Posts tagged: adrian peterson

A Big Stop Followed By Nothing Much

November 4, 2012, by 2 comments

It looked like the Vikings weren’t going to be able to stop the Seahawks at the end of the third quarter but some decent pressure did the trick, and Seattle had to punt from midfield at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The punt landed at the Vikings five yard line, leaving a daunting task ahead of Christian Ponder and the Minnesota offense.

Percy Harvin amazingly reentered the game after suffering an ugly looking hit to his ankle on the previous drive.

Needing to drive 95 yards, Christian Ponder began the drive by scrambling away from pressure for a short gain, but then a simple handoff to Adrian Peterson did the trick to move the chains.  Then a short pass from Ponder to Peterson set up a manageable second down, which was followed by an off-the-mark pass from Ponder towards a tight end.  On third down, Ponder missed badly on a crossing route and the drive ended.

The Vikings will have to get more production from their offense, and perhaps a miracle from their defense, if they are going to come out of this smiling.

Harvin Goes Down In Pain

November 4, 2012, by No comments yet

Following a 28 yard run to Adrian Peterson, the Vikings called a toss to the left to Percy Harvin.

Harvin got stuffed for a loss, but what is worse is how Harvin went down writhing in pain and clutching his left ankle.  Earl Thomas laid his shoulder into Harvin’s ankle and it looked very bad, but Harvin was able to slowly walk off on his own power.

The Vikings chose to enter this game with only four wide receivers, so they now only have three.  Jerome Simpson, Michael Jenkins, and Devin Aromashodu will have to pick up the slack.

Once again, Toby Gerhart only has one carry so far in this game, which has to make one wonder.

After getting gifted a penalty and a first down, the Vikings sputtered on offense, setting Blair Wlash up for a 55 yard attempt.  Walsh nailed it, despite arguments from the Seahawks that the play clock ran out before the ball was snapped.

The Vikings got a few gifts from the refs here, and the Vikings are down by only seven points.

Another Peterson TD Ties It Up

November 4, 2012, by No comments yet

Following Sidney Rice’s gimme touchdown, the Vikings were able to move the ball efficiently (with help from a pass interference call) and Ponder looked a little improved over his couple of first drives.

Adrian Peterson, however, continues to steal the show and tied the game at 14 with a forceful four yard run on second and goal.

Just a little ways into the second quarter, Peterson has rushed 10 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Harvin Miscue Changes Momentum

November 4, 2012, by No comments yet

After the Vikings went for seven in the opening drive by riding the shoulders of Adrian Peterson, things got a whole lot less good for Minnesota.

After forcing Seattle to punt because of their own inability to catch a football, the Vikings failed passing attempt on first down eventually led to a third and long attempt.  Bill Musgrave opted to hand the ball to Percy Harvin who was stripped of the football while trying to stretch the play for a first down.  Seattle recovered and Golden Tate caught a touchdown in front of A.J. Jefferson at the end of the drive.

The Vikings were unable to do much, despite Peterson’s best efforts, on the following drive.  For some reason, Christian Ponder is still allowed to roll to his right, which suggests to me that perhaps nobody in Winter Park watches any game tape of themselves… ever.  Nothing good seems to happen when he roles to his right.

The Seahawks seem able to move the ball well against this Vikings defense, even with Sidney Rice throwing passes, and that needs to change if the Vikings want to come out of this with a road win.  Sidney Rice, with about three minutes left in the first quarter, caught a third down touchdown to put the Seahawks up by seven.

Peterson Dominates First Drive Of The Game

November 4, 2012, by 1 comment

While there is no live chat today here at VT, I am going to try and provide some updates from time to time throughout the afternoon.

First up is the Vikings first drive going for a touchdown, putting them up 7-0 in under two minutes of play in Seattle.

On the first drive, Adrian Peterson looked to be at his best when he ripped off a 74 yard run to set the Viking sup at the goalline after getting caught from behind.  After a failed attempt from Christian Ponder to pass for the score, Peterson punched it in on the next play.

I said it before the game, and I’ll say it again, running is going to be the key to seeing offensive success in Seattle.  Dial up lots of it, Musgrave, and hope for similar results.

Five Keys To The Game

November 4, 2012, by 1 comment

I have had a hectic week and while I fully intended to produce a full “Preview” segment like normal, but I ran out of time.  I still wanted to get something up in advance of this game, however, as it stands to be a turning point type of matchup for this 2012 Vikings team.

It could be a turn for the best, but it could also be a turn for the worst.

Here are five items I consider to be the most important this afternoon:

1.  Time To Go To Bat

Seattle’s starting rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has, thus far in his young career, overcome the pre-Draft knock on him that he is too short.  It is time for that to stop.  Wilson has been an impressive rookie in an already impressive class of quarterbacks, but the Vikings must game plan to shut him down despite the absence of cornerback Chris Cook.

One way they can do that is to use their big defensive linemen to get into the throwing lanes and get their hands in the air.  Brian Robison put on a clinic last week in terms of batting passes, and Jared Allen and Kevin Williams have both made highlight reels in the past by doing this, so we know this isn’t an original idea for the Vikings defense.

Wilson is short.  He may be succeeding anyways, but his passes are more susceptible to being batted down at the line of scrimmage… that is just physics.  The Vikings need to give their secondary some help by employing the long arms of Robison and company this afternoon.

2.  Tackle Well, Live Longer

The Vikings cannot completely stop Seahawk’s running back Marshawn Lynch, but they can endeavor to contain him.

The “Beast” will not be contained, however, if the Vikings continue to tackle (or, perhaps, not tackle) the way they have been the last three weeks.  They missed 17 tackles last week, which resulted in Doug Martin’s monster game on Thursday Night Football.

Chad Greenway, Jasper Brinkley, and Erin Henderson have their work cut out for them this week as they face the running back who is closest to Adrian Peterson for the NFL rushing lead.

3.  Run, Run, Run… and then Run Some More

I’m going to skip the Ponder-doubting that has overwhelmed Vikings Nation in the past few weeks.

Instead, I want to remember a Kansas City team that a few years ago won a significant amount of football game by embracing their stellar running game to the fullest.  Remember when the Chiefs ran Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones on what seemed like every down, including fourth, to move the chains in a safe and time-consuming manner?  I want to see that type of dedication to the run game with the Vikings, who are very well built to do it.

The best way to win this game, and shut up that damned 12th man, is to shove Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart down their throats for seven minutes at a time.

4.  Start Utilizing Rudolph… For Real

Second year tight end Kyle Rudolph is having a decent season, particularly in terms of touchdown catches.  However, I think there is still plenty of untapped potential here.

The Seahawks boast a number of young, high-quality cornerbacks and that could spell trouble for mediocre performers like Jerome Simpson and Michael Jenkins.

Getting the ball to Percy Harvin is always a must, but Rudolph needs to start being utilized more in the every down passing game.  He needs to be running seam routes and he needs to be a threat no matter where the Vikings are on the field.

Feed him the ball, Musgrave.

5.  Special Teams Must Be Special Today

Most of you probably think I’m going to talk about Percy Harvin’s returns or Blair Walsh’s big leg, and that is certainly part of it.

I think both of these teams, however, have very dangerous threats on special teams and the biggest point of emphasis needs to be the Vikings ability to play mistake-free football on the coverage unit.  Leon Washington has a habit of embarrassing opponents, and plllllease Football Gods… don’t let it be the Vikings.

PREDICTION:

I think another close one is in store for us here, and I worry about the outcome, but I still think this Vikings team will be 6-3 in a few hours.  As long as common sense is utilized by the Vikings coaching staff, and the players execute like we know they can, they can come out of this game with another win.

My prediction:  22-17, Vikings

The Kluwe Discussion Goes To Another Level

October 31, 2012, by 5 comments

Local beat writers, perhaps in the spirit of election season, couldn’t wait to pounce on Chris Kluwe and Leslie Frazier this week in an attempt to generate interesting quotes about how Kluwe’s recent struggles on the field can, or cannot, be linked to his endeavors off the field.

Kluwe and Frazier predictably answered the questions appropriately, despite the media’s best attempts to use the phrase “child’s game” in provocative fashion, and everyone seems willing to move on with the only goal being to get better production out of the punt game.

I know that gay marriage is a hot button issue in the nation right now and Kluwe’s choice to take a stance is unpopular with about 50% of the population, but I can’t help but think that the extra attention being paid to this is strictly a result of the subject matter.  It is because people oppose his cause that this is drawing so much criticism as I am confident that nobody would be saying a word if his “cause” were raising money and awareness for cancer, fighting to save the rainforests from destruction, or supporting military members and their families.

We have a defensive end that trained to be an Olympian.  We have another that holds a golf tournament, published his own cook book, hunts whenever he gets the chance, appeared on MTV’s “Cribs,” and was willing to campaign on behalf of the Vikings controversial stadium efforts.  Our star running back filmed an episode of “Entourage,” has missed part of a training camp due to Adrian Peterson Day in Texas, and just yesterday visited a classroom of school children.  Christian Ponder and Chad Greenway have been spokesman for a program regarding financial literacy.

NFL players are people with lives, families, hobbies, beliefs, passions, and flaws.  Just like the rest of us, their personal lives probably do spill into their professional output but it is quite the stretch, in my opinion, to conclude that Kluwe’s recent activism has resulted in poor punting.  Unlike the rest of us, they have crazy schedules including TV appearances, endorsement deals, photo shoots, and so on and so on.

Did Peyton Manning’s recent purchasing of a piece of the pizza pie impact his production?  How about Matt Birk’s taping of an ad speaking out against gay marriage?  The list goes on and on and I won’t bore you by going through them all, but I will say this:

I have already talked with one person that swears up and down that Kluwe is distracted.  That very same person argued emphatically with me a couple of years back that there was no way, no how that Brett Favre could have possibly been distracted by the alleged claims of sexual harassment and sexting scandal.  Double standard much?

So, the point I am trying (and failing miserably) to get to is that Chris Kluwe needs to punt better.  I know it.  You know it.  He knows it.  The coaches know it.  However, trying to proclaim his personal time is the reason for his professional struggles, without any sort of proof, is just an oddly lazy route to take, whether it is by the media or the fans.

The bigger issue here is whether or not his punting is just experiencing a bad run, or if this will become a trend.  Kluwe is in the second-to-last year of his seven year contract and is set to make $1.3 million this season and $1.4 million next season, both of which are very high for a punter.

If his production doesn’t match his pay pretty soon he may not even reside in Minnesota any longer, let alone impact the political landscape.  He may have to figure out how to attend band practice via Skype, and he probably won’t be employed by the local radio station very long.

Football is far more likely to impact his personal life, rather than the other way around.