Posts Tagged ‘Gus Frerotte’

And I’m not talking about your taxes or the last election cycle, but this time on the NFL calendar. The Combine is underway, free agency is about to start and the draft is not far behind, so out comes the smoke and mirrors.

This morning we learn that the Vikings may be interested in Michael Vick even though there were no public words stating that. Coach Childress in typical fashion when asked, wouldn’t confirm or deny interest in Vick.

“I really don’t get into hypotheticals because I think there’s too much water that’s got to happen. I’d cross that bridge when I come to it.”

Is there interest? CBS and SI want you to think there is. Do you think the Vikings would actually want him after all he’s done and not been in football?

I think Grant’s Tomb put it best.

When I look back and remember how uptight Vikings fans and the Twin Cities media were over Randy Moss’s transgressions (“My God, he wouldn’t stop for a traffic cop!”), it’s hard to imagine any scenario where Vikings owner Zygi Wilf would bring in the soon-to-be ex-con Vick.

Is this the press making a story out of nothing? Could this be the Vikings trying to mask their true intentions?

Chilly says yesterday that wants somebody to compete with Tarvaris for the starting job. He would even like Gus to be the guy if he is willing to come back, or if not by bringing in somebody else (see above).

“We need to put somebody in place that will push him and compete with him,” Childress said. “I think competition is the nature of the game.”

I can’t disagree with that to a point and have encouraged it with conversations with you, but now wonder if this is part of the psychological warfare, deception and double speak campaign being waged by the Vikes to covertly get the QB they want? If it works then there will be somebody new (Matt Cassel maybe), if not Tarvaris will beat out limited competition and lead the 2009 drive to playoff glory with Brad Childress saying all the right things for public consumption. This isn’t provable until someone opens their mouth later and let’s it slip. This time of year makes you wonder though…

The Vikings want Matt Birk back. Really? It sure didn’t look that way at the end of the season. Again, is this a statement of truth or one motivated by an ulterior motive? Could it be used to get Matty a higher asking price on the free market as a farewell gift of sorts for his fine years of service in the Purple? Could it be a ploy to drop his asking price and show that he is welcome? Or is it just the right thing to say to avoid the PR nightmare over letting a fan loved player walk because he and the head coach were known to butt heads? You tell me.

It is that time of year folks. The fun will be to spot the few truths in the bed of deception. Are you ready for the emotional roller coaster that is just getting rolling as we try to figure out what the future has installed for the 2009 Minnesota Vikings? Enjoy the ride, and like last year, let’s hope it is a good one with Jared Allen type results.

Here are excerpt’s from Tom Coughlin’s interview with Giants.com.  He talks about the challenge of going to the Metrodome to play the Vikings that are themselves playing for their playoff lives.  I’ll add a few obvious and not so obvious Vikings Valhalla comments to the mix.

Q: You have stated that your objective is to win the game Sunday in Minnesota. There are many other factors to consider, including injuries and the bye next week. Are all those secondary to you to winning the game?
Coughlin: “We prepare like there is only one objective in mind and that is to win. We will do everything in our power to do that. As is true every week, the medical people will have a lot to say about what takes place and we will heed all of their advice and go play a game.”

Luft: What else is he going to say?  “We really just want to forfeit and have two weeks off, but the league won’t let us.”

Q: How much do you have to remind the players that for Minnesota this is basically a playoff game?
Coughlin: “We have said it all week. We stated right at the beginning of the week, ‘This is what the Vikings are playing for – a chance to win the division, the third seed, a home playoff game, all of it.’”

Luft: Just as long as the Vikings themselves realize this and play their collective hearts out.  We don’t wish to hear, “We knew the Texans would win, so we weren’t worried.”  Your fans are definitely worried especially with the long established tradition of choking when it counts.

Q: Is the fact that there is a chance that you could see them down the road in a playoff game, does that change what you will do in this game at all?
Coughlin: “Everybody wants to talk about all of these other issues about the game. It drives me nuts. We are preparing as best we can to win the game. We are very, very aware of the circumstances that we are in and who the opponent is. We are going to try to do the best thing we can for our team.”

Luft: Both teams know that if they do meet down the road, it will be in East Rutherford, New Jersey and each team will have a couple of different players available that weren’t this week.  The recent game film will be handy though.

Q: You don’t like to talk about individual goals, but if Derrick Ward runs for 52 yards and you have two 1,000-yard rushers, would it not be an accomplishment for the offense as a whole and the offensive line? And if you run for 69 yards you will set a team record for rushing yards in a season.
Coughlin: “That is always our goal, to rush the ball, to control the clock. When the game starts is that going to be on someone’s mind? I don’t think so. I think it is about winning the game, doing the things you have to do to win the game, one of which is to run the ball. The awareness of all these other things, yes, yes we will be aware of them, but does it have anything to do with how the game is played? Possibly, but it is not going to be first and foremost.”

Luft: This is where the goal of 68 or less should be set by the Minnesota defense that is currently ranked #1 against the run.

Q: You have won seven consecutive games in domes. Is there a secret to playing well indoors?
Coughlin: “No. It is just that one of the things is this particular dome leads the league in false starts for the opponent. I think we have been able to handle this type of thing pretty well and that is really the context that it has to be.”

Luft: The Metrodome leads the league in opponents false starts because of Vikings fans like you.

Q: This week you face Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor after going against DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart last week? Are the challenges similar for your defense?
Coughlin: “You are talking about the elite of the league. Peterson is number one in the league (in rushing yardage), so you are talking about a guy that can literally do it all. He’s an exceptional runner, change of direction guy, powerful, has good speed, a very difficult guy to defend. Chester Taylor is tied for second on the team in receptions. He plays extremely well coming out of the backfield, running the ball, he’s back on kickoff return. They might put Peterson back there on kickoff return.”

Luft: Adrian Peterson is the best in the business with one flaw of late.  He has a bad case of fumblitis.  Former Minnesota Vikings runningback Robert Smith has publicly given AD some tips.  Smith’s solution: four points of pressure.  “Tip of the ball, covered with your hand, cupping it into your forearm, then your forearm locked into your bicep so there’s no separation between the ball and your body,” Smith said.  “There’s nowhere for someone to get their arm in there.  Let’s hope that AD learns that lesson and wants to prove it Sunday.

Q: They are number one in the league in run defense. Does it start up front with their tackles, even with Pat Williams out with a shoulder injury?
“Both ends (Jared Allen and Ray Edwards) are playing well. (Linebacker Ben) Leber is an exceptional player, (Chad) Greenway is playing well and (Napoleon) Harris is a guy that is playing in the middle. They lost (E.J.) Henderson early on, but Harris is strong and powerful. (Darren) Sharper comes down in the box, (Madieu) Williams comes down. (Antonio) Winfield is a hell of a tackler for a corner. They have a very sound, solid scheme with good players.”

Luft: Coughlin is showing respect for a very good defense and is secretly worried that his quarterback gets too afraid of the team that has terrorized him in the past.

Do or die is what the boys in Purple are facing. I know that the they can still lose and as long as the Texans win, they win the division despite two consecutive losses, but do the fans a favor and just win your way in by beating the Giants. This is for all intensive purposes your first playoff game and needs treated as such.

The Vikes had a chance to secure the division last week and possibly play for a postseason bye week, but they fumbled it all away. Sunday the World Champion New York Giants come to the Metrodome. Fresh off securing the NFC’s #1 seed in the playoffs after defeating the Carolina Panthers in a close game. The debate will be who will they play and who will they rest?

As per NFL.com’s preview, the possible Giants that sit or are limited are these.

The temptation for head coach Tom Coughlin will be to rest his wounded warriors — and that includes DE Justin Tuck, CB Aaron Ross, DT Fred Robbins, RB Brandon Jacobs, ORT Kareem McKenzie, WR Sinorice Moss and LB Gerris Wilkinson, among others.

I hope he sits them all, but what I’d like to really see is the Vikings defense get into Eli Manning’s head one more time.

This is also a game that Visanthe Shaincoe can show his former team what a big mistake it was to let him go. Ever since Visanthe upped his glove size, he has caught just about everything in sight, leading to his biggest game of his career last week with 136 yards and 2 TD’s. He lead’s the Vikings with 7 TD’s for the season and is second with yards per reception of 14.5. That is good for a tight end.

Then there is Tarvaris Jackson going out and once again proving that he is the best quarterback on this team. Gus Frerotte didn’t lose his starting job because of injury, he lost it due to T-Jack playing much better ball. Comparing the QB’s season stats and breaking them down, Tarvaris has huge leads in almost every category (more on that later). He is hot and will need to continue to be to take this Vikings team into the playoffs.

I hope you enjoyed the different pregame format using the Tom Coughlin interview. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading.

The game is Sunday at noon, and as always… GO VIKINGS!

Grandpa Sports and the art of brown nosing

Sid Hartman, affectionately known as Grandpa Sports in the Twin Cities has put out another sugary sweet column on how the Wilf’s are standing by their man. (Sounds like a country song I heard once.)

One of the Wilf family, owners of the Vikings, asked not to be quoted. But he said the family is very happy with the job Childress is doing, predicted the Vikings will win the NFC North Division and again repeated what other members of the ownership have said: It takes time to build a solid, winning team.

“One of the Wilf family…” Who, the dog, because Chili brings him treats. Childress’ approval rating is sitting at 13% today, a two point raise from last week. An increase for doing nothing, but well within the margin of error.

Well to win the NFC North, Childress needs to keep that offense as productive as they were against Chicago, cut the special teams mistakes dramatically and hope the Wall wins their appeal.

He will need to beat the Texans this week to get back to .500 and mute the “Fire Childress!” chants. Then the Vikings will have to raze the remaining games against their division rivals. Those 4 victories would give the Vikings 7 total, not enough to win the division but making it easier. The team will still need to pick off 2 or 3 more additional wins to win the division. That means at minimum 6 wins with beating everybody in the division or being swept by the Bears or Packers will dictate 7 wins in the final 9 games.

That will be one heck of a late season roll, surpassing the 5-3 run last year.

The first win starts Sunday. Go Vikings!

Pill situation different

Minnesota Viking Pat Williams says his banned-substance situation is different, but won’t elaborate

This is an interesting piece by Sean Jensen. Pat is worried about what the kids he influences will think. From what I can get from this is that by no means it was intentional. Other reports I’ve read also elude to maybe that the players were taking approved supplements they may have somehow been spiked. We will see as these appeals play out.

What surprised me even more though was when these tests were taken.

Indications are that all the positive tests came during training camp. According to the 2008 NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances, “all players will be tested for prohibited substances at least once per league year. Such testing will occur at training camp or whenever the player reports thereafter.”

Training camp! They report at the end of July and now it is almost November. That I find incredulous. Those test results should have been back by the start of the season.

When asked about all of this being leaked and now very public [think of those kids], Williams responded.

He also lamented that the system is “flawed” and questioned the leaking of what is supposed to be highly confidential information. Any team or team employee publicly divulging “information concerning positive tests or other violations” is subject to a fine of up to $500,000 by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Whomever is responsible for the disclosure of the player’s confidential information needs this and termination. It is unconscionable in this blogger’s opinion.

I’m still hoping that the appeals go through and that both Pat and Kevin miss no game time. …But I’m biased of course.

Tarvaris running the scout team

What a fall from grace. Started the last 7 games of 2007 to be benched after the first two this year.

Charlie Walters gets a chance to talk to the almost invisible quarterback.

Wanting to get snaps that all now go to Gus Frerotte, T-Jack has volunteered to run the scout team. (Which means John David Booty gets nothing.) He is running the other teams plays and emulating their tendencies. Hopefully that will add to his QB development even though it is not the same scheme that he would have to step back into if Gus goes down.

“It’s a lot different going from the starter back to the scout team,” Jackson said. “But you’ve got to take it for what it’s worth and try to get better.”

Jackson hasn’t given up on returning,

“Hopefully,” he said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time right now, and however things pan out. . . . I really can’t control it if I’m on the field or not. So I’m just doing what I can.”

Learn the most you can, when you can and be ready to step in when called. Take mental notes how Gus Frerotte stays cool and confidently throws the ball during games. Do that, and when that time comes, you could very well earn that starting spot back.

Rough and stormy seas have beset the Vikings coming out of the bye week.  Jay Glazer announced on national TV that Pro Bowlers Pat and Kevin Williams have failed the banned substance test, both for use of water pills.

He later writes on the web,

“The Vikings’ suspension appeal was slated for this past week, the team’s bye week, but it was pushed back.

Many of the players who have taken the product have long used water pills in order to make weight as they show up to camp or in order to make certain weight on a weekly basis. Guys like the Williams duo, Grady Jackson, Charles Grant appear on the surface to clearly fall under this reasoning.

It’s a shame that players who use such pills, which are readily available at drug stores and health food stores, are swept in the same category as those who try test positive for juicing.”

Precedence was already set in August when the New York Jets running back Jesse Chatman was suspended for four games for violating the league’s drug policy. He said he tested for a diuretic – called Bumetanide.  Now, was he doing to mask steroid use or lose weight?  I don’t know.  Saints offensive guard Jamar Nesbit already served a four-game suspension from the use of the pills.

According to FOX’s Josina Anderson.

“There are about six to ten [players] overall positive tests. Three to four of them are from the Saints organization alone including McAllister and Smith,” the source told her.

“Most of them tested positive for Bumetanide. The last few tested positive for another substance that works similarly,” said Anderson’s source.

We have yet to know if Kevin and Pat tested bad for Bumetanide or the other similar substance, but with the precedent set with Chatman and Nesbit, and it looks like no leniency for the big boys just trying to make their weight.  I hope that I am wrong.

Confidentiality until the appeals process is complete is required.  It is appalling that it has been disregarded.  We now know the names of Will Smith, Charles Grant and Deuce McAllister of the Saints along with Falcon DT Grady Jackson and now Pat and Kevin Williams.  The NFL has a problem in its front office, because it is clear that the source had to come from there.  (There is a slight chance it came from the testing lab, but they probably don’t know whose sample is who’s by using a nondescript ID number or code to keep prejudice from affecting results.)  There needs to be strong disciplinary actions taken when the leak is found at the minimum.

Looking ahead at the last 4 games of November, Green Bay, @ Tampa Bay, @ Jacksonville, and Chicago, the earliest we could see the Wall suspended, can you see wins without them especially considering that EJ Henderson is gone too.  I hope Napoleon Harris, Fed Evans, Letroy Guion and maybe Ellis Wyms sliding over can pull the load.  Plus, Jared will be facing double teams the whole time making running up the middle a definite option to go along with taking shots at the secondary.  All this after facing a hot Houston Texans that put the Vikings on what could be a 6 game losing streak, and then to think that Brad Childress will try to spin that as an excuse not to be fired, just galls me to no end.

Looking at the schedule I wanted to take gander at predicting the outcome, especially in the light of the core of the Vikings defense gone.  Now if the Vikings offense continues to put up 41 points a game (thanks Chicago), we’ll do just fine.  However, there are two phases of the game, special teams and defense.  The strongest aspect of the Vikings game this year had been the D, the weakest and basically the teams Achilles heel has been the special teams.  They and the offense will have to play their best ball of the season because the defense that was ranked 2^nd against the run and 20^th against the pass just had its run stopping pass pressuring core put on notice of a 4 game suspension.

Texans (Nov 2/noon/CBS) – The Wall should be still playing as the Vikes welcome a hot Houston team with a good special teams and 5^th ranked passing offense to go along with their 11^th ranked rush.  The Vikings will have to play at their best with Madieu Williams back for his first game and Napoleon Harris starting his.  I question in light of the allegations, is there enough coaching and leadership to make this happen?  No, and the boo birds start yelling loud enough for coach Childress to hear.  The team is coming out of the bye and should win, but doesn’t due to more bad play calling.

Packers (Nov 9/noon/FOX) – Brad Childress’ worst nightmare.  In his tenure as coach he has faced the Packers 5 times and lost every single one of them.  I figure that this will be the first game the Williams Wall will be at home watching.  Make this game Childress’ 6^th and final loss.  The Vikings will be 3-6 virtually eliminated from any playoff hopes, plus Zygi Wilf wanting revenge on Green Bay for their fictitious tampering charges, takes it out on Childress instead.  There is a press conference after the game and Leslie Frazier is named interim head coach.  No Rooney rule needed there.  (Sorry St Louis.)

@ Buccaneers (Nov 16/noon/FOX) – Now led by a Tony Dungy disciple, the team treks down out of the cold to visit a team battling to stay in the race for the NFC South.  But like first outing for new coaches this year, the Vikings take away at least a turning point victory like Mike Singletary had in San Francisco, or an upset and a real one like with the Rams and the Raiders.

@ Jaguars (Nov 23/noon/FOX) – A visit to Jack Del Rio’s team along with a private apology from Zygi to Mike Tice turns in a good hard fought effort, but the Jags trying to get another wildcard birth defeat the Vikes on the second road game in a row.  At least it is warm.

Bears (Nov 30/7:30pm/NBC) – After the 48-41 defeat in Chicago, the Vikes are looking to return the favor.  The only problem is that the Williams Wall is desperately needed and Forte runs all day, and Kyle Orton finishes the rest.  Looks like the Bears will be winning the division.  The count is now 4-8.

@ Lions (Dec 7/non/FOX) – Over to Ford Field to play St Mary’s School for the Blind.  The offense scores over 50 points and Adrian Peterson screams past the 1,000 yard mark.  The Wall is back and takes it out on the boys in Honolulu blue.  This is the Vikings feel good game and start of some well deserved momentum.

@ Cardinals (Dec 14/noon/FOX) – The defense has found it’s soul again and even though Kurt Warner throws for over 300 yards, the 3 interceptions (2 by Darren Sharper) and the fumble do the red birds in for the upset.

Falcons (Dec 21/noon/FOX) – Matt Ryan has hit his rookie wall, and though the Falcons are on the way to a better future, today is not the day.  Both the Offense and defense dominate and more importantly, the special teams play well too.

Giants (Dec 28/noon/FOX) – The Giants have already sewn up the NFC East and home field advantage.  The Vikings defense tears apart Eli’s backup just like if Eli was there playing catch with Darren Sharper and Antoine Winfield.  The loss is meaningless to the G-men but turns out to be the Vikings 4^th win in a row.  The team finishes 8-8 and the Leslie Frazier era continues into 2009.

I’m no swami, but that looks to be about as realistic as it gets. Tell me what you think, but first I  want to give a shout out to one the best writers in the Vikings’ blogosphere, Pacifist Viking.  PV has wrote on what is his final straw with Brad Childress and his unwillingness to learn and expand from his system with the goal of playing better football.  That to me is the point of a coach, not only does he teach, he thrives on learning and hopes to advance his craft to an art form.  He then goes on to introduce the possibility of one such coach and former Viking: Mike Mularkey.

PV’s pointing out Mike Mularkey might be a good option too if my prognostications fail to pan out exactly the way they were typed.  But if Childress manages to limp to the end of the season with an 8-8 record or so, the Wilf’s will probably look for a big name guy instead.  The shocker would be if old Gus Frerotte and the KAO score 40 points a game and the Wall isn’t missed.  The Vikings win the division and Brad the Man is saying, “See!”   Either way is good, and it is always a good (and somewhat masochistic) time to be a Vikings fan.

This sounds like a country ballad or a George Thorogood blues rift.  In previous Vikings administrations we’d have some sort of scandal to talk about by now. A boat trip, a brawl at bar or a little sex in a stairwell type of story. Not this year.

We can talk about Visanthe Shiancoe taking about 20 games to get over the dropsies, but that he has finally.

There is Gus, who’s steady production has been nice even though the interceptions haven’t.

There is always my newest favorite topic of Frog Stew.

Then there is the second half of the schedule. The Vikings need to look at it one game at a time, but we fans don’t. Figuring that we will need a 10 wins to make the playoffs, that will mean that we have to win the next 7 of 9 games. (I just may have to break them down like my friend Amishbear did with his Bears.)

We can also speculate on how well the Napster [Harris] will settle in at MLB and will he get the radio and the calls or will continue to stay with Ben Leber?

And I almost forgot, Madieu Williams should be back from his neck injury, as mysterious as it was. The whole time, I think the most I had read on it was that it was nerve related. He will probably split time with Tyrell Johnson, who did a respectable job especially considering he’s a rookie. Then will take over to the glee of Darren Sharper who hopes they will throw his way then every once in a while. He can’t get interceptions without it.

Once back in the starting lineup for good, I am anxious to see if the pass defense improves even more, hopefully by shrinking the windows that the opposing QBs have to throw to. By doing that also means that the QBs will hold the ball a little longer which results in sacks and sack sandwiches.

It is always good to be a Vikings fan. Skol!

Brad Childress in hot water.

You sometimes wonder if Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, is like the frog is the stew pot that doesn’t realize that the water is getting hotter.

You never put a live frog into hot water to cook. It will sense the scalding temperature of the liquid and hops out. Putting that same frog in water at room temperature then slowly bring up the heat, it will just swim around oblivious to its impending doom. Once the frog starts to figure out the water is too hot, it is too late and he is already cooked enough that he can no longer escape and his demise is imminent.

Brad Childress is swimming around on the sidelines just like the frog in the pot, not sensing the impending doom. The heat has been turned up and it is only a matter of time.

The death of a head coach’s stint at the helm of an NFL franchise usually follows a similar pattern. A new head coach is hired, there is optimism and an understanding standing honeymoon period to follow. The coach is given time to make the team in his image and to play under his philosophy. This usually takes a couple of seasons to bear fruit and the fans understand that. That was where Childress was last year, and after a slow start followed with a strong finish and just barely missing the playoffs, hopes were high.

The owner, Zygi Wilf, committed to excellence and went out and bought even more of the best available talent at coach Childress’ request to make the team even better in the push towards football success and glory. Pundits everywhere were saying that the Vikings were an NFC and Super Bowl contender. The ticket and merchandise buying fans and a football loving owner couldn’t be happier to have their expectations set so high. Only thing left was to live up to those deserving expectations.

Here is where we have the frog in the pot of water wondering why spices and bits of food are starting to be added. It started in the preseason when a confident and extremely well executing Tarvaris Jackson went down with a knee sprain in game 2. He did not play again until the opener. Young guys especially need the reps, but everything was going to be just fine Childress would tell us. Then came the opener against our arch rival Packers and a sluggish offensive effort full of mistakes lets a “should be” win slip away. Oh, how the fans wanted that one, especially after the Favre soap opera and the allegations of tampering.

Next was the come from ahead loss to the mighty Indianapolis Colts. With a lead well in hand, stupid and undisciplined mistakes led to another Peyton Manning fourth quarter comeback. Doubts are starting to manifest themselves, particularly in the fans’ minds and coach Childress dominates the coach’s approval rating voting on ESPN and plummets to a 6% low. Childress throws his poor performing young quarterback under the bus. We all hear the ca-thunk of TJack under the wheels as old Gus Frerotte is named the starter for the rest of the season. The knob on the stove is turned on.

Game 3, the defense that Vikings fans love showed themselves and behind outstanding play from Antoine Winfield and EJ Henderson, they rocked the Panthers. Childress’ rating goes up to 29%. The cook is wondering whether to turn the heat off and fix something else.

Game 4, the Vikes head south to Tennessee to meet their mirror image of a team. Vikings fans, just think, today the Titans are still undefeated. Yes, the Vikes got beat but mostly by themselves with more stupid mistakes and self inflicted penalties. Childress’ coaching rating plummets down to 6%, the lowest of all coaches in the league. Stock is added to the pot but we learn other cooks have already had their recipes bowl over. The Oakland Raiders fired head coach Lane Kiffin soon to be followed by the St Louis Rams calling Scott Linehan’s tenure done.

Game 5, down in bayou country where they really know how to cook up some frog. Facing the most dominant passing game in the league this year, the Vikings hold there own and open a lead against the Saints. Fans are happy, but not for long as we witness the game being given away. Two punts are returned by Reggie Bush and the special teams give up 354 total yards. How classic this is starting to become. Fortunately, with the help of some questionable calls, the Vikes come out with a win. Childress’ response was throw his punter, Chris Kluwe, under the bus. Ca-thunk! A win, no matter how ugly, garnishes Brad a bump to 13% (his season average). A “W” is a “W” right? Vegetables are being added to the stew and the heat bumped up again.

Game 6, the hapless Lions come to town and this should be easy. Yeah, right. Bumblin’, fumblin’ and stumblin’ the lethargic play of the Vikings and more fortunate bad officiating and the Vikes barely, and I mean barely, eek out a win. Downward goes the coach’s approval rating to a generous 10%. (I didn’t know the Childress clan was so big.) The Vikes are back to .500 and the frog seems to be quite pleased with himself.

Off to the big city of Chicago, where coach Childress was gifted with Adrian Peterson’s breakout game last season. Two good defensive teams with weak offenses were to meet in what surely would be a tradition black and blue slug fest.

Nope, ain’t going to happen. More stupid coaching decisions, especially with the special teams leads to the Vikings giving away free points and great field position. The offense had its best game and play calling even had a surprise or two. The Vikes still throw too much on short downs and stupidly announce it by lining up in the shotgun. Why? We have the best running tandem in the league and it is consistently misused and neglected.

The slug fest became a shootout but with questionable aim on the Vikings part, self-inflicted wounds in the way of coaching decisions for squib kicks, flooky ball bounces, bad throws by old Gus and a rash of penalties like false starts and encroachments led to a loss after scoring 41 points. Fan frustration is already boiling, but because of the offensive output, Childress garners an extra point and now sits at 11%. (Below that of congress as pointed out by John McMullen over on Real Football 365 today.) A little salt and pepper added to our stew and soon it will be simmering. Elsewhere in the league another pot boils over and the 49’ers relieve Mike Nolan.

The final steps in the firing of a coach are that the fans start calling for his head. Check. Then the media starts the criticism of everything he does. Check. Then they question, “Should he remain?” Anthony Hall does that well this morning at Vikings War Cry and it will be soon in the mainstream press if the Vikings return from the bye and lose to the Houston Texans. The team has demonstrated a propensity to play to the level of their opponents then through sloppy play and predictable play calling, try to give it away. They are unfortunately succeeding in the later proved out with the 3-4 record.

3-4 doesn’t cut it, and Brad Childress will have to rectify that and have his team start living up to those expectations because if not, the heat will be cranked up one last time and the frog stew will be brought to a boil. Not liking the taste of it, our chef who is know for his love of football and not his cooking, may just throw that frog out.

The moral of this story is for Childress to pull his head out [of the water] and start winning lots of games, otherwise there will be frog stew for supper.

I was going to sit down and write a “keys to victory” type pregame, but it’s my birthday [my teenage daughter says, "Just think Dad, your half way to 90."] and the only thing I want is a long winning streak.  …Either that, or a firing and a long winning streak.  Is that too much to ask?

The #1 key to victory is to score more points than the Saints.  Duh!

For the rest of my breakdown, I’m going to take the easy route and direct you to The Ragnarok.  He has written that this is A Very Winnable Game and indeed it is.  He mirrors my line of thinking and analysis very closely on top of having it backed up with some stats as evidence.

The Vikings’ should be able to pass on the Saints (even if Bernard Berrian is banged up again). They should be able to run the ball on the Saints. The question is, can the Vikings’ defense keep the Saints’ passing game from going off for 30 plus points. If the Vikings can limit the Saints to 24 points (their lowest total so far this year), then the offense should be able to match that (or Zygi should just fire Brad Childress after the game). If the Saints score 30+ points, they’re going to win the game, barring Adrian Peterson going into Purple Jesus mode (the Vikings have not scored 30+ points without Adrian rushing for 200+ yards or by creating a ton of turnovers).

After last week’s loss, it has taken a little while to get over the agitation that I have felt over the lost opportunities to dominate and the wasted talent not being utilized efficiently, but as game day nears, my hopes and aspirations for a successful Vikings team and winning game start to surface.  Here’s to hoping that tonight, on the national stage when the rest of the league is watching, Adrian Peterson runs for 200 yards and Gus passes for 300.  Then, even if a physically and psychologically harassed Drew Brees does manage near 300, is shouldn’t matter.  The Vikes play well on a fast surface of turf and under a roof so this is indeed a winnable game.  Is game time yet?

Skol!

I didn’t get to write any post game piece.  The game plan was to go down the list of keys needed to win.  You can see that some of them were achieved and contributed to the win.  The biggest factor though was the stepping up of the defense.  They have regained their dominant swagger [a much over used term these days] as soon as Antoine Winfield flew in and slashed the life from Jake Delhomme, getting the sack-force fumble-touchdown.  That was the visible turning point but not the only excelence.  EJ Henderson cranked out 13 tackles, there were 5 sacks, the Carolina running game was shut down, and after each denial the defense grew stronger and stronger with the players feeding off of each other’s successes.  The game ball gos to the D.

The offense contributed and looked better as the game went on.  You could see Gus Frerotte get more and more comfortable and timing with his weapons getting better.  There was even some better and less conservative play calling from Chili/Bevell.  I’ll give them credit for it too.

So with credit in mind [and on the news], I thought that I would develop a “one victory at a time” purple backed Vikings dollar to be awarded for that win and many more to come.

I made three versions and I asking for your advise.  Which do you like best?

A) Vikings Dollar Fancy

B) Vikings Dollar Dark

C) Vikings Dollar Light

What do you think?  Thanks for your input.  Let’s collect a lot of these…

It has been an eventful week leading up to this battle between John Fox’s 2-0 Carolina Panthers and Brad Childress’ 0-2 Minnesota Vikings. In a move that reeks of desperation, and I’m talking like the smell down wind of a pig farm, coach Childress benched his hand picked quarterback for being tentative. He has announced that he will being going with the veteran Gus Frerotte for the rest of the season.

A potential problem with that decision is that Frerotte’s career numbers are worse than Jackson’s. He has only completed 54.2% of his passes thrown and last year threw for 7 touchdowns in three games, but almost doubled that total in interceptions with 12 over the same time period.

That leads to the first key need for the Vikings to win what may be the cliché must win game.

1. Gus Frerotte must at least complete 60% of his passes with more TDs than INTs.

That may not be as easy as it sounds for multiple reasons.

First, he will be throwing to a gimpy receiver corps. Bernard Berrian is still being hampered by turf toe, Sydney Rice may be out due to a sprained knee and Aundrae Allison is slowed by a bruised foot. That leaves veterans Bobby Wade, not known as a deep threat or Robert Ferguson retained for his down field blocking. Even though at 37, Gus has a strong arm and good deep ball, but due to lack of speed of the receivers and their ability to get separation, and that leads to the second problem.

Gus is known for his immobility, and with a power rush led by Julius Peppers against left tackle stand in Artis Hicks, plus Ryan Cook on the right, there may be not enough time for healthy receivers to get open.

2. The offensive line must limit sacks to 3 or less and give Gus time to throw.

The quarterback’s best friend is a good running game and the Vikings have one of the best. They ranked 1^st last year and are presently 4^th after two games this year. The only question here is will Adrian Peterson play and how effective will he be with a sore hamstring? Will Brad Childress push his star in desperation or sit him and let a very capable Chester Taylor handle the load? Maurice Hicks, coming off his own injured foot will be asked to be the #2 guy if AD can’t play.

3. Continued success in the running game and its use to set up the play action pass.

That brings me to offensive play calling. It has been truly offensive, unbalanced and as predictable as the sun will coming up in the east. Brad Childress has seemed to throw out over half his play book, either out of a perceived need to simplify things for Tarvaris Jackson or out of rigidity in sticking within his imaginary “kick ass offense” system that calls for running the same plays over and over, it has cost the Vikings production and arguably wins.

This is probably the biggest key to this game and the entire season. He feels Gus will give him the ability to open things up, we are assuming, and hope that is the case.

4. There is a diversified and more balanced game plan and play calling.

Defensively, the Panthers will try to take their two headed rushing attack of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart and try their luck against the unit that held all of the Indianapolis Colts to only 25 yards total rushing. Where the Panthers will most likely will aim Jake Delhomme’s at the returning Steve Smith.

The Panthers have the 18th ranked passing game in the first two weeks of the season, and with the return of Smith from his two game suspension paring against the 24^th ranked Vikings pass defense. There has been talk that instead of leaving Cedric Griffin on his side and matched up against Smith, and having a result like when Fred Smoot lined up against Smith two years ago, that Antoine Winfield will flip sides and have the sole responsibility to cover him. The problem is that Winfield hasn’t played on the left side since becoming a Viking.

5. Pass defense must be effective and not give up the big play. That include pressure and sacks from the front guys and good coverage from the guys in the back.

Special teams need improvement over last week. I’m hoping to see Vinny Ciurciu play with an “I’ll show you” chip on his shoulder for his former team.

6. Special teams coverage units need to keep returns under the 20/10 average for kick and punts along with allowing no TD returns.

If the Vikings achieve these keys to winning, then they can start their march to success. If not, there has only been 3 teams since 1990 to make the playoffs, 1992 San Diego Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions, and the 1998 Buffalo Bills. Starting 0-4 and you can almost forget it and start scouting the college players we want in the draft.

The Vikings should rally around their new quarterback; the defense will look to shut down another decent offense. Combine that with some good game management and the Vikes will pull out the “must” win.

Skol Vikings!

Playing with the backups

The last preseason game of 2008 is upon us and will be a battle between backups to make the squad.  The headlining battle will be between Brooks Bollinger and John David Booty to see who will be #3?  This could very well be the last time we see Grand Forks native, Bollinger in a Vikings uniform, or the Vikes could risk getting Booty through waivers and onto the practice squad.  Fans that have advocated for either player have said they don’t get a true evaluation playing with backups.  That is exactly who they will be playing with and against tonight.

I’ve heard that argument before of, “why can’t he play with the first team?”  Other than a failed snap on the center’s part, everything Booty [or any other player does] is on him.  If he is practicing amongst the inexperienced and not so talented types of the team, he can either stand out, or usually blend in.  As far as his execution, it is for the most part independent of other players.  You can evaluate how takes a snap, his drop or pivot, how he reads a defense and where he looks to throw a ball.  You can evaluate if he gets to the proper spot in the backfield in the proper position to make the hand off or throw, and does he get the ball there in a window tight enough for only the receiver to get and get there with enough speed for the receivers.  Look to see if he has the power in his arm to hit the fastest of receivers or hit a target that is open but for the very briefest of times.

That is what a coach is looking at and that is mostly independent of the other players on the fields. “If you figure on both for a half, obviously they want to give a good account of themselves,” Childress said, “whether they’re handing it off or whether they’re making a play on a naked (bootleg) or a screen or a drop-back pass. I just want to see where they’re at with my system.”

This is the third year for Brooks Bollinger, he should know the Childress system more than any quarterback on the team.  He needs to demonstrate that he can successfully execute it.  Bollinger, 28, said he would take it “just like every other game. I just need to go out there and do my job, try to move the ball, score points and win the football game.”

Booty will be given the benefit of the doubt knowing that he only has a few months of immersion in the system, not years.  “I hope we get some good quality time there and try to make an impression with this team,” he [Booty] said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, just do the best I can and not have any mental mistakes.” Lack of mental mistakes will be the key for both quarterbacks.

He will also have the fact that he is younger and that the Vikes moved up in the draft to get him.  Brooks on the other hand is not old, but he has seemed to have topped out on his development.  He seems the perennial #3 QB, a Shawn Hill or J.T. O’Sullivan type that just might need hop around the league some more.  It is not a really bad gig, to get paid about a million a year to sit the bench.

There are interactive abilities too that need looked at, like leadership and confidence portrayal along with how the other members of the team respond to them.  Each will get a half to play their quarterback hearts out, and that is what we are really looking for anyway, heart.

Against the Cowboys, coach Childress has already announced that he will not be playing his starters on offense and defense.  He will also be giving Gus Frerotte the night off after the team goes through their stretches and warm-ups.

The specialty guys aren’t so lucky, both Chris Kluwe and Ryan Longwell will get some playing time, Hauschka can’t do it all plus Childress wants Ryan to get a few more kicks in.  Steven Hauschka has done well for himself this camp and even though he will be one of the 22 players cut, he might have done enough to earn a spot on another team’s active roster [maybe the Chiefs, who cut their kicker today].

Speaking of the other 21 players that will be looking for work elsewhere, at least hoping to make it to the practice squad, Vikings preferred but any practice squad, they should be putting it all on the line to make this as memorable in a good way to make the decision difficult for the coaches.  If there is any advice that I could give them, it would be, “don’t make the decision to cut you easy.”

Two veteran players in danger of not making the cut might be cornerback Benny Sapp and safety Michael Boulware.  Boulware even with Madieu Williams out with his neck injury has been beat out by rookie Tyrell Johnson but he does have the experience that would fit well.

Scrubs on scrubs playing for their lives, it is either that or listen to some blow hard politicians promise you everything except for a new Vikings stadium.  Give me the football and maybe next week we might hear about that stadium.

Oh, and remember that the next week is one of two that we all look forward to… It’s Packer week.  A big shout out goes to Pacifist Viking and to his feelings on the subject.