Announcing The Great Eight Debate

Kirk Cousins
Aug 18, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks on prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota offseason has arrived, so much of the focus now rests on reflection and projection. We reflect on the season as we project about the next one. One thing that has been on my mind, though, has been our friend, Mr. Kirk Cousins. As I said last week, the man is a rumor machine. He never fails to inspire online debate.

It’s against this Cousins backdrop that I announce a debate between myself and Warren Ludford from Daily Norseman. Our topic – are wins a QB stat? – isn’t necessarily constrained to the Vikings, though it is one that has been making the rounds in Vikings Land for the past several years (largely because of a certain QB in a purple jersey). Cousins is 59-59-2 in his career, a reality that prompts some to be critical of him and others to be critical of the teams around him (admittedly, this is an oversimplification).

Before getting too far ahead of myself, let me give a more formal introduction to the debaters.

In the Purple Corner is Mr. Ludford. Check out his bio:

Warren Ludford, writer for the Daily Norseman since 2015, and Vikings fan since the ’70s. He can be found on Twitter at @wludford.

I’m hanging out in the Gold Corner:

K. Joudry is the managing editor for Purple PTSD. He began cheering for the Vikings when the Williams Wall was in town. You can follow him on Twitter @VikingsGazette.

Our debate centers on whether or not wins ought to be considered a QB stat. I’m going to be arguing that they are indeed a QB stat. Mr. Ludford will be arguing that they aren’t, instead attributing them to the team. To my mind, it isn’t an either/or proposition. Rather, I see it as a both/and scenario. Wins ought to be a QB and team stat, or at least that’s the position I’ll be taking in this debate. Mr. Ludford – who has always been a kind, thoughtful person in our interactions – is taking the opposite position. I fully expect him to put forth a rock-solid argument!

Each of us are publishing our perspectives on our own sites. He’ll be putting his work onto DN, and I’ll be putting my work onto Purple PTSD. On Wednesday, we’ll each be publishing a piece that contains the meat and potatoes of our arguments. Readers are encouraged to check out both pieces as you consider for yourselves which side gets closer to the truth. On Friday, we’ll finish things off with a concluding piece, one that is designed to wrap up our arguments while allowing us to respond to each other as well as the QB situation in Minnesota.

The goal, folks, is to have an energetic, fun debate. Neither of us are looking to have a knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out debate. As a result, my request is that readers who feel inclined to chime in do so respectfully to all involved.

With that brief word out of the way, settle in and enjoy the debate! Skol.



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