Vikings Roped into Social Media Kerfuffle, QB Hype, and Aaron Rodgers
Ask Javon Hargrave and there’s some reason to attribute his modest statistics to the Brian Flores scheme. Or, at least, there’s room to arrive at that conclusion due to the Vikings DT’s social media activity.
Shifting away from the kerfuffle — minor as it was within our chaotic, turbulent world — means making room for some hype. More specifically, there’s DeAndre Hopkins insisting that Kyler Murray (who would need to overcome J.J. McCarthy) ending up in Minnesota would lead to tremendous production from Justin Jefferson.
Oh, and there’s some chatter about Aaron Rodgers taking his time. Ian Rapoport talks about the quarterback who loves living in the spotlight of uncertainty. “Rodgers says there’s no deadline,” Rapoport notes. Tom Pelissero listens with a smirk. Pittsburgh would be smart to move on; Minnesota would be smart to firmly close the door if the veteran reaches out to the Vikings again. Nothing explicitly about the Vikings in the short clip, just noting due to the past connection.
Moving on.
Silly Season: Vikings in Social Media Chatter
It’s not a crime for defensive coordinators to ask defensive linemen to sacrifice individual glory for team success. Many have done so in the past, many will do so in the future. A touch old school, perhaps, but pretty normal. There is some risk, though, in upsetting the defensive linemen.
Someone named Marcello made an observation, catching the eye of Javon Hargrave. The idea: “If you’re DL and wanna get to the QB, Brian Flores’ system is not for you.” Putting that opinion into the spotlight was the defender who retweeted it (Hargrave), opening a possible interpretation that Hargrave attributes his modest season to the scheme.
If you want to give yourself a headache and nosebleed before bed, check out the broader kerfuffle online. Some Vikings writers — Kevin Seifert and Matthew Coller — jump into the mix, leading to yet another retweet from Mr. Hargrave. It’s like Inception comes to Twitter.
Next, consider what Mr. Hopkins had to say.
The tremendous talent at receiver put in work in Arizona for a little while. He, too, is sending along a retweet, though Hopkins sprinkles his social media post with some salt. The original idea that gets shared by Kyle Odegard: “Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins were an elite duo. No question in my mind Justin Jefferson would eat with Kyler as his QB.”
And then Hopkins weighs-in: “K1 & JJ would be scary!”
The grand takeaways.
Javon Hargrave is an accomplished NFL player who is being axed by the Minnesota Vikings. His social media activity opens the door to an interpretation that his modest statistical output — just 3.5 sacks last year — was at least partly attributed to what Coach Flores asks of the DTs.
DeAndre Hopkins is an accomplished NFL player who sees the purple dot connecting taking place online. To his expert eye, Murray alongside Jefferson would involve feasting. Hard to argue.
Real NFL news is going to arrive in a matter of days. Until then, consider a piece covering RT1 Brian O’Neill, mock draft theories, the appeal of signing LB Leo Chenal, and/or the fill-in GM being bold.
Farewell. Godspeed. Goodnight.
