Tanking

[Guest]

@kmillard said:

@StickyBun said:
If Vikings get a top 5 draft pick and either Trevor Lawrence or Trey Lance, I'd take this shit season a lot better. 

Unfortunately with the current duo, I could see them trade out for an extra 6 and 7th round pick....

....That will be cut after training camp.

Fixed.

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I'd be surprised to see Zimmer and Spileman fired. We've been a perennial playoff team under both and we just signed them both to extensions this offseason. Salary cap issues forced us to purge some core players that we had to replace though the draft. Covid and no preseason has made getting these young guys up to speed impossible.  Michael Pierce opting out left us without any run stoppers on the roster. 

A couple things.  If we are so 0-8 or 1-7 at midseason...the Vikings need tank it.  Find ways to put core players on IR, move Reiff and Anthony Harris to any team that will give us anything for them, and if Cousins continues his putrid play...sit him down and go with Manion.  Trevor Lawrence is a Andrew Luck type talent, very rare guy. Stop being good enough to just miss out on elite QB prospects and go into next year with a young stud under center for the first time since Daunte Culpepper.  Give me Hunter, Pierce, and Ngakoue along the defensive line, a year of seasoning for our young secondary, and keep building this thing from the draft. We have 11 draft picks already for 2021 and a majority of those should be parlayed into building up both lines.

[Guest]

The Vikings tried to rebuild on the fly and the difficulty on doing that was upped significantly by Covid. I also think that losing Diggs has been huge, since we've seen that Cousins does not trust the other receivers yet and Thielen, while very good, may not be able to carry the offense to the same degree that Diggs did. I thought that a 1-2 start was very possible given the roster turnover, but I am concerned that some of the issues are more than growing pains. These are the issues that I am currently seeing:

• The young corners are playing like young corners. I see some potential & I think struggles on the passing defense are more on the DL.
• The DL has been terrible. Losing Pierce and Hunter were major setbacks and at least we're starting to see Ngakoue get more comfortable. However, Stephen and Johnson in the middle is not enough and Odenigbo has been off to a slow start. Things should improve in the pass rushing front when Hunter gets back, but DT is going to be an issue all season. A 3-technique should be among the top of our needs next season.
• The safeties are struggling right now. They are usually a strength, but I think the lack of pass rush and trying to cover for young corners is too much for them right now.
• We are seeing the worst of Cousins right now. He's locked on Thielen, not trusting the other receivers, and is trying to force plays downfield which are leading to avoidable turnovers. The pass protection isn't doing him favors, but I still think that the two safeties and most of the INTs are on him.
• The team is unable to sustain drives and they are keeping the defense on the field for way too long. We've got a good rushing attack, but that doesn't matter if we go 3-and-out all the time. I am liking what I'm seeing from Jefferson early on and I am hoping that he'll emerge as the number 2 receiver, since I think that Bisi is a solid number three guy.
• Irv Smith Jr. is showing potential, but has been a little consistent. I think Smith and Jefferson are the best bet to expand the passing attack, but none of that matters if Cousins sticks to his safety net all the time.
  
  I expected the defense to struggle early on, though not the DL to this extent, but the problems on offense are more concerning. We don't have Diggs, but we have other viable options and Cousins needs to spread the ball around and trust that the other guys can pick up the slack. The offense needs to carry this team and right now they are massively failing the defense and are putting an already struggling unit in even worse positon. 

[Guest]

All good points as usual Tyr....

But for me? It all starts with not being able to run the ball, sustain drives or stop the run. 

Good thing they only have Derrick Henry this week. Might as well be playing AP in his prime. 

[Guest]

A positive thing is that many of the worst teams do not need a QB, including possibly the team that will get the #1 pick, the Jets.  Out of the NFC, I'd think Carolina would have to pull the trigger since Trevor is local.  Detroit probably couldn't pass up the opportunity... that's all I see.  The Giants will be there but I doubt they'd go for a QB again.  Washington, I'd be surprised.
Out of the AFC, I only see Denver as taking a QB.  Indy if they lose.  Miami, NYJ, and Houston, nope. 

Point is... if we are in the top 10, we are in striking range to trade if a team that doesn't need a QB lands #1 and #2. 

[Guest]

@NorthwestNorseman said:

A positive thing is that many of the worst teams do not need a QB, including possibly the team that will get the #1 pick, the Jets.  Out of the NFC, I'd think Carolina would have to pull the trigger since Trevor is local.  Detroit probably couldn't pass up the opportunity... that's all I see.  The Giants will be there but I doubt they'd go for a QB again.  Washington, I'd be surprised.
Out of the AFC, I only see Denver as taking a QB.  Indy if they lose.  Miami, NYJ, and Houston, nope. 

Point is... if we are in the top 10, we are in striking range to trade if a team that doesn't need a QB lands #1 and #2. 

Lions passed on Tua, which kinda surprised me. Lawrence is in a different class though.

I dont see them getting the #1, but who the heck knows? Lots of football left (hopefully). 

[Guest]

QB Justin Fields and QB Trey Lance are very good cancellation prizes behind Trevor Laurence. WR JaMarr Chase or LB Micah Parsons are also very special players who the Vikings could build around. 

But just watch,... the Vikings will go 0-4 to start the season and somehow Zimmer will find a way to win enough games to blow a top five pick.

 

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[Guest]

This team is bad enough, especially with Barr now out, to pick top 5. I think that is becoming evident. I also feel fairly or not, the fanbase is ready for a new HC and a new direction. Drafting a top 5 QB would invigorate and energize the fans. And fairly or not again, fans are shitting all over Cousins. 3 losses in a row to Green Bay doesn't sit well.

But, as some have said, these are the Vikings we are talking about: they'll end up picking #8, all three QBs will be gone by then and the BPA will be a defensive back.