nicksaviking

Dang, so you think Rocco whooped him? That'd make for a better story. Or at least it did back in the day.

Yeah, it seems barely realistic now, and Richardson is going to put on a show at the combine and during workouts. I wouldn't be surprised if his crazy athletic talent ends up putting him as the #2 QB come draft day. Either way, I'm game for getting a QB in this draft, even if it means trading up. It's not going to be the fashionable decision, but this looks like a pretty dang good QB draft class, in the rare years the Vikings find themselves in the top 10, it's usually a bad draft class. 2024 doesn't look nearly as good, and regardless of which players stay and which go, I could see the Vikings picking early in 2024. Don't want to reach for a Christian Ponder next year just because that's the year you finally need one for certain.

Yeah, and only an anomaly if everyone forgets that Matt Stafford has been a really, really good QB his entire career. I mean he's already top 12 in all time passing yards and TDs. If he plays another three or four years, he'll probably end up top 5. Had he been playing his formative years for the Cowboys or Giants or Patriots, instead of the lowly Lions, he'd probably already be considered a HOF'er.

I don't care about Kepler's average. I care that he's become a slap hitter. I doubt the shift isgoing to help him add more doubles and HR to his game.

I'll be thrilled if Martin makes it, but if he's only got single digit HR and well below avg XBH potential, he'll never be in the same class of prospect as Lewis and Lee. He can be a very good MLB player, but high OBP/low SLG players tend to be quite affordable as free agents.

I picked Lewis and Lee, but really I’m interested in watching all the rookies. Hope theres room for any of them doing well in St. Paul.

As interesting as Burns is, the Twins need to stop trading for pitchers with only two years of control left. It's such a waste of trade equity; they can't do this EVERY year. Also, sounds like the Brewers aren't selling. They still plan on trying to make a run of it while they still have the horses.

Maybe 102 is nice and easy? And we'll see him throwing 106? Eek, yeah, stay healthy Duran.

The Jets offense is loaded. Stud young receivers and stud young running backs. Not to mention the defense looks like it might be closing in on being elite. But I do agree that there's something about being a NY QB, and playing in that division that would give me second thoughts.

No doubt, and it was a one year blip in a 20 year drought. We deserve QB play like that for a sustained run.

No depth? Go Winder, Varland, SWR, Sands, Headrick, Stashak, Coulombe, Balazovic, Funderburk, Bentley, Cabezas, Gross, Enlow, Legumina, Lawyerson, Sammons, Schuffler, Scherff. Ober or which ever other starter is left out of the rotation. I think you're confused about the process, you don't have to "cut" any of these guys, if they mess up you can send them back to St. Paul. Even after one outing. ESPECIALLY after one outing. You really think they'll pull the plug on Brad Hand after a few bad outings? They won't. They won't pull the plug on him after five bad outings. Maybe not even 10. You seriously think Hand will be better than ALL of those guys listed? It never works that way. The guy has lost the ability to miss bats and he's lost the ability to avoid walks. Who wants a smoke and mirrors guy in the pen? Who wants a guy who's making the infielders get all of his outs for him when the game is on the line? With no shift allowed? People need to stop thinking veterans are better than unknown rookies. If they were, they probably would still have jobs with their current clubs, and they certainly wouldn't still be free agents when Spring Training opens. And you know what, if the rookies aren't cutting it, they can get a reliever 5x better than Hand by dealing a guy like Legumina. Like they did last year when they traded Gipson-Long for Michael Fulmer.

I strongly disagree. I think Brad Hand is a liability, not an asset. Strikeouts are poor. Walks are poor. Those are the two biggest things to look for in a reliever and both are on a declining trend. He's also a groundball pitcher in a year where the shift has been banned. He looks more likely to be a 2022 Joe Smith. These kinds of pitchers shouldn't get MLB deals, but they do because people remember them from three years ago. You'll almost certainly find better pitchers in the stable of untested and unknown arms already in the system. And the great thing about those pitchers is that you can cycle through them until you get it right. You can't cycle through a vet on a MLB contract. The team will hold on to him trying to squeeze equity from him while the losses pile up.

I only find either scenario fun if the Twins win.

Exactly, all three of whom can be swapped back to St. Paul if the actual need for a third lefty arises.

I feel bad being such a downer after a fun 13-win season, I really do. But I haven't had the feeling that the Vikings actually had a reasonable shot at bringing home the trophy since 2009, and that just doesn't seem fair as a Viking fan. There's so much parity in the NFL, we shouldn't have to wait that long.

I think they do want to find that guy, who wouldn't, but like most coaches and front offices, I'd bet they're not willing to make the sacrifices needed to get him. I don't think they'll cut Kirk. and I think they're likely to be average next year, maybe a bit worse. But I also think it's unlikely they'll ever get that elite QB if they don't get a top pick. And I don't like it. I'd rather be bad for a couple years followed by a chance to be an actual contender than be average forever.

Based on how they handled Lee, CES, Carmago and Prato last year, Cedar Rapids doesn't appear to be a long layover for guys who are hitting. They did seem to put the brakes on guys at Wichita on the other hand.

When was the last time the Twins traded such an esteemed prospect? Let alone for a number three starter?

The Twins have more options than that. If they're specially looking for a lefty, which I'm not, Moran as the second option looks better than those two. The third lefty should be someone they can park in St. Paul. So if they don't want it to be Headrick, Funderburk or Sammons (all of which I'd like to see), then they should sign someone who'd take a MiLB deal. Which is probably what Brad Hand should be accepting, but since he's still a relatively big name, he likely won't have to.

Agree, the rankings are fluid, and Cousins isn't a bad QB. The Vikings are just ready for a top tier QB. They've had one season with a top tier QB since Culpepper was in his prime, and that top tier QB had a grey beard and could barely move. Seems we're way overdue for our turn to have one of those game changing players.

Mahomes, Herbert, Burrow, Jackson, Allen and Hurts should be considered elite. I don't know why that isn't enough to make the Vikings want to find their own long term young QB. Better is kind of an abstract word for QBs though. I'm convinced Cousins could NEVER put the team on his back to win a Super Bowl, so why keep trying? There are other young guys that have a better shot than Kirk ever will. The way Trever Lawrence finished made it look like he's ready to take the leap. Tua looked like he was closing in on that group before he had his head caved in. Kyler Murray seems like he's closer to imploding than ascending, but he's dallied in the top tier at times. No one wants Deshawn Watson, but, he's clearly more talented than Cousins. Not to get too deep in the minutia here, because there are numerous reasons to move one, but not a single one of those guys mentioned makes that play Cousins did to end the season. The best of them would have known the TE was way short of the line to gain and changed the route in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage. Most of the rest would have rather thrown it to a WR, even if he was covered. But every single one of them would have been able to escape that pressure, and even if the TE was the only option to throw to, the other QBs would have made the LB commit to covering the TE, or coming to the line of scrimmage to tackle the QB, and whichever option the TE chose, the QB would have made him pay by doing the opposite.

Pretty much all the top tier QB are drafted. Most early. At some point the Vikings have to suck it up and get one the conventional way.

Seems to me the Twins ALWAYS give up a run to the ghost runner, but their ghost runner only scores about 50% of the time. Surely my memory exaggerates, does anyone know if that stat is kept somewhere?

These are deal breakers for me. These numbers don't tend to improve with age. Go with the young guys that have some upside instead of the broken vets who have much less chance of turning things around. Besides, you know how much harder it is to dump the guy from Chaska after two months than it is to dump a guy from Greenville SC, Lubbock TX or LA?

Signing Carr just seems like a Cousins redux to me. Neither are bad QBs, but neither are the kind that could put your team over the top. I just want to try winning with a top tier QB for once. I know, that SEEMS like a lot to ask, but I can name six I think unequivocally qualify and another 2-4 which are close, if not already in that group. I mean, 20%+ of the league has one, can't the Vikings EVER get one?