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Petulance
So we just lost our third game to open the 2020 season. Do you still
believe this Vikings franchise can still win Super LV or do you hope (the basis
of all lies) or have you just chucked
it all or are you just having a good chuckle at our expense? What a great
question. From my view, that knucklehead Kirk Cousins is still my
quarterback who can most definitely win any Super Bowl & I still believe in
him & every aspect of this franchise. It's like having large
breasts for getting killed in a "Slasher Movie" ... it's just what we
do.
The state of Minnesota & it's twin cities have been hit harder by this
insanity worse than any other region throughout America. Maybe
collectively we'll begin to awaken from all the deceit & ugliness of all
this evil perpetrated by all these lies. To be direct, from all the damage
done, it might quite possibly take 20 or more years before these communities can
rebound because there is a direct stigma associated with it all. Consider
the riot history in Watts. Why? Would you invest any part of your life into establishing anything
in Watts? Minnesota doesn't deserve this stigma however the reaction to it all
can ultimately be blamed upon only one thing ... self infliction. Much of
the community ... in many ways
... mirrors this Vikings franchise. It walks hand in hand ... step by
step. All sorts of
stupid stuff is happening out there ... and it continues even on this day.
Life ... much like a roller coaster ... is in dealing with one crisis after
another. It is in how we respond to it that defines our futures. In
facing it's terms I've only considered my mentors which were just a few men that understood their
obligations. They grasped their commitments fully & they stood like men
... facing all the ugliness of the world that was thrust upon them. The
never ending battle between their freedom, & the never ending loss of it,
versus state servitude brought on by Democracy. They fought it every day but they never wavered. They never blamed anyone for anything
always knowing their own worst enemy was staring back at them in the looking glass.
Each day they looked forward to learning. They turned the soil. They
planted the seeds. The collected everything for some future use.
Their life wasn't cluttered ... it was efficient. As much as they are
blamed for today's pollution (which was very bad), they would hang their heads in shame seeing every
aspect of our disposable society as we are literally leaving behind mountains. We all should be ashamed of
ourselves.
There is a related cost having installed a new offensive coordinator & at
its foundation is the laziness of ones mind. Way to many have wrongly put the
blame upon this franchises defense where it's faults are entwined within
our personnel decisions:
1. The Vikings had a 24 to 12 lead. If you were running that offense, exactly what should the offense
have done? If you said run the ball, you'd be correct however it was the
Titans instead that chose to run the ball. Cook isn't our only
running back who can perform remarkably. Mattison, Boone & Abdullah
are all capable of grinding out yards to chew-up time. Unless you were on planet Mars,
at that specific juncture, it was absolutely clear that the
Titan's could no longer stop the run. So why did we abandon it? What did we do? We
chose instead to rest Cook (very good decision) combined with the notion of completely
abandoning the run (insanity) to make Kirk Cousins both one dimensional as
fodder within a non-moving pocket. Time management ... or the efficient
consumption of it ... was abandoned by taking the focus off the clock. How
is it that we always seem to forget that we weren't just playing the Titans (&
the zebras if you're into conspiracies) ... we are playing the clock
understanding that teams never lose ... they just run out of time.
2. Somehow Kirk Cousins believes that to win in this league you need to run like
Mahomes or Jackson. Let me be the first to tell you that unless that field
is wide open to clearly exploit the run ... followed by a controlled slide, Kirk
Cousins shouldn't be thinking this way. Mahomes, Jackson & Newton risk their futures
for this ill conceived notion. Fran Tarkenton's discussion with Kirk
Cousins was both clear & concise when he stated that his flow & movements were
made to purchase time to both see & then throw the ball down the field. As for Coach Gary
Kubiak, he's failed miserably in allowing Kirk Cousins to drop back with
absolutely no
regard to changing his launch point. If you want to copy someone, take a
look at A. A. Ron's launch points. Sure Kirk Cousins offensive line maybe
close to the worst in the league however it is foolish not to train them how to move the launch point
as it is paramount to their success. Launching from within Gary Kubiak's
limited pocket makes Kirk Cousins nothing but a
sitting duck. Kirk Cousins wants to run, well get those legs moving.
3. Kirk Cousins needs to master between 6 to 8 "Absolute Snap Counts".
These "Absolute Snap Counts" need to be engrained ... no branded ...
into the mind of every offensive line member including his tight ends.
This can be done by replaying each "Absolute Snap Count" over
& over again until it is seared into their memory. Snap count 1 sounds like
this & it never varies. Snap Count 2 sounds like this & never
varies. Kirk Cousins needs to learn from A. A. Ron (predecessor Brett
Favre) who mastered how to get defensive linemen to jump to get back the three A. A. Ron's snap counts that awarding him third
& short first downs as well as all those down field throws.
The opening day offensive line was a pure reflection of one mind set based upon
"veteran starts" rather
than based upon building a championship team from realizing this franchises
potential. Never once do they ever consider that repeating the same
behavior expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity. Said another way,
today you'd
still have a 0-3 start regardless of who started on that offensive line, however
it is also quite possible that you could also be much further ahead from
inexperienced player development. Now consider for a moment that in 2021 Riley Reiff will not be in Minnesota primarily because he's
never been a true left
tackle. Since the moment Reiff joined this franchise, our left side has
been nothing short of a disaster when it counted. Nothing in that regard has
ever changed. You could argue differently but I'd say you were
nuts. It is also clear that Pat Elflein has durability issues which should
be combined with his 2019
grades where it is now clear that he's become more than a question mark. A start in this league,
by this franchise, is a resource that cannot be wasted. In other words,
starts & playing time are nothing less than an investment. Every one of those starts
can provide very valuable experience to counteract obvious immaturity. Am
I alone in thinking that our coaches only true guide is in their demand in
having players that posses EXPERIENCE, regardless of any other
option? If this is true then it is incumbent upon them to consider
that both of these players have been poor
investments in regard to our future. Elflein was a high draft pick that
needed to be played out however Reiff was yet another free agent
gamble. Rashod Hill might be an experienced swing tackle however his appearance
in any game signals defeat. Although it is agreed that Udoh lacks
maturity it may also be true that he may be our 2nd best available
linemen. Udoh is an athletic specimen that posses both immaturity & potential. How is
it that Udoh doesn't dress whereas Rashod Hill does? At some point, you've
got to force Udoh's maturity which can be accomplished by replacing O'Neil at Right
Tackle with Udoh. O'Neil needs to moved to Left Tackle shifting Reiff in to
Left Guard
dressing the inexperienced Cleveland to eventually take over at Right Guard
sooner rather than later. Dakota
Dozier needs to be shifted to Right Guard because it doesn't matter what side he
plays. Now consider for one moment that if Elflien never existed in Minnesota, it is quite likely this
would have been your opening day offensive line inserting Cleveland at some
point during the season. To be direct, you can no longer squander your
resources (starts) but must instead realize your potential toward your future.
It's a mistake to think that 2021 is your future ... as the future can also be
today. The
sooner you incorporate your potential, realizing that resource, the sooner that
you can get out of jail. For me, Samia new name is Biscuit (have some more
carbs). Biscuit is not meant to be derogatory but is rather a
motivator. What was it that made Buddy Ryan call the refrigerator biscuit?
Could it be that he was sliding by where his preparation & technique left
him behind? Dru, it's beyond the time put a different type of work in
that's solely based upon your own self reflection. You still have time but not
much.
Why do I like Boyd in front of "Burnt Toast". It's because I like the
way he finishes everything at absolute full speed ... finishing like a wrecking ball.
It's as if Holton Hill took a page from Xavier Rhodes where he's been torched
continually like a rented mule. Not a problem as you've gone from the #2 starter to
finding your way out the door. Hill is clearly beyond a liability not
because of his skills but because of his obvious mindset. In my book both
Dantzler & Gladney are our #1 & #2 starters primarily because they
exhibit hunger & are nowhere near the point of selling out. Sure they are both raw
& are on a steep learning curve but they both have something that is
unquestioned. Mike Hughes has that #1 draft pick invisible cloak all over him that
prevents people from recognizing that he simply just can't cover. Neither
Hill or Hughes can be relied upon at this point & are in serous need of a
wake up call.
Do you think it is just happenstance that Justin Jefferson broke that glass
ceiling in game 3 or did it have something to do with Chad Beebe dressing?
Sometimes the influence of just one player can light a fire under ones hind
quarters because JJ understands one unequivocal fact. Beebe can influence
the game as he is "Edelman-like" where JJ understood that if he didn't elevate his game
he could quickly become an afterthought. JJ performance was an indication,
that he clearly understood, that Chad
was his ally ... not his competition but his coaches have no such thoughts
(luxuries). Kirk Cousins has to not only learn to trust both Justin &
Chad, at a new level ... he has to rely on both of them as keys to his success.
Neither of them are going to waist their opportunities. Cousins shifted
his game from being able to do very little to being able to flip his internal
switch. He's having fun again & when that happens the sky is the
limit. It makes me sick to understand the roles imparted on both Irv Jr
& Rudolph ... understanding their use is necessary for more than just the run
game. They're required to cover obvious flaws in the protections scheme of
our suspect offensive
line. This alone should be motivation to keep searching for a new
offensive line combination that goes beyond reacting to injuries.
So were the Titans just poor in run support or did they have to respond to these
evolving new threats? Well ... it is clear that this franchise is
now getting very close to the right set of
individuals on the field. Man, I love this set of
knuckleheads.
Yannick Ngakoue may have no idea of the history of this franchise but I can
clearly state ... without question ... that if Bud Grant was on that side line, watching you strip sack
the quarterback, followed by any sort of celebration before that whistle had
blown, Coach Grant would have literally blown a gasket. More like he would
have roasted you to a crisp with his Superman laser beam eyes. We could also imagine some sort of
volumous
high pressure steam explosion. Why? Because regardless of your
talent, or your disposition, or any other factor, everyone who witnessed what
you did could immediately lose respect for you. This isn't Jacksonville as
every inch & every scrap is fought for around here. If, on the other hand, you
had stripped the quarterback,
followed by figuratively crawling through broken glass, right up to the point the whistle had
blown, you instead would closely approach the NFL's "Iron Man". Said another way,
that silly celebration was like a paycheck (soon forgotten in the scheme of
things but ... then again ... never ever forgotten). Always remember that
respect is something that
is carried in one's eye for an eternity.
Except for some overdone toast, & a bit of foolishness, I was very happy
with the defense & its performance in game 3. It took three 50+
yarders to defeat this team along with a missed 2-point conversion & our own
missed 50 yarder. I guess some place kickers streak had little effect when
compared to
missing that one kick.
Just in case you didn't know, the national broadcast chose not to elaborate on
Mike Zimmer's second challenge, where it was clear the receiver dropped &
then trapped the ball where it should not have counted as a reception.
What was stated coming out of the break was that there was not enough evidence
to overturn the call even though the one replay actually viewed clearly
indicated the indiscretion. I wonder if the CBS "AFC" affiliate
has some sort of foul play aloft. Of greater importance was in regard to
Mike Zimmer's second & final challenge of the day. At that juncture we
only had two time outs as our first timeout was foolishly burned earlier.
The use of that second & final challenge meant that no play could be
reviewed until the final two minutes of the game leaving this franchise meatless
during the heart of the contest. In the scheme of things, only an ABSOLUTE
RETARD would use that final challenge without having the opportunity of seeing
the replay, with obvious overturning evidence, before tossing that challenge
flag on the field. If you don't have it then you'll have to eat it.
This is just another example of extremely poor time management considering that
at the end of the game we were left with only one time out. That exerted
enormous amount of pressure at games end upon the offense which resulted in what
actually resulted at the end of the 4th quarter ... "Keystone
Cops". Said another way, would you rather take 5 yards in the
3rd quarter, allow a 20 yard completion, or would you rather have those crucial
time outs at the end of the game. For Head Coach Mike Zimmer this isn't
his first time where needs to curtail his behavior immediately in favor of
understanding "Time Management". When will our Head Coach understand
that you don't go to a gun fight loading only 1 bullet in the chamber ... the
thought of which is absolute arrogance. There is no malfeasance in stating
that, "I didn't challenge the play because there was no definitive proof
other than what I might have seen". Stop acting like a petulant
child. On the other hand, Head Coach Mike Zimmer is my guy ... he's a
legend ... and I love him to death. However, on some days, it's like
shooting fish in the barrel. Question: "Is it true that games
can be lost by more than the offense, defense & special teams & what
does this have to do with PETULANCE?" Tighten it up
Mike!!!
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: September 30, 2020
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