Kevin O'Nagy

you left out the predecessors for each of these teams which changes the entire ballgame. And you also left out KC, who stuck with pretty good Alex Smith for awhile till they saw an opportunity to get their guy.

The pattern is that gms and coaches get fired because things don't work out as planned and a lot of that has to do with whether you have a good QB or not. Or at least one that fits in with the offense you're trying to run. And just opportunity. It's the most important position obviously. If you need a qb and have a high draft pick, you generally take a QB if there's one available you think is good.

I've got a bit of an outside take on this. The success of 2022 surprised and screwed them. I think everyone believes there was a decree from ownership to run it back. O'Connell and Kwesi got the jobs because they were willing to go along. I think in their planning the 2023 draft was the target to get a QB, but the surprise 13 win season threw a wrench into that plan.

I doubt that KAM and KOC really believed they'd win as much as they did and probably planned on being closer to an 8 win team where they would be in position to make a move up. They did try trading up but couldn't meet the price. Imagine if they had been picking in the 12-16 range instead of 23rd? Maybe that trade gets done?

I do agree that teams need to take shots. That was Spielman's flaw and why he failed. He took a wild panic swing at Ponder. They took a more measured and thoughtful approach in getting Bridgewater. After that fell apart for different reasons he just gave up and stopped trying. All those years with Cousins they never made a real attempt at drafting someone.

There has to be something in between taking a wild panic swing and not taking one at all.

I'm not yet writing off KOC and KAM as not getting that because I think the circumstances are a bit odd with the rebuild effort and ownerships outlook. That said if this draft passes without any meaningful additions I'm going to be very leary.

I guess that was LaFluer's problem in Green Bay. He didn't dump Rodgers and get a new QB.

like I said before and I'll repeat it. It's about getting it right at the position not just getting one

Respectfully, because I've always valued discussions with you and Uncle going waaay back, I'd challenge you to look at this Draft in a different way.

First, scoring was down this year before it became the Year of the Backup QB. The Old Guard of Elites is all but retired. The only guy in the Manning/Brady/Beees/Rodgers category is Mahomes. Allen and Burrow are great-ish. Joe gets hurt and Allen throws the ball to the wrong Team too much. Herbert is more stats than accomplishments, though a lot of that is poor coaching.

The NFL is going to experience a sustained period of less than stellar QB play. Frankly, there may never be a period again where there are 4-5 Elite QBs playing at the same time.

But the League will still play games every Sunday. And maybe every other day of the week in the near future. So somebody has to play QB. There are more great WRs and TEs playing right now than arguably ever. That makes it a little easier for less gifted passers.

I'd also ask you to ignore the static. Some marginal kids I had as 2nd and even 3rd Round QBs have been drafted ridiculously high lately. But CJ Stroud is clearly the real deal. He was my only clear-cut 1st Round graded QB prospect last year. I hate Young's size and average arm. Richardson is all projection, though I would still spend a 1st because the ceiling is so incredibly high.

Caleb Williams and Drake Maye have Top 5 QB in the League ceilings. And high floors. Jayden Daniels is fringe Top 5 if he can bulk up some. Penix has a Top 10 ceiling. Nix and McCarthy have more variance. Both have lower floors, but McCarthy is so young and has a high ceiling.

At this point in time you either need a QB on a Rookie deal or a Top 10 QB getting paid like a Top 10ish guy that already has all the pieces around him.

Minnesota doesn't have the pieces. The Defense is all Hunter's phenomenal play, Flores genius and some good Safety production. That's it. There's no bona-fide Outside Corner #1. Maybe not even Outside Corner #2. There's no Edge to pair with Hunter. And there's no pass rush at all if he walks. They desperately need an Interior Offensive Lineman that fits O'Connell's run scheme.

So far Kwesi has shown zero ability to draft those roles. Which means Minnesota needs to go shopping in Free Agency the next two years AND start to hit on more picks. You can't do that while paying Cousins 35-40 million per year.

If they fail to identify the right guy they will be gone in a few years. But the full rebuild is already well under way. Hopefully, Kwesi & Kevin fix a few more positions before their busted QB pick costs them their jobs.

The worst case scenario is extending Cousins for 3 more years at 40 million per while the Defense collapses post-Flores and the Vikings are constantly picking in the late teens to early 20s and whiffing in CBs while continuing to ignore the Trenches.

Play the percentages. Next year's Draft is Sanders, Beck and kids who will likely only have 1 good year of collegiate production. Every QB I listed in this year's Draft has multiple years of production and there's simply more of them. And Minnesota has all the elements already in place to help a young QB minus the consistent run game. Time to rip off the bandaid and take a swing at the ball.

I agree with you but listening to KOC on NFL SiriusXM this week I think unfortunately Kirk is his quarterback.  It could be that KOC believes KC offers some "stability" in the .500 market, which may lead to job security for a couple of years.

In my experience, the people who complain the most about management are the ones least capable of understanding what goes into making decisions at the highest levels of an organization. I have seen it time and again where those that complain are put in charge and fail more miserably than those they want replaced or those they did replace.