2019 Regular Season

[Jedzz]

Let's review that interception play design in thorough entirety.

5 minutes left. Lot's of time, but this is possibly the final drive. Score or go home drive.

Mattison had just earned first and goal from the 8 yard line. The OC calls a pass. Now, after the play one game commentator proclaims "you've been running the ball all the way down the field there's no reason (to pass). Well, I don't agree with that. That's just a blind blanket statement after the event. But, if you are going to pass, it might be smart to play it wiser by spreading the defensive backfield out as wide as you can along that short depth of field inside the 8 yard line and including the endzone. That means receiving targets both left and right, or a WR left, TE up center and receiver right. Then maybe you have a back like Cook as your dump off last resort maybe at the 5 yardline or abouts. The QB to throw it away if none are open. Sounds pretty basic. A routine Tom Brady performs with one eye still in bed. That should have been the play if passing. That or an option roll out where the QB works himself to the right along and forward towards the LOS with likewise passing targets minimally over center endzone and then two right targets at varying depths quickly get open or don't. Leaving the option for the QB to throw the pass, run it in himself, or throw it away before he reaches the LOS or sideline.

None of that occurs here. Instead, having Cousins drop backwards 14 yards doesn't feel prudent, but it happened. Nor does having a short Diggs line up left and therefore fake left and then cross the entire field on his route as he continues to the far right corner. Can you say Slow Developing? Nor does having Thielen on a 3 yard in route that then cuts backward to the LOS at the 8 yardline only to wait and become a sitting duck for a pickoff as Cousins draws backward buying time for Digg's slow route to develop. None of this makes sense. That is unless you have been watching the VIkings passing game since 2006. Because it's roughly the same, only it's picked up every bad habit since then and is now the pinnacle of disaster we see it as today. Led by an OC who's "learned the game" from being with this team most of these years.

Think back only a few short years to the Turner led offense where many fans would complain about "slow developing" routes that combined with poor pass blocking, and you should be able to remember these exact plays failing near the right corner of endzones. The evolution now is apparently to have Cousins rolling backwards like Brett Favre and heave prayers to the future Greg Lewis's of the team. Is anyone starting to see the repeating nature of the passing of this offense and the perfection and miracles needed for it to be successful?

Summing it all up.
Cousins made a poor choice to not throw that away. 100%.
OC had a horribly designed play for first and goal from the 8 yardline.
Pass play with only one reception target beyond the LOS and that target is going to far right corner 'as a late decoy' says OC'.
#3 tight end on the field when Vikings absolutely need a Touchdown and within 8 yards of it.
Supposed designed target (reported by OC as Thielen) is a receiver standing at the 8 yardline where the play started.

Get this. They hiked the ball at the 8 yardline. But one of the commentators in the moment screems "its a Hail Mary!" as the ball is thrown.

[Jedzz]

Again I just think the Zimmer Vikings are the Lewis Bengals. Talent on the team, most years they're going to put up a solid record, but you can just tell something isn't right with the team. They're the equivalent of a treadmill team in the NFL. I think that is what we are.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Cousins is this elite level QB. But with that said, I do think he has been given an almost impossible hand to work with. He has no protection and playing for a coach that is petty much vocal about how much he hates throwing the ball. So Cousins is in a system that is designed for him to throw the ball as less as possible, when he does get to throw, most of the time he has built up no rhythm, the plays are simple, usually throws when defenses are expecting him to throw and has a horrible line.

I think this year we end up 8-8 or 9-7. We either just miss our just barely make the playoffs. Zimmer will still have a good regular season record and the ownership will bring him back for next year. We end up with a draft pick in the late teens, and do it again next year.

Bold Underline, solid gold.

[Worm Guts]

Another dominating home performance.

[Jedzz]

Another dominating home performance.

Was it worth watching? The previous game had me skipping this one. Lemme guess, they used Thielen instead of forcing so many Diggs's plays this time?

Zimmer of preseason and home field lore had them raring to go? I'm shocked.

38 runs to 21 passes. That early season usage should carry them to the typical season ending.

[Jedzz]

How many plays with Digg's as soul passing target beyond the line of scrimmage this game? Maybe I'm one of the few that bothers to look at such.

[Jedzz]

Here comes the Chicago away game. Everyone look away.

[Duke4life831]

Love seeing a backup QB come into the game and still have more freedom and a more diverse play selection to work with than our 80 million dollar QB...

[Duke4life831]

Haha what a stupid timeout by Zimmer. Im so done with this coaching staff.

Edit: Guess there was 12 men on the field. Its still on Zimmer for allowing that crap to happen.

[Jedzz]

Love seeing a backup QB come into the game and still have more freedom and a more diverse play selection to work with than our 80 million dollar QB...

It is amazing isn't it? Plus Vikings coaches hate passing so much I think they are down to 3 WRs if they are lucky. Diggs might be playing through a groin issue too.

It's bad enough that their entire Vision for offense is 3 runs and a hail mary if needed. But they've shortchanged the 84 million QB on WR targets on the roster and on the play designs. Just stick a fork in this team because the morons rule the roost again.

[Duke4life831]

.

[Duke4life831]

Love seeing a backup QB come into the game and still have more freedom and a more diverse play selection to work with than our 80 million dollar QB...

It is amazing isn't it? Plus Vikings coaches hate passing so much I think they are down to 3 WRs if they are lucky. Diggs might be playing through a groin issue too.

It's bad enough that their entire Vision for offense is 3 runs and a hail mary if needed. But they've shortchanged the 84 million QB on WR targets on the roster and on the play designs. Just stick a fork in this team because the morons rule the roost again.

Ya we have crap depth, but it's not like Cousins has no weapons to work with. Thielen, Diggs, Rudolph, Cook to work with in the passing game isn't bad. It may not be explosive, but that's a solid core right there.

But there is zero play design with this offense. It's like Zimmer is going out of his way to try and replicate the 2000 Ravens offense, even though our skill guys are actually pretty solid and we spent 84 freaking million on a QB. Oh and our defense isn't anything close to that Ravens defense. 59 total yards in a half is pathetic.

But again this team will probably end up with 9 wins and there will still be people thinking that's good enough to stick with Zimmer and nothing will change.

[Jedzz]

Ya we have crap depth, but it's not like Cousins has no weapons to work with. Thielen, Diggs, Rudolph, Cook to work with in the passing game isn't bad. It may not be explosive, but that's a solid core right there.

But there is zero play design with this offense. It's like Zimmer is going out of his way to try and replicate the 2000 Ravens offense, even though our skill guys are actually pretty solid and we spent 84 freaking million on a QB. Oh and our defense isn't anything close to that Ravens defense. 59 total yards in a half is pathetic.

But again this team will probably end up with 9 wins and there will still be people thinking that's good enough to stick with Zimmer and nothing will change.

I completely agree. The troubling part about the play design is that they are putting them all in the bad position to succeed.

Talented enough roster that if they changed their minds at half time they can probably win any game. But stubborn often tracks with foolish. I've never bought into Zimmer's style of winning or what he does when the team is losing. It's a shame this still carries on.

[hermes]

jeez what a mess this is

chicago's defense is unbelievable

[Duke4life831]

I have an idea. When you know you have a horrible offensive line. Don't only run the ball so you get to the point where you're down by double digits and the defense gets to pin its ears back because you are now forced to throw.

Like I said before, I don't think Cousins is a great QB in any sense of the word. But he has been completely screwed over by this situation. He has no chance of succeeding with his team.

[hermes]

this must be what an animal feels like when a python is squeezing the life out of it

[Jedzz]

Let's put a cherry on all this by going for the two point play and calling the most well known unique formation in football that again includes a target that is not beyond the Line of Scrimmage. Of course, the Vikings would use such a play. I wonder if Kubiak brought this gem to the table. So happy Rick has Kubiak in line to handle the passing of Zimmer off to retirement. They can both retire in the same week if we are lucky.

They waited until there was 5 minutes left in the game to start attempting passes between 8-15 yards and it finally gets them near an endzone and this is how they finish the drive.

[hermes]

what an awful two-point play call

[Jedzz]

Don't let Zimmer on the plane to go home. Buy him a new tractor in Chicago and tell him to drive himself south.

[hermes]

why can't we play all our games at home, the team just has a different energy at home

[Jedzz]

Just over 2 minutes left. Would be nice to see the game finish quickly with a couple chicago Cohen runs and kneels. But no, we have to be presented with our 35th Apple product ad of the game first.

This team sucks. The teams owner sucks for keeping this sucky front office here. The NFL creates a sucky product now and I think i'm done feeding their overbearing advertising schedules by watching this suck fest any longer.