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

[Pondering Her Percy]

lol there are stats, there are different opinions and then there is flat out common sense. And trust me, all you need here is common sense. Nobody is saying Cousins was a superstar in 2018 but lets be honest, there were plenty of factors that played a part in that, not just Cousins. I have forever said that Flip was the main problem with that 2020 team.

You act like I'm sitting here begging for forgiveness with Cousins. I never said he had some amazing 2018 but let's be honest, what advantage did Cousins have in 2018 that Keenum didnt in 2017?

-Keenum had the #1 defense in the NFL (one that was historically good in some areas), Cousins didnt
-Keenum had an experienced coordinator that was already engrained into this system and knew how to balance an offense, Cousins didnt, he had a moron
-Keenum had a run game that took the pressure off him (with lesser RBs no less), Cousins could have but didnt because of that specific moron
-Keenum had such a cupcake schedule that he didnt even have to play Aaron Rodgers within the division, Cousins was the opposite.

Those arent just advantages, some of those are MONSTER advantages. Flip was a disaster of a hire and that goes to show. He's what, the Bears QB coach now? He single handedly crumbled that 2018 team along with a little regression in other areas. I blame Zim, Spielman and Flip for that 2018 regression. They should have promoted someone within from the start and they didnt and it drastically backfired.

But yeah spin doctor does fit pretty well I must say

The irony of what you just wrote...

Uh huh

[VikingLord]

I was just over at vikings.com and there is a link to a video of the GMFB crew predicting division winners and wildcard teams for the NFC for this upcoming season as well as another link summarizing power rankings for the Vikings as they head into the regular season.

For the GMFB folks, none of them predicted the Vikings make the playoffs this year. The Packers are predicted to win the division, while only one predicted the Bears to make the playoffs as a wildcard. Not one of the GMFB analysts even mentioned the Vikings with an outside shot of making the playoffs, much less competing for the division. In fact, I don't think they were mentioned at all by any one of them.

For the power rankings prognosticators, I think the highest the Vikings were ranked was 15 or 16, with several of the analysts putting them between 20-25. Some of those do mention the putative improvements the Vikings have made on defense and the skill position players on offense, but none of them seem to think very highly of the team overall or its relative chances.

I get that a lot of these opinions are carried over from last year, and you layer the poor preseason on top of that finish and that won't help matters, but man, given the resources the team has invested in improving on defense and the skill position players they already have on offense, I was surprised by what I read and watched. If these analysts are correct and the Vikings really are a middle-to-bottom-middle team this year and finish out of the playoffs yet again, I'd think time has to be up for Spielman, Zimmer and Cousins no questions asked. I can't see the Wilfs sticking with any of them after all have been given pretty much everything they could want or need to succeed at this point in their respective tenures with the Vikings.

But rounding this back to the present discussion in this thread, while some here have a high opinion of Cousins, it seems painfully apparent few outside the Vikings organization share that opinion of him or his ability to lead the team to a successful post-season appearance. I'd venture to say that most professional analysts hew closer to Stump's view of Cousins and his ability to lead the team than others here.

That doesn't mean Cousins sucks or can't perform - more likely it indicates few who follow the game closely believe he will be a positive difference maker in key situations, which are the times when you need your highly-paid QB to step up. I can't say I believe anything different about him. He's a solid QB who performs well most of the time, but when you need him to make a play or do something amazing he's much more likely to wilt than to step up.

Here's hoping this season is the season Cousins' finally sheds that reputation...

[J. Kapp 11]

I was just over at vikings.com and there is a link to a video of the GMFB crew predicting division winners and wildcard teams for the NFC for this upcoming season as well as another link summarizing power rankings for the Vikings as they head into the regular season.

For the GMFB folks, none of them predicted the Vikings make the playoffs this year. The Packers are predicted to win the division, while only one predicted the Bears to make the playoffs as a wildcard. Not one of the GMFB analysts even mentioned the Vikings with an outside shot of making the playoffs, much less competing for the division. In fact, I don't think they were mentioned at all by any one of them.

For the power rankings prognosticators, I think the highest the Vikings were ranked was 15 or 16, with several of the analysts putting them between 20-25. Some of those do mention the putative improvements the Vikings have made on defense and the skill position players on offense, but none of them seem to think very highly of the team overall or its relative chances.

I get that a lot of these opinions are carried over from last year, and you layer the poor preseason on top of that finish and that won't help matters, but man, given the resources the team has invested in improving on defense and the skill position players they already have on offense, I was surprised by what I read and watched. If these analysts are correct and the Vikings really are a middle-to-bottom-middle team this year and finish out of the playoffs yet again, I'd think time has to be up for Spielman, Zimmer and Cousins no questions asked. I can't see the Wilfs sticking with any of them after all have been given pretty much everything they could want or need to succeed at this point in their respective tenures with the Vikings.

But rounding this back to the present discussion in this thread, while some here have a high opinion of Cousins, it seems painfully apparent few outside the Vikings organization share that opinion of him or his ability to lead the team to a successful post-season appearance. I'd venture to say that most professional analysts hew closer to Stump's view of Cousins and his ability to lead the team than others here.

That doesn't mean Cousins sucks or can't perform - more likely it indicates few who follow the game closely believe he will be a positive difference maker in key situations, which are the times when you need your highly-paid QB to step up. I can't say I believe anything different about him. He's a solid QB who performs well most of the time, but when you need him to make a play or do something amazing he's much more likely to wilt than to step up.

Here's hoping this season is the season Cousins' finally sheds that reputation...

It’s not just reputation, I’m afraid.

I read an article in The Athletic, a great sports publication that I highly recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind paying for truly outstanding sports coverage. It was about how well NFL quarterbacks perform in the clutch. The writer researched EPA (expected points added) for all quarterbacks over the past 10 years, looking only at the last four minutes of a game, with his team trailing. A total of 39 quarterbacks have the minimum number of attempts (I think it’s 300, but don’t quote me on that).

Cousins ranks 30th.

Interestingly enough, the other quarterbacks in the Zimmer era (Bridgewater, Bradford and Keenum) rank even lower than Cousins. So is it the QB or the system/coach? Of course, half of Cousins’ attempts were in Washington, and the other quarterbacks all have spent time on other teams. But it’s eerie (and infuriating) that the Vikings never seem to have a QB who can elevate his team late.

[VikingsVictorious]

I was just over at vikings.com and there is a link to a video of the GMFB crew predicting division winners and wildcard teams for the NFC for this upcoming season as well as another link summarizing power rankings for the Vikings as they head into the regular season.

For the GMFB folks, none of them predicted the Vikings make the playoffs this year. The Packers are predicted to win the division, while only one predicted the Bears to make the playoffs as a wildcard. Not one of the GMFB analysts even mentioned the Vikings with an outside shot of making the playoffs, much less competing for the division. In fact, I don't think they were mentioned at all by any one of them.

For the power rankings prognosticators, I think the highest the Vikings were ranked was 15 or 16, with several of the analysts putting them between 20-25. Some of those do mention the putative improvements the Vikings have made on defense and the skill position players on offense, but none of them seem to think very highly of the team overall or its relative chances.

I get that a lot of these opinions are carried over from last year, and you layer the poor preseason on top of that finish and that won't help matters, but man, given the resources the team has invested in improving on defense and the skill position players they already have on offense, I was surprised by what I read and watched. If these analysts are correct and the Vikings really are a middle-to-bottom-middle team this year and finish out of the playoffs yet again, I'd think time has to be up for Spielman, Zimmer and Cousins no questions asked. I can't see the Wilfs sticking with any of them after all have been given pretty much everything they could want or need to succeed at this point in their respective tenures with the Vikings.

But rounding this back to the present discussion in this thread, while some here have a high opinion of Cousins, it seems painfully apparent few outside the Vikings organization share that opinion of him or his ability to lead the team to a successful post-season appearance. I'd venture to say that most professional analysts hew closer to Stump's view of Cousins and his ability to lead the team than others here.

That doesn't mean Cousins sucks or can't perform - more likely it indicates few who follow the game closely believe he will be a positive difference maker in key situations, which are the times when you need your highly-paid QB to step up. I can't say I believe anything different about him. He's a solid QB who performs well most of the time, but when you need him to make a play or do something amazing he's much more likely to wilt than to step up.

Here's hoping this season is the season Cousins' finally sheds that reputation...

I've seen GMFB praising the Vikings and predicting division championship for us this year. I don't know what changed from when I watched and you did. I've also seen other big sports sites very high on the Vikings. CBS sports is one IIRC.

[StumpHunter]

I was just over at vikings.com and there is a link to a video of the GMFB crew predicting division winners and wildcard teams for the NFC for this upcoming season as well as another link summarizing power rankings for the Vikings as they head into the regular season.

For the GMFB folks, none of them predicted the Vikings make the playoffs this year. The Packers are predicted to win the division, while only one predicted the Bears to make the playoffs as a wildcard. Not one of the GMFB analysts even mentioned the Vikings with an outside shot of making the playoffs, much less competing for the division. In fact, I don't think they were mentioned at all by any one of them.

For the power rankings prognosticators, I think the highest the Vikings were ranked was 15 or 16, with several of the analysts putting them between 20-25. Some of those do mention the putative improvements the Vikings have made on defense and the skill position players on offense, but none of them seem to think very highly of the team overall or its relative chances.

I get that a lot of these opinions are carried over from last year, and you layer the poor preseason on top of that finish and that won't help matters, but man, given the resources the team has invested in improving on defense and the skill position players they already have on offense, I was surprised by what I read and watched. If these analysts are correct and the Vikings really are a middle-to-bottom-middle team this year and finish out of the playoffs yet again, I'd think time has to be up for Spielman, Zimmer and Cousins no questions asked. I can't see the Wilfs sticking with any of them after all have been given pretty much everything they could want or need to succeed at this point in their respective tenures with the Vikings.

But rounding this back to the present discussion in this thread, while some here have a high opinion of Cousins, it seems painfully apparent few outside the Vikings organization share that opinion of him or his ability to lead the team to a successful post-season appearance. I'd venture to say that most professional analysts hew closer to Stump's view of Cousins and his ability to lead the team than others here.

That doesn't mean Cousins sucks or can't perform - more likely it indicates few who follow the game closely believe he will be a positive difference maker in key situations, which are the times when you need your highly-paid QB to step up. I can't say I believe anything different about him. He's a solid QB who performs well most of the time, but when you need him to make a play or do something amazing he's much more likely to wilt than to step up.

Here's hoping this season is the season Cousins' finally sheds that reputation...

It’s not just reputation, I’m afraid.

I read an article in The Athletic, a great sports publication that I highly recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind paying for truly outstanding sports coverage. It was about how well NFL quarterbacks perform in the clutch. The writer researched EPA (expected points added) for all quarterbacks over the past 10 years, looking only at the last four minutes of a game, with his team trailing. A total of 39 quarterbacks have the minimum number of attempts (I think it’s 300, but don’t quote me on that).

Cousins ranks 30th.

Interestingly enough, the other quarterbacks in the Zimmer era (Bridgewater, Bradford and Keenum) rank even lower than Cousins. So is it the QB or the system/coach? Of course, half of Cousins’ attempts were in Washington, and the other quarterbacks all have spent time on other teams. But it’s eerie (and infuriating) that the Vikings never seem to have a QB who can elevate his team late.

The article was EPA for the final 4 minutes of each half. I don't have access to EPA in that situation, but for Cousins, Keenum and Bradford they all were significantly worse outside of MN in that spot in terms of YPA and passer rating than they were with MN. Only Teddy was significantly better outside of MN and that was only because he was much better right before the half in Carolina than he was in MN. He got much, much worse at the end of the 4th going from #1 in 2015 in that spot to Cousins level bad in Carolina.

[VikingLord]

I've seen GMFB praising the Vikings and predicting division championship for us this year. I don't know what changed from when I watched and you did. I've also seen other big sports sites very high on the Vikings. CBS sports is one IIRC.

https://www.vikings.com/video/gmfb-pred ... yoff-teams

That's the segment I was referring to.

Not sure what changed either but since the Vikings aren't mentioned we won't know.

[StumpHunter]

I've seen GMFB praising the Vikings and predicting division championship for us this year. I don't know what changed from when I watched and you did. I've also seen other big sports sites very high on the Vikings. CBS sports is one IIRC.

https://www.vikings.com/video/gmfb-pred ... yoff-teams

That's the segment I was referring to.

Not sure what changed either but since the Vikings aren't mentioned we won't know.

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

[VikingsVictorious]

https://www.vikings.com/video/gmfb-pred ... yoff-teams

That's the segment I was referring to.

Not sure what changed either but since the Vikings aren't mentioned we won't know.

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

Eggzactly.

[VikingLord]

https://www.vikings.com/video/gmfb-pred ... yoff-teams

That's the segment I was referring to.

Not sure what changed either but since the Vikings aren't mentioned we won't know.

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

[StumpHunter]

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

Another theory then: The Vikings have become one of the most predictable teams in the NFL and are boring to talk about.

Since 2018 there hasn't been a team lose to playoff teams more consistently while simultaneously win against non-playoff teams just as consistently. These analysts know what the Vikings are and no further discussion is needed.

[J. Kapp 11]

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

I’ve been at this fan thing for a long time. So have you.

In all those years, I’ve learned one thing that, to me, is irrefutable — early season prognostications are worth exactly nothing.

Especially when they come from people who don’t actually cover teams, but sit around in a studio and get paid to share their useless opinions. I mean, what qualifies Kyle Brandt or Kay Adams as football experts? I’ll tell you what “qualifies” them. They’re pretty.

Nobody had the Vikings going anywhere in 2017 or 2019 either. Don’t worry about these fools.

Or if it helps, Jim Miller on NFL Network Radio, an ex-Bear, loves the Vikings’ roster and thinks they’re going to be the surprise team in the NFC. He actually KNOWS the Vikings’ roster. He can go down the depth chart and tell you about each player. He does his homework on every team. I’m pretty sure Peter Schrager only knows Kirk Cousins and maybe Dalvin Cook.

Forget these fools and enjoy the season. It’s finally here!

[CharVike]

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

I think we will make the playoffs this year. I don't see us winning the division only because of Rodgers. Plus that young HC they have has a dam good record. He's getting the most from Rodgers and the team. I think CBS sums it up good for us as shown below.
The defense, which is usually the calling card for Mike Zimmer-coached teams, will be back to playing at a high level after a bad 2020. Couple that with a good offense, and the Vikings should be back in the postseason.
The Bears seem to be a pain for us and I guess Dalton will open the season and once Fields gets in there that will be a huge task for any defense. The guy will basically be the fastest person on the field and can take it to the house. This will lead to guys getting wide open and he appears to have the arm to get it done. I can see that hitting us in the head at some point.

[VikingsVictorious]

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

I’ve been at this fan thing for a long time. So have you.

In all those years, I’ve learned one thing that, to me, is irrefutable — early season prognostications are worth exactly nothing.

Especially when they come from people who don’t actually cover teams, but sit around in a studio and get paid to share their useless opinions. I mean, what qualifies Kyle Brandt or Kay Adams as football experts? I’ll tell you what “qualifies” them. They’re pretty.

Nobody had the Vikings going anywhere in 2017 or 2019 either. Don’t worry about these fools.

Or if it helps, Jim Miller on NFL Network Radio, an ex-Bear, loves the Vikings’ roster and thinks they’re going to be the surprise team in the NFC. He actually KNOWS the Vikings’ roster. He can go down the depth chart and tell you about each player. He does his homework on every team. I’m pretty sure Peter Schrager only knows Kirk Cousins and maybe Dalvin Cook.

Forget these fools and enjoy the season. It’s finally here!

Thumbs up

[VikingsVictorious]

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

I think we will make the playoffs this year. I don't see us winning the division only because of Rodgers. Plus that young HC they have has a dam good record. He's getting the most from Rodgers and the team. I think CBS sums it up good for us as shown below.
The defense, which is usually the calling card for Mike Zimmer-coached teams, will be back to playing at a high level after a bad 2020. Couple that with a good offense, and the Vikings should be back in the postseason.
The Bears seem to be a pain for us and I guess Dalton will open the season and once Fields gets in there that will be a huge task for any defense. The guy will basically be the fastest person on the field and can take it to the house. This will lead to guys getting wide open and he appears to have the arm to get it done. I can see that hitting us in the head at some point.

I expected the Vikings to win the division and be one of the top competitors for the Super Bowl. That was before Darrisaw not practicing all pre season, Irv Smith being lost for the year and Anthony Barr being a huge question mark. Fields worries me zero.

[CharVike]

Probably the poor preseason showing which is absurd. A knowledgeable realistic fan saw exactly in preseason what they would expect to see with no JJ, Theilen, Cook, Hunter, Kendricks, Smith, PP or Barr.

That could be, but if that were the case I'd expect at least one of them to say something like "I had the Vikings making the playoffs this year but..." or something along those lines.

There was no mention of them, even when when the Bears were listed as a wildcard team by one of them.

Even more maddening was the discussion about the NFC versus the AFC towards the end of the segment. Apparently in the eyes of all of the analysts the AFC is just stacked and the decisions about who will make the playoffs are much harder in that conference than in the NFC. They apparently see the AFC as more wide open and with more overall top-level parity, but what does that say about how they view the Vikings then? Apparently, in a weak conference with a lot of so-so teams the Vikings don't differentiate themselves at all. I find it hard to believe that is just the after-effects of the preseason talking, but it might be.

Otherwise, I can't explain it. The Vikings have a lot of top-level talent as you pointed out. Top-5 players at their positions that should provide plenty of punch. The Vikings don't have Rodgers at QB, but when I look at the talent on both teams I don't think the Packers are better overall than the Vikings. And it's not like Rodgers spent the offseason running on the beach with Apollo Creed while "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background. The dude spent the offseason hosting Jeopardy and threatening to bolt from his team. I mean, people get on Cousins for not being vaccinated in terms of his leadership role on the team, but at least Cousins shows up and wants to play. Rodgers, on the other hand, seems like he's doing everyone a big favor at this point.

Wonder how that attitude is going to rub off over the season...

Rodgers attitude could be positive. He basically told the GM to go F yourself and the GM didn't have the balls to pull the trigger with his man sitting there behind Rodgers. The GM put himself in this position but is scared to make the move. That's says plenty more about the GM than Rodgers.