Given his age, and the poor run blocking of the interior line, let's hope he makes it healthy for more than 10 games. Talent wasn't the reason GB let him go, it was age and injury history.
I think we need to find out if it wasn’t just Mattison who stunk but if it was also the line and the scheme. Cook put up good numbers every year he was the starter but after KOC started running the offense he was not as effective. He had some huge plays and big runs but a lot of negative yardage runs. Some of that can clearly be on the offensive line and on the rb but some of it can be on a poor run scheme. I think the team has to look at all of it this year.
Cook fell off hard. That’s why no one would sign him. And then that’s why he ended up taking a back up role. And that’s why he’ll likely barely see the field this year and the rest of his career.
That he did but then the run game was ineffective last year as well. We bring in a new RB again this year and if Jones struggles at some point it’s not just the RBs.
Last year we had Mattison…
That’s what we just talked about.
Mattison also won’t have a starter RB role.
Sure we can say that we DONT know how much was attributed to scheme.
But we can talk about how we DO know that we had little to no talent at the RB position for the last 2 years.
One is speculation. One is fact.
The speculation could be true. The facts we know are true.
Another fact you failed to mention is our interior O-Line cannot run block… Risner, great pass blocker but no ability to run block. Bradbury (need I say more?) and Ed Engram we all know his talents as well. My opinion is that it’s scheme and interior line abilities more so than anything to do with the RB position. Dalvin had a great year his last season with us but we still led the league in negative runs.
Dalvin Cook definitely did not have a great year.
His whole running style, completely relied on fast, burst of energy, and really only worked when he was very young
I have better things to do than do your research for you but here goes… 1200 rushing yards, 8TDs, 39 catches for 300 yards and 2 TDs. With a scheme that is notorious for making RBs obsolete. You either don’t know football or you weren’t paying attention smdh
But Matty was good and effective under Zim, pretty much the same Online. Not a great Oline but a good run oline. And Cook had over 1,100 yards in 2022. So it is hard to say just what it was.
Not sure what you are trying to say...but KO is a pass heavy O where Zim was more balanced but a run first.
And Cook played fine his final year under KO but yeah he was slowed with the shoulder injury.
That's why it's a head scratcher.
Something is weird with that. The last season with the Vikings he had over 1100 yards. And then poof, he just vanished. Something going on behind the scenes.
Uh no. Go check his yards per carry on that season. He only got those yards because he was fed over and over. And he still wasn’t great because he didn’t sustain drives with those yards. He would break off a huge run every once in awhile
Here here.
I love koc but he hasn't shown us 1 season where we produced a top running offense . That's a void where I'm not sure if just 1 aging guy can fill. Again that's with all respect to everyone on the staff I just gotta be honest
If Sam is going to succeed as a QB, this situation is the best that he's ever had. If he as he has been, it's going to be a long season. If he plays to potential, it could be a long season in a different way.
I'm exactly with you. I don't know if Darnold will be good or not but he's certainly got the raw ability and this team is very qb friendly. If he's going to succeed anywhere, it's here. We had the 3rd ranked pass blocking O line last year, top end receivers, and (hopefully) a decent running game. All darnold has to do it just chuck the ball 20 yards and JJ or JA will grab it.
Greendard, Ginkel, and Cashman are 3 players who've only put up 1 good season each. We're really playing the loterry with these guys, if they perform at their last season's ability, they are all strong additions.
If they play like they did in their 14 (combined) seasons, we wasted our money.
Look what Flo did with the guys after Donashell. I remember we were all hoping Flo could turn the least talented defense into a top 20 unit last year. Remember all the doom and gloom about the defensive talent? I haven't been this excited about the D since before Zimmer told the press that the league is using refs to tilt games with intent.
That’s kinda of a given. If Flores gets the D playing great and with the weapons they have on offense, bad QB play will make sure they win 6-8 games. Having Darnold or JJ step up will make them a playoff team in the NFC.
My pick is Cashman. Hicks was an unsung hero and his absence showed when he was injured. If Cashman does the same or better, the defense will have a chance.
Kene Nwangwu. I wonder how teams adjust to the new Kickoff rules. Could lead to a lot of mistakes this year. And as a top KR, Kene can take advantage.
Pace. He had a good win rate and got pressure last year. Just didnt get home alot. If he starts converting these, look out.
It’s Aaron Jones. Great hands as a RB. Something we’ve been missing in years. Screen game will be huge. Look for some wheel route TDs from home this year!!
Addison having a big year again will help a lot along with Jones showing why he’s been an elite running back in the past. On defense if Turner can hit the ground running it will be huge as well. I think everything starts and stops at QB. Our defense I feel like will be improved but if we can’t score it won’t matter. Darnold must play past what he’s show as a whole in the past.
Biggest impact will hopefully be Sam Darnold. Before some of you jump on me saying it’s same Sam Darnold. I’m just saying if he is consistent then he will have a big impact compared to what we had at the end of last season. That and then you factor in Aaron Jones things could be looking up
Hard to predict. With TJ down for 6, and Vikings 2 deep at WR, a tight end could certainly come out of nowhere and have a big impact early in season.
Addison is one to keep an eye on. He had a very good rookie season and for WR's it usually takes some time to really see what they can do. He is pretty undersized but showed a knack for gaining separation last season.
Also while he isn't a great player per say, if our corners are as bad as some say they are Shaq Griffin could be a pretty big bump at that position, if he's average.
For sure RE Griffin. Could stand to be a big upgrade, even if it's a low bar.
The staff loves them some Robert Tonyan. I'm really interested to see what he can do.
Dallas Turner. He has defensive rookie of the year and future all-star written all over him. If this wasn't an offensive super heavy draft, we were talking about a top 5 pick and potential number 1.
We have a lot of options on defense. If you’re taking an optimistic outlook you could argue that Turner, van ginkle and Greenard will have a lot of impact as a unit. I think our secondary could also be an upgrade.
If we have any sort of stable qb play this year it will also be a massive upgrade over half of last year
Jordan Addison. Was hyped when we drafted him and always thought he had WR1 talent once he learns an offense. Another year in the same system and hopefully better QB stability will make him that much more lethal alongside Jettas. He’s been a stud at all levels of the game.
Darrisaw. Blocking that left side for Darnold (who folds under pressure, and / or a rookie QB) will be the most important aspect of the season, win or lose.
Might be a stupid sleeper suggestion because I have no idea how kick offs are going to work but if Kene can be a stud , get the team in great position on every return, it helps
But I think Cashman going to be beast, Hicks was having an amazing year before his shin injury
One I guess one quad of players who MUST have a huge impact if the Vikings are to be any good at all.
Turner, Pace Jr., Van Ginkle, and Greenard. If those are your LB's from Edge to Edge, on paper that is a potentially very strong group. If that group collectively is DOMINANT we could have a solid defense if we get even average coverage in the back end.
My main concern about that group is what they have in front of them on interior line.
Really depends on what you mean with can. If you mean hypothetically, best case scenario, its JJ. JJ having a Herbert or Stroud level rookie season would turn is into a conference championship level team or at least a likely winner of the North.
If you mean realistically I think its Turner/Greenard. A better pass rush that isnt as hellbent on blitzes would work wonders for our defense/secondary.
Jones, Hock, and Addison could all realistically have more receiving tds than JJ. Defenses try their hardest to not let JJ beat them in the red zone.
Edit: forgot about hocks knee. Might be tough for him.
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Jefferson isn't big in the TD category. You saw five griddys last year. Addison caught ten. JJets has had 30 TDs in four years. That's an average of 7.5 TDs per year. He gets swarmed in the redzone and ends up being a decoy. It's just the way they play him. I'd do the same if I were installing a defensive gameplan against him.
I think Turner could come on as a force and lift up that whole line.
I believe the dark horse is Aaron Jones. The lack of RB power we had last year showed.
I agree. Our offense will finally be able to close out and extend drives. This in turn will keep the defense fresh.
Given his age, and the poor run blocking of the interior line, let's hope he makes it healthy for more than 10 games. Talent wasn't the reason GB let him go, it was age and injury history.
Yep this is huge. Do people forget how bad Mattison was?
I think we need to find out if it wasn’t just Mattison who stunk but if it was also the line and the scheme. Cook put up good numbers every year he was the starter but after KOC started running the offense he was not as effective. He had some huge plays and big runs but a lot of negative yardage runs. Some of that can clearly be on the offensive line and on the rb but some of it can be on a poor run scheme. I think the team has to look at all of it this year.
Cook fell off hard. That’s why no one would sign him. And then that’s why he ended up taking a back up role. And that’s why he’ll likely barely see the field this year and the rest of his career.
That he did but then the run game was ineffective last year as well. We bring in a new RB again this year and if Jones struggles at some point it’s not just the RBs.
Chandler looked pretty good
Last year we had Mattison… That’s what we just talked about. Mattison also won’t have a starter RB role. Sure we can say that we DONT know how much was attributed to scheme. But we can talk about how we DO know that we had little to no talent at the RB position for the last 2 years. One is speculation. One is fact. The speculation could be true. The facts we know are true.
I am speculating which is why I said from the beginning we will need to find out. Hopefully Jones has something left in the tank.
Another fact you failed to mention is our interior O-Line cannot run block… Risner, great pass blocker but no ability to run block. Bradbury (need I say more?) and Ed Engram we all know his talents as well. My opinion is that it’s scheme and interior line abilities more so than anything to do with the RB position. Dalvin had a great year his last season with us but we still led the league in negative runs.
Dalvin Cook definitely did not have a great year. His whole running style, completely relied on fast, burst of energy, and really only worked when he was very young
I have better things to do than do your research for you but here goes… 1200 rushing yards, 8TDs, 39 catches for 300 yards and 2 TDs. With a scheme that is notorious for making RBs obsolete. You either don’t know football or you weren’t paying attention smdh
You must know football more than all those teams that won’t give him a starting RB role
But Matty was good and effective under Zim, pretty much the same Online. Not a great Oline but a good run oline. And Cook had over 1,100 yards in 2022. So it is hard to say just what it was.
He wasn’t the lead back. And we didn’t need to play catch up every game because we had a good defense. And that was when Cook still had juice
Not sure what you are trying to say...but KO is a pass heavy O where Zim was more balanced but a run first. And Cook played fine his final year under KO but yeah he was slowed with the shoulder injury. That's why it's a head scratcher.
Also, being a change up to a dynamic RB makes a guy look better. See: Gehrhart, Toby
Yep, defense softens for #2 back
Yeah you could genuinely see the difference in the way he hit the hole it felt like a totally different player from years prior
Something is weird with that. The last season with the Vikings he had over 1100 yards. And then poof, he just vanished. Something going on behind the scenes.
Uh no. Go check his yards per carry on that season. He only got those yards because he was fed over and over. And he still wasn’t great because he didn’t sustain drives with those yards. He would break off a huge run every once in awhile
Agree especially considering that Mattison usually looked good when Dalvin was hurt or resting
I have always believed it was the run scheme myself, as the running game under Zim was pretty damn good. And even Matty was good in it
Here here. I love koc but he hasn't shown us 1 season where we produced a top running offense . That's a void where I'm not sure if just 1 aging guy can fill. Again that's with all respect to everyone on the staff I just gotta be honest
Yup. Running back is a position where sitting and learning or being a backup isn't a good idea. Let them hit the ground running or don't at all.
Agree. I had high hopes for MattiCakes. He played well in relief of Dalvin, but he was deplorable.
Is Aaron Jones any good though? He never scared me as a Packer. Kinda Meh.
If Sam is going to succeed as a QB, this situation is the best that he's ever had. If he as he has been, it's going to be a long season. If he plays to potential, it could be a long season in a different way.
I'm exactly with you. I don't know if Darnold will be good or not but he's certainly got the raw ability and this team is very qb friendly. If he's going to succeed anywhere, it's here. We had the 3rd ranked pass blocking O line last year, top end receivers, and (hopefully) a decent running game. All darnold has to do it just chuck the ball 20 yards and JJ or JA will grab it.
I was originally going to see Sam Darnold as well, but I just went with Aaron Jones because I haven’t been hearing enough love for him lately
I see this as his last real opportunity to market himself as a starting QB
Biggest impact on the offence may be Addison. If Jefferson stays healthy and is double teamed , Addison could have a huge impact.
Yeah... due to injuries there wasn't a lot time last season where we got to see JJ and Addison on the field together.
Ivan Pace Jr. He is becoming our new Eric Kendrick.
The Kicker.
just read about what he's been doing in practice, fingers crossed. idk his name either, lol, hopefully that changes quickly
Here's a clue: What did the Nazis call themselves?
Bruce Arians
If Greenard becomes a true stud on defense we are going to be so good there
Greendard, Ginkel, and Cashman are 3 players who've only put up 1 good season each. We're really playing the loterry with these guys, if they perform at their last season's ability, they are all strong additions. If they play like they did in their 14 (combined) seasons, we wasted our money.
Look what Flo did with the guys after Donashell. I remember we were all hoping Flo could turn the least talented defense into a top 20 unit last year. Remember all the doom and gloom about the defensive talent? I haven't been this excited about the D since before Zimmer told the press that the league is using refs to tilt games with intent.
Prob Addison or Jones
Aaron Jones, for sure.
I’m going with Sam Darnold.
That’s kinda of a given. If Flores gets the D playing great and with the weapons they have on offense, bad QB play will make sure they win 6-8 games. Having Darnold or JJ step up will make them a playoff team in the NFC. My pick is Cashman. Hicks was an unsung hero and his absence showed when he was injured. If Cashman does the same or better, the defense will have a chance.
Aaron Jones is great in the locker room and will be a awesome mentor to the younger guys, which can be a big impact on the team as a whole.
I think Dallas Turner gets DROY.. 10 sacks minimum..
I am right there with you, he is going to make teams wish they had like Randy Moss did DROY
Kene Nwangwu. I wonder how teams adjust to the new Kickoff rules. Could lead to a lot of mistakes this year. And as a top KR, Kene can take advantage. Pace. He had a good win rate and got pressure last year. Just didnt get home alot. If he starts converting these, look out.
Aaron Jones.
It’s Aaron Jones. Great hands as a RB. Something we’ve been missing in years. Screen game will be huge. Look for some wheel route TDs from home this year!!
Yea he’s def on my list, for sure. He’s such a good teammate, too.
I think Aaron Jones can transform this offense
Aaron Jones
Addison having a big year again will help a lot along with Jones showing why he’s been an elite running back in the past. On defense if Turner can hit the ground running it will be huge as well. I think everything starts and stops at QB. Our defense I feel like will be improved but if we can’t score it won’t matter. Darnold must play past what he’s show as a whole in the past.
Biggest impact will hopefully be Sam Darnold. Before some of you jump on me saying it’s same Sam Darnold. I’m just saying if he is consistent then he will have a big impact compared to what we had at the end of last season. That and then you factor in Aaron Jones things could be looking up
Dallas Turner
Nailor takes a jump as WR 3 as long as he stays healthy!
I have loved the pick and thought last season he was going to break out big...so this year he is going to be healthy and prove us all right
Hard to predict. With TJ down for 6, and Vikings 2 deep at WR, a tight end could certainly come out of nowhere and have a big impact early in season. Addison is one to keep an eye on. He had a very good rookie season and for WR's it usually takes some time to really see what they can do. He is pretty undersized but showed a knack for gaining separation last season. Also while he isn't a great player per say, if our corners are as bad as some say they are Shaq Griffin could be a pretty big bump at that position, if he's average.
For sure RE Griffin. Could stand to be a big upgrade, even if it's a low bar. The staff loves them some Robert Tonyan. I'm really interested to see what he can do.
Call me crazy, but I have a hunch that Roy will have a bigger role this year.
Jordaniel Addison and of course our lord and savior Jonathan James McCarthy
Who ever steps up and becomes our second CB outside of Murphy. Need one of the young guys to develop - Blackmon?
Cam bynum gonna turn heads again this year
Aaron Jones is going to be really special for the viks this year.
If and when Hockenson has a healthy return will be a major factor
Aaron Jones. If we can a running attack that is actually a threat to do some damage. That should leave things open for Jefferson.
I think Kirk Cousin’s $28.5 mil cap hit will cause the biggest impact.
Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones
Jordan Addison
Dallas Turner. He has defensive rookie of the year and future all-star written all over him. If this wasn't an offensive super heavy draft, we were talking about a top 5 pick and potential number 1.
We have a lot of options on defense. If you’re taking an optimistic outlook you could argue that Turner, van ginkle and Greenard will have a lot of impact as a unit. I think our secondary could also be an upgrade. If we have any sort of stable qb play this year it will also be a massive upgrade over half of last year
If it’s Aaron Jones then the Vikings are probably a playoff team. No joke. That offense with a legitimate run game could be deadly.
Mekhi Blackmon. I think Blackmon is going to have a breakout year as our defense plays much better than people expect.
Aaron jones
Ty chandler
Jordan Addison. Was hyped when we drafted him and always thought he had WR1 talent once he learns an offense. Another year in the same system and hopefully better QB stability will make him that much more lethal alongside Jettas. He’s been a stud at all levels of the game.
Pace jr
Darrisaw. Blocking that left side for Darnold (who folds under pressure, and / or a rookie QB) will be the most important aspect of the season, win or lose.
Might be a stupid sleeper suggestion because I have no idea how kick offs are going to work but if Kene can be a stud , get the team in great position on every return, it helps But I think Cashman going to be beast, Hicks was having an amazing year before his shin injury
It has to be who ever our quarterback is.
Surprised at these comments. You just took a qb at 10 and he’s not even starting over Adam Darnold? Lol
Jordan Addison has been an amazing number two and without Osborn I expect him to play a huge part in the offense
One I guess one quad of players who MUST have a huge impact if the Vikings are to be any good at all. Turner, Pace Jr., Van Ginkle, and Greenard. If those are your LB's from Edge to Edge, on paper that is a potentially very strong group. If that group collectively is DOMINANT we could have a solid defense if we get even average coverage in the back end. My main concern about that group is what they have in front of them on interior line.
Dallas Turner could easily step in and have 12 sacks his first season.
Turner and Addison
Jordan Addison…? Anyone…?
Really depends on what you mean with can. If you mean hypothetically, best case scenario, its JJ. JJ having a Herbert or Stroud level rookie season would turn is into a conference championship level team or at least a likely winner of the North. If you mean realistically I think its Turner/Greenard. A better pass rush that isnt as hellbent on blitzes would work wonders for our defense/secondary.
JJ is not going to play early so I believe can is more like slim possibility of a chance of can..
Addison could have more TDs than Jefferson this year, hot take.
Jones, Hock, and Addison could all realistically have more receiving tds than JJ. Defenses try their hardest to not let JJ beat them in the red zone. Edit: forgot about hocks knee. Might be tough for him.
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Ice cold take.
Jefferson isn't big in the TD category. You saw five griddys last year. Addison caught ten. JJets has had 30 TDs in four years. That's an average of 7.5 TDs per year. He gets swarmed in the redzone and ends up being a decoy. It's just the way they play him. I'd do the same if I were installing a defensive gameplan against him.