2023 Vikings

I personally love the move, as stated it adds some depth that actually has some abilities, it creates an atmosphere of competition. And allowed us to lose a little deadweight that had no future here. And the risk was little to nothing.
Now if the Vikings were smart they would get that contract extension done with cousins so he understands going into rehab he has his job for the next year or two and it will make it far easier to satisfy JJ and get him done.

Getting a sixth for Cleveland seems kind of low but he has some injury issues and Dalton Risner has stepped in during these last two weeks and performed well against good D fronts.
I don’t believe Cleveland had a future after this year with the Vikings regardless

I believe Cleveland is a free agent after this season too so that’s probably why they only got a 6th for him.

Cleveland trade makes very little sense to me, he was a 2nd round pick, a starter and performed decently per PFF. I’d rather kept him for some depth as a 6th is basically nothing.

BigWerm wrote:

Cleveland trade makes very little sense to me, he was a 2nd round pick, a starter and performed decently per PFF. I’d rather kept him for some depth as a 6th is basically nothing.

I definitely see this side of it as it’s not as if the Vikings have a gluten of depth on the line.

Obviously this was going to be his last season with the team in their minds.

BigWerm wrote:

Cleveland trade makes very little sense to me, he was a 2nd round pick, a starter and performed decently per PFF. I’d rather kept him for some depth as a 6th is basically nothing.

Completely agree. I’m thinking Kwesi wanted to get the 6th back he gave up for Dobbs. But if that’s the case the idiot shouldn’t have traded for Dobbs in the first case. I’m ready to be done with the Kwesi experiment.

Cleveland wanted to move back to tackle. The Vikings have two tackles, Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
So they dumped him since they didn’t see a future with his service past this season. I understand the depth idea, but how much longer was the foot injury going to take?
He was a good guy, but they are moving on

Jerry K wrote:

Cleveland wanted to move back to tackle. The Vikings have two tackles, Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
So they dumped him since they didn’t see a future with his service past this season. I understand the depth idea, but how much longer was the foot injury going to take?
He was a good guy, but they are moving on

All probably true but dumping an asset isn’t necessarily the best strategy.

Ripjiggen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jerry K wrote:</div>
Cleveland wanted to move back to tackle. The Vikings have two tackles, Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
So they dumped him since they didn’t see a future with his service past this season. I understand the depth idea, but how much longer was the foot injury going to take?
He was a good guy, but they are moving on

All probably true but dumping an asset isn’t necessarily the best strategy.

I’m not a Vikings fan, but I’m truly mystified by the Cleveland love. He’s just a guy, a massive bust as a second round player, drafted as a tackle. There is nothing he does particularly well, and his position was massively upgraded with a guy literally off the street. The Vikings can likely find comparable guard talent, with the 6th rounder they received, for far less than any price Cleveland would be willing to take as a veteran. He doesn’t even fit the offensive scheme anymore.

I’m not sure anyone here loves him. But why wouldn’t you keep a guy that has started the last two years as depth instead of basically giving him away?

And Risner is certainly not “some guy off the street”. He started for Denver for quite awhile and became a whipping boy for the coach and GM after having an altercation for a legit reason. Most people think he’s an above average pass blocker as well as most liking his talents. And Cleveland wouldn’t get beaten by your average 6th rounder even as average as he is.

Simple reasons for not tanking.

1) The gamblers won’t stand for it.

2) The NFL won’t stand for teams messing with the gambling money.

3) Owners won’t stand for other owners tanking.

4) Players are paid for positive results.

5) Advertisers won’t put up with 1/2 empty stadiums for tanking teams.

6) Ticket holders (corporations) pay big money for a quality product. Water down the product and you lose the corporate money

7) Tanking affects everybody’s $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Dutch- I think that horse has been beaten. Nobody here was even talking about tanking in the true sense.

Plus, haven’t you guys seen Major League?!?

The Dobbs trade echoes my thoughts on how best to keep the team competitive was a mobile QB to help the running game. Being competitive against the rubbish that we face for the majority of the rest of the season may not mean much in the win column regardless. As far as the Cleveland trade. It obviously was the best offer they got and he must have wanted out. Goodbye, Felicia.

We will just have to see how the team fairs from this point forward. I hope we get home victories vs. all division opponents and any win beyond that is icing on the cake. Making the Wild Card round or achieving a 500 record for the season, is doubtful. I’ll be watching the games and hoping for the best regardless.

Dutchboy wrote:

Simple reasons for not tanking.

1) The gamblers won’t stand for it.

2) The NFL won’t stand for teams messing with the gambling money.

3) Owners won’t stand for other owners tanking.

4) Players are paid for positive results.

5) Advertisers won’t put up with 1/2 empty stadiums for tanking teams.

6) Ticket holders (corporations) pay big money for a quality product. Water down the product and you lose the corporate money

7) Tanking affects everybody’s $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The NBA would like a word…

Jerry K wrote:

Cleveland wanted to move back to tackle.

This would increase his value if he can be serviceable. Regardless a starting offensive lineman should garner far more than a 6th is all I’m saying. Seems like Kwesi wanted to do right by him, for some reason. Not sure compassion is a great trait in a GM.

Seems like compassion is a big part of his salary offers also with all the astronomical contracts he’s been giving everyone.

lindyrig79 wrote:

Plus, haven’t you guys seen Major League?!?

That is a great movie. “You might run like Mays but you hit like sh**.”

Surgery went well for Kirk he’s on the road to recovery now.

mahtofire14 wrote:

I’m not sure anyone here loves him. But why wouldn’t you keep a guy that has started the last two years as depth instead of basically giving him away?

Because he was never going to resign with us and became expendable with the signing of Risner. I am in favor of the Cleveland trade. We got back a 6th round pick for a player who was going to walk after the season was over. As to the lack of depth on our line, sure thats a thing and having Cleveland helps that but does that put us into SB conversations? Hell no. The Vikings are at best a 9-8 team with or without Cleveland. Unless someone thinks we would have gotten more in a compensatory pick it was a good deal IMO

crappie55369 wrote:

Because he was never going to resign with us and became expendable with the signing of Risner.

100%

The best run teams cut bait with guys who cannot play in their system regardless of where they were drafted. Look what San Fran did with Trey Lance.

I am not a Viking fan, but if I was I’d support getting Cleveland out the door for any available compensation. A bag of peanuts was more than they were going to get for him after the season. Maybe he was a “miss” of a draft pick, but so be it. Adios.

buckybadger wrote:

I am not a Viking fan, but if I was I’d support getting Cleveland out the door for any available compensation. A bag of peanuts was more than they were going to get for him after the season. Maybe he was a “miss” of a draft pick, but so be it. Adios.

The cheese that rotten in GB that everything has turned sour to you? Ezra Cleveland gave up 1 sack and had 2 penalties all season, he has a 72.8 PFF score (the scale is 100, and that is considered above average), was ranked in the 20’s out of all 64+ guards in the league, and was regarded as the best OG on the trade market. He’s not a Pro Bowler or All-Pro but a more than serviceable guard, with position flexibility. For a 6th.

The reality of the NFL is that unless you are trading a star at a premier position, the compensation will be poor. It also has to be taken into account that Cleveland is in a contract year and will need to be paid this offseason. With more important players on the team needing extensions/new deals (Jefferson, Hunter, Cousins?, etc.), and the line playing well without Cleveland, pennies have to be pinched somewhere. So getting a 6th for someone you would’ve let walk in the offseason seems like a win.

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
I am not a Viking fan, but if I was I’d support getting Cleveland out the door for any available compensation. A bag of peanuts was more than they were going to get for him after the season. Maybe he was a “miss” of a draft pick, but so be it. Adios.

The cheese that rotten in GB that everything has turned sour to you? Ezra Cleveland gave up 1 sack and had 2 penalties all season, he has a 72.8 PFF score (the scale is 100, and that is considered above average), was ranked in the 20’s out of all 64+ guards in the league, and was regarded as the best OG on the trade market. He’s not a Pro Bowler or All-Pro but a more than serviceable guard, with position flexibility. For a 6th.

As a Packers fan, yes it is, the squad is terrible and Love ain’t the guy. THEY need to “collapse for Caleb”. That said, I don’t put much stock in the nerds at PFF. Cleveland was the 3rd, 4th? best player on a line that until the last few games has been regarded as God awful, especially by Vikings fans. His “position flexibility” comes as a result of not being good enough to play his natural position in the NFL, not because he’s particularly good at the one he’s been forced into. I think with Cousins gone, a lot of Vikes fans are gonna understand just how much he was propping up the terrible play up the middle with quick decisions and experience. Bradbury shouldn’t be in the league, and Oliver is a good draft pick away from the street. Your tackles are ok though, so you’ve got THAT on my Pack too, sadly.

The Atlanta Falcons are starting backup veteran, journeyman, and former Viking QB Taylor Heinecke on Sunday. Heinecke came in last week for Desmond DeRidder, who was benched for poor play.

gimruis wrote:

The Atlanta Falcons are starting backup veteran, journeyman, and former Viking QB Taylor Heinecke on Sunday. Heinecke came in last week for Desmond DeRidder, who was benched for poor play.

He threw a TD last year against the Vikings, but that was because the ref knocked down Harrison Smith.

The Vikings at +190 are looking intriguing…even with a rookie QB.

Atlanta has not looked good since their SB meltdown. Just when you think they have something going feeding Bijon Robinson and starting to utilize uber-talented Kyle Pitts, they stop getting Robinson the ball and go from a bad QB to a different bad QB.

This could be one of those games that is so ugly it’s entertaining.

buckybadger wrote:

This could be one of those games that is so ugly it’s entertaining.

You are right on that one! This is going to be a train wreck.

Vikings would be better off with Ridder starting.

Bucky, drop a grand on the game. it’ll give you a reason to watch it.

mahtofire14 wrote:

Vikings would be better off with Ridder starting.

I think the odds went from a 1/3rd chance of a win down to a 1/4 chance of a win because of the QB change. I don’t know a thing about Ridder. I just know that the Vikings’ D feasts on young inexperienced QBs. As a playoff contender, I think the Birds are doing the right thing this week starting the vet.