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MINNEAPOLIS — It remains to be seen how Case Keenum’s season will play out or if he has a future in Minnesota, but this much can be said about the veteran quarterback.His 2017 regular-season will go down as one of the best short-term investments the Vikings have evr made. General manager Rick Spielman signed Keenum to a one-year, $2 million contract this offseason to serve as Sam Bradford’s backup, thinking Keenum might be needed in a couple of games if Bradford got injured.
But that changed after Bradford’s brilliant Week 1 performance in a victory over the Saints — 27 of 32 for 346 yards and three touchdowns — when he showed up at Winter Park with his twice-surgically repaired left knee aching. Aside from one more painful-to-watch October start in Chicago, Bradford’s regular-season was done.
Keenum, 29, ended up going 11-3 as the Vikings’ starter and helped Minnesota rally for a victory over the Bears on Oct. 9 that began an eight-game winning streak. Keenum closed the regular season on Sunday by completing 21 of 29 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown in a 23-10 victory over the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Keenum finished the season with 3,547 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 98.3 passer rating. That was the fifth-best in team history. Keenum had eight games in which his passer rating was more than 100 — the Vikings were undefeated in those — and his 10 games without an interception tied the team-record for most games without an interception.
“I’m going to wait until after the year to put everything in perspective,” Keenum said when asked to reflect. “Definitely right now (I’m) enjoying this win, enjoying the season. Thirteen-and-3 has a nice ring to it. At the same time, we have a lot ahead of us, and we’re really excited about what is coming up.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...ch-future/
Too many questions on Bradford and Bridgewater...I dont know how we dont sign Keenum at this point?
I am not advocating a signing detrimental to the team and I would like to see Teddy at Eagan competing. Not sure if that's possible.
And Bradford? I think a healthy Sam is the best of the bunch. But hell, can he ever be trusted as a starter after this year? Somehow I can see him in Zona...
Sign Keenum to a 3-4 year deal.
Sign Teddy to a one-year "lets see if you are still able to play" guy. Pay him about 6-7M to be the backup.
Let Sammy go! Talented, but made of glass!
Quote: @OBM said:
Sign Keenum to a 3-4 year deal.
Sign Teddy to a one-year "lets see if you are still able to play" guy. Pay him about 6-7M to be the backup.
Let Sammy go! Talented, but made of glass!
I can get behind this...Let Sam go to Zona and give us some time to find-out what we have with Teddy and pay Keenum. Not sure if Bridgewater would be cool with this. Maybe $6mm is the best he'll get. Vikings have to get this one right!
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
@ OBM said:
Sign Keenum to a 3-4 year deal.
Sign Teddy to a one-year "lets see if you are still able to play" guy. Pay him about 6-7M to be the backup.
Let Sammy go! Talented, but made of glass!
I can get behind this...Let Sam go to Zona and give us some time to find-out what we have with Teddy and pay Keenum. Not sure if Bridgewater would be cool with this. Maybe $6mm is the best he'll get. Vikings have to get this one right!
I'm cool with Case as our starter in the playoffs. As our QB of the future, not so much. Remember, there is just as much of an unanswered question (or at least there should be) surrounding Case's REAL talent as there is about Teddy and Sam's knee. We don't want to be the team that invests millions in a guy only to discover it was the system more than the guy.
I have no clue what the Vikings will do. It's possible, I suppose, that with a big amount of cap space next year, they could afford to hedge their bets a little. Sign two guys and have a really big QB cap number for a year, just so they have a better chance of making the correct long term decision. The only QB I'm even somewhat convinced will be 1 of the 2 is Teddy Bridgewater. Earlier this year I thought he would get a big payday, but I also thought that he'd see some real playing time by now. Without it, he just can't expect a long term contract.
Case could be playing himself into oblivion. Is he Kurt Warner or Nick Foles? The answer is probably somewhere in between. In either case, he's likely going to command much more than he's worth. And I'm not sure a bidding war fits into a 2-QB scenario.
Everyone's writing off Sam. If he doesn't retire, I'm beginning to wonder if he might be the other. Think about it. He's not likely going to get a big contract because of the knee. Nor is he likely to be given a starting job. Also consider that he's made pots of money and is likely tired of moving from one team to another. The idea of playing for a modest salary and competing with Teddy Bridgewater for the starting job could be appealing to him.
If Case wins at least one playoff game, then he's as good as any QB we've had not named, Fran or Joe. If he gets the team to the SB, then he's as good as any in Viking history.
I think he'd have to absolutely play his worst game of his career in the playoffs not to get a contract from the Vikings. I would have no problem wth the Vikes signing Case and cutting ties with Teddy and Sam.
The QBs going into next season would be Case, Slotter, and a newly drafted rookie. Not having Sam and Teddy around would rid the team of distractions of the ongoing QB controversy too.
Here's the potential problem if you don't sign Keenum: what if Teddy starts in 2018 and tanks? He'll hear boo-birds for the first time in his career and the choice by management will look like a huge mistake. Now you're looking for a new QB and all the baggage associated with that. Penthouse to the outhouse. Fans will be chanting, "Kee-num, Kee-num" but he won't be there.
Like I've said before: this board, for whatever reason, doesn't value Keenum like the vast majority of fans in the Twin Cities do that aren't as hardcore as this board. Doesn't make them right, but its the prevailing sentiment.
I get the sense that the Vikings aren't as high on Keenum as most fans are... I got the same feeling about Bradford as well. Let's not forget that there were quite a few fans calling for the Vikings to extend Bradford last offseason. We all saw why the Vikings weren't ready to commit to him long-term. There is obviously something wrong with his knee... it's why Philly was reluctant to give him more than a 2-year deal and why the Vikings weren't willing to extend him last year.
Now with Keenum, I think he's shown some good things and not so good things. His positives... fiery leader, great mobility in the pocket, can extend plays with his legs, good accuracy, has some play-making ability. His negatives... inconsistent ball placement, average at best arm, a bit too much of a gunslinger without the arm to get away with it.
Overall, I think the positives outweigh the negatives with Keenum. He's really grown on me as the season has progressed. I just don't know that he's the long-term answer at QB... and I don't know if Teddy is either. Ideally, we could bring back both on short-term deals with heavy incentives and let them battle it out in camp. It's probably not realistic, but ideal scenarios usually aren't. More than likely, we'll sign one to a short-term incentive laden deal and draft a QB early if the right one is there. I think this team finally understands the importance of the QB position and all three QBs have their own warts/question marks heading into the future. Maybe it'll be Teddy/Mason Rudolph or Case/Baker Mayfield in 2018?
Quote: @HappyViking said:
If Case wins at least one playoff game, then he's as good as any QB we've had not named, Fran or Joe. If he gets the team to the SB, then he's as good as any in Viking history.
I think he'd have to absolutely play his worst game of his career in the playoffs not to get a contract from the Vikings. I would have no problem wth the Vikes signing Case and cutting ties with Teddy and Sam.
The QBs going into next season would be Case, Slotter, and a newly drafted rookie. Not having Sam and Teddy around would rid the team of distractions of the ongoing QB controversy too.
And what if Case turns back into a pumpkin? C'mon, Happy, you have to admit this is a distinct possibility. Then the Vikings take what is maybe the most talented roster in the NFL and hand it over to a rookie? Or a kid who was a wide receiver two years ago? I'm not saying there isn't risk in Teddy and Sam, too. There is. That's why the decision will be a hard one. But I don't understand why everyone seems to acknowledge the great line play, the great receiver play, the great play calling...and then give all the credit to a guy who, up until this season, was a career backup. I wouldn't be so skeptical if I hadn't seen it a dozen times.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
If Case wins at least one playoff game, then he's as good as any QB we've had not named, Fran or Joe. If he gets the team to the SB, then he's as good as any in Viking history.
I think he'd have to absolutely play his worst game of his career in the playoffs not to get a contract from the Vikings. I would have no problem wth the Vikes signing Case and cutting ties with Teddy and Sam.
The QBs going into next season would be Case, Slotter, and a newly drafted rookie. Not having Sam and Teddy around would rid the team of distractions of the ongoing QB controversy too.
And what if Case turns back into a pumpkin? C'mon, Happy, you have to admit this is a distinct possibility. Then the Vikings take what is maybe the most talented roster in the NFL and hand it over to a rookie? Or a kid who was a wide receiver two years ago? I'm not saying there isn't risk in Teddy and Sam, too. There is. That's why the decision will be a hard one. But I don't understand why everyone seems to acknowledge the great line play, the great receiver play, the great play calling...and then give all the credit to a guy who, up until this season, was a career backup. I wouldn't be so skeptical if I hadn't seen it a dozen times. This Case turning into a pumpkin bit can be thrown out the window, as far as I'm concerned. He's proven that he can make the plays needed, if he's given the time and there are open receivers. There isn't a QB in the league that can win without a very good/great OLine and some decent playmakers at RB and WR. But, there are several QBs that still can't win even if they have those things.
If Case is good enough to win in the playoffs, and then a SB, why do you need to QB shop any longer? The Vikings have never had a SB winning QB, and if Case does that, why would there be any concerns of him not being good enough?
Teddy and Sam in their current conditions are now unproven and very risky to count on. With Case, the team knows exactly what they have, and he's winning. What more could we want?
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