Vikings weighing Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens for Week 17 | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

Mike Florio and Chris Simms evaluate if the Vikings would consider starting Jaren Hall against the Packers, given the struggles Nick Mullens and Joshua Dobbs have had. #NBCSports #ProFootballTalk #NickMullens
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Vikings weighing Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens for Week 17 | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC
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Of the Josh dos experience which eventually faded and gave way to Nick Mullins which is fading and quite possibly giving way Chris to jiren Hall so as of yesterday morning we knew they were taking a long look at putting in Hall here’s Kevin okell from yesterday making it pretty clear that it

Could be Nick Mullins getting the giant hook to the sideline you know Alec we’re working through that right now uh making sure that you know we go through a full evaluation process of uh you know the Lions game of course but going back to the Bengals game and taking a look at the

Inventory of really Nick’s both both of his starts you know what when he came into the game against the Raiders as well um you know we’ve we’ve had some turnovers there’s no doubt about it and the interceptions has kind of been kind of the story um for for much of the year

Since we’ve kind of lost Kirk at that position and we’re trying to work through what we feel gives us the best chance to still still be explosive like we were uh moving the football the other day against the Lions but we’ve got to find a way uh to still possess the

Football and not set our team back that’s the key the offense moves the ball but the quarterback throws the interceptions you need somebody who doesn’t throw the interceptions now here’s the balance jiren Hall rookie he’s going to make mistakes TJ hackinson out for the year with a torn ACL and MCL

What a time to suffer that Christmas tough that’s the Adrien Peterson Adrien Peterson had that happen Christmas Eve 2011 somehow was ready to go week one the next year we’re conditioned to think the guys come back from it quickly they they they don’t always come back from it

Quickly we don’t know when hackinson will be 100% again and uh Jordan Addison suffered an ankle injury during the game so will the full complement of weapons be there to make it easier for jiren Hall to go out and run the offense I don’t know and there’s still alive for

The postseason it’s a tough call Kevin OK still alive for the postseason do you trust Nick Mullin iron things out or do you give jiren Hall a start or two and see if that kick starts you going into the playoffs and you know like you’ve been saying we want the playoff teams to

Be competitive in the playoffs yeah and this Vikings team with all the self-inflicted wounds they’re not ready to go out and win a high Stakes Winner take all loser goes home playoff game yeah no I I mean listen you said it it is a tough decision you know we heard

Kevin elado I think he explained it exactly the right way it’s the balance of like yeah can we get a quarterback that could take care of the football but you know within that we don’t want him to take care of the football so much that we can’t drive down the field and

Hit Justin Jefferson and be a you know a high functioning offense now with Nick Mullins a quarterback they they have moments and drives of being high functioning they do and he does some good things it’s just when it’s bad it’s really bad I mean the two interceptions

As we’ve noted you know last week against the Bengals they were horrible I mean that lost the the Vikings the football game probably should have been up 27 to3 forget the 17 to3 comeback probably should have been 27 to3 or at least more you know somewhere in that

Range but that one inexcusable before the half just throwing the ball to the defender by Hilt an interception here this one I mean third and seven in field goal range you know okay you took a sack so what you’re at the 30 yd line don’t try to throw it DET tackle gets an

Interception this one okay not horrible here right this is one you can live within a fourth and two nobody was open right you know maybe could have stayed in the pocket and gone through some other reads but then there was some some other ones in this game that were bad

Like this one you see here it had a had one or two drop too as well Mike my big assessment here you know the balance is I don’t think you’re going back to Josh dos I don’t see that happening and I don’t think it’s fair to throw out Jaren

Hall in this situation and think that he’s going to be in a a position to succeed and do anything real positive for this Vikings football team nor give your locker room a chance to think like wait can we really win this football game I still think Nick Mullins is the

Play I do especially when you look at the schedule and go hey Packers right we know they can move the ball and they got some explosive elements of their offense Lions last week of the year as we know they can move the ball and do some

Things too so I don’t think you could sit there and go we’re going to rely on our defense and Jared Hall and we’ll play a defensive style type of football game that’s where I just don’t see that happening and as much as they probably want to bench bench Nick Mullins for the

Crazy decisions I think it’s probably still the best decision they got here going into week 17 well it’s a combination of crazy decisions and just bad throws in bad right occasions the Kirby Joseph interception of Jordan Addison and look I understand when you’re calling a game

There’s a lot happening and you have to speak immediately you have to formulate the thoughts you have to articulate it it’s not easy you got like 15 seconds to get your thought out there Jonathan Vilma who I love he’s an Alum of the former PFT afternoon show on NBCSN ripip

But uh Vilma said that Kirby Joseph baited Jordan ad or baited Nick Mullin into throwing that ball to Jordan Addison it’s just a bad throw Addison was open yeah it was late it was it was it came in late you hit him while he’s open it’s a touchdown the Justin

Jefferson throw at the end of the game yeah if it’s not a a fluttering out of his fingertips it’s a touchdown so I think what’s going to happen now that we’ve talked it through I think what’s going to happen is much like what occurred the last Josh dos start it’s

Going to be Mullins on a very short leash y right and the the first the first time he hands the ball over to the defense whether it’s the short little which way did he go pass where the Bengals guys just like hey here’s the football thank you thank you

Or or does something that would fall into the category of just head scratching stupid misfire whatever that’s when he he’s out and jiren Hall’s in so they’ll get them both ready and that’s what I think is going to happen M I don’t know but I think it makes the

Most sense it because they still have a chance yes right right slim as it may be I think it’s like an 18% chance to make the playoffs I still don’t know how they come up with those numbers but regardless yes they still have a chance if they and and it’s it’s their final

Home game of the year it’s prime time you want to put your best foot forward exactly you want to win that game for your fans if you’re not going to the playoffs you at least beat the Packers on New Year’s Eve at home you don’t want that to be a pre-season game a

Meaningless game hey let’s go see what the rookie can do game you want to put your best team out there and try to win the game and knowing that you’ve got some serious injuries it’s going to make your offense not as good as it otherwise would be yeah 400 yards is 400 yards

Yeah one hand 400 yards on the other hand four interceptions so so if he doesn’t get it done he’s out and jiren Hall’s in or Josh dobs is in one or the other I I don’t know but probably jiren Hall it’s it’s it’s it’s big moment football it’s situational football where

Nick Mullins just has to see the bigger picture a little bit I think that’s the big thing but you know we talked about yeah Green Bay’s offense the weapons they have there too but also in you know can Jaren there there’s there’s two sides of this story too where we know

Green Bay’s defense is struggling right now I mean everybody’s moving the ball I mean Bryce Young and the Panthers started moving the ball up and down the field on the on the Packers like you know like the Panthers were a big time offense and we know they’ve struggled

All year so there’s also that thought that goes into it there you know okay wait they’re not playing very good on defense can jiren Hall go in there and you know make it happen a little bit because they’re not good or yeah do we really want to throw jiren Hall in there

And he might not be able to take advantage of all the plays that are there there to be had against this this Packers defense and that to me would be another notch or check that I would go well that’s where I feel more comfortable with Nick mollins as well

And you you know you add that on to some of the things you talked about with hackinson not being there that would be a rookie quarterback friendly Target over the middle you know no Addison certainly or we’ll see where that stands when it’s all said and done uh your run

Game certainly never anything to go oh we’ll be able to depend on it this week it’s all over the place you don’t have a very good run game I think all those things and what you said point to Nick Mullins being the quarterback and then hopefully they can coach some of the

Turnovers o you know out of him it you know again for a quarterback a backup quarterback hey it’s hard you haven’t played you haven’t done much and you know you could play good and boom boom boom hey the first 20 throws I was really good and all of a sudden you make

One mistake and all of a sudden oh I got an interception and four or five throws you go well okay I’ve only made one mistake out of 25 throws and then you make another mistake and all of a sudden it’s like whoa that I I actually was

Playing pretty good here and now I’m on the verge of being a laughing stock on Christmas Eve and that’s kind of what happened to Nick Mullins too and you know that’s where he’s got to gauge the game differently and just have a feel of the big picture of the game uh instead

Of maybe being so aggressive and trying to make so many plays all the time you know I’m sure there were moments during that game because Kevin oconnell has been transparent about this in the past when he was considering yanking Josh dos he thought about doing it during that bears Monday night game

Yeah sure and didn’t right there had to have been occasions where he’s thinking somebody else has to go in there because I assume o Connell since he came from the Shawn McVey coaching tree and there’s a lot of similarities in the DNA between McVey and Shanahan and it all

Goes back to Gruden as well the idea that you’re driving my Ferrari yeah I’m entrusting you with the keys to it and if you crash it into a pole you’re not going to be driving it anymore and there was a lot of poll crashing going on on

Christmas Eve from Nick Mullins so it this gets back to the open to the show he loves him he loves him not and I don’t know how much football Kirk Cousins has left I’m sure he’s considering his football mortality what he’s going to do when it’s time to call

It quits how many more years he has left he’ll be 36 next year when the season begins coming off of a torn ailles tendon one thing we know about a killes tendon tears Chris makes you more susceptible to tearing the other one he’s not going to be any younger next

Year and we know how hard he works to keep his body where it needs to be and he’s been master of durability over the years who knows I mean look at what happened this year with all the quarterbacks can we assume any of them will stay healthy all year next year if

Kirk Cousins had stayed healthy all year as you’ve said this Vikings team would be in position to make a run at the Super Bowl I don’t know that they could beat the 49ers but who knows after what we saw this past weekend but they don’t have their starting quarterback if you have

Your starting quarterback you should be in a position to contend and compete and if you don’t then that’s on you because so many other teams are down to qb2 qb3 qb4 QB this guy QB that guy QB can we find a QB anywhere so if they could keep

Him all year next year they could they could have a good season but yeah you can’t account for when the injuries are going to happen and we know this year that the quarterbacks are less immune than ever before it feels like to getting injured yeah well maybe this

Will be the wakeup call to some of these teams to stop you know looking to trim the fat on the salary cap or the roster with the backup quarterback position I right I mean we’ve had these discussions in the past the big reason why you know

The the fat has been trimmed in the in the backup quarterback position it’s two reasons one you know a lot of teams want a quarterback that’s clearly the king so there’s a huge drop off sometimes between the first and the second quarterback right good or bad I don’t

Know I would say if you got a a good team that that’s a bad idea you know I don’t know we grew up in an era where like uh Hey Joe Montana’s backup was Steve Young Phil Sims backup was Jeff hostettler Jim Kelly had Frank Reich

Right I mean Brett Favre was up there in Green Bay they had him Mark Brunell CT Warner who else am I missing I mean so this this when the game used to be brutal the backup quarterback was a little more valuable but that’s the key too it’s not only anointing the

Quarterback the king but it’s also because of the rules of hitting the quarterback that teams have rolled the dice a little bit and got ah the rules are so e you know they’re so good to protect the quarterbacks right now will’ll take a chance and spend a little

Less money on a lesser backup quarterback maybe this is a wakeup call you know that that yeah spend a little extra money in these cases now Minnesota got unlucky too here with the fact that yeah Kirk Cousins got hurt and their backup and Nick Mullins who they really

Like was hurt as well and he wasn’t be able to practice and I think that also leads to him not maybe being at his best at this point of the year right and Kevin okono has done everything I mean that this is one again where you look at

It and go man he’s still getting people open right they’re still unbelievable and a high pretty high functioning offense but no matter who’s that quarterback but it’s the dumb things and uh you know you know like like we showed on that interception package it’s Miss throws it’s stupid decisions it’s hang

The fourth and two I don’t know can we go and show that again guys if we can throw to show the interception pack the fourth and two that he throws the Deep Crosser to I know that wasn’t bad right cuz it’s Fourth and two it ends up being

Like a punt all right we’ll go through it here’s the Vikings one this one’s inexcusable I don’t know how you don’t see this he throws it to Justin Jefferson he’s not even looking you know this one we know is unexcusable too but after this we’re going to see the fourth

And two and this is where I might ask you guys to slow it down or rewind a little bit here but pocket’s clean right it’s rewind yeah now what I want you to see look at the so as this goes got to go watch Justin Jefferson he’s going to

Run the in Cut here he’s wide open see him at the top of the screen Mike you know go back one more time guys if you can see that you know and those are little things too as a quarterback like I know that’s the first read right that

He’s throwing to get off it it’s not open the pocket’s Clean hit Justin Jefferson on the in Cut but again that’s not playing and the game’s still moving fast and he’s forcing him some issues just like this even a third and eight just give up and just Chuck it down the

Field again not the worst cuz it was a third nade and acts like a punt a little bit but it doesn’t give the confidence put out there it’s a touchdown that’s the one if he puts it out there it’s a touchdown yes that he saw it late and

Then just tried to Chuck it and that would look stupid that’s that’s what it looked like and yeah there’s there’s some issues there it doesn’t give your offense or your play caller confidence is where I was going with that last comment he he should have only had three

Interceptions for the day because the fourth and two ball should have been knocked down it was like 20 yards of field position the Lions lost by actually Brian Branch getting the interception to atone for the one that should have been the pick six to make it 14 nothing instead of 77 that was

Another one so it evened out should have had three n should have had four cuz Branch would have had that one on the opening drive of the game and it would have been 14 nothing just like that he might have had five interceptions on the day because they would have been in a

Hole and they’ been throwing even more his numbers for this season yeah go ahead and he did he did his maybe two his numbers for this season in two starts are amazing 797 yards in two starts he’s completed nearly 70% of his passes he’s averaging 9.7 yards per attempt but he’s got four

Touchdown passes and six interceptions yeah that that’s that’s a butt yeah that’s a big butt you’re right that’s the that’s the big butt that’s the B Nick mullen’s got a big old butt and that’s it uh it it is but but but but with that and as we’ve talked about a

Shame Kirt cousins is hurt like I mean how can you not like your offense and what your coach does Kevin oconnell up in Minnesota I mean it just does anybody get him open downfield more than Kevin oconnell in football I I don’t know right now in the NFL I mean is Minnesota

You guys are are you guys the Kings I mean you guys hit more 15 and 20 yard completions than any team in football it’s like there’s no two or three yard throw there’s nothing short it’s like it’s either 20 yards or go home and uh

It’s fun to watch it is it’s just the quarterback back plays not matching the head coach and play caller there totally and and that’s what’s a shame for you and and the Vikings this year interesting to see what the offseason strategy will be I think it’s imperative to bring back Kirk Cousins

Now he’s in a position based upon the play of Josh dos and Nick Mullins to ask for more than maybe he would have requested he can be a free agent he can go anywhere the way the contract is structured they can’t keep him in place they can’t they’re going to have to work

Out a deal with him if they want to keep him around but I think they also need to balance it out not with a developmental guy but somebody that they believe can can take the Baton and become that franchise player before the season started I didn’t expect them to be in

Playoff contention I thought this year would be a step back from last year right I didn’t expect them to be a team that even though they’re seven and eight feels like they could be competitive with some of the better teams in the NFL but but going into the year I just

Thought the idea was okay we’d like to be able to draft our guy next year that we’re going to have for 10 or 15 years they’re not going to be in position to do that so Kick the Can for a year have Kirk I don’t know if a guy falls into their lap

They really like in round two round three whatever maybe you do that what you do right you know right but but okell is proving that when he has the ability to work with a guy who can make the throws who can be taught the offense that that he can

Engineer just like McVey just like like Shanahan he can engineer yards and points right the butt just not needs to not be there with the the interceptions four in a game they’ve had four in a game twice now once from dos and once from Mullins and they’ve got two games

Left and they need some help and maybe they get in but if they get in I mean come on they’re the seven seed they’re going to go to and who knows the the two seeds still up in the air it could still be the Lions frankly uh if the Lions

Beat the cowboy on Saturday night but but uh wherever the Vikings would go as the seven seed it’s not going to be promising but you know it’s one more week it’s one more game it’s one more opportunity to try to to try to build for next year whatever they do the rest

Of this year is about building for next year extend the season a week to help you better prepare for next year and then next year if you get kurk cousins back and he stays healthy who knows what’s going to happen hi it’s Mike Florio thanks for watching PFT on

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