Well, boys and girls, I'm rocking my #69 Jared Allen jersey and I'm cautiously pleased with how this game has been going.
Steelers won the toss and deferred to us (it's what I would've done so I can't really say anything about that) and we make sufficient mistakes that Blair Walsh's leg once again bails us out with a 54 yard field goal. With that one, his twelfth, he broke Ryan Longwell's Viking record of 11 career 50+ yard field goals. Good for him!
Our D halted the Steelers, Sherels had a great return that got called back because of "fair play signal" (I still don't think his arm was REALLY over his head but whatever) and then Jennings makes the a Top 10 play with a SEVENTY-YARD TD RECEPTION. Jarius Wright made a fantastic block too, which almost definitely kept the TD alive.
Then we made some crucial third-down mistakes and Steelers scored. Sigh.
Tie-first moment of the game is Adrian Peterson's 60 yard run for a TD. I was fangirling all over the apartment for that one (not that I didn't for Jennings' grab!), and held my breath til I turned blue making sure no late flags would be thrown. His 12th rush TD of 60 yards or more!
Next series Jared Allen sacked Roethlisburger THREE TIMES - he now has 120.5 sacks in his 10 seasons!! 2nd overall, I think.
Anyway we hold the Steelers to a field goal, we get one of our own, and we enter the half up 20-10.
I am hoping this is a good omen, but with ominous reminders of our 3-13 season, I won't crow just yet.
Now my thoughts about Cassel so far: he's been stepping up the pocket and making decisions. Some of them have been quite poor decisions - Patterson saved his ass by breaking up a sure INT, and Simpson picked up a Cassel fumble right towards the end of the half. But he has been DECISIVE. And, frankly, that's something we need. He's not our golden boy, he's no season-saving potion. But he's doing exactly what we need him to do (sans the attempted turnovers and the fact he's 4-of-11 in the first half), and we're up by ten whole points at the half.
Our defense has played relatively well but there have been some serious failures here and there which lead to 7 of the Steeler's 10 points. In fact, you could say it was all 10, because on their last scoring drive Allen sacked Roethlisburger to result in a 3rd & 13 and they converted. We can't allow that sort of thing.
Second half starts and Robinson makes the worst PI ever. Ball at 1 yard line. THIS IS THE KIND OF SHENANIGANS WE CANNOT ALLOW!!! FORTY-EIGHT YARDS OF PENALTY!
1st and goal and Bell stopped at line. 2nd and goal and Bell scores. Well, I can't say I really expected them to not score there. Dammit Robinson...you're going the right way to get your ass replaced.
Patterson is looking quite strong, so I'm glad he's adjusting to the NFL in that way at least. And ANOTHER stupid penalty - this one on Rudolph. STOP with the STUPID penalties!
Jennings gets a FABULOUS reception - thanks to Peterson picking up a block - and gets a 51 yard reception! Then Peterson rush for 8, despite having half the Steelers piling on top of him...and he held on to the ball! 3rd and 1 he gets the first and a few more yards. He's still holding the ball a bit loosely for my tastes, but everyone says his grip is - TOUCHDOWN PETERSON!!
And the NFL just tweeted "LONDON BALLING!! Adrian Peterson, you are RIDICULOUS!!" haha London Balling, that's actually pretty funny. I'd like to high-five the intern that thought of that one!
Vikings have scored on 5 of 7 possessions today. Not bad, considering our last three games.
Steelers making a drive when Chad Greenway intercepts Roethlisburger!! Way to go Greenway!! Rudolph gets his first catch of the year, and is thrown down by the defender, he gets flagged, and then Cassel makes a beautiful toss to Jennings for a TD!!
Steelers drive, and Fred Evans gets his hand on the ball and tips it. Excellent play! Very next play Greenway sacks Roethlisburger! I am really very pleased with THIS defense. I would looove it if they turned up every time. Haha.
Sigh, the Steelers force a three-and-out. We can't get complacent! This is the NFL, not the NCAAF! Hell, I wouldn't get complacent right now even in the NCAAF. They make a stupid holding penalty during the return and will get 10 yard penalty and start on the 30.
And now they've made two big completions in a row, see this is what I was afraid of. Come ON Vikings, let's force a stop!!
Blair Walsh missed a FG. WTF.
And now the Steelers are looking like they might pull this one out. EXACTLY what I have been afraid of. COME ON DEFENSE!
Steelers got a FG.
So we need to score on this drive, and eat up as much clock as humanly possible.
Wow. Couldn't type during that. We didn't score and somehow, by the grace of the Football Gods we sack Roethlisburger and Williams comes up with the football.
The Vikings have won the game.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Rumor has it
Rumor has it that the Vikings are thinking about trading Adrian Peterson. I want to smack whoever started it if it's just a foul rumor, and if there's a grain of truth I want to smack the FO. Yeah it worked out with Percy Harvin, but that a) was once in the way and b) Peterson is a LOT of our offense. The Browns may have slaughtered us after trading their star runningback but correlation is not causation boys.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Goodbye Ponder. Goodbye Frazier.
I would say it's been nice knowing you, but that would be a lie.
Well, that's not entirely true. Frazier did a good job after we were liberated from Chilly-ball. And as a Gator, I looooved seeing Ponder freeze and die for the Noles. But as a Viking, who was overjoyed when a 3-13 team turned into a 10-6 team, followed by a lovely draft I WILL NOT ENDURE AN ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC 0-3 START!
Especially when London is coming up and the only people who think we're going to win in London are highly beloved by Vegas bookies.
You know, I missed most of this game and consider it a blessing from the Football Gods that I didn't have to suffer as much as I would have otherwise.
I don't know if Frazier and Ponder are really gone; that's just my initial reaction. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts that unless we go 8-8 this year or better (HA HA) one or both of them is gone. No one on the injury list today was huge - except Chris Cook - and this style of play AT HOME...I'm sorry it's just inexcusable. The offense can't pass the check to the defense like that, and if our defense is going to be stuck on the field 60% of the time we need to up their conditioning immediately.
I don't know if Cassel will solve a single problem we have, but I'm starting to get very interested in finding out. (Word on the street is the Vikings are interested in drafting McCarron from Alabama...oh Football Gods, give me enough grace to endure!!) I also wonder if throwing McLeod Bethel-Thompson would be a good idea...and then I remember Aaron Rodgers sat for what four, five years behind FavRE? I'll let him sit. (Not that I'm convinced he's a Rodgers. But I know our staff thinks there's something special about him.)
Erin Henderson just said in an interview, "Just pretty much anger and disappointment right now." That's exactly how I feel.
Well, that's not entirely true. Frazier did a good job after we were liberated from Chilly-ball. And as a Gator, I looooved seeing Ponder freeze and die for the Noles. But as a Viking, who was overjoyed when a 3-13 team turned into a 10-6 team, followed by a lovely draft I WILL NOT ENDURE AN ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC 0-3 START!
Especially when London is coming up and the only people who think we're going to win in London are highly beloved by Vegas bookies.
You know, I missed most of this game and consider it a blessing from the Football Gods that I didn't have to suffer as much as I would have otherwise.
I don't know if Frazier and Ponder are really gone; that's just my initial reaction. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts that unless we go 8-8 this year or better (HA HA) one or both of them is gone. No one on the injury list today was huge - except Chris Cook - and this style of play AT HOME...I'm sorry it's just inexcusable. The offense can't pass the check to the defense like that, and if our defense is going to be stuck on the field 60% of the time we need to up their conditioning immediately.
I don't know if Cassel will solve a single problem we have, but I'm starting to get very interested in finding out. (Word on the street is the Vikings are interested in drafting McCarron from Alabama...oh Football Gods, give me enough grace to endure!!) I also wonder if throwing McLeod Bethel-Thompson would be a good idea...and then I remember Aaron Rodgers sat for what four, five years behind FavRE? I'll let him sit. (Not that I'm convinced he's a Rodgers. But I know our staff thinks there's something special about him.)
Erin Henderson just said in an interview, "Just pretty much anger and disappointment right now." That's exactly how I feel.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Chiefs are 3-0
Yeah. I have nothing more to say, other than: hot DAMN! They only had two wins last year! What a turnaround!!
Also, can we copy them?? I'd love to turn around and kick some ass like that! SKOL!
Also, can we copy them?? I'd love to turn around and kick some ass like that! SKOL!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Home Game Thoughts
I'm glad it's finally a home game - we do play best at home. But will we be mad enough to trounce the Browns? Or will we think, "Oh it's the Browns. We'll trounce them even if we go out and get trashed the night before?" Because I can promise you bro, we can't beat anyone if we go in there thinking how easy it'll be. Especially since I hear the Browns have a pretty rough defensive front seven.
Kevin Williams is healthy. This pleases me.
Brandon Weeden is out for the Browns. This...well, honestly, I don't even know what to think. I prefer having someone we have tape on. But this "Hoyer" I know nothing about. I had to look him up, and apparently he spent three seasons with the Patriots, and then moved on to Pittsburgh and Arizona last season. Just one career start and from Michigan State? That can mean absolutely anything.
I keep reminding myself that in '08 we started 0-2 and won the division. But we are going to have to turn around and FAST to get there. Fortunately, all the NFCN is so good this year, there will probably be a lot of conference away losses from everyone, which might give us a good shot at the wildcard or maybe (in my wildest dreams) the divisional slot.
Also, some of our issues did come from serious turf slop at Chicago. I'm willing to bet some of the spills - noticeably Peterson's 10 yard gaffe in the redzone when he tried to reverse - came from turf that was soaking wet and had been played on the night before.
Anyway let's pull our socks up and get ready for a big week of football! SKOL!
Kevin Williams is healthy. This pleases me.
Brandon Weeden is out for the Browns. This...well, honestly, I don't even know what to think. I prefer having someone we have tape on. But this "Hoyer" I know nothing about. I had to look him up, and apparently he spent three seasons with the Patriots, and then moved on to Pittsburgh and Arizona last season. Just one career start and from Michigan State? That can mean absolutely anything.
I keep reminding myself that in '08 we started 0-2 and won the division. But we are going to have to turn around and FAST to get there. Fortunately, all the NFCN is so good this year, there will probably be a lot of conference away losses from everyone, which might give us a good shot at the wildcard or maybe (in my wildest dreams) the divisional slot.
Also, some of our issues did come from serious turf slop at Chicago. I'm willing to bet some of the spills - noticeably Peterson's 10 yard gaffe in the redzone when he tried to reverse - came from turf that was soaking wet and had been played on the night before.
Anyway let's pull our socks up and get ready for a big week of football! SKOL!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Thinking about the Bears
Really, all I could come up with from that game yesterday was "we never gave up" and "Ponder looked decent after that pick-six".
It's terribly frustrating when we have so many fantastic players - Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Brian Robison, Kevin Williams, Kyle Rudolph, John Sullivan, Harrison Smith, etc etc. And rookies too - Cordarrelle Patterson, Xavier Rhodes and Sharrif Floyd are all kicking ass and taking names, despite some minor injuries!
What IS it we're doing wrong? The playcalling comes in for a huge portion of the blame, and some of the players are quitting here and there, which causes some crucial mistakes - see Chris Cook giving up on that last touchdown the Bears scored, and one or two of the WRs giving up on their routes leading to interceptions. But can that be IT? Adrian Peterson's fumble and Christian Ponder's INT were huge...but Peterson seems to have a banged up hand (should've carried it in the other one man) and Ponder's INT was a stupid bloody throw but not entirely his fault. Ponder DOES need to start scanning the field, noticing guys who GET open who weren't ALWAYS open, and to STOP STARING DOWN RECEIVERS!! Our receivers can't quit on their routes. We need to give Patterson some more touches. We need to stop running Peterson 3 times in a row and then getting a 3rd and 6 and not converting.
I don't know if we can go to the playoffs this year. I really don't, and this offseason, I thought we could. It's very upsetting. I hope I'm wrong and we streak through this season in a blaze of glory. But I just don't see how we'll do it if we don't get rid of these mental mistakes, STUPID penalties, and bad playcalling.
SKOL!!
It's terribly frustrating when we have so many fantastic players - Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Brian Robison, Kevin Williams, Kyle Rudolph, John Sullivan, Harrison Smith, etc etc. And rookies too - Cordarrelle Patterson, Xavier Rhodes and Sharrif Floyd are all kicking ass and taking names, despite some minor injuries!
What IS it we're doing wrong? The playcalling comes in for a huge portion of the blame, and some of the players are quitting here and there, which causes some crucial mistakes - see Chris Cook giving up on that last touchdown the Bears scored, and one or two of the WRs giving up on their routes leading to interceptions. But can that be IT? Adrian Peterson's fumble and Christian Ponder's INT were huge...but Peterson seems to have a banged up hand (should've carried it in the other one man) and Ponder's INT was a stupid bloody throw but not entirely his fault. Ponder DOES need to start scanning the field, noticing guys who GET open who weren't ALWAYS open, and to STOP STARING DOWN RECEIVERS!! Our receivers can't quit on their routes. We need to give Patterson some more touches. We need to stop running Peterson 3 times in a row and then getting a 3rd and 6 and not converting.
I don't know if we can go to the playoffs this year. I really don't, and this offseason, I thought we could. It's very upsetting. I hope I'm wrong and we streak through this season in a blaze of glory. But I just don't see how we'll do it if we don't get rid of these mental mistakes, STUPID penalties, and bad playcalling.
SKOL!!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Vikings at Bears 9/15/13
Hello boys and girls, it's been a tough week for me and when this game is over it'll be time to get back to work. Grad school is no joke!
I missed the first quarter or so of the game, but congrats to Cordarrelle Patterson for his 105 yard kickoff return for a TD.
I started watching just when Jared Allen strip-sacked Jay Cutler, and Brian Robison returned it 61 yards to tie the game at 14-14. Then Devin Hester with his 70ish yard return, and then Everson Griffin tips the ball and Kevin Williams intercepts in the end zone.
Peterson's run keeps the drive alive, and then Ponder makes the most boneheaded throw of the weekend, and Chicago returns the interception for a touchdown when there was an OPEN RECEIVER FIVE YARDS AWAY ON THE 50 YARD LINE. I'm no fan of calling for the quarterback's head, but this is pissing me off. We're squandering the best years of Adrian Peterson's career here, and we can't keep apologizing and waiting for Ponder to sack up. Something HAS to give. I've been a loyal fan since the first Vikings' game I saw in September 1994, and I will continue to be, but I am going to speak up when crap of this magnitude is going down.
To be fair, Simpson did quit on that play. But still. A LOT of that is on Ponder, especially when there was a wide open guy with nothing but 50 yards of grass between him and the endzone five yards away. STOP STARING DOWN YOUR RECEIVERS PONDER, YOU'RE NOT A ROOKIE ANYMORE.
And Adrian Peterson FINALLY has a big run!! Apparently he just hit 9,000 yards in his 91st game, the 3rd fastest guy to reach that mark.
OMG my feed dies the second Rudolph rips a ball away from Major Wright (a Gator alum) and scores a TD!!! WTF at least I can hear even if I can't see...oh life...you are astoundingly irritating sometimes.
So my feed is still gone, but the Vikings make a STUPID bloody penalty and I can't believe we gave them life when their drive stalled. And they take us to halftime with a whole minute left?? DAMN YOU FOX SPORTS AND YOUR CRAPPY FEED!!
And the Vikings make a FANTASTIC goal line stand and hold the Bears to a field goal despite them being on the 1. Halftime score 24-21. I'm okay with that. We need to kick some ass in the second half though.
Second half has started, and we don't let Hester have a huge return! Hooray! A little extracurricular activity down there, but the Vikings got out of the way quickly and no flags thrown. And then we allow Cutler to pick up a 15 yard toss. GRR.
BOOM and Jared Allen stops Forte on the reverse for an 8 yard loss. That is what I like to see!! Pressure on Cutler, but we don't get to him in time to stop him making a 12 yard pass to Forte. Bah.
Ooooh and Robison hits Cutler and nearly gets him picked off...too bad whoever that was couldn't get it.
Ponder makes a daring scramble on 4th and 1 to get a first down, and then Adrian Peterson fumbles. Let's see if the refs think his knee was down...I can't tell from the replay, it goes too fast for my tiny screen. It was a fumble. BAH.
Defense holds CHI to just one yard in that 3-n-out, and we fair catch at the 8. Not bad, D!!
Cordarrelle Patterson with a nice little catch. I'd like to see some more of him, based on what I've seen so far. Hope the staff knows what they're doing, limiting him to 5 snaps last game. Gerhart gets a 1st down on his first carry of the season! Good for him.
Jarius Wright WIDE open down the field and Ponder never even looked at him, threw an incompletion in the middle of the field. Sigh. Then a BEAUTIFUL pass to Simpson in the face of a blitz on 3rd and 7! Why can't THAT Ponder just be the one on the field at all times?! (P.S. Very nice Simpson, very nice indeed.)
WHEW, that review proved the pass was incomplete and the Bears did NOT "recover a fumble" in the endzone. Now we can try for a FG and tie it up. What a relief!
And Harrison Smith with a BEAUTIFUL interception!!! Oh man, I'm glad we got him for sure.
This Vikings' drive is pretty damn good so far, Ponder ran for a first and they gave it to him, the NOSE of the football just over the marker, and the Bears are challenging the spot. We'll see.
Small note is that SEVEN different guys have catches right now, which makes me very happy. I do enjoy when we have enough (good) receivers that we can spread the ball around. Makes it tougher for the other defense too.
So they overturn it (STUPID if you ask me), we go for it, get the 1st, and then Peterson trying to reverse the field loses 13 yards. Oh boy. At least we're resting the defense, right?
And the field goal is GOOD, and we have the lead! WHEW! Let's see what happens in the last 8:05...
LATROY GUION STEALS THE BALL FROM FORTE AT THE 47 YARD LINE!!!
Wow and a crazy catch by Simpson, I can't believe he got that. WOW WHAT A CATCH BY JENNINGS!! He got fucking sandwiched but he held onto it in the redzone!
We get stopped at the goal line, and Walsh's field goal makes it Vikings lead 30-24. Well, defense, we're all looking at you. Oof, this is a stressful last few minutes! According to Twitter, it's pouring out there, so maybe it'll make things harder for the offense?? I'm hoping so! LOL
What a tip by Xavier Rhodes!! Saved a TD I'm sure! And the Bears hold, so they're pushed back 10 yards, still 1st down. SHIT great play by the Bears.
And the Bears score. They're up by one and we have 10 seconds. Let's see. And we fumble and Bears get the ball. That's that. Final Bears 31 - 30 Vikings
You know, this was a solid game. Ponder tried. He did well except for going conservative on that last drive. And that interception. I'm not as depressed about Ponder as I was. I'm pissed at Peterson's fumble, but he seems to have a hurt hand so that may not be carelessness.
The defense did really well except for that last drive - Chris Cook I'm officially peeved at you for getting confused on the goalline like that - and they scored a TD, stripped two footballs, and made two INTs, so that would generally be a very successful day.
This was a crazy game, no denying that. But we have got to stop with the stupid mistakes! Thank goodness, we didn't seem to be in much penalty trouble today, but we can't give up big gashing plays because they lead to field goals! If the Bears didn't have that FG at the end of the 1st half, we would've won. Think about that.
My brain is too mixed up from a ghastly weekend (being an Aggie and a Viking this week has been no fun - thank God the Gators didn't play) to think clearly. I'm going to sit back a few hours and see if anything emerges from the fog.
SKOL!
I missed the first quarter or so of the game, but congrats to Cordarrelle Patterson for his 105 yard kickoff return for a TD.
I started watching just when Jared Allen strip-sacked Jay Cutler, and Brian Robison returned it 61 yards to tie the game at 14-14. Then Devin Hester with his 70ish yard return, and then Everson Griffin tips the ball and Kevin Williams intercepts in the end zone.
Peterson's run keeps the drive alive, and then Ponder makes the most boneheaded throw of the weekend, and Chicago returns the interception for a touchdown when there was an OPEN RECEIVER FIVE YARDS AWAY ON THE 50 YARD LINE. I'm no fan of calling for the quarterback's head, but this is pissing me off. We're squandering the best years of Adrian Peterson's career here, and we can't keep apologizing and waiting for Ponder to sack up. Something HAS to give. I've been a loyal fan since the first Vikings' game I saw in September 1994, and I will continue to be, but I am going to speak up when crap of this magnitude is going down.
To be fair, Simpson did quit on that play. But still. A LOT of that is on Ponder, especially when there was a wide open guy with nothing but 50 yards of grass between him and the endzone five yards away. STOP STARING DOWN YOUR RECEIVERS PONDER, YOU'RE NOT A ROOKIE ANYMORE.
And Adrian Peterson FINALLY has a big run!! Apparently he just hit 9,000 yards in his 91st game, the 3rd fastest guy to reach that mark.
OMG my feed dies the second Rudolph rips a ball away from Major Wright (a Gator alum) and scores a TD!!! WTF at least I can hear even if I can't see...oh life...you are astoundingly irritating sometimes.
So my feed is still gone, but the Vikings make a STUPID bloody penalty and I can't believe we gave them life when their drive stalled. And they take us to halftime with a whole minute left?? DAMN YOU FOX SPORTS AND YOUR CRAPPY FEED!!
And the Vikings make a FANTASTIC goal line stand and hold the Bears to a field goal despite them being on the 1. Halftime score 24-21. I'm okay with that. We need to kick some ass in the second half though.
Second half has started, and we don't let Hester have a huge return! Hooray! A little extracurricular activity down there, but the Vikings got out of the way quickly and no flags thrown. And then we allow Cutler to pick up a 15 yard toss. GRR.
BOOM and Jared Allen stops Forte on the reverse for an 8 yard loss. That is what I like to see!! Pressure on Cutler, but we don't get to him in time to stop him making a 12 yard pass to Forte. Bah.
Ooooh and Robison hits Cutler and nearly gets him picked off...too bad whoever that was couldn't get it.
Ponder makes a daring scramble on 4th and 1 to get a first down, and then Adrian Peterson fumbles. Let's see if the refs think his knee was down...I can't tell from the replay, it goes too fast for my tiny screen. It was a fumble. BAH.
Defense holds CHI to just one yard in that 3-n-out, and we fair catch at the 8. Not bad, D!!
Cordarrelle Patterson with a nice little catch. I'd like to see some more of him, based on what I've seen so far. Hope the staff knows what they're doing, limiting him to 5 snaps last game. Gerhart gets a 1st down on his first carry of the season! Good for him.
Jarius Wright WIDE open down the field and Ponder never even looked at him, threw an incompletion in the middle of the field. Sigh. Then a BEAUTIFUL pass to Simpson in the face of a blitz on 3rd and 7! Why can't THAT Ponder just be the one on the field at all times?! (P.S. Very nice Simpson, very nice indeed.)
WHEW, that review proved the pass was incomplete and the Bears did NOT "recover a fumble" in the endzone. Now we can try for a FG and tie it up. What a relief!
And Harrison Smith with a BEAUTIFUL interception!!! Oh man, I'm glad we got him for sure.
This Vikings' drive is pretty damn good so far, Ponder ran for a first and they gave it to him, the NOSE of the football just over the marker, and the Bears are challenging the spot. We'll see.
Small note is that SEVEN different guys have catches right now, which makes me very happy. I do enjoy when we have enough (good) receivers that we can spread the ball around. Makes it tougher for the other defense too.
So they overturn it (STUPID if you ask me), we go for it, get the 1st, and then Peterson trying to reverse the field loses 13 yards. Oh boy. At least we're resting the defense, right?
And the field goal is GOOD, and we have the lead! WHEW! Let's see what happens in the last 8:05...
LATROY GUION STEALS THE BALL FROM FORTE AT THE 47 YARD LINE!!!
Wow and a crazy catch by Simpson, I can't believe he got that. WOW WHAT A CATCH BY JENNINGS!! He got fucking sandwiched but he held onto it in the redzone!
We get stopped at the goal line, and Walsh's field goal makes it Vikings lead 30-24. Well, defense, we're all looking at you. Oof, this is a stressful last few minutes! According to Twitter, it's pouring out there, so maybe it'll make things harder for the offense?? I'm hoping so! LOL
What a tip by Xavier Rhodes!! Saved a TD I'm sure! And the Bears hold, so they're pushed back 10 yards, still 1st down. SHIT great play by the Bears.
And the Bears score. They're up by one and we have 10 seconds. Let's see. And we fumble and Bears get the ball. That's that. Final Bears 31 - 30 Vikings
You know, this was a solid game. Ponder tried. He did well except for going conservative on that last drive. And that interception. I'm not as depressed about Ponder as I was. I'm pissed at Peterson's fumble, but he seems to have a hurt hand so that may not be carelessness.
The defense did really well except for that last drive - Chris Cook I'm officially peeved at you for getting confused on the goalline like that - and they scored a TD, stripped two footballs, and made two INTs, so that would generally be a very successful day.
This was a crazy game, no denying that. But we have got to stop with the stupid mistakes! Thank goodness, we didn't seem to be in much penalty trouble today, but we can't give up big gashing plays because they lead to field goals! If the Bears didn't have that FG at the end of the 1st half, we would've won. Think about that.
My brain is too mixed up from a ghastly weekend (being an Aggie and a Viking this week has been no fun - thank God the Gators didn't play) to think clearly. I'm going to sit back a few hours and see if anything emerges from the fog.
SKOL!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Vikings at Detroit Recap
Well boys and girls, the Powers That Be did not see fit to air the game down here in Texas, and I've been told by a dozen people I'm lucky I didn't have to suffer through it.
I have been informed by enough people to make it credible that Ponder looked awful and the only reason he hasn't been mobbed and torn to pieces was from the sheer brilliance of Jerome Simpson's and Greg Jennings' catches. Apparently a fumble credited to Peterson was really Ponder's fault (this one I'm not so sure of...I still remember that ghastly NFC North championship when Peterson fumbled in the redzone), and Ponder had three other turnovers (INTs) all to himself.
Last night as I checked twitter before going back to my thesis, I saw a quote from Colin Kaepernick, stating that if the other team's gameplan was to intimidate him, they'd need a new plan. THAT is the attitude I want from Ponder. He's a third year quarterback this year and he still looks lost in the pocket, underthrows, and stares down receivers before throwing late over the middle? I've never been a fan of calling for the QB's head after a single bad game...but Ponder, your seat is a little hot honey. Also, Bill Musgrave is definitely coming in for a portion of my censure. If Ponder can't execute, you have to find something that he CAN execute.
I wonder how much of our problems came down to DT Kevin Williams being out with a sore knee...and Suh's little effort on John Sullivan's knees. We NEED a better defense - having REGGIE BUSH of all people running all over us...please excuse me while I go puke.
I wonder how many of our problems came from conditioning...did we get tired in the end of the game? We were within 3 in the 3rd quarter and then we lost by 10?
I suffered enough on Saturday, watching the Gators' humiliating loss to Miami - turns out Jeff Driskel sprained his knee during the game and kept playing and is now on crutches (I am not sure I like that he was allowed to continue with a sprained knee, even if his backup is greener than new grass)...our Vikings NEED to get themselves in order and start WINNING!
My dreams of 10-6 and a playoff spot aren't looking good now. But I've been a loyal fan since 1994 and I'm going to keep on being a loyal fan. It would just be a lot easier if Ponder had some faith in himself...or his teammates.
SKOL!
I have been informed by enough people to make it credible that Ponder looked awful and the only reason he hasn't been mobbed and torn to pieces was from the sheer brilliance of Jerome Simpson's and Greg Jennings' catches. Apparently a fumble credited to Peterson was really Ponder's fault (this one I'm not so sure of...I still remember that ghastly NFC North championship when Peterson fumbled in the redzone), and Ponder had three other turnovers (INTs) all to himself.
Last night as I checked twitter before going back to my thesis, I saw a quote from Colin Kaepernick, stating that if the other team's gameplan was to intimidate him, they'd need a new plan. THAT is the attitude I want from Ponder. He's a third year quarterback this year and he still looks lost in the pocket, underthrows, and stares down receivers before throwing late over the middle? I've never been a fan of calling for the QB's head after a single bad game...but Ponder, your seat is a little hot honey. Also, Bill Musgrave is definitely coming in for a portion of my censure. If Ponder can't execute, you have to find something that he CAN execute.
I wonder how much of our problems came down to DT Kevin Williams being out with a sore knee...and Suh's little effort on John Sullivan's knees. We NEED a better defense - having REGGIE BUSH of all people running all over us...please excuse me while I go puke.
I wonder how many of our problems came from conditioning...did we get tired in the end of the game? We were within 3 in the 3rd quarter and then we lost by 10?
I suffered enough on Saturday, watching the Gators' humiliating loss to Miami - turns out Jeff Driskel sprained his knee during the game and kept playing and is now on crutches (I am not sure I like that he was allowed to continue with a sprained knee, even if his backup is greener than new grass)...our Vikings NEED to get themselves in order and start WINNING!
My dreams of 10-6 and a playoff spot aren't looking good now. But I've been a loyal fan since 1994 and I'm going to keep on being a loyal fan. It would just be a lot easier if Ponder had some faith in himself...or his teammates.
SKOL!
Vikings' Practice Squad
The Vikings have officially signed 8 guys to the practice squad:
Travis Bond (G) - 6'6", 329
Everett Dawkins (DT) - 6'2", 292
Chase Ford (TE) - 6'6", 245
Kevin Murphy (T) - 6'7", 295
Tristan Okpalaugo (DE) - 6'4", 260
Bradley Randle (RB) - 5'7", 190
Rodney Smith (WR) - 6'6", 219
Adam Thielen (WR) - 6'3", 200
On IR/PUP we have only
Greg Childs (WR) - 6'3", 217
On reserve "left squad" we have
Christian Ballard (DT) - 6'4", 283
And on reserve/suspension we have
Jerome Felton (RB) - 6'0", 246
DeMarcus Love (T) - 6'4", 315
I think Felton will stay once off suspension, but I can't see Love making the team after a lackluster offseason. I guess we'll see.
SKOL!
Travis Bond (G) - 6'6", 329
Everett Dawkins (DT) - 6'2", 292
Chase Ford (TE) - 6'6", 245
Kevin Murphy (T) - 6'7", 295
Tristan Okpalaugo (DE) - 6'4", 260
Bradley Randle (RB) - 5'7", 190
Rodney Smith (WR) - 6'6", 219
Adam Thielen (WR) - 6'3", 200
On IR/PUP we have only
Greg Childs (WR) - 6'3", 217
On reserve "left squad" we have
Christian Ballard (DT) - 6'4", 283
And on reserve/suspension we have
Jerome Felton (RB) - 6'0", 246
DeMarcus Love (T) - 6'4", 315
I think Felton will stay once off suspension, but I can't see Love making the team after a lackluster offseason. I guess we'll see.
SKOL!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Busy Bee
Sorry about the silence, I've been insanely busy with schoolwork. I'll write a proper post tomorrow but for now, I just want to show off a little bit:
(I love me some fantasy football!)
SKOL!
SKOL!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Ex-Viking Tidbit
Chris Kluwe has been cut by the Raiders. Says he intends to stay in shape and hopes he wins a roster spot soon. More power to you, Kluwe!
SKOL
SKOL
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