Analysis

Vikings Improve Record By Rolling Past The Titans

October 7, 2012, by 20 comments

The bad news?  The Chicago Bears won again.

The good news?  Everything else that happened on Sunday.

That’s right, folks.  Your Minnesota Vikings are now a 4-1 football team that absolutely dominated the Tennessee Titans in every facet of the game.  They won by a score of 30-7.  They had seven more first downs than the Titans.  They had 123 more rushing yards and 43 more passing yards.  Plus, they won the time-of-possession battle by six minutes.

It was just an all around good day for the Vikings (including that glorious loss Green Bay suffered!) and here are some main points of interest following the team’s latest victory.

Harrison Smith’s Ejection

Harrison Smith had already made an impact early in Sunday’s matchup by recovering a Chris Johnson fumble and on a couple of nice hits.  What will be most remembered, however, is the look on his face when he realized he was being booted from the game when he decided to get too physical with an official following an Antoine Winfield interception.

“I really dont know,” Harrison said of his status for next week.  “I hope to be out there. But I made a stupid decision and I have to accept the consequences.”

“Stupid by me,” Smith admitted to Tom Pelissero.  “I should never put the officials in a position like that. I should never touch them. I know that. I’ve lost my head before, but I’ve never had an incident with an official. I completely apologize for that.”

Smith deserves credited for owning his mistake, and it is easier to forgive provided the outcome of this game, but we all will hope this event never repeats itself.  His intensity needs to be contained between the whistles on a weekly basis.  I’d like to say this was just a rookie mistake, but those rules are the same in college and high school and even earlier.

I would be shocked if Smith gets any sort of suspension, but he can certainly be expected to be nailed with a fine upwards of $20,000.

Ponder Makes Some Progress

Christian Ponder sandwiched some very poor decisions with a great start to this game and a strong finish.  He ended up completing 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards and two scores.  He also tacked on a trio of good looking runs for 31 yards.

His first two interceptions of the year came on back-to-back pass attempts, one at the end of the first half and one to begin the second half.  The first resulted in a missed opportunity to add points and the second could have shifted momentum greatly had the Vikings defense not been so dominant today.

Ponder hit eight different pass catchers today, though, and looked mostly comfortable in the pocket, confident, and like he is making strides in the right direction.

Harvin Continues Incredible 2012 Campaign

Last week, Harvin willed his team to a victory by making the most of his special teams opportunities against the Lions, and this week he didn’t get to return a single kickoff.

Instead, he ran the ball twice for eight yards and a score, and hauled in eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.

I am becoming more and more convinced that no single player, especially non-quarterback, is as important to his football team as Percy Harvin is to the Vikings right now.  His ten yard touchdown catch and run is something I could watch over and over and over and over.

Walsh Leads Impressive Rookie Class

Six rookies registered stats in the box score today, but perhaps none is quite as important than Blair Walsh’s three field goals in as many attempts.  Not to mention his five kickoffs for touchbacks, neutralizing the return unit of the Titans.

Rookie cornerback Josh Robinson led the defense with six solo tackles and held up well considering how much the Titans tried to pick on him today.

Rick Spielman and his staff deserve credit for this rookie class coming in and helping in ways, both big and small, to get the Vikings to where they are now.

They Even Get To Pick The Music

October 6, 2012, by 3 comments

When Percy Harvin, early in the offseason, expressed great displeasure with the Vikings organization and demanded a trade, Rick Spielman and Leslie Frazier had conversations with their star receiver that quickly made him change his tune.

Harvin recently said that his issues were rooted with players not really knowing their role within the offense, but that things were clarified and that he now thinks offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is doing a great job.  Presumably, the Vikings brass were able to convince Harvin that things would be different in 2012 and that he would know exactly what type of role he would be asked to play… a huge one.

On one hand, Spielman and Frazier could be applauded for giving Harvin the tune up he needed to have the season he is currently having.  On the other hand, however, some could argue that Spielman and Frazier may have empowered Harvin and showed a little too much favoritism towards him.

Now, we have another case in which the Vikings uber-talented have approached the coaching staff with hopes of increasing productivity by, for lack of a better term, undermining the original wishes of the coaching staff.

Kevin Williams and Jared Allen, following a horrible week two loss to the Colts, say they approached the coaching staff about “simplifying” the line calls on defense and letting the defensive line just do their thing.

“You know how sometimes, like a formation (will) come up, and they’ll be like, we wanted to do so and so to this formation and this to that formation?” Williams told 1500 ESPN. “Just let us go and work through it and play off of each other. That’s the best thing we’ve got going for us up front.”

“We just stopped trying to make a call for everything,” he continued. “The defensive front has been successful the last few years. We didn’t do a lot of trick ‘em stuff. We just lined up and went after people, and that’s basically what we were trying to get ‘em to do.  Just take the reins off and let us go. We can take care of the rush. We don’t need to design stuff for the rush. Just let the guys go. We’ve all pretty much had experience rushing the quarterback and playing this defense. Just basically, let us go and we can handle it. We don’t need plays or schemes to handle what we’re doing up front.”

Williams is right in saying that the Vikings front line has had success in recent times.  Their 62 sacks since the start of the 2011 season are tied for the most of all NFL teams.  Frazier doesn’t seem to take a very rigid stance on his schemes, unlike previous head coach Brad Childress who was notorious for trying to force square pegs into round holes, and essentially acknowledges that the defense was getting too tricky.

“It’s huge for our players, for the coaches, to be able to generate that type of pressure without having to put the secondary under adverse situations,” Frazier said.  “It was big. It increases our confidence. You go into your next ballgame feeling a lot better about your rush when that happens, especially against a team that throws it as much as the team we played last Sunday and you go into the game knowing that and the fact that we didn’t have to resort to a lot of pressures — it’s a big deal, and hopefully, it’ll be something we can continue.”

So, while some might view Frazier’s willingness to have players take control of how things are done, in the cases of the defensive line and Percy Harvin… there is little arguing with the results so far.

One thing that didn’t go well when control was given to the players, however, was the choice of music during the stretching portion of Friday’s practice.

“Gangnam Style” and “Party Rock Anthem” apparently drew some groans and jeers.

“There were a group of guys [who picked that],” Frazier said. “I don’t know if you’ll get a repeat. There were a lot of guys voicing their displeasure. So I don’t know if that will be repeated.”

WEEK FIVE PREVIEW: The Titans

October 5, 2012, by 20 comments

Last weekend, the Vikings had sole possession of first place in the NFC North for one day, and this weekend they will attempt to begin proving that they are the real deal and not just an early surprise.  At 3-1, the Vikings are unexpectedly ahead of the Packers (2-2) and the Lions (1-3), while holding the same record as the Bears who head to Jacksonville this weekend.

The opponent this week are the Tennessee Titans (1-3) whose injury woes have brought on a state of disarray.  Former Vikings Steve Hutchinson, Darius Reynaud, and Chris DeGeare return to the Metrodome hoping to crush our hopes and I want to take a look at what this game holds in store for us.

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Another Victory Has People Wondering What To Make Of The Vikings

September 30, 2012, by 15 comments

A month ago, most NFL observers wouldn’t have guessed that the Minnesota Vikings would be heading into week five with only one loss.  Those that believed it to be possible certainly wouldn’t have predicted an impressive victory over the Niners would have been a part of that win total.

So, with the Vikings in sole possession of first place in their division (for at least one day), what can we make of this team as they prepare to take on a struggling Titans team at home?  Let’s take a look at what clues can be taken away from Sunday’s win in Detroit.

1.  The Special Teams Were Special Indeed

Sure, Blair Walsh missed his first field goal and Chris Kluwe continued to struggle with a couple of punts.  Outside of that, however, the special teams of the Minnesota Vikings was fantastic.  Percy Harvin made a statement on the opening kickoff in the form of a 105 yard touchdown return and Marcus Sherels followed up by taking the first punt return of the second half 77 yards for a score.  Walsh hit two of his three attempts, including a 49 yarder, but was a beast kicking off as the Lions never even got to return the ball once.  The coverage team struggled a little more keeping Stefan Logan bottled up on Kluwe’s punts, but nothing disastrous took place.

2.  The Passing Game Still Needs Work

Everyone is waiting for Christian Ponder’s light bulb to go on, and despite the 3-1 start, there is no question that it hasn’t happened yet.  He just hasn’t shown the ability to put this team on his back and will it to victory yet.  Sunday he was 16 of 26 for a measly 111 yards and no touchdowns.  In fact, his offense was really only responsible for six points, as the special teams scored the other 14.  That type of special teams production can’t be counted on every week, so Ponder and the gang have to get their act together if they want to continue winning football games.

Jerome Simpson was relatively quiet against the Lions, but he did make an impact in his first game as a Viking.  He played the role of field-stretcher which resulted in four catches, 50 yards, and two important pass interference penalties.  He was the team’s leader in receiving, but that isn’t saying much this week.

3.  Peterson’s Comeback Couldn’t Be Going Much Better

Many of us, including me, have openly questioned the team’s wisdom in bringing Adrian Peterson back into a featured role so quickly after his devastating knee injury.  Four weeks into the 2012 season, however, Peterson appears more than capable of shouldering a hefty load and making this offense better.  Against the Lions he carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards and added four catches for 20 yards, and has shown no signs of being hampered by pain or discomfort.  If the Vikings are truly going to embrace the idea that they can remain on top of the NFC North, then Peterson will be a main ingredient moving forward.

4.  Young Defenders Provide A Spark

Jared Allen got a sack on Sunday and did his signature dance.  The real story here, however, is the impact made by the youngsters on defense that should make Vikings fans hopeful when it comes to dreaming about the future.

Rookie safety Harrison Smith was only credited with one tackle on Sunday, but his impact was greater than his stat line would suggest.  Smith was in on a number of pass break ups with the most notable coming on an end zone play in which he dislodged the ball from the hands of Megatron to prevent a sure touchdown.  Rookie cornerback Josh Robinson was penalized (wrongfully) for a suplex-like tackle that displayed his strength, but his other seven solo tackles (tied with Chad Greenway for the most) did not go unnoticed.  The kid can fly around and make plays.

Perhaps even more notable were the performances of two of the team’s youngest defensive linemen.  Letroy Guion and Everson Griffen each had two sacks, including Griffen’s sack on the final play of the game, denying Detroit a chance at another miracle hail mary.

Middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley also had a solid game, playing a big part in the team’s success against the Lions running game.  55 yards is all that Detroit was able to gain on the ground.

5.  A Tale Of Two Third Downs

On one hand, the Vikings defense was able to force Detroit’s hand on 63% of their third downs (and 67% of their fourth downs).  On the other hand, however, the Vikings offense failed to convert on third down 75% of the time (3 of 12).

Christian Ponder was inaccurate and inefficient on third downs, particularly when rolling to his right, and the Bill Musgrave called plays in a way that made me question the trust he has for Ponder to not make big mistakes.  The Vikings coaching staff, at some point, will have to take the cuffs off and let Ponder win or lose football games as a 25% conversion rate on third down is not going to win very many more games.

Vikings Lose By 3 In Indy (Post-Game Rant)

September 16, 2012, by 54 comments

I don’t even know where to begin with this one… It really was no surprise to me that the Vikings managed to make it a nail biter in the tail end of the fourth quarter. I watched the game today with some friends and my wife and assured them all that it would come down to a field goal at the last second despite the fact we were currently down by 14 points. Why? Because it’s the Vikings, of course.

So here we are… 1-1 after a torturous 23-20 loss to Andrew Luck and the Colts. Here are some of my initial thoughts and questions:

Why is it that we completely abandoned the run? We didn’t have any huge gains on the ground but my guess is that Peterson was averaging four to five yards a carry. (Okay, after checking, it was actually 3.75 YPC…) We can’t make ourselves that one dimensional with the lack of threats we have in the passing game.

Seriously, defensive line? I don’t even know what to say here. Same goes for you secondary. This defense is worse than I thought.

I don’t know what it is with Ponder in the first half of games. He looked bad again in the first and second quarters. He didn’t do anything to really cost the team but he also wasn’t winning anything for us. It was amazing how many times I saw him drop back and literally stare down one receiver (Harvin) from the moment he had the ball. I was honestly surprised he got out of this one with no picks again.

I need to go back and watch the coach’s tape because either Ponder just refused to risk throwing the ball or the Colt’s secondary is full of all-pros.

Did anyone else notice that there were multiple times at the end of the game where a Vikings receiver was forced or ran out of bounds and the clock just kept on ticking? What gives?

I’ll be back later to talk about the game some more. I’m going to try to enjoy the late games and pray my fantasy teams can pull out a win. (I’m looking at you Skol12!) I just wanted to get another thread up to discuss the game since the other one was getting kind of long.

-Angry Brett

Preseason Game #4: Post-Game Thoughts (No Huddle)

August 31, 2012, by 5 comments

The Houston Texans were able to hold off the Vikings last night 24-28 in the final preseason game of the 2012 season. The Vikings had a late push to take the lead late in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell short failing to convert a fourth down in Texan’s territory. Overall, it was a pretty sloppy game but fun to watch, in my opinion. It was cool to kind of watch a game with no expectations. Not really expecting anyone to come out and perform well. Instead, you just get to watch a bunch of guys putting their hearts and souls on the field in what could be the last time they play in a NFL game.

I’ll be honest – I don’t have tons of notes from yesterday’s game. I’ve been under the weather and wasn’t watching as attentively as I normally do. Nevertheless, here are my thoughts from the fourth and final preseason match-up.

  • I had the misfortune of listening to the Texans announcers for the game. They weren’t terrible or anything but something they kept saying irked me. On multiple occasions they announced that, outside of Percy Harvin, the Vikings had no other, I quote, “NFL caliber receivers” on the roster. That’s one heck of a claim to make. Now, I by no means think wide receiver is a definite strength of this team… But really? Only one NFL caliber receiver? Maybe they overlooked Jerome Simpson? But even then, are you really going to make the claim that Michael Jenkins, Devin Aromashodu, Jarius Wright, etc… aren’t NFL caliber receivers? I thought that was quite an ignorant statement to make.
  • On that note, I think Jarius Wright finally stepped up and showed that he can be a real weapon for this team sometime in the future. I still think he’s looked just mediocre on punt returns. He hasn’t really shown the burst I thought he had. But he was dangerous last night as a receiver.  Back when we did our introductions for the Vikings 2012 draftees, I noted how I thought Wright could be more than just a dangerous slot receiver. How I thought he had the speed to be one of those guys that could stretch the field and take it to the house. Last night, Wright either backed that belief up or just got lucky on a blown coverage when he caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. As a fourth round pick, it wasn’t likely he would be released… But after last night’s performance, I’m almost positive he’ll make the final roster. (I would also like to point out that my prediction on how Wright would fit into this offense has been spot on so far. I’m not gloating or anything… I’m just not right that often so I’m pointing out this rare exception.)
  • Audie Cole had another good night both on defense and special teams. There is now no doubt in my mind that he should (and will) make this team. He had six tackles last night and just seemed to be always near the ball. He looked like a mad man on special teams and was able to get an additional two tackles there. It will be exciting to see how this young linebacker develops on the Vikings roster.
  • I’m not quite sure what you do at quarterback at this point. The Vikings will likely cut one of the four quarterbacks currently on the roster and I’m just not sure who it should be. Joe Webb has the explosiveness and can be a game-changing backup if Ponder goes down during a game. Sage Rosenfels is someone I would rather have as a long-term backup, though. Someone that I think will do better when he’s preparing for a game and the opposition is game planning for our back-up. Rosenfels is older, though, and doesn’t offer any benefit long-term to the Vikings. (Other than providing leadership and instruction to younger quarterbacks, maybe.) McLeod Bethel-Thompson hasn’t looked amazing in preseason games  but he hasn’t looked bad either. He has a strong arm and shows a lot of determination… Who knows how good he could develop to be? It’s going to a be a tough decision for the Vikings front office and I’m glad that I’m not the one making it…
  • Running back Jordan Todman stepped up last night and had a huge 76-yard touchdown run. A lot of people think that play alone should guarantee him a spot on the roster and maybe a spot as the third running back on this team. Not me, though. If I’m making the decision for who should be the third running back after everything we’ve seen and heard through the offseason, I’m picking Matt Asiata. He leads the Vikings in rushing for preseason yards and has a very exceptional 5.8 yards per carry. I think his explosiveness, speed, strength and vision have earned him the role. That’s not to say I think Todman should be cut. I’m just saying that if I had to choose between the two right now, it would be Asiata.
  • I think it’s obvious that we don’t have a lot of depth on offensive line. So, let’s cross our fingers and hope our starting front-five can stay healthy throughout the year. Regardless of what quarterback was taking snaps last night, the one thing they had in common is fear for their life after hiking the ball. Yes, it looked that bad at times.
  • Blair Walsh missed another field goal – that makes one in the last three games. Despite all of them being from 40+ yards, I’m just a tad bit nervous now headed into the regular season. Hoping the misses don’t cause him to lose confidence and affect us negatively throughout the year.
  • Cornerback Reggie Jones hurt his stock last night when he dropped a punt return and then was called for holding in the end zone within just a few minutes of one another. It can’t say I’ve seen him perform really good or bad this preseason but it will be interesting to see if he makes the roster.
  • It was nice to see Aromashodu step up last night, too. We’ll need him to do the same while Jerome Simpson is suspended for the first three games of the year. Interesting note: Which receiver had the most yards this preseason? Stephen Burton is first with 135 yards on six receptions. Jarius Wright is second with 122 yards from his six receptions last night. And Devin Aromashodu in third place with 117 yards on eight receptions.
  • Another interesting note: The Vikings had the third most productive offense this preseason with an average of 370 yards per game. The Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions were first and second, respectively.
  • On  more thing: Our defense allowed 320.8 yards per game which ranked 19th in the league this preseason.

Alright, that’s all I got for this game. Overall, I would say we had a pretty decent preseason this year. Like most of you, I absolutely can’t wait for our first real game next weekend against the Jaguars at home. I plan on continuing these types of posts into the regular season with one major difference: I plan on including much more detailed analysis. Once the regular season starts, I will able to see the all-22 (also known as Coach’s tape) film from each game. This will allow me to actually see what players are doing on each play… Something that currently is very difficult with the standard recording.

What did you guys think about the game? Who would you keep on the 53-man roster? Who would you cut and why? Let us know in the comments below. The final roster has to be in tonight so we will be back soon with an update on what the final roster looks like.

Preseason Game #3: Post-Game Thoughts (No Huddle)

August 28, 2012, by 17 comments

I know it’s a little delayed, but here are my notes from Friday’s game against the Chargers. Its tardiness can be attributed to the game blackout that pretty much ruined my Friday night. There’s nothing like getting pumped and prepped for a game and then realizing that you won’t be able to watch it.

I think everyone knows by this point that it wasn’t a very promising game. Yet, the fact remains that it was still just a preseason game. And I’d rather the team make some mistakes and learn from them now rather than be perfect now and make the mistakes later when the games count.

Let’s get this thing started:

  • Alright, first things first – let’s begin with the play of quarterback Christian Ponder. There seemed to be quite a bit of doom and gloom after Friday’s game against the Chargers – a lot of concern out there about the way Ponder looked. Maybe some fear cropping back up that he is not the answer at quarterback? I don’t know… Whatever it is, I don’t know that it’s really justified after that game. In my opinion, Ponder didn’t look that bad. His throws were pretty darn accurate for the most part. That long ball to Percy that was dropped right before the goal line? Come on, that was beautiful! While Ponder was sacked five times, are we really going to put that on him? I think the longest he held onto the ball on one of those plays he was sacked was five seconds. The other ones were in the area of three seconds. Sure, he needs to try and get rid of the ball a little sooner but it would also help if you could count on guys like Jenkins and Aromashodu and didn’t have to target either Harvin or Rudolph. Ponder did not have a perfect game by any means… But I really don’t think Ponder was as bad as some people were making him out to be. I still think he has a much better year. I still think we have a much better year.
  • It’s pretty awesome having one of the best punters in the league. Kluwe had some beautiful boots Friday night. (It’s worth noting that I thought the coverage was pretty good as well.)
  • Overall, I thought our defense looked pretty solid. And rightfully so… Our first teamers were working up against a mix match of Charger’s starters and backups. Only allowing four field goals and no touchdowns after four turnovers? Can’t ask for much more than that.
  • Josh Robinson had a nice play where he was covering Malcolm Floyd and was almost able to get a pick again. It’s great to see him covering like that… Sucks to see him not come down with those interceptions, though.
  • Toby Gerhart was never really able to get anything going on the ground. I think that can be attributed more to our offensive line working against a 3-4 defense. It seems like the line as a whole was just a little confused the entire night. That’s not a good sign though as I think we have six matchups this season where the opposing team employs that style of defense. (Don’t quote me on that…)
  • Was anyone else a little frustrated with the playcalling the first few drives? Brought back some run-run-pass nightmares. I felt like it was one of those things again where we set ourselves up for a difficult third and long.
  • More passes through the hands of our wide receivers… Joy.
  • Chad Greenway had a missed tackle on a third down that could have easily stopped the Chargers drive and forced them to punt. Disappointing to see but it doesn’t worry me much. Just glad he got that one out of his system before the regular season.
  • Has anyone ever seen so many defensive holding calls in a game? There was a weak defensive holding call on Chris Carr that really ended up aiding one ofSan Diego’s drives. That’s all I’ll say about the officiating…
  • Where was the intensity on defense? Either people were tired or they were just bored. The defensive unit just seemed out of it Friday night. Anyone else get that?
  • Did anyone else notice on the Chargers second drive that our line could not seem to get pressure through on the interior? It was like every snap they tried to run out and around their respective offensive lineman. This ended up basically clearing the line and opening up everything for Whitehurst to see. Throwing lanes galore.
  • Took us a while to get a first down, didn’t it? The first one didn’t come until four minutes were left in the first quarter.
  • Yes, Kalil was beat by Larry English on a play. I think Kalil has been beat one good time in each of our first three preseason games. Does that concern me? Not at all. Overall, Kalil has been very impressive, in my opinion. He’s been going up against some very capable defensive ends and holding his own. When this guy gets a little more experience – beware. There is still no doubt in my mind that we got a franchise left tackle in Kalil.
  • Another preseason missed field goal for Blair Walsh. It was from about 45 yards out and just left of the goal post. The kick had tons of distance and could have easily gone from 55+ (in my very scientific estimations). I’m still not concerned about Walsh at this point. His true test will come in his first game-on-the-line kick in the regular season.
  • Gerhart was replaced by Lex Hilliard on a drive where Hilliard got to work with the first teamers. Hilliard fumbled both the ball and potentially his shot to be the third running back on the roster.
  • Somebody give Jarius Wright an Oscar. That guy really sold that fake punt reception… And just about got leveled in the process. The penalty was nice, I guess, but I’d rather our guys not get destroyed in exchange for 15 yards.
  • If I had to select the third running back for the roster today it would be Matt Asiata. He has shown speed, explosiveness, power and an eye for the hole during preseason matchups. It’s unfortunate that he fumbled right at the goal line Friday night because if he doesn’t, I think he would have been a lock for the spot (in my opinion). Fortunately for him, though, all of the third running back candidates fumbled. The Vikings final preseason game should tell us more as it’s likely Asiata, Jerome Felton and Lex Hilliard will be the only backs getting work. At this point though, I have to lean towards Asiata.