All Things 2021 Minnesota Vikings In-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole
howeda7 said:
Yes, but does the CBA grant the league the right to mandate vaccines if they have full approval?
Click to expand...
Doubtful, who would have thought to put that in there? In the future they might try to slip it in. But even then I doubt it would be for anything short of a fully approved vaccine and given what's going on its a long shot.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
With a couple of the rookie/younger OL a little banged up early in fall camp, it's looking more and more like this will be the starting OL for Week One against Cincinnati, according to Chad Graff with The Athletic:

Hill - Cleveland - Bradbury - Udoh - O'Neill

From what I gather, Udoh had spent major chunks of previous camps at OT and mostly struggled, seems to be much more at home at Guard. I am still thinking/hoping that when Wyatt Davis is both healthy and also has time to get up to speed, he'll take over but that could be mid-season or beyond, who knows. Same with Darrisaw at LT, but I'm a lot more comfortable with Rashod Hill at LT than I would be with Udoh at RG.
Click to expand...
Liked this post - not because I like it being the truth - just rather because I believe it will be the truth.

I don't like the odds of both those rookies starting right away. Did Cleveland start right away at RG? Maybe he should have earlier, but I thought he didn't. It shouldn't surprise anyone, that making the jump to the league is damn tough.
 

howeda7 said:
Yes, but does the CBA grant the league the right to mandate vaccines if they have full approval?
Click to expand...
Of course it does.

Legally, there is no difference in mandating a vaccine with emergency approval and full approval. But waiting for full approval just gives them that much strong of a case.

And no one gave a ___ about vaccines before. Every single one of these players got the standard meningitis vaccine that is required by every college to live in the dorms, and never thought a second more about it.
 


MplsGopher said:
Liked this post - not because I like it being the truth - just rather because I believe it will be the truth.

I don't like the odds of both those rookies starting right away. Did Cleveland start right away at RG? Maybe he should have earlier, but I thought he didn't. It shouldn't surprise anyone, that making the jump to the league is damn tough.
Click to expand...

I understand your point. I guess I'm looking at it from a different angle.

The Vikings' offensive line was not good last year - at least not at pass protection. They lost Rieff, who was at least a veteran. Bradbury has been shaky at Center.

So, the option for LT and one starting guard is either:
go with two veteran reserves, who up to now, haven't been good enough to start, or
go with two highly-drafted rookies.

I guess I would rather throw the two rookies in there and let them learn on the job. Of course, this assumes Darrisaw is healthy, but if he's healthy, and he's not better than Hill, then the Vikes have p*ssed away another 1st-round draft pick.

Interestingly, I've seen reports that Davis was taking some snaps at Center. I wonder if he is the back-up plan at Center if Bradbury continues to have issues.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
I understand your point. I guess I'm looking at it from a different angle.

The Vikings' offensive line was not good last year - at least not at pass protection. They lost Rieff, who was at least a veteran. Bradbury has been shaky at Center.

So, the option for LT and one starting guard is either:
go with two veteran reserves, who up to now, haven't been good enough to start, or
go with two highly-drafted rookies.

I guess I would rather throw the two rookies in there and let them learn on the job. Of course, this assumes Darrisaw is healthy, but if he's healthy, and he's not better than Hill, then the Vikes have p*ssed away another 1st-round draft pick.

Interestingly, I've seen reports that Davis was taking some snaps at Center. I wonder if he is the back-up plan at Center if Bradbury continues to have issues.
Click to expand...
SON, I get what you're saying but this is a pretty pessimistic take? First things first, the rookies have been banged up, a little early to ring the alarm bell on them not taking first team reps.

Hill and Udoh are different cases. From everything I've heard, Rashod Hill is a pretty solid player and has been progressing nicely over the last couple seasons. Not a lot of shame in playing behind Reiff previously. Re-signing him was a priority this offseason, whether or not they drafted OT high, as he would have been signed by someone else.

Udoh is currently just filling a gap with Davis not ready to go just yet. Similarly though, Udoh has been with the Vikings program/system for a while and worked mostly at Tackle; like I said, he seems to be doing "okay" at Guard.

The Vikings offense doesn't have to be majorly improved from last year; just the defense. Remember, it's certainly not out of the question for the 3 young returning starters (Cleveland, Bradbury, O'Neill) to have continued improving and be better than last year.

It's August 8; much like the mass hysteria over the players vax/unvax situation, I'm not going to worry a lot about the state of things with 4 weeks to go until Week One against Cincinnati
 

^^ once again, agree with Ogee (on the OL stuff)

It doesn't have to happen so suddenly, all at once. Yes, he was a first round pick, but didn't also opt out of football last year? It's a tough jump to make, and OL is probably one of the toughest positions to do it in.

Just because he's not better than Hill, right now, doesn't mean he can't evolve into a fantastic Pro over the next couple years.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Take this for what it's worth, but Doogie was on Skor North the other day, and he said the Vikings may have more unvaccinated players than any other team in the NFL, including a number of projected starters.

And here's the kicker - supposedly, the Vikes have several players who have said they would retire if the NFL tried to force them to take the vaccine. It's believed that Cousins is among those who feel that strongly.

The odds of getting through the season without key players missing games is not good.
Click to expand...
FYI - I posted an article in the other Viking thread about it - detailed reporting from The Athletic (likely Doogie's "source")
 

Awesome.

As per The Athletic and Mike Sando; the 5 toughest NFL schedules of opposing QB's, according to ratings by 50 coaches and evaluators, the Vikings come in with the 3rd toughest schedule, obviously heavily weighted for Rodgers, but a tough schedule nonetheless.
 



Vikings first-round pick Christian Darrisaw visited Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia this week for his second surgery of the year on a groin injury that's bothered him since before the draft.

Meyers, a noted specialist often sought by athletes dealing with core muscle injuries, performed what a league source called a minor procedure on Thursday morning. There's optimism Darrisaw can recover quickly and be ready for Week 1, the source said.

But coach Mike Zimmer wasn't as certain.

"That's what the doctors said, but I don't know," Zimmer said, when asked about Darrisaw being ready for the Sept. 12 season opener in Cincinnati. "They tell me one thing and it ends up being something else. I don't know."

Darrisaw has yet to participate in training camp beyond individual offensive line drills, after seeing some non-padded work in the team's mandatory minicamp. He had already been ruled out by Zimmer for Saturday's preseason opener against Denver at U.S. Bank Stadium — and Zimmer's frustration with the situation was palpable.

"It was taken care of in January," he said, referring to Darrisaw's predraft surgery. "We didn't expect this."

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said that's meant more work for swing tackle Rashod Hill, who has been the team's starting left tackle throughout much of the offseason. Hill left practice after an injury Thursday, though he was able to stay on the field and watch the remainder of the Vikings' session with the Broncos.
 

My "football gods laughing as they take a dump on Minnesota football" spider sense is tingling on this one
 

This gets back to one of my all-time favorite sports cliches - the "successful" surgery.

99.9% of the time an athlete has surgery, the team tweets or puts out a release stating that the surgery was "successful."

Well, like it or not, medicine is not an exact science. doctors and patients are human beings, not robots. I know a guy who messed up his foot in a work-related accident and he has now had three surgeries on it over 2 years, and it still isn't 100% right. I know another guy who had knee replacement, and something went wrong, so he hobbled around for a while and wound up having another replacement surgery.

just because most surgeries are successful, that does not mean that all surgeries are successful. I get that Zim isn't happy, but I assume the Vikes gave Darrisaw a medical screening before they drafted him. if Zim wants to rip someone, rip whoever cleared Darrisaw and told the Vikes he was good to go.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
This gets back to one of my all-time favorite sports cliches - the "successful" surgery.

99.9% of the time an athlete has surgery, the team tweets or puts out a release stating that the surgery was "successful."

Well, like it or not, medicine is not an exact science. doctors and patients are human beings, not robots. I know a guy who messed up his foot in a work-related accident and he has now had three surgeries on it over 2 years, and it still isn't 100% right. I know another guy who had knee replacement, and something went wrong, so he hobbled around for a while and wound up having another replacement surgery.

just because most surgeries are successful, that does not mean that all surgeries are successful. I get that Zim isn't happy, but I assume the Vikes gave Darrisaw a medical screening before they drafted him. if Zim wants to rip someone, rip whoever cleared Darrisaw and told the Vikes he was good to go.
Click to expand...
Zim's mad because he wanted to draft someone else. Now he's whining because his guy is healthy.
 




Viking OL dilema will never end unless Mond is the real deal.
 

It's not Vikings, but what the hell. First NFL action tonight at Allegiant Stadium with fans in the stadium, it should be a great atmosphere. I'll be down on the field holding part of the flag during the National Anthem. Spoiler alert; they are going to play an INCREDIBLE video just before the game about the Raiders coming to the desert, Marie Osmond singing the National Anthem.

Oh! And the Vikings look a little bit like shit today, but it's preseason. Not overly concerned just yet
 

Chip: Same old, same old: Vikings offensive line is a major question mark

So the never-ending story line lingers into another season. With the collection of skill players surrounding Cousins, the Vikings should have a top-10 scoring offense this season after finishing 11th in the league last season. Anything less than that will be a disappointment.

The difference between a good offense and a high-scoring one primarily rests with one area, and the same old questions haven't gone away.

www.startribune.com

After Denver loss, we still have same old offensive line questions

Those anxious about the team's reconfigured offensive line will have to wait a while longer for answers.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Skol Vikes!!
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Awesome.

As per The Athletic and Mike Sando; the 5 toughest NFL schedules of opposing QB's, according to ratings by 50 coaches and evaluators, the Vikings come in with the 3rd toughest schedule, obviously heavily weighted for Rodgers, but a tough schedule nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I was told Rodgerswould never play for the Packers ever again. #faithradio
 

Thankfully, I missed the Vikes game.
apparently something like 30 players sat out the game, so it was 2nd and 3rd-string players the whole way.

Highlight of the game - Denver scores a safety when Vikes' OG Dakota Dozier got called for holding in the End Zone on a pass attempt.

this has the potential to get really ugly if the OL doesn't play better.
 

TruthSeeker said:
Zim's mad because he wanted to draft someone else. Now he's whining because his guy is healthy.
Click to expand...
Seems like Zim is always mad and snipping at players particularly kickers. He doesn't do anything to help build confidence in the guys, but rather puts more pressure on the guys. Clearly he is part of the problem with the Vikings.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Thankfully, I missed the Vikes game.
apparently something like 30 players sat out the game, so it was 2nd and 3rd-string players the whole way.

Highlight of the game - Denver scores a safety when Vikes' OG Dakota Dozier got called for holding in the End Zone on a pass attempt.

this has the potential to get really ugly if the OL doesn't play better.
Click to expand...

Browning made a bone headed play on that safety. Don't run backwards further into the end zone. Especially when there's a d-end who's got a good contain going.
 

Dakota Dozier needs to not make whenever the first cut is made. It's really that simple, there.

Lot that could go wrong, did. Looking forward to the next game.
 

The Vikings waived defensive end Jordan Brailford and long snapper Turner Bernard on Sunday, a day after both didn't see much playing time in the 33-6 loss to the Broncos.

They're the initial cuts as all NFL teams must trim rosters to 85 players by Tuesday afternoon. The Vikings have to make three more moves, which could also include receiver Blake Proehl going to injured reserve.

Proehl, the undrafted rookie from East Carolina and son of former NFL receiver Ricky Proehl, suffered a serious knee injury Wednesday during a joint practice with the Broncos. Proehl went down with the non-contact injury while running a route in passing drills.

"I hope that my story will inspire others and show that anything is possible. Road to recovery starts now," Proehl wrote on his Instagram last week.

Brailford did not register any defensive stats in 11 snaps against Denver on Saturday. Bernard snapped twice, losing the competition to incumbent snapper Andrew DePaola, who replaced Austin Cutting in the middle of last season.


One of the other two better be Dozier, FFS
 

Shama: Mike Zimmer: QB Mond ‘too Nonchalant’

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Kellen Mond made his NFL debut yesterday in the team’s 33-6 loss to the Denver Broncos. Mond, with only three practices behind him, entered the game early in the second quarter and heard cheers from the home crowd watching Minnesota’s first preseason game.

The third round draft choice played the rest of the game, completing six of 16 passes for 53 yards and rushing for 25 yards. Considering his lack of practice time the former Texas A&M star appeared to make an okay debut, while showing his athleticism moving around in the pocket.

Head coach Mike Zimmer, talking on KFAN FM 100.3 after the game, focused on how the rookie has to pick up his pace of play including what he does in the huddle. “He’s going to have to move faster with everything he does. It’s too nonchalant right now.”

Mond couldn’t direct the Vikings to a touchdown. Failures included two attempts for the end zone from the Denver two-yard line. But he out played Jake Browning who joined the organization in 2019 and entered Saturday’s game apparently the No. 2 QB behind Kirk Cousins. Playing as the starter, Browning completed five of 10 passes for 31 yards. He also threw an interception returned for a touchdown. He looked too deliberate on reads and releasing the ball.


Skol Vikes!!
 

TennaB just mentioned that the Rodgers 2021 leaving the Pack may have been NFL promotion.
 

Two more waived

Ahead of Tuesday afternoon's deadline for all NFL teams to trim rosters to 85 players, the Vikings waived two players with injury designations. If receiver Blake Proehl (knee) and kicker Riley Patterson (foot) go unclaimed, they will revert to the team's injured reserve list.

Proehl, who was undrafted out of East Carolina and is the son of former NFL receiver Ricky Proehl, went down in pain while running a route in practice last week. Patterson's foot injury landed him on the physically unable to perform list. The undrafted rookie attempted only two field goals in practice, both Aug. 7 at U.S. Bank Stadium.


So that should leave one more move they need to make. DOZIER!!!
 

Davis 'a little heavy' no longer

Third-round guard Wyatt Davis said he was "a little heavy" when he first reported this spring, but the rookie said he has been in his target range of 310 to 315 pounds as he contends for a backup job on the roster.

Davis dealt with an injury earlier in camp and has been mostly working with the third-team offense behind guards Ezra Cleveland, Oli Udoh, Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia. After 49 snaps in his NFL preseason debut, Davis was happy to "get the rust off" and is hoping to improve during Saturday's game vs. the Colts.

"Obviously can still be in better condition," Davis said, "but that comes with getting the game reps and that's what this preseason is for."
 

While Stephen Weatherly and D.J. Wonnum compete for the starting defensive end spot across from Danielle Hunter, the Vikings could add a familiar face back to the mix.

They will work out Everson Griffen on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the situation, in the latest round of discussions about a reunion between the team and the pass rusher with the fourth-most official sacks in team history.

Griffen, who played his first 10 seasons with the team, opted out of his deal after the 2019 season. He had an offer to return to the Vikings before 2020, though he chose a one-year deal with the Cowboys and later faced the Vikings when he was traded to the Lions.

Before that game last November, Griffen bristled at coach Mike Zimmer calling him a "good" player, saying he deserved more than that after his time in Minnesota, and spent part of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium shouting at the Minnesota bench.

Griffen had a tackle for loss against the Vikings in the season finale, after he returned from the COVID-19 list.

Griffen, who still lives and trains in the Twin Cities, had six sacks last season.
 

The quarterback position looked entirely unsteady and not remotely ready for NFL-level play. Of course, Kirk Cousins didn’t play. Jake Browning and Kellen Mond did. Neither looked capable of surpassing even Sean Mannion‘s level as a backup.

Meanwhile, across the line of scrimmage, the Broncos looked like they had two quarterbacks better than anyone the Vikings could trot out. Drew Lock looked accurate and quick with his reads, while Teddy Bridgewater showed his scrambling ability and read the field quickly in his own right. Minnesota’s defense was dominated by both players, leaving fans dissatisfied with the guys under center in purple.

So, it’s time. Jake Browning is not good enough. Kellen Mond is not remotely close to ready in the event that he has to step in. There are better quarterbacks available to back up Kirk Cousins, and if you can time it right, you can get an old friend back in purple. This is not an argument for Bridgewater to start over Cousins; that ship has sailed (much to my chagrin). But with Cousins embracing his shiny new availability concern, the Vikings need to take backup quarterback seriously.
 


You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom