Heading into a needed bye - the 3 C's

I think with Darnold or Jones we are 4-1 but in cap hell forever and a top 15 pick at QB on the bench.

Let’s get JJM back and see what happens. It’s all about him anyway.

I never saw this season as anything other than a try out for JJM to convince us that we don't need to be targeting QB in the foreseeable future....he needs to be in there because thus far Brosmer has shown more promise this year.

I think the most realistic but homeristic take on how this season could have gone, is that JJM takes 6-7 games to figure things out and the team hits it's stride later in the season and is playoff ready by about the time the playoffs are in full stride. The team carries JJM through some games, he fumbles away some other ones with horrible turnovers.

I think we've started the season in a worst case scenario, with all the injuries. We've failed to provide JJM with the support structure he needed in his starts. He got injured and now we're delaying his growth which we need to see. But we're here with what I think is a fairly reasonable record coming out of that chaos, but the I think the goal here is still trying to convert JJM into a playoff caliber QB, preferably by the end of the season. I don't see winning a chunk of games with Wentz but losing in the playoffs a success. I think this game was a huge step forward for KOC. I hope he keeps these play designs in the playbook going forward.

That said, as long as we keep hovering around .500 while we're struggling and figuring things out, that keeps are playoff aspirations in reach and I think if we get on the more favorable side of the injury luck the team will look more like the good team that we were expecting to see.

Or 3 Bs
Bears
Bengals
Browns
It’s just a CB

JimmyinSD wrote:
I never saw this season as anything other than a try out for JJM to convince us that we don't need to be targeting QB in the foreseeable future....he needs to be in there because thus far Brosmer has shown more promise this year.

Totally agree about the QBOF, this was a a prove it year, not a SB year.  This discord I have in the back of my mind, was when we moved up to 10 to get JJM, dickhead Payton was gloating about how we were manipulated into taking JJM and he got the QB he really wanted in Nix and cost us draft capital.  I want to believe the KOC clean hand philosophy, but Nix has started 22 games and McCarthy 2 games and has had been injured most of the time.  In those two games, seven bad quarters and one good enough to win.  I always defer to the long game in life, but in AL years, the long game window is closing.

BigAl99 wrote:

Totally agree about the QBOF, this was a a prove it year, not a SB year.  This discord I have in the back of my mind, was when we moved up to 10 to get JJM, dickhead Payton was gloating about how we were manipulated into taking JJM and he got the QB he really wanted in Nix and cost us draft capital.  I want to believe the KOC clean hand philosophy, but Nix has started 22 games and McCarthy 2 games and has had been injured most of the time.  In those two games, seven bad quarters and one good enough to win.  I always defer to the long game in life, but in AL years, the long game window is closing.

Yeah, waiting gets older as do we.  As far as that f!&$stain Payton, he could end up being more right on JJM/Nix angle, but he didn’t bait us into anything. We did what we had to assure we drafted our target.  Actually, NE QB was the target, but he was off the board.

BigAl99 wrote:

Totally agree about the QBOF, this was a a prove it year, not a SB year.  This discord I have in the back of my mind, was when we moved up to 10 to get JJM, dickhead Payton was gloating about how we were manipulated into taking JJM and he got the QB he really wanted in Nix and cost us draft capital.  I want to believe the KOC clean hand philosophy, but Nix has started 22 games and McCarthy 2 games and has had been injured most of the time.  In those two games, seven bad quarters and one good enough to win.  I always defer to the long game in life, but in AL years, the long game window is closing.

Well thanks for that Al,  can I call you up for a bedtime story?  :P  jk

I am still in a good place with JJM,   ( not as much with Turner)  but watching Nix lead a game winner against one of the best teams in the league while our guy is struggling to find the field is certainly testing my resolve.   I said pre draft that I was good with JJ, Penix, or Nix.   I still feel good about all 3.  Go to remember that Penix and Nix are both thousands of snaps ahead of young JJ and it certainly shows.

The inability to stay on the field is becoming a concern though even though its really only 2 injuries.

With the schedule out of the bye being so daunting, we could not afford to lose to the Falcons at home or a not so great Stealers game. The two overseas games were not well played, the defense especially did not look prepared in either game and not a lot of adjustments, Flores does not have a lot of answers.

Great effort today by the OL, with 4 starters out, they really stepped up. Have no idea how your pro bowl LT is not in on the game deciding drive, because you have some predetermined snap count, if that is the case, get the reduced snaps in the 1st half.

I think as long as you are still in this, you play the QB who gives you the best chance to win and think that is definitely Wentz for the Philly game, he has the experience and the intangibles to win that game.

If JJ is healthy you play him. He needs experience and the Vikings need to know if he has what it takes. A QB on a rookie contract has been the plan for a while. Even if Wentz could get them to the playoffs, I don't think this team is good enough to advance.

I think this two week trip took a lot out of them...They sound burned-out an in need of some rest and "getting away"

“My brain hurts right now, if I’m being honest with you,” coach Kevin O’Connell said, “navigating that at the end and making sure our team maintained their poise, specifically on offense knowing we had to travel quite a bit there to try to get seven.”

The banged-up Vikings (3-2) enter a much-needed bye week after a victory over Cleveland (1-4), although they were 25 seconds away from coming up empty on this trip following last week’s 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL’s first game in Dublin.

A horde of white Vikings jerseys jumped, cheered and rallied around Addison, who didn’t play in the first quarter after he missed a walkthrough earlier in the week, according to O’Connell. The intense celebration seemed grander than a Week 5 victory in the NFL might warrant, but this was not an ordinary regular-season game in ordinary circumstances.

“In my brief time here, it’s a very unique group of guys in this locker room, and I mean that in a really good way,” said Wentz, who improved to 2-1 as a starter after signing with the Vikings in late August. “Everybody is so close, and I think this week was great for that, too, and the weirdness of it.

“It’s hard to win in this league. When you get it done in dramatic fashion, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. It doesn’t matter if it’s Super Bowl, Week 1, it doesn’t matter. You got to enjoy those moments.”

purplefaithful wrote:
Chicago Cinci Cleveland

None of em are world beaters and yet u can only play who's on the schedule right?

So I'm still not fired-up about the team, have more questions about JJM then I had in September and probably most disappointed in the defense (especially vs run). 

But 3/2 is good enough for #2 in the North (for now) and I feel fortunate with that record given the injuries. Glad to take a week off as a fan. Would really like to see what the team's ceiling is if ever at full strength.

Most importantly? Lets get JJM back behind Center and let's see what we got.

Where u at with 12 games to go???

Is Wentz the answer?  Watching a lot of passes yesterday sailing over the heads of his receivers, probably not, but he's a damn good and serviceable backup.  However, he's played better (with far less prep) than JJM this year.  I think KOC needs to play the hot hand and frankly Wentz is clicking better.  

Honestly, a teeny little bit of me was hoping that we'd see Brosmer in the second half.  But Wentz came back and put it all together in the latter part of the second half...Clicking finally (and getting beyond the curse of 0-2 on turnovers).  

Sitting at 3-2, there are only five teams in the NFC with better records.  I think its a solid place to build from, given the situation.