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The Minnesota Vikings‘ parting of ways with offensive line coach Chris Kuper seemed well overdue, and it wasn’t lost on starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw.Minnesota’s offense line has been a bane of the franchise for over a decade. When Kevin O’Connell arrived in 2022, he hired Kuper to remedy the position group.O’Connell made a mandate that the interior pass protection needed to improve after the team surrendered a historic nine sacks to the Los Angeles Rams in a playoff loss last year.Significant investment was poured into the offensive line in the form of $105 million committed to former Indianapolis Colts starters Ryan Kelly and Will Fries and the selection of guard Donovan Jackson in the first round.Yet, the Vikings’ offensive line finished the 2025 season ranked 31st in pass protection.Meanwhile, several former Vikings linemen went on to repair their damaged reputations.“Another layer of this decision is the success that former Vikings offensive linemen are having elsewhere. Former center Garrett Bradbury has performed admirably this season with the New England Patriots. Former guard Ed Ingram has held his own with the Houston Texans,” The Athletic’s Lewis wrote on January 17. “Even former guard Ezra Cleveland produced consistently with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as did former guard Dalton Risner with the Cincinnati Bengals.”Signed to a four-year, $104 million deal, Darrisaw is one of the NFL’s premier tackles. He posted the thinking emojis on his Instagram after news broke of Kuper’s departure. #Vikings T Christian Darrisaw’s IG story after the news of Chris Kuper’s departure from the team: https://t.co/IrlFYYv5s8 pic.twitter.com/Gjd3rO4CFL — VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) January 17, 2026 Christian Darrisaw’s Absence Led to Vikings O-Line StrugglesIn his end-of-season news conference, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made it abundantly clear how difficult it was with Darrisaw’s injury struggles this season.After a year-long rehab of several torn knee ligaments, Darrisaw returned in Week 3 this season but struggled to stay on the field, playing just 50.3% of the team’s total offensive snaps.That’s led to Adofo-Mensah indicating there will be an effort to improve the depth at the tackle position this offseason after the team deployed 20 different line combinations during the 2025 season.“But obviously at all parts of our team, we’ve seen how important [Darrisaw] has been to our play. And so when we’re addressing things in the draft or free agency, we have to be mindful of that,” Adofo-Mensah said. “I don’t want to say ‘insurance,’ but we’re always trying to have a roster of aspiration as a GM, when that first guy goes out, that next guy comes in and is as good as the guy. Is that reality? No, but that’s the mindset we got to take, and that’s a position we probably got to be more mindful of that.”How Did Former Vikings Linemen Fare Away From Minnesota?It’s been a tough season for offensive line observers in Minnesota.Of the aforementioned quartet of linemen, the Vikings moved on from last offseason, three proved to be vital contributors to getting their teams into the playoffs.A 2018 first-round pick, Bradbury allowed a career-low 21 pressures with the Patriots and did not surrender a sack this season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).A 2022 second-round pick, Ingram had posted sub-60.0 PFF grades throughout his three seasons in Minnesota. In Houston, Ingram has posted a 74.2 overall grade.A 2020 second-round pick, Cleveland is coming off his best season as a pass protector, tallying a 71.4 pass protection grade after sub-60.0 grades throughout his tenure in Minnesota.Risner also allowed a career-best 17 pressures this season for the Bengals. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Vikings’ $104 Million Star Makes Cryptic Post After Coach Leaves appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Indiana Hoosiers are the latest big storyline in a state that has had plenty to talk about on the sport scene in recent years. From the Indiana Pacers‘ run to the NBA Finals, to Caitlin Clark, to the Indianapolis Colts’ collapse, the city has had a lot of sports action recently.On Monday night, Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers will face off against the Miami Hurricanes as they look to win their first ever national championship.Just two short years ago, none of this success would have been dreamed about. Indiana’s football program was a complete non-factor. Cignetti has changed that in just two seasons.Last year, the Hoosiers went from an afterthought to the College Football Playoff. This season, they were the best team in the country through the regular season and have continued dominating in the playoff.Ahead of tonight’s showdown against Miami, Indiana has received a message from Clark.“Best of luck to @IndianaFootball we are all pulling for you !! Get it done,” Clark wrote on X. Best of luck to @IndianaFootball we are all pulling for you !! Get it done 🙌🏻 — Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) January 19, 2026 Fans immediately flooded to the comments section of Clark’s post, flooding the replies with hope about the Hoosiers winning it all.One fan commented, “if they are able to win this it’ll be one of the best Cinderella stories in all of sports.”“Let’s Go Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!!,” another fired up fan wrote.A third comment read, “What a wild ride. It’d be nice to win but I’m so overwhelmed by the journey.”The Indiana Hoosiers Can Help Fans Get Over the Recent PastOver the past year, the sports scene in Indiana has been very busy. However, it has also been filled with a lot of heartbreak.Last season, the Pacers made a run to the NBA Finals. They took the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games before seeing star point guard Tyrese Haliburton go down with a torn Achilles in Game 7. That ended their hopes of their first championship ever.Clark and the Indiana Fever appeared to be headed towards championship contention last season as well. Unfortunately, the injury bug hit and Clark was only able to play in 13 games in her second WNBA season.Then come the Colts, who were the best team in the NFL by record for most of the early portion of the 2025 season. Again, injuries hit and starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a torn Achilles. Indianapolis went on to miss the playoffs.Fans in Indiana have been desperate to see a championship. The Hoosiers have a chance to bring just that to a state that deserves some good fortune.With Curt Cignetti Leading the Way, Anything Is PossibleHeading into tonight’s game, Cignetti has led the Indiana football program to a 26-2 record. He has simply won football games, which is exactly what he promised to do when he took the job.As long as he’s the head coach of the Hoosiers, they will have a chance to win at a high level.Regardless of what happens tonight against Miami, Indiana is in a great place. Even with Fernando Mendoza likely leaving the Hoosiers for the 2026 NFL Draft, Cignetti has found tons of success in the transfer portal to bring in offensive players like quarterback Josh Hoover, wide receiver Nick Marsh, and running back Turbo Richard.Indiana is far from a flash in the plan. Cignetti has the Hoosiers looking like a clear-cut contender for years to come.Hopefully, Cignetti and company are able to finish off a perfect season against the Hurricanes. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Caitlin Clark’s Message to Indiana Before Title Game Has Fans Talking appeared first on Heavy Sports.