I agree

[Caactorvike]

Yeah we are getting way ahead of ourselves. But it IS fun to speculate. Love sat for two (three?)years before taking the reins and I don’t recall much blow back from that—except for Erin. I just think the decision about the path forward will become clear when it needs to be. Until then, I’m loving the national praise the Vikes are getting.

[StickierBuns]

Yeah we are getting way ahead of ourselves. But it IS fun to speculate. Love sat for two (three?)years before taking the reins and I don’t recall much blow back from that—except for Erin. I just think the decision about the path forward will become clear when it needs to be. Until then, I’m loving the national praise the Vikes are getting.

I think the team realizes now that McCarthy is way farther ahead of the curve than they thought when they drafted him. People forget Love went to Utah State....JJM won a national championship playing at Michigan. The team, of course, will decide, but all this talk of 'what if Darnold wins the Super Bowl' is kind of hilarious. The team has had fast starts before.

[wiviking]

What is the difference between speculating (at 4-0) that the team could conceivably make a SB run, to months ago speculating that Dallas Turner could very well be Defensive Rookie of the Year? Long before the man ever played a snap. We all know how this dance usually ends for us. But if you cannot even consider winning a SB to be a possibility, why keep watching?

This team sucked me in. This was the year that I was going to casually watch some games. But spend more time hunting that watching games on Sundays. Now, it looks like, for the time being at least, we are in contention.

BTW, this entire thread was originally about speculation on what will happen with JJM. A player that has yet to take a snap in an NFL game other than preseason. Most here, myself included, are very confident (and hopeful) that he is the bright future of this franchise. But until he earns the staring job, its conjecture and hope.

[Zanary]

I think, honestly, they're enjoying the luxury of not having to answer right this moment, not really until the season plays out. They can both see how Sam handles a season of work with the system, the team, etc, while also learning a ton about the character and the teachability of JJM in the meantime. As much as the sports bobbleheads and the fans will all be guessing and pretending to know, they don't have to actually make a decision for months.

I'd use all the time needed, in their place, and enjoy having a "good problem" for a change!

[purplefaithful]

I think the team realizes now that McCarthy is way farther ahead of the curve than they thought when they drafted him. People forget Love went to Utah State....JJM won a national championship playing at Michigan. The team, of course, will decide, but all this talk of 'what if Darnold wins the Super Bowl' is kind of hilarious. The team has had fast starts before.

Coming out of that run heavy offense, that surprised me too. I think its a reflection of him soaking up the coaching once he got to Eagan. 

Which reflects well on him and the org. 

But I am still skittish about turning over the keys to some so un-proven in the pro's and so inexperienced. Its not a normal first year on the bench, not with that 4-6 mos rehab he's in the middle of. 

We wont have a choice though, Darnold is going to get a big $ contract from someone.

[CFIAvike]

Didn’t Alex Smith take the Chiefs to the playoffs the year before they chose Mahomes over him?  Not saying JJM is Mahomes…but this movie has been seen before

[Montana Tom]

Future scenario thinking...
Should Darnold take us A) To the playoffs, B) Deep in the playoffs...
Fans forget that he is only on a one-year leash. He'll be a free agent after the season, so the market will dictate his options (and our options) more than us driving that bus.
The only home-town discount he might offer the Vikings to stay another year or two is because of how KOC's tutoring helped him re-invigorate his career.
But in scenario A or B above, the longest extension I see Kwesi offering would be 2 years. Because after that you DEFINITELY would have your QBOTF primed to step in.
The other challenge in extending Darnold is that he would definitely command a large chunk of that available cap space that we have all been salivating for next year. Given what Kwesi (and KOC) were able to do this season with what we all assumed was a patchwork quilt of players, maybe that's still a good bet.

The problem with answering questions before they are due to be answered is that you are not dealing with a fully developed question. Let the scenarios play out and enjoy the ride. We all know that this can't continue...we're not allowed to have nice things.

[StickierBuns]

Future scenario thinking...
Should Darnold take us A) To the playoffs, B) Deep in the playoffs...
Fans forget that he is only on a one-year leash.  He'll be a free agent after the season, so the market will dictate his options (and our options) more than us driving that bus.
The only home-town discount he might offer the Vikings to stay another year or two is because of how KOC's tutoring helped him re-invigorate his career.
But in scenario A or B above, the longest extension I see Kwesi offering would be 2 years.  Because after that you DEFINITELY would have your QBOTF primed to step in.
The other challenge in extending Darnold is that he would definitely command a large chunk of that available cap space that we have all been salivating for next year.  Given what Kwesi (and KOC) were able to do this season with what we all assumed was a patchwork quilt of players, maybe that's still a good bet.

The problem with answering questions before they are due to be answered is that you are not dealing with a fully developed question.  Let the scenarios play out and enjoy the ride.  We all know that this can't continue...we're not allowed to have nice things.

Darnold knew the situation when he signed and knows the situation now. It could be weird later if say Minnesota is like a #1 or #2 NFC playoff seed. But here's the difference: the team has been around McCarthy....they've seen him play one preseason game....they've seen him in practice, getting better each day. The team already really likes JJM, he's got some equity. That's important because I know they like Sam as well. If JJM was a completely unknown commodity and hadn't bonded with the team like he already has, it could be a really awkward deal later on with continued success. But that's the great part of this, it won't be. But at the same time, assuming continued success, I'm sure Darnold would prefer to stay a Viking. I do feel badly for him if that happens. Then when he goes, JJM will be compared to Darnold's success. I mean it has some low level potential to get sticky down the road. However, I don't expect it to go down that way.

[MaroonBells]

What is the difference between speculating (at 4-0) that the team could conceivably make a SB run, to months ago speculating that Dallas Turner could very well be Defensive Rookie of the Year? Long before the man ever played a snap. We all know how this dance usually ends for us. But if you cannot even consider winning a SB to be a possibility, why keep watching?

This team sucked me in. This was the year that I was going to casually watch some games. But spend more time hunting that watching games on Sundays. Now, it looks like, for the time being at least, we are in contention.

BTW, this entire thread was originally about speculation on what will happen with JJM. A player that has yet to take a snap in an NFL game other than preseason. Most here, myself included, are very confident (and hopeful) that he is the bright future of this franchise. But until he earns the staring job, its conjecture and hope.

I agree with you, but Viking fans are a psychological case study in fear, apprehension and the dangers of hope. Since we know how the dance typically ends for us, we usually don't bother to dance at all.