All the predictions were somewhere between 11-5 and 13-3 (I’ll admit to pic

Back in September http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/authentic-nick-easton-jersey , on the first edition of the Norse Reporters, most of us here at the Daily Norseman gave our record predictions for this season.king the latter). In retrospect, how could a group of Vikings bloggers be so optimistic?The season ended yesterday, prematurely but not entirely unsurprisingly. And to be honest, would it really have been any better if the Eagles had lost and the Vikings had gone to Chicago to lose again next week? The Vikings end the season having beaten just one team with a winning record, a huge disappointment for a team we all thought could be a serious Super Bowl contender this season. Ok, let’s talk Kirk Cousins, but just for a second. The reality is this: Rick Spielman gave Cousins a guaranteed three-year contract earlier this year. So my stance on Cousins is this: he’s going to be the guy at quarterback for the next two years. Argue about it all you want, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it now. So you might as well get behind him. Also, let’s stop the “fire Spielman” train before it gets going. A lot of people have rightly called him out for not addressing the offensive line, and I’m not sure why he’s gotten a pass on that for this long. But for the most part, the guy has done an excellent job with the Vikings. He’s repeatedly found top-level talent in the draft, especially on the defensive side of the ball. And he built arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL with late-round picks and undrafted free agents. But the offensive line has been a problem for a long time, and the Vikings should have taken it more seriously last offseason. I’d be disappointed if the Vikings don’t make the interior of the offensive line their priority in free agency and the draft. Vikings fans have been clamoring about this since 2016, and it’s finally time to put a stop to it. I also think Dalvin Cook was injured for most of the season, even when he played. There’s no reason the running game shouldn’t be significantly better next season Laquon Treadwell Jersey , especially if the offense (presumably led by Kevin Stefanski) makes it more of a priority from the get-go.In terms of the offense, the John DeFilippo experiment was a disaster. I’m interested to see where DeFilippo goes next, but his time with the Vikings just never worked. I have hope for Stefanski, but he was put into an impossible situation when he took over midseason. I do think he deserves a shot as the full-time OC.Injuries in the secondary also doomed the Vikings all season. Xavier Rhodes had a down year anyways, but didn’t even play in the game yesterday. The jury is still out on Trae Waynes, but he also missed games, and Mike Hughes’ promising rookie season was cut short due to an ACL tear. Jayron Kearse did not get it done yesterday, although one bright spot might be the play of Mackensie Alexander, who played well when the Vikings needed him. Andrew Sendejo is probably gone, and I think the Vikings need to look for a non-Anthony Harris replacement this offseason. I’ll have some more thoughts in the coming days and weeks, but I’ll end with this tidbit, which I tweeted out yesterday. If Daniel Carlson (remember him) had made the 35-yarder during the Week 2 game against the Packers, the Vikings would be in the playoffs. So even though it was a terrible season, the Vikings were still that close. There’s a little bit of hope and optimism, at least. Why do we care? For a couple reasons. Well, one for sure."Earlier today it was announced that the Baltimore Ravens are trading QB Joe Flacco to Denver:So Womens Xavier Rhodes Jersey , why should fans of the Minnesota Vikings care? Well, for one, it’s news that involves our old friend Case Keenum. As we all know, he signed a free agent contract with the Broncos last year, and it looks like once again, he’ll be on the move.No, I’m not advocating for him to return to the Vikings. I’m going to ride or die with Kirk Cousins, and yes Cousins is a better overall QB...but that said, has there been a more disrespected QB in recent NFL memory than Case Keenum? He took the Vikes to the NFC Championship two years ago, kept the Broncos in the playoff hunt longer than they probably should have been last year, and is now on the trading block. If he’s not traded, he’ll probably get cut. Even though Keenum wasn’t a long term answer in Denver, it’s a puzzling move by the Broncos. At this point in his career, Flacco doesn’t seem like that much of an upgrade over Keenum, save for arm strength. With Flacco scheduled to make $26.5 million and Keenum scheduled to make $21 million (numbers per Over The Cap dot com), Denver can’t go into next year with close to 50 large invested at one position. So Keenum is the odd man out here Ben Gedeon Jersey , via trade or outright release. If Denver can’t trade him, depending on when they cut him, it will be either a $10 million (pre June 1)or $11 million (post June 1) dead money cap hit. I don’t think anyone would trade for him as a starter and take on his contract, so the Broncos just ate more than $10 million in dead money for only one season in return. And people on here think Rick Spielman is an idiot.But what happens to Case Keenum and the Broncos salary cap shouldn’t be the focus on why we care as Vikings fans, at least in my opinion. The big reason is the QB dynamic in Denver, and how it affects their upcoming draft strategy, if at all. At the Senior Bowl, one of the worst kept secrets was Broncos GM John Elway and his never ending search for a long time answer at QB:With the Broncos picking 10th, and Elway now Captain Ahab still searching for his great white whale in the shape of an NFL QB, that position could still very much be in play for them at ten. If not, there are a slew of really good offensive linemen that will be on the board there, and most sites that discuss team needs in the draft identify offensive tackle as a need right up there with QB for Denver.Depending on how the draft unfolds, Drew Lock, Dwayne Haskins, or Kyler Murray should still be available at ten. If Elway and the Broncos look to Flacco as their new bridge QB to the next guy, like they probably did Keenum last year http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/authentic-mackensie-alexander-jersey , taking a QB here makes sense. That also means that after the first ten picks, every offensive lineman the Vikings are targeting could very well be on the board. Well, if you believe that teams will go after defensive linemen early and often like many people are projecting right now, that is.However, if the top three QB’s are gone, Denver could shift their focus and go offensive line, take a guy like Jonah Williams or Yodney Cajuste, assuming they’re still available, and start a run on o-line that could develop into one we saw unfold last year, when all the offensive linemen that were projected to the Vikings were already gone by the time Minnesota went on the clock. Lots of things still have to happen before we get to the draft, and depending what happens in free agency, offensive lineman might not even be a primary need for Denver or the Vikings come draft weekend. But this is still something to think about and consider how it could affect the Vikes as we move one step closer to the draft.