Projecting 2020 roster

I'll take a shot. Starting lineup, opening day 2020....

QB, Cousins

RB, Cook

TE, Rudolph (restructured)
WR, Diggs
WR, Thielen
WR, D3-19 (Beebe, Zylstra, Robinson also possible)

LT, Reiff (O'Neill could move here, but I'm a big continuity and stability on the line guy)
LG, Easton
C, Elflein
RG, D2-19
RT, O'Neill

DE, Hunter
DE, Weatherly (or Griffen. This is the tough one since Griff is signed thru 2022, but will be very expensive and 32 in 2020)
NT, Joseph
3T, Richardson (Can we fit him if we move on from Waynes and Barr)

SLB, D1-19
MLB, Kendricks
WLB, Gedeon (D2-20)

CB, Rhodes
CB, Hughes
5B, Alexander (he's a UFA in '20, but I think we resign him because he'll be experienced and affordable. 
S, Smith
S, D1-20

Somebody is going to get a pretty good corner in Trae Waynes, but it won't be Minnesota. That's how it goes. 

I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

On a related note...Personally, I'm not sure it's a good idea to play him even if he practices. Why not just sit him one more week and get an additional two weeks of rest? God, I hope we're smart here. 

Dalvin Cook (hamstring) practiced again on Thursday.Cook, the shrug emoji of running backs, has now taken part in both practices this week. The belief had been that Cook would be out through the Vikings' bye, but now it's anyone's guess. If he somehow suits up Sunday against the Lions, it would come at the expense of Latavius Murray, who has seen workhorse usage throughout Cook's absence. Nov 1 - 2:26 PM

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

I think that's part of the point. If he stays healthy then it's all good. 

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

I think that's part of the point. If he stays healthy then it's all good. 

That is the point. We're right now half way through 2018 and we're talking about 2020. What if 2019 is like 2017 and so far 2018?

@"purplefaithful" said: Minnesota VikingsVirtual locks: WR Adam Thielen, WR Stefon Diggs, T Brian O'Neill, C Pat Elflein, QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, DE Danielle Hunter, DE Stephen Weatherly, LB Eric Kendricks, CB Xavier Rhodes, S Harrison Smith, CB Mike Hughes n

As Sticky said, huge confidence in Cook. I would never call a player a "lock" when he has yet to prove he will fully recover from serious injury. Same story with Hughes. How many recent Vikings players have gone down with injury and never come all the way back - Loadholt, Sullivan, Fusco, Floyd, EJ Henderson, Bridgewater, Bradford...I'm not yet sure Elflein is the same player he was in 2017. Not sure why Weatherly is a lock either. He will be a UFA in 2020 unless we give him a new deal- that's possible, but given the upcoming salary decisions, hardly definite. As for the bubble/unlikely guys, I don't really see consistent reasoning....e.g., why is Sheldon Richardson more unlikely than Trae Waynes? Too early.

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

I think that's part of the point. If he stays healthy then it's all good. 

That is the point. We're right now half way through 2018 and we're talking about 2020. What if 2019 is like 2017 and so far 2018?

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

I think that's part of the point. If he stays healthy then it's all good. 

That is the point. We're right now half way through 2018 and we're talking about 2020. What if 2019 is like 2017 and so far 2018?

Well, unless he's some sort of china doll in a bull shop, I sort of take the opposite view. Because of abstract things like odds, game theory, probability and the notion of positive regression to the mean, he's less likely to get hurt in coming years. I mean, he has to be, right? 

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

I think that's part of the point. If he stays healthy then it's all good. 

That is the point. We're right now half way through 2018 and we're talking about 2020. What if 2019 is like 2017 and so far 2018?

Well, unless he's some sort of china doll in a bull shop, I sort of take the opposite view. Because of abstract things like odds, game theory, probability and the notion of positive regression to the mean, he's less likely to get hurt in coming years. I mean, he has to be, right? 

Ok you lost me at bullshop.

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said:

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"suncoastvike" said: I wish I had that much faith in Cook as you guys. 24 games into his career. He's played in what 5 or 6?

You know he's been hurt, right? 

I think that's part of the point. If he stays healthy then it's all good. 

That is the point. We're right now half way through 2018 and we're talking about 2020. What if 2019 is like 2017 and so far 2018?

Well, unless he's some sort of china doll in a bull shop, I sort of take the opposite view. Because of abstract things like odds, game theory, probability and the notion of positive regression to the mean, he's less likely to get hurt in coming years. I mean, he has to be, right? 

Ok you lost me at bullshop.

It's sorta turning the "bull in a china shop" thing on its ear. Translation: if he's really delicate in a world of mass and violence. Oh, never mind. I have my own secret sense of humor. :-)

Lately, I'd think A Bull in a China Shop refers to which ever Vikefans moderator has been dealing with the cheap but high quality threads that have been popping up in mass on the main board.