Posts tagged: percy harvin

Links Of The Week: Headed To D.C.

October 10, 2012, by 28 comments

Heck, it has been a while, so let’s do this thing:

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.

Continue Reading →

Harvin’s Importance Recognized In A Big Way

October 4, 2012, by 3 comments

Just the other day, talking with Brett on Gmail chat as I often do to make plans for VT, I mentioned that I thought that after a quarter of the regular season went by that Percy Harvin should be in the conversation for league MVP.

I even went so far as to suggest he should be in second place, behind only Matt Ryan, because of the important role Harvin has played in the Vikings three wins, and the fact that he was the only offensive player worth a hoot in their one loss.

Thursday, Harvin was recognized not as the league’s best player, but was bestowed a pretty high honor.  Harvin won the NFC’s special teams player of September.

Harvin is averaging 38.3 yards on nine kickoff returns and set the tone for an upset win against Detroit by returning the opening kickoff for 105 yards and a score.  That return caused the Lions to kickoff short for the rest of the game, as they were scared to death he would do it twice… or more.

Interestingly enough, the AFC’s special teams player of the month is Titans return man Darius Reynaud, who is a former Viking.

Harvin Opens Up

October 1, 2012, by 41 comments

Percy Harvin is enjoying one of his most productive and drama-free seasons of his career thus far, but it was not without a rocky start.

As many of you will remember, Harvin caused a firestorm of reports and speculation when he openly expressed his displeasure with the Vikings organization this offseason and followed up by requesting a trade.  Rick Spielman and Leslie Frazier seemed to quickly placate the star utility receiver, but we never heard for certain what Harvin’s issues were exactly.

Harvin has now opened up, following a game that was essentially won because of his opening kickoff return for a touchdown, and says that his problem stemmed from players not knowing where they fit into Minnesota’s offense.

“I think it was just the identity of our offense,” Harvin said via 1500 ESPN. “Not only me, just guys knowing exactly what the coaches (were) asking of them on a week-to-week basis. Not playing one position one week, and come in and not totally having a grasp on what they’re asking for the next week.

“I think (offensive coordinator Bill) Musgrave has done a great job — I said it all offseason — of putting (Kyle) Rudolph in great situations. We’ve got a package for Jerome (Simpson), which you’ve seen, where we’ll take shots downfield. So everybody knows their role, knows what the coaches expect them to do. Now you can just sit back and try to do it at the highest level you can.”

Harvin is on pace for a 120 catch and 1,200 yard season, not including his contributions on special teams and rushing the ball, which means his pending contract extension is likely to get more and more expensive with every week he stays healthy and production.

Sitting at 3-1 and on top of the NFC North, that is a good problem for the Vikings to have on the horizon.

Kickin’ It With KAB

August 23, 2012, by No comments yet

Football season is nearly here which means I am once again allowed to write about things that are, you know… interesting.  My old pal Darren Campbell from Kick Ass Blog asked me to do a little Q&A session with him and, of course, I was thrilled to do so.

We did six total jottings about various subjects.  There are three in this post and the other three can be found at his blog by clicking here.

4. Jerome Simpson – what will his stats be at the end of the season?

Adam: Should his stats be measured in yards or ounces?

Zing!

All kidding aside, it is hard to get overly excited about a guy that will play no more than 13 games during the regular season. Heck, if this season turns out anything like last year, the franchise could be in complete shambles by the time he is even allowed to play.

He certainly has an ability to stretch the field and adds in some jaw dropping athleticism, but consistency has always been his issue. The drops need to stop. I’m going to be optimistic here, however, and say that he tops 800 yards on the season and throws in two or three touchdowns.

Darren: Oh, Adam, way to pick the low hanging fruit. I’m penciling Simpson in for 49 catches, 680 yards and five touchdowns. Not fantastic numbers, but enough to earn him a long-term contract in 2013 (whether that will be with the Vikings is another question). Like Adam said, consistency is an issue with Simpson. And is he physically strong enough to beat jams off the line and get open to make those big plays down the field for the Vikings? This team really needs a wide receiver (other than Percy Harvin, who is a completely different kind of player) they can pencil in for five-to-seven catches for 80-100 receiving yards every game. I see Simpson as the kind of player who will have some big games, but in other games will disappear.

5. What rookie has been the most impressive during training camp and the preseason?

Adam: It is hard to argue with Audie Cole at this point. A Vikings defender that takes advantage of bad throws? Then has the presence of mind to return it for a score?  Twice? In back-to-back plays?  Again, a Vikings defender?

That is just unheard of in recent years and I have to say those two plays alone have made him stand out more than any other rookie, including Kalil and Smith, and I hope he gets a chance to move up the depth chart to see if he can hang with the elite talent or not.

Darren: I like Cole, but kicker Blair Walsh has been the Vikings rookie who has looked the best to me. I did not like this pick at all in April. It’s hard for me to diss it now. He’s made, what, eight of nine field goals and he’s consistently booting kickoffs five-to-10 yards into the end zone – a nice change after watching Ryan Longwell’s kickoffs barely make it to the opposing team’s 20-yard line for six years. Walsh has been better than advertised. I do wonder, though, how he will react if he has a stretch where he misses three or four makeable field goals over a short period. Will he get the yips? That’s my concern with Walsh right now.

6. What unheralded Viking player has stood out the most so far?

Adam: I have only ever known two Dolphins fans in my life, but they both happen to be my best friends.  So, as a result, I have seen a Fins game or two over the years. That is why I was somewhat excited to hear that the Vikings had signed Lex Hilliard.

Hilliard had always struck me as an underrated back with some deceiving moves and nifty hands that was underutilized in Miami because of their addiction to the Wild Cat. To me, he appears to be the exact sort of Mr. Dependable that the Vikings need in their backfield as an insurance policy and a nice change up from time to time. His versatility is something Spielman surely considered when signing him, and I consider him a lock to make the roster at this point, which makes me feel pretty comfortable with the run game even with Peterson still on the mend.

Darren: I’m surprised to read that Adam thinks Hilliard’s stood out because I think he’s looked like garbage. There’s no burst there. No wiggle. No anything. I understand he’s a solid special teams player, but even giving him that, at this point I wouldn’t want to see him make the team. Matt Asiata looks much better to me as an option as the Vikings third running back.

But rather than continuing to rag on Adam’s selection, I should write about my own. Defensive end Nick Reed is a guy who has surprised me in the two preseason games. He’s tipped a couple of passes and against the Bills he consistently generated pressure from the outside. He’s bounced around the league a bit, and at 6’2 and 250, he’s pretty small even for a pass rushing DE. I don’t expect him to make the team; all I know is I’m noticing him every time he’s on the field. He might be a guy worth stashing on the practice squad. You can never have too many DEs who can get after the quarterback.