49ers Post Game

[Mothman]

To quote the old song, there's got to be a morning after, and here it is.

Lots of emotion posted here among many cogent thoughts. Honestly I think everyone posting here has valid points. It's frustrating, and the if "Zim and Spielman could ONLY see it the way I do, this franchise would take off" mentality is pretty easy to adopt for all of us.

I'd sum my thoughts as:

Cousins, this offensive line and this OL/TE coaching staff are NOT a good combination. One can argue what percent is at what fault, but the combination is about as inconsistent/poor as any in the NFL. Something needs to change within this group for this team to progress and win playoff games. What changes and who changes it? Heck if I know. I only know if nothing changes with this group, I will be back to being an unexcited fan, again.

This team needs to address "depth", and not in the "let's stockpile 12 sixth round draft picks and see what sticks to the wall" kind of way. Spielman and group need to start targeting SPECIFIC depth needs with SPECIFIC draft prospects or FA's. Maybe continuing to supply the Cowboys with kickers bit them and we will stick with "best athlete available" again this year. Doing that 100% of the time is a mistake IMO. Evaluate the players and your missing depth, trust your evaluation even with past misses, and jump. We'll see. If we stockpile 6th rounders again, that's a sure sign we are just hoping for the best.

I know we'll address the 2020 cap situation with marginal restructures here and there, but I don't recall a team with such poor depth being at or over the cap before the next season even starts. THE CAP NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED LONG TERM. As shown by many teams, the best way to address this is to draft a starting QB. Sounds simple but it's not something we have even attempted in what seems like forever. I'm not judging Cousins, I'm saying the quickest way to a great cap situation is to draft your starting QB.

And finally, I am a big proponent of the biggest difference in the NFL being coaching. And it's not game day coaching, it's everything that goes into non-game day coaching. Statistically (sorry, quant stats major here) it's less and less likely that we whiffed on every OL acquisition than it is that our OL coaches stink. My litmus test is which players got better or stayed great every year under a staff, and honestly I see very few of those players on this roster. We did not draft or acquire 30 players that are incapable of learning and growing, I guarantee you that. What's the magic mix - keep Zim and change assistants? Worked OK for special teams. Fire Zim and gamble with a whole new staff? Cut players and keep all coaches? That one would peeve me but whatever. I don't know the magic mix. I only hope the Wilf family is at least CONTEMPLATING what the plan for change should be moving forward.

Great post.

I think the "magic mix" involves replacing Spielman and Zimmer and going from there. It seems like folly to expect better with those two in charge. They've kept Zim and switched various assistants for years now and the overall team results have remained disappointing, even though there has been some fun along the way. Collectively, every move the Vikes have made for 6 seasons has built the team that was manhandled by the 49ers yesterday.

Spielman has drafted some very good players over the years but as I've said many times, drafting is not his primary responsibility. That was his main job during the Childress era but he's been GM since 2012 and the GM's job is to build a championship team. That takes more than just a solid eye for talent and I think several of the points you made to speak to that issue.

By keeping Zimmer and Spielman for even one more year, the Wilfs are simply wasting time and delaying the inevitable. Keeping them longer would be an even bigger mistake. Expecting Cousins to be a long term solution at QB who will lead the team to a Super Bowl would be an error too and the Vikings should begin preparing for the post-Cousins era asap. Extending any of those 3 contracts is a bad idea.

It's not that I'm ungrateful for the winning seasons, the playoff appearances, etc. we've seen from these guys. They clearly work hard and do their best and I genuinely appreciate that effort. It's just that I think their limitations are clear. This simply isn't a mix of leadership at arguably the 3 most important positions on a football team that ever seems likely to win a Super Bowl.

Honestly, I believe the sooner this team gets firmly into a rebuilding mode from the top down the better. Naturally, they need to make good decisions or things could get worse rather than better but it seems like the only sensible way forward if they're ever going to win a Lombardi trophy.

[fiestavike]

To quote the old song, there's got to be a morning after, and here it is.

Lots of emotion posted here among many cogent thoughts. Honestly I think everyone posting here has valid points. It's frustrating, and the if "Zim and Spielman could ONLY see it the way I do, this franchise would take off" mentality is pretty easy to adopt for all of us.

I'd sum my thoughts as:

Cousins, this offensive line and this OL/TE coaching staff are NOT a good combination. One can argue what percent is at what fault, but the combination is about as inconsistent/poor as any in the NFL. Something needs to change within this group for this team to progress and win playoff games. What changes and who changes it? Heck if I know. I only know if nothing changes with this group, I will be back to being an unexcited fan, again.

This team needs to address "depth", and not in the "let's stockpile 12 sixth round draft picks and see what sticks to the wall" kind of way. Spielman and group need to start targeting SPECIFIC depth needs with SPECIFIC draft prospects or FA's. Maybe continuing to supply the Cowboys with kickers bit them and we will stick with "best athlete available" again this year. Doing that 100% of the time is a mistake IMO. Evaluate the players and your missing depth, trust your evaluation even with past misses, and jump. We'll see. If we stockpile 6th rounders again, that's a sure sign we are just hoping for the best.

I know we'll address the 2020 cap situation with marginal restructures here and there, but I don't recall a team with such poor depth being at or over the cap before the next season even starts. THE CAP NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED LONG TERM. As shown by many teams, the best way to address this is to draft a starting QB. Sounds simple but it's not something we have even attempted in what seems like forever. I'm not judging Cousins, I'm saying the quickest way to a great cap situation is to draft your starting QB.

And finally, I am a big proponent of the biggest difference in the NFL being coaching. And it's not game day coaching, it's everything that goes into non-game day coaching. Statistically (sorry, quant stats major here) it's less and less likely that we whiffed on every OL acquisition than it is that our OL coaches stink. My litmus test is which players got better or stayed great every year under a staff, and honestly I see very few of those players on this roster. We did not draft or acquire 30 players that are incapable of learning and growing, I guarantee you that. What's the magic mix - keep Zim and change assistants? Worked OK for special teams. Fire Zim and gamble with a whole new staff? Cut players and keep all coaches? That one would peeve me but whatever. I don't know the magic mix. I only hope the Wilf family is at least CONTEMPLATING what the plan for change should be moving forward.

Great post.

I think the "magic mix" involves replacing Spielman and Zimmer and going from there. It seems like folly to expect better with those two in charge. They've kept Zim and switched various assistants for years now and the overall team results have remained disappointing, even though there has been some fun along the way. Collectively, every move the Vikes have made for 6 seasons has built the team that was manhandled by the 49ers yesterday.

Spielman has drafted some very good players over the years but as I've said many times, drafting is not his primary responsibility. That was his main job during the Childress era but he's been GM since 2012 and the GM's job is to build a championship team. That takes more than just a solid eye for talent and I think several of the points you made to speak to that issue.

By keeping Zimmer and Spielman for even one more year, the Wilfs are simply wasting time and delaying the inevitable. Keeping them longer would be an even bigger mistake. Expecting Cousins to be a long term solution at QB who will lead the team to a Super Bowl would be an error too and the Vikings should begin preparing for the post-Cousins era asap. Extending any of those 3 contracts is a bad idea.

It's not that I'm ungrateful for the winning seasons, the playoff appearances, etc. we've seen from these guys. They clearly work hard and do their best and I genuinely appreciate that effort. It's just that I think their limitations are clear. This simply isn't a mix of leadership at arguably the 3 most important positions on a football team that ever seems likely to win a Super Bowl.

Honestly, I believe the sooner this team gets firmly into a rebuilding mode from the top down the better. Naturally, they need to make good decisions or things could get worse rather than better but it seems like the only sensible way forward if they're ever going to win a Lombardi trophy.

You might be winning me over to your side Moth.

[Mothman]

Some good stuff. I don't think the Vikings are close enough to real contention that it makes sense to just try to keep the team together for next year. Next year, we are not super bowl contenders any way things go. It's time to move on from some of our veteran leadership, which, frankly, hasn't been good enough. Being hooked to Cousins for at least next year might limit some options, but its time to regroup and acknowledge that we are building for three years from now, not one year for now. Will he want to re-sign with a team who is taking that approach? Will he want to be traded? Everything needs to be on the table, and the whole team, ownership, coaches, QB, need to be on the same page that we aren't trying to hold things together in the hopes of another playoff loss, but trying to build this thing up in the hopes of a Super Bowl victory.

Well said but what are the odds that this particular team leadership will see it that way? They've seen a Super Bowl window open to them for years that was never truly open and behaved accordingly (the trade for Bradford being perhaps the most obvious example). It's one of the reasons I believe systemic change is necessary with this Vikings team.

[Mothman]

You might be winning me over to your side Moth.

At last!

Seriously, based on the other post you just made, I don't think we're too far apart on this. I absolutely agree that the Vikings need to acknowledge they're building to open a window several years down the line and simply trying to hold things together to make the playoffs again next year is insufficient. I also have a hard time believing Zimmer and Spielman will be able to see it that way.

It really feels like a fresh start is needed, a break with the past.

[VikingPaul73]

I agree Moth, I just don't see it happening this offseason. The best we can realistically hope for is for the Wilf's to at least signal that they're getting antsy, but I doubt we we will even see that. They have their new stadium, which is packed because Vikings are a competitive (but not elite) team.

[StanM]

I read all of the posts and as someone who was there for the Vikings first ever game in 1961 and suffered through all 30 playoff losses I thought I'd throw in some advice and random thoughts.

First off whoever it is drinking all of those stouts I'd go with something a bit lighter. Your butt is going to be three feet wide if ya'll keep drinking those things. Anyways, those 30 playoff losses no doubt contributed to me giving up drinking so there's that too. No liver can survive 30 playoff losses without eventually having to raise the white flag and switch to soda.

As far as Kirk Cousins goes, he's a pocket passer and can be very good in that situation. I'm thinking back to when I was a kid and I was old enough to have been a football fan for a couple years prior to our Vikings. My favorite team back then was the Colts and Johnny Unitas. Unitas and virtually all QB's in the late 50's were pocket passers with Tarkenton introducing the concept of a scrambling quarterback which was so radical I recall my dad swearing at the television whenever Tark would scramble. Scrambling and a QB buying time with their feet was unheard of back then but today with the size and speed of linemen buying time is a necessity. I like Kirk, he's a great guy and an asset to our community off the field but as a pocket QB it puts more pressure on the line, something we neglected for years. As far as drafting a QB, we are in a tough spot. We know that things get into Kirk's head so what's going to happen if he knows his replacement is waiting on the sideline and how would that affect the team rallying around a lame duck QB in the final year of his contract? Furthermore, who would we get to replace him, high priced free agent QB's are rare and even first round Ponders, um, I mean picks, are an uncertainty. The Vikings are in a very tough spot, replace a pocket QB who shows flashes of greatness but sometimes beats himself mentally or give him an extension and continue to wrestle with salary cap.

A week or so ago I mentioned keeping a team balanced year in and year out. No NFL team has a perfect roster, they all deal with weaknesses in certain positions and injury. The thing that makes the great ones stand out isn't just how great they are on a given Sunday but how well they plan ahead and replace players as their skills diminish. Some teams have consistent success without the highs and lows and others have a string of terrible seasons, get top draft picks and have a good year or two in spite of themselves then drop back down to mediocrity. We are somewhere between those two points, we haven't had any 3-13 seasons for a while and have dipped to the .500 range and rebounded but haven't rebounded far enough to win it all. Some teams seem to be able to stay in the playoff hunt year after year but never become elite. I think that's us and in spite of some of the best facilities in the NFL, a good coaching staff and no internal controversies we just can't get over that hump. NFL talent is sometimes hard to understand, two players can have the height, weight, speed, and all the right stuff, one gets into the HOF and the other is a draft bust and is out of football in a year or two. The difference isn't how high they jump or how fast they run, it's work habits, desire, and how well they can learn and execute the playbook. Sometimes I attribute our lack of success to bad karma or the "force" not being with us but all the pieces have to be there first or no amount of karma will help. Anyways, Kirk is a good pocket passer but he needs a pocket.

Offensive line, I gave these guys the benefit of the doubt and thought they would gel after a few games. It didn't happen and now we're back to reaching out in free agency or drafting more linemen. In a way it's their own fault for ignoring the line for a few years while it was obviously an area that needed attention. When they finally did address it they threw the whole tool box at it but for whatever reason it never came together.

I could go on and on but I'll give my thoughts on next year and leave it at that. We've got players skills dropping off at multiple positions so there will be a lot of patching to do. Free agency is what teams do when they find themselves in a situation where the draft isn't enough. Aside from Kirk and a couple other one year deals we have leaned more towards the draft and developing players within the organization. I think this time there are too many holes that are slowly getting bigger that need to be looked at. We have a tough schedule next year and I could easily see us falling back to being a .500 team with Cousins either getting an extension or spending next season on the bubble.

Personally I used to get extremely upset when we'd have these kind of losses but my out is dirt track racing which starts up at an indoor event called the Chili Bowl then Florida Speedweeks and spring soon to follow. My advice on how I survived 30 playoff losses and a lifetime of Vikings frustrations is to always have a plan B that you're looking forward to soon after the conclusion of the football season. You'll still get frustrated but that will ease some of the pain when you've got something to look forward to. I'll be back here commenting come draft time putting myself through this same old frustration all over again.

[TSonn]

Agree with the recent discussion here. My feeling is that Zimmer and Spielman think minor tweaks is all they need to be a contender when we probably need to tear it down.

To be fair, I'm not as down on Spielman as many are. I think his main mistake has been not focusing on building a dominant offensive line. He seems content to plug-and-play guys every year and hope that the line is average. An average offensive line with some star offensive players beats the bad teams and loses to the good ones. Just like a dominant line and average offensive talent will beat most bad teams and lose to the good ones. We need both to truly be a contender.

I'm pretty sure Zimmer and Spielman are going nowhere. Same with Stefanski unless someone hires him as a HC. So my hope is they really figure out how to improve the offensive line. I'd like to see what Cousins, Cook, Diggs, and Thielen can do with a top 5 offensive line.

I stated before, if we're keeping the same leadership (which means tweaking, not rebuilding), I think it is easier to improve the offensive line than to get a mobile-superstar QB on the team. So I hope we draft some OL studs and a high ceiling QB.

I love the Vikings, but it's getting easier and easier for me to become a Chiefs fan (lived there for 7 years and love me some Mahomes).

[CharVike]

To quote the old song, there's got to be a morning after, and here it is.

Lots of emotion posted here among many cogent thoughts. Honestly I think everyone posting here has valid points. It's frustrating, and the if "Zim and Spielman could ONLY see it the way I do, this franchise would take off" mentality is pretty easy to adopt for all of us.

I'd sum my thoughts as:

Cousins, this offensive line and this OL/TE coaching staff are NOT a good combination. One can argue what percent is at what fault, but the combination is about as inconsistent/poor as any in the NFL. Something needs to change within this group for this team to progress and win playoff games. What changes and who changes it? Heck if I know. I only know if nothing changes with this group, I will be back to being an unexcited fan, again.

This team needs to address "depth", and not in the "let's stockpile 12 sixth round draft picks and see what sticks to the wall" kind of way. Spielman and group need to start targeting SPECIFIC depth needs with SPECIFIC draft prospects or FA's. Maybe continuing to supply the Cowboys with kickers bit them and we will stick with "best athlete available" again this year. Doing that 100% of the time is a mistake IMO. Evaluate the players and your missing depth, trust your evaluation even with past misses, and jump. We'll see. If we stockpile 6th rounders again, that's a sure sign we are just hoping for the best.

I know we'll address the 2020 cap situation with marginal restructures here and there, but I don't recall a team with such poor depth being at or over the cap before the next season even starts. THE CAP NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED LONG TERM. As shown by many teams, the best way to address this is to draft a starting QB. Sounds simple but it's not something we have even attempted in what seems like forever. I'm not judging Cousins, I'm saying the quickest way to a great cap situation is to draft your starting QB.

And finally, I am a big proponent of the biggest difference in the NFL being coaching. And it's not game day coaching, it's everything that goes into non-game day coaching. Statistically (sorry, quant stats major here) it's less and less likely that we whiffed on every OL acquisition than it is that our OL coaches stink. My litmus test is which players got better or stayed great every year under a staff, and honestly I see very few of those players on this roster. We did not draft or acquire 30 players that are incapable of learning and growing, I guarantee you that. What's the magic mix - keep Zim and change assistants? Worked OK for special teams. Fire Zim and gamble with a whole new staff? Cut players and keep all coaches? That one would peeve me but whatever. I don't know the magic mix. I only hope the Wilf family is at least CONTEMPLATING what the plan for change should be moving forward.

Some good stuff. I don't think the Vikings are close enough to real contention that it makes sense to just try to keep the team together for next year. Next year, we are not super bowl contenders any way things go. It's time to move on from some of our veteran leadership, which, frankly, hasn't been good enough. Being hooked to Cousins for at least next year might limit some options, but its time to regroup and acknowledge that we are building for three years from now, not one year for now. Will he want to re-sign with a team who is taking that approach? Will he want to be traded? Everything needs to be on the table, and the whole team, ownership, coaches, QB, need to be on the same page that we aren't trying to hold things together in the hopes of another playoff loss, but trying to build this thing up in the hopes of a Super Bowl victory.

The only way to get a QB is to have a top pick. Suck for Luck. I wanted Drew Locke last year but Speilman didn't. Right now we have nothing in the hole. We can win with Cousins but you need to have a better team around him. I'm not sure if there is an NFL QB out there right now that can take this group to the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson? Oh wait he just got beat at home. He's out. Teams that make the Super Bowl have more than just a QB. If we traded Cousins for Grap will we be the favorites for the Super Bowl. IMO nope. That 49er team didn't put the entire show in the QBs hands. That D was bringing big time pressure and they didn't allow any running lanes for Cook. Somehow they shut the whole thing down. Cousins said he didn't want to throw at Sherman. He did and look what happened. Who on our team do QBs say they don't want to throw at? Nobody. No fear. Our D couldn't stop the ground game. That 49er OL looked dam good. They were blowing huge holes in our D. Why didn't we do that and get Cook rolling.

[Texas Vike]

Lots of interesting thoughts in this thread. Also, BowhuntingVike, I feel for you. I've had a rough patch for the past couple of years too. All I can say is hang in there, Lady Luck is a fickle b*tch, so fortune will swing back your way like a pendulum. In a sense, you're kind of embodying the experience of Vikings fans collectively right now--deeply disappointed, looking to the starry firmament asking 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this?'. Always remember, across the street or down the way, there's another chap who has it WAY worse and who has been dealt an even nastier hand. Focus on the positive things you do have and be grateful for them.

All of that advice can apply to us as fans too--even as we feel frustrated by this franchise and its unprecedented ability to lose playoff games (30? No wonder we are this way!), we can remind ourselves of the good things. We beat the damn Taints in their house last week. It feels really good to remember that. Now, I'm not saying we should be fully satiated with that result for a season, but it would do us good to count our blessings.

Moving forward, we have some strengths that are worthy building blocks: I think Kubiak-Stefanski are working well together, and having continuity there is a great thing. We can look at the 49ers as a blueprint for the team we want to become. We need to get better in the trenches--gotta draft OL and DL.

I agree with you, Moth, that we should hire a new HC and GM, but I don't think it's even remotely possibly that the Wilfs do that.

[Mothman]

I agree Moth, I just don't see it happening this offseason. The best we can realistically hope for is for the Wilf's to at least signal that they're getting antsy, but I doubt we we will even see that. They have their new stadium, which is packed because Vikings are a competitive (but not elite) team.

I worry about that last part. The Wilfs could easily be complacent.

I'm keeping an eye on contracts. Zimmer, Spielman and Cousins are all signed through this year. If none of them receive extensions, I'm going to (perhaps optimistically) see that as an indication that the Wilfs are antsy and will seriously consider replacing all three in 2021 if they aren't happy with their performance next season.

[Tahoe9erfan]

First off my apologies for not coming back after the game. I went a saw the new Star Wars. Excellent movie by the way.

I know all of you are pissed, upset, downright angry about the loss. Been in your shoes numerous times. Vikings are an excellent team and going on the road in the playoffs is tough on any team. You all best the snot out of the Saints and after a hard-fought battle against them you had to fly back home on a short week and fly cross country again play in a hostile environment against a team coming off a bye. This right here is hard on any team. Please do not take it too hard the Vikings still played a great game.

I am not going to argue over ”Bosa” blindside block after watching them play a few times after he made the hit and saw your guy down he actually waived the sideline over and checked on him. I believe it wasn't his intent to hurt him. This is not his nature and just hit him in the wrong place. Hopefully, your lineman will be ok, never want to see any player injured.

You're right though your team needs a franchise QB, Cousins is good, but not someone who can take you to the top. Trust me none of the Niner fans wanted Kyle to trade for him before we got Jimmy G. Your team is excellent just need a better QB.

Best of luck next season until we meet again! Cheers.

[Mothman]

Lots of interesting thoughts in this thread. Also, BowhuntingVike, I feel for you. I've had a rough patch for the past couple of years too. All I can say is hang in there, Lady Luck is a fickle b*tch, so fortune will swing back your way like a pendulum. In a sense, you're kind of embodying the experience of Vikings fans collectively right now--deeply disappointed, looking to the starry firmament asking 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this?'. Always remember, across the street or down the way, there's another chap who has it WAY worse and who has been dealt an even nastier hand. Focus on the positive things you do have and be grateful for them.

All of that advice can apply to us as fans too--even as we feel frustrated by this franchise and its unprecedented ability to lose playoff games (30? No wonder we are this way!), we can remind ourselves of the good things. We beat the damn Taints in their house last week. It feels really good to remember that. Now, I'm not saying we should be fully satiated with that result for a season, but it would do us good to count our blessings.

That's good advice, regardless of whether or not it's applied to football fandom.

The win over the Saints was fun (and unlike many Vikes fans, I actually like the Saints). I didn't expect it and it was left to get me excited for yesterday's game and hoping the Vikings would once again defy the odds. I was enthused enough that yesterday, by the time I left the yoga class I take on Saturday mornings, I had almost the entire class saying "Go Vikings" and most of them don't even care about football!

Moving forward, we have some strengths that are worthy building blocks: I think Kubiak-Stefanski are working well together, and having continuity there is a great thing. We can look at the 49ers as a blueprint for the team we want to become. We need to get better in the trenches--gotta draft OL and DL.

I agree with you, Moth, that we should hire a new HC and GM, but I don't think it's even remotely possibly that the Wilfs do that.

I don't either, not for at least another year and that's difficult because as I wrote above, it really feels to me like the Wilfs are delaying the inevitable.

[fiestavike]

First off my apologies for not coming back after the game. I went a saw the new Star Wars. Excellent movie by the way.

I know all of you are pissed, upset, downright angry about the loss. Been in your shoes numerous times. Vikings are an excellent team and going on the road in the playoffs is tough on any team. You all best the snot out of the Saints and after a hard-fought battle against them you had to fly back home on a short week and fly cross country again play in a hostile environment against a team coming off a bye. This right here is hard on any team. Please do not take it too hard the Vikings still played a great game.

I am not going to argue over ”Bosa” blindside block after watching them play a few times after he made the hit and saw your guy down he actually waived the sideline over and checked on him. I believe it wasn't his intent to hurt him. This is not his nature and just hit him in the wrong place. Hopefully, your lineman will be ok, never want to see any player injured.

You're right though your team needs a franchise QB, Cousins is good, but not someone who can take you to the top. Trust me none of the Niner fans wanted Kyle to trade for him before we got Jimmy G. Your team is excellent just need a better QB.

Best of luck next season until we meet again! Cheers.

Bosa is a low life, but that's the nature of football. If the Vikings want to be competitive, they need a new and nasty demeanor to match the low life players they'll be going against (like Bosa). That's just reality. Until then, they'll be soft and they'll lose to teams who have that demeanor.

Let me add, I liked seeing that out of Oli Udoh and Dru Samia in week 17.

[CharVike]

To quote the old song, there's got to be a morning after, and here it is.

Lots of emotion posted here among many cogent thoughts. Honestly I think everyone posting here has valid points. It's frustrating, and the if "Zim and Spielman could ONLY see it the way I do, this franchise would take off" mentality is pretty easy to adopt for all of us.

I'd sum my thoughts as:

Cousins, this offensive line and this OL/TE coaching staff are NOT a good combination. One can argue what percent is at what fault, but the combination is about as inconsistent/poor as any in the NFL. Something needs to change within this group for this team to progress and win playoff games. What changes and who changes it? Heck if I know. I only know if nothing changes with this group, I will be back to being an unexcited fan, again.

This team needs to address "depth", and not in the "let's stockpile 12 sixth round draft picks and see what sticks to the wall" kind of way. Spielman and group need to start targeting SPECIFIC depth needs with SPECIFIC draft prospects or FA's. Maybe continuing to supply the Cowboys with kickers bit them and we will stick with "best athlete available" again this year. Doing that 100% of the time is a mistake IMO. Evaluate the players and your missing depth, trust your evaluation even with past misses, and jump. We'll see. If we stockpile 6th rounders again, that's a sure sign we are just hoping for the best.

I know we'll address the 2020 cap situation with marginal restructures here and there, but I don't recall a team with such poor depth being at or over the cap before the next season even starts. THE CAP NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED LONG TERM. As shown by many teams, the best way to address this is to draft a starting QB. Sounds simple but it's not something we have even attempted in what seems like forever. I'm not judging Cousins, I'm saying the quickest way to a great cap situation is to draft your starting QB.

And finally, I am a big proponent of the biggest difference in the NFL being coaching. And it's not game day coaching, it's everything that goes into non-game day coaching. Statistically (sorry, quant stats major here) it's less and less likely that we whiffed on every OL acquisition than it is that our OL coaches stink. My litmus test is which players got better or stayed great every year under a staff, and honestly I see very few of those players on this roster. We did not draft or acquire 30 players that are incapable of learning and growing, I guarantee you that. What's the magic mix - keep Zim and change assistants? Worked OK for special teams. Fire Zim and gamble with a whole new staff? Cut players and keep all coaches? That one would peeve me but whatever. I don't know the magic mix. I only hope the Wilf family is at least CONTEMPLATING what the plan for change should be moving forward.

Great post.

I think the "magic mix" involves replacing Spielman and Zimmer and going from there. It seems like folly to expect better with those two in charge. They've kept Zim and switched various assistants for years now and the overall team results have remained disappointing, even though there has been some fun along the way. Collectively, every move the Vikes have made for 6 seasons has built the team that was manhandled by the 49ers yesterday.

Spielman has drafted some very good players over the years but as I've said many times, drafting is not his primary responsibility. That was his main job during the Childress era but he's been GM since 2012 and the GM's job is to build a championship team. That takes more than just a solid eye for talent and I think several of the points you made to speak to that issue.

By keeping Zimmer and Spielman for even one more year, the Wilfs are simply wasting time and delaying the inevitable. Keeping them longer would be an even bigger mistake. Expecting Cousins to be a long term solution at QB who will lead the team to a Super Bowl would be an error too and the Vikings should begin preparing for the post-Cousins era asap. Extending any of those 3 contracts is a bad idea.

It's not that I'm ungrateful for the winning seasons, the playoff appearances, etc. we've seen from these guys. They clearly work hard and do their best and I genuinely appreciate that effort. It's just that I think their limitations are clear. This simply isn't a mix of leadership at arguably the 3 most important positions on a football team that ever seems likely to win a Super Bowl.

Honestly, I believe the sooner this team gets firmly into a rebuilding mode from the top down the better. Naturally, they need to make good decisions or things could get worse rather than better but it seems like the only sensible way forward if they're ever going to win a Lombardi trophy.

"I'm saying the quickest way to a great cap situation is to draft your starting QB." Who do we pick this year at our spot that can come in and start. I don't see the guy. The Pack pay a ton for a QB and won the division. How is that possible. Maybe great drafting. I just don't see a guy we can draft now and become a starter. Even if we have a ton of CAP who will be the FAs that will push us over the top? I don't see a great QB becoming a FA. Lamar Jackson was drafted as a starter and they just got dumped at home. They were heavy favorites. Do they continue with that? He can't win a playoff game 0-2 so far. That's not good.Do you wait another year or another 10. Soon they will have to pay him.

[StumpHunter]

Rewatching the game:
First drive offense - Horrific run blocking on 1st and 2nd, 3rd down pass blocking was actually pretty good, all day to throw, apparently no one was open.

First drive defense - Rhodes gets beat over the middle on a 1st down pass, bad throw by Jimmy, Waynes forgets who is covering, Barr ends up trying to cover Sanders for a 20+ yard pickup. Rhodes gives Sanders a huge cushion, he catches a slant for another 1st. Run for 3, Kittle does Kittle things for another first, Rhodes isn't physical enough on the LOS, TD pass.

Second drive offense - Bad run block on 1st, PI on 2nd, but Elf just got absolutely manhandled and pushed back into our statue QB. A well designed 5 yard pickup on a screen to Conklin. Bootleg that is designed to let Bosa unblocked allows the 1st pressure and hit on the QB of the game goes for 4 to Smith. Theilen Slant for 10. All day to throw, check down to Cook for 4. 4 yard run (possibly longest of the game?) by Cook. Beautifully thrown pass and catch for a TD to Diggs.

So far the only pressure allowed by the Oline has been by design.

Second drive defense:
Stretch run to the left for 6, Griffen and Joseph both get pushed up the field, Rhodes gets off his block nice but then only slows the runner down. 2nd down Sendejo completely whiffs on a tack in the backfield, 4 yard run, 1st down. Barr makes a nice stop on 1st, 2nd down Sendejo whiffs again, 10 yard pickup. 1st down bad throw by Jimmy, incompletion. 2nd down Hunter just destroys his guy and tackles for no gain. 3rd down and 10, Jimmy floats a duck due to pressure from Hunter to 84 that Mack picks off easy. Sendejo is 10 yards from his guy and allows the easy reception. Hunter gets the sack on 1st, gets great pressure on 2nd and almost causes a pick, 3rd and 24 Jimmy runs out of bounds at the line of scrimmage.

Third drive offense:

Oneil just whiffs on his block, sack. Run up the middle for 3. Draw to left for 3 yards. Punt.

Third drive Defense:
Bad pass by Jimmy knocked away by Waynes. Run for 3 up the middle. False start. 3rd and 12, stunt doesn't get to Jimmy, he finds the guy Barr is covering, 1st down. Double reverse for 7, Rhodes almost gets the strip. 4 yard run on 2nd for a first, Wilson can't make a play. Kittle makes a great block on Kendricks to stop a tackle in the backfield on a run play, 8 yard gain. Stephen just gets manhandled on 2nd down, 4 yard pick up, 1st down. F*cking Sendejo might as well not be on the field, his guy catches an 18 yarder after he is caught looking in the backfield to put the 9ers on the goal line. Griffen fails to hold the edge, TD.

Can't stop the run and our secondary, particularly Sendejo, is giving a struggling Jimmy G too many easy passes. Maybe with a longer field they force a 9er mistake.

Fourth drive offense:
A great return from Abdullah puts us on the 43. Pitch to the right for no gain. All day to throw, checkdown to Cook at the LOS. No gain. Decent time again, Cousins feels pressure that isn't there, checkdown to Rudy for 2 yards.

This drive was on the QB.

4th drive defense:
Bad starting field position, 9ers have to go the whole field. A couple of decent runs get them a first, Jimmy throws a terrible pick to Kendricks.

Great stop by the D, exactly what we needed.

5th drive offense:
A screen play to Cook for 6 and the second play designed to allow pressure on the QB and slow the 9er pass rush. 8 yard pickup on a nifty move by Theilen. 3rd play design to allow pressure on a screen to Cook and a loss of 1. Cousins tries to see if Diggs can catch the ball with his feet. Plenty of time, no real pressure, just throws the ball into the dirt. Elf allows his first sack of the game on 3rd and 11. There was time to throw before the sack, but not a lot. Bad job by Elf.

Drive that started in FG range ends in a FG because the QB didn't make a play on 2nd down and Elf failed to block on 3rd down.

SF kneels on the ball.

5th real drive Defense:
A terrible call by the refs puts SF in good field position. Nice stop on 1st for a gain of 2. Rhodes probably should have picked off a pass over the middle by Jimmy, but he at least breaks up the play. 3rd and 6, Rhodes allows 84 open over the middle for a big gain. 9ers run, run, run, nice stop on 3rd and 2, FG.

I wonder if this drive goes differently if it starts 15 yards further from the end zone. Bend don't break D probably isn't good enough at this point.

6th drive offense:
I am just going to do summaries from now on. Still can't run the ball, checkdown after plenty of time, interception without any pressure.

6th drive Defense:
Can't stop the run, short field, TD.

7th drive offense:
Check down, screen on the 4th designed play to allow pressure, all day to throw, bad pass to Rudy punt.

7th drive D:
Make a big stand and get a 3 and out.

8th drive offense, nm fumbled punt.

8th drive defense:
Nice stand to force a FG.

8th drive offense
4th quarter starts, nothing changes. Bad throw by Cousins on 1st and 2nd without any real pressure. 3rd and long, Cousins holds the ball too long, sack.

9th drive defense:
SF has another 3 and out. Technically their 3rd in a row. Mostly because of a drop.

9th drive offense:
Longest run of the game. 5th play designed to allow pressure goes for a loss of 2. 3rd and long, Elf decides to not block anyone, sack. Oline was the problem on this drive.


10th drive defense:
It is too bad this game is over, they are doing a really good job stopping SF's run at this point.

10th drive offense:
Nice throw, catch and run by Cousins and Diggs. Cousins to Smith and then Diggs does have a drop, although he might have caught it if not for the hit.

Defense forces a turnover

Garbage time, two sacks, two decent completions irrelevant.