Minnesota Sports Forum

I hope Rhodes is not seriously injured.

Looks like a concussion.

monsterpile wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:I wouldn't blow it up. We still have a couple more years of our core players in their primes. Just focus in the trenches on improvement. The defense outside of Waynes is locked up and paid for and Hughes was specifically drafted to cover the gap. The offense has all the skill guys needed around a mediocre overpaid QB. If you get a shot draft a QB to replace Kirk after next year and then you have your second window around a still highly talented roster with a rookie QB. Then you can blow it up if it just didn't work.

Actually the defense isn't all locked up outside of Waynes. Alexander , Harris and Kearse are also all UFA. The Vikings are up against the cap next year. Hughes can't replace all those guys. Some high priced defensive player may need to go.

Now I tend to agree with you though you keep going and try and add players and draft that young QB. It's sort of a backwards way compared to what a lot of teams do get their young QB then build around them with guys that makes $$$$...they sort of are already spending the money although if they didn't have to pay a QB maybe they could get a couple of the right FA offensive lineman to plug in and make a difference. Of the guys that are cap casualties Reiff is the most likely IMO to get cut...but then who is playing LT?

Kearse and Alexander are backups who haven't really shown anything on the field to get them nice new contracts. I would expect if they don't re-sign here that wherever they go will be for pretty cheap. Harris is ok, but nothing special either so I guess I should have said every impact player on the defense is locked up which they all are. Also the cap goes up by the price of a $10 million dollar guy every year so I think we should be able to bring back all the fringe guys we want or we could replace them with picks. I think we lose Waynes and probably cut Griffin to get enough cap space to make the moves we want. I could also see us shipping out Rhodes and keeping Waynes if Xavier doesn't step it up the rest of the year. Paying Pro Bowl money to Rhodes and Griffin doesn't work if they aren't playing like Pro Bowlers.

Cousins sucks. Just cut the idiot and bring in some dude off the street.

WolvesFan21 wrote:Cousins sucks. Just cut the idiot and bring in some dude off the street.

The only way to bring some dude in off the street is cut other useful players along with Cousins to get the space.

Good to get a win and the Raiders beat the Bears. The offense should have gotten another TD instead of a FG. The defense could have also ended up with at least another take away. Bisi Johnson got some work in early.

For the giants Daniel Jones looks pretty solid if not promising.

khans2k5 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:Cousins sucks. Just cut the idiot and bring in some dude off the street.

The only way to bring some dude in off the street is cut other useful players along with Cousins to get the space.

Just sign me I can do better, I played Highschool football. Scored 4 TD's in one game!

Oh, I was kidding Bro. I'm a Cousins fanboy.

I'm far from a football expert. So may be someone can explain to me why the hell Cousins can't get rid of the ball sooner. When I watch guys like Brady and Rodgers (granted, two future HoFers), they seem to ALWAYS have a guy to dump the ball off to quickly in the event they get heavy pressure. There is always someone running a crossing pattern 5 yards off the line of scrimmage or someone out in the flat that they can get the ball to quickly if under duress. And if worse comes to worse, they just throw it away.

Soooo...how much of this issue is scheme and how much is on Cousins?

Q12543 wrote:I'm far from a football expert. So may be someone can explain to me why the hell Cousins can't get rid of the ball sooner. When I watch guys like Brady and Rodgers (granted, two future HoFers), they seem to ALWAYS have a guy to dump the ball off to quickly in the event they get heavy pressure. There is always someone running a crossing pattern 5 yards off the line of scrimmage or someone out in the flat that they can get the ball to quickly if under duress. And if worse comes to worse, they just throw it away.

Soooo...how much of this issue is scheme and how much is on Cousins?

The issue is on both parties. We run a lot of heavy sets that are keeping in extra blockers where other teams are spread out and can rely on their line to get the job done with 5 and maybe a running back to chip block and then release. Kirk also however is very slow in his progressions and doesn't seem to be able to read the field beyond one option at a time. He gets zero'd in and either waits too long for the first option to develop and get open or he abandons that option too fast and dumps it off. There isn't much of a middle ground where he anticipates the cut and makes the throw so it's delivered on time. We've seen a lot this year where he just isn't seeing open receivers because he's too locked in to one look.

We are barely utilizing our TE's in the passing game so these 2-3 man heavy sets are just killing the passing game. We're at 14 targets and 11 catches in 5 games to Irv and Rudy and we are often running both on the field and just not getting them the ball. In comparison NE's biggest target is Edelman in the slot and GB is using Jimmy a lot this year as well (more targets and catches than Irv and Rudy combined) and had Cobb in the slot for all those years. It's really a failure on both sides that we consistently stack the box and haven't found a way to wrinkle that with a passing attack that can keep a good defense honest. We're certainly not gonna look like a spread offense and throw 40 times a game with 3-4 WR sets and guys open on multiple levels, but we do need to figure out something to get these TE's more involved in the passing game if they are gonna be on the field this much to help block as well.

khans2k5 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:I'm far from a football expert. So may be someone can explain to me why the hell Cousins can't get rid of the ball sooner. When I watch guys like Brady and Rodgers (granted, two future HoFers), they seem to ALWAYS have a guy to dump the ball off to quickly in the event they get heavy pressure. There is always someone running a crossing pattern 5 yards off the line of scrimmage or someone out in the flat that they can get the ball to quickly if under duress. And if worse comes to worse, they just throw it away.

Soooo...how much of this issue is scheme and how much is on Cousins?

The issue is on both parties. We run a lot of heavy sets that are keeping in extra blockers where other teams are spread out and can rely on their line to get the job done with 5 and maybe a running back to chip block and then release. Kirk also however is very slow in his progressions and doesn't seem to be able to read the field beyond one option at a time. He gets zero'd in and either waits too long for the first option to develop and get open or he abandons that option too fast and dumps it off. There isn't much of a middle ground where he anticipates the cut and makes the throw so it's delivered on time. We've seen a lot this year where he just isn't seeing open receivers because he's too locked in to one look.

We are barely utilizing our TE's in the passing game so these 2-3 man heavy sets are just killing the passing game. We're at 14 targets and 11 catches in 5 games to Irv and Rudy and we are often running both on the field and just not getting them the ball. In comparison NE's biggest target is Edelman in the slot and GB is using Jimmy a lot this year as well (more targets and catches than Irv and Rudy combined) and had Cobb in the slot for all those years. It's really a failure on both sides that we consistently stack the box and haven't found a way to wrinkle that with a passing attack that can keep a good defense honest. We're certainly not gonna look like a spread offense and throw 40 times a game with 3-4 WR sets and guys open on multiple levels, but we do need to figure out something to get these TE's more involved in the passing game if they are gonna be on the field this much to help block as well.

This is all good stuff and I will add that it's a new scheme and this oline still isn't particularly good at pass blocking. Sure other QBs and teams get something out of oline's that aren't world beaters but again this is a new system and Cousins isn't a HOF QB. When the Vikings just ran a draw on that first possession to basically concede a FG the announcer said the Vikings weren't trusting Cousins. A couple possessions later there was a jailbreak to Cousins and it was a big loss. I wouldn't trust that oline at times to protect which is another reason why those TEs and at times RBs aren't available for those easy passes.

It's also worth considering of whether Bradbury as a rookie center is not helping this offense. It's a pretty important position and it's far from as bad as Nebraska is having with their supposed Future stud Cam Jurgens at center who can't even snap the ball right all the time but There are little things that matter.

This isn't making excuses for Cousins. Nobody is arguing the guy is a HOF or performing like a pro owl guy but I don't think he sucks either. Guys like Cousins you do have to help them out. I still think there is a chance this offense gets on track and it's pretty good. There are a number of problems and time will tell If they can all get together as a unit and figure it out.

khans2k5 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:I'm far from a football expert. So may be someone can explain to me why the hell Cousins can't get rid of the ball sooner. When I watch guys like Brady and Rodgers (granted, two future HoFers), they seem to ALWAYS have a guy to dump the ball off to quickly in the event they get heavy pressure. There is always someone running a crossing pattern 5 yards off the line of scrimmage or someone out in the flat that they can get the ball to quickly if under duress. And if worse comes to worse, they just throw it away.

Soooo...how much of this issue is scheme and how much is on Cousins?

The issue is on both parties. We run a lot of heavy sets that are keeping in extra blockers where other teams are spread out and can rely on their line to get the job done with 5 and maybe a running back to chip block and then release. Kirk also however is very slow in his progressions and doesn't seem to be able to read the field beyond one option at a time. He gets zero'd in and either waits too long for the first option to develop and get open or he abandons that option too fast and dumps it off. There isn't much of a middle ground where he anticipates the cut and makes the throw so it's delivered on time. We've seen a lot this year where he just isn't seeing open receivers because he's too locked in to one look.

We are barely utilizing our TE's in the passing game so these 2-3 man heavy sets are just killing the passing game. We're at 14 targets and 11 catches in 5 games to Irv and Rudy and we are often running both on the field and just not getting them the ball. In comparison NE's biggest target is Edelman in the slot and GB is using Jimmy a lot this year as well (more targets and catches than Irv and Rudy combined) and had Cobb in the slot for all those years. It's really a failure on both sides that we consistently stack the box and haven't found a way to wrinkle that with a passing attack that can keep a good defense honest. We're certainly not gonna look like a spread offense and throw 40 times a game with 3-4 WR sets and guys open on multiple levels, but we do need to figure out something to get these TE's more involved in the passing game if they are gonna be on the field this much to help block as well.

Good stuff here Khansy. Makes sense.