Honing Kirk Cousins November
13, 2020
The very best way of honing, or maximizing Kirk Cousins output, is by maximizing
Dalvin Cooks output. Who was it that said, "The best ability of any
player is in his "Availability"? So it is paramount that we need
to find a way to sustain Dalvin, as Kirk Cousins confidence soars when he's
available. Said another way, Kirk Cousins won/loss record is due primarily
in that he almost never had a running game to help sustain him.
In many way, Dalvin reminds me of the days of Emmitt Smith, where he would run
untouched through a defense where he might be 15 or 20 yards down the field
before he's even get touched. Of course, we simply don't have that
dominant offensive line that Dallas sported those many years ago, as ours is
still very young & is still evolving, but Dalvin has a special ability to
make people miss. Which begs the question, knowing these things, how can
we maximize Dalvin Cooks long term availability.
Firstly, we need to come to grips with the fact that he's not Superman.
This season 2020 production has come from playing in only 6-1/2 games, which is
absolutely remarkable but it should also tell us something. We cannot
solely rely upon Dalvin Cook ... nor should we ... as we have a plethora of
offensive threats available to us. maximized by his presence, to exploit any
defense. We need to think twice about riding Dalvin like a rented mule, as
in this league, it is all about tempering ourselves, to achieve a very difficult
goal. That goal or thing should be to do our best to maximize Dalvin's
actual durability & endurance, which can be better accomplished if we
unleash him in favorable environments. In other words, how often is a
decoy more important to a scheme than in it's actual use? In other words,
minds tend to focus on an overall objectives (stopping Dalvin Cook) rather than
on doing ones job.
Maybe, just maybe, there might be a reason why the
Vikings falter in the playoffs, as we tend to focus of chasing the fallacy of
gaining an early lead, by expending our most valuable resources early in just
about every game, thereby winning in the first & second quarter, where our
focus needs to be shifted into winning in the 3rd & 4th quarter.
Said another way, did John Randle need to be on that final defensive snap versus
the Cardinals in the first round of the 98 playoffs, as it turned out that that
was clearly not a favorable environment. What followed in the 98
championship game was an unattainable attrition where too many valuable pieces
needed to be removed from that board. Were we chasing a fallacy?
Everyone on the planet knows that our upcoming contest with Da' Bears is going
to be a very physical contest, versus a very stout defense, which means that it
is very likely that Alexander Mattison will be needed to play in that
game. Here's the question, would you rather have Dalvin available in the
3rd or 4th quarter understanding that having him available at that point will maximize
Kirk Cousins confidence level, or would you rather expend Dalvin in the first
quarter chasing that fallacy. The difference here being, "Planning
versus Reacting" ... the later of which is what that Bear's defense is
hoping that you fall into ... "The Bears Trap".
This is not about Dalvin Cook's fantasy points people, as there is no feasible
relationship between fantasy & winning football games.
The plan should be to feature Alexander early & often to use his most
prolific asset. As Dalvin once eloquently stated, "(Alexander) They
want no part of you". Alexander is a very gifted physical runner that
has the ability to hurdle & run through the Duke's & Duchesses that are
willing to contest Da' Ting" early ... not so much late. As for
Alexander, he's anxious to exhibit his true value throughout the entire
league. Of course this doesn't mean the exclusive use of Alexander but it
make perfect sense to get him involved early & often to impart his impact on
this very important contest. It would also be nice to see a backside TE
screen on occasion too. Sure, they're scrimmage-line blocking, but they
also quite adept in being able to slip off those bad boys for maximum
effect.
For no other reason, this needs to be tested versus a stout defense, just to
measure the psychological effect that it might have on the defense. How am
I supposed to ... limit ... wear down ... apply physicality to Dalvin ... when
they are not even using him? That is a very good question!
Why is it that teams that spread it around tend to win? Is that because
that team has outstanding athletes at every position or is that somehow related
to a psychological effect? Here, let me help you out with that. How
often do you see an elite quarterback destroy a defense using little more than a
slew of substandard skill players? Were those skill players around Brett
Favre great players or did he find a way to get them to make plays? Did
Brett Favre make the defense respond to some sort of psychological effect?
Yes, those outgunned defenders were made to respond to that psycological effect
... and yes, he did eventually ... shuffling his feet ... find that hole.
Said another way, Is it true that Dalvin is remarkable? Yes, it is true
however, what is the psychological effect of actually finding the best offensive
line combination in well over a decade & what has been it's impact on
Dalvin's performance. Let me help you with that one two ... Dalvin isn't
the only one out there grinnin'.
Which statement is true:
- "We will lose the game, if we don't put the
ball in Dalvin's hand on every available play", or
- We will lose the game if Dalvin is just simply not
available to us.
One thing is without doubt, if Kirk Cousins is forced
into a one dimensional offense ... we'll lose. Said another way ... our
coaches should never stop running the ball. The later, of course is a
mental mistake, that is made by coaches that are too weak to demand that a plan
of execution ... must be followed. Achtung! In other words, someone
needed to override Dan Marino's tendency to think that passing alone would be
enough to win any contest. Dan baby ... that might be True! That is
until he went head to head with the kinder & gentler Bill Walsh.
Now ask yourself this question, how often have we lost a game, because we played
our hand right into what they wanted us to do? Don't answer that
question out loud as those that due end up fired, but still ... maybe we should
make a mental note of it.
If I have any chance whatsoever of being great one day
... it will only happen because of all these knuckleheads. It's the very
definition of a playing in a team sport. Go ahead ... ask everyone
of them ... do you consider yourself to be a knuckle head? They'll tell
you no but inside they are very proud of that "never spoken"
fact. If not for knuckleheads ... we would not have built this
nation.
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: November 13, 2020
