Not sure I agree with this part if for no other reason not enough time to determine, but ...
I do agree with this part.StumpHunter wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 8:10 am and I hope the Wilfs realize, after watching 4 really good teams make it to the conference championship, just how far away the Vikings are and allow Kwesi to actually do his job and build a championship.
So to quote Jamiroquai, "Where Do We Go From Here?"
For me the questions surrounding KAM and KOC moving forward at this stage has a lot to do with how they reacted/adjusted during the season as fate handed things out.
This roster was not very deep, a mostly inherited condition. To some extent we were lucky that Cousins can take such a beating and continue to play. The alternatives (Mullens and Rosen, Attorneys at Law) were not going to get us bupkus during any of our games. No way this team could have handled that situation like Philly or SF have.
So what did we add and lose during the season, and how did we react? Well 90% of our transactions were the typical NFL practice squad/IR back and forth machinations, really not adding up to much. Of note, here is what I'd list under adds (disregarding 2022 draft, which did not add much to the play on the field anyways) and losses:
Notable Add:
Duke Shelley (FA)
TJ Hockenson (Trade)
Jalen Reagor (Trade)
Notable Lost:
Bisi Johnson (ACL)
Lewis Cine (Fractured leg)
Irv Smith (always one thing or another)
Cam Dantzler (ankle)
Andrew Booth (meniscus)
Akayleb Evans (concussion)
Blake Brandel (MCL - bad timing more than huge loss)
Brian O'Neill (achilles)
Shelley and Hock were big wins, Reagor it seems we overpaid for at this point.
As I see it, getting back the "lost" list will help this team but not in a hugely substantive way. Our schedule gets harder in 2023 and getting that list back might allow us to tread water in the talent pool. It won't make our LB's any faster.
Moving forward, the nut of it all for the GM/HC will be who do we hire as DC and WHAT DO WE DO IN THE 2023 DRAFT. Unfortunately, we don't have many picks, which makes me worry we'll give up quality slots for quantity in later rounds, and KAM's ability to find gems later is unproven at best - and nonexistent at worst. Certainly this team's track record borders on dismal in later rounds.
Simply put, I do not see any easy or even "readily apparent" solutions to what ails this roster. Unless we absolutely NAIL the new DC and say two upcoming draft choices, I see a lot of wheel spinning for a few years yet. And during that time we'll have to address the future at QB, which makes it even more of a whirlwind. Life of a Vikes fan.