(05-11-2021, 08:30 PM)Pat5775 Wrote: Opening at home, 2 years in a row... who would have thought?

So this is what they meant by NEW DEY 

(05-12-2021, 09:31 AM)Au165 Wrote: Honestly, I don't think that defense is good at all anymore. Peterson is not the guy he used to be and is really maybe a year or two left in the league. Harrison Smith is still solid but not what he used to be. Anthony Harris left in FA. Their other corners aren't very good and their defensive line has really struggled to get a pass rush recently. In fact, their defense last year was one of the worst in the leagues...far worse than ours even.

I think this game turns into a shootout.

It was pretty terrible last year, but I don't know if I would bank on that this year.

The Vikings got absolutely pilfered on defense in FA last year (lost 2 starting DL and all 3 of their top CBs) and then got brutalized by injuries almost exclusively on defense. They had 11 guys on IR to finish 2020 and 9 of the 11 were on defense including Danielle Hunter and Anthony Barr.

Also even if you don't look at the IR exclusively...

All seven #Vikings inactives today are injured players; no healthy scratches for them today. Closest thing I can remember to that is the Thursday game in Arizona in 2015, when (if memory serves) they had more injured players than inactive spots.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) December 25, 2020

It's crazy. I am pretty sure the Vikings were cursed last year. Threw a black cat under a ladder and into a mirror or something.

(05-12-2021, 09:43 AM)Essex Johnson Wrote: We look like having the better shot than Steelers and Browns, over past three seasons Vikings are around 1 game over 500 and don't have the defense that they have had in the past...

Yeah, if I had to bet which team out of just Bengals/Browns/Steelers would be most likely to a W in Week 1, my money would probably also be on the Bengals.

(Though I guess we should remember that the Browns played the Chiefs to a 22-17 game also at KC in the postseason.)

I think the Bengals offense will be able to score against the Vikings even though I think the Vikings D will be much better than last year.... the question I guess is will the Bengals D be able to stop or at least slow down Justin Jefferson/Adam Thienlen/Dalvin Cook enough for it to matter?

(05-12-2021, 09:53 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: It was pretty terrible last year, but I don't know if I would bank on that this year.

The Vikings got absolutely pilfered on defense in FA last year (lost 2 starting DL and all 3 of their top CBs) and then got brutalized by injuries almost exclusively on defense. They had 11 guys on IR to finish 2020 and 9 of the 11 were on defense including Danielle Hunter and Anthony Barr.

Also even if you don't look at the IR exclusively...

All seven #Vikings inactives today are injured players; no healthy scratches for them today. Closest thing I can remember to that is the Thursday game in Arizona in 2015, when (if memory serves) they had more injured players than inactive spots.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) December 25, 2020

It's crazy. I am pretty sure the Vikings were cursed last year. Threw a black cat under a ladder and into a mirror or something.

Vikings have been an inconsistent team... you have to go back to 08/09 seasons when they had two winning seasons in a row.. with all the injuries and changes this is a great time to play them 1st game.. one of the more winnerable games on our schedule at home. 

(05-12-2021, 09:53 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: It was pretty terrible last year, but I don't know if I would bank on that this year.

The Vikings got absolutely pilfered on defense in FA last year (lost 2 starting DL and all 3 of their top CBs) and then got brutalized by injuries almost exclusively on defense. They had 11 guys on IR to finish 2020 and 9 of the 11 were on defense including Danielle Hunter and Anthony Barr.

Also even if you don't look at the IR exclusively...

All seven #Vikings inactives today are injured players; no healthy scratches for them today. Closest thing I can remember to that is the Thursday game in Arizona in 2015, when (if memory serves) they had more injured players than inactive spots.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) December 25, 2020

It's crazy. I am pretty sure the Vikings were cursed last year. Threw a black cat under a ladder and into a mirror or something.

Our defense was as well, but we don't tend to give the same pass to Lou on the injury front and he performed better. I stand by the comment, their defense is aging out and I don't think their corners are very good at all. 

(05-12-2021, 10:05 AM)Au165 Wrote: Our defense was as well, but we don't tend to give the same pass to Lou on the injury front and he performed better. I stand by the comment, their defense is aging out and I don't think their corners are very good at all. 

I have more faith in Minnesota's defense to recover because they're coached by a former very competent defensive coordinator.  

If anyone can help turn that defense from a shit show to a good defense its' Zim.  He did it in Cincy and if he can do it here he can do it anywhere. 

I don't have as much faith in Lou.  Zim has a track record of being a good DC.  Lou has 0 track record.  He hasn't produced a good defense yet.  

I'll believe it when i see it if Lou's defense is improved. 

(05-12-2021, 10:05 AM)Au165 Wrote: Our defense was as well, but we don't tend to give the same pass to Lou on the injury front and he performed better. I stand by the comment, their defense is aging out and I don't think their corners are very good at all. 

Yup.  The Vikes had a worse defense than us last year and Peterson is a shell of his former self(55 PFF grade last year).  I think people are looking more at the past reputation of the Vikes more than the current state of the team 

(05-12-2021, 12:06 AM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Save this for posterity.

Our offense will roll them, not a doubt in my mind.

Will we stop an awesome ground attack? That's what worries me, if I had a worry.

Dead on.  I was going to call this the "Ok, Lou" game.  In other words:  "Ok, Lou...our offense can put up points, can you slow down Dalvin Cook?".  You know Zimmer will be wanting to test their run defense, and they aren't afraid to let Cook have a ton of touches.  If they can keep him in check early, and force Cousins to throw on 2nd and 3rd and long situations, it bodes very well for the Bengals.  

I also think Mixon might have a bit of a chip on his shoulder for this one.  If you remember, the Bengals traded the #41 overall pick to the Vikings, who selected Cook.  The Bengals got Mixon at #48.   Mixon has no one to blame but himself for sliding a bit, but I can still imagine he wants to prove the Vikings wrong.  

(05-12-2021, 09:19 AM)pally Wrote: Steelers open in Buffalo, Browns at Chiefs, Ravens at Vegas on Monday night.

There it is:  Wire to Wire:  The Story of the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals

(05-12-2021, 09:08 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Riley Reiff revenge game.

Trae Waynes revenge game...although I post this in jest.  I am not a big fan of him at all and I think the Vikes willl attack him, if he is able to make the field without injuring himself driving to the game.  

(05-12-2021, 10:37 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Trae Waynes revenge game...although I post this in jest.  I am not a big fan of him at all and I think the Vikes willl attack him, if he is able to make the field without injuring himself driving to the game.  

He also may be in an accident (driving distracted) while counting the money he's been overpaid.

(05-12-2021, 12:06 AM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Our offense will roll them, not a doubt in my mind.

Imagine being a fan of a team that has gone 6-25 over the last two years, has ranked 29th and 28th in points scored, and thinking without a doubt in your mind that we roll someone.

Now imagine being a fan of literally any other team and coming here and reading this.  Imagine being a Vikings fan and stumbling upon this. It would be hysterical.

Look, I have no problem with an opinion similar to this that is prefaced with the words "I think" or "I hope" and is followed by "because .... (insert logic here)".

It's these definitive statements that are so embarrassing.  Guy can't even take the time to explain why he feels we can be successful.  Even worse, he can't even present it in a way that is hopefull or allows for any other outcome.  No reasoning is presented.  It's a stone cold fact.  It's inevitable.

To each their own, but I don't know how anyone could read this and not roll their eyes. 

Good God does this website have some of the biggest homers I have ever encountered on the internet.  The way this dude presents this is as if he's a fan of the Steelers coming off one of the Superbowls, which would still be incredibly obnoxious.  

(05-12-2021, 11:08 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Imagine being a fan of a team that has gone 6-25 over the last two years, has ranked 29th and 28th in points scored, and thinking without a doubt in your mind that we roll someone.

Now imagine being a fan of literally any other team and coming here and reading this.  Imagine being a Vikings fan and stumbling upon this.

It would be hysterical.

Look, I have no problem with a thought similar to this that prefaced with the words "I think" or "I hope" and is followed by "because .... (insert logic here)".

Ex: "I really think our offense can put up some points on their defense because..."

It's these definitive statements that are so embarrassing.  Guy can't even take the time to explain why he feels we can be successful.  Even worse, he can't even present it in a way that is hopefull or allows for any other outcome.  No reasoning is presented.  It's a stone cold fact.  It's inevitable.

To each their own, but I don't know how anyone could read this and not roll their eyes. 

Good God does this website have some of the biggest homers I have ever encountered on the internet.  The way this dude presents this is as if he's a fan of the Steelers coming off one of the Superbowls, which would still be incredibly obnoxious.  

If I am a Viking fan that watched their team play defense, and I saw Burrow put up 30 burgers on the Browns and Titans and had 200 yards passing at the half against the WFT....oh, and I saw them draft Chase and a starting RG that is a mauler in rd 2....I might actually be a little frightened of what the guy could do to us.  

I get what you are trying to do here, but so much of this league's success comes down to one thing:  health.  If you aren't healthy and don't have quality depth (the Chiefs didn't in the Super Bowl, but who does on their offensive line that can win at that level), you don't have much of a chance against a team that has their starting lineup intact.  

Burrow having 200 yards at the half against the amazing WFT defense with the likes of Mike Jordan and Bobby Hart out there compared to what he has coming in this season. both on the line and in terms of weapons, gives me hope and optimism aplenty,  

(05-12-2021, 11:16 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: and had 200 yards passing at the half against the WFT....

Burrow having 200 yards at the half against the amazing WFT defense with the likes of Mike Jordan and Bobby Hart out there compared to what he has coming in this season. both on the line and in terms of weapons, gives me hope and optimism aplenty,  

Just a quick caveat:  Burrow had to throw the ball 34 times to get those 200 yards and we had a total of 9 pts.

Fwiw, I'm not trying to diminish the flashes that Joe Burrow showed by pointing this out.  I think he had a really impressive rookie year, and I think every team has to worry about him progressing and him getting additional weapons.  But I just don't think it's fair to say that Washington game in particular is going to stike fear in opposing defenses.

(05-12-2021, 11:16 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: If I am a Viking fan that watched their team play defense, and I saw Burrow put up 30 burgers on the Browns and Titans and had 200 yards passing at the half against the WFT....oh, and I saw them draft Chase and a starting RG that is a mauler in rd 2....I might actually be a little frightened of what the guy could do to us.  

100% in agreement.

If I'm a fan of any team and I see a healthy Joe Burrow on the schedule with a year under his belt, another huge weapon on his offense, and an improved line I'm going to make a mental note to really look forward to that game, and to hope that the defense can keep him in check.

But if I'm an unbiased observer and stumble across a definitive statement like that "Our offense will roll them. No doubt in my mind."  my eyes are going to roll so far back into my head.  The confidence behind that statement, to the point it doesn't even need an explanation is just so damn silly.

(05-12-2021, 11:22 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Just a quick caveat:  Burrow had to throw the ball 34 times to get those 200 yards and we had a total of 9 pts.

Fwiw, I'm not trying to diminish the flashes that Joe Burrow showed by pointing this out.  I think he had a really impressive rookie year, and I think every team has to worry about him progressing and him getting additional weapons.  But I just don't think it's fair to say that Washington game in particular is going to stike fear in opposing defenses.

True, and I figured you would bring that up...that being said, I will take an 8.33 YPA any day.  The points...I still have trouble remembering what happened that day.  I'm pretty sure Fat Randy missed at least one...but I hear ya.  

What MIGHT strike fear in the hearts of opponents are 3 new starters on the offensive line, a healthy Joe Mixon, Ja'Marr Chase, and the punishing runs of Samaje Perine when the Bengals are in the lead and trying to put the game away.  

(05-12-2021, 11:28 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: 100% in agreement.

If I'm a fan of any team and I see a healthy Joe Burrow on the schedule with a year under his belt, another huge weapon on his offense, and an improved line I'm going to make a mental note to really look forward to that game, and to hope that the defense can keep him in check.

But if I'm an unbiased observer and stumble across a definitive statement like that "Our offense will roll them. No doubt in my mind."  my eyes are going to roll so far back into my head.  The confidence behind that statement, to the point it doesn't even need an explanation is just so damn silly.

Well, to kind of flip the script....if a Viking fan watched the Bengals at all last year on defense, with the likes of LeShawn "my dude is always open" Sims and a revolving door of street guys at DT, I might also think they would "roll" our defense.  That is, as you said, a casual observer might not know the moves made in the offseason nor the extent of the injuries suffered last year.  Not silly at all in that case, either.  Just going by recent history...everyone, except the steelers on National TV, rolled our defense last year.  

I had to mention that game.  The fact that it was Ryan Finley...that smile under the pile.  That was the hardest I have laughed in maybe a decade.  I am sure my steeler neighbor (area is going to hell) heard me across the street.  The hit on JuJue...Ryan Finley....Piggy.  Damn, that was a great night.  

(05-12-2021, 09:27 AM)TJ528 Wrote: Here's the issue with week 1 versus a damn good defense, is 2 fold.  

14th in DVOA puts them basically right in the middle of the league; average.

I think a lot of people are over-estimating the Vikings D; they don't have much of a line and they suck against the run (27th last year, in yards given up), not to mention they lost Eric Wilson, who put up very productive numbers last year (not sure of his grade or other stats, but the counting, raw numbers were very good).

Again, as in my first post, the only worry I have against them, is stopping the run, as they are a superb running team, Cook is a boss and we've had trouble the last 3 years, against the run.

Barring something catastrophic *knocks on wood*, we will roll them on offense.

(05-12-2021, 11:32 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: What MIGHT strike fear in the hearts of opponents are 3 new starters on the offensive line

3?

Reiff, Carman, who is your third?

(05-12-2021, 11:43 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: 3?

Reiff, Carman, who is your third?

XSF/Spain victor starting over the horrible Mike Jordan.  Yes, technically XSF started for a few snaps at RG before missing most of the season with injury so if he wins the job, then he will technically be a repeat starter, but at a different position.