With the Vikings, No One Will Believe They Can Do It Until They Do It
Admittedly, the title leaves a little something to be desired. The circularity helps to prove the point, though.
The Minnesota Vikings believe they have a team worthy of a Super Bowl trip. Next to no one outside of Minnesota’s building believes that’s a realistic trajectory. True, some high-end talent exists — most notably, Justin Jefferson — but the roster blemishes raise some concerns. Yes, with the Vikings it’s largely a game of widespread doubt that’s crashing against a small bastion of hope that’s huddled together in Eagan.
Corner is possibly the main source of anxiety since there’s so much that needs to be proven among the youngsters. Upside? Most certainly. Clarity? Very little.
Similar concerns could be spread out to the edge rusher depth, the interior offensive line, and the running back rotation (among other areas). All of these spots inspire at least some pause from onlookers as they gaze into their crystal ball, trying to discern what will take place once the 2023 season begins.
The team only has one possible outcome that could silence all the doubt: actually overcome the odds by winning it all.
With the Vikings, The Only Thing that Matters is Results
Kevin O’Connell is ruthlessly positive. Very seldom does the head coach get discouraged or downtrodden. Instead, he has made a habit of being upbeat as he constantly preaches about how much he believes in his team and how proud he is of his players. To his credit, O’Connell majorly overachieved in his debut season, guiding his squad to a sensational record and division crown.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah does temper his assessment of the Vikings (referring to the team as a mid-level stock back in January), but the GM also tends to lean toward a glass-half-full perspective. Many of his decisions have been shrewd (one thinks of the T.J. Hockenson trade as a great example, but the deals for Marcus Davenport and Byron Murphy look very good). Nevertheless, fan and analyst alike need more time to see whether Adofo-Mensah’s plan will lead to the ultimate result.
Bringing the leadership trinity together is Mr. Kirk Cousins, someone who has been here far longer than the GM and HC. On August 19th, Minnesota’s favorite dad turned 35. Cousins hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, but we know that he won’t be able to overcome the calendar forever. Eventually, everyone succumbs to time.
Finding Cousins doubters is as difficult as finding caffeine at Caribou Coffee. To his credit, Cousins was able to convert many of the doubters last season due to his fantastic 8 game-winning drives. The playoff mishap may have shaken the confidence of many but Cousins’ perception with the public is definitely trending in a positive direction (in part due to the Netflix series).
The most glaring indictment on Cousins’ career is that he’s been in the NFL for 11 seasons and yet has just a single playoff win on his resume. Reasonably enough, NFL fans look at that reality and wonder if the quarterback is capable of getting a team to the promised land. Again, we come back to that central point: the only way for Cousins to prove that he can do it — lead a team to the Super Bowl — is to actually do it.
Is Eli Manning good enough to snag a Lombardi? Yes, we know definitively that he is since he did so. Similarly, we know that Joe Flacco was good enough at one point just as Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and Matthew Stafford all found a way of getting the job done. Without a humongous ring on his finger, Cousins can’t insert himself into that list. The only way to do so is to win.
The Vikings finished off their preseason yesterday, so the focus shifts from roster evaluation to roster trim down. Indeed, O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah face the very difficult task of putting together a 53-man roster. Determining who gets to stay will go a long way in determining if the team is capable of actually fulfilling that Super Bowl goal.
The regular season begins on September 10th when Baker Mayfield leads his Buccaneers into U.S. Bank Stadium.
