OT: Vikes' Thielen: "You have to be able to throw the ball"

[Toast88]

Sounds like things are unraveling in Minnesota....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...ielen-on-offense-you-have-to-be-able-to-throw

Adam Thielen on offense: You have to be able to throw

By Kevin Patra

• Around the NFL Writer
• Published: Sept. 30, 2019 at 07:41 a.m.
• Updated: Sept. 30, 2019 at 09:22 a.m.

The Chicago Bears suffocated the Minnesota Vikings run game, holding Dalvin Cook to just 35 yards and a score on 14 carries. With Cook stymied, the rest of the Vikings' offense slowly circled the drain for most of Sunday's 16-6 loss.

Sunday once again showed that when good defenses force Kirk Cousins to power the Vikings, the ship sinks.

Minnesota generated only 59 total yards of offense in the first half. The Vikings' first seven drives either punted or lost a fumble. The offense did not gain a first down from 8:00 left in the second quarter to 2:00 left in the third quarter (21-minute span). Cousins was 9-of-14 passing with 53 pass yards at 2:00 left in the third quarter. He finished with 233 yards passing after the Bears D went lax with a two-score lead.


The ineptitude for long stretches this season has led to frustration, especially with receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, who were each visibly exasperated on the sideline Sunday.

"At some point, you're not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL," Thielen said, via The Athletic. "That's when you have to be able to throw the ball. You have to be able to make plays. You have to be able to hit the deep balls. You have to do that."

Thielen caught just two passes for six yards on six targets. Cousins' only real deep shot of the game came on a first-half heave to Thielen, but the QB overthrew the ball by several yards. A better toss would have gone for a TD and changed the entire complexion of the tilt.

Diggs ended the game with seven receptions and 108 yards, but five of those catches went for 91 yards late in the second half when the Vikings were already down and mostly out.

"I think we're just as frustrated as every fan in the state of Minnesota, every Minnesota Vikings fan," Thielen said. "We are more frustrated. We put everything we have into the offseason. We grind every single day, and then to put a performance like that -- it's so frustrating, it's unbelievable."

With Cousins going into checkdown mode early and often behind a struggling offensive line, the Vikings' high-priced, talented receivers are wasted. The frustration will only mount if the trend we've seen early this season continues as the schedule ramps up down the road for the 2-2 Vikings.

 

[BringBackDitka54]

Everyone's got a plan until they face the Bears defense.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

Same could be said about the QB in Chicago.... just saying.

 

[cubby chubby]

Cousins just might be worse than Slow Twitch Mitch.

 

[EDPeezy]

Zimmer comes off as old school in a bad way sometimes. Good D coach who refuses to embrace you need some semblance of balance. Comes off as extremely stubborn to me.

You can tell his approach this year is like “our defense is really good. We’re not gonna lose games taking any chances on offense. We’re a solid 10-6 if we just do this really vanilla stuff and don’t beat ourselves.”

I guess that’s okay. It’s kind of a higher floor lower ceiling thing though. He can’t just think he’s gonna throw the ball 10 times and give the ball to Cook 35. It will work in certain situations. He’s kind of limiting their overall potential though. He’s gonna have to trust his offense at some point and open it up.

 

[Toast88]

Same could be said about the QB in Chicago.... just saying.

Yeah, but Bears' receivers aren't coming out and openly saying so directly to reporters like the Vikes' receivers are.

 

[Tostada]

Yeah, but Bears' receivers aren't coming out and openly saying so directly to reporters like the Vikes' receivers are.

Why would they?

 

[WestCoastBearsFan]

Why would they?

Because a QB guarantees them a super bowl ring.

 

[Tostada]

Because a QB guarantees them a super bowl ring.

If the oline plays the first 3 games like yesterday, Mitch smokes Green Bay the first game, Nafy calls the GB game like the Wash game, Bears are 4-0 ans SB favorites along with NE. Mack is the best player in the conference at the moment.

 

[sevvy]

The good news is, the Vikings are playing the NY Giants next week, so Cousins can go back to being the BUMSLAYER that he is.

Lololol $84 million bumslayer. So funny. He shits his pants against good teams, and lights it up against hot trash. I love it.

The moment Cousins dismantles us, is the moment we know that the Bears suck.

 

[Adipost]

Zimmer comes off as old school in a bad way sometimes. Good D coach who refuses to embrace you need some semblance of balance. Comes off as extremely stubborn to me.

You can tell his approach this year is like “our defense is really good. We’re not gonna lose games taking any chances on offense. We’re a solid 10-6 if we just do this really vanilla stuff and don’t beat ourselves.”

I guess that’s okay. It’s kind of a higher floor lower ceiling thing though. He can’t just think he’s gonna throw the ball 10 times and give the ball to Cook 35. It will work in certain situations. He’s kind of limiting their overall potential though. He’s gonna have to trust his offense at some point and open it up.

It has nothing to do with being old school. Zimmer has finally concluded that his QB sucks, so he is doing everything in his power to lessen said QB’s impact on the game.

 

[xer0h0ur]

Until otherwise, my nickname for Kirk Cousins will remain the lawn chair.