Week 5 NFL

[TheLeviathan]

22 hours ago, Danchat said:

It is worth mentioning that our schedule going forward is the hardest in the NFL, and our first 5 games was the 4th easiest. This can fluctuate by quite a bit (Ravens look cooked, Chargers are beat up) but I was hoping for 4-1 in these first 5 games. I like our playoff odds more than the current 33% I'm being, but they gotta step things up and get healthier.

I also read that they want a team to pay "most of" his $27M salary, which is ludicrous.

That's a good point.  There is no sugar-coating that the Falcons game was a bad loss.  

However, there are quite a few teams with bad losses already.  The Packers have one to the Browns and a tie with the Cowboys.  (Just as one example)  

If the Vikings can take this next stretch that looked like 1-3 a few months ago and go 2-2....then we're back on track as a potential wild card team.  

[The Great Hambino]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

That's a good point.  There is no sugar-coating that the Falcons game was a bad loss.  

However, there are quite a few teams with bad losses already.  The Packers have one to the Browns and a tie with the Cowboys.  (Just as one example)  

If the Vikings can take this next stretch that looked like 1-3 a few months ago and go 2-2....then we're back on track as a potential wild card team.  

Yeah, this is feeling like a season where the gap between, say, the 8th- and 28th-best teams is much smaller than usual.  Lots of opportunities to make up ground, the playoff bubble will be crowded.  You won't have to be awesome to be in contention late in the season with a break here or there

[Mike Sixel]

Dart outplaying JJ......

[Aggies7]

(Removed)

 

[Aggies7]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Dart outplaying JJ......

Dillon Gabriel outplayed him last Sunday..

[Danchat]

The Giants are soundly outplaying the Eagles... no reason why we can't beat them next week.

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Dart outplaying JJ......

Sure, but Dart is coming off a bad second start (sound familiar?) where they just lost by double digits to the terrible Saints. Way, way too early to think JJ can't play like he is right now. He's just gotta get healthy.

[Mike Sixel]

17 hours ago, Danchat said:

The Giants are soundly outplaying the Eagles... no reason why we can't beat them next week.

Sure, but Dart is coming off a bad second start (sound familiar?) where they just lost by double digits to the terrible Saints. Way, way too early to think JJ can't play like he is right now. He's just gotta get healthy.

Who said anything about the long term at all?  However, I never loved the pick, and remain doubtful. He was never THE MAN in Michigan the O was built around.....is any great NFL QB not a huge passer in college?

[The Great Hambino]

On 10/10/2025 at 3:00 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Who said anything about the long term at all?  However, I never loved the pick, and remain doubtful. He was never THE MAN in Michigan the O was built around.....is any great NFL QB not a huge passer in college?

In 1999 Tom Brady ranked 38th in I-A passing yards and had fewer yards per attempt than the great Billy Cockerham.

Maybe it just doesn't apply to Michigan QBs

[nicksaviking]

On 10/10/2025 at 3:00 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Who said anything about the long term at all?  However, I never loved the pick, and remain doubtful. He was never THE MAN in Michigan the O was built around.....is any great NFL QB not a huge passer in college?

I backed the McCarthy pick solely because I believe that KOC knows what to look for in a QB.

But there may be a fatal flaw here that the Vikings should have seen coming. If you believe an inexperienced college QB needs more reps than he got in college to hit his potential, can you also believe in giving him those reps on a team that wants to contend? I don't think both things can be true and the Vikings should have seen what happened with Trey Lance in SF. He only got FOUR starts and all four seemed to be against Shanahan's will. 

To be clear, I liked McCarthy slightly better than Nix and much better than Penix, but I think there are scenarios where you can't pick the Lance/McCarthy types. Those guys have to go to teams that know they aren't going to compete but will let them get the reps they need to be ready when they do.

But if actual game reps aren't required, and he can eventually get where he needs to be just by watching, then I guess there's no issue getting the developmental QB and contending. I'm skeptical though.

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I backed the McCarthy pick solely because I believe that KOC knows what to look for in a QB.

But there may be a fatal flaw here that the Vikings should have seen coming. If you believe an inexperienced college QB needs more reps than he got in college to hit his potential, can you also believe in giving him those reps on a team that wants to contend? I don't think both things can be true and the Vikings should have seen what happened with Trey Lance in SF. He only got FOUR starts and all four seemed to be against Shanahan's will. 

To be clear, I liked McCarthy slightly better than Nix and much better than Penix, but I think there are scenarios where you can't pick the Lance/McCarthy types. Those guys have to go to teams that know they aren't going to compete but will let them get the reps they need to be ready when they do.

But if actual game reps aren't required, and he can eventually get where he needs to be just by watching, then I guess there's no issue getting the developmental QB and contending. I'm skeptical though.

KOC deserves the benefit of the doubt after getting more out of journeyman QBs than 90% of coaches in the NFL. The problem is, like you pointed out, KOC/Kwesi thinking McCarthy was ready to lead a veteran team ready to win right now. 

And that’s really where the debate between fans is stuck. There’s a subset of Vikings fans that wants McCarthy to get reps this year, record be damned. I’m in a subset of Vikings fans that wants to win, QB development be damned. 

[Mike Sixel]

9 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

KOC deserves the benefit of the doubt after getting more out of journeyman QBs than 90% of coaches in the NFL. The problem is, like you pointed out, KOC/Kwesi thinking McCarthy was ready to lead a veteran team ready to win right now. 

And that’s really where the debate between fans is stuck. There’s a subset of Vikings fans that wants McCarthy to get reps this year, record be damned. I’m in a subset of Vikings fans that wants to win, QB development be damned. 

Great point. Alas, they have zero QBs ready or able to do that this year, imo. Agree strongly it's a bad match between McCarthys readiness and the rest of the roster. 

[Vanimal46]

2 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Agree strongly it's a bad match between McCarthys readiness and the rest of the roster.

Love this sentence. Says it all better than I did in my post. That is the biggest divide with Vikings fans right now. And the biggest mistake Kwesi/KOC made this year. 

I do believe Kwesi tried to bridge the gap by retaining Daniel Jones. Danny Dimes made the correct decision to sign with Indy. You can’t put a price tag on opportunity, and he knew he could beat out Anthony Richardson for the starting gig there. 

[Vanimal46]

If it does turn out that McCarthy isn’t ready this season to lead a (on paper) better roster than the 14 win 2024 team, we will always wonder if we should have re-signed Darnold, or signed Jones/Rodgers for cheap. 

[TheLeviathan]

10 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

KOC deserves the benefit of the doubt after getting more out of journeyman QBs than 90% of coaches in the NFL. The problem is, like you pointed out, KOC/Kwesi thinking McCarthy was ready to lead a veteran team ready to win right now. 

And that’s really where the debate between fans is stuck. There’s a subset of Vikings fans that wants McCarthy to get reps this year, record be damned. I’m in a subset of Vikings fans that wants to win, QB development be damned. 

I can sympathize with that stance.  I'd rather develop the kid.  

Partly because at least part of the work they did (Allen and Hargrave) haven't brought the impact I expected.  Not to mention the offensive line devastation.  

I've just been on this carousel of "Our QB isn't good enough, isn't young, and isn't the guy" long enough to try something else I guess.

[Vanimal46]

On 10/14/2025 at 11:33 PM, TheLeviathan said:

I can sympathize with that stance.  I'd rather develop the kid.  

Partly because at least part of the work they did (Allen and Hargrave) haven't brought the impact I expected.  Not to mention the offensive line devastation.  

I've just been on this carousel of "Our QB isn't good enough, isn't young, and isn't the guy" long enough to try something else I guess.

I'm not ready to go that route yet. We still have 12 games left in the season and the NFC is wide open. The Vikings have done crazier things like getting to the NFC Championship game with Keenum... It sucks that Kwesi/KOC misjudged the situation and didn't hedge their bet at the most important position.

[TheLeviathan]

2 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

I'm not ready to go that route yet. We still have 12 games left in the season and the NFC is wide open. The Vikings have done crazier things like getting to the NFC Championship game with Keenum... It sucks that Kwesi/KOC misjudged the situation and didn't hedge their bet at the most important position.

IMO.....the Keenum run was just luck that fizzled as decisively as it deserved.  Much like last year.

It's fun to have those years, lucky or not.  But I'd actually like to be there again for reasons other than luck.  McCarthy is the only path to that in the next few years on the roster.

[Parfigliano]

On 10/14/2025 at 10:23 PM, Vanimal46 said:

Love this sentence. Says it all better than I did in my post. That is the biggest divide with Vikings fans right now. And the biggest mistake Kwesi/KOC made this year. 

I do believe Kwesi tried to bridge the gap by retaining Daniel Jones. Danny Dimes made the correct decision to sign with Indy. You can’t put a price tag on opportunity, and he knew he could beat out Anthony Richardson for the starting gig there. 

There is probably someone on this site with a kid who could beat out Anthony Richardson for the gig.