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If quarterback Kyle Sloter doesn’t make the Vikings’ 53-man roster, he believes he’s done enough to be picked up by another NFL team.
“Yeah, I would hope so,’’ Sloter said Tuesday. “I feel like I’m a young guy who’s put his best foot forward in the games, and I’m hopefully just going to show that I can get better and better.’’
Head coach Mike Zimmer said Tuesday he doesn’t know if the Vikings will keep two or three quarterbacks when the roster is set Saturday. Locks to make it are starter Kirk Cousins and backup Sean Mannion. Along with Sloter, the third-stringer, Minnesota also has undrafted rookie Jake Browning.
“It all depends on other positions really,’’ Zimmer said. “Where we’re at with the 53, if we’re going to keep three or keep two.’’
Sloter, 25, has been on Minnesota’s active roster the past two seasons but has not appeared in a regular-season game. He’s not approaching Thursday’s preseason finale at Buffalo as if he has a roster spot assured.
“The mindset that I carry is that I always have to make the roster, and I don’t ever want to get complacent,’’ Sloter said. “My mindset is that I’m fighting for a spot and it’s served me well in the past and I’m just going to assume that I’m not safe.’’
Sloter leads all NFL quarterbacks in the preseason with more than two attempts with a passer rating of 146.9. Sloter has completed 23 of 27 passes (85.2 percent) for 280 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, although he has gone mostly against third stringers.
Zimmer has been critical at times of Sloter. He said last month he must do better in practice and he said after an Aug. 18 preseason game against Seattle that “there’s a lot of things that he has to get better at if he wants to be the backup quarterback.’’
Asked last week about Zimmer’s comments regarding the Seahawks game, Sloter said he would “let my play do the talking’’ in last Saturday’s game Arizona. He then completed 6 of 7 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in a 20-9 win. He led the Vikings to two fourth-quarter touchdowns after they trailed 9-7.
“I think that’s the way players need to approach it,’’ Sloter said of his comments last week. “We’re not really in a position to argue. We’ve just got to come out here and show our best on the field.’’
Cousins won’t play Thursday. Zimmer wouldn’t say whether Mannion will start or also will sit out. Sloter said he doesn’t know who will start, saying quarterbacks likely won’t find out until Wednesday.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/08/27/if...l-options/
I don't get the love for Mannion, and I don't buy the "mentor" role for KC either. Are we to believe it was Mannion that turned Goff into a SB caliber QB? If so, why'd they let him leave? Because Blake Bortals was going to be a way better "mentor" for Goff?
There's something about Sloter that Zim doesn't like, or maybe he's just giving him tough love; not sure. Hope he stays just because it seems like he's developing. Sloter looks better this preseason than last, and he's clearly played better than Mannion in the games.
The thing that bugs me about the “mentor” role for Manion is that they have a QB coach. Wouldnt it be part of his duties to sit with QB on sidelines and help with that stuff. Then Sloter gets in that conversation to learn?
I think it's the tough love thing. He does it every year
Seems obvious... Cut Mannion!
- A coach can be a mentor.
- Kirk's been in the league 8 years. Why does he need a mentor, especially one who's only been in the league 4 years?
This whole thing is starting to bug me.
EDIT- To be clear this take is about 50% based on my belief that Sloter just might decent, and 50% based on my belief that Mannion stinks. I'd feel a lot differently about the Sloter thing if our backup was more competent.
My take on this whole thing is that Sloter long ago earned the right to get some looks with the 2s, along with the 5 or 6 other 3rd string QBs in the NFL who got that same opportunity this preseason. But I'm also fine if the coaching staff feels more comfortable with Mannion as the backup. Where I'm NOT fine is when we hear talk like this from Zimmer about the very real possibility of keeping only 2 QBs....and Sloter obviously being the odd man out.
As incredibly difficult as it is to find capable, starting, franchise QBs in this league--God knows, there are teams who have been at it for decades, the Vikings might be one of them--you can't just let a guy like this go without investigating thoroughly what you have. And that investigation can't be limited to just practices.
Now, IF he had gone in with the 2's or 1's and showed us all that he couldn't play at the same level, fine. But he hasn't had that opportunity. So right now what we have is a QB who doesn't play well in practice when his rep comes every 45 minutes, but when the lights go on and he's allowed to find a rhythm, he lights it up like nothing we've ever seen before. His performance--accuracy, mobility, the IT factor, how he energizes the team, etc--hasn't just been good, it's been unprecedented.
If you let a guy like that hit the streets before you know for certain that he's NOT a "gamer" that you happened to stumble upon for FREE in the mold of Kurt Warner or Tony Romo or Tom Brady or whoever, you might just be be making a blunder that this franchise could regret for decades. Is keeping that 4th TE or 5th CB, who may not even be playing 2 years from now, worth missing out on that possibility? No, it's not.
If we cut Sloter, there will obviously be a fan and media backlash. But knowing Zimmer's adversarial relationship with both, it would not surprise me at all to see him do it just to spite them.
I just hope Sloter can hang around for the next coaching staff to evaluate.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
My take on this whole thing is that Sloter long ago earned the right to get some looks with the 2s, along with the 5 or 6 other 3rd string QBs in the NFL who got that same opportunity this preseason. But I'm also fine if the coaching staff feels more comfortable with Mannion as the backup. Where I'm NOT fine is when we hear talk like this from Zimmer about the very real possibility of keeping only 2 QBs....and Sloter obviously being the odd man out.
As incredibly difficult as it is to find capable, starting, franchise QBs in this league--God knows, there are teams who have been at it for decades, the Vikings might be one of them--you can't just let a guy like this go without investigating thoroughly what you have. And that investigation can't be limited to just practices.
Now, IF he had gone in with the 2's or 1's and showed us all that he couldn't play at the same level, fine. But he hasn't had that opportunity. So right now what we have is a QB who doesn't play well in practice when his rep comes every 45 minutes, but when the lights go on and he's allowed to find a rhythm, he lights it up like nothing we've ever seen before. His performance--accuracy, mobility, the IT factor, how he energizes the team, etc--hasn't just been good, it's been unprecedented.
If you let a guy like that hit the streets before you know for certain that he's NOT a "gamer" that you happened to stumble upon for FREE in the mold of Kurt Warner or Tony Romo or Tom Brady or whoever, you might just be be making a blunder that this franchise could regret for decades. Is keeping that 4th TE or 5th CB, who may not even be playing 2 years from now, worth missing out on that possibility? No, it's not.
If we cut Sloter, there will obviously be a fan and media backlash. But knowing Zimmer's adversarial relationship with both, it would not surprise me at all to see him do it just to spite them.
Maroon, I agree with this assessment except for the last line. I highly doubt Zimmer is going to cut anyone to spite the fans and/or media. Maybe you were being sarcastic, maybe not, but I find the notion ridiculous.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
My take on this whole thing is that Sloter long ago earned the right to get some looks with the 2s, along with the 5 or 6 other 3rd string QBs in the NFL who got that same opportunity this preseason. But I'm also fine if the coaching staff feels more comfortable with Mannion as the backup. Where I'm NOT fine is when we hear talk like this from Zimmer about the very real possibility of keeping only 2 QBs....and Sloter obviously being the odd man out.
As incredibly difficult as it is to find capable, starting, franchise QBs in this league--God knows, there are teams who have been at it for decades, the Vikings might be one of them--you can't just let a guy like this go without investigating thoroughly what you have. And that investigation can't be limited to just practices.
Now, IF he had gone in with the 2's or 1's and showed us all that he couldn't play at the same level, fine. But he hasn't had that opportunity. So right now what we have is a QB who doesn't play well in practice when his rep comes every 45 minutes, but when the lights go on and he's allowed to find a rhythm, he lights it up like nothing we've ever seen before. His performance--accuracy, mobility, the IT factor, how he energizes the team, etc--hasn't just been good, it's been unprecedented.
If you let a guy like that hit the streets before you know for certain that he's NOT a "gamer" that you happened to stumble upon for FREE in the mold of Kurt Warner or Tony Romo or Tom Brady or whoever, you might just be be making a blunder that this franchise could regret for decades. Is keeping that 4th TE or 5th CB, who may not even be playing 2 years from now, worth missing out on that possibility? No, it's not.
If we cut Sloter, there will obviously be a fan and media backlash. But knowing Zimmer's adversarial relationship with both, it would not surprise me at all to see him do it just to spite them.
If the Vikings cut Sloter for a 4th TE or 7th LB, I'll be right there with you criticizing the team. I think Zimmer is just being coy... I think we've had 3 QBs on the roster every year he has been our Head Coach.
I agree with most of your post, but not the last sentence. I think too many fans are projecting things on Zimmer that aren't necessarily true.
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