The Vikings reversed a trend in Sunday’s 24-21 road win over the Carolina Panthers. Outside of a 39-10 licking against Chicago, the Vikings have been pretty consistent this season; they’ve played well in the first half of games and been brutal in the second half.
But despite being tied 14-14 at halftime in this game, you couldn’t say the Vikings had played well up to that point. Cam Newton was moving the Panthers down the field easily. Viking-killer Steve Smith was abusing Asher Allen. Adrian Peterson was being smothered and Christian Ponder couldn’t find anyone open. If not for two sweet strip sacks forced by E.J. Henderson and Jared Allen, the Vikings probably would have been shut out in the first half against the Panthers and on their way to loss #7.
So the Vikings actually came out and played a pretty strong second half of football for a change. The defence got some stops on Newton. The Vikings running game got going and Ponder – as he did last week against the Packers – made some key third down conversions. Minnesota also got lucky when Panthers kicker Olindo Mare missed the tying field goal (incredibly, that’s the first time an opposing kicker has missed a field goal against Minnesota all year.) It all made for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon for Vikings fans – a rare road win and a victory with the quarterback of the future at the helm.
I have no idea if this performance means this team is set to surge in the last eight games and avoid the franchise’s worst season since the 3-13 debacle in 1984. But a tough win on the road in a year where so much has gone wrong is a fine way to go into the bye week and a positive sign for this team – even if it might hurt their draft position.
A few other observations
Christian Ponder: The rookie built on a promising first start against the Packers with his play on Sunday. He’s not scrambling as much as I thought he would. But he looks much more composed than I could have hoped for and he has shown a knack for converting on third downs – something his predecessor Donovan McNabb could not do.
His accuracy on deep throws needs to improve, but an 18 for 28 and 236 passing yards stat line is solid for a guy’s second NFL start. And it’s what Ponder didn’t do in this game that I liked as much as what he did do. He didn’t take silly sacks. He didn’t bounce passes in front of open receivers. He didn’t turn the ball over trying to make something out of nothing. He didn’t look flustered or frustrated once during a first half when the Vikings offence couldn’t get much going. The Vikings look like they have something to build on here. I’m probably getting way ahead of myself, but I see a promising future for this team again with Ponder behind center.
Adrian Peterson: I’ve been wondering all year why offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave hasn’t gotten Peterson more involved in the passing game. If your wideouts can’t get open, throwing a few screens to your best offensive player seems like a wise thing to do. Today, with the running game getting nothing done in the first half, Musgrave did that, using shovel passes and screens to get the ball into the hands of Peterson, who was the Vikes leading receiver. I hope this happens more often during the second half of the season.
Percy Harvin: He probably needs the bye week more than any other Viking. He’s always banged up. But I loved it when he got that 15-yard personal foul for rag dolling Carolina safety Captain Munnerlyn into the Panthers bench. Some would say it was a stupid penalty on Harvin’s part. What it showed me was Harvin was going to keep fighting and that he wasn’t going to be intimidated on the road. The Vikings could use more guys with that kind of attitude. I also love it when Musgrave lines him up in the backfield. Good things happen when Harvin has the ball.
Husain Abdullah: I don’t mind Abdullah as a player, but he’s had a couple of tough weeks in pass coverage. And when Carolina tight end Greg Olsen beat him easily for a 39-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, I thought the rout might be on. But the Vikings stuck with it and so did Abdullah. With the Vikings defence needing someone to make a play on the final drive, Abdullah did that. His sack of Cam Newton should have sealed the win. Yet when the Panthers managed to get down to the Vikes 14-yard line on the same drive, Abdullah broke up what would have probably been a game-winning touchdown catch to Olsen. Two plays later, Mare missed the tying field goal. Give Abdullah credit for staying with it and not losing his confidence.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Berrian failure shows Vikings how they will have to rebuild beyond 2011
Well, say goodbye to the Minnesota Vikings free agent class of 2008. Fullback Thomas Tapeh played two games for the Vikes and was let go. Safety Madieu Williams was cut after the lockout ended for salary cap and performance reasons. And now wide receiver Bernard Berrian is gone.
Vikings fans everywhere are rejoicing right now. Berrian hasn’t made an impact in the passing game since 2008 and despite his contention that, as he put it a few weeks ago “he’s been open for four years,” the stats don’t lie.
The failure of Berrian and the rest of the 2008 free agents got me thinking about how long this Vikings rebuilding project is going to take. This squad has many holes and the holes seem to multiply each week (For example, right guard Anthony Herrera might not be great, but who replaces him if he’s blown out his knee again?)
The draft is very important, but it’s only seven rounds and a 1-6 team like the Vikings can’t possibly address every need it has that way in order to turn things around quickly. Trades can help, but you’ve got to give up something – usually draft picks – to get something.
Free agency used to be viewed as a shortcut to rebuilding in the NFL. As long as you had salary cap space, you could buy the talent you needed. But it doesn’t seem to work that well anymore. Teams have learned how to use the cap and are able to sign the players they really want to keep. Thus, it's generally very thin gruel on the free agent market, and often the player you just signed isn’t the answer to your problem. Instead he’s somebody else’s problem that you’ve paid big money for.
So for the Vikings to climb the ladder in the NFC North and get back to being a playoff team, they are going to have to have the younger players already on the roster develop quickly (especially first-year QB Christian Ponder) and hit some home runs on their draft picks over the next couple of seasons.
As the cases of Bernard Berrian, Madieu Williams and Thomas Tapeh illustrate, free agency might not be of much help.
Ponder watch
My taping job of Sunday’s Vikings-Packers game didn’t work out very well, so I had to wait to watch the condensed version of the game on NFL Replay tonight to see how Ponder played in his first pro start.
How do you think he fared? The reviews generally seem to be positive, although after watching the game it looked like he could have been picked off five or six times instead of twice. He’s going to have to clean that up.
What I did like was at no time did he not appear to be in control of the offence. Nor did he seem flustered by anything the Packers threw at him or any mistakes he made. It might not sound like much, but I think that’s an important psychological trait for an NFL quarterback to have. I’m looking forward to seeing how he plays this Sunday against Carolina.
* By the way, Chris Cook says sorry. However, that didn't stop the Vikings from suspending him.
Vikings fans everywhere are rejoicing right now. Berrian hasn’t made an impact in the passing game since 2008 and despite his contention that, as he put it a few weeks ago “he’s been open for four years,” the stats don’t lie.
The failure of Berrian and the rest of the 2008 free agents got me thinking about how long this Vikings rebuilding project is going to take. This squad has many holes and the holes seem to multiply each week (For example, right guard Anthony Herrera might not be great, but who replaces him if he’s blown out his knee again?)
The draft is very important, but it’s only seven rounds and a 1-6 team like the Vikings can’t possibly address every need it has that way in order to turn things around quickly. Trades can help, but you’ve got to give up something – usually draft picks – to get something.
Free agency used to be viewed as a shortcut to rebuilding in the NFL. As long as you had salary cap space, you could buy the talent you needed. But it doesn’t seem to work that well anymore. Teams have learned how to use the cap and are able to sign the players they really want to keep. Thus, it's generally very thin gruel on the free agent market, and often the player you just signed isn’t the answer to your problem. Instead he’s somebody else’s problem that you’ve paid big money for.
So for the Vikings to climb the ladder in the NFC North and get back to being a playoff team, they are going to have to have the younger players already on the roster develop quickly (especially first-year QB Christian Ponder) and hit some home runs on their draft picks over the next couple of seasons.
As the cases of Bernard Berrian, Madieu Williams and Thomas Tapeh illustrate, free agency might not be of much help.
Ponder watch
My taping job of Sunday’s Vikings-Packers game didn’t work out very well, so I had to wait to watch the condensed version of the game on NFL Replay tonight to see how Ponder played in his first pro start.
How do you think he fared? The reviews generally seem to be positive, although after watching the game it looked like he could have been picked off five or six times instead of twice. He’s going to have to clean that up.
What I did like was at no time did he not appear to be in control of the offence. Nor did he seem flustered by anything the Packers threw at him or any mistakes he made. It might not sound like much, but I think that’s an important psychological trait for an NFL quarterback to have. I’m looking forward to seeing how he plays this Sunday against Carolina.
* By the way, Chris Cook says sorry. However, that didn't stop the Vikings from suspending him.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Vikings, Ponder fall short against Pack
Ahhh, not quite.
More on this in the coming 24 hours after I watch the recording. I might fast forward most of the third quarter.
More on this in the coming 24 hours after I watch the recording. I might fast forward most of the third quarter.
The first half's gone well for the Vikings, can they keep it up?
By checking the Internet, I see the Vikings are giving the Green Bay Packers a game – up 17-13 at halftime.
I'm recording the contest because work commitments have me chained to my laptop this fine Sunday. But I will watch the game and write a post-game column about what I saw at some point on Sunday or Monday (more than likely Monday.)
I notice the Vikings got two big plays to help them get the lead in the first half. A 72-yard pass from Christian Ponder to Michael Jenkins set up their first touchdown and Toby Gerhart recovered a Randall Cobb fumble during a punt return that set up the second touchdown.
I also notice the Packers Aaron Rodgers went 17-20 for 195 yards in the first half. The Vikes will need a couple of more big plays – maybe more than a couple – to hold the lead in the second half and pull off this upset.
I'm recording the contest because work commitments have me chained to my laptop this fine Sunday. But I will watch the game and write a post-game column about what I saw at some point on Sunday or Monday (more than likely Monday.)
I notice the Vikings got two big plays to help them get the lead in the first half. A 72-yard pass from Christian Ponder to Michael Jenkins set up their first touchdown and Toby Gerhart recovered a Randall Cobb fumble during a punt return that set up the second touchdown.
I also notice the Packers Aaron Rodgers went 17-20 for 195 yards in the first half. The Vikes will need a couple of more big plays – maybe more than a couple – to hold the lead in the second half and pull off this upset.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Vikings cornerback Cook arrested, could be out for a while
By now you've probably heard that Vikings cornerback Chris Cook has been arrested.
This is not good news for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. But I'm more concerned about what this means for Cook's Vikings career (held without bail and strangulation charges seems pretty bad.) Cook was looking like he was turning into a pretty good corner.
If this latest legal trouble forces the Vikings to cut ties with him, it creates another hole in the Vikings roster that the team must fill in 2012 – along with left tackle, right guard, middle linebacker, a number one wide receiver, left defensive tackle, right cornerback (Cedric Griffin looks done) and possibly strong safety (Jamarca Sanford doesn't seem like the answer).
Do you think Leslie Frazier is wondering right now why he took the Vikings head coaching job?
This is not good news for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. But I'm more concerned about what this means for Cook's Vikings career (held without bail and strangulation charges seems pretty bad.) Cook was looking like he was turning into a pretty good corner.
If this latest legal trouble forces the Vikings to cut ties with him, it creates another hole in the Vikings roster that the team must fill in 2012 – along with left tackle, right guard, middle linebacker, a number one wide receiver, left defensive tackle, right cornerback (Cedric Griffin looks done) and possibly strong safety (Jamarca Sanford doesn't seem like the answer).
Do you think Leslie Frazier is wondering right now why he took the Vikings head coaching job?
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ponder's first start the only intrigue in Sunday's Packers-Vikings tilt
Vikings vs. Packers
Only a fan drinking purple Kool-Aid laced with hallucinogens could dream up a scenario where the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings beat the 6-0 Green Bay Packers this Sunday. In just about every category, the Vikings are worse than their divisional rivals, so let’s skip to the real intrigue in this game for Vikings fans.
That is how Christian Ponder will play. You may have heard the 2011 first round draft pick has been named the Vikings starting quarterback for the rest of the year.
Switching quarterbacks during the season always causes some excitement for a fan base. But in this case there’s even more reason to be excited. In Ponder, we will be watching the guy we hope will be this team’s starter for the next decade. His every throw – in fact, his every move – on the field Sunday will be dissected for indications that he either is the future of the franchise or that he has no future. This speculation will continue for the rest of the season.
The rookie gets a tough first assignment facing Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and Charles Woodson. The Vikings probably aren’t winning this game, so Ponder’s play is the focus here.
So what should we consider a successful outing? I figure if the rookie completes 60 per cent of his passes, leads the Vikings on two touchdown drives and two other scoring drives and throws one interception or less, he will have had a good day.
Is there any possible way the Vikings could win this one? Perhaps – if Adrian Peterson goes nuts, runs for 200-plus yards and scores three or more touchdowns. But I don’t even know if that would be enough. The Packers are too good. The Vikings are too bad.
Green Bay 31 Vikings 17
Other Stuff
* The National Football Post’s Matt Bowen writes about what the Vikings should do with Ponder in this game to set him up for success.
* Ponder figures the Packers will blitz him a lot.
I don’t know about that. Ponder is a rookie making his first NFL start and most teams would probably blitz the hell out of other rookie quarterbacks. But do the Packers need to do this?
I’m sure Dom Capers and his players have watched the film. They can see Ponder is fast, athletic and can make plays on the run. I’m sure they’ve also noticed the Vikings offensive line isn’t very good. They can probably rush only four and still get enough pressure on Ponder.
I expect the Packers will be content to keep Ponder in the pocket, have as many defenders in coverage as possible and force him to make decisions into that coverage rather than give him a reason to scramble, which is the one thing we know he does well right now.
* According to ESPN 1500’s Tom Pelissero’s weekly tape breakdown of the Vikes 39-10 drubbing to Chicago, wide receiver Percy Harvin only played 29 snaps in that game.
Other defensive coordinators around the league must laugh at us. Who else in the NFL plays one of its top offensive weapons half the time? The Vikings and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave make it so much easier for their opponents to stop them by keeping a lethal threat like Harvin off the field.
When people say the Vikings offence needs to run through Adrian Peterson, they’re only half right. The offence need to run through Peterson and Harvin. If the coaching staff would like Peterson to touch the ball 20-25 times a game, they should also be looking at getting Harvin 15-20 touches. Get the ball into the hands of your best players – is that such a tough concept to grasp?
Only a fan drinking purple Kool-Aid laced with hallucinogens could dream up a scenario where the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings beat the 6-0 Green Bay Packers this Sunday. In just about every category, the Vikings are worse than their divisional rivals, so let’s skip to the real intrigue in this game for Vikings fans.
That is how Christian Ponder will play. You may have heard the 2011 first round draft pick has been named the Vikings starting quarterback for the rest of the year.
Switching quarterbacks during the season always causes some excitement for a fan base. But in this case there’s even more reason to be excited. In Ponder, we will be watching the guy we hope will be this team’s starter for the next decade. His every throw – in fact, his every move – on the field Sunday will be dissected for indications that he either is the future of the franchise or that he has no future. This speculation will continue for the rest of the season.
The rookie gets a tough first assignment facing Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and Charles Woodson. The Vikings probably aren’t winning this game, so Ponder’s play is the focus here.
So what should we consider a successful outing? I figure if the rookie completes 60 per cent of his passes, leads the Vikings on two touchdown drives and two other scoring drives and throws one interception or less, he will have had a good day.
Is there any possible way the Vikings could win this one? Perhaps – if Adrian Peterson goes nuts, runs for 200-plus yards and scores three or more touchdowns. But I don’t even know if that would be enough. The Packers are too good. The Vikings are too bad.
Green Bay 31 Vikings 17
Other Stuff
* The National Football Post’s Matt Bowen writes about what the Vikings should do with Ponder in this game to set him up for success.
* Ponder figures the Packers will blitz him a lot.
I don’t know about that. Ponder is a rookie making his first NFL start and most teams would probably blitz the hell out of other rookie quarterbacks. But do the Packers need to do this?
I’m sure Dom Capers and his players have watched the film. They can see Ponder is fast, athletic and can make plays on the run. I’m sure they’ve also noticed the Vikings offensive line isn’t very good. They can probably rush only four and still get enough pressure on Ponder.
I expect the Packers will be content to keep Ponder in the pocket, have as many defenders in coverage as possible and force him to make decisions into that coverage rather than give him a reason to scramble, which is the one thing we know he does well right now.
* According to ESPN 1500’s Tom Pelissero’s weekly tape breakdown of the Vikes 39-10 drubbing to Chicago, wide receiver Percy Harvin only played 29 snaps in that game.
Other defensive coordinators around the league must laugh at us. Who else in the NFL plays one of its top offensive weapons half the time? The Vikings and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave make it so much easier for their opponents to stop them by keeping a lethal threat like Harvin off the field.
When people say the Vikings offence needs to run through Adrian Peterson, they’re only half right. The offence need to run through Peterson and Harvin. If the coaching staff would like Peterson to touch the ball 20-25 times a game, they should also be looking at getting Harvin 15-20 touches. Get the ball into the hands of your best players – is that such a tough concept to grasp?
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Leslie Frazier turns to Ponder as season unravels for Vikings
I don't know whether I would have cursed or admired Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier if he had stubbornly stuck with Donovan McNabb as the team's starting quarterback for another week.
However, I won't be faced with that decision as the news came out today that 2011 first-round draft pick Christian Ponder will take over for McNabb as the starting quarterback for the 1-5 squad this Sunday.
ESPN 1500's Judd Zulgad speculates Frazier's hand was forced by vice-president of player personnel Rick Spielman, but whatever the reason, Ponder gets to start against 6-0 Green Bay.
The move might just save Frazier's head coaching career. The Vikings have 10 games left in the season and they still have to play the Packers (twice), plus the Bears, Lions, Atlanta, Oakland, and New Orleans. Road games against Carolina, Washington and Denver don't look all that winnable, either.
In other words, the Vikings could be headed to a 2-14 or 3-13 season. The last time a Vikings head coach had that kind of record in his first year with the team, he got fired.
But by turning to Ponder now, Frazier takes the focus off his coaching job and puts it on (what we hope) is the future of the franchise. If Ponder plays well and the Vikings win some games, fans will be encouraged by the rookie's play and will be optimistic heading into 2012.
On the flip side, if Ponder struggles and the Vikings only win another game or two, Frazier can point to the fact he's developing a young quarterback and these are the kind of growing pains fans can expect. That might cause Viking fanatics to have a lot of doubts about Ponder, but at least they'll know the Vikings have some high draft picks that they can use to fill some holes and Ponder has room to grow as a player.
Either way, Frazier probably gets the Wilf's to buy into this rebuilding thing, which will convince them to keep him around for 2012. But if the Vikings go 1-5 to start the 2012 season ....
However, I won't be faced with that decision as the news came out today that 2011 first-round draft pick Christian Ponder will take over for McNabb as the starting quarterback for the 1-5 squad this Sunday.
ESPN 1500's Judd Zulgad speculates Frazier's hand was forced by vice-president of player personnel Rick Spielman, but whatever the reason, Ponder gets to start against 6-0 Green Bay.
The move might just save Frazier's head coaching career. The Vikings have 10 games left in the season and they still have to play the Packers (twice), plus the Bears, Lions, Atlanta, Oakland, and New Orleans. Road games against Carolina, Washington and Denver don't look all that winnable, either.
In other words, the Vikings could be headed to a 2-14 or 3-13 season. The last time a Vikings head coach had that kind of record in his first year with the team, he got fired.
But by turning to Ponder now, Frazier takes the focus off his coaching job and puts it on (what we hope) is the future of the franchise. If Ponder plays well and the Vikings win some games, fans will be encouraged by the rookie's play and will be optimistic heading into 2012.
On the flip side, if Ponder struggles and the Vikings only win another game or two, Frazier can point to the fact he's developing a young quarterback and these are the kind of growing pains fans can expect. That might cause Viking fanatics to have a lot of doubts about Ponder, but at least they'll know the Vikings have some high draft picks that they can use to fill some holes and Ponder has room to grow as a player.
Either way, Frazier probably gets the Wilf's to buy into this rebuilding thing, which will convince them to keep him around for 2012. But if the Vikings go 1-5 to start the 2012 season ....
Monday, October 17, 2011
Vikings Frazier two days from making switch to Ponder
Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier opened up the door during his postgame remarks Sunday following a 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears by saying, "We're going sit down on Monday and just talk about a lot of things and just decide on what direction we want to go," when asked if he would replace Donovan McNabb with Christian Ponder this week as the starting quarterback.
But the decision almost seems certain to happen based on Frazier's comments today about the quarterback situation.
The reaction from other NFC North observers, here, here and here, is that there is no reason to keep sending McNabb out there any longer.
I agree and I think by Wednesday, Frazier will reluctantly come to the same conclusion.
But the decision almost seems certain to happen based on Frazier's comments today about the quarterback situation.
The reaction from other NFC North observers, here, here and here, is that there is no reason to keep sending McNabb out there any longer.
I agree and I think by Wednesday, Frazier will reluctantly come to the same conclusion.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Quarterback play the only bright spot for Vikings in dispiriting loss to Bears
I'm used to the Vikings futility at Soldier Field. But Sunday's 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday night was one of the more unenjoyable ass kickings I've watched the Vikings take in some time.
That's because at no point in this game did the Vikings look like they were ready to offer any resistance against the Bears. The receivers dropped some catchable passes early. Adrian Peterson couldn't get going. The offensive line couldn't run or pass block effectively. The Vikings defensive line (a team strength this season) was totally dominated by a weak Bears offensive line. Punter Chris Kluwe was brutal. The coverage units gave up the usual soul crushing big returns to Devin Hester. The Vikings were very bad in almost all facets of the game in this one.
One person you can't pin the blame for this debacle on is Vikings (I hope former) starting quarterback Donovan McNabb. So it's ironic that McNabb's best game as a Viking (19 for 24, 177 yards) might very well be his last game as a starter for the 1-5 squad.
Look, I was completely on board with the Vikings decision to trade for McNabb. My hope was he would play better than he did in Washington, keep the Vikings competitive and buy some time for rookie Christian Ponder rather than throwing the Florida State product into the deep end.
But things haven't worked out as planned and Ponder's encouraging play during garbage time against the Bears gives head coach Leslie Frazier a plausible case to start the rookie against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.
The Vikings offensive line is weak (and it will get weaker if backup Patrick Brown has to play for regular right tackle Phil Loadholt for an extended period), but Ponder is the faster, more elusive player at this point, better able to extend plays than McNabb.
He's also a better scrambler than McNabb and more prone to take off running when things break down early. That's probably a good thing because the Vikings receivers are having trouble getting open at the best of times. We might as well have a quarterback that takes off early rather than wait for an open receiver that never gets open. Ponder also showed just as strong an arm as McNabb tonight and showed good accuracy on the kind of throws McNabb's struggled with this season – slants, screens and the like.
The bottom line is the 2011 season is over from a playoff standpoint for the Minnesota Vikings. These final 10 games will only be valuable if the Vikings coaching staff allow themselves to see what they have in Ponder and get a head start on the development process for 2012.
That won't help McNabb get himself one last big contract in 2012. But the Vikings can't be worried about his future right now. The future wears #7 and it's time to put him under center in live action other than garbage time during a blowout loss on the road.
That's because at no point in this game did the Vikings look like they were ready to offer any resistance against the Bears. The receivers dropped some catchable passes early. Adrian Peterson couldn't get going. The offensive line couldn't run or pass block effectively. The Vikings defensive line (a team strength this season) was totally dominated by a weak Bears offensive line. Punter Chris Kluwe was brutal. The coverage units gave up the usual soul crushing big returns to Devin Hester. The Vikings were very bad in almost all facets of the game in this one.
One person you can't pin the blame for this debacle on is Vikings (I hope former) starting quarterback Donovan McNabb. So it's ironic that McNabb's best game as a Viking (19 for 24, 177 yards) might very well be his last game as a starter for the 1-5 squad.
Look, I was completely on board with the Vikings decision to trade for McNabb. My hope was he would play better than he did in Washington, keep the Vikings competitive and buy some time for rookie Christian Ponder rather than throwing the Florida State product into the deep end.
But things haven't worked out as planned and Ponder's encouraging play during garbage time against the Bears gives head coach Leslie Frazier a plausible case to start the rookie against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.
The Vikings offensive line is weak (and it will get weaker if backup Patrick Brown has to play for regular right tackle Phil Loadholt for an extended period), but Ponder is the faster, more elusive player at this point, better able to extend plays than McNabb.
He's also a better scrambler than McNabb and more prone to take off running when things break down early. That's probably a good thing because the Vikings receivers are having trouble getting open at the best of times. We might as well have a quarterback that takes off early rather than wait for an open receiver that never gets open. Ponder also showed just as strong an arm as McNabb tonight and showed good accuracy on the kind of throws McNabb's struggled with this season – slants, screens and the like.
The bottom line is the 2011 season is over from a playoff standpoint for the Minnesota Vikings. These final 10 games will only be valuable if the Vikings coaching staff allow themselves to see what they have in Ponder and get a head start on the development process for 2012.
That won't help McNabb get himself one last big contract in 2012. But the Vikings can't be worried about his future right now. The future wears #7 and it's time to put him under center in live action other than garbage time during a blowout loss on the road.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Vikings get off the schneid, but what do they do about McNabb?
Yes, it was a blowout win for the Vikings, their first of the 2011 season, but I don’t think the victory did anything to strengthen Donovan McNabb’s hold onto the starting quarterback job. It may have even weakened it.
The Vikings went into half time with a 28-3 lead, but the big lead came in spite of McNabb, not because of him. He was 4-12 for 63 yards and one rushing touchdown at half time. He wasn’t a whole lot better in the second half, going 6-9 for 99 yards.
He was off the mark on several throws throughout the game – either throwing them too low, too high or too wide. And this was on a day when the Vikings leaky offensive line was usually able to give him time to throw the ball and opening up a sufficient amount of daylight for Adrian Peterson.
The offence only managed two field goals after scoring four touchdowns in an uncharacteristic first quarter offensive surge. If not for some dominant play by the Vikings defensive line – particularly Jared Allen and Brian Robison (Ray Edwards has not been missed) – three interceptions by the our normally stonehanded group of defensive backs, and overall bad play by the Arizona Cardinals, the Vikings might have been ripe for another second half collapse.
There are lots of good things to talk about from this game – and I’ll get to that in the 24 hours – but it’s hard to see the Vikings being even competitive next week against the Bears at Soldier Field with McNabb continuing to play the way he has been. It’s also getting harder to defend keeping him as the Vikings starter. In fact, I can’t defend it anymore. It’s time to give Christian Ponder a shot.
The future should start next week for the Vikings.
The Vikings went into half time with a 28-3 lead, but the big lead came in spite of McNabb, not because of him. He was 4-12 for 63 yards and one rushing touchdown at half time. He wasn’t a whole lot better in the second half, going 6-9 for 99 yards.
He was off the mark on several throws throughout the game – either throwing them too low, too high or too wide. And this was on a day when the Vikings leaky offensive line was usually able to give him time to throw the ball and opening up a sufficient amount of daylight for Adrian Peterson.
The offence only managed two field goals after scoring four touchdowns in an uncharacteristic first quarter offensive surge. If not for some dominant play by the Vikings defensive line – particularly Jared Allen and Brian Robison (Ray Edwards has not been missed) – three interceptions by the our normally stonehanded group of defensive backs, and overall bad play by the Arizona Cardinals, the Vikings might have been ripe for another second half collapse.
There are lots of good things to talk about from this game – and I’ll get to that in the 24 hours – but it’s hard to see the Vikings being even competitive next week against the Bears at Soldier Field with McNabb continuing to play the way he has been. It’s also getting harder to defend keeping him as the Vikings starter. In fact, I can’t defend it anymore. It’s time to give Christian Ponder a shot.
The future should start next week for the Vikings.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Vikings look to extend their imperfect season against Cardinals
Vikings vs. Cardinals
If you want to feel good about the Vikings chances of picking up their first win of the 2011 season, then read this scouting report on Arizona written by Sam Monson.
Apparently their right and left tackles suck ass (Jared Allen and Brian Robison could have big days) and the pass defence bites almost as bad as the Vikings.
I see this game coming down to a couple of things.
1) The Vikings have struggled to shut down big, elite wide receivers in their last two losses, as Detroit's Calvin Johnson and Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe made several big plays that helped their clubs beat Minnesota. So now the Vikings face another big, elite wide receiver in the Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald. Who do you think is going to win that battle – Fitzgerald or the Vikings secondary? My money is on Fitzgerald, who will probably catch a couple of touchdown passes in this one.
2) Cardinals cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and A.J Jefferson have struggled this season and they are two of the reasons the Cardinals have the 23rd ranked pass defence in the NFL. But they are facing a Vikings team that has the league's 30th ranked passing attack (averaging a pathetic 154.8 passing yards per game) and starts Bernard Berrian. Barring a 2007 Soldier Field kind of performance from Adrian Peterson, the Vikings are going to have to pass the ball effectively to win this game and any the remaining games this season. But even when matched up against two young, inexperienced corners, I think those corners will get the better of Berrian and Michael Jenkins, with Percy Harvin not able to do quite enough to pick up the slack.
Couple that with Donovan McNabb's inaccurate passing and a weak offensive line and the Vikings won't be able to move the ball enough and score enough to beat the Cardinals.
Cardinals 27 – Vikings 17
Antoine Winfield
It looks like Winfield might not play this Sunday because of a neck injury.
This isn't good news. It weakens the Vikings run defence, which has been very good this season, because Winfield is such a good tackler in space. It also hurts the pass defence because if Winfield's out, Chris Cook is taking more snaps than the Vikings would like and Asher Allen is taking more snaps than the Vikings would like. (And one snap is one too many for Allen.)
Cedric Griffin
Griffin has done a tremendous job coming back from another major knee injury this season. But there's little doubt he's having a hard time out there. In the loss to Tampa Bay he gave up a 25-yard touchdown pass to the Bucs Arrelious Benn. In the loss to Detroit, he gave up a 40-yard reception to Calvin Johnson that set up the Lions winning field goal in overtime. Last week he gave up a 52-yard touchdown pass to the Chiefs Bowe.
If Winfield can't play Sunday, the Vikings will need a strong game from Griffin to keep the Cardinals from passing for 500 yards. I'm not sure his knees are up to it.
Offensive line
The Star-Tribune's Mark Craig delves briefly into the Vikings failure to address the O-line in the past nine drafts. When the 2012 NFL draft rolls around, the Vikings could use every single pick on an offensive lineman and I bet few fans would complain.
Donovan McNabb
Is Sunday McNabb's last stand if the Vikings don't get a win? I think it depends partly on how well he plays. If the Vikings lose, but McNabb plays very well, he probably buys himself a few more weeks. Also, I don't think head coach Leslie Frazier wants rookie Christian Ponder to make his first NFL start next week at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears regardless of how poorly McNabb plays on Sunday.
Tarvaris Jackson
I would not have guessed that ex-Viking Jackson would have more passing yards, more touchdown passes and one more win than McNabb at this point in the season.
If you want to feel good about the Vikings chances of picking up their first win of the 2011 season, then read this scouting report on Arizona written by Sam Monson.
Apparently their right and left tackles suck ass (Jared Allen and Brian Robison could have big days) and the pass defence bites almost as bad as the Vikings.
I see this game coming down to a couple of things.
1) The Vikings have struggled to shut down big, elite wide receivers in their last two losses, as Detroit's Calvin Johnson and Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe made several big plays that helped their clubs beat Minnesota. So now the Vikings face another big, elite wide receiver in the Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald. Who do you think is going to win that battle – Fitzgerald or the Vikings secondary? My money is on Fitzgerald, who will probably catch a couple of touchdown passes in this one.
2) Cardinals cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and A.J Jefferson have struggled this season and they are two of the reasons the Cardinals have the 23rd ranked pass defence in the NFL. But they are facing a Vikings team that has the league's 30th ranked passing attack (averaging a pathetic 154.8 passing yards per game) and starts Bernard Berrian. Barring a 2007 Soldier Field kind of performance from Adrian Peterson, the Vikings are going to have to pass the ball effectively to win this game and any the remaining games this season. But even when matched up against two young, inexperienced corners, I think those corners will get the better of Berrian and Michael Jenkins, with Percy Harvin not able to do quite enough to pick up the slack.
Couple that with Donovan McNabb's inaccurate passing and a weak offensive line and the Vikings won't be able to move the ball enough and score enough to beat the Cardinals.
Cardinals 27 – Vikings 17
Antoine Winfield
It looks like Winfield might not play this Sunday because of a neck injury.
This isn't good news. It weakens the Vikings run defence, which has been very good this season, because Winfield is such a good tackler in space. It also hurts the pass defence because if Winfield's out, Chris Cook is taking more snaps than the Vikings would like and Asher Allen is taking more snaps than the Vikings would like. (And one snap is one too many for Allen.)
Cedric Griffin
Griffin has done a tremendous job coming back from another major knee injury this season. But there's little doubt he's having a hard time out there. In the loss to Tampa Bay he gave up a 25-yard touchdown pass to the Bucs Arrelious Benn. In the loss to Detroit, he gave up a 40-yard reception to Calvin Johnson that set up the Lions winning field goal in overtime. Last week he gave up a 52-yard touchdown pass to the Chiefs Bowe.
If Winfield can't play Sunday, the Vikings will need a strong game from Griffin to keep the Cardinals from passing for 500 yards. I'm not sure his knees are up to it.
Offensive line
The Star-Tribune's Mark Craig delves briefly into the Vikings failure to address the O-line in the past nine drafts. When the 2012 NFL draft rolls around, the Vikings could use every single pick on an offensive lineman and I bet few fans would complain.
Donovan McNabb
Is Sunday McNabb's last stand if the Vikings don't get a win? I think it depends partly on how well he plays. If the Vikings lose, but McNabb plays very well, he probably buys himself a few more weeks. Also, I don't think head coach Leslie Frazier wants rookie Christian Ponder to make his first NFL start next week at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears regardless of how poorly McNabb plays on Sunday.
Tarvaris Jackson
I would not have guessed that ex-Viking Jackson would have more passing yards, more touchdown passes and one more win than McNabb at this point in the season.
Monday, October 03, 2011
At 0-4, the Vikings still have company
With Indianapolis' loss on Monday night, the Vikings now share a perfect 0-4 record with three other NFL teams: the Colts, the Dolphins and the Rams.
Other links
* Tom Pelissero's always-entertaining "tale-of-the-tape" from the Vikings 22-17 loss to Kansas City includes lots of low grades for every position except the wide receivers and tight ends.
* According to head coach Leslie Frazier, Donovan McNabb is still your quarterback. (For the record, I agree with the decision.)
* And I missed this post last week, but Football Outsiders writer Mike Tanier tries to unearth the reasons behind the Vikings football bipolar disorder.
Other links
* Tom Pelissero's always-entertaining "tale-of-the-tape" from the Vikings 22-17 loss to Kansas City includes lots of low grades for every position except the wide receivers and tight ends.
* According to head coach Leslie Frazier, Donovan McNabb is still your quarterback. (For the record, I agree with the decision.)
* And I missed this post last week, but Football Outsiders writer Mike Tanier tries to unearth the reasons behind the Vikings football bipolar disorder.
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Expect the expected with these Vikings
I don’t want to linger too much about another Vikings loss. Yes, the offence is often punchless, the Vikings don’t have any receiving threat that can stretch the field, they can’t make plays – offensively or defensively – in the second half, blah, blah, blah. Still, there are few things I’ll mention.
Playmakers
The Kansas City Chiefs had two players the Vikings had to stop in this game. One of them is wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. The other is linebacker Tamba Hali. Bowe ended up five catches for 107 yards. Four of his five catches were for first downs and his 52-yard touchdown catch (breaking tackles from Cedric Griffin and Jamarca Sanford in the process) early in the fourth quarter basically sealed the win for the Chiefs.
Hali had two sacks and pressured Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb a number of other times. The Vikings had so little confidence in right tackle Phil Loadholt being able to handle Hali that they often had tight end Jim Kleinsasser blocking Hali mano-a-mano, with mixed results.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs kept Adrian Peterson from breaking off any big gains; his longest play was for 14 yards. Percy Harvin did rip off some nice runs on reverses, but he couldn’t break the real long play the Vikings needed so badly in this game.
Donovan McNabb
Where do the Vikings go from here with the quarterback situation? It’s not that McNabb played badly again the Chiefs. He was decent (18-30, 202 yards, two touchdown passes), but the Vikings need more than decent play from their quarterback this year. It doesn’t appear McNabb can provide it.
So at 0-4 and the playoffs a pipe dream, the calls to replace McNabb with rookie Christian Ponder are going to get even louder this week. Putting in Ponder will give Vikings fans some excitement and give him (we hope) valuable game experience, preparing the Vikings for a quick turnaround in 2012. But is Ponder ready to start this early in the season? (Apparently Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier doesn't think so.) Only the Vikings coaches have any real idea. Personally, I’m terrified of having Ponder playing behind this offensive line.
Ryan Succop
The Chiefs kicker went into the Vikings game having made only two of his five field goals in the first three games and his longest was 33 yards. Today he was five-for-five and nailed a 51-yarder and a 54-yarder. He may have been the Chiefs MVP in this game.
Playmakers
The Kansas City Chiefs had two players the Vikings had to stop in this game. One of them is wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. The other is linebacker Tamba Hali. Bowe ended up five catches for 107 yards. Four of his five catches were for first downs and his 52-yard touchdown catch (breaking tackles from Cedric Griffin and Jamarca Sanford in the process) early in the fourth quarter basically sealed the win for the Chiefs.
Hali had two sacks and pressured Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb a number of other times. The Vikings had so little confidence in right tackle Phil Loadholt being able to handle Hali that they often had tight end Jim Kleinsasser blocking Hali mano-a-mano, with mixed results.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs kept Adrian Peterson from breaking off any big gains; his longest play was for 14 yards. Percy Harvin did rip off some nice runs on reverses, but he couldn’t break the real long play the Vikings needed so badly in this game.
Donovan McNabb
Where do the Vikings go from here with the quarterback situation? It’s not that McNabb played badly again the Chiefs. He was decent (18-30, 202 yards, two touchdown passes), but the Vikings need more than decent play from their quarterback this year. It doesn’t appear McNabb can provide it.
So at 0-4 and the playoffs a pipe dream, the calls to replace McNabb with rookie Christian Ponder are going to get even louder this week. Putting in Ponder will give Vikings fans some excitement and give him (we hope) valuable game experience, preparing the Vikings for a quick turnaround in 2012. But is Ponder ready to start this early in the season? (Apparently Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier doesn't think so.) Only the Vikings coaches have any real idea. Personally, I’m terrified of having Ponder playing behind this offensive line.
Ryan Succop
The Chiefs kicker went into the Vikings game having made only two of his five field goals in the first three games and his longest was 33 yards. Today he was five-for-five and nailed a 51-yarder and a 54-yarder. He may have been the Chiefs MVP in this game.
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