Misc. Thoughts

[VikingOracle]

Been a little time, so here is a compilation....

• _onatell (name stolen from another thread):  Frankly, when the team struggled to have the right number of defensive players on the field against GB, I immediately decided _onatell should be gone.  As the new coaching staff prides itself on the little details, this type of failure must really bother KOC.
• Udoh:  Really happy that they put him back in his natural position.  Trying to make him into a guard made little sense to me.  Also happy that Hinton got a chance and played well (70.1-overall grade and had the third-highest pass-blocking grade among offensive linemen).  I do think this is the deepest set of Olinemen in many years.
• Game 17:  One of the things that soured me on that coach that will not be named is how he approached meaningless games at the end of the season.  Of course, he did not see them as meaningless because he cared too much about his own coaching record.  I love that KOC had everyone play as it helps to assess players development while also helping such development.
• Cousins v. Jones:  I have not been a huge fan of Cousins but I can't believe the amount of disrespect he is getting right now.  In the rating of the remaining starter QBs, Cousins is routinely rated behind Jones (looking at you ESPN, in particular).  If you live in LA, you might listen to the blowhard Keyshawn Johnson who totally crapped on Cousins because he is undependable during crunch time -- something really disproven this year.  He, and everyone I listened to this week, thought Jones was the better QB.  Cousins, and the whole Vikings team, should have a huge chip on their shoulders going into this game. 
• Last Hurrah:  These playoffs may very well be the last hurrah for some Viking veterans.  

[Guest]

Oh for sure we'll see some vets go
Agree about Udoh @ OT
IMO KC wont get the respect from a lot of V.fans and the national media till he's part of a deep playoff run 
I'm expecting us to win this week, but not in Santa Clara

[Guest]

@purplefaithful said:
Oh for sure we'll see some vets go
Agree about Udoh @ OT
IMO KC wont get the respect from a lot of V.fans and the national media till he's part of a deep playoff run 
I'm expecting us to win this week, but not in Santa Clara

I expect a win this weekend and a good chance to win at the 49ers.  The more film on Purdy, the more likely teams will find his weaknesses -- he was such a blank slate for most of the games he played.

I find it hard for any Viking fan not to feel that Cousin has re-written his narrative this year.

[Guest]

@VikingOracle said:
Been a little time, so here is a compilation....

• _onatell (name stolen from another thread):  Frankly, when the team struggled to have the right number of defensive players on the field against GB, I immediately decided _onatell should be gone.  As the new coaching staff prides itself on the little details, this type of failure must really bother KOC.
• Udoh:  Really happy that they put him back in his natural position.  Trying to make him into a guard made little sense to me.  Also happy that Hinton got a chance and played well (70.1-overall grade and had the third-highest pass-blocking grade among offensive linemen).  I do think this is the deepest set of Olinemen in many years.
• Game 17:  One of the things that soured me on that coach that will not be named is how he approached meaningless games at the end of the season.  Of course, he did not see them as meaningless because he cared too much about his own coaching record.  I love that KOC had everyone play as it helps to assess players development while also helping such development.
• Cousins v. Jones:  I have not been a huge fan of Cousins but I can't believe the amount of disrespect he is getting right now.  In the rating of the remaining starter QBs, Cousins is routinely rated behind Jones (looking at you ESPN, in particular).  If you live in LA, you might listen to the blowhard Keyshawn Johnson who totally crapped on Cousins because he is undependable during crunch time -- something really disproven this year.  He, and everyone I listened to this week, thought Jones was the better QB.  Cousins, and the whole Vikings team, should have a huge chip on their shoulders going into this game. 
• Last Hurrah:  These playoffs may very well be the last hurrah for some Viking veterans.  

Good stuff. _onatell. Love it! 

Udoh will have his hands full on Sunday, but I agree that RT is by far his best position. He's a prototype there.

The stuff about Cousins is just irrational. He's far from a perfect QB, but unlike other QBs, his mistakes tend to be amplified to justify previous narratives. When Josh Allen or Joe Burrow shit the bed for a half, which happens more than you think, it's an "outlier" or a "good defensive game plan." With Cousins it's "who he is." To argue that Cousins isn't clutch, especially this year, is just ignorant. 

Agree on the hurrah. Sad to say, but this could be the last we see of players like Thielen, Kendricks, Peterson...and maybe even Cook and Harry. 

[Guest]

Great and fun season, 13 wins. Home game in the playoffs that they should win. Truly a new narrative for this star crossed franchise or same ol' shizzle?

[Guest]

Hard for me to get pumped for Sunday's game.  It seems that when there are early mistakes, it spirals downhill fast.  It's really important to keep those mistakes to a minimum.  I will watch with bated breath, however.  One thing that could seriously be a bigger than average factor...the home crowd.  "Nice Minnesotans" aren't too loud?  Let's see if the ticket holders can switch that narrative.  Home field advantage is usually worth three points.  We'll see.