Post by suncoastvike on Oct 5, 2022 10:29:53 GMT -6
I don't think anyone is asking you to feel bad, but remaining cautiously optimistic would probably be wise. After all, your tone after Week 1 ... into Week 3 and 4 was quite different, right? You went from "Super Bowl, homeboy" to "...yeeeeah, this ain't gonna cut it" pretty quickly. I warned you then, and I'll warn you now...
Can they be? Sure. Will they be? Not at this rate, not this season. After I healed from moving on from Zimmer, I convinced myself Cousins and the offense would be fun to watch, Hunter and Smith would be causing opposing quarterbacks to run for their lives, we'd run up the score and coast against bad teams, we'd lose some but would seriously compete and at least have something to build off of as we continue to improve, uh ... yeah, about that, ... we'd actually show improvement?
I was lied to. And now I'm getting upset. LOL. Just like last year, I'm upset that this team just freaking refuses to play a complete game, where all three phases show up. REFUSES! By my count, we've had one good half of football. ONE. We can't even string together a few quarters of good football right now, let alone a few games. We have won, in large part, due to luck ... against teams with serious flaws and key injuries. Yeah, it took luck and last second miracles to beat the Lions and Saints. ...yay? So far, this team is the 2021 Vikings 2.0, with better luck. No more, no less.
As others have said, thank goodness we're 3-1, and thank goodness we have an easy remaining schedule - Bears x2, Commanders, Jets, Colts, Giants, ... Patriots? Come on now. Everybody likes cupcakes, right?! You are what your record says you are. Yes, we're 3-1. And yes we'll win enough to get into the playoffs. But does that automatically mean we're a good football team? Context matters. Sometimes a cupcake schedule and luck do factor in a bit. Now, if we actually start taking care of business against some of these bad teams, and win comfortably, and at least put up a legitimate fight against the true contenders ... then we'll talk.
But if we're going to continue to squeak by the bad teams and get absolutely slaughtered by the good ones, no... we aren't good. And getting to the playoffs will be the equivalent to a participation trophy. "Thanks for playing. BYE!" I'm happy to be 3-1, and I'm cautiously optimistic that things start clicking soon, but, admittedly, I do have my doubts. Something just seems off. I get that it takes time, but we don't have a lot of it. This is the NFL season, not some audition. I always say, "Ask me in November and December." Well, we better improve quickly, because I fear the Eagles are going to stay hot and teams like the Bucs, Niners, Packers, Cowboys, Rams, and Cardinals start to figure it out.
In sum: Fraudulent 3-1? Yes and no. The NFC sucks, and we're one of the beneficiaries so far, but winning with so much luck isn't sustainable.
...we're not the Packers.
