We got this!
What exactly is the purpose of having a $30 million QB ($45 million next season) if the coaches arenβt willing to trust him to win or close out games?
In my opinion, Kirk has shown over the last two and a half seasons that putting the ball in his hands can win the Vikings games. Off the top of my head, from 2019: he carried or helped the Vikings win against the Eagles, Lions, Cowboys, Broncos, and then Saints in the playoffs. In 2020, although he started poorly, he helped win games against the Bears, Jags, Panthers, and Lions. This season, he set up game-winning or game-tying drives in three out of five games and was on his way to doing it a second time in the Bengals game, before Cook fumbled.
What the hell more does Kirk need to do prove that heβs earned the right to have the offense run through him when it matters the most?
Going back to the 2019 season, Kirk has played a central role in many of this teamβs wins.
- Heβs been clutch and has been able to put the team in a position to win many of the games theyβve won.
- Heβs been putting up some of the best stats of his career.
- Heβs been taking better care of the football. Heβs been (marginally) better at scrambling and sensing pressure.
- Heβs got have two all-pro WRs; a blossoming WR3; a serviceable, yet underused, WR4; a reliable, underused TE; multiple good pass-catching backs; an offensive line that has improved toward mediocrity in pass protection.
- And although the playcalling has been deeply (deeply) flawed, the architecture and play design of the offense creates a lot of good looks in both the passing game and the run game.
The game yesterday really helped to clarify everything that is wrong with the offensive philosophy right now and how fundamentally broken it is. To me, the problem is not that theyβre running too often. Itβs that they are playing ultra-conservative, analytically unsound, inefficient football that does not adapt to what the opponents are doing on defense.
Multiple runs called on 2nd and > 15 yards to go. Multiple screens called on 3rd and double-digit yards to go. Not being aggressive on 2nd and short yardage situations. Targeting Justin Jefferson ONE TIME in the second half after having, not hyperbolically speaking, maybe the most effortless 100 yard receiving half Iβve ever seen. Opting to run the ball between the tackles despite the Lions doing a solid job of stopping it, at least early on. And this is all before the last three and a half minutes, w
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Everything is so complicated. Simple math says my benefits should have expired on September 4th. Why is it telling me I know have until next year. Also, the site and recorded phone message say "don't worry if you are past your BYE date, we'll make a new claim for you." Really confused.
Ok what is going on? Has my claim been reviewed from me reapply. My bye was 3/20/2020 I reapplied and got the outstanding issue I even checked this morning same thing and I just got paid. Any clue what's going on?
The Vikings are paying Kirk $76 million combined this season and next season. What is the purpose of paying your QB that much money if youβre not even willing to put the ball in his hands and trust him to win games?
The bottom line is that, overall, and especially over the last 2 1/3rd seasons, Kirk has been a surgically efficient QB that has actively contributed to winning his team games.
Just this season: against the Bengals, he led a 2-minute drill to set the Vikings up with a game-tying FG to force OT. Then in OT, he was in the process of leading another drive when Cook fumbled. Against the Cardinals, he led another 2-minute drill to set up a 37-yard field goal attempt that could have won them the game as time expired. And then, in the Lions game, with 37 seconds left, he drove the Vikings 50 yards downfield to set up a game-winning field goal.
Even before this year, heβs shown in a number of games over the last few seasons that he can win his team games if you just put the ball in his hands.
The Vikings have TWO all-pro WRs. A blossoming WR3. Solid yet underutilized WR4 and TE. Three RBs that can play on passing downs. An offensive line that is improving toward being a mediocre pass protecting unit. An intelligently designed offensive playbook. An accurate QB who can make his throws downfield and has gotten better about protecting the ball and sensing pressure. They have everything they need to be an elite offense.
But it just seems like they will continue to set themselves up to lose games if they continue to center their offensive playcalling around this ultra-conservative, βany lead is a good enough leadβ mantra. I think the Lions game is an almost perfect microcosm of why the Vikings offense has underperformed so badly.
Multiple runs on second and > 15 yards to go. Multiple screens on third and > 10 yards to go. Running between the tackles despite the Lions having early success stopping it. Targeting your budding superstar WR TWICE in the second half after having an effortless 100-yard first half. And thatβs all before the last three and a half minutes, which were egregiously bad:
Three and a half minutes left, a 10 point lead, and your opponents effectively have 4 timeouts left. The Vikings ran two drives that collectively took up less than a minute of game clock. The Vikings come out with two runs between the tackles for minimal gain setting up a third and long that they didnβt convert, leading to a missed 49 yard FG. The
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