When the Minnesota Vikings went all-in on Kirk Cousins a

[panxing18]

EAGAN , Minn. (AP) — s their long-sought franchise player last spring, they paired him with a new offensive coordinator considered to be part of the current wave of up-and-coming quarterback developers and innovative play-callers putting a strong imprint on the NFL.The partnership with John DeFilippo that had so much potential lasted nine months.Cousins and his Vikings teammates were doused this week with the cold shower of coach Mike Zimmer’s decision to fire DeFilippo after just 13 regular-season games, the latest dose of the reality of this cutthroat league as well as a sobering reminder that their lagging performance ultimately cost him the job.“It’s the hard part of this business, and it was tough news,” Cousins said before practice on Wednesday. “I hate seeing it happen.”Pro football’s furnace of fan-driven angst over a struggling offense had been directed over the past month toward DeFilippo and his in-game decision-making, with Zimmer’s public second-guessing of the play-calling only adding to the heat.Cousins, in the first season of his fully guaranteed, three-year, $84 million contract, joined DeFilippo over the past month on the firing line.The Vikings (6-6-1) have lost three of their past four games , with Cousins posting three of his five lowest passer ratings in those games, all on the road against postseason-bound teams.“One of the things I did communicate to coach Flip yesterday was, ‘I believe with the ball in my hand, had I played at my fullest potential play-in and play-out, we’re probably not having this conversation right now,'” Cousins said.“That’s something I take personally and is certainly tough for me and keeps you up at night. But at the same time, all you can do now is go forward.”Cousins complimented DeFilippo for his “very classy and very gracious” conversation with him on Tuesday after the dismissal.“I have a lot of respect for him as a coach. I have a lot of respect for him as a person. And I believe that his best days in this league are ahead of him,” Cousins said. “I think he’s a very good coach, and I think he’ll be a coordinator again. I think he’s head coach material, as well.”Zimmer made the move about 12 hours after Minnesota’s 21-7 loss at Seattle on Monday , when the offense didn’t score until 70 seconds remained in the game.With the Vikings still, somehow, in control of the second wild-card spot in the top-heavy NFC, Zimmer decided to fire DeFilippo and make quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski the offensive coordinator for the remainder of the season in a last-ditch attempt to create a spark for a sputtering unit.“It may work. It may not work. You get feelings and you trust your gut,” Zimmer said. “It’s no different than, it’s fourth-and-8, you’ve got to call the blitz, you meet it head on, and you go. Now are we going to talk about Miami? Or are we going to keep talking about this?”Ah, yes , the Dolphins (7-6), who are due in Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. They’re tied for third in the NFL with 25 takeaways, a dangerous trend for Cousins and his 16 turnovers that are tied with New York Jets rookie Sam Darnold for the most in the league.“I’d be the first one to say if I had played at a higher level, we’re probably not talking about the things we’re talking about,” Cousins said. This should be easy"Our Greatest Playoff Win Tournament of All Time is halfway through the first round, as we’ve finished the top bracket. Today, our number two seeded playoff win takes center stage to kickoff the lower bracket. I’ll give some highlights of each game, and I’ll put a poll at the end. The poll will be open for about 24 hours, you guys get to vote, and the winner by popular vote will advance. Today , our tournament continues with our next playoff win match up: the 2017 Divisional playoff game against New Orleans versus the 1998 Divisional playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals.2017 Divisional Playoff game against the Saints: This game can be summed up in seven words:Diggs...SIDELINE...TOUCHDOWN!!! UNBELIEVABLE...VIKINGS WIN IT!!!!!!It is, without question, the most iconic moment and most improbable win in Vikings playoff history. I want to see just one Super Bowl win before I die, don’t get me wrong. But this...man, this was special. When you add in the opponent, and the lingering bitterness we had over the 2009 NFC Championship...look, I’ve experienced the rush of pure, unadulterated sports euphoria 4 times in my life:1991 World Series, game 7.2003 Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State v. Miami for the National Championship2015 Sugar Bowl , Ohio State v. Alabama, CFP Semi-finalThis game. 1998 Divisional playoff against the Cardinals. When compiling the bottom 2-3 games to include in this, I felt the 1998 team had to be included. Yeah...we all know how it ended...but they just eviscerated the Cardinals in the divisional round. The Vikes pretty much imposed their will on the Cardinals, and whipped them 41-21. Randy Moss had a touchdown, Robert Smith ran for 124 yards, and Leroy Hoard added another 44 yards and two touchdowns. This team just looked unstoppable. Damn it all.

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]