How do you feel about one and done?

I was expecting to see a 7-9 or 8-8 team this season.  If they get to the playoffs, that would exceed any early season expectations, so I guess it wouldn't surprise me to see one and done.   This team is better than I thought, but not an elite team. 

I like Zimmer, but the team is failing on defense now.  He fired Flip for creating a crappy offense.  It's not like Zim can fire the DC to help out the defense next season.
I'm not sure if the problem is Zim, or his team needs to retool.  I'm worried if he leaves, things will only get worse.

Zims defensive mind is great,  but his schemes seem to rely on top tier talent to make them work.  We cant put all those draft picks into the D or that kind of cap space in order to keep it firing at a high level.   I also wonder if Zims hard ass apprach is wearing thin with some of the older players that have been in the system and have heard the ass chewings for 5-7 years now.  Some players just dont seem to be nearly as motivated as their pay check suggest that they should be... and that IMO is on Zim because he is the one that keeps keeping "his" guys.

I think the last 8 years of SB champs can trace back to Division wins. Winning 3 road games in the post-season is almost unheard of anymore. 

Exactly why seeding is so important.

Looks like the Vikings are destined to a WC spot unless GB stumbles...But a tix to the dance is still better than no tix, right????

Meh. It is what it is. Some changes need to be made but whether or not they will be made is another thing.

@"purplefaithful" said: I think the last 8 years of SB champs can trace back to Division wins. Winning 3 road games in the post-season is almost unheard of anymore. 

Exactly why seeding is so important.

Looks like the Vikings are destined to a WC spot unless GB stumbles...But a tix to the dance is still better than no tix, right????

if the team has a legit chance,  then yes,  but I am wondering what this teams real ceiling is.  I think they can likely hang with anybody with a healthy roster and playing mistake free football,  but mistakes happen and I dont think our D is able to force the game any more.  They look like death by paper cuts.

anything can happen, to any team, at any time (including injuries)

get into the post season, then go balls to the walls 

After the 1998 Championship loss to the Falcons I said this team will never make it to the SB.Well, I could have got great odds on that one, 21 years and counting. I wonder what the odds would be to pick a team to not make it to the SB in 20 years? Average odds would be 16 to 1 for each year. How many people could actually do it?

@"comet52" said: Earlier this year when the team struggled it seemed clear that this is their fate.  Looks the same to me as it did then.  How do you feel about one and done?  Will they fire Zim, Rick, both or neither?  Personally I think Zim needs a playoff win to keep his job.  Maybe two wins.

How do I feel about the Vikings making the playoffs as a WC and losing in the first game? How about, "Not assuming that much is certain"?? We have a 1 game lead for the final wildcard spot with 4 games left - is any Vikings fan with a memory buying their playoff tickets already??

@"JimmyinSD" said:
Zims defensive mind is great,  but his schemes seem to rely on top tier talent to make them work.  We cant put all those draft picks into the D or that kind of cap space in order to keep it firing at a high level.   I also wonder if Zims hard ass apprach is wearing thin with some of the older players that have been in the system and have heard the ass chewings for 5-7 years now.  Some players just dont seem to be nearly as motivated as their pay check suggest that they should be... and that IMO is on Zim because he is the one that keeps keeping "his" guys.

Maybe Zimmer's defensive mind is great, but it doesn't seem to make adjustments during a game as well or as quickly as many of the coaches he faces.
I'm not sure "his" guys, the ones who have been here 5-7 years, are tired of Zimmer - I think there are some younger ones who may notice they are not part of that inner circle. We're going to see this offseason if Harris, Alexander, Waynes, Wilson, Kearse, and Weatherly  expect to "catch up" in contract rewards to their multi-millionaire defensive teammates. How is Zimmer going to improve this defense if a good chunk of those 6 leave?

@"FLVike" said:

After the 1998 Championship loss to the Falcons I said this team will never make it to the SB.Well, I could have got great odds on that one, 21 years and counting. I wonder what the odds would be to pick a team to not make it to the SB in 20 years? Average odds would be 16 to 1 for each year. How many people could actually do it?

I can top that, I had a friend bet $20 that the Vikings wouldn't win a super bowl for 30 years after their SB loss in 1977.  I laughed and said "too easy, we'll win one before then..."  Little did I know...

When the defense gave up 20 points in the first half to Denver I thought it was either a fluke, or the schemes Zim is using were beatable. 

I got my answer.

@"Mattyman" said: When the defense gave up 20 points in the first half to Denver I thought it was either a fluke, or the schemes Zim is using were beatable. 

I got my answer.

I think it's personnel.  The D line has focused on the aggressive DE's like Hunter and Weatherly...long angular pass rushers.  We need the Williams Wall.  Hopefully we'll start building one in April.  

@"FLVike" said:

After the 1998 Championship loss to the Falcons I said this team will never make it to the SB.Well, I could have got great odds on that one, 21 years and counting. I wonder what the odds would be to pick a team to not make it to the SB in 20 years? Average odds would be 16 to 1 for each year. How many people could actually do it?

Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, Minnesota, Dallas are just a few that wont make it over the next 20 years.  You could probably add Indianapolis, Tennessee and several more. 

Hell over the next 20 we might see the NFL collapse due to head injuries. 

How do you feel about one and done?This team doesn’t observe Groundhog Day, it observes Groundhog season! :s

If we could get Theilen and Cook back (not to mention Reiff), I like our chances against anybody.  I'm not worried about injuries to the defense, since it's pretty obvious that we aren't going to win with defense.  They will certainly contribute to any future victories, but the NFL has changed.  You- pretty much- have to win with offense... and I think we have the offense that can (if healthy) score on anybody.

@"AGRforever" said: 

Hell over the next 20 we might see the NFL collapse due to head injuries. 

I agree.  The NFL is playing on borrowed time, IMHO.  As more and more players age and the true depth of the concussion issues emerge, it won't be able to hold back the lawsuits. 

But it will take a true "great of the game" to start developing symptoms and lead the charge.  You are already seeing some former football players say that they will not let their kids play.  The game will devolve into a flag football hybrid.  Progress marches on! ;)

@"AGRforever" said:

@"FLVike" said:

After the 1998 Championship loss to the Falcons I said this team will never make it to the SB.Well, I could have got great odds on that one, 21 years and counting. I wonder what the odds would be to pick a team to not make it to the SB in 20 years? Average odds would be 16 to 1 for each year. How many people could actually do it?

Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, Minnesota, Dallas are just a few that wont make it over the next 20 years.  You could probably add Indianapolis, Tennessee and several more. 

Hell over the next 20 we might see the NFL collapse due to head injuries. 

Playoffs......Playoffs????

Last night we showed who we really are as a football team.  A defense that is not capable of stopping or at least slowing down a good offense and an offense who can play with anyone, but that is most likely not going to get that winning drive with the game on the line.  I think we finish 2-2 the rest of the way.  The Rams have a pretty tough 3 game stretch coming up, otherwise I think for certain they would pass us.  

If one and done is all I get I'll take it. I think Zimmer could save his job just by making the playoffs but he will not get anymore then the one year remaining. One and done is still better then none and done. You still get to call yourself a playoff team from the previous season for a year.  Our biggest problem has been building off that name. We can't put two together. That is a terrible trend that dates back to 2009.

JMO, but Zimmer most certainly will NOT lose his job if the Vikings make the playoffs....regardless of the outcome of said playoff game/s. 

@"suncoastvike" said: If one and done is all I get I'll take it. I think Zimmer could save his job just by making the playoffs but he will not get anymore then the one year remaining. One and done is still better then none and done. You still get to call yourself a playoff team from the previous season for a year.  Our biggest problem has been building off that name. We can't put two together. That is a terrible trend that dates back to 2009.

So it's just dependent on our schedule, which gets a little harder if we finish with a winning record. In 2018 we played 9 games against losing teams and were 7-1-1, and 1-6 against winning teams. This year we are 0-3 against winning teams, but we have a schedule that could end up with 12 games against losing opponents. In 2017 we were 5-3 against winning teams - that's the key to being a truly successful team.  Can Zimmer ever repeat that?