OK Calm down
“You can use these words against me ;)”
Yes we are 0-2. Yes we are not playing well, but we shouldnt panic. This team has alot of talent and a staff with a record of success. Nobody is happy RN and we/they shouldnt be 2 pretty decent teams had their way with us.
We are only 2 games in. We have our best player out. We have other key injuries- Barr/Elflein and now Hughes. Our OC guru looks rusty, we have key weakneses up the middle.
We have what it takes to play better. Theilen, Kendricks, S position, Tailback, QB, TE, T position are all at or near pro bowl quality. Improving C.
If I’m Kubes, i would be considering some key changes such as heavy/13 personnel groups to create mismatches upfront and make teams defenses commit to our run game. If they double AT on the outside, we will have numbers in the box and have Irv and Rudy in mismatches against LB’s.
If Im Z, I start forcing teams to beat us over the top. Not every QB is Erin rodgers. I turn loose some Capers Zone blitzes. We need our coaches to scheme us up to some wins.
This team was looking at 9 wins with Hunter healthy. If we are going to pull this off, our schemes will have to step up to cover our talent deficiencies.
I believe they can do that. But i have always been somewhat of a homer. I thought about panicking, but I’m not ready to do that yet. I hope to be proven right.
Pulling an olde Tice line out of the archives???
Good for you Bullazin, chin-up, shoulders back, seriously.
But with how bad this team is playing? How poor the schemes and preparation appear to be? I don't see a lot of reason for optimism.
I've been watching this game long enough to know that if it smells like shit? And looks like shit? It's definitely a duck.
Zimmer needs to turn over the D to somebody else now too - and be a HC. Lord knows they have enough coaches with decades of experience.
After 45 years telling me to calm down does indeed help. Thank you.
Optimistic out look..... power of positive thinking.... ILIKE IT! B)
So let it be written .....So let it be done....
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=so+let+it+be+said%2c+so+let+it+be+done&docid=608051452468199848&mid=AC90499B91B553D86345AC90499B91B553D86345&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
@"purplefaithful" said:Zimmer needs to turn over the D to somebody else now too - and be a HC. Lord knows they have enough coaches with decades of experience.
You have said this before and I gotta ask - what makes you think he is a better HC than DC?? I think he is OK with the defense and crap when he butts into the rest of the team. Maybe he actually needs to kick Capers out (hey, fire the DC instead of the OC, what a twist!) and work on fixing the defense. I've never seen evidence he manages any other part of the team well.
Attaboy, Bull. I don't know how many times I've seen a team look like DogVomitus early in the year only to find the key and go on a run and make the playoffs. No doubt, the Vikings have the talent to do that.
My problem is that while our young DBs will improve and our young pass catchers will improve and Cousins will probably be Cousins again, there's almost no hope of improving our ability to stop the run. There's no young, emerging talent there that can help us. Highlights of the Colts game reminded me of the Packer game, which reminded me of the San Francisco game. We just can't stop the run. For three straight games now. And the fat guy we brought in to do it is sitting on his couch getting fatter.
So while I totally agree that we can easily turn this ship around, I'm fairly convinced it's not going to be enough to go far. And so it begs the question: if you can't go far, and Pierce is out, and Barr is out, and it's an asterisk year anyway, and there are three modern NFL QBs at the top of the '21 draft, is it time to play the youngsters and go get your franchise QB?
Dunno.
@"MaroonBells" said: Attaboy, Bull. I don't know how many times I've seen a team look like DogVomitus early in the year only to find the key and go on a run and make the playoffs. No doubt, the Vikings have the talent to do that.My problem is that while our young DBs will improve and our young pass catchers will improve and Cousins will probably be Cousins again, there's almost no hope of improving our ability to stop the run. There's no young, emerging talent there that can help us. Highlights of the Colts game reminded me of the Packer game, which reminded me of the San Francisco game. We just can't stop the run. For three straight games now. And the fat guy we brought in to do it is sitting on his couch getting fatter.
So while I totally agree that we can easily turn this ship around, I'm fairly convinced it's not going to be enough to go far. And so it begs the question: if you can't go far, and Pierce is out, and Barr is out, and it's an asterisk year anyway, and there are three modern NFL QBs at the top of the '21 draft, is it time to play the youngsters and go get your franchise QB?
Dunno.
Oh yes you do!
You just wont admit to it yet... :p
And I agree, if you cant run or stop the run? Its a very bad thing.
@"Jor-El" said:@"purplefaithful" said:Zimmer needs to turn over the D to somebody else now too - and be a HC. Lord knows they have enough coaches with decades of experience.
You have said this before and I gotta ask - what makes you think he is a better HC than DC?? I think he is OK with the defense and crap when he butts into the rest of the team. Maybe he actually needs to kick Capers out (hey, fire the DC instead of the OC, what a twist!) and work on fixing the defense. I've never seen evidence he manages any other part of the team well.
He's got Patterson, Zimmer Jr and Capers all on that side of the ball. I got a hunch they'd do just fine without another cook in that kitchen. Maybe better???Just a hunch, a gut feeling.
@"purplefaithful" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Attaboy, Bull. I don't know how many times I've seen a team look like DogVomitus early in the year only to find the key and go on a run and make the playoffs. No doubt, the Vikings have the talent to do that.My problem is that while our young DBs will improve and our young pass catchers will improve and Cousins will probably be Cousins again, there's almost no hope of improving our ability to stop the run. There's no young, emerging talent there that can help us. Highlights of the Colts game reminded me of the Packer game, which reminded me of the San Francisco game. We just can't stop the run. For three straight games now. And the fat guy we brought in to do it is sitting on his couch getting fatter.
So while I totally agree that we can easily turn this ship around, I'm fairly convinced it's not going to be enough to go far. And so it begs the question: if you can't go far, and Pierce is out, and Barr is out, and it's an asterisk year anyway, and there are three modern NFL QBs at the top of the '21 draft, is it time to play the youngsters and go get your franchise QB?
Dunno.
Oh yes you do!You just wont admit to it yet... :p
And I agree, if you cant run or stop the run? Its a very bad thing.
No really, I'm not there yet. Buti It might only take one more game before I'm ready to put on my "tank" top. Almost every year this team loses a couple of games and every screaming mimi north of Albert Lea calls for Zimmer's head...or Rick's...or Cousins.Granted, this year seems different. Last year, for example, we played poorly against Green Bay and were wretched against Chicago, but those games were surrounded by pretty dominating victories over Atlanta and the Raiders.
If we don't see a different team in Tennessee, then refer to the last paragraph of my previous post. :-)
Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good.
@"StickyBun" said: Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good.Agreed. I think the offense can easily improve...simply incorporating Jefferson more at the 2 than Bisi and finding ways to be creative for Irv Smith. On defense, I just dont see how they greatly improve. Nothing in the middle and an awful secondary right now
@"StickyBun" said: Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good.That's just it... If we had lost two close games and been in it (ball just didn't bounce our way)... I would be more optimistic.
But we were thoroughly beat in both games. Listening to Zimmer post game, he sounds like he doesn't have any answers. I'm shocked by that. First time I've heard him sound like a coach that doesn't know what to do.
We'll see what happens against Tennessee. I'm not holding my breath that all of a sudden we start playing substantially better.
@"Wetlander" said:@"StickyBun" said: Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good. But we were thoroughly beat in both games. Listening to Zimmer post game, he sounds like he doesn't have any answers. I'm shocked by that. First time I've heard him sound like a coach that doesn't know what to do.
I said this same thing on Monday morning here, started a thread on it. This is what sold me on the fact they will stink this year. Z knows he has a bad football team that has had zero time to gel with a lot of new people at new spots. He seemed resigned to that fact.
@"StickyBun" said: Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good.Exactly, and this is nothing new for this team, go back to that last game of the season against the Bears two years ago when a win at home would have put in the playoffs, the playoff game against the 49ers last year or pretty much any prime time game, in which we never even showed up, looked totally lethargic and like we had no interest in being there. These type of games typically start with Cousins looking a like a deer in hindsights and the rest of the team follows suit. I don't see any kind of leadership from the QB position, Cousins rarely seems like he is the game or that he really cares. I see a lot of posts about us missing our best player, that is not close to being true, Kendricks is far and away the best player on this team, he has been the only one this year who has played with any kind of consistently on every down and who has shown any kind of emotion on the field.
I respect it @Bullazin and you might be right. I was actually saying something similar last week. I really thought we'd look much better or even defeat the Colts. Clearly didn't happen, so I'm losing faith fast.
It's a LONG season and things change fast in this league, so I still think a decent season is possible.
But even if evvvverything goes right for the Vikings, can we compete with KC, BAL, SEA, NE, LAR, GB (barf)? That's hard to imagine right now.
And with a fanbase overstarved for a franchise rookie QB we can all rally behind, I totally understand why tanking is getting thrown around after only 2 games, including by myself.
I have no idea why I should be optimistic about this team. Even putting aside the glaring facts confronting us right now to smoke a bowl of hopium and strike up a cheer, there is a longer term picture that doesn't get any better even with a few wins somehow conjured up right now.
That long term is the numerous flaws and failures of the current coach and g.m. Rooting for short term gain that ultimately leads nowhere regardless, sets one up for more of the same pain over the long haul. Pass.
The closest we were to winning either of the past two games was at kickoff. Past that we've been nothing but trash. I'm actually hoping we tank for Trevor.
@"Hawkvike25" said:@"StickyBun" said: Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good. Agreed. I think the offense can easily improve...simply incorporating Jefferson more at the 2 than Bisi and finding ways to be creative for Irv Smith. On defense, I just dont see how they greatly improve. Nothing in the middle and an awful secondary right nowThose changes could help the offense - I would think it's time to make Jefferson the official starter at WR, and maybe put Smith in more than Rudolph, too, and open some more opportunities for passing. But -1. Do the coaches want to open up the passing game, or does Zimmer still think they should pound the ball until they fall behind?2. How damaged is Cousins' confidence and attitude? He seemed shellshocked last week and I don't know if he can correct it, or if anyone on the coaching staff can buoy him up. If his confidence is ruined, it won't really matter how many receivers get open.
As for the defense...well, we hired a coach who is allegedly a defensive guru, he ought to be able to figure out ways to make the players he has achieve beyond their talent. I don't think he has ever done so.
@"Wetlander" said:@"StickyBun" said: Its not the 0-2 record so much as how they've looked. Horrible and non-competitive. What's going to change? Barr is now out and did you see this week's injury report? Not good. That's just it... If we had lost two close games and been in it (ball just didn't bounce our way)... I would be more optimistic.But we were thoroughly beat in both games. Listening to Zimmer post game, he sounds like he doesn't have any answers. I'm shocked by that. First time I've heard him sound like a coach that doesn't know what to do.
We'll see what happens against Tennessee. I'm not holding my breath that all of a sudden we start playing substantially better.
I wonder if Zimm and the staff knew they had major issues going into the season or not? I'll bet they did.
National Pundits View:The Vikings are in trouble. In a year in which the defense is undergoing a major rebuild, the offense has not been able to pull its weight in two miserable early-season losses.
The identity of this team is not what it has been for the past six seasons, and according to coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings are "not very good at anything."
It's going to take a while before Minnesota's defense is back to being one of the top units in the NFL.
Until then, the offense has to find workarounds for its lackluster pass protection, unproven receiving corps (outside of Adam Thielen) and disastrous play at quarterback. -- Courtney Cronin
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29929927/nfl-week-2-takeaways-stat-leaders-injury-concerns-cowboys-rally-more-problems-vikings#sfnyj
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