Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ JimmyinSD said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
now list the rest of his touches, and the results in those games, you cant weigh the successes without showing the failures as well. factor in the turnovers and the plays that went for near zero or worse yardage and there is room to improve without having to replace those limited successes. a few more first down carries that lead to continued first downs instead of turning the ball over via a punt leads to less time on the field for the defense over the game which is less opportunities for opposing teams to score. its not just the home runs, you need to look at the strike outs as well.
Well there weren't enough negative plays to keep him out of the Pro Bowl for the 4th straight year. I'm just saying his big play, homerun hitting ability was huge for us in coming from behind in those games I outlined and that ability is going to be missed more then people realize.
LOL, you are enough of a football fan to know damn well that the pro bowl means little in terms of a players success. nobody is saying he wont be missed, but its not like our running game is going to shut down, I honestly think it could improve with a RB that is willing to just pound it up in there and not dance around looking for his next home run. big plays are nice, but not at the expense of first downs over the course of the season. This is the same argument that took place around Cordelle Patterson, sure he took one to the house once in a while, but how many times would the team have been better off if he would have just taken a knee instead of getting trapped inside the 10-15 yard line? 3 and outs with the occasional big run dont wear down a defense, keeping them on the field by moving the chains is what leads to those offensive dominance moments later in games. Mattison wont outrun many, but he tends to finish his runs going forward and doesnt get stuffed behind the LOS very often. There are trade offs sure, but the cap savings vs the expected performance make sense to me.
Pro Bowls are shallow, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a productive season. He produced and started all 17 games for the first time in his career. He was underutilized as a runner and pass catcher in the new KOC offense partially by design and partially due to the fact that we threw the ball a lot more last year trying to come back in games because of our piss poor defense. Despite all that he still impacted games for us as I highlighted above. We are not getting those same type of big plays from Mattison and I guarantee you opposing defensive coordinators are much happier not having to account for Dalvin going 80+ on them.
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ JimmyinSD said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ JimmyinSD said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
now list the rest of his touches, and the results in those games, you cant weigh the successes without showing the failures as well. factor in the turnovers and the plays that went for near zero or worse yardage and there is room to improve without having to replace those limited successes. a few more first down carries that lead to continued first downs instead of turning the ball over via a punt leads to less time on the field for the defense over the game which is less opportunities for opposing teams to score. its not just the home runs, you need to look at the strike outs as well.
Well there weren't enough negative plays to keep him out of the Pro Bowl for the 4th straight year. I'm just saying his big play, homerun hitting ability was huge for us in coming from behind in those games I outlined and that ability is going to be missed more then people realize.
LOL, you are enough of a football fan to know damn well that the pro bowl means little in terms of a players success. nobody is saying he wont be missed, but its not like our running game is going to shut down, I honestly think it could improve with a RB that is willing to just pound it up in there and not dance around looking for his next home run. big plays are nice, but not at the expense of first downs over the course of the season. This is the same argument that took place around Cordelle Patterson, sure he took one to the house once in a while, but how many times would the team have been better off if he would have just taken a knee instead of getting trapped inside the 10-15 yard line? 3 and outs with the occasional big run dont wear down a defense, keeping them on the field by moving the chains is what leads to those offensive dominance moments later in games. Mattison wont outrun many, but he tends to finish his runs going forward and doesnt get stuffed behind the LOS very often. There are trade offs sure, but the cap savings vs the expected performance make sense to me.
Pro Bowls are shallow, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a productive season. He produced and started all 17 games for the first time in his career. He was underutilized as a runner and pass catcher in the new KOC offense partially by design and partially due to the fact that we threw the ball a lot more last year trying to come back in games because of our piss poor defense. Despite all that he still impacted games for us as I highlighted above. We are not getting those same type of big plays from Mattison and I guarantee you opposing defensive coordinators are much happier not having to account for Dalvin going 80+ on them.
the defense wouldnt have been out there giving up scores if DC would have been a more consistently effective runner and kept those chains moving, we can do this all day, but its not going to change the fact that he is gone and time will tell soon how that will affect the team.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Really sucks that your not the GM supafreak84, you have all the answers to what's ailing the team and what Kwesi should have done differently
Quote: @1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Really sucks that your not the GM supafreak84, you have all the answers to what's ailing the team and what Kwesi should have done differently
I didn't go to an Ivy League school, but otherwise my football resume is just as good as his...so maybe so
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ 1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Really sucks that your not the GM supafreak84, you have all the answers to what's ailing the team and what Kwesi should have done differently
I didn't go to an Ivy League school, but otherwise my football resume is just as good as his...so maybe so
LOL, yeah you could bring in all those Lombardi trophies like Rick did...oh wait...
Quote: @1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ 1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Really sucks that your not the GM supafreak84, you have all the answers to what's ailing the team and what Kwesi should have done differently
I didn't go to an Ivy League school, but otherwise my football resume is just as good as his...so maybe so
LOL, yeah you could bring in all those Lombardi trophies like Rick did...oh wait...
Wake me up when a Kwesi draft pick does anything...
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ 1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ 1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Really sucks that your not the GM supafreak84, you have all the answers to what's ailing the team and what Kwesi should have done differently
I didn't go to an Ivy League school, but otherwise my football resume is just as good as his...so maybe so
LOL, yeah you could bring in all those Lombardi trophies like Rick did...oh wait...
Wake me up when a Kwesi draft pick does anything...
I am sure we won't have try too hard. Just a little mention of Dalvin...
I don't think this needs to be that complicated. I think Dalvin wanted more money than the Vikings were willing to spend, so we moved on to Mattison who Kwesi thought would be a better value pick allowing for an overall better roster.
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ 1VikesFan said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Watching the season team highlight recap on NFL Network today really makes you realize the impact Cook had last season in a lot of these come from behind wins;
- 53 yard TD run in the 4th quarter at Miami
- 81 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter at Buffalo
- 12 yard, one handed TD catch in the 4th quarter at Washington
- 64 yard TD reception versus the Colts in the 4th quarter taking a short pass and turning it into a huge play.
All these plays were huge catalysts in coming back in these games. Anybody that doesn't think we are going to miss Cooks explosiveness and has "ho-hummed" his release is fooling themselves..
I don't think there's a Viking fan on the planet who would argue Cook wasn't a good running back. He was. One of the best in the NFL. So all these facts are unnecessary. We are unquestionably downgrading the RB position on paper.
But the pertinent question was is he worth his $12M cap hit? Or can we be almost as effective running the ball (or AS effective, or perhaps even MORE effective) with a the stable of lesser, but promising RBs in a committee at a fraction of the cost?
Every decision is a cost/benefit analysis. And, I say this as one of the biggest Dalvin fans on the board, I think the Vikings made the right one.
I think for KOC he really isn't interested in running the ball. He'd rather throw it around the yard 50 times a game and use the run as a clear secondary option, so it probably matters a lot less who the runner is. This has been brought up a lot on NFL Radio when discussing Cooks release. They just need a guy back there, and it's a far cry from the Zimmer era where we clearly wanted to establish a running game and play more physical on offense. All this makes the Oliver signing even more of a head scratcher. If you really want to run the ball and be more committed to it...wouldn't you want the best back you could get?
We'll see. I think it will be a different offense this year. It remains to be seen if it's for the better. I just don't believe you cut a top 5 RB in his prime and can reasonably expect to get the same production
Have you not been paying attention? Word on the street is that KOC intends to not only run the ball more, but run more effectively, more efficiently. Yes, likely fewer 60 yard runs, but also fewer 1-yard losses....and more 4-6 yard gains. I think that's the idea. And that's one of the reasons (money being the first) we're replacing Dalvin with a committee. And why we brought in the NFL's best run blocking TE. Though I will say that I think we'll all be surprised by what Oliver brings to the passing game.
Oh I've been paying attention, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I'll believe Oliver becomes a big pass catching option in this offense when I see it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet we still pass the ball a ton more due to our defense still sucking and the running game being mediocre to just ineffective. Bradbury is still Bradbury. ONeill is returning from a major injury so we'll see how quickly he rounds into form. Ingram needs to show marked improvement from last season. We averaged 4.1 yards per run on the season, and the only playoff team that was worse was Tampa and their mash unit of an offensive line. We did nothing to improve our run game up front and we need to be better. Everybody blaming Cook for 1 yard runs or runs for loss is misguided
Really sucks that your not the GM supafreak84, you have all the answers to what's ailing the team and what Kwesi should have done differently
I didn't go to an Ivy League school, but otherwise my football resume is just as good as his...so maybe so
Today's fan mentality in a nutshell.
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