Bumps in the Road are Normal, Right?

  |  
Nov 3, 2016
Bumps in the Road
Image courtesy of Vikings.com

A drive down any street is sure to include a few potholes, but lately, the ride that is Minnesota Vikings football has been unbearably bumpy. Missing is the smothering defense, the efficient, if conservative offense, and the team that won five straight games to start the season.

Minnesota’s two-game losing streak was punctuated with the resignation of Norv Turner, who conceded play calling duties to Pat Shurmur on Wednesday morning. We’re not even at the halfway point of the year and the Vikings have already seen turnover at quarterback, running back, offensive line, and now, offensive coordinator.

There’s hope things will smooth over on the road ahead; the defense is still a top-3 unit and the switch to Shurmur could spell positive changes for what’s been a lackluster offense. I tend to take the more optimistic route when it comes to this team, but I wanted to see what the Vikings Territory writers had to say. Their answers, after the jump:

Is it time to hit the panic button on the Vikings, or is this two-game losing streak just a bump in the road?

Adam Warwas

Just a bump in the road? More like a couple bumps on the road.

If the Vikings were the snitch in a mob movie, we’ve arrived at the part in the script where they’ve been made. The blueprint for beating them is now published and available at the public library. They are still a talented team, one that can win games, but it is up to this coaching staff to make the necessary adjustments to ensure their injury-riddled squad can best utilize the talent it has left.

The comforts of home return next week.If Norv Turner’s playbook from October 9th‘s victory over the Texans was too big to fit in the overhead bin on the team plane these last two weeks, here’s hoping Pat Shurmur finds it safely sitting where Norv left in Winter Park. They aren’t going to beat the Lions without putting up some points.

Sam Neumann

There is serious reason for concern, but I wouldn’t say panic button, no. The team lost two games (albeit in ugly fashion) but is still 5-2 and atop the division. It will be interesting to see what Pat Shurmur does in his first game as offensive coordinator; I don’t know how much meaningful schematic change he can make in the short term, but teams often get a boost just from a midseason swap in style or philosophy. I’m not panicking, but 5-0 seems like a long time ago, and the Vikings simply have to find a way to score points to stay in the hunt.

Adam Patrick

Before Norv Turner “resigned” on Wednesday, I would have leaned more toward the panic side of the spectrum. But now with Pat Shurmur leading the offense, my heart beat has slowed to a slightly normal rate. But if they lose to the Lions on Sunday I have a feeling that stuffed animals won’t be the only things feeling the wrath of Mike Zimmer at the Vikings’ facilities.

Brent LaBathe

I wouldn’t panic just yet, but as always, it is wise to have a healthy level of skepticism. As I have mentioned in previous QOTW answers, the Vikings defense is too good to have this team slump for too long. Although they didn’t look like themselves on Monday night, I expect the Vikings to rebound nicely against the Lions. My hope is that Pat Shurmur’s West Coast – quick pass offense can solve for the pressure Sam Bradford has found himself under in consecutive weeks.

Carl Knowles

Yes, it’s okay to panic. I hit the Panic button on August 30th when reports came out that teammates were throwing up at the sight of Teddy Bridgewater’s non-contact preseason knee injury. I freaked out and punched the panic button again after the Week 2 news that Matt Kalil and Adrian Peterson were headed to IR. When starting right tackle Andre Smith was lost with an elbow injury four weeks into the season, I was thumping the button again. And, it’s not everyday that a proven and weathered NFL offensive coordinator walks away from a 5-2 start.

It’s been a bizarre season, to say the least. If you haven’t hit panic mode yet, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and freak out, panic, pull your hair out… just don’t kick the dog because Mike Zimmer might still be able to make lemonade from this lemon of a two-game losing streak.

Joe Johnson, Purple PTSD

My good friend over at Vikings Territory, Austin Belisle, sent me over a question of the week for their site the other day. The question was, essentially, is it time for the Vikings or the fans to panic? This question was sent over before the Norv Turner news, so it definitely became more apt today than it already was — and it was.

Norv Turner was considered to be one of, if not the, best offensive mind in the entire NFL. his career spans decades and his start came during the Air Coryell days, a style that he carried with him through countless and continuous jobs in the NFL. There are conflicting reports as to why Turner retired, exactly, but the most telling to me came from a tweet from Ian Rappaport:

At first, because the decision was explained as a “personal” one, people thought that the resignation has something to do with Turner’s health. From this, though, it appears that Norv simply couldn’t figure out how to fix the Vikings offense, and if you watched the Bears game it was readily apparent that that was the case. 

Turner’s style requires certain constants on the offense. A great offensive line, a power running game, a big possession receiver and a field-stretching tight end. The Vikings really only have one of those right now, which explains why the offense looked so disjointed Monday night.

Watching the game with my dad, there were countless times where he exclaimed, “Why aren’t they helping Clemmings on the right side?”. That question stuck with me through the game and after the final whistle. At first, I thought that while Clemmings is and was playing historically terrible, there were so many holes on the offensive line that adding a tight end to the right side would be like putting a band-aid on a levee in New Orleans in 2006. 

But the more I look at it, the more I see that Norv (who Zimmer did verify called every play, with input) really just couldn’t figure out how to fix things; Norv Turner, a coach of three decades who again is considered an offensive genius. He couldn’t figure it out on Monday and quit on Wednesday. That, there, should be enough of a source of panic for Vikings fans. Sure, Pat Shurmur is familiar with Sam Bradford from their time in Philadelphia and St. Louis. Sure, the West Coast Offense may be a better fit for this situation, but really when you have a guy like Turner quit… You’re screwed. 

So, I will be optimistic and talk up Shurmur. But, this was labeled as “shocking” for a reason and I think it’s pretty telling… 

Ugh.