Anatomy of a Feedback Loop
In stirring up JJ trade rumors, Mike Florio and Charley Walters create a feedback loop, wherein Walters buzz is Florio and Florio’s buzz is Walters.
Mike Florio In September
"The Vikings, I believe, are going to do everything they can next year to get themselves in position to get a franchise QB, even if it means parting ways with Justin Jefferson, And I said if they don’t sign him before Week 1, he’s potentially trade bait to move up to get Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, because that’s what the Vikings want."
January 13th
Charley Walters: “Trading Justin Jefferson might be the right move for Vikings” Florio comments on this.
February 26th
Charley Walters: “Steam continues that the Vikings could make Justin Jefferson available for trade.” Steam is likely Florio reporting on Walters previous column.
KOC shutting down rumor before the draft:
“Let me dissect it for you. We have had zero discussions, dialogue about that, either internally, externally, on this planet or another planet."
Florio defending rumor after the draft but before Vikings extended Jefferson
“I trust my source. The Vikings, I'm told, were trying to move up to No. 5 go get Malik Nabers. What does that tell you about the Vikings and Justin Jefferson?"
KOC this week:
“Some people have sources far and wide, but I would say amongst the leadership, amongst the decision makers, the people that are directly involved with the situation, there really was not one time that was ever discussed, game planned, contingency planned,” O’Connell explains.
Stupid is as stupid does...
You guys don't remember Florio before he went mainstream? His site was all snark and catty rumors that would on rare occasions be right (the "even a blind squirrel" phenomenon).
Jefferson is an asset all 32 teams want and he is in a relatively small to mid market with a team that has never won. Lots of people would love to poison JJ's relationship with the Vikings and drive a wedge to make JJ available. And reporters will protect their sources. So why not give Florio some fake nuggets and let him run with them while protecting the source's identity? If it works, bingo!; if it doesn't, so what.
It was the same bulls**t that surrounded our previous QB for his entire time with the team; some masturbatory fascination with SF trading the farm to get him, the Vikings needing to find a QB AGAIN, and they dialed it up to 11 throughout the whole time he was here.
Even seeing and knowing the babble for what it was, it gets fuggin' tiring.
KOC, JJM, Flores...make a good plan, or you'll be following Kwesi....
Florio would be a bit more palatable if his takes were more factual than theoretical. He doesn't seem to have much more inside information than those on this board. He's a speculator with a soapbox.
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