ESPN: Kings of The North Prediction...

Sure are a lot of folks picking the Vikings. Heck Steve Smith thinks we're the team most likely to challenge the 49ers. Last week, USA Today's sports betting group picked the Vikings to win the North at 12-4. The analytics people at NFL.com ran 100K simulations and the Vikings came out on top. Fansided picks 'em. I think I've seen at least a half dozen other analysts pick the Vikings in recent weeks. 

What's going on? Wasn't it just two weeks ago we had a well respected poster get so angry at the "pollyannas" on the board who thought the Vikings might not suck in 2020 that he had to leave the board? And it wasn't because anyone picked the Vikings to win the North or finish with a better record than '19. Nothing crazy like that. It was because a couple people had the nerve to say that it was possible--POSSIBLE, mind you--that the Vikings might not be so bad next year. 

I don't think the 'experts' know what to make of this division. Neither do I. But logically, not sure how you say Minnesota is going to dethrone Green Bay for the NFCN. Doesn't make sense. The Packers went to the NFCC game and beat Minnesota twice. And if you thought that the biggest detriment to Chicago was QB, they improved with Foles. Detroit is Detroit. 'Picking' the Vikings right now means nothing and it doesn't validate the thought that Minnesota won't take a step back this year. Its a Viking's board, most are going to be very hopeful. 

I agree with Jimmy's thought that the Vikings are going to be relying on some rookies this year and its probably the worst year to do that considering how COVID has already impacted OTAs and upcoming mini-camps. Tons of questions and Steve Smith liking the Vikings isn't going to change that. Not trying to be a downer but I can see Minnesota being a little worse much more logically than being a little better this year.

I will say we gave SF more of a game than the pack did, but I'm not ready to crown us with so many questions on D...

well we all know that the packers like doing....well you know....that thing with sheep. My guess is thay they cannot do it while social distancing so....maybe theyll all catch covid leaving the Vikings as the obvious answer for Kings of the North. 

The last time the Vikings had this kind of salary cap /UFA  massive loss cycle was going into 2011.

2011 was doomed when McNabb showed up looking like a jelly doughnut  

This time around the cupboard isn't empty

Cousins QB
Cook/Mattison RB
Kendricks/Barr Nickle LB
H Smith/ Harris Safety
Rudy/I Smith  TE

Even a purple shaded kool aid drinking  Viking homer, like myself , could make the argument those pairings and positions are Top 5? Top 3? in the NFL.

 

The Vikings have a Oline coach that is known to quickly fix Olines.  

Zimmer is known to develop cornerbacks.

And Patterson has developed Dlines.

Add Kubiak as OC and Capers as Defensive specialist and I believe the Vikings scheme wont be as predictable

Theres lots of questions and areas that need to be developed I get it. , but I don't see why the Vikings coaches and new players can't develop into a competitive team 

Massive injuries or Covid 19 are the only thing that will derail their 2020 season.

  

In ESPN’s FPI prediction for the 2020 season, it has the Vikings winning the NFC North with 8.6 wins. While that’s less than the team’s 10 wins in 2019, the Vikings didn’t win the division last season.

I find it amazing that they 8 - 9 wins takes the North. That's saying its a pretty weak division. If we win the division with only 8 wins, I'd be pretty disappointed with the season.

@"Mattyman" said: 2011 was doomed when McNabb showed up looking like a jelly doughnut 

Hey man we don't talk about that!
Seriously, McNabb is probably my least favorite Viking ever. He "lead" us to 1-5, then rather than sticking around to help the rookie Ponder, he demanded a release. Then nobody signed him.
The Leslie Frazier Era... good times. :s

-----
As far the North, we have a ton of question marks. But so does GB.
From what I can tell Chicago's coach isn't great and their front office is worse, and Detroit is Detroit.
Probably a 2-horse race as usual, and hopefully we take it. But the teams we need to be striving to beat are KC, BAL, SF, NO. Just one Super Bowl Vikings and I will have a smile on my face forever! *pops in my 2015 KC Royals DVD for the 100th time*

Honest question...am I the only one who is more worried about Barr and the other LB position over the corners? Barr has been below average the last couple of years and I'm nervous this year wont be any better with the other DT position up for grabs. Overall I still think the defense will be fine, just worried about the LB group as a whole.

https://www.vikings.com/video/tomlinson-packers-should-remain-the-favorites-to-win-the-nfc-north

@"Mattyman" said: The last time the Vikings had this kind of salary cap /UFA  massive loss cycle was going into 2011.

2011 was doomed when McNabb showed up looking like a jelly doughnut  

This time around the cupboard isn't empty

Cousins QB
Cook/Mattison RB
Kendricks/Barr Nickle LB
H Smith/ Harris Safety
Rudy/I Smith  TE

Even a purple shaded kool aid drinking  Viking homer, like myself , could make the argument those pairings and positions are Top 5? Top 3? in the NFL.

 

The Vikings have a Oline coach that is known to quickly fix Olines.  

Zimmer is known to develop cornerbacks.

And Patterson has developed Dlines.

Add Kubiak as OC and Capers as Defensive specialist and I believe the Vikings scheme wont be as predictable

Theres lots of questions and areas that need to be developed I get it. , but I don't see why the Vikings coaches and new players can't develop into a competitive team 

Massive injuries or Covid 19 are the only thing that will derail their 2020 season.

  

Bingo!  still a lot of talent on this team. Both on the field and on the sidelines. Particulary great coaches with young position groups.  

Zim will have this group of CBs ready.  I guarentee, the CBs perform this year better than last year. If that happens, it will be a good year

@"MaroonBells" said: Sure are a lot of folks picking the Vikings. Heck Steve Smith thinks we're the team most likely to challenge the 49ers. Last week, USA Today's sports betting group picked the Vikings to win the North at 12-4. The analytics people at NFL.com ran 100K simulations and the Vikings came out on top. Fansided picks 'em. I think I've seen at least a half dozen other analysts pick the Vikings in recent weeks. 

What's going on? Wasn't it just two weeks ago we had a well respected poster get so angry at the "pollyannas" on the board who thought the Vikings might not suck in 2020 that he had to leave the board? And it wasn't because anyone picked the Vikings to win the North or finish with a better record than '19. Nothing crazy like that. It was because a couple people had the nerve to say that it was possible--POSSIBLE, mind you--that the Vikings might not be so bad next year. 

I kind of agree with FSU that we're taking a step back to move two steps forward in 2021 by jettisoning some veterans and inserting a bunch of youth.  Where I get lost in his argument is that this isn't a rebuild IMO...  it's retooling while we're still a very competitive team.

This team has too much veteran talent to not even be in the playoff mix...  especially when the NFL is adding a 7th playoff team.  I think the Vikings are still one of the top 7 teams in the conference in terms of talent and coaching.

We have a lot of young guys in Irv, Hughes, Hill, Boyd, Samia, and some of these rookies who may get opportunities to start...  but that shouldn't be scary, it should be exciting. I don't get why we cast aside some of these guys because they didn't supplant a starter as a rookie.  Development is a good thing, especially when you can afford to let your Day 2 and 3 picks have a season or two to hone their skills, get better, and hopefully be ready when it is their turn.

The only spots on the team that worry me are our interior OL and our pass rush.  We need to get better at those spots considering we lost some pass rushers and our interior OL got man handled by any team with a pair of good DTs.  Time for Zim to coach em up because we still have the pieces to be a good team this year and an even better team in 2021.

@"Hawkvike25" said: Honest question...am I the only one who is more worried about Barr and the other LB position over the corners? Barr has been below average the last couple of years and I'm nervous this year wont be any better with the other DT position up for grabs. Overall I still think the defense will be fine, just worried about the LB group as a whole.

I am not worried about the LBers much.  I think it’s a solid group with Kendricks, Barr, Wilson, Gideon and the new draftee Dye.   Now I don’t think Barr is worth his salary-maybe with Capers on board he will be used more rushing the passer which was one of his best traits coming out of UCLA.   I am definitely more worried about the CBs.   Not that they were world beaters, but we did lose our top 3 CBs from the past few years.   How many teams have gone through that?  I think it’s going to be rough sledding for our new CB group. I am also worried about our DLine.  Losing Griffin and Weatherly will hurt. I like Ifeadi, but  I don’t think Wonnum and Lynch will be able to fill those shoes immediately.    So if we can’t rush the passer like last year and we have younger, less experienced CBs on the back end......that could spell big trouble.  Here’s hoping that Zim and Capers can scheme up some different looks On D this year.

@"Hawkvike25" said: Honest question...am I the only one who is more worried about Barr and the other LB position over the corners? Barr has been below average the last couple of years and I'm nervous this year wont be any better with the other DT position up for grabs. Overall I still think the defense will be fine, just worried about the LB group as a whole.

I actually really like Barr most of the time, and Kendricks is an All-Pro talent. Between Wilson/Gedeon/or a surprise as the third man, I think the LBs are fine. DL is by far the biggest concern for me. Griffen, Weatherly, and Joseph were good players. The cupboard isn't totally bare but we're going to be asking a lot from Pierce. He's on a new team, with a short offseason, and he has a track record of weight issues and has been quarantining for 2 months, like the rest of us. There's some yellow-if-not-red flags here. Our other interior options are rookies and 3rd-stringers. I'm much comfier with the LBs than the front 4.

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Sure are a lot of folks picking the Vikings. Heck Steve Smith thinks we're the team most likely to challenge the 49ers. Last week, USA Today's sports betting group picked the Vikings to win the North at 12-4. The analytics people at NFL.com ran 100K simulations and the Vikings came out on top. Fansided picks 'em. I think I've seen at least a half dozen other analysts pick the Vikings in recent weeks. 

What's going on? Wasn't it just two weeks ago we had a well respected poster get so angry at the "pollyannas" on the board who thought the Vikings might not suck in 2020 that he had to leave the board? And it wasn't because anyone picked the Vikings to win the North or finish with a better record than '19. Nothing crazy like that. It was because a couple people had the nerve to say that it was possible--POSSIBLE, mind you--that the Vikings might not be so bad next year. 

I kind of agree with FSU that we're taking a step back to move two steps forward in 2021 by jettisoning some veterans and inserting a bunch of youth.  Where I get lost in his argument is that this isn't a rebuild IMO...  it's retooling while we're still a very competitive team.

This team has too much veteran talent to not even be in the playoff mix...  especially when the NFL is adding a 7th playoff team.  I think the Vikings are still one of the top 7 teams in the conference in terms of talent and coaching.

We have a lot of young guys in Irv, Hughes, Hill, Boyd, Samia, and some of these rookies who may get opportunities to start...  but that shouldn't be scary, it should be exciting. I don't get why we cast aside some of these guys because they didn't supplant a starter as a rookie.  Development is a good thing, especially when you can afford to let your Day 2 and 3 picks have a season or two to hone their skills, get better, and hopefully be ready when it is their turn.

The only spots on the team that worry me are our interior OL and our pass rush.  We need to get better at those spots considering we lost some pass rushers and our interior OL got man handled by any team with a pair of good DTs.  Time for Zim to coach em up because we still have the pieces to be a good team this year and an even better team in 2021.

@"pattersaur" said:

@"Hawkvike25" said: Honest question...am I the only one who is more worried about Barr and the other LB position over the corners? Barr has been below average the last couple of years and I'm nervous this year wont be any better with the other DT position up for grabs. Overall I still think the defense will be fine, just worried about the LB group as a whole.

I actually really like Barr most of the time, and Kendricks is an All-Pro talent. Between Wilson/Gedeon/or a surprise as the third man, I think the LBs are fine. DL is by far the biggest concern for me. Griffen, Weatherly, and Joseph were good players. The cupboard isn't totally bare but we're going to be asking a lot from Pierce. He's on a new team, with a short offseason, and he has a track record of weight issues and has been quarantining for 2 months, like the rest of us. There's some yellow-if-not-red flags here. Our other interior options are rookies and 3rd-stringers. I'm much comfier with the LBs than the front 4.

1-6-1 against the Bears and Packers last couple years.  Division champs?  Doubt it.  Go ahead and crown 'em if you like a team that lost 4 in a row to Mitch Trubisky.

More homerism...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevesilverman/2020/05/28/vikings-have-the-eye-opening-skill-position-talent-to-win-nfc-north-in-2020/#6c1321f23902

When the COVID19 pandemic lessens its grip on the sporting world and the Minnesota Vikings step on the practice field this summer, the most dependable part of head coach Mike Zimmer’s team will be his offense.
Specifically, the amount of talent the Vikings will have at the running back, wide receiver and tight end position has a chance to be formidable...

Vikings won 10 games last year. That didn't win the division. How is Minnesota better than 10 wins this year? They lost Stefon Diggs. Lost a bunch of players on D. See the logic? The winner of the NFCN last year went to the NFCC game. What have the Vikings done to leapfrog them?

It is homerism. But the team has talent for sure. And that's why they play the games. But there's a handful of posters here that every year overvalue the Vikings and undervalue the Packers. Like clockwork regardless. I'm not saying Minnesota can't win the NFCN, I'm saying the odds are against it. 

@"StickyBun" said: Vikings won 10 games last year. That didn't win the division. How is Minnesota better than 10 wins this year? They lost Stefon Diggs. Lost a bunch of players on D. See the logic? The winner of the NFCN last year went to the NFCC game. What have the Vikings done to leapfrog them?

It is homerism. But the team has talent for sure. And that's why they play the games. But there's a handful of posters here that every year overvalue the Vikings and undervalue the Packers. Like clockwork regardless. I'm not saying Minnesota can't win the NFCN, I'm saying the odds are against it. 

I understand your logic, but also remember the Packers were playing teams who finished third in their division last year while the Vikes were playing teams who finished second. This year, the Packers are now playing teams who finished first, making this year a lot tougher for them. The Vikes schedule is definitely a tough one this year, but Green Bay's schedule is going to be quite difficult. One way the Vikes have improved is we don't have a bottom feeder starting for us at corner in Rhodes. Sure, we lost Diggs, but Irv will greatly improve, hopefully Thielen is healthy all year, and then Jefferson steps up along with Bisi and others.

Our division has had a different winner in three straight years...let's play the games first.

@"StickyBun" said: Vikings won 10 games last year. That didn't win the division. How is Minnesota better than 10 wins this year? They lost Stefon Diggs. Lost a bunch of players on D. See the logic? The winner of the NFCN last year went to the NFCC game. What have the Vikings done to leapfrog them?

It is homerism. But the team has talent for sure. And that's why they play the games. But there's a handful of posters here that every year overvalue the Vikings and undervalue the Packers. Like clockwork regardless. I'm not saying Minnesota can't win the NFCN, I'm saying the odds are against it. 

The only thing I'll say to that is the Packers were one of the healthiest teams in the league last year (in terms of games missed by starters) and went 8-1 in games that were decided by one score (8 points or less).  That type of record in close games isn't sustainable and really inflates their win/loss record.  Bill Barnwell who goes deep into statistical analysis did a piece on this recently where he looked at teams who won a high percentage of close games and how those teams performed the following season to project which 2019 teams are most likely to see their win loss record regress the mean.  Guess who he thinks will regress in the W/L column in 2020...

If the Packers are more league average in close games, they would have been 9-7 or 10-6 instead of 13-3...  Green Bay was not a dominant team last year as we saw when they played SF twice and got blown out each game.

I still think the NFC North is up for grabs, the Vikings could have been an 11 win team if they didn't rest all their starters in Week 17 against Chicago.  We beat the Saints in New Orleans last year...  they were a legit 13-3 team.  Let's not discount what the Vikings did last year.

I think the division is up for grabs between GB and MN and maybe CHI if Foles is Philly Foles and not St. Louis/Jacksonville Foles.