Actually, make that the new, old normal.
As Pacifist Viking points out, the 2010 Vikings offence looks eerily similar to the one Brad Childress and his offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell ran from 2006-2008.
There’s an over reliance on the running game to keep the offence humming, an inability to score offensive touchdowns, and each completed pass seem like a mammoth accomplishment.
Did anyone out there have any faith the Vikings would pull this one out with a game-winning touchdown at the end – even with Brett Favre at quarterback? I didn’t.
The loss of Sidney Rice has proven to be more devastating than most of us predicted. We thought with Harvin and Shiancoe still around, and Berrian taking up some of the slack, and Favre and Adrian Peterson still in the fold, that the Vikings offence would still be strong.
But Rice’s absence has resulted in players assuming roles they appear not to be suited for.
With Rice out, Percy Harvin now assumes the #1 receiver role instead of the #2 he filled so nicely last year. Berrian – while being paid to be a #1 – is being asked to be a #2 instead of the #3 guy he was last year. And Harvin and Berrian aren’t holding up their end of the deal.
The Vikings are really feeling the loss of Rice inside the opponent’s 20 – where Favre and the ’09 Vikes were so deadly.
After today’s offensive performance, the Vikings interest in Chargers holdout wide receiver Vincent Jackson has likely increased substantially. At 0-2, the Vikings cannot wait for Rice to get healthy. They need a wide receiver to make plays down the field and in the red zone. It appears that no such player is currently healthy and on the roster.
Other stuff
– I was in favour of the signing of Lito Sheppard this spring. But the guy looks cooked as a player who can play cornerback at the NFL level right now.
_ Dan Dierdorf made some big noise in the first half of this game about the Dolphins getting the better of the Vikings defensive line. It sure looked like it was true. You didn’t see a lot of times where the Vikings D-line pushed back the Miami O-line on run or pass plays. But the unit’s play seemed to improve in the second half. That, and Peterson’s performance, are the only encouraging sings I take out of this loss.
– I noticed Erin Henderson playing linebacker during the second half of the game where Ben Leber would normally be. According to Access Vikings, Leber had a back injury.
Leber’s been a solid and often unsung player for the Vikings since joining the team in 2006. If he was out for an extended period of time, that would not help the Vikings climb out of their current situation.
– Is this a lost year already? Should we give up caring?
By now you’ve likely heard the stats. Only 13 percent of teams that start out 0-2 make the playoffs.
Remember 2008, Vikings fans. Remember 2008.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Let's panic
I can’t write about this game right now. I just can’t.
Just an overall terrible, terrible performance at home by the Vikings.
Not very good decision-making by Brett Favre. Not very good in-game decision-making by head coach Brad Childress (going for it on fourth-and-two on your first drive? Calling a run play into a stacked Dolphins front on fourth down at the Miami goal line?). The receivers have trouble getting open. The front seven struggled in the first half. Bernard Berrian – where are you? Percy Harvin – where were you in the second half? (To be fair, it appeared whatever he hurt in the first half was bothering him the rest of the game.)
We still have 14 games to go, and the Vikings had very slow starts under Childress in 2007 and 2008 before getting their act together, but those Vikings didn't have the expectations or the tough upcoming schedule this year's team has.
0-2. And the Packers and Bears are both 2-0. This team does not look like anything close to a Super Bowl-type team right now.
Now I'm going to throw up.
Just an overall terrible, terrible performance at home by the Vikings.
Not very good decision-making by Brett Favre. Not very good in-game decision-making by head coach Brad Childress (going for it on fourth-and-two on your first drive? Calling a run play into a stacked Dolphins front on fourth down at the Miami goal line?). The receivers have trouble getting open. The front seven struggled in the first half. Bernard Berrian – where are you? Percy Harvin – where were you in the second half? (To be fair, it appeared whatever he hurt in the first half was bothering him the rest of the game.)
We still have 14 games to go, and the Vikings had very slow starts under Childress in 2007 and 2008 before getting their act together, but those Vikings didn't have the expectations or the tough upcoming schedule this year's team has.
0-2. And the Packers and Bears are both 2-0. This team does not look like anything close to a Super Bowl-type team right now.
Now I'm going to throw up.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
At long last - week #2
Dolphins - Vikings
One of the pitfalls of analyzing games so early in the season is that I’m forced to base my analysis on what happened in the previous season as opposed to what’s happened this season.
I mean, I know what kind of team the Vikings were in 2009. But what kind of team are the Vikings in 2010? They’ve only played one game. It’s hard to tell.
I do know if this were last year, I’d be extremely confident in a 14 to 17 point victory for the Vikes.
The Vikings defence would negate the Wildcat. The defensive line would pressure the hell out of Chad Henne when he did throw and Miami would have trouble moving the ball consistently and scoring touchdowns. And that certainly wouldn’t be good enough to keep up with the Vikings offensive prowess.
This year, I don’t know. A frothy, noisy Metrodome crowd helps. I still don’t think the Wildcat will have great success against the Vikings D. I also don’t think Chad Henne will have much success throwing the ball. The Vikings will also be wearing their throwback jerseys, which I love.
But, geez, that Vikings offence. It didn’t look very good against the Saints. Can we expect them to be much better against the Dolphins? We can, but it’s not a given.
Brett Favre might still be rusty. Bernard Berrian very likely will be a non-factor again (he and Favre do not seem to click). And it’s obvious Favre and the Vikings really miss Sidney Rice.
If the Vikings struggle to move the ball, it’s pretty easy to envision this game being a close, tense, frustrating affair, with the Dolphins chewing up large chunks of the game clock with their Wildcat and 3.5 yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offensive philosophy. Then Favre starts pressing to make something happen, forces the ball, gets picked off a couple of times, and voila, the Vikes are 0-2.
Somehow, I can’t bring myself to predicting that will happen though. I believe in the power of the Metrodome. The Vikings play a foot taller there. So they’ll win this one. I just don’t think it will be easy.
Vikings 21 Dolphins 13
Adrian Peterson
Vikes Geek takes aim at Adrian Peterson this week, suggesting AP has become an Ordinary Joe the past 12 months – with his yards per carry average and spectacular runs declining at the rate of a mere mortal – and he needs to snap out of it.
I blame the Vikings offensive line way more than Peterson for what has seemed like too many ho-hum games of late. But no matter who is to blame, the Dolphins game is one where the Vikings really, really need Adrian Peterson to play like Adrian Peterson.
Darius Reynaud
Last Sunday I watched a bit of the Giants-Panthers game. In the first quarter, the Panthers punted the ball after a failed first drive. The Carolina coverage was very good, and they had at least four players near the ball, when the Giants punt returner, Reynaud, fearlessly fielded the punt on the run, in heavy traffic. He gained four yards.
Why am I mentioning a four-yard punt return? Because Reynaud saved his new team valuable yards on that punt return and he will continue to do so the rest of the season.
Most guys would have let that punt hit the ground and roll for about 20 yards. Or they would have called for a fair catch and gained nothing. Not Reynaud. He turned nothing into something.
Meanwhile, Bernard Berrian fielded two punts in the Vikings season opener, fumbled one of them and returned the other for two yards.
Maybe I’m making too much out of the loss of a player whose only value was returning punts. But the Vikings did not make themselves a better team by trading Reynaud. I still don’t understand it.
Bryant McKinnie
I read on Access Vikings last week that during the Saints contest, after he left the game with a dislocated finger, McKinnie “tweeted” that he would be coming back in the game, but the Vikings never got the ball back.
Now just what was McKinnie doing on his Twitter account during the late stages of a close game during the Vikings season opener?
I find this interesting.
Vincent Jackson – future Viking?
I’m excited by this rumour, and would be all for acquiring Jackson, provided the compensation was reasonable.
Football Outsiders had Jackson ranked as the #2 receiver in the league last year (Sidney Rice was ranked #1). There’s been some speculation that the Vikings had a one-year, $7-million deal worked out with Jackson, which has many wondering why the Vikings would trade for a guy they’ll only have locked up for one year.
Well, apparently there’s going to be a lockout next year, and the Vikings don’t seem to be keen on signing anyone to extensions right now – not Chad Greenway, not Ray Edwards, not Sidney Rice, and probably not Vincent Jackson.
But if the Vikings are going "all-in" this year to win a Super Bowl, trading Jackson to rent him for potentially one year is an okay gamble to me.
It’s clear already the Vikings need a big wide receiver that can get downfield and make plays. Rice was that guy last year, but he’s not playing right now, and will he be ready to play after week eight of the season? And even if he is, will it already be too late for the Vikings for it to matter?
Jackson can come back after four games. If we can get him, let’s get him.
One of the pitfalls of analyzing games so early in the season is that I’m forced to base my analysis on what happened in the previous season as opposed to what’s happened this season.
I mean, I know what kind of team the Vikings were in 2009. But what kind of team are the Vikings in 2010? They’ve only played one game. It’s hard to tell.
I do know if this were last year, I’d be extremely confident in a 14 to 17 point victory for the Vikes.
The Vikings defence would negate the Wildcat. The defensive line would pressure the hell out of Chad Henne when he did throw and Miami would have trouble moving the ball consistently and scoring touchdowns. And that certainly wouldn’t be good enough to keep up with the Vikings offensive prowess.
This year, I don’t know. A frothy, noisy Metrodome crowd helps. I still don’t think the Wildcat will have great success against the Vikings D. I also don’t think Chad Henne will have much success throwing the ball. The Vikings will also be wearing their throwback jerseys, which I love.
But, geez, that Vikings offence. It didn’t look very good against the Saints. Can we expect them to be much better against the Dolphins? We can, but it’s not a given.
Brett Favre might still be rusty. Bernard Berrian very likely will be a non-factor again (he and Favre do not seem to click). And it’s obvious Favre and the Vikings really miss Sidney Rice.
If the Vikings struggle to move the ball, it’s pretty easy to envision this game being a close, tense, frustrating affair, with the Dolphins chewing up large chunks of the game clock with their Wildcat and 3.5 yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offensive philosophy. Then Favre starts pressing to make something happen, forces the ball, gets picked off a couple of times, and voila, the Vikes are 0-2.
Somehow, I can’t bring myself to predicting that will happen though. I believe in the power of the Metrodome. The Vikings play a foot taller there. So they’ll win this one. I just don’t think it will be easy.
Vikings 21 Dolphins 13
Adrian Peterson
Vikes Geek takes aim at Adrian Peterson this week, suggesting AP has become an Ordinary Joe the past 12 months – with his yards per carry average and spectacular runs declining at the rate of a mere mortal – and he needs to snap out of it.
I blame the Vikings offensive line way more than Peterson for what has seemed like too many ho-hum games of late. But no matter who is to blame, the Dolphins game is one where the Vikings really, really need Adrian Peterson to play like Adrian Peterson.
Darius Reynaud
Last Sunday I watched a bit of the Giants-Panthers game. In the first quarter, the Panthers punted the ball after a failed first drive. The Carolina coverage was very good, and they had at least four players near the ball, when the Giants punt returner, Reynaud, fearlessly fielded the punt on the run, in heavy traffic. He gained four yards.
Why am I mentioning a four-yard punt return? Because Reynaud saved his new team valuable yards on that punt return and he will continue to do so the rest of the season.
Most guys would have let that punt hit the ground and roll for about 20 yards. Or they would have called for a fair catch and gained nothing. Not Reynaud. He turned nothing into something.
Meanwhile, Bernard Berrian fielded two punts in the Vikings season opener, fumbled one of them and returned the other for two yards.
Maybe I’m making too much out of the loss of a player whose only value was returning punts. But the Vikings did not make themselves a better team by trading Reynaud. I still don’t understand it.
Bryant McKinnie
I read on Access Vikings last week that during the Saints contest, after he left the game with a dislocated finger, McKinnie “tweeted” that he would be coming back in the game, but the Vikings never got the ball back.
Now just what was McKinnie doing on his Twitter account during the late stages of a close game during the Vikings season opener?
I find this interesting.
Vincent Jackson – future Viking?
I’m excited by this rumour, and would be all for acquiring Jackson, provided the compensation was reasonable.
Football Outsiders had Jackson ranked as the #2 receiver in the league last year (Sidney Rice was ranked #1). There’s been some speculation that the Vikings had a one-year, $7-million deal worked out with Jackson, which has many wondering why the Vikings would trade for a guy they’ll only have locked up for one year.
Well, apparently there’s going to be a lockout next year, and the Vikings don’t seem to be keen on signing anyone to extensions right now – not Chad Greenway, not Ray Edwards, not Sidney Rice, and probably not Vincent Jackson.
But if the Vikings are going "all-in" this year to win a Super Bowl, trading Jackson to rent him for potentially one year is an okay gamble to me.
It’s clear already the Vikings need a big wide receiver that can get downfield and make plays. Rice was that guy last year, but he’s not playing right now, and will he be ready to play after week eight of the season? And even if he is, will it already be too late for the Vikings for it to matter?
Jackson can come back after four games. If we can get him, let’s get him.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Let's not panic
So it's been a little while since I've done this.
And I'll admit right now that I didn't even watch all of Saints-Vikings season opener - opting instead to play some tennis while I still can in Yellowknife rather than endure the agony of what I figured was a sure defeat for the Vikings.
As it turned out, I only got to watch just over one quarter of the Vikings 14-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints, so I'm hardly qualified to make any in-depth statements about Thursday night's game. Alas, that isn't going to stop me.
Here are a few uninformed thoughts.
1. I think a lot of writers are going to write a lot of words over the next couple of days saying Brett Favre looked old and see, he should have gone to training camp after all.
That's probably true. Favre and the Vikings offence certainly would have benefited from more time together. But Favre didn't look too impressive in his first two games last year either. So let's not write off Mr. Wrangler Jeans and the Vikes offence after one stinker on the road against the Super Bowl champs.
What is worth monitoring over the next four games or so is how Favre performs without Sidney Rice in the lineup.
Rice was Favre's go-to receiver last year. He was the guy Favre trusted to make the big catches and the big plays. Now he injured and isn't around and who knows when he will be. Who is going to emerge as the Vikings Sidney Rice for the first half of this season?
It is a concern that nobody stood out against the Saints other than Visanthe Shiancoe.
2. While I'm on the subject of not standing out, Brad Childress and Darrell Bevell have to figure out a way of utilizing Bernard Berrian's talents – whatever those talents might be.
The Vikings are paying a lot of money for a guy who looks like he belongs on the practice squad. The Vikings have already become easier to defend without Rice. If Berrian continues to be a non-factor, it's not going to get any more pleasant for the Vikings offence.
3. If there is anything out of this game that does gives me hope that the Vikings 2010 season will be an enjoyable one, it was the play of the Vikings defence against the Saints.
Despite all the talk about the sacks, Jared Allen, the Williams Wall and the stout run defence, I thought the unit underachieved in 2009. It wasn't the dominant force I was expecting it would be last season.
Now the sacks and turnovers weren't there against New Orleans. But they limited the Saints to 14 points. That's pretty damn good.
Overall, my feeling is that this was just one loss, and it was a loss that wasn't terribly surprising. Yes, the Vikings won't start the season 6-0 like they did last year. Big deal. The team now gets two home games in a row, against Miami and Detroit, and then a bye week.
Those are two very winnable games - even if the Vikings don't play their best and Favre and the offence are still finding their way during that stretch. The Vikings could be 2-1 in a couple of weeks heading into a bye week. The loss to the Saints will feel like it happened a long time ago if that occurs.
So still I'm leery of the 2010 Minnesota Vikings. I'm still skeptical. But I'm not panicking. Yet.
And I'll admit right now that I didn't even watch all of Saints-Vikings season opener - opting instead to play some tennis while I still can in Yellowknife rather than endure the agony of what I figured was a sure defeat for the Vikings.
As it turned out, I only got to watch just over one quarter of the Vikings 14-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints, so I'm hardly qualified to make any in-depth statements about Thursday night's game. Alas, that isn't going to stop me.
Here are a few uninformed thoughts.
1. I think a lot of writers are going to write a lot of words over the next couple of days saying Brett Favre looked old and see, he should have gone to training camp after all.
That's probably true. Favre and the Vikings offence certainly would have benefited from more time together. But Favre didn't look too impressive in his first two games last year either. So let's not write off Mr. Wrangler Jeans and the Vikes offence after one stinker on the road against the Super Bowl champs.
What is worth monitoring over the next four games or so is how Favre performs without Sidney Rice in the lineup.
Rice was Favre's go-to receiver last year. He was the guy Favre trusted to make the big catches and the big plays. Now he injured and isn't around and who knows when he will be. Who is going to emerge as the Vikings Sidney Rice for the first half of this season?
It is a concern that nobody stood out against the Saints other than Visanthe Shiancoe.
2. While I'm on the subject of not standing out, Brad Childress and Darrell Bevell have to figure out a way of utilizing Bernard Berrian's talents – whatever those talents might be.
The Vikings are paying a lot of money for a guy who looks like he belongs on the practice squad. The Vikings have already become easier to defend without Rice. If Berrian continues to be a non-factor, it's not going to get any more pleasant for the Vikings offence.
3. If there is anything out of this game that does gives me hope that the Vikings 2010 season will be an enjoyable one, it was the play of the Vikings defence against the Saints.
Despite all the talk about the sacks, Jared Allen, the Williams Wall and the stout run defence, I thought the unit underachieved in 2009. It wasn't the dominant force I was expecting it would be last season.
Now the sacks and turnovers weren't there against New Orleans. But they limited the Saints to 14 points. That's pretty damn good.
Overall, my feeling is that this was just one loss, and it was a loss that wasn't terribly surprising. Yes, the Vikings won't start the season 6-0 like they did last year. Big deal. The team now gets two home games in a row, against Miami and Detroit, and then a bye week.
Those are two very winnable games - even if the Vikings don't play their best and Favre and the offence are still finding their way during that stretch. The Vikings could be 2-1 in a couple of weeks heading into a bye week. The loss to the Saints will feel like it happened a long time ago if that occurs.
So still I'm leery of the 2010 Minnesota Vikings. I'm still skeptical. But I'm not panicking. Yet.
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