Questions Answered: The ‘Punt Off,’ Cousins’ Rest, Asamoah Hype
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the August 24th 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: Who wins the Vikings “punt off” between Jordan Berry and Ryan Wright this weekend?
A: We predict the incumbent — Jordan Berry.
While it would be neat to see what Wright can do in a full season with a rookie’s inherent clean slate, Berry is a trusted holder for kicker Greg Joseph. Don’t muck that up.
Berry is probably the frontrunner, too. But, interestingly, Wright has survived all summer.
Q: Is it odd for Kirk Cousins to sit out the entire preseason?
A: No. You should cherish it. It is glorious.
Listen, if the Vikings lose Kirk Cousins, their 2022 dreams are kaput. Plain and simple. Nick Mullens is an adept backup, but he won’t tunnel the franchise through the NFC playoffs. With some tutelage from Kevin O’Connell, Cousins might. Look what O’Connell and Sean McVay did with Matthew Stafford — in one year.
Don’t risk injury. This is smart. Sit Cousins “and the rest of them” against the Broncos, too.
What the Vikings are doing with Cousins isn’t weird.
Q: It seems like Brian Asamoah is getting national hype. How long before he’s a starting linebacker?
A: Hype, indeed.
Asamoah has been a tenacious performer in training camp and preseason. He won’t start in 2022 — unless something bad happens to Eric Kendricks or Jordan Hicks — but could be on deck for 2023 or 2024.
Regardless of when, Asamoah picking up national steam through two preseason games is marvelous for the Vikings. His early development is just what the doctor ordered for a 3rd-Round linebacker.
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).
