Bleacher Report’s ‘Biggest Question’ Facing the Vikings Is a Familiar One
Dustin Baker
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Last summer at this time, Minnesota Vikings enthusiasts had no cause for alarm whatsoever pertaining to the guts of the team. It was set up as another installment of an “all-in” year for head coach Mike Zimmer, toeing the line that suggested the team was ready to effectuate a playoff run.
After all, the Vikings just toppled the New Orleans Saints some five months earlier in a playoff game, so the team was trending in the right direction.
But then new nose tackle Michael Pierce opted out. And Danielle Hunter got hurt. After him, it was Anthony Barr. Mike Hughes couldn’t be left out – he was injured as well. The final kick in the teeth was Eric Kendricks, who was injured [for the rest of the season] in pregame warmups versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The season quickly vomited, finishing with a 7-9 record for Minnesota.
Now, we’re back in all-in territory as the front office has enacted several transactions for the defense – in the event of injury – to avoid utter collapse. Zimmer faces a humongous year that will act as an indicator of future employment. Per just about everybody, Zimmer must at least reach the postseason — and probably win a game or two in the playoffs — for full job security.
Similar to 2020 at this time, the Vikings don’t own gaping roster holes. There are concerns, sure – like RDE or WR3. But nothing will deconstruct the hypothesis for prosperity possessed by most sensible Vikings fans.
If forced to choose, though, Bleacher Report raises questions about the offensive line – an area of the organization that inspires the most gasps and curse words from fans throughout a given season. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report, in a piece of about every team’s biggest question entering 2021, asks if rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw is ready for the big job:
“[…]the largest question surrounding Vikes camp is centered on the largest new member of the roster. That’d be 6’5″, 323-pound first-round rookie offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who is expected to man the starting left tackle spot in place of departed veteran Riley Reiff. That’s obviously a critical role for the long, physically intimidating Virginia Tech product, as he’ll be charged with protecting Kirk Cousins’ blind side in what could be a make-or-break year for this iteration of the Vikings. So how he performs this summer will give us a feel for what might be in store for the team in the fall and winter.”
This is it. This is the kicker. We “know” the Vikings defense will storm back with all the roster depth moves. The head coach eternally cares more about the defensive side of things than the offense. It’s close to a foregone conclusion that the defense will revisit respectability – at the very least. But the offensive line is the looming question mark. Will this organically grown fivesome upfront (Darrisaw, Cleveland, Bradbury, Davis, O’Neill) finally vanquish the pass-protection woes?
All of this starts with Darrisaw. He must be at the same level of competence as the 2020 version of Riley Reiff, who he replaced. Otherwise, the offensive line play teases as 2020 redux – something nobody associated Vikings wants.
Just like political analyst James Carville said in 1992 about the presidential election, “It’s the economy, stupid,” the Vikings correspondingly face an “It’s the offensive line, stupid” quandary that has long plagued the team.
Indeed, it is the team’s big question mark – the fruition of the young pieces jelling in a hurry.