Questions Answered: Peterson and Ramsey, Hitman & Top 10, Panthers Regret
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the July 11th 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: With all of the smoke around Jalen Ramsey, does his early career rival Patrick Peterson’s first six years?
A: Patrick Peterson’s start to his career with the Arizona Cardinals absolutely rivaled Jalen Ramsey in the now. And if you don’t believe it, you’re a prison of recency bias.
In his first eight seasons, Peterson achieved eight Pro Bowl nods and three First-Team All-Pro honors. Ramsey has five Pro Bowls and three First-Team All-Pros in six seasons. At the very least, they’re comparable.
Of course, Ramsey has the Super Bowl edge as his Rams won a title last season. But that’s the only thing separating early Peterson from early Ramsey.
Q: Was ESPN’s ranking of Harrison Smith as seventh-best among safeties too high, low, or just right?
A: Just right.
Smith isn’t quite Top 5 anymore, although he certainly has individual games that feel like it. On the other hand, he cannot be ousted from the Top 10 — even at 33 years old.
Plus, Smith had a better 2021 season than 2020 per Pro Football Focus, so he hasn’t encountered a severe age-related decline yet. He’s still paid handsomely by the Vikings and will start alongside Lewis Cine or Camryn Bynum this season.
Q: Do you think the Panthers regret not exploring a trade for Kirk Cousins?
A: No. Carolina received a hell of a deal when they landed Mayfield.
The Panthers acquired a QB1 who was the first overall pick in the draft four years ago for a 5th-Round draft pick, and the selling team is paying the most of his salary.
Cousins would’ve been much more expensive via trade capital, especially during the spring when the quarterback carousel was actually a competitive market.
The Panthers allegedly “laughed” at the idea of trading for Cousins, and perhaps that will come back to haunt them. But they landed Mayfield for cheap.
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).
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