Who Starts?

[Cliff]

Assuming Hall is cleared to play.

I really liked what I saw in Dobbs and some things I didn't, but I also really liked what I saw in Hall. If he hadn't gotten that helmet-to-helmet who knows what would have happened in that game.

Screenshot 2023-11-06 100235.png (5.81 KiB) Viewed 3623 times

I'm not a fan of losing your spot to injury if you weren't already playing poorly but Dobbs also worked some magic and him doing it in less than a week is doubly impressive.

[CharVike]

Nick Mullens is due back this week from injury. He was the backup. Hall did fine. Not much of a sample size. Dobbs did a great job coming in and maybe that's his best role. I think Mullens might get the nod with Dobbs providing the backup. Hall I assume is in concussion protocol. Who knows if he will be available even for practice. Is it worth the risk? I don't think it is. He got his feet wet just make sure he is healthy before getting back in. What ever KOC decides is ok with me. This Dobbs could be the smartest guy in the room. How any player could step in there at that position so quickly is beyond me.

[Cliff]

Nick Mullens is due back this week from injury. He was the backup. Hall did fine. Not much of a sample size. Dobbs did a great job coming in and maybe that's his best role. I think Mullens might get the nod with Dobbs providing the backup. Hall I assume is in concussion protocol. Who knows if he will be available even for practice. Is it worth the risk? I don't think it is. He got his feet wet just make sure he is healthy before getting back in. What ever KOC decides is ok with me. This Dobbs could be the smartest guy in the room. How any player could step in there at that position so quickly is beyond me.

Thought that was next week for some reason. I expect if Mullins is ready to go he'll go in but fans will call for his head after the first INT.

[VikingLord]

Assuming Hall is cleared to play.

I really liked what I saw in Dobbs and some things I didn't, but I also really liked what I saw in Hall. If he hadn't gotten that helmet-to-helmet who knows what would have happened in that game.


Screenshot 2023-11-06 100235.png


I'm not a fan of losing your spot to injury if you weren't already playing poorly but Dobbs also worked some magic and him doing it in less than a week is doubly impressive.

Go with the hot hand. Dobbs did enough to impress and the fact he did it without much if any knowledge of the offense is even more impressive. Hall didn't do anything to lose his spot but I assume Hall would have taken a back seat to Mullens once Mullens was ready regardless of how well he performed against the Falcons.

But Dobbs is a vet with mobility that Mullens doesn't have. Dobbs should get a chance to show what he can do with a week of the offense under his belt.

[CharVike]

Nick Mullens is due back this week from injury. He was the backup. Hall did fine. Not much of a sample size. Dobbs did a great job coming in and maybe that's his best role. I think Mullens might get the nod with Dobbs providing the backup. Hall I assume is in concussion protocol. Who knows if he will be available even for practice. Is it worth the risk? I don't think it is. He got his feet wet just make sure he is healthy before getting back in. What ever KOC decides is ok with me. This Dobbs could be the smartest guy in the room. How any player could step in there at that position so quickly is beyond me.

Thought that was next week for some reason. I expect if Mullins is ready to go he'll go in but fans will call for his head after the first INT.

CBS sports. Oct 11, 2023 — Mullens will be sidelined until at least Week 10 against the Saints. Rookie Jaren Hall will likely step in as Kirk Cousins' backup while Mullens ... Fans will call for his head after the first incomplete pass. 70% + of Viking fans couldn't wait for Kirk to be gone. That's life as an NFL QB. Mullens might still have problems. I think Mannion is around also.

[makila]

We are going to start Dobbs with Mannion as backup right now.

"Joshua Dobbs will start the team's Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints, coach Kevin O'Connell said, with veteran Sean Mannion as the likeliest backup. Rookie Jaren Hall, whose first-quarter concussion Sunday opened the door for Dobbs to play just five days after the Vikings acquired him, is in concussion protocol."

"And after spending last week preparing Hall for his first career start, while at the same time assimilating Dobbs into the offensive scheme, O'Connell said it was highly unlikely the team would try to sign another new quarterback this week. Mannion is on the practice squad and would have to be elevated to the active roster in order to be eligible to play against the Saints."

"The Vikings acquired Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals after losing starter Kirk Cousins to a torn right Achilles tendon and facing at least one more week without backup Nick Mullens, who is on injured reserve because of a back injury and became eligible Monday to have his 21-day practice window opened. O'Connell said Monday that Mullens is "progressing really well" but that there is no timetable yet for getting him back on the field."

[VikingLord]

Happy to hear that Dobbs will get a chance to lead the team. His mobility is going to be a big problem for most defenses, and once he gets more comfortable with the players around him and the playbook along with the return of JJ and Osborn, he could thrive in this offense.

[JJBreaksRecords]

KO is so dam conservative, but tries to make out he isnt. Hall should be backup, maybe even starter. But no, gotta put Manion in, makes no sense. Should be Halls to lose.

[makila]

KO is so dam conservative, but tries to make out he isnt. Hall should be backup, maybe even starter. But no, gotta put Manion in, makes no sense. Should be Halls to lose.

I think it may be not clearing protocol right now for Hall. I agree Hall should be backup once cleared.

[cogitator]

I'm not a fan of losing your spot to injury if you weren't already playing poorly but Dobbs also worked some magic and him doing it in less than a week is doubly impressive.

If Dobbs does start, I don't think that counts as Hall losing the job due to injury in the way we normally define that. He was only in there because of an injury to Cousins, and then only played a quarter or so. More like there is an audition process, sort of a reset at that position due to the Cousins injury.

[Texas Vike]

I'm not a fan of losing your spot to injury if you weren't already playing poorly but Dobbs also worked some magic and him doing it in less than a week is doubly impressive.

If Dobbs does start, I don't think that counts as Hall losing the job due to injury in the way we normally define that. He was only in there because of an injury to Cousins, and then only played a quarter or so. More like there is an audition process, sort of a reset at that position due to the Cousins injury.

I thought it was likely that Hall was getting the start only because it would be absurd to start Dobbs with no preparation, and that it was very likely that Dobbs would start from week 10 and moving forward. After Dobbs' performance, there's absolutely NO WAY he wouldn't start now.

[J. Kapp 11]

Y’all NEED to watch this. It’s almost 40 minutes, but I guarantee you will learn something.

This guy knows what he’s talking about. He’s knowledgeable — far more knowledgeable than anyone doing this kind of analysis for public consumption — and he’s honest. If Dobbs gets it wrong, he calls it and tells you why. He talks about Dobbs’ rough start. But he also makes it clear as to why Josh Dobbs is a pro’s pro. He doesn’t just spout it as a talking-head opinion. He tells you why, in great detail.

At this point, it’s about winning. Now is not the time to see what we have in a rookie. We need a professional quarterback. Watch this video and you’ll see … Dobbs is the guy.

[Cliff]

Y’all NEED to watch this. It’s almost 40 minutes, but I guarantee you will learn something.

This guy knows what he’s talking about. He’s knowledgeable — far more knowledgeable than anyone doing this kind of analysis for public consumption — and he’s honest. If Dobbs gets it wrong, he calls it and tells you why. He talks about Dobbs’ rough start. But he also makes it clear as to why Josh Dobbs is a pro’s pro. He doesn’t just spout it as a talking-head opinion. He tells you why, in great detail.

At this point, it’s about winning. Now is not the time to see what we have in a rookie. We need a professional quarterback. Watch this video and you’ll see … Dobbs is the guy.

That was a good watch, thanks for posting it. Dobbs did a lot of impressive things. Those turnovers have to be cleaned up but he doesn't seem to have a history of bring prone to that so I'm not terribly worried yet. I'm sure we'll start to see some of the reasons he's a backup (other than the one throw in this video) as time goes on, but he certainly came through in that game.

[halfgiz]

As cautious as KOC has been with players I don’t see them rushing Hall back this week.
Mullen’s I’m not sure where he is at? But I don’t think he is ready.
And I sure as heck don’t want Mannion as our backup. I think it is was a bad move signing him anyway.
Could we cut Mannion and sign another legit backup?

[J. Kapp 11]

Y’all NEED to watch this. It’s almost 40 minutes, but I guarantee you will learn something.

This guy knows what he’s talking about. He’s knowledgeable — far more knowledgeable than anyone doing this kind of analysis for public consumption — and he’s honest. If Dobbs gets it wrong, he calls it and tells you why. He talks about Dobbs’ rough start. But he also makes it clear as to why Josh Dobbs is a pro’s pro. He doesn’t just spout it as a talking-head opinion. He tells you why, in great detail.

At this point, it’s about winning. Now is not the time to see what we have in a rookie. We need a professional quarterback. Watch this video and you’ll see … Dobbs is the guy.

That was a good watch, thanks for posting it. Dobbs did a lot of impressive things. Those turnovers have to be cleaned up but he doesn't seem to have a history of bring prone to that so I'm not terribly worried yet. I'm sure we'll start to see some of the reasons he's a backup (other than the one throw in this video) as time goes on, but he certainly came through in that game.

O’Sullivan’s breakdowns are the class of the internet, and it’s not close. The detail with which he breaks down reps is just phenomenal. It’s not only technical, but he also makes it understandable. For me, it’s like crack to an addict. I can’t get enough. Any time he breaks down a Vikings QB, I’m watching.

And he doesn’t give just glowing reports. Take a look at his breakdown of Dobbs’ last game in Arizona. He brutalizes Dobbs, play after play. He said, “These are the things that get you traded” … right BEFORE they traded him! But JTO is honest enough to give Dobbs props when they’re due.

Here’s the thing … coaching matters. Dobbs has had good coaching. JTO makes that clear in this breakdown with specific examples, especially with Dobbs’ outstanding footwork. But Dobbs has never had KOC as a coach. KOC is a savant with quarterbacks. Everywhere he goes, QBs have career years. Cousins, Stafford, Cousins in Washington … even Matt Cassell in 2008 with KOC as his backup. The stories about KOC’s contributions to that QB room are legendary.

Dobbs has ability. He can deliver the ball where it needs to go. He can escape pressure and run. He is obviously freaking smart. He’s a damn rocket scientist. He can understand route concepts. I don’t know if Dobbs is the man. He hasn’t made it happen on the previous 5 or 6 teams he’s been on prior to the Vikings. But if anybody can get it out of him, it’s Kevin O’Connell.