Questions Answered: New Guy on the Team, If-Needed Za’Darius Replacement, Vikings Grit
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the September 28th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Do you think the new guy, Jacob Hollister, eventually plays in the regular season?
A: Only if injuries to other tight ends arise.
The Vikings already use Irv Smith, Johnny Mundt, and Ben Ellefson at an impressively equitable clip. And aside from Smith’s dropped passes, all three are performing well.
Circle Hollister, who has oodles of starting experience in the NFL, as the “next man up” if one of those aforementioned three players get injured.
Q: Who would start at EDGE if Za’Darius Smith can’t play on Sunday?
A: Either D.J. Wonnum or Patrick Jones — and probably Wonnum.
Wonnum has started almost a season’s worth of games (16) in his three-year career and played in 34 total. He’s more experienced than Jones, who is actually playing quite well for a second-year, mid-round EDGE rusher.
The Vikings will probably lean on Wonnum’s experience here if Smith is a no-go. But we also expect Smith to play in London.
Q: Would you rather have had the Vikings stomp the Lions in Week 3 or play through adversity to find the win?
A: Well, the rollercoaster game was fun and resulted in a win, but we would’ve preferred utter domination given a choice.
We now know this brand of Vikings can battle back from a hot-and-cold performance, overcoming two double-digit leads. Yet, ask yourself — wouldn’t you rather have the team win 49-0 in a display of sheer perfection? That would’ve been a better way to bounce back from the spanking provided by Philadelphia on MNF.
But this is the NFL, and 49-0 blowouts don’t occur often. The win was sweet, regardless.
Purple PTSD: Week 4 NFL Power Rankings: New Teams at the Top
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).