TELL THE TRUTH MONDAY: 10 Truths about the 4-8 Minnesota Vikings

TELL THE TRUTH MONDAY: 10 Truths about the 4-8 Minnesota Vikings

[Music] going on J to Romes. So tough times right now for the Minnesota Fighting Vikings and it it does seem like the 2025 season it’s lost. All right, so four and eight, no playoffs. looking at the draft, lots of questions about the personnel, lots of questions about coaching, lots of questions about the players, lots of questions about quarterback play, but you know, you lost four in a row, lost six out of seven, and the fact that it was no call, no show embarrassment the last two weeks where everything was online. Hell, last four weeks, everything’s been online, right? But it’s been tough. It’s been tough. But situations like this where we talked about it might be good that you just got smacked in the face how quickly I was replaced. But I mean it’d be one thing if you’re fighting the good fight and it’s a lot of would a could a shouldas. Like if this was if all eight of the Vikings losses this season were the you like the Eagles game. You’re one for six in the red zone. Um didn’t have a good defensive plan. Well, you had a fine defensive plan. You shut down Squan. You dare Jaylen Herz to beat you and he beats you. Right? If all the losses were like that, you’re like, “Okay, we’re really close.” But there’s just something fundamentally broken with the Vikings right now, and I’m not sure how you fix it. And it’s pretty clearly the offense. I mean, the defense has been rocking and rolling, but just the lack of consistency at quarterback and McCarthy’s had some great moments, has also had some down moments. Just consistently has not been there. And bros show, you know, it is what it is and don’t blame him at all. But, you know, getting into the truth here, tan tan truths about the 4 and8 Minnesota Vikings. Number one, all options are on the table, right? And also leads in number two, Kevin McConnell is blame, right? Because you we thought about this too. You know, the Vikings obviously went allin with JJ McCarthy and Kevin McConnell and Quy. It’s a group dynamic there. They both signed off. They both both went all in on JJ McCarthy. So much so that it scared off any other viable veteran backup like Daniel Jones, Mariota, M. Jones, uh, Jamus, etc. They they all signed somewhere else because they’re like, “Well, I’m not going to be able to compete for the job.” You know, Flaco’s in that, too. So, I’m just going to sign elsewhere. And we talked about entire off seasonason. It was really weird that the Vikings hadn’t signed that veteran backup, right? And rationalized ways like, “Oh, I mean, they they see JJ McCarthy every day, so everything must be good in the hood since they’re betting their derbs on him.” But I mean, trade for Sam Hall, that didn’t work. Signed the Bro Show. It’s great. You didn’t have a veteran backup until Carson went signed the week before the season because all the other teams, the players, the agents, like they they knew like JJ McCarthy is going to be the quarterback, so it’s whatever. Uh, but all options are on the table at this point where you go from 14 wins to four and eight. Lucy got some splaining to do, right? Especially when it’s the offense, Kevin McConnell side of the ball and Kevin Conqu’s quarterback’s situation that has been the the issue, right? And for your ownership, you know, you see the rumors Justin Jefferson reading the tea leaves. Could he request a trade? Yeah, he’s the face of your franchise. Like, if you’re ownership, all options need to be on the table because you were sold a bill of goods. He’s coming off 14 win season and now it’s this where everything is just completely and utterly in shambles. 440 $344 million in salaries. If you’re ownership, you should be pissed. And yes, Kevin McConnell’s had some great moments. 13 wins 2022’s first season, 14 wins last year, but it is a what have you done for me lately league. And I I I don’t think that they’ll fire Okonnell. But I mean, if they bottom out the the rest of the way, it’s possible. I think quy it’s a little bit more dicey even though both got both got extensions results are results and also you look at the Bears the Patriots the Jaguars you know first year head coaches and they’re finding very quick success uh specifically offensively even though you know not an offensive guy obviously but you know the Josh McDaniel is working with Drake May so the the fact that the Vikings went from 14 wins it took a massive step backwards even though all they did was change the quarterback that had other improvements I mean, what the hell is happening? What the hell is happening? And yes, all options should be on the table. Kevin Connell certainly to blame for the offense. Number three, it’s not Bromer’s fault, right? And as we said, Max Bromer was put in a basically unwinable situation. Now, our expectations Vikings fans are very low. It’s like, hey, lead a drive that results in points. That was the our line. And holy f, our expectations were low. But what the hell, man? Yeah, but bromer reason why is a UDFA quarterback. Do I like him as a long-term pro project as a potential long-term backup? Yes, absolutely. But first career start, the nerves were there against an elite defense in a loud environment. And Kevin McConnell’s like, “Hey, you’re just going to throw throw throw.” And there’s something about Kevin McConnell’s offense where it’s just broke. Like even when Wentz was in there, it was really fits and starts. Even though yes, WZ was a being a veteran was able to throw the ball downfield. Jefferson Madison were able to get theirs, but there there just something fun messed up about the offense where McCarthy looked bad. Bromer looked bad. Wentz looked bad at times. There’s no just no consistently consistency. There’s no continuity. You don’t trust him on third down and fourth and fourth and short. It’s just And also red zone’s been a mess as well all season. That’s been an issue. And yes, offensive line has been in flux, but you got Jefferson, you got Addison, you got Hawinson, and you’re still struggling to la last two weeks, like Vikings fans, we celebrated when they got a damn first down. We shouldn’t have to live like this. Number four, McCarthy should start the rest of the way. So, it does sound like he’s going to clear concussion protocol. Uh Okonnell obviously wants him to have a full week of practice and go from there where at least McCarthy has shown sparks, right? And also the rest of the way Okonnell needs to just put all of the mechanics stuff aside. Put it aside. Let let McCarthy play and the rest of the way should be an assessment. Hey, can can the kid be a baller, right? How does he do in clutch time? Because we’ve seen that. I mean, the the comeback against the Bears week one, the the game against the Lions, the last drive against the Bears got wiped out by special teams issues, but yeah, you’ve seen him play. Just let him play. Like everything else with mechanics and all that stuff can be worked later on. Just let him play. Dial up an offense where he gets rid of the damn ball, where he’s not overthinking every single thing. Run the damn ball. Let the kid run as well. Ideally, he slides and protects himself and just play with House Bunny because honestly, you have nothing to lose at this point. What’s gonna happen? Oh, he looks bad. We’ve seen that. We’ve seen that, man. Uh, next up, truth number five. Jefferson will request a trade if the quarterback position isn’t sutured up for 2026. All right. And yes, you entered the season on a wing and a prayer that JJ McCarthy would keep the Ferrari on the road. Ferrari’s crash, lit on fire, all that stuff. But I would not blame Jefferson at all. So McCarthy obviously going to be in the mix. Brocho going to be in the mix. There should be a veteran quarterback TBD in there. Is it Carson Wentz? Is it M. Jones? Is it Kyler Murray? Don’t know. Don’t know. But if there isn’t anyone under center that you can consistently trust to distribute the football and put up points on the board, Jefferson will request a trade. And I no one will blame him, right? Because Jefferson, it’s not about stats, it’s all about winning, right? And the Vikings have not done a lot of winning lately. He didn’t talk to the media after the game uh against Seattle, which is a um a weird thing for Jefferson, but you can feel the frustration. Again, it’s not about numbers. It’s about looking absolutely pathetic on offense, right? You got the best wide receiver in the world. You can only get him the ball twice. I mean, a lot of it, sure, you blame the quarterbacks. Yes. But why is Kevin McConnell making everything so difficult? The degree of difficulty on offense is stunt stunning right now. Number six, Diamond Dallas turns becoming a star. So, 15 pressures, four sacks over the last three games. Had that trip sack that resulted in a turnover. He’s doing much better in the run game. Still gets washed out, but does need to add some size, but DDT is the place to be. and really glad to see him rising up in year two, growing and showing. Also, I think the Vikings defense is the best when AVG and Grard and Turner are all out there. I think that it does give you hope for the future. I mean, Turner’s only only 22. You know, same thing with JJ McCarthy as well. So hopefully McCarthy will turn a corner and you the two Vikings first round picks in 2024 will start being a little something something. Number seven, hang on to Flores at all costs. Now, yes, Flores should and could be getting a head coaching job, but the way that this defense has turned things around, and frankly, it’s the bright side of the ball this season for the Vikings. Yeah, they’ve had some down moments, sure, but the way that they played the last couple weeks, they’ve deserved a win, right? Where, you know, you’re holding the Bears to 19 points. Well, should be less than that. Should be 16 since that that last field goal was a bit of a fluke. Uh Chicago’s offense is rolling right now, especially in the run game. Uh as well as you look at, you know, the Vikings defense took it to the Packers, took it to Seattle as well. And you may say, well, well, they gave up x amount of points. A lot of that is constantly being on the field, losing the field position battle. What do you expect? All right. And this defense has rarely had the privilege of playing tie game or with a lead. And the fact that they’re still doing what they do, I mean, it’s a testament to Flores, right? And honestly, do whatever you can. Make him the highest pay coordinator. If he doesn’t get a head coaching job, that’s fine. Or the nuclear option. Do you trade Okonnell? Because honestly, I don’t think we’re there yet, but if they did look to trade Okonnell, you could probably get a first round pick for him pretty easily. I still feel like the quarterback whisperer brand is out there, right? Uh but just hang on to Flores how however you can do it. Uh number eight, Harrison Smith is so I like that Harrison Smith made the the touchdown saving tackle and also had a pass broken up. Yeah, he had some nice moments Sunday, but Harrison Smith is clearly not the player that he was in 2017, but also he clearly isn’t the player that he was like two years ago, right? I was trying to rack my brain, think of of the splash Harrison Smith plays this year. There’s not many, right? And the middle of the field, Jackson struggled. Mattelis has been hot and cold as well. like the entire spine of the defense, just the middle, like it needs an overall, right? That’s why I mean, you know, Vikings been tied to, you know, safeties Caleb DS one time throughout the draft. I think they may have to go that direction. Uh, next up, number nine. Could be a lot of changes on defense. Hell, there’s be a lot of changes in this team in general. So, Addison could be traded. I think Hockinson is c is cut. I think Ryan Kelly is gone. I Allan Hargrave, you know, minus massive pay cuts or restructures. They’re going to be gone. Harrison’s probably retiring. Cornerback room needs to be beefed up. I don’t know. Like there’s going to be a lot of turnover, pun intended, on the defense, even though they’ve been playing pretty good. Number number 10 can still get momentum. So, yes, is a season loss? Sure. Uh, but you know, it’s similar to the 2022 Lions when when they got some momentum going, right? Because they didn’t make the playoffs, but they won a couple games at the end feeling really good about the future. Vikings certainly can do that as well. I mean, McCarthy comes out, have a couple clean starts, he gets the ball. You know, Jefferson gets fed, all of a sudden, you know, those uh Jets trade rumors in the offseason, they get a little bit more quiet. Certainly could be there. But also just getting some mojo going. I I I feel like this team has played so uptight that they could probably probably wouldn’t even be able to pass a BB and Kevin McConnell has to find a way to get the message back on brand, right? And you know, we love the Kevin McConnell Ted Lasso culture when it works, but it hasn’t been working. And has he lost the locker room? Sure. But getting some semblance of faith at the quarterback position the last five games, that should be numero uno, right? And also the fact that, you know, the Lions and the Packers are are sort of flirting with playoff relevancy right now. They’re chasing the Bears, but potentially knock them down down a peg or two or maybe even out of the playoff picture altogether. I mean, that’d be kind of nice. Like obviously the Viking season, no playoffs, but you can there’s still a lot of good work that you can take away from these last five games. or this team and and coaching staff could just roll over, you know, get the tar kicked out of them and there will be a lot of changes cuz as we said all options are on the table including the nuclear options but guess we’ll see. Anyways, that’s it. That’s TM truths about the allegedly forate not great Minnesota fighting Vikings. Let us know comment section. You guys the best to do. Skull production value.

TELL THE TRUTH MONDAY: 10 Truths about the 4-8 Minnesota Vikings

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