Vikings Fans Want This Man at QB — For 2 Reasons
The Minnesota Vikings are smack dab in the middle of a quarterback debate for Week 17.
Vikings Fans Want This Man at QB — For 2 Reasons
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis tweeted Tuesday, “Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell says the team is evaluating its plan at QB for this weekend’s game against the Packers. Mentioned the turnovers continuing to be an issue. Was not fully committal to Nick Mullens for this weekend. Said they wanted to evaluate last few weeks.”
Lewis also reiterated, “Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell says the team is considering all three QB options (Nick Mullens, Josh Dobbs, and Jaren Hall) to start Sunday night against the Packers.”
Minnesota hosts Green Bay on New Year’s Eve, and the winner will earn a 50% chance (or so) of reaching the postseason.
And while O’Connell may settle on Nick Mullens or Joshua Dobbs for QB1, most Vikings fans want Jaren Hall, the rookie. Here’s why.
It’s the Upside
Listen, there’s a teensy chance that Hall is marinating on the Vikings’ bench and waiting to morph into Tony Romo (or any unheralded, undrafted, or late-round quarterback). That’s the working theory from the pro-Hall camp.
Vikings fans saw about 30 minutes of Hall in Week 9 when he was tabbed to start because Kirk Cousins was injured with a torn Achilles. The aforementioned Mullens was on injured reserve, and the club wasn’t about to trot Sean Mannion out for service.
And in those two drives, Hall looked quite good. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 78 yards and even scampered for 11 with his legs. Then, he succumbed to a concussion and hasn’t played since. He has, however, acted as the Vikings’ QB2 in back-to-back games. Had Mullens been injured against the Cincinnati Bengals or Detroit Lions, it would’ve been Jaren Hall time.
Reminiscent of Kellen Mond’s situation with the 2021 Vikings, Hall could be sitting on a marvelous career, a trainwreck, or somewhere in between. Because Vikings fans want to maintain eternal hope, they think Hall could be the next big thing that 31 general managers passed on in the draft. It’s happened before; why not the Vikings this time? That’s the idea from City Hallers.
Not Winning the Super Bowl, So Who Cares?
A more cynical approach — perhaps realistic? — the Vikings won’t forge a path to the Super Bowl in 2023, so who the hell cares if Hall starts, stinks, and fades away? “At least we’ll know,” is the mindset.
The Vikings’ Super Bowl aspirations died on October 29th when Cousins tore his Achilles, and anything since has been house money. Slipping Hall into the starting lineup would fall into the “What do you have to lose?” mentality.
Some want to see if Hall has the juice to evolve into Minnesota’s long-term QB1; others seek to learn if he can be a trustworthy backup quarterback in 2024 and beyond.
Well, now is the time to find out. The stakes are low; the Super Bowl is out of sight.
Meanwhile, if the Vikings start Hall and disaster strikes, well, a higher draft pick would be the result. It’s a win-win — enable Hall’s development via start against the Packers, and if it’s a mess, here’s your fancy Top 10 draft pick.
Finally, in fairness to Hall Heads, they’ve wanted this for a month:
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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