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Sunday, March 1, 2015
Blog Page 130

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Christian Ponder dove for the endzone during Thursday night’s victory against Washington and came up just shy of the touchdown and with a dislocated shoulder.  Luckily for him the injury was sustained on his non-throwing arm, he now has a long week to recover, and Adrian Peterson scored the touchdown for him one play later.

Ponder’s durability problems has again become a long-term concern since he has had to miss time twice now this season, but the short-term outlook may not be too shabby.  On Monday, Leslie Frazier said Ponder could start Sunday, but that they don’t want to put him in a position where he can’t protect himself and where he could do more damage.

Ponder described himself as “day to day” and said his range of motion was much better on Monday than it was on Friday.

Already missing tight end Kyle Rudolph, whichever quarterback starts on Sunday may have to be without the team’s leading receiver, as Jerome Simpson’s apology for his DWI may not be enough for the NFL or the Vikings to let him suit up.  One receiver that is looking healthy and ready to go is Percy Harvin, however, this time he is suiting up for the opponent.

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The Vikings retain Phil Loadholt, but have to cut Antoine Winfield as a result.  Kyle Rudolph scores a touchdown and then suffers a serious injury.  Christian Ponder plays the best game of the season, but can’t finish it.

Now, the Vikings win their first game on this side of the Atlantic Ocean and the celebration has been cut short due to Jerome Simpson being arrested for Driving While Intoxicated.

I guess it is just one of those seasons.

Simpson is currently the leading receiver for the Vikings with 33 catches and 491 yards.  He has certainly played better than in 2012, but he may have played his last game in purple.  Of course, everything is just speculation at this point, but this isn’t his first run in with the law which could land him a hefty suspension from the NFL as a repeated offender of the league’s conduct policy.  His previous offense occurred when two pounds of marijuana was shipped to his home and he served a three game suspension last year, and is still serving three years of probation.

Early Saturday morning, Simpson’s car was stalled on I-394 and a trooper arrived on the scene.  Simpson performed a field sobriety test and was arrested, despite his denials that he had been drinking.  He refused a breath test at the Hennepin County jail and was booked.  This afternoon he was released on a $12,000 bond.

Simpson is playing under his second consecutive one-year deal with the Vikings.  He now has a number of obstacles to somersault over if he wants to continue playing for the Vikings, or any other NFL team, beyond 2013.

I have previously touted Leslie Frazier’s ability to keep his players out of trouble as a reason to keep him at the helm beyond this season.  That argument for Frazier just got a whole lot weaker, as have so many other arguments for Frazier these days.

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There is little we fans find more frustrating about our Vikings than their willingness to sit on young players, hoping they develop into quality players via practice rather than rushing them into action before their ready.  The frustration is compounded when we never get a chance to see what the player has on game day and Audie Cole is the latest example.

In a curious move, just prior to Thursday night’s matchup against Washington, the Vikings decided to waive their young linebacker and promote offensive tackle Kevin Murphy from the practice squad.  With Phil Loadholt missing time, and Charlie Johnson also out, I can see the sense in needing more depth up front.  Still, making Cole the casualty just doesn’t seem to add up.

Tonight’s inactives are:  Cornerback Chris Cook, right tackle Phil Loadholt, guard Charlie Johnson, safety Jamarca Sanford, running back Matt Asiata, tight end Kyle Rudolph, and defensive tackle Fred Evans.

Surprisingly LeTroy Guion, who was listed as “doubtful,” is active for tonight’s game.  He will not start, however, and rookie Sharrif Floyd will be filling in.

Please make sure you join us in our VT Chat Room to discuss tonight’s action, including a Hall of Fame ring presentation for Cris Carter, with all the Vikings fans that hang out in these parts.

 

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The Vikings were hoping some of the dings and dents suffered on Sunday would heal quickly enough to not impact Thursday night’s matchup against Washington.  It is looking like that is just wishful thinking.

The Vikings have already ruled out defensive backs Chris Cook and Jamarca Sanford.  Defensive tackle Fred Evans has also been ruled out while starter LeTroy Guion is listed as doubtful, giving way for Chase Baker to see extensive action.  Xavier Rhodes is listed as probable and will likely start at cornerback across from Josh Robinson, with Mistral Raymond and Robert Blanton filling in for Raymond at safety.

On offense, Christian Ponder will have the odds even more stacked against him as he will likely be missing two starters on the offensive line, not to mention tight end Kyle Rudolph.  Phil Loadholt has already been ruled out and J’Marcus Webb will be filling in at right tackle.  Charlie Johnson is listed as doubtful, so Joe Berger is likely to get the start in his place.  Tight end Rhett Ellison is listed as questionable with an ankle injury that has caused him to miss time and backup running back Matt Asiata will miss another game while dealing with the tragic death of his father.

The Indigenous People of the Potomac Region, however, have only one rookie backup running back (Chris Thompson) listed as questionable.  Five others are on their injury report, but they are all listed as probable.

In short, the Vikings are hurting far worse than the Redskins as we forge into the second half of a very, very long 2013 season.

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Following yet another meltdown loss, the Vikings are about as interesting to us fans as the details surrounding the latest archeological search for a meat eating platypus.  In fact, that gives me an idea for a new blog…

Anyways, the Dallas game happened.  Here are five random things on my mind tonight:

1.  I Bailed On Ya

I’m sorry for not being present for our game-time live chat this week.  I had some issues rise up this week and weekend that had me in a foul mood.  I can’t imagine I would have been much fun in the chat, so I limited my scorn exclusively to our VT Twitter account for this one game.  That will change on Thursday night as I will be there, with bells on, to cheer Christian Ponder to a 1-6 record for the year!

2.  Christian Ponder Is 0-6 For The Year

Once again, all of the blame cannot be placed on the shoulders of Christian Ponder for this loss, but he just still isn’t showing up.  His offensive line played their best game of the season, by far, and the receivers seemed pretty on task.  Ponder’s inability to recognize a game situation other than run-of-the-mill snaps is bewildering, as evidenced by him holding the ball in the endzone for far too long and letting the Cowboys strip him for an easy score.  His interception was ugly.  Looking back at the film reveals open receivers when he chose to use his legs.  His hail mary attempt was just… just… just… I’m trying to find the words but I’m coming up short.

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