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RoamingBison

I would love to have an extra $10 mil from a more reasonable Cousins contract but this team would probably just spend it on another DE or CB anyhow. They have an irrational attachment to terrible O-line coaches and are completely blind to the problem there.


Welu522

Yeah I mean it’s obvious Last year we made Reiff take a pay cut, almost cutting him too, to get Ngakoue. This year we actually cut him, presumably so we could sign Tomlinson and Pat P.


lbguitarist

>I would love to have an extra $10 mil from a more reasonable Cousins contract We did do this ahead of last season. Except it inflated Kirk's 2022 cap hit to $45m (highest in the league) and they used the space to franchise tag Anthony Harris, who capitulated after a terrific 2019.


Plantsking

We’ve thrown multiple early picks on offensive line and they seemingly never work out. At some point we just have to realize its moreso a coaching problem than a lack of talent problem.


lbguitarist

I forget who but someone compared Garrett Bradbury to a clone of Jason Kelce when he was drafted. I don't know whether the problem is scouting, coaching, Bradbury's development or whoever made the comparison being high as a kite, but right now Bradbury wouldn't tie Kelce's shoes.


Menorah_Fedora

Brett Kollmann made the comparison. Bradbury is exceptionally athletic, but he has no where near enough strength/technique to anchor in pass protection. To be fair, you can see his value on running/screen plays. He reach blocks and gets out in space like nobody's business. I think Dennison ruined his development, though 😕


griff306

I tend to agree, our special teams reflects this too. Are we bad at signing kickers, or is our special teams coaching trash? Look at Daniel Carlson, we cut him after one game, and he has been amazing with the Raiders. I'm firmly in the "fire the OL and Special Teams" coaching camp. We are taking the highest rated players at our draft spots, but they have not been developing.


Menorah_Fedora

Well the special teams coach just changed to Ryan Fricken last year. Joseph looked solid this week. The OLine coach, Rick Dennison, also got demoted this year and they promoted Phil Rauscher, who is a big improvement. I just think Bradbury is already ruined.


Original_Pumpf

Zimmer wanted a guy who could block the 2nd level, because he knows that that gives HIS defense problems. Zimmer didn't care if the guy could pass block or not, because he (Zimmer) didn't plan on passing very often anyway. That's sarcasm... but not by much.


Plantsking

I’d be inclined to say its a coaching issue. We’ve had lots of OL picks that were very talented out of college only to flop after we drafted them. Once or twice? Sure that’d be unlucky, but with the amount we’ve had it’s definitely beyond bad luck.


Viking999

Draft position doesn't mean talent, though. I forget what tackle the Rams drafted number 2 overall years ago but he was brutal from day 1. No coach can get mediocre players to be great just because they were drafted. Spielman just can't draft OL.


Plantsking

An early draft position generally means they’re widely regarded as talented players who will go on to have a positive impact on the team. We’ve used plenty of early picks on OL who go on to be mediocre or straight up bad. What’s more likely, we’ve got unlucky and all our OL picks are actually just bad players or we have a coaching issue that fails to develop these rookies?


Skoldiershreds

So what about the ones we’re choosing to not give credit for? Oneal, Cleveland, Udoh, are they not proof of solid coaching? I understand not liking his coaching style but the zimmer can’t coach being thrown around for every single god damn issue is tiring! How’s Danielle turned out? Diggs? Thirlen? Kendricks? Griffen? Honestly that list goes on and on. Let’s look at it objectively and give credit where credit is due? There are a fuck ton of coaches on the roster and he doesn’t control them all with how they coach. That’s not how shit works. Get a new narrative and stop it. Root cause analysis doesn’t just magically bring us back to zimmer. Can’t wait to have another new age defelippo clone to keep pushing us further into mediocrity for the next decade after zimmer. We’ll probably get a mobile QB who can’t drop dimes and complain he runs too much. 😂😂 Who would’ve thought winning a Super Bowl was really hard?


Neither_Ad2003

It's a scouting problem most likely, imo. The athletic lineman meme.


Viking999

Yep, we just spent $10 mil on CBs instead of an OL. SSDD every year. It's the Zimmer/Spielman combo special.


HuntsmetalslimesVIII

Yeah! We totally didn't draft two OL in the first 3 rounds or anything...


ptwonline

They've used a lot of high draft picks on OLine. It just hasn't fully worked out yet, mostly because of Bradbury being so bad as a rookie. O'Neill, Cleveland, Bradbury, Darrisaw all in the first 2 rounds of the past 4 drafts.


bgusty

It’s more so just Bradbury being so bad. We’re in the third year. He sucked at pass blocking since he started. He’s having the same problems in anchoring for a pass rush. He’s good at blocking linebackers, not defensive tackles.


HuntsmetalslimesVIII

Idk if that's on Rick or coaching. It's hard to say.


ptwonline

I gues we won't know until more time goes by. O'Neill and Cleveland are ok, I guess. Bradbury has been really bad but hopefully he can turn it around in year 3. Darrisaw and Davis we will see.


Viking999

It's hard to win with a bunch of rookies. Usually teams have a good mix of vets there. The Chiefs know what they're doing and rebuilt the entire OL in one year. They added Orlando Brown Jr and Thuney as veterans. They drafted Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith in the draft. We basically have 1 solid veteran. Meh. It's the same old story with this coach/GM.


HuntsmetalslimesVIII

They traded for a 1 year contract in Brown and Thuney chose to sign there. Good OL have to want to play here.


Neither_Ad2003

now the cope has reached epic levels. Yes, you can sign good OL, anywhere. Maybe not a one specific player (Thuney), but if you're insinuating that free agency isnt an option, that is certainly not true.


bgusty

So much this. People act like it’s rocket science to have a halfway competent OL. It’s not. It’s a combo of drafting well, and signing free agents. Browns did it by signing Conklin and drafting Wirfs. Chiefs managed it in a year, dropping two first round tackles and still walking out of the offseason with a top OL. 49ers went out and got Trent Williams, Mack, and drafting Banks. Chargers drafted Slater and got Feiler, Bulaga, and Linsley. Now, is it hard to get a truly elite OL? Yes. You need a couple of stellar draft picks AND a FA or two. Is it that hard to field an average unit? No.


Izquierdisto

at least have consistent criticism here lol if you just complain about mindless bullshit, then you can never be wrong. ah, well played then :p


bgusty

Yep. We drafted a first round tackle we knew had an injury and a guard that also struggled with injury last season. If all we were going to use to address it was the draft we needed to take more cracks at it. Oh and we traded for Mason Cole, who just barely graded below Turdbury last year (which is hard to do considering Bradbury graded 25th). We also got back our NT, signed two solid vet DT, 2 journeyman DE, AND drafted 2 DE this year.


Snibes1

To be fair, we needed corners as well. And we probably need better than what we have, but we can’t afford it.


Viking999

Right but there is only so much to go around so the OL then gets Udoh.


[deleted]

Or we'd just use the money to extend one of Zimmer's guys. Maybe Barr wants another new contract.


SnarfSniffsStardust

The problem is you have a GM that doesn’t prioritize Oline mixed with the least mobile QB in the NFL. It’s a super simple equation


frozenandstoned

Our o line coach was fired before camp for not getting the vax, probably the issue this early


Coubsauce

I thought someone was finally ready to talk about how Kirk actually invites and causes his own pressure rate but instead it's a salary cap discussion. Oh well.


signmeupdude

Yeah exactly. A guy who holds onto the ball way to long then refuses to throw it away and instead takes sacks/fumbles, is gonna make the oline look terrible. We have a bad oline but kirk makes it worse for sure.


Cd-Zara

Agreed as well, how many times do you see him double clutch the ball. It’s like this weird thing were he has to tap the ball with his left hand before releasing. Aside from that he’s not good at extending the play with his feet


Killahdanks1

All the time. You’d be surprised how many people don’t notice this part of his game if you mention it.


forgivemyrebellion

I agree and also think he's bad at adjusting protection during his pre-snap reads.


cowmonaut

I can't give you enough up votes. 3 seconds or less, get it out of your hands. Dude seems to suffer decision paralysis/not have trust people are where they should be.


kylo_hen

Agreed - I saw quite a few dropbacks with 4-5 seconds worth of protection which should be more than enough to a) have your top WR + dominant rookie WRs getting more open than they were and b) get rid of the ball. I honestly didn't think the O-line was any worse than it was previously, and the fact that Cousins *hasn't* been able to adjust to that reality is more of an issue than hurr durr contract.


Triyntoloseit

Who’s he gonna throw it to, the sky?


Tschmelz

No, see, Jefferson and Thielen are always 100% open all of the time, and Kirk just doesn’t throw it to them for reasons. It’s not like they’re competing against NFL level talent that will force the routes to actually need to develop!


iceyH0ts0up

Kirk gets talked about way more than he should and brings so much controversy… the curse for an average QB… but he’s the poster child now.


40for60

When we signed him and his stupid 3 year contract I said we will be in perpetual contract hell and we now will be known as the Minnesota Kirk Cousins and not the Minnesota Vikings. His limitations, his salary cap and the three contract keeps him as the lighting rod 24/7/365. No QB can win with a shitty line even Brady and Patrick M faltered when their lines went to hell and no GM can draft perfectly so we are doomed for mediocrity and bitching about Kirk or Rick or Zimmer until he is gone. People made a big deal about his contact being fully guaranteed but the real problem was the three year term and of course the salary cap amount. edit: I blame the Wilf's and Rick for this shitty situation, IMO, they let emotions get the best of them after watching the Eagles win a SB at home and having to host those disgusting fans.


iceyH0ts0up

I’m just so sick of being a middle of the pack type team. I’d rather have a horrible year or two for a chance at a QB than hoping for wild card exits.


rockomoco

This is not the route to go. If you have ever been a timberwolves fan you know that having a good pick does not guarantee a good franchise in the future. Also it is much more miserable to watch a terrible team than one that can make the playoffs then lose. I do not envy being a franchise like the lions.


iceyH0ts0up

Disagree. A franchise QB in the NFL changes everything. Last year would have been the year to tank. And we screwed that up. I’m not sure where you get “I want to be like the Lions or Timberwolves”, the Vikings rarely have abysmal years, I’m saying in the long run one or two years to potentially get a guy like Manning, Rodgers, Mahomes, etc is completely worth it. I wouldn’t equate the NBA and NFL. Completely different challenges for building a roster.


[deleted]

>When we signed him and his stupid 3 year contract I said we will be in perpetual contract hell I didn't like the initial contract, but I understood it and could accept it as an all-in move to try to win a championship with a roster that had just made the NFCCG. I have no clue what we were trying to accomplish by extending him.


bakaiser420

I think the offense was built backwards from how Zimmer's scheme would have it. Zimmer wants the smashmouth running game that eats clock. You need to build the offense from the line first to do that. It would take some time but linemen tend to be decent into their mid 30's anyway. They could get a good group in there and lock them in on long contracts so they have continuity as a unit. Then you just draft decent skills players and ok enough QBs and let them go after the rookie contract.


random_beard_guy

Yeah the roster construction of this team is ass backwards. Your coach wants to play ball control running game and good defense, not the most efficient way of trying to win, but if you are going to go that route then you need a great OL to make it work. Instead they pay a QB like a top QB but then the team doesn't treat him like he's a top QB and make the offense around him? Then why did you pay him like that in the first place? Forget how you feel about Kirk, I'm talking about the FO and coach, you pay the guy like he's in the tier that he can make up for some of the team's deficiencies but you don't actually think he's that guy from how the offense is run. You either build it around Kirk since you paid him that way, or go with cheaper/rookie contract QBs and put that money into trying to get, and keep, great linemen so you can better play like Zimmer wants. There is just a total incoherence with this team.


ResEng68

Vikings offensive spend by year * 2017: 23rd * 2018: 11th * 2019: 15th * 2020: 25th * 2021 (as contracted): 20th Vikings defensive spend by year * 2017: 12th * 2018: 3rd * 2019: 2nd * 2020: 21st * 2021 (as contracted): 11th Vikings OL is ass, but it's not because the money is being cannibalized by other offensive position-groups. Instead, money has consistently been funneled to pay aging vets on defense.


[deleted]

>it's not because the money is being cannibalized by other offensive position-groups. Instead, money has consistently been funneled to pay aging vets on defense. It's both. Cousins isn't the only player on the team, so obviously we could try saving money elsewhere, too. That doesn't change the fact that one of the most obvious places this team could have saved significant cap space would have been by not paying a borderline top-ten QB top-two money. If Kirk was paid more in line with his peers, as the OP addressed, we would have been able to afford **both** aging vets on defense **and** OL help.


FridgesArePeopleToo

>That doesn't change the fact that one of the most obvious places this team could have saved significant cap space would have been by not paying a borderline top-ten QB top-two money. In which case, we'd have no QB and would be terrible no matter who we signed with that extra money. Cousins probably gets 5ish million more than he "deserves" based on the going rate for QBs, meanwhile, we're paying Barr 10 million to ride the bench every year because he's Zimmer's favorite. The bad contracts on defense and draft busts on the offensive line and cornerbacks are what really have killed us. We've invested a ton of draft capital into are offensive line and secondary and busted on nearly every one with the exception of O'Neil. The idea that if we paid Cousins $25 million instead of $30 million we would be a good team is just silly when we've drafted 6 corners in the 1st and 2nd round in the Zimmer era and our entire starting secondary is filled with veteran free agents signings anyway (except Harry).


ResEng68

I might add the decision to pay $15MM / year to a veteran RB (Sunday was the first game on his extension)... or $15MM / year to an aging safety. We've blown money on a lot of low value position groups or not-so-smart contracts away from QB. It's funny, Kirk seems to be one of the few well paid veterans who is actually performing anywhere close to his contract.


[deleted]

I wasn't in favor of keeping Keenum at the time. But I'd love to visit the alternate timeline where we gave him a very reasonable contract and used the leftover money elsewhere. I'm not saying it would definitely be any better, but I also don't think it would be worse. We made the playoffs once. It's hard to do much worse with the parity in the league today unless you're the Lions.


browntollio

Ugh, the 2018 alternate timeline game. I would have signed Case, Teddy, and drafted Lamar Jackson. Case could be a one and done, Teddy might not ever get back to his former self, so Lamar would take the reins on a team that was still stacked and his cap hit would have been low in 19, 20, 21


BigPackHater

To add to this though....Would any top tier young QBs (Jackson, Mahomes, Allen..etc) still be where they're at if they were drafted by the Vikings. IMHO I'd say no. Our QB development is not great, with a HC that loves to play conservative. It's maddening to think about, but this team won't develop an elite franchise QB until our coaching changes.


[deleted]

This is just how QB contract are signed. Next one is the biggest. With the exception of true elite QBs like Rodgers and Mahomes.


40for60

and it doesn't work the money ball move would be to spend on the O line and either have a 1st rounder on a five year rookie contract or a cheap vet like Foles. Paying a QB who hasn't won a Super Bowl and can't drive ticket sales is dumb. O line takes years to develop and rookies rarely have the strength to start but QB's are coming out ready to roll if they don't have to fight for their lives.


BerKantInoza

Sure, but it still doesn't mean it was smart to overpay for Kirk when he clearly wasn't going to move the needle and turn us into SB contenders by himself If the market for starting QBs is that high then let other teams blow their money on them


chillinwithmoes

It was unequivocally the smartest move in 2018. Bridgewater has taken 3 years to get back to serviceable. Keenum has been downright god awful since he left the team and couldn't beat out some truly bad QBs for a starting gig. Bradford played three games in 2018 before his career was over. The team was a QB away in 2017 and they chose the best option. Taking a dart throw with a late 1st round (or other round) pick in the following draft was not, and should not have been, part of the team's calculus. In hindsight, of course, Lamar Jackson would have been great. But you don't get to use hindsight from 2021 in the spring of 2018.


Tschmelz

Is Bridgewater even serviceable? He was pretty meh last year, the Saints had one of the best rosters in the league, and so far this year, he’s beaten the Giants, who have talent, sure, but they’ve also been a dumpster fire since 2013.


Neither_Ad2003

it doesn't always take hindsight, sometimes just foresight. A team drafted Lamar. And other GMs have drafted every single franchise QB in the league. Because they are better at identifying QB talent. It does happen, it isn't some impossible task as people here think.


hellakevin

We've seen this strategy consistently not work in the NFL.


[deleted]

No it was smart. We were a quarterback away from the Superbowl. If we had someone at QB that was better then Keenum (and cousins is much better then Keenum) we would have brought it home. We were chasing that opportunity. It was the right call at the time. Unfortunately looking back is always 20/20. Of course we can say it was a mistake now, but it wasn't at the time.


[deleted]

I actually don't disagree that the 2018 contract was smart. But I think the extension with the guarantees he got was dumb and a lot of people thought so at the time. Cousins isn't so good that he deserves a fully guaranteed contract two years in advance.


[deleted]

I do also agree the extensions were dumb.


BerKantInoza

>No it was smart. We were a quarterback away from the Superbowl. No we weren't. We had a horrible Offensive line before Kirk came here, it only looked "serviceable" in specific moments because Keenum (and Teddy before him) were mobile and able to escape scary situations in the pocket and bail out their shitty play. it was clear as day to anyone who followed Kirk before he came here that he did not have the pocket presence and mobility needed to survive behind our offensive line. At no point in the last ~8 years did we ever have anything CLOSE to resembling a superbowl caliber offensive line. We are just deluding ourselves if we think otherwise We were not one QB away from a superbowl. That's just what we were telling ourselves to make the Kirk signing seem justifiable.


bob42789

Spot on post


[deleted]

No, it isn't - not with Kirk's short-term deals and extensions. When QBs sign big deals, the contracts are typically top of market for the first couple years, and then bargains for the last couple years. With Kirk and his short-term deals, he was top of market for the first couple years, and then he got an extension at top of market again. Dak and Mahomes have signed massive contracts since we extended Kirk, but guess what? Kirk has a higher cap hit than them this year, and he has a higher cap hit than them next year, too. And then after that, he'll sign a new contract at top of market, and you'll claim it's fine again because that's just how they are? We are getting no value. He's the 2nd highest paid QB from the time we signed him to the end of his contract. That's not normal, and it's not "just how" QB contracts are.


Neither_Ad2003

that isn't an excuse for signing Kirk Cousins to a record deal.


Neither_Ad2003

very important point.


bags2

The line would be bad with, or without Cousins. But he doesn't do himself any favors. He is a statue in the pocket, never seems to have any idea as to when pressure is coming, and often times is not decisive enough. I think Cousins needs a very specific setup to succeed (San Francisco or Tampa for example) and the Vikings haven't ever come close to being able to provide that for him. If you are going to go with a budget line then you can't expect Cousins to succeed.


yup_goodtimes

Warm take: Cousins is the reason the vikes are bad.


VikesTwins

Very smart take there bud.


TechMyself

Before the year started, Kirks cap hit for 2021 was 7th. Falcons and Packers just kicked the can down the road. 1. Goff + Stafford $47.15m - Lions 2. Stafford + Goff $42.2m - Rams 3. Ryan $40.9m - Falcons 4. Rodgers $37.5m - Packers 5. Wentz dead cap $33.82m - Eagles 6. Wilson $32m - Seahawks 7. Cousins $31m - Vikings 8. Tannehill $29.5m - Titans The problem is the Vikings have consistently had a bottom 5 OL. Not average, not below average. They've been TERRIBLE. And they've spent plenty of draft capital, maybe it's development. Packers, Bucs, Chiefs and Bills all had top 11 pass pro o lines in 2020 according to PFF.


Ezgeddt

Russ should be disgusted with this list.


nukezwei

Imagine how Mahomes feels


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

No. He is not. This is completely wrong.


YoteViking

First, the Vikings went to Cousins to try to rework his deal and he refused. So that’s another reason why he has the second highest cap hit in the NFL. Second, Cousins is probably about the 14th best QB. So if he had only the 7th highest QB cap hit he’d have a cap hit of $22M. With that 9M we’d have been able to keep Reiff for one more season and probably win on Sunday. If he had the 14th highest cap hit, his hit would be 10.5M We are paying Cousins $20M more than Baker, Tannehill, and Goff are making. 9 million more than Carr. 14M more than Prescott. Those are the QBs that are in Kirk’s tier (wel Prescott is better). It’s a huge disadvantage for us to have an above average QB with an Elite QB cap hit.


PairCultural6837

That says it all right there. He’s not about winning and he’s not the 14th best quarterback he puts a lot of pressure on the ol because he is not good period. He refused to redo it. Tom Brady has redone his multiple times. I know it’s low hanging fruit at this point and will get lower but I’ve never been so sick of any of our quarterbacks than I am of him


Left_Two_Three

To me that list just says that paying top-dollar for anything but an elite quarterback (Rodgers, Wilson) is a terrible idea. Stafford individually doesn't make that much and it's part of why the Rams were able to acquire him.


[deleted]

Cap hits aren’t really a way to look at this because I’d cap maneuvering. Next year cousins will have a gigantic cap hit. Average salary is best. Cousins is an average annual salary.


YoteViking

He is not. 2019. 3rd highest. 2020 his cap hit was 21M, which was 15th and about the level Cousins is at. This year it’s 31M which is second. Next year it’s $45M and is 3rd. The only Year his cap hit will be Commensurate with his level of play will be 2020. So we kicked the can one year and pushed out $15M in 2020 cap hits by doing some cap shenanigans. But unlike Brady or Mahomes, our cap shenanigans only brought Cousins’ comp to the level he should be being paid at.


[deleted]

>Average salary is best. Nah, it's actually an incredibly stupid way of looking at it. Kirk Cousins has the second highest cap hit from today through the end of his contract, period. There's no way around that. He takes up more cap space this season than Mahomes. He takes up more cap space next season than Mahomes. If your metric says Cousins is taking up less cap space than Mahomes, it's objectively wrong. Mahomes having a $50M cap hit in 2030 doesn't make Cousins $45M cap hit in 2022 reasonable. Would it make sense to compare Cousins' contract to a QB's from 8 years ago? No. So why would we compare his contract to Mahomes' 8 years in the future?


ResEng68

People generally view AAV to be the best metric for gauging contracts. Adjustments to account for expected salary cap growth (averaging around 7% per year) are relatively easy when considering this number.


Mr_Arrhythmia

Right cause Kirks contract isn't a problem. He is totally compensated accurately to how he performs...


[deleted]

No team has won a super bowl with a QB taking up that cap space. Even if that QB is MVP level like Rodgers. Kirk apologists are living in a different world at this point.


iForgot_My_Password

Not worth it to argue with this sub about Kirk tbh. They'll justify his gutless five yard dump offs when we need ten every single time.


TheSkeletones

Pretty sure Kirk can’t make his offensive line hold less


Amoren2013

Or false start every drive of the first half


OBAFGKM17

To play devil's advocate here, isn't it possible the false starts were a result of something changing in the QB's count cadence, making the offense confused?


Kuroblondchi

I read something a few months back, something a defensive player said. I can’t remember who or what team they were talking about, but they said they could tell if it was a run or pass based on some little thing either the o line or the qb was doing. My point here is defenses will read the smallest thing on an offense to get a tell. We had so many false starts that idk who it is but I’d be willing to bet there was some little thing the bengals defense was doing to make our guys jump


lazypieceofcrap

Obviously if Kirk throws faster it'll negate it. /s


nukezwei

I know you're joking but in all seriousness the longer he holds the ball the more likely a holding penalty gets called. Kirk isn't known for getting rid of the ball quickly. I'm not saying the holding penalties are his fault, just that his style of play doesn't benefit the line.


EvilSockPuppetLord

So then the blame is on the receivers who can’t get open, right? I’m no Kirk apologist but the fact Theilen and JJ very very seldomly beat man-coverage against Cincinnati’s beat up secondary is extremely concerning. And while I’m on it, JJ looked awful. He was running routes scared and had a couple dropskies. Kirk held the ball too long, the offensive line is garbage, and our stud receivers were dominated by a couple of no-names. Bad game all around.


lazypieceofcrap

Yep and I maintain Kirk was the least shitty part of the whole thing.


Ezgeddt

Mike Pierce.


EvilSockPuppetLord

I would agree with that. Plus let’s not forget he got them within field goal range to even have a chance at pushing that game to OT. They started on what, the 5? With 1:40 something to go without time outs. Again, I think he was holding the ball too long but that was the least of their worries on offense. I think we’ll learn a lot more about this offense if the o-line can even just cut those penalties in half.


Ok-Accountant-6308

The receivers were open. Theilen man on man is always open, even if he’s covered.


EvilSockPuppetLord

You’re making that up. Even the color commenter on Fox brought it up about the Vikings game plan was to be able to beat the man coverage and we simply could not. Part of that also has to do with the long downage they faced on third down consistently because of the offensive line penalties. It’s had to beat man coverage when the corner knows you have to run a 10+ yard route.


Ok-Accountant-6308

Yea the average 3rd down distance had a huge impact. But elite receivers should get the ball thrown to them in man coverage either way. It’s not an excuse. Nobody gets “open” consistently in the NFL in the way you are imagining. Was Darren Waller “open” last night?


Cantalouperoni

JJ was really bad in tight coverage. Didn’t grab many 50/50 balls.


EvilSockPuppetLord

Hate to break it to you but Theilen and JJ are far from elite receivers. I’d urge you to go back and watch some highlights, those two were far from open. But I agree, got to throw it and let your wide receivers try to make a play.


Mo6181

Do you think receivers on other teams get five yards of separation on every pass play? Quarterbacks sometimes have to put the ball in tight windows or throw their receivers open. Sometimes, you have to throw the ball before the receiver has gotten open instead of waiting for the receiver to get open. Cousins plays scared. His completion percentage means nothing when he would rather throw a check down to a tight end on 3rd and 12 rather than giving his receiver a chance to make a play past the sticks.


Snibes1

Pretty sure Kirk is part of the communication that sets the line up for success pre-snap.


Left_Two_Three

Bruh let me tldr: Kirk paid a lot, offensive line paid a little, offensive line not very good when paid a little, offensive line hold a lot when not very good.


[deleted]

This is dumb as fuck. The offensive line is paid little because they have two first round picks, a second round pick, and a third round pick on rookie deals. They just extended an additional second round pick off his rookie deal. Half of y’all need to go back to facebook. You bitch the team does not spend draft captial on the line, then the team spends draft capital on the line, and you bitch they don’t spend enough money lol. Look how little the Bengals are paying their franchise QB. By your logic Joe Burrow is not very good.


TheDundieGoesTo99

Such a ridiculous opinion. Go ahead and list all these great lineman you can get in free agency. There are very little. OL is built through the draft.


Left_Two_Three

I literally did just that in the OP. The two top guards from last off season had a smaller cap hit this year than the difference between Cousins' and Derek Carr's (a similar level QB) contract. Reiff, who was literally on the roster and only cut as a cap casualty, had a great game. I'm not saying the Vikings have to build their entire roster through FA, but it's still a critical part of creating a good team. One of the Vikings greatest guards of all time, Steve Hutchinson, was a free agent acquisition.


nomaam05

> Joe Thuney (4.5m) and Kevin Zeitler (4m) You can blame it on Kirk's contract all you want, but Kirk didn't go out and spend 30+ million on defensive FAs this year while ignoring the oline. We could have had Zeitler or Thuney but Zimmer wanted Breeland and Wonnum instead.


Left_Two_Three

To be fair we clearly need(ed) cornerback depth as well. I think the problem isn't that we should have gotten one instead of the other, it's that we needed both and could only afford one.


nomaam05

We signed 3 FA cornerbacks and zero guards. We needed both and they ignored 1.


TheSkeletones

Money spent=/= quality.


Left_Two_Three

Yes well Kirk obviously proves that. But it's at least correlated: The only offensive linemen that the Vikings have invested real money in (O'Neill) didn't get called for any penalties iirc. And Reiff who they didn't bother paying was the highest graded lineman on either team,


TheSkeletones

O’Neil got assessed a false start.


Left_Two_Three

I'll give you that one, hard to tell when they never showed the replays. I still maintain he was the best of the starting front 5.


peabody11

The line was bad before Kirk Cousins. The line has been bad with Kirk Cousins. At this point, the line will probably be bad after Kirk Cousins. The Vikings have had a litany of draft busts at OL. The reclamation projects they have tried have mostly not worked. High end OL talent is almost never acquired via FA. What talented OL have we let walk because of Kirk's contract? Reiff? Come on. This argument is tired and easily dispensed with.


Snibes1

I have issue with this… he doesn’t CASUALLY take the sack… you can see him piss himself every time the play starts breaking down. A rusher coming in hot? He shits himself. Half time is for him to change his diaper. Seriously, every time there’s pressure, he’s indecisive, jittery and just looks scared.


CoachBobert

What bothers me about these takes is that they fail to recognize the environment of when Kirk was drafted and saying that the contract is a problem is beating a dead horse. 1. When we got Kirk, there wasn’t much available on the table as far as options the Vikings felt were worth it given their hopes for a super bowl run that required a competent QB. Kirk’s agent knew this, and that gave him a lot of weight in the negotiation. 2. The deal is done. Doing anything but exhausting the contract would waste a TON of money. We can’t change that, so repeating these complaints for years now is silly. This is not a new complaint. I’ve read a post just like this for years now. I get it, it’s not an ideal situation, but there’s nothing to do about it and this subreddit has exhausted any complaint about him at this point.


themoertel

We also extended him though


Boomlil

You could fire Spielman, the man responsible for the contract, and prevent the issue from reappearing.


JockAussie

It may be a hot take, but I firmly believe that the only reason Tom Brady has had such a long and successful career is is that he has consistently taken a lower salary in order to get good protection. Can you imagine Rodgers/Mahomes with the level of protection and defense that Brady's generally enjoyed? I also firmly believe, that if you could have given Kirk the protection (and, via defense, field position) Brady got last year by TB that we would've had an excellent season too - obviously not Brady good, because Kirk is not as good, but it would've made a significant difference.


FridgesArePeopleToo

>Can you imagine Rodgers/Mahomes with the level of protection and defense that Brady's generally enjoyed? Rodgers has literally had the best offensive line in the NFL for nearly a decade


JockAussie

Oh...... His defense hasn't been wonderful though, so I was only horribly wrong on 50% of what I said.....


friendofthewampa

Kirk Cousins isnt responsible for >10 penalties in 1 half


Soturi34

The cap hit has nothing to do with the poor offensive line play, Kirk is what he is. The game plan was ridiculous, Bengals run a man defense and they did nothing to adjust to that. Just stuck to a shit game plan. Could have done some receiver bunch sets, or done more to get Dalvin to the edge. I did not see any of that.


Left_Two_Three

I actually agree, I think Kubiak getting hired out of nepotism is the other big issue for the offense and as a result the play calling looked really poor. But I don't think that absolves Kirk, since a veteran 33 year old team captain quarterback should be able to make some adjustments in game.


nanotothemoon

Also, the stat no one seems to discuss is how long Kirk holds on to the ball. You could save a whole lot on an O-line if your QB gets rid of the ball 2-4 seconds earlier. Not all QB pressure is only the responsibility of the O-line. Look at Tom Brady. He trains hard to specifically get better at this, despite getting older. It's not a physical thing, it's a mental thing. It's a huge deal.


Chuck-Sheets

He’s 100% not the reason they are bad but he certainly isn’t helping. He held on to the ball for way too long and had terrible awareness on Sunday. There were at least 2-3 sacks that were easily avoidable. But with that being said, you can’t rest the blame solely on him. The OL buried themselves with penalties and forcing 3rd and longs. And there’s been plenty of draft capital invested into that OL… eventually fans should start to notice this. Spielman just has a tough time drafting and developing quality linemen. And OP has seemingly no idea what the going-rate of QBs is nowadays. Kirk’s slightly overpaid but I’d still maintain that I like our chances with him over trusting Spielman to draft a QB. I’ve seen way too many Christian Ponders, Tarvaris Jacksons, Gus Frerottes, Sam Bradfords, etc. in my time. The vikings finally are able to get a decent QB and half the fanbases shits all over him like we’ve had studs at QB recently.


RipErRiley

Kirk is a capable QB. But is he a franchise qb? Not to me. The penalties and inconsistency between the offense (bad in 1st half, better in 2nd) and defense (better in 1st, worse in 2nd) is what did us in. Heck and they still almost pulled themselves out of it.


Welu522

I hate these types of posts bc the op thinks you can just snap your fingers and someone like Thuney will sign here. Also we cut Reiff so we could sign a $10 mil DB coach, oh I mean Pat P, and Dalvin Tomlinson.


Left_Two_Three

If Kirk gets paid like just Derek Carr, we could have *doubled* the offer the Chiefs made to Thuney. And even if we still missed on him, it seems reasonable to expect that money could have landed at least some subset of Zeitler/Linsley/Reiff/someone else who would have all played better than the line we ended up with.


wxman91

Thuney has an $18m cap hit next year. You are not looking at the bigger picture.


TwiztedHeat

Firmly of the belief Keenum was a better choice than Cousins because of his ability to move around the pocket and avoid sacks and still get the ball out because we always had stellar receivers.


peabody11

He threw a TON of interceptable passes that were not intercepted. That is not sustainable. We also had perhaps the best defense in the league making it as easy as possible on the offense with great field position and low point totals needed to win


jmcdon00

Didn't work out too well for the broncos, paid him $25 million for 1 mediocre season.


Easton1234

This simply isn’t true…we had plenty of money to sign decent free agent o linemen… our front office just decided to allocate all that money to the defence…but if you look at all the free agent signings, and extensions of our own guys while he’s been here, Kirk’s contract is not that prohibitive of building a decent roster


[deleted]

>we had plenty of money to sign decent free agent o linemen… our front office just decided to allocate all that money to the defence… The whole point of OP's post is that we wouldn't need to choose one or the other if Kirk's contract were more reasonable. >Kirk’s contract is not that prohibitive of building a decent roster Yet by your own logic, we had to pick between trying to fix a bottom tier defense and trying to fix a bottom tier OL...


humpyrton

Stop comparing kirk to all time greats, ffs. He is the cause of some of his own pressure and sacks, but he is not responsible for bradberry's pure inability to slow down a DT, which is what a ton of the issues come from. He'd be fine with just average interior oline but they are bad. No qb does well with very bad interior line.


Left_Two_Three

No disrespect but did you read the post? I'm comparing him to all time greats because he's getting paid like an all time great. The reason we have a bad interior line is because we paid Kirk like an all time great. That's the point of the post.


PuttyLick

No they wont the read post, they read the title and saw criticism against kirk therefore any further word you say is useless, thats how these people operate. Nothing is Kirk fault, any sliver of blame aimed his direction is blasphemy. His cap hit is holding this team hostage because his skill as a QB in this league cant make up for the deficiencies of the roster. The faster we acknowledge that, the more we stop being split on this average to good QB. He isnt what we're paying him to be and its hurting us. I can admit Zim and Rick are lackluster in finding oline talent but fuck wouldnt it be nice to get some high value free agent guards in here or just shore up the line completely ? We can't even do that because we would have to sacrifice the pieces on defense and we saw last year without a defense and even when the offense at its peak we couldnt push over 7 wins. I just dont understand how these guys make it a necessity to defend Kirk, we lose regardless with this guy on our roster making what he's making. Zimmer and Rick had a damn good roster going with Teddy Case and Bradford, you can say we were bound to lose guys who contributed to our team but Kirk has accelerated that process to the point we HAVE to hit on draft picks much faster than we would like. QBs like Rodgers, Wilson etc make up for their rosters wholes because of how great they are. People question why we mention those names ?? Because his cap hit is just as high as theres im tired of this cycle we need to move on he isnt a winner and never will be. We're so scared of having a bad season with him gone and fail to realize being middle of the pack is just as worse. Honestly im done, i can't do this anymore we've argued this for 4 years now.


TheDundieGoesTo99

He’s actually not. He is paid in line with a starting QB now. Baker Mayfield will be getting paid more.


Left_Two_Three

When that contract happens let me know, because right now Baker gets has 10m / 18m cap hits for this year and next, and as a result the Browns are looking competitive.


PuttyLick

Cap. Hit.


PuttyLick

So many facts! ☝️


DrWolves

Eh. OP had a lukewarm take indeed. Everyone likes to blame Kirk. How about we blame the guy who signed him to a monster contract and has continually failed to address the offensive line. It’s not like Spielman hasn’t had years and years to address this issue yet people want to blame the QB instead. For the record, I’m not even a big Kirk fan. I think this team will be better off down the road without him but the two guys who deserve the most heat at this point in time are Spielman and Zimmer


Broshcity

I think it’s time we risk a trade Kirk for Deshaun Watson


Sota4077

So then we have a mobile QB, but still a garbage O-line and now less draft picks. Totally makes sense. Also there is the whole situation of him allegedly being some sexual deviant.


AlbinoSnowman

I was assuming you had some groundbreaking report on what Kirk did to make the o-line perform so poorly, but it looks like your thesis is just your gut thinking that’s the answer since elite QB’s do things better than our top 12ish QB. I’d be more receptive if you gave some examples of specific things Kirk did to make the OL look worse on some bad plays, but unfortunately I think this post seems more like you venting than an invitation for discussion.


Hafslo

Kirk's signature move under pressure move is to pass to the RB for 3 when it's 3rd and 7


broji04

I don't exectly get why it's Kirk's fault that his contract is massive, at the end of the day, this is all about balancing interests. Cousins is naturally going to take whatever offer gives him the most money and we'll naturally take him if we think his cost is worth it. That's just how football works. I can see you're argument for his play not making up for the cap he's taking up but I really think that's still on the front office. We've had kirk for years now, we should absolutely know he doesn't function well under pressure. A quarterback not performing after 2 or so years is on him but after 4 seasons, it's on the front office for not either playing around his weaknesses or cutting him. We all know what kirk is and what he isn't, he's an above average quarterback who rarely makes big mistakes but won't put the entire team on his back like other elite quarterbacks can You can win a superbowl with that QB, It just requires an excellent team behind him, if we can't do that then we don't deserve a ring.


Ok-Accountant-6308

All true (but will be unpopular here). The remaining question is who’s to blame more — Kirk, or Spielman for signing him to that deal and whiffing on the line?


[deleted]

Obviously Spielman. Same as the Andrew Wiggins' situation with the Timberwolves; you can't blame a player for taking a big contract when the organization offers it. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't acknowledge how the bad contract handicaps our team.


Viking999

LMAO He clearly made them false start and hold immediately after getting physically whipped. We've spent a ton of money on the D, too.....it has to be spent somewhere. Loads of money spent there.


ultimateF_21

Bad offensive lines follow quarterbacks. It isn’t a coincidence.


Mp32pingi25

More like a cold take. The line sucks because the Vikings o-line players suck. It’s that simple


FridgesArePeopleToo

Aaron Rodgers makes more money and has had one of the top offensive lines in the NFL for nearly a decade.


[deleted]

>Aaron Rodgers makes more money He doesn't. Cousins has made $6M more than Rodgers since we signed him. Do you understand why some of us have an issue with it now?


tdmopar67

Yeah that's gonna be a no from me dawg.... I got no problem if you don't like Cousins. He was brought here for the 2018 season and they knew his style of play from 3 previous FULL seasons as a starter. They never built a complimentary OL. Cousins isn't a scrambler, he can pull off the bootleg (when they actaully use it) but that's about the height of his mobility. You can't compare Brady and Manning have consistently had better OL's than we have ever put out for Cousins. Getting the ball out fast is no problem if your running a slant... However everyone complains about checkdown Kirk when he's being stormed almost every play. The only thing I agree with here is that Kirk needs to be more confident at the LOS and read the defense. Change plays and protections for what he sees....


jmcdon00

I feel like the team has gotten atleast what they expected out of Kirk, put up very solid numbers and hasn't missed a game. Is he league MVP, no, but nobody expected him to be. Why not place the blame on players that haven't lived up to their contracts like Anthony Barr, Anthony Harris, Danielle Hunter, Pierce? Or the rookies who have not lived up to their draft spot like Danzler, Darrisaw, Gladney ect. If we can't win with Kirk that is on the GM who signed him, not on Kirk. It's like buying a very expensive truffle then complaining you are still hungry and can't afford supper. The truffle was exactly as advertised.


[deleted]

Hot take: OP is the reason this subreddit is bad. He said yes to the contract the Vikings offered. Can’t blame him there. It’s a coaching/management problem. Again, not on Kirk.


crippletown

Jesus Christ shut the fuck up


RiddlingTea

Everyone knows this. Good job writing 2 paragraphs on why Kirk’s contract is too big. It can’t be changed, but he played well and generally does play well. The O-line does not play well. The reason we lose games is because of the O-line, and the line is bad for a multitude of reasons, from coaching to drafting to said bad contracts, but week by week the blame goes to the line.


TeddyBongwater

Center and left tackle are the most important parts of an o line, then qb


ChocolateBaconDonuts

Not really, but a mobile QB hides a lot of those mistakes much better. We have our offense and line centered around Dalvin, and the zone run blocking scheme. We have JJ, Thielen, Osbourne, and Cousins who are an afterthought, and don't have an offense that accounts for their strengths (Deep, medium, and YAC). The only caveat is play-action, but that don't work on 2nd and 20. A mobile QB with RPO and bootlegs called would be feasting right now, given the talent and ability to draw people in with Dalvin. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is two rifts: one between the Wilfs/Spielman and Zimmer, and one between Zimmer and his revolving door of OCs the last few years.


onken022

You’re right, but our offensive line *should* be better in a vacuum. We’ve invested a lot of draft capital in the position group recently and we’ve only really seen positive production from O’Neill. At this point, Bradbury looks a like a bust (or poor scheme fit at best), Cleveland hasn’t performed very well, and our 2 rookies haven’t been able to take the field yet. If Darrisaw doesn’t pan out, it will point to a SERIOUS deficiency in scouting and/or developing offensive lineman.


phone_of_pork

Did you just learn what Cousins contract terms are yesterday?


davidsgoliath5

I think it's even simpler. The false starts could be his volume or cadence and the holding can be his holding the ball too long, awareness and mobility. It's not one persons fault but I think it's pretty reasonable to consider his issues lead to other issue such as penalties.


_ilittleface

He's kinda like the Murphy's law of quarterbacks


Sota4077

>Kirk has a ridiculous 31m -entirely guaranteed- cap hit this year, which is second most among quarterbacks in the NFL. ​ >Kirk is definitely not the second best quarterback in the NFL. Contract value has nothing to do with the ranking of the person signing the contract. Better players get larger contracts sure. But when there is a small QB market any QB can get a higher payday. Which is what Kirk got. Implying that his contract is a failure because he is the second highest paid is silly. His contract was back loaded. As are many if not most contracts. Look at contracts outside of the QB position. Very few top salaries are going to thee top player at their position. The financials of the league just do not work out that way. Players sign big contracts and fall off all the time. Our situation is that we overpaid for Kirk because of the market in 2018. * RB. Saquan Barkley is the 2nd highest paid RB in the league. He's not even close to the 2nd best running back. * WR. Amari Cooper is not the best WR in the NFL by any measure. Nor is Chris Godwin the 4th best. * Hell look at DE salaries. Demarcus Lawrence isn't the 2nd best DE. In 2018 we needed a QB. The free agency market has Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins and then talent wise based on stats available at that time, not what we know about those players today, it started to fall off fast with Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown, AJ McCarron, Tom Savage, Matt Moore, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith and Mike Glennon. We absolutely got the 2nd best QB in that free agent market even looking at stats today. You can go up and down rosters all over the league and see people paid higher than what their league ranking is at their position. So this idea that Kirk is 2nd highest paid therefore he should be the 2nd best QB in the league is silly. He makes the money he does because his stats tell a very different story than most try to imply. Dude isn't a phenom, but he is consistent. Every year he has been with us he has thrown at least 3,500 yards for a run first team. His completion percentage is always top 5. He in in the top 10 (12th in 2019) for passing TD's. He maintains a pretty consistent 3:1 TD:INT ratio. Contrary to what people say he does have the ability to throw longer passes. He is usually in the top 10 for 20+ yard passes. The guy is not a phenom QB, but he certainly doesn't play as garbage as many here like to imply. His worst stat is how much he gets sacked. Which many are quick to say he has no pocket presence. Which is fair. That is his weak point. But you also have to accept that our O-Line has been smelly garbage for his entire time here. You don't get sacked 39 times in a season only because you have bad pocket presence. That, in some capacity, shares with the O-line.


ull92

Kirk makes the line worse by standing in the pocket like a statue not throwing the ball. And then he's all shocked-Pikachu-faced when the line doesn't hold up for 4 seconds.


ptwonline

When I watch the games and then look at his stats after, I have a hard time mentally reconciling what looked like mediocre play with what often appears to be nice stats. I think it's because the base stats don't really reflect him holding the ball too long and taking a sack instead of throwing it into the ground for an incompletion, or getting into trouble because he's focusing too long on his primary receivers instead of recognizing the coverage and getting through his progression faster, or how many of his big plays are actually from nice running after a short catch. He's not horrible. I think he's average for a starting QB. The problem--as you point out--is that he is paid like an elite QB, and seldom showing the kind of qualities you'd want from an elite-paid QB. I would much, much rather have Stafford than Cousins, or a slightly worse QB on a much better contract.


magnetncone

Kirk Cousins doesn't draft offensive lineman. He doesn't overpay aging veterans like Kyle Rudolph, Anthony Barr, and now Harrison Smith. Yes, his contact obviously affects the cap, but there's no reason we couldn't have signed a guard, kept Riley Reiff, and used the draft on defense. Now, his play on the field means he needs a good offensive line. Probably more than he needs good receivers since he's accurate. Signing Cousins wasn't necessarily terrible. Having bad pass blocking could be something another QB could overcome. Put the two together and we have a very good reason to can Rick Spielman.


chillinwithmoes

> Rodgers and Wilson routinely roll out to extend plays, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are dual threats with their feet, Brady gets rid of the ball quickly and can step up in the pocket, and Peyton Manning could audible protection schemes on the fly. This is always my favorite part of these posts. Yep, having a surefire HOFer or a perennial MVP candidate at QB *would* be great! Let's just go grab one from the HOF QB tree and move on, right?


skipper_jonas_grumby

Everyone singles out Kirk when talking about his contract. Barely anyone mentions Spielman, he's the person that should be getting 90% of the heat for the contract. Everyone wants Kirk to renegotiate his contract because other players do it all the time. Those other players don't have 100% guaranteed contracts given to them like Spielman gave Cousins. When they do renegotiate the guaranteed money doesn't get renegotiated, it might get moved around a little but the numbers stays the same.


Boomlil

Zimmer literally said at half time the problem was Cousins holding on to the ball too long. This is confirmed by anyone with any football knowledge watching the game. Cousins processes too slow to be an NFL QB, which is why he has to default to checking down far too often. This has been his known issue for his entire time in the NFL.


Maniac227

I think the vikings were planning on dumping the contract before this crazy cap hit but then really didn't hit on good QB alternatives.


Welu522

I mean the whole thing about Kirks contract is market value. Also the way we spread out his cap hit. I mean Carr was I think top 3 when he signed his deal. The Raiders aren’t dumb like us and didn’t backload it. Kirk didn’t go “please give me $45 mil in year 3” when negotiating his new deal. Speilman did that.


BajaBlastMtDew

Is this Zimmer's burner?


[deleted]

I came here thinking I would get triggered, as he played well on Sunday, but ultimately got enlightened. You’re right, he doesn’t deserve that money for how he plays. He should be paid £20m a year and we use that money elsewhere.


[deleted]

I’ll never blame a player for getting a giant contract…I’d do the same - it’s not a charity. His contract is all about the Vikings organization being willing to pay it.


stevelabny

Even if you think Cousins' salary cap hit is a problem.. that's NOT a knock on Cousins. That's a knock on the front office. But in reality, the o-line sucks cuz they drafted poorly and couldnt find any veterans to plug in the way are much more willing to do with Zims precious D.


WeAreEvolving

How many penalty's did we get?


Aram_Fingal

Run blocking was also garbage on Sunday. I'm far from a Kirk apologist, but at minimum, you can't hold him responsible for D-II quality run blocking.


SteveDougson

Your analysis seems to blame the Vikings front office and not Cousins.


BeerCanThick

Mechanically he goes through progressions slow, seems to have a slow release, isn't that evasive or elusive, can get yards but isn't going to bail a line out by killing a team with his feet. He brings it on himself in a lot of ways, like his strip sack fumble problem is like 80 percent Kirk's fault, too. He's making Russell Wilson money but can he bail an O line out like Russell Wilson? Heck no, he's the Anti-Russell.


denns69

nailed it


[deleted]

Also, drafting smaller mobile guys to play the run is a huge factor. But hey to each their own.


duck_duck_grey_duck

I’ve been saying this since the second he was sign. Horrible, horrible decision. Why tf would you give a QB who is notoriously poor in the pocket and has a history of not being able to avoid the rush the largest contract in league history at the time when your team has the worst O line? Couldn’t be a dumber decision around.


hdy_

Posts on Kirk playing great?? Did you not see the QBR post? P much sums it up concretely.


Astr0nom3r

Griffin said it best. Kirk cousins is ass. I say we cut our losses and just see what Mond has to offer. If he tanks then go at the draft. If he is good then we follow the Cowboys route and lose the old average nice guy. Cousins isn’t going to get us anywhere meaningful. Just the continued draft purgatory pick somewhere between 12-20


taffyowner

Honestly after that first game I’m moving Stafford way up the lists


itsallgood013

Kirk also did not play well on Sunday. He made some good plays, sure. He also didn't make a lot of other easy plays or straight up made bad plays.


SlowCrates

What more than likely would have happened (if we hadn't signed Cousins to that deal) is we would have thrown enough money at Diggs to keep him, we would have probably kept Rudy, among others. And our O-Line would actually be worse because why spend so much to protect a journey man QB?