TheLeviathan

I think that sounds good on the surface but it doesn't quite add up for me. I actually thought the defense played well against Philly. Big plays aside. Herbert only threw for 227 yards because the game was over in the second quarter and they were ripping off 7 yards a carry. Rodgers and the Steelers moved at will. Cleveland even looked competent with the ball. Falcons looked unstoppable. I think Scoggins said it best....what does this team do well? On defense? I can't think of a damn thing. So I disagree that they chose the thing the Vikings weren't expecting. I think you can pick what you want to do against the Vikings D and do it at will right now.

I'd be fine with Wentz back. Honestly? It isn't even the QB/offense situation that bothers me most. What in the blue hell happened to our defense?

In hindsight, this show mostly sucked.

Geez.....talk about guts.

I was just thinking the same thing. My god...

Probably? Saints try hard though.

Tomorrow is an all-time slate of crappy quarterbacks playing.

To the previous conversation....what would blowing it up even look like? The Vikings don't have many expiring assets that are playing well. I guess I see the following issues: 1) The run defense is horrific. I'm too busy to break down the problems but we're getting absolutely gashed. Inside, Outside, Counter. Traps seem to be a major tool against us this year. The point of attack is being driven backward. I was on board with Hargrave and Allen but they've been bad. I'm not sure how to fix this other than to reiterate something I was saying last year: this team needs a true nose tackle. This scheme doesn't work without one on early downs. I think one and done for the guys they brought in last year is the only course of action. 2) Defensive Backs - this secondary is shallow. We need another safety (wish we had Kyle Hamilton about now) and a third corner that can actually cover when we move Murphy around. Time for Harrison to retire. 3) Clock is ticking on Turner. He's young but I don't see the disrupting force. And if he's not it....then Greenard needs someone on the other flank. 4) Linebackers - can't cover. Can't tackle. Aren't blitzing well. That whole group is a mess. 5) Donovan Jackson looked lost out there last night. Stunts were getting the better of him over and over. That may have to do with the center and the mess of a situation there, but if that pick flops we are back to near zero with our o-line. Fries, Darrisaw, and O'Neill are fine but the middle is still squishy. 6) Run Jordan Mason. Then run him again. And then maybe again. Make sure to follow this prescription in the redzone. 3rd and 1? Not tiem for JJ in the backfield.....hand it to the hammer. 7. Cut Hockenson. It's over. 8. Addison is really, really good but you can trade him for a first and more. Use your (likely) high second rounder on a WR. Most of what Addison does well comes from being able to work against softer coverages. Man that hurt to type. Team is a mess.

Ankle sprains aren't an easy injury though. When you're talking about a quarterback who is already being worked on for his footwork/mechanics....I understand patience in getting him on the field. The problem I think is the messaging around "why" to the public. Just say that he's not healthy enough to play. Keep it as simple as that. Instead KOC is talking about "full week of practice" and whatever other stuff.

Well....let's hope 10 days off gets us a healthy offensive line and a chance to see McCarthy for the rest of the season. And maybe we can see our defense not get bulldozed up and down the field!

Can't be higher than my current rough estimate of 400% this game.

At this point I'd take interceptions if it just avoids a sack.

My god....throw the ball somewhere.

My god is football hard to watch when the offensive line is garbage.

This needs to be mentioned more often....that needle was a real problem and a major part of the 2022 draft debacle IMO.

I also had to battle skepticism on the "satire" here.

I liked your post because I appreciate the nuance, but at the end of the day the league is results driven. Whatever is broken in the process is showing up in the results. They simply aren't hitting enough in the draft. Let's just look at the delta since 2022 between Kwesi and Brad Holmes: 2022 - Dumpster fire for Kwesi vs. Hutchinson, Paschal, Kerby Joseph, and a draft heist from the vikes to trade up for Williams. 2023 - Addison and Ward vs. Gibbs, Campball, Laporta and Brian Branch 2024 - McCarthy, Turner, Jurgens, Reichard, LDR vs. Arnold, Rakestraw, Mahogony, Manu 2025 - Jackson, TID, and Felton vs. Tyleik Williams, Rutludge, Teslaa That is a major, major difference in talent acquisition. And it doesn't include Holmes nailing Sun God in the awesome 2021 draft he had. The Packers and Bears comp isn't good either.

The three Codys line was definitely the peak of that article.

It's a weird situation. There is no denying the team has been really, really good overall. Even shockingly competent with serious QB issues like Cousins getting hurt. The Browns is a bad comp, but the drafting has been really, really bad.

Development and adjustments are a major problem for this team and have been for the entire Falvey regime.

Yeah, I'm not ready to write off JJ. It's still in the unknown category for me. Felton is a guy I definitely liked a whole lot less than other dudes on the board (looking at you Skattebo!) but there is some mystery there too. It's just not nearly enough impact drafting. There was a graphic during TB/Detroit about all the hits Detroit has had in rounds 2-4. It's a crazy disparity.

If he doesn't start in Detroit....it is definitely time to riot. And yeah....Kwesi's draft picks are a problem right now. Turner has not made a jump this year.

I think you're missing the point. Yes....the playoffs are a crapshoot. Yes....you can lose with any build you want to go with. You seem to acknowledge the issue here at the end of your post, but you've also been disagreeing with it for four pages for some reason: Building a team with no power is going to take away a major element of winning games in any sample. In the playoffs you don't go up against a bunch of 8th guys out of the pen or 5th starters. So a team that relies on scraping by with 4 hits to get one run is going to give themselves a harder road to win. (Because the quality of your opponent's pitching is going to reduce those chances in a small window) It can still be done, but what is being argued that you are disagreeing with is that a team full of a bunch of slap hitters with no investment in power is taking away a major weapon in the playoffs. That's all. The ability to field a lineup that can hit bombs is a vital element to winning.

I'm going to keep that link on hand everytime I have to remind people that the playoffs are just a random small sample we've put a **** ton of importance on. But it is still just a random small sample. Prone to all the crapshooty randomness of any other small sample.

I don't mind the Darnold decision one bit. Would've been nice to keep Daniel Jones around though. I'll eat my hat if Darnold ever wins a Super Bowl. The path forward was to stop with retreads whose ceiling is capped. (Though I stand by that Baker Mayfield was a guy to target)