Quote: @Tyr said:
With all the roster turnover, I think they knew that taking a step back this year was a possibility. I think they thought they would still field a good team, but having Pierce out, Hunter and Barr on the IR, your best receiver force a trade, & the fallout from Covid has upped the difficulty. I still want to see the team make progress over the season, but there are enough extenuating circumstances, that I don't think a potentially bad season leads to a change.
I don't think so either, but it's hard to say two games in. I'm not a look-behind-the-curtain type, but a a few things that make me wonder about the possibility of tanking....
* Vikings knew Covid could have a big impact on the 2020 season. Would players get sick? Opt out? Would the season be played or even count? And even if it did, what is the lost revenue going to mean for the salary cap in '21?
* Vikings traded Diggs and maneuvered several picks in 2020 to get 5 extra picks in 2021, 3 of which are 4th rounders.
* Did the Vikings sign Yannick to complement Hunter or replace a player who would bring a Brinks truck in trade?
* Cousins whopping $35M base salary for 2022 becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster when the league year starts in March of '21
* Vikings 0-2 and inexplicably noncompetitive in both games
* Trevor Lawrence and Trey Lance
I really dont think they signed YN to replace Hunter. I think they saw a chance and jumped on it to supplement him on the other side. All the while fully knowing DH was going to miss games.
Hell, those two young DE's are the crown jewels of the team. Then Kendricks and Cook and (maybe) O'Neil and AT.
That and a franchise QB are the future.
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
I really dont think they signed YN to replace Hunter. I think they saw a chance and jumped on it to supplement him on the other side. All the while fully knowing DH was going to miss games.
Hell, those two young DE's are the crown jewels of the team. Then Kendricks and Cook and (maybe) O'Neil and AT.
That and a franchise QB are the future.
I think so, too and I've said so before. But it is fun to play dress up with tin foil. Another couple of games and I will be all for a tanked season. Those two QBs are tempting. And what better year than an asterisk season.
Now...watch us win 14 straight.
How many Franchise ceiling QB's are coming out this year? Is it just 2?
Lawrence and the kid from NDSU?
Yes, we're getting close to that tanked season, even at just 0/2. I say that with conviction with what I see on paper for a roster and how they're playing. It's not a joyful proclamation for sure. DH coming back wont cure all the ills.
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
How many Franchise ceiling QB's are coming out this year? Is it just 2?
Lawrence and the kid from NDSU?
Yes, we're getting close to that tanked season, even at just 0/2. I say that with conviction with what I see on paper for a roster and how they're playing. It's not a joyful proclamation for sure. DH coming back wont cure all the ills.
Justin Fields, too. According to TDN, there are three top 10 worthy QBs in the draft next year. All three are physical marvels.
https://thedraftnetwork.com/prospect-rankings
If we start over with coaching?
Typically, you go through a decade of mediocrity w/ 3 different Head Coaches, before righting the ship, unfortunately... 
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ purplefaithful said:
How many Franchise ceiling QB's are coming out this year? Is it just 2?
Lawrence and the kid from NDSU?
Yes, we're getting close to that tanked season, even at just 0/2. I say that with conviction with what I see on paper for a roster and how they're playing. It's not a joyful proclamation for sure. DH coming back wont cure all the ills.
Justin Fields, too. According to TDN, there are three top 10 worthy QBs in the draft next year. All three are physical marvels.
https://thedraftnetwork.com/prospect-rankings
Yep, and I think all 3 could go in the top 6 picks. There's a big dropoff after those 3. I would take any of the 3 in a heartbeat. Jaime Newman would probably be the #4 behind those guys, Walter Football likes him.
I really hope that Hunter is going to be ok because if not, that would royally suck. Just sayin.
Quote: @Jor-El said:
@ Tyr said:
With all the roster turnover, I think they knew that taking a step back this year was a possibility. I think they thought they would still field a good team, but having Pierce out, Hunter and Barr on the IR, your best receiver force a trade, & the fallout from Covid has upped the difficulty. I still want to see the team make progress over the season, but there are enough extenuating circumstances, that I don't think a potentially bad season leads to a change.
That's definitely possible, but there have been a lot of seasons where some excuse was given: Peterson suspended, our OL has too many injuries, Cook is hurt...all teams have injuries, at some point you have to win regardless.
As for this being a "planned" semi-rebuild year, I don't see it. If that was the case, why trade for Ngakoue, who is on a one-year deal and might leave next winter if he didn't like his sample of the Vikings? Why sign Pierce? Why give Cook a deal that just pushes more cap space into future years? Why give Cousins an extension that makes it hard to part with him before 2022? These are "win in 2020" moves. I think Spielman has always pushed the Wilfs with the idea they can be competitive this year, and it's why he traded for Bradford instead of taking a rebuild year when Bridgewater got hurt, and why he convinced them to sign Cousins.
As for Covid: every team is dealing with it, what's different for the Vikings? And I have to ask why many people think NFL owners like the Wilfs will see this as a year that can be forgiven/ignored. They are losing money on attendance - don't you think they want playoff money? Don't you think they want to have a good 2020 record to encourage people to return to the stadiums in 2021? I do not know ANY business that is openly saying, "it's ok to be bad this year". Accepting it when necessary, yes...but the NFL is aiming to send some teams to the playoffs and Super Bowl, so how is there an excuse for not being competitive in 2021?
I agree with most of your points but as to losing money on attendance, well technically yes, but NFL teams make a profit before a single fan ever sits down in a stadium. They are not losing money, just making less. The bulk of revenue is t.v. money and that gravy train hasn't stopped nor is it likely to.
Quote: @comet52 said:
@ Jor-El said:
@ Tyr said:
With all the roster turnover, I think they knew that taking a step back this year was a possibility. I think they thought they would still field a good team, but having Pierce out, Hunter and Barr on the IR, your best receiver force a trade, & the fallout from Covid has upped the difficulty. I still want to see the team make progress over the season, but there are enough extenuating circumstances, that I don't think a potentially bad season leads to a change.
That's definitely possible, but there have been a lot of seasons where some excuse was given: Peterson suspended, our OL has too many injuries, Cook is hurt...all teams have injuries, at some point you have to win regardless.
As for this being a "planned" semi-rebuild year, I don't see it. If that was the case, why trade for Ngakoue, who is on a one-year deal and might leave next winter if he didn't like his sample of the Vikings? Why sign Pierce? Why give Cook a deal that just pushes more cap space into future years? Why give Cousins an extension that makes it hard to part with him before 2022? These are "win in 2020" moves. I think Spielman has always pushed the Wilfs with the idea they can be competitive this year, and it's why he traded for Bradford instead of taking a rebuild year when Bridgewater got hurt, and why he convinced them to sign Cousins.
As for Covid: every team is dealing with it, what's different for the Vikings? And I have to ask why many people think NFL owners like the Wilfs will see this as a year that can be forgiven/ignored. They are losing money on attendance - don't you think they want playoff money? Don't you think they want to have a good 2020 record to encourage people to return to the stadiums in 2021? I do not know ANY business that is openly saying, "it's ok to be bad this year". Accepting it when necessary, yes...but the NFL is aiming to send some teams to the playoffs and Super Bowl, so how is there an excuse for not being competitive in 2021?
I agree with most of your points but as to losing money on attendance, well technically yes, but NFL teams make a profit before a single fan ever sits down in a stadium. They are not losing money, just making less. The bulk of revenue is t.v. money and that gravy train hasn't stopped nor is it likely to.
True enough, and I know owning an NFL team is never going to be a loss - they can get rich just by watching the value of their team appreciate. They are getting less of their "bonus money" from attendance (and concessions, and do they make money from parking?)
I still stand by my point. If the team sucks this year, they will earn less, because they won't receive extra TV money for playoffs, fans won't buy jerseys and merchandise, and might not be eager to come back to the stadium in 2021. So: why do people think the Wilfs are going to say it's OK to be inferior to the other teams dealing with Covid?
It is possible that back in March or sometime, Rick Spielman made an assumption that the 2020 season would not be played, so he traded away his best offensive player, and collected a pile of draft picks expecting they would be coached for over a year by "distance learning" until the 2021 season. If that's the case...well, he made an ass out of himself and umption.
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