We’ve been terrible since November, and weren’t that great prior. Awful play calling and a team that looked like it had given up. I suspect some heads will roll
Blimey, that's some career change. I can only assume he will be a WR. Louis Rees-Zammit: Wales and Gloucester winger to quit rugby to play American football - BBC Sport
Is he any good? Loads of players have tried this transition and off the top of my head I can’t think of any that have been successful
Running back would make the most sense as it is the easiest position to learn. Think people underestimate just how hard it is to learn a defensive/offensive playbook especially if you have no/very limited experience in playing the sport. The guys he will be competing with have been playing for 20+ years in some cases, it is a massive barrier to over come.
The NFC North is definitely on the rise. The Bears have 2 top 10 picks this year (and the number 1 overall where they could take a potential top QB). Love looks good at the Packers and the Lions have a good young team. The Vikings are definitely third and if the Bears draft well with their picks it’s quite easy to see the Vikings being the worst team in the division for the near future. What do the Vikings have? A top WR (who they went 1-8 in the games he actually played this year) 2 good tackles and ummmm a decent tight end? Their best defensive player by a mile is a free agent and so is their QB. Releasing Cousins impacts the cap this year so signing a veteran one for one year basically works out the same money wise. Cousins contract comes off next season so they will be in much better shape financially then. There is a an argument for just trading away everything as there are so many holes in the roster that keeping the likes of Jefferson and Darrisaw is pointless as they won’t win anything with just those 2 and both will want loads of money that impacts rebuilding the rest of the team. They could get multiple firsts by trading both and potentially build a decent team. One thing they definitely should not be doing is trading up this year, they need way too many players across the team to give up picks and future high picks to gamble on a QB. Let Cousins leave, take whoever they think is the best player on the board at 11 and at every pick thereafter and sign someone like Tannehill for a year, and see where they end up next year
Well they have a bit more than that. Addison and Pace made the All-Rookie team. We've got a few holes to fill sure, but most don't need to be expensive. A good QB with the WR's and TE we have will go a long way to making us play off contenders.
A few holes is huge understatement. They have no pass rush without Hunter (and not exactly the best with him alone), no running game at all, no corners at all, no interior offensive or defensive line and no QB The linebackers are passable maybe, safeties as well. Tackles are good and Jefferson and Addison are a good 2, but there is nobody behind them at all. Osborn proved he is what he is this year. Hockensen is decent but no other TE on the roster is much to shout about. Oliver was signed as the big money free agent last year, as a run blocking TE. They came bottom 3 I think in rushing this year, for the second year in a row They need a lot of work, with some luck and some additions they may finish third in the North next year, which may get them the 7th seed, but no chance they finish higher than that. Much more likely to be lower than this year
Decent RB's can be drafted in the later rounds so that's not too much of a concern to me. Same with a WR3. If we can resign Cousins and then use our 1st round pick on Hunter's replacement or a CB we won't be in bad shape. Looking at the schedules for 2024, Detroit have a bastard of a schedule as we did this year as NFC North winners. Detroit have no easy away games at all. Cardinals is probably the easiest on paper. They have got to play Dallas, SF, Texans and Colts all on the road plus Bills, Jags, Rams, Seahawks, Bucs at home. GB's schedule isn't much easier. Ours on the other hand, while still including SF, Texans. Jags and Rams, also has NYG, NYJ, Falcons, Titans.
A decent running game is not just about the running back though. In fact I’d argue that the running back is almost the least important factor in it, hence why no teams value the position. If your interior O line can block well and create holes then any running back who has made it to the NFL will do alright, obviously the top ones will do better but the most mediocre ones still do well behind a good O Line. So it’s not just as simple as “draft a running back in the later rounds” when your centre and both guards are **** in the run game. Ingram and Bradbury are just bad full stop and Risner can pass protect but is useless with the run. I agree the schedule will be easier this year, but in theory the Vikings team will be a fair bit worse as well. I just can’t see them re-signing Cousins now. A serious injury at 36 and he will want at least a 2 year deal on decent money. It makes no sense to re-sign him when they have so many holes. Rather use that money elsewhere. This is the Vikings though, and their owners prioritise sneaking into the playoffs to get battered immediately over trying to do something to make them a legitimate Super Bowl contender
Good point about the running game. If Cousins had suffered a serious arm injury I would agree that we won't bring him back. But I don't think his achillies injury will affect him much going forwards, if at all. Mobility was never his strong point. His main strength is his arm and his accuracy throwing the ball. 36 isn't particularly old for a QB either. If the Vikings medical team have no issues with him I have no issue with Vikings re-signing him.
This lions buccs game seems alright. Nothing against the lions but don't want to be the only team in the division without a super bowl, the other fans will be unbearable Though Chicago couldn't give it that large as their last win was long before I was even born
Kansas reach the AFC championship yet again. Was hoping they wouldn't make it as they haven't been as good this year. But the game I'm now most interested in is at 8pm next week, hoping the ravens spare us from another KC super bowl.
Should be favourites and with home field advantage too, but no one should rule out Patrick Mahomes. BTW the photo of Jason Kelce barechested was hilarious!
Oh no I'd never write Mahomes off but the way the Ravens and Jackson are playing, plus home field advantage, makes them very formidable.
