Vikings vs. Chiefs
On December 14, 1974, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Fran Tarkenton and Bob Berry split the quarterback duties that day. Berry, surprisingly, was the more efficient player, completing 11 of 12 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns while Tarkenton was nine of 17 for 135 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Vikings wide receiver Sam McCullum was the star of the game, with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the lopsided result, the Vikes only lead 14-12 at halftime but outscored the Chiefs 21-3 in the second half. That game also marks the last time the Vikings won at Arrowhead.
But as the Vikings try to get a win in 2011 this Sunday in Kansas City, this losing streak isn’t as bad as it sounds. Minnesota has only played in Arrowhead three times since winning there in 1974 and they’ve lost each game by a field goal. It’s not like the Chiefs home stadium is a house of horrors for the Vikings.
The 0-3 Vikings are also facing a Chiefs team that is hurting even worse than they are. You probably know about the injuries. Running back Jamaal Charles, safety Eric Berry, tight end Tony Meoaki – all gone for the season. The Chiefs top cornerback Brandon Flowers may also miss this game with a knee injury. And the Kansas City players still standing aren’t doing so hot. Starting quarterback Matt Cassel has the league’s worst QB rating and is averaging a weak 5.2 yards per pass attempt. The Chiefs haven’t even had a lead at any point in their three losses.
So the team that can’t get a lead hosts the team that can’t hold a lead. What a matchup.
My head tells me the Vikings should get their first win at Arrowhead in almost 40 years on Sunday. They may be 0-3 but have been more competitive in their losses than the Chiefs have. But the Vikings playing on the road and on grass always worries me. I have a few other concerns.
Will the Vikings defence be able to snuff out the short passes to tight ends and running’s backs that have killed them in their second half collapses this season? (This has always been the Achilles heel of the Vikings Tampa Two defensive philosophy). Can Donovan McNabb elevate his play and make up for a receiving corps that’s been average at best? Will Bernard Berrian continue to be the invisible man? Can the Chris Cook and Cedric Griffin prevent Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe – a big, fast man – from making the kind of game changing plays Detroit’s Calvin Johnson – another big, fast man – made against them last week?
With so many key Chiefs players out with injuries, the Vikings should win this game. Both teams are 0-3. Both teams have to be desperate. But I’ll take the desperate home team against the desperate visiting team in this one.
Chiefs 20 Vikings 17
Other Worries
* The Vikings haven’t been a very disciplined team this year.
This is a strange early trend. It’s been said teams often take on the personalities of their head coach. When you look at Leslie Frazier on the sidelines during games, it’s difficult to tell if he has a pulse, that’s how stoic he is. So why are the Vikings taking so many dumb penalties?
* ESPN NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert isn’t optimistic that working on Donovan McNabb’s mechanics will improve his accuracy.
I agree. Throwing accuracy seems to be one of those things that can’t be improved at the NFL level. I’ve watched McNabb play for years when he was with Philadelphia and he’s always had stretches in games where it looks like he’s trying to kill some ants. But at 35, with average receivers and a bad offensive line to work with, his accuracy issues are magnified. Without better personnel around him, which he is not going to get in 2011, I don’t think this is a problem that can be solved.
The Peterson thing
I’ll end this post by discussing the issue of why Adrian Peterson was “ignored” in the second half of the Detroit loss. Both Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have said this week that they should have gone to Peterson more in the second half. But could they have done so? Let’s look at how the Vikings six offensive drives in the second half evolved by consulting CBS Sportsline’s play-by-play feature.
Drive #1:
1-10-MIN 20: A.Peterson left guard to MIN 22 for 2 yards.
2-8-MIN 22: D.McNabb scrambles left end, ran out-of-bounds at MIN 25 for 3 yards.
3-5-MIN 25: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to B.Berrian. Penalty on MIN, Illegal Shift, declined.
4-5-MIN 25: Vikings punt.
Drive #2
1-10-MIN 24: D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to V.Shiancoe. Penalty on MIN-C.Johnson, Illegal Formation, declined.
2-10-MIN 24: D.McNabb sacked at MIN 17 for -7 yards. FUMBLES, recovered by MIN-P.Loadholt at MIN 16.
3-18-MIN 16: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short left to M.Jenkins.
Vikings punt.
Drive #3
1-10-MIN 20: D.McNabb pass short middle to A.Peterson to MIN 23 for 3 yards
2-7-MIN 23: A.Peterson right tackle to MIN 29 for 6 yards.
3-1-MIN 29: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short left to P.Harvin.
Vikings punt.
Drive #4
1-10-DET 37: A.Peterson right end to DET 23 for 14 yards. PENALTY on MIN-M.Jenkins, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at DET 37 - No Play.
1-20-DET 47: D.McNabb pass short middle to P.Harvin to DET 26 for 21 yards.
1-10-DET 26: A.Peterson up the middle to DET 27 for -1 yards.
2-11-DET 27: A.Peterson left end to DET 25 for 2 yards.
3-9-DET 25: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to M.Jenkins to DET 17 for 8 yards.
4-1-DET 17: T.Gerhart up the middle to DET 17 for no gain.
Drive #5
1-10-MIN18: D.McNabb pass incomplete deep middle to J.Kleinsasser.
2-10-MIN18: A.Peterson left end to MIN 14 for -4 yards.
3-14-MIN 14: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep right to B.Berrian.
Vikings punt
Drive #6
1-10-MIN 17: D.McNabb pass short middle to A.Peterson to MIN 24 for 7 yards. Penalty on DET-C.Williams, Defensive Offside, declined.
2-3-MIN 24: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to M.Jenkins to MIN 28 for 4 yards. 1-10-MIN 28: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to M.Jenkins to MIN 41 for 13 yards.
1-10-MIN 41: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to A.Peterson to MIN 44 for 3 yards.
2-7-MIN 44: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass deep right to K.Rudolph to DET 36 for 20 yards.
1-10-DET 36: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short right to D.Aromashodu to DET 31 for 5 yards.
2-5-DET 31: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to D.Aromashodu.
3-5-DET 31: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep right to B.Berrian.
4-5-DET 31: R.Longwell 49-yard field goal is GOOD, Center-C.Loeffler, Holder-C.Kluwe.
Okay, that’s a lot to take in, but look closely at the down-and-distance situations the Vikings faced and what Peterson did with the carries he got. Two yards here, minus four yards there, a 14-yard run wiped out by a holding penalty, and the Vikings final drive was one where they had to throw the ball to get a tying score and didn’t have time to grind it out on the ground.
You can argue the Vikings should have given the ball to Peterson on the third-and-one on the second drive. They definitely should have given it to him on the fourth-and-one on the fourth drive. But you can only get Peterson more carries if the offence is moving the ball and picking up first downs. The Vikings were unable to do that in the second half against the Lions, and Peterson (with a lot of assistance from his brutal offensive line) contributed to that with runs that produced either minimal gains or negative gains.
When you’re facing second-and-10s and third-and-nines, which the Vikings offence was against the Lions, it makes it hard to hand it off to Peterson. So the Vikings offensive unit isn’t magically going to get better if Peterson runs the ball 80 per cent of the time (Wasn’t that the criticism of the Vikings in the loss to San Diego? Musgrave was too predictable in his play calls, giving the ball to Peterson on first down too often?)
The offensive line needs to pass and run block much better. The backs, tight ends and receivers have to do a better job of getting open. McNabb needs to throw fewer passes at the feet of open pass catchers. Musgrave needs to be more creative in getting the ball to studs like Peterson and Percy Harvin. Solving the Vikings offensive woes will require more than just getting Peterson more touches.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Vikings choices at left tackle are Starks (plus other musings)
Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier got rid of one left tackle because he showed up at training camp grossly overweight and out of shape. Now we learn the Vikings are taking a look at another left tackle who was cut during the preseason because he showed up at training camp overweight and out of shape.
There is no sign that the Vikings are going to sign ex-Steelers tackle Max Starks, but what this says to me is that after three games the Minnesota coaching staff is thinking an overweight, out of shape Starks is preferable to Charlie Johnson in any form. This is a problem with no solution – at least not this season. If the Vikings "earn" a top 10 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, there's a 99 per cent chance the team picks a left tackle.
McNabb or Ponder?
The Daily Norseman's Christopher Gates makes the case for why the Vikings should stick with Donovan McNabb as the starting quarterback in what already looks like a lost season. I agree with him.
Can anybody play this game?
The DN's Gates also penned a post looking at the Vikings who have been playing well, despite the 0-3 start.
I can't disagree with any of his selections. I almost thought he should have added second-year corner Chris Cook. But Cook did give up a 32-yard touchdown pass to Detroit's Calvin Johnson that got the Lions comeback rolling. And he is part of a secondary that is giving up an average of 305 passing yards over the first three games, so I don't think we can say anybody in the secondary is playing well. Still, if I had to vote for the Vikings most improved player, it would be Cook. (As an aside, if I had to vote on the player who has regressed the most, it would be right tackle Phil Loadholt.)
It's not all Bill Musgrave's fault
The Star Tribune's Mark Craig reminds us that the Vikings defence has made a healthy contribution to the team's second half woes.
Getting the odd first down would help ....
ESPN 1500's Judd Zulgad wonders why Adrian Peterson only got five opportunities to run the ball in the second half.
I understand what Zulgad is trying to point out here – that the Vikings play calling leaves something to be desired, but the logic is faulty in this case. I'll examine this in more detail tomorrow or Thursday.
We could probably use this guy
I've been secretly enjoying the fact that former Vikings and current Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice missed the first two games of the 2011 season with yet another injury – this time a shoulder problem. It provided evidence that the Vikings made the right move in not outbidding Seattle for the services of the oft-injured Rice.
But Rice did play on Sunday and he showed Minnesota fans what they will be missing if he can stay in one piece this season.
To be fair, the Vikings did want to re-sign Rice in the offseason, but Sid seemed intent on leaving the team. I think he was still pissed that he didn't get a contract extension following his Pro Bowl 2009 season and that he had his manhood questioned by head coach Brad Childress while making a slow comeback from hip surgery in 2010.
How much better would the Vikings offence be if the Sidney Rice who had eight catches for 109 yards against Arizona last Sunday were still wearing purple? Would the Vikings be 2-1 or 3-0 instead of 0-3?
Don't be afraid to comment
So what's up Viking fans? I was expecting a few vitriolic comments on this blog after Sunday's latest debacle. Yet nothing. Do you just not care about this team anymore? I can't say I would blame you if that's the case.
There is no sign that the Vikings are going to sign ex-Steelers tackle Max Starks, but what this says to me is that after three games the Minnesota coaching staff is thinking an overweight, out of shape Starks is preferable to Charlie Johnson in any form. This is a problem with no solution – at least not this season. If the Vikings "earn" a top 10 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, there's a 99 per cent chance the team picks a left tackle.
McNabb or Ponder?
The Daily Norseman's Christopher Gates makes the case for why the Vikings should stick with Donovan McNabb as the starting quarterback in what already looks like a lost season. I agree with him.
Can anybody play this game?
The DN's Gates also penned a post looking at the Vikings who have been playing well, despite the 0-3 start.
I can't disagree with any of his selections. I almost thought he should have added second-year corner Chris Cook. But Cook did give up a 32-yard touchdown pass to Detroit's Calvin Johnson that got the Lions comeback rolling. And he is part of a secondary that is giving up an average of 305 passing yards over the first three games, so I don't think we can say anybody in the secondary is playing well. Still, if I had to vote for the Vikings most improved player, it would be Cook. (As an aside, if I had to vote on the player who has regressed the most, it would be right tackle Phil Loadholt.)
It's not all Bill Musgrave's fault
The Star Tribune's Mark Craig reminds us that the Vikings defence has made a healthy contribution to the team's second half woes.
Getting the odd first down would help ....
ESPN 1500's Judd Zulgad wonders why Adrian Peterson only got five opportunities to run the ball in the second half.
I understand what Zulgad is trying to point out here – that the Vikings play calling leaves something to be desired, but the logic is faulty in this case. I'll examine this in more detail tomorrow or Thursday.
We could probably use this guy
I've been secretly enjoying the fact that former Vikings and current Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice missed the first two games of the 2011 season with yet another injury – this time a shoulder problem. It provided evidence that the Vikings made the right move in not outbidding Seattle for the services of the oft-injured Rice.
But Rice did play on Sunday and he showed Minnesota fans what they will be missing if he can stay in one piece this season.
To be fair, the Vikings did want to re-sign Rice in the offseason, but Sid seemed intent on leaving the team. I think he was still pissed that he didn't get a contract extension following his Pro Bowl 2009 season and that he had his manhood questioned by head coach Brad Childress while making a slow comeback from hip surgery in 2010.
How much better would the Vikings offence be if the Sidney Rice who had eight catches for 109 yards against Arizona last Sunday were still wearing purple? Would the Vikings be 2-1 or 3-0 instead of 0-3?
Don't be afraid to comment
So what's up Viking fans? I was expecting a few vitriolic comments on this blog after Sunday's latest debacle. Yet nothing. Do you just not care about this team anymore? I can't say I would blame you if that's the case.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Vikings pull off yet another miraculous collapse
Clearly, the Detroit Lions had little to worry about as they trotted off the field at the half time down 20-0 against the Minnesota Vikings.
These Lions aren’t your mother’s Lions. They are not as prone to curling up in a fetal position when things aren’t going their way. Detroit also knew the 2011 Vikings have made a habit of committing boneheaded penalties, leaving the middle of the field wide open for opposing quarterbacks and tight ends and failing to convert on third down (or any down) in the second half in the squad’s previous two losses.
The Vikings did it again Sunday in the team’s first loss to the Lions at the Metrodome since 1997. Of the 10 penalties the Vikings committed in the game, seven came in the second half. Detroit QB Matt Stafford frequently found tight end Brandon Pettigrew (11 catches for 112 yards) open underneath coverage and over the top of it. The Vikings offence went 0-6 on third downs in the second half.
To look so competent in the first halves of this 0-3 start and look so bad in the second halves defies description. So I’m not going to try to describe it. But once a train like this gets going, it’s very hard to stop it. If head coach Leslie Frazier thought he had some challenges to overcome last year when he took over for the fired Brad Childress, he ain’t seen nothing yet. Can the Vikings even beat the Kansas City Chiefs next week – a team that has not looked competent in any half this year?
A few other observations about another game Vikings fans would like to forget.
Donovan McNabb
This was McNabb’s best game yet as a Viking (22-36, 211 yards, one TD pass), but it was still a pretty ho-hum performance. We’re still seeing him miss badly on several throws that a good quarterback should make. We’re also seeing him face a collapsing pocket on just about every throw.
I know there will be many Vikings fans looking for Frazier to switch to rookie Christian Ponder right about now. But Ponder isn’t going to make his offensive lineman pass block better and he isn’t going to turn Bernard Berrian and Devin Aromashodu into deep threats. I wouldn’t throw the rookie into this mess.
Bernard Berrian
O catches.
I could stop right there but I feel I have to write more, so I will. Once again the Vikings “deep threat” didn’t catch a ball. He has one catch in three games this season. His inability to be a legitimate receiving option really hampers this offence because McNabb has no choice but to throw short stuff all the time. It makes it harder for this unit to move the ball when it has to gain it in short chunks and the defence knows it. Is there any reason to even dress Berrian at this point?
Offensive line
A pretty poor showing by this unit. Left tackle Charlie Johnson couldn’t handle Kyle Vanden Bosch’s speed or his effort. Right tackle Phil Loadholt was just as bad. The entire line couldn’t get any push on the Lions defensive line. I was holding my breath on every pass and run play.
3rd and one
Early in his tenure, Frazier has me thinking he’s a game strategy meathead as a head coach. Apparently he makes none of those vaunted half-time adjustments. And that whole fourth-and-one sequence early in the fourth quarter was bad, and I don’t just mean the play call to give it to Toby Gerhart instead of Adrian Peterson. First, the Vikings have struggled to get anything done offensively in the second half this year. So three points is better than none at that stage of the game. A 27-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Longwell is as automatic as it gets in this league.
But you’ve also got to know your personnel in that situation. Did Frazier really think his Vikings offensive line was going to be able to win the battle at the point of attack against the Lions d-line when they hadn’t done it all day? Frazier’s call struck me as a desperate move, rather than a confident move. The three points the Vikings gave away there sure hurt when the Lions kicked the field goal in overtime to win it.
These Lions aren’t your mother’s Lions. They are not as prone to curling up in a fetal position when things aren’t going their way. Detroit also knew the 2011 Vikings have made a habit of committing boneheaded penalties, leaving the middle of the field wide open for opposing quarterbacks and tight ends and failing to convert on third down (or any down) in the second half in the squad’s previous two losses.
The Vikings did it again Sunday in the team’s first loss to the Lions at the Metrodome since 1997. Of the 10 penalties the Vikings committed in the game, seven came in the second half. Detroit QB Matt Stafford frequently found tight end Brandon Pettigrew (11 catches for 112 yards) open underneath coverage and over the top of it. The Vikings offence went 0-6 on third downs in the second half.
To look so competent in the first halves of this 0-3 start and look so bad in the second halves defies description. So I’m not going to try to describe it. But once a train like this gets going, it’s very hard to stop it. If head coach Leslie Frazier thought he had some challenges to overcome last year when he took over for the fired Brad Childress, he ain’t seen nothing yet. Can the Vikings even beat the Kansas City Chiefs next week – a team that has not looked competent in any half this year?
A few other observations about another game Vikings fans would like to forget.
Donovan McNabb
This was McNabb’s best game yet as a Viking (22-36, 211 yards, one TD pass), but it was still a pretty ho-hum performance. We’re still seeing him miss badly on several throws that a good quarterback should make. We’re also seeing him face a collapsing pocket on just about every throw.
I know there will be many Vikings fans looking for Frazier to switch to rookie Christian Ponder right about now. But Ponder isn’t going to make his offensive lineman pass block better and he isn’t going to turn Bernard Berrian and Devin Aromashodu into deep threats. I wouldn’t throw the rookie into this mess.
Bernard Berrian
O catches.
I could stop right there but I feel I have to write more, so I will. Once again the Vikings “deep threat” didn’t catch a ball. He has one catch in three games this season. His inability to be a legitimate receiving option really hampers this offence because McNabb has no choice but to throw short stuff all the time. It makes it harder for this unit to move the ball when it has to gain it in short chunks and the defence knows it. Is there any reason to even dress Berrian at this point?
Offensive line
A pretty poor showing by this unit. Left tackle Charlie Johnson couldn’t handle Kyle Vanden Bosch’s speed or his effort. Right tackle Phil Loadholt was just as bad. The entire line couldn’t get any push on the Lions defensive line. I was holding my breath on every pass and run play.
3rd and one
Early in his tenure, Frazier has me thinking he’s a game strategy meathead as a head coach. Apparently he makes none of those vaunted half-time adjustments. And that whole fourth-and-one sequence early in the fourth quarter was bad, and I don’t just mean the play call to give it to Toby Gerhart instead of Adrian Peterson. First, the Vikings have struggled to get anything done offensively in the second half this year. So three points is better than none at that stage of the game. A 27-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Longwell is as automatic as it gets in this league.
But you’ve also got to know your personnel in that situation. Did Frazier really think his Vikings offensive line was going to be able to win the battle at the point of attack against the Lions d-line when they hadn’t done it all day? Frazier’s call struck me as a desperate move, rather than a confident move. The three points the Vikings gave away there sure hurt when the Lions kicked the field goal in overtime to win it.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Vikings look to keep Metrodome winning streak against Lions alive
Vikings vs. Lions
It seems the Vikings have been beating the Detroit Lions forever at the Metrodome (okay, since 1998 to be accurate). This week that long streak looks to be coming to an end.
It’s not so much that Detroit has looked awesome in its first two games, but it’s Minnesota’s unawesomeness that makes me think the Vikings will be 0-3 come 2:30 p.m., Mountain Standard Time, Sunday afternoon.
The team isn’t tackling very well. I don’t think any of the defensive backs will be able to cover Calvin Johnson, who I’m picturing winning jump ball after jump ball in the red zone. John Sullivan certainly can’t handle Ndamukong Suh. Donovan McNabb can’t seem to complete a pass in the pocket. It could get ugly out there and getting thumped by the Lions – at the Metrodome no less – would have to rank as one of the great indignities Vikings fans have suffered over the past two decades.
Can the Vikings win this one? Yes, but a lot will have to go right for that to happen. Somebody other than Percy Harvin will have to emerge as a viable receiving threat (I can’t think of who that might be). The Vikings defensive line will have to harass Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford for a full game, not a half game. Cornerback Chris Cook will have to get through an entire game healthy and play very well while he is in there. I could go on, but you get the point.
Lions 35 Vikings 17
Percy Harvin
Tom Peliserro’s revelation that Percy Harvin has played less than 50 per cent of the Vikings offensive snaps this season is the latest in a series of curious in-game strategic moves by head coach Leslie Frazier and his staff. When I was watching the game, I didn’t realize Harvin was playing so little, although every time there was a Vikings sideline shot, it seemed Harvin was standing there, getting a drink of water.
I’ll be diplomatic here. It seems unwise for Harvin to be playing so infrequently. There are instances where Harvin probably isn’t needed on the field – like a third-and-goal on the opponent’s one-yard line. But Harvin is clearly the Vikings best receiver and every offensive snap he's on the sidelines for makes the Vikings that much easier to defend. Can you imagine Greg Jennings playing less than 50 per cent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps? Or Andre Johnson playing less than 50 per cent of Houston’s offensive snaps? Me neither. This is madness. Keep Harvin on the field until he pukes from exhaustion.
Donovan McNabb
Kevin Seifert points out that McNabb has been at his best on bootleg plays in the first two games. Seifert also points out that it won’t take long for opponents to sniff this strategy out and take it away from the Vikings. And when that happens, what will McNabb and the Vikings offence do then?
What bothers me even more about McNabb’s play in the two losses is that in both games the Vikings needed him to make some plays late in the second half to secure a victory. Those are the kind of plays you’d expect a quarterback two years removed from a Pro Bowl to make. Yet in both games, McNabb failed to make those plays while Philip Rivers and Josh Freeman did.
Kevin Williams
Can the return of defensive tackle Kevin Williams cure what ails the Vikings defence? I think not, although it’s nice to have him back. At 31 years of age, Williams is at a stage in his career where his skills are bound to decline. His return will not be a panacea for the Vikings 2011 defensive shortcomings.
Toby Gerhart
Gerhart touched the ball three times against Tampa Bay last week. One of the touches resulted in a 31-yard run and another touch saw him catch a screen pass and turn it into a 42-yard gain.
Gerhart appears to be bigger, faster and more explosive this year. He does not look like a guy you’d want to tackle when he gets a head of steam. I feared he might be a potential bust after watching him struggle as a rookie last year. But he’s looking much better so far this season. Unfortunately, with the Vikings struggling offensively, they aren’t running enough plays to get Gerhart some more playing time. So he’s a wasted asset on this squad.
Rebuilding?
Should the Vikings blow up their roster if Detroit beats them at home on Sunday? ESPN 1500’s Judd Zulgad thinks it should happen.
What are your thoughts on this issue, Viking fans?
It seems the Vikings have been beating the Detroit Lions forever at the Metrodome (okay, since 1998 to be accurate). This week that long streak looks to be coming to an end.
It’s not so much that Detroit has looked awesome in its first two games, but it’s Minnesota’s unawesomeness that makes me think the Vikings will be 0-3 come 2:30 p.m., Mountain Standard Time, Sunday afternoon.
The team isn’t tackling very well. I don’t think any of the defensive backs will be able to cover Calvin Johnson, who I’m picturing winning jump ball after jump ball in the red zone. John Sullivan certainly can’t handle Ndamukong Suh. Donovan McNabb can’t seem to complete a pass in the pocket. It could get ugly out there and getting thumped by the Lions – at the Metrodome no less – would have to rank as one of the great indignities Vikings fans have suffered over the past two decades.
Can the Vikings win this one? Yes, but a lot will have to go right for that to happen. Somebody other than Percy Harvin will have to emerge as a viable receiving threat (I can’t think of who that might be). The Vikings defensive line will have to harass Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford for a full game, not a half game. Cornerback Chris Cook will have to get through an entire game healthy and play very well while he is in there. I could go on, but you get the point.
Lions 35 Vikings 17
Percy Harvin
Tom Peliserro’s revelation that Percy Harvin has played less than 50 per cent of the Vikings offensive snaps this season is the latest in a series of curious in-game strategic moves by head coach Leslie Frazier and his staff. When I was watching the game, I didn’t realize Harvin was playing so little, although every time there was a Vikings sideline shot, it seemed Harvin was standing there, getting a drink of water.
I’ll be diplomatic here. It seems unwise for Harvin to be playing so infrequently. There are instances where Harvin probably isn’t needed on the field – like a third-and-goal on the opponent’s one-yard line. But Harvin is clearly the Vikings best receiver and every offensive snap he's on the sidelines for makes the Vikings that much easier to defend. Can you imagine Greg Jennings playing less than 50 per cent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps? Or Andre Johnson playing less than 50 per cent of Houston’s offensive snaps? Me neither. This is madness. Keep Harvin on the field until he pukes from exhaustion.
Donovan McNabb
Kevin Seifert points out that McNabb has been at his best on bootleg plays in the first two games. Seifert also points out that it won’t take long for opponents to sniff this strategy out and take it away from the Vikings. And when that happens, what will McNabb and the Vikings offence do then?
What bothers me even more about McNabb’s play in the two losses is that in both games the Vikings needed him to make some plays late in the second half to secure a victory. Those are the kind of plays you’d expect a quarterback two years removed from a Pro Bowl to make. Yet in both games, McNabb failed to make those plays while Philip Rivers and Josh Freeman did.
Kevin Williams
Can the return of defensive tackle Kevin Williams cure what ails the Vikings defence? I think not, although it’s nice to have him back. At 31 years of age, Williams is at a stage in his career where his skills are bound to decline. His return will not be a panacea for the Vikings 2011 defensive shortcomings.
Toby Gerhart
Gerhart touched the ball three times against Tampa Bay last week. One of the touches resulted in a 31-yard run and another touch saw him catch a screen pass and turn it into a 42-yard gain.
Gerhart appears to be bigger, faster and more explosive this year. He does not look like a guy you’d want to tackle when he gets a head of steam. I feared he might be a potential bust after watching him struggle as a rookie last year. But he’s looking much better so far this season. Unfortunately, with the Vikings struggling offensively, they aren’t running enough plays to get Gerhart some more playing time. So he’s a wasted asset on this squad.
Rebuilding?
Should the Vikings blow up their roster if Detroit beats them at home on Sunday? ESPN 1500’s Judd Zulgad thinks it should happen.
What are your thoughts on this issue, Viking fans?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
These Minnesota Vikings aren't hard to figure
The Vikings loss to Tampa Bay last Sunday was the kind of defeat that in past years would have caused me to seriously think about smashing my TV with a baseball bat.
With the 2011 Vikings, there was no fit of rage – just resignation – as I witnessed another brutal second half collapse by my favorite team. This squad is what it is – a 6-10/5-11 team, that if a few breaks go its way could be 7-9 or 8-8, and if a few breaks don't go its way could be 4-12 or 3-13 this season.
Still, what is it with this team? How can it look so competent in the first half and so incompetent in the second half? Is it conditioning? The poor tackling we've seen in the second half of losses to San Diego and Tampa Bay suggests that might be an issue.
Or are there mental issues? What does it say about this Vikings team when several players commented after the Tampa Bay loss that their opponents "wanted it more" and that they didn't play hard for 60 minutes? That tells me this team is fragile and mentally weak, although some veteran leaders tried to address that issue on Monday.
I don't think this season is going to be much fun.
Other links
* The Vikings must hate ESPN 1500's Tom Pelissero. In his weekly tape study (always a must read), he says Donovan McNabb's skills are "obviously in decline", declares that guard Steve Hutchinson is "just so average" and wonders if cornerback Antoine Winfield might be finally showing his age (sacrilege!)
* Can the Vikings get their first win of the season against the 2-0 (I can't believe I'm writing this) Detroit Lions? Sam Monson's scouting report on the Leos suggests it will be difficult.
* ESPN 1500's Patrick Reusse wonders why fans of the Vikings are taking it easy on head coach Leslie Frazier after two-straight second half collapses and some questionable coaching decisions. Judging from the boos that rained down on the Vikings in the Metrodome after last Sunday's loss, the kid gloves are already coming off.
* The Vikings decided to release defensive end Adrian Awasom on Tuesday to make room for Kevin Williams. Some people wondered if safety Tyrell Johnson arrest would signal the end of his Vikings career. I'll take no glee in this if it eventually happens. Johnson was regarded pretty highly by many NFL teams when he was drafted in the second round of 2008. If he were playing up to the potential scouts saw in him four years ago, the Vikings pass defence would be better off. But it appears Johnson will go down as one of the Vikes draft busts.
* It's too early for this, but CBS Sportsline's Clark Judge has the Vikings in the running for the right to draft Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck.
Luck might be the most highly prized college QB since Peyton Manning. So let's say the Vikings keep losing in brutal fashion and secure the number one pick. Do they select Luck even though they already drafted their quarterback of the future in Christian Ponder last April? Or do they trade the number one pick to another QB needy team and use the draft picks and players they land to fill the numerous holes in he roster? It's an intriguing debate for Vikings fans.
With the 2011 Vikings, there was no fit of rage – just resignation – as I witnessed another brutal second half collapse by my favorite team. This squad is what it is – a 6-10/5-11 team, that if a few breaks go its way could be 7-9 or 8-8, and if a few breaks don't go its way could be 4-12 or 3-13 this season.
Still, what is it with this team? How can it look so competent in the first half and so incompetent in the second half? Is it conditioning? The poor tackling we've seen in the second half of losses to San Diego and Tampa Bay suggests that might be an issue.
Or are there mental issues? What does it say about this Vikings team when several players commented after the Tampa Bay loss that their opponents "wanted it more" and that they didn't play hard for 60 minutes? That tells me this team is fragile and mentally weak, although some veteran leaders tried to address that issue on Monday.
I don't think this season is going to be much fun.
Other links
* The Vikings must hate ESPN 1500's Tom Pelissero. In his weekly tape study (always a must read), he says Donovan McNabb's skills are "obviously in decline", declares that guard Steve Hutchinson is "just so average" and wonders if cornerback Antoine Winfield might be finally showing his age (sacrilege!)
* Can the Vikings get their first win of the season against the 2-0 (I can't believe I'm writing this) Detroit Lions? Sam Monson's scouting report on the Leos suggests it will be difficult.
* ESPN 1500's Patrick Reusse wonders why fans of the Vikings are taking it easy on head coach Leslie Frazier after two-straight second half collapses and some questionable coaching decisions. Judging from the boos that rained down on the Vikings in the Metrodome after last Sunday's loss, the kid gloves are already coming off.
* The Vikings decided to release defensive end Adrian Awasom on Tuesday to make room for Kevin Williams. Some people wondered if safety Tyrell Johnson arrest would signal the end of his Vikings career. I'll take no glee in this if it eventually happens. Johnson was regarded pretty highly by many NFL teams when he was drafted in the second round of 2008. If he were playing up to the potential scouts saw in him four years ago, the Vikings pass defence would be better off. But it appears Johnson will go down as one of the Vikes draft busts.
* It's too early for this, but CBS Sportsline's Clark Judge has the Vikings in the running for the right to draft Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck.
Luck might be the most highly prized college QB since Peyton Manning. So let's say the Vikings keep losing in brutal fashion and secure the number one pick. Do they select Luck even though they already drafted their quarterback of the future in Christian Ponder last April? Or do they trade the number one pick to another QB needy team and use the draft picks and players they land to fill the numerous holes in he roster? It's an intriguing debate for Vikings fans.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Expect delayed post-game reaction from Grant's Tomb on Vikes-Bucs game
Just a quick programming note on Sunday #2 of the 2011 NFL season for the few regular readers of Grant's Tomb.
Work duties and deadlines are forcing me to be chained to my desk today. But thanks to the wonders of modern communications, I'll be taping the Vikings-Bucs game and watching it later tonight. So I will post my thoughts on the Vikings first win of the season (I'm being optimistic), but it might not get on this site until late Sunday evening or early Monday morning.
Work duties and deadlines are forcing me to be chained to my desk today. But thanks to the wonders of modern communications, I'll be taping the Vikings-Bucs game and watching it later tonight. So I will post my thoughts on the Vikings first win of the season (I'm being optimistic), but it might not get on this site until late Sunday evening or early Monday morning.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Vikings search for redemption Sunday against Tampa Bay
Minnesota vs. Tampa Bay
I’ve been waiting since about 5:15 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time) last Sunday for the chance to see the Vikings to erase the stench of their second half performance against the San Diego Chargers.
I don’t know if Sunday’s home opener will be it, though. I haven’t seen a Vikings offence look more hopeless than it did in the second half of that Chargers game in the past decade. And that’s saying something since I remember the 2006 game at Lambeau Field against the Packers that the Vikings lost 9-7, with the touchdown coming on a pick-six by Fred Smoot (remember him?)
But that 2006 team had no Adrian Peterson. Billy McMullen, Troy Williamson and Travis Taylor were playing wide receiver and a way-over-the-hill Brad Johnson and a rookie Tarvaris Jackson were playing quarterback. With that kind of “talent”, the offence should have been brutal.
The 2011 Minnesota Vikings have Peterson, Donovan McNabb, Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe – even Michael Jenkins is an upgrade over guys like Taylor and McMullen. They shouldn’t be worse than the 2006 offence. But they sure looked like it last Sunday.
When you’re building a house, it’s essential that it have a strong foundation. The same holds true for building an NFL offence, and that foundation is the offensive line. The main issue here is the Vikings have allowed their foundation to crumble. The line has gone from average (in 2006) to abominable (now) and the offence is going to have a hard time scoring points most Sundays. It’s hard to win that way.
Here are some other things for Vikings fans to worry about as Sunday’s game approaches:
Josh Freeman
The Vikings play a lot of good quarterbacks this season. Aaron Rodgers twice. Jay Cutler twice. They face Matt Stafford twice – who appears to be on the verge of entering the good/very good level. They’ve already faced Philip Rivers and we saw how that turned out. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan are also on the docket. The Vikings will also have to defend Cam Newton and Kevin Kolb, who had strong 2011 debuts.
The Bucs Josh Freeman also qualifies as a good, maybe very good, quarterback. He’s young, he’s big, he can run and he can throw. For a defence that has issues in the secondary, this is not a great matchup for the Vikings.
Kellen Winslow
This guy isn’t a great matchup, either. Last week, Chargers tight end Antonio Gates had great success against the Vikes. Winslow is faster than Gates, almost as big and has pretty good hands. He should have a productive day on Sunday.
LeGarrette Blount
Blount was once suspended 10 games in college for punching an opponent. In his first year as a pro, he became known as a guy who breaks a lot of tackles instead of trying to break jaws. We all saw the Vikings defensive unit had problems tackling Chargers running back Mike Tolbert and the 243 pounds he carries. Blount is taller, faster and a few pounds heavier than Tolbert. Uh oh.
* * * *
Now that I’ve spent about 500 words extolling the virtues of Tampa Bay, you’ll be surprised to read that I do feel the Vikings will win this game. The Bucs have beaten the Vikes the last four times they’ve played them, so the law of averages are in Minnesota’s favor.
The game is also in the Metrodome, and, oh, great big ashtray, how I’ve missed you. A few weeks ago, ESPN’s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert wrote about how effective the Vikings have been in the Dome in recent history. They do seem to play a foot taller there. If they can get off to a good start on offence, keep the crowd engaged and loud, the home team will be energized by the home crowd and the Bucs will be bothered by it. Maybe it will be enough to cause a few extra penalties for the visitors and a few mistakes that could turn the game in the Vikings favor.
My prediction: Vikings 23 – Bucs 20
One other thing ….
ESPN 1500’s Judd Zulgad comes down hard on Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian in his Thursday article. It’s a fair assessment. We all hoped for better coming into this season, but Berrian’s been a non-factor for two seasons now and that isn’t going to change. Last season he had three games with no catches, four games with one catch and four games with two catches. Now he’s started off 2011 with no catches in the season opener.
I’m fairly certain if Berrian were playing for any other team, he would have been released, or at least benched, a long time ago. But the Vikings feel they have no choice but to play Berrian, so they say nice things about him – as head coach Leslie Frazier did during the offseason – and keep trotting him out there.
But Berrian has no value anymore. If the Vikings are going to throw deep balls, throw them to Harvin. He might not be 6’4, but he's fast and he will compete for the ball. Or maybe Randy Moss would play for us again. The guy is a kook, but before I went on a long blogging hiatus last winter and spring, I had a post brewing where I was going to make an argument that the Vikings should consider signing Moss as a number 3 receiver. Most fans would consider that a joke, but the real joke is Berrian’s play.
I’ve been waiting since about 5:15 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time) last Sunday for the chance to see the Vikings to erase the stench of their second half performance against the San Diego Chargers.
I don’t know if Sunday’s home opener will be it, though. I haven’t seen a Vikings offence look more hopeless than it did in the second half of that Chargers game in the past decade. And that’s saying something since I remember the 2006 game at Lambeau Field against the Packers that the Vikings lost 9-7, with the touchdown coming on a pick-six by Fred Smoot (remember him?)
But that 2006 team had no Adrian Peterson. Billy McMullen, Troy Williamson and Travis Taylor were playing wide receiver and a way-over-the-hill Brad Johnson and a rookie Tarvaris Jackson were playing quarterback. With that kind of “talent”, the offence should have been brutal.
The 2011 Minnesota Vikings have Peterson, Donovan McNabb, Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe – even Michael Jenkins is an upgrade over guys like Taylor and McMullen. They shouldn’t be worse than the 2006 offence. But they sure looked like it last Sunday.
When you’re building a house, it’s essential that it have a strong foundation. The same holds true for building an NFL offence, and that foundation is the offensive line. The main issue here is the Vikings have allowed their foundation to crumble. The line has gone from average (in 2006) to abominable (now) and the offence is going to have a hard time scoring points most Sundays. It’s hard to win that way.
Here are some other things for Vikings fans to worry about as Sunday’s game approaches:
Josh Freeman
The Vikings play a lot of good quarterbacks this season. Aaron Rodgers twice. Jay Cutler twice. They face Matt Stafford twice – who appears to be on the verge of entering the good/very good level. They’ve already faced Philip Rivers and we saw how that turned out. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan are also on the docket. The Vikings will also have to defend Cam Newton and Kevin Kolb, who had strong 2011 debuts.
The Bucs Josh Freeman also qualifies as a good, maybe very good, quarterback. He’s young, he’s big, he can run and he can throw. For a defence that has issues in the secondary, this is not a great matchup for the Vikings.
Kellen Winslow
This guy isn’t a great matchup, either. Last week, Chargers tight end Antonio Gates had great success against the Vikes. Winslow is faster than Gates, almost as big and has pretty good hands. He should have a productive day on Sunday.
LeGarrette Blount
Blount was once suspended 10 games in college for punching an opponent. In his first year as a pro, he became known as a guy who breaks a lot of tackles instead of trying to break jaws. We all saw the Vikings defensive unit had problems tackling Chargers running back Mike Tolbert and the 243 pounds he carries. Blount is taller, faster and a few pounds heavier than Tolbert. Uh oh.
* * * *
Now that I’ve spent about 500 words extolling the virtues of Tampa Bay, you’ll be surprised to read that I do feel the Vikings will win this game. The Bucs have beaten the Vikes the last four times they’ve played them, so the law of averages are in Minnesota’s favor.
The game is also in the Metrodome, and, oh, great big ashtray, how I’ve missed you. A few weeks ago, ESPN’s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert wrote about how effective the Vikings have been in the Dome in recent history. They do seem to play a foot taller there. If they can get off to a good start on offence, keep the crowd engaged and loud, the home team will be energized by the home crowd and the Bucs will be bothered by it. Maybe it will be enough to cause a few extra penalties for the visitors and a few mistakes that could turn the game in the Vikings favor.
My prediction: Vikings 23 – Bucs 20
One other thing ….
ESPN 1500’s Judd Zulgad comes down hard on Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian in his Thursday article. It’s a fair assessment. We all hoped for better coming into this season, but Berrian’s been a non-factor for two seasons now and that isn’t going to change. Last season he had three games with no catches, four games with one catch and four games with two catches. Now he’s started off 2011 with no catches in the season opener.
I’m fairly certain if Berrian were playing for any other team, he would have been released, or at least benched, a long time ago. But the Vikings feel they have no choice but to play Berrian, so they say nice things about him – as head coach Leslie Frazier did during the offseason – and keep trotting him out there.
But Berrian has no value anymore. If the Vikings are going to throw deep balls, throw them to Harvin. He might not be 6’4, but he's fast and he will compete for the ball. Or maybe Randy Moss would play for us again. The guy is a kook, but before I went on a long blogging hiatus last winter and spring, I had a post brewing where I was going to make an argument that the Vikings should consider signing Moss as a number 3 receiver. Most fans would consider that a joke, but the real joke is Berrian’s play.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf deserves better
The National Football Post's Jack Bechta gives Vikings owner Zygi Wilf some love in his latest column.
I'm slightly suspicious of Bechta's kind words for Wilf here. Bechta's an agent after all, and of course he's going to think Wilf is "committed to winning" when the owner liberally throws around the Ben Franklin's like he did last week on Chad Greenway and Adrian Peterson. Bechta would like to get a similar payday from Wilf for one of his clients in the future. So it doesn't hurt to write nice things about a guy like that.
Reservations aside, I think Wilf is a very good owner. I know, I know, the guy keeps holding the stadium thing over Viking fans heads and everyone thinks he's taking the team to Los Angeles if he doesn't get a new one to replace the Metrodome. But Wilf is the owner of a business that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He wants to make as much profit as he can and maximize the value of his asset as much as he can. That's what business owners do. I don't begrudge him that.
My memories of previous Vikings owners are of Red McCombs and the shadowy cadre headed up by Mike Lynn. The Vikings had some good years under both ownership groups, but you never got the sense either one would do whatever it took to bring a winner to Minnesota.
With Wilf, I get that sense. He's made some mistakes in his six years as owner (like hiring Brad Childress), but what owner hasn't. When he's been asked to spend money to make the team better – like the trade for Jared Allen and the subsequent contract extension, or signing Brett Favre – he's done it. He's also engaged in the team, but seems to let his football people make the football decisions. And he's not interested in hogging the spotlight like Jerry Jones or Daniel Snyder. I like all those things about Wilf.
I just wish the Vikings squad would treat him better. In 2005 he had the Love Boat incident to deal with. In 2006 his handpicked head coach proceeded to trot out the most boring offence in recent NFL history. In 2007, that same head coach tried to convince everybody a quarterback trio of Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger could compete in the NFL. In 2008 the team made the playoffs, which was nice of them, and 2009 was a high water mark. But that season featured another gut-wrenching loss in an NFC Championship game. 2010 was a train wreck – Favre came back and sucked, the Randy Moss trade blew up, Childress had to be fired, the roof collapsed on the Metrodome – you name it, it went wrong last year.
2011 isn't looking a whole lot better, but that's not Wilf's fault. He's doing a lot of the right things for the organization. I hope he gets rewarded for it some day.
I'm slightly suspicious of Bechta's kind words for Wilf here. Bechta's an agent after all, and of course he's going to think Wilf is "committed to winning" when the owner liberally throws around the Ben Franklin's like he did last week on Chad Greenway and Adrian Peterson. Bechta would like to get a similar payday from Wilf for one of his clients in the future. So it doesn't hurt to write nice things about a guy like that.
Reservations aside, I think Wilf is a very good owner. I know, I know, the guy keeps holding the stadium thing over Viking fans heads and everyone thinks he's taking the team to Los Angeles if he doesn't get a new one to replace the Metrodome. But Wilf is the owner of a business that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He wants to make as much profit as he can and maximize the value of his asset as much as he can. That's what business owners do. I don't begrudge him that.
My memories of previous Vikings owners are of Red McCombs and the shadowy cadre headed up by Mike Lynn. The Vikings had some good years under both ownership groups, but you never got the sense either one would do whatever it took to bring a winner to Minnesota.
With Wilf, I get that sense. He's made some mistakes in his six years as owner (like hiring Brad Childress), but what owner hasn't. When he's been asked to spend money to make the team better – like the trade for Jared Allen and the subsequent contract extension, or signing Brett Favre – he's done it. He's also engaged in the team, but seems to let his football people make the football decisions. And he's not interested in hogging the spotlight like Jerry Jones or Daniel Snyder. I like all those things about Wilf.
I just wish the Vikings squad would treat him better. In 2005 he had the Love Boat incident to deal with. In 2006 his handpicked head coach proceeded to trot out the most boring offence in recent NFL history. In 2007, that same head coach tried to convince everybody a quarterback trio of Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger could compete in the NFL. In 2008 the team made the playoffs, which was nice of them, and 2009 was a high water mark. But that season featured another gut-wrenching loss in an NFC Championship game. 2010 was a train wreck – Favre came back and sucked, the Randy Moss trade blew up, Childress had to be fired, the roof collapsed on the Metrodome – you name it, it went wrong last year.
2011 isn't looking a whole lot better, but that's not Wilf's fault. He's doing a lot of the right things for the organization. I hope he gets rewarded for it some day.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Media, Vikings fans need to give McNabb a chance
Throwing for 39 yards in your debut with a new team is no way to win friends and influence people. So it doesn't surprise me that writers like CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco and veteran Vikings blogger Vikes Geek are already calling on Minnesota's coaching staff to bench Donovan McNabb and play either rookie Christian Ponder or second-year man Joe Webb.
But as sucktastic as McNabb looked in the second half of Sunday's 24-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers, shouldn't we cut a 13-year veteran with six Pro Bowls on his resume a bit more slack?
While other Vikings fans had their doubts, I've always been on board with the team's decision to acquire McNabb. Every team has a different philosophy, but if I've got a team with some talent, but also a lot of holes (and the 2011 Vikings qualify), I think a talented veteran is more likely to keep that team competitive than a talented rookie. And no matter what the preseason predictions might be or how much a poor season could improve the Vikings draft position in 2012, I want to watch a team that at least tries to be competitive. Rebuilding seasons are only to be used as a last resort.
I also like the McNabb move because if we are going to have a quarterback running for his life and taking a lot of hits this year, I'd rather that guy be McNabb – who is only going to be around for one year – instead of your quarterback of the future, who, I assume, is going to be Ponder.
With the Vikings offensive line looking like it's going to be a disaster of Fukushima proportions this season, Ponder is better served watching from the sidelines. By the 2012 training camp, the Vikes will have (hopefully) drafted a left tackle and signed or drafted a number one wide receiver. By then, Ponder will have a much better foundation under him, one that will give him a better chance to succeed.
Football writers and fans like to point to guys like Joe Flacco and Sam Bradford as examples of rookie quarterbacks who succeeded right off the bat. But when I think of first-year QBs who started right away, I always remember Joey Harrington.
The third overall pick in the 2002 draft, got to start immediately for the Detroit Lions, but he played behind a bad offensive line and had no weapons to throw or hand off to. Predictably, he sucked, lost his mojo and now he's out of the league. I don't want to see the same thing happen to Christian Ponder.
Other Links
* ESPN 1500 has been doing some nice coverage on the Vikings so far. Here are a couple of articles well worth reading – Tom Pelissero's weekly grades of the Vikings positional units and a scouting report on Minnesota's next opponent – Tampa Bay.
* Here's a surprise: former Viking wide receiver Sidney Rice didn't play for his new team, the Seattle Seahawks, last Sunday because he was hurt.
* Here's another surprise, former Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, had a better game on Sunday than Donovan McNabb.
* Our old friend, Benny Sapp, was released by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday. The Vikings have concerns about their depth at cornerback. Should they welcome Sapp back? (The answer is "no".)
* And feel free to leave a comment on this blog sometime, dear readers. My previous six posts haven't gotten any, and I'm not feeling the love out there. I know my blogging has been non-existent for long stretches in 2011, but I'm posting a bit more regularly now and hope to continue this output. It's a lot more fun when there's some feedback rolling in.
But as sucktastic as McNabb looked in the second half of Sunday's 24-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers, shouldn't we cut a 13-year veteran with six Pro Bowls on his resume a bit more slack?
While other Vikings fans had their doubts, I've always been on board with the team's decision to acquire McNabb. Every team has a different philosophy, but if I've got a team with some talent, but also a lot of holes (and the 2011 Vikings qualify), I think a talented veteran is more likely to keep that team competitive than a talented rookie. And no matter what the preseason predictions might be or how much a poor season could improve the Vikings draft position in 2012, I want to watch a team that at least tries to be competitive. Rebuilding seasons are only to be used as a last resort.
I also like the McNabb move because if we are going to have a quarterback running for his life and taking a lot of hits this year, I'd rather that guy be McNabb – who is only going to be around for one year – instead of your quarterback of the future, who, I assume, is going to be Ponder.
With the Vikings offensive line looking like it's going to be a disaster of Fukushima proportions this season, Ponder is better served watching from the sidelines. By the 2012 training camp, the Vikes will have (hopefully) drafted a left tackle and signed or drafted a number one wide receiver. By then, Ponder will have a much better foundation under him, one that will give him a better chance to succeed.
Football writers and fans like to point to guys like Joe Flacco and Sam Bradford as examples of rookie quarterbacks who succeeded right off the bat. But when I think of first-year QBs who started right away, I always remember Joey Harrington.
The third overall pick in the 2002 draft, got to start immediately for the Detroit Lions, but he played behind a bad offensive line and had no weapons to throw or hand off to. Predictably, he sucked, lost his mojo and now he's out of the league. I don't want to see the same thing happen to Christian Ponder.
Other Links
* ESPN 1500 has been doing some nice coverage on the Vikings so far. Here are a couple of articles well worth reading – Tom Pelissero's weekly grades of the Vikings positional units and a scouting report on Minnesota's next opponent – Tampa Bay.
* Here's a surprise: former Viking wide receiver Sidney Rice didn't play for his new team, the Seattle Seahawks, last Sunday because he was hurt.
* Here's another surprise, former Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, had a better game on Sunday than Donovan McNabb.
* Our old friend, Benny Sapp, was released by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday. The Vikings have concerns about their depth at cornerback. Should they welcome Sapp back? (The answer is "no".)
* And feel free to leave a comment on this blog sometime, dear readers. My previous six posts haven't gotten any, and I'm not feeling the love out there. I know my blogging has been non-existent for long stretches in 2011, but I'm posting a bit more regularly now and hope to continue this output. It's a lot more fun when there's some feedback rolling in.
Monday, September 12, 2011
A look at the brighter side one day after the loss to the Chargers
The reviews are in following the Vikings 24-17 loss to San Diego on Sunday and they aren't good.
I can't argue with those assessments. The Vikings were brutal in the second half of that loss. But was there anything positive to take out of this season-opening defeat? From my spot on the couch Sunday afternoon, there were five things that I did find encouraging.
1) The Vikings run defence: (Note to any American readers, "defence" is spelled with a "c" in Canada.) San Diego's running back duo of Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert aren't All-Pros, but the Vikings defensive team did hold them to 80 yards on 24 carries – a 3.3 yard average and consistently put the Chargers offence in long yardage situations. Now if only the unit could have defended screen passes and Antonio Gates as well as it defended the run.
2) Erin Henderson: E.J.'s younger brother won the starting right outside linebacker job by default. But he looked like he belonged against the Chargers. In his first NFL start, Henderson had a sack, nine tackles (three for losses) and was around the pile more often than not. It was an impressive start for a player who had plenty of doubters heading into the opener.
3) Chris Cook: He was called for two pass interference penalties, but he also had perfect coverage on the Chargers' Malcolm Floyd on two deep throws into the end zone, using his size and the sideline to his advantage. Cook is an important player who needs to play well this season. Against the Chargers he showed us a bit of what he can do when he's healthy and playing with confidence.
4) Brian Robison: I was not in favor of the Vikings allowing Ray Edwards to walk and making Robison the starting left end in the offseason. But he was a force in the first half of the San Diego game. Although he disappeared in the second half, that also applies to everyone else that dressed for the Vikings on Sunday. Maybe this is one personnel move that will work out for the Vikings
5) Michael Jenkins: The numbers weren't impressive in his Vikings debut (three catches for 26 yards), yet Jenkins looks like he will be one of Donovan McNabb's favorite receiving targets. He's a big guy who can work between the numbers and make tough catches in the middle of the field. There is value in that kind of a player. Jenkins will be even more valuable if the Vikings can figure out how to complete a pass to somebody other than him and Percy Harvin.
I can't argue with those assessments. The Vikings were brutal in the second half of that loss. But was there anything positive to take out of this season-opening defeat? From my spot on the couch Sunday afternoon, there were five things that I did find encouraging.
1) The Vikings run defence: (Note to any American readers, "defence" is spelled with a "c" in Canada.) San Diego's running back duo of Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert aren't All-Pros, but the Vikings defensive team did hold them to 80 yards on 24 carries – a 3.3 yard average and consistently put the Chargers offence in long yardage situations. Now if only the unit could have defended screen passes and Antonio Gates as well as it defended the run.
2) Erin Henderson: E.J.'s younger brother won the starting right outside linebacker job by default. But he looked like he belonged against the Chargers. In his first NFL start, Henderson had a sack, nine tackles (three for losses) and was around the pile more often than not. It was an impressive start for a player who had plenty of doubters heading into the opener.
3) Chris Cook: He was called for two pass interference penalties, but he also had perfect coverage on the Chargers' Malcolm Floyd on two deep throws into the end zone, using his size and the sideline to his advantage. Cook is an important player who needs to play well this season. Against the Chargers he showed us a bit of what he can do when he's healthy and playing with confidence.
4) Brian Robison: I was not in favor of the Vikings allowing Ray Edwards to walk and making Robison the starting left end in the offseason. But he was a force in the first half of the San Diego game. Although he disappeared in the second half, that also applies to everyone else that dressed for the Vikings on Sunday. Maybe this is one personnel move that will work out for the Vikings
5) Michael Jenkins: The numbers weren't impressive in his Vikings debut (three catches for 26 yards), yet Jenkins looks like he will be one of Donovan McNabb's favorite receiving targets. He's a big guy who can work between the numbers and make tough catches in the middle of the field. There is value in that kind of a player. Jenkins will be even more valuable if the Vikings can figure out how to complete a pass to somebody other than him and Percy Harvin.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Vikings done in by the usual suspects in loss to Chargers
If only – for one week anyway – NFL contests were 30 minutes long. If that had been the case in the Vikings first game of the 2011 season, the post-game narrative for this one would have been that Donovan McNabb was solid, if unspectacular, in his Vikings debut, Minnesota’s maligned offensive line and secondary held up and its defence kept San Diego’s excellent All-Pro quarterback Philip Rivers under pressure and uncomfortable all day.
But NFL games are 60 minutes long, not 30, and following the Vikings 24-17 loss to the Chargers, the narrative this week will be decidedly different. It may only be the first game of the season, but the 2011 Minnesota Vikings look pretty much like the team many football experts expected them to be, with little chance the squad will grow into something better.
As many football observers have already predicted, the offensive line looks like it will struggle to keep opposing defenders off McNabb’s back. The passing game doesn’t have a credible deep threat to keep opposing defences' honest. And any quarterback with a pulse routinely exposes the Viking pass defenders.
Two things really struck me watching this game. 1) McNabb rarely had a chance to get comfortable in the pocket. 2) The Vikings defensive unit too often was unable to stop the Chargers when they got them in second and third-and-long situations.
While McNabb was only sacked twice by the Chargers, his pocket was far from clean most of the afternoon. That fact had a profound impact on the Vikings passing game. It meant the team couldn’t call many deep passing routes because they take too long to develop and McNabb would be on his back by the time anyone was open. (This renders Bernard Berrian totally useless.) And because the Vikings could only call short passing plays, San Diego was able to take away the areas of the field where Percy Harvin, Michael Jenkins and Visanthe Shiancoe are most effective – on short-to-medium pass routes.
The result was just 39 yards in passing for McNabb, which has to be a record in passing yard futility for the Vikings. It’s not the kind of game that will silence critics who think McNabb doesn’t have much left to offer after a disastrous 2010 season in Washington.
Defensively, I liked the aggressive blitzing defensive coordinator Fred Pagac dialed up. But screens to running backs burned his unit repeatedly. Ryan Matthews had three catches for 73 yards and Mike Tolbert had nine catches for 58 yards and two TDs. Short stuff to tight end Antonio Gates also killed the Vikes. The Vikings consistently stuffed the Chargers running game and had them in second-and-10 and third-and-nine situations in the second half and couldn’t get off the field. This has long been a problem for the Vikings defence, especially last year, and it looks like it hasn’t changed and won’t change.
My expectations were pretty low for the Vikings going into the 2011 season. Yet I always hold out hope the team will surprise me. This loss stings. For one half, the Vikings played a great road game. But they couldn’t sustain it. This squad looks just good enough to keep most games close and just bad enough to not be able to pull the lion’s share of those close games out. Another 6-10 season could be in the works.
But NFL games are 60 minutes long, not 30, and following the Vikings 24-17 loss to the Chargers, the narrative this week will be decidedly different. It may only be the first game of the season, but the 2011 Minnesota Vikings look pretty much like the team many football experts expected them to be, with little chance the squad will grow into something better.
As many football observers have already predicted, the offensive line looks like it will struggle to keep opposing defenders off McNabb’s back. The passing game doesn’t have a credible deep threat to keep opposing defences' honest. And any quarterback with a pulse routinely exposes the Viking pass defenders.
Two things really struck me watching this game. 1) McNabb rarely had a chance to get comfortable in the pocket. 2) The Vikings defensive unit too often was unable to stop the Chargers when they got them in second and third-and-long situations.
While McNabb was only sacked twice by the Chargers, his pocket was far from clean most of the afternoon. That fact had a profound impact on the Vikings passing game. It meant the team couldn’t call many deep passing routes because they take too long to develop and McNabb would be on his back by the time anyone was open. (This renders Bernard Berrian totally useless.) And because the Vikings could only call short passing plays, San Diego was able to take away the areas of the field where Percy Harvin, Michael Jenkins and Visanthe Shiancoe are most effective – on short-to-medium pass routes.
The result was just 39 yards in passing for McNabb, which has to be a record in passing yard futility for the Vikings. It’s not the kind of game that will silence critics who think McNabb doesn’t have much left to offer after a disastrous 2010 season in Washington.
Defensively, I liked the aggressive blitzing defensive coordinator Fred Pagac dialed up. But screens to running backs burned his unit repeatedly. Ryan Matthews had three catches for 73 yards and Mike Tolbert had nine catches for 58 yards and two TDs. Short stuff to tight end Antonio Gates also killed the Vikes. The Vikings consistently stuffed the Chargers running game and had them in second-and-10 and third-and-nine situations in the second half and couldn’t get off the field. This has long been a problem for the Vikings defence, especially last year, and it looks like it hasn’t changed and won’t change.
My expectations were pretty low for the Vikings going into the 2011 season. Yet I always hold out hope the team will surprise me. This loss stings. For one half, the Vikings played a great road game. But they couldn’t sustain it. This squad looks just good enough to keep most games close and just bad enough to not be able to pull the lion’s share of those close games out. Another 6-10 season could be in the works.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Vikings do the right thing in extending Adrian Peterson’s contract
I wouldn’t blame football fans for wondering whether awarding a seven-year, $100 million contract to a running back who doesn’t block all that well and is considered an average receiver as being a little excessive. But if we’ve learned anything about big money NFL contracts in recent years, it’s that appearances can be very deceiving.
Adrian Peterson’s contract extension announced on Saturday is one such example. The details aren’t confirmed yet, but it looks like #28 is guaranteed $36 million. So that’s what he will make. The $100 million is what he could make. And that’s a big difference.
There is always concern that teams will put themselves in salary cap hell when they sign veterans to big money deals that last more than three years. However, these deals are almost always renegotiated three of four years down the road, as teams approach the veterans to take a pay cut to free up salary cap space for some other player or players. This is how the game is played.
So Peterson will never see $100 million. In three or four years, management will ask him to restructure his existing deal (i.e. – take a cut in pay), and they’ll be doing so at a time when his production is about to decline, he’ll be less essential to the Vikings and he’ll have less leverage to say “no.” His contract will not hamstring the Vikings ability to pay for top talent in the future.
I also like the deal for a couple of other reasons:
1) It eliminates a potential distraction for Peterson and the Vikings. While I usually think “distractions” are overblown as a cause for team strife, it certainly does no harm to eliminate the possibility of one. If Peterson had been allowed to play this season under the final year of his rookie contract, he (and Vikings coach Leslie Frazier) would have been answering questions about this issue for the next five months. That would have been very annoying for Peterson and the entire Vikings team and it definitely would have been a distraction. This team is going to have a hard enough time winning games as it is, it doesn’t need off-the–field drama.
2) This contract makes Peterson a happy camper. It’s always wise to keep your best player happy. It also shows other players around the league that the Vikings will spend money to keep the players they really want. This will be noticed by players facing free agency in 2012.
One current Vikings player who probably isn’t totally thrilled by the Peterson signing is middle linebacker E.J. Henderson – who is in the final year of his contract and likely looking for one last big payday. If you think it’s unwise to give a 26-year-old running back a fat new contract, how folly would it be to resign a 31-year-old middle linebacker who suffered season-ending injuries in 2008 and 2009 to an expensive extension?
Adrian Peterson’s contract extension announced on Saturday is one such example. The details aren’t confirmed yet, but it looks like #28 is guaranteed $36 million. So that’s what he will make. The $100 million is what he could make. And that’s a big difference.
There is always concern that teams will put themselves in salary cap hell when they sign veterans to big money deals that last more than three years. However, these deals are almost always renegotiated three of four years down the road, as teams approach the veterans to take a pay cut to free up salary cap space for some other player or players. This is how the game is played.
So Peterson will never see $100 million. In three or four years, management will ask him to restructure his existing deal (i.e. – take a cut in pay), and they’ll be doing so at a time when his production is about to decline, he’ll be less essential to the Vikings and he’ll have less leverage to say “no.” His contract will not hamstring the Vikings ability to pay for top talent in the future.
I also like the deal for a couple of other reasons:
1) It eliminates a potential distraction for Peterson and the Vikings. While I usually think “distractions” are overblown as a cause for team strife, it certainly does no harm to eliminate the possibility of one. If Peterson had been allowed to play this season under the final year of his rookie contract, he (and Vikings coach Leslie Frazier) would have been answering questions about this issue for the next five months. That would have been very annoying for Peterson and the entire Vikings team and it definitely would have been a distraction. This team is going to have a hard enough time winning games as it is, it doesn’t need off-the–field drama.
2) This contract makes Peterson a happy camper. It’s always wise to keep your best player happy. It also shows other players around the league that the Vikings will spend money to keep the players they really want. This will be noticed by players facing free agency in 2012.
One current Vikings player who probably isn’t totally thrilled by the Peterson signing is middle linebacker E.J. Henderson – who is in the final year of his contract and likely looking for one last big payday. If you think it’s unwise to give a 26-year-old running back a fat new contract, how folly would it be to resign a 31-year-old middle linebacker who suffered season-ending injuries in 2008 and 2009 to an expensive extension?
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Vikings get younger but not necessarily better with final roster cuts
The Vikings cut a bunch of guys on Saturday to get their roster down to 53 players and as Judd Zulgad of ESPN 1500 writes, head coach Leslie Frazier has put his stamp on this team.
I don't really disagree with any of the cuts and keeps Frazier and personnel guy Rick Spielman made. But I don't think the players they kept are upgrades over guys like Jeff Dugan, Ryan Cook (yes, I'm serious) and Heath Farwell. The difference may be players like Allen Reisner and DeMarcus Love are younger, cheaper and have room to grow, whereas a Dugan, a Cook and a Farwell are what they are at this point in their careers.
If you're looking for a recent Vikings team the 2011 squad resembles, I'd say it would be the 2002 team coached by Mike Tice that went 6-10. That team had a few stars (Moss, Culpepper, Birk), some young, unproven talent and a lot of holes. I feel the same way about this Vikings team. If they finish 8-8, Vikings fans would have to consider the 2011-2012 season a successful one.
It's been noted the Vikings will likely add a player or two over the next couple of days, particularly if they see an experienced linebacker or offensive lineman hit the street. But the pickings are slim. Nobody on this list jumps out at me.
Update
Allen Reisner's stay on the Vikings 53-man roster was quite short, as the Vikings signed linebacker Xavier Adibi, who had been waived by Houston. I've heard lots of good things about Reisner. Hopefully, he makes it on the practice squad.
I don't really disagree with any of the cuts and keeps Frazier and personnel guy Rick Spielman made. But I don't think the players they kept are upgrades over guys like Jeff Dugan, Ryan Cook (yes, I'm serious) and Heath Farwell. The difference may be players like Allen Reisner and DeMarcus Love are younger, cheaper and have room to grow, whereas a Dugan, a Cook and a Farwell are what they are at this point in their careers.
If you're looking for a recent Vikings team the 2011 squad resembles, I'd say it would be the 2002 team coached by Mike Tice that went 6-10. That team had a few stars (Moss, Culpepper, Birk), some young, unproven talent and a lot of holes. I feel the same way about this Vikings team. If they finish 8-8, Vikings fans would have to consider the 2011-2012 season a successful one.
It's been noted the Vikings will likely add a player or two over the next couple of days, particularly if they see an experienced linebacker or offensive lineman hit the street. But the pickings are slim. Nobody on this list jumps out at me.
Update
Allen Reisner's stay on the Vikings 53-man roster was quite short, as the Vikings signed linebacker Xavier Adibi, who had been waived by Houston. I've heard lots of good things about Reisner. Hopefully, he makes it on the practice squad.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Ponder makes his case for backup QB job against Texans
Once again, I wasn't able to watch the Vikings final preseason game against the Houston Texans. Even with all the starters out and all the scrubs in, I probably would have watched this one though, just to see how first round draft pick Christian Ponder would do.
But judging from the game recaps and the stats, Ponder may have done enough to steal the backup quarterback job from Joe Webb, even though it sounds like he still can't complete a pass when he stays in the pocket. Wasn't Ponder supposed to be some kind of polished pro-style passer coming out of Florida State?
For readers out there who have been able to watch Ponder play, I'm curious to hear how you think the guy has looked in his first NFL preseason. Does he bear any resemblance to a future franchise quarterback?
By Saturday the Vikings will have to cut their roster down to 53 players. The Star-Tribune's Mark Craig takes a stab at picking who sticks and who won't.
Of the Vikings 2011 draft picks it looks like Ponder (naturally), Kyle Rudolph, Christian Ballard and Brandon Burton (with the interception tonight) are locks. DeMarcus Love is iffy. Everybody else is either practice squad fodder or selling insurance on Monday.
But judging from the game recaps and the stats, Ponder may have done enough to steal the backup quarterback job from Joe Webb, even though it sounds like he still can't complete a pass when he stays in the pocket. Wasn't Ponder supposed to be some kind of polished pro-style passer coming out of Florida State?
For readers out there who have been able to watch Ponder play, I'm curious to hear how you think the guy has looked in his first NFL preseason. Does he bear any resemblance to a future franchise quarterback?
By Saturday the Vikings will have to cut their roster down to 53 players. The Star-Tribune's Mark Craig takes a stab at picking who sticks and who won't.
Of the Vikings 2011 draft picks it looks like Ponder (naturally), Kyle Rudolph, Christian Ballard and Brandon Burton (with the interception tonight) are locks. DeMarcus Love is iffy. Everybody else is either practice squad fodder or selling insurance on Monday.
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