The one where we talk about the Eagles and Giants Good evening and Welcome Aboard!Standard Disclaimer:I’m not a fan of the NFL having games on Thursday which results in a short week for both teams and in my opinion increases the likelihood of injury.It’s one of the things I think the player’s union should negotiate to get rid of with the next CBA.In any case I’m going to keep doing these on Monday and Thursday night as long as my new job allows and/or if it’s a common opponent for the Vikings. You’re probably wondering about the common opponent angle as the Vikings have already played the Eagles.Former Vikings OC Pat Shurmer is the head coach for the Giants http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-rashod-hill-jersey , I thought he did a pretty good job as the Vikings OC, so he gets a Thursday night post.I don’t know who I’ll be cheering for but I’d like to see an entertaining game and I’d like to see what Giant’s RB Saquon Barkley is able to put on the field.Stop by let’s make fun of the mistakes our potential future opponents make on the field and maybe be entertained. With that, let’s be neutral....just kidding, I don’t really care.Also, GIF’s are welcome in this game thread, however within the rules as usual.A few rules though, these will look oddly familiar.-No discussion of politics or religion-No feeding of the trolls-This isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags Youth Everson Griffen Jersey , if you must)-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer-If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away-While navigating the Eagles-Giants thread, just assume it’s sarcasm One of the primary reasons for the downfall of the 2018 season for the Minnesota Vikings was the play of the offensive line. Week after week, they showed themselves as unable to open holes for the running game and unable to provide adequate time in the passing game. During his season-ending press conference last week, head coach Mike Zimmer fielded several questions about the offensive line, and one specifically about the effect that the sudden passing of offensive line coach Tony Sparano just before the start of the season may have had on the team.Now Youth Adam Thielen Jersey , in some corners of the internet, this is being interpreted as Zimmer using Sparano’s passing as an excuse for the low level of play on the offensive line this season. Such interpretations are, quite frankly, ridiculous. After all, the personnel on the offensive line didn’t change very much, and it’s hard to say how much Sparano’s presence and/or coaching would have changed that.The bigger effect, quite frankly, probably would have been on Zimmer himself. It was clear that Sparano was someone that he had come to trust http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-riley-reiff-jersey , not just as far as the offensive line is concerned, but on other matters based on Sparano’s previous experience as a head coach. While I’m sure that Clancy Barone and Andrew Janocko did everything they could given the circumstances, there are certain aspects of what Sparano brought to the sideline that they weren’t going to be able to replace.Sparano’s passing wasn’t the first time in Vikings’ history that the team lost an important member of the coaching staff. Following the 1998 season, offensive coordinator Brian Billick moved on to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens after the Minnesota offense set records that season. In his place, the Vikings promoted quarterbacks coach Chip Myers to the offensive coordinator spot. Myers was considered an ascending star in the organization, and it was thought that he could have carried on what Billick had started.However, less than a month after getting the job, and less than a week after he was with the team’s staff scouting prospects in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine Youth Kyle Rudolph Jersey , Myers had a heart attack and passed away at the age of 53.While the passing of anyone is tragic. . .and I’m in no way attempting to minimize the passing of either Chip Myers or Tony Sparano by saying this. . .the Vikings had plenty of time to make adjustments prior to the start of the 1999 season. They were able to get Ray Sherman, who Myers replaced as the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach when Sherman took the job as offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998, to come back and step into the offensive coordinator job in Minnesota. The team really didn’t have the ability to do that with Sparano, who passed away just days before the start of Training Camp. Again, the team did what they could by promoting internally, but as I mentioned earlier, there were some aspects of what Sparano brought to the table that nobody was going to be able to replace.The passing of Tony Sparano was, undeniably Youth Kirk Cousins Jersey , a tragic event for the Minnesota Vikings organization, and it had to have been even more so for Mike Zimmer and the coaching staff in particular. But to say that he’s using it as some sort of an excuse is a bit disingenuous. He was asked about it in the season-ending press conference, and he answered the question as thoroughly and truthfully as he could. It’s not as though it was constantly brought up week after week as a reason for the play of the offensive line. The offensive line was bad in 2018 because they were bad. They were bad in August, they were bad in October, and they were bad in December. I don’t ever recall Zimmer. . .or anybody else. . .invoking Sparano’s name as the reason behind that.Mike Zimmer knows that his primary mission for this offseason. . .again. . .needs to be fixing the offensive line. With that being the case, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him bring in someone similar to Sparano with a lot of experience and cachet to bring to the table. But it’s a bit insulting to say that he’s using the death of his former colleague to excuse the play of the offensive line in 2018.