The Minnesota Vikings are a team in transition right now. After moving on form longtime coach Mine Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman, they shifted directions with the hiring of both Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The message was simple: we want to become offensive-minded and focus on premium positions.
The results so far have been mixed. The Vikings finished the season 13-4 in 2022 but have started 2-4 in 2023. The reasons behind both their success and lack-there-of have been major points of contention for the majority of the fan base.
Today, we are going to parse it all out. We looked at seven different narratives surrounding the Vikings and explored whether they are a fact or a myth.
Vikings have a bad offensive line
The overarching theme with the Vikings offensive is they are bad. It’s hard to blame anyone for thinking that since the unit has been poor for the better part of a decade.
This season is a different story. They are much improved. Per Pro Football Focus, the Vikings have the third-best pass blocking grade and the best run blocking grade in the National Football League. When you look at the below chart compiled by The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin, the Vikings offensive line compares very well to the rest of the league.
All trench measures from PFF and ESPN pic.twitter.com/LJPino0LUr
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 18, 2023
One of the difficult things about judging the offensive line is the position lives on reputation. Since they have been poor over the last decade, it can be difficult to see the positives, especially with Cousins being a relative statue in the pocket.
Conclusion: Myth
Kirk Cousins doesn't have time to throw
This coincides with the perception that the Vikings have a poor offensive line. It’s just not true.
Cousins doesn’t do himself any favors with a poor internal clock and decision-making that isn’t confident. What he does have is plenty of time to throw. Cousins averages 2.71 seconds to throw the ball. That currently ranks 19th in the league, but when you look at the quarterbacks ahead of him, the majority of them are runners or scrambled.
When you remove sacks from the equation, his time to throw drops by .05 seconds to 2.66, but it moves him up to 12th in the league. Cousins doesn’t do himself any favors here, hence why this is a myth.
Conclusion: Myth
Ed Ingram is bad and should be benched
The frustration surrounding the offensive line this season can be traced back to how people feel about Ingram. Truth be told, he’s been good this season.
Pro Football Focus grades him as the 23nd-best guard out of 79. That is a major improvement over his performance last season.
His run blocking grade ranks 13th and his pass blocking grade isn’t as strong at 48th, but when you watch him, his performance has improved. Here are a couple of examples from the article I wrote on him last week.
Yes, his play in 2022 was rough, but he’s been improving and a pivotal part of the offensive line.
Conclusion: Myth
T.J. Hockenson hasn't played well since signing his new contract
Hockenson has been a major point of contention for many fans and analysts. He has 36 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns this season. Those are okay numbers for a tight end, but after signing a four-year contract worth up to $68 million, more has been expected of Hockenson.
So far this season, Hockenson has missed five somewhat difficult catches away from his body. They have all hit his hands and it’s left many frustrated. Has that made his performance poor this season? It hasn’t been that bad.
Hockenson has been really good in run blocking and opening up holes for the running backs. He is also still making tough catches and getting open consistently. Don’t let a few unfortunate misses completely cloud judgement over the majority of his play.
Conclusion: Myth
Lewis Cine is a bust
When the Vikings traded down from the 12th overall pick to the 32nd overall pick to take Lewis Cine, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took some criticism. Not only did the Vikings pass on Jameson Williams who the Lions took and Kyle Hamilton who went two picks later, but Cine has played a total of two defensive snaps.
This season, Cine hasn’t played a single defensive snap and has missed the last three games. He was technically a healthy scratch on Sunday against the Bears, but my theory is the Vikings didn’t want to risk Cine reinjuring his hamstring on a poor surface like Soldier Field.
It’s nearly halfway through year two and Cine isn’t seeing any kind of playing time. It’s sincerely concerning at this point but there are reasons for hope. He is coming off of a near-debilitating injury and is in a very deep safety room with a new defensive coordinator. Being concerned is fair, but it’s too early to declare that considering the outstanding factors. Let’s wait and see.
Conclusion: Inconclusive
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hasn't done a good job as general manager
The job done so far by Adofo-Mensah over his first 21 months in his position has been scrutinized by many. As the first analytics general manager, his decisions would be more under the microscope than any other.
It’s hard to argue with the initial results. He mostly kept the team in tact with a few other moves to win 13 games in his first year. His first draft class has been widely debated about how successful they have been so far. It’s an interesting debate, but we won’t truly know how good they are until they are into season three.
Honestly, the masses have been too impatient with Adofo-Mensah. It takes at least three seasons to see if the path they are leading the Vikings on is the right one. Adofo-Mensah had to fix the salary cap mess that was left behind by Rick Spielman and that has consumed most of his time thus far.
Conclusion: Need more time
Kevin O'Connell isn't a good play caller
There is a narrative surrounding the Vikings’ head coach that he isn’t a good playcaller. I don’t know where this came from, but it’s simply not true.
One of the main reasons why people call O’Connell a poor playcaller is the execution of the Vikings offense hasn’t been stellar. Just because the execution hasn’t been great doesn’t mean the play calling has been bad.
Here is an example of a creative play from O’Connell that personifies his creative play calling.
This play uses motion and play-action with a throwback to open up space for Jefferson to get yards after the catch. It doesn’t work because Jefferson drops the ball, and this fact personifies the difference between execution and creative playcalling.
The execution needs to be better, but it’s not due to poor play calling.
Conclusion: Myth
