Minnesota Vikings Team Thread (2 Viewers)

[Biabreakable]

No new transactions by the Vikings as of yet that I see.

There are still some tests that need to be done to clear Justin Jefferson to play. KOC was non committal about if Jefferson or Mullens will start practicing this week. Maybe we will hear something about that tomorrow.

Jaren Hall and KJ Osborn had concussions. Most NFL players who have been in the concussion protocol have not played in the same week that they were beside Brock Purdy.

TJ Hockenson has a rib injury but KOC is hopeful he will be able to play.

Its uncertain is Darrisaw will be able to practice and play next week but thats possible.

 

[VikingFrog]

No new transactions by the Vikings as of yet that I see.

There are still some tests that need to be done to clear Justin Jefferson to play. KOC was non committal about if Jefferson or Mullens will start practicing this week. Maybe we will hear something about that tomorrow.

Jaren Hall and KJ Osborn had concussions. Most NFL players who have been in the concussion protocol have not played in the same week that they were beside Brock Purdy.

TJ Hockenson has a rib injury but KOC is hopeful he will be able to play.

Its uncertain is Darrisaw will be able to practice and play next week but thats possible.

Sounds like Jefferson was cleared to practice today. And his 21 day window opens.

Rocket Scientist to Jet… ENGAGE.

 

[Biabreakable]

O'Connell on Injuries Heading Into Sunday, Unique Looks Saints Defense Can Give and More​

Darrisaw is good to go.

KJ Osborn had a full practice but there is still a final phase of the concussion protocol before they will clear him to play. They will decide if he can play tomorrow.

Jaren Hall will be out as he is still in concussion protocol right now. They hope he will be ready next week.

In regards to Justin Jefferson he did individual drills and feels good but they will still listen to the medical staffs advice as far as when they feel he is ready to play. He is listed as questionable for this game right now.

Tanner Morgan was released from the practice squad today as he has some duties with the Gophers but they expect him to be back with the Vikings in some capacity when he becomes available again. Either as a player or a coach.

Sean Mannion is the back up QB. KOC would not say who the emergency QB is with Akers out.

 

[VikingFrog]

A little too conservative in the second half for my taste. But all things considered… a win is a win.

Dobbs looks like the real deal as a break glass in case of emergency scenario goes. And opens up the offense a bit with his legs.

Biggest highlight of this game was seeing my dad on the Jumbotron, to the right of a guy wearing a funny D-Fence picket fence mask.

 

[Donnybrook]

With no loses in the division and both games vs Detroit not happening until late December, I still think the Vikings have a shot at the division.

Go chargers.

 

[Biabreakable]

I didn't like how the Vikings offense just kind of sat on the lead in the 2nd half but yeah they won and the defense made plays to seal the Victory in the end.

It is only their 2nd game with Dodds so I get it. Just need to do more than that to put away the best teams in the league I think.

Great 1st half though to put themselves in position to do that.

 

[snogger]

Love, loved, LOVED the first half.. Absolutely hated the second half offensive play calling.
When you have the chance to knock opponent out you do so..
Luckily the Defense continues to step up and make the plays needed to continue this 5 game winning streak.

Next two games are winnable - Sunday night vs. Broncos, and the Monday night vs. DA Bears..

Would by Great to go into the bye on a 7 game winning streak.

 

[BobbyLayne]

great team dub

Dobbs might be the best story of the year

---

PLAYOFF PICTURE

+1.5 over TB for #7 seed
+2.0 over ATL & WAS
-1.5 behind DET

wow wow wow

nipping at our heels, appreciate the push

those Week 16 & 18 matchups are looming large

oh, and FTP, they lost again, now 3-6

---

keep going guys!

GL rest of season

cya Christmas Eve day

 

[Biabreakable]

If there is one thing we can agree on whole heartedly it's FTP!

Congrats to the Lions it's nice to see this team playing so well now. It's been a long time coming.

The Vikings are just playing one game at a time and doing their best to win that game. There is no chicken counting here.

It is kind of weird that we don't match up vs the Lions until so late in the season. That's likely lucky for the Vikings because they are still trying to get their stuff together.

Hopefully not too much more injury issues going forward and the Vikings will be playing their best football by then. They will need it.

But again, just one game at a time and they will cross that bridge when they come to it.

 

[GregR]

Wanted to drop in and give you guys some kudos. Love seeing the Vikings doing well. Vikings and the Lions are the teams I probably cheer for the most after the Texans. Would have never thought Dobbs would be instantly playing so well, but you guys are on a hot streak. Hope you keep it going.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

If there is one thing we can agree on whole heartedly it's FTP!

Congrats to the Lions it's nice to see this team playing so well now. It's been a long time coming.

The Vikings are just playing one game at a time and doing their best to win that game. There is no chicken counting here.

It is kind of weird that we don't match up vs the Lions until so late in the season. That's likely lucky for the Vikings because they are still trying to get their stuff together.

Hopefully not too much more injury issues going forward and the Vikings will be playing their best football by then. They will need it.

But again, just one game at a time and they will cross that bridge when they come to it.

There is a decent chance that the Vikings and Lions will play each other 3 times in 4 weeks.

 

[icehouse]

Odds Jefferson is back this week?

 

[Biabreakable]

Odds Jefferson is back this week?

I couldn't give you any odds.

Seems like a decent chance. Just need to see him practicing more in full and go from there.

 

[skol asylum]

Vikings going to resign Anthony Barr.

 

[Biabreakable]

Vikings going to resign Anthony Barr.

Barr was a free agent?

That's interesting.

 

[Biabreakable]

Man. Hicks needed some sort of surgery for the shin contusion. Not sure how long he will be out.

At least one game.

Ivan Pace who has played well will wear the green dot now and communicate plays to the defense.

Hicks was one of the 4 defensive players to play almost every snap, so not having him hurts for sure.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Man. Hicks needed some sort of surgery for the shin contusion. Not sure how long he will be out.

At least one game.

Ivan Pace who has played well will wear the green dot now and communicate plays to the defense.

Hicks was one of the 4 defensive players to play almost every snap, so not having him hurts for sure.

Barr and H. Smith could also wear the green dot, but it will most likely be Pace, FWIW

 

[Biabreakable]

Man. Hicks needed some sort of surgery for the shin contusion. Not sure how long he will be out.

At least one game.

Ivan Pace who has played well will wear the green dot now and communicate plays to the defense.

Hicks was one of the 4 defensive players to play almost every snap, so not having him hurts for sure.

Barr and H. Smith could also wear the green dot, but it will most likely be Pace, FWIW

I just heard Pace would have that responsibility. You are right though that Smith could do that job. He tells players to adjust presnap without it fairly often.

I think they prefer a player who is in the middle to have it just because they are closer to everyone else for communication.

I doubt Barr would do this as he still has to get up to speed with the new defense. I do assume Barr will play inside more than he used to. I was a bit surprised he wasn't on a team at this point of the season.

 

[FunkyPlutos]

Put a speaker in everyone's helmet and cut the play clock down to 25-30...too much standing around...

 

[Biabreakable]

Put a speaker in everyone's helmet and cut the play clock down to 25-30...too much standing around...

That could also work.

He'll you could have assistant coaches talking to defenders specifically from their position group sending adjustments in real time.

They certainly have the technological means to do it.

Cheap owners.

Maybe one day that's how it will be.

 

[Biabreakable]

Jordan Hicks placed on IR. So soonest he could return in week 16.

The injury bug keeps biting. Hold on to your butts.

Anthony Barr currently on practice squad and it's unknown if or when he might be ready to play.

I listened to Flores press conference on Monday. I have listened to a few of them with him now. He is very intense and he takes time to think before he speaks. I really like his attitude and how he carries himself now that I have gotten more familiar with him.

Anyhow he basically said he doesn't know enough about Barr at that point to be able to judge what condition Barr is in or if/when he will be able to help the defense.

He did say from watching tape on Barr that he could potentially play a lot of different roles in the defense. But he needs to see Barr is practice before making any call about that.

Hicks is one of the few players who played almost every down in the defense, and he will be missed.

Ivan Pace looks like the main direct replacement for Hicks right now.

 

[Gally]

Ivan Pace looks like the main direct replacement for Hicks right now.

Asamoah really must be bad. I am shocked he didn't really seem to even get a chance.

 

[Biabreakable]

Ivan Pace looks like the main direct replacement for Hicks right now.

Asamoah really must be bad. I am shocked he didn't really seem to even get a chance.

Has he been hurt?

I think they need a bigger LB in the middle there due to how many defensive backs they play.

Thus Barr possibly being a fit.

Barr was unclaimed though. You have to wonder about why that is.

 

[Gally]

Barr was unclaimed though. You have to wonder about why that is.

Probably because he is past his expiration date.

 

[Biabreakable]

Barr was unclaimed though. You have to wonder about why that is.

Probably because he is past his expiration date.

Yes.

I have not paid any attention to Barr since he left the Vikings and from the many years he was with the Vikings he was somewhat of a disappointment.

Despite his size and speed advantage he would often fail when he did blitz being easily blocked by RBs in the hole as I remember and he didn't make huge impact in coverage either.

I think he has the tools to take over Hicks role, I'm uncertain about the execution.

Pace may be a better answer. I have heard good things about him but I have barely noticed him on the field.

It would be great of course if Barr were able to surprise us here. The Vikings need that to keep playing well.

I hope to get a chance to change my tune about him.

 

[Biabreakable]

Just listened to press conference with Jefferson.

He says he is ready to play.

In follow up question he says he will listen to the doctors and coaches opinions, but that ultimately it's his decision, he knows how his hamstring feels and it's himself putting his body on the line. It's his call or he has the final say.

To me it sounds like he is going to play. What do you all think?

 

[Gally]

To me it sounds like he is going to play. What do you all think?

Vikes haven't lost since he has been gone. We don't want him back. He is bad luck...hahahahah

I think he is itching to get back with how well they have been playing . I wouldn't be surprised if he pushes it a little bit.

 

[Lansdowne]

Vikings beat expects Mattison will play:

https://x.com/bengoessling/status/1725909151212052954?s=46

 

[Biabreakable]

Vikings beat expects Mattison will play:

https://x.com/bengoessling/status/1725909151212052954?s=46

Goessling is pretty good in my experience reporting accurate things.

Mattision did have a full practice Friday which means he could have passed the final step of concussion protocol through evaluation after that practice.

That said Osborn had a full practice prior to last weeks game but still was not cleared to play.

I trust Goessling for the most part here though.

 

[snogger]

Well that was disappointing.. Reverting back to the reason they started 1-4.
Although the Dobbs fumble on a stupid trick play call never should have been. Funny how the defender got suspended for 4 games, but no flag..

I do wish defensive coaches would teach defenders to push wr's out of bounds when they jump in the air to catch a ball. The defender does that on the final Bronoco's TD and they are on a 6 game win streak going into Monday.

 

[VikingFrog]

Well that was disappointing.. Reverting back to the reason they started 1-4.
Although the Dobbs fumble on a stupid trick play call never should have been. Funny how the defender got suspended for 4 games, but no flag..

I do wish defensive coaches would teach defenders to push wr's out of bounds when they jump in the air to catch a ball. The defender does that on the final Bronoco's TD and they are on a 6 game win streak going into Monday.

Yeah. Sutton was open on that high ball, and probably catches it anyways. But watching that play live it just felt like the DB went “oh shucks” and let him have it.

 

[BigJim®]

I give a semi pass on the dumb play in the first series hanging Dobbs out to dry. I’m sure they envisioned Mike Vick streaming past a scrum but they need to take several lessons from it.

That Mattison fumble… so soft. It’s sort of terrifying this guy will hold the ball 15-20 x per game. He looked to have more explosiveness at times, but a fumble at that point of a game is inexcusable, IMHO. I’m ready to see more Chandler, and maybe even Kene, and see if that speed threat might impact defenses we face after JJ returns.

Still, this team is far more entertaining than I feared after Cousins went down. They are going to have road games like that, but they seemingly have the talent for a chip/chair against anyone. Defense is playing inspired though I’ve abandoned all hope they ever stop a 2-minute offense.

 

[Biabreakable]

The defense makes them watchable again.

 

[Gally]

I give a semi pass on the dumb play in the first series hanging Dobbs out to dry. I’m sure they envisioned Mike Vick streaming past a scrum but they need to take several lessons from it.

If they were going to run it they should have had Mattison or Chandler back there to do that. If they were pitching to Dobbs they should have had Addison on the back side dragging across the middle for a pass. Running it with Dobbs was dumb.

 

[Gally]

I do wish defensive coaches would teach defenders to push wr's out of bounds when they jump in the air to catch a ball. The defender does that on the final Bronoco's TD and they are on a 6 game win streak going into Monday.

i have thought about that before. Seems like once they did away with the force out rule that this would be the best defense on a jump ball type play along the sidelines or back of endzone. Catch the WR when he goes up and just carry him out of bounds. No feet down....no catch. Seems like it would work.

 

[BigJim®]

I give a semi pass on the dumb play in the first series hanging Dobbs out to dry. I’m sure they envisioned Mike Vick streaming past a scrum but they need to take several lessons from it.

If they were going to run it they should have had Mattison or Chandler back there to do that. If they were pitching to Dobbs they should have had Addison on the back side dragging across the middle for a pass. Running it with Dobbs was dumb.

Well, yeah. And having what might have been an edge blocker (Hock) receiving the snap and handing off a football, and exposing your QB to that hit, and, and... chalk it up as a ridiculous 'look how clever we are' play.

 

[Biabreakable]

I give a semi pass on the dumb play in the first series hanging Dobbs out to dry. I’m sure they envisioned Mike Vick streaming past a scrum but they need to take several lessons from it.

If they were going to run it they should have had Mattison or Chandler back there to do that. If they were pitching to Dobbs they should have had Addison on the back side dragging across the middle for a pass. Running it with Dobbs was dumb.

Well, yeah. And having what might have been an edge blocker (Hock) receiving the snap and handing off a football, and exposing your QB to that hit, and, and... chalk it up as a ridiculous 'look how clever we are' play.

Agreed.

If it works everyone is like brilliant!! How creative!

When it doesn't work it looks bad.

So it goes with most constraint/trick plays.

 

[snogger]

These last two weeks make me hate being a Viking fan.
Just when they get my hopes up after 5 straight wins, they go and put up two absolutely pathic weeks.

Why the doesn't O'Connell change his game plan and take advantage of a mobile QB.
No, let's make him stand in a non-existing pocket and force throws.

And just what the was that last defensive "stand"???
Your defense has been working, but in crunch time you rush 3 and go to prevent when you are only up by one point..
What the...................??????????

 

[Biabreakable]

I actually thought they might win one more game to get fans hopes up even more before blowing it. Just to make it more painful.

But the signs were there in the 2nd half of the Saints game that KOC was afraid of letting Josh Dobbs deal.

And for good reason as we have seen although fans were ready to put Dobbs in the ring of honor and back up the truck to sign him long term and forget about Cousins.

Which I get to a certain extent, but obviously this was premature. Dobbs does have the mobility and some good pocket presence that fans have wished Cousins had. Especially when the offensive line was worse than it is right now.

Too bad Dobbs isn't even close to Cousins as a passer in terms of accuracy and ball placement. Dobbs doesn't make anticipation throws like Cousins and does not read coverage nearly as well either.

To be fair with more reps I think Dobbs can improve with some of these things. I still think there is a huge gap between him and Cousins as a passer though.

Dobbs is younger than Cousins by a lot. There are reasons why fans were getting excited and ahead of themselves. Back to reality now though. Cousins would give the Vikings much better chance to sustain drives and win games than Dobbs.

KOC has changed the offense to suit Dobbs. But defenses are spying Dobbs now and keeping him from running now, so they need him to pass the ball with accuracy and timing but Dobbs doesn't seem to be capable of doing that with any consistency.

I didn't watch the game just highlights, but the defense has been playing well even though Evans is hurt and honestly the corners are not that good. They give up plays when teams need them, so that's why you see them dropping more into coverage to try to make up for that. I don't think it's fair to blame the defense that held a NFL offense to 12 points.

Teams have figured some things out about the Vikings as far as how to stop them and also ways to attack the defense when they need a drive. Mobile QBs like Fields and Wilson do help against this defense to keep plays alive vs the blitz and find some gaps in the coverage when they really need a play.

 

[travdogg]

Chiming in as a Bears fan, I think the Vikings win that game (and the Denver game) if Jefferson plays. Even if he's just a decoy. I get why they are holding him out, but one could certainly argue being cautious has cost them 2 wins.

That said, not really worried about the Vikings. This is a top-5 NFC team, that just had a blip, it happens. This is a wildcard team, that is likely an underdog in round 1 no matter who they draw (as the NFC South winner likely gets Dallas) I would bet on the Vikes being the 6th seed, and probably playing Detroit who they may very well beat twice in the run up to the playoffs.

 

[Gally]

These last two weeks make me hate being a Viking fan.
Just when they get my hopes up after 5 straight wins, they go and put up two absolutely pathic weeks.

That is the definition of being a Vikes fan. We are hopeless 95% of the time but every so often (usually about every 10 years....98, 2009, ....) the give us hope only to destroy it in the most nut-punchy way possible. It's kind of who we are.

 

[Gally]

This is a wildcard team, that is likely an underdog in round 1 no matter who they draw (as the NFC South winner likely gets Dallas) I would bet on the Vikes being the 6th seed, and probably playing Detroit who they may very well beat twice in the run up to the playoffs.

There you go trying to give us some hope......only to be dashed in the most unseemingly way possible at some point.........waiting......waiting.......

 

[BigJim®]

I actually thought they might win one more game to get fans hopes up even more before blowing it. Just to make it more painful.

But the signs were there in the 2nd half of the Saints game that KOC was afraid of letting Josh Dobbs deal.

And for good reason as we have seen although fans were ready to put Dobbs in the ring of honor and back up the truck to sign him long term and forget about Cousins.

Which I get to a certain extent, but obviously this was premature. Dobbs does have the mobility and some good pocket presence that fans have wished Cousins had. Especially when the offensive line was worse than it is right now.

Too bad Dobbs isn't even close to Cousins as a passer in terms of accuracy and ball placement. Dobbs doesn't make anticipation throws like Cousins and does not read coverage nearly as well either.

To be fair with more reps I think Dobbs can improve with some of these things. I still think there is a huge gap between him and Cousins as a passer though.

Dobbs is younger than Cousins by a lot. There are reasons why fans were getting excited and ahead of themselves. Back to reality now though. Cousins would give the Vikings much better chance to sustain drives and win games than Dobbs.

KOC has changed the offense to suit Dobbs. But defenses are spying Dobbs now and keeping him from running now, so they need him to pass the ball with accuracy and timing but Dobbs doesn't seem to be capable of doing that with any consistency.

I didn't watch the game just highlights, but the defense has been playing well even though Evans is hurt and honestly the corners are not that good. They give up plays when teams need them, so that's why you see them dropping more into coverage to try to make up for that. I don't think it's fair to blame the defense that held a NFL offense to 12 points.

Teams have figured some things out about the Vikings as far as how to stop them and also ways to attack the defense when they need a drive. Mobile QBs like Fields and Wilson do help against this defense to keep plays alive vs the blitz and find some gaps in the coverage when they really need a play.

Meh, I think the offensive game plan was garbage. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I would guess 75% of pass plays were sideline routes. Whether an immediate out ('immediate' being a relative term in Vikes' slow developing execution) with 165 lb Addison as lead blocker, or 10 yards downfield on a white-knuckle-inducing timing pass, perimeter passing was what the Vikes wanted to hang their hat on. It was horrible, and very obviously a miscalculation of the talent we have to execute those difficult plays.

The OL is maddening. They chip and hold San Fran to no sacks, and then they do whatever else they think they can do and give zero time in the pocket against the likes of Chicago and Denver - while attempting a pocket passing game. And that's totally ignoring run blocking. I mean, just go ahead and bet the house against Vikes being able to run when they need to run. That last 3-and-out was all they are capable of.

 

[Biabreakable]

I agree the Vikings have been throwing outside a lot.

Dobbs does have the arm for these throws. I wonder if the intent with these is to try to prevent turnovers? As the inside routes do take a bit better timing and ball placement.

They were not throwing it outside as much with Cousins.

 

[BigJim®]

I agree the Vikings have been throwing outside a lot.

Dobbs does have the arm for these throws. I wonder if the intent with these is to try to prevent turnovers? As the inside routes do take a bit better timing and ball placement.

They were not throwing it outside as much with Cousins.

If they are trying to reduce turnovers, 10-yard out routes are the riskiest attack to do that. Unless timing is spot on, it's a pick 6 waiting to happen. Chicago actually dropped one that should have been. Dobbs is clearly struggling with anticipation. On some of the outs, the receiver was waiting too long for the ball to get there (dangerous). He overcorrected on the Addison one that resulted in INT across the middle, Dobbs over-anticipated and the ball caught Addison by surprise - already being on his facemask when he turned. Timing is going to remain a thing with Dobbs. What this team desperately needs is ability to run the ball to mitigate and keep a defense guessing - which they are unable to do with this OL, even against a pass rush happy front.

What bothered me the most about the gameplan is out routes are the Bears bread and butter. WR screens always have been as far back as I can remember. They know how to execute them quickly, with good blocking, and I suspect they train enough to also know how to defend them. I don't want to believe our plan was to show them up doing what they do better. Still, if it quacks like a duck...

 

[skol asylum]

Might not be a popular opinion but it might be Jaren Hall time. Starting Mullens does nothing for the organization and planning for next year. We know who Dobbs is now. A great athlete, very very smart, but just not a great passer. Let's evaluate Hall in some game action so we can make an informed decision on resigning Cousins or drafting another QB, or maybe Hall surprises as a possible answer. I'd love to keep Dobbs and run him out there in a Taysom Hill roll a few plays a game.

 

[Biabreakable]

I agree the Vikings have been throwing outside a lot.

Dobbs does have the arm for these throws. I wonder if the intent with these is to try to prevent turnovers? As the inside routes do take a bit better timing and ball placement.

They were not throwing it outside as much with Cousins.

If they are trying to reduce turnovers, 10-yard out routes are the riskiest attack to do that. Unless timing is spot on, it's a pick 6 waiting to happen. Chicago actually dropped one that should have been. Dobbs is clearly struggling with anticipation. On some of the outs, the receiver was waiting too long for the ball to get there (dangerous). He overcorrected on the Addison one that resulted in INT across the middle, Dobbs over-anticipated and the ball caught Addison by surprise - already being on his facemask when he turned. Timing is going to remain a thing with Dobbs. What this team desperately needs is ability to run the ball to mitigate and keep a defense guessing - which they are unable to do with this OL, even against a pass rush happy front.

What bothered me the most about the gameplan is out routes are the Bears bread and butter. WR screens always have been as far back as I can remember. They know how to execute them quickly, with good blocking, and I suspect they train enough to also know how to defend them. I don't want to believe our plan was to show them up doing what they do better. Still, if it quacks like a duck...

Yeah I hear you.

Maybe those out routes are considered good because of Dobbs mobility or that they can go out of bounds if placed where only the receiver can get it?

I might be grasping at straws trying to explain that. But maybe they were considered less risky than throws over the middle?

I'm really not sure.

Just listening to KOCs comments he did seem concerned about Dobbs and turnovers. Saying that Dobbs needs more reps to find the timing and rhythm of the offense which does make sense.

I can't really explain the out routes though and what you are saying is true about that.

I don't recall out routes being a big part of the offense with Cousins. Not more than any other route anyways. So if it was frequent as you say, that seems like an adjustment to help Dobbs to me, right or wrong.

 

[Biabreakable]

Might not be a popular opinion but it might be Jaren Hall time. Starting Mullens does nothing for the organization and planning for next year. We know who Dobbs is now. A great athlete, very very smart, but just not a great passer. Let's evaluate Hall in some game action so we can make an informed decision on resigning Cousins or drafting another QB, or maybe Hall surprises as a possible answer. I'd love to keep Dobbs and run him out there in a Taysom Hill roll a few plays a game.

KOC did say he liked what Hall did before he got knocked out of the game.

I would think if they don't go with Hall now (they might) that they might start him the last 3 or 4 games of the season if they are eliminated from making the playoffs, that's actually pretty soon. They only have 5 regular season games left.

Mullens is 28 years old right now. Same as Dobbs. It's possible he has improved from how he played as a younger QB. I think a lot of QBs do play at their best from age 28-32. So I wouldn't mind seeing if he has gotten better than he was as a younger QB.

 

[BigJim®]

I agree the Vikings have been throwing outside a lot.

Dobbs does have the arm for these throws. I wonder if the intent with these is to try to prevent turnovers? As the inside routes do take a bit better timing and ball placement.

They were not throwing it outside as much with Cousins.

If they are trying to reduce turnovers, 10-yard out routes are the riskiest attack to do that. Unless timing is spot on, it's a pick 6 waiting to happen. Chicago actually dropped one that should have been. Dobbs is clearly struggling with anticipation. On some of the outs, the receiver was waiting too long for the ball to get there (dangerous). He overcorrected on the Addison one that resulted in INT across the middle, Dobbs over-anticipated and the ball caught Addison by surprise - already being on his facemask when he turned. Timing is going to remain a thing with Dobbs. What this team desperately needs is ability to run the ball to mitigate and keep a defense guessing - which they are unable to do with this OL, even against a pass rush happy front.

What bothered me the most about the gameplan is out routes are the Bears bread and butter. WR screens always have been as far back as I can remember. They know how to execute them quickly, with good blocking, and I suspect they train enough to also know how to defend them. I don't want to believe our plan was to show them up doing what they do better. Still, if it quacks like a duck...

Yeah I hear you.

Maybe those out routes are considered good because of Dobbs mobility or that they can go out of bounds if placed where only the receiver can get it?

I might be grasping at straws trying to explain that. But maybe they were considered less risky than throws over the middle?

I'm really not sure.

Just listening to KOCs comments he did seem concerned about Dobbs and turnovers. Saying that Dobbs needs more reps to find the timing and rhythm of the offense which does make sense.

I can't really explain the out routes though and what you are saying is true about that.

I don't recall out routes being a big part of the offense with Cousins. Not more than any other route anyways. So if it was frequent as you say, that seems like an adjustment to help Dobbs to me, right or wrong.

I have noticed more quick (but not really 'quick' enough) out passes even with Cousins that we have lost yards throwing. I remember an exchange with another poster who complained about Cousins/3 and outs earlier in the season and I showed several examples of drives beginning with -4 yard outs to KJ/Hock - essentially dooming critical drives. Unproductive early down playcalls have worsened our rush attack, and increased 3-and-outs. Could have been in the Travdogg thread. No idea why we pass those to the larger receiver and rely on shrimpy receiver to block 2 guys to make them work.

We're just not good at screens of any sort, including those. What I noticed more last week is the 5-10 yard outs, which require significant precision/timing. Someone in the front office may be able to explain why we select the most difficult pass type to reduce risk. I don't understand much of our offensive approach these past 2 weeks.

 

[Biabreakable]

I agree the Vikings have been throwing outside a lot.

Dobbs does have the arm for these throws. I wonder if the intent with these is to try to prevent turnovers? As the inside routes do take a bit better timing and ball placement.

They were not throwing it outside as much with Cousins.

If they are trying to reduce turnovers, 10-yard out routes are the riskiest attack to do that. Unless timing is spot on, it's a pick 6 waiting to happen. Chicago actually dropped one that should have been. Dobbs is clearly struggling with anticipation. On some of the outs, the receiver was waiting too long for the ball to get there (dangerous). He overcorrected on the Addison one that resulted in INT across the middle, Dobbs over-anticipated and the ball caught Addison by surprise - already being on his facemask when he turned. Timing is going to remain a thing with Dobbs. What this team desperately needs is ability to run the ball to mitigate and keep a defense guessing - which they are unable to do with this OL, even against a pass rush happy front.

What bothered me the most about the gameplan is out routes are the Bears bread and butter. WR screens always have been as far back as I can remember. They know how to execute them quickly, with good blocking, and I suspect they train enough to also know how to defend them. I don't want to believe our plan was to show them up doing what they do better. Still, if it quacks like a duck...

Yeah I hear you.

Maybe those out routes are considered good because of Dobbs mobility or that they can go out of bounds if placed where only the receiver can get it?

I might be grasping at straws trying to explain that. But maybe they were considered less risky than throws over the middle?

I'm really not sure.

Just listening to KOCs comments he did seem concerned about Dobbs and turnovers. Saying that Dobbs needs more reps to find the timing and rhythm of the offense which does make sense.

I can't really explain the out routes though and what you are saying is true about that.

I don't recall out routes being a big part of the offense with Cousins. Not more than any other route anyways. So if it was frequent as you say, that seems like an adjustment to help Dobbs to me, right or wrong.

I have noticed more quick (but not really 'quick' enough) out passes even with Cousins that we have lost yards throwing. I remember an exchange with another poster who complained about Cousins/3 and outs earlier in the season and I showed several examples of drives beginning with -4 yard outs to KJ/Hock - essentially dooming critical drives. Unproductive early down playcalls have worsened our rush attack, and increased 3-and-outs. Could have been in the Travdogg thread. No idea why we pass those to the larger receiver and rely on shrimpy receiver to block 2 guys to make them work.

We're just not good at screens of any sort, including those. What I noticed more last week is the 5-10 yard outs, which require significant precision/timing. Someone in the front office may be able to explain why we select the most difficult pass type to reduce risk. I don't understand much of our offensive approach these past 2 weeks.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

If I can find time I will try to go back and look for plays like this specifically and maybe focus on 1st down throw tendency if I can get that far to see if I can make any sense of it.

I did not watch many plays from the Bears game.