2022 Minnesota Vikings

Training camp is in full swing, and the first pre-season game is on Sunday, August 14.

Let’s hear your thoughts, predictions, and opinions right here. Packer fans can go troll a Bears thread.

I’m mildly excited for the coaching change. I think Zim simply lost the respect and control of his team, and the defense was atrocious even though his specialty is defense. If the offense looks similar but the defense improves, this is a playoff team. They won or lost every single game last season by one possession (except one at GB when Cousins had to sit out per covid protocol). I am going to go with 10-7 and a wild card playoff spot.

SKOL

If they end both halves of games like last year they will suck again.

Trouble finding a loss on that schedule, but I’m sure there will be one. 16-1 and a Superbowl Homeboy!

In all seriousness it will depend on the defense. They look good on paper, but are switching to a 3-4 and have virtually no depth. If they get banged up, it could turn real ugly, real fast. Offense should be good to very good as long as Kirk stays healthy. 12-5 would be best case scenario, 7-10 if they get hit with a lot of injuries on defense and/or Kirk. I’m not a huge Kirk fan, but he is way better than anyone else on the roster.

If Dalvin stays healthy… 11-6

I almost started this thread myself when I saw on the Vikings social media that Dalvin scored a TD in practice last night

Lots of positivity surrounding the team this year. Werm is right, very little depth, I’d say on most of both sides of the ball, and that hurt them a lot last year.

If all their good-to-great players are healthy for awhile this year things could improve. There’s also plenty of buzz about the new coaching. Take it for what you will, but a lot of the players in interviews are talking a lot about having more fun coming to work and enjoying what’s going on more. More and more keeps coming out about Zimmer and you can tell a lot of guys just didn’t like coming to work under him. That really can be a difference, whether it’s in sports or any workplace.

From a guy who was beating the “Fire Zimmer” drum for the last 3 seasons, yeah I’m excited to see the new coaching staff. Especially a younger offensive mind. Not that it will necessarily work, but what we were doing before wasn’t working either.

Winning 2 playoff games with tons of choke jobs over 8 seasons doesn’t do it for me.

Mildly excited by the new coaching staff – really like KOC and how he carries himself. His positivity is refreshing and infectious, but Jim Wacker and Tim Brewster were positive, too!

A lifetime of routing for this team has taught me that anything more than a “wait and see” approach is too much.

I think the new GM and Coaching staff are going to really do wonders for this team. The defense really cannot do worse than they did last year so any improvement there will make a huge difference. I think they will win the division with a 12-5 record.

All good points.
Depth is a little shaky so injuries will be hard to deal with.
Dam they got a butt load of talent if they stay healthy.

Bottom line is Zim and Slick Rick were cancer to the team at least the last 4 years. Players no longer wanted to play for Zim. And how many games were lost in the final 5-10 minutes playing that conservative, “Prevent the Win” mentality.

I’m excited for the GM/coaching changes and yep, excited once again to see em in action.
I’m going 11-6 and I think that wins the division.

I think Patrick Peterson gets hurt one if not both of outside line backers get hurt and we get shredded on D. Kirk passes for 10,000 yards and we finish right around 500. No I’m not a packer fan and trolling. Oh and Kirk literally throws a TD with Bradbury laying on him.

The defense really needs fixing. I believe the last two seasons they finished in the bottom three overall defense both seasons. Even if they are just middle of the pack good on defense this season, you should see a noticeable improvement. Having Hunter just play for most or all of the season would certainly help.

The offense has been pretty good, even in the O-line is just a work in progress. Cousins is not the problem. If he gets a relatively clean pocket he’ll shred opposing defenses.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I think Patrick Peterson gets hurt one if not both of outside line backers get hurt and we get shredded on D. Kurt passes for 10,000 yards and we finish right around 500. No I’m not a packer fan and trolling. Oh and Kurt literally throws a TD with Bradbury laying on him.

Who are you a fan of since you dont even know the QBs first name? Stick to hockey.

Ha the Vikes..Sorry auto correct on phone.
I am just realistic. They havent really fixed most of the problems from last year.
Interior line Bradbury is still getting blown up in the middle.
Pash Rush-Just don’t see either Hunter or Smith staying healthy all season.
D Backs-We have 1 and a rookie.

Ripjiggen wrote:

They havent really fixed most of the problems from last year.
Interior line Bradbury is still getting blown up in the middle.
Pash Rush-Just don’t see either Hunter or Smith staying healthy all season.
D Backs-We have 1 and a rookie.

I dont disagree with any of this, I think Bradbury is the biggest issue on the O-line by a long shot because he gets steamrolled when 1-on-1. Read some interesting tweets from practice about him when Smith line up across from him LOL

CaptainMusky wrote:

I think Bradbury is the biggest issue on the O-line by a long shot because he gets steamrolled when 1-on-1

The primary issue is his size. He’s just not very big by most O-line standards. They signed him to be a mobile center in the zone rushing scheme that the Kubiaks loved to deploy. Straight up pocket protection he is more or less just a body.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
I think Bradbury is the biggest issue on the O-line by a long shot because he gets steamrolled when 1-on-1

The primary issue is his size. He’s just not very big by most O-line standards. They signed him to be a mobile center in the zone rushing scheme that the Kubiaks loved to deploy. Straight up pocket protection he is more or less just a body.

And what’s the shortest distance to the QB.
I am looking forward to the next coach/GM situation just like most. I just think it is unrealistic to see them turn it around that quickly.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I just think it is unrealistic to see them turn it around that quickly.

How many of the games were decided by 1 score and at the end of the game or scores happening at the end of the half? Man, it seemed like the majority of the losses were that way. If they clean that up even a tiny bit they will have a far better record I would think.

CaptainMusky wrote:

How many of the games were decided by 1 score and at the end of the game

All 17 games except one. They literally won or lost every single game except one by one possession. The lone game they got waxed was at GB on a Sunday night late in the season when Cousins was out because of covid protocol. Enter…Sean Mannion. What a disaster he was.

If the new coach ditches the “prevent” crap… they win 4 or 5 more easily. Plus, the best move was the packers losing Davante.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Oh and Kurt literally throws a TD with Bradbury laying on him.

He’s been doing that since Bradbury took over.

Do a compare – position by position of some of the previous good/great Viking teams….in addition to the lack of depth on the lines.

2022 is a 8, maybe 9 win team at best.

Basement: Injuries to key players and another run of close losses brings them to 9-8

Ceiling: Key players all stay healthy should be 11-6 or 12-5.

This team has talent. They have a new coach that seems to be saying all the right things. The defense cannot be worse. The O-Line still has a lot to prove.

The Packers are talented too, but I don’t see their defense holding up the way many are predicting it to. Gary had a career year, Campbell had a career year, and both will still be good but probably not pro bowlers. Their 2 best offensive linemen are coming off knee injuries and one of the best skill players in the game is gone.

My prediction, Packers and Vikings split in the regular season. Packers go 10-7 and Vikings go 11-6. Vikings get bounced in 1st round of playoffs with a missed short FG to end the season. Packers roll as the wildcard to the NFC Championship game before losing there yet again.

LOL !!!

I think the offense will be much more effective now that we have an actual OC and not just an OC’s kid calling the plays. It was evident the last couple seasons that the play calling was about as stale as it gets. I just don’t think the defense is going to be able to keep teams under 25 points.

stout93 wrote:

Do a compare – position by position of some of the previous good/great Viking teams….in addition to the lack of depth on the lines.

2022 is a 8, maybe 9 win team at best.

I kind of agree. Not sure where all this talent is everyone is talking about. They have 1 elite receiver and a running back that doesn’t play a full season. Most teams in the NFL have that, but I like all the positivity from the purple fandom before the season starts. That’s the great thing about the Vikes. There is always hope before the season starts.

mahtofire14 wrote:

I think the offense will be much more effective now that we have an actual OC and not just an OC’s kid calling the plays. It was evident the last couple seasons that the play calling was about as stale as it gets. I just don’t think the defense is going to be able to keep teams under 25 points.

Agreed on the offensive side/OC issues. Plus, O’Donnell has been emphasizing Kirk’s ownership of the offense and ability to change the play at the line.

Defensively if Hunter can stay on the field we are a different defense, previously and now, and if Hunter AND Smith can stay healthy that’s a huge game changer. Donatell is a great DC, and runs a totally different style of defense than Zim did, even though Denvers W/L was bad under Fangio, the defense was VERY good. Our DB’s are going to be running zone most of the time, not nearly as much A zone blitz/bluffs, and a more modern amoeba defense as opposed to Zim’s more hardened roles. The red flag is depth, especially on the corners and DT.

Bears fan here. 2022 will likely be brutal. Vegas has us favored in 4 games last time I checked. New coaching staff should be worth a game or so but they haven’t done much with offensive line and many of the receiver castoffs Poles got are injured. Even Detroit will likely kick our behind. Oh the woes of Bears fans.

Oh. and Roquan Smith who is our best player is holding out since team does not want to pay him.

Didn’t the vikes almost hire the Bears GM? Dint he he pass on the Vikes?

Ripjiggen wrote:

Didn’t the vikes almost hire the Bears GM? Dint he he pass on the Vikes?

Poles was a finalist here, and signed with the Bears while we were still interviewing. It will be a few years before we have any idea on him or Kwesi for that matter. Totally different jobs as whoever the Bears hired was doing a rebuild, whereas the Vikes new GM had a lot more guys under contract, including Kirk.

Sylvanboat wrote:

Oh. and Roquan Smith who is our best player is holding out since team does not want to pay him.

This one doesn’t make much sense to me as Roquan is one of the best LB’s in the league and in the last year of his rookie deal. He needs to get paid by the Bears now, or he is gone after this year. Sounds like they are pretty close now though.