Should a fan be worried when his team scores 34 points and wins by two touchdowns on the road in its first game of the season?
Probably not. But when Fox play-by-play guy Thom Brennaman mused late in the fourth quarter – with Minnesota cruising to victory – that it seemed like the Vikings offence hadn’t played all that well, I think he was right. And that is what worries me.
It’s true the Vikings mostly obliterated the Cleveland Browns in the second half of a 34-20 win, as I suspected they would. It’s also true Adrian Peterson is still great and Brett Favre made a couple of key throws in that second half that kept drives alive and helped contribute to the rout. But we know the Vikings can win when they are able to run the ball as effectively as they did in the second half against the Browns.
What we don’t know is if they can win when they have to pass the ball – something they haven’t been able to do at any time in Brad Childress’s tenure as head coach of the Vikings. And a 14-for-21 for 110 yards and one touchdown effort by Favre still doesn’t answer that question for me, for other Viking fans and, more importantly, for future Viking opponents who will be gobbling up tape from this game and likely won’t be scared by anything Favre and the offence did throwing the ball.
So in essence, my worry is that while Favre didn’t throw an interception today, he didn’t (and, in truth, wasn’t asked) to make any “wow, look at that throw” plays. When the Vikes did throw, it was a menu of screens and short, safe stuff mixed in with a couple of shots downfield. Not that there's anything wrong with that and it's fine strategy against a team like the Browns. But will it be enough to win against Baltimore, Pittsburgh or any quality NFC opponent the Vikings would face in the playoffs? (My answer: nope.)
So the worrying about the Vikings passing game continues for me. But I'll admit there's no such thing as a bad win and I did enjoy a victory on the road by double digits. Next up, the Detroit Lions.
Other bad stuff
Pass protection: Last year the Browns sacked the quarterback 17 times. Today they sacked Favre four times, twice on blitzes by defensive backs that weren’t picked up. It seemed like any time Favre didn’t get rid of the ball quickly, he was under pressure and the offensive line, backs and tight ends couldn't keep the pocket clean. That’s a concern considering Favre only dropped back to pass 25 times. The Vikings need to get better at this.
Kick coverage: Mostly, I thought the Vikings did a good job on Pro Bowl returner Josh Cribbs. But can you say your coverage units did a good job when they give up a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown? I don’t think you can.
Some good stuff, too
Percy Harvin: Not huge numbers, and he did drop one pass, but the rookie did several things to help the Vikings win. His 41-yard kick-off return to start the second half gave his team great field position and set up the touchdown drive that righted an offensive unit fresh off a lackluster first half. And his 21-yard catch on a second-and-18 was a key, key play in the Vikes second TD drive of the second half. Not including kick returns, Harvin touched the ball five times and produced three first downs, a touchdown catch and a nine-yard catch that set up the touchdown catch. That’s pretty productive.
The return game: The Vikings got nothing from their punt or kick-off returners last year. Today, Harvin had the aforementioned 41-yard kick off return and Darius Reynaud had a 36-yard punt return that led to the Vikings first touchdown. This helps our offensive unit greatly. Harvin and Reynaud look like they’ll be fun to watch in the return game this year.
And finally, a word or two about Childress.
Most of us consider him to be a pretty conservative guy. But at least once a game, he seems to do something reckless. Today, the short kick to start the game was Chilly at his reckless worst.
Sure, if it worked, it would have been a great gut shot to the Browns in front of their home crowd. But I’d guess the success rate of onside kicks around the league is around 10-15 per cent. Given those odds, and with a defence like the Vikings have and an offence like the Browns have, do you really want to give the Browns a shot at a short field and a chance to score some cheap points on the first drive of the season opener?
Brad Childress, your gambling ways perplex me.
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5 comments:
I'm also a bit worried about the passing game still, but it's hard to get answers to questions like "What will the VIkings do against a good team?" when they're not playing a good team. I think these first few games let Favre ease into things and the answers will come when they get truly tested.
That onside kick had me scratching my head, but I read in this morning's paper why Childress thought it was a good idea. Something about Cleveland always leaving a huge whole up front when fielding kickoffs.. he said he thought it was a 'slam dunk'. It makes a little more sense now, but with Minnesota's D and Cleveland's O, it's silly to risk giving them a short field.
Peter:
I'm just having a hard time seeing them complete passes consistently that aren't screens and little checkdowns. It's not going to take long for other teams to figure out all the Vikings do is throw these kind of passes. On the other hand, although I was unable to see the game, it sounds like the Bears and Packers have some problems to shore up as well.
And the onside kick was a bad gamble. Kick it deep and if the Vikings give up two first downs – as they did on that first drive – no harm done. Instead they made it much easy for the Browns to at least get a field goal there. Oh well.
It would do me a lot of good to see Rice and Berrian each catch 2 or more passes next week for a combined total of no less than, say, 75 yards. That said, I don't mind screens and checkdowns because Taylor is (and Harvin seems to be) so capable of turning a short reception into a nice gain after the catch. If there are 8 defenders in the box, it doesn't take a huge throw to get past the linebackers. When teams start to sell out to the combination of run and the dink-dunk passing scheme, the opportunities to throw bombs to Berrian and/or Rice will present themselves.
Really though, I don't disagree with you. I'm nervous (and likely will remain so all season regardless what happens) and will breathe a sigh of relief after every win, no matter the opponent. I'm already biting my nails about the Lions this week.
My biggest concern about the Vikings at the moment is new starting center John Sullivan. I saw a lot of Browns slip past him too many times without him even making blocks on other players. He gets a bit of a pass since he seems prone to butterflies and he had to deal with Shaun Rodgers all day, but man. He's got to help protect Favre.
On the flip side, I'm liking Harvin more and more, and Loadholt's competent play is a big part of that. Turns out Minnesota had a better draft than I initially thought.
I watched the Bears Packers game and felt encouraged. Cutler threw 4 INTs (some of the blame goes to his receivers) and the supposedly potent Green Bay offense still struggled to win against the aging Chicago defense. To me, it looked more like the Packer offense was bad than that the Bears defense was good. If Green Bay doesn't find a solution at RT before week 4, Minnesota's pass rush will get plenty of hits on Rodgers. The safety on Rodgers made me smile. He's getting a reputation. Minnesota looks like the best team in the NFC North at this point.
Come on, man, sit back and enjoy the season! I thought there was plenty to be happy about. We blew out a team that we justly should have blown out - even when a few calls didn't go our way early in the game.
Unlike our preferred QB Cutler, Favre did NOT throw 4 picks. Harvin looks really good, and Loadholt and Sullivan look like they will be OK.
I see major improvement from last year, and I do believe that Favre made some throws yesterday that T Jack would not have made last year.
I actually believe the game would not have been a blowout with last year's roster.
Travis:
See my latest post.
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