That's a good question, Clide. Wish I had an answer for you. I think it's a little dangerous to read too much into one terse press conference, though. Could be as simple as Zimmer only wanting to talk about the players that are here. The trade surprised me, though, and didn't make much sense to me.

I don't think you need to worry about it. Heck, I'd argue that the line was much worse last year. The Denver game was ugly for the line, sure. But the Broncos have been doing that to everyone this year.

I don't consider it shaming at all. It's a teaching tool to get him to stop grabbing on to players. The Vikings aren't the first team to do this with a player.

I don't buy into the notion of a trap team in the NFL. Pretty much every team can beat you on any given Sunday. But to your point, yes, this is a game the Vikings have to win if they want to be taken seriously.

I think Diggs has to continue playing a role. He was very impressive against the Broncos and the rest of the receiving group has been underwhelming, in part because the Vikings have not passed much and Teddy has been up and down. The Vikings might not have a choice, though. Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson didn't practice yesterday and could be in danger of missing the Chiefs game.

Huh?

Paul, I don't think Chase Ford has any trade value or he would be gone already. A decent player, but not worth trading a draft pick for. As for Patterson, the Vikings keep saying they believe in him, but the guy might be sixth on the depth chart right now and it's not like he's tearing it up as a kickoff returner. That being said, does anyone else want to give up anything of substance to tempt the Vikings to move on?

Kyle Rudolph is their top receiving tight end and their go-to guy in the red zone, so he's going to get most of those snaps. And Rhett Ellison is the blocking tight end. So there isn't going to be much left over for Pruitt, but they are making a point of getting him some reps. Give him some time.

You can say it if you want, but it's a long season, Frank, and he is still a rookie.

They are stuck with the offensive line. Hard to add an impact player at this point. They just have to get better. Maybe getting John Sullivan back in a few weeks will make a big difference. As for the weekly question about whether the Vikings are bringing someone in to compete with Blair, the answer is still no.

But is he still underrated now that you're hyping him up?

I'll let Norv know about your plan.

Well, it's certainly a good thing that the secondary has been pretty solid so the Vikings don't have to put Waynes out there before they think he is ready. But he's a rookie, and you shouldn't worry about him having a limited role defensively. I'm sure that will change by the end of the season.

If he continues to produce at this rate, probably not very good unless he takes a pay cut. He is making around $10-12 million in 2016 and the Vikings can cut him without any cap repercussions, so yeah, he is going to have to play well to stick around, and he has admitted as much.

Yes, now is the time for the Vikings to make their move.

Barring an injury, I doubt it happens this season. Sullivan can return as early as Week 9.

Noted.

It may take Blair directly costing them a game for them to bring in someone else.

I don't know, Bobo, but I'm on Team Exum. We know what these other guys bring to the table, and it isn't good. So why not give Exum a chance and see what he can do? Can't do any worse, I don't think at least.

Very fair point. There is a reason why the street free agents don't have jobs right now.

I don't know if anyone noteworthy said that his upside is Alex Smith. I do know that someone compared him to Alex Smith from a skillset standpoint, and I don't think that is far off at this point. Teddy has room for growth, though.

Sullivan was jogging on the side yesterday and can return to practice next week. The earliest he can return is Week 9 and he appears to be on schedule, though you have to worry some about his strength level after being idle for a couple of months.