Case Keenum is having the best year by a Vikings QB since Brett Favre in 2009
Case Keenum is having the best year by a Vikings QB since Brett Favre in 2009Case Keenum's play so far in 2017 is statistically stronger than what Sam Bradford did during the 2016 season -- and what Teddy Bridgewater turned in during his rookie year in 2015.It is very Vikings-esque to have a confusing quarterback situation, just as it is very much like the Vikings to have a surprising player perform well enough at the position to fuel championship talk.
That happened in 1998, when veteran Randall Cunningham did it. It happened in 2009, when Brett Favre arrived late in training camp. Both of those Vikings teams — not like you need a reminder — came oh-so-close to reaching the Super Bowl.
I’m not here to say Case Keenum is playing at the level of either of those two QBs, each of whom was at least in the MVP conversation in those seasons. But there is this: If we look at objective measures designed to get to the heart of what a quarterback is contributing to a team, Keenum is playing at a higher level in 2017 than any Vikings quarterback since Favre in 2009.
Yes, Keenum has been better than Sam Bradford was in 2016. Yes, he’s been better than Teddy Bridgewater was in 2015 or 2014. He’s certainly delivered better than any QB play the Vikings received from 2010-13.
Before you dismiss this as nothing but a ridiculous hot take, let me explain...
http://www.startribune.com/case-keenum-is-having-the-best-year-by-a-vikings-qb-since-brett-favre-in-2009/454483333/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
What we don’t know is how this year would have played out with a healthy Bridgewater or Bradford playing the first eight games. We had a glimpse in the opener against New Orleans, when Bradford might have had his best game as a pro. But he didn’t stay healthy. Bridgewater appeared to be making strides in the 2016 preseason before his devastating injury.
Any decision the Vikings might make about whether to turn back to Bridgewater or Bradford — if and when either is fully healthy and ready to play — hinges on answering this question: Could either (or both) do more with this offense than Keenum is doing right now?
What we know for now is that Keenum has done more than just not mess up. He’s made a lot of plays that have led the Vikings to four consecutive victories and a 6-2 record at the midpoint of the season — fueling talk of reaching the Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium. In those four games, his weekly QBR mark has been in the top 10 of NFL passers three out of four times. The other time, he was No. 16.
Keenum has produced at a higher level this season, using key metrics, than any Vikings quarterback since Favre in 2009.
Whether that’s enough for Keenum to hold onto the starting spot remains to be seen.
If Case was a Brown this season, he'd have already been inducted into the Cleveland Hall of Fame! ;)
And both those QBs struggled in the NFCC and the next season after that. It's great that Case is playing the best football of his career, but how long can we realistically expect him to continue at that level?
This decision is where the coaching staff will earn their salaries and maybe their next salaries too.
I think you have to try and separate how much of our offensive production is Case and how much is Case just driving the car (to steal Denny Green's analogy). He's clearly a solid step above any other year in his career.
@"medaille" said: I think you have to try and separate how much of our offensive production is Case and how much is Case just driving the car (to steal Denny Green's analogy). He's clearly a solid step above any other year in his career.That's just it. The casual football fan reads an article like that and thinks, wow, Case Keenum is awesome and he should continue starting. But this offense was ready to be the best offense since 2009 whether the QB was Case, Teddy, or Sam.
@"MaroonBells" said:I dare you to go tell Case's mom that...@"medaille" said: I think you have to try and separate how much of our offensive production is Case and how much is Case just driving the car (to steal Denny Green's analogy). He's clearly a solid step above any other year in his career. That's just it. The casual football fan reads an article like that and thinks, wow, Case Keenum is awesome and he should continue starting. But this offense was ready to be the best offense since 2009 whether the QB was Case, Teddy, or Sam.
Isn't it great that THIS is the thing we're discussing? 'Which perfectly-acceptable QB option should we go with?'
For the record, I totally trust the coaching staff to make the right decision.
For discussion purposes, I think I'd like to see Teddy. He may be rusty at first and we may even lose a game because of him. But getting him some playing time now will make sure he's on the same page with his weapons in the playoffs -- where good QB play will be more of a necessity to win games.
@"medaille" said: I think you have to try and separate how much of our offensive production is Case and how much is Case just driving the car (to steal Denny Green's analogy). He's clearly a solid step above any other year in his career.I think we just have a better car this year. Not taking anything away from his efforts, but when I think of playoff level intensity football I don't know if Case is up to that level needed to get us to the SB.
It's amazing how much an improved oline can help an offense.
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