>>>ALL THINGS VIKINGS<<<

Mike Zimmer: Vikings offense 'not very good at anything' right now

The Minnesota Vikings were steamrolled for the second straight week, this time losing 28-11 to the Indianapolis Colts in a game that didn't even feel as close as the 17-point difference.

The Vikings offense was particularly dreadful, earning just 175 total yards, getting more than doubled-up by Philip Rivers and the Colts (354).

"Right now we're not very good at anything, so we've got to evaluate that," blunt coach Mike Zimmer said after the loss, via the team's official website.

Dalvin Cook rushed for 63 yards on 15 attempts with a garbage-time score. Kirk Cousins performed terribly, getting picked off three times and completing 11 of 26 passes (42.3 percent) for 113 yards while taking three sacks.

"It was just one of those days where we just couldn't get anything going," Cousins said. "We obviously need to be much, much better going forward."

Cook put it simply when asked where the offense needed to be better: "Everything," he responded.

After a 13-play, 75-yard opening drive ended in a chip-shot field goal to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, the Vikings offense went into hibernation.


On the next eight possessions, Minnesota had three total first downs, 43 total net yards, three INTs, and a safety.

Kirk Cousins' 15.9 passer rating is the lowest of his career and was the second-lowest among Vikings starting QBs (minimum 15 attempts): Brad Johnson had a 10.3 vs. the Bears in Week 13 of 2006. Cousins' passer rating was the fourth-worst in a single game since 2010, joining Andy Dalton (2.0 in 2014), Sam Darnold (3.5 in 2019) and Brandon Weeden (5.1 in 2012) at the bottom of the heap.

Sunday marked the first time Cousins has thrown two or more INTs in the first half in his career and was his first three-plus interception game as a Viking.

"He didn't play very good," Zimmer said of Cousins. "I don't know. I'll have to look at the tape."

It's not just a one-week aberration for the Vikings. Minnesota has recorded 175 total yards or fewer in three of the last six games (including playoffs) and is 1-5 in that span.

With the season spiraling quickly, Zimmer's 0-2 squad will have to fix the leaks in a hurry.

NFL.com

 

Diggs is tied for the league lead in receiving yards. Don’t think you guys got the value he is worth in the trade

 

Huh what Mike Zimmer said makes no sense your the HC coach em up and get them ready to play and paid Capt Kirk 67 million dollars for this good Kirk or bad Kirk I just expected more,Hey it's a sh*t show in the land of Skol

 

Anthony Barr is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle,rebuilding is name of the game now Mike Zimmer and coaching staff gone Tricky Ricky gone let them kick rocks enough of the so so teams I believe Anthony Barr days as a Vikings are history

 

He was a very smart and funny man

 

Vikings sign Hardy Nickerson to active roster

Linebacker Hardy Nickerson was one of the practice squad players promoted for the season opener against the Packers. Nickerson, though, reverted back to the practice squad after the game.

On Tuesday, the Vikings signed Nickerson to the 53-player roster.

The move was necessary after the team placed linebacker Anthony Barr on injured reserve a day earlier. Barr tore a pectoral muscle Sunday.

Nickerson played 14 special teams snaps in Week One. He may see defensive snaps this week with the team’s linebacker corps thinned.

The Vikings have Eric Wilson to start opposite Eric Kendricks with Troy Dye, a fourth-round rookie, and Ryan Connelly the other linebackers. They brought in veteran Todd Davis for a visit Tuesday, and he, too, could join the mix.

Minnesota also announced it signed defensive back Nate Meadors to the practice squad and it has protected kicker Chase McLaughlin on the practice squad, preventing another team from signing McLaughlin this week.

NBC

 

The Vikings must be tanking for the no.1 pick has Zimmer been exposed as being a mediocre HC,the talking heads are comparing Capt Kirk and Christian Ponder WOW!

 

You have Cousins under guaranteed money for how long?

 

First it was for 3yrs 84 million guaranteed money in 2017 then came the 2yrs extension 66 million 51 guaranteed 30 million signing bonus after that all these numbers get confusing, but I do believe it was a huge mistake to resign him IMO he has hurt more than help the Minnesota Vikings his last year is in 2022 I believe can't come soon enough

 

Allen has become crazy good with Diggs to throw to. Cousins has looked pedestrian without Diggs.

 

He has missed him big time and he keeps on trying to force the ball to Thielen ( sigh ) it really pisses me off cause they have other receivers and Dalvin Cook

 

Minnesota’s overtime win over the Saints in the 2019 wild-card round unlocked new contracts for multiple key members of the organization. The highest paid of the bunch — quarterback Kirk Cousins — likely won’t be going anywhere any time soon, without leaving behind a significant cash and cap burden.

The two-year extension signed by Cousins gave him $30 million up front along with 2020 and 2021 salaries of $9.5 million and $21 million guaranteed for injury, skill, and cap. And here’s the kicker: Cousins’ $35 million salary for 2022 becomes guaranteed for injury, skill, and cap on the third day of the 2021 league year.

This means that, to avoid owing Cousins $35 million in 2022, the Vikings will have to unload Cousins before the middle of March 2021. They’d still owe him $21 million for 2021, a year in which the cap may be as low as $175 million. They also would have paid him $61 million for one season under his new deal.

Their only hope to avoid the extra $35 million in financial obligations and to reduce the one-year investment to $40 million comes from a potential trade. Their best hope in that regard would be to get a phone call from the 49ers, if they decide to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and acquire the quarterback whom 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had planned to sign as a free agent in 2018, but for the trade that brought Garoppolo to town.

So would the 49ers take on a two-year, $56 million obligation to Cousins? At $28 million per year, that’s a bargain in light of the current market — even with a reduced cap in 2021 due to the pandemic. If, of course, Shanahan still wants Cousins to be the 49ers’ quarterback.

Many will say it’s premature for the Vikings to be thinking about their options with Cousins. Others will say that Cousins’ performances in the team’s first two games are sufficiently abysmal to put the question on the table.

Passer rating of 61.9. Two touchdowns against four interceptions. A pair of safeties prompted by his deer-in-the-headlights reaction to a corner blitz (vs. the Packers) and a quickly-collapsing pocket (at the Colts).

That continues to be the biggest flaw in Cousins’ game. He can run the play that’s called, as long as he has time to run it. When the protection falls apart or a defender otherwise springs free, Cousins can’t pivot to an unscripted play, like some of the best quarterbacks in the league can, and do. Whether it’s a lack of mobility or an inability to improvise, Cousins simply can’t whip up an on-the-fly batch of chicken salad.

Whether the Vikings keep Cousins beyond 2020 ultimately may hinge on how deep the bottom goes. With upcoming games against the Titans, Texans, and Seahawks, 0-2 seems destined to become 0-5 (barring a dramatic turnaround from Week One and Week Two). The question then would become whether the Vikings can hold serve in an empty home stadium against the Falcons in the last game before Minnesota’s bye to avoid taking 0-6 into their annual week off.

If the worst-case scenario happens, there won’t be much the Vikings can do about it, thanks to the various financial rewards handed out after the 2019 season. Still, at that point plenty of Vikings fans will begin clamoring for the team to let what quickly has become a scholarship year run its full course, in order to give the team a shot at Trevor Lawrence.

A Mike Florio rant....

 

WTF Rick Spielman this seems like a fuc*king mess here if I'm reading this right the Vikings are stuck with Kirk Cousins a Vikings fan in good times and bad

 

Man what a mess now it's Gary Kubiak is the problem not Capt Kirk WTH is going on here Zimmer your the HC get your staff and players together no excuse here

 

There has got to be a change in the Front Office this is really becoming a mess GO VIKINGS!!!!!

 

Mike Zimmer is not a HC I really do believe he's losing the locker room he's a Defensive coach,after the season the Wilf's need to fire his azz ASAP along with Rick Spielman Capt Kirk is a joke the Vikings are stuck with him

 

The Vikings have not exactly been forthcoming about defensive end Danielle Hunter‘s injury. When Hunter began missing practices in August, coach Mike Zimmer classified it as a “tweak.”

When the Vikings placed Hunter on injured reserve, General Manager Rick Spielman expressed optimism Hunter could return after missing three games. Hunter will miss a fourth game Sunday, and, on Friday, Zimmer would not allow more than Hunter went to New York this week to get a second medical opinion.

When asked if Hunter has a neck injury, Zimmer said, “I don’t know.”

Courtney Cronin of ESPN reports that Hunter has a cervical spine disc herniation. Cronin said despite what the Vikings have said publicly, they expected the injury to keep Hunter out 6-8 weeks when he went on IR on Sept. 9.

The Vikings remain optimistic Hunter will return at some point this season.

The team ruled out cornerback Mike Hughes (neck) for Sunday’s game against Houston. He also missed last week’s game.

The Vikings will see the return of cornerback Cameron Dantzler after he missed two games with a rib injury. Cornerback Kris Boyd (hamstring) is doubtful.

NBC

 

This sounds like a serious neck injury see you next year,the Vikings really miss Hunter his absence has hurt badly