Optimist, pessimist, or somewhere in-between?

[Pondering Her Percy]

I think the bears will drop off. Losing Vic Fangio is a giant loss. That’s like this defense losing Zimmer. Our defense wouldn’t be the same and I can almost guarantee it wouldn’t be better than it is now. I think that happens with Chicago. I still see us losing week 4 in Chicago. We never play good there no matter how good or bad the bears are. But I still see us winning this division. The bears schedule is a little tougher than ours as well. I see us starting 4-1. Beating Atlanta, GB, Oakland and the giants and losing to Chicago.

[J. Kapp 11]

I think the bears will drop off. Losing Vic Fangio is a giant loss. That’s like this defense losing Zimmer. Our defense wouldn’t be the same and I can almost guarantee it wouldn’t be better than it is now. I think that happens with Chicago. I still see us losing week 4 in Chicago. We never play good there no matter how good or bad the bears are. But I still see us winning this division. The bears schedule is a little tougher than ours as well. I see us starting 4-1. Beating Atlanta, GB, Oakland and the giants and losing to Chicago.

Well, ESPN has us finishing 7-9, per their season simulation. They have Green Bay going 13-3 and securing the top seed in the NFC, while the Bears miss the playoffs. Sports Illustrated also has us not making the playoffs.

The Green Bay love is just plain baffling. This is a team that had a losing season WITH Aaron Rodgers last year, and hasn't had a winning season since 2016.

As far as I'm concerned, the Vikings are right where I like them to be -- underrated and under appreciated. Just like 2017.

[Purple Martin]

Yes I am

[Pondering Her Percy]

I think the bears will drop off. Losing Vic Fangio is a giant loss. That’s like this defense losing Zimmer. Our defense wouldn’t be the same and I can almost guarantee it wouldn’t be better than it is now. I think that happens with Chicago. I still see us losing week 4 in Chicago. We never play good there no matter how good or bad the bears are. But I still see us winning this division. The bears schedule is a little tougher than ours as well. I see us starting 4-1. Beating Atlanta, GB, Oakland and the giants and losing to Chicago.

Well, ESPN has us finishing 7-9, per their season simulation. They have Green Bay going 13-3 and securing the top seed in the NFC, while the Bears miss the playoffs. Sports Illustrated also has us not making the playoffs.

The Green Bay love is just plain baffling. This is a team that had a losing season WITH Aaron Rodgers last year, and hasn't had a winning season since 2016.

As far as I'm concerned, the Vikings are right where I like them to be -- underrated and under appreciated. Just like 2017.

Exactly. Whoever wrote that prediction on espn should be fired. 13-3? I’m so sick of hearing about Rodgers. What did they do to get better this year? Added billy turner to their OL? Who is downright horrendous? They had a couple decent signings on defense but that’s about it. I don’t get why they think they are just gonna jump from 6 wins to 13? Zim has Rodgers number. He hasn’t had a good game against them in quite a while and was outplayed by cousins both times last year.

[PacificNorseWest]

Packers about to finish in last place.

[J. Kapp 11]

Well, ESPN has us finishing 7-9, per their season simulation. They have Green Bay going 13-3 and securing the top seed in the NFC, while the Bears miss the playoffs. Sports Illustrated also has us not making the playoffs.

The Green Bay love is just plain baffling. This is a team that had a losing season WITH Aaron Rodgers last year, and hasn't had a winning season since 2016.

As far as I'm concerned, the Vikings are right where I like them to be -- underrated and under appreciated. Just like 2017.

Exactly. Whoever wrote that prediction on espn should be fired. 13-3? I’m so sick of hearing about Rodgers. What did they do to get better this year? Added billy turner to their OL? Who is downright horrendous? They had a couple decent signings on defense but that’s about it. I don’t get why they think they are just gonna jump from 6 wins to 13? Zim has Rodgers number. He hasn’t had a good game against them in quite a while and was outplayed by cousins both times last year.

The 13-3 prediction is supposedly based on computer modeling, which proves that a computer can, in fact, have a man-crush on Aaron Rodgers.

Here's my dream scenario. Week 2 in Green Bay. Rodgers rolls to his right but gets chased down by Anthony Barr, who destroys Rodgers with a bone-crunching sack. Rodgers is uninjured, but his butthurt over the sack causes him to pop up and throw the ball at Barr. Rodgers is ejected. And while it's supposedly uncool to wish injury on someone, my dream continues with Rodgers being diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff as a result of plunking Barr with the football. He misses the rest of the season, and the Packers finish 2-14, with their only wins coming over the 8-8 Bears, who finish 5 games behind the Vikings. Yes, the NFC North is won by a team at 13-3.

[Raz]

Bahahaha we can only hope or for them to finish in a tie

[VikingLord]

Well, ESPN has us finishing 7-9, per their season simulation. They have Green Bay going 13-3 and securing the top seed in the NFC, while the Bears miss the playoffs. Sports Illustrated also has us not making the playoffs.

The Green Bay love is just plain baffling. This is a team that had a losing season WITH Aaron Rodgers last year, and hasn't had a winning season since 2016.

As far as I'm concerned, the Vikings are right where I like them to be -- underrated and under appreciated. Just like 2017.

I saw another power ranking that had the Vikings at like 13th or 14th behind the Bears and Packers. If you read the explanation associated with that ranking, the writer said that the Vikings were loaded from top to bottom, and even the offensive line was improved enough to make them one of the best overall teams in the NFL.

The factor that brought them down?

Yup, you guessed it - Kirk Cousins. Cousins alone takes a loaded team from Superbowl caliber to also-ran.

The same power ranking had the Packers at 6th!!! The rationale behind that? Yeah, the Packers have missed the playoffs two years running, sure, but but but... But their new coaching staff is going to be so dynamic and creative. Their new defensive acquisitions are all going to step in right away and dominate.



It really does seem like the 2019 Vikings are flying under the radar. Like you, I am OK with that. I just don't see Kirk Cousins being a major liability at all. He might not be a Tom Brady or a Brett Favre, but he's a very solid veteran QB who, if he doesn't have to win games by himself, should win a lot of games. And in my view, the rosters of the Bears and the Vikings are far more established than whatever the Packers are going to trot out this year on both sides of the ball. Yes, the Packers talent might end up performing well and I suppose could end up producing more than either the Bears or Vikings, but the likelihood of that is very, very small. Like ant-like small IMHO. Its far more likely the Packers will struggle on both sides of the ball, especially early, and even if they do well, I just don't see that team as better than either the Bears or Vikings this year. Even with Aaron Rodgers playing at his best.

[VikingPaul73]

I don’t know how anyone who has been a Viking fan for more than a decade can be anything but a pessimist

I can’t remember who posted it, but someone years ago on VMB posted that if the Vikings were running in the winning Super Bowl TD with 2 seconds left, he would be convinced that the guy would trip on the 2 yard line and they would lose. That’s how I feel.

XR looks over the Hill

EG, Harry, and Joseph are all North of 30

Cousins is a choker who panics and can’t beat good teams

Elf is terrible. Kline below average and they just cut their best OG to make room for a 4th TE

Zim is a bit of a choker I think too.

Just look at theor schedule - any team that has a winning record will beat cousins. They always do.

I agree with Kapp I LOVE the Kubiak hire but it won’t be enough to overcome this rapidly declining team. Without kubiak this is a 5-11 team. With kubiak they go 8-8 this year

Cousins is not a winner. And zim has a ceiling of a playoff team that gets blown out if lucky enough to make it to a conference championship game

I am so pessimistic about the Vikings this year after they cut Brett Jones that I’m already in “hope they lose” mode before week 1 for the better draft pick and to clean house zimmer/spileman. They will not win a super bowl with these 2

[Bowhunting Viking]

Ya know what guys... I mean EVERYBODY on here... I shall submit right now... as stated by others .. the media infatuation with Erin Rodgers and his dumb A## Wyart Earp wanna be stache and the Packers just makes me wanna puke anymore. It's gotten to the point of being past sickening.
It takes me back to the old days when Madden.. and I loved Big John in the booth.. and the way he would just gush over Favre every single thing he did. " Did u see that?? There isn't a QB in the NFL who could spit out a sunflower seed like that guy can. Hes so special!!!"
I think they could bring in a div 3 college team to play on a sunday and as long as Rodgers was the QB they would be picked to win.

I am so glad that we are being picked this low and totally under the radar. I love it. Takes the pressure off and hopefully lights a burning fire in the guys of every player and coach.
And I hope Rodgers starts out to a horrible start, and we can watch him blame Lefluer, the new system, his line, his receivers and everything under the sun he can come up with.
I personally an so sick of them all Hailing him as one of the Kings of the QBs.. and wish State Farm would take him off the stupid commercial also.
Sorry for the rant... had too much coffee already, and have had too much Erin for a few yrs now. Lol.
Packers 4th in the NFC North will make me very happy

[StumpHunter]

A bad fan is an eternal optimist, or a perpetual pessimist. If you aren't somewhere in-between you aren't holding your team accountable for their mistakes, and not giving them any reason to do better, or you are never happy with anything your team does and can't enjoy the games.

I used to land significantly more on the positive side, making excuses for drafting guys like Ponder and Patterson. The Bradford trade was the final straw that turned me to the dark side. I still think the defense is great, the HC is top 5 and we have the best WR duo in the NFL, but our GM destroyed our future with some pretty horrible moves, the QB and his contract have been flops, and we are still in trouble on the interior of the offensive line.

[Cliff]

Side question: What would it take to change you? If you're an optimist, into a pessimist. If you're in the middle, getting pushed to either side, etc.

[Cliff]

Reason for optimism - Zimmer's teams do better in odd years.

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[Thaumaturgist]

Reason for optimism - Zimmer's teams do better in odd years.

record.PNG

I'll take anything I can get

[mansquatch]

I try to look at the team rationally, despite being limited by the imperfect knowledge we as fans have. The latter issue has improved thanks to independent blogs over the past decade. One thing I keep in mind is that in the NFL past performance is no indication of future results an the causation of failure isn't always the player.

This year as of right now, I'm quite optimistic about this team's chances. As I've said all season, it really is going to come down to how well the revamped offensive coaching staff can deliver with the pieces they have. IMO JDF's tenure led to overall under performance, mired in part by his game planning / play calling and by the untimely death of Tony Sparano. This year the latter issue is not present and by most measures the talent on the OL has been improved vs. 2018. I think those two things are tangible evidence that the unit should be better. So can Stefanski and his cohorts deliver on their end of the bargain? Having Kubiak in the mix certainly gives a vote of confidence, at least for me.

Injuries and uncertainty in specialists are my biggest sources of angst.

This roster, if healthy and playing at a level competitive within the NFL has the talent to go all the way. Can the coaching staff put it in the best position to success? Defensively I feel the answer is yes. Offensively we shall see.