Misc Thoughts: Eagles

[VikingOracle]

Just a quick post as I am really busy with work:

• Preseason Game:  It felt very much like the Vikes played this like a preseason game -- defense looked very vanilla, offense somewhat vanilla.  I wonder whether KOC values in-division games so much that they dialed back certain things.  
• Hurts:  Seems to me that they didn't mentally stress Hurts at all.  Seemed like his first read was almost always open.  Again, very vanilla defense to my untrained eye.
• Irv Smith: If Irv can't get open against the Eagles worst cover linebacker and with JJ and Thielen on the field, (and has trouble catching), well, then you have  to think about sitting him and going more 4 wide.
• Dropped Passes:  I haven't seen the stats but I can't recall a game where the Vikings dropped more passes (or where the opposing team dropped more interceptions).
• Cousins:  Monday night.  As PFT posted, "He’s now 2-10 on Monday Night Football. That’s enough of a sample size to come to the conclusion that the size of the prime-time stage is too big for Cousins."  He is like a baseball or basketball team built for regular season success but flames out during the playoffs.
• Flat:  The team just seemed flat.  On Hurts second touchdown, I kept waiting for someone to come in and totally wreck him.  Instead, I got 10 minutes of how much Hurts can squat.
• Danzler:  I understand Danzler sat near the end of the game (commentators are horrible now telling us who is and isn't on the field).  It makes me wonder what Dantzler does to piss off the coaching staff as it doesn't appear to be his actual play.  Is he sending d!ck picture to cheerleaders during the game?

[Guest]

In his first full-time duty in two years, ISJ dropped a ball. Diggs has dropped balls. So has Thielen. This is not Christian Watson here. ISJ does not have a reputation for drops. Btw, if he catches that ball, his numbers are 6 for 99 and 2 TDs. He was getting open. A lot. 
No, he can’t be dropping sure TDs like that, but nobody seems to be talking about the fact that on that play, he was split wide, matched up against Darius Slay, and beat him. But the narrative is that he can’t beat a linebacker? Why? Because that’s what Troy Aikman said on the telly? Aikman’s a boob. 6 times out of 10 that’s DPI anyway. 
The rest of your points are solid IMO. But benching Irv is ridiculous. He's going to have an enormous year. 

[Guest]

[Guest]

1/1 after playing GB/Eagles - some of the best teams in NFC. 

I dont like the way we lost in Philly but its not time to panic. The next 3 games are very winnable imo. 

Det
Saints (London)
Bears

This is also a really important year for K Cousins too..Does the new regime see him here for any longer than a bridge? An expensive bridge?

It is hard to walk from a good qb on the small odds of hitting on a franchise one - maybe the new guys will have better karma with it. 

[Guest]

Another couple of thoughts:

• I would want to look at the game again, but I am guessing one of the problems with the pass defense was the linebackers were not taking the same drops as they did in the Packer game because they were so concerned with Hurts running.
• I have been posting for a couple of years that I think putting Cousins into a hurry up mode would help because it would get Cousins out of his own head and I like that KOC has done that.  However, I can't recall Cousins rolling out this year which I think helps the oline and Cousins does well.  Do any of you recall a planned roll out?

[Guest]

@VikingOracle said:
Another couple of thoughts:

• I would want to look at the game again, but I am guessing one of the problems with the pass defense was the linebackers were not taking the same drops as they did in the Packer game because they were so concerned with Hurts running.
• I have been posting for a couple of years that I think putting Cousins into a hurry up mode would help because it would get Cousins out of his own head and I like that KOC has done that.  However, I can't recall Cousins rolling out this year which I think helps the oline and Cousins does well.  Do any of you recall a planned roll out?

I think you're right on both points. And, no, can't recall Cousins rolling out yet this year. It was such a big part of his game in the previous offense.

Guessing KOC wants him to throw more from the pocket. But against a blitz-crazy team like Philly, it could've helped him I think. 

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
 But the narrative is that he can’t beat a linebacker? Why? Because that’s what Troy Aikman said on the telly? Aikman’s a boob. 6 times out of 10 that’s DPI anyway. 

The rest of your points are solid IMO. But benching Irv is ridiculous. He's going to have an enormous year. 

I would argue that there are two ways of getting open -- one is personal ability (running great routes, shiftiness, quickness, etc.) and the other is play design.  On the drop, I thought it was play design.  On the couple times he was against the linebacker, it was simply a one on one match-up and Irv could not create separation.  For the season, he has 10 targets and 5 receptions.  In this offense, surrounds by the receiving talents on the team, he should be doing better.  If the opposing team puts a linebacker on him, that team should be punished.

[Guest]

@VikingOracle said:

@MaroonBells said:
 But the narrative is that he can’t beat a linebacker? Why? Because that’s what Troy Aikman said on the telly? Aikman’s a boob. 6 times out of 10 that’s DPI anyway. 

The rest of your points are solid IMO. But benching Irv is ridiculous. He's going to have an enormous year. 

I would argue that there are two ways of getting open -- one is personal ability (running great routes, shiftiness, quickness, etc.) and the other is play design.  On the drop, I thought it was play design.  On the couple times he was against the linebacker, it was simply a one on one match-up and Irv could not create separation.  For the season, he has 10 targets and 5 receptions.  In this offense, surrounds by the receiving talents on the team, he should be doing better.  If the opposing team puts a linebacker on him, that team should be punished.

I just think that whole thing is just an overreaction prompted by a stupid comment by Aikman. Occasionally LBs get the better of even the best TEs. It's just football. Irv, who is probably the fastest, most athletic TE the Vikings have had since Steve Jordan, is going to win that matchup more often than not. 

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
In his first full-time duty in two years, ISJ dropped a ball. Diggs has dropped balls. So has Thielen. This is not Christian Watson here. ISJ does not have a reputation for drops. Btw, if he catches that ball, his numbers are 6 for 99 and 2 TDs. He was getting open. A lot. 
No, he can’t be dropping sure TDs like that, but nobody seems to be talking about the fact that on that play, he was split wide, matched up against Darius Slay, and beat him. But the narrative is that he can’t beat a linebacker? Why? Because that’s what Troy Aikman said on the telly? Aikman’s a boob. 6 times out of 10 that’s DPI anyway. 
The rest of your points are solid IMO. But benching Irv is ridiculous. He's going to have an enormous year. 

Seems the refs were letting Slay play very physical.  Was that the script for this game?

[Guest]

@VikingOracle said:
Just a quick post as I am really busy with work:

• Dropped Passes:  I haven't seen the stats but I can't recall a game where the Vikings dropped more passes (or where the opposing team dropped more interceptions).
  

So since both teams were dropping passes thrown by Cousins, we should probably blame him, right?