First I've heard is (RB) Joe Banyard. Tom Pelissero says he'll probably make the practice squad if he clears waivers. I wish I could comment but of course I missed our 4th preseason game so I really don't know enough about him.
I'll update periodically as I hear more. SKOL!
EDIT 1: Aj Mansour thinks it's likely Banyard will clear waivers and make the practice squad, for what that's worth.
EDIT 2: Antoine Winfield has been released by the Seahawks and a rumor is the Vikings' FO is interested...I'm SO torn...I want Winny back! I want him to retire as a Viking! But we have GOT to start making moves towards a Super Bowl run in the next year or two (Peterson isn't getting any younger no matter what a beast he is) and I don't know if taking on Winny and cutting a young guy would do that for us.
EDIT 3: (OLB) Tyrone McKenzie has been released.
EDIT 4: (TE) Colin Anderson is the third Vikings' player to be released.
EDIT 5: (TE) Chase Ford has also been released. There goes one of my final 53 picks!!
EDIT 6: Brandon Keith (T) has been released. Brian Hall also reported a "Stephen Nealy" released but we only have a Spencer Nealy (DE).
EDIT 7: Spencer Nealy was the released player. Brandan Bishop (S) has also been released. All the cuts have to be made by 5 pm Central time, so either they're waiting until the last second, or they're keeping them quiet for some reason.
EDIT 8: Antoine Winfield has informed the Seattle Seahawks he plans to retire. I'm sad, but that's how this cookie crumbled.
EDIT 9: (WR) Stephen Burton has been cut. Color me surprised, I didn't see that happening.
EDIT 10: Final list is out: TE Colin Anderson, RB Joe Banyard, S Brandan Bishop, OL Travis Bond, CB
Brandon Burton, WR Stephen Burton, DT Everett Dawkins, S Darius Eubanks,
CB Bobby Felder, TE Chase Ford, OL Brandon Keith, DT Anthony McCloud,
LB Tyrone McKenzie, OL Kevin Murphy, DT Spencer Nealy, DE D’Aundre Reed,
WR Rodney Smith, WR Adam Thielen, DE Collins Ukwu were all cut.
Here's the final roster:
Quarterbacks:
Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, McLeod Bethel-Thompson
Runningbacks:
Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, Matt Asiata, Zach Line
Wide Receivers:
Greg Jennings, Jerome Simpson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jarius Wright, Joe Webb
Tight Ends:
Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson, Rhett Ellison
Offensive Linemen:
Matt Kalil, Charlie Johnson, John Sullivan, Brandon Fusco, Phil Loadholt, Jeff Baca, Joe Berger, Troy Kropog
Defensive Linemen:
Brian Robison, Kevin Williams, Letroy Guion, Jared Allen, Everson Griffen, Sharrif Floyd, Fred Evans, Chase Baker, George Johnson
Linebackers:
Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson, Desmond Bishop, Marvin Mitchell, Audie Cole, Larry Dean, Gerald Hodges, Mike Mauti
Defensive Backs:
Chris Cook, Josh Robinson, Xavier Rhodes, AJ Jefferson, Marcus Sherels, Harrison Smtih, Jamarca Sanford, Mistral Raymond, Andrew Sendejo, Robert Blanton
Kicker:
Blair Walsh
Punter:
Jeff Locke
Longsnapper:
Cullen Loeffler
(The bolded guys are the ones I left out in my mock final 53 that made it in after all. Feel a little guilty about forgetting Cullen Loeffler. But getting 8 wrong...I guess I need more practice.)
Ballard is on IR. DeMarcus Love is suspended.
That's all for now - SKOL!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Preseason Game #4 Preview
Hey boys and girls, we're playing the Tennessee Titans at 7 pm, at home. It hit me today that this is really the very last season in the Metrodome...and I never got to go there - other than to drive by it - when I still lived in Minnesota. My father doesn't believe in attending live games. He believes in a nice, comfy couch, your own spotless bathroom a few steps away, and your own gloriously chilled pre-stocked beer fridge. Which is an excellent way to watch the games, but it's not the same as being there in person.
I have a prior obligation for tonight so I will probably miss most, if not all of the game (really bad timing on my part!) but here are a couple things I'm hoping will be addressed:
1) Ponder happy in the pocket: I mean HAPPY. Setting his feet. Scanning the field. I do NOT mean happy feet! I'm ok with him running (and sliding) when it's necessary, but it shouldn't be necessary that often.
2) Matt Kalil actually, you know, playing. Wakey wakey!
3) Josh Robinson keeping up to his man and not getting burned by two steps every time.
4) NO STUPID PENALTIES
5) A decent scheme by Frazier. Yes, this is preseason. We do not open the playbook all the way. But you know what? Mix it up! I saw a five-wide the other night and LOVED it. Do that. Do two-TE sets. Do some more screens, some more play-action, some designed sneaks. Try a couple trick plays, just for the heck of it!
6) An O-line that plays as a unit.
7) A D-line that gets to the quarterback.
8) Receivers completing their routes and NOT stopping halfway through.
9) Some work for Locke and the special teams unit. Special teams can make or break you, and we need to put our finger on our #1 return guy.
10) Good tackling and field awareness. No more injures because someone is distracted or aims incorrectly!
SKOL!
I have a prior obligation for tonight so I will probably miss most, if not all of the game (really bad timing on my part!) but here are a couple things I'm hoping will be addressed:
1) Ponder happy in the pocket: I mean HAPPY. Setting his feet. Scanning the field. I do NOT mean happy feet! I'm ok with him running (and sliding) when it's necessary, but it shouldn't be necessary that often.
2) Matt Kalil actually, you know, playing. Wakey wakey!
3) Josh Robinson keeping up to his man and not getting burned by two steps every time.
4) NO STUPID PENALTIES
5) A decent scheme by Frazier. Yes, this is preseason. We do not open the playbook all the way. But you know what? Mix it up! I saw a five-wide the other night and LOVED it. Do that. Do two-TE sets. Do some more screens, some more play-action, some designed sneaks. Try a couple trick plays, just for the heck of it!
6) An O-line that plays as a unit.
7) A D-line that gets to the quarterback.
8) Receivers completing their routes and NOT stopping halfway through.
9) Some work for Locke and the special teams unit. Special teams can make or break you, and we need to put our finger on our #1 return guy.
10) Good tackling and field awareness. No more injures because someone is distracted or aims incorrectly!
SKOL!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
My Vikings' 2013 Final 53 Man Roster
Let me preface this by saying I am NOT in any way shape or form affiliated with the Vikings' association or that I have any insider information (I freaking wish). This is just my educated guessing from what I've seen over the past seasons, this offseason, and our three preseason games. I may throw up a new one after the 4th game. I may decide to keep this one. But here goes!
1. Christian Ponder (#1 QB)
2. Matt Cassel (#2 QB)
3. McLeod Bethel-Thompson (#3 QB)
4. Adrian Peterson (#1 RB)
5. Toby Gerhart (#2 RB)
6. Matt Asiata (#3 RB)
7. John Sullivan (#1 C)
8. Chris Cook (#1 CB)
9. Xavier Rhodes (#2 CB)
10. Josh Robinson (#3 CB)
11. Brandon Burton (#4 CB)
12. Jared Allen (#1 DE)
13. Brian Robison (#2 DE)
14. Everson Griffin (#3 DE)
15. D'Aundre Reed (#4 DE)
16. Kevin Williams (#1 DT)
17. Sharrif Floyd (#2 DT)
18. Fred Evans (#3 DT)
19. Letroy Guion (#4 DT)
20. Jerome Felton (#1 FB)
21. Seth Olsen (#1 G)
22. Jeff Baca (#2 G)
23. Blair Walsh (#1 K)
24. Chad Greenway (#1 LB)
25. Desmond Bishop (#2 LB)
26. Erin Henderson (#3 LB)
27. Marvin Mitchell (#4 LB)
28. Audie Cole (#5 LB)
29. Joe Berger (#1 OL)
30. Brandon Fusco (#2 OL)
31. Charlie Johnson (#1 OT)
32. Matt Kalil (#2 OT)
33. Jeff Locke (#1 P)
34. Jamarca Sanford (#1 S)
35. Mistral Raymond (#2 S)
36. Harrison Smith (#3 S)
37. Andrew Sendejo (#4 S)
38. Phil Loadholt (#1 T)
39. Brandon Keith (#2 T)
40. Kyle Rudolph (#1 TE)
41. Rhett Ellison (#2 TE)
42. John Carlson (#3 TE)
43. Greg Jennings (#1 WR)
44. Jerome Simpson (#2 WR)
45. Cordarrelle Patterson (#3 WR)
46. Jarius Wright (#4 WR)
47. Joe Webb (#5 WR)
48. Stephen Burton (WR)
49. Chase Baker (DT)
50. Chase Ford (TE)
51. Bobby Felder (CB)
52. AJ Jefferson (CB)
53. Michael Mauti (LB)
Yes, Michael Mauti is a homer pick. We'll see how the rest look when Saturday rolls around!
1. Christian Ponder (#1 QB)
2. Matt Cassel (#2 QB)
3. McLeod Bethel-Thompson (#3 QB)
4. Adrian Peterson (#1 RB)
5. Toby Gerhart (#2 RB)
6. Matt Asiata (#3 RB)
7. John Sullivan (#1 C)
8. Chris Cook (#1 CB)
9. Xavier Rhodes (#2 CB)
10. Josh Robinson (#3 CB)
11. Brandon Burton (#4 CB)
12. Jared Allen (#1 DE)
13. Brian Robison (#2 DE)
14. Everson Griffin (#3 DE)
15. D'Aundre Reed (#4 DE)
16. Kevin Williams (#1 DT)
17. Sharrif Floyd (#2 DT)
18. Fred Evans (#3 DT)
19. Letroy Guion (#4 DT)
20. Jerome Felton (#1 FB)
21. Seth Olsen (#1 G)
22. Jeff Baca (#2 G)
23. Blair Walsh (#1 K)
24. Chad Greenway (#1 LB)
25. Desmond Bishop (#2 LB)
26. Erin Henderson (#3 LB)
27. Marvin Mitchell (#4 LB)
28. Audie Cole (#5 LB)
29. Joe Berger (#1 OL)
30. Brandon Fusco (#2 OL)
31. Charlie Johnson (#1 OT)
32. Matt Kalil (#2 OT)
33. Jeff Locke (#1 P)
34. Jamarca Sanford (#1 S)
35. Mistral Raymond (#2 S)
36. Harrison Smith (#3 S)
37. Andrew Sendejo (#4 S)
38. Phil Loadholt (#1 T)
39. Brandon Keith (#2 T)
40. Kyle Rudolph (#1 TE)
41. Rhett Ellison (#2 TE)
42. John Carlson (#3 TE)
43. Greg Jennings (#1 WR)
44. Jerome Simpson (#2 WR)
45. Cordarrelle Patterson (#3 WR)
46. Jarius Wright (#4 WR)
47. Joe Webb (#5 WR)
48. Stephen Burton (WR)
49. Chase Baker (DT)
50. Chase Ford (TE)
51. Bobby Felder (CB)
52. AJ Jefferson (CB)
53. Michael Mauti (LB)
Yes, Michael Mauti is a homer pick. We'll see how the rest look when Saturday rolls around!
One Last Preseason Game
So, we have one preseason game left (obviously) and I've been considering the San Francisco game and the cuts we made yesterday. August 29th is a Thursday, and we have to make all the cuts to leave our final 53 on Saturday the 31st. (And then I have three fantasy drafts Sunday and one Tuesday!!)
The #1 thing I walked away from the SF game with was, "We have work to do." Yes, we went out there testing players, schemes, and just tweaking this and that. SF came out looking to win the playoffs. They are PISSED about that Superbowl loss and no mistake! But we could've done much better. We lacked on execution and we made some awful penalties that stalled drives and prevented any chance at scoring. Josh Robinson stood out as making some bad decisions - there was one drive where he missed his man FIVE TIMES, once for the TD. He was a good two steps behind his man on the TD play and we can't have that. Not in the endzone. Hell, I don't want that happening on their own 10 yard line!
Another bad thing about that game was the injuries. Chris Cook went down with a groin injury that had better heal up yesterday. Kevin Williams was hit by some youngster while unprepared and that knocked him out of the game. Joe Looney needs to get fined, even though the NFL has already said the hit was legal. AIM FOR THE CHEST BOYS!! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SO STUPID YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GUY'S KNEES, HIS CROTCH, HIS CHEST, AND HIS HEAD! Even a boxer who has been pounded to a pulp can tell where his opponent's head is in relation to his ass. At least Jarius Wright's concussion seems to be clearing up.
And Jerome Felton has been banned for three games for a drunken driving arrest in 2012. I just do not understand the NFL and their "regulations"...there is NOTHING regular about them that I can see!!
Everyone is saying Jeff Locke is such a huge positive from that game. Yes, he had some good kicks. But he also had a couple bad ones, and while I have no idea what this guy's temperament is, I'm not at all sure it's a good idea to be praising him to the skies when he clearly is a rookie with work to do. Yes, I'm a bitch, but this is football, not Toddlers and Tiaras.
In squiffy news, Greg Childs is on PUP - he can't practice with the team for 6 weeks. Then he's got three weeks to either join the 53 man roster, or get put on IR. Do we take Webb and Burton and then toss one of them IF Childs gets better? I'm thinking that's most likely...it'll be good for the team for them to duke it out on the field, and we'll get a better sense of who will be a lasting talent and not a flash in the pan. Yes, I realize they're not rookies. But you can't judge a rookie for longevity - not well anyway. This is their year. Although, with Burton standing like a deer in headlights in the middle of a run route and letting Ponder get intercepted...that has to count against him. Webb's TD was nice, although it didn't rock my world. I can only wonder what effect those two plays will have on playing time in the last preseason game?
Also Kalil looked either don't-careish, or hungover. I don't know which it was and I don't know which one pisses me off more. I'd like to see a big change in attitude this week!
In the good news department, Floyd is healing well. Can't wait to see him on the field again, he was looking good before the knee injury. Also, Greenway REALLY impressed me. He was quiet and went out there and did his business, just the way he always has. He's really improved over the past season or so, and I'm damn glad he's one of ours. Bishop looked good too, and Felder was clearly straining every nerve to stand out.
Overall, it could have been worse, but we're going to have a rough season if we keep this "Oh, hey, is that a football?" kinda thinking going on. My desired 10-6 is looking less likely, and as for a playoff "run"...we are going to NEED some leaders to step up and whip the team into shape. Especially Leslie Frazier - why would you put Peterson in for two plays but never give him the ball? San Fran knew exactly what to defend and you wasted a series!
Wasn't there a team one year that lost every preseason game and then went on to go 6-0? I'm going to cling to that thought even though I'm not going to look it up...just in case.
SKOL!!
The #1 thing I walked away from the SF game with was, "We have work to do." Yes, we went out there testing players, schemes, and just tweaking this and that. SF came out looking to win the playoffs. They are PISSED about that Superbowl loss and no mistake! But we could've done much better. We lacked on execution and we made some awful penalties that stalled drives and prevented any chance at scoring. Josh Robinson stood out as making some bad decisions - there was one drive where he missed his man FIVE TIMES, once for the TD. He was a good two steps behind his man on the TD play and we can't have that. Not in the endzone. Hell, I don't want that happening on their own 10 yard line!
Another bad thing about that game was the injuries. Chris Cook went down with a groin injury that had better heal up yesterday. Kevin Williams was hit by some youngster while unprepared and that knocked him out of the game. Joe Looney needs to get fined, even though the NFL has already said the hit was legal. AIM FOR THE CHEST BOYS!! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SO STUPID YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GUY'S KNEES, HIS CROTCH, HIS CHEST, AND HIS HEAD! Even a boxer who has been pounded to a pulp can tell where his opponent's head is in relation to his ass. At least Jarius Wright's concussion seems to be clearing up.
And Jerome Felton has been banned for three games for a drunken driving arrest in 2012. I just do not understand the NFL and their "regulations"...there is NOTHING regular about them that I can see!!
Everyone is saying Jeff Locke is such a huge positive from that game. Yes, he had some good kicks. But he also had a couple bad ones, and while I have no idea what this guy's temperament is, I'm not at all sure it's a good idea to be praising him to the skies when he clearly is a rookie with work to do. Yes, I'm a bitch, but this is football, not Toddlers and Tiaras.
In squiffy news, Greg Childs is on PUP - he can't practice with the team for 6 weeks. Then he's got three weeks to either join the 53 man roster, or get put on IR. Do we take Webb and Burton and then toss one of them IF Childs gets better? I'm thinking that's most likely...it'll be good for the team for them to duke it out on the field, and we'll get a better sense of who will be a lasting talent and not a flash in the pan. Yes, I realize they're not rookies. But you can't judge a rookie for longevity - not well anyway. This is their year. Although, with Burton standing like a deer in headlights in the middle of a run route and letting Ponder get intercepted...that has to count against him. Webb's TD was nice, although it didn't rock my world. I can only wonder what effect those two plays will have on playing time in the last preseason game?
Also Kalil looked either don't-careish, or hungover. I don't know which it was and I don't know which one pisses me off more. I'd like to see a big change in attitude this week!
In the good news department, Floyd is healing well. Can't wait to see him on the field again, he was looking good before the knee injury. Also, Greenway REALLY impressed me. He was quiet and went out there and did his business, just the way he always has. He's really improved over the past season or so, and I'm damn glad he's one of ours. Bishop looked good too, and Felder was clearly straining every nerve to stand out.
Overall, it could have been worse, but we're going to have a rough season if we keep this "Oh, hey, is that a football?" kinda thinking going on. My desired 10-6 is looking less likely, and as for a playoff "run"...we are going to NEED some leaders to step up and whip the team into shape. Especially Leslie Frazier - why would you put Peterson in for two plays but never give him the ball? San Fran knew exactly what to defend and you wasted a series!
Wasn't there a team one year that lost every preseason game and then went on to go 6-0? I'm going to cling to that thought even though I'm not going to look it up...just in case.
SKOL!!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Viking cuts
Just a quick note about the thirteen players the Vikings have released today:
LaMark Brown - WR
Erik Highsmith - WR
Tyler Holmes - OG
Lawrence Jackson - DE
Marquis Jackson - DE
Stanford Keglar - LB
Greg McCoy - DB
Bradley Randle - RB
Chris Summers - WR
James Vandenberg - QB
Camden Wentz - C
Jerodis Williams - RB
Roderick Williams - DB
No surprise about any of the WRs (Burton and Webb are battling it out for the last slot for sure. I've had it pointed out to me that if Webb were kept, he could be emergency #4 QB...meh. I don't really want him switching around again, dude needs continuity.) or the DEs. Floyd is doing well after "minor surgery" and I'm hoping Kevin Williams' knee is indeed just a bruise. I'm so sick of chop-blocks!! That guy - whoever he is - had better get fined. (I'm looking at you Mr. "I'm fining RGIII for a t-shirt" Goodell!)
Don't know much about the OG or C, but I think we're comfortable with our vets at most of those positions so I'm not overly surprised there either. Same goes for Vandenberg. Ponder is #1, Cassel #2, and #3 is McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Vandenberg had some nice looks, but he'll be a good fit for someone else's practice squad this year, I think. Maybe some development will elevate him to someone's final 53.
Really, the only one that DID surprise me was Bradley Randle. He was no great shakes at last night's game, but considering the carries he got, I was quite sure he'd come back for #4 and a final looksee. I mean, was Gerhart really SO good we had to cut two RBs to give him extra looks for our last tune-up? Only RBs on our roster now are Peterson, Gerhart, Asiata and someone named Joe Banyard. I don't know how many RBs we'll keep though, not with our WR stable. Peterson and Gerhart are a given, IMO, and Asiata might get a special teams slot...maybe.
SKOL!
LaMark Brown - WR
Erik Highsmith - WR
Tyler Holmes - OG
Lawrence Jackson - DE
Marquis Jackson - DE
Stanford Keglar - LB
Greg McCoy - DB
Bradley Randle - RB
Chris Summers - WR
James Vandenberg - QB
Camden Wentz - C
Jerodis Williams - RB
Roderick Williams - DB
No surprise about any of the WRs (Burton and Webb are battling it out for the last slot for sure. I've had it pointed out to me that if Webb were kept, he could be emergency #4 QB...meh. I don't really want him switching around again, dude needs continuity.) or the DEs. Floyd is doing well after "minor surgery" and I'm hoping Kevin Williams' knee is indeed just a bruise. I'm so sick of chop-blocks!! That guy - whoever he is - had better get fined. (I'm looking at you Mr. "I'm fining RGIII for a t-shirt" Goodell!)
Don't know much about the OG or C, but I think we're comfortable with our vets at most of those positions so I'm not overly surprised there either. Same goes for Vandenberg. Ponder is #1, Cassel #2, and #3 is McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Vandenberg had some nice looks, but he'll be a good fit for someone else's practice squad this year, I think. Maybe some development will elevate him to someone's final 53.
Really, the only one that DID surprise me was Bradley Randle. He was no great shakes at last night's game, but considering the carries he got, I was quite sure he'd come back for #4 and a final looksee. I mean, was Gerhart really SO good we had to cut two RBs to give him extra looks for our last tune-up? Only RBs on our roster now are Peterson, Gerhart, Asiata and someone named Joe Banyard. I don't know how many RBs we'll keep though, not with our WR stable. Peterson and Gerhart are a given, IMO, and Asiata might get a special teams slot...maybe.
SKOL!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Back in Business! Vikings at 49ers 8/25/13
Well folks, I'm mostly settled into my new place in College Station (go Aggies!) and I'm super excited to see my Vikings on tv for the first time this preseason. Especially since we're playing against a good team - it's always fun to watch San Francisco.
First play of the game and Ponder goes deep...and misses. Oy. It's just preseason, right? Still, we need to up our play action, so we might as well polish it now instead of waiting until the season actually starts.
Adrian Peterson is out after two plays, but after all the ish that's gone down with the injury bug this preseason, I'm not complaining. Let Gerhart light up the field. I've always wanted him to do well, so his general quietness has not pleased me.
And Ponder loses the ball...WTF?? How did that happen?? Ah, it was stripped by a linebacker Loadholt let go by. Jeez, I thought our line was doing better this offseason! I mean, a bad play can happen to anyone. But I'm afraid of sloppiness - #1 way to kill a good season before it starts.
Happy to see Robison chasing down Kaepernick and not giving up on a bad play. And Harrison Smith brings down the 49er behind the line of scrimmage...good man! Happy to see him busting some ass, despite the sophomore slump curse hanging over his head. LOVE the pressure on that 3rd and 11, and that my homeboy Kevin Williams knocked down that pass. THAT's a classic Viking. We didn't block the kick, but that's ok. Blocked kicks are not everyday occurrences, The Cock Block of '06 to the contrary.
Cordarrelle Patterson only took the return to the 15...hmm. Gerhart with a 4 yard run up the middle. Not bad, wish he could've pushed a bit farther. Ponder makes a nice little pass to John Carlson, no YAC. Great tackling by San Fran, they're going to be a rough team to beat this season. Jennings unable to catch a ball from Ponder, and it's a second 3 and out...this is irritating me. Locke only gets it to the 42 as well, I hope this is NOT an omen for the rest of the season.
Back to defense...not a lot of pressure on Kaep, we're damn lucky that ball was too low and the receiver fell instead of catching it because he's in open field there. Chris Cook with a great tackle, glad to see him following through with a play!! 49ers false start, and then Kaep's arm is hit and the ball falls to the field. Thank goodness for our defense! Brian Robison is getting in some faces, which is much appreciated by this weary fan. Not sure I'm in love with the man coverage, but it seems to be working thus far. Beautiful kick by their punter!
Love the skippy little run by Bobby Felder! Someone wants to be on the final 53!! Cordarrelle makes a nice catch in the backfield, but only gains 4 before he's wrapped up and dragged down. Still, as I remind myself constantly, he did junior college for two years and achieved success in the SEC in just one, so it's another big leap for him. 3rd and inches after another short screen pass by Cordarrelle...OMG Gerhart dragged down way behind the line of scrimmage! Shitty playcall, and shitty execution. At least this punt went to the 15 yard line. Not happy with the offense I'm seeing right now. Kalil needs to get himself in order.
A small run and then a huge one. What's with the holes, Defense??? Nice deflection by Jamarca Sanford to save a huge pickup by Kaep. Whew! Then a second strangely bad INC by Kaep...is he ok? Or just not used to these new WRs? And Kaep is getting into a rhythm, this isn't good. Oy, I thought we were going to force a punt! Come on Vikings! Well...at least our players are getting to the receivers quickly, and not allowing TOO much YAC. But I don't like this rhythm we're allowing. Kaep was 1-7 and now he's 4-4. At least we stuffed that run, thank you Desmond Bishop. Beautiful slant gets them to the 5, at least Robinson saved a TD by tackling him at the catch. SHIT a really beautiful TD catch by Quinton Patton. I couldn't quite see who was covering him...but he was a couple of steps off. Kaep 6-6, bah. At least four of those catches were made to Josh Robinson's assignment, and you can bet Frazier is going to have something to say about that.
2 1/2 minutes left, let's see the Vikings 2 minute drill!
AJ Jefferson runs it back to the 22. Gerhart picks up three...I'm starting to wonder about his strength. Surely our trainers are working with him on this? BEAUTIFUL pass Ponder to Jennings! So glad to see Jennings connecting with Ponder, let's get a rhythm going here! Gerhart picks up another three. Is this design or weakness? Great attempt by Stephen Burton to get a one-handed catch, but Ponder pump-faked instead of letting it go, and he aimed too high in his hurry. 3rd and 7 and Ponder runs for the first, but there's a flag...nice blocking by Rudolph...SHIT Kalil makes unnecessary roughness penalty, at least we keep the first. I HATE sloppiness!
Gerhart picks up two...why are we not throwing the ball? According to Twitter Patterson rolled his ankle...ahhh not what I wanted to hear!
Ponder with another run, pleased that he at least slid to a finish instead of diving headfirst. I remember all the trouble we Gators had with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow not sliding to save themselves. Ponder finds Simpson to convert on a third and long!! Wow!! Let's keep THAT up boys! Ponder actually looked comfortable on this 11 yard toss to Gerhart...I'm feeling a little hopeful! A happy Ponder in the pocket would do wonders for our offense. Handoff to Matt Asiata with a nice little run, but there's a flag...MATT KALIL I'm going to KICK YOUR ASS!!! I may be a 5'6" girl with more flab than muscle, but I will find a way...Frazier, please work your coaching magic...I see him talking to Kalil who has been pulled out, so that's good.
Nice run by Gerhart, negated by a holding by Loadholt. I HATE SLOPPINESS!! VIKINGS, DO YOU HEAR ME?!
John Carlson picks up five with a nice catch in coverage. Very relieved we're finally going to our TE's. I've been praying for two-TE and five-wide sets for many years now...hoping we see some soon. Finally Stephen Burton gets a catch! Not deep enough though, and our punting unit is on. You know, without those penalties we could've marched down the field. Locke and #24 combined to down the ball at the 2 yard line, good job special teams! According to the Vikings.com player roster that's AJ Jefferson. Guess he's really after that 53 man spot too!
49ers on offense again, with Colt McCoy as QB, and Greenway is going hard to his targets. Silver lining, I guess. Nice spin moves by James who eludes three tackles that way. Vikes need to work on that. Thank goodness, 9ers dropped another pass. McCoy throws into double coverage and his guy makes the catch, we have GOT to work on stripped and batting down passes. We are in a pass-heavy league this year...and we let James bust up the middle for 9 yards. Why can't Gerhart do this? And we finally take down a flustered McCoy. McCoy took off and just slipped by Jared Allen...I hope Allen's shoulder isn't paining him, it's not like him to miss like that. Heard Fred Evans' name for the first time all night, good to see him take down McCoy. And GREENWAY with the interception and takes it to the 28 yard line!! WOOHOO!!! LIGHT AT LAST!!
Vikings' ball, and Gerhart gets another catch back to the line of scrimmage. Are we just passing to all our RBs now? Serious question bro...and then a beautiful run by Gerhart up the middle! I need to see the replay to see who ripped that hole for him...hm, looks like three guys including 71. But a good play. Gerhart again, but he's tripped up and only gets a yard. Ponder runs out of bounds, didn't see if all his men were covered due to the camera angle. Looks like Patterson was pretty open...oof. 3rd and 7. And it's a FIVE WIDE!! Pass incomplete, but there's a flag and it looked like PI to me - and it is! Since it was in the endzone the ball is at the one yard line now? Nice! Jennings with a beautiful play, he totally drew that foul. Beautiful floating pass to Zach Line, never did I think I'd like an SMU player! But he's got our first touchdown of the game, congrats Mr. Line!!
Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press just tweeted, "It took 10 possessions for Vikings first-team offense to score first TD after Greenway interception gave them short field." Oh...that is depressing.
You know what's more depressing? Hawkings going 105 yards to return the punt for a TD, but there's a flag on the 4 yard line...no, just taunting, it counts. Bah. Okay, special teams need work too.
And Chris Cook is out with a groin injury. I hope it's just a pull, nothing serious. We need him! We need all our playmakers!!
AJ Jefferson takes the punt back to the 35 yard line. Not bad. Would've loved a TD there, but our offense definitely needs the work. Asiata with a little run, not bad. If he hadn't hesitated, or maybe juked left, he could've gotten a couple more yards, I think. UGH and Ponder is picked off on a deflected pass. It was a pass to Burton too, this is not doing good for his chances for that spot he's battling for. Speaking of, I haven't seen Joe Webb at all, and it's a common consensus that Webb and Burton are rivals for the "last spot"...interesting.
McCoy's pass dropped, but the second one caught just short of the first. Think it was Quinton Patton again. See a flag - shit it's on us again. Robinson! You are really putting your spot in jeopardy! God damn, I miss my boy Winfield! Great tackle by Greenway making a stop behind the line of scrimmage. He's such an underrated player. I appreciate you bro!
WHAT THE HELL McCoy ballet danced past FOUR Vikings defenders only to be finally dragged down by Audie Cole. Good job Cole!
McCoy's pass was wayyy over his receivers' head - and their kicker makes a 40 yard FG. Oh, there's a flag, and it's on the offense holding. (Thank goodness it wasn't us.) 10 yards, let's see if he can make it from 50. And it's good again. I would be jealous, but Blair Walsh is a pretty darn good kicker in his own right, from what I saw last season. Let's hope he can at least rival Phil Dawson in all categories.
Burton back to return the punt, tripped up on the 18. Oh well. Asiata gets to the 20. I'm not liking these tiny runs, but halftime it is. Why not go deep there? No reason not to, we're losing 20-7 anyway. Hoo boy.
Started cooking at halftime, not done so less commentary for second half. Kevin Williams gets injured, but at least he walked off the field under his own power. We stop LaMichael James on 3rd and 31, which is good, because we made some epic screw-ups on downs like that last season.
Ponder isn't playing next game, so he's still in now. He's done some scrambling and has another first. Looking more comfortable in the pocket, Simpson gets a 6 yarder to get a 2nd down and 4.
Kevin Williams seems to have a sprained and/or bruised knee and a "smile on his face" according to Aj Mansour of KFAN. As long as it's not serious!
And we have a Kyle Rudolph sighting! At least it's a catch, and a first. Seeing a lot of Asiata right now. Man, that was a nasty way to treat Stephen Burton! Good thing they flagged the guy for helmet-to-helmet, Burton was held and hit...I'm just glad his neck is okay after looking at that replay!
Ponder stayed in the pocket AND Burton caught it inside the 10!!! Beautiful!! Just what I've wanted to see!
Joe Webb catches a TD - first time I've seen him all night - and then a flag comes in! OY!! Oh it was on the defense - a facemask - so our TD is good! Good for Webb!
49ers moving well again, grrr, and a Viking is down. This is the worst part about preseason! 49ers are really looking good. This is frustrating. I must say I'm surprised McCoy is still in, maybe he'll stay with them after all? Who knows.
Ponder being interviewed, saying "there's a lot of room for improvement"...yeah, I agree. He seems to be taking responsibility, which is encouraging. I'm hoping for you dude, no matter how much I may rip you when you piss me off.
And a stupid penalty by Rhodes. Head, meet desk. We're finally getting a little tackling going, but we're letting the 9ers have their way, which I do not appreciate. And another 49ers TD that was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
49ers punt and the Vikings' own McCoy comes out to the 23 yard line. Not bad, because he tripped a little about 10 yards back, I'm glad he recovered. Cassel in now. Pass too high and incomplete.
Love Jared Allen shutting down that bloody reporter, "How disappointed are you they haven't made a move to extend you?" stupid, muck-stirring!! Jared Allen will earn another contract, and he'll have fun doing so. At least, that's how I see things. His DOWN season was 12 sacks. How many guys think 12 sacks is a GOLDEN season?! LOTS!!
And Cassel gets sacked by a rookie out of San Jose State. Really?
How many fans are going to be on the field? And why do they go to those overhead shots when they are? To make sure the fans aren't rewarded by being on tv? I guess that makes sense.
49ers get the ball back. BJ Daniels is QB...USF huh...Was he the one who had those wins my sophomore year and everyone said USF would crush UF and then they suffered a dozen humiliating losses? I think it was something like that. Hahaha extra cops on the field now so the game can go on. That's funny!!
Good reception by Collie, Bobby Felder is on him, but takes awhile to drag him down. McCloud is back and looking good despite going down earlier in the game. Hawkings is looking incredible. This irritates me. Daniels is really looking quite good, but the 49ers 3rd string line is much better than USF's first string. I can't emphasize enough how important it is for a quarterback to have a good line he feels comfortable with.
Michael Mauti is in!! So happy for him! I do hope he performs well and makes the team. I want a leader like him on the team. Daniels struck down by Desmond Bishop - why is he still in? - in the redzone.
Another 49ers TD. This is really getting sad. 33-14 is not how I hoped this game would go. 4:12 left...I hope we can score to ease the pain a little.
Bradley Randle returns the punt. No idea who he is. Not a bad return, but not a great one either. 49er tips the ball and a Viking Chase Ford comes up with it! Very nice! Play carefully Cassel...nice run there, picks up the first.
Bradley Randle gets a first and we're at the two minute warning. And that series was a waste. 49ers put in Wallace who gets nowhere with 66 seconds on the clock and that's the game.
I'll post this now, and write another post later once I've had time to think it over.
SKOL!
First play of the game and Ponder goes deep...and misses. Oy. It's just preseason, right? Still, we need to up our play action, so we might as well polish it now instead of waiting until the season actually starts.
Adrian Peterson is out after two plays, but after all the ish that's gone down with the injury bug this preseason, I'm not complaining. Let Gerhart light up the field. I've always wanted him to do well, so his general quietness has not pleased me.
And Ponder loses the ball...WTF?? How did that happen?? Ah, it was stripped by a linebacker Loadholt let go by. Jeez, I thought our line was doing better this offseason! I mean, a bad play can happen to anyone. But I'm afraid of sloppiness - #1 way to kill a good season before it starts.
Happy to see Robison chasing down Kaepernick and not giving up on a bad play. And Harrison Smith brings down the 49er behind the line of scrimmage...good man! Happy to see him busting some ass, despite the sophomore slump curse hanging over his head. LOVE the pressure on that 3rd and 11, and that my homeboy Kevin Williams knocked down that pass. THAT's a classic Viking. We didn't block the kick, but that's ok. Blocked kicks are not everyday occurrences, The Cock Block of '06 to the contrary.
Cordarrelle Patterson only took the return to the 15...hmm. Gerhart with a 4 yard run up the middle. Not bad, wish he could've pushed a bit farther. Ponder makes a nice little pass to John Carlson, no YAC. Great tackling by San Fran, they're going to be a rough team to beat this season. Jennings unable to catch a ball from Ponder, and it's a second 3 and out...this is irritating me. Locke only gets it to the 42 as well, I hope this is NOT an omen for the rest of the season.
Back to defense...not a lot of pressure on Kaep, we're damn lucky that ball was too low and the receiver fell instead of catching it because he's in open field there. Chris Cook with a great tackle, glad to see him following through with a play!! 49ers false start, and then Kaep's arm is hit and the ball falls to the field. Thank goodness for our defense! Brian Robison is getting in some faces, which is much appreciated by this weary fan. Not sure I'm in love with the man coverage, but it seems to be working thus far. Beautiful kick by their punter!
Love the skippy little run by Bobby Felder! Someone wants to be on the final 53!! Cordarrelle makes a nice catch in the backfield, but only gains 4 before he's wrapped up and dragged down. Still, as I remind myself constantly, he did junior college for two years and achieved success in the SEC in just one, so it's another big leap for him. 3rd and inches after another short screen pass by Cordarrelle...OMG Gerhart dragged down way behind the line of scrimmage! Shitty playcall, and shitty execution. At least this punt went to the 15 yard line. Not happy with the offense I'm seeing right now. Kalil needs to get himself in order.
A small run and then a huge one. What's with the holes, Defense??? Nice deflection by Jamarca Sanford to save a huge pickup by Kaep. Whew! Then a second strangely bad INC by Kaep...is he ok? Or just not used to these new WRs? And Kaep is getting into a rhythm, this isn't good. Oy, I thought we were going to force a punt! Come on Vikings! Well...at least our players are getting to the receivers quickly, and not allowing TOO much YAC. But I don't like this rhythm we're allowing. Kaep was 1-7 and now he's 4-4. At least we stuffed that run, thank you Desmond Bishop. Beautiful slant gets them to the 5, at least Robinson saved a TD by tackling him at the catch. SHIT a really beautiful TD catch by Quinton Patton. I couldn't quite see who was covering him...but he was a couple of steps off. Kaep 6-6, bah. At least four of those catches were made to Josh Robinson's assignment, and you can bet Frazier is going to have something to say about that.
2 1/2 minutes left, let's see the Vikings 2 minute drill!
AJ Jefferson runs it back to the 22. Gerhart picks up three...I'm starting to wonder about his strength. Surely our trainers are working with him on this? BEAUTIFUL pass Ponder to Jennings! So glad to see Jennings connecting with Ponder, let's get a rhythm going here! Gerhart picks up another three. Is this design or weakness? Great attempt by Stephen Burton to get a one-handed catch, but Ponder pump-faked instead of letting it go, and he aimed too high in his hurry. 3rd and 7 and Ponder runs for the first, but there's a flag...nice blocking by Rudolph...SHIT Kalil makes unnecessary roughness penalty, at least we keep the first. I HATE sloppiness!
Gerhart picks up two...why are we not throwing the ball? According to Twitter Patterson rolled his ankle...ahhh not what I wanted to hear!
Ponder with another run, pleased that he at least slid to a finish instead of diving headfirst. I remember all the trouble we Gators had with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow not sliding to save themselves. Ponder finds Simpson to convert on a third and long!! Wow!! Let's keep THAT up boys! Ponder actually looked comfortable on this 11 yard toss to Gerhart...I'm feeling a little hopeful! A happy Ponder in the pocket would do wonders for our offense. Handoff to Matt Asiata with a nice little run, but there's a flag...MATT KALIL I'm going to KICK YOUR ASS!!! I may be a 5'6" girl with more flab than muscle, but I will find a way...Frazier, please work your coaching magic...I see him talking to Kalil who has been pulled out, so that's good.
Nice run by Gerhart, negated by a holding by Loadholt. I HATE SLOPPINESS!! VIKINGS, DO YOU HEAR ME?!
John Carlson picks up five with a nice catch in coverage. Very relieved we're finally going to our TE's. I've been praying for two-TE and five-wide sets for many years now...hoping we see some soon. Finally Stephen Burton gets a catch! Not deep enough though, and our punting unit is on. You know, without those penalties we could've marched down the field. Locke and #24 combined to down the ball at the 2 yard line, good job special teams! According to the Vikings.com player roster that's AJ Jefferson. Guess he's really after that 53 man spot too!
49ers on offense again, with Colt McCoy as QB, and Greenway is going hard to his targets. Silver lining, I guess. Nice spin moves by James who eludes three tackles that way. Vikes need to work on that. Thank goodness, 9ers dropped another pass. McCoy throws into double coverage and his guy makes the catch, we have GOT to work on stripped and batting down passes. We are in a pass-heavy league this year...and we let James bust up the middle for 9 yards. Why can't Gerhart do this? And we finally take down a flustered McCoy. McCoy took off and just slipped by Jared Allen...I hope Allen's shoulder isn't paining him, it's not like him to miss like that. Heard Fred Evans' name for the first time all night, good to see him take down McCoy. And GREENWAY with the interception and takes it to the 28 yard line!! WOOHOO!!! LIGHT AT LAST!!
Vikings' ball, and Gerhart gets another catch back to the line of scrimmage. Are we just passing to all our RBs now? Serious question bro...and then a beautiful run by Gerhart up the middle! I need to see the replay to see who ripped that hole for him...hm, looks like three guys including 71. But a good play. Gerhart again, but he's tripped up and only gets a yard. Ponder runs out of bounds, didn't see if all his men were covered due to the camera angle. Looks like Patterson was pretty open...oof. 3rd and 7. And it's a FIVE WIDE!! Pass incomplete, but there's a flag and it looked like PI to me - and it is! Since it was in the endzone the ball is at the one yard line now? Nice! Jennings with a beautiful play, he totally drew that foul. Beautiful floating pass to Zach Line, never did I think I'd like an SMU player! But he's got our first touchdown of the game, congrats Mr. Line!!
Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press just tweeted, "It took 10 possessions for Vikings first-team offense to score first TD after Greenway interception gave them short field." Oh...that is depressing.
You know what's more depressing? Hawkings going 105 yards to return the punt for a TD, but there's a flag on the 4 yard line...no, just taunting, it counts. Bah. Okay, special teams need work too.
And Chris Cook is out with a groin injury. I hope it's just a pull, nothing serious. We need him! We need all our playmakers!!
AJ Jefferson takes the punt back to the 35 yard line. Not bad. Would've loved a TD there, but our offense definitely needs the work. Asiata with a little run, not bad. If he hadn't hesitated, or maybe juked left, he could've gotten a couple more yards, I think. UGH and Ponder is picked off on a deflected pass. It was a pass to Burton too, this is not doing good for his chances for that spot he's battling for. Speaking of, I haven't seen Joe Webb at all, and it's a common consensus that Webb and Burton are rivals for the "last spot"...interesting.
McCoy's pass dropped, but the second one caught just short of the first. Think it was Quinton Patton again. See a flag - shit it's on us again. Robinson! You are really putting your spot in jeopardy! God damn, I miss my boy Winfield! Great tackle by Greenway making a stop behind the line of scrimmage. He's such an underrated player. I appreciate you bro!
WHAT THE HELL McCoy ballet danced past FOUR Vikings defenders only to be finally dragged down by Audie Cole. Good job Cole!
McCoy's pass was wayyy over his receivers' head - and their kicker makes a 40 yard FG. Oh, there's a flag, and it's on the offense holding. (Thank goodness it wasn't us.) 10 yards, let's see if he can make it from 50. And it's good again. I would be jealous, but Blair Walsh is a pretty darn good kicker in his own right, from what I saw last season. Let's hope he can at least rival Phil Dawson in all categories.
Burton back to return the punt, tripped up on the 18. Oh well. Asiata gets to the 20. I'm not liking these tiny runs, but halftime it is. Why not go deep there? No reason not to, we're losing 20-7 anyway. Hoo boy.
Started cooking at halftime, not done so less commentary for second half. Kevin Williams gets injured, but at least he walked off the field under his own power. We stop LaMichael James on 3rd and 31, which is good, because we made some epic screw-ups on downs like that last season.
Ponder isn't playing next game, so he's still in now. He's done some scrambling and has another first. Looking more comfortable in the pocket, Simpson gets a 6 yarder to get a 2nd down and 4.
Kevin Williams seems to have a sprained and/or bruised knee and a "smile on his face" according to Aj Mansour of KFAN. As long as it's not serious!
And we have a Kyle Rudolph sighting! At least it's a catch, and a first. Seeing a lot of Asiata right now. Man, that was a nasty way to treat Stephen Burton! Good thing they flagged the guy for helmet-to-helmet, Burton was held and hit...I'm just glad his neck is okay after looking at that replay!
Ponder stayed in the pocket AND Burton caught it inside the 10!!! Beautiful!! Just what I've wanted to see!
Joe Webb catches a TD - first time I've seen him all night - and then a flag comes in! OY!! Oh it was on the defense - a facemask - so our TD is good! Good for Webb!
49ers moving well again, grrr, and a Viking is down. This is the worst part about preseason! 49ers are really looking good. This is frustrating. I must say I'm surprised McCoy is still in, maybe he'll stay with them after all? Who knows.
Ponder being interviewed, saying "there's a lot of room for improvement"...yeah, I agree. He seems to be taking responsibility, which is encouraging. I'm hoping for you dude, no matter how much I may rip you when you piss me off.
And a stupid penalty by Rhodes. Head, meet desk. We're finally getting a little tackling going, but we're letting the 9ers have their way, which I do not appreciate. And another 49ers TD that was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
49ers punt and the Vikings' own McCoy comes out to the 23 yard line. Not bad, because he tripped a little about 10 yards back, I'm glad he recovered. Cassel in now. Pass too high and incomplete.
Love Jared Allen shutting down that bloody reporter, "How disappointed are you they haven't made a move to extend you?" stupid, muck-stirring!! Jared Allen will earn another contract, and he'll have fun doing so. At least, that's how I see things. His DOWN season was 12 sacks. How many guys think 12 sacks is a GOLDEN season?! LOTS!!
And Cassel gets sacked by a rookie out of San Jose State. Really?
How many fans are going to be on the field? And why do they go to those overhead shots when they are? To make sure the fans aren't rewarded by being on tv? I guess that makes sense.
49ers get the ball back. BJ Daniels is QB...USF huh...Was he the one who had those wins my sophomore year and everyone said USF would crush UF and then they suffered a dozen humiliating losses? I think it was something like that. Hahaha extra cops on the field now so the game can go on. That's funny!!
Good reception by Collie, Bobby Felder is on him, but takes awhile to drag him down. McCloud is back and looking good despite going down earlier in the game. Hawkings is looking incredible. This irritates me. Daniels is really looking quite good, but the 49ers 3rd string line is much better than USF's first string. I can't emphasize enough how important it is for a quarterback to have a good line he feels comfortable with.
Michael Mauti is in!! So happy for him! I do hope he performs well and makes the team. I want a leader like him on the team. Daniels struck down by Desmond Bishop - why is he still in? - in the redzone.
Another 49ers TD. This is really getting sad. 33-14 is not how I hoped this game would go. 4:12 left...I hope we can score to ease the pain a little.
Bradley Randle returns the punt. No idea who he is. Not a bad return, but not a great one either. 49er tips the ball and a Viking Chase Ford comes up with it! Very nice! Play carefully Cassel...nice run there, picks up the first.
Bradley Randle gets a first and we're at the two minute warning. And that series was a waste. 49ers put in Wallace who gets nowhere with 66 seconds on the clock and that's the game.
I'll post this now, and write another post later once I've had time to think it over.
SKOL!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Temporary Absence
Hey boys and girls, I'm sorry I've been quiet recently but I'm moving on Sunday so I'm very busy and haven't been keeping as on top of the Vikings as usual. I'm hoping that by next Monday I'll be 100% back on my game and ready to talk about the team in-depth again. So for now, just a couple of notes:
The Vikes play tomorrow night at 7 pm ET at Buffalo, and I'm interested to see how that goes. EJ Manuel is supposed to get the start, and I'm interested to see how his former teammate Xavier Rhodes matches up against him.
We lost Jerome Felton for at least this week and probably the rest of the preseason to an emergency appendectomy. What is it with appendixes? First the Gators' Jeff Driskel, and now Felton! Who is next? I just hope Ponder, Muschamp, Frazier, and the other more integral cogs of my teams have already had theirs out!!
Despite us having one game in the books, I'm still completely at sea about how our secondary will look this season. I'm furious about losing Winny, and I don't know that even an improved Cook and Robinson will really do what we need out there. I'm hoping Rhodes really lights up at some point in the season (preferably early on) because we don't have a huge superstar there other than him. Are we keeping Sherels if Patterson is so good at KR and PR? Is Sendejo going to show up well in regular season or is he just a flash in this preseason's pan? Is Mistral Raymond, with his injury history, going to make the final 53? The secondary is what I'm most concerned about. No way we make my desired 10-6 and the playoffs if we don't have a solid secondary that can at least present a half-dozen pass breakups per game, not even counting interceptions.
Mankato camp is over, and the gear is returning to Winter Park while our players are settling in their hotel rooms in Buffalo for the weekend. I think we've had quite a successful camp, although my suspicions are roused by the extreme praise of the offense and a rather lukewarm commentary on our defense. We're the Minnesota Vikings. Defense is our thing. Don't get me wrong, no one will dance for joy more than I if Ponder really does click with the o-line and our receiver corps, but we canNOT ignore defense. Not when we play in the NFC North! I'm watching the Bears - Chargers game right now, and the Bears are having a ball out there. No way we go 2-0 against them with minimum effort. I'd have an easier time getting enough $$ to buy myself a Maserati!! (N.B. Most grad students earn $19,000 a year. IF we're lucky.)
The news about the Wilf audit is worrying, but worrying won't do anyone any good. I just hope it's all a load of crap and blows over quickly. GAH!
Saw an article about Kenechi Udeze and how happy he was to be an intern coach for the Vikings. I'm glad he got to come back as a coach, and that he had a good experience. He was one of my favorite players and I was devastated when he got cancer. So relieved he managed to recover! I really hope the cancer doesn't come back. He's doing so much for other cancer patients and survivors and he really is the kind of class act and inspiration every team needs. I was also amazed (and psyched) to find out that his favorite restaurant is Yang Chow in LA. Holy moly, I love that place, and clearly should've gone more if the likes of Kenechi Udeze and Matt Cassel hang out there!! Anyway, I hope he still has a job at Seattle or gets picked up somewhere soon. Guy's a champ and deserves his chance.
That's all for now. SKOL!
The Vikes play tomorrow night at 7 pm ET at Buffalo, and I'm interested to see how that goes. EJ Manuel is supposed to get the start, and I'm interested to see how his former teammate Xavier Rhodes matches up against him.
We lost Jerome Felton for at least this week and probably the rest of the preseason to an emergency appendectomy. What is it with appendixes? First the Gators' Jeff Driskel, and now Felton! Who is next? I just hope Ponder, Muschamp, Frazier, and the other more integral cogs of my teams have already had theirs out!!
Despite us having one game in the books, I'm still completely at sea about how our secondary will look this season. I'm furious about losing Winny, and I don't know that even an improved Cook and Robinson will really do what we need out there. I'm hoping Rhodes really lights up at some point in the season (preferably early on) because we don't have a huge superstar there other than him. Are we keeping Sherels if Patterson is so good at KR and PR? Is Sendejo going to show up well in regular season or is he just a flash in this preseason's pan? Is Mistral Raymond, with his injury history, going to make the final 53? The secondary is what I'm most concerned about. No way we make my desired 10-6 and the playoffs if we don't have a solid secondary that can at least present a half-dozen pass breakups per game, not even counting interceptions.
Mankato camp is over, and the gear is returning to Winter Park while our players are settling in their hotel rooms in Buffalo for the weekend. I think we've had quite a successful camp, although my suspicions are roused by the extreme praise of the offense and a rather lukewarm commentary on our defense. We're the Minnesota Vikings. Defense is our thing. Don't get me wrong, no one will dance for joy more than I if Ponder really does click with the o-line and our receiver corps, but we canNOT ignore defense. Not when we play in the NFC North! I'm watching the Bears - Chargers game right now, and the Bears are having a ball out there. No way we go 2-0 against them with minimum effort. I'd have an easier time getting enough $$ to buy myself a Maserati!! (N.B. Most grad students earn $19,000 a year. IF we're lucky.)
The news about the Wilf audit is worrying, but worrying won't do anyone any good. I just hope it's all a load of crap and blows over quickly. GAH!
Saw an article about Kenechi Udeze and how happy he was to be an intern coach for the Vikings. I'm glad he got to come back as a coach, and that he had a good experience. He was one of my favorite players and I was devastated when he got cancer. So relieved he managed to recover! I really hope the cancer doesn't come back. He's doing so much for other cancer patients and survivors and he really is the kind of class act and inspiration every team needs. I was also amazed (and psyched) to find out that his favorite restaurant is Yang Chow in LA. Holy moly, I love that place, and clearly should've gone more if the likes of Kenechi Udeze and Matt Cassel hang out there!! Anyway, I hope he still has a job at Seattle or gets picked up somewhere soon. Guy's a champ and deserves his chance.
That's all for now. SKOL!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Gator Byte
As I'm sure you all know, as an alumna of the University of Florida I'm a rabid Gator fan, and today we received some highly distressing news. Andre Debose, our #1 WR and starting kick returner is out for the season with a torn ACL. I asked Chris Harry, one of the Gator beat reporters, if he'd apply for a medical redshirt, and he replied, "Not sure what he's thinking right now, but he can apply and there is plenty of precedent (one on UF team: Jeremy Brown)."
If I remember correctly, Jeremy Brown stayed on the team for six years, with two medical redshirts. Hoping Debose can get a second redshirt (his first was his true freshman year with a hamstring) and come back next year. He would be an asset as a leader on the team for this year while he's healing, and I honestly think it would serve a NFL career better for him to come back for one more year after the injury. Look at Gator TE Cornelius Ingram, who tore his ACL and went straight to the NFL after his recovery...he hasn't been heard of lately, now has he? Greg Childs, of course injured himself in his last season and was drafted anyway, and then hurt himself again in training camp, and was waived before returning to our IR. This season is big for him, and with Debose's up and down career at UF, I don't know if he can risk pulling a similar move.
According to the press release, the injury happened while in pads but was NOT a contact injury. While listening to the talking heads on Sportscenter this morning about the number of injuries this season and whether or not there are more than usual and what any difference can be attributed too, I started thinking. It's true that every single year I say, "There have been more injuries this year than ever before!" and it's usually not true. Injuries usually stay the same - or reasonably so - every year, it's just that we forget about it during the 6 months off.
Every single injury seems to have happened as a non-contact injury so far, even if they players were wearing pads. (Which is good news for in-game injuries.) I wonder what we could possibly do to reduce these "planting" injuries? New drills? Some sort of preventative muscle training? A guy friend of mine was lifting with incorrect form, and nearly tore a ligament because he was developing the muscle incorrectly, and it took him months of lifting with proper form to have his muscles lie the way they were supposed to and let his ligament go back in place. Perhaps some sort of carefully monitored training program to ensure strong muscles around knees, ankles, and other vulnerable joints could be developed?
I'm no trainer, and I transferred out of pre-med to archaeology after two years, so most of my anatomical knowledge is limited to the skeletal system...and that what I've learned from my own many sports injuries. I have no idea if new drills or a new strength program would eliminate or even alleviate these rashes of injuries. What I do know is that prevention is better than cure, and I'd love it if the NFL, NFLPA, and NCAAF worked together to try to understand why and how these injuries occur, and if anything can be done about them.
If I remember correctly, Jeremy Brown stayed on the team for six years, with two medical redshirts. Hoping Debose can get a second redshirt (his first was his true freshman year with a hamstring) and come back next year. He would be an asset as a leader on the team for this year while he's healing, and I honestly think it would serve a NFL career better for him to come back for one more year after the injury. Look at Gator TE Cornelius Ingram, who tore his ACL and went straight to the NFL after his recovery...he hasn't been heard of lately, now has he? Greg Childs, of course injured himself in his last season and was drafted anyway, and then hurt himself again in training camp, and was waived before returning to our IR. This season is big for him, and with Debose's up and down career at UF, I don't know if he can risk pulling a similar move.
According to the press release, the injury happened while in pads but was NOT a contact injury. While listening to the talking heads on Sportscenter this morning about the number of injuries this season and whether or not there are more than usual and what any difference can be attributed too, I started thinking. It's true that every single year I say, "There have been more injuries this year than ever before!" and it's usually not true. Injuries usually stay the same - or reasonably so - every year, it's just that we forget about it during the 6 months off.
Every single injury seems to have happened as a non-contact injury so far, even if they players were wearing pads. (Which is good news for in-game injuries.) I wonder what we could possibly do to reduce these "planting" injuries? New drills? Some sort of preventative muscle training? A guy friend of mine was lifting with incorrect form, and nearly tore a ligament because he was developing the muscle incorrectly, and it took him months of lifting with proper form to have his muscles lie the way they were supposed to and let his ligament go back in place. Perhaps some sort of carefully monitored training program to ensure strong muscles around knees, ankles, and other vulnerable joints could be developed?
I'm no trainer, and I transferred out of pre-med to archaeology after two years, so most of my anatomical knowledge is limited to the skeletal system...and that what I've learned from my own many sports injuries. I have no idea if new drills or a new strength program would eliminate or even alleviate these rashes of injuries. What I do know is that prevention is better than cure, and I'd love it if the NFL, NFLPA, and NCAAF worked together to try to understand why and how these injuries occur, and if anything can be done about them.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
The Knee Epidemic
Okay boys and girls there is DEFINITELY a "knee flu" going around the NFL this year! Eagles WR Arrelious Benn tore the ACL in his left knee during today's practice - and they released WR Dave Ball as well. Guess they really need Riley Cooper!
AND it just came out WR Danario Alexander tore his ACL today too!!! WR Jordy Nelson also underwent scheduled knee surgery today too.
I checked out the NFL Injury list: http://espn.go.com/nfl/injuries and was shocked at how much is up already - Rashard Mendenhall has knee tendenitis, Ryan Williams has knee irritation, Dan Williams strained a ligament in his knee, Kevin Kolb has an injured knee, the list goes on and on.
And, not that I'm part of the NFL in any way, shape, or form (sigh...how lovely it'd be to part of the Vikings organization!), but I'm stuck on my bed with a twisted knee and I'm ridiculously pissed. Grazed the heck out of it too, and getting the seven-hour-old grazes scrubbed with an iodine sponge was one of the more painful experiences in my life. If it's not better by Sunday I'll go for a follow-up but it is feeling better, even just a day later, so that's something to be grateful about.
Vikings' injury report is stacking up - Jared Allen rolled his ankle, Harrison Smith twisted HIS knee (although he apparently jogged off the field to the doctor), Erin Henderson has a sore groin, Xavier Rhodes pulled his hamstring, Bishop and Ballard hurt their groins too, and Jefferson did his ankle too. Hopefully we'll still have a good showing this Friday vs Houston.
SKOL!
AND it just came out WR Danario Alexander tore his ACL today too!!! WR Jordy Nelson also underwent scheduled knee surgery today too.
I checked out the NFL Injury list: http://espn.go.com/nfl/injuries and was shocked at how much is up already - Rashard Mendenhall has knee tendenitis, Ryan Williams has knee irritation, Dan Williams strained a ligament in his knee, Kevin Kolb has an injured knee, the list goes on and on.
And, not that I'm part of the NFL in any way, shape, or form (sigh...how lovely it'd be to part of the Vikings organization!), but I'm stuck on my bed with a twisted knee and I'm ridiculously pissed. Grazed the heck out of it too, and getting the seven-hour-old grazes scrubbed with an iodine sponge was one of the more painful experiences in my life. If it's not better by Sunday I'll go for a follow-up but it is feeling better, even just a day later, so that's something to be grateful about.
Vikings' injury report is stacking up - Jared Allen rolled his ankle, Harrison Smith twisted HIS knee (although he apparently jogged off the field to the doctor), Erin Henderson has a sore groin, Xavier Rhodes pulled his hamstring, Bishop and Ballard hurt their groins too, and Jefferson did his ankle too. Hopefully we'll still have a good showing this Friday vs Houston.
SKOL!
WOW!!!
The Vikings have released LB Nathan Williams and re-signed LB Stanford Keglar!! NEVER did I think that would happen after we released Keglar to pick up Bishop after the voluntary OTAs!!! This time of year is so exciting!
P.S. Riley Cooper (former Gator) is back at the Eagles practice. I don't condone what he said, but why is there no outrage about all those rap records that use that same word constantly? Just wondering...I'm also AMAZED (and pleasantly surprised) that Michael Vick calmed down Marcus Vick and spoke so tolerantly to the media. Dude must really have calmed down and matured after his own legal issues.
P.S. Riley Cooper (former Gator) is back at the Eagles practice. I don't condone what he said, but why is there no outrage about all those rap records that use that same word constantly? Just wondering...I'm also AMAZED (and pleasantly surprised) that Michael Vick calmed down Marcus Vick and spoke so tolerantly to the media. Dude must really have calmed down and matured after his own legal issues.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
HOF Game: Overview
Well boys and girls, it's official - FOOTBALL IS BACK!!
The Dolphins' first play of the season was a fumble. Is this an omen about who will NOT make the playoffs? Who knows.
The Cowboys get the first touchdown of the season, and they do it without Tony Romo. I don't believe for a second that they're only sitting him to test out the new guys. They've got some motive, although I can easily believe they're scared of the latest injury bug and don't want their #1 guy to be out half the season.
Holloman's pick-six was pretty funny too!
- got distracted from taking notes during the rest of the game, but I'll just say I liked what I saw, being a Vikings fan (lol) and I'm so ridiculously glad football is back!
Also, news just came out that Vince Young is trying out for the Packers tomorrow...dying with laughter over here. That poor kid has had a tough row to hoe, and I can't imagine things'll be any easier in the land of cheese.
Vikings play in just a few days!!!!
SKOL!
The Dolphins' first play of the season was a fumble. Is this an omen about who will NOT make the playoffs? Who knows.
The Cowboys get the first touchdown of the season, and they do it without Tony Romo. I don't believe for a second that they're only sitting him to test out the new guys. They've got some motive, although I can easily believe they're scared of the latest injury bug and don't want their #1 guy to be out half the season.
Holloman's pick-six was pretty funny too!
- got distracted from taking notes during the rest of the game, but I'll just say I liked what I saw, being a Vikings fan (lol) and I'm so ridiculously glad football is back!
Also, news just came out that Vince Young is trying out for the Packers tomorrow...dying with laughter over here. That poor kid has had a tough row to hoe, and I can't imagine things'll be any easier in the land of cheese.
Vikings play in just a few days!!!!
SKOL!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
The Home Stretch
It's AUGUST! Preseason NFL starts this month, and college football pops up Thursday, August 29th!!! (In that vein, Ole Miss at Vanderbilt is the only one I'm particularly interested in, although I'm hoping some of the scrub games are fun. I mean, is anyone in any doubt as to how North Carolina vs South Carolina is going to end?!)
Sorry for my absence, but I've got an ear infection, an upper respiratory infection, and my headaches are back again. Curled up on the couch now, going through reports on the Vikings' camp to see what I missed while in bed the past couple days.
So apparently Jerome Felton was out with a personal issue? He's back now, so that's good. From what I can tell the whole team turned up ready to practice, for which I am overwhelmingly thankful. I can't say enough about the culture of responsibility Leslie Frazier & Co have cultivated in our program.
Frazier seems very happy with the progress of some of our key playmakers, and says Ponder's choices last season down the stretch were very encouraging, and that he's being constantly evaluated and critiqued by his staff. Ponder's confidence is "at a high" right now, and Frazier seems happy with that. What I'm happy with are the reports that Ponder is establishing a rapport with the o-line. My biggest criticism of Ponder is that he would freak out in the pocket and run away...dude needs to pull a Brees and learn to trust his pocket, learn his o-line, and stay alert in case it collapses so he can get rid of the ball.
Matt Kalil has changed his diet so he can carry "healthy" weight, and is being coached carefully to continue to improve. He has said he wants to be the best left tackle in the league, and if he's putting in the necessary work to get there, we'll be in clover.
Word on the street is Jarius Wright is impressing the coaches and the rest of the team both with speed and great catches that "should have been batted incomplete". Since we had to lose Percy, I'm glad we have Jennings, Wright, and the rest of the WR corps stepping up. Wright is a little undersized, but if he can catch the ball and run with it, I don't much care how big he is.
Xavier Rhodes is also getting a lot of attention. The basic message is, he needs more practice, he needs more experience (for the NFL, the speed of the game, etc), but it's all there, and if he sticks around, he could be an integral part of this team.
Jay Glazer called Harrison Smith a stud. I agree!
That's all for now, hope we have more good news after camp closes today.
SKOL!
Sorry for my absence, but I've got an ear infection, an upper respiratory infection, and my headaches are back again. Curled up on the couch now, going through reports on the Vikings' camp to see what I missed while in bed the past couple days.
So apparently Jerome Felton was out with a personal issue? He's back now, so that's good. From what I can tell the whole team turned up ready to practice, for which I am overwhelmingly thankful. I can't say enough about the culture of responsibility Leslie Frazier & Co have cultivated in our program.
Frazier seems very happy with the progress of some of our key playmakers, and says Ponder's choices last season down the stretch were very encouraging, and that he's being constantly evaluated and critiqued by his staff. Ponder's confidence is "at a high" right now, and Frazier seems happy with that. What I'm happy with are the reports that Ponder is establishing a rapport with the o-line. My biggest criticism of Ponder is that he would freak out in the pocket and run away...dude needs to pull a Brees and learn to trust his pocket, learn his o-line, and stay alert in case it collapses so he can get rid of the ball.
Matt Kalil has changed his diet so he can carry "healthy" weight, and is being coached carefully to continue to improve. He has said he wants to be the best left tackle in the league, and if he's putting in the necessary work to get there, we'll be in clover.
Word on the street is Jarius Wright is impressing the coaches and the rest of the team both with speed and great catches that "should have been batted incomplete". Since we had to lose Percy, I'm glad we have Jennings, Wright, and the rest of the WR corps stepping up. Wright is a little undersized, but if he can catch the ball and run with it, I don't much care how big he is.
Xavier Rhodes is also getting a lot of attention. The basic message is, he needs more practice, he needs more experience (for the NFL, the speed of the game, etc), but it's all there, and if he sticks around, he could be an integral part of this team.
Jay Glazer called Harrison Smith a stud. I agree!
That's all for now, hope we have more good news after camp closes today.
SKOL!
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