Dec 5, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) celebrates his tackle of Miami Dolphins running back Salvon Ahmed (not pictured) during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports.
A weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we present to you: the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
The nopedy nopes are weekly Minnesota Vikings-themed items that we’re not buying. It’s a spin-off of our rumor mill, and we hope you enjoy. Here is the 31st batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
Vikings fans have daydreamed about Dexter Lawrence in purple via trade for a couple of weeks. But some hurdles stand in the way, rendering a would-be Lawrence trade basically moot.
1) The Giants’ front office and coaching staff must win now or risk termination in January. They can’t afford to trade Lawrence, arguably their best player.
2) New York is suddenly in the playoff hunt at 2-3. Teams don’t trade their best players while chasing the postseason.
3) The Giants would have to swallow $28 million in dead cap — just to trade their 26-year-old best player. Why the hell would they do that?
4) Lawrence is too young to sell, even in a theoretical fire sale.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Minnesota has sprinted to a 5-0 record out of the gate in 2024 thanks to a cakewalk of opponents, says Woodward Sports’ Neal Ruhl.
“The Minnesota Vikings are not a threat to the Lions. When you’re a crappy team, and you get an easy schedule, that’s the way this works. It’s designed for this everyone,” Ruhl said on the Woodward Sports YouTube show this week.
For context, these are the Vikings’ wins so far:
Minnesota has not played an easy schedule and, in fact, the last four wins have occurred against teams with Top 12 Super Bowl odds.
Ruhl didn’t stop with the easy schedule declaration. “In 13 days, the Lions will be in first place in the NFC North,” he continued, “They will be. And everyone will say, ‘Oh, I knew the Vikings were no threat, and stuff like that.’ I like how it’s going down, because if you think that this is what the Vikings are, let me let you in on a little secret about how the NFL works everybody, when you suck and you don’t make the playoffs, this is what the scheduling is designed to do everybody.”
Ruhl’s take is one of the worst of the year regarding the Vikings. Utter nonsense.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Carter spoke with former NFLer Brandon Marshall last week, and Marshall took the opportunity to ask Carter for his top five wide receivers from the purple team’s history. A fair question — but most would expect Carter to put himself or Randy Moss in the driver’s seat, at least per longevity, but Carter disagreed.
“Jake Reed, number five. I’m a gonna go with Anthony Carter, number four. I’m gonna go with Randy Moss, number three. I’m gonna go with a dude named Cris Carter, number two. And they got a dude playing for their team now that is the number one dude,” Carter opined.
The unbelievably high praise for Jefferson is warranted — he’s universally considered the top wide receiver in football — but even some Vikings fans might have a different order in 2024. Most would rank Moss at the top, followed by Carter, and then Jefferson at No. 3, mainly because his career is just 4.3 years old. Thereafter, folks would debate Anthony Carter, Jake Reed, and Adam Thielen pretty loudly.
Jefferson needs more longevity to earn the title of greatest Vikings receiver in history. But Carter’s token of respect is pretty damn cool.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.