N/S The Minnesota Vikings’ competitiveness (2 Viewers)

[Innotech]

for all the talk of rebuilding and starting over, the Minnesota Vikings have NEVER had more than two losing seasons in a row. They always seem competitive no matter who is behind center and seem to bounce back from bad years the very next season. What do they do that works so well? Why do other teams (like us) just get stuck in a rut for half a decade or more? Granted, they have never held a Lombardi either.

 

[BoNcHiE]

For starters, they don't consistently find themselves $80 million over the cap every season going into free agency.

 

[Saint KayBee]

There has always been a clear weak link in their division.

After Green Bay won those first two Super Bowls, they had like 3 winning seasons total until 1992.
Tampa Bay was so bad the division petitioned to have them removed.
Chicago has been in a rut pretty consistently as the NFL has prioritized the pass more.
The Lions (which was sufficient enough to say until about a year ago)

They excel at keeping good things together and making swift changes while remaining patient through the change - even when their ownership had zany things going on in their lives.

 

[Saintman2884]

There has always been a clear weak link in their division.

After Green Bay won those first two Super Bowls, they had like 3 winning seasons total until 1992.
Tampa Bay was so bad the division petitioned to have them removed.
Chicago has been in a rut pretty consistently as the NFL has prioritized the pass more.
The Lions (which was sufficient enough to say until about a year ago)

They excel at keeping good things together and making swift changes while remaining patient through the change - even when their ownership had zany things going on in their lives.

They have also tended to have consistently good or decent drafts historically and Herschel Walker super'bust trade aside, their FO and ownership rarely make rash, dumb, stupid decisions when it comes to trades and FA signings.

The Lions weren't a particularly bad team in the early 80's with Billy Sims as their proto-Sanders esque RB and strong "Silver Rush" defense of Al Baker, Doug English, Dave Purefoy, and Stan White, at least until Sims suffered his ACL career-ending injury in 1984 season. Detroit made the post-season 5 times with Sanders as the offensive weapon although they still under achieved on offense despite having some great WR's in Hermann Moore, Johnny Morton, Brett Perriman, and TE David Sloan. The biggest, glaring issue was lack of a Pro Bowl QB and Scott Mitchell didnt fit that mold even if he was a bit of a tease at certain points.

The Vikings four SB losses, while notable and noteworthy, have to be viewed within the context of the power and quality disparity and overall competitiveness between AFC and NFC teams from the late 60's-early 80's. In the 1970's, unless you were the Dallas Cowboys, even if you were a perennial playoff team like Redskins, Vikings or Rams, compared to Oakland, Pittsburgh, or even San Diego and Miami, you and your conference were perceived as very inferior to the AFC.

 

[Saint Jack]

Y’all forgot the Leslie Frazier Years?

 

[miamisaintsfan]

Good coaching with do that. I mean look at their top 3 scoring defense. I've barely heard of anyone else on their defense other than Harrison Smith and Stephon Gillmore, who are both in their mid 30s.

 

[jasonsw]

The vikings have never been great the past 33 years I have watched football. Just good and sometimes very good.

They never have had a true franchise qb. No, Culpepper doesn't count he had Moss and a great run game support

 

[slikk]

The vikings have never been great the past 33 years I have watched football. Just good and sometimes very good.

They never have had a true franchise qb. No, Culpepper doesn't count he had Moss and a great run game support

They've been good They've beating the Saints multiple times including the playoffs.

 

[Saintman2884]

The vikings have never been great the past 33 years I have watched football. Just good and sometimes very good.

They never have had a true franchise qb. No, Culpepper doesn't count he had Moss and a great run game support

I'd argue Kirk Cousins has been the closest thing to a true franchise QB since Tarkenton and no, you can't discount Culpepper just for having Moss and a great running game. You know who also had great, Pro.Bowl WR's and good running games during their stints as Vikings starters? Fran Tarkenton and Kirk Cousins. Cousins had Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson and TE T.J. Hockenson. Tarkenton had Chuck Foreman, Ahmad Rashad, Sammy White, John Gilliam--all those offensive players made multiple Pro Bowl invites during their careers. If Foreman hadn't been injured late in the 1977/early 78 season, like Lydell Mitchell and later on, Billy Sims, he would be in Canton right now. You can't discount Culpepper's achievements because he wasnt the only Viking QB who looked good or great with Moss in the lineup. So was Randall Cunningham and Jeff George.


From 1973-78, there was probably few multi-purpose, talented purely athletic NFL RB's than Chuck Foreman. He was partly the reason why Minnesota's offense improved significantly in early-to-mid 70's along with Bud Grant's play-calling becoming little more creative as to why Vikings made 3 SB appearances over a 4 year period (1973-76). If Foreman had continued to play at a MVP-caliber Saquon Barkley level for another 3-4 seasons, easy no-brainer first-ballot HOFer.

 

[Saintman2884]

They've been good They've beating the Saints multiple times including the playoffs.

They've beaten us more times in the play-offs then any other NFC team in our history, plus when we do beat them, most times our games feel like exhausting, nasty, vicious football equivalents of 15-round heavyweight boxing matches. Minnesota is one of those teams you bring your A++ game for and you play like an intense, complete forking lunatic because they don't go down easy.

 

[solarbear88]

It's all about contracts. They keep a fluid roster without a lot of guys locked in or a lot of cap issues. The guys they have locked in produce. They also have 2 great coaches. Opposite of the Saints.

 

[Innotech]

Y’all forgot the Leslie Frazier Years?

still had 10-6 in the middle

 

[Innotech]

last season: 7-10
2024: they just beat Green Bay to go 14-2

 

[DerrickB]

They know when to pivot when it's not working.

 

[Saint Jack]

still had 10-6 in the middle

Frasier had a year and a half more with Minnesota and only has three more wins than Allen during his Saints tenure.