Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 30
Bengals 10
Bounce back. Two words used often in sports. Two words that sum up the Vikings efforts against the Bengals. A quick search on the meaning of Bounce back returns this: To recover quickly, as from a setback. Calling the game in Arizona the week before a setback would be a nice way of putting it. After getting physically beat down in ever facet of the game in the desert, the Vikings needed a true bounce back effort and had to show the ability to establish dominance on the offensive and defensive lines. That is exactly the kind of effort the Vikings gave this past Sunday against the Bengals.
Welcome Back Tempo Setter
Antoine Winfield made his presence known right away in this game during the opening drive when he up ended a Bengal wide out sending him into a shot down helicopter plunge to the turf. He led the team in tackles with nine, forced a fumble, and nearly had a pick (which he punished himself for with push-ups). Not bad for a guy that missed the past six weeks. What's even more important is the energy he brings seems to be contagious. Madieu Williams and Cedric Griffin appeared to have a lot more pop in their hits, just ask Chad Ochocinco. He may not be 100% healthy until the off season, but his pure art of tackling and inspiration for the rest of the secondary are much needed for the push into the Playoffs and beyond.
Oh no you don't Ocho
Chad Ochocinco (I still can't believe we actually call him this) did his usual trash talking leading up to this game. It's well documented that he was going to go for Ragnar's horn and possibly even his bike. After scoring on a well designed play that fooled even Antoine Winfield, all cameras and eyes were on number 85 in anticipation of his theatrics. Instead, Chad made his way to the sidelines where Coach Lewis said something into his ear, and moments later, he was on the bench catching a breather. After all the speculation and hype, that was it. Good call by Chad (or perhaps it was Marvin Lewis telling him to just take a seat) in this case because the Bengals were still down and it would be the last touchdown the Bengals scored the rest of the game. I know a lot of people get ticked off about these planed celebrations in the NFL, but when it comes to Chad, I don't have a problem with it. He still plays the game hard on every down (which is more than a certain receiver in Boston can say) and enjoys being a entertainer. His acts are usually classy and clearly just meant to be fun. While he didn't get a chance to steal Ragnar's horn, he was presented with a Vikings horn of his own, autographed by Ragnar himself.
Speaking of Bounce Back
I know I already mentioned that the team in general had a bounce back game, but there's a few individual efforts to point out in this area. Favre, Peterson, and the Secondary. All three had their worst games last week and followed that up with solid performances against the Bengals. Favre's number may not have been as great as they've been through most of the season, but he took command of this game and his experience and leadership showed in the final drives, keeping the ball away from Carson Palmer and company. Peterson; who appears to be having a rather off year even though he's third in the NFL with 1200 yards, ran with passion and finished with 137 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Without Winfield last week, the secondary got torched for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinals. This week, with Winfield back, they terrorized Palmer as they held him to under 100 yards. Also to be noted here is that the secondaries job is a bit easier when the front four are applying pressure, something they did very well this week.
Whew, that was close!
Sure streaks are meant to be broken and in the end, who really cares unless you are talking about Super Bowls, but come on, 36 games now with out a 100 yard rusher, that's something to pound your chest about. Ok, so maybe something for the Williams Wall to pound their chest about, but it feels good on the fan side of things as well. Cedric Benson did all he could to end this streak coming just four yards shy of the elusive triple digit. 42 yards of it did come on one run and thankfully, due to the large lead the Vikings had, the Bengals were forced to abandon the run in the final few drives. The next true shot for a back to stop this streak is this coming Sunday against the Panthers. Despite the Panthers record and issues this season, DeAngelo Williams is still having a nice season and is over 1100 yards after 13 games.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Antoine Winfield - He might only be 5'9", but you won't find a more pure, hard hitting corner in the league. After missing six weeks, Winfield looked like he's still in Pro Bowl form and ready to lead a talented Vikings Defense into the Playoffs. EJ Henderson will be missed, but Winfield's return is huge.
Goat: Carson Palmer - With many Fantasy Football Leagues in the 1st week of their playoffs (I've got the Bye in all three of mine, thank you very much), how many owners got burned by the horrible performance from Carson Palmer?
What's on Tap
Back-to-back road games under the lights coming up, first stop, Carolina. Here's hoping the Panthers don't play the role of a wounded animal and sneak up and bite the Vikings. The Vikings are a much better team and should be able to take care of business in this one. The QB situation in Carolina is in disarray and the Panthers have been giving up a ton of yards and points this season.
Final Thoughts
Feels good to know the Vikings have a Playoff spot locked up after 13 games, but let's not stop there. The Saints should have no problem locking up the number one seed so the Vikings have take care of business here and lockup the number two seed. I don't like looking ahead too much, but a Vikings/Saints showdown sure does look mighty tasty. Out of all the other teams that appear to be headed for January play, the Eagles worry me the most. There's just something about Childress going up against Andy Reid again. Plus, the Eagles appear to be hitting their stride and DeSean Jackson has turned out to be exactly what Devin Hester wishes he were.
Till Next Week,
SKOL Vikings!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 12/8/2009
Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals 30
Vikings 17
One thing that's been needed for this blog is some kind of original graphic to signify it. As you can see above (or on the news reel at Sports Rumor Mill), I've finally got one. I'd like to extend a big thanks out to Saltn4Dollars - the graphic designer guru at Sports Rumor Mill. While at the Mill, I happened to toss a shout out to him about getting such a graphic. The very next day, there it was. The pictures, the film reels, the pen, the coffee, and the X's and O's all sum this up perfectly. So thanks again Saltn, your work is very much appreciated. Now on to a more somber topic, the game in the desert.
It Starts up Front
Leading up to this game, the talk was about how the Vikings front four on defense and entire offensive line would/should dominate the Cardinals. Instead, the Cardinals line's on both sides of the ball not only dictated the pace of the game, they were the dominant force. Adrian Peterson and the Vikings running game in general, never got on track. Favre didn't have anywhere near the time to pass as he's had the past few weeks and suffered three sacks. Defensively, Jarred Allen was held in check and the Williams wall was busted up for 113 rushing yards (though the single back held under 100 yards streak is still alive).
Run First Offense?
Remember when this was a run first offense? Remember when Brett Favre was signed, that it was still going to be a run first offense? Favre's "pitch count" has been getting a little to high as far as I'm concerned and we are seeing more passes on 1st and 2nd down than expected. While this particular game seemed to get out of hand, it was still way too early to get pass happy. I don't care if Peterson appears to be getting bottled up, you still have to pound it with him. 13 carries is half of what he should get in any game. He's a game breaker and will wear down a defense. While Favre has been playing well this year, he simply cannot continue to have 35 - 50 attempts per game.
Calm Down
This game was bad, no other way to spin it. Let's not get too carried away with the panic button though. This is not the start of a Favre downward spiral like last season with the Jets. He is not playing hurt, he just had a off game for the first time all season. That is attributed to failure in coaching by abandoning the run too early. Favre was far from being the only reason for this loss and I addressed that above when talking about the line play.
This was the perfect time to have a meltdown game like this. Now they've gotten it out of their system and know what needs to be worked on as they strive to hold on to the number two seed in the Conference. Last year's Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers lost in week 16 to the Titans 31-14. That was at a critical time when the Ravens were right behind them in the standings fighting for the division and more importantly, they were on the heels of taking over the number one seed in the AFC from the Titans.. I fully expect this team to bounce back at home against the Bengals and once again show that they are one of the league's more dominant teams. You simply can't take away anything from the Cardinals in this one though. They came into this game with their backs against the wall and something to prove in the National spotlight while playing at home.
Tough Break
That was one of the most unfortunate injuries for EJ Henderson to suffer. The femur is the largest bone in the human body and one of the most painful bones to break. EJ was just starting to show the return of his Pro Bowl form after missing most of last year due to a foot injury. He's become the General on the field for the defense and will be missed dearly. Early word is that this could be a career threatening injury, but don't count him out just yet. Former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster suffered the same injury last March, and is now on the ice again for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's hoping Henderson finds himself back on the field and Godspeed to him and his recovery.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Kurt Warner - What a game after sitting out last week for concussion precautions (I don't care what anyone says, when dealing with the head, he made the right move last week). Warner has been unstoppable in his last four games. His ball placement and accuracy in this game was something to behold.
Goat: Brad Childress - Brad finally makes his way here because of his reluctance to pound the ball with Adrian Peterson. Not sure if it's his way of punishing him for the fumbles last week or the 109mph speeding ticket he got in Edina on 62 last Saturday. Either way, you simply can't abandon the run, it's a major part of what makes this offense tick and become unstoppable at times.
What's on Tap
At the beginning of the season the Bengal game looked like a easy win. A 9-3 record and all but locked up AFC North leading Bengal team later, it's not looking so easy now. Look for the Bengals to do what Childress didn't do against the Cardinals, pound it out with Benson, even against the vaunted Vikings rush defense. The Vikings need to feed off the energy in the Dome get back on track in this one and I have a feeling they will.
Final Thoughts
"I feel the need, the need for Speed!" Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian pulled their best Maverick and Goose impersonations last week getting speeding tickets in the Twin Cites at speeds over 100mph. Stupid? Yes. But I'll take it over the infamous Bang Boat and running over a traffic cop incidents. Perhaps Peterson's upset that every one's talking about how fast Chris Johnson is these days. As for Berrian, he's supposed to be the speedy deep threat guy and every one's nearly forgotten his name thanks to Rice and Harvin. Since both will potentially be losing their licence for up to six months, I'm hear to say that I'll quit my job and drive either around for what I'm getting paid now. Tough time of the year for that kind of ticket, think the state will let them pay it off in installments?
Till Next Week,
SKOL Vikings!
Cardinals 30
Vikings 17
One thing that's been needed for this blog is some kind of original graphic to signify it. As you can see above (or on the news reel at Sports Rumor Mill), I've finally got one. I'd like to extend a big thanks out to Saltn4Dollars - the graphic designer guru at Sports Rumor Mill. While at the Mill, I happened to toss a shout out to him about getting such a graphic. The very next day, there it was. The pictures, the film reels, the pen, the coffee, and the X's and O's all sum this up perfectly. So thanks again Saltn, your work is very much appreciated. Now on to a more somber topic, the game in the desert.
It Starts up Front
Leading up to this game, the talk was about how the Vikings front four on defense and entire offensive line would/should dominate the Cardinals. Instead, the Cardinals line's on both sides of the ball not only dictated the pace of the game, they were the dominant force. Adrian Peterson and the Vikings running game in general, never got on track. Favre didn't have anywhere near the time to pass as he's had the past few weeks and suffered three sacks. Defensively, Jarred Allen was held in check and the Williams wall was busted up for 113 rushing yards (though the single back held under 100 yards streak is still alive).
Run First Offense?
Remember when this was a run first offense? Remember when Brett Favre was signed, that it was still going to be a run first offense? Favre's "pitch count" has been getting a little to high as far as I'm concerned and we are seeing more passes on 1st and 2nd down than expected. While this particular game seemed to get out of hand, it was still way too early to get pass happy. I don't care if Peterson appears to be getting bottled up, you still have to pound it with him. 13 carries is half of what he should get in any game. He's a game breaker and will wear down a defense. While Favre has been playing well this year, he simply cannot continue to have 35 - 50 attempts per game.
Calm Down
This game was bad, no other way to spin it. Let's not get too carried away with the panic button though. This is not the start of a Favre downward spiral like last season with the Jets. He is not playing hurt, he just had a off game for the first time all season. That is attributed to failure in coaching by abandoning the run too early. Favre was far from being the only reason for this loss and I addressed that above when talking about the line play.
This was the perfect time to have a meltdown game like this. Now they've gotten it out of their system and know what needs to be worked on as they strive to hold on to the number two seed in the Conference. Last year's Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers lost in week 16 to the Titans 31-14. That was at a critical time when the Ravens were right behind them in the standings fighting for the division and more importantly, they were on the heels of taking over the number one seed in the AFC from the Titans.. I fully expect this team to bounce back at home against the Bengals and once again show that they are one of the league's more dominant teams. You simply can't take away anything from the Cardinals in this one though. They came into this game with their backs against the wall and something to prove in the National spotlight while playing at home.
Tough Break
That was one of the most unfortunate injuries for EJ Henderson to suffer. The femur is the largest bone in the human body and one of the most painful bones to break. EJ was just starting to show the return of his Pro Bowl form after missing most of last year due to a foot injury. He's become the General on the field for the defense and will be missed dearly. Early word is that this could be a career threatening injury, but don't count him out just yet. Former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster suffered the same injury last March, and is now on the ice again for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's hoping Henderson finds himself back on the field and Godspeed to him and his recovery.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Kurt Warner - What a game after sitting out last week for concussion precautions (I don't care what anyone says, when dealing with the head, he made the right move last week). Warner has been unstoppable in his last four games. His ball placement and accuracy in this game was something to behold.
Goat: Brad Childress - Brad finally makes his way here because of his reluctance to pound the ball with Adrian Peterson. Not sure if it's his way of punishing him for the fumbles last week or the 109mph speeding ticket he got in Edina on 62 last Saturday. Either way, you simply can't abandon the run, it's a major part of what makes this offense tick and become unstoppable at times.
What's on Tap
At the beginning of the season the Bengal game looked like a easy win. A 9-3 record and all but locked up AFC North leading Bengal team later, it's not looking so easy now. Look for the Bengals to do what Childress didn't do against the Cardinals, pound it out with Benson, even against the vaunted Vikings rush defense. The Vikings need to feed off the energy in the Dome get back on track in this one and I have a feeling they will.
Final Thoughts
"I feel the need, the need for Speed!" Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian pulled their best Maverick and Goose impersonations last week getting speeding tickets in the Twin Cites at speeds over 100mph. Stupid? Yes. But I'll take it over the infamous Bang Boat and running over a traffic cop incidents. Perhaps Peterson's upset that every one's talking about how fast Chris Johnson is these days. As for Berrian, he's supposed to be the speedy deep threat guy and every one's nearly forgotten his name thanks to Rice and Harvin. Since both will potentially be losing their licence for up to six months, I'm hear to say that I'll quit my job and drive either around for what I'm getting paid now. Tough time of the year for that kind of ticket, think the state will let them pay it off in installments?
Till Next Week,
SKOL Vikings!
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 12/1/2009
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 36
Bears 10
You might say that I took a chance on last week's What's on Tap segment, but I had a feeling and I went with it. The Bears are clearly no threat and as a franchise, they should be disgusted with themselves for giving up all the much needed future draft picks and money for Jay Cutler. Sure he doesn't have the weapons that Brett Favre and Drew Brees have - I get that and I'm tired of hearing it from the Bear apologists out there. That is not the problem with Cutler, he had all those weapons in Denver, yet still forced himself out of there. The guy is a not a leader, he has no passion and that's in plain sight for everyone to see. So in the end, the Vikings got the better of the off season QB sweepstakes, at least for this season.
M-V-P
What more can you do Brett Favre? The thing to watch now is, can he sustain this level of play in the final five games to capture his fourth MVP title. It will be tough and it will be close. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are playing out their collective minds as well and it's no secret as to why the top three teams in the NFL are the Saints, Colts, and Vikings. Favre chucked it up 48 times for 392 yards, 3 TD's, and once again, no interceptions. He went the entire month of November without throwing a pick. Brett Favre, a full month without a pick! If Marty McFly came to my house in his Delorean earlier in this decade and told me he would do this in 2009, I would have lost my breath laughing. Come to think of it, I would have died laughing after he told me he did it wearing Purple.
Purple People Eaters
Everyone is trying to coin a new phrase for the fearsome front four. I say forget it. After watching them play in those lovely throw back uni's, we have to keep the Purple People Eaters moniker. Aside from one drive where Cutler threw short little dump off passes all the way down the field (and to give credit when credit is due, that was a beautiful pass for the touchdown), the Vikings defense completely dominated the Bears. Of the 169 total yards the Bears gained, only 12 of them came in the second half. The Vikings got four sacks (two by Allen), two picks, and held the Bears to only eight first downs in the entire game. Just a dominating performance by this unit and one that seems to be hitting its stride. Not bad considering the fact that Antoine Winfield was able to rest yet another game.
Offensive Explosion
While the defense kept the Bears offense off the field, the Vikings offense enjoyed clocking a little overtime. The gaudy numbers speak for themselves: 40+ minutes of time of possession, 537 yards of offense and 83 total offensive plays ran in this game. I heard Childress say that anything over 60 plays in the NFL is ridiculous, so how do you label 83? Call it what you want, I call it amazing. Those are the kind of numbers I'd like the Vikings to have should they ever match up against the Saints in the Playoffs. I'm not sure what's getting into this team in the 2nd quarter, but in the past two games, they have scored 45 points before the half after starting a bit slow, going scoreless in the 1st quarter. Of course the opening drive of the game was looking to be a touchdown drive before Peterson put the ball on the carpet, which I'm getting to right about......now.
All Day Fumbles Away
As great as he is, as great as he still can be, it's hard to watch him fumble the ball. It's gotten to the point that when he gets piled up, I start praying that he holds on to the ball. I understand the notion that he fumbles so much because he touches the ball a lot and tries to extend plays too much (tries to hard is another way of saying it), but when it comes down to it, he just has to protect the damn ball. On his first fumble for example, he made his way towards the sideline and instead of switching the ball to the sideline side (away from the defenders), he kept it in his right arm where it was still exposed. Not only does this allow defenders to punch it out, it also provides for a high probability of keeping the ball inbounds for a defensive recovery.
While it's maddening to witness, I still say keep feeding him the rock. He's too much of a threat and Favre is having a MVP-like season because teams are still scared to death of what Peterson can do and still continue to stack the line.
ROTY
While Brett Favre has some work left thanks to the competition, I think Percy Harvin is clearly the leader for Rookie of the Year right now. I don't see anything stopping him from getting it. He's an amazing talent and it's scary to think of how good he can become. I know Favre had him study film of Wes Welker and his hours of study sessions are paying off. Like Sidney Rice, he's another young player that shows what can be when you become of student of the game.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Brett Favre - It was tough this week, and I hate giving this out to the same player in consecutive weeks, but it's not my fault he's playing out of his mind right now. The Bears were on a mission to stop Adrian Peterson, and for the most part they did. Because of that, Favre was able to pick the secondary apart and had perhaps the most quiet 392 yards I've ever seen. Mostly because of the way he spreads the ball around hitting Harvin, Rice, Shiancoe, Berrian, Taylor, and Peterson. He spreads the ball effectively, much like Drew Brees does in New Orleans.
Goat: Lovie Smith - Coach Smith gets the Goat for coming into this game with the game plan to stop Peterson and not worry about Favre. Has he been paying attention to Vikings this year? Has he watched enough film and realized that this is not the same Vikings of the past couple of seasons. Then again, I guess he'd rather see a 40 year old QB take them out instead of getting torched once again by Peterson. Also, in a game he called a must win for the Bears, where was the halftime adjustment? To come out and only muster 12 yards of offense is a disgrace. I know players have to make plays, but something that glaring is clearly a coaches responsibility.
What's on Tap
Time for another December trip to the desert. I'm sure the 35-14 drubbing the Vikings put on the Cardinals last year is still in the back of their minds, but let's not go too far with that. This is a different season and the Cardinals are after all, the defending NFC Champions. One thing that's not certain right now is if Kurt Warner will be playing. Without him I feel the Vikings win without question. With him, I still like the Vikings chances but you never know cause when Warner gets hot with the weapons he has, things can change in a flash. It will be interesting to see if Winfield gets some action this week. He will be needed because Larry Fitzgerald is one of the better game breakers out there.
Final Thoughts
I have a proud Daddy moment to share that involves the Purple. My two-year old daughter (turns three next month) has learned the Skol Vikings song almost word-for-word. Now I know you all think I'm forcing this on her, but I'm not. She's become interested from time-to-time when I'm watching Vikings games. She claims that she wants to be a football player when she grows up, just like the Vikings. She originally picked up the song from hearing the crowd on the TV (and let's face it, that song has been sung a ton this year thanks to Favre and Peterson). What I did was pull it up on the internet so she could hear it better and now she asks me to play the Skol Vikings song on the puter (that's how she would say it). What can I say, I'm doing something right, my daughter is already a Vikings fanatic before turning three. We can't lose this team to LA now, it's part of my relationship with my daughter!
Till next week,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Vikings 36
Bears 10
You might say that I took a chance on last week's What's on Tap segment, but I had a feeling and I went with it. The Bears are clearly no threat and as a franchise, they should be disgusted with themselves for giving up all the much needed future draft picks and money for Jay Cutler. Sure he doesn't have the weapons that Brett Favre and Drew Brees have - I get that and I'm tired of hearing it from the Bear apologists out there. That is not the problem with Cutler, he had all those weapons in Denver, yet still forced himself out of there. The guy is a not a leader, he has no passion and that's in plain sight for everyone to see. So in the end, the Vikings got the better of the off season QB sweepstakes, at least for this season.
M-V-P
What more can you do Brett Favre? The thing to watch now is, can he sustain this level of play in the final five games to capture his fourth MVP title. It will be tough and it will be close. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are playing out their collective minds as well and it's no secret as to why the top three teams in the NFL are the Saints, Colts, and Vikings. Favre chucked it up 48 times for 392 yards, 3 TD's, and once again, no interceptions. He went the entire month of November without throwing a pick. Brett Favre, a full month without a pick! If Marty McFly came to my house in his Delorean earlier in this decade and told me he would do this in 2009, I would have lost my breath laughing. Come to think of it, I would have died laughing after he told me he did it wearing Purple.
Purple People Eaters
Everyone is trying to coin a new phrase for the fearsome front four. I say forget it. After watching them play in those lovely throw back uni's, we have to keep the Purple People Eaters moniker. Aside from one drive where Cutler threw short little dump off passes all the way down the field (and to give credit when credit is due, that was a beautiful pass for the touchdown), the Vikings defense completely dominated the Bears. Of the 169 total yards the Bears gained, only 12 of them came in the second half. The Vikings got four sacks (two by Allen), two picks, and held the Bears to only eight first downs in the entire game. Just a dominating performance by this unit and one that seems to be hitting its stride. Not bad considering the fact that Antoine Winfield was able to rest yet another game.
Offensive Explosion
While the defense kept the Bears offense off the field, the Vikings offense enjoyed clocking a little overtime. The gaudy numbers speak for themselves: 40+ minutes of time of possession, 537 yards of offense and 83 total offensive plays ran in this game. I heard Childress say that anything over 60 plays in the NFL is ridiculous, so how do you label 83? Call it what you want, I call it amazing. Those are the kind of numbers I'd like the Vikings to have should they ever match up against the Saints in the Playoffs. I'm not sure what's getting into this team in the 2nd quarter, but in the past two games, they have scored 45 points before the half after starting a bit slow, going scoreless in the 1st quarter. Of course the opening drive of the game was looking to be a touchdown drive before Peterson put the ball on the carpet, which I'm getting to right about......now.
All Day Fumbles Away
As great as he is, as great as he still can be, it's hard to watch him fumble the ball. It's gotten to the point that when he gets piled up, I start praying that he holds on to the ball. I understand the notion that he fumbles so much because he touches the ball a lot and tries to extend plays too much (tries to hard is another way of saying it), but when it comes down to it, he just has to protect the damn ball. On his first fumble for example, he made his way towards the sideline and instead of switching the ball to the sideline side (away from the defenders), he kept it in his right arm where it was still exposed. Not only does this allow defenders to punch it out, it also provides for a high probability of keeping the ball inbounds for a defensive recovery.
While it's maddening to witness, I still say keep feeding him the rock. He's too much of a threat and Favre is having a MVP-like season because teams are still scared to death of what Peterson can do and still continue to stack the line.
ROTY
While Brett Favre has some work left thanks to the competition, I think Percy Harvin is clearly the leader for Rookie of the Year right now. I don't see anything stopping him from getting it. He's an amazing talent and it's scary to think of how good he can become. I know Favre had him study film of Wes Welker and his hours of study sessions are paying off. Like Sidney Rice, he's another young player that shows what can be when you become of student of the game.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Brett Favre - It was tough this week, and I hate giving this out to the same player in consecutive weeks, but it's not my fault he's playing out of his mind right now. The Bears were on a mission to stop Adrian Peterson, and for the most part they did. Because of that, Favre was able to pick the secondary apart and had perhaps the most quiet 392 yards I've ever seen. Mostly because of the way he spreads the ball around hitting Harvin, Rice, Shiancoe, Berrian, Taylor, and Peterson. He spreads the ball effectively, much like Drew Brees does in New Orleans.
Goat: Lovie Smith - Coach Smith gets the Goat for coming into this game with the game plan to stop Peterson and not worry about Favre. Has he been paying attention to Vikings this year? Has he watched enough film and realized that this is not the same Vikings of the past couple of seasons. Then again, I guess he'd rather see a 40 year old QB take them out instead of getting torched once again by Peterson. Also, in a game he called a must win for the Bears, where was the halftime adjustment? To come out and only muster 12 yards of offense is a disgrace. I know players have to make plays, but something that glaring is clearly a coaches responsibility.
What's on Tap
Time for another December trip to the desert. I'm sure the 35-14 drubbing the Vikings put on the Cardinals last year is still in the back of their minds, but let's not go too far with that. This is a different season and the Cardinals are after all, the defending NFC Champions. One thing that's not certain right now is if Kurt Warner will be playing. Without him I feel the Vikings win without question. With him, I still like the Vikings chances but you never know cause when Warner gets hot with the weapons he has, things can change in a flash. It will be interesting to see if Winfield gets some action this week. He will be needed because Larry Fitzgerald is one of the better game breakers out there.
Final Thoughts
I have a proud Daddy moment to share that involves the Purple. My two-year old daughter (turns three next month) has learned the Skol Vikings song almost word-for-word. Now I know you all think I'm forcing this on her, but I'm not. She's become interested from time-to-time when I'm watching Vikings games. She claims that she wants to be a football player when she grows up, just like the Vikings. She originally picked up the song from hearing the crowd on the TV (and let's face it, that song has been sung a ton this year thanks to Favre and Peterson). What I did was pull it up on the internet so she could hear it better and now she asks me to play the Skol Vikings song on the puter (that's how she would say it). What can I say, I'm doing something right, my daughter is already a Vikings fanatic before turning three. We can't lose this team to LA now, it's part of my relationship with my daughter!
Till next week,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 11/25/2009
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 35
Seahawks 9
There's just something about being at the game that makes a magical season seem more magical. Normally when the 4th quarter hits and the home team is up by as much as the Vikings were, a stadium clears out. That was not the case this past Sunday. Sure a couple thousand made a run for the gates to avoid the traffic, but most of us stayed till the end, savoring another victory for a Purple team that's looking for its first trip back to the Super Bowl since the 1976 season. Just in case this season turns into one out of a Disney Fairy Tale, I'll be holding on to the ticket and program from the only game I've had a chance to attend. Speaking of seats, a special thanks to Mike Sandahl for taking me this week. Those family season tickets are fantastic (Section 108, row 22 on the 35 yard-line)!
Almost Perfect
Brett Favre continues to amaze everyone with his level of play at the age of 40. He's one of the leading candidates for League MVP and rightfully so. Sunday against the Seahawks Favre went 22 of 25 with four touchdowns, and once again, no picks. He also broke yet another NFL record, passing Dan Marino for most games with four or more touchdowns. He shared the wealth hitting four different receivers on all of his touchdown strikes. Like the Dome crowd did for Joe Mauer, the deafening chants of M-V-P have already started and Favre could become the 1st 40+ year old player to achieve the award.
Most Complete Game
The Vikings are now 9-1 and for the most part, have handily won most of their contests. Before the Seahawks game though, most of these wins were marred with an overabundance of penalties, slow starts until the second half, and never shutting down inferior opponents before the 4th quarter. This game was over midway through the 3rd quarter and Brett Favre was replaced by Tarvaris Jackson before the 4th quarter even began. The only touchdown the Seahawks got came during mop-up time in the 4th when most of the defensive starters were on the bench taking it easy. As it stands right now, the Vikings appear to be clicking on all cylinders and are doing so while still resting Antoine Winfield.
Balanced Attack
As stated already, Favre's four TD's went to four different receivers. When looking at the stats, you can see just how balanced this "kick ass" offense has become. Rice, Harvin, and Shiancoe each got more than half a dozen balls (ok Harvin had five receptions, get over it), at least one TD, and right around or over 80 yards. On the rushing side of the ball, Peterson (82 yards) and Taylor (73 yards) shared the load rather effectively . Peterson was just over the 1,000 yard mark before getting hit for a loss. He ended the game with 999 yards on the season. Anyone care to bet against him not going over 1,000 yards this coming Sunday against the Bears? I didn't think so.
As the season progresses and moves towards the playoffs, the chemistry with Favre is starting to show and teams are being forced to play pick-your-poison when going up against the Purple offense. Stack the box and Favre will pick you a part, defend the pass and, well, we all know what will happen ALL DAY in that scenario.
Minnesota Moving Company
Kudos to the offensive line, without them, none of this would be possible. Before the season started, the biggest question mark was how the right side of the line would pan out by starting the rookie Phil Loadholt and replacing Pro Bowl Center Matt Birk with John Sullivan. Both have done a phenomenal job this season and as a unit, the offensive line has surprised everyone with how well of a pass blocking group they have become. Brett Favre isn't as nimble as he once was (and let's face it, he was never a Aaron Rodgers in that regard to begin with), but he's been able to sit in the pocket progress through his reads at will lately. The first few games of the season were a bit shaky, and I feared Favre wouldn't make it through the season, but this line has really blossomed and should not be overlooked.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Brett Favre - Had one of the best games of his career and is showing no signs of wearing down. How many younger QB's can pass for four TD's, complete 88% of their passes, have a near perfect QB rating, and take more than entire quarter off?
Goat: The drunk lady with the Viking Horn behind me - I know you have to deal with the drunks when attending a NFL game, and I get that. But shouldn't there be some kind of law when it comes to operating a Viking horn while intoxicated? This lady made the well known Viking horn sound like a hound dog in heat. When she wasn't blowing in the horn, she was yelling at Childress for running the ball instead of throwing it - late in the fourth quarter!
What's on Tap
Here comes the mighty Bears, led by Jay Cutler. Remember when Cutler was the Chicago Savior? Remember when all the experts claimed that Cutler was by far, the best QB in the NFC North? Remember when the Bears and Packers would be giving the Vikings fits when it came to winning the Division? Well it's Week 11, take care of the Bears at home this week and the Division is a early Christmas gift sitting under the tree.
Final Thoughts
Just wanted give some congratulations to Brad Childress for his contract extension. I'm just as mixed as everyone about the timing of this, but numbers do not lie. He's made this team better each season since taking over and is directly responsible for bringing Brett Favre and Percy Harvin on board.
Lastly, it's nice to see that the Vikings at Cardinals game on December 6th got moved to the Sunday Night game. I didn't that it was possible to bump the Patriots out of the prime time spotlight, but it happened. This should be a great game though and the Vikings now play three of their final six games in the evening slot.
Happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to give if you can. There's a lot of folks out there that could use a little Holiday cheer.
Till next Sunday,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Vikings 35
Seahawks 9
There's just something about being at the game that makes a magical season seem more magical. Normally when the 4th quarter hits and the home team is up by as much as the Vikings were, a stadium clears out. That was not the case this past Sunday. Sure a couple thousand made a run for the gates to avoid the traffic, but most of us stayed till the end, savoring another victory for a Purple team that's looking for its first trip back to the Super Bowl since the 1976 season. Just in case this season turns into one out of a Disney Fairy Tale, I'll be holding on to the ticket and program from the only game I've had a chance to attend. Speaking of seats, a special thanks to Mike Sandahl for taking me this week. Those family season tickets are fantastic (Section 108, row 22 on the 35 yard-line)!
Almost Perfect
Brett Favre continues to amaze everyone with his level of play at the age of 40. He's one of the leading candidates for League MVP and rightfully so. Sunday against the Seahawks Favre went 22 of 25 with four touchdowns, and once again, no picks. He also broke yet another NFL record, passing Dan Marino for most games with four or more touchdowns. He shared the wealth hitting four different receivers on all of his touchdown strikes. Like the Dome crowd did for Joe Mauer, the deafening chants of M-V-P have already started and Favre could become the 1st 40+ year old player to achieve the award.
Most Complete Game
The Vikings are now 9-1 and for the most part, have handily won most of their contests. Before the Seahawks game though, most of these wins were marred with an overabundance of penalties, slow starts until the second half, and never shutting down inferior opponents before the 4th quarter. This game was over midway through the 3rd quarter and Brett Favre was replaced by Tarvaris Jackson before the 4th quarter even began. The only touchdown the Seahawks got came during mop-up time in the 4th when most of the defensive starters were on the bench taking it easy. As it stands right now, the Vikings appear to be clicking on all cylinders and are doing so while still resting Antoine Winfield.
Balanced Attack
As stated already, Favre's four TD's went to four different receivers. When looking at the stats, you can see just how balanced this "kick ass" offense has become. Rice, Harvin, and Shiancoe each got more than half a dozen balls (ok Harvin had five receptions, get over it), at least one TD, and right around or over 80 yards. On the rushing side of the ball, Peterson (82 yards) and Taylor (73 yards) shared the load rather effectively . Peterson was just over the 1,000 yard mark before getting hit for a loss. He ended the game with 999 yards on the season. Anyone care to bet against him not going over 1,000 yards this coming Sunday against the Bears? I didn't think so.
As the season progresses and moves towards the playoffs, the chemistry with Favre is starting to show and teams are being forced to play pick-your-poison when going up against the Purple offense. Stack the box and Favre will pick you a part, defend the pass and, well, we all know what will happen ALL DAY in that scenario.
Minnesota Moving Company
Kudos to the offensive line, without them, none of this would be possible. Before the season started, the biggest question mark was how the right side of the line would pan out by starting the rookie Phil Loadholt and replacing Pro Bowl Center Matt Birk with John Sullivan. Both have done a phenomenal job this season and as a unit, the offensive line has surprised everyone with how well of a pass blocking group they have become. Brett Favre isn't as nimble as he once was (and let's face it, he was never a Aaron Rodgers in that regard to begin with), but he's been able to sit in the pocket progress through his reads at will lately. The first few games of the season were a bit shaky, and I feared Favre wouldn't make it through the season, but this line has really blossomed and should not be overlooked.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Brett Favre - Had one of the best games of his career and is showing no signs of wearing down. How many younger QB's can pass for four TD's, complete 88% of their passes, have a near perfect QB rating, and take more than entire quarter off?
Goat: The drunk lady with the Viking Horn behind me - I know you have to deal with the drunks when attending a NFL game, and I get that. But shouldn't there be some kind of law when it comes to operating a Viking horn while intoxicated? This lady made the well known Viking horn sound like a hound dog in heat. When she wasn't blowing in the horn, she was yelling at Childress for running the ball instead of throwing it - late in the fourth quarter!
What's on Tap
Here comes the mighty Bears, led by Jay Cutler. Remember when Cutler was the Chicago Savior? Remember when all the experts claimed that Cutler was by far, the best QB in the NFC North? Remember when the Bears and Packers would be giving the Vikings fits when it came to winning the Division? Well it's Week 11, take care of the Bears at home this week and the Division is a early Christmas gift sitting under the tree.
Final Thoughts
Just wanted give some congratulations to Brad Childress for his contract extension. I'm just as mixed as everyone about the timing of this, but numbers do not lie. He's made this team better each season since taking over and is directly responsible for bringing Brett Favre and Percy Harvin on board.
Lastly, it's nice to see that the Vikings at Cardinals game on December 6th got moved to the Sunday Night game. I didn't that it was possible to bump the Patriots out of the prime time spotlight, but it happened. This should be a great game though and the Vikings now play three of their final six games in the evening slot.
Happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to give if you can. There's a lot of folks out there that could use a little Holiday cheer.
Till next Sunday,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 11/19/2009
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 27
Lions 10
I'm a bit late on this one, but there is a theme, or method to this madness. After watching the Vikings slog through the game on Sunday, I found myself starting slow this week as well. Not sure what it is with the Vikings this year when it comes to playing inferior teams. It's not that they play down to their level, it just seems to take them longer to get into the game and finish off teams like the Lions. While I was unable to attend the game live, I should be there for the Seattle game so perhaps I'll have some pictures to share as well.
Since it's mid week already and it was just the Lions, I'm going to make this a bit shorter than normal.
Lack of morning Caffeine?
At halftime the score was 10-3. This after piling up over 300 yards of offense in the half. For the second time this season against the Lions, the Vikings waited until the 4th quarter to put them away. Turnovers (thankfully it's the Lions so they don't end up being costly turnovers) and penalties (13 - unacceptable) slowed the Vikings down. Not exactly the way you want to perform out of the bye. Adrian Peterson is doing some soul searching after turning the ball over twice. One of which included a questionable horse collar that may have led to the fumble. But that play also tossed up a sign for me. Peterson normally never gets run down from behind once he's beyond the secondary. In the end however, Peterson finished the day with 133 yards on only 18 carries and two more touchdowns.
Showtime!
That's Adrian Peterson's nickname for Sidney Rice and a rather fitting one. No one has benefited from Favre's addition as much as Rice. He had another monster game pulling in seven balls for 201 yards. It's a shame that his only drop cost himself the team single-game record, set by Sammy White with 210 yards against the Lions in 1976. He took that drop out on himself by doing a couple dozen fist push-ups on the sideline. What makes players great is hard work, something Rice is no stranger to. During the off season he took part in Larry Fitzgerald's receiver camp at the University of Minnesota. Fitz brought in the likes of Jerry Rice and Cris Carter to help several rising NFL stars to include Brandon Marshall, Lee Evans, Greg Jennings, Michael Clayton, Brian Robiskie, and of course Larry and Sidney. Favre helps, but it's the extra time and effort that Rice puts into the game that's starting to pay off.
Second Half Collapse Watch
Favre had a phenomenal first half, but Jets fans warned that the second half would be different. I disagreed with that due to the fact that he's not playing hurt as he was last season. In the first game in the second half, Favre threw for 344 yards, a touchdown, and once again, no picks. After nine games Brett Favre has only three interceptions and leads the league in QB Rating (107.5). Of course this will continue to be watched, other than suffering a major injury again, I don't see Favre heading towards any kind of downward spiral any time soon.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Sidney Rice - As mentioned above, Rice had a monster game going over 200 yards and earned the NFC Player of the Week award. He currently leads the NFC with 768 receiving yards.
Goat: Team Discipline - I don't care if it's against the Lions or the defending champs. You cannot come out of the bye as sluggish as this team did. 13 penalties is enough to drive any coach nuts and I hope Childress added a bit more to the team's workouts this week. The upcoming games get tougher again with a trip to Arizona and the Bengals here in the coming weeks.
What's on Tap
The Seattle Seahawks come to Mall of America Field ready to play inspired football with the news of their owner Paul Allen being diagnosed with non- Hodgkin's lymphoma this week. Other story lines include how T.J. Houshmandzadeh is handling picking the Seahawks over the Vikings during the off season. He claims that had he known that Brett Favre would be the QB in Minny, that he may very well be wearing Purple today. Instead, he finds himself on a 3-6 club that's shown they are capable of scoring in bunches. Which team will show up this week? Hopefully with a possible return of Winfield, our defense will be able to dictate that.
Until Next Week,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Vikings 27
Lions 10
I'm a bit late on this one, but there is a theme, or method to this madness. After watching the Vikings slog through the game on Sunday, I found myself starting slow this week as well. Not sure what it is with the Vikings this year when it comes to playing inferior teams. It's not that they play down to their level, it just seems to take them longer to get into the game and finish off teams like the Lions. While I was unable to attend the game live, I should be there for the Seattle game so perhaps I'll have some pictures to share as well.
Since it's mid week already and it was just the Lions, I'm going to make this a bit shorter than normal.
Lack of morning Caffeine?
At halftime the score was 10-3. This after piling up over 300 yards of offense in the half. For the second time this season against the Lions, the Vikings waited until the 4th quarter to put them away. Turnovers (thankfully it's the Lions so they don't end up being costly turnovers) and penalties (13 - unacceptable) slowed the Vikings down. Not exactly the way you want to perform out of the bye. Adrian Peterson is doing some soul searching after turning the ball over twice. One of which included a questionable horse collar that may have led to the fumble. But that play also tossed up a sign for me. Peterson normally never gets run down from behind once he's beyond the secondary. In the end however, Peterson finished the day with 133 yards on only 18 carries and two more touchdowns.
Showtime!
That's Adrian Peterson's nickname for Sidney Rice and a rather fitting one. No one has benefited from Favre's addition as much as Rice. He had another monster game pulling in seven balls for 201 yards. It's a shame that his only drop cost himself the team single-game record, set by Sammy White with 210 yards against the Lions in 1976. He took that drop out on himself by doing a couple dozen fist push-ups on the sideline. What makes players great is hard work, something Rice is no stranger to. During the off season he took part in Larry Fitzgerald's receiver camp at the University of Minnesota. Fitz brought in the likes of Jerry Rice and Cris Carter to help several rising NFL stars to include Brandon Marshall, Lee Evans, Greg Jennings, Michael Clayton, Brian Robiskie, and of course Larry and Sidney. Favre helps, but it's the extra time and effort that Rice puts into the game that's starting to pay off.
Second Half Collapse Watch
Favre had a phenomenal first half, but Jets fans warned that the second half would be different. I disagreed with that due to the fact that he's not playing hurt as he was last season. In the first game in the second half, Favre threw for 344 yards, a touchdown, and once again, no picks. After nine games Brett Favre has only three interceptions and leads the league in QB Rating (107.5). Of course this will continue to be watched, other than suffering a major injury again, I don't see Favre heading towards any kind of downward spiral any time soon.
Stud and Goat of the Week
Stud: Sidney Rice - As mentioned above, Rice had a monster game going over 200 yards and earned the NFC Player of the Week award. He currently leads the NFC with 768 receiving yards.
Goat: Team Discipline - I don't care if it's against the Lions or the defending champs. You cannot come out of the bye as sluggish as this team did. 13 penalties is enough to drive any coach nuts and I hope Childress added a bit more to the team's workouts this week. The upcoming games get tougher again with a trip to Arizona and the Bengals here in the coming weeks.
What's on Tap
The Seattle Seahawks come to Mall of America Field ready to play inspired football with the news of their owner Paul Allen being diagnosed with non- Hodgkin's lymphoma this week. Other story lines include how T.J. Houshmandzadeh is handling picking the Seahawks over the Vikings during the off season. He claims that had he known that Brett Favre would be the QB in Minny, that he may very well be wearing Purple today. Instead, he finds himself on a 3-6 club that's shown they are capable of scoring in bunches. Which team will show up this week? Hopefully with a possible return of Winfield, our defense will be able to dictate that.
Until Next Week,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 11/2/2009
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Vikings 38
Packers 26
The biggest spectacle in the NFL aside from the Super Bowl is finally over and Vikings fans are left grinning while Packer fans hang their heads low, still wondering what hit them. So now that this game is over with, the rest of the NFL world can concentrate on the second half of the season (that includes you, ESPN). First things first though, a little PPP following Favre Bowl II as Purple Moses continued his dominance against his former squad.
Been there, Done That
Since the season began, Packer fans have wasted all of their energy trying to come up with ways to stick it to Favre once he came running onto the field in Vikings white and purple. All they could come up with was a chorus of boo's and wasted plane fuel pulling a banner no one paid any attention to. Meanwhile, Favre did what he was used to doing in Lambeau Field, dominate. Four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a ton more class than anyone in Green Bay has later, Favre left there with another win and more importantly, a commanding lead in the Division. The only thing that was missing was one final Lambeau Leap, but with the bamboozled state of mind the fans were in, it was better left undone. Many say that Favre wanted to stick it to the Pack, Ted Thompson in general. In the two games, Favre not only got two important wins, he also had 7 td's and no interceptions. Whether he did or not, he stuck it to the Pack just based off his play.
Second Half Defense
After holding the Packers to 47 yards of total offense in the 1st half, the Vikings defense once again gave up huge numbers in the second half (300+ yards), giving the Packers a glimmer of hope to beat their once beloved Favre. Not sure what's going on with this unit. Are they running out of gas in the second half, or just losing interest? One thing's for sure, this trend cannot continue, especially come playoff time. Hopefully in the coming bye week they can all do a little soul searching and fix the issue. Getting Winfield back will also be key.
Rookie of the Year?
Percy Harvin is making big case for Rookie of the Year. Not only is he a dynamic kick returner, he's also displaying skills as a wide-out that normally take three plus years to develop at the Pro level. It's amazing how fast he and Favre have come together. On his receiving touchdown he displayed some unreal body control and desire to make the catch. He's not afraid to go across the middle and he's as tough as an Ox, something I've mentioned a couple of times in this young season. The Vikings are proving once again that sometimes, you just have to take a chance on someone as talented as him.
Goat and Stud of the Week
Stud: Percy Harvin - Yeah I know, it's easy to place Favre in this slot this week, too easy. The reason I'm going with Harvin is because of the field position he provide the Vikings offense all game long. While the Packers tried bringing back a washed up Ahman Green for kick returns, Harvin lit up the Packers with a 35 yard average getting 175 yards on five returns. Toss in another five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, and it's not too hard to argue with this choice.
Goat: Packer Fans - All the build up to this game, all the schemes to dis Favre, make him feel hated, un-wanted, exiled. For what? He's a future Hall of Fame QB that resurrected your franchise back in 1992. That's right, resurrected. Before Favre, who were the Packers? Oh sure you dub yourselves title town and we're happy for all those titles you had before there was even a NFL. Yeah you won the first two Super Bowls, back when most of the Nation didn't even know what a Super Bowl was. And guess what, that was the 60's. From that time on till Favre stepped on your hallowed grounds, the Packers were along the same lines as the 80's Buccaneers or today's Lions. So seriously, enough with the "We don't need ya" act. He brought your franchise back into the limelight, he loved his time there, and he will always love you, the fans, even though you treat him like minced meat all because he felt he wasn't done playing yet. From what I've seen so far, he wasn't done, and he's still not done.
What's on tap
A much deserved bye week. Time to rest weary bones, clear the mind and recharge for that second half push into the playoffs. I said a few weeks ago that if the Vikings could go 2-1 in the final three games before the Bye, that they are legit Super Bowl contenders. They did just that and are sitting on top of the NFC North at 7-1. Enjoy the week off, spend it with family and I'll see you back here again after the Lions game at home where I'll have a live take on that one from the 30-yard line, lower level.
SKOL Vikings!!
Vikings 38
Packers 26
The biggest spectacle in the NFL aside from the Super Bowl is finally over and Vikings fans are left grinning while Packer fans hang their heads low, still wondering what hit them. So now that this game is over with, the rest of the NFL world can concentrate on the second half of the season (that includes you, ESPN). First things first though, a little PPP following Favre Bowl II as Purple Moses continued his dominance against his former squad.
Been there, Done That
Since the season began, Packer fans have wasted all of their energy trying to come up with ways to stick it to Favre once he came running onto the field in Vikings white and purple. All they could come up with was a chorus of boo's and wasted plane fuel pulling a banner no one paid any attention to. Meanwhile, Favre did what he was used to doing in Lambeau Field, dominate. Four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a ton more class than anyone in Green Bay has later, Favre left there with another win and more importantly, a commanding lead in the Division. The only thing that was missing was one final Lambeau Leap, but with the bamboozled state of mind the fans were in, it was better left undone. Many say that Favre wanted to stick it to the Pack, Ted Thompson in general. In the two games, Favre not only got two important wins, he also had 7 td's and no interceptions. Whether he did or not, he stuck it to the Pack just based off his play.
Second Half Defense
After holding the Packers to 47 yards of total offense in the 1st half, the Vikings defense once again gave up huge numbers in the second half (300+ yards), giving the Packers a glimmer of hope to beat their once beloved Favre. Not sure what's going on with this unit. Are they running out of gas in the second half, or just losing interest? One thing's for sure, this trend cannot continue, especially come playoff time. Hopefully in the coming bye week they can all do a little soul searching and fix the issue. Getting Winfield back will also be key.
Rookie of the Year?
Percy Harvin is making big case for Rookie of the Year. Not only is he a dynamic kick returner, he's also displaying skills as a wide-out that normally take three plus years to develop at the Pro level. It's amazing how fast he and Favre have come together. On his receiving touchdown he displayed some unreal body control and desire to make the catch. He's not afraid to go across the middle and he's as tough as an Ox, something I've mentioned a couple of times in this young season. The Vikings are proving once again that sometimes, you just have to take a chance on someone as talented as him.
Goat and Stud of the Week
Stud: Percy Harvin - Yeah I know, it's easy to place Favre in this slot this week, too easy. The reason I'm going with Harvin is because of the field position he provide the Vikings offense all game long. While the Packers tried bringing back a washed up Ahman Green for kick returns, Harvin lit up the Packers with a 35 yard average getting 175 yards on five returns. Toss in another five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, and it's not too hard to argue with this choice.
Goat: Packer Fans - All the build up to this game, all the schemes to dis Favre, make him feel hated, un-wanted, exiled. For what? He's a future Hall of Fame QB that resurrected your franchise back in 1992. That's right, resurrected. Before Favre, who were the Packers? Oh sure you dub yourselves title town and we're happy for all those titles you had before there was even a NFL. Yeah you won the first two Super Bowls, back when most of the Nation didn't even know what a Super Bowl was. And guess what, that was the 60's. From that time on till Favre stepped on your hallowed grounds, the Packers were along the same lines as the 80's Buccaneers or today's Lions. So seriously, enough with the "We don't need ya" act. He brought your franchise back into the limelight, he loved his time there, and he will always love you, the fans, even though you treat him like minced meat all because he felt he wasn't done playing yet. From what I've seen so far, he wasn't done, and he's still not done.
What's on tap
A much deserved bye week. Time to rest weary bones, clear the mind and recharge for that second half push into the playoffs. I said a few weeks ago that if the Vikings could go 2-1 in the final three games before the Bye, that they are legit Super Bowl contenders. They did just that and are sitting on top of the NFC North at 7-1. Enjoy the week off, spend it with family and I'll see you back here again after the Lions game at home where I'll have a live take on that one from the 30-yard line, lower level.
SKOL Vikings!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 10/26/2009
Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers 27
Vikings 17
It had to come to an end sometime. It's very difficult to string six wins in a row in the NFL and losing your first in the seventh game to the World Champions is nothing be overly depressed about. I think in the beginning if you told Vikings fans that Favre would lead this team to a 6-1 start, they would be more than satisfied and surprised if that actually happened. So let's shake this one off and break it down real quick for next week is the one we've been waiting for.
Costly Mistakes
So how do you hold the Steelers - in Pittsburgh, to only 13 points of offense and lose? Simple, turn the ball over, something the Vikings did twice and both were housed allowing the Steelers Defense to out score their own offense. The Vikings also killed themselves in the penalty department, an area they've been leading the league in a positive way. 11 penalties equated to 78 costly yards and made life more difficult in an already difficult venue to play in. The Vikings marched up and down the field at will in this game but the combination of turnovers that turned directly into scores and undisciplined penalties led to their first loss.
Calm Down Already
Cut Chester Taylor? Ban the Officiating crew from the NFL? Fire Childress? This is the kind of crap I heard spewed from callers on KFAN throughout the day today (Monday). It was a horrible time for Chester Taylor to mess up. He's a Pro and he should have made that catch (I don't want to hear about how Favre threw it too hard). But wanting his head is no way to pay back a player that's done what it takes to be a team player. He's still a pivotal player on key third downs and is a solid back when Peterson needs a breather. In regards to the officiating crew, get over it! Yeah they made some horrible calls, most notably the tripping call on Dugan that clearly was NOT tripping, but that's part of the game. We as couch-bound warriors do not see the action from the field at full speed. We see multiple angles at a slower, frame-by-frame rate. As a fan, I was upset, but that's not the reason why they lost in the end. Lastly, on firing Childress. No coach in the NFL is ever going to get fired while 6-1, period.
Put them together
It's time for this team to put a full game together on both sides of the ball. Last week the Vikings nearly lost due to a complete meltdown by the defense. This week they lost due to two costly turnovers by the offense. Get both sides of the ball to play a complete game and this is not just a good team, it's a scary good team. Going against the best passing team in the NFL, the Vikings defense only gave up 13 points to the Steelers and held them to under 260 yards of total offense. Other than the final drive in the first half, they contained the Steelers rather well. Offensively, Favre had his way with the Steelers defense as he shred them for over 300 yards. Unfortunately his costly fumble and interception (clearly on Taylor) were the difference in being 6-1 instead of 7-0.
Mercy Mercy Percy
Is Percy Harvin electrifying or what? What's even more impressive though is his toughness and willingness to get out there on the field. Another player that many teams passed on in the draft and the Vikings took a chance at - credit to Childress, he did his home work and got to know Harvin before the draft. He's not afraid to go across the middle and he's got a little bit of Adrian Peterson in him when it comes to finishing off a play.
A Star is Born
Sidney Rice was expected to be that tall, down the field option that this team was expecting big things from. In his first couple of years he had some health issues, but he also had another issue - incompetence at the QB position. Favre and his receivers did not have a training camp together to build the much needed chemistry, but less than half way into the season, it's clear that Rice is his go to guy. The catch he made on the sidelines told me a lot of what we can expect from him. It was a vintage Cris Carter reception and I swear after seeing it in slow motion, his feet actually moved backwards right at the last second. Great players make other players great, and right now, Favre is making Rice great and they should give fits to secondaries the rest of this season.
Goat and Stud of the Game
This is a new section I'm starting this week and plan on including it from here on out. As you will notice this week, it's not always a Viking, just observations from the game in its entirety.
Stud: Steelers Defense - How do you pick up an offense that's having issues getting into the end zone on your home turf? Take two timely turnovers to the end zone. Very impressive the way this defense is able to score.
Goat: Santonio Holmes - Holmes is a great player and I thoroughly enjoy his game, but his fascination with flexing his arm is asinine. I can understand if you blow someone up (ala Adrian Peterson late in the 4th quarter) or when scoring a touchdown, but this tool seems to do it after every reception.....you got a first down, we're happy for you!
What's on Tap
Packer Week with the Favre-in-Purple caveat, round two. I think there will be a ton of build up with Favre's return to Green Bay. Packer fans will be going through their usual love-hate routine while in the end stating: "We don't need ya" because Rodgers has proven he's a legit QB in this league. But bigger than Favre's return is this impact this game has on the Division. A loss finds the Vikings and Packers tied, a win gives the Vikings a nice two game cushion going into the bye and an impressive 7-1 record.
Until Next Sunday,
SKOL Vikings!
Steelers 27
Vikings 17
It had to come to an end sometime. It's very difficult to string six wins in a row in the NFL and losing your first in the seventh game to the World Champions is nothing be overly depressed about. I think in the beginning if you told Vikings fans that Favre would lead this team to a 6-1 start, they would be more than satisfied and surprised if that actually happened. So let's shake this one off and break it down real quick for next week is the one we've been waiting for.
Costly Mistakes
So how do you hold the Steelers - in Pittsburgh, to only 13 points of offense and lose? Simple, turn the ball over, something the Vikings did twice and both were housed allowing the Steelers Defense to out score their own offense. The Vikings also killed themselves in the penalty department, an area they've been leading the league in a positive way. 11 penalties equated to 78 costly yards and made life more difficult in an already difficult venue to play in. The Vikings marched up and down the field at will in this game but the combination of turnovers that turned directly into scores and undisciplined penalties led to their first loss.
Calm Down Already
Cut Chester Taylor? Ban the Officiating crew from the NFL? Fire Childress? This is the kind of crap I heard spewed from callers on KFAN throughout the day today (Monday). It was a horrible time for Chester Taylor to mess up. He's a Pro and he should have made that catch (I don't want to hear about how Favre threw it too hard). But wanting his head is no way to pay back a player that's done what it takes to be a team player. He's still a pivotal player on key third downs and is a solid back when Peterson needs a breather. In regards to the officiating crew, get over it! Yeah they made some horrible calls, most notably the tripping call on Dugan that clearly was NOT tripping, but that's part of the game. We as couch-bound warriors do not see the action from the field at full speed. We see multiple angles at a slower, frame-by-frame rate. As a fan, I was upset, but that's not the reason why they lost in the end. Lastly, on firing Childress. No coach in the NFL is ever going to get fired while 6-1, period.
Put them together
It's time for this team to put a full game together on both sides of the ball. Last week the Vikings nearly lost due to a complete meltdown by the defense. This week they lost due to two costly turnovers by the offense. Get both sides of the ball to play a complete game and this is not just a good team, it's a scary good team. Going against the best passing team in the NFL, the Vikings defense only gave up 13 points to the Steelers and held them to under 260 yards of total offense. Other than the final drive in the first half, they contained the Steelers rather well. Offensively, Favre had his way with the Steelers defense as he shred them for over 300 yards. Unfortunately his costly fumble and interception (clearly on Taylor) were the difference in being 6-1 instead of 7-0.
Mercy Mercy Percy
Is Percy Harvin electrifying or what? What's even more impressive though is his toughness and willingness to get out there on the field. Another player that many teams passed on in the draft and the Vikings took a chance at - credit to Childress, he did his home work and got to know Harvin before the draft. He's not afraid to go across the middle and he's got a little bit of Adrian Peterson in him when it comes to finishing off a play.
A Star is Born
Sidney Rice was expected to be that tall, down the field option that this team was expecting big things from. In his first couple of years he had some health issues, but he also had another issue - incompetence at the QB position. Favre and his receivers did not have a training camp together to build the much needed chemistry, but less than half way into the season, it's clear that Rice is his go to guy. The catch he made on the sidelines told me a lot of what we can expect from him. It was a vintage Cris Carter reception and I swear after seeing it in slow motion, his feet actually moved backwards right at the last second. Great players make other players great, and right now, Favre is making Rice great and they should give fits to secondaries the rest of this season.
Goat and Stud of the Game
This is a new section I'm starting this week and plan on including it from here on out. As you will notice this week, it's not always a Viking, just observations from the game in its entirety.
Stud: Steelers Defense - How do you pick up an offense that's having issues getting into the end zone on your home turf? Take two timely turnovers to the end zone. Very impressive the way this defense is able to score.
Goat: Santonio Holmes - Holmes is a great player and I thoroughly enjoy his game, but his fascination with flexing his arm is asinine. I can understand if you blow someone up (ala Adrian Peterson late in the 4th quarter) or when scoring a touchdown, but this tool seems to do it after every reception.....you got a first down, we're happy for you!
What's on Tap
Packer Week with the Favre-in-Purple caveat, round two. I think there will be a ton of build up with Favre's return to Green Bay. Packer fans will be going through their usual love-hate routine while in the end stating: "We don't need ya" because Rodgers has proven he's a legit QB in this league. But bigger than Favre's return is this impact this game has on the Division. A loss finds the Vikings and Packers tied, a win gives the Vikings a nice two game cushion going into the bye and an impressive 7-1 record.
Until Next Sunday,
SKOL Vikings!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 10/19/2009
Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 33
Ravens 31
Last week ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote a rather interesting article comparing this year's Vikings to the 1998 team. Since we were only five games in at that time, obviously it was based on potential. After watching the game today, I think it's clear that Seifert was on to something. Starting the game on fire, looking un stoppable having a nice 14-0 lead, Childress and Bevel went all Dennis Green and Brian Billick on it. Favre was having his way, the play calling was brilliant, and all of a sudden it turned to a conservative style of play. Childress decided to take the kick-ass out of his own kick-ass offense. As for the Defense, the 4th quarter collapse was vintage '98 Vikings as well. If there's anything this team could learn from the '98 Vikings, it's that the Prevent defense is no way to finish off a team. The Vikings need to figure out how to put teams away in the 4th quarter if they are going to continue to have success this year.
Favre
This spot has been all about Brett Favre so far this season, and this week is no exception. Favre has been nothing short of sensational, and if it weren't for him, this team would be at best, 4-2. Favre had another solid outing going 21 for 29 for 278 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He's got 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions on the season so far and his arm looks as good as it did the year he won the Super Bowl. After losing the lead, the Vikings needed a leader to calm things down and march down the field for the go ahead score. Favre did just that, including a huge pass play to his favorite target, Sidney Rice (more on Rice later). His poise, experience, and professionalism is what gave the Vikings a chance to win a game they should have lost.
Double Rice, please
I'm a sucker for Hibachi grills. I'm sure most of you around the country are familiar with Benihana if you're not sure what kind of place I'm talking about. When I'm there, I love the fried rice and always ask for a double dose of it (and please don't forget to pour that lovely seafood sauce on top) and a double dose of Rice is what we got in this game. The Raven's rookie sensation Ray Rice had an exceptional game and was a catalyst for the monster 4th quarter the Ravens had. He finished the game with 77 yards rushing with two touchdowns and 10 receptions for 117 yards. The Vikings have a Rice of their own and he's become Brett Favre's go to guy. Sidney Rice had the best game of his short career catching six balls for 176 yards. He's finally 100% healthy and becoming the receiver the Vikings and fans hoped he would be.
Defensive Collapse
I had a serious case of deja vu watching this game. One of the things that hampered the Dennis Green era of Vikings football was poor defensive play to finish the big games. The Ravens scored 21 points in the 4th quarter......21! Joe Flacco tossed for almost 200 yards and Ray Rice busted off a couple of runs this defense normally never gives up. Most of it was attributed to poor tackling even in the passing defense as there were far too many yards after the catch. Does one man missing make that much of difference? Ask the Pittsburgh Steelers how much Troy Polamalu as missed. Antoine Windfield left the game in the second quarter (something CBS NEVER mentioned during the broadcast). Karl Paymah filled in and was exposed several times, including the touchdown pass to Mason in which Paymah's back was to the ball. That's still no excuse to give up the type of yardage and scores this defense allowed in one quarter, and certainly not at home. This is a team game and from what I saw, this was a defense that either ran out of gas, or failed to finish with any kind of killer instinct. This needs to be addressed now or the Vikings will surely be handed their first loss in Pittsburgh.
Learn from the Best
The best team in the NFC is without a doubt, the New Orleans Saints. Their shellacking of the New York football Giants yesterday put any doubters to rest. What the Vikings can learn from them is to put your foot down on your opponents throats. They do not get a lead and then play conservatively. The Vikings have the offensive fire power to do exactly what the Saints are doing, yet Childress seems to enjoy giving teams a chance to crawl back into games. Sure losing Winfield and Sapp didn't help, but the offense is good enough to continue putting up points and keep teams at bay.
What's on Tap
The Vikings find themselves limping into Pittsburgh next Sunday. Winfield may be out for several weeks, Sapp's status is unknown at this time, Peterson tweaked is ankle, and Harvin's shoulder is a concern. With that said, this team still has the depth and talent to win this game, but if the defense continues to allow the yardage they been allowing thus far, it's going to be a very long day for the Purple. They cannot not afford to play conservatively on the offensive side of the ball in this one either. The Steelers will not back down, especially at home so it's imperative that the Vikings play a solid game all around.
6-0 is nothing to complain about. You have to make plays at the right times to put yourself in position to win games and the Vikings have done that. The concern right now is a trend on both sides of the ball that needs to stop if they truly want to be there come next February. I said last week that they need to go 2-1 during this tough stretch to be considered a legit contender. While the Ravens did indeed lose the game for the Vikings, they are still 1-0 and need to pull off one more win before the bye to set themselves up nicely for second half playoff push.
Till Next Sunday,
SKOL Vikings!
Vikings 33
Ravens 31
Last week ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote a rather interesting article comparing this year's Vikings to the 1998 team. Since we were only five games in at that time, obviously it was based on potential. After watching the game today, I think it's clear that Seifert was on to something. Starting the game on fire, looking un stoppable having a nice 14-0 lead, Childress and Bevel went all Dennis Green and Brian Billick on it. Favre was having his way, the play calling was brilliant, and all of a sudden it turned to a conservative style of play. Childress decided to take the kick-ass out of his own kick-ass offense. As for the Defense, the 4th quarter collapse was vintage '98 Vikings as well. If there's anything this team could learn from the '98 Vikings, it's that the Prevent defense is no way to finish off a team. The Vikings need to figure out how to put teams away in the 4th quarter if they are going to continue to have success this year.
Favre
This spot has been all about Brett Favre so far this season, and this week is no exception. Favre has been nothing short of sensational, and if it weren't for him, this team would be at best, 4-2. Favre had another solid outing going 21 for 29 for 278 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He's got 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions on the season so far and his arm looks as good as it did the year he won the Super Bowl. After losing the lead, the Vikings needed a leader to calm things down and march down the field for the go ahead score. Favre did just that, including a huge pass play to his favorite target, Sidney Rice (more on Rice later). His poise, experience, and professionalism is what gave the Vikings a chance to win a game they should have lost.
Double Rice, please
I'm a sucker for Hibachi grills. I'm sure most of you around the country are familiar with Benihana if you're not sure what kind of place I'm talking about. When I'm there, I love the fried rice and always ask for a double dose of it (and please don't forget to pour that lovely seafood sauce on top) and a double dose of Rice is what we got in this game. The Raven's rookie sensation Ray Rice had an exceptional game and was a catalyst for the monster 4th quarter the Ravens had. He finished the game with 77 yards rushing with two touchdowns and 10 receptions for 117 yards. The Vikings have a Rice of their own and he's become Brett Favre's go to guy. Sidney Rice had the best game of his short career catching six balls for 176 yards. He's finally 100% healthy and becoming the receiver the Vikings and fans hoped he would be.
Defensive Collapse
I had a serious case of deja vu watching this game. One of the things that hampered the Dennis Green era of Vikings football was poor defensive play to finish the big games. The Ravens scored 21 points in the 4th quarter......21! Joe Flacco tossed for almost 200 yards and Ray Rice busted off a couple of runs this defense normally never gives up. Most of it was attributed to poor tackling even in the passing defense as there were far too many yards after the catch. Does one man missing make that much of difference? Ask the Pittsburgh Steelers how much Troy Polamalu as missed. Antoine Windfield left the game in the second quarter (something CBS NEVER mentioned during the broadcast). Karl Paymah filled in and was exposed several times, including the touchdown pass to Mason in which Paymah's back was to the ball. That's still no excuse to give up the type of yardage and scores this defense allowed in one quarter, and certainly not at home. This is a team game and from what I saw, this was a defense that either ran out of gas, or failed to finish with any kind of killer instinct. This needs to be addressed now or the Vikings will surely be handed their first loss in Pittsburgh.
Learn from the Best
The best team in the NFC is without a doubt, the New Orleans Saints. Their shellacking of the New York football Giants yesterday put any doubters to rest. What the Vikings can learn from them is to put your foot down on your opponents throats. They do not get a lead and then play conservatively. The Vikings have the offensive fire power to do exactly what the Saints are doing, yet Childress seems to enjoy giving teams a chance to crawl back into games. Sure losing Winfield and Sapp didn't help, but the offense is good enough to continue putting up points and keep teams at bay.
What's on Tap
The Vikings find themselves limping into Pittsburgh next Sunday. Winfield may be out for several weeks, Sapp's status is unknown at this time, Peterson tweaked is ankle, and Harvin's shoulder is a concern. With that said, this team still has the depth and talent to win this game, but if the defense continues to allow the yardage they been allowing thus far, it's going to be a very long day for the Purple. They cannot not afford to play conservatively on the offensive side of the ball in this one either. The Steelers will not back down, especially at home so it's imperative that the Vikings play a solid game all around.
6-0 is nothing to complain about. You have to make plays at the right times to put yourself in position to win games and the Vikings have done that. The concern right now is a trend on both sides of the ball that needs to stop if they truly want to be there come next February. I said last week that they need to go 2-1 during this tough stretch to be considered a legit contender. While the Ravens did indeed lose the game for the Vikings, they are still 1-0 and need to pull off one more win before the bye to set themselves up nicely for second half playoff push.
Till Next Sunday,
SKOL Vikings!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 10/12/2009
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
Vikings 38
Rams 10
For years, Vikings fans have dealt with witnessing their favorite football squad play down to the level of competition. When the Vikings appear to have a solid team that can step it up and win big, emotional games (such as the Monday nighter against the Pack), they normally follow it up with a dud to a team that's not even in the same stratosphere. Thankfully, that trend appears to have stopped as the Vikings took control early in St. Louis going up 14-0 before the first half of the first quarter was even over. The Vikings won their 400th game as a franchise, have not given up a rushing TD this year or a 100 yard rusher in 28 straight games now.
Lordy Lordy, you sure he's 40?
Brett Favre is officially an old man as he celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday. This is the first time in his illustrious career that he's been 5-0 and he claims that this is by far the best all around team he's played on. He's taking care of himself and appears to be 100% dedicated to ending his career like John Elway, riding off into the sunset. As long as the offensive line continues to protect him as they've done the last couple of games, he should get through this season just fine. It's always a good sign to see Tarvaris Jackson come in the 4th quarter and take care of the clean up time. After five games, Favre has a passer rating of 104.1, only behind the Manning brothers and Drew Brees - and is third in completion percentage (69.1).
Good win, still room for improvement
The Vikings are 5-0 and starting to reach near the top of most Power Rankings. 5-0 is great, but there's only been one truly decent team (Packers) and another questionable one (49ers) during this stretch. In the end, the Vikings put the hammer down and took care of bad teams (Brown, Lions, Rams) like they should, but even then we've seen far to many yards amassed on this defense. After seeing the Falcons dismantle the 49ers yesterday, one has to wonder about the Vikings secondary and how they allowed Shaun Hill to look like Steve Young. This is something that will either be exposed or shored up in the next three weeks, that's for sure. Thanks to fumbles at key times and an opportunistic defense, the Vikings were able to make this game appear as a no contest affair. Truth be told though, the Rams marched up and down the field several times.
Silence of the Rams
What in the world happened to this team? How did this team become so bad, so fast? It's got to be tough going out there each week, finding another way to stall a drive, cause a penalty, or be completely unprepared and un-matched. I feel for guys like Steve Jackson, it's one heck of a tough gig right now.
What's on Tap
Time to see what this team is really made of. The easy part of the schedule is over and the Vikings find themselves at 5-0, in control of the NFC North and a front-runner in the Conference. This three game stretch followed by the bye is what I've been waiting for. It starts with a pissed off Ravens team coming to the Dome - err sorry, Mall of America Field - and does not get any easier from there (at Pittsburgh, at Green Bay). Favre must get protection and the real Adrian Peterson (the one that went for 180 yards in Cleveland) needs to lace them up and bust out some big runs again. That should come in due time now that Favre has established himself on this team and proven that he can, and will beat you with his arm still. Vikings need to come out of this stretch going 2-1 at least, if they want to be viewed as a serious Super Bowl contender.
Till next Sunday,
SKOL Vikings!
Vikings 38
Rams 10
For years, Vikings fans have dealt with witnessing their favorite football squad play down to the level of competition. When the Vikings appear to have a solid team that can step it up and win big, emotional games (such as the Monday nighter against the Pack), they normally follow it up with a dud to a team that's not even in the same stratosphere. Thankfully, that trend appears to have stopped as the Vikings took control early in St. Louis going up 14-0 before the first half of the first quarter was even over. The Vikings won their 400th game as a franchise, have not given up a rushing TD this year or a 100 yard rusher in 28 straight games now.
Lordy Lordy, you sure he's 40?
Brett Favre is officially an old man as he celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday. This is the first time in his illustrious career that he's been 5-0 and he claims that this is by far the best all around team he's played on. He's taking care of himself and appears to be 100% dedicated to ending his career like John Elway, riding off into the sunset. As long as the offensive line continues to protect him as they've done the last couple of games, he should get through this season just fine. It's always a good sign to see Tarvaris Jackson come in the 4th quarter and take care of the clean up time. After five games, Favre has a passer rating of 104.1, only behind the Manning brothers and Drew Brees - and is third in completion percentage (69.1).
Good win, still room for improvement
The Vikings are 5-0 and starting to reach near the top of most Power Rankings. 5-0 is great, but there's only been one truly decent team (Packers) and another questionable one (49ers) during this stretch. In the end, the Vikings put the hammer down and took care of bad teams (Brown, Lions, Rams) like they should, but even then we've seen far to many yards amassed on this defense. After seeing the Falcons dismantle the 49ers yesterday, one has to wonder about the Vikings secondary and how they allowed Shaun Hill to look like Steve Young. This is something that will either be exposed or shored up in the next three weeks, that's for sure. Thanks to fumbles at key times and an opportunistic defense, the Vikings were able to make this game appear as a no contest affair. Truth be told though, the Rams marched up and down the field several times.
Silence of the Rams
What in the world happened to this team? How did this team become so bad, so fast? It's got to be tough going out there each week, finding another way to stall a drive, cause a penalty, or be completely unprepared and un-matched. I feel for guys like Steve Jackson, it's one heck of a tough gig right now.
What's on Tap
Time to see what this team is really made of. The easy part of the schedule is over and the Vikings find themselves at 5-0, in control of the NFC North and a front-runner in the Conference. This three game stretch followed by the bye is what I've been waiting for. It starts with a pissed off Ravens team coming to the Dome - err sorry, Mall of America Field - and does not get any easier from there (at Pittsburgh, at Green Bay). Favre must get protection and the real Adrian Peterson (the one that went for 180 yards in Cleveland) needs to lace them up and bust out some big runs again. That should come in due time now that Favre has established himself on this team and proven that he can, and will beat you with his arm still. Vikings need to come out of this stretch going 2-1 at least, if they want to be viewed as a serious Super Bowl contender.
Till next Sunday,
SKOL Vikings!
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 10/6/2009
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 30
Packers 23
The Twin Cities sports scene has been buzzing since Friday night. Thanks to the fall of the Detroit Tigers and the never-say-never Minnesota Twins, a final push for extended October baseball in the Metrodome is more than possible - it's here, in the form a 163rd game tonight. Toss in a border battle at the new TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday between the Gophers and Badgers for Paul Bunyan's Axe (which ended as a heart breaker for the Gophers) and the return of regular season Wild hockey and you've got a nice sports vibe going on here. Somewhere in between all that action though, was a little game on Monday Night Football - ok, so one billed as a game for the ages. As large a number as Brett Favre's age is about to hit this Saturday, this game lived up to its large billing.
Vintage Favre
On a night when the Packers did all they could to stop Adrian Peterson (and stop him they did), Brett Favre picked them apart for three touchdowns. Since his surgery, Favre says his arm feels great, and from what we saw last night, I don't think anyone can doubt that now. His passes had the same zip he's been known for during his MVP years and his accuracy was spot on. The touchdown pass his tossed to Berrian was classic, freezing Harris with the quick pump followed by a perfect arcing pass for the score. This may be Adrian's team, but defenses will be forced to pay attention to number 4 behind center and his bevy of play making receivers. Kudos to the Offensive Line, they protected Favre incredibly well as be basically went untouched in this game. If he continues to get protection like that, he could be poised for another MVP-like season, amazing for a 40 year-old.
About, Face!
Time to give credit where credit is due. Over the first few games, I've ripped Berrian, the pass protection, and the team in general for penalties. All three of these areas were damn near perfect in this game. Berrian stepped it up and made all the catches this time. He and Favre might finally be building some chemistry after a slow start due to Berrian's injury during training camp. Can't say enough about the pass protection. This was something that needed to change or there would be no way that Favre makes it through an entire season. The offensive line was amazing and gave Favre all the time in the world to survey the field and pick Packers D apart. On the penalty side of things, the team only had two for 10 yards, a huge improvement. Nice to see the discipline there and know that the coaching staff is taking the right steps to improve as the season moves on.
The Beast
What more can be said about Jarred Allen that hasn't been said already? The guy has an amazing motor from start to finish. Sure the Packers O-line is in complete disarray, but you still need the stamina and poise to make the endless plays that Allen did Monday Night. It's guys like him that rub off and inspire an entire team, reminds me of the way John Randle used to play. One of the best off season pickups for the Vikings, ever.
Jump Ball Expert
There just isn't enough game balls to go around in a game like this. While Sidney Rice did have a solid game as a receiver, it's the two plays during the on sides kicks that will go un-noticed in the stat sheets. Mason Crosby had two on sides kicks that were picture perfect (all kickers should learn from him), but Sidney Rice skied high and snatched the ball out of the air both times. If Kevin Garnett happened to be watching this game, I'm sure he'd be proud of the way Rice wanted the ball more than anyone on the field during those critical kicks.
Rodgers is the Real Deal
Much like I did for Favre when he was a Packer, I'm starting to respect Aaron Rodger's game. I honestly didn't think he would cut it or turn out to be as good as he appears to be right now. The game he had, the numbers he put up, with the second worst offensive line in the NFL (ahem, St. Louis - Allen is licking his chops already) - is nothing short of amazing. He's got a quick release and throws on the run with the best of the QB's in this league. The Green Bay Packers made the right decision to move on without Brett, but they are doing a poor job of protecting their new franchise quarterback. It would be scary to see what Rodgers could do with a good offensive line and solid running game, down right scary.
What's On Tap
I don't want to get into calling Sunday's game against the Rams in St. Louis a trap game because they are just plain bad. But, the Vikings need to stay focused and not over look this one. That's something that could easily happen when you take a look at the three games after this one - Ravens at home, Steelers in Pittsburgh, and Packers in Green Bay. That's a daunting stretch of games before the Bye and a stretch that will let us all know exactly where this team stands. So with those games just around the corner, it's important to first focus on the Rams, take care of business, and then prepare to protect our house against Ray Lewis and the Ravens.
Till Sunday,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Vikings 30
Packers 23
The Twin Cities sports scene has been buzzing since Friday night. Thanks to the fall of the Detroit Tigers and the never-say-never Minnesota Twins, a final push for extended October baseball in the Metrodome is more than possible - it's here, in the form a 163rd game tonight. Toss in a border battle at the new TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday between the Gophers and Badgers for Paul Bunyan's Axe (which ended as a heart breaker for the Gophers) and the return of regular season Wild hockey and you've got a nice sports vibe going on here. Somewhere in between all that action though, was a little game on Monday Night Football - ok, so one billed as a game for the ages. As large a number as Brett Favre's age is about to hit this Saturday, this game lived up to its large billing.
Vintage Favre
On a night when the Packers did all they could to stop Adrian Peterson (and stop him they did), Brett Favre picked them apart for three touchdowns. Since his surgery, Favre says his arm feels great, and from what we saw last night, I don't think anyone can doubt that now. His passes had the same zip he's been known for during his MVP years and his accuracy was spot on. The touchdown pass his tossed to Berrian was classic, freezing Harris with the quick pump followed by a perfect arcing pass for the score. This may be Adrian's team, but defenses will be forced to pay attention to number 4 behind center and his bevy of play making receivers. Kudos to the Offensive Line, they protected Favre incredibly well as be basically went untouched in this game. If he continues to get protection like that, he could be poised for another MVP-like season, amazing for a 40 year-old.
About, Face!
Time to give credit where credit is due. Over the first few games, I've ripped Berrian, the pass protection, and the team in general for penalties. All three of these areas were damn near perfect in this game. Berrian stepped it up and made all the catches this time. He and Favre might finally be building some chemistry after a slow start due to Berrian's injury during training camp. Can't say enough about the pass protection. This was something that needed to change or there would be no way that Favre makes it through an entire season. The offensive line was amazing and gave Favre all the time in the world to survey the field and pick Packers D apart. On the penalty side of things, the team only had two for 10 yards, a huge improvement. Nice to see the discipline there and know that the coaching staff is taking the right steps to improve as the season moves on.
The Beast
What more can be said about Jarred Allen that hasn't been said already? The guy has an amazing motor from start to finish. Sure the Packers O-line is in complete disarray, but you still need the stamina and poise to make the endless plays that Allen did Monday Night. It's guys like him that rub off and inspire an entire team, reminds me of the way John Randle used to play. One of the best off season pickups for the Vikings, ever.
Jump Ball Expert
There just isn't enough game balls to go around in a game like this. While Sidney Rice did have a solid game as a receiver, it's the two plays during the on sides kicks that will go un-noticed in the stat sheets. Mason Crosby had two on sides kicks that were picture perfect (all kickers should learn from him), but Sidney Rice skied high and snatched the ball out of the air both times. If Kevin Garnett happened to be watching this game, I'm sure he'd be proud of the way Rice wanted the ball more than anyone on the field during those critical kicks.
Rodgers is the Real Deal
Much like I did for Favre when he was a Packer, I'm starting to respect Aaron Rodger's game. I honestly didn't think he would cut it or turn out to be as good as he appears to be right now. The game he had, the numbers he put up, with the second worst offensive line in the NFL (ahem, St. Louis - Allen is licking his chops already) - is nothing short of amazing. He's got a quick release and throws on the run with the best of the QB's in this league. The Green Bay Packers made the right decision to move on without Brett, but they are doing a poor job of protecting their new franchise quarterback. It would be scary to see what Rodgers could do with a good offensive line and solid running game, down right scary.
What's On Tap
I don't want to get into calling Sunday's game against the Rams in St. Louis a trap game because they are just plain bad. But, the Vikings need to stay focused and not over look this one. That's something that could easily happen when you take a look at the three games after this one - Ravens at home, Steelers in Pittsburgh, and Packers in Green Bay. That's a daunting stretch of games before the Bye and a stretch that will let us all know exactly where this team stands. So with those games just around the corner, it's important to first focus on the Rams, take care of business, and then prepare to protect our house against Ray Lewis and the Ravens.
Till Sunday,
SKOL VIKINGS!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 9/28/2009
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Vikings 27
49ers 24
Here in the Twin Cities, Fall officially blew into town yesterday, literally. For a football fan, it's easily the best time of the year. Having spent nine years in Georgia and Florida from 1991-2000, Fall just never had the same majestic aura that we have here in the Upper Midwest. You should be watching Saturday College Football and Sunday NFL Football with the windows open and a nice cool breeze blowing in. Jeans and Sweatshirts should be required, and some kind of warm meal in the Croc pot stewing in anticipation for kickoff. That's the fall magic of football, and magic is what Favre provided in the Dome, this time for the Vikings.
The Reason He's Here
By now we all know the drama centered around Favre's arrival in Minnesota. Plenty of controversy surround said topic and many still feel he does not have what it takes anymore to lead the 2009 Vikings. His last second heroics at the Dome against the 49ers yesterday might have some of the nay-sayers doubting themselves, whether they openly admit it or not. Was he perfect, or even consistent (as I labeled him after week one and two) in this game? Absolutely not.Is he still a gamer when it's on the line and you need next to a miracle to win? Without a doubt, yes.
So on a day when Favre finally throws more than just check-downs, he now gets blasted for several incompletions (and let's face it, his over all passing yardage would have been considerably higher just off of Berrian's drops alone). The numbers that stand out to me though, are those in the 4th quarter where Favre went 16-27 for 192 yards and a touchdown. The final drive alone was 80 yards in under two minutes with no time-outs. That right there is the reason you take a chance on bringing him here. Besides, he's the 1st Viking QB to toss for over 300 yards since Daunte Culpepper and no Viking QB has ever provided a instant NFL Films game winning touchdown like the one he threw to Greg Lewis.
Three for Three
Percy Harvin is making a early case for NFL Rookie of the Year. He's had a touchdown in each of his first three games as a pro and his 101 yard kick-off return yesterday was nothing short of spectacular.Harvin was not even touched on the play, remarkable when you really think about it. The red flags that went up during the week because he missed practice - once again due to illness, momentarily got erased from everyone's mind. I know the wild-cat formation is getting old for some in the NFL, but I'd like to see more exotic offensive packages that get Harvin the ball in open space.
Still haven't played anybody?
Another negative remark I hear in regards to the Vikings are that they've played three crappy teams so far. Personally, I think Mike Singletary and the 49ers deserve more credit than that. He's quickly changing the dynamic and level of play in San Francisco and has them playing harder than they have in years. They are still the only team to truly contain Adrian Peterson and frustrate him to no end. Then there's the first two games, which were road games. While neither game started out the way one would hope, they both ended with strong second half performances and this team now finds itself sitting at 3-0. So I don't really want to hear that they haven't beaten anybody. Not in a league where the defending champs, a team many have picked to repeat, just lost to the Bengals and now sits at 1-2. And definitely not in a league where the Detroit Lions have already won a game this season!
Mistakes a plenty
The game on Sunday for the Vikings overall was sloppy. They are lucky they had Brett Favre's miracle throw to help them pull this win out. With a myriad of penalties, missed blocks/containment (see blocked field goal returned for a touchdown), and dropped passes (one of which lead to Favre's only INT thus far), they were very fortunate to win this game. Favre does not get a free pass in this area either. On a day where Peterson was contained, he slid back into the old gunslinger mentality and made a few questionable throws, one of which should have been intercepted. This team started off hot in the first quarter and then lost its swagger along the way. With a big game against the Packers on Monday night coming up, they need to find some chemistry that enables them to play four quarters of solid football. Looking ahead to the near future finds the Vikings playing the Ravens at home followed by the Steelers on the road and I guarantee that's three games in particular where these mistakes and lulls in play will equate to losses.
What's on Tap
It's Packer week, just another game, right!!?? Let's break this down a bit and see just how big this game truly is:
- Game against your hated Division rival....check
- Nationally televised on Monday Night Football....check
- 1st place in the Division on the line.....check
- Brett Favre playing against the team he led for 16 seasons....check
Yeah, I think this could be considered a pretty big game for both teams. I'm not even going to break this one down, we'll let the drama unfold next Monday night.
SKOL VIKINGS!
Vikings 27
49ers 24
Here in the Twin Cities, Fall officially blew into town yesterday, literally. For a football fan, it's easily the best time of the year. Having spent nine years in Georgia and Florida from 1991-2000, Fall just never had the same majestic aura that we have here in the Upper Midwest. You should be watching Saturday College Football and Sunday NFL Football with the windows open and a nice cool breeze blowing in. Jeans and Sweatshirts should be required, and some kind of warm meal in the Croc pot stewing in anticipation for kickoff. That's the fall magic of football, and magic is what Favre provided in the Dome, this time for the Vikings.
The Reason He's Here
By now we all know the drama centered around Favre's arrival in Minnesota. Plenty of controversy surround said topic and many still feel he does not have what it takes anymore to lead the 2009 Vikings. His last second heroics at the Dome against the 49ers yesterday might have some of the nay-sayers doubting themselves, whether they openly admit it or not. Was he perfect, or even consistent (as I labeled him after week one and two) in this game? Absolutely not.Is he still a gamer when it's on the line and you need next to a miracle to win? Without a doubt, yes.
So on a day when Favre finally throws more than just check-downs, he now gets blasted for several incompletions (and let's face it, his over all passing yardage would have been considerably higher just off of Berrian's drops alone). The numbers that stand out to me though, are those in the 4th quarter where Favre went 16-27 for 192 yards and a touchdown. The final drive alone was 80 yards in under two minutes with no time-outs. That right there is the reason you take a chance on bringing him here. Besides, he's the 1st Viking QB to toss for over 300 yards since Daunte Culpepper and no Viking QB has ever provided a instant NFL Films game winning touchdown like the one he threw to Greg Lewis.
Three for Three
Percy Harvin is making a early case for NFL Rookie of the Year. He's had a touchdown in each of his first three games as a pro and his 101 yard kick-off return yesterday was nothing short of spectacular.Harvin was not even touched on the play, remarkable when you really think about it. The red flags that went up during the week because he missed practice - once again due to illness, momentarily got erased from everyone's mind. I know the wild-cat formation is getting old for some in the NFL, but I'd like to see more exotic offensive packages that get Harvin the ball in open space.
Still haven't played anybody?
Another negative remark I hear in regards to the Vikings are that they've played three crappy teams so far. Personally, I think Mike Singletary and the 49ers deserve more credit than that. He's quickly changing the dynamic and level of play in San Francisco and has them playing harder than they have in years. They are still the only team to truly contain Adrian Peterson and frustrate him to no end. Then there's the first two games, which were road games. While neither game started out the way one would hope, they both ended with strong second half performances and this team now finds itself sitting at 3-0. So I don't really want to hear that they haven't beaten anybody. Not in a league where the defending champs, a team many have picked to repeat, just lost to the Bengals and now sits at 1-2. And definitely not in a league where the Detroit Lions have already won a game this season!
Mistakes a plenty
The game on Sunday for the Vikings overall was sloppy. They are lucky they had Brett Favre's miracle throw to help them pull this win out. With a myriad of penalties, missed blocks/containment (see blocked field goal returned for a touchdown), and dropped passes (one of which lead to Favre's only INT thus far), they were very fortunate to win this game. Favre does not get a free pass in this area either. On a day where Peterson was contained, he slid back into the old gunslinger mentality and made a few questionable throws, one of which should have been intercepted. This team started off hot in the first quarter and then lost its swagger along the way. With a big game against the Packers on Monday night coming up, they need to find some chemistry that enables them to play four quarters of solid football. Looking ahead to the near future finds the Vikings playing the Ravens at home followed by the Steelers on the road and I guarantee that's three games in particular where these mistakes and lulls in play will equate to losses.
What's on Tap
It's Packer week, just another game, right!!?? Let's break this down a bit and see just how big this game truly is:
- Game against your hated Division rival....check
- Nationally televised on Monday Night Football....check
- 1st place in the Division on the line.....check
- Brett Favre playing against the team he led for 16 seasons....check
Yeah, I think this could be considered a pretty big game for both teams. I'm not even going to break this one down, we'll let the drama unfold next Monday night.
SKOL VIKINGS!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 9/21/2009
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Vikings 27
Lions 13
Normally I'd like to have this done the evening of a day game, but my two and a half year old daughter's fever had other ideas. Let's just say that it lead to a sleepless night and a call in to work this morning as I stayed home to take care of her. You gotta love being a father in these moments, right? I wouldn't have it any other way when it comes to her. No on to some Purple Pride Ponderings.
Consistency at QB
Something I and many other Vikings fans have been clamoring for since Adrian Peterson and a stout defense arrived is consistency at quarterback. After two games, it's clear that Favre fits that must needed mold to a tee. No, he's not going down field and hitting the big bombs, but instead is hitting the quick slants, check downs, and taking sacks rather than trying to force something. As his numbers show, he's managing the game with efficiency and has no issue taking a backseat on Peterson's team. Since most of us are men, and we are known to be visual, look at these numbers and see for yourself what consistency at the qb position for the Vikings looks like:
Week 1 - 14 for 21 | 110 yards | 1 TD | 0 INT | 66.7% | 95.3 QB Rating
Week 2 - 23 for 27 | 155 yards | 2 TD | 0 INT | 82.5% | 115.3 QB Rating
Season - 37 for 48 | 265 yards | 3 TD | 0 INT | 77.1% | 110.2 QB Rating
EJ's biggest fan
There's one guy in particular that missed EJ Henderson's presence more than anyone, Chad Greenway. Chad had a huge game with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, three tackles, and a recovered on-sides kick. He showcased how great his hands are with the picks and the fact that he's on the "hands team" for on-sides kicks. What's even more impressive is how humble he was when asked about his big game mentioning that EJ's return to middle linebacker allows him to make these plays.
Starting slow won't always be the way to go
2-0 looks good, but the reality is that it's been against the Browns and Lions, and in both games, the Vikings trailed in the first half. As the quality of opponents increases, digging out of a early hole could prove to be more of a challenge. The Vikings need to find some rhythm in first half and start setting the tone early if they truly want to be a Super Bowl contender. Is there something positive to take out of this in the first two games? Well sure, they were both road games to start the season with a quarterback that's only been with the team for one month and is still trying to establish a connection with his receivers. So in the end, this is an area I expect to become a non-issue as the season progresses.
Special Teams
Last week I ripped the special teams for giving up another touchdown even though they played solid aside from that mishap. Against the Lions, the special teams were solid and the return of specialist Heath Farwell was more than apparent. I'll be keeping a close eye on this unit all season. So far I have them at 1-1.
What's on tap
Next week the Vikings are finally at home against the 49ers. While I feel the 49ers are a much improved team and have a legit chance at making a run for the NFC West division, I think the Vikings offense will open it up a bit more. This could be the game where we see Favre toss a few deep balls and start making teams think about stacking the box to stop the run - which still doesn't work when you've got AD in the backfield. I expect the Vikings to win this one and go 3-0 to start the season.
Vikings 27
Lions 13
Normally I'd like to have this done the evening of a day game, but my two and a half year old daughter's fever had other ideas. Let's just say that it lead to a sleepless night and a call in to work this morning as I stayed home to take care of her. You gotta love being a father in these moments, right? I wouldn't have it any other way when it comes to her. No on to some Purple Pride Ponderings.
Consistency at QB
Something I and many other Vikings fans have been clamoring for since Adrian Peterson and a stout defense arrived is consistency at quarterback. After two games, it's clear that Favre fits that must needed mold to a tee. No, he's not going down field and hitting the big bombs, but instead is hitting the quick slants, check downs, and taking sacks rather than trying to force something. As his numbers show, he's managing the game with efficiency and has no issue taking a backseat on Peterson's team. Since most of us are men, and we are known to be visual, look at these numbers and see for yourself what consistency at the qb position for the Vikings looks like:
Week 1 - 14 for 21 | 110 yards | 1 TD | 0 INT | 66.7% | 95.3 QB Rating
Week 2 - 23 for 27 | 155 yards | 2 TD | 0 INT | 82.5% | 115.3 QB Rating
Season - 37 for 48 | 265 yards | 3 TD | 0 INT | 77.1% | 110.2 QB Rating
EJ's biggest fan
There's one guy in particular that missed EJ Henderson's presence more than anyone, Chad Greenway. Chad had a huge game with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, three tackles, and a recovered on-sides kick. He showcased how great his hands are with the picks and the fact that he's on the "hands team" for on-sides kicks. What's even more impressive is how humble he was when asked about his big game mentioning that EJ's return to middle linebacker allows him to make these plays.
Starting slow won't always be the way to go
2-0 looks good, but the reality is that it's been against the Browns and Lions, and in both games, the Vikings trailed in the first half. As the quality of opponents increases, digging out of a early hole could prove to be more of a challenge. The Vikings need to find some rhythm in first half and start setting the tone early if they truly want to be a Super Bowl contender. Is there something positive to take out of this in the first two games? Well sure, they were both road games to start the season with a quarterback that's only been with the team for one month and is still trying to establish a connection with his receivers. So in the end, this is an area I expect to become a non-issue as the season progresses.
Special Teams
Last week I ripped the special teams for giving up another touchdown even though they played solid aside from that mishap. Against the Lions, the special teams were solid and the return of specialist Heath Farwell was more than apparent. I'll be keeping a close eye on this unit all season. So far I have them at 1-1.
What's on tap
Next week the Vikings are finally at home against the 49ers. While I feel the 49ers are a much improved team and have a legit chance at making a run for the NFC West division, I think the Vikings offense will open it up a bit more. This could be the game where we see Favre toss a few deep balls and start making teams think about stacking the box to stop the run - which still doesn't work when you've got AD in the backfield. I expect the Vikings to win this one and go 3-0 to start the season.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Purple Pride Ponderings 9/13/2009
Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns
Vikings 34
Browns 20
What a weekend of football for the State of Hockey - Minnesota. Before I get going with the Purple, I have to express my joy for the return of outdoor football to the University of Minnesota. It's been 28 long years that the Golden Gophers have been stuck playing inside the Metrodome, which is located a few miles away from the campus - directly in downtown Minneapolis. The Gophers won their home opener against Air Force in the new, beautiful TCF Bank Stadium and it was wonderful to see a true collegiate atmosphere on campus again. Enough about the Gophers, let's talk some Purple now.
Gunslinger to Game Manager
Brett Favre has always been known for his gunslinger mentality, something this Vikings team actually does not need, and something Favre showed in week one that he can steer away from. Many questioned whether Favre's ego would allow him to become just a game manager and after week one, it's clear that he understands his role. One play in particular showcased this where Favre just sucked it up and took a sack - a scenario where he would normally try forcing a play. Because Adrian Peterson had the day he did, Favre was not expected to do much but he still seemed more in control of this team than Tarvaris Jackson ever did.
All Day Destined to be All-Time Greatest
I grew up watching a couple of the greatest running backs ever, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. I'm more than aware of Jim Brown's illustrious career. With that said, I've never watched a running back possess an entire package as Adrian Peterson does. Speed, Power, Elusive, Smart, Strength, he's got it all and his 64 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter showcased it all. We are witnessing something special in Adrian Peterson, to put it in PGA or NBA terms, think Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Peterson will take the pressure off the now aging Favre and has a great chance of achieving his personal goal of 2,000 yards this season.
Let's not get too carried away
It was a good win, a road win, but it was the Browns. No disrespect to the Browns organization, but they are expected to be one of the bottom teams in the NFL this season. Aside from that, this segment is for those that think Favre is no better than Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. Favre has been with the team for about a month now and this is the first full game he's played with these players. Give him a few games to get into a rythm with his new receivers and I think you'll be changing your tune. One thing's for sure, he's already on page with Percy Harvin, a rookie that I think will be putting up big numbers as the year goes on.
Special Teams still not so Special
The Vikings gave up seven touchdowns on Special Teams last year, an area they clearly wanted to improve on this year. Well, first game into the season and they've given one up already. Forget worrying about Favre's arm or Childress' not-so-kick-ass offense, this glaring bruise of a unit needs to rectified immediately. It's these kinds of plays that can either take you out of a game or allow a team like the Browns to breathe some new life and gain confidence.
Garbage TD
This is not something I'm proud to complain about, but come on! Why do the Vikings have to be the team that gives up the Browns' first offensive touchdown since last November? I know it was during "garbage" time, but it's still a touchdown in the books. What's next, the Vikings provide the Lions their first win in a couple of years? God I hope not, and I highly doubt it.
Well that's all I've got for tonight, like the Vikings, I'm still in early season form and hope to make that game one to game two improvement. Next week the Vikings are in Detroit, can't sleep on them, and surely can't lose to them, right!!??
SKOL VIKINGS!
Vikings 34
Browns 20
What a weekend of football for the State of Hockey - Minnesota. Before I get going with the Purple, I have to express my joy for the return of outdoor football to the University of Minnesota. It's been 28 long years that the Golden Gophers have been stuck playing inside the Metrodome, which is located a few miles away from the campus - directly in downtown Minneapolis. The Gophers won their home opener against Air Force in the new, beautiful TCF Bank Stadium and it was wonderful to see a true collegiate atmosphere on campus again. Enough about the Gophers, let's talk some Purple now.
Gunslinger to Game Manager
Brett Favre has always been known for his gunslinger mentality, something this Vikings team actually does not need, and something Favre showed in week one that he can steer away from. Many questioned whether Favre's ego would allow him to become just a game manager and after week one, it's clear that he understands his role. One play in particular showcased this where Favre just sucked it up and took a sack - a scenario where he would normally try forcing a play. Because Adrian Peterson had the day he did, Favre was not expected to do much but he still seemed more in control of this team than Tarvaris Jackson ever did.
All Day Destined to be All-Time Greatest
I grew up watching a couple of the greatest running backs ever, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. I'm more than aware of Jim Brown's illustrious career. With that said, I've never watched a running back possess an entire package as Adrian Peterson does. Speed, Power, Elusive, Smart, Strength, he's got it all and his 64 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter showcased it all. We are witnessing something special in Adrian Peterson, to put it in PGA or NBA terms, think Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Peterson will take the pressure off the now aging Favre and has a great chance of achieving his personal goal of 2,000 yards this season.
Let's not get too carried away
It was a good win, a road win, but it was the Browns. No disrespect to the Browns organization, but they are expected to be one of the bottom teams in the NFL this season. Aside from that, this segment is for those that think Favre is no better than Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. Favre has been with the team for about a month now and this is the first full game he's played with these players. Give him a few games to get into a rythm with his new receivers and I think you'll be changing your tune. One thing's for sure, he's already on page with Percy Harvin, a rookie that I think will be putting up big numbers as the year goes on.
Special Teams still not so Special
The Vikings gave up seven touchdowns on Special Teams last year, an area they clearly wanted to improve on this year. Well, first game into the season and they've given one up already. Forget worrying about Favre's arm or Childress' not-so-kick-ass offense, this glaring bruise of a unit needs to rectified immediately. It's these kinds of plays that can either take you out of a game or allow a team like the Browns to breathe some new life and gain confidence.
Garbage TD
This is not something I'm proud to complain about, but come on! Why do the Vikings have to be the team that gives up the Browns' first offensive touchdown since last November? I know it was during "garbage" time, but it's still a touchdown in the books. What's next, the Vikings provide the Lions their first win in a couple of years? God I hope not, and I highly doubt it.
Well that's all I've got for tonight, like the Vikings, I'm still in early season form and hope to make that game one to game two improvement. Next week the Vikings are in Detroit, can't sleep on them, and surely can't lose to them, right!!??
SKOL VIKINGS!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Williams Wall Stands Tall, All Season Long
A day after the Wade release negativity, the Vikings got some of the best news of the season. The Williams Wall have won their case and will be playing the entire season. The Bears and Packers offensive line and backs did a collective shudder today.Not the case in the Big Easy however, due to state regulations that differ from Minnesota, the four game suspensions will be handed out this year.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Bobby Wade Released, Greg Lewis Added
The Vikings released WR Bobby Wade today, just a week or so after he offered to restructure his contract for this season, cutting his salary from 3M to 1.5. After the release they added WR Greg Lewis......yep, you guessed it, another former Eagle (and Pat of late).
I don't understand this move at all. Wade was a class act on and off the field. He was a solid leader on offense and led the team in receptions the past two years. I realize that Harvin is going to be the slot guy, but surely there was room for Wade (as they picked up Lewis), a guy Harvin could learn from and perhaps look up to.
The Vikings have made some awesome moves the past two years, but this one is asinine.
I don't understand this move at all. Wade was a class act on and off the field. He was a solid leader on offense and led the team in receptions the past two years. I realize that Harvin is going to be the slot guy, but surely there was room for Wade (as they picked up Lewis), a guy Harvin could learn from and perhaps look up to.
The Vikings have made some awesome moves the past two years, but this one is asinine.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Back from Europe, Kick Off Sunday coming soon!
So I spent two weeks in the Netherlands for work, and I'm glad to be home. Don't get my wrong, the country was nice, but it's football season here!
The 1st official Purple Pride Ponderings will be up sometime after the game on Sunday. Here's hoping its got a positive vibe to it. For now, here's a couple of quick hits:
- Looks like the Quinn will be the starter for the Browns. Oh they are so sneaky - it's the Browns, don't care who's at QB.
- The Williams Wall will be playing this Sunday for sure.
- Adrian Peterson is The Sporting News' third ranked player in the NFL. Seven Vikings made the top 100.
-Former Viking QB Daunte Culpepper shows some refreshing class upon being dubbed the backup in Detroilet.
- I did not win the Star Tribune's Fan Blogger for this season. Oh well, their loss, I still have this - and no one reads it!!! Sigh.....
- Brett Favre is a Viking.......lol, just kidding.
Check back and I'll post anything of interest leading up to the game, and perhaps a game preview if I'm up to it.
The 1st official Purple Pride Ponderings will be up sometime after the game on Sunday. Here's hoping its got a positive vibe to it. For now, here's a couple of quick hits:
- Looks like the Quinn will be the starter for the Browns. Oh they are so sneaky - it's the Browns, don't care who's at QB.
- The Williams Wall will be playing this Sunday for sure.
- Adrian Peterson is The Sporting News' third ranked player in the NFL. Seven Vikings made the top 100.
-Former Viking QB Daunte Culpepper shows some refreshing class upon being dubbed the backup in Detroilet.
- I did not win the Star Tribune's Fan Blogger for this season. Oh well, their loss, I still have this - and no one reads it!!! Sigh.....
- Brett Favre is a Viking.......lol, just kidding.
Check back and I'll post anything of interest leading up to the game, and perhaps a game preview if I'm up to it.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Favre is a Viking, get on board or get over it!
The circus, the inevitable circus, is officially in town. I got a chance to see first hand what the scene was like at Winter Park on my way home from work today. Living in Shakopee, I go right by there off 494 and what I saw was a media frenzy. Keep in mind that none of the National media was able to make it here yet as this entire thing got dropped on everyone just before lunch time. Fear not though, the National media circus will indeed be here and more than likely set camp between Bloomington and Eden Prairie. I guess Jay Glazer is getting a nice laugh today. I even blasted his "opinionated" article from yesterday while discussing the matter with some buddies of mine.Now that I've had an evening to soak this all in, I'm starting to change my tune on some initial thoughts about this wacky marriage. While watching the press conference, I noticed a few things. Zigy Wilf looked like a rich guy that just bought a new sports car and can't wait to drive it. In a sense, that's exactly what happened here. Instead of thinking about this as a desperation move, I'm now looking at this as a "why the hell not" move. What do the Vikings truly have to lose? SI's Peter Kings claims that this is a huge mistake for both parties. Again, why?
The Vikings are a better team with Brett Favre. Nobody was too excited about Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson leading this team. Excitement is what Favre has brought to the Twin Cities, a metropolitan area that deserves some limelight after watching the Twins collapse, Timberwolves rebuild, and Wild try to re-establish themselves. The PGA Championship at Hazeltine set the stage, but Favre to the Vikings, that's one for the ages and it's got the interest of this entire country. Within a few hours of WCCO's Mark Rosen breaking this story wide open this morning, more than 2,000 season ticket holders jumped back in the ship for the 2009 season and 6,000+ single season tickets were sold.
There's a lot of talk about what this will do to the persona's of Sage and TJack. They are grown men making a ton of money, they can and will, deal with it. Sage has been a career backup and there's a reason for it. TJack is erratic and has more stability issues than your typical reality tv marriage. If Favre is unable to get the job done for whatever reason, one of these two will need to step up and prove themselves. They must continue to practice hard, perfect their craft, and perhaps learn a bit watching a future Hall of Famer.
Like it or not, this team is now poised for a legit Super Bowl run with Favre at the helm. This is one of the most complete teams in the NFC and Favre is not coming in expecting to be the gunslinger of old and I truly believe he understands that after hearing him talk at the press conference today. Adrian Peterson's quest for 2,000 yards just became a serious possibility. Favre still has enough zip and QB savy to make teams pay should they continue to stack the box to stop the dynamic runner. Berrian and Rice are legitimate play making wideouts, Shaincoe has blossomed into the best pass catching tight end the Vikings have had since Steve Jordan, and Percy Harvin will keep defenisve coordinators up all night trying to figure out how to plan for him.
Say what you will about the team's credibility and Favre's for that matter. To me it's simple. There's nothing to lose, it's a once in a lifetime chance for both, why not give it a shot. As Favre said, he's not worried about tarnishing his leagacy, he knows what he's accomplished. When this thing plays out, good or bad, Brett Favre will still go down as one of the greatest Quarterbacks to play the game. A QB that terrorized the Vikings for years. If there's a chance he could help lead the Vikings to their first Super Bowl victory, I'm jumping on the ship and am going to enjoy the ride.
Skol Vikings!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Divisional Team Fantasy Rankings Part 2
Slacking on Vikings camp news I know, but I've been working on my four part piece with fantasysharks and entered the Star Tribune's Vikings blogger contest. I'll catch up what's been going on at camp tomorrow so for now, take a look at my latest article up on on fantasysharks.com: Divisional Team Fantasy Rankings Part 2.
SKOL Vikings!
SKOL Vikings!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Camp Day 3 Recap
No TJack as camp resumed today, but there was a light of positivity shining over Mankato as Percy Harvin signed a five year deal and showed up to camp for the second practice of the day. Let's move right on to the nuggets of the day.
- Percy Havin electrified the crowd in Mankato today emassing cheers for everything thown his way. His following so far is on a Adrian Peterson level. He looks pumped and ready to go and I'm sure he's loving the fanfare thus far.
- Brad Childress mentioned that Tarvaris Jackson may be ready to take the field tomorrow. I find that rather hard to believe since he was seen with a knee brace on today.
- Harvin was hardly sitting on his duff while waiting for his agent to get the deal sealed. He was working out with Tim Tebow the past few days and caught a very early am flight from Florida to Minnesota to ensure he made the 1pm meetings and 3pm practice.
- A Ben Leber and Benny Sapp collision today has Childress losing even more hair. It's camp, it's football, it's going to happen.
- Coach Frazier and the defensive players feel they've got what it takes to be a number one defense this year. I happen to agree with that. Getting EJ Henderson back alone makes this already very good defense even better. All four Pro Bowlers from last year have returned and should still be able to attain a Pro Bowl level of play.
That's it for tonight, it's late and I have to get up for work after having a week off. I plan on submitting for the Strib Vikings Blogger contest and hope to win it.
- Percy Havin electrified the crowd in Mankato today emassing cheers for everything thown his way. His following so far is on a Adrian Peterson level. He looks pumped and ready to go and I'm sure he's loving the fanfare thus far.
- Brad Childress mentioned that Tarvaris Jackson may be ready to take the field tomorrow. I find that rather hard to believe since he was seen with a knee brace on today.
- Harvin was hardly sitting on his duff while waiting for his agent to get the deal sealed. He was working out with Tim Tebow the past few days and caught a very early am flight from Florida to Minnesota to ensure he made the 1pm meetings and 3pm practice.
- A Ben Leber and Benny Sapp collision today has Childress losing even more hair. It's camp, it's football, it's going to happen.
- Coach Frazier and the defensive players feel they've got what it takes to be a number one defense this year. I happen to agree with that. Getting EJ Henderson back alone makes this already very good defense even better. All four Pro Bowlers from last year have returned and should still be able to attain a Pro Bowl level of play.
That's it for tonight, it's late and I have to get up for work after having a week off. I plan on submitting for the Strib Vikings Blogger contest and hope to win it.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Camp Day 2 Recap
After a rather unseasonably chilly start this morning, camp resumed and the morning session appeared to take a turn for the worst, or so Bernard Berrian would have us believe. About that chilly start, I find it funny how the "journalists" covering the Vikings made such a big deal about it. I highly doubt the players complained one bit. Upper 50's to low 60's at 7am is perfect for football and sure as hell beats the usual 90+ degree days with max humidity we normally have around here during training camp. Those pansy little thumb pressing, pencil toting musers of the gridiron need to man up a little. Now on to Day two's quick hits.
- It appears that Tarvaris Jackson is more fragile than former Atlanta Falcons QB Chris Chandler (aka: Crystal Chandelier). Bernard Berrian had more fun with his Twitter account by posting that Jackson was out for the season. Much like his Percy Harvin sighting tweet, he posted again later that he was just kidding. I don't think I'll ever believe another thing I see through Berrian's Twitter page.
- Before Jackson went down, Sage was booed while running drills with the 1st team offense. Not only that, a large gathering of fans started chanting Jackson. Sage has a loooooong way to go learning this offense.
- Our local journalists just can't get enough of the Favre Man Love.....tsk tsk Souhan!
- Those of you in PPR Fantasy Leagues, listen up. A big focus for Adrian Peterson this camp is working on becoming a better receiver out of the backfield. He's working solo with running back coach Eric Bieniemy on this very issue.
- Here's a nice piece on Randall McDaniel, who will be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame next Saturday. A great football player, but an even better person. Plus, he still resides in beautiful Excelsior Minnesota.
That's it for tonight, not much going on the first couple days besides the fragility of TJack.
- It appears that Tarvaris Jackson is more fragile than former Atlanta Falcons QB Chris Chandler (aka: Crystal Chandelier). Bernard Berrian had more fun with his Twitter account by posting that Jackson was out for the season. Much like his Percy Harvin sighting tweet, he posted again later that he was just kidding. I don't think I'll ever believe another thing I see through Berrian's Twitter page.
- Before Jackson went down, Sage was booed while running drills with the 1st team offense. Not only that, a large gathering of fans started chanting Jackson. Sage has a loooooong way to go learning this offense.
- Our local journalists just can't get enough of the Favre Man Love.....tsk tsk Souhan!
- Those of you in PPR Fantasy Leagues, listen up. A big focus for Adrian Peterson this camp is working on becoming a better receiver out of the backfield. He's working solo with running back coach Eric Bieniemy on this very issue.
- Here's a nice piece on Randall McDaniel, who will be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame next Saturday. A great football player, but an even better person. Plus, he still resides in beautiful Excelsior Minnesota.
That's it for tonight, not much going on the first couple days besides the fragility of TJack.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Camp Day 1 Recap
No, I'm not in Mankato, yet anyway. What I like to do is gather up all the information I've read, seen, and heard and do a quick little recap, sometimes with my take on it. So let's look at a list after day one.
- Percy Harvin a no show: While many will drive the Favre story into the ground, I happen to think one of the bigger stories is Harvin not in camp right now. It's not time to hit the panic button, but he needs a deal signed and soon. A couple of days is not that big of a deal, but if reaches a week or longer, Harvin will miss more than a rookie of his stature should.
- I think the media needs to drop the Favre questions with the other players and drop them now. The media whore has gotten more than enough air time and guys like Sage Rosenfels are sick of the talk and ready to focus on the season ahead.
- No worries about Adrian Peterson's quest to gain weight in the off season. He looks the same as last year and has by no means, lost a step.
- The Wilf's are in Mankato and made two things very clear. One, the Favre pursuit is over, even if he changed his mind, he won't be a Viking. Two, there's no plans to extend Childress' contract at this time - that's a good thing to me, he's got a ton to prove this year.
- Pat Williams: Always a Viking.
- Bobby Wade: Ready to move on after Urlacher comment, but still provided spice to an otherwise dull day.
- Here's a break down on how the Vikings QB situation is a 50-50 afair. Personally, I think Jackson has the upper hand because he knows the system. It can take a QB up to three years to learn an entirely new system, which is what Sage is going through, and so far it shows.
- Listening to KFAN this afternoon while Henry Lake was filling in for the common man and Lake was talking about how athletic Sidney Rice is. He stated that Larry Fitzgerald commented on how athletic he is. Fitz claimed that he played some ball with Rice over the offseason and that Rice was by far a lot more athletic than himself. I've always thought that if Rice could just stay healthy, he could make a huge impact in the NFL. Here's hoping that happens this year.
That's all I've got for tonight, check back tomorrow night for my day two recap.
- Percy Harvin a no show: While many will drive the Favre story into the ground, I happen to think one of the bigger stories is Harvin not in camp right now. It's not time to hit the panic button, but he needs a deal signed and soon. A couple of days is not that big of a deal, but if reaches a week or longer, Harvin will miss more than a rookie of his stature should.
- I think the media needs to drop the Favre questions with the other players and drop them now. The media whore has gotten more than enough air time and guys like Sage Rosenfels are sick of the talk and ready to focus on the season ahead.
- No worries about Adrian Peterson's quest to gain weight in the off season. He looks the same as last year and has by no means, lost a step.
- The Wilf's are in Mankato and made two things very clear. One, the Favre pursuit is over, even if he changed his mind, he won't be a Viking. Two, there's no plans to extend Childress' contract at this time - that's a good thing to me, he's got a ton to prove this year.
- Pat Williams: Always a Viking.
- Bobby Wade: Ready to move on after Urlacher comment, but still provided spice to an otherwise dull day.
- Here's a break down on how the Vikings QB situation is a 50-50 afair. Personally, I think Jackson has the upper hand because he knows the system. It can take a QB up to three years to learn an entirely new system, which is what Sage is going through, and so far it shows.
- Listening to KFAN this afternoon while Henry Lake was filling in for the common man and Lake was talking about how athletic Sidney Rice is. He stated that Larry Fitzgerald commented on how athletic he is. Fitz claimed that he played some ball with Rice over the offseason and that Rice was by far a lot more athletic than himself. I've always thought that if Rice could just stay healthy, he could make a huge impact in the NFL. Here's hoping that happens this year.
That's all I've got for tonight, check back tomorrow night for my day two recap.
Training Camp 2009, now in Session
It's official, the 2009 Minnesota Vikings Training camp has started and I'm back for another full season of coverage. Now that the Favre kerfuffle is over, we can move forward and see who's going to win the QB battle for the Purple. Hopefully I never have to mention Favre again, he can move on, the Vikings and fans can move on, and the Packers and their fans can move on. I hope to make the trip down to Mankato in the next week or two and provide some true insight, but as always, I'll provide my own colorful take and what's going during camp and the preseason.
Check back soon, I'll banter about the first full day late tonight.
Check back soon, I'll banter about the first full day late tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)