Thorsday Open Thread: December 21, 2017

Happy Thirsty Thorsday, everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying your week, and that you have all your Christmas shopping done. I feel for you if you have to go fight through that mess anymore this year. Shopping at the mall or, God forbid, WalMart is kinda my definition of hell on earth. Shopping at those places this time of year is kinda like solitary confinement in hell on earth........or something. I hope everyone eats lots of good food & gets to enjoy some peaceful family time (hopefully the game has lots of happy yelling and cheering, but it can be peaceful after that). Merry Christmas, everyone!

Around the DN since our last open thread:

Chris talks about the one thing he’d like to change about this season, and that’s the injury to Dalvin Cook. I couldn’t agree more, I was stoked when we picked this kid, he’s got immeasurable talent, and he overcame a lot of adversity to make it to the NFL. He’s the type of person I love to root for, and I can’t wait to see him totin’ the rock for the purple & gold again next year.

Chris asks who you consider to be the Vikings’ biggest Pro Bowl snub. For me, it’s a tough call between Harrison Smith and Linval Joseph. They aren’t talked about as much outside of Vikings circles, because most people love offense and their fantasy statzzz, but I’d say those two are both arguably the best in the league at their respective positions.

Wludford looks at the Vikings roster, where it’s WalMart on offense, and Sachs Fifth Avenue on defense (a little shopping lingo for you).

Vikings news from other sources:

From the Strib, the Vikings’ secondary isn’t concerned about mixed signals (or freelancing, or whatever the heck happened last year) against the Packers this year.

From Vikings.com, watch Pete Bercich looking at the Rogers-less Packers offense in the film room, join Brian Robison in 96 questions, catch Coach Zimmer live as he was wired for sound against the Bengals, and there’s much more to sift through in the media vault.

From 1500ESPN, Mike Zimmer said the loss to Carolina gave the team a sense of urgency. Well, they most certainly came out strong in the following game against Cincinatti.

News from around the rest of the league:

Rams kicker (and one of the best kickers in the league) Greg Zuerlein is out for the rest of the season with a herniated disc. That’s actually a pretty significant loss for them, especially in the playoffs. We Vikings fans know all too well how costly an unreliable kicker can be in the playoffs.

Saints coach Sean Payton says he regrets the choking gesture he made at Falcons RB Devonta Freeman during the game on Sunday. I’m sure he does, he looked even more foolish when the Falcons won the game in OT. Way to keep it classy, Sean.

We come to today’s media selection.

I apologize, normally I play lots of Christmas music, but with all the excitement of the season, I neglected it this year. Well, here’s a great one from the one and only Mel Blanc singing The Hat I Got For Christmas is too Beeg.

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

-No discussion of politics or religion
-No feeding of the trolls
-This isn't a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door
-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
-If you can't disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
-While navigating the open thread, just assume it's sarcasm

With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up & tie one on. Don't forget to tip your waitress, & try the tiger meat.