Lions-Vikings Game Day

[VikingPaul73]

I missed the game

How did the OL look? Was it all individual effort by Cook today or was the OL opening nice lanes? How did they look in pass protection? Just wondering if they are continuing to improve and how Ezra looks at RG

How about the rookies on D?

The O-line was fantastic today, especially in the running game. They are getting better every week. Cleveland is really coming on, as is Bradbury. Certainly Cook is really good, but the guys up front gave him the seams he needed. Detroit's pass rush isn't the greatest, but it's still the NFL, and except for a corner blitz on Cousins' blind side that didn't get picked up, they kept Cousins clean all day.

Rookies on D ... Wonnum was winning a lot of pass rush battles. I thought he got held a lot, but nothing called, as is pretty much normal this season. Gladney looked tons better out there, very quick and in position. Plus he tackled like a young Antoine Winfield. Didn't see much of Lynch today. Dye played a little but wasn't particularly good.

Thanks Kapp!!!! that’s great to hear . I wonder how much of Bradbury’s improved play is experience and how much is finally having a competent G next to him

I wasn’t impressed with lynch at all last week so I’m not surprised he didn’t play much today. Wonnum is exciting , hopefully he continues to get opportunities this year.

I think this team is turning a corner. Heck if they didn’t blow that Seahawks game they would be 4-4

[Texas Vike]

I missed the game

How did the OL look? Was it all individual effort by Cook today or was the OL opening nice lanes? How did they look in pass protection? Just wondering if they are continuing to improve and how Ezra looks at RG

How about the rookies on D?

The O-line was fantastic today, especially in the running game. They are getting better every week. Cleveland is really coming on, as is Bradbury. Certainly Cook is really good, but the guys up front gave him the seams he needed. Detroit's pass rush isn't the greatest, but it's still the NFL, and except for a corner blitz on Cousins' blind side that didn't get picked up, they kept Cousins clean all day.

Rookies on D ... Wonnum was winning a lot of pass rush battles. I thought he got held a lot, but nothing called, as is pretty much normal this season. Gladney looked tons better out there, very quick and in position. Plus he tackled like a young Antoine Winfield. Didn't see much of Lynch today. Dye played a little but wasn't particularly good.

Gladney's tackling was insanely good today, especially in the first half. Cook has more juice than any player in the league right now. That pitch where Detroit had him on a safety blitz for a 7 yard loss, which he turned into a 15 yard gain was nuts.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Nice win! It looks like the Trevor sweepstakes are over

I said that 4 weeks ago. We were never in the sweepstakes. I said a million times when guys were saying "we'll be lucky to win 3 games" that there is too much talent on this roster. The vikings were never in the running for Lawrence.

[Bowhunting Viking]

Cook is just an absolute blast to watch play. Yesterday on the game chat Kapp said " everytime Cook gets the ball I just start laughing " . I think he meant that we as Vikings fans almost start giggling like a little boy with his buddies who just heard a dick joke. Ya just can't help but laugh cuz he is just such an insane freak of nature.
I am just amazed at his acceleration and his second gear and how fast he kicks into it. He makes defenders seem like they are running through 5 yards of quicksand at the start of the play.
It was funny yesterday during the game. My wife just floats in and out of my Viking/hunting mancave in the basement. She will stop and watch a series , check the score then be off again. Well loves Cook. She loved Diggs when he was with us. She really likes watching fast, shifty players. Yesterday on his long TD she said " How can he be running so fast in just a few steps? He seems like hes 2 times faster than everyone else". I said the guy is just an amazing specimen.
Like they say... As Cook goes so do the Vikings go. Let's hope.that he is able to stay healthy and play for a long time. A special talent like that needs to be able to entertain us and make us happy for a long time.
The guy is just plain special. And an absolute blast to watch every week. It's fun thinking everytime that he gets the ball in his hands that he can take it to the house.
Stay Healthy Chef, we appreciate you!!!

[RandyMoss84]

Nice win! It looks like the Trevor sweepstakes are over

I said that 4 weeks ago. We were never in the sweepstakes. I said a million times when guys were saying "we'll be lucky to win 3 games" that there is too much talent on this roster. The vikings were never in the running for Lawrence.

Yeah, I have been telling fans that Vikings have too much talent on the team to tank for Trevor

[StumpHunter]

I said that 4 weeks ago. We were never in the sweepstakes. I said a million times when guys were saying "we'll be lucky to win 3 games" that there is too much talent on this roster. The vikings were never in the running for Lawrence.

Yeah, I have been telling fans that Vikings have too much talent on the team to tank for Trevor

If Cook had seriously hurt himself a couple of weeks ago we would still be in he hunt.

He deserves consideration for league MVP right now.

[StumpHunter]

The Oline looked good again today, but the Lions are a terrible pass rushing team. Ezra did well in run blocking and pass blocking.

Wonnum was the standout of the rookies on D and at one point it looked like he took over for Odenigbo at RDE? Nothing from Lynch that I saw but I did stop watching in the 4th. No glaring mistakes from any of the rookies in the secondary.

Thanks StumpHunter!!!!

I am not surprised Wonnum is playing more but I am surprised he’s taking Odenigbo’s snaps and not taking them from Holmes. Although I am not sure how his skill set fits at LDE

Wonnum and Hunter next year could be exciting !!!

Matafa played at the LDE spot a lot instead of Holmes and was solid there himself. Showed up a couple of times.

[Maelstrom88]

Some of these moves by Cook just aren't even fair. The juke on the safety blitz where they had him dead to rights was reminiscent of Faulk. I had to rewind that one immediately. The offensive line has also been much better.

[J. Kapp 11]

Cook is just an absolute blast to watch play. Yesterday on the game chat Kapp said " everytime Cook gets the ball I just start laughing " . I think he meant that we as Vikings fans almost start giggling like a little boy with his buddies who just heard a dick joke. Ya just can't help but laugh cuz he is just such an insane freak of nature.
I am just amazed at his acceleration and his second gear and how fast he kicks into it. He makes defenders seem like they are running through 5 yards of quicksand at the start of the play.
It was funny yesterday during the game. My wife just floats in and out of my Viking/hunting mancave in the basement. She will stop and watch a series , check the score then be off again. Well loves Cook. She loved Diggs when he was with us. She really likes watching fast, shifty players. Yesterday on his long TD she said " How can he be running so fast in just a few steps? He seems like hes 2 times faster than everyone else". I said the guy is just an amazing specimen.
Like they say... As Cook goes so do the Vikings go. Let's hope.that he is able to stay healthy and play for a long time. A special talent like that needs to be able to entertain us and make us happy for a long time.
The guy is just plain special. And an absolute blast to watch every week. It's fun thinking everytime that he gets the ball in his hands that he can take it to the house.
Stay Healthy Chef, we appreciate you!!!

You hit the nail on the head.

It's one of those laughs that happens when you see something that is both impossible and impossibly entertaining at the same time. You're just left going, "How in the heck did he do that?"

There was a conversation on the game chat yesterday in response to Paul Allen's comment that Dalvin is going to be better than AP. There were a lot of passionate opinions expressed on both sides. I'll just say this. They're both great RBs, but completely different. AP was speed, power and relentlessness. You knew that if you went to tackle AP, he was going to punish you. It was like he was made out of iron. And if he got in the clear, forget it. Dalvin is more like Barry Sanders. Patient, then incredibly explosive. Like VM said, a second gear that's second to none. And when he gets clear, he's just as fast as AP was ... maybe faster than all but AP's first season or two. Plus, Dalvin doesn't exactly go down easily. Nobody breaks more tackles.

It's not really fair to compare. AP has such a long track record. He's been a league MVP. He holds the single-game rushing record, plus had another 250+ game that season. But Dalvin is great in his own right. Such a great all-around player. He even blocks — his pickup of Everson Griffen on Irv Smith's second touchdown was phenomenal. They're both great.

Right now, I'm enjoying the heck out of watching Dalvin.

[VikingsVictorious]

Nice win! It looks like the Trevor sweepstakes are over

I said that 4 weeks ago. We were never in the sweepstakes. I said a million times when guys were saying "we'll be lucky to win 3 games" that there is too much talent on this roster. The vikings were never in the running for Lawrence.

You were and are right. Tanking for Trevor and losing for Lance was never in the cards.

[J. Kapp 11]

By the way, for those who didn't get to see it, THIS is the run where I commented about laughing when I see Dalvin Cook.

https://twitter.com/3RonJohnson/status/ ... 0754018310

I love how Ron Johnson describes it ... Dalvin Cook is a cheat code.

[chicagopurple]

I know for many years now, I have been a voice of discontent and from the day he was signed, I have been against the HUGE over investment in an average journeyman QB like Cousins...However, I will say that yesterday he played a good game, stayed within his limits and did nothing to hurt the team. As long as he has a top tier running back (who stays healthy) he is ADEQUATE. If he had a top tier RB and OL he might even approach "good".
Oh and before everyone starts guzzling purple kool aid again, REMEMBER, RBs have some of the shortest careers in sports (except AP) so DONT over invest in Cook......enjoy the fun while he lasts but todays winning teams arent over committed to a RB contract and for good reason.

[Dmizzle0]

Great game. It was nice to watch a game without worrying about getting an heart replacement. Cook was a beast, the line was good. Defense did what they could and Cousins was efficient, although it would have been cool to hit Theilen when we was wide open in the first quarter.

[J. Kapp 11]

I know for many years now, I have been a voice of discontent and from the day he was signed, I have been against the HUGE over investment in an average journeyman QB like Cousins...However, I will say that yesterday he played a good game, stayed within his limits and did nothing to hurt the team. As long as he has a top tier running back (who stays healthy) he is ADEQUATE. If he had a top tier RB and OL he might even approach "good".
Oh and before everyone starts guzzling purple kool aid again, REMEMBER, RBs have some of the shortest careers in sports (except AP) so DONT over invest in Cook......enjoy the fun while he lasts but todays winning teams arent over committed to a RB contract and for good reason.

You make an important distinction here.

It is possible to enjoy a running back like Dalvin Cook and marvel at what he does ... and still believe it's an unwise long-term investment.

Here's the thing we've learned this season. This team is pretty much dead without Dalvin. On one hand, that looks like we were smart to sign him long-term. On the other, it's not good to be so reliant on one player, especially when that player has been inactive as much as Cook has. If I'm going to rely on one player in this era, I'd rather it be a top-tier quarterback. But ... that's not where we are.

Dalvin Cook is a generational talent. He's a leader, he's an incredibly hard worker, and he's a great teammate. I'm going to enjoy the heck out of watching him. And I'm going to hope and pray that he is able to play this way for the majority of his contract.

[psjordan]

It is possible to enjoy a running back like Dalvin Cook and marvel at what he does ... and still believe it's an unwise long-term investment.

I don't take issue with that sentiment, until it comes time to chide the GM.

I mean, proverbially speaking, you're giving our GM a pretty narrow window when you say "sign a good RB, but not too good, and sign him for [my version of] reasonable money, but not too much". Oh, and "make sure he's the type to stay healthy and merits [my version of] the guaranteed money he'll make". And make sure he doesn't out-play or under-play his contract.

For me, drafting Cook and signing him long term were all great decisions, no matter what happens with his health. All players are subject to get hurt, especially skill positions. If he gets hurt and misses time, that's the game. Tell it to Saquon Barkley and CMC.

And if Dalvin had played every minute since being drafted, he would have commanded WAY more than the [current] fifth highest RB guaranteed value that he signed for.

I am enjoying the ride while he's healthy and am glad we [i.e., our GM] drafted and re-signed him at the number he signed for. He is truly special and I love watching him in Viking purple.