Kevin O'Connell will be next Vikings coach

[CharVike]

We all have opinions about what happened. I saw it and my opinion is different. 2018 Griff went bonkers and that hurt big time. Our new people need to figure out the quickest path to success otherwise us older folks will never see another Super Bowl win or lose. That needs to start on D. If we go 3-4 we are years away because we don't have 4 LBers or depth for that position group. Yes there will be FA stiffs who other teams let walk. You can't build that way. If they do that type of thing break the entire group up and basically tank a season while still acting like you are trying. I hate that approach because I don't think that's the best or quickest path. Time will tell soon enough.

I think you can build a defense that way. Defenders generally just kind of hope to get in the way and force tight enough windows to make QBs have to play well in order to win. Very few defenses or defensive players are really able to force the issue anymore, especially with the destruction of the sport through the rule book. If offenses don't mess up, they score. Fortunately, there isn't much practice time for NFL players these days, so they don't play particularly well on offense and very often do screw up. Otherwise we'd be seeing even more passing and scoring records shattered.

Bottom line if you want to seriously contend in the NFL today, get a QB, draft offense, throw some stuff against the wall on defense and see what sticks. If you can get an aaron donald, or trade for an established difference maker, that's great, but you probably won't, and that's okay.

Yes it all starts with QB. If you have nothing it's over. Once you have nothing good luck finding one. The Bears have been spinning there wheels for decades. The problem with throwing stuff against the wall is you end up like us. Nothing on defense and once that happens even a QB won't save you. You can't play well against good teams unless you put up a good effort to stop them. The Bengals are a perfect example of that. They stopped Mahomes cold in the 2nd half. If they didn't do that they never would have won. The Bills D which always seems to be great never plays at that level in the playoffs. It cost them this yer again when Mahomes tore them apart. Frazier has never figured out a way to slow them down.

[StumpHunter]

I think you can build a defense that way. Defenders generally just kind of hope to get in the way and force tight enough windows to make QBs have to play well in order to win. Very few defenses or defensive players are really able to force the issue anymore, especially with the destruction of the sport through the rule book. If offenses don't mess up, they score. Fortunately, there isn't much practice time for NFL players these days, so they don't play particularly well on offense and very often do screw up. Otherwise we'd be seeing even more passing and scoring records shattered.

Bottom line if you want to seriously contend in the NFL today, get a QB, draft offense, throw some stuff against the wall on defense and see what sticks. If you can get an aaron donald, or trade for an established difference maker, that's great, but you probably won't, and that's okay.

Yes it all starts with QB. If you have nothing it's over. Once you have nothing good luck finding one. The Bears have been spinning there wheels for decades.

Interesting you bring up the Bears, because what they had with Jay Cutler is very similar to what we have with Kirk. An above average, overpaid QB who put up numbers while playing .500 football.

In the 7 seasons with that above average QB, they won 1 division, averaged 7.8 wins a season, won 1 playoff game and never sniffed the SB.

In the 6 seasons since with "nothing" at QB, they have won 1 division, averaged 7 wins a season, were a double doink away from winning 1 playoff game and never sniffed the SB.

In the 7 seasons prior to Cutler joining with absolutely nothing at QB, the Bears won 2 divisions, averaged 8 wins a season, won 2 playoff games and went to the SB.

QBs of Cutler and Cousins level just don't make that much of a difference.

[CharVike]

Yes it all starts with QB. If you have nothing it's over. Once you have nothing good luck finding one. The Bears have been spinning there wheels for decades.

Interesting you bring up the Bears, because what they had with Jay Cutler is very similar to what we have with Kirk. An above average, overpaid QB who put up numbers while playing .500 football.

In the 7 seasons with that above average QB, they won 1 division, averaged 7.8 wins a season, won 1 playoff game and never sniffed the SB.

In the 6 seasons since with "nothing" at QB, they have won 1 division, averaged 7 wins a season, were a double doink away from winning 1 playoff game and never sniffed the SB.

In the 7 seasons prior to Cutler joining with absolutely nothing at QB, the Bears won 2 divisions, averaged 8 wins a season, won 2 playoff games and went to the SB.

QBs of Cutler and Cousins level just don't make that much of a difference.

The Bears did it with defense. In 2002 they only gave up 255 which lead the NFC. We gave up 425 this year. Dilfer won a super bowl also. He had nothing to do with it. He took the snaps.
People talk overpaid but it's not like Kirk is making double what everyone else is. He's in line more so than some others on our team. Derek Carr is about to sign a contract extension as per bleacher report.
"You'll see various numbers being thrown around, but, as I've been reporting, any extension would likely be in the $40m per season range."
Carr just led the Raiders to their first playoff appearance since 2016. The three-time Pro Bowler completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns (14 interceptions) and 7.7 YPA. Rush 40/108/0/2.7
I thought he threw more TDs than that. I wouldn't pay 40 million for less than 30. 30 is average according to most.

Our guy Cpt Check Down 66.3 pct 33 TDs 7 Ints. 7.5 YPA. Rush 29/115/1/4.0

Immobile Kirk had 4.0 YPA Carr who must be dead had 2.7 YPA. Cousins long of 22 and Carr long of 20. Neither guy will take it to the house if that means anything. That's close though. Neither can move but it's not as bad as the Super Bowl winner. He's dead.

Carr got his a$$ kicked in the playoffs. Only put up 19 points. But against the same team during the season he put up 13. Some improvement I guess. Those good teams are hard to beat.
Looks like a stat/loser guy. Many of those guys floating around these days. That's why I like Jimmy G he has a great winning pct in the playoffs. He's one of the true winners but nobody's impressed. Don't have the stats but he does win.

[fiestavike]

I think you can build a defense that way. Defenders generally just kind of hope to get in the way and force tight enough windows to make QBs have to play well in order to win. Very few defenses or defensive players are really able to force the issue anymore, especially with the destruction of the sport through the rule book. If offenses don't mess up, they score. Fortunately, there isn't much practice time for NFL players these days, so they don't play particularly well on offense and very often do screw up. Otherwise we'd be seeing even more passing and scoring records shattered.

Bottom line if you want to seriously contend in the NFL today, get a QB, draft offense, throw some stuff against the wall on defense and see what sticks. If you can get an aaron donald, or trade for an established difference maker, that's great, but you probably won't, and that's okay.

Yes it all starts with QB. If you have nothing it's over. Once you have nothing good luck finding one. The Bears have been spinning there wheels for decades. The problem with throwing stuff against the wall is you end up like us. Nothing on defense and once that happens even a QB won't save you. You can't play well against good teams unless you put up a good effort to stop them. The Bengals are a perfect example of that. They stopped Mahomes cold in the 2nd half. If they didn't do that they never would have won. The Bills D which always seems to be great never plays at that level in the playoffs. It cost them this yer again when Mahomes tore them apart. Frazier has never figured out a way to slow them down.

I wouldn't say the Bengals stopped them cold, I would say Mahomes and the chiefs failed to execute. The way the rules are set up now, defensive success consists overwhelmingly of offensive failure. You don't want to have a defense so bad that you never create circumstances which force offenses to execute at a high level in order to succeed, but you'll generally never find a defense capable of doing more than that today. Pressure is probably the one area left where defenses can force the issue, although even there, the removal of pressure->punishment has dramatically reduced the impact defenders can have on the game, and has allowed players who couldn't have hacked it 30 years ago to pile up wins and stats and be discussed as "all time greats", which is hilarious.

[vikeinmontana]

Interesting you bring up the Bears, because what they had with Jay Cutler is very similar to what we have with Kirk. An above average, overpaid QB who put up numbers while playing .500 football.

In the 7 seasons with that above average QB, they won 1 division, averaged 7.8 wins a season, won 1 playoff game and never sniffed the SB.

In the 6 seasons since with "nothing" at QB, they have won 1 division, averaged 7 wins a season, were a double doink away from winning 1 playoff game and never sniffed the SB.

In the 7 seasons prior to Cutler joining with absolutely nothing at QB, the Bears won 2 divisions, averaged 8 wins a season, won 2 playoff games and went to the SB.

QBs of Cutler and Cousins level just don't make that much of a difference.

The Bears did it with defense. In 2002 they only gave up 255 which lead the NFC. We gave up 425 this year. Dilfer won a super bowl also. He had nothing to do with it. He took the snaps.
People talk overpaid but it's not like Kirk is making double what everyone else is. He's in line more so than some others on our team. Derek Carr is about to sign a contract extension as per bleacher report.
"You'll see various numbers being thrown around, but, as I've been reporting, any extension would likely be in the $40m per season range."
Carr just led the Raiders to their first playoff appearance since 2016. The three-time Pro Bowler completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns (14 interceptions) and 7.7 YPA. Rush 40/108/0/2.7
I thought he threw more TDs than that. I wouldn't pay 40 million for less than 30. 30 is average according to most.

Our guy Cpt Check Down 66.3 pct 33 TDs 7 Ints. 7.5 YPA. Rush 29/115/1/4.0

Immobile Kirk had 4.0 YPA Carr who must be dead had 2.7 YPA. Cousins long of 22 and Carr long of 20. Neither guy will take it to the house if that means anything. That's close though. Neither can move but it's not as bad as the Super Bowl winner. He's dead.

Carr got his a$$ kicked in the playoffs. Only put up 19 points. But against the same team during the season he put up 13. Some improvement I guess. Those good teams are hard to beat.
Looks like a stat/loser guy. Many of those guys floating around these days. That's why I like Jimmy G he has a great winning pct in the playoffs. He's one of the true winners but nobody's impressed. Don't have the stats but he does win.

If it was that easy Jimmy G would just go to the Lions and they would be playoff bound. He's been fortunate to be the quarterback of pretty good teams. Do you think a guy like Watson would have only won 4 games if he played for a team like the Bengals or Niners or Vikings? I highly doubt it.

Wins are obviously a part of judging a QB. But come on. Saying a guy sucks because he didn't have many wins on a terrible team isn't close to fair. There's a reason a guy like Stafford could never win with the horrendous Lions, and then voila, one season with a good team and he's a Super Bowl champ.

I suppose it's possible he just miraculously got good this season after being so bad for so long in Detroit. I tend to be of the belief the entire makeup of a team, on both sides of the ball, as well as coaching and management are way more responsible for wins than the one guy taking snaps. But it really helps if that one guy taking snaps is a good player.

For what it's worth, Jimmy G might be a really good QB. I'd like to see him behind center for the Lions or Texans and see how he stacks up.

[fiestavike]

I tend to be of the belief the entire makeup of a team, on both sides of the ball, as well as coaching and management are way more responsible for wins than the one guy taking snaps. But it really helps if that one guy taking snaps is a good player.

I don't know how old you are, but would you agree that the role of defense and defenders has been dramatically undercut in the NFL by rule changes? Putting aside whether that has been a positive or negative development, would you agree that it has been a development?

[vikeinmontana]

I tend to be of the belief the entire makeup of a team, on both sides of the ball, as well as coaching and management are way more responsible for wins than the one guy taking snaps. But it really helps if that one guy taking snaps is a good player.

I don't know how old you are, but would you agree that the role of defense and defenders has been dramatically undercut in the NFL by rule changes? Putting aside whether that has been a positive or negative development, would you agree that it has been a development?

Yes and no I suppose would be my answer.

There is no doubt the game is different today, and totally geared to the offense. Playing defense without drawing penalties is nearly impossible. So in that regard I'd say that yes, the role of defense has been undercut.

On the flip side, because playing defense within the current rules is so difficult, being tough on that side of the ball is still very important. I can promise that coaches are still emphasizing defense, and it's still valuable in making playoff runs. Do the Rams still win it all Sunday if they didn't dominate Burrow the entire 2nd half? Maybe. But it was still a key in them winning. As was their defense the entire year.

I'm only 41 but still old enough to see how much the game has changed, and understand why some people believe defense isn't as important as it once was. I can understand that thinking, but am still of the belief that a very good defense can guide a team through the playoffs if the other side of the ball is solid as well.

[CharVike]

The Bears did it with defense. In 2002 they only gave up 255 which lead the NFC. We gave up 425 this year. Dilfer won a super bowl also. He had nothing to do with it. He took the snaps.
People talk overpaid but it's not like Kirk is making double what everyone else is. He's in line more so than some others on our team. Derek Carr is about to sign a contract extension as per bleacher report.
"You'll see various numbers being thrown around, but, as I've been reporting, any extension would likely be in the $40m per season range."
Carr just led the Raiders to their first playoff appearance since 2016. The three-time Pro Bowler completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns (14 interceptions) and 7.7 YPA. Rush 40/108/0/2.7
I thought he threw more TDs than that. I wouldn't pay 40 million for less than 30. 30 is average according to most.

Our guy Cpt Check Down 66.3 pct 33 TDs 7 Ints. 7.5 YPA. Rush 29/115/1/4.0

Immobile Kirk had 4.0 YPA Carr who must be dead had 2.7 YPA. Cousins long of 22 and Carr long of 20. Neither guy will take it to the house if that means anything. That's close though. Neither can move but it's not as bad as the Super Bowl winner. He's dead.

Carr got his a$$ kicked in the playoffs. Only put up 19 points. But against the same team during the season he put up 13. Some improvement I guess. Those good teams are hard to beat.
Looks like a stat/loser guy. Many of those guys floating around these days. That's why I like Jimmy G he has a great winning pct in the playoffs. He's one of the true winners but nobody's impressed. Don't have the stats but he does win.

If it was that easy Jimmy G would just go to the Lions and they would be playoff bound. He's been fortunate to be the quarterback of pretty good teams. Do you think a guy like Watson would have only won 4 games if he played for a team like the Bengals or Niners or Vikings? I highly doubt it.

Wins are obviously a part of judging a QB. But come on. Saying a guy sucks because he didn't have many wins on a terrible team isn't close to fair. There's a reason a guy like Stafford could never win with the horrendous Lions, and then voila, one season with a good team and he's a Super Bowl champ.

I suppose it's possible he just miraculously got good this season after being so bad for so long in Detroit. I tend to be of the belief the entire makeup of a team, on both sides of the ball, as well as coaching and management are way more responsible for wins than the one guy taking snaps. But it really helps if that one guy taking snaps is a good player.

For what it's worth, Jimmy G might be a really good QB. I'd like to see him behind center for the Lions or Texans and see how he stacks up.

I know that 49er team is very good. They play all 3 phases very well. No team will walk all over them. I thought they would run the table. Their D didn't hold on at the end. They are a well coached team. They know how to win games. To go into GB and beat them is tough. But they played great ST and there D always get's after Rodgers. The Packer OL isn't good enough against those type of teams. Rodgers has been complaining about that for sometime now. Watson is a good QB but there isn't a team that will bring this guy in. Even if he make a payoff to settle it that wouldn't look good in the public eye and no team wants that. I could be wrong and it will all just go away and he will lead some team to the Super Bowl. I just don't see that happening at this point in time. We all have seen Stafford play for many years. He's a good QB but I never sat there like I do with Rodgers and say this guy can chew us up. Stafford IMO will always make some bad plays. He did that against us again this year. Our team could never figure out how to win those close games like the one against Stafford. That's coaching more than anything. All these NFL teams are very close. The Super Bowl winner isn't miles above us and we didn't even make the playoffs. The Bengals are not that far above us. Again we couldn't figure out how to beat them. IMO the NFL is better now than it ever was. Let's face it once we lost Hunter our D was screwed. He's a difference maker and makes every player around him better. Teams worry about him. That was the one player we couldn't afford to lose on that side. Be like the Rams without Darnold. Once in the playoffs you need to get hot and have a few breaks. If you don't get the breaks it makes it harder.

[vikeinmontana]

All you worriers can rest easy about our head coach wanting to be here! Officially hired today, press conference tomorrow.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/333 ... head-coach

[40for60]

All you worriers can rest easy about our head coach wanting to be here! Officially hired today, press conference tomorrow.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/333 ... head-coach

Yup, on Vikings.com as well.

[makila]

Glad it's finalized! New era officially starting!

[StumpHunter]

All you worriers can rest easy about our head coach wanting to be here! Officially hired today, press conference tomorrow.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/333 ... head-coach

Good to know he is spending his first day as the HC of the MN Vikings celebrating with the LA Rams.

[vikeinmontana]

All you worriers can rest easy about our head coach wanting to be here! Officially hired today, press conference tomorrow.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/333 ... head-coach

Good to know he is spending his first day as the HC of the MN Vikings celebrating with the LA Rams.

I would too. Winning the Super Bowl is very hard. My guess is he's worked his #### off to win it all. I'd actually think less of him if he didn't celebrate with all those that helped him reach the pinnacle. Otherwise what is the point?

[Angels Wings]

All you worriers can rest easy about our head coach wanting to be here! Officially hired today, press conference tomorrow.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/333 ... head-coach

Good to know he is spending his first day as the HC of the MN Vikings celebrating with the LA Rams.

Ehhhhh, he deserves to celebrate the accomplishment

[CharVike]

Good to know he is spending his first day as the HC of the MN Vikings celebrating with the LA Rams.

I would too. Winning the Super Bowl is very hard. My guess is he's worked his #### off to win it all. I'd actually think less of him if he didn't celebrate with all those that helped him reach the pinnacle. Otherwise what is the point?

I agree with you on this. It shows his character. To go as far as they did is a tremendous accomplishment. Take a day to enjoy it. The road for him ahead has many pot holes.