Hey gang. First things first: May you all have a very Merry Christmas, and for those of you that celebrate Hanukkah or another holiday, Happy Holidays. And wherever you are, may your holiday season be filled with love, happiness, and joy.
Because of the holidays, this SMR will be abbreviated. Still have some presents to wrap, and Santa's in Louisville, just down the road. So no music. Let's get to it.
Blue Chip Stocks:
Adam Thielen, WR: There's one guy who keeps playing hard week in and week out. And that's Thielen. He became the third receiver in team history to have over 200 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns in one game, something Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter and soon to be Hall of Famer Randy Moss didn't accomplish in their distinguished careers.
Sam Bradford, QB: For all the Vikings issues that have overtaken them, Sam Bradford really hasn't been a major one. He has an over tendency to check down, but yeah, of all the problems this offense has, Bradford isn't one of them.
Solid Investments:
Jerick McKinnon, RB: McKinnon was able to run well as the offensive line wasn't a hot tire fire.
Junk Bonds:
Xavier Rhodes, CB: So open rebellion against the coach is pretty dumb.
Terence Newman, CB: So thinking you know more about how to defend the Packers versus one of the smartest defensive NFL minds in the NFL is pretty damn dumb, too.
TJ Clemmings, T: So done with him. So. Done.
Buy/Sell:
Buy: This team has some serious issues. Never, in all my years of being a fan of football, have I heard of a team just openly defying a coaching staff gameplan and then, essentially, bragging about it after the game, Unreal.
Sell: Mike Zimmer has lost the team. It's tough to say Zimmer has lost the entire team...but there are some serious issues that need to be addressed. I mean, yeah. I really don't know what to say anymore than wow.
Buy: The DB freelancing is stunning. I'm honestly at a loss for words. I mean, it's one thing to just freestyle it and do what you want, and that seemed to be an issue at times in 2014. But when you have one of the top defenses in the NFL, and it's a scheme that's been really effective, to just blow it off and do your own thing, and then blow off the coach during the game...I don't know man.
Sell: Zimmer should let it slide. I don't know how you address this, but you can't just let it slide because there's only one game left and they're out of the playoffs. Honestly, if this was Newman's doing, cut him. If it's Rhodes, suspend him for the last game. If it's both, do both.
Buy: No playoffs for 2016. This season went to Hell in a hatbasket. At some point, the injuries just became too much to overcome, and as the frustrations mounted, a lot of ugly crap came to the surface. At we hit peak 2016 today against the Packers. Because of course it was the Packers.
Sell: No playoffs in 2017. If this coaching staff and player disconnect gets fixed, this is a good football team. The Vikings will have a ton of cap space, injured players will be coming back, and a new season brings hope. They'll have a manageable schedule since they'll finish third, so the expectation, at least for me, will be that this is a playoff team.
Don Glover Quote Of The Week:
In the first half, after the Vikings went down 28-13, my Dad looked at me and said:
'Looks like they're ready to go home and open presents early.'
Which is what we should all do. Wake up, open some presents, or if you opened them on Christmas Eve, may you enjoy what you received. Merry Christmas, kids. Enjoy your family and forget this turd of a season.