Daily Norseman
Well, that games was depressing. Way too many mistakes but still had a chance to tie it up at the end. That is actually incredible. There is a lot of discussion about which players and coaches were most responsible. Obviously, the top two are KOC and JJ McCarthy because the QB controls the offense. The issue with JJ which I did not think was going to be an issue is his off target passes and completion percentage. His on target percentage (as shown below from a link) is a miserable 38.7%. That simply has to improve. The turnovers and dropped passes do not matter. There were way too many passes not anywhere near the receivers. That should be the main thing they try to fix. In college he completed 67.6% of his passes and 72.3% in his final season. It does not make sense for him to be this off target. I believe it will come in time because there is no other choice besides Max Brosmer.
Before you get yourselves too worked up (likely too late), I have said and maintain that the team needs at least two years of starts from JJ before making a decision. We have another 30 starts to go before that happens. This QB journey is as it should be. We have done it before with Culpepper and Ponder and some others in the last century.
I still have not given up hope on the playoffs but they are getting close to being eliminated from the playoffs. This week’s game vs the Bears at home is a must win! Period.
Still no news on Asante Samuel Jr. He is meeting with the Bears today. The other teams he met with are the Steelers, Panthers, Packers, & 49ers. I am not sure how he feels about cold weather but the last outdoor game during the regular season for the Vikings is Dec 21st vs the Giants. Playing in a dome may have some appeal. Also, looking at the depth chart could give him some confidence. The Vikings could sign him for the rest of this year and next year if they wanted. It all depends on how the team feels about his recovery from spinal surgery.
Vikings’ eight false starts spark claim that Ravens used illegal signals; John Harbaugh shuts down accusation
Vikings running back Aaron Jones suggested there was something more nefarious at play than lapses in focus from his teammates.
Jones said the Ravens’ defense made calls and movements at the line of scrimmage designed to draw the Vikings into pre-snap penalties. He said they were also “playing a little game there” with snap counts.
“They’re making move calls up front, so sometimes it sounds like it could be J.J. (McCarthy) saying ‘hut,'” Jones said after the loss. “They’re making move calls and you see them stem. So they’re trying to get them to jump, as well.”
Jones, notably, was the only Vikings player to allege that...
