Kritik und Lob » They haven’t played as well as we expected

Monday Open Thread: October 8 Irv Smith Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , 2018 Merry Monday, everyone!And a merry Monday it is. The Vikes got a big win on the road yesterday against a tough opponent. Not everything went perfectly, but I liked what I saw from our defense., but they had a solid game overall yesterday, and held a strong offense to 6 points up to the fourth quarter. We found out that Linval Joseph is also a slot corner (I really wished they would have counted that as an INT so that I could make a “more interceptions than Chris Cook reference”), and some other players on the defense who needed to step up their game did so, Anthony Barr being one of them.The running game still didn’t make much of an appearance, but the Eagle defense is probably not the opponent you want to go up against to re-find your running game.That being said, 3.3 yards per carry isn’t going to get it done. I don’t know what the Vikings do to kickers when they’re signed here that causes their accuracy to disappear. Maybe there’s some weird pre-game team ritual where the kicker does a bunch of tequila shots just before kickoff. I don’t know, but whatever it is, they shouldn’t do it again. It ain’t funny anymore.But, you know what? The team got a road win against the Super Bowl champions at a time when they desperately needed a win. I’m happy with the results, and I’m glad that the team looks to be climbing out of the funk they’ve been in. Mondays are awesome. Post road=win Mondays are even more awesome. SKOL!Around the DN since our last open thread:The gang from the Daily Norseman have your latest installment of The Norse Reporters, October 7, 2018.Adam Schefter said that Everson Griffen is not expected back ‘anytime soon’, per Chris.Chris has a clip of the ever-nimble NT/CB Linval Joseph as he gracefully sprints to the end zone to score a touchdown yesterday.Chris has your post-game wrap-up.John Gagliardi, a Vikings coaching legend, passed away this weekend.The team wanted, then went and got a win for Tony Sparano yesterday, per Chris.Vikings news from other sources and news from around the rest of the NFL:At Vikings.com, catch the post-game locker room speech(es), see Coach Zimmer’s post-game press conference Minnesota Vikings Jerseys 2019 , see full highlights of the game, and there’s a LOT more to sift through in the media vault.NFL.com looks at the most impactful injuries from week five.From FoxSports, catch up on all the NFL week five scores and highlights.We come to our media selection:I love when I get to play this one, let’s hope I get to start playing it weekly. Strike up the band!Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:No discussion of politics or religionNo feeding of the trollsThis isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the doorKeep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tagsNo pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employerIf you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go awayWhile navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasmWith that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up and tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, and try the head cheese. Football is stupid and doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.Case in point: Just four days after going out against a Buffalo Bills’ team that was (at the time) considered by many to be the NFL’s worst and putting up 6 whole points on their home field, the Minnesota Vikings had the tall task of flying out to the West Coast on a short week and taking on what might be the best team in the National Football League in the Los Angeles Rams. They scored 31 points, and were in the game until their very last possession as the offense was pretty hot for most of the evening.Case #2: Last season, the Minnesota Vikings were regarded as one of the best defenses in the National Football League. The led the NFL in both yardage allowed and points allowed. This season, they returned 10 of the 11 starters from that defense, and replaced the one that left with a former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Through four games this season, the Vikings have allowed 27.5 points/game, one of the worst marks in the NFL, and at times appear as though nobody on that side of the ball has actually played football before. Yes Irv Smith Jersey Cheap , I know that the Everson Griffen situation is a huge loss, but there’s still enough talent on that side of the ball where it shouldn’t be nearly this bad.Yes, at least in 2018, football certainly is stupid. Isn’t that right, Mr. Yankovic?Talk with your mouth fullBite the hand that feeds youBite off more than you chewWhat can you doDare to be stupidTake some wooden nicklesLook for Mr. GoodbarGet your mojo working nowI’ll show you howYou can dare to be stupidYou can turn the other cheekYou can just give up the shipYou can eat a bunch of sushi and forget to leave a tipDare to be stupidCome on and dare to be stupidIt’s so easy to doDare to be stupidWe’re all waiting for youLet’s go!Your Stock Market Report, which is hopefully not quite as stupid as football, follows.Blue Chip StocksKirk Cousins, QB - Yeah, yeah, you can be pissed off about the fumble at the end of the game. I get that. The primary reason that the Minnesota Vikings were even in a position to have an opportunity at the end of that game was at #8. Cousins was, as the kids might say, “dealing” on Thursday night, folks. He completed 36-of-50 passes for 422 yards and three scores, and did this with pretty much no running game to speak of. . .Cousins led the team in rushing as well with 28 yards, most of which came on one 19-yard scramble in the fourth quarter. The Vikings’ three running backs that carried the ball (Dalvin Cook, Latavius Murray, and Roc Thomas) combined for 26 yards on 13 carries, a cool two yards per touch.Cousins was also under duress all night, as for the second week in a row he was pressured on more than half of his dropbacks according to PFF. Despite that, he was accurate, and he was pushing the ball down the field when he was given the opportunity to do so (or created that opportunity himself). If you’re still in the camp that thinks that giving Cousins the big money to be this team’s quarterback was the wrong decision, then man. . .I don’t know what to tell you.Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs Irv Smith Jersey Womens , the best WR duo in football - You can make the case for several other wide receiver pairs, but I’ll take Diggs and Thielen over just about everybody. On Thursday night, they did what receivers of their caliber should do against an undermanned secondary, which is get open a lot. Both men went over 100 yards, with Thielen wound up leading the way with 135 yards and a score on eight grabs, while Diggs led the team in receptions with 11 and wound up with 123 yards. Both of those guys made some outstanding catches, too. I’m sure that having those two guys to throw to was part of the appeal for Cousins in coming to Minnesota, and they’re going to be pretty damn solid for a long time.Kevin McDermott, long snapper - Lose a body part (or part of a body part), get a Blue Chip.Solid InvestmentsAldrick Robinson, WR/touchdown machine - ALL ALDRICK ROBINSON DOES IS CATCH TOUCHDOWNS! No, really, that’s all he did on Thursday night: two catches, 33 yards, two touchdowns. You get two touchdowns, you get to be in the SMR.*** - Rule may not necessarily apply when Ted takes back over next week.Danielle Hunter, DE/all that is man - The only guy on the defensive side of the ball that didn’t look like a complete dumpster fire for the entire night on Thursday, Hunter actually did a pretty good job against Andrew Whitworth for most of the night. Oh, and then there was this:Oh, no big deal, you know. . .just a 275-pound defensive end chasing down the best running back in the National Football League in the open field.Dan Bailey, K - Five kicks for Bailey Irv Smith white jersey , five footballs fluttering through the uprights. Well, one of them off of the upright and through, but still.Junk BondsPretty much every other player on the defensive side of the football - I don’t understand the drop-off on defense from this team. It’s mind-boggling. This is the same scheme that the Vikings have run the entire time that Mike Zimmer has been the head coach, and it’s not like this defense is filled with a bunch of old guys that have just dropped off physically. They have a bunch of players in their prime that have played at a high level for multiple seasons in a row, and all of a sudden they can’t stop a nosebleed. If the players are the same and the scheme is the same, then I guess some of it has to come back to. . .Mike Zimmer and George Edwards, de facto defensive coordinator and actual defensive coordinator - On Friday, Zimmer said that he might be “overcoaching” his guys on defense. I’m not sure if that’s what the problem is or what, but I do know that the Vikings’ coaching staff got whooped by Sean McVay and company on Thursday. That’s why we saw Anthony Barr trying to run in coverage with Cooper Kupp 40 yards down the field. Of course Barr, who I was tough on last week in this space, isn’t going to make that play. He shouldn’t be in that position to begin with. Those two guys better figure out what’s going on, and quickly. There is too much talent on the defensive side of the football on this roster for them to be this awful.Everybody on the offensive line, again - According to PFF, all five starting offensive linemen for the Vikings allowed at least four pressures and either a sack or a hit on Cousins. But they made up for that by not getting any push in the run game, either. And they won’t be getting a break next week.Buy/SellBuy: The Vikings miss Everson Griffen terribly - Not only is Griffen one hell of a defensive end, but he’s the emotional leader of this defense both on the field and in the locker room. I’m not sure how much of a role that’s playing on this team, as they’ve been completely out to lunch these past two games, but I don’t think it’s a non-factor, either. Zimmer has already said that Griffen won’t be re-joining the team in time for the Philadelphia game, so they better find some inspiration in a hurry.Sell: Bringing back Brian Robison will cure things - Look, I loved Brian Robison and think he was a great Viking, too. But he was already starting to see a decline in his snaps Irv Smith Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , and the team thought that his on-field performance was replaceable. Griffen is a huge part of both the on-field and off-field parts of this team, whereas Robison likely would not be. Plus, I’m not sure how the Vikings get him under the cap, quite honestly.Buy: The offensive line is what’s going to kill this team again - This is what everyone was afraid of this offseason, and it appears that the fears were justified. Though Mike Hughes is pretty talented. . .and not a bad addition, given that apparently now the Vikings can’t cover anyone, either. . .the Vikings probably should have addressed the offensive line in the draft earlier than they did.Sell: The fix is currently on the roster - That said, there’s only so much this team can do given their current configuration. I mean, I guess I don’t see the downside of playing Brian O’Neill (if Rashod Hill continues to be terrible) or Danny Isidora (if Tom Compton continues to be terrible) or Brett Jones. I still think that Mike Remmers should be playing right tackle in the first place and that moving him was a mistake. I don’t know what this team plans to do, but what I do know is that the current configuration isn’t getting it done, and the options to fix it at the present time are pretty scarce.Buy: The season isn’t over yet - The Vikings have another tough game coming next week, but if you believe that this team has the talent to turn things around, then there’s no point in giving up hope yet. After all, this team didn’t go 13-3 last year by accident, and the schedule is a lot more favorable after the opening stretch.Sell: The time to make changes is getting shorter - If this team is going to start making changes and getting their fecal matter collected into one group, they need to start doing it now. They’ve got a mini-bye here with the Thursday night game behind them, and they need to start figuring out what they need to do to get this team back to where they have the talent to be.There you have it, folks. Ted will be back with the SMR next week now that he’s not galavanting all over the Southern Hemisphere and stuff.