still #1 rb on this team? Or does that now fall to Mason?

I dont expect it to be a rook RB, even if that is somehow Love.

I have found the array of comments about Murray not fitting into KOC's offense puzzling.  Shouldn't a really good coach, which I believe KOC to be one, be able to adapt their offense around the talent they have instead of forcing players into one specific scheme.  I know there are a lot of system coaches who look for players to fit their system and I find that is like drafting for need instead of best player.  I think talent is much harder to come by than Xs and Os. I think the really talented coaches are the ones who adapt to their talent. 

I have always thought of Don Shula as one of the best coaches of all time, because he coached to his players strengths and not a scheme.  When he had Griese, Csonka, Morris and Kick, the offense was varied to their strengths, Griese was not a strong arm QB and played more a game manager in the offense and they pounded the ball with Csonka while having more open plays for Morris.  When they drafted Marino, one of the best passers in the history of the game he didn't force Marino into that offense, but changed it to his strengths.  Conversely, Jimmy Johnson came in and forced Marino to run his offense which was more run first and short passes.  He really wasted the last years of Marino's career and had little success in Miami.  He gets a lot of credit as a great coach, but I think that mostly was because of the Vikings and the abundance of talent they were able to acquire in a short period of time of time.

Well, at least its interesting to me. Watching CBB conference games yesterday afternoon and doing a bit of a dive on Murray. His dynamic aspect comes from his mobility, scrambling and then some hero ball off of that mobility: but the actual passing for the most part is mostly efficient and workmanlike. I see why his completion percentage is high...he throws a bunch of shorter passes. Usually to the TE on screens/underneath dumps or RBs....mid-range passes to crossing WRers in the middle. Its not at all unusual for him to have a stat like 11/15 for like 68 yards to start games. If you want a dude that is throwing 20-25 yard strikes consistently to WRers down the field, that really isn't his game. Not saying he doesn't do it occasionally, all QBs do, but the offense with Arizona wasn't set up that way. He's more meat and potatoes than most fans would guess considering his highlights show off the hero ball escapism, which is incredible honestly.

Just my fan layperson observation, take it for what you will, but this is a different kind of QB for KOC. Not saying that's a good or bad thing, I have no idea. I'm not going to shit on anything, because I'm curious to see how it all goes down, but I'm not going to overhype it either. Anyway, it was interesting to do a deeper dive.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said definitively Friday that the team is bringing in Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting quarterback job.

The Falcons signed Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million contract this week following his release from the Miami Dolphins. Cunningham said Tagovailoa is in the Falcons' building Friday in Flowery Branch, Georgia, taking his physical.

"For Tua coming in here, he knows he's coming in to compete," Cunningham said during a virtual news conference. "Just like Michael knows that he's coming in to compete and everybody, quite frankly -- not just those two at the quarterback position -- but everybody's coming in to compete."

Penix is still recovering from left ACL surgery in November after tearing the ligament in Week 11. He has said in interviews that he will be ready for Week 1, though it remains unclear. Typically, the injury has a recovery time between nine and 12 months.

The previous Falcons' regime was adamant that Penix would be the starter as soon as he was healthy. The new group has not made that same commitment.

The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after the 2025 season, a second straight 8-9 campaign. Atlanta has hired former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski as its new head coach and Cunningham, formerly the assistant general manager of the Chicago Bears, as GM.

The Falcons also added a new position: president of football, which has been filled by former franchise quarterback Matt Ryan. Cunningham noted Friday that Stefanski spoke with Penix, and Cunningham himself spoke with Penix's agent before the signing of Tagovailoa.

"You don't want to blindside somebody, and that's just how we operate," Cunningham said. "We want to have open conversations and communication, and I feel like we did that in regards to Michael and Tua."

Then-Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was surprised and confused when the Falcons drafted Penix in 2024 at No. 8 just weeks after signing Cousins to a $100 million guaranteed contract. Cousins lost the starting job to Penix late in the 2024 season, then filled in for Penix after the torn ACL last season. The Falcons released Cousins on Wednesday.

Cutting Tagovailoa, 28, will cost the Dolphins a $67.4 million dead cap hit, though he represents a low-cost, high-upside signing for the Falcons. Tagovailoa has a concerning history of concussions and threw 15 interceptions last season, losing his starting job. But he made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and was the NFL's completion percentage leader in 2024.

Tagovailoa, a left-handed quarterback like Penix, has completed 68% of his passes for 18,166 yards with 120 touchdown passes and 59 interceptions in his six-year career. Penix, 25, has made just 12 career starts. He has completed 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

ESPN

How does Murray fit into O’Connell’s offense?

Play-action: Not all play-action is the same. A seven-step drop from under center is different from an under-center rollout or those from shotgun or pistol distances. They require different footwork and lend to differing preferences among QBs. 

That said, Murray’s preference is clearly not under center. 

He’s been an effective play-action passer from the shotgun and pistol formations, which account for 3,080 of his 3,342 dropbacks in the NFL — or 92.2%, per Sports Info Solutions.

This would require a shift from O’Connell. Cousins led the NFL in under-center dropbacks in 2022, and Darnold ranked second in 2024.

STRIB

....already. The bandwagon will be big, loaded up and chock full. Prepare accordingly:

Dianna Russini
@DMRussini
A.J. Brown trade discussions are not dead.

Last week, I was told the Rams discussed trading for Eagles WR A.J. Brown before dealing for CB Trent McDuffie.

Dialogue slowed, but Los Angeles continues to monitor the status of the three-time Pro Bowler with interest. We’ll see where both parties go from here.

If sensitive look away but I need to get this out.

Are the Vikings a joke? Before you roll your eyes--

We don't win Super Bowls and we don't really win that many playoff games either, but we don't suck. The culture and vibes are usually solid. The games are fun to attend. We aren't the Browns or the Raiders or the Falcons or the Jaguars, most years. For the vast majority of my almost 30 years as a fan, the Vikings haven't been a punching bag or a circus. In the last few months, it feels like that's changed.

What kind of team spends two years selling their fans on a QB as The Guy, and then pines him after 10 starts in which he went 6-4? I'm not sure it's ever been done.

What kind of team waits til a month after the season to fire a GM (who's record was 34-17 btw), and then spends the next week smearing the guy? And then decides we're gonna be the one team in the NFL that doesn't really need a GM for draft.

What kind of team churns through mid QBs like we do decade after decade and thinks one magic year everything will fall into place and we can become the 2002 Buccaneers? That is not a long term strategy, it's a prayer.

I love the NFL and the Vikings and even if we didn't win The Big One, we're a solid team for the most part. Teams don't see us on the schedule and smile. KO felt like a great hire and I still think he's a great coach. But he's a COACH. Not a GENERAL MANAGER. Maybe after 3 rings that can change but as much as I like O'Connell and still do-- objectively he has not earned the power he currently has, he's simply filling a void. A stopgap solution to a bigger problem.

WHY IS IT ALWAYS STOPGAP SOLUTIONS WITH THIS FREAKING TEAM.

Alright I guess that's enough. This board is great and I value the opinions shared here more than my own. There are many ways where Kyler works and we all have lots of fun this season. Darnold and Keenum and Favre did it. But even more than wins I'd like to see a team that's building something that indicates the future will exceed the past. I thought that's what we were doing with McCarthy. Now I'm kind of left reeling (clearly lol). As of Friday, March 13, 2026, I'm not seeing the longterm vision.

Gonna return to my armchair and watch this plays out.