Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Purple Pride Ponderings 12/15/2009

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!

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!

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!