Quote: @Skodin said:
@ supafreak84 said:
I'm referencing our 3-man front of Lowry, Tonga, and Phillips. That doesn't scare anybody and a big issue amongst the litany of issues on defense was our inability to push and collapse the pocket last season. Unless our 5th round pick steps up, I don't see any of that changing this season and while I suspect our secondary will be better by virtue of scheme change alone, I'd be surprised if we don't struggle to stop the run this season.
Where do you see Davenport playing? On the line or the OLB part of a 3 man rotation for 2 spots? Lowry and Phillips are strong run stuffers, Tomlinson was a FA bust. With these new additions plus Flores over Donatell, there is no reason to believe we are going to be just as bad as last year.
We just might upgrade through subtraction.
Definitely at OLB and the likely starter there assuming Zadarius is a goner. We'll see how he adjusts going from playing DE in a four man front in New Orleans to OLB in a 3-4. Lot of pressures but only 1 sack last season.
And I think Lowry and Phillips are ideally rotational players you use situationally and not starters who you want to rely on to generate constant havoc. That's just not who they are as players.
Got to get to Minneapolis this Fall for a game, didn't go last year. Like to see one no later than mid-October as my Florida blood has changed....
Quote: @StickyBun said:
Got to get to Minneapolis this Fall for a game, didn't go last year. Like to see one no later than mid-October as my Florida blood has changed....
Go for the good seats. Last year, for the first time ever, I splurged and got 2nd row seats around the 25 yard line. Not cheap but worth every penny. The kids were slackjawed the whole game. You can hear the hits, overhear conversations on the side lines. Probably do the same thing this year.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ StickyBun said:
Got to get to Minneapolis this Fall for a game, didn't go last year. Like to see one no later than mid-October as my Florida blood has changed....
Go for the good seats. Last year, for the first time ever, I splurged and got 2nd row seats around the 25 yard line. Not cheap but worth every penny. The kids were slackjawed the whole game. You can hear the hits, overhear conversations on the side lines. Probably do the same thing this year.
Yep, I never go cheap. I want to see the game. Be in it the moment when I'm there. I've been to U.S. Bank for a game 4 times now since they opened.
Quote: @Kentis said:
Vikings Home Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
Vikings Road Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
AFC West: Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
My guess; we open at home vs the Buccaneers
Lets play GB and Bears in December @ home this year...
Quote: @FLVike said:
@ Kentis said:
Vikings Home Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
Vikings Road Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
AFC West: Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
My guess; we open at home vs the Buccaneers
Like in 1998. That was a fun game!
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ PurpleCrush said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ Kentis said:
Vikings Home Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
Vikings Road Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
AFC West: Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
12-5
Pfffft. Pessimist.
I know...I know what you're thinking....
4X Pro Bowl QB Cousins returning to the same offense for the first time since 2016. The line returning all five starters for the first time in over a decade, a receiving corp that includes the best receiver in football, a 1st rounder in Addison, a damn good WR3 in KJO and one of the NFL's best receiving TEs in TJ Hockenson...not to mention a defense that replaces Mr. Ed with the Secretary of Defense Brian Flores, upgrades Peterson with Murphy, adds Marcus Davenport, a 1st rounder (Cine), a 2nd rounder (Booth), two 3rds (Asamoah, Blackmon) and two 4ths (Evans, Ward) to what we fielded last year.....and we're going to win FEWER games this year?
Cousins for MVP and Super Bowl here we come then, right!?
I hope you are right, but the reality is its virtually impossible to repeat the good fortune we had last season in pulling off some impossible one score games. We were also largely injury free to our key players last season and I wouldnt count on that happening again. Yes we've made some hopeful improvements, but do you not think Philly, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, the Giants, and even the Lions (who you could argue was the better team last year) also made substantial roster improvements? Bears are going to be a lot better. I just have a feeling it's going to be tough sledding for the Vikings this year and somewhere around .500 feels realistic to me. I know though....just me being pessimistic and not giving Cousins credit for the MVP candidate he is.
I don't expect us to repeat last year. I hope we don't. I don't see a dozen close games and record breaking comebacks. But nor do I expect to suffer 4 blowout losses. I think the '23 team will be more even-keeled with better defense and a better running game. We may not win 13 games, but it should be a more sound team going into the playoffs.
All those teams you mention is a classic case of the grass being greener in the other guy's yard. I think Philly looks good but volatile. Detroit certainly improved their roster. But let's not forget that the only team with a worse defense than ours was Detroit. Everyone loves the 49ers, but seem to gloss over the fact that they got nothing from the draft and lost 8 starters to free agency. Dallas, Seattle, the Giants? Meh. I think the Vikings are right in that mix. One team you don't mention that I expect to be better is the Saints. Guessing the Bears thing was a joke?
No it's the classic case of those teams being better than us last season and having also made significant roster upgrades and moves themselves. So where does that leave the Vikings in the shuffle? Have we done enough to overtake some of these teams who were better than us last season? Seattle, Detroit and the Giants certainly had better drafts. The 49ers signed who many considered the top free agent available this year in Javon Hargrave and have arguably the most loaded roster in the league. I agree with you on the Saints and brought them up in another post. The Bears have completely reshaped their roster and will be much better, not a playoff team, but better. Dallas didn't get worse.
I still think we may have the worst defensive line in the league and we are counting on Brian Flores, who has never been a DC before, to come in and work miracles with this unit is a tall order. Hoping the injury prone secondary can stay healthy. Our linebackers are undersized and I think behind that line are going to struggle stopping the run. The plights of Zadarius Smith and Dalvin Cook are yet to be determined still. I firmly believe getting rid of Cook would be a mistake and makes our offense much less potent. Hoping for the best obviously but a 9-8 type season feels about right all things considered.
https://twitter.com/MikeClayNFL/status/1...65798?s=20
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ PurpleCrush said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ Kentis said:
Vikings Home Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
Vikings Road Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
AFC West: Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
12-5
Pfffft. Pessimist.
I know...I know what you're thinking....
4X Pro Bowl QB Cousins returning to the same offense for the first time since 2016. The line returning all five starters for the first time in over a decade, a receiving corp that includes the best receiver in football, a 1st rounder in Addison, a damn good WR3 in KJO and one of the NFL's best receiving TEs in TJ Hockenson...not to mention a defense that replaces Mr. Ed with the Secretary of Defense Brian Flores, upgrades Peterson with Murphy, adds Marcus Davenport, a 1st rounder (Cine), a 2nd rounder (Booth), two 3rds (Asamoah, Blackmon) and two 4ths (Evans, Ward) to what we fielded last year.....and we're going to win FEWER games this year?
Cousins for MVP and Super Bowl here we come then, right!?
I hope you are right, but the reality is its virtually impossible to repeat the good fortune we had last season in pulling off some impossible one score games. We were also largely injury free to our key players last season and I wouldnt count on that happening again. Yes we've made some hopeful improvements, but do you not think Philly, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, the Giants, and even the Lions (who you could argue was the better team last year) also made substantial roster improvements? Bears are going to be a lot better. I just have a feeling it's going to be tough sledding for the Vikings this year and somewhere around .500 feels realistic to me. I know though....just me being pessimistic and not giving Cousins credit for the MVP candidate he is.
I don't expect us to repeat last year. I hope we don't. I don't see a dozen close games and record breaking comebacks. But nor do I expect to suffer 4 blowout losses. I think the '23 team will be more even-keeled with better defense and a better running game. We may not win 13 games, but it should be a more sound team going into the playoffs.
All those teams you mention is a classic case of the grass being greener in the other guy's yard. I think Philly looks good but volatile. Detroit certainly improved their roster. But let's not forget that the only team with a worse defense than ours was Detroit. Everyone loves the 49ers, but seem to gloss over the fact that they got nothing from the draft and lost 8 starters to free agency. Dallas, Seattle, the Giants? Meh. I think the Vikings are right in that mix. One team you don't mention that I expect to be better is the Saints. Guessing the Bears thing was a joke?
No it's the classic case of those teams being better than us last season and having also made significant roster upgrades and moves themselves. So where does that leave the Vikings in the shuffle? Have we done enough to overtake some of these teams who were better than us last season? Seattle, Detroit and the Giants certainly had better drafts. The 49ers signed who many considered the top free agent available this year in Javon Hargrave and have arguably the most loaded roster in the league. I agree with you on the Saints and brought them up in another post. The Bears have completely reshaped their roster and will be much better, not a playoff team, but better. Dallas didn't get worse.
I still think we may have the worst defensive line in the league and we are counting on Brian Flores, who has never been a DC before, to come in and work miracles with this unit is a tall order. Hoping the injury prone secondary can stay healthy. Our linebackers are undersized and I think behind that line are going to struggle stopping the run. The plights of Zadarius Smith and Dalvin Cook are yet to be determined still. I firmly believe getting rid of Cook would be a mistake and makes our offense much less potent. Hoping for the best obviously but a 9-8 type season feels about right all things considered.
https://twitter.com/MikeClayNFL/status/1...65798?s=20
The outside guys are good, although we don't know what we are getting from Davenport. 15 games played last season...1/2 a sack. He's also played in a 4 man front his whole career and how will he adjust to playing OLB in a 3-4? He has upside, but as of now he's a huge question mark.
My comment was referencing our 3 down lineman. We just don't have any difference makers unless Roy surprises. I suspect we will once again have trouble collapsing the pocket and I think we will struggle to stop the run more this season. Hope I'm wrong, but it's an assumption based on personnel.
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ PurpleCrush said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ Kentis said:
Vikings Home Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
Vikings Road Opponents:
NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
AFC West: Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
12-5
Pfffft. Pessimist.
I know...I know what you're thinking....
4X Pro Bowl QB Cousins returning to the same offense for the first time since 2016. The line returning all five starters for the first time in over a decade, a receiving corp that includes the best receiver in football, a 1st rounder in Addison, a damn good WR3 in KJO and one of the NFL's best receiving TEs in TJ Hockenson...not to mention a defense that replaces Mr. Ed with the Secretary of Defense Brian Flores, upgrades Peterson with Murphy, adds Marcus Davenport, a 1st rounder (Cine), a 2nd rounder (Booth), two 3rds (Asamoah, Blackmon) and two 4ths (Evans, Ward) to what we fielded last year.....and we're going to win FEWER games this year?
Cousins for MVP and Super Bowl here we come then, right!?
I hope you are right, but the reality is its virtually impossible to repeat the good fortune we had last season in pulling off some impossible one score games. We were also largely injury free to our key players last season and I wouldnt count on that happening again. Yes we've made some hopeful improvements, but do you not think Philly, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, the Giants, and even the Lions (who you could argue was the better team last year) also made substantial roster improvements? Bears are going to be a lot better. I just have a feeling it's going to be tough sledding for the Vikings this year and somewhere around .500 feels realistic to me. I know though....just me being pessimistic and not giving Cousins credit for the MVP candidate he is.
I don't expect us to repeat last year. I hope we don't. I don't see a dozen close games and record breaking comebacks. But nor do I expect to suffer 4 blowout losses. I think the '23 team will be more even-keeled with better defense and a better running game. We may not win 13 games, but it should be a more sound team going into the playoffs.
All those teams you mention is a classic case of the grass being greener in the other guy's yard. I think Philly looks good but volatile. Detroit certainly improved their roster. But let's not forget that the only team with a worse defense than ours was Detroit. Everyone loves the 49ers, but seem to gloss over the fact that they got nothing from the draft and lost 8 starters to free agency. Dallas, Seattle, the Giants? Meh. I think the Vikings are right in that mix. One team you don't mention that I expect to be better is the Saints. Guessing the Bears thing was a joke?
No it's the classic case of those teams being better than us last season and having also made significant roster upgrades and moves themselves. So where does that leave the Vikings in the shuffle? Have we done enough to overtake some of these teams who were better than us last season? Seattle, Detroit and the Giants certainly had better drafts. The 49ers signed who many considered the top free agent available this year in Javon Hargrave and have arguably the most loaded roster in the league. I agree with you on the Saints and brought them up in another post. The Bears have completely reshaped their roster and will be much better, not a playoff team, but better. Dallas didn't get worse.
I still think we may have the worst defensive line in the league and we are counting on Brian Flores, who has never been a DC before, to come in and work miracles with this unit is a tall order. Hoping the injury prone secondary can stay healthy. Our linebackers are undersized and I think behind that line are going to struggle stopping the run. The plights of Zadarius Smith and Dalvin Cook are yet to be determined still. I firmly believe getting rid of Cook would be a mistake and makes our offense much less potent. Hoping for the best obviously but a 9-8 type season feels about right all things considered.
https://twitter.com/MikeClayNFL/status/1...65798?s=20
The outside guys are good, although we don't know what we are getting from Davenport. 15 games played last season...1/2 a sack. He's also played in a 4 man front his whole career and how will he adjust to playing OLB in a 3-4? He has upside, but as of now he's a huge question mark.
My comment was referencing our 3 down lineman. We just don't have any difference makers unless Roy surprises. I suspect we will once again have trouble collapsing the pocket and I think we will struggle to stop the run more this season. Hope I'm wrong, but it's an assumption based on personnel.
The three players up front in a 3-4 aren't typically household names. Check out the best 3-4 defenses in the NFL the last several years. If you've heard of more than half of them I'd be surprised.
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