tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195285282024-03-14T07:37:35.948-05:00Purple Pride PonderingsA Stomping Ground for Venomlace's Purple Pride Ponderings Article and other sports related topics. I'll also put on my geek hat and hit some gaming, movie, and comic related topics.venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-12541071952179548842013-09-10T14:28:00.002-05:002013-09-10T23:51:49.903-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/10/2013<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Purple Pride
Ponderings</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>Week1 2013<br />
</i>Vikings 24<br />
At<br />
Lions 34<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Better late than never is a truthful statement and I’m
sticking to it (this week anyway). Staying along that golden path of honesty I
can say that starting off the season with a loss makes it tough to write one of
these. It's time for me to step back off that ledge, take a breath, and realize
that the season has just begun. So let's get to it and welcome back to Vikings
Football everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Hot out of the gates,
busted down the stretch</span></b><br />
Adrian Peterson's first touch of the 2013 season went for 78 yards and a
touchdown. I can't speak for everyone else, but I was already envisioning one
of those special games for number 28 and the Purple. Hell, I was already
looking towards how special the entire season could be. My phone started
vibrating like crazy as I was getting text messages from all my friends and
even my sister. Caught up in all the hype, I started replying back that 2500
yards is clearly in sight and the Lions are still, well the Lions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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17 carries for 15 yards later the hype was gone. The Lions
Defensive line completely owned the Vikings O-line, penetrating it time after
time taking Peterson down before he even had a chance. While Peterson Fantasy
owners grinned with pride over his three touchdowns, those of us in Viking
Country felt betrayed after the opening drive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Lost without Winfield</span></b><br />
Let's face it; this game was more of a blowout than the score indicates. The
Lions made plenty of mistakes on offense and Megatron had two TD's taken away
that 99 times out of a 100 he makes. Reggie Bush feasted on this horrendous
defense and I have to think that if Winfield were on the field, he would have
found ways to contain him more. Winfield not only made the Vikings secondary
better, he was a major force when it came to stopping the run and sniffing out
screen plays. There are no personnel changes for this team to make on the
current roster that could possibly fill that void. The Vikings need to bite the
bullet and beg Winfield to come back for one more season. Just his leadership
and lockeroom presence alone will resonate throughout the rest of this defense.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Ponder This</span></b><br />
One has to Ponder that it might be time for Spielman and Frazier to be
realistic about what they currently have in Ponder at quarterback. I'm not here
to call for Ponder's head and claim that Cassel should be the week two starter,
but it is time to consider how long the leash is. Ponder is in his third year
with the Vikings now and has failed to show a significant improvement over that
time. His poor decision making while under pressure leads to far too many
turnovers. He's got skilled players at every offensive position now so he needs
to step it up and prove that he belongs as a starter on this team - or any NFL
team for that matter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Deep down I do want Ponder to be the guy. I'm sick and tired
of all the retread quarterbacks the Vikings seem to constantly go through. A
few more weeks of this kind of play and Cassel will be starting for sure, once
again solidifying the rotating door of has been’s trying to lead us to the
Playoffs. It's pretty sad when you have to go back to Culpepper as the last
drafted Viking QB to have some kind of stability at the position. Before him
you have to go back to drunken Tommy, I mean Tommy Kramer. We really do need
Ponder to figure this out and be the guy for the next several years. This team
can't afford to keep starting over, especially with Peterson's clock ticking
away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Final Thoughts</span></b><br />
Take a breath, look at the schedule and realize it's only early September (I am
totally looking in the mirror on this one). There's plenty of time to fix some
of this on offense. The Offensive Line needs to step it up to give Ponder and
Peterson more time. Musgrave needs to drop the vanilla offense and let Ponder
sink or swim. Get Patterson involved more; he's a first round pick for crying
out loud! We have the reigning MVP, the time is now to make something happen
and it all comes down to this coaching staff taking the needed chances to see
what we've got. It's always hard to win at Soldier Field so this is a perfect
opportunity for Ponder and Frazier to shut people like me up and show us
something.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I normally add a Quick Hits from around the League section
here but since I'm already a couple of days late on this one, I'll attempt to
start that back up next week.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PS, as you can see, I need a new graphic for this Blog
should anyone want to create and donate one. I’ll make sure to give you props
for it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Till next week,<br />
SKOL Vikings!<o:p></o:p></div>
venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-80485782965357534932011-09-19T11:45:00.004-05:002011-09-19T12:02:14.795-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/19/2011<div style="color: yellow;">
<b>Purple Pride Ponderings 9/19/2011</b></div>
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Minnesota Vikings<br />
Vikings - 20<br />
Buccaneers - 24<br />
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Finish what you started. Something we learn at a very young age, something the 2011 Vikings need to learn now. The Vikings could easily be 2-0 right now, tied with the Packers and Lions for the Division lead, if they could only figure out how to finish. One play here, one play there. One decision here, one decision there. That makes all the difference in the league and I hope Frazier finds a way to change the fortunes of this team when it comes to the second half.<br />
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<b>A Tail of Two Halves</b></div>
Yes, I do know the difference between Tail and Tale. In the first two games of the season, the Vikings have come out of the locker room with their proverbial tails tucked between their legs. They played an almost flawless first half of football against the Bucs. I'm not going to discredit the coaching staff of the Buccaneers and ignore the amazing adjustments they made during halftime, but the Vikings did everything possible to lose this game in the second half. No defense in the NFL can sustain the type of great play the Vikings D had in the 1st half when the offense is barely on the field in the 2nd half.<br />
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<b>Take a Timeout!</b></div>
Was I the only one that noticed the Buccaneers methodically taking their time once they got inside the 10 during the game winning drive? After giving up a critical first down when it was 3rd down and 4 to go, the Vikings had a chance to stop the clock with a timeout. There was 1:12 on the clock at this point and the Vikings had all three timeouts. The Bucs just marched down the field once again and the defense was gassed. Stop the clock! Take a timeout, regroup, and hope for a stop. If not, at least you leave yourself with more time on the clock to attempt a game winning drive. Instead, the clock continued to tick at this point and the Bucs knew what they were doing, taking their time before running the next play. Result of said play, a touchdown with only 31 seconds left. Frazier simply got out coached by the youngest coach in the league.<br />
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<b>Stud and Goat of the Week</b></div>
<i>Stud: Adrian Peterson</i> - Showing he's worth every cent of his new deal (unlike another star RB in Tennessee), Peterson's 120 yard, 2 TD effort unfortunately goes to waste in this game.<br />
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<i>Goat: Vikings Coaching Staff </i>- Perfect game plan in the first half, completely out coached in the second half. This staff needs to find a way to keep the offense on the field in the second half of games.<br />
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<b>What's on Tap</b></div>
The once laughable Motor City kitties are now looking like a team that's ready to shock the football world. Since getting rid of Matt Millen, the Lions have been capitalizing on their usual draft position. Their front four is looking set to send shudders throughout the NFC North for years to come and a healthy Stafford appears to be the real deal. Going back to the 2010 season, the Lions have now rattled off six straight wins. Yes my friends, "the roar has been restored" is a saying the Lions fans can actually say with conviction instead of sarcasm.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
The Vikings can't start this season 0-3, going 0-2 at home. They have a daunting task ahead of them with the new look Lions coming in but they need to dig down deep and win this game. With the Metrodome lease coming to an end and the constant fight for a new Stadium, this team has to win on the field. The Wilf's are doing what it takes by keeping fan favorite players like Peterson and Greenway, but that won't be enough should this team continue its losing ways.<b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Quick Hits from Around the League</b></div>
- Fitzpatrick tosses three more TD's while leading the Bills to their second straight victory in comeback fashion.<br />
- The Chiefs second straight blowout loss came with a hefty price as they lost All-Pro RB Jamaal Charles for the season.<br />
- The Saints "Brees" to an easy victory over Da Bears in their home opener.<br />
- Peyton scores two TD's in the Browns/Colts game. Sorry Colts fans, that would be Peyton Hillis who led the Browns to their first victory.<br />
- The Champs keep their cool after being down early against the Panthers and pull off the victory. Cam Newton throws for over 400 yards again!<br />
- Pittsburgh bounces back after last weeks embarrassing loss to the Ravens, shutting out the Seahawks who look to be embarrassing all season long.<br />
- Titans get an impressive win over the Ravens with yet another mediocre day by CJ.<br />
- The Redskins narrowly beat the Cards in the final minutes. Grossman 2-0, McNabb 0-2, ouch.<br />
- The Jets made it look easy against the Jags. Perhaps Jacksonville jumped the gun a bit letting Garrard go?<br />
- Romo redeems himself leading the Boys to a hard fought OT win in Frisco.<br />
- Former Gopher Eric Decker had a big game for the Broncos as they squeak out a win against the Bengals.<br />
- Brady cools down this week throwing for only 423 yards as the Pats win yet another home opener in Foxboro.<br />
- Miami drops to 0-2 as the Texans win again while only getting only a little from Foster.<br />
- Vick's return to Georgia didn't go as planned as the so called "Dream Team" loses already in week two. <br />
<b><br /><span style="color: yellow;">Who I like on Monday Night</span></b><br />
As banged up as the Giants are on defense, I think they are more healthy where it counts compared to the Rams. I'll take the Giants.<br />
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Till Next Week,<br />
SKOL Vikings!<br />
<br />venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-7637902016165018982011-09-11T22:01:00.000-05:002011-09-12T08:38:14.853-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/11/201110 Years since the fall of the Twin Towers in New York. A day Americans will never forget and today is a day we spent remembering those that lost their lives on that fateful day. I don't care what your views are on how or why it happened. Today is not for those of you that wish to express your ideas of conspiracies just as much as it's not for those that wish to oppose such ideology, Today was reserved for remembrance - to remember the innocent lives lost that just when about their day as well as the heroic members of the FDNY and First Responders that we lost while doing anything possible to save as many lives as possible. I'm proud to be an American after watching the events at ground zero this morning and viewing the emotional start to every NFL game today.<br />
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<b>Purple Pride Ponderings 9/11/2011</b><br />
Minnesota Vikings @ San Diego Chargers<br />
Vikings - 17<br />
Chargers - 24<br />
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As you may notice, it has been since last October that I wrote one of these. There's no excuse for it and I admit that last season's Vikings futility led to my lack of production around here. As the Vikings look to right the ship in 2011 and beyond, I as well vow to suck it up and write about the Purple through the good and the bad. Now on to week one, which unfortunately already tests my resolve to write through the bad.<br />
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<b>Predictably Conservative</b><br />
187 yards of total offense. That's a disgusting number. Percy Harvin's opening kickoff alone went for more than 100 yards (103 to be exact). Take that explosive play out of the mix and the Vikings offense scored a meager 10 points of total offense, with none of that coming in the second half. There was a lot of talk about how the Chargers took Adrian Peterson out of the game, but I beg to differ. He averaged 6.2 yards on only 16 carries. I've said this before and I'll say it again, there is no excuse for Peterson to have less than 25 carries in a given game, period. I know McNabb is still learning his way into this offense, but 7 for 15 for 39 yards!!?? He completed passes to three total targets and not a single one of those was to a tight end. What happened to new Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave's plan to utilize a strong running game along with a solid double tight end set? I know Frazier brings that old-school mentality when it comes to his game plan - establish a good running game and solid defense; but that's not how today's NFL is molded (see Green Bay). Run on first down, run on second down, third and long = one long season.<br />
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<b>Defense works Overtime </b><br />
This game is one that's incredibly hard to judge exactly how the defense played thanks to the anemic offense. Going into the half it was 17-7 Vikings with the only Chargers score coming off a tipped ball interception by McNabb inside the 10. The Defense gave up large amounts of yards and 17 unanswered points in the second half mainly because they were on the field far too much. A few procedural calls also cost the Vikings. Frazier kept his cool on the sidelines during those calls, but I have a feeling the locker room carried a completely different vibe. I'm not trying to make excuses for the defense, but in the 4th quarter alone, the Vikings offense had the ball for a total of six plays.<br />
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We had some individual highs and lows from the defense in this game. Jarred Allen's interception was a thing of beauty and appeared to confuse the hell out of Rivers. Allen dropped back into coverage several times this game with great results. On the low side, EJ Henderson and Chad Greenway both bit on Rivers' fake attempt to run . One of them should have stayed put and covered Tolbert.<br />
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<b>Tough Sailing in the Norris</b><br />
After one week, the Vikings already find themselves in last place. The Packers, Bears, and Lions all won today proving just how tough this division is going to be all season long. I had the Bears losing and picked the Lions as an upset pick, but I honestly didn't expect either to look as sharp as they did. Along with the Packers looking like they are in mid-season form, I foresee rough currents for our beloved Purple.<br />
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<b>Stud and Goat of the Week</b><br />
<i>Stud: Mike Tolbert </i>- This rumbling, bumbling mass torched the Vikes for all three of San Diego's touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, he may be out for a while now.<br />
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<i>Stud Honorable Mention:</i> Mike Scifres - I don't normally do this, but how can you over look the job by Punter Mike Scifres? When Nate Kaeding left the game after the opening kickoff, I thought for sure the Vikings would be able to capitalize. Instead, Scifres comes in and nails a 40 yard field goal and goes 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. I'm not sure if Chris "Warcraft" Kluwe could muster that given the same situation.<br />
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<i>Goat: Leslie Frazier</i> - I'm a huge fan of making Frazier the Head Coach but his offensive game plan strategies need a complete over haul after week one.<br />
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<b>What's on Tap</b><br />
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to Mall of America Field after suffering a home opener loss to the Lions. This team was 10-6 last year and is still one of the youngest teams in the league. They have a lot of raw talent that might pose several different matchup issues for the Vikings on both sides of the ball. Hopefully the Vikings can survive one final game without Kevin Williams and squeak out a close victory at home.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b><br />
Congrats to Chad Greenway and Adrian Peterson on their new contracts. They are two players on both sides of the ball that this team could not afford to lose. I had no worries about Peterson getting a deal done and was pleasantly surprised to see Greenway possibly stay a Viking for life. The Wilfs have constantly shown that they will do what it takes monetarily to keep the Vikings competitive and it should help in their quest for a new stadium - or so one would think.<b></b><br />
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<b>Quick Hits from around the League</b><br />
- The Rams lost more than a game to the Eagles, they lost half their offense.<br />
- Never saw the Bills destruction of the Chiefs in Arrow Head coming. Most of the fans cleared out early to make sure they didn't see all of it.<br />
- In the battle of number one seeds from last year, the Bears took out the Falcons with ease.<br />
- The Lions carry on their Preseason momentum with a big opening day win on the road against the Bucs.<br />
- The Jags dump their starting QB after preseason and win. Perhaps CJ would have been more effective with a preseason under his belt while his agent dealt with the number$$.<br />
- Bengals win the Battle of Ohio, didn't see that one coming.<br />
- In a game that normally totals less than 15 points, the Ravens made a clear statement by punching the Steelers in the mouth.<br />
- The Texans humiliated the Manning-less Colts. Get used it to Colts fans.<br />
- Skins beat the Giants and look better with Grossman than they did with McNabb? Take a deep breath Vikings fans, it's week one.<br />
- The Cards survived Cam's phenomenal debut - 422 yards for the rook!<br />
- 49ers nearly double up TJack and the Seahawks. Wonder how long Pete Carroll will continue to think the Vikings didn't give Jackson a fair chance?<br />
- Rodgers and Brees put on a opening night show last Thursday. Too bad it was decided on the final play at the hands of a rookie.<br />
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<b>Who I like on Monday Night </b><br />
In the opening Monday Night double header I like the Pats easily over the Fins and Broncos barely over the Raiders.<br />
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<b> </b>Till Next Week,<br />
SKOL Vikings!<b><br /></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<br />venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-491810548847828722010-10-14T14:45:00.001-05:002010-10-14T14:45:36.427-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 10/14/2010<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Pride Ponderings 10/14/2010</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Minnesota Vikings @ New York Jets</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Vikings - 20</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jets - 29</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">At a time when Minnesota sports fans needed a boost, the prodigal son, Randy Moss came back home. The Yankees finished off the (mostly) yearly post season drubbing of the Twins, the Wild lost their first two games, and the Wolves....well, they continue to be the Wolves.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">So here comes #84 to save the day and hopefully, save the season. One would think that leading up to a big game against the Jets, the buzz would be centered around the return of the Super Freak in a purple jersey. But no, instead, Brett Favre finds a way to steal that thunder (notice how the game was delayed) and Moss' triumphant return is nothing more than a sidebar all week.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">You can read my take on the Favre kerfuffle below in Final Thoughts, for now, let's go over the Jets game shall we.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Two Face</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">We've all heard the saying that it's a 60 minute game, not 30. Many coaches will spout that off as they head into the locker room at halftime after a horrendous first half. Sometimes you hear it during the post game press conference from a coach whose team just lost after having a substantial lead in the first half.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Much like the character Two Face from the Batman comics and movies, the Vikings offense was ugly and unbearable in one half, yet showed it's potential, grace, and power in the second half. Unfortunately the second half wasn't without imperfections. When you dig yourself into a hole in the first half, odds are you need to play mistake free football in the second half. While the final interception sealed the fate of this game, it was the over throw to Havin that sticks out the most. Favre claims that's a throw he normally makes in his sleep. Well Mr. Favre, sometimes you have to admit that all is not right (mentally and physically at this point) and allow your team the chance to win by pulling yourself out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Missing Chester</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There was no question that Chester Taylor would be missed. He was the perfect third down back for this team and always seemed to get the big first downs. What's missed most though was his ability to pickup the Blitz. The Vikings running backs are struggling to do this, and with Favre's mobility issues, it's a recipe for disaster. I thought Gerhart or Tahi would be able to step in, but neither are capable of getting the job done. The Gerhart pick seemed like a good idea at the time and a possible Chester Taylor replacement. Through four games though, I'm not sure if this kid can do anything good in the NFL. He looks slow, clumsy, and lost out there. Someone needs to step in and rectify this, Peterson is good, but he's not getting paid to be a blocking back.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Honorable Effort</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It's hard to praise anything after a loss, but with the field position the offense consistently left the defense with, it was amazing the Vikings even had a chance to win this game late. With the offense sputtering, the defense stood to the task in the first half and kept the Jets out of the endzone. Let's not sugar coat this too much though as the Jets receivers had some early issues catching perfectly placed balls by Sanchez.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In the end, the defense has looked good enough to sustain wins should the offense find any kind of rhythm. My main concern right now is, where's the mighty pass rush? Even more glaring, where's Jarred Allen? He makes far too much money to be shut down by every team other than the Packers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stud: Percy Harvin</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> - Sure he's going to benefit from Moss (Welker owners, watch your stock plummet now), but the kid can just flat out play. The play of the game was the catch in the back of the end zone. He's strong enough to avoid a push out and keep his feet inbounds while making a great catch.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Goat: Favre/Childress -</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Favre for putting this team in this predicament, Childress for enabling it. Scandal aside, Favre is not healthy enough to play, period.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What's on Tap</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Fox's big game of the week right? The 1-3 Cowboys come into Mall of America Field ready to avenge their 2009 Playoff loss to the 1-3 Vikings. Not exactly what the network had planned, nor could any of us guessed would be the case before the season started. The Cowboys are still ticked about the Vikings running up the score in the playoffs (though they did their share of trash talk before the game to warrant it), but that has to be last on their minds as they look to avoid going 1-4. As for the Vikings, it's the Welcome home party everyone's been waiting for, the return of Randy Moss, in the Dome! That alone will energize the crowd and create a circus atmosphere, something that does not bode well for the Cowboys. There's a lot of if's in this game, mostly related to the Vikings signal caller, but I like the Vikings to make a turn to the positive in this game. Vikings win, and I see visions of Moss jumping into the crowd on two occasions during his homecoming.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Final Thoughts</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Oh Favre, you tease us with your greatness only to bring us down Tiger Woods style. Say it isn't so Brett! Penisgate, donglegate, crocgate, whatever you want to call it....why Brett, why? I know it's innocent until proven guilty, but the writing's on the wall with this one. For someone so worried about his image, he's yet to deny his involvement with the Jenn Sterger case. Add a tearful apology to the team in the locker room before the game and it doesn't take a CSI expert to figure this one out.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Looking back at the off season now, there were signs pointing back to then. We all know he likes to miss camp, but I honestly believe he wasn't coming back without Childress sending his thugs down to get him (yes, I just called Longwell a thug, what the.....). He must have known then that if he came back to play, this scandal would break, especially with the Vikings playing the Jets on Monday night. Had he stayed home, this would have gone no where and his life as a grandpa would have been uninterrupted. He's yet to show that childlike emotion and passion while on the field, instead, he looks like someone that's carrying a heavy burden. Perhaps someone that's about to lose his wife and shatter is own perfect image.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He's mentally not in these games and the tendinitis in his throwing arm is starting to cost this team games. The time is now for Childress to pull the plug on Favre and attempt to electrify this team with Tavaris Jackson. Randy Moss makes QB's look good, and Jackson surely has the arm to hit him and, dare I say, Berrian deep down field. When Jackson stepped in for Frerotte in 2008, he played well enough to put the Vikings in the post season. This offense has many more proven weapons now than it did then, plus his mobility out of the pocket could pay dividends as well. Childress has a reputation to uphold and it could come with switching to Jackson, the QB he's promised for years that will be the missing link.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Till Next Week,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">SKOL Vikings!</span>venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-48687080484799409952010-09-26T20:34:00.005-05:002010-10-12T13:15:16.969-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/27/2010<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Pride Ponderings 9/29/2010</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Vikings - 24</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Lions - 10</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The third game of a NFL season should never be considered a must win game, but that is where the Vikings found themselves on the brink of a early bye. Winning can cure a lot of things, even if that win comes against the (improved) Lions. The Defense got a bit healthier with the returns of corner backs Giffin and Cook, but the offense could use a swift break. So wipe those brows Vikings fans and sigh a collective breath of relief, at least they're not 0-3.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Penalties</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">12 Penalties for 100 yards cost this team from having a more explosive day. Since I'm late on this writing, and can say this - at least it wasn't 18, right Packer fans!! Seriously though, it comes down to discipline and for a mostly veteran team, this is unacceptable. They are lucky the Lions failed to capitalize on most of these mistakes or this could easily have been a "The sky is falling" segment. Clean up the mistakes and watch the scoreboard light up for the Purple.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">All Day</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Thank god for Adrian Peterson. With a stagnant passing game, Adrian Peterson is proving once again that he is the </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/103893848.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiU9PmP:QiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU">best running back in football</a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Peterson had a gaudy 7.0 yards per carry and had one of those signature runs as he busted out for his longest run ever from the line of scrimmage, 80 yards. If there was ever any question about Peterson losing a step, he proved all wrong on that run as be blew by two defenders that had a perfect angle on him. This is Adrian's team, not Favre's, and he's showing that with his play on and off the field.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stud: Adrian Peterson </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">- Not much more I can say than what I did above. Without Peterson in this game, the Vikings are 0-3, Favre's on his way back to Mississippi, and the Governor race no longer includes plans to fund a new Vikings Stadium.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br />Goat: Detroit Lions</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> - I give the Lions this award simply because I feel they should be a better team than what their 0-3 record shows. Sure you can argue that they should have beaten the Bears on the last play of that game, but once again, given opportunity after opportunity to win, they fail in the end. The Vikings once again made enough mistakes to lose this game and the Lions failed to capitalize.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What's on Tap</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I don't normally like early bye weeks, but this year, I more than welcome it especially going in on a positive note. It's time for this team to take a good look at itself and try to regain the offense swagger they had last season. It will get better once Sidney Rice returns, but he's still going to need some game speed adjusting early on. It's a good thing Adrian Peterson is playing with a chip on his shoulder, this is his team and the offense should run through him (or him run through defenses actually).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Final Thoughts</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I understand the League's stance on protecting the QB, especially with all the head injury concerns. However, I am getting a bit frustrated with the ticky tacky calls against defensive players when it comes to pursuing the quarterback. There were two times in this game, one against each team, that had me shaking my head. A defensive lineman's job is to put pressure on the quarterback and knock him to the turf. So far this year, if you do that very thing, you're going to get flagged. The refs need to be taught to use common sense when enforcing the roughing the passer rules. This is a contact sport and the QB's do wear pads like everyone else. It's taking away from the game when defensive players find themselves afraid to even touch a QB, let alone deliver a game breaking hit that could result in an exciting play.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">See you in two weeks and enjoy the bye.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">SKOL VIKINGS!</span>venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-85720438061384683772010-09-21T11:01:00.005-05:002010-09-23T19:17:20.874-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/23/2010Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings - 10<br />Dolphins - 14<br /><br />0-2, who would have ever thought the Vikings and Cowboys would be sitting in this hole already? Two playoff teams that have been touted as two of the best teams in the NFC for the 2010 season. Should these teams be hitting the panic button yet? I don't think so, but going 0-3 is damn near insurmountable. Since the Super Bowl era, no team has ever reached a Championship game after starting the season 0-3. Sure the lowly Lions are next and at home, but these motor city kitties should have beaten Chicago and took the Eagles to the hilt. Plus, their defense is vastly improved and Jahvid Best is a beast and appears to be the real deal.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Favre From Mid Season Form</span><br />He's in his 20th season, why does he need to be at training camp? Heard that plenty of times over the last two years and I'm sure I've even muttered it myself. Yes last year was special, but it still took Favre a few games to really get going. Unfortunately this year, when you start with two losses, things get exposed a bit more. Favre threw three picks at home against the Dolphins (granted the one to Harvin at the goal line was not his fault) which is already one more in the Dome than he had all last season.<br /><br />His timing with his receivers is completely off (minus Shiancoe) and it's concrete proof that a few more weeks with these guys would have helped. Aside from that, his body language is showing that he's feeling 40 this year. Last year he looked fresh, was smiling all time and having fun. When Brett's having fun, look out! Of course the smiles and fun factor come a bit easier when you're winning.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something To Prove</span><br />It's no secret that all eyes are on Adrian Peterson every time he touches the ball. For Vikings fans, it's a simple hold of the breath, for all others, it's awaiting that I told you so moment. So far, Peterson is silencing his critics and running with a serious purpose. Childress finally went back to giving him the number of carries he's warranted and Peterson answered with 145 yards on the ground, 41 in the air, and a touchdown. It's just too bad the offensive line was unable to create a decent hole for him to score when it was 1st and goal in the fourth quarter or we could be talking about a victory.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Still Time To Catch On?</span><br />Since I'm so late on this edition, the Wednesday deadline for a Vincent Jackson trade has passed. Too bad for him and too bad for the Vikings. The only positive I can pull out of this is that Vikings stood their ground and did not mortgage their future for a one season rental. San Diego failed to move the disgruntled wide out and now have to live with their decision to demand far too much for Jackson.<br /><br />Still though, there is clearly a issue when it comes to play makers in the passing game for Favre. I'm not sure how many more chances Berrian should be allowed. His salary indicates that he should produce for more than he does. The team even put him in as punt returner to try and get something out of him and instead, he's already muffed a couple of fair signal called punts. Camarillo has solid hands and is a good route runner, but he's not going to spread the field. Along with newly acquired Hank Baskett, Favre has a short amount of time to get his timing down with these two receivers.<br /><br />The issues have even gone as far as having Favre lineup as a defensive back in practice today to get a better idea of what his receivers are doing. That's as close to hitting the panic button as ever after missing out on Vincent Jackson. One thing's clear, this team needs to get a healthy Sidney Rice back as soon as possible.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Adrian Peterson -</span>186 All-Purpose yards and a touchdown, that's more than enough to get this reward.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Bret Favre -</span>Three interceptions and a fumble in the end zone that lead to a Dolphins touchdown, that's more than enough to get this reward.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />Week three and it's safe to say this is a must win game for the Vikings. As I mentioned in the opening, teams don't fare well after starting 0-3 and right after the Bye, the Vikings have four very tough games (@Jets, DAL, @GB, @NE).<br /><br />Since Matt Millen's departure in Detroit, the Lions are slowly looking like a team that's on the verge of being competitive again. They are building a defense meant to stop teams like the Vikings and Packers and have a potential super star at running back. Detroit cannot be looked at as a trap team anymore and not only do they want to avoid 0-3 as well, they know they should at least be 1-1 right now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Thoughts</span><br />Much like the NFC Championship game last season, the Vikings lost a close game that they easily could have won had they not turned over the ball. Last year, the Vikings were nearly perfect at home. After playing their first game in Mall of America Field this year, many are questioning this team's ability to score and play turnover free football. It's still early enough to rebound and find some kind of offensive continuity, but it has to happen this Sunday against the Lions. The defense is playing solid enough to win, now the offense needs to join them and this will once again be a top tier team for the 2010 season.<br /><br />Till Next Week,<br />SKOL Vikings!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-84385023226775073332010-09-13T14:05:00.007-05:002010-09-14T00:18:46.117-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/13/2010Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints<br />Saints - 14<br />Vikings - 9<br /><br />So I've had a few days to mull over another Vikings loss to the Saints in the Big Easy. It's now Monday and I enjoyed a full day of week one NFL games thanks to Direct TV's free NFL Sunday Ticket preview weekend. No, I don't work for Direct TV, but I must say, that was the most impressive TV viewing of my life. It's a no brainer for those of us that play Fantasy Football with the ability to get player notifications across the screen of the players you choose. Enough of that though, time to get back on topic here. What I was trying to get at is in week one, was saw plenty of games and teams/players that are no where near mid season form, at the Vikings were no exception to that. Overall, the Vikings and Saints game was a dud, with both teams having rather lackluster offensive performances. So without further ado, it's time to break down the first Vikings game of the 2010 NFL Season - it's good to be back!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TJack in a Favre Disguise</span><br />I'm not a Tavaris Jackson basher, I sincerely would like to see the kid succeed and have the chance to lead this team after Favre retires (yeah I know, but I really believe this is finally it for him). With that said, Favre's line after this game looked very much like a TJack line we he was getting the starts at QB. Favre didn't exactly light it up last year in game one against the Browns, but he was still figuring things out with his new team and players. Plus, all he had to do in that game was hand it off to Adrian Peterson (something we should have seen more of in this game, but more on that later).<br /><br />This time around however, it was just pure rust and a clear indication that his lack of Training Camp is a detriment. Other than Shaincoe, his timing was off with the other receivers and it's clear that he misses Sidney Rice's play making abilities and size. It would be nice to see the Vikings pick up disgruntled Vincent Jackson, but I don't think it's possible due to the money involved. Had Favre not gotten any additional money to come back, maybe, but that there alone ruins the chances of getting the much needed play maker. It's too bad, imagine having Jackson, Rice, Harvin, Shaincoe, and Peterson for the second half of the season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This loss is on Childress, again</span><br />For Vikings fans, it's no secret that the team has lost several games simply due to being out coached. That was on display for the largest nationally televised audience in over 13 years this past Thursday night. The Vikings took the crowd out of the game with a long, methodical drive going into the half. Sure it only lead to three points, but that three points put them in the lead and kept Brees and company off the field. They did this by establishing the run, and Peterson was abusing their font seven while making them look gassed. Peterson had 13 carries in the 1st half, followed by only six in the 2nd half. It does not take a football genius to figure out why the Vikings lost a close game to the Saints in week one. Everyone talks about how great Chris Johnson is because of the numbers he is posting, but he does not have a bafoon of a head coach holding him back. There is no excuse for Peterson to get under 20 carries in any game. He's a 25-30 carry back, and it's time Childress acknowledged that and let Peterson get his buck fifty and two TD's every game. For the record, I do not have Adrian on my Fantasy team.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remarkable Return</span><br />When EJ Henderson went down last December with the horrific broken leg, every thought his career was over. Well, do you believe in miracles? Nine short months later, Henderson started in this game against the Saints and was the second leading tackler in the game. To put it into perspective, it wasn't until mid April when he was allowed to attempt walking unassisted. His desire, work ethic, and never-say-never mentality during his recovery is something I marvel at and is the way I'd like to live my life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Leslie Frazier</span> - After the opening drive when the Saints marched straight down the field and scored on five quick plays, I feared the worst. The Vikings only had three corner backs and I had flash backs of the Halloween game I had first row seats in the end zone against the Patriots. To refresh your memory, that was the Monday Night game were Brady slung the ball all over the place and the Patriots didn't even bother running the ball.<br /><br />But, after the rush of the jacked up crowd, mostly due to the celebration of the Super Bowl banner, the Vikings defense settled down nicely. This was due to Frazier's ability to make adjustments and place players in the right spots when short handed. I've been saying for the past couple of years that he deserves to be a head coach in this league, and I'd rather see that happen as the Vikings head coach.<br /><br />Goat: Brad Childress - Already addressed this above and wasted enough time on him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />Home opener against the Dolphins. A good time for the Vikings to regain their confidence and find that offensive swagger. Percy Harvin appears to have found the cause of his headaches (sleep apnea) and there will be ways to control it. Favre will settle down and start finding his groove with the wide receivers and I expect a huge game out of Peterson assuming Childress is capable of allowing his best weapon to get the number of touches he deserves.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Thoughts<br /></span><span>Should the Vikings pursue Vincent Jackson? Tough one to call here due to the money involved and his current suspension status. If the suspension is dropped to three games due to a team change, it seems feasible. In the end though, I think the Vikings just have too many large salaries to deal with. I fully expect them to sign another receiver this week, but I expect a low impact move like Javon Walker, not a big splash like Vincent Jackson.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>Hell, I hear Randy Moss is feeling unloved in New England and Favre pushed for him when he was back with Green Bay......yeah, not gonna happen.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span>Till Next Week,<br />SKOL Vikings!</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-6970684359396498342010-08-05T10:57:00.003-05:002010-08-05T11:23:06.247-05:00Favre and Social MediaAfter taking a couple of days to digest the start of Favrepaloza 2010, I decided it was time to rant a bit about this week's media handling of the situation. Reporting is much different now than it was 20 years ago. Long before social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, journalists would actually spend time gathering facts on a particular story before a single finger touched a keyboard or pen (yes, people actually used to write things out first). Now someone hears a possible rumor, tweets about it like it's gospel, and before you know it, within a matter of minutes, it's spread across every media outlet in the nation.<br /><br />That's exactly what happened this week when StarTribune's Judd Zulgad issued this Tweet: "<span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Brett Favre began telling Vikings officials last night he will NOT return for a 20th season."<br /><br />By the end of the hour, ESPN jumped all over this and began running non-stop Favre coverage to include Favre's top ten plays and moments and his legendary career. Why and how does this happen? Have we not all learned that when Brett's involved, it's best to wait things out and get clarification. The entire time this was going on, I didn't believe a single word of it. It's one thing if Favre had called a press conference and stated that he's done (to which we still can't believe what he says), but this was all based off some unknown players supposedly stating that Favre had texted them.<br /><br />The entire debacle was uncalled for and could have easily been avoided had today's journalists done their homework first, like they were once expected to do. Favre took a lot of heat and criticism on this one and for a change, he didn't do anything wrong. That's not to say that he's off the hook however. He could have easily made a phone call to his buddy at ESPN Ed Werder and made a statement to be aired that he never said he's done playing.<br /><br />As for the reports now coming out that this was a move in order for Favre to get more money from the Vikings, I don't buy that one bit. It's never been about the money for Favre and he's already poised to make 13 Million this season.<br /><br />Instead, I believe it's all about covering up the fact that he's once again, not in Mankato. His latest statement is that if his ankle can handle it, he's playing. Much like the timing of his shoulder last year, this provides a built in excuse for not showing up to camp and the possible unfortunate event that he does not produce the great numbers of last season.<br /><br />In the end, we should not care and take note that this was all expected to begin with. Sure Packer fans laughed and warned us all about his team hijacking ways, but in the end, who was one game (play) away from the Super Bowl last year? The Favre led Vikings, not the Packers.<br /></span></span></span>venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-39711503938387914742010-07-22T23:44:00.003-05:002010-07-22T23:59:55.674-05:00Childress addresses questions since meeting with Favre, sortaBrad Childress finally fielded some questions today on KFAN since his little meeting with Favre down in Mississippi this past Monday. So what do we know now that we didn't before this thought provoking visit to KFAN? Nothing. As a matter of fact, here's some quotes from the charming head coach that pretty much sums it all up:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I don't know if he's going to play this year and I don't know if he knows if he's going to play this year."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On the supposed 14 pound weight gain of Favre's:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"He didn't look any different to me," Childress said. "I wouldn't say he's like a puss bucket or anything like that. He said he's gained a little weight. I think what he told me was that his wife Deanna said to him, 'Well, I don't know if you're going to play football anymore or not but you need to do something because you are getting a little soft.'"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's not a physical decision, but a mental one:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"It's just whether you have it mentally to keep going," Childress said. "Physically, I think he's in pretty good shape. ... I think he's going to do the right thing. I wouldn't want him in half-cocked. I wouldn't want him in to run down the road and back in get a paycheck. That's not the way he's wired. You're not toeing the water, you're not kind of pregnant. You're either all in or you're not all in. That's wherein the decision lies."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How about those rocky times Favre mentioned:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Was it rocky at times?" Childress said. "I certainly knew of his skill set, but I didn't know the man probably as well as I could have known the man. Was there a recruitment period? Sure there is, and then it's a different deal when he's a strong-willed guy, I'm a strong-willed guy. But one lap around the track I know what I know about him now, watching him on the field, watching him in the building. That's what that visit was about."</span><br /><br />As you can see, it was another slow Vikings news day filled with some of the same Favre talk that never seems to end when it comes to the off-season. The local media and ESPN eat this stuff up, but we all know the end result - Favre will be here no earlier than Mid-August, just in time for the Vikings caravan to make the final trip back up North 169 to Winter Park.venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-17740763600534360912010-07-21T00:16:00.003-05:002010-07-21T01:03:08.772-05:00Vikings Madden 2011 Player Ratings Released<span style="font-style: italic;">I've been absent for far too long here, but the NFL season is upon us so I hope to update my thoughts and views on the Vikings from now and on through the season. Please note that I'm messing around with the different layouts to this blog so it's subject to change, hopefully for the better.</span><br /><br />It's that time of the year again. You are either enjoying the high's of your favorite baseball team (White Sox), the up and down pitching rotation headaches (Twins), or the usual summer slump that does not seem to end (Tigers). For the rest of us, we await the start of NFL training camp. While most of the world was captivated by the Dutch's run for World Cup Glory, we; the faithful fans of the gridiron, clamored to watch even the 4th quarter of a preseason game.<br /><br />Aside from training camps opening over the next couple of weekends, us NFL junkies also look forward to our annual Madden fix on the console of choice. With the recent release of the team player ratings, I thought I would point out some interesting tidbits in regards to the Vikings.<br /><br />Eight players on the Vikings roster post a rating of 90 or better. Here's a quick breakdown of them:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jarred Allen </span>- 99 <span style="font-style: italic;">Here's hoping the recent loss of the mullet has zero affect on him.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Adrian Peterson</span> - 98<span style="font-style: italic;"> One has to assume that if he could only hold on to the ball, he'd be a 99 as well.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kevin Williams</span> - 97 <span style="font-style: italic;">The other half of the Williams wall was low balled with a 88.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Hutchinson</span> - 97 <span style="font-style: italic;">Hard to argue this one, one of the best in the game at his position every year.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brett Favre</span> - 92 <span style="font-style: italic;">With or without the drama queen act, we all know he'll be back.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ryan Longwell</span> - 92 <span style="font-style: italic;">Ack! Another former Packer makes the list.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bryant McKinnie</span> - 90<span style="font-style: italic;"> A very optimistic rating here. He better be prepared to face Julius Peppers twice this season!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sidney Rice</span> - 90 <span style="font-style: italic;">Much deserved and I expect him to be even better this season.</span><br /><br />Jarred Allen is only one of six players to attain the equivalent to Doom's God Mode - the mighty 99. As stated before Peterson could have been yet another if he'd protect the ball a bit better. The Vikings as a team are rated 88, which is one of the best team ratings in the game. Of course, to no surprise to us Vikings fans, the Vikings are the highest rated team in the NFC North.<br /><br />A few other tidbits in the Vikings ratings that stick out to me include:<br /><br />- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chris "Warcraft" Kluwe</span> 75: How can one of the best gamers in the NFL be rated a lowly 75? I mean really, he's even in a real band! Kicking away from Reggie Bush might help.<br /><br />- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Greg Lewis</span> 66: The man is holding a ESPY for Best Play for crying out loud! That's got to be at least a +10 buff, right?<br /><br />- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Defensive Backs</span>: Not a single player in the 90's (though I feel there's a strong case for Winfield to be at least 90 - he's rated at 88). Still wondering why the Vikings have a issue defending the passing game?<br /><br />Well that's it for now, hope you enjoyed it and perhaps we will meet online someday. Mark your calendars and take a day off from work, Madden 2011 hits store shelves on August 10th this year.<br /><br />Skol Vikings and Game On!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-91248826028038850022010-01-19T09:25:00.002-06:002010-01-19T16:13:44.307-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings Playoff EditionThe last time I scribed one of these was after the Bengals game. A couple of bad road losses would lead many to believe that I just didn't want to continue this when things go amiss. I can assure you that is not the case. My goal was to complete one after every game this season, no matter what, but the Holidays and work got in my way. So before we dig into the Divisional Playoff game, let's catch up with the end of the season, for my sake.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Vikings at Panthers</span> - Another Sunday night game that ended up horribly for the purple. Bryant McKinnie had the worst game of his career as he ended up getting benched. Johnathan Stewart broke the Vikings impressive streak of holding a running back to under 100 yards. The last back to do so was Green Bay's Ryan Grant in 2007. Barely used Matt Moore made the best of his opportunity torching the Vikings for 299 yards and three touchdowns. This was also the game where a possible schism between Brett Favre and Brad Childress took place, but that was more ESPN hype than anything. Panthers went on to win 26-7 in front of a Sunday Night nationally televised crowd.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Vikings at Bears</span> - Another game the Vikings should not have lost. Had they played even a fraction of the way they played in the second half, this game would have never went to overtime and the Vikings would have been victorious. Since the second half of this game, Brett Favre is playing at a level seldom seen by any Quarterback. The Vikings narrowly lost this one in overtime 36-30, with Peterson taking the blame for a overtime fumble.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Giants at Vikings</span> - Sure the Giants had mailed it in before this one, but the Vikings offense was able to continue to gain the confidence they started from the second half of the Bears game. Brett Favre went mental in this one passing for 316 yards and four TD's. Vikings won handily 44-7 and regained their swagger leading into the playoffs.<br /><br /><br />That quickly brings us up to speed so now it's time to get to the meat of this Playoff Edition.<br /><br />Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 34<br />Cowboys 3<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rice, Amazing On and Off the Field</span><br />Sidney Rice saw the same story last week that many of us in the Fox9 News viewing area saw. A brave little girl from Richmond, WI is battling Leukemia and has the strong support of her community. Her name is Kathryn Glor and last week, she received a call that put a huge smile on her face. That call was Sidney Rice inviting her and her family to Winter Park this past Saturday to hang out with the team. He then provided them with tickets to the game in his guest seating area, some of the best seats in the Dome.<br /><br />For a little girl that has had to battle day-after-day, Sidney Rice provided her a weekend of fun and excitement and a chance to escape from her daily battle. This is a classic case of someone giving from the heart, and return, receiving something back. Sidney Rice finished the game with 141 yards (the same number of yards he had in the entire 2008 season) and three touchdowns, leading the Vikings charge to victory.<br /><br />For more information on this and if you'd like to support Kathryn as well, please visit her Caring Bridge page: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kathrynglor<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pants on the Ground, Pants on the Ground</span><br />Brett Favre is a name well known around country, but he's also a web sensation thanks to You Tube. I welcome his crazy locker room antics. As everyone saw from that video, the entire team buys into his leadership and fuels off his energy.<br /><br />In a game where the Dallas Defensive line was supposed to dominate and rattle Favre, he instead lit them up for four touchdowns. That can be attributed to the way the Vikings Offensive Line stepped it up for this game, but it also comes from Favre's leadership. It's no secret that McKinnie struggled mightily against Carolina's Julius Peppers and because of that, many thought DeMarcus Ware would do much of the same. Favre let McKinnie know all week long that he believes in him, trusts him, and knows he's up to the challenge and more than capable of shutting down Ware. That's exactly what McKinnie did and with a QB like Favre, if you protect him, he will shred an opposing defense apart.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A True Defensive Leader</span><br />While many players made play-after-play on Sunday, sometimes you need to acknowledge the commander that provides the battle plan. Leslie Frazier's scheme for this game was pure brilliance. His decision to challenge Ray Edwards paid dividends and is something that should not be overlooked. With Jarred Allen getting double-teamed on every snap, Edwards is normally in a position where he gets the one-on-one matchups. Frazier picked the perfect time to fire up Edwards as he finished the game with five tackles, three sacks (for a total loss of 23 yards), and a forced fumble.<br /><br />The entire front four put constant pressure on Romo and set the tone for this game. After hearing all week about how the Dallas front four was going to dominate the game and get to Favre, it was nice to see Frazier tweak his game plan and turn the tables on the Cowboys. Frazier is highly deserving of a head coaching spot and I hope he gets his chance soon. Until then, he's needed here to conjure up a plan to stop the Saints offense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Momentum vs. Rest</span><br />The Vikings, Saints, and Colts all proved that a well rested team is far more dangerous than a Wild Card team with momentum. The Jets are the only team to dispel that this year, but they defeated a team with the most momentum in the NFL.<br /><br />The Cowboys were red-hot coming into this game, but their last two games were played at home, both times against the Eagles. They flat-out had the Eagles number this year and they played their hearts out in the final two contests while Brad Childress gave the entire team a week off. If you put yourself in a position to play come this time of the year, getting the much needed week of rest is pivotal and there's no denying that it helped the Vikings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Classless? How about Out Classed</span><br />Keith Brooking's little tyraid after the Vikings scored late in the fourth on a 4th and 3 play is rather comical. These are grown men playing in the NFL. Not touchy little kids playing on a Saturday morning. The NFL game is played for 60 minutes, and if you're on defense, you better be ready to make a play no matter what the scoreboard reads. This is the Playoffs, there's no such thing as running up the score when you are on a quest to play in the Super Bowl. At the time of the play, the Cowboys were burning time outs to stop the clock. If they deemed the game out of reach, why bother calling the time outs? The last thing the Vikings defense wanted was to go back out on the field and give up a garbage touchdown. This team dealt all week with talk about how the Cowboys would dominate on both sides of the ball, and I'm sure they were tired of it. The Vikings made a statement with that last touchdown, but not necessarily to the Cowboys. Instead they made a statement to themselves, knowing that they will need to play inspired and flawless football to beat the Saints in New Orleans.<br /><br />Classless you say Brooking? Not in the least, your team was just simply out classed on this particular Sunday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br />Since it's the playoffs, I thought I'd make a little change here and list the top performers on both sides of the ball.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud Offensive Player: Sidney Rice</span> - 141 yards and three touchdowns......and a heart of gold to boot.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud Defensive Player: Ray Edwards</span> - Stepped up to the plate following Leslie Frazier's challenge, and delivered.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Keith Brooking</span> - You're not playing Pop Warner Football anymore Keith. You are in the NFL, shut your mouth and make a play. The last time I checked, the NFL is still 40 for 60.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />Instead of the Saints marching in, it's the Vikings marching into New Orleans. This is the NFC match up the NFL has been clamoring for, and now we've got it. The best way to quiet the Super Dome is to get off to a fast start on offense and apply the pressure on Brees on Defense. As long as the Vikings win the turn-over battle, they should have a serious chance to defeat the Saints at home and make their way to Miami. It's been 10 years since the Vikings were in the NFC Championship game and Brett does not have much left to offer after this year so the time is now.<br />As John Randle would say: Regulators, Mount Up!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Thoughts</span><br />Reggie Bush provided a bit of Bulletin Board material today stating that he would propose to Kim<br />Kardashian at the Super Bowl. Sounds like Mr. Bush is overlooking the Vikings in this game. I'm fine with that, the Vikings overlooked the Falcons in '98 and had to suffer watching them go to Miami that year instead.<br /><br />Either way, this should be a great game and it sure is nice to have another Sunday to look forward to at this time of the year.<br /><br /><br />Till Next Week,<br />SKOL VIKINGS!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-79356210083053484492009-12-15T20:40:00.003-06:002009-12-15T23:03:12.466-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings 12/15/2009Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 30<br />Bengals 10<br /><br />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: <span style="font-style: italic;">To recover quickly, as from a setback</span>. 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Welcome Back Tempo Setter</span><br />Antoine Winfield made his presence known right away in this game during the opening drive when he up ended a Bengal <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wide out</span> 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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Madieu</span> Williams and Cedric Griffin appeared to have a lot more pop in their hits, just ask Chad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ochocinco</span>. 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oh no you don't <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ocho</span></span><br />Chad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ochocinco</span> (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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Speaking of Bounce Back</span><br />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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Favre</span>, Peterson, and the Secondary. All three had their worst games last week and followed that up with solid performances against the Bengals. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Favre's</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">secondaries</span> job is a bit easier when the front four are applying pressure, something they did very well this week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whew, that was close!</span><br />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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ok</span>, 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, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">DeAngelo</span> Williams is still having a nice season and is over 1100 yards after 13 games.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Antoine Winfield</span> - 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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">EJ</span> Henderson will be missed, but Winfield's return is huge.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Carson Palmer</span> - 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?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Thoughts</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Childress</span> going up against Andy Reid again. Plus, the Eagles appear to be hitting their stride and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">DeSean</span> Jackson has turned out to be exactly what Devin Hester wishes he were.<br /><br /><br />Till Next Week,<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">SKOL</span> Vikings!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-8137052760121712202009-12-07T20:59:00.002-06:002009-12-08T22:42:25.594-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings 12/8/2009Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals<br />Cardinals 30<br />Vikings 17<br /><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Saltn</span>4Dollars - 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">O's</span> all sum this up perfectly. So thanks again <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Saltn</span>, your work is very much appreciated. Now on to a more somber topic, the game in the desert.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It Starts up Front</span><br />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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Favre</span> 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).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Run First Offense?</span><br />Remember when this was a run first offense? Remember when Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Favre</span> was signed, that it was still going to be a run first offense? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Favre's</span> "pitch count" has been getting a little to high as far as I'm concerned and we are seeing more passes on 1st and 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">nd</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Favre</span> has been playing well this year, he simply cannot continue to have 35 - 50 attempts per game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Calm Down</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Favre</span> 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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Favre</span> was far from being the only reason for this loss and I addressed that above when talking about the line play.<br /><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Steelers</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tough Break</span><br />That was one of the most unfortunate injuries for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">EJ</span> Henderson to suffer. The femur is the largest bone in the human body and one of the most painful bones to break. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">EJ</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">defenseman</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Kurt Warner</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Brad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Childress</span></span> - 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Edina</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Childress</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Thoughts</span><br />"I feel the need, the need for Speed!" Adrian Peterson and Bernard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Berrian</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">every one's</span> talking about how fast Chris Johnson is these days. As for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Berrian</span>, he's supposed to be the speedy deep threat guy and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">every one's</span> nearly forgotten his name thanks to Rice and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Harvin</span>. 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?<br /><br /><br />Till Next Week,<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">SKOL</span> Vikings!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-40912983841896870122009-12-01T21:02:00.003-06:002009-12-02T14:34:59.710-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings 12/1/2009Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 36<br />Bears 10<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">M-V-P</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Purple People Eaters</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offensive Explosion</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All Day Fumbles Away</span><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ROTY</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Brett Favre</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Lovie Smith</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Thoughts</span><br />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!<br /><br /><br />Till next week,<br />SKOL VIKINGS!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-85868018332192245692009-11-25T10:28:00.004-06:002009-11-25T14:03:13.103-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings 11/25/2009Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 35<br />Seahawks 9<br /><br />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)!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Almost Perfect<br /></span>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.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>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. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />Most Complete Game<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span>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.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Balanced Attack<br /></span></span></span></span>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.<br /><br />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.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Minnesota Moving Company<br /></span></span></span></span></span>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.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Stud and Goat of the Week<br /></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Brett Favre</span> - 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?<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: The drunk lady with the Viking Horn behind me</span> - 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!<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />What's on Tap<br /></span></span></span></span></span>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.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Final Thoughts<br /></span></span></span></span></span>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.<br /><br />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.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span>Till next Sunday,<br />SKOL VIKINGS!<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span>venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-74559835538894766972009-11-19T11:20:00.005-06:002009-11-19T15:39:56.794-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings 11/19/2009Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 27<br />Lions 10<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Since it's mid week already and it was just the Lions, I'm going to make this a bit shorter than normal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lack of morning Caffeine?</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Showtime!</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Second Half Collapse Watch</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stud and Goat of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Sidney Rice</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Team Discipline</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />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.<br /><br /><br />Until Next Week,<br />SKOL VIKINGS!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-37167671510988917712009-11-02T20:38:00.002-06:002009-11-02T22:51:49.490-06:00Purple Pride Ponderings 11/2/2009Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers<br />Vikings 38<br />Packers 26<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Been there, Done That</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Second Half Defense</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rookie of the Year?</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goat and Stud of the Week</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: Percy Harvin</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: Packer Fans</span> - 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on tap</span><br />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.<br /><br /><br />SKOL Vikings!!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-84586632398146967442009-10-25T20:26:00.003-05:002009-10-27T21:14:22.788-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 10/26/2009Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Steelers</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Steelers</span> 27<br />Vikings 17<br /><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Favre</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Costly Mistakes</span><br />So how do you hold the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Steelers</span> - 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Steelers</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Calm Down Already</span><br />Cut Chester Taylor? Ban the Officiating crew from the NFL? Fire <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Childress</span>? This is the kind of crap I heard spewed from callers on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">KFAN</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Favre</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Dugan</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Childress</span>. No coach in the NFL is ever going to get fired while 6-1, period.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Put them together</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Steelers</span> and held them to under 260 yards of total offense. Other than the final drive in the first half, they contained the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Steelers</span> rather well. Offensively, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Favre</span> had his way with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Steelers</span> 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<span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br />Mercy Mercy Percy<br /></span>Is Percy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Harvin</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Childress</span>, he did his home work and got to know <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Harvin</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Star is Born</span><br />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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Favre</span> 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, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Favre</span> is making Rice great and they should give fits to secondaries the rest of this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goat and Stud of the Game</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stud: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Steelers</span> Defense</span> - How do you pick up an offense that's having issues getting into the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">end zone</span> on your home turf? Take two timely turnovers to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">end zone</span>. Very impressive the way this defense is able to score.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goat: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Santonio</span> Holmes</span> - 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 (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">ala</span> Adrian Peterson late in the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">th</span> 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!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />Packer Week with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Favre</span>-in-Purple caveat, round two. I think there will be a ton of build up with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Favre's</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Favre's</span> 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.<br /><br /><br />Until Next Sunday,<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">SKOL</span> Vikings!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-63750358313469870382009-10-18T19:46:00.002-05:002009-10-19T10:23:06.657-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 10/19/2009Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 33<br />Ravens 31<br /><br /><br />Last week <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ESPN's</span> Kevin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Seifert</span> wrote a rather <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/4668/measuring-minnesotas-potential">interesting article</a> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Seifert</span> was on to something. Starting the game on fire, looking <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">un stoppable</span> having a nice 14-0 lead, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Childress</span> and Bevel went all Dennis Green and Brian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Billick</span> on it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Favre</span> was having his way, the play calling was brilliant, and all of a sudden it turned to a conservative style of play. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Childress</span> decided to take the kick-ass out of his own kick-ass offense. As for the Defense, the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> quarter <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">collapse</span> 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 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">th</span> quarter if they are going to continue to have success this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Favre</span> </span><br />This spot has been all about Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Favre</span> so far this season, and this week is no exception. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Favre</span> has been nothing short of sensational, and if it weren't for him, this team would be at best, 4-2. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Favre</span> 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. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Favre</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Double Rice, please</span><br />I'm a sucker for Hibachi grills. I'm sure most of you around the country are familiar with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Benihana</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">catalyst</span> for the monster 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Favre's</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defensive Collapse</span><br />I had a serious case of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">deja</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">vu</span> 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 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">th</span> quarter......21! Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Flacco</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Steelers</span> how much Troy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Polamalu</span> as missed. Antoine <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Windfield</span> left the game in the second quarter (something CBS NEVER mentioned during the broadcast). Karl <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Paymah</span> filled in and was exposed <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">several</span> times, including the touchdown pass to Mason in which <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Paymah's</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Learn from the Best</span><br />The best team in the NFC is without a doubt, the New Orleans Saints. Their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">shellacking</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Childress</span> seems to enjoy giving teams a chance to crawl back into games. Sure losing Winfield and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Sapp</span> didn't help, but the offense is good enough to continue putting up points and keep teams at bay.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />The Vikings find themselves limping into Pittsburgh next Sunday. Winfield may be out for several weeks, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Sapp's</span> status is unknown at this time, Peterson tweaked is ankle, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Harvin's</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Steelers</span> will not back down, especially at home so it's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">imperative</span> that the Vikings play a solid game all around.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Till Next Sunday,<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">SKOL</span> Vikings!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-45571359225735541992009-10-11T20:20:00.004-05:002009-10-12T12:27:24.094-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 10/12/2009Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams<br />Vikings 38<br />Rams 10<br /><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nighter</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lordy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lordy</span>, you sure he's 40?</span><br />Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Favre</span> is officially an old man as he celebrated his 40<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Elway</span>, riding off into the sunset. As long as the offensive line <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">continues</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Tarvaris</span> Jackson come in the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> 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).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good win, still room for improvement</span><br />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 (49<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ers</span>) 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 49<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">ers</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Silence of the Rams</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">un</span>-matched. I feel for guys like Steve Jackson, it's one heck of a tough gig right now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />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). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Favre</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Favre</span> 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.<br /><br /><br />Till next Sunday,<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">SKOL</span> Vikings!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-91927969772320753402009-10-06T09:18:00.001-05:002009-10-06T14:13:00.278-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 10/6/2009Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 30<br />Packers 23<br /><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Metrodome</span> is more than possible - it's here, in the form a 163rd game tonight. Toss in a border battle at the new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TCF</span> 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 - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ok</span>, so one billed as a game for the ages. As large a number as Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Favre's</span> age is about to hit this Saturday, this game lived up to its large billing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vintage <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Favre</span></span><br />On a night when the Packers did all they could to stop Adrian Peterson (and stop him they did), Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Favre</span> picked them apart for three touchdowns. Since his surgery, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Favre</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">accuracy</span> was spot on. The touchdown pass his tossed to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Berrian</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">play making</span> receivers. Kudos to the Offensive Line, they protected <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Favre</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">About, Face!</span><br />Time to give credit where credit is due. Over the first few games, I've ripped <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Berrian</span>, the pass protection, and the team in general for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">penalties</span>. All three of these areas were damn near perfect in this game. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Berrian</span> stepped it up and made all the catches this time. He and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Favre</span> might finally be building some chemistry after a slow start due to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Berrian's</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Favre</span> makes it through an entire season. The offensive line was amazing and gave <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Favre</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">discipline</span> there and know that the coaching staff is taking the right steps to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">improve</span> as the season moves on.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Beast</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Randle</span> used to play. One of the best off season pickups for the Vikings, ever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jump Ball Expert</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">on sides</span> kicks that will go <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">un</span>-noticed in the stat sheets. Mason Crosby had two <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">on sides</span> kicks that were picture perfect (all kickers should learn from him), but Sidney Rice <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">skied</span> high and snatched the ball out of the air both times. If Kevin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Garnett</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rodgers is the Real Deal</span><br />Much like I did for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Favre</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">QB's</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's On Tap</span><br />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, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Steelers</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">important</span> to first focus on the Rams, take care of business, and then prepare to protect our house against Ray Lewis and the Ravens.<br /><br />Till Sunday,<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">SKOL</span> VIKINGS!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-41941928584908065202009-09-28T15:03:00.003-05:002009-09-28T15:17:51.360-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/28/2009San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings<br />Vikings 27<br />49ers 24<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Reason He's Here</span><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Three for Three</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Still haven't played anybody?</span><br />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!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mistakes a plenty</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on Tap</span><br />It's Packer week, just another game, right!!?? Let's break this down a bit and see just how big this game truly is:<br />- Game against your hated Division rival....check<br />- Nationally televised on Monday Night Football....check<br />- 1st place in the Division on the line.....check<br />- Brett Favre playing against the team he led for 16 seasons....check<br /><br />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.<br /><br />SKOL VIKINGS!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-56864386174140259512009-09-21T20:14:00.003-05:002009-09-21T22:42:40.609-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/21/2009Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions<br />Vikings 27<br />Lions 13<br /><br /><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ponderings</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Consistency at QB</span><br />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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Favre</span> fits that must needed mold to a tee. No, he's not going <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">down field</span> 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">efficiency</span> 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:<br /><br />Week 1 - 14 for 21 | 110 yards | 1 TD | 0 INT | 66.7% | 95.3 QB Rating<br />Week 2 - 23 for 27 | 155 yards | 2 TD | 0 INT | 82.5% | 115.3 QB Rating<br />Season - 37 for 48 | 265 yards | 3 TD | 0 INT | 77.1% | 110.2 QB Rating<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">EJ's biggest fan</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Starting slow won't always be the way to go</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Special Teams</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on tap</span><br />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.venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-27620391918114018062009-09-13T21:15:00.005-05:002009-09-14T07:21:45.251-05:00Purple Pride Ponderings 9/13/2009Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns<br />Vikings 34<br />Browns 20<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gunslinger to Game Manager</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All Day Destined to be All-Time Greatest</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let's not get too carried away</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Special Teams still not so Special</span><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garbage TD</span><br />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.<br /><br />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!!??<br /><br />SKOL VIKINGS!venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19528528.post-30570325812097158382009-09-11T13:21:00.003-05:002009-09-11T13:23:21.767-05:00Williams Wall Stands Tall, All Season Long<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCTP1vXhR9FUX4nGrqchu2yYxLaPXuliwyawHnBwG9QffF2AB7Qhzxu_2SVQaeQhfLqG_JBRJ6-6xTXC-26gaeDpTFM9TceftJY-ROB3umQ_1bbogQJE1n4PtQl_2xXS9bhqU/s1600-h/williams_wall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCTP1vXhR9FUX4nGrqchu2yYxLaPXuliwyawHnBwG9QffF2AB7Qhzxu_2SVQaeQhfLqG_JBRJ6-6xTXC-26gaeDpTFM9TceftJY-ROB3umQ_1bbogQJE1n4PtQl_2xXS9bhqU/s320/williams_wall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380276998857048482" border="0" /></a>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.<br /><br />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.venomlacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864466749362515792noreply@blogger.com0