The Worst Vikings Take In History

I've heard it expressed on 1500 multiple times now, and some fans have picked up on it.

"The Vikings should tank 2 seasons from now so they'll be able to draft Clemson's QB Trevor Lawrence."

Beyond absurd.

I'm sure much of it stems from this never ending hatred of Kirk Cousins that some people are clearly going to never let go of. But good lord, proclaiming two years out that they should intentionally tank the season to draft this kid?

First off, we don't know if Lawrence will be some kind of elite pro. About 5 years ago there was a hyped up college QB who everyone just knew was going to be an NFL megastar. That QB? Johnny Manziel. How'd that work out? And he's hardly the only college star who flunked out in the pros. I keep hearing the name Andrew Luck invoked. It's awfully convenient to use one of few cases of a so-called can't miss QB who DID pan out. But even at the top of the draft, QBs are a crapshoot. You just don't know.

Luck. Peyton Manning. Troy Aikman. On a slightly lower level, Cam Newton, or Drew Bledsoe. But also drafted at #1 you have Jamarcus Russell, Tim Couch, Jameis Winston....SAM BRADFORD! Taking a QB at the top of the draft is not a sure bet. It's maybe a 50/50 proposition. Certainly not worth tanking a whole season over.

And it's just a fact that you can find QBs anywhere in the draft. Tom Brady in the 6th round. Drew Brees in the 2nd. Aaron Rodgers late in the 1st round. Ben Roethlisberger at pick 11. Russell Wilson in the 3rd round. Tony Romo wasn't even drafted.

Tanking doesn't work. In any sport, except for maybe MLB, where the Astros and Cubs both really bottomed out recently and got to build up world series winners. But in the NFL I can't think of a single team that tried this tanking thing, intentionally or not, and saw it pay off. You can say the Browns got Baker Mayfield after going 0-16, but for one, we don't know yet if Mayfield will be THAT guy, and also, the Browns have been awful for 20 years and already blew the QB thing in the draft multiple times. The Colts getting Luck was, well, luck. If Peyton Manning's neck had gone haywire a year earlier or a year later, Luck gets drafted elsewhere.

And unless you go 0-16 you could get  usurped by an even worse team anyway. Imagine tanking, going 2-14, and getting beaten out by a 1-15 team. That's how you end up with Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton Manning. And that destroyed the Chargers forever.....oh wait no it didn't. They got Brees 3 years later, then Phillip Rivers 3 years after that.

Tanking is stupid. People who encourage tanking are stupid.