Vikings QB Kellen Mond test positive for COVID; three QBs including Kirk Cousins expected to miss practice

[allday1991]

Definitely irritating for management, I remember just a few weeks to a month ago when vaccination rates inside the nfl started coming out. Washington was last by a considerable amount the of course the media started to talk about it. Once it started becoming a problem Rivera said he would get it under control. I believe now they're one of the highest vaccinated teams in the league. Compare that to how our team reacted when mentioned as the lowest vaccine rates its night and day, they got everyone on board and quickly, you can argue our most important players have already taken a stance against it. There is definitely division and I wouldn't be surprised if it showed this year.

[makila]

Thumbs up button isn't working. Anybody else having this problem?

Same

Lost without it!!

[S197]

I’ll add this. Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman are frustrated, and I don’t blame them. The Vikings have the lowest vaccination rate in the league, and that’s in no small part because team leaders such as Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith refuse to be vaccinated. With that being the case, don’t look for any of them to receive extensions anytime soon, if at all. You may disagree, but it’s the way it is. They’re putting the Vikings at a competitive disadvantage. That’s why people use the term “selfish.” Those types of actions don’t get rewarded.

Exactly. I'm all for this being Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith's last year if they continue to refuse to be vaccinated. Lowest percentage in the league is an embarrassment and a direct reflection of our so-called "leaders." Anyone surprised Tom Brady's team is at 98%? Of course not, he insists on a culture of winning. Surrounding yourself in plexiglass and crossing your fingers isn't doing everything possible to win. Michael Irvin said it pretty simply:

“Yeah, and it should upset them,” Irvin said recently at the opening of the Dallas chapter for Merging Vets & Players, as per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “It should upset them. Dude, you’re not thinking right. You’re not thinking right… Nothing else can be more important. You’re not going to get this [a Super Bowl win] easily. Nothing else could be more important… And not being one of the [vaccinated teams] says there’s other things to a great number of people on this team that are more important than winning championships, and that makes me worried.”

If you're not here to win and you put yourself ahead of your teammates, I don't want you here. Put away the carrot and bring out the stick. Get rid of all of them.

[VikingsVictorious]

I’ll add this. Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman are frustrated, and I don’t blame them. The Vikings have the lowest vaccination rate in the league, and that’s in no small part because team leaders such as Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith refuse to be vaccinated. With that being the case, don’t look for any of them to receive extensions anytime soon, if at all. You may disagree, but it’s the way it is. They’re putting the Vikings at a competitive disadvantage. That’s why people use the term “selfish.” Those types of actions don’t get rewarded.

Exactly. I'm all for this being Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith's last year if they continue to refuse to be vaccinated. Lowest percentage in the league is an embarrassment and a direct reflection of our so-called "leaders." Anyone surprised Tom Brady's team is at 98%? Of course not, he insists on a culture of winning. Surrounding yourself in plexiglass and crossing your fingers isn't doing everything possible to win. Michael Irvin said it pretty simply:

“Yeah, and it should upset them,” Irvin said recently at the opening of the Dallas chapter for Merging Vets & Players, as per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “It should upset them. Dude, you’re not thinking right. You’re not thinking right… Nothing else can be more important. You’re not going to get this [a Super Bowl win] easily. Nothing else could be more important… And not being one of the [vaccinated teams] says there’s other things to a great number of people on this team that are more important than winning championships, and that makes me worried.”

If you're not here to win and you put yourself ahead of your teammates, I don't want you here. Put away the carrot and bring out the stick. Get rid of all of them.

I believe Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith are here to win and they are not putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They are simply doing what they believe is right.
Seriously, do you believe they are doing this and having to put up with thousands of people like you calling them names just for the fun of it? Taking the grief from the media, coaches and some of their teammates out of selfishness. Having to follow special protocols that seem to me like a huge pain in the #### because they get their kicks out of that? No possible way.

I get questioning their judgment. I don't think they could be more wrong. Questioning their character IMO is going way too far.

[J. Kapp 11]

Exactly. I'm all for this being Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith's last year if they continue to refuse to be vaccinated. Lowest percentage in the league is an embarrassment and a direct reflection of our so-called "leaders." Anyone surprised Tom Brady's team is at 98%? Of course not, he insists on a culture of winning. Surrounding yourself in plexiglass and crossing your fingers isn't doing everything possible to win. Michael Irvin said it pretty simply:



If you're not here to win and you put yourself ahead of your teammates, I don't want you here. Put away the carrot and bring out the stick. Get rid of all of them.

I believe Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith are here to win and they are not putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They are simply doing what they believe is right.
Seriously, do you believe they are doing this and having to put up with thousands of people like you calling them names just for the fun of it? Taking the grief from the media, coaches and some of their teammates out of selfishness. Having to follow special protocols that seem to me like a huge pain in the #### because they get their kicks out of that? No possible way.

I get questioning their judgment. I don't think they could be more wrong. Questioning their character IMO is going way too far.

Chill out, brother. Nobody called them any names. There is not one single “name” in any of the quotes you reference.

Also, questioning their motives is not the same as questioning their character. Questioning their priorities is not the same as questioning their character. It’s not inappropriate for Vikings fans to wonder these things. Obviously whether to be vaccinated is each person’s choice. But when not being vaccinated has the potential to put your team at a competitive disadvantage, fans have every right to question their priorities. If their priority is personal choice first and winning second, then they should realize they’ve left themselves open to criticism. It’s really that simple.

[S197]

Exactly. I'm all for this being Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith's last year if they continue to refuse to be vaccinated. Lowest percentage in the league is an embarrassment and a direct reflection of our so-called "leaders." Anyone surprised Tom Brady's team is at 98%? Of course not, he insists on a culture of winning. Surrounding yourself in plexiglass and crossing your fingers isn't doing everything possible to win. Michael Irvin said it pretty simply:



If you're not here to win and you put yourself ahead of your teammates, I don't want you here. Put away the carrot and bring out the stick. Get rid of all of them.

I believe Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith are here to win and they are not putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They are simply doing what they believe is right.
Seriously, do you believe they are doing this and having to put up with thousands of people like you calling them names just for the fun of it? Taking the grief from the media, coaches and some of their teammates out of selfishness. Having to follow special protocols that seem to me like a huge pain in the #### because they get their kicks out of that? No possible way.

I get questioning their judgment. I don't think they could be more wrong. Questioning their character IMO is going way too far.

Of course they're doing what they think is right... for them. But it is absolutely putting themselves ahead of their teammates. Michael Pierce had to opt out last year because he's high risk. They're putting him first? No, of course they're not. I'm not saying they don't want to win, any athlete at this level wants to win but they cannot come out and say they are doing everything possible to win. It's such a ridiculous statement when even a close contact scenario can make them miss games.

This is what their teammate Patrick Peterson said:

I know it’s personal preference, but if you’re trying to win a championship, I want to put myself in the best position possible. Period. Because at the end of the day, we’ve got something going here. I don’t want to be — obviously you want to build depth, but you have a greater chance at winning with your starters on the field. I feel that if we’re healthy, we’re going to compete each and every Sunday. It’s every player’s personal preference if they want to get the vaccine or not, but me, I feel like I’m too important to this team not to get vaccinated, not miss an important game and now we possibly lose that game and that could be the game that we needed to get into the playoffs.

I think what the biggest problem is, being around the guys, I think the NFLPA is not doing a great job of educating us.

Best position possible. Period. You're either doing the most you can or you're not. You can't qualify a statement saying you're doing everything. If you listen to Zimmer, Peterson, Irvin... they're all saying the same thing. It's their choice but it's a selfish choice.

[VikingsVictorious]

I believe Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith are here to win and they are not putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They are simply doing what they believe is right.
Seriously, do you believe they are doing this and having to put up with thousands of people like you calling them names just for the fun of it? Taking the grief from the media, coaches and some of their teammates out of selfishness. Having to follow special protocols that seem to me like a huge pain in the #### because they get their kicks out of that? No possible way.

I get questioning their judgment. I don't think they could be more wrong. Questioning their character IMO is going way too far.

Chill out, brother. Nobody called them any names. There is not one single “name” in any of the quotes you reference.

Also, questioning their motives is not the same as questioning their character. Questioning their priorities is not the same as questioning their character. It’s not inappropriate for Vikings fans to wonder these things. Obviously whether to be vaccinated is each person’s choice. But when not being vaccinated has the potential to put your team at a competitive disadvantage, fans have every right to question their priorities. If their priority is personal choice first and winning second, then they should realize they’ve left themselves open to criticism. It’s really that simple.

I'm not going to chill out. The names they were being called is not here to win and putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They were being called names. Just kind of long ones. I simplified the one into selfish and I could have simplified the other into loser. These guys are winners or they never would have made it as far as they have.

[VikingsVictorious]

I believe Cousins, Barr, Thielen and Smith are here to win and they are not putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They are simply doing what they believe is right.
Seriously, do you believe they are doing this and having to put up with thousands of people like you calling them names just for the fun of it? Taking the grief from the media, coaches and some of their teammates out of selfishness. Having to follow special protocols that seem to me like a huge pain in the #### because they get their kicks out of that? No possible way.

I get questioning their judgment. I don't think they could be more wrong. Questioning their character IMO is going way too far.

Of course they're doing what they think is right... for them. But it is absolutely putting themselves ahead of their teammates. Michael Pierce had to opt out last year because he's high risk. They're putting him first? No, of course they're not. I'm not saying they don't want to win, any athlete at this level wants to win but they cannot come out and say they are doing everything possible to win. It's such a ridiculous statement when even a close contact scenario can make them miss games.

This is what their teammate Patrick Peterson said:

I know it’s personal preference, but if you’re trying to win a championship, I want to put myself in the best position possible. Period. Because at the end of the day, we’ve got something going here. I don’t want to be — obviously you want to build depth, but you have a greater chance at winning with your starters on the field. I feel that if we’re healthy, we’re going to compete each and every Sunday. It’s every player’s personal preference if they want to get the vaccine or not, but me, I feel like I’m too important to this team not to get vaccinated, not miss an important game and now we possibly lose that game and that could be the game that we needed to get into the playoffs.

I think what the biggest problem is, being around the guys, I think the NFLPA is not doing a great job of educating us.

Best position possible. Period. You're either doing the most you can or you're not. You can't qualify a statement saying you're doing everything. If you listen to Zimmer, Peterson, Irvin... they're all saying the same thing. It's their choice but it's a selfish choice.

IMO this post had a much better tone to it than your previous post, but I can't accept a person doing what he/she believes is right as being selfish.
In the movie Chariots of Fire which I LOVE I did not agree with the stance of not running on the sabbath. For one I think the sabbath is Saturday not Sunday, but still I didn't agree with that stance. However, I greatly respected him taking that stance.
I don't have as much respect for the anti-vax stance, because I think it's stupid, but I'm not going to question the motives of those who take that stance.

[J. Kapp 11]

Chill out, brother. Nobody called them any names. There is not one single “name” in any of the quotes you reference.

Also, questioning their motives is not the same as questioning their character. Questioning their priorities is not the same as questioning their character. It’s not inappropriate for Vikings fans to wonder these things. Obviously whether to be vaccinated is each person’s choice. But when not being vaccinated has the potential to put your team at a competitive disadvantage, fans have every right to question their priorities. If their priority is personal choice first and winning second, then they should realize they’ve left themselves open to criticism. It’s really that simple.

I'm not going to chill out. The names they were being called is not here to win and putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They were being called names. Just kind of long ones. I simplified the one into selfish and I could have simplified the other into loser. These guys are winners or they never would have made it as far as they have.

Well, I could conclude that you just called them stupid in the post above. What you said, that the anti-vax stance is stupid, is no different than what others have done. If we’ve engaged in name-calling, then so have you.

Nobody said these players don’t have the right to not be vaccinated. But when you make a choice like this, you have, by your actions, put yourself ahead of the team. If you’re going to do that, then stand up and defend your choice. Don’t do like Kirk Cousins and hide behind blaming the team, saying you’ll surround yourself in plexiglas, and acting as though there’s no way going on the COVID list could ever happen during the season. Be a man and defend your choice, Kirk.

And by the way, if players have the right to choose no vaccine, then Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman, and Vikings fans in general have the right to be frustrated about it. Sorry man, but you don’t get to tell everybody else how to feel.

[VikingsVictorious]

I'm not going to chill out. The names they were being called is not here to win and putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They were being called names. Just kind of long ones. I simplified the one into selfish and I could have simplified the other into loser. These guys are winners or they never would have made it as far as they have.

Well, I could conclude that you just called them stupid in the post above. What you said, that the anti-vax stance is stupid, is no different than what others have done. If we’ve engaged in name-calling, then so have you.

Nobody said these players don’t have the right to not be vaccinated. But when you make a choice like this, you have, by your actions, put yourself ahead of the team. If you’re going to do that, then stand up and defend your choice. Don’t do like Kirk Cousins and hide behind blaming the team, saying you’ll surround yourself in plexiglas, and acting as though there’s no way going on the COVID list could ever happen during the season. Be a man and defend your choice, Kirk.

And by the way, if players have the right to choose no vaccine, then Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman, and Vikings fans in general have the right to be frustrated about it. Sorry man, but you don’t get to tell everybody else how to feel.

I can't tell anyone how to feel. I don't have that authority. I can suggest alternative ways to look at things and people can take my recommendations under consideration if they so desire.

I said they're making IMO one stupid choice. I don't think that's name calling. I fully agree with you that we all have a right to be frustrated over that choice. I'm extremely frustrated over that choice.

What the heck does putting yourself ahead of the team really mean anyway. Is a player who might help us win, but chooses not to play due to a life threatening condition putting himself above the team? In the end every player puts himself above the team. However, I would never label standing up for your beliefs as putting yourself above the team. In Chariots of Fire Eric Liddell stood up for his belief of not competing on the Sabbath. I wouldn't label that putting himself above the team, but his Olympic Committee did. If you choose to look at it that way that's your choice.

[vikeinmontana]

I'm not going to chill out. The names they were being called is not here to win and putting themselves ahead of their teammates. They were being called names. Just kind of long ones. I simplified the one into selfish and I could have simplified the other into loser. These guys are winners or they never would have made it as far as they have.

Well, I could conclude that you just called them stupid in the post above. What you said, that the anti-vax stance is stupid, is no different than what others have done. If we’ve engaged in name-calling, then so have you.

Nobody said these players don’t have the right to not be vaccinated. But when you make a choice like this, you have, by your actions, put yourself ahead of the team. If you’re going to do that, then stand up and defend your choice. Don’t do like Kirk Cousins and hide behind blaming the team, saying you’ll surround yourself in plexiglas, and acting as though there’s no way going on the COVID list could ever happen during the season. Be a man and defend your choice, Kirk.

And by the way, if players have the right to choose no vaccine, then Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman, and Vikings fans in general have the right to be frustrated about it. Sorry man, but you don’t get to tell everybody else how to feel.

Great post.

It will work itself out as the season progresses. If non-vaccinated players fall down the depth chart for a safer, more available player than that just comes with the territory. But as fans, we critique and criticize players all the time. To suggest we don't have the right to be upset if our team has to forfeit games due to an outbreak is not fair in my eyes. I'll be pissed.

It reminds me of a guy I played hoops with in college. He was a 7th Day Adventist. Because of his beliefs, he couldn't do ANYTHING from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Many of our games were Fridays and Saturdays. The dude was 7'2" and led the conference in blocks and rebounds. And we could never use him Fridays and only some Saturdays depending when tipoff was. In the end, the coaches recruited other bigs who were available, and eventually we didn't have a spot for him, despite the fact you don't just stumble on those types of players in the Big Sky conference every day.

He did what he believed was right, based on his convictions. And while I respected that, it definitely wasn't putting the team first. We would have been much better had we had him. It caused a bit of a riff within the team, and eventually the coaches moved on. And he was very content with his decision, which again, I respected.

If we have guys miss time to Covid, including our starting quarterback, or god-forbid have an outbreak and forfeit games, I hope they stand by their decisions. But they have to know that decision will come with scrutiny and I feel that both fans and management are within their right to be frustrated if that happens.

[VikingsVictorious]

Well, I could conclude that you just called them stupid in the post above. What you said, that the anti-vax stance is stupid, is no different than what others have done. If we’ve engaged in name-calling, then so have you.

Nobody said these players don’t have the right to not be vaccinated. But when you make a choice like this, you have, by your actions, put yourself ahead of the team. If you’re going to do that, then stand up and defend your choice. Don’t do like Kirk Cousins and hide behind blaming the team, saying you’ll surround yourself in plexiglas, and acting as though there’s no way going on the COVID list could ever happen during the season. Be a man and defend your choice, Kirk.

And by the way, if players have the right to choose no vaccine, then Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman, and Vikings fans in general have the right to be frustrated about it. Sorry man, but you don’t get to tell everybody else how to feel.

Great post.

It will work itself out as the season progresses. If non-vaccinated players fall down the depth chart for a safer, more available player than that just comes with the territory. But as fans, we critique and criticize players all the time. To suggest we don't have the right to be upset if our team has to forfeit games due to an outbreak is not fair in my eyes. I'll be pissed.

It reminds me of a guy I played hoops with in college. He was a 7th Day Adventist. Because of his beliefs, he couldn't do ANYTHING from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Many of our games were Fridays and Saturdays. The dude was 7'2" and led the conference in blocks and rebounds. And we could never use him Fridays and only some Saturdays depending when tipoff was. In the end, the coaches recruited other bigs who were available, and eventually we didn't have a spot for him, despite the fact you don't just stumble on those types of players in the Big Sky conference every day.

He did what he believed was right, based on his convictions. And while I respected that, it definitely wasn't putting the team first. We would have been much better had we had him. It caused a bit of a riff within the team, and eventually the coaches moved on. And he was very content with his decision, which again, I respected.

If we have guys miss time to Covid, including our starting quarterback, or god-forbid have an outbreak and forfeit games, I hope they stand by their decisions. But they have to know that decision will come with scrutiny and I feel that both fans and management are within their right to be frustrated if that happens.

I agree with everything you said except the putting himself above the team comment. What is he supposed to do. However, Jesus himself told the people they were taking the not working on the Sabbath thing too far and that is why I disagreed with Eric Liddell's choice mildly and more strongly disagree with the 7th day Adventist stand. I hope they don't stand by their decisions. I want them to realize their decisions have been poorly reasoned and change those decisions. I wish the thumbs up button was working.

[vikeinmontana]

Great post.

It will work itself out as the season progresses. If non-vaccinated players fall down the depth chart for a safer, more available player than that just comes with the territory. But as fans, we critique and criticize players all the time. To suggest we don't have the right to be upset if our team has to forfeit games due to an outbreak is not fair in my eyes. I'll be pissed.

It reminds me of a guy I played hoops with in college. He was a 7th Day Adventist. Because of his beliefs, he couldn't do ANYTHING from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Many of our games were Fridays and Saturdays. The dude was 7'2" and led the conference in blocks and rebounds. And we could never use him Fridays and only some Saturdays depending when tipoff was. In the end, the coaches recruited other bigs who were available, and eventually we didn't have a spot for him, despite the fact you don't just stumble on those types of players in the Big Sky conference every day.

He did what he believed was right, based on his convictions. And while I respected that, it definitely wasn't putting the team first. We would have been much better had we had him. It caused a bit of a riff within the team, and eventually the coaches moved on. And he was very content with his decision, which again, I respected.

If we have guys miss time to Covid, including our starting quarterback, or god-forbid have an outbreak and forfeit games, I hope they stand by their decisions. But they have to know that decision will come with scrutiny and I feel that both fans and management are within their right to be frustrated if that happens.

I agree with everything you said except the putting himself above the team comment. What is he supposed to do. However, Jesus himself told the people they were taking the not working on the Sabbath thing too far and that is why I disagreed with Eric Liddell's choice mildly and more strongly disagree with the 7th day Adventist stand. I hope they don't stand by their decisions. I want them to realize their decisions have been poorly reasoned and change those decisions. I wish the thumbs up button was working.

Well I didn't know how else to word that. His religion was something he was passionate about. By putting his religion above everything else, he was putting "himself" above the team. I suppose you could say he was putting "Jesus" above everything else. No matter how you word it, the team wasn't first in his eyes, and while it was tough on the team and winning games, most of us respected his decision.

People can have all kinds of reasons to not get vaccinated. That's not my business. But in light of what we know now, and the rules put in place for unvaccinated players, there will be reprocussions of sorts if players contract the virus. I guess my whole point was that if Cousins and others miss time due to Covid, and the team loses games because of their absence, I hope they stand by their decisions. And if those decisions lead to a demotion or even a release in favor of someone who remains available, I feel that is more within the rights of the organization.

[VikingsVictorious]

I agree with everything you said except the putting himself above the team comment. What is he supposed to do. However, Jesus himself told the people they were taking the not working on the Sabbath thing too far and that is why I disagreed with Eric Liddell's choice mildly and more strongly disagree with the 7th day Adventist stand. I hope they don't stand by their decisions. I want them to realize their decisions have been poorly reasoned and change those decisions. I wish the thumbs up button was working.

Well I didn't know how else to word that. His religion was something he was passionate about. By putting his religion above everything else, he was putting "himself" above the team. I suppose you could say he was putting "Jesus" above everything else. No matter how you word it, the team wasn't first in his eyes, and while it was tough on the team and winning games, most of us respected his decision.

People can have all kinds of reasons to not get vaccinated. That's not my business. But in light of what we know now, and the rules put in place for unvaccinated players, there will be reprocussions of sorts if players contract the virus. I guess my whole point was that if Cousins and others miss time due to Covid, and the team loses games because of their absence, I hope they stand by their decisions. And if those decisions lead to a demotion or even a release in favor of someone who remains available, I feel that is more within the rights of the organization.

I'm good with referring to it as putting his religion above his sport. It sounds honorable. Saying putting himself above his team or his teammates makes it sound selfish. I wish they would all get vaccinated.

[S197]

These analogies miss on one key difference with vaccines, which is your choice impedes on the freedom of others. If you choose not to play for whatever reason, that directly impacts you and the team. When you choose not to get vaccinated, you potentially impact children, the immunocompromised, and those at higher risk. And you impact everyone because the virus is allowed to mutate into new variants. Calling these guys selfish isn't name calling, it's what they are.

If they feel so strongly about this, the selfless thing to do would be to sit out the season so guys like Pierce can play safely. Instead they choose to jeopardize everyone around them and that's not okay.