Monthly archive: December, 2012

And The Game Ball Goes To…

December 16, 2012, by 28 comments

I was fairly confident that Minnesota was going to put their away game woes on hold for a week and beat St. Louis this weekend.  What never even crossed my mind, however, was a blowout in the Vikings favor.

The 36-22 score doesn’t do justice to just how well the Vikings manhandled the Rams on Sunday, but there are enough individual performances of note to point out that you know just from reading the stat lines which team was going to come out of this one victorious.

Giving the game ball out this week isn’t the easiest of tasks, as there are plenty of worthy candidates, but here are your candidates none-the-less.

ADRIAN PETERSON:  212 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries

MATT KALIL:  Chris Long’s incredibly quiet day says it all.

BLAIR WALSH:  100% field goal accuracy from 50, 38, 42, 53 and 51 plus 3 extra points.

CHAD GREENWAY:  13 tackles, 1 assist, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 sack.

EVERSON GRIFFEN:  1 tackle, 1 interception, 1 touchdown… and lots of QB pressure.

Open Thread: Second Half

December 16, 2012, by 116 comments

A nice Brian Robison sack followed shortly by an impressive Marcus Sherels return set Christian Ponder up for the best drive he has had in quite some time.  Two runs, including a fourth down scramble, resulted in the young quarterback using his mobility to score the game’s first touchdown.

Then, with one Rams drive aside, it was all Vikings from there on out.  A Chad Greenway fumble recovery, an Everson Griffen pick six, an 82 yard touchdown run from Adrian Peterson, and a pair of big field goals from Blair Walsh has all but given the Vikings a win in just one half of football.

The second half is sure to feature plenty of Adrian Peterson as he continues his quest for immortality.  Enjoy!

Week 15 Vikings at Rams, Open Thread

December 16, 2012, by 100 comments

Happy Sunday morning, Vikings fans. No live chat today but we wanted to have an open thread to discuss the game real time. Adam and I will be around and will try to participate in the conversation.

Adam’s already made a bold prediction this morning. Check it out below:

My bold prediction? Peterson has 200+ yards and two touchdowns today. This man is on a mission. May not be as bold of a prediction, but honestly, I don’t think I could have come up with something more out there!

Here’s today’s inactives.

Vikings
QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
CB Brandon Burton
LB Audie Cole
OL Troy Kropog
OL Mark Asper
TE Allen Reisner
DE D’Aundre Reed

Rams
QB Austin Davis
DT Matt Conrath
T Joe Barksdale
OL Chris Williams
RB Terrance Ganaway
WR Steve Smith
TE Mike McNeill

Let’s go Vikes!

It Is Official, A Mock Draft Has Been Posted

December 15, 2012, by 24 comments

Yup, it is getting to be that time of the year.  We are hoping it is many weeks from now before we, as Vikings fans, cast our gaze completely towards 2013 but I couldn’t hold off any longer.

As many of you know, my mock Drafts often times go against the grain and can cause some passionate fans to either disagree or (on rare occasions) agree with enthusiasm.  I ended up getting more picks correct than your average bear last year (you can view 2012’s right here) and never wavered from my Vikings pick of Matt Kalil.

This year, with the Vikings picking somewhere in the neighborhood of the late-teens and early-twenties makes things far more unpredictable, and my choice is likely to change a number of times between now and April.

Heck, we are still waiting to hear exactly which players will elect to enter 2013’s NFL Draft.

Right now, however, I picked Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in an attempt to bolster a defensive middle that has fallen from the elite category over the last couple of years.

Richardson strikes me as the perfect complement to Everson Griffen, both being incredibly fast and athletic defensive lineman, providing the Vikings with an exciting youth movement along their defensive line.  We saw the Vikings struggle greatly with mobile quarterbacks in 2012 so Richardson’s sideline-to-sideline abilities would be a welcomed addition to the defensive tackle position.

At 6’ 4” and only 295 pounds, and plenty of college experience playing end, Richardson wouldn’t be the run stuffing nose that the Vikings really need Letroy Guion to become, but he would provide a very disruptive force in the middle of the line regardless.  After all, Kevin Williams isn’t getting any younger and the Vikings could decide he is no longer worth the large salary as soon as this coming offseason.

Richardson was suspended for one game this year for refusing to show up to one of his classes, and also refusing the punishment given to him for that, so teams will certainly want to explore this kid’s attitude and character to see if he is worthy of such an early pick.

Please, view the rest of my first 2013 Mock Draft by clicking right here.

Path to the Playoffs: Week 15, Do or Die

December 15, 2012, by 10 comments

The Vikings are still very much in this thing. I know some of you out there don’t believe that. I know as a Vikings fan it’s hard to be an optimist and you feel like we have no chance with Christian Ponder at the helm, but the Vikings still have a good chance to make the playoffs.

Obviously, they will have to win out. That alone is going to be difficult. While the Vikings have what some consider to be a ‘winnable’ game this week against the St. Louis Rams, it is an away game. And we are a horrible visiting team for whatever reason. But if the Vikings want to make it to the postseason, they’ll have to not lose another game in the 2012 season. I don’t think that they could take a loss and still be in the race – mathematically… I haven’t verified that information, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that with a loss at St. Louis Sunday, the Vikings have been eliminated from the picture.

The Vikings could even win the NFC North. I know, crazy right? But it is very possible if the Vikings win out and a couple of things happen.

So, instead of doing the usual where we just go through what teams we want to lose, let’s talk about how the Vikings could actually walk away from this season the NFC North Champions. (And then we’ll wake up and move on to the wild card.)

Continue Reading →

(Late) Links Of The Week: Rams Up Next

December 15, 2012, by 1 comment

I’m a little late getting this week’s Links segment kicked out to you all, but there are still plenty of great articles to point you towards as you wait for tomorrow’s kickoff.  Read them, tell the author what you think, and tell them who sent you:

  • The Vikings passing offense is going to be a main sticking point in almost every game preview from here on out.
  • Allen the Entertainer went on Jim Rome’s new show and had quite the fun time blasting recent changes to the game of football.
  • When building this Vikings team the front office has to be aware that they will most likely be playing their home games outdoors for two years.
  • Anyone that still clings to the idea that the NFL is not a quarterback driven league need not look much further than the 2012 Minnesota Vikings.
  • Here is a dream that just seems incredibly too pleasant to ever come true.
  • Chris Kluwe got fined for his uniform infraction on Sunday, and his special teams coach has just about had it with his punter.
  • I found a Bill Musgrave supporter!  Take that Sasquatch hunters!
  • Todd McShay put down the self-tanner long enough to release his first mock draft and he has the Vikings using their pick on a defensive tackle with the last name “Williams.”  That has worked well for us in the past.
  • A.J. Jefferson’s concussion last Sunday shouldn’t hold him out this week, but he was plenty scared following the injury.
  • Scroll down past the game recap (unless you want to read it, of course) to the table that compares Christian Ponder to Tarvaris Jackson.  Then, drink heavily.
  • Bill Musgrave says that Christian Ponder’s footwork “needs to be more refined.”  He also contends that books have pages and that cows say “moo.”
  • Leslie Frazier has told defensive end D’Aundre Reed, who hasn’t been active for two weeks, to be patient.
  • The question of whether or not Minnesota can afford their new Vikings stadium is not yet answered, and won’t be for a long time.
  • How this offseason goes for free agents Dwight Freeney and Osi Umeniyora could tell us a lot about Jared Allen’s potential future, or lack thereof, in Minnesota.
  • Some really fun conceptual pictures of the future stadium in Mineapolis.
  • Jerome Felton has been a very solid fullback paving the way for Adrian Peterson, but rookie Rhett Ellison might be even better in that area.
  • Everson Griffen avoided a fine for his hit high on Jay Cutler last week.
  • Bryant McKinnie used to look like an All Pro against lesser talents while looking like a clown against the better pass rushers in the NFL.  Rookie Matt Kalil, however, looks like an All Pro no matter who lines up across from him.
  • A lot weird things can happen on any given Sunday, but Vikes Geek points out three things that he considers to be ludicrous from last week.
  • Rookies Harrison Smith and Josh Robinson have proved to be just what the doctor ordered for an annually disappointing Vikings secondary.
  • Don’t click this link unless you are prepared to buy yourself the greatest Christmas present ever.

Make No Mistake, Peterson’s Goals Start And End With Team Success

December 14, 2012, by 6 comments

Adrian Peterson has already made history this season, coming off of a gruesome knee injury in a way that no other player ever has, but is now approaching a point in the year that could potentially see him make records fall left and right.

Peterson currently leads the NFL with 1,600 yards.  Over the next three games he only needs 160 more to break his own personal best achieved in 2008.  He needs 400 more to become only the seventh player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards.

He also needs 506 yards, an average of 169 yards per game, to best Eric Dickerson’s all-time rushing record for a single season.

Heck, he may even shock the world and beat out Tom Brady and Peyton Manning for the league MVP award.

With the Vikings playoff chances very much in doubt, Peterson’s record busting pace is providing quite the excitement, and Peterson has been willing to talk about it.  He has expressed interest in both winning MVP honors and toppling Dickerson’s high water mark.

While Peterson always has lofty goals, only some of which he shares publically, but he is the type of guy that always seems to put the team ahead of his own personal goals.  The type of guy that would rather rush for three yards and get the win than go for 300 and lose.  The type of guy that ridiculously shoulders blame for a Lambeau loss in which he gained 220 yards.

When reading some comments about Peterson’s recent media blitz I noticed that plenty of readers of other sites, including Vikings fans, felt that Peterson’s public statements regarding his desire to shatter records this season undermine the team goal of making the playoffs.

I think those people are preposterous.

First off, if Peterson gains 506 yards over the next three games then the odds are pretty darn good that the team is qualifying for the postseason.

Second, Peterson has already been credited by Vikings coaches for being an inspiration to every other player in the locker room this season, a leader of men.  If he wants to demand only the best of himself, then perhaps that attitude will be contagious and we will see only the best come out of numerous others on the roster down the stretch.

Third, the effort that Peterson puts forth when it isn’t game day is what obviously sets him apart from every other player on game day.  His work ethic and dedication, by most accounts, is second to none.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Peterson was not satisfied with “only” drawing nine Bears defenders to the line on Sunday and places part of the blame for only 91 passing yards on himself.

Maybe Peterson is simply hanging a giant “kick me” sign on his back for the next three weeks with hopes of drawing even more attention his direction in an attempt to provide Ponder and company with even more of a chance to succeed.

Peterson is a treat to watch and I hope he meets all of his personal goals, that the team meets their collective goals, and that we get to see the whole team pursue even more goals after the regular season concludes.