Vikings Inactives Include Freeman

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• So, what's the over/under on Cassel getting hurt and Ponder coming in to throw for 500 yds and 6 TD's to make this QB situation really interesting?

• Crap, looks like we're stuck with Billick again. Hope he gets the players names right.
  I think the team rallies behind AD and Cassel will be fine.

  • "I think the team rallies behind AD and Cassel will be fine."
    Did you really say that Johnny? Really?

    Damn, in hindsight, Freeman probably could have started and did a better job without knowing the playbook yet.
    Of course we aren't winning many games with this defense. . .

    • I sure crapped the bed on that one Fran. I thought they would at least show up though. Some heads need to roll, that was as pathetic as it gets and at home no less.

      • Johnny, dunno about you, but I think with we have some talent on this team, and my eye tends to settle on the coaching as being questionable.

        I'm guessing Coach disagrees with me.

        • I have to agree with you Tomb and I think questionable is being a little generous.

        • I try to be generous Johnny...except when it comes to Coach...I don't want to encourage him.

        • Not sure what coach thinks (But he is a deep thinker, so I'm sure he's thinking right NOW)
          But I absolutely agree with you; This coaching staff is pathetic.

        • "Talent" is a very interesting term, Tomb, and I believe it goes beyond the physical aspect we often reference, to the mental and attitudinal traits of an athlete. AD is not only physically talented, but his attitude is a huge part of what makes him the talent known by everyone around the league. I question that in a significant number of our Vikings players. There are some mental pieces to our performance yesterday that cause me as much concern as do the physical shortcomings, maybe even more so.

          From the fans perspectives, its hard to know the whole story about this team. Do some players need a wake-up call like yesterday? Will it matter to some? Does this alert the coaching staff to the fact that greater attention to detail is needed? I know people may tire of hearing about the "good old days", but stars like Paul Krause, Mick Tinglehoff, Grady Alderman, Dave Osborne and Jeff Siemon were not necessarily of the utmost physical ability, but they were very football smart, and just plain did not make a lot of mental mistakes. Paul Krause is in the Hall of Fame, and Mick Tinglehoff should be, because of their football intelligence.

          The timing and nature of our penalties, the angles and effort on tackling and blocking, the inability to anticipate and understand what is happening on a play, all combine to make me ask if people like Cook, Sanford, Kalil, Robinson and Henderson are even as "talented" as they are made out to be. Whether its coaching or talent, the burden is on Leslie & Co. to figure this thing out and take action. There has been far too much attention paid to the QB position while so many other issues need to be addressed. I suspect many of those issues are between the ears.

          We are fooling ourselves if we think that all we need is Josh Freeman to turn this thing around. Frankly, things will not look much different with him than with the other two unless some other areas improve.

        • Coach, all things considered, where on a scale of 1-10 do you rate Frazier as a HC and Spielman as a GM?

        • Tough call, krug, but don't want to be accused of backing away from such a question as this. I would settle on a 5 for Leslie and a 7 for Spielman, as follows:
          Leslie Frazier is a quality and principled coach, and I firmly believe that leads to success. He has done a good job of overseeing the team, and I am, or at least, was, of the belief that he had the team in hand, and was marching them upwards. I am disappointed that he is overseeing a team of such weakness on defense, given his background. He was not handed the best of situations, including that of QB, but he needs to show he can lead the team out of this. Remember, he led them to the playoffs in his first full year, so some rope has to be allowed here, as this is really the first time in over a year that his team has not been in a position to win the game at hand.
          Rick Spielman has brought in some good players, drafted what we all believed were some other good players, and moved along those who seemed to have no future. It has appeared that he has improved the roster since taking over. I think he knows what he's doing, but in the absence of not having even won a playoff game, I can't say his apparent good moves have elevated him any higher than a 7.
          Looking forward to the reaction...

        • Coach.....thanks for your answer.....bout what I'd say.....maybe a little high on GM but time will tell.....guess this season will dictate Frazier's future, because I don't believe a 4-5 rating at season's end would get Les a new contract.....you are a patient fan...

        • Close, but not exact. Luckily, I'll give you partial credit for showing your work. For Frazier, it's simply his winning pct. rounded off, I believe that gives him a 4, not a 5. Spielman's 7 is accurate. I'd share the mathematical workup, but it's far too complex to deploy here.

        • Wow, partial credit. I'll sleep well tonight.

        • Outside of the multiple late night trips to the john, that is.

        • Wow, I'm surprised at your low ranking of Coach Frazier. I do agree however.
          There can be no question about the fact that he is a quality Man and very principled.
          But it didn't lead to success.
          Remember a couple years ago, just after Coach Frazier took over and I made the comment that I'd just once like to see him get a bit mad, throw his hat down, yell at a player, kick some dirt on a Ref? SOMETHING, but gad zooks man, let these guys know you're pissed (And CARE!)
          I really think that a guy, who is in charge, personality bleeds off on those around him and this current team is what we get; "Gotta' get smarter, gotta' play better" (Which it seems Coach Frazier says at every Press conference, at the end of every defeat)

          I just can't see him leading this team out of this. Just too many problems in ALL facets of the team.

          Spielman, I really don't know which way to go. Made some good moves, made some bad ones. He's not near as important to the team and their chance to become a Champion as the Head Coach.
          But truthfully, I wouldn't mind seeing them both go.

      • Pretty hard game to watch. You'd think after a bye and at home, we'd be better prepared.

      • I was watching the game via an internet site, which sucks but this was the first time I turned off the game before it was over and went out and raked leaves, in over 50 years!
        That's how bad this team, front office and coaching staff sucks.

• Our defensive personnel have intelligence issues.

• What kind of taunting can you do when you're playing on a defense getting owned by one of the lowest scoring teams in the league? The Panthers know how to play defense. We do not.

  • At least we didn't see Jared raising his right arm up, motioning the crowd to make noise, today. Did you notice that? I think Jared also knew, what's the point?

    • The dome was pretty quiet except the boos. It was loud to start the game but that didn't last very long and I think you're right Jared knew it.

• This defensive effort today has been beyond pathetic, and really, the entire team outside of Adrian Peterson should be absolutely embarrassed by this performance. When your star player decides he's going to play despite such a personal tragedy and everyone else comes out and craps the bed like this today... Between the bye week and what I would expect to be some serious inspiration seeing Peterson come out to play today I never would have expected the team to play this poorly. What a disappointing display.

• Well, that was beyond ugly. Perhaps vulgar?

  I had to watch at the local watering hole, so I couldn't 'hear' the game, and sort of quit watching after awhile.

  There a viable reason AD only had 10 carries?

  • I would say the defense allowing multiple 10+ play drives that ate up most of the clock had a lot to do with AD's 10 carries. He also basically didn't play in the 4th quarter.

• This is what I hate about Vikings fans, They boo every thing Ponder does so they can get Cassel, but when they get Cassel is worse then Ponder, but they don't boo him. It has happened for years. I remember way back to the Tommy C Kramer and Wade Willson days, Vikings fans have been this way. Its like the Vikings fan thing the QB on the bench is the next great star. Ponder would have been better today then Cassel, but thanks to the fans we didn't get to find out.

  • That's true, Vikings fans are the ONLY fans who do that, right? No other team has has ever had to deal with that.

    WTFVikes, I have to assume you are a younger guy. I don't mean that as an insult, I'm just sayin', this is SOP for any team. Hell, just today, Texans fans were literally cheering Schaub's injury.

    It's the nature of the beast.

    • 46 Tomb. Started watching Vikings that I can remember when I was 6. I watched many a heatbreak with Vikings. I saw the wrong way touchdown live. Two or three super bowl losses. My dad was a Packer fan. He tried to get me to support the Broncos in the late 70's. But I stuck with the Vikings.

      • Oh Ya Tomb back then growing up in western ND we only had 2 tv stations NBC and CBS, so I missed a lot of games, But I watched every Vikings game I could. I think we got PBS in the late 70's and ABC around 82 to 84.

        • Jeebers, you're a couple years older than me...

      • Jim Marshall, 1964 is when it happened. Are you sure you watched it live? 49 years ago?

        • Math is hard.

        • You're under 46 Tomb?
          Oh! to be 46 again.
          Or 56.. . . .

        • I hear ya, Fran. Even if it was just to spend less time in the john.

        • Ha!

        • Ironic, isn't it? Teenage boys and old men both spend far too much time in the bathroom, but for vastly different reasons.

    • So Tomb the Ponder hater can you say Cassel is horrible also?

      • Off of what, a 1-1 record? Wouldn't that make me what you just lamented, an ad hominem fan? I think our issues are much larger than QB.

        In any case, how Cassell does has no bearing on all the chances Ponder has had to establish himself as our franchise QB.

        ..and FYI, I don't hate Ponder as a person.

        • Cassel didn't have anything to do with how the defense had there butts handed to them today. He took a big shot on that first pick and then Sanford had a chance to give us the ball right back on the next play and dropped an easy pick like we've seen him do multiple times before. That dropped pick just set the tone for the entire game in my opinion. We all know Cassel isn't the long term answer here, he's just holding the spot while Freeman gets ready.

• I had hopes for a .500 season....now we can only hope for the draft. You know it's bad when Mr. ABV starts the lawnmower at halftime and we pick up leaves instead of laboring through the 2nd half. They look so unprepared...it would be Keystone Copish....if it weren't so painful. Might be the lowest ratings ever for MNF next week...yikes! Try to have a good week, Vikes fans.

• I think Frazier and company should be fired this week. Clean house. Then bring Freeman. I don't if the Vikings have to hire somebody off the street.

• saw a post that, as HC, frazier has lost all three games after the bye, and i think they were all pretty bad. doesn't look good for 'ol les

  we had nothing up front on both sides of the ball. what happened since last year? just wow, is all i can say about our lines

  can we rescind loadholt's contract? freeman might be looking for a rescission clause in his contract, and espn surely would like to rescind their next MNF game

  don't think that it can't get worse, either. the gnats could easily get their first win monday and sour freeman's first start, and how about if musgrave was named the new interim head coach