Minnesota Vikings News and Links: December 11, 2018

Hi

I hope you can read this, my voice is shot from yelling at the TV and the game, but I’ll try my best. I’m writing this just as I finish watching the game. I thought about waiting until morning, but then I thought to myself “nah, might as well be honest, everyone else is likely feeling the same way, so why come out with some edited, filtered BS? Tell it like it is, U if you can’t, then have one more cold one & try again.” This game was another stinker put up by an offense that is loaded with talent. It’s like a Ferrari F50...... with square tires and the motor of a Ford Pinto. The offense wasted another solid performance by the defense, a defense who manages to play strong, even though they are on the field for far too long each week, and they keep seeing their efforts turn into..........nothing.

My yelling was mostly directed at the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. His tenure is a beautiful example of how the national sports media knows very little (the same could be said for the national media in general, I suppose). A narrative gets started somehow, then gains steam, then before long, all the parrots are repeating the same thing. Take the post-season buzz about John DeFilippo. We all heard that John DeFillipo (I have used many other names for him this evening) was a genius, and will be NFL’s next great head coach, and that we were lucky to get him as our offensive coordinator. Well, I have to say that I think they were wrong. I’m not normally prone to over-reaction, but this guy is not good at what he is being paid to do, I see no reason to think that will change, and he is ruining the chances for a very good team to do very good things. He seems inflexible, incapable of adjusting mid-game, and his situational play calling is baffling. 1st and goal from the two? Three straight plays from the shotgun, then the failed attempt on fourth, which I can’t recall right now, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he sent everyone deep. How many third-and-short plays were roll-out plays to the right that wound up being throw-aways? A lot. and if Green Bay still wants to hire him as their head coach, I say they should hitch up the buggy, load it up with a few days’ supplies, and come get him. I’ll be in town Saturday, I could help him pack.

The season is not over. The Vikings could easily make the playoffs (that is obviously only going to happen if the offense starts........... playing offense), and I will be in Minneapolis on Sunday cheering them on as loudly as ever, but right now, I’m p***ed, and I’m sure many of you are as well. That being said, please keep the comments civil. There’s no reason to get stupid just because you’re mad about the game, and if you do, in order to show you how wrong it is, I’ll over react because I’m mad about the game. Just kidding, but seriously, remember to:

Around the DN since our last open thread:

Ted brought us an updated Vikings playoff picture, which has changed significantly since it was written.....errr.....typed.

Vikings news from other sources and news from around the league:

Here’s a post-game wrap-up from Vikings.com. I’m guessing Chris will have one up by the time this posts, but I don’t see one yet, so if you really want to read about that mess of a game, feel free.

Here’s a link to the Vikings.com media vault. Feel free to look around, I’m sure they have game highlights (there really weren’t any, though), and interviews and such, I just don’t have the stomach to look right now.

From ESPN, more details are emerging from the incident that led to Kareem Hunt’s release by the Chiefs. Obviously, the assault that Hunt committed was wrong, no one should do what he did. What I really find interesting about this story is the utter incompetence on the league’s part, and their apparent lack of concern about the incident, until the video was revealed by TMZ, that is. The Ray Rice incident, and botched handling of the incident by the league, is not that far behind us, but it doesn’t appear that they learned anything from that incident. The league has made it sound like they knew nothing about the Hunt incident until after the video was released, but it doesn’t look like they tried very hard, either. Here’s a statement by the Cleveland Division of Police, quoted from the above linked story:

The department also revealed that the NFL received a copy of the incident report in February, but the league did not make an official public records request for the document until Nov. 30, after TMZ released the video.

Also from the story:

Hunt has said the league did not interview him, though the Chiefs did. One Chiefs source told Outside the Lines that the NFL told the team not to investigate because the league would handle it.

The story is well worth a read.

We come to today’s media selection:

I dunno, I’m still mad at our offensive coordinator. Here’s one from Ugly Kid Joe, enjoy.

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 and tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, and try the stagnant pond water, inspired by our offense.