Let the excuses begin

[Guest]

@silverjoel said:

@"BarrNone55" said:
If you don't have an OL, your skill position players don't mean a damn thing. 
If you don't have an OL, your D is on the field more than it should.
If you don't have an OL, your OC is hamstrung regarding plays that can be called.
If you don't have an OL, your loaded roster is neutered. 

https://www.twitter.com/MatthewColler/st...2065106944

He was also the most pressured QB in the NFL, another stat. 

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said:

@silverjoel said:

@"BarrNone55" said:
If you don't have an OL, your skill position players don't mean a damn thing. 
If you don't have an OL, your D is on the field more than it should.
If you don't have an OL, your OC is hamstrung regarding plays that can be called.
If you don't have an OL, your loaded roster is neutered. 

https://www.twitter.com/MatthewColler/st...2065106944

He was also the most pressured QB in the NFL, another stat. 

Our line is shit, no question, but Kirk also adds to that stat by holding onto the ball for way too long.

[Guest]

It’s not necessarily from holding the ball too long. “Pressure” means the blocking broke down. Just because a QB can shift around (which takes time) doesn’t mean the ability to set feet, time with WR’s, or look down field aren’t impacted. Pessure causes check downs. 

What else impacts QB play? Last I checked Kirk Cousins does not call our plays. Pass attempts/rushes etc are set by coaches. 

*The Vikings finished 30th in rushing yards this year. 

*The Vikings 4.2 avg was 24th in the league

* The Vikings were 28th in rushing TD’s

* The Vikings despite rushing much less than normal had the 3rd most negative plays rushing to the right

**** rushing center and right they were more successful avoiding negative plays coming in between 20-25 but like with the first stat they did not run as much as other teams

What do we take from this? Our rush game was pretty weak for a playoff team. There have been teams in the past who’ve made the playiffs relying so strongly on a QB’s arm but they are not common. 

Some next gen stats:

On actual air distance thrown (removes yac from the average throw and provides a clearer indicator of which QB is actually making longer throws) 

Cousins was 3rd avg length of throw through the air (not field yards)

Cousins runs midle of the pack on most next gen stats but this one popped out as interesting

Another is completion percentage above expectation. 

The probability of a pass completion, based on numerous factors such as receiver separation from the nearest defender, where the receiver is on the field, the separation the passer had at time of throw from the nearest pass rusher, and more. This is correlated with QB’s expected accuracy. 

Cousins comes in 3rd in the league behind Drew Brees and Nick Foles.

One other interesting thing to note - Cousins and Tom Brady have nearly identical next gen stats.

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said: 

@silverjoel said:

@"BarrNone55" said:
If you don't have an OL, your skill position players don't mean a damn thing. 
If you don't have an OL, your D is on the field more than it should.
If you don't have an OL, your OC is hamstrung regarding plays that can be called.
If you don't have an OL, your loaded roster is neutered. 

https://www.twitter.com/MatthewColler/st...2065106944

He was also the most pressured QB in the NFL, another stat. 

Wrong.  He had the most pressures because he threw the ball 606 times and the QBs around him didn't hold on to the ball as long.  Here, find me a pocket passing QB that held on to the ball as long as Cousins.

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/passi...e-to-throw

Maybe, just maybe if a QB holds the ball longer, he's going to see more pressure.

Watson was the most pressured and he's in the playoffs.  In fact, the 3 QBs with the most sacks are in the playoffs.  Maybe you shouldn't base everything on a pay site (PFF) which changes between a number rate and total number depending on which one seems more EXTREME!  CLICK ON THIS!  BUY A SUBSCRIPTION!

Both football outsiders and ESPN's new line stat don't have the Vikings' OL rated that bad.

Here's a question, if the OL was so bad, how were Cousins' stats around the same as every other year he was a starter?  Was he just so amazing this year that he, by himself, overcame the terrible OL to match his career averages?  Maybe the 30 year old QB that played in Washington is the QB the Vikings got.

[Guest]

@Havoc1649 said:


Some next gen stats:

On actual air distance thrown (removes yac from the average throw and provides a clearer indicator of which QB is actually making longer throws) 

Cousins was 3rd avg length of throw through the air (not field yards)

Cousins runs midle of the pack on most next gen stats but this one popped out as interesting

Another is completion percentage above expectation. 

The probability of a pass completion, based on numerous factors such as receiver separation from the nearest defender, where the receiver is on the field, the separation the passer had at time of throw from the nearest pass rusher, and more. This is correlated with QB’s expected accuracy. 

Cousins comes in 3rd in the league behind Drew Brees and Nick Foles.

One other interesting thing to note - Cousins and Tom Brady have nearly identical next gen stats.

Do you have a link to this?  He is only listed 3rd in completion percentage.  Maybe I'm not looking at it correctly.

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/passi...eted-yards
He's not 3rd on the CYA (completed Air Yards) or IAY (intended Air Yards)  Cousins CYA 5.6 is equal to Brady's and Keenum's for that matter but no where near the top three of 8.8, 8.4 and 7.3.  His IAY is 7.4, once again no where near the top three of 11, 10.9 and 10.2.

[Guest]

https://www.twitter.com/LukeBraunNFL/sta...tweetembed&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fminnesotavikingsnation.com%2Fthread%2F36351%2Fcousins-clean-pocket

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said:
If you don't have an OL, your skill position players don't mean a damn thing. 
If you don't have an OL, your D is on the field more than it should.
If you don't have an OL, your OC is hamstrung regarding plays that can be called.
If you don't have an OL, your loaded roster is neutered. 

And...if you nearly ignore the 5 OL positions on draft day for a decade, it probably explains why you acquired a "loaded roster" at other positions.
If a baseball GM was told he didn't need to build a pitching staff, would people be that impressed if he ended up with 4 All-Star position players?

[Guest]

Some other interesting info I’ve come across:

Delvin Cook posted the 2nd fastest in game speed for ball carriers in the NFL. He hit 22.07mph during his 70 yard run in week 9.

Marcus Williams of the Saints had the fastest sack at 1.54 seconds. It was .5 seconds faster than all others.

Taylor Gabriel delivered an 8 yard rush that traversed 120 yards in week 16.

Courtland Sutton of the Broncos ran 131.7 yards to chase down and tackle a defensive player after an interception in the end zone. He got him at the 1 yard line at the other end.

Fastest in game players since 2016:

	Tyreek Hill           KC	WR	23.24
	Tyreek Hill.          KC	WR	22.77
	Desean Jackson WAS	WR	22.6
	Stefon Diggs.      MIN	WR	22.5
	Brandon Cooks.  NO	WR	22.4
	Xavier Rhodes.   MIN	CB	22.4
	Mike Wallace.      BAL	WR	22.34
	Marq.Goodwin.    BUF	WR	22.25
	Tevin Coleman.   ATL	RB	22.25
	Johnny Holten.   OAK	WR	22.23

[Guest]

@silverjoel you're right...Cousins had all day to throw and Cook had gaping holes to run through...

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said:
@silverjoel you're right...Cousins had all day to throw and Cook had gaping holes to run through...

Is there any specific reason you're going to exremes?

Team rushing yards per attempt
2017 - 3.9
2018 - 4.2

I will never understand why some people trash the team to defend "their" player.2018 Cousins was pressured at 37%.
2017 Keenum was pressured at 39%. 
2016 Bradford was pressured at 33%. 
2015 Bridgewater was pressured at 46%.


The 2 QBs that get the most excesses from above also had the lowest pressure rate.  The other 2, the team was the reason for success.  Let's get back to that, winning and blaming the QB.