Post by Purple Pain on Aug 9, 2023 10:44:18 GMT -6
Just a fun read here @ Vikings.com.
Lindsey Young: How Kirk Cousins & Vikings QB Company Scored 23 in 'Immaculate Grid'
Excitement reverberates through the room, fists punch the air and high fives are exchanged across the conference table.
The atmosphere feels similar to Draft Night, Kirk Cousins notes, when a team secures a player who's topped their draft board for months.
Only the goal of this game isn't nabbing the likes of Justin Jefferson. It's really quite the opposite.
It's Immaculate Grid, a new online puzzle game created by Sports Reference for its pro-football-reference.com site. Every night after concluding offensive meetings for the day, a close-knit team tests their minds in a whole different way:
QB Kirk Cousins
QB Nick Mullens
QB Jaren Hall
Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips
Quarterbacks Coach Chris O'Hara
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Grant Udinski
Pass Game Specialist/Game Management Coordinator Ryan Cordell
Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow Cordale Grundy
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell sometimes joins as he does on this occasion, slipping in the door to check the group's progress.
Using categories given on an X- and Y-axis of a nine-square grid, players attempt to find a name that fits intersecting categories. The fewer times an answer has been given – in other words, the more obscure and unknown the player – the better. Only nine guesses are allowed during the game, and unfilled squares send scores skyrocketing.
The room sticks to a general strategy: Backup quarterbacks and offensive linemen tend to be valuable, while skill-position players typically are more widely selected. Remember, the name of this game is relative anonymity instead of fantasy football fame.
"Backup quarterbacks and linemen are a gold mine," Cousins says, "because they provide you with a lot of inventory."
The game is a good way to wind down after long days at Vikings Training Camp, and the group's camaraderie is undeniable. Plus, it's a good memory challenge.
"We've gotta know the league," Cousins says. "Jon Gruden used to tell me, 'You've gotta know the league, man.' "
The first name of the evening comes from Cordell, who points out that journeyman TE Eric Tomlinson – Who? Exactly! – made stops at the Jets and the Ravens. There's a collective silence as O'Hara types Tomlinson's name into the game's search bar, which is projected onto a screen at the front of the room.
The results are in: 0.06 percent of people have guessed Tomlinson.
Cheers erupt. Off to a great start. Prior to tonight, the group's lowest rarity score was a 56, which seemed unbeatable at the time – but higher bars have been set...
Rest of the story at the link above.
Lindsey Young: How Kirk Cousins & Vikings QB Company Scored 23 in 'Immaculate Grid'
Excitement reverberates through the room, fists punch the air and high fives are exchanged across the conference table.
The atmosphere feels similar to Draft Night, Kirk Cousins notes, when a team secures a player who's topped their draft board for months.
Only the goal of this game isn't nabbing the likes of Justin Jefferson. It's really quite the opposite.
It's Immaculate Grid, a new online puzzle game created by Sports Reference for its pro-football-reference.com site. Every night after concluding offensive meetings for the day, a close-knit team tests their minds in a whole different way:
QB Kirk Cousins
QB Nick Mullens
QB Jaren Hall
Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips
Quarterbacks Coach Chris O'Hara
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Grant Udinski
Pass Game Specialist/Game Management Coordinator Ryan Cordell
Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow Cordale Grundy
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell sometimes joins as he does on this occasion, slipping in the door to check the group's progress.
Using categories given on an X- and Y-axis of a nine-square grid, players attempt to find a name that fits intersecting categories. The fewer times an answer has been given – in other words, the more obscure and unknown the player – the better. Only nine guesses are allowed during the game, and unfilled squares send scores skyrocketing.
The room sticks to a general strategy: Backup quarterbacks and offensive linemen tend to be valuable, while skill-position players typically are more widely selected. Remember, the name of this game is relative anonymity instead of fantasy football fame.
"Backup quarterbacks and linemen are a gold mine," Cousins says, "because they provide you with a lot of inventory."
The game is a good way to wind down after long days at Vikings Training Camp, and the group's camaraderie is undeniable. Plus, it's a good memory challenge.
"We've gotta know the league," Cousins says. "Jon Gruden used to tell me, 'You've gotta know the league, man.' "
The first name of the evening comes from Cordell, who points out that journeyman TE Eric Tomlinson – Who? Exactly! – made stops at the Jets and the Ravens. There's a collective silence as O'Hara types Tomlinson's name into the game's search bar, which is projected onto a screen at the front of the room.
The results are in: 0.06 percent of people have guessed Tomlinson.
Cheers erupt. Off to a great start. Prior to tonight, the group's lowest rarity score was a 56, which seemed unbeatable at the time – but higher bars have been set...
Rest of the story at the link above.
... and neither is this Chris guy.