FanPost

The Rundown: Player by Player Observations From Week 3




I've got to admit it. I was worried. In fact, I first formulated plans for how I'd do this post if the Vikings lost to the Seahawks. The Seahawks were 12-4 last year, have a defensive guru, have one of the top 3 QBs in the league (after Patrick Mahomes and, tee hee, Kirk Cousins), and all sorts of dark mojo over the Vikings.

So, I had this plan.

Don't laugh. Do not laugh.

Do.

Not.

Laugh.

On Friday I took my daughter, one of them, to the dermatologist. A mole thing but, turns out, not an issue. Next thing I know... I'm the one with a problem! This thing on my forehead (a broad handsome intelligent forehead, of course) turned out to be....

Dun Dun DUN...!

A wart!

So they killed it with a freeze ray thing. Straight out of the Bond film villain bag of evil tricks but in a convenient carry-size canister.

I did not rank the doctor's valuable time so he had his lackey, not at all hunchbacked, do it for him. She starts blasting the wart for, like, 2 seconds. My daughter watches in utter fascination. The cryogenic freeze ray medical henchmen (hench-woman?) asks if I'm doing okay. I say I'm fine. She then blasts it non-stop for another 22 seconds without ever asking again if I was okay! Hey, just because the first 2 seconds went well does not mean the other 22 were smooth sailing!

Maybe she already knew the answer. Perhaps my hyperventilating, trembling, and shaky moans of primeval terror gave it away.

So, what does all this have to do with my plan for how I'd handle my post if the Vikings lost to the Seahawks?

As so:

I would start off real despondent. You know, natural. Then... my dying wart would start a telepathic conversation with me!

Now, yes, I know, you all have to endure some show or movie doing that bit, the old telepathic conversation with a wart bit, probably every other week. Netflix and Amazon Prime and HBO have all certainly done great --award-winning -- work in the genre of telepathic conversation with warts. But, I promise you, mine was going to be different. It was going to be fresh, moving, touching, and poetic.

The dying wart was going to reach out to me out of empathy for my misery, showing compassion I did not show to him or her (or they). Dying wart was going to tell me, "Hey, it could be worse, man, you could be a dying wart!"

There was a lot more than that. The dying wart and I were going to go for a hike, go fishing, philosophize about the meaning of life, and watch a sunset together.

But now it will not happen. Not this week. Not that wart.

To the game!

That was so much fun to watch and such a relief and so cathartic!

Counting the preseason, the Vikings had lost 5 consecutive games. YARG!

My strategy of watching Garrett Bradbury like a hawk in order to make him too self-conscious to make any errors, worked again. I think, if we all do it, we can make this offense do even better! Waaaaaatch the Bradbury!

It's funny, I saw that list of oldest coaches with guys like Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll and Bruce Arians, all great coaches and all older than Mike Zimmer and I recalled some misbegotten fans or Packers trolls, whatever, saying Zimmer was too old to coach. Those fools!

OFFENSE

Kirk Cousins: We all saw it. I don't need to recap. Hey fans! Enjoy having a great quarterback, one of the best in the whole modern NFL. Enjoy it! Just... simply... enjoy. Melt into it. It's okay to have a great quarterback. One might even say it is, to coin a phrase, great.

I will make this observational guess. Mike Zimmer recently talked up Kirk Cousins' leadership like never before. Remember training camp when Cousins had not gotten the vaccine and Zimmer, of course, really wanted him to get it because he selfishly does not want players and their families to die? Unexpectedly, Zimmer was the NFL face of "get vaccinated" and Cousins unwillingly became the "anti-vaxx guy." Diametrically opposed!

Which surprised me about Cousins because he isn't missing teeth and all hillbilly like Cole Beasley so one would think he does believe in modern medicine. I heard about it and I was like, "Daaaaang, does Cousins still use leeches to suck poisons out of his blood???"

But now? Zimmer talks up how Cousins is leading better and greater than ever before.... Do you say that about a guy that is leading your team, by example, to do the opposite of what you want your team to do? No, you do not.

Also, suddenly Zim and Cousins are spending Wednesdays together watching game film. Also, suddenly Cousins is not masked all the time and following all those extra (2020) NFL protocols....

I'm sure you get it by now. Cousins got vaccinated! Great for him, great for the team, but, most importantly, great for his kids and wife. I congratulate him and his lovely family, now expected to live longer.

A little after Cousins was held out of that preseason game and the brouhaha took place (early August), the FDA gave it's formal approval to the vaccine. (August 23rd) Now, most of the anti-vaxxers used FDA approval, or lack thereof, as a crutch for why they had not taken care of their personal medical business. Then, when the FDA approved it, they still, most of them, failed to protect themselves and their loved ones. It may be that Cousins was one of those genuine honest sincere rare waiting-for-FDA approval people.

Alexander Mattison

Fantastic. You know who he reminds me of? Runs low, runs in the middle, catches great screens, runs hard. He's like Kareem Hunt of the Browns except without the kicking and shoving of a woman! I truly believe -- though not every game may prove it and this Sunday's game will not determine the truth of this statement -- that Cook and Mattison are better than Chubb and Hunt. Certainly better people collectively!

Tyler Conklin

Wow. Yes. He had six catches and zero penalties. There were no TE penalties! Ah, yes, the hidden key to the game.

CJ Ham

The fullback refreshing. (remember the beer commercial? Hamms beer? The beer refreshing?

Justin Jefferson

Finally, a 100 yard game from one of our receivers! Yes! It won't be popular, but I will point out he still has the yips, the dropsies. Two more drops. I'm not counting that pass to Thielen that he thought was for him. That is 6 on the year after 3 games. That is 6 too many. It has to stop.

Adam Thielen

All he does is catch touchdowns. What a no good bastard!

KJ Osborn

He doesn't just make catches, he makes quality catches at crucial moments. I'm loving Osborn! You know, it is funny because this was his lowest production game of the three despite a weak secondary and some expecting a great match-up for him. However, all the Seahawks CBs are fairly weak. Thus, may as well throw it to Thielen and Jefferson. Against the Bengals and Cardinals the third CB was a big step down whereas our third WR -- I'm going to say it and no one can stop me! -- is not a big step down from Thielen or Jefferson. He's that dang good!

Brian O'Neill

Rick Spielman has been the master of the second round pick. I think O'Neill is as good, at his position, as Eric Kendricks or Dalvin Cook are at theirs. Also, he was taken at the end of Round 2, not in the middle of Round 2 like those guys. Thus, O'Neill may be Spielman's greatest Round 2 pick ever. Ezra Cleveland and Irv Smith round out (get it, round out) our Spielman Round 2 picks.

Next year, we should trade our #1 pick for two Rd 2 picks and get twice as many players that are great!

I am so glad we extended O'Neill!

Oli Udoh

I am grateful to have him. Wonderful. Fun to watch also. His potential is even higher than his current great work. The future is bright!

Garrett Bradbury

He did get bullied a bit and pushed back by the size of Woods. But, this time was different. In the past he got walked back like he knew he was going to lose. This game he fought every inch of the way. Like he actually thought he might not lose. He fought his butt off. He still doesn't anchor the way we wish he would but his run blocking and movement blocking is a wonder than makes up for it. He did help allow a sack (split with Cleveland) that was called back by penalty and he did have a holding penalty though it was not egregious.

Ezra Cleveland

I love him like a brother. But, he did allow a half sack called back by penalty. Also, it was 2 sacks in game one, not one sack allowed. But I love him!

Rashod Hill

How is he doing it? He allowed a sack and I expect him to allow at least a sack a game until replaced, on average but, hey, the expectation was two sacks allowed per game so I am pleasantly surprised so far. Also, I also love him like a brother. A brother who allows a sack a game and needs some blocking help and does not block too well in the run game. That kind of brother.

DEFENSE

I think we all saw it. This was the game. The game where the Vikings defense jelled and turned the corner. Our second half defense was close to ideal. Not stat heavy. Just stop heavy. That's all we need and all we ask.

DJ Wonnum

Eh.

Everson Griffen

It's really him! He's back!

You can never be sure with the illusions of preseason performance and with age trying to open that trap door from underneath. But, now we know. Griffen is the real deal! He still has it!

It does not matter if Wonnum or Weatherly start or are "eh" and there to absorb blows on early downs and in the run game. My friends, we have a second major rush threat opposite Danielle Hunter. That is the 4-3 ideal.

The sky is the limit for this defense.

Stephen Weatherly

I found it odd he got so few snaps after doing so well against the Cardinals. I know, Griffen is back, but Weatherly only got a handful of snaps vs. Wonnum's bunches. Sort of weird and I don't have the answer.

I'm looking forward to seeing some 3rd and 9s with a D-line that reads: Wonnum, Griffen, Weatherly, Hunter

That is speed, length, energy, long pass blocking arms, hands popping at the football to force fumbles.

Michael Pierce

I could watch him all day. Just rolling around like a wrecking ball. He is a wonder to behold.

Dalvin Tomlinson

He quietly had a GREAT game. He might be my defensive player of the game. He had a couple tackles on or near the line of scrimmage and had an incredible five hurries. Truly incredible for a player at his position and for his size. Look, if Aaron freaking Donald has five hurries it's a good game for him!

Sheldon Richardson

It was obvious to everyone who watched the game that Sheldon read my criticism from last week and responded to it heroically. He had a couple major hurries and was middle man in the 3-man rush/prevent defense (Hunter and Griffen to either side of him). I don't know, maybe he was spy DT the first couple games and that is why he got no push, zero, none at all, in those games. I like what I saw this game.

Nick Vigil

An entire game without a massively big play? Is he slipping? C'mon, Nick, you better get at least one Touchdown against the Browns.

Eric Kendricks

He won the battle within the battle and was the best MLB on the field Sunday. Bobby Wagner can't touch that!

Harrison Smith

He is who we always knew he was. A great player.

Xavier Woods

Eh but this is a different kind of eh. Instead of the Wonnum eh of boredom, this is a conflicted eh. He defended a pass (a Pass Defense is the Sack of the defensive backs) but missed tackles badly as well. The good and the bad negated one another.

Mackensie Alexander

Had some excellent coverages preventing passes thrown to his man. And a tackle on or near the line of scrimmage.

Patrick Peterson

I'm still trying to make up my mind. He makes some great plays and plays that are so veteran and then he also does boneheaded stuff. It's just weird. He had a blown coverage and a missed tackle. He also, most the time, had fantastic coverages, a hard hit, and a great run game tackle on or near the line of scrimmage.

Bashaud Breeland

This CB is even weirder. More boneheaded stuff like that walk-in TD allowed to Metcalf. I mean, huh? Every game he does this kind of thing but his track record is quite different than that and he is a vet. What is going on?

I am still positive on Breeland. I have not soured on him. I think this will get fixed. I don't know if it is the coaching or the new system or butterflies or what, but I don't think it will continue nearly as bad. I hope not!

I know I should get into special teams and I will some other time. I will say Jordan Berry was a wonderful pick up. Also, Greg Joseph was gutty coming back like that from the last game and, credit where credit is due, hand it to Zim for being patient and understanding. It is true, no PK makes every kick every time.

SKOL!

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.