This is a nice thread..
Generally the takeaway is... The Vikings run game is trash and they should actually throw more early in games and in close games.
I don't know who Warren Sharp is, but I'm glad a bunch of folks came in there to beat him down. I mean, when I read this:
Against SEA last night, Cousins had a 100% success rate in the first half when passing to WRs or TEs on early downs. Yet Zim wanted to be run heavy so that's what the OC called.
On early downs in the 1H: •
9 RB runs: 33% success, 4.3 YPC •
3 WR/TE passes: 100% success, 10.3 YPA
It makes my head spin. 3 passes? And he's touting that as a 100% success rate, as if it has any predictive value? What?
The entire thread is based on the premise that because they are 1-5 in games in which they go run heavy in the 1st quarter, it means they should run less? He doesn't even mention the 5 losses were against New Orleans, New England, Rams, Bears and Seattle? Umm yea, you're probably going to lose to good teams when you're not that good. If he wants to blame those losses on running the ball 45% of the time on early downs in the 1st quarter, so be it, but I don't see the causation there. The Vikings were running all over the Patriots early in the game, and they just stopped running. I talked about in the game thread at the time. The Pats defense was basically giving them the run, and not allowing them to beat the defense with Diggs and Thielen, but Flip has no patience, and he's incapable of sticking with the run, even if it's working.
I will grant that their offensive line had some issues this year, and Latavius Murray is not a good back (I refer to him as LeGarrette Blount 2.0, Mr. Minimum), but Dalvin Cook is electrifying and he's been healthy for a few weeks now. They need to work him into the offense, and yet, almost every time it's an obvious running down like third and short or goal line, here comes Murray, waddling in from the sideline, so he can get stuffed by the first defender that gets through. That's why they struggle on obvious running downs, because they're using the wrong guy, or when they use the right guy, they try to run out of shotgun or call a slow developing stretch run to the outside that takes too long in short yardage situations.
Anyway, I've watched a ton of Vikings football this year. I'm very, very curious to see how this change affects their approach going forward.