Kicking the carcass, one more time...

[medaille]

I think time to throw is kind of a meaningless stat. In general, I think a long time to throw is generally bad, and a short time to throw is generally better, because the offense is clicking when the QB is throwing quick and on time, but there’s so many factors that go into how long it takes to throw the ball that it’s hard to differentiate what’s what and you end up going back to the context anyway.

Regarding quick throws, I don’t think the team has ever really tried them in the KOC era. Not sure they should be dismissing them so quickly. Regardless, when things aren’t going well, they need to have something else to try, as it doesn’t really look different at all from my eyes. Is anyone else detecting changes in play designs at all when the other teams take away our first things. I also think there’s a lot of other things they could try, that they aren’t trying. I don’t think we’re really a screen team. We’re a little too finesse at the skill positions to really be hammering screens, especially WR screens.

I think I’m most interested in trying to figure out how to become a top tier rushing team. We’ve been a pass to setup the run team for all of KOC’s career. This year, more than others, we probably need to develop the ability to run the ball even if nothing else is working.

[Montana Tom]

To me its pretty easy to explain.  We already had an Oline that was going to be questionable gelling.  They were to be the key to allowing JJ the time to grow and get comfortable.  Not having Darrisaw has caused massive issues.  Then Kelly gets concussed and several times the oline just does not pick up a defensive lineman.  There was 1 play where D end on outside edge,  goes untouched to Mccarthy.  Both Oneill and Jones had the opportunity to at minimum chip or just go and block him.  The oline has to get healthy, then they have to start gel and becoming the dominant Oline we were expecting.

While this may be easy to explain, it is unfathomable to me that it didn't happen during training camp.  The OLine should have done their gelling in TC, not in the first quarter of the season.  Particularly Kelly and Fries, who played next to each other for years in Indy.

Something was/is very wrong with the coaching here.

[purplefaithful]

Where’s that 230-pound running back when fewer than 3 yards are needed?

The question was posed to Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips on Tuesday. It would have been posed to head coach and play caller Kevin O’Connell on Monday, but he dropped the J.J. McCarthy-won’t-play-this-week bombshell at the top of his news conference, making it awfully difficult to wedge an off-topic question into the QB whisperer’s sea of loquaciousness.

It was above Phillips’ pay grade to answer, but he gave it a shot.

“We had a third-and-2 where he ran the football,” said Phillips, referring to Sunday’s 22-6 loss to the Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. “We had some short-yardage plays where he was in the game and didn’t get a lot of opportunities down close to the goal line.”

He noted Mason was on the field before the delay of game the Vikings had on second-and-goal from the 2, adding, “He’s been in there for a lot of these short-yardage type opportunities.”

Some? Yes. A lot? Sorry, Wes, but no.

Phillips was speaking before we learned that running back Aaron Jones was headed to injured reserve, so presumably Mason will be “in there” more in all situations coming soon.

But here’s a look at how the two teams that played in Minneapolis on Sunday have used their 230-pound running backs – Mason for the Purple and Tyler Allgeier for the Falcons — in short-yardage situations in their first two games.

The Vikings have run 15 plays that needed fewer than 3 yards. Mason has had four touches (26.7%), three between the tackles (20%).

The Falcons, meanwhile, have run 14 plays that needed fewer than 3 yards. Allgeier has had seven touches (50%), six between the tackles (42.9%).

When running between the tackles, Mason has converted 2 of 3 opportunities (66.7%). Everyone else is 3 of 12 (25%) with McCarthy going 0-for-5 passing with two sacks when attempting to throw.

As for Allgeier, he has converted 4 of 6 short-yardage runs between the tackles (66.7%). Everyone else is 4 of 8.

In the Week 1 win over the Bears, Mason didn’t have a touch in five short-yardage situations. He wasn’t on the field for some of them, including a sack of McCarthy on third-and-2 as the Vikings opened the season with a three-and-out. The Vikings converted only two short-yardage situations that day, including McCarthy’s 14-yard touchdown run off a third-and-1 read-option play with Mason.

In Week 2, Mason again wasn’t on the field in some short-yardage plays, including the fourth-and-1 when McCarthy was stuffed for no gain as the Vikings opened the game by turning the ball over on downs at their 36-yard line. Mason did go on to gain 3 yards on second-and-2, 2 yards on third-and-1 and 0 yards on third-and-1. He also lost a yard on an outside run to the left on second-and-1.

Allgeier? Well, all he did between the tackles on Sunday was gain 10 yards on third-and-1, 3 yards on third-and-2 and 4 yards on third-and-1. He also was stopped short on a third-and-2 and a third-and-1.

This is not to say Mason or Allgeier or anyone should touch the ball every time their offenses need fewer than 3 yards. But, in the Vikings’ case, some of us are spending too many of these plays looking at this brand-new Mount St. Purple interior offensive line on the field, the 230-pound running back not on the field and asking, hey K.O. …

“Where’s the beefy back?

STRIB

[greediron]

Where’s that 230-pound running back when fewer than 3 yards are needed?

The question was posed to Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips on Tuesday. It would have been posed to head coach and play caller Kevin O’Connell on Monday, but he dropped the J.J. McCarthy-won’t-play-this-week bombshell at the top of his news conference, making it awfully difficult to wedge an off-topic question into the QB whisperer’s sea of loquaciousness.

It was above Phillips’ pay grade to answer, but he gave it a shot.

“We had a third-and-2 where he ran the football,” said Phillips, referring to Sunday’s 22-6 loss to the Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. “We had some short-yardage plays where he was in the game and didn’t get a lot of opportunities down close to the goal line.”

He noted Mason was on the field before the delay of game the Vikings had on second-and-goal from the 2, adding, “He’s been in there for a lot of these short-yardage type opportunities.”

Some? Yes. A lot? Sorry, Wes, but no.

Phillips was speaking before we learned that running back Aaron Jones was headed to injured reserve, so presumably Mason will be “in there” more in all situations coming soon.

But here’s a look at how the two teams that played in Minneapolis on Sunday have used their 230-pound running backs – Mason for the Purple and Tyler Allgeier for the Falcons — in short-yardage situations in their first two games.

The Vikings have run 15 plays that needed fewer than 3 yards. Mason has had four touches (26.7%), three between the tackles (20%).

The Falcons, meanwhile, have run 14 plays that needed fewer than 3 yards. Allgeier has had seven touches (50%), six between the tackles (42.9%).

When running between the tackles, Mason has converted 2 of 3 opportunities (66.7%). Everyone else is 3 of 12 (25%) with McCarthy going 0-for-5 passing with two sacks when attempting to throw.

As for Allgeier, he has converted 4 of 6 short-yardage runs between the tackles (66.7%). Everyone else is 4 of 8.

In the Week 1 win over the Bears, Mason didn’t have a touch in five short-yardage situations. He wasn’t on the field for some of them, including a sack of McCarthy on third-and-2 as the Vikings opened the season with a three-and-out. The Vikings converted only two short-yardage situations that day, including McCarthy’s 14-yard touchdown run off a third-and-1 read-option play with Mason.

In Week 2, Mason again wasn’t on the field in some short-yardage plays, including the fourth-and-1 when McCarthy was stuffed for no gain as the Vikings opened the game by turning the ball over on downs at their 36-yard line. Mason did go on to gain 3 yards on second-and-2, 2 yards on third-and-1 and 0 yards on third-and-1. He also lost a yard on an outside run to the left on second-and-1.

Allgeier? Well, all he did between the tackles on Sunday was gain 10 yards on third-and-1, 3 yards on third-and-2 and 4 yards on third-and-1. He also was stopped short on a third-and-2 and a third-and-1.

This is not to say Mason or Allgeier or anyone should touch the ball every time their offenses need fewer than 3 yards. But, in the Vikings’ case, some of us are spending too many of these plays looking at this brand-new Mount St. Purple interior offensive line on the field, the 230-pound running back not on the field and asking, hey K.O. …

“Where’s the beefy back?

STRIB

Glad the press is asking these questions.  Because the fans certainly are.  Hopefully someone hand delivers this article to KOC's desk.  Start leaning on the big fellas in the middle.