Post by Purple Pain on Nov 27, 2020 12:24:31 GMT -6
Thoughts on this?
From Purple Insider:
purpleinsider.substack.com/p/5-burning-questions-from-the-vikings
From Purple Insider:
Are the Vikings wearing down Dalvin Cook?
Over the last four games, the Vikings have handed the ball to Dalvin Cook 99 times, including his 27 runs on Sunday. If he kept that pace for 16 games, it would equate to 396 runs. No running back in the NFL has carried the ball that much since Larry Johnson in 2006. When Adrian Peterson led the NFL in attempts in 2015, he attempted 327 runs.
Last year’s leader had 303 carries. If he continues getting the ball this often, Cook will beat that mark by Week 16 — and that’s with missing a game-and-a-half.
Meanwhile Alexander Mattison, who averages 4.6 yards per carry this year, ran one time for six yards on Sunday.
Every running back is different when it comes to how much workload their body can take before breaking down but the Vikings are playing a dangerous game with the back they just signed to a contract extension 2025. Running backs who have been slowed since inking extensions like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott averaged 295 and 312 carries per 16 games, respectively, in the year before seeing their yards per carry dip below 4.0.
The Vikings’ meal ticket in the future is going to be their offense and Cook is clearly a major part of that future. While Mike Zimmer and Gary Kubiak are pushing for the playoffs, they are also risking making 2021 more challenging or losing Cook for potentially important games down the road this year. The Vikings’ star running back took a hit Sunday that kept him down for a while and hobbled him as he walked off the field (though he came back in the game).
“I can’t count the hits but the one across the middle was a good hit but it’s football,” Cook said.
Clearly he isn’t going to ask to come out of the game and is aiming to prove he can remain largely healthy for an entire season but the Vikings are walking a tightrope by playing him this much.
Does there need to be a “Randy Ratio” with Justin Jefferson?
Despite leading all rookies in PFF grade, yards and yards per catch and facing one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL, the Vikings struggled to get Justin Jefferson the ball on Sunday. In the first half he was only targeted twice and one of them was a desperate heave while Kirk Cousins was under pressure.
Overall Jefferson only saw the ball five times. He caught three passes (dropped a key one on the final drive) for 86 yards and a touchdown.
While Sunday may have just been an Adam Thielen day (eight catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns), the Vikings’ most explosive player can’t be ignored for entire halves of football going forward.
On Dallas’s side, they used rookie CeeDee Lamb several times in the running game. We’re yet to see that with Jefferson this year. He also is rarely used as a quick passing option. Using Jefferson more in a “playmaker” role would give him more touches and potentially take work off Cook’s hands.
Ramping up Jefferson’s usage isn’t just about driving offensive success — though it’s likely to do that — it’s also about his future. Gary Kubiak said last week that the next step is for Jefferson to truly grasp full gameplans and every role on the field. Well, he can only do that by playing those roles and getting the ball more often. There is no more valuable player in terms of his development to this team than Jefferson. In a league where No. 1 receivers are force fed the ball all the time, he should be the one getting that treatment.
Over the last four games, the Vikings have handed the ball to Dalvin Cook 99 times, including his 27 runs on Sunday. If he kept that pace for 16 games, it would equate to 396 runs. No running back in the NFL has carried the ball that much since Larry Johnson in 2006. When Adrian Peterson led the NFL in attempts in 2015, he attempted 327 runs.
Last year’s leader had 303 carries. If he continues getting the ball this often, Cook will beat that mark by Week 16 — and that’s with missing a game-and-a-half.
Meanwhile Alexander Mattison, who averages 4.6 yards per carry this year, ran one time for six yards on Sunday.
Every running back is different when it comes to how much workload their body can take before breaking down but the Vikings are playing a dangerous game with the back they just signed to a contract extension 2025. Running backs who have been slowed since inking extensions like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott averaged 295 and 312 carries per 16 games, respectively, in the year before seeing their yards per carry dip below 4.0.
The Vikings’ meal ticket in the future is going to be their offense and Cook is clearly a major part of that future. While Mike Zimmer and Gary Kubiak are pushing for the playoffs, they are also risking making 2021 more challenging or losing Cook for potentially important games down the road this year. The Vikings’ star running back took a hit Sunday that kept him down for a while and hobbled him as he walked off the field (though he came back in the game).
“I can’t count the hits but the one across the middle was a good hit but it’s football,” Cook said.
Clearly he isn’t going to ask to come out of the game and is aiming to prove he can remain largely healthy for an entire season but the Vikings are walking a tightrope by playing him this much.
Does there need to be a “Randy Ratio” with Justin Jefferson?
Despite leading all rookies in PFF grade, yards and yards per catch and facing one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL, the Vikings struggled to get Justin Jefferson the ball on Sunday. In the first half he was only targeted twice and one of them was a desperate heave while Kirk Cousins was under pressure.
Overall Jefferson only saw the ball five times. He caught three passes (dropped a key one on the final drive) for 86 yards and a touchdown.
While Sunday may have just been an Adam Thielen day (eight catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns), the Vikings’ most explosive player can’t be ignored for entire halves of football going forward.
On Dallas’s side, they used rookie CeeDee Lamb several times in the running game. We’re yet to see that with Jefferson this year. He also is rarely used as a quick passing option. Using Jefferson more in a “playmaker” role would give him more touches and potentially take work off Cook’s hands.
Ramping up Jefferson’s usage isn’t just about driving offensive success — though it’s likely to do that — it’s also about his future. Gary Kubiak said last week that the next step is for Jefferson to truly grasp full gameplans and every role on the field. Well, he can only do that by playing those roles and getting the ball more often. There is no more valuable player in terms of his development to this team than Jefferson. In a league where No. 1 receivers are force fed the ball all the time, he should be the one getting that treatment.
purpleinsider.substack.com/p/5-burning-questions-from-the-vikings
Even as an "objective" fan, things don't always go as you'd expect.
Even as an "objective" fan, things don't always go as you'd expect.
Even as an "objective" fan, things don't always go as you'd expect.
... and neither is this Chris guy.