If Diggs was “right”, then why did he lie?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the 2020 Minnesota Vikings are impossible to predict. They have one of the most elite offenses in the league, but limit the explosiveness by design. The defense shows up, sometimes, and the offensive line seems better (minus Dakota Dozier), when healthy. Then there’s the mistakes.

It’s those mistakes (special teams, safeties allowed, turnovers, turnovers that turn into defensive touchdowns, etc.) that make the Vikings particularly hard to predict. It is also those mistakes (along with some scratch your head until it bleeds) that have removed any margin of error for the purple.

Enter the Chicago Bears, a team that just snapped a SIX game losing streak by stomping the Houston Texans. The Vikings need to beat the Bears, Saints and Detroit to make the playoffs. Seems like a mighty feat, considering.

That’s what makes this entire season so frustrating. After the Vikings came out of the bye with nothing to lose, they were coached more aggressively, perhaps, than any Vikings team under Mike Zimmer.

I’ll just leave this talking point from the Strib’s Mark Craig, here:

1. 34 minutes to throw a deep ball?

Why did it take more than 34 minutes of game time before the Vikings threw a deep ball in Sunday’s 27-24 overtime win against Jacksonville at U.S. Bank Stadium? “I’m not really sure,” said receiver Justin Jefferson. “That’s a Kubiak question.” Gary Kubiak, the offensive coordinator, doesn’t talk to the media until Thursday. What say you, quarterback Kirk Cousins? “Yeah,” he said. “I don’t know.” The Jags ranked last in passing yards allowed per play (8.15). Their secondary was so decimated, undrafted rookie Luq Barcoo was playing in only his third NFL game and had no chance against Jefferson. The first deep ball was a 40-yard completion to set up a touchdown. The next series produced three more deep balls to Jefferson, including an 18-yard pass interference penalty against Barcoo and a 20-yard go-ahead TD against Barcoo.

In this great read from Zone Coverage, Chris Schad points out how the above worked (or didn’t) against the Bucs last weekend in a piece that is as well researched as it is wrong in it’s conclusion…

“But the efficient passing numbers haven’t led to a less conservative approach. With the Vikings hell-bent on establishing the run, Gary Kubiak ordered a slow, methodical drive with down 17 points in the second half. They took nearly nine minutes off the clock and inadvertently helped close out the game.”

No. Diggs wasn’t right (as Paul Allen expertly explained on his Twitter:

If Diggs was as good as Adam Thielen or Justin Jefferson? He wouldn’t need > 100 catches to finally break the 1,000 yard mark. I know I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth by assailing the Vikings’ offensive scheme, but Diggs wasn’t concerned about winning. He was concerned about Diggs. He had a massive contract that was offered before he reached 1,000 yards (or played a full 16 games), and clearly needs ALL the balls to be relevant in the National discussion.

Jefferson is doing more with less. He is doing his job. Don’t sign a contract if you’re going to bail at the first sign things aren’t all about you. Good teammates stick around to help rebuild, they don’t feign betrayal like a Dr. Phil episode about borderline personality disorder. Ugh).

Back to what I was saying.

This Vikings offense is elite, but it’s handicapping itself by pretending it’s 1976. There’s no reason why Dalvin Cook needs 40 touches in a game when you have Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr.

I recently wrote about the 370 curse and how it may impact Cook and the Vikings in 2021 (and beyond). It’s worth noting because while this offense is predicated on the run/play-action game, they don’t need to rely on it THIS much. They just extended Cook and are giving him two seasons worth of touches when he’s surrounded by the most talented position-by-position group in the league.

Again, sounds like Diggs was right?

Only if you think that players should be able to bail on their massive contracts willy nilly when they realize they can’t get the volume needed to be whatever it is those around them say they should be.

I don’t agree with the Vikings’ offensive philosophy, but I also don’t think that means it’d be okay for Thielen to bail. Actually, I think that it is the play from guys like Thielen and Jefferson that shows that this offense needs to diversify.

Force the change you want by playing through it. I just can’t get behind a guy who saw what Antonio Brown did with the Raiders and said, “Brilliant!!”, and then forced his way out while saying he wasn’t.

Then releasing a statement after he got his wish acting like he was surprised and that “it’s a business!”, denying that you forced a trade, then coming out this last week and saying you actually DID those things?

If it’s all virtuous then why lie?

Again, the Vikings are hindering their own success at this point because Zimmer is as risk averse as me at an open bar, but Diggs was “being Diggs” far before any of this (he did have a decline in catches in 2019, but had more yards) was set in stone and really started acting up when it was clear in early 2018 that Cousins had more chemistry with Thielen.

Don’t let him change the reality of what happened and when. Because again, if you have to lie then you have something to hide.

Case closed.