By Jim Souhan

Modern media relies too much on lowest-common-denominator pandering, often in the form of lists that eliminate the need for actual writing; that erase the transition, the turn of phrase.

Anybody can stick a number in front of a sentence and pretend they’ve written.

Anyway, on to today’s column: Five things I’d like to see the Vikings do against the Dolphins:

1. Rally around Flores. While this may seem like a trap game – the Vikings may be without their best player against a team that doesn’t stir the emotions – Flores’ players can prove how much they love him on Sunday. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fired Flores in … Flores’ record his last two seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach – 19-14. Flores, the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, can remind Ross that Ross doesn’t know what he’s doing.
2. Move Kyler. One of the problems with pretending that J.J. McCarthy was competing for the starting quarterback job was robbing Kyler Murray of valuable first-team practice time. Maybe that’s why the Vikings’ offense was so vanilla against Tampa Bay. Time to treat Murray like the exceptional athlete he is. Rollouts. Bootlegs. Designed runs. He’s not Kirk Cousins. Don’t pretend he’s Kirk Cousins.
3. Make Matt Daniels famous. Daniels has been Kevin O’Connell’s special teams coordinator since he arrived. O’Connell did well to hire and keep him. The Vikings’ special teams have been spectacular, and may be needed to set up the offense if the offense continues to struggle.
4. Use the kids. If Jefferson doesn’t play, the Vikings will be missing two of their best offensive players. Tight end Josh Oliver, an exceptional blocker, is out. This would be a good time for second-year receiver Tai Felton and rookie fullback Max Bredeson to prove their worth.
5. Embrace ugly. With Jefferson and Oliver out, Aaron Jones limping and Murray learning the offense, an offensive showcase is hardly guaranteed. That’s fine. A 4-0 record with a bye upcoming buys the Vikings time to get healthy, and for Murray to acclimate.

-Nice to see Quinn Hughes with an impressive assist. That will increase his trade value.

-The Lynx have done well since passing on Angel Reese. Now Reese has passed them in the playoffs, won the league’s defensive player of the year award, and is still improving. This is one of those bruises that doesn’t look like much at first, then becomes a technicolor tapestry.

-Gopher hockey only has three Cullens. Aren’t there any Cullen cousins they could have brought in?

-The hot listen: We second-guessed the Twins on our Chin Music Baseball Podcast this week. Find my conversation with LaVelle Neal and Roy Smalley at TalkNorth.com along with all of our other great shows.

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