11-16-2023, 06:28 PM
Quote: @Montana Tom said:Pretty much sums up my thoughts as well, Tom. I think we'll know if Dobbs is for real or not by the end of the season. There's plenty of time to get this figured out, but it's awesome that we don't feel like the season is a total loss now that Kirk is out. Dobbs may bomb out the rest of the way, and Hall will be inserted; who knows? I do think if the Vikes let Kirk walk, it's because they're very comfortable with his replacement. No way does KOC go into next season without a decent starting QB.
It's really too early to call that one. The Josh Dobbs sample size in Minnesota is only 1 3/4 games. The national story is a great one. I'd love to have this conversation at the end of February, when we have a bigger sample size to evaluate. There's also the Cousins recovery progress to evaluate.
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Dobbs takes us deep into the playoffs this season. The narrative and writing on the wall would change significantly. Rather than paying Cousins $40mm/year and hoping for a crapshoot in the draft, what if we could re-sign Dobbs for say $20-25mm/year, and apply difference to the rest of the roster? Wouldn't that give us more flexibility to re-sign some of our studs?
If (and I admit that it is a huge IF), Dobbs doesn't have the anticipated meltdown the rest of this season, what would you rather have? A 29 year old starter who was given a real chance with a solid NFL team and proved himself? Or a lower first to third round college QB crapshoot taken in the draft? Or a 36 year old QB who regardless of performance, is nearing the end of his shelf life.
I'm a Kirk fan, but looking at Dobbs' mobility has me realizing Cousins' limitations. I'm trying to be objective here, and frankly, Kwesi not extending Cousins in the off-season may prove to be a strategically wise move. The rest of the story has not been written yet.