Vikings Had Too Much Good Luck Last Year
August 26th, 2023
NFL record in 2022.
Enough about this worthless preseason nonsense! Time to talk real football.
(As the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo said this week on his SiriusXM radio show about worthless preseason games, “It’s a complete waste of my time.” Amen.)
So in two weeks the Bucs open the 2023 season against the Vikings in Minneapolis. By halftime, Joe will have “Skol!” and that damn horn ringing in his ears so much Joe’s going to want to jump in the Mississippi River.
Joe came across a video from folicly-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN. And he had a very interesting take on the Vikings.
Do you know that last year the Vikings set an NFL record for most wins in one-score games? Minnesota was 9-0 in those games.
Billy, being a math guy, is a big believer in something called “regression to the mean.” Real humans call this “coming back down to earth.” Billy suggested the Vikings can’t be that fortunate again. In fact, Billy said he wouldn’t be shocked if the Vikings have a reversal of fortune and instead of winning 11 games, the Vikings could post a losing season with just seven wins.
Who thinks the Vikings are better without Dalvin Cook? A show of hands … anyone? Nah, Joe didn’t think so.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles wants to play strong defense, run the ball and keep the game close. The problem with that is “keeping the game close” means you keep the other team in the game. (Joe prefers you stomp the other team’s throat and choke them out.)
But if Bowles gets his way and the game is close, will Lady Luck frown on the Vikings this year and that dumb horn?
August 26th, 2023 at 10:11 am
Keeping games close is a recipe for .500 ball.
August 26th, 2023 at 10:21 am
Keeping it close equals defeated minds before you even start
The offense feels they aren’t truly getting a chance to compete at their highest abilities collectively
The defense feels the pressure and blows mental assignments due to the overthinking everything
Does any of this look or sound familiar?
Welcome to the final curtain call for the Todd the Turtle
August 26th, 2023 at 10:31 am
If Toad really wants to keep the game close and rely on the defense he is going to get burned. The Bucs should be trying to score 30+ points a game. Worst HC in the NFL and the Glazers are responsible for promoting this idiot. I hope this season goes well, but I am afraid the team has too many strikes against it, the biggest being the HC.
August 26th, 2023 at 10:32 am
The Vikings are better than they were last year. Not because they don’t have Dalvin Cook, but because the notable additions they’ve made to their roster and more specifically their defense and coaching staff.
Byron Murphy, Marcus Davenport, Dean Lowry and Brain Flores will all help improve their defense unit that was absolutely atrocious last season. 2nd worst defense in the league, which is the main reason they were in so many 1 score games btw. If they can improve to just being league average, that will be tremendous for them.
Btw, Alexander Mattison is no slouch either. He’s not as explosive as Cook, but he’s still a stud with great vision, good balance through contact, good hands out of the back field and he’s got a bit of wiggle to him too. In my eyes he’s probably better than all of our backs and a great pick up on fantasy because he’ll be fed carries in Cooks absence.
August 26th, 2023 at 10:33 am
I absolutely hate conservative coaches, who play scarred when they have a little lead. Yes, unfortunately Bowles fits this mold. Why do you think the pats were good for so long. Brady and belicheat kept their foot on the gas all game, and it usually paid off. Play hard the whole game, no matter the score, all has no brakes. It baffles me why some coaches don’t understand this.
August 26th, 2023 at 10:40 am
The Vikings lost a lot of starters in the offseason, too. In addition to Cook, WR Adam Thielen (Panthers), DT Dalvin Tomlinson (Browns), CB Patrick Peterson (Steelers), LB Eric Kendricks (Chargers) are no longer on their roster.
August 26th, 2023 at 10:54 am
So why is it every time I read on these pages write that we have a HUGE advantage (hot weather, rookie or 2nd/3rd string QB, decimated secondary, one dimensional, etc.) we end up getting CURB STOMPED! Also, last time I checked, our only 2 winning super bowl coaches were….wait for it…..offensive minded head coaches.
August 26th, 2023 at 11:00 am
Brilliant. Keep the game close. Good Grief. Keep it within 1 Bowles Blunder is a plan for Calamity Todd.
August 26th, 2023 at 11:12 am
“Joe prefers you stomp the other team’s throat and choke them out”. Love the analogy Joe.
August 26th, 2023 at 11:31 am
“Enough about this worthless preseason nonsense!” Nope – not taking the cheese Joe. Oh – wait…I just did..Grrrrrr…
August 26th, 2023 at 11:32 am
Absolutely.
August 26th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Opening against HC/DC Bowles is pretty good luck.
August 26th, 2023 at 11:50 am
I think the problem with that is, we can’t run the ball.
August 26th, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Vikings 40 Yucs 13. Baker won’t make it though the game. Bucs rush for less than 35 yards. Evans catches one pass for 7.5 yards. Godwin gets hurt. Vea plays 20% of the snaps.
August 26th, 2023 at 2:34 pm
Keeping it close = .500 ball. What was our record last season 8 w 9 l. As close to .500 as the regular season gets you unless you had 1 tie game. This was with TB12! Bowles better move on to plan b!! I have faith in DC, TB best not handcuff him!
August 26th, 2023 at 2:37 pm
The Nostradamuses on this site are getting out of hand. Let’s the games begin before starting to foresee doom. Again, I trust the process and I keep believing we’ll be better than most think. I’m just a true BUCS fan btw.
August 26th, 2023 at 4:09 pm
I don’t put much stock in past opening day tendencies. The coaches involved see that too and unless their name is Lovie they try to fix that.
The Viqueens had a good offence, but loosing Thielen and Cook isn’t going to make them better. There seems to be turmoil on that team. I’m thinking they may be more interested in Caleb than we are. Cousins ain’t Tom Brady. He’s near the end.