All Things 2025 Minnesota Vikings In-Season Thread

[Ope3]

The KAM era needs to come to an end and nothing can change my opinion at this point. His overall horrific draft history and the collection of stiffs he overspent on this year seal the deal for me.

KOC also has some liability here but I'm not firing the waitress because the food stinks. His play calling is poor but he's more than earned another opportunity. As others have pointed out, the new GM may want his own guy, though.

Another poor GM decision by the Wilfs will only set this organization back another 3-5 years so they better get this one right, assuming they do the right thing and escort Kwesi out of the building.

If the food is lousy and the waitress spills the drinks then both should go. 2 games without a TD. Uffda.

What confidence do you have if KAM isn't the right GM that the Wilfs have it in them to make the right call? Two decades plus now under their stewardship.

This will be Year 6 without a Playoff Victory. They have only had 2 longer dry spells, both 8, and one of those started with their 1961 Expansion Season.

Burns & Green went dry 1989 - 1996. Thanks Mike Lynn & Herschel. At least Jerry & Denny (RIP) both were getting to the Playoffs on the regular. They lost 6 straight Post-Season games until Randall Cunningham rallied them at the Meadowlands in 1997.

 

[upnorthkid]

Watching drake maye makes me ill we didn’t just make a bigger offer and land the guy we wanted

 

[Ogie Ogilthorpe]

Fire KAM and hire John McKay from the Rams. He's already worked with KOC so let him make the decision if he stays or goes.

I'm really indifferent if KOC stays at this point. He has good qualities but his stubborn, and terrible play calling outweighs his positives.

I still really like KOC as the Head Coach. But he has 100% lost me as a play-caller. I've just heard too many smart people talk about how basically anyone can draw up neat passing plays and call a good passing game but the truly great playcallers can run the ball. He seems utterly incapable and/or disinterested. The OL has had some injuries and that's a problem, but they are far from a poor OL.

Someone else should be calling the plays. If I were the Wilfs, as hands-off as they are, I would be stepping in to say something

You've got your own beast down in ARI because Walter Nolen going to be a monster if he stays healthy.

Nolen has been great when he's been on the field, but he hasn't been on the field that much. He's hurt again it sounds like. If they can get Nolen, Darius Robinson, and BJ Olujari on the field and playing to their potential, they could have a dangerous defensive front along with Josh Sweat.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Watching drake maye makes me ill we didn’t just make a bigger offer and land the guy we wanted

Koc is spreading the rumor that he wanted drake but was over ruled. Chere enfant.

 

[TRF Guy]

 

[howeda7]

Fire KAM and hire John McKay from the Rams. He's already worked with KOC so let him make the decision if he stays or goes.

I'm really indifferent if KOC stays at this point. He has good qualities but his stubborn, and terrible play calling outweighs his positives.

Is he McVey's uncle or something?

 

[howeda7]

If the food is lousy and the waitress spills the drinks then both should go. 2 games without a TD. Uffda.

What confidence do you have if KAM isn't the right GM that the Wilfs have it in them to make the right call? Two decades plus now under their stewardship.

This will be Year 6 without a Playoff Victory. They have only had 2 longer dry spells, both 8, and one of those started with their 1961 Expansion Season.

Burns & Green went dry 1989 - 1996. Thanks Mike Lynn & Herschel. At least Jerry & Denny (RIP) both were getting to the Playoffs on the regular. They lost 6 straight Post-Season games until Randall Cunningham rallied them at the Meadowlands in 1997.

The Twins have won a playoff round more recently than the Vikings. Therefore the Pohlad's are better owners than those awful Wilf's.

 

[golf]

Vikes have 3 playoff wins in last 20 years. Packers have 13 wins.

 

[Ope3]

The Twins have won a playoff round more recently than the Vikings. Therefore the Pohlad's are better owners than those awful Wolf's.

Pohlads vs Wilfs is like debating whether Steven Seagal or Dolph Lundgren is the better dramatic actor.

If the Pohlads got more than $400 million annually in TV revenue like Wilfs do each year, maybe there would be a clearer winner.

 

[Ope3]

Vikes have 3 playoff wins in last 20 years. Packers have 13 wins.

Better Owners.

 

[Slim Tubby]

If the food is lousy and the waitress spills the drinks then both should go. 2 games without a TD. Uffda.

What confidence do you have if KAM isn't the right GM that the Wilfs have it in them to make the right call? Two decades plus now under their stewardship.

This will be Year 6 without a Playoff Victory. They have only had 2 longer dry spells, both 8, and one of those started with their 1961 Expansion Season.

Burns & Green went dry 1989 - 1996. Thanks Mike Lynn & Herschel. At least Jerry & Denny (RIP) both were getting to the Playoffs on the regular. They lost 6 straight Post-Season games until Randall Cunningham rallied them at the Meadowlands in 1997.

I have the chef fired and don't tip the waitress. As much influence as KOC might've had on the JJM pick, he still doesn't have the final say. That's the GM. Now if someone like Tomlin becomes available...

I make no excuses for anyone involved. They all make way too much money not to be good at their jobs and produce results.

Confidence in the Wilfs to be financially supportive? Complete confidence. Hiring another GM? Not so much. Next time, try not hiring an Executive from arguably the worst operated franchise in the NFL.

 

[Slim Tubby]

Pohlads vs Wilfs is like debating whether Steven Seagal or Dolph Lundgren is the better dramatic actor.

If the Pohlads got more than $400 million annually in TV revenue like Wilfs do each year, maybe there would be a clearer winner.

The Wilfs spend as much on the team roster as allowed by the rules but suck balls hiring the right people to run their business.

The Pohlads spend as little as possible on the team roster and suck balls hiring the right people to run their business.

They are not the same.

 

[howeda7]

Pohlads vs Wilfs is like debating whether Steven Seagal or Dolph Lundgren is the better dramatic actor.

If the Pohlads got more than $400 million annually in TV revenue like Wilfs do each year, maybe there would be a clearer winner.

It's more like debating if Pee Wee Herman or Tom Hanks is a superior actor.

 

[Ope3]

The Wilfs spend as much on the team roster as allowed by the rules but suck balls hiring the right people to run their business.

Spending as much as the rules allow really isn't all that altruistic when they are raking in a half a billion annually. It's also hardly unique in NFL circles. If they can't hire the right people to begin with, it's a moot point anyway.

The Pohlads spend as little as possible on the team roster and suck balls hiring the right people to run their business.

They did have record payroll in 2023. The local TV revenue vanished.

They are not the same.

Neither are the economics of MLB & the NFL.

 

[Ope3]

It's more like debating if Pee Wee Herman or Tom Hanks is a superior actor.

Poor analogy.

Pee Wee Herman/Paul Reubens was quite well decorated in the 90s for his children's TV show, nominated for a slew of Daytime Emmys. He also was nominated Prime Time for Murphy Brown and won one posthumously for his recent documentary this year.

Tom Hanks is well...Tom Hanks, going back to back for Best Actor Oscars in the 90s and was nominated as recently 2020 (Supporting).

Neither the Pohlads nor the Wilfs have even been to either the World Series or Super Bowl this century. Empty Trophy Cases.

Over the last 20 years equally responsible for this gem:

Twins/Vikings/Wild/Wolves Championship appearance drought tracker

With the NFL season officially over, it’s now been a combined 97 seasons since any of them went to a championship game/series. The teams are 0-7 since then in chances to go to their championship.

gopherhole.com

 

[Slim Tubby]

Spending as much as the rules allow really isn't all that altruistic when they are raking in a half a billion annually. It's also hardly unique in NFL circles. If they can't hire the right people to begin with, it's a moot point anyway.

This is true.

They did have record payroll in 2023. The local TV revenue vanished.

A "record payroll" for the Pohlad family is equivalent to Sal Butera setting a personal best Batting Average.

Revenue vanishes when fans lose interest because the Owner refuses to pay for a competitive product on the field. They stop buying tickets and paying for concessions. They stop watching on cable/dish TV. They stop buying streaming packages. They stop buying their merchandise.

Neither are the economics of MLB & the NFL.

The Pohlads purchased the Twins for $44M and that ownership equity has skyrocketed to an estimated $1.7B roughly 40 years later. They have no interest in anything but clearing a profit or at least breaking even.

The Wilfs have hired poorly but put their money where there mouth is including building state of the art team facilities. There's a reason the Vikings are always at the top of organizational grades by their players.

They are not remotely the same type of ownership groups. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one which isn't a crime.

 

[Ope3]

Confidence in the Wilfs to be financially supportive? Complete confidence. Hiring another GM? Not so much. Next time, try not hiring an Executive from arguably the worst operated franchise in the NFL.

Yeah, who would have guessed hiring an Exec from the Browns would ultimately be a failure? I guess everyone not named Zygi or Mark Wilf.

No matter how much they spend they take in a massive profit while their franchise increases in value. Proving it is idiot proof in that regard. Daniel Snyder couldn't even go broke owning one.

 

[Ope3]

A "record payroll" for the Pohlad family is equivalent to Sal Butera setting a personal best Batting Average.

They were over $150 million, not chump change. Also at the top of the AL Central for spending.

Revenue vanishes when fans lose interest because the Owner refuses to pay for a competitive product on the field. They stop buying tickets and paying for concessions. They stop watching on cable/dish TV. They stop buying streaming packages. They stop buying their merchandise.

No the revenue vanished because RSNs are going belly up in general and specifically the one the Twins did business with. Not recognizing that cord cutting was a trend at least 5 years ago thus not having a backup plan, sure we can certainly blame the Pohlads (& MLB) for that.

Meanwhile the NFL keeps inventing revenue windfalls through streaming, creating additional TV windows and growing globally. Pretty fortunate for the Wilfs to benefit from that.

The Pohlads purchased the Twins for $44M and that ownership equity has skyrocketed to an estimated $1.7B roughly 40 years later. They have no interest in anything but clearing a profit or at least breaking even.

The Wilfs have hired poorly but put their money where there mouth is including building state of the art team facilities. There's a reason the Vikings are always at the top of organizational grades by their players.

They are not remotely the same type of ownership groups. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one which isn't a crime.

So you are basically reiterating my point that the economics of MLB and NFL are completely different.

Even with all that spending on team facilities, the Wilfs can't help but rake in at least 10s of millions annually in profit.

And again, spending all that dough with an empty Trophy Case (not even an NFC Championship) means it's not enough to overcome hiring substandard Front Office/Coaches to put a worthy product to get to a Super Bowl.

 

[Ope3]

History lesson, Carl Pohlad owned a minority stake in the Vikings from 1986 - 1991. Quite a messy ownership situation, to say the least. Google it sometime.

Anyway, during those 5 years the Vikings won 3 playoff games. This included the last time they ever won 2 such contests in the same season, 1987.

The Wilf family over 20 years has won the same amount of playoff games, despite owning them 4 times as long.

Draw your own conclusion.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Yeah, who would have guessed hiring an Exec from the Browns would ultimately be a failure? I guess everyone not named Zygi or Mark Wilf.

No matter how much they spend they take in a massive profit while their franchise increases in value. Proving it is idiot proof in that regard. Daniel Snyder couldn't even go broke owning one.

Kwesi was only with Browns for 2 seasons. They won 11 games and a playoff game his first season. They were 8-9 in year 2 then he left. The Browns won 11 games again 2 years later.

Prior to that he was with the 49ers for 7 years. His resume wasn't as bad as you guys are making it out to be just because the Browns have sucked the for last 2 years.

 

[Ope3]

Kwesi was only with Browns for 2 seasons. They won 11 games and a playoff game his first season. They were 8-9 in year 2 then he left. The Browns won 11 games again 2 years later.

Prior to that he was with the 49ers for 7 years. His resume wasn't as bad as you guys are making it out to be just because the Browns have sucked the for last 2 years.

That's fair. Bad optics more than anything, to be associated with those clowns.

 

[Ogie Ogilthorpe]

It wasn't that long ago that PFF was giving the Vikings an "A+", basically the highest grade in the NFL for their offseason moves and Free Agency signings last spring. They needed to get better on the Interior OL, and that's exactly what they tried to do, landing two of the biggest C/G free agents available. I have a hard time blaming Kwesi for the injuries the Vikings have sustained on the OL. They have basically played every game with a mix-match patchwork OL up to this point.

The folks who want to butcher the FO for a few mid-round draft picks that haven't developed as fast as they want don't seem to want to give any credit for pickups like I. Rodgers, Eric Wilson; or finds like Jalen Redmond.

Lastly, are we really throwing JJM on the scrap heap after 6 NFL starts? Six games? Wowzers....

No matter what happens the rest of the season, neither KOC nor KAM are getting fired. You're out of your mind if you think that's even possible. These guys don't change course that often, look how long they stuck with people like Spielman and Zimmer.

 

[Border Gopher]

It's more like debating if Pee Wee Herman or Tom Hanks is a superior actor.

Paul Reubens was a good actor FYI. Why did you use him versus hundreds of bad actors?

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

It wasn't that long ago that PFF was giving the Vikings an "A+", basically the highest grade in the NFL for their offseason moves and Free Agency signings last spring. They needed to get better on the Interior OL, and that's exactly what they tried to do, landing two of the biggest C/G free agents available. I have a hard time blaming Kwesi for the injuries the Vikings have sustained on the OL. They have basically played every game with a mix-match patchwork OL up to this point.

The folks who want to butcher the FO for a few mid-round draft picks that haven't developed as fast as they want don't seem to want to give any credit for pickups like I. Rodgers, Eric Wilson; or finds like Jalen Redmond.

Lastly, are we really throwing JJM on the scrap heap after 6 NFL starts? Six games? Wowzers....

The record holder for most Ints in a rookie season is Peyton Place Manning.

He learned and improved, and look how Bryce saying has perked up in his sophomore season - so progression is possible and you learn more from your Ls than your Ws.

I’d rather take a season in the shorts and get a better pick and fix a hole than eek into the playoffs as a WC, lose and get a worse pick.

No matter what happens the rest of the season, neither KOC nor KAM are getting fired. You're out of your mind if you think that's even possible. These guys don't change course that often, look how long they stuck with people like Spielman and Zimmer.

Good, level headed post.

I agree and the only way I could see a firing is we lose out the rest of the season.

I fully expect them to play better the rest of the way and win two of the next three.

 

[7Gopher7]

It's more like debating if Pee Wee Herman or Tom Hanks is a superior actor.

Obviously Pee Wee is…..

 

[Ogie Ogilthorpe]

The record holder for most Ints in a rookie season is Peyton Place Manning.

He learned and improved, and look how Bryce saying has perked up in his sophomore season - so progression is possible and you learn more from your Ls than your Ws.

I was always hopeful for Bryce Young. I'm still not certain that he can be a top 10 QB, but he's certainly shown he can win games. Good on him for playing some good football. I had the Panthers on a futures bet for Over 7.5 Wins and the big win last Sunday gave them 7 Sunday. I'm feeling better about that now!!

I’d rather take a season in the shorts and get a better pick and fix a hole than eek into the playoffs as a WC, lose and get a worse pick.
Good, level headed post.
I agree and the only way I could see a firing is UFC’s we lose out the rest of the season.

I fully expect them to play better the rest of the way and win two of the next three.

The next 3 games are against teams with NOT good defenses. They should be get-right games, although Dallas is really playing well lately and is looking at a real possibility of making the playoffs.

I know one thing; with Darrisaw, D. Jackson, R. Kelly, and Brandel all still on the Injury Report, nothing good is likely to happen for this QB and this offense without getting some combination of those guys back on the field.

 

[howeda7]

Paul Reubens was a good actor FYI. Why did you use him versus hundreds of bad actors?

He was. In the 90's. The Pohlad's also won two World Series.

 

[howeda7]

They were over $150 million, not chump change. Also at the top of the AL Central for spending.


No the revenue vanished because RSNs are going belly up in general and specifically the one the Twins did business with. Not recognizing that cord cutting was a trend at least 5 years ago thus not having a backup plan, sure we can certainly blame the Pohlads (& MLB) for that.

Meanwhile the NFL keeps inventing revenue windfalls through streaming, creating additional TV windows and growing globally. Pretty fortunate for the Wilfs to benefit from that.


So you are basically reiterating my point that the economics of MLB and NFL are completely different.

Even with all that spending on team facilities, the Wilfs can't help but rake in at least 10s of millions annually in profit.

And again, spending all that dough with an empty Trophy Case (not even an NFC Championship) means it's not enough to overcome hiring substandard Front Office/Coaches to put a worthy product to get to a Super Bowl.

The Twins TV revenue didn't "vanish." It went from $54 million in 2023 to $43 million in 2024 to ~$30 million last year. People keep greatly exaggerating this.

 

[upnorthkid]

It wasn't that long ago that PFF was giving the Vikings an "A+", basically the highest grade in the NFL for their offseason moves and Free Agency signings last spring. They needed to get better on the Interior OL, and that's exactly what they tried to do, landing two of the biggest C/G free agents available. I have a hard time blaming Kwesi for the injuries the Vikings have sustained on the OL. They have basically played every game with a mix-match patchwork OL up to this point.

The folks who want to butcher the FO for a few mid-round draft picks that haven't developed as fast as they want don't seem to want to give any credit for pickups like I. Rodgers, Eric Wilson; or finds like Jalen Redmond.

Lastly, are we really throwing JJM on the scrap heap after 6 NFL starts? Six games? Wowzers....

No matter what happens the rest of the season, neither KOC nor KAM are getting fired. You're out of your mind if you think that's even possible. These guys don't change course that often, look how long they stuck with people like Spielman and Zimmer.

tbh i have no idea how they gave them an A+ when all the deals were graded average.

On Rodgers, outside his one game, he overall is a middling CB (37th in PFF despite the only ever perfect grade for his week vs the Bengals). He has defended one other pass on the year, has no other interceptions, has forced no other fumbles. He looks exactly like the guy the Colts and Eagles let go.

Eric Wilson looks great though. Agree on that one. Ditto on Redmond.

I agree with you I think everyone is back. Maybe some position coaches go but I'd expect its a rerack unless someone wants out.

 

[Ope3]

The Twins TV revenue didn't "vanish." It went from $54 million in 2023 to $43 million in 2024 to ~$30 million last year. People keep greatly exaggerating this.

Please provide the source for the $30 million in 2025. Even if correct, a $24 million haircut is rather substantial.