mondry wrote:I think the problem you're having is that the team is better, it is winning, they are doing it the right way, it is headed in the right direction, they are building for a long term sustained winner, they did win 11 games when most here predicted 8 at best, they won the division IN Lambeu when no one expected them to even be in the race, they are drafting well and adding young talented players with upside, etc so to criticize them heavily for not advancing in the playoffs or winning the superbowl is extremely harsh.
It seems more like to criticize them at all is being viewed as extremely harsh. Remember that a lot of what you stated above is a point of view, not objective fact. You might think they're doing it the right way, building for a long term sustained winner, etc. but that's just an opinion.
Your focus is on how they can revert to a losing team and won't have sustained success, that none of the good they did last year matters despite being a made FG away from playing on.
I never said none of the good they did last year matters. It matters to me that they won the division, and made the playoffs. It matters to me that they continued to improve on defense.
Bringing up past examples of the team regressing and saying that's reason enough to believe it can happen again so we shouldn't be excited.
I didn't say people shouldn't be excited either. There are legitimate reasons to be excited and, in my opinion, legitimate reasons to be concerned. I feel some of both.
You also criticize the way the teams being built despite pick after pick having major positive impact on the team, even in their rookie years in the case of guys like Kendricks, Diggs, Hunter, etc. And why? Because Spielman hasn't spent enough early round picks on the O-line for you and that he selected a QB to build around that you don't personally believe in would be my guess.
You're right that we all want them to win a superbowl and especially have multiple good shots at it, but your opinion that they're going about it the wrong way and building the team wrong and regression is in store after a small window of success is a very small minority and far out there opinion
That's a misrepresentation. I haven't said regression is in store. I just think that's a very real concern because of the way they've gone about building the team thus far. They've focused heavily on defense and it's worked in the sense that they've built a good defense and last year, they had Adrian Peterson to lean on. However, they've put together a pretty poor offense and you're correct, I have issues with the QB and OL (and good reasons for both) but I also have issues with their reliance on that QB. Once again, they've put all their eggs in one basket at the position. That's troublesome because they don't seem to be learning from past mistakes.
You might think it's out there to suggest they could have a small window of success but right now, whatever window of success they have rests heavily on Bridgewater's advancement and his success will rely heavily on the quality of the OL and WRs. All 3 areas have the potential to go south. In two years we could be celebrating a Super Bowl win or hoping the next man up at QB is "the one" and wondering just what it's going to take to finally get the offense on track. I'm not saying it will go that way but the possibility is quite obviously there and I don't think that's a particularly radical viewpoint.
That's why I think you're drawing so much attention, as they say, the nail that sticks out get's hammered down.
If I'm misrepresenting your ideas / opinions than I apologize.
You misrepresented a few and I've pointed them out.
No harm done.
I don't mind the attention, It should be pretty clear by now that I'm comfortable defending my viewpoint. What bothers me is the implication that I'll never be happy regardless of the outcomes for the team, that I just assume and expect the worst, etc. Maybe I'm asking too much of people or not communicating effectively enough but when I post about the possibilities of bad situations or worst case scenarios, those aren't predictions, just observations. Like many other fans, I like to play coach and GM and to me, part those jobs, particularly the latter, is to envision potential developments, positive and negative, and prepare for them. I think it's important to have good contingency plans, to build logically, and so on.
I know I appear jaded to some of you but honestly, I'm not. I'm just a product of my experiences. Yes, watching the team lose 4 Super Bowls, 5 conference championships and many more playoff games has been a drag but it's also been fun so while it's left me hungry for that big win, it hasn't turned me into a bitter fan who expects the worst. Believe it or not, I've actually picked up a few things along the way. Experience has benefits as a fan, just like it does as a coach or player. I've seen a lot of football so one reason I don't go head over heels over the kind of development we've seen under Zimmer so far is because this isn't new to me. I've seen Vikes teams with strong defenses and real flaws. I've seen Vikes teams with similar philosophies and consequently, even though this team appears headed in the right direction and I like the head coach, I'm cautiously optimistic whereas you and some other fans seem wildly enthusiastic (and if I'm the one misrepresenting views now, I apologize). You wrote earlier that you don't have the experience of seeing those SB losses or most of the Green era so you can't understand what I'm feeling. However, I
can understand how you're feeling because I've felt that way many times about this team. Does that make sense? I'm not trying to give a lecture.
I just want people to realize that I have a different perspective for a reason and it's not because I'm a cynic or a doomsayer.
Probably a better idea to just let it go heh, delete my post if you like Jim!
Ha! Not necessary. I appreciated it.
