All Things 2025 Minnesota Vikings In-Season Thread

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What do we want to see today?

- I want to see Howell get some reps, he needs as many as he can get in the new offense because when we get closer to regular season time, JJM will obviously get all the practice reps.

- Want to see way more Brosmer than Rypien after that. I know it's a pretty legitimate competition for the #3 spot, love everything we're hearing about Brosmer in camp.

- Would like to see some good play from some of the OL backups like Jurgens and Rouse, especially Jurgens as the health of Ryan Kelly at C is no given.

- Can't wait to see some disruption from the backup DL/DE folks fighting for spots like Gabe Murphy, Batty, Drake-Rodriguez, Taki Taimani and Ingram-Dawkins.

- Does anyone separate themselves at KR or PR? That seems largely unsettled.

- More solid kicking from Reichard, I still think we have a great one there.
 

GopherGrit said:
You're probably exactly correct.

Here's the problem though: we have a very short window ... right now. To do something special with this special defensive roster and the special defensive coordinator we have.

Those might not last very long around here.


Would be a G-D shame if it only amounts to a Wild Card game because we weren't ready at QB.
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With what “we think” is a special defensive roster. We’re around #5 in pretty much anyone’s rankings. Hopefully they’re that good if not better. If it’s not a top 5 defense, it wouldn’t matter if it’s McCarthy, Rodgers or Darnold at qb. Season hinges more on the defense being as good as we’re hoping they will be (given we were not in the market to have a top 5 qb walk in the door in FA)
 

upnorthkid said:
With what “we think” is a special defensive roster. We’re around #5 in pretty much anyone’s rankings. Hopefully they’re that good if not better. If it’s not a top 5 defense, it wouldn’t matter if it’s McCarthy, Rodgers or Darnold at qb. Season hinges more on the defense being as good as we’re hoping they will be (given we were not in the market to have a top 5 qb walk in the door in FA)
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McCarthy is the next Brady...
 




Save us Max Brosmer. Or trade for Jameis Winston.

 


upnorthkid said:
With what “we think” is a special defensive roster. We’re around #5 in pretty much anyone’s rankings. Hopefully they’re that good if not better. If it’s not a top 5 defense, it wouldn’t matter if it’s McCarthy, Rodgers or Darnold at qb. Season hinges more on the defense being as good as we’re hoping they will be (given we were not in the market to have a top 5 qb walk in the door in FA)
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Bold: you're obviously set in your way of thinking (not that I'm trying to change anyone's mind), but I just don't buy it.

And I can be right about that, while it still being true that the season hinges more on the defense than the offense. That is a statement I much more agree with.


Would love to have a magical box to go into an alternate universe and see what really would happen if McCarthy never got hurt last year. Does Darnold still beat him out or does McCarthy start the whole season. What happens to the record in the latter? Does McC come in during the late collapse?

Would also love to see the universe where we had signed Darnold to a two year, $20M deal or something like that, where it could still be an open battle this season.
 

TRF Guy said:
We can all dream. Just give me one Super Bowl. Just one before I’m six feet under
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Yes, but

Vikings and Bills are only NFL squads with 0-4 records in Super Bowl.

It's gotta be not just getting back ... it's gotta be bring that damn trophy home.
 



upnorthkid said:
My preference is none of them ever see the field and JJ kicks ass all year
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He can go out for 2-4 games with a minor injury that is no fault of his own in the slightest, even if he is kicking ass. We can't just forfeit those games because we have no backup QB ...
 

GopherGrit said:
Bold: you're obviously set in your way of thinking (not that I'm trying to change anyone's mind), but I just don't buy it.

And I can be right about that, while it still being true that the season hinges more on the defense than the offense. That is a statement I much more agree with.


Would love to have a magical box to go into an alternate universe and see what really would happen if McCarthy never got hurt last year. Does Darnold still beat him out or does McCarthy start the whole season. What happens to the record in the latter? Does McC come in during the late collapse?

Would also love to see the universe where we had signed Darnold to a two year, $20M deal or something like that, where it could still be an open battle this season.
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I just don’t see a way this team is built to outshoot other teams in a sustainable fashion with who they could’ve had. If it was Josh Allen, Mahomes, etc, caliber, that’s different. There just wasn’t that quality of a guy out there so I’m cool with that wr saved the money, spent it on defense even more and are going to try do it with our rookie we invested in to get us there on his rookie deal and if he grows into that mega star, you have his plus years while you then lose a bit on defense when he hits his prime (see Kansas City chiefs)
 





upnorthkid said:
I just don’t see a way this team is built to outshoot other teams in a sustainable fashion with who they could’ve had. If it was Josh Allen, Mahomes, etc, caliber, that’s different. There just wasn’t that quality of a guy out there so I’m cool with that wr saved the money, spent it on defense even more and are going to try do it with our rookie we invested in to get us there on his rookie deal and if he grows into that mega star, you have his plus years while you then lose a bit on defense when he hits his prime (see Kansas City chiefs)
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We won't get anywhere farther than this, so I'm happy to agree to disagree and let you have the last word if you want it (though the above seems pretty succinct and well summarized).

I disagree that there was no one we could've had this year who would've been significantly better at throwing the football and could've been had for a reasonable price (if rumors are to be believed). I won't say the name because folks round here get realll crabby about it. You know who it is. So that's my disagreement on that.


The bigger point you make, I have nothing to counter it. It's a fine strategy. Maybe the best strategy.

Thing I'll mention is it seems you're suffering a bit from survivorship bias. IE that strategy worked ...... for KC with Mahomes. Worked, at least for one year, for Cincy with Burrow. Worked, at least up to the point of that they can't get past the Chiefs, for Buffalo with Allen.

What about all the teams that tried that strategy, and it didn't work? We never talk about them. No one remembers them ... because it didn't work.
 

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