I am a firm believer that Minnesota didn't go into "tanking" mode during 2020 because they clearly realized... they've already made the investment and lost the receipt.
Constantly going backwards while in the moment doesn't help you progress in the future. The Vikings paid Cousins, and nobody was gonna bail them out, so they (players & coaches) balled to the best of their ability. Results are mixed and everyone has opinions about what should've been done and what steps they missed, but at that point, you just gotta trudge through it. Picking Mond in the 3rd round feels like seeing the light at the end of the Cousins tunnel.
And that's not said in jest, I've been all for Cousins since day one. It's been a lonely ride.
If Minnesota had a realistic way to pivot from Cousins in 2020, mayyyybe they would've been more inclined to submission. Get a high draft pick, prepare for a future rookie QB, restructure the roster, possibly alter coaching staff, roll from there... since that pivot was never feasible for (insert reasons here), they needed to milk the investment for whatever it was worth. During that losing stint last season, they likely knew there and then it was gonna be a rookie QB drafted between rounds 3-5.
Sneak a little win streak into the mix, the grand future plan defined itself. If they stumbled into the playoffs, swing for the fences. If they came up short, prepare for the last hoorah of Cousins & coaches. Either way, the investment needed to follow through, no going backwards.
I'm okay with this reality.
There is so much connective tissue in having Cousins in purple, the only way Vikings would've drafted a 1st round QB (and make it work) in 2021 is if they blew up the entire operation. Which is something many advocate for, but I have zero interest in seeing this franchise build from rubble. Not because I enjoy cheering for a "subpar" organization consistently coming up short... but mostly because I have zero faith some football messiah is waiting to flip some magical switch 2 to 3 years.
Cousins is no fool. Maybe a little dopey, but the dude can ball. Even with a coaching staff focused on defense and running 40 times a game, this team can succeed. How far they get up the mountain top? Well... Coller said it best, "There’s no parachute. If everything doesn’t click, you just fall."
I think that your question of "are mobile QBs the future," is an extremely valuable one. My opinion is that whether or not they are the future, they definitely are the present, and I think that we aren't really even considering what this modern trend could portend toward the future.
My understand is that modern offenses work well with younger athletic QBs because the athleticism of these QBs can strain defenses in a way that the traditional pocket QBs cannot (e.g., by virtue of being able to run and generally move around in the backfield). As a result of these abilities, offensive coordinators are further able to create simple reads, as a mobile QB can dictate that a defense line up in a certain way such that a clever play designer can create relatively open routes than were typically available to QBs coming into the league 10 or 15 years ago.
Here is the interesting part - what happens to these QBs when they are no longer 24 and some of the more physically gifted players on the field but instead 33 and find their physical traits waning? Previously, offenses were laser-focused on teaching QBs intense nuances of the game such that a QB had to have an extremely advanced understanding of the defense to know what their read was and when/how/where to throw it. As such, most QBs failed, but those ones that succeeded (Manning, Brady, Rivers, Brees, Ryan, Big Ben, Stafford etc.) could play until they were in their upper 30s with basically no drop off.
Put differently, 5/10/15/20 years ago, offenses dictated that their QB win with their mind, so only truly elite processing QBs could win. You didn't know if someone was an elite processor until they got to the NFL, so drafting a QB was very much so a crapshoot. However, your processing will stay with you for your full life, so you could be good/great at this skill for a long long time (e.g., until your arm fails or you get hurt).
However, now offenses enable their young QB to win primarily with their physical gifts, such that they require their QBs to do far less reading of the field in order to succeed. This makes it far easier for young athletic QBs to win right away. But what happens when the 24 year old physical phenom that runs a 4.3 40 yard dash in Lamar Jackson is 34 and was never forced to learn these nuances? Can you see him winning the way that Brady does now at 43? Maybe they randomly pick it up by virtue of being around football for so long??
Granted, this does not matter in 2021. Lamar is amazing right now. Kyler Murray is a blast to watch right now. Trey Lance will probably be electric.
But I am very curious to watch what the long-term effects might be of not forcing QBs to win by using their mind. I could see a situation in which QBs basically become the new WRs, where they generally are only stars when they are in their physical prime, and become cast-offs as soon as they get to their third contract. It will be very interesting to watch.
It's not Cousins fault that he is paid more than his value, but that is the problem. The NFL is going to need to find a way to accurately value the Kirk Cousins type QB. The QB's salary can't be such a large percentage of the cap unless they make everyone better around them. It's just bad math. It would make for an interesting article (maybe someone has done it) to compare the highly successful seasons of that past 20 years and the QB's cap percentage.
Outstanding article, Matthew! I agree with your very thorough, honest analysis of Cousins and the team. Football is a business and it is very logical for the Vikings to draft another QB at this point. Cousin's 2021 performance will be pivotal in how the Vikes move forward. They've addressed the pass protection problem with the draft... let's see what happens.
Protect Kirk and he' s as good as any qb in the league. Don't protect him and he's a bottom half qb. How about we just protect him, and win a Superbowl?
Donkeys are a different species than a horse, but in the same family. They were originally bred in Egypt or Mesopotamia around 5,000 years ago. Mules, on the other hand, are a cross between a female horse and a male donkey or “jack” (hence the word “jackass”)
I am a firm believer that Minnesota didn't go into "tanking" mode during 2020 because they clearly realized... they've already made the investment and lost the receipt.
Constantly going backwards while in the moment doesn't help you progress in the future. The Vikings paid Cousins, and nobody was gonna bail them out, so they (players & coaches) balled to the best of their ability. Results are mixed and everyone has opinions about what should've been done and what steps they missed, but at that point, you just gotta trudge through it. Picking Mond in the 3rd round feels like seeing the light at the end of the Cousins tunnel.
And that's not said in jest, I've been all for Cousins since day one. It's been a lonely ride.
If Minnesota had a realistic way to pivot from Cousins in 2020, mayyyybe they would've been more inclined to submission. Get a high draft pick, prepare for a future rookie QB, restructure the roster, possibly alter coaching staff, roll from there... since that pivot was never feasible for (insert reasons here), they needed to milk the investment for whatever it was worth. During that losing stint last season, they likely knew there and then it was gonna be a rookie QB drafted between rounds 3-5.
Sneak a little win streak into the mix, the grand future plan defined itself. If they stumbled into the playoffs, swing for the fences. If they came up short, prepare for the last hoorah of Cousins & coaches. Either way, the investment needed to follow through, no going backwards.
I'm okay with this reality.
There is so much connective tissue in having Cousins in purple, the only way Vikings would've drafted a 1st round QB (and make it work) in 2021 is if they blew up the entire operation. Which is something many advocate for, but I have zero interest in seeing this franchise build from rubble. Not because I enjoy cheering for a "subpar" organization consistently coming up short... but mostly because I have zero faith some football messiah is waiting to flip some magical switch 2 to 3 years.
Cousins is no fool. Maybe a little dopey, but the dude can ball. Even with a coaching staff focused on defense and running 40 times a game, this team can succeed. How far they get up the mountain top? Well... Coller said it best, "There’s no parachute. If everything doesn’t click, you just fall."
Happy Anniversary!
I think that your question of "are mobile QBs the future," is an extremely valuable one. My opinion is that whether or not they are the future, they definitely are the present, and I think that we aren't really even considering what this modern trend could portend toward the future.
My understand is that modern offenses work well with younger athletic QBs because the athleticism of these QBs can strain defenses in a way that the traditional pocket QBs cannot (e.g., by virtue of being able to run and generally move around in the backfield). As a result of these abilities, offensive coordinators are further able to create simple reads, as a mobile QB can dictate that a defense line up in a certain way such that a clever play designer can create relatively open routes than were typically available to QBs coming into the league 10 or 15 years ago.
Here is the interesting part - what happens to these QBs when they are no longer 24 and some of the more physically gifted players on the field but instead 33 and find their physical traits waning? Previously, offenses were laser-focused on teaching QBs intense nuances of the game such that a QB had to have an extremely advanced understanding of the defense to know what their read was and when/how/where to throw it. As such, most QBs failed, but those ones that succeeded (Manning, Brady, Rivers, Brees, Ryan, Big Ben, Stafford etc.) could play until they were in their upper 30s with basically no drop off.
Put differently, 5/10/15/20 years ago, offenses dictated that their QB win with their mind, so only truly elite processing QBs could win. You didn't know if someone was an elite processor until they got to the NFL, so drafting a QB was very much so a crapshoot. However, your processing will stay with you for your full life, so you could be good/great at this skill for a long long time (e.g., until your arm fails or you get hurt).
However, now offenses enable their young QB to win primarily with their physical gifts, such that they require their QBs to do far less reading of the field in order to succeed. This makes it far easier for young athletic QBs to win right away. But what happens when the 24 year old physical phenom that runs a 4.3 40 yard dash in Lamar Jackson is 34 and was never forced to learn these nuances? Can you see him winning the way that Brady does now at 43? Maybe they randomly pick it up by virtue of being around football for so long??
Granted, this does not matter in 2021. Lamar is amazing right now. Kyler Murray is a blast to watch right now. Trey Lance will probably be electric.
But I am very curious to watch what the long-term effects might be of not forcing QBs to win by using their mind. I could see a situation in which QBs basically become the new WRs, where they generally are only stars when they are in their physical prime, and become cast-offs as soon as they get to their third contract. It will be very interesting to watch.
It's not Cousins fault that he is paid more than his value, but that is the problem. The NFL is going to need to find a way to accurately value the Kirk Cousins type QB. The QB's salary can't be such a large percentage of the cap unless they make everyone better around them. It's just bad math. It would make for an interesting article (maybe someone has done it) to compare the highly successful seasons of that past 20 years and the QB's cap percentage.
Outstanding article, Matthew! I agree with your very thorough, honest analysis of Cousins and the team. Football is a business and it is very logical for the Vikings to draft another QB at this point. Cousin's 2021 performance will be pivotal in how the Vikes move forward. They've addressed the pass protection problem with the draft... let's see what happens.
Great article Mathew
Since the headline appears to be a question, I can keep it short. Yes.
Protect Kirk and he' s as good as any qb in the league. Don't protect him and he's a bottom half qb. How about we just protect him, and win a Superbowl?
Donkeys are a different species than a horse, but in the same family. They were originally bred in Egypt or Mesopotamia around 5,000 years ago. Mules, on the other hand, are a cross between a female horse and a male donkey or “jack” (hence the word “jackass”)