I think this is a 9-win football team for 2023

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

I defended your position of a 10 spot improvement,   but I dont think we are going to see that translated into more wins as I dont think the luck of last year is sustainable and on paper we have a tougher schedule this year.

Just beacuse I dont buy your annual rosy roster reviews doesn't make me negative,   I just see to many holes to think they will be more than a game over 500 without a lot of luck like last year,  with huge question marks on DL and the IOL, I'm just not seeing it with a weak LB group and an immobile QB.

Strength of schedule is a non-factor since teams are never the same from one year to the next. Still, Vikings ranked 20th last year and I've seen two rankings this year. 19th and 25th. Irrelevant if you ask me.

I think your biggest problem is a lack of perspective. Context with the rest of the NFL. We don't have any superstars on our DL. But how many 34s do you know of with superstars on the front line? The superstars are the OLBs. 0, 4 and 5 techs are just mudders. I bet if I listed the three players from each 34 in the NFL, you will have heard of about a third of them. The best 3-4 defense in the NFL last year was the Ravens. Their starting DL this year is Justin Madabuike, Micheal Pierce (remember him?) and Broderick Washington. Yeah...who? 

Yes, the IOL needs to improve, but that's an all 1st and 2nd round group who is still pretty young. This is the first year they return together as a group. No one is expecting All Pro years, but just marginal improvement from those three could result in much easier time staying on the field. 

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

There's really 2 kinds of fans: those looking for negative things to hang their hat on or those looking for positive things to get excited about. Its just a mindset. I trend toward more positive until I see otherwise, then I'm all-in on the criticism. 

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

I defended your position of a 10 spot improvement,   but I dont think we are going to see that translated into more wins as I dont think the luck of last year is sustainable and on paper we have a tougher schedule this year.

Just beacuse I dont buy your annual rosy roster reviews doesn't make me negative,   I just see to many holes to think they will be more than a game over 500 without a lot of luck like last year,  with huge question marks on DL and the IOL, I'm just not seeing it with a weak LB group and an immobile QB.

Strength of schedule is a non-factor since teams are never the same from one year to the next. Still, Vikings ranked 20th last year and I've seen two rankings this year. 19th and 25th. Irrelevant if you ask me.

I think your biggest problem is a lack of perspective. Context with the rest of the NFL. We don't have any superstars on our DL. But how many 34s do you know of with superstars on the front line? The superstars are the OLBs. 0, 4 and 5 techs are just mudders. I bet if I listed the three players from each 34 in the NFL, you will have heard of about a third of them. The best 3-4 defense in the NFL last year was the Ravens. Their starting DL this year is Justin Madabuike, Micheal Pierce (remember him?) and Broderick Washington. Yeah...who? 

Yes, the IOL needs to improve, but that's an all 1st and 2nd round group who is still pretty young. This is the first year they return together as a group. No one is expecting All Pro years, but just marginal improvement from those three could result in much easier time staying on the field. 

As long as you bring up LBs....we don't have shit there either,  best we have going is a guy that is more suited to be a 43 DE.  I dont see anything positive except maybe your guy Asamoah ,  but word out of camp so far is he swaps good plays for bad quite frequently so thats not gonna help, and even then will he be able to hold up ?

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

There's really 2 kinds of fans: those looking for negative things to hang their hat on or those looking for positive things to get excited about. Its just a mindset. I trend toward more positive until I see otherwise, then I'm all-in on the criticism. 

I see the positives,  I even comment on them when there is something legit,  I just dont hang my hat on them, honestly I dont hang my hat on much,  even in my pessimism I look for reasons to be optimistic,  but I dont buy hype as that is the worst kind of let down,  your mind tells you something isnt adding up,  you dont trust your mind and allow youself to get sucked in and then you get gut punched and your mind is up there reminding you that you are a chump.

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

There's really 2 kinds of fans: those looking for negative things to hang their hat on or those looking for positive things to get excited about. Its just a mindset. I trend toward more positive until I see otherwise, then I'm all-in on the criticism. 

I see the positives,  I even comment on them when there is something legit,  I just dont hang my hat on them, honestly I dont hang my hat on much,  even in my pessimism I look for reasons to be optimistic,  but I dont buy hype as that is the worst kind of let down,  your mind tells you something isnt adding up,  you dont trust your mind and allow youself to get sucked in and then you get gut punched and your mind is up there reminding you that you are a chump.

I get that. Makes sense from a long time fan perspective to hedge your emotions. 

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

There's really 2 kinds of fans: those looking for negative things to hang their hat on or those looking for positive things to get excited about. Its just a mindset. I trend toward more positive until I see otherwise, then I'm all-in on the criticism. 

I see the positives,  I even comment on them when there is something legit,  I just dont hang my hat on them, honestly I dont hang my hat on much,  even in my pessimism I look for reasons to be optimistic,  but I dont buy hype as that is the worst kind of let down,  your mind tells you something isnt adding up,  you dont trust your mind and allow youself to get sucked in and then you get gut punched and your mind is up there reminding you that you are a chump.

I get that. Makes sense from a long time fan perspective to hedge your emotions. 

OK,  now get back behind the line,  I let you get anymore of a glimpse into my mind and you might have nightmares I dont want to be responsible for. :p

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

There's really 2 kinds of fans: those looking for negative things to hang their hat on or those looking for positive things to get excited about. Its just a mindset. I trend toward more positive until I see otherwise, then I'm all-in on the criticism. 

I see the positives,  I even comment on them when there is something legit,  I just dont hang my hat on them, honestly I dont hang my hat on much,  even in my pessimism I look for reasons to be optimistic,  but I dont buy hype as that is the worst kind of let down,  your mind tells you something isnt adding up,  you dont trust your mind and allow youself to get sucked in and then you get gut punched and your mind is up there reminding you that you are a chump.

I get that. Makes sense from a long time fan perspective to hedge your emotions. 

OK,  now get back behind the line,  I let you get anymore of a glimpse into my mind and you might have nightmares I dont want to be responsible for. :p

lol, oh trust me.....I will hedge in a moment's notice. I will also be ultra negative halfway through the 1st quarter of a game Minnesota is behind by 3 points. 

My fragile little Viking's fan psyche has been punished these last 45 years of fandom. 

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

I defended your position of a 10 spot improvement,   but I dont think we are going to see that translated into more wins as I dont think the luck of last year is sustainable and on paper we have a tougher schedule this year.

Just beacuse I dont buy your annual rosy roster reviews doesn't make me negative,   I just see to many holes to think they will be more than a game over 500 without a lot of luck like last year,  with huge question marks on DL and the IOL, I'm just not seeing it with a weak LB group and an immobile QB.

Strength of schedule is a non-factor since teams are never the same from one year to the next. Still, Vikings ranked 20th last year and I've seen two rankings this year. 19th and 25th. Irrelevant if you ask me.

I think your biggest problem is a lack of perspective. Context with the rest of the NFL. We don't have any superstars on our DL. But how many 34s do you know of with superstars on the front line? The superstars are the OLBs. 0, 4 and 5 techs are just mudders. I bet if I listed the three players from each 34 in the NFL, you will have heard of about a third of them. The best 3-4 defense in the NFL last year was the Ravens. Their starting DL this year is Justin Madabuike, Micheal Pierce (remember him?) and Broderick Washington. Yeah...who? 

Yes, the IOL needs to improve, but that's an all 1st and 2nd round group who is still pretty young. This is the first year they return together as a group. No one is expecting All Pro years, but just marginal improvement from those three could result in much easier time staying on the field. 

As long as you bring up LBs....we don't have shit there either,  best we have going is a guy that is more suited to be a 43 DE.  I dont see anything positive except maybe your guy Asamoah ,  but word out of camp so far is he swaps good plays for bad quite frequently so thats not gonna help, and even then will he be able to hold up ?

Love Asamoah and the way he plays. He's going to make mistakes because he's young and he's learning a new scheme. This is part of why I firmly believe the Vikings will make a lot of big plays, both good and bad. Once he settles in though I think he's going to make us forget all about Kendricks. Well, at least the Kendricks we saw last year, who couldn't cover ME on a crosser. And don't underrate Davenport, who has more pressures than anyone in the league not named Myles Garrett. He has to stay healthy. They all do. But those pressures make blitzes more effective. 

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@StickyBun said:

@MaroonBells said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@MaroonBells said:

@supafreak84 said:

You make it sound like improving from 31st to 20th is some unprecedented landmark achievement. That kind of improvement (and decline) is pretty standard in the NFL. 

Bengals improved from 26th to 18th and went to the Super Bowl. Chiefs improved from 27th to 11th and went to the Super Bowl by increasing their pressure rate and becoming one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL. Last year the Ravens improved from 25th to 9th. Sauce was a big factor, but the Jets improved their defense mostly by changing their defensive philosophy and went from 32nd to 4th. Point is, it happens quite a bit. 

Those teams you mentioned invested in free agency and drafted to fix the problems on that side of the ball, so of course there are significant jumps in their defensive rankings. We didn't do any of that. We didn't sign a Trey Hendrickson in free agency, draft a Sauce Gardner or Geore Karlaftis. We went Dean Lowry. So while you paint a pretty picture, I don't see us improving significantly on defense. 

That's nonsense. So you just conveniently leave out Marcus Davenport, PFF's #1 ranked free agent edge rusher, and Byron Murphy, a top 5 free agent corner, who was the only corner to shut down both Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams. Is it impossible for them to turn in good years and improve our defense a few slots? Or is that just impossible because for Team Woe Is Us the grass will always be greener in the other guy's yard? Will Brian Flores have no impact at all? The dark rain cloud you carry around every day because we hired Kwesi instead of the guy you wanted has got to get tiresome at some point. 

 

I dont give a shit who the GM is... and I still dont see the rainbows and unicorns that you try and sell every offseason when TC rolls around.  Its ok,  people are allowed to see things differently.

It's rainbows to think that it's possible for the defense to improve from 31st to 21st? And the idea that, while we may not win as many games as last year (conceding regression to the mean), it could very well turn us into a more stable, reliable team, is unicorns?

Jimmy, you may not have Supa's agenda, but I'd bet cash-American you think you're the one being objective. Am I right? Trust me, you're not. You're habitually, neurotically negative. About every damn thing. You're very close to becoming a drinking game. :-)

lol, curmudgeon alert! I like to call Jimmy a red ass sometimes. Yes, he also thinks he's being objective in the political threads!  :p

Lol,  have you read your own shit?

lmao. Touche. But I'm downright Mr. Blue Sky compared to you about the Vikings....

At times yes. But reality is this isn't close to one our better years starting a season in terms of roster strength,  and we are facing a very strong schedule.   As far as my outlook,  its probably more of a self defense mechanism,   I rarely am let down by this team,  occasionally I am pleasantly surprised,  but tempering my expectations is how I have learned to cope with the heartbreaks of the past. 

There's really 2 kinds of fans: those looking for negative things to hang their hat on or those looking for positive things to get excited about. Its just a mindset. I trend toward more positive until I see otherwise, then I'm all-in on the criticism. 

I see the positives,  I even comment on them when there is something legit,  I just dont hang my hat on them, honestly I dont hang my hat on much,  even in my pessimism I look for reasons to be optimistic,  but I dont buy hype as that is the worst kind of let down,  your mind tells you something isnt adding up,  you dont trust your mind and allow youself to get sucked in and then you get gut punched and your mind is up there reminding you that you are a chump.

I suspected this was what was behind it. I guess I just don't take it that seriously. It's just a game. That we don't even play. Before he went nuts, Elon Musk once said "I'd rather be optimistic and wrong than pessimistic and right."