it was any fun at all. I hope a healthy J.J. McCarthy return will light a spark on the offense, because they sorely need one. Let’s hope some offensive linemen get healthy as well, and let’s hope we never get hit this hard with injuries again.
How many regular-season wins do you think the Vikings will finish with in the 2025 season?
- 7 or 8 (48%, 12 Votes)
- 6 or fewer (40%, 10 Votes)
- 11 or more (8%, 2 Votes)
- 9 or 10 (4%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 25
Loading ...Vikings and NFL News
From ESPN, I’m sure you’ve already heard this, but Carson Wentz is having season-ending shoulder surgery. KOC is getting some heat for playing a guy who was obviously injured and in pain, and deservedly so. I have a ton of respect for Wentz and for staying in there for the team, but KOC deserves criticism for allowing Carson to continue, in my opinion. They allowed him to play for 2 and a half games with a torn labrum and fracture in a shoulder socket bone or something. Wentz is tough as hell.
From Vikings.com, the Vikings placed Wentz on IR and signed TE Ben Sims.
The Chiefs beat Washington 28-7 last night on Monday Night Football, NFL.com has details.
The Ravens expect Lamar Jackson to play on Thursday against the Dolphins, per ESPN.
From CBS Sports, the Steelers are signing WR Marquez Valedes-Scantling to provide some depth at the WR position. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the WR played with Rodgers in Green Bay years ago.
Media Selection
I haven’t watched this one yet, but It’s next on my list.
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I saw a report that the Vikings have reportedly reached out to the Giants on the availability Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
They prefer Winston but the Giants have no plans to trade him currently.
I call fake news/clickbait.
Potentially
I saw those too. Winston is at least good for a laugh and eating a couple Ws…
‘eating a couple Ws…’
Well he is still hungry as there is not a lot of meat on those crab legs.
I was so excited to see JJ McCarthy play this year. Now I just hope he continues to develop and doesn’t get hurt again.
Lots of folks expected to see McCarthy do some good things this season. I did. Right now he’s still a question mark though. The offense doesn’t look good, and I’m not talking about the QB position necessarily. O-line has been very bad IMO.
An almost rookie QB and a bad O-line rarely turns out well, but I haven’t given up on JJ yet.
Yeah, the jury is out on McCarthy. I’ve never seen him on a team that didn’t carry him. I wonder if he has the ability to lead an offense with his arm and brain against NFL defenses. I don’t know if he can do that yet. I am hopeful he will progress/evolve normally.
This is the 4th year with KAM and KOC. There has always been this somewhat established unwritten rule in the NFL that unless you give a new regime 5 years at the helm, you’re not giving them a chance. So far this year though, I’d say we are regressing. We seem a little worser suddenly.
Yeah, I don’t trust Kwesi’s “draft horribly and sign injured players” strategy. Who has he hit on in the draft? Addison and Reichard?
You can make your own judgements, but here are the 29 draft picks KAM has made, with someone else’s opinion of them.
did everyone go back to the DN to live in Lifer’s safe place? Lol that’s an old reference
DN and Lifer…two names I have not heard in a long time.
they are still pansies over there.
and so is lifer
STUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Wasn’t he banned over there?
Maybe. He is often unhinged.
Hello
Hey stu, how goes it?
I’m back baby
it goes
Do you live in Fargo, stu?
Haha. I was just wondering if the MVFC, and particularly NDSU, were ever going to let other conferences/teams compete in the FCS.
1st and a 4th for Kirk Cousins!
And another fully guaranteed $35 million in 2026.
That’s the only way Kirko accepts.
More guaranteed money beyond 2025.
Nope, need to add some guaranteed money to 2027 or no deal.
I’ve made a decision.
Pizza rolls for supper.
Yes, I’m a billionaire.
🔨
Love Pizza rolls !
What are pizza rolls? Are they like hot pockets?
c’mon Doc you know better
I do not, truthfully. I mean I could google what they are but what’s the fun in that. PS it has been 20 years since I ingested a hot pocket. Oh man we ate a lot of those in med school poverty.
they are like little baby hot pockets
Yes, but they are bite size.
bite size lava nuggets
This is true.
While also being frozen at the same time
Apt description.
More like bites sized hot pockets.
I decided I am a good husband for hauling my wife to doctor appoints all day, so bought myself a bunch of donuts as a reward.
More of me to love, babe…
Melt up, every day. The people that say average yearly return is 7-8% are boomers. It’s like 12+% now. Bad news is good news, good news is good news, no news means we go up as well.
Important to diversify, now and in the past. Sooner or later other sectors jump ahead. I’ve had to rebalance my portfolio three times this year because of the equities jump.
What is an equity?
Some sort of woman’s sufferage thing?
Yes.
Lions like Cover 1 man under…
I’ll end my day with, Wentz is a grown ass man, if he was too hurt to play he should have said something. It isn’t on the coach to read his mind.
He could barely throw the ball in practice after the Steelers game. The coaches knew exactly how hurt he was.
Yet, Wentz kept telling the coaches he was good. If this was youth football, I would agree, it is 100% on the coach. Wentz is a professional athlete, and should know if he is able to continue on or not.
I think you’re way overplaying this hand JV. If you watch the starter “lobbing” balls in practice, and grabbing his ribs after every throw… he’s not fine. Clearly. If your starting QB is playing with his left arm in a sling brace, he’s not fine. If the doctors tell you he has a torn labrum, and fractured socket, he’s not fine. Wentz didn’t say he was fine at all BTW. He said it was just pain, and he could deal with pain.
And all of this, is why I said go with either JJ or Brosmer. But, I was told Wentz gives us the best chance to win, by someone.
What you were told specifically was the offense was more productive under Wentz. That was totally, and factually true. Also, KOC started Wentz, as badly injured as he was, over McCarthy and Brosmer.
Not just Wentz, but the doctors as well.
I feel good, coach!
And two minutes later he is on the sideline laughing it up with McCown.
oh THAT pissed me off
Seemed to perk up right after he pulled out a mirror, $100 bill, and a little vial of white powder.
I agree that Wentz wanted to play.
So it’s up to Wentz to say yah or nah.
He chose to play.
Yeah because the same people that dislike everything he’s done would definitely not call him selfish or weak for taking himself out of the game…. c’mon guys – players will always want to play and tough it out for their squad, coaches need to make those tough decisions for him. Heard it 1000 times in my 39 years “if it was up to him he would be playing but we also need to do what’s best for him and the team long term”
Wentz isn’t part of the long term plan. He was simply, as I said last week, a sacrificial ginger, er lamb.
Correct… the organization doesn’t care about the players at all. They’re just meat.
I am not much a conspiracy theorist (Except the 2020 election was stolen).
I think JJ has been too hurt to play effectively the last 2 weeks.
High ankle sprains are not fun.
I think the coaching staff still has faith in JJ.
I guess what I am saying is I believe KOC.
I can buy that…the maths are confusing…ankle reported at 95% on Thursday, approximately 40 days after he was injured in mid September…so should definitely be at 100% ten days later. If not, then either 95% number is incorrect or…McFragile™.
I’m not up KOC’s ass for not dressing McCarthy. I’m up his ass for continuing to trot Wentz out there when he was ineffective, hurt, and facing insurmountable odds to lead the team to victory.
I am still laughing at ” McFragile™ ”
I want him to play well, but the name certainly fits so far.
Still, in the situation we were in, you gotta play Brosmer then. You don’t trot a guy out there that is clearly hurt and poorly functioning when you have a 3rd option. Otherwise, why is Brosmer even on the team? Just to learn? Are we concerned he’s gonna get stolen on the practice squad?
As we get ready to play the Lions, we should look at what Detroit is doing on defense this year. The Lions have 23 sacks in seven games, tied for the third-most in the NFL.
The Lions own a collective pressure rate of 38.8 percent, good for 12th in the league. They’ve done that while blitzing 23.5 percent of dropbacks, which ranks 18th, so they’re winning with a four man rush a lot. When they do blitz, the Lions are 10th in pressure rate at 49.2 percent, and their defensive success rate of 54.9 percent when blitzing ranks 11th.
Overall, the Lions are pretty good at getting to the QB.
Hutchinson is the real deal….He is going to be a problem even if our O-line is healthy.
This Sunday is going to be awesome!
Here’s another off the wall thought. It comes a little from my baseball background which I’ll skip.
KOC he known as a great GB coach, He took Cousins from like a B Plus to A Minus QB. Took a scrub like Mullens and made a very serviceable replacement. And look what he did for Darnold and even Jones some.
Great record. But there’s one characteristic here. These were all seasoned QB’s very well versed in the NFL game. KOC took them all to a higher level.
Now he has a rookie with no experience to “coach up.”
Actually makes sense. He lived it, so he is being very patient. How long before things start to click for McFragile is still to be determined.
JJ may die first.
So one “disappointment” I have is with Thielen. First, they aren’t using him much, and second, he has a couple bad drops.
Some of us called out that bad trade and him being washed up. I know we didn’t give up much, but his contract and the draft pick/picks weren’t worth it to this point, that’s for sure.
Yeah, that whole return on investment thing. Of course he probably boosted merchandise sales, so…
Good point, I didn’t think about jersey sales. lol
Here’s my theory on the JJ and Wentz situation. Based a little on sports and business.
Overall, they miscalculated the situation.
They thought KOC could coach up anyone and he had JJ ready to go.
Then we played the first two games and oh shit, JJ ain’t ready at all.
Thus Wentz and at first pretty good but he gets hurt and starts to slide.
But they’re in kind of no where land at this point.
Wentz hurt, JJ not ready (not just his health)
But now there hand is forced.
I think they were being extra cautious with JJ because he is young and they don’t want him to develop bad habits while protecting an injury and Wentz was playing “good enough” for them. Wentz and the doctors said he was good enough to play so they went ahead with Wentz starting. I thought they would pull him much sooner than they did, but I have a feeling that Brosmer isn’t that good or they at least don’t have a lot of confidence in him, yet. Either way, JJ will be playing this week and we’ll see how it goes. As long as there is improvement through the remainder of the season and he looks NFL capable at least, I’ll take it.
This is big business and a lot it at stake – like reputations of the GM and his drafting. After that Atlanta game, if they put him out again and he plays like that again, lot of eyes would be rolling. Maybe it’s from listening to all you guys here, he looked totally unprepared to me. In his first two appearance to me he looked worse than Jaren Hall did in his first two. And he has had a year and a half and all summer with the firsts.
So it will be interesting to see.
The Vikings offense has the highest sack rate per game in the NFL (suffering 4 per game).
At least we’re leading the league in something…
i’d love to see where we rake on defense with sack rate
I think we’ll set some franchise records by the end of this season. Now, they won’t be good records, but records nonetheless.
Only 4? I would have guessed 5-6.
28 through 7 games.
I’m not questioning the stats, just that it seemed like more.
reading some of the stuff below…
writing articles about how KOC and co aren’t all kumbaya and “fun” right now…
winning obviously makes everyone happy and losing obviously makes everyone mad.
is journalism so bad now that they have to act like KOC isn’t happy anymore and they don’t know whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
just win, and everyone is happy. there. article written. pay me please
Check’s in the mail.
perfect timing, i’m closing on my house in 2 weeks
The gal we bought a farmstead from is still finding excuses to pop out there every day or two. Today she told my wife she was trying to get into the shop to give the barn cat more food (the shop is locked – by me).
Me to the barn cat – go find a new barn, buddy. Life isn’t all ice cream and fireworks.
It would run away really fast if you tied one of those fireworks you’re talking about to its tail.
Haha. The former owner is just being a little creepy. Among other things, she said the barn cat stayed with the property. That’s great, but I ain’t feeding a friggin barn cat.
You can always tell the character of a person by the way they treat animals….just saying.
I did not agree to care for the cat. If she wanted the cat cared for, she would have taken it with her, given it vaccinations, etc.
If you purchased a home and the owner said the boa constrictor stays in the basement, I guess some people would feel they needed to feed live mice to the boa.
I also don’t waste time trying to care for the birds, deer, antelope, coyotes, foxes, etc on my place.
Who feeds a GD barn cat?!?
It’s a barn cat.
Plenty of mice and other vermin around to feed that thing.
🔨
Killing that stray cat will save countless pheasants, grouse and tweety birds so really he would be doing good.
Yes you can. Some people treat animals like they are people. That show’s their character. They are so dumb they can’t tell the difference.
If we were winning with Wentz, would everyone still be upset with KOC playing him with an injury? Remember the training staff and Wentz himself were saying he was good to go.
You’re not going to win with a QB that injured, so your hypothetical doesn’t work.
I would say he was injured because we weren’t playing very well…so chicken or the egg?
Childress sent Favre out on one foot in the NFCCG against the Saints. As it turned out, he had a fractured ankle.
Did Childress know Favre had a fractured ankle? Remember, Wentz suffered the rib injury against the Steelers and it was known. He suffered the shoulder separation, labrum tear, and socket fracture the next week against the Browns, and it was known.
And like I have been saying the last 3 weeks, Wentz should never play football again. Yet some wanted to keep playing him, as long as he felt good enough to play.
WE didn’t know he had a fractured socket and torn labrum in his shoulder, now did we? And even with those severe injuries (and bad ribs) WE pointed out the fact that he still out-produced McCarthy. I don’t know why McCarthy wasn’t in there playing under these circumstances that have now come to light. Seriously. You’re telling me KOC felt a badly injured Wentz gave us a better chance to win than a gimpy McCarthy? Sad.
Yeah, or like many were saying, there was a third option (Brosmer). He might not have been good, but he was 100% healthy. Is he strictly a clipboard holder? Sean Mannion level bad?
This backwards to me.
If this were couple of years back with an inexperienced backup and say Cousins was the starter. He gets all banged up, even affecting his throwing some. but says I want to go. Then I would understand.
But this is the backup all torn up, can’t throw, and the starter is sitting there at 95%. Wouldn’t even be a choice.
Get the starter out there.
What’s to even think about.
JJ was not an option after the game started. When Wentz started getting beat up, your two options were to believe the training staff and Wentz and let him play or put in Brosmer.
Not the point. Wentz shouldn’t have even been out there. The two rookies should have been dressed,
KOC, he’s the HC and can play any QB he chooses.
Just a few days earlier, putting aside injuries, how many throws did Wentz miss against the Eagles.
I believe you were on here posting about all his inaccurate throws. Do you think KOC couldn’t see that. Cost us 2 TD’s maybe.
And so just a couple of days later, you trot him right back out there.
Who’s the damn starter? And if he’s at 95% why isn’t he out there. His arm is fine.
This is what I was saying two weeks ago and you and NLNVF told me that Wentz should be our guy going forward. You guys can’t have it both ways in hind sight.
No I didn’t. Can’t remember what NLV said. I said he didn’t play that badly especially given the circumstances – didn’t know about labram and should socket. I should have praised him more had I known all the injuries.
What we said was, the offense was more productive under Wentz. We both said we were concerned about Wentz’s ribs, and also his shoulder. We discussed these injuries at length because others on the site seemed to think Wentz wasn’t hurt that badly, and McCarthy still needed to heal. We weren’t really buying that though.
100% yes I would be upset. Winning or losing has nothing to do with it (for me). I’m appalled with the optics of him writhing on the field and with the excuses KOC pulled out of thin air.
Were upset that Childress kept sending Favre out to face the Saints with a broken ankle?
I do not recall Favre writhing on the field (he may have, I just have not watched that game in over a decade), I do not recall that he had not just x-rays but advanced imaging during the game diagnosing the injury (ditto), and I do not recall the coaches making excuses after the game that they wanted to pull him but he refused, the backup was too green, etc, nor do I recall being down by three f’ing scores.
Get out of here with that revisionist stuff. No one is going to make me feel okay about the shitshow I saw on Thursday. I’ll even show you on the doll where it touched me.
I felt bad for him until he rolled around in pain and then was standing on the sideline throwing a tablet around with the “bad” arm and joking with McCown. I felt like I was watching Rhodes get burned deep.
This may not age well, but I think the Vikings come out and stun the Lions on Sunday. I will not be placing any wagers, but I have a feeling about this game. But then again, I’ve had a lot of feelings about games that completely went sideways, just go look at my picks in Pickem.
It’s the law of “the Vikings have to keep their fans holding onto hope until their hearts are ripped out in the end”.
I agree, this is the perfect game to do just that again this season.
They always get blown out or lose a game or two they shouldn’t and win one nobody saw coming. Not to mention division games are always funky.
Exactly
I’m happy for you, that you are in a bright and sunshiny place.
JJ will come back and lead them to victory, silencing doubt for at least a week and people will only be complaining that he didn’t come back sooner.
I thought you wanted JJ out sooner. Bitching up a storm, raising hell with NLV, about how Wentz sucked with all those bad throws against the Eagles.
I absolutely wanted JJ healthy and back on the field sooner. Defending KOC for listening to the doctors and Wentz going into the game after they had already decided JJ was not going to play is separate from thinking JJ is the future. I would like nothing more than to see JJ on the field for every offensive snap for the remainder of the season.
Oh, I think we’ll see him on the field…
This makes no sense, I played in college and virtually no one after a game or two was at 100%.
JJ at 95% couldn’t go out there and play better than. Wentz as banged up as he was. If he couldn’t, we’ve got a big problem.
This is really the case.
This is why you shouldn’t do drugs.
KOC is digging in…
Digging in, indeed. Hope to see KOC countermand the eye in the sky and “independent on the field medical analysis” of concussion protocol in the near future, gotta honor the QB’s desire to play despite risk of future CTE.
Since your response is at the bottom below, I figure I would respond here.
I don’t think the Vikings should be punished.
The point I am making is that it seems to be a case where if the NFLPA is worth their salt to the players, you would think this incident is a springboard for them to protect the players they claim to represent. Not so much in fining the Vikings, which they can’t make happen anyway, but for PR and future requirements on the next Union Contract.
But I have lost a little respect for KOC on this.
He should have just went with Brosmer imo.
Like it or not, the optics of the NFL focus far more on player safety in 2025 than they did even five years ago. Also, like it or not, the Vikings are one of those teams that boast about doing what is right for their players, being the “good guys” of the league.
Tossing a guy out there, willing or not, with a broken glenoid, torn labrum, and shoulder dislocation is every bit as bad as letting a concussed zombie keep playing. Add to that they kept playing him against PHI and LAC when the game was clearly lost.
I’m not going to blame KOC when Wentz had to say he could play and the doctors had to have said he could play. KOC is not a doctor and has no ground to stand on to second guess what a doctor says.
But any idiot with eyes could see that playing him was a bad idea. So it is on him.
Wentz could not throw the ball with conviction after his rib injury against the Steelers. In London they said he was “lobbing” the ball in practice, then grabbing his ribs. Then he gets his shoulder separated with a cracked socket and torn labrum in the first half against the Browns. There is no way that he was throwing the ball without significant pain after that, and everyone on the team knew it.
Wentz said he was fine and the team doctors said he was fine. It’s easy to sit here now and second guess it, but I’m not going to put it on KOC that Wentz started. Should Andy Reid be fired as well for playing somebody with a torn labrum all season too? Shanahan probably should have been fired a couple of years ago as well for playing Kittle with a torn labrum.
Laughing… Bow that is just ridiculous in the extreme.
It’s the truth. It is not KOC’s sole decision and KOC is not a doctor. Why should he think the doctor’s are wrong?
No he’s the HC and suppose to be good at evaluating QBs. Do you suppose he watched all those errant throws against the Eagles?
Hard to get TDs in redzone when you QB can’t hit the receiver with the ball.
OK, but if he listened to the doctors and they said Carson was healthy enough to play and his only other option was Brosmer, then maybe the undrafted rookie just isn’t good enough to play in the NFL, at least right now. They can see promise in Brosmer that he could develop into a backup in the future and also think he isn’t ready to step foot on an NFL field.
The doctors told him Wentz had bad ribs and a torn labrum with a cracked shoulder socket. In practice Wentz could barely throw the ball. So KOC decides even with all that, he can’t put McCarthy or Brosmer out there. Seriously?
And I was crucified by you for saying Wentz should not be playing in either the Eagles or Chargers games. We should have been starting Brosmer. You and JRob both were emphatic that Wentz was our guy going forward.
I never crucify anyone here. I said the offense was clearly more productive under Wentz. That’s just factual data. What we discussed was KOC’s decision to start Wentz over McCarthy, when Wentz was clearly hurt, and McCarthy didn’t look hurt as he jumped up and down on his ankles in practice.
You bring up a good point. Was Wentz seen by a doctor or was this handled by training staff? Assuming a doctor did sign off on him playing in that harness with a broken shoulder and torn labrum on his non dominant shoulder…I bet they are sweating a little bit with the reports coming out.
I’m trying not to think of it but keep getting intrusive thoughts, so may as well air it out.
I’m sorta getting Bradford vibes, as in when Teddy went down and we traded a 1st and 4th.
I’m a little on tenterhooks waiting to see what the Vikings do for a third QB (clearly an item of need given two QB’s were injured by week 5). I’m hoping they just sign some bargain bin vet to run the practice squad.
Realistically, I expect us to lose in Detroit. At that point, you are down to two or three more losses and you have no chance of making the playoffs. Therefore, my fervent hope is we don’t try and buy high for some vet that will have no hope of elevating the team to a playoff level.
Just sign ‘the best of what’s left’ to be QB3.
I don’t mind a 7th rounder if it gets a slightly better one that might have a little familiarity with KOCs system.
KOC’s system…
I think Rypien is a free agent still.
A half decent option given the mess we find ourselves in.
Yeah, I hope they don’t do something idiotic like pay a bunch for someone to “save the season”. But, knowing Kwesi, they probably will, at least just to signal that they “haven’t given up on the season” to the fans.
At this point in the season, I would be surprised if they brought in a high cost QB. We are almost to the point where we want to lose in order to get a better draft pick next year.
Tank for Arch Manning!
I was thinking, trade the number 2 pick for a few 1st rounders and get a very good CB and Center.
Except Kwesi will use those picks to draft busts lol.
Flash forward to the week before the draft – Vikings actually either sucked enough or traded the farm for the #1 pick.
“You know, I finally realized that I was playing football not for me, but for the Manning name. I’m officially withdrawing from the NFL draft and will instead pursue my dream job – YouTube Influencer. Peace out, y’all.”
I don’t think Arch will be eligible this year.
Kwesi can trade first, second and third for someone like Andy Dalton.
“The numbers made sense,” Kwesi said…
“Joy and energy” fade quickly when you are losing and losing by a lot of points…
These reports come out every time there’s a team that does worse than they hoped. These are clickbait articles in my opinion. People want drama.
Of course there’s tension…they’re getting whooped. There had better be tension from a locker room unhappy with losing.
Agreed. Nobody in that facility should be happy or joyous about anything.
Go win some goddamn games if you want a reason to smile
“If things go South on Sunday”…
The ol’ “Vets, your seat is on the fire, you better impress or you’re gone” speech.
I think everyone knows the roster is going to be turned over next year due to the salary cap issues we’ll be facing. If we aren’t going to compete this year with all those contracts, might as well have a fire sale and get it over with.
Oh love it. This going cheap is great. Maybe we can start buying our uniforms at KMart.
Laughing…. maybe. We have the second worst cap space situation in the league next year at -$36.269M. That’s better than the -$61M we were at a few months ago, but we have a lot of work to do to get our fiscal house in order. I really thought this years team was going to win the Division and be a serious threat in the playoffs.
Sometimes, things just don’t work out.
Still not convinced you get better by getting rid of good more expensive players and replacing them with cheaper not as good ones.
And if the cheaper players are better, then I’m voting for Mandani and becoming a socialist.
Laughing… well I can’t see myself joining you there. I don’t pretend to know what the magic formula is when it comes to balancing the salary cap with bringing in sufficient talent to contend. Good players are gonna cost you money, and with salaries going North of $60M a year soon for a good QB, as well as North of $40M a year for a good receiver, I wonder how this will work out in the future. Salary cap is gonna need to be North of $400M soon I think.
Things will go south for sure. The Lions are a much better coached team.
This will go over like a whore in church.
I’m a bird in hand guy and freely admit it.
And I get the get a cheap QB and then spend all the money on the rest of the ;players. Like that article ND posted yesterday, we spent all this money on free agents to be QB resistant so to speak.
Well right now I’d take Sam with Ingram and Bradbuy. And I’d bet we’d have 5 wins right now.
Not hindsight, just take the bird in hand.
Hard to argue with that.
So fiscally, teams that can be successful with a young QB on a rookie contract make sense to most folks. The model is to build a really good team, then bring in a guy who just needs to be decent under center while he develops into the QBOTF. C.J. Stroud looked great his first year under this model. Then… he hasn’t been great.
I thought we did great with this years offseason additions, and I felt we had QB-proofed the roster. The O-line has been a problem with injuries to everyone but Fries so far though. Kelly gets concussed, then his backup gets injured, and we start Brandel at center. O’Neill gets injured. Jackson gets injured. Darrisaw is playing way before anyone expected him to be able to return from knee surgery. Addison out three games for stupidity. Hock hasn’t been utilized in the offense hardly at all, although I think he’s the highest paid TE in the league. Maybe because of the O-line injuries.
The team isn’t working out. It’s not in a good place. I think we’ve seen that the Division is walking away from us.
Everyone has injuries. Wasn’t the Chargers line all beat up too
We scored 6 points against the Falcons who got ass kicked by the Panthers and Dolphins. SIX points.
And on defense The Falcons ran all over us, The Eagles passed all over us, and the Chargers just did whatever they wanted.
And it did seem like Ingram and Bradbury did show up every week and play.
And this is the worst, since we are in the go cheap at QB mode, KOC and .Flores have forgotten how to coach.
Ain’t loving it.
Yep. I feel like the schemes are catching up to us on both sides of the ball. We aren’t being efficient on offense, and we’re getting trucked on defense.
Right now, I think Sunday is gonna be a bad day.
I think you forgot the “very” in bad day.
You bring up the other point, which is our defense has not had as many injuries as the offense but look bad. Not slightly bad, but bad. 3rd and long is practically a gimme now for the opponents. Outside runs, again practically a gimme.
Flores defense eliteness is simply an announcer soundbite.
That is fair. Sometimes you have to pivot from the plan if circumstances change.
Well.. I’m not surprised…
If someone else out there has the time or is better at research, I would be curious as to the largest odds line where the Vikings were underdogs and ended up winning in the last 10 years. I asked AI and it didn’t know….stupid AI.
I just don’t remember the Vikings pulling off many big upsets.
Since the game is in Detroit, I expect them to lose by a lot. I would not wager real money on it though.
They’re playing with taxi squad players in the secondary. Now, whether we can take advantage of that is another matter.
But our defense better get its act together or it will look worse than the Chargers game.
Everything says the Vikings should get blown out on Sunday, which the Vikings being the Vikings means they’ll win by 10.
Haha you wish. In this case, they lose by 14+.
Vikes will win a couple more by accident. The only way they win more is if JJ balls out…or Brosma for that matter.
Tough to see that happening, though. They are apparently so fragile that journeymen QBs have to sacrifice themselves to spare JJ and Brosma playing time…
Bwhahahaha! That sounds so dumb out loud! Vikings are clearly drunk, man. Go to the CFL, Vikes. You are not a pro team…
‘Go to the CFL, Vikes. You are not a pro team…’
They don’t pay team/players in the CFL??
Granted it would only be in Canadian Monopoly Money.
Technically, you are correct, which is the best kind of correct!
Yeah, exactly. KOC wants to protect JJ and Brosmer’s feelings so much that he can’t play them because they might do poorly. KOC is dumb and not a good coach.
Meh, I still think he is a good to very good coach, that makes mistakes.
Killing Carson Wentz was a mistake for sure.
The team has committed to JJ, and he wants to make sure JJ is fully healthy.
He has not wavered since the injury. The team sees JJ as the long term solution. The interesting thing for me is the third QB situation. They need one, with this O line.
So now, we have two QB’s not three. Now we have to play McCarthy, even if that ankle is not healed. What if he tweaks the ankle again against the Lions? Now what? OK we put Brosmer into the exact same situation KOC said he didn’t want to place him in when he was backing up Wentz.
“The confidence that we have in Max Brosmer and the upside that we see in Max is real, but we also wouldn’t want to send him out there and force a level of trying-to-figure-it-outness that’s probably beyond a guy playing for the first time.”
Does KOC force McCarthy to keep playing injured, like he did with Wentz? Or does he put Brosmer in?
JJ is the chosen one. When he gets hurt (and he will) , Brosmer will be the next sacrificial lamb and will probably die behind this line.
This is why I am so intrigued to see whom they get as a QB3
More like the sacred child than the chosen one.
Oh hell, he’s got/had a sprained ankle – not like a broken collarbone or something. This is unreal for some damn reason – and I smell the front office.
He makes a lot of stupid decisions in big situations. People just tend to overlook it. He doesn’t adjust his playcalls to what the game requires. He makes head-scratching decisions on who he plays at times. We will never win anything with his mental weakness in charge.
You might compare him to what you think of Kirk Cousins. Waste of time.
That makes sense, and If the team fails to improve dramatically and get to an NFCCG in the next couple of years, I will come around to your way of thinking about coach.
Another dark place…I think if the Vikings play by CFL rules at Mosaic Stadium in Regina…they lose the game 3 out of 10 times.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/oct/27/is-it-true-that-hangovers-get-worse-as-we-age?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&user_id=66c4bb945d78644b3a943f21
I don’t know why GJ thought he needed to post that on this site……
Who is GJ??
Sorry, I was drinking too much Bailey’s this morning, drunk typing, I meant GF.
Now THAT is a good hangover cure. Irish coffee is even better.
Have to admire your dedication to morning drinking.
You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning.
Can confirm. getting older has caused me to dial back on things. Both food and booze.
Can confirm also but seems I forget it far too often.
Yeah, being on vacation in Florida did test me. I drank every day, and more than normal, but alternated with water so I had no hangover.
Food was overdone. I enjoy seafood and rarely get that at home. The wedding reception was held at Fins, a Venice restaurant with good food. So, appetizers first. That would have been enough. Then surf N turf. That was too much. I was awake until about 2 am since I was too full to sleep….
Been awhile since I have done that.
At least you overate on quality, healthy, tasty food and not cheap, pepperoni pizza or some such.
Unfortunately, or not, everyday I’m on vacation in Florida.
Someday for me. As soon as we got home, I started looking on Zillow. I think we are 4 or 5 years out. It will take time to convince my wife, but she loved the weather and beach as much as I do, and she loves golf. I tolerate golf.
This is for her then – golf everywhere.
And there’s an abundance of good houses at reasonable pricing.
I am trying to decide Gulf side vs East coast. Not sure where to look. Certainly Tampa area south all the way to Naples would be an option on the gulf side. Not familiar with the east coast of FL yet.
I used to feel the same way about the Gulf, but honestly the Atlantic side is just as good – Daytona Beach to Palm Beach.
There are hundreds of great communities on both sides.
We go a lot to Juno Beach which is between Jupiter and North Palm and it’s sensational. Very residential with not much commercial – wonderful public beaches and down to earth places to eat.
Is your wife by any chance single??
Not yet. She had not figured out that she could easily upgrade.
I am not telling her.
Shoot, just staying up until 1 am sans EtOH is enough to make me groggy the next day. Add a couple of beers to that and I’m done.
The optimist in me selected 9-10 wins. But I am not really going to be surprised if the win total is 6. They could improve if the O line made of glass suddenly is healthy, AND JJ plays and does not suck. Either way, I get to see JJ play for a few minutes this Sunday before Hutch kills him.
I wonder who the emergency QB is? That is the most pressing question I have today.
I think they’ll turn it around. Too much talent to be this shitty.
Agree, too much talent to keep playing this poorly.
Cam Akers looked pretty good with that throw to Oliver.
He could certainly be the emergency QB.
I think that if the O Line does not improve quickly, you may as well play Cam once JJ gets hurt and Brosmer is murdered. You can maybe bring the wishbone offense back.
Kevin O’Connell on Oct 23:
“The confidence that we have in Max Brosmer and the upside that we see in Max is real, but we also wouldn’t want to send him out there and force a level of trying-to-figure-it-outness that’s probably beyond a guy playing for the first time. That was kind of where the decision was to continue to go with Carson as long as Carson felt like he was healthy enough to keep playing and the medical team as well.”
Save that young guys ego… that’s important. Don’t want him going out there and having a tough time, and hurt his feelings or self worth.
I generally support KOC, but no way on this one. That is bullshit and Wentz should not have been on the field. Now if you’re worried about poor Max’s ego, put Boy Wonder out there since e’s at 95% – lot healthier than Wentz by a mile.
Vikings are going full stupid. None of this makes any sense. The narrative is that the Vikes got destroyed in a primetime game so Wentz could be a warrior and spare the other QBs is…silly to an extreme.
Are the other QBs not earning paychecks? Did they not make the team to play? It doesn’t add up.
I have also heard Wentz knew it was his last hurrah and wanted to stay in. Again…is this a pro team or the Make A Wish Foundation. You put the best players on the field to win. People paid for tickets.
It all smells weird to me.
I’m going to dark places, like McFragile™ prostrate in the coach’s office begging not to have to go in behind the shite OL.
I fully support going to dark places. That is what message boards are for. Have fun with it, I say!
koc was flat out wrong and an idiot for what he did to the team and to wentz, letting him continue to go out there.
perhaps thats what mccown and wentz were laughing about on the sideline, both knowing they won’t be here next year and that it’s insane koc continues to trot wentz out there to get absolutely murdered.
poor Uriah i mean Wentz
Damn did KOC lay with Wentz’s wife?
i believe it was wrenage that floated that idea last week. and it made sense
Yeah, it’s not like he’s an adult that can understand the situation and that he’s probably not going to win the game, he can just sling it with little-to-no consequences…. Sounds like a tough mental situation. Yikes, KOC. Just dumb.
I think he is only talking about why Wentz started the game, not why they didn’t pull him sooner.
Either way…. He is a professional QB. Play the game. If he’s that mentally fragile, he’s not gonna have what it takes to play in the NFL.
Man that is one of those sweet tone deaf statements if ever I’ve heard one. Icing on the cake would have been losing Jefferson to a season ending injury on one of those frisbee throws.
Wentz is waiting for the birth of his fourth child (imminent) before he undergoes shoulder surgery.
I hope KOC isn’t her birth coach, he’d trot her out to play MLB while in labour.
18 innings in the World Series game 3. Crazy. Dodgers up 2-1 now.
Not sure who would stay up to watch a series that everyone and their mom knows is going to be won by the New York Yankees of the West.
I still have a tiny glimmer of hope…
Obviously rooting for the Jays with you
i made it to inning 15 but then died
Ohtani was 4-4, plus 5 walks (WS record of 9Xs on base in one game) and two Hrs.
Today he will pitch in game 4.
After the Wentz situation, maybe KOC will realize he is the head coach, not the OC.
That may be helpful
After the Wentz situation, the whole organization should come under well deserved scrutiny.
DE mentions below the Players Assoc is going to look into this. I’m usually sgainst anything unions do, but in this case it seems more than appropriate.
Preach. He needs to give up OC duties. But that would take losing the ego and admitting you might have too much on your plate to handle right now which, going off his inability to not run on 2nd and short or 3rd and short, isn’t going to happen any time soon.
Amen, brother.
GM
FTP
SKOL!
JJ and Brosmer probably both play, alternating between beatings.
Still preferable to an overpaid average to bad cast-off(kirk).
Happy Tuesday!
Joints hurt again….I miss Florida
BUT DIDNT YOU SEE THAT 4th AND 7TH DUMP OFF BEHIND THE STICKS?! 😱😱😱Hey hey, he didnt audible into that though, he’s just running the play thats called. 13 year vet not knowing or worrying about continuing a drive to stay in the game.
Kirk was never “average to bad” when he was here. Maybe now, and maybe in some games, but overall he was a good QB for the years we had him. Overpaid? Most would say yes. But yeah, having him now at that price tag would probably be rough. Though I at least miss his durability behind our crap O-line.
2018 Kirk was absolutely terrible in the two games I attended. Buffalo and Chicago. Worst NFL QB performance I have ever witnessed live.
And I saw Ponder play.
Kirk did improve the following years, and was normally top 15 with top 5 pay. The pay is an entirely different issue.
My point about Kirk is and always has been, that even when good, he was not good enough to overcome roster shortcomings caused by an idiot GM and also the limits placed on that idiot by overpaying Kirk.
Now he is Atlanta’s problem, and he showed Sunday, he is definitely average to bad.
Like I said, currently, you’re probably right. Though he hasn’t played much all season, so have to cut him some slack for that. Regardless, I agree with you it would be bad to have him now.
FTP.
And FTL.
And FTB
Oh, and FTS.
FTP Auto Rec.
And you forgot FTC. The Cowgirls deserve to be listed with the rest, oh and the poopeaters and the …..
I’d anticipate the NFLPA looking into the Vikings on playing Wentz.
Ultimately, players want to play, but this incident seems like a clear point where the Union takes a public stance.
JJ starts at Detroit?
Yes, they will for sure. Dude had a fracture in his orbital bone for 2.5 games according to the report? Yikes.
All while McCarthy @”wasn’t ready because his ankle was only 95% healthy”@?
I haven’t seen that the fracture has been there the whole time, but fracture can mean lots of things. Tiny crack from the labrum tearing with little risk of further damage would not be surprising for him to be ok’d to play.
I’m sure you watched the game. Virtually every passing play with a sack, he had to hold ball with right hand, and fell on his left shoulder taking entire weight of his body. You could see the pain on his face.
For whatever reason, you seem to be going out of your way to indicate this is just a normal thiing.
Should he have been pulled earlier in the game? Probably, but the hate towards the team and saying it was irresponsible for him to even play at all is a little too far. That is all I’m trying to say.
Wentz is not the first player to play with a torn labrum. He’s not even the first player this year to continue to play with a torn labrum.
It’s frankly disgusting and was even somewhat embarrassing as a Vikings fan to watch that bullshit.
I couldn’t care less what precedent there is for allowing a significantly injured player to continue, it is 100% on the training staff clearing Wentz to play, and the organization needs to clean house in that regard. Looking at the other sports rehabilitation miscues (McFragile™ ankle sprain 2-4 weeks to return, hauled to the UK for two weeks anticipating imminent return to play – now at six weeks and counting, O’Neill Van Gink Aaron Jones lingering on DNP or LP lists for weeks), something is rotten in Denmark.
KOC needs to be held accountable for the decision to keep playing Wentz in the 4th after Chargers went up by 21. They could have just run wildcat direct snap to Mason and foregone a QB if the whisperer hasn’t had the chance to groom Brosmer for KOC’s shit play calling.
I hope the league fines the Vikings a fat mil.
Yeah, I’ve never been high on KOC because I’ve seen his shortcomings, and I don’t think he has the intelligence and decision-making in pivotal situations to make it to the big game. But the decisions regarding Wentz, and the lies and BS afterwards, is like a slap to the face. I’ve completely soured on the guy now.