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It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:57 pm
by J. Kapp 11
We have a thread called the "Sammy-Teddy-Case thread." It's an entire conversation, complete with 181 replies, that talks mostly about WHEN Teddy takes over the team from the capable, yet backup-QB hands of Case Keenum.

I am here to state in no uncertain terms that this team is now Case Keenum's. Or at least, it had better be.

The man has now had five games with a passer rating north of 100, including three in a row. He's not just managing games ... he's winning them. The Detroit game was all Case, a true tour de force of quarterback play. His 22-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph was as good a play as you'll see a quarterback make. His avoidance of the rush and laser throw to Adam Thielen in the first quarter was vintage Keenum, a play he's now making regularly. The read-option run for a touchdown completely baffled the Lions. The man played like a top-5 quarterback today, and he's played that way for three straight games. The Vikings have won 7 straight with this man at the helm. We have a great chance at the No. 1 seed.

This is no longer about "seeing what we have in Teddy" or "Case can't lead this team to a deep playoff run so we need to get Teddy in there." As far as I'm concerned, this is Case's team now, for as far as he can take them. As Zimmer said in the locker room after the game: ""We're not playing to get in the tournament. We're playing to f--king win at home." And he can talk that way because the Vikings have what every team in the NFL wants ... confidence in who is taking the snaps at the game’s most important position.

If Teddy Bridgewater never takes a snap this season, it's OK with me. That's not a knock on Teddy. It's affirmation of Case Keenum. The man is not just playing well. He's making a late run at MVP.

And let's all remember ... there was a quarterback nearly 20 years ago who was an undrafted free agent, had been cut by one team, signed as a deep backup by another, and won the MVP and the Super Bowl after replacing the injured starter. His name is Kurt Warner. So don't tell me it can't be done. As a matter of fact, I'm seeing a lot of parallels here. Hard as it is to say, Case Keenum might just win the MVP. Yes, Case Keenum.

The floor is now open for debate.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:13 pm
by PurpleMustReign
I said during training cp that I believed that the most important move the Vikings made was signing Keenum as the backup to Sam Bradford.
At this point of the season, I don't think there is even a close 2nd. Maybe drafting Cook, but he got injured so who knows how that would have turned out.
I no longer have a feeling that he will for sure eventually lose the job. I believe it is his team. It's his job to lose, and one bad game will not force him out. He is playing out of his mind and continues to make play after play.
Incredible.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:18 pm
by petev_sj
Been on the Keenum bandwagon for some time now.

To me the throw me made to Rudolf to the end zone while knowing he is going to get smashed, speaks volumes about his heart, desire to remain the starter, etc.. ect.

People forget what type of numbers this guy was putting up coming out of college. Yes, no one scouted him, but no one scouted Adam Thielen either. Fitting the two them are having such great chemistry.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:36 pm
by 808vikingsfan
I really don't think it's an issue. This is Zimmer's team. I truly believe whatever he decides, the entire team will be good with it, including Case. Of course, with the way Case is playing now, I don't think Zimmer will do anything at the moment. Still, there are scenarios where I can see Zimmer making a switch.

Case had an almost perfect 1st half again. Not so good 2nd half, again. Conservative playcalling could be to blame.

But yeah, I'd be OK if the Vikings see how far they can get with Case this year. In these past 3 games, I believe Case has shown enough that he has what it takes, a shootout (WAS), a close contest until the 4th (RAMS), and a big lead marred by ridiculous officiating.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:46 pm
by J. Kapp 11
808vikingsfan wrote:I really don't think it's an issue. This is Zimmer's team. I truly believe whatever he decides, the entire team will be good with it, including Case. Of course, with the way Case is playing now, I don't think Zimmer will do anything at the moment. Still, there are scenarios where I can see Zimmer making a switch.

Case had an almost perfect 1st half again. Not so good 2nd half, again. Conservative playcalling could be to blame.

But yeah, I'd be OK if the Vikings see how far they can get with Case this year. In these past 3 games, I believe Case has shown enough that he has what it takes, a shootout (WAS), a close contest until the 4th (RAMS), and a big lead marred by ridiculous officiating.
I think you're wrong about the second half today.

Keenum made two very important third-down conversions in the fourth quarter on passes to Stefon Diggs late that burned a lot of clock, and another to Thielen where a rusher had him dead to rights. The playcalling WAS more conservative, which made it important for Case to take advantage of the opportunities he had. In the fourth quarter, when it mattered most, he did exactly that.

Zimmer said it ... the team got a bit discombobulated emotionally with all the horrible officiating. But it was Keenum -- normally the guy, as Zimmer says, "can go off the reservation" -- who settled the team down and played like a veteran. No, the second half wasn't the offensive juggernaut of the first half, but Keenum gave us what we needed at the time we needed it.

I can see absolutely no scenario that the Minnesota Vikings should take this team away from Case Keenum EXCEPT for injury. Keenum came into the game as the No. 2 quarterback in the entire league in ESPN's total QBR. And if you think a switch wouldn't hurt the locker room, I'd invite you to read the comments of Keenum's teammates. They've bought in. Zimmer is not stupid enough to risk upsetting the incredible chemistry this team has.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:53 pm
by purplehaze
J. Kapp 11 wrote:We have a thread called the "Sammy-Teddy-Case thread." It's an entire conversation, complete with 181 replies, that talks mostly about WHEN Teddy takes over the team from the capable, yet backup-QB hands of Case Keenum.

I am here to state in no uncertain terms that this team is now Case Keenum's. Or at least, it had better be.

The man has now had five games with a passer rating north of 100, including three in a row. He's not just managing games ... he's winning them. The Detroit game was all Case, a true tour de force of quarterback play. His 22-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph was as good a play as you'll see a quarterback make. His avoidance of the rush and laser throw to Adam Thielen in the first quarter was vintage Keenum, a play he's now making regularly. The read-option run for a touchdown completely baffled the Lions. The man played like a top-5 quarterback today, and he's played that way for three straight games. The Vikings have won 7 straight with this man at the helm. We have a great chance at the No. 1 seed.

This is no longer about "seeing what we have in Teddy" or "Case can't lead this team to a deep playoff run so we need to get Teddy in there." As far as I'm concerned, this is Case's team now, for as far as he can take them. As Zimmer said in the locker room after the game: ""We're not playing to get in the tournament. We're playing to f--king win at home." And he can talk that way because the Vikings have what every team in the NFL wants ... confidence in who is taking the snaps at the game’s most important position.

If Teddy Bridgewater never takes a snap this season, it's OK with me. That's not a knock on Teddy. It's affirmation of Case Keenum. The man is not just playing well. He's making a late run at MVP.

And let's all remember ... there was a quarterback nearly 20 years ago who was an undrafted free agent, had been cut by one team, signed as a deep backup by another, and won the MVP and the Super Bowl after replacing the injured starter. His name is Kurt Warner. So don't tell me it can't be done. As a matter of fact, I'm seeing a lot of parallels here. Hard as it is to say, Case Keenum might just win the MVP. Yes, Case Keenum.

The floor is now open for debate.
Right on Kapp. What I love watching the most is how he moves in the pocket to avoid sacks. It is a thing of beauty IMO. And this enables him to make plays with his ARM AND LEGS. It has been a long time since I have been pumped up about our QB. It has been 17 years since we have won 7 games in a row. Like Bradshaw said after the game. Case Closed.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 12:12 am
by 720pete
That TD throw to Rudolph before taking a huge hit was a thing of beauty.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 4:27 am
by 808vikingsfan
J. Kapp 11 wrote: I think you're wrong about the second half today.

Keenum made two very important third-down conversions in the fourth quarter on passes to Stefon Diggs late that burned a lot of clock, and another to Thielen where a rusher had him dead to rights. The playcalling WAS more conservative, which made it important for Case to take advantage of the opportunities he had. In the fourth quarter, when it mattered most, he did exactly that.

Zimmer said it ... the team got a bit discombobulated emotionally with all the horrible officiating. But it was Keenum -- normally the guy, as Zimmer says, "can go off the reservation" -- who settled the team down and played like a veteran. No, the second half wasn't the offensive juggernaut of the first half, but Keenum gave us what we needed at the time we needed it.

I can see absolutely no scenario that the Minnesota Vikings should take this team away from Case Keenum EXCEPT for injury. Keenum came into the game as the No. 2 quarterback in the entire league in ESPN's total QBR. And if you think a switch wouldn't hurt the locker room, I'd invite you to read the comments of Keenum's teammates. They've bought in. Zimmer is not stupid enough to risk upsetting the incredible chemistry this team has.
They had 2 scoring drives in the 2nd half. One drive was 4 straight runs. Third down conversion by Diggs was from Diggs' effort. I'm just trying to keep things in perspective. If the Vikings are in a game where the offense is out of sync and Case is struggling for over a half, or maybe a game and a half, I can very well see Zimmer playing Bridgewater. It's the luxury of having a capable QB on the bench. Oh, I have been reading everyone's comments. They've bought in to Zimmer. They've bought into winning.

Don't get me wrong. I thought Keenum carried this team in the first half. He's on fire right now. There is no reason to make a switch at QB now and I certainly don't think Zimmer would pull Case prematurely. But I don't he'll be closed minded about it either. If Case starts struggling, he needs to think of the team before the player.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 5:17 am
by PurpleKoolaid
That 2nd pass to Kyle was also perfect. Pat Shurmar is calling so really good games, and I would love some more screen passes, especially to Mckinnon. Or Murray, the way he has been playing, but im not so sure how good he is in the passing game.

Case is winnong over the hearts of lots of fans. At the start of the season I didnt think he would be any better then Sean Hill. And nothing better then a backup. He picked the game up easily (or so it seemed to us fans) and has been getting better every game. All aspects of the game, even running with the ball. Too bad the Refs had to take some of the fun out of the game, but it still was exciting.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 5:47 am
by 808vikingsfan
720pete wrote:That TD throw to Rudolph before taking a huge hit was a thing of beauty.

Agree. His TD run was impressive too. Slicing through two defenders takes some guts.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 8:58 am
by HardcoreVikesFan
Case Keenum has played great this season. He is the starting quarterback - not the back-up starting.

As much as I love Teddy, Case is here to stay this year. Looking forward to seeing what happens.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 10:02 am
by dead_poet
Case is now 2nd in the NFL in total QBR and has three of the top-six too QBR games in the league this year. Add in Sam Bradford and the Vikes have four of the top-10 QBR performances. Until this year Case had been hovering in Christian Ponder territory for his career.

Credit to Case but obviously to this offensive line and Pat Shurmer and Rick Spielman.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 10:23 am
by akvikingsfan
My only question is who is the QB going forward from this year? Do we keep the injury prone Bradford (my guess is no). What about the unproven Bridgewater? Do we turn to Keenum and hope that he made a turn and it has clicked for him and this year isn't an abnormality?

I was a huge fan of the idea of starting Teddy as soon as possible. But Case has done enough to show that he has earned the right to start. There is no reason that he should be pulled this season. He should be the starter through the Super Bowl. But the question still remains who do we bring back next season, Teddy or Case? Because if we're being real there is almost no chance that both come back.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 10:57 am
by dead_poet
akvikingsfan wrote:My only question is who is the QB going forward from this year? Do we keep the injury prone Bradford (my guess is no). What about the unproven Bridgewater? Do we turn to Keenum and hope that he made a turn and it has clicked for him and this year isn't an abnormality?

I was a huge fan of the idea of starting Teddy as soon as possible. But Case has done enough to show that he has earned the right to start. There is no reason that he should be pulled this season. He should be the starter through the Super Bowl. But the question still remains who do we bring back next season, Teddy or Case? Because if we're being real there is almost no chance that both come back.
You can't bench Case. It's my hope we win enough that the playoff picture is set and we can get Teddy some game action. If not, it's probably the Case show until the wheels fall off.

Re: It's time to give Case Keenum his due

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:05 pm
by Dmizzle0
Of course Case has made his place ( 8) ) as the starter. I think benching him now would definitely mess up the chemistry.

I still like Bridgewater as well, lets not forget that he went 11-5 with a worse OL.

Bradford is the most accurate QB we've had in a while but unfortunately(maybe fortunate for Case) he's injury prone.

I wish we could keep all three of them for a few years, but I know that's not realistic.