So. . .What Good Can Come Of This For the Vikings?
I don't want to seem like a negative Nancy here or anything, but of all the crappy things that have happened to the Vikings this season. . .losing E.J. Henderson, losing Madieu Williams, losing Heath Farwell. . .keeping Brad Childress. . .the potential loss of the Williams Wall in the middle of the defense at this critical juncture of the season is something that I don't think any of us could have envisioned.
There's an old axiom in baseball that says that in order to be successful, you need to be strong up the middle defensively. The Vikings are the quintessential football example of this rule when they're completely healthy. Pat and Kevin Williams are without peer when it comes to defensive tackle combos, E.J. Henderson was developing into one of the game's best middle linebackers, and Darren Sharper and Madieu Williams promised to be a formidable safety combination. This Sunday against Houston, depending on what Madieu's neck is doing, there's a chance that the only one of those five players that will see the field is Sharper.
The potential loss of the Williams Wall. . .and I keep using the word "potential" because. . .well. . .because I'm crazy enough to believe that there's a small chance that they won't be suspended. . .leaves us paper-thin at defensive tackle for the next month. Without #93 and #94, the only defensive tackles on the Vikings' roster are Fred "BZZZZZZZZZT" Evans, rookie Letroy Guion and Ellis Wyms. That's it. That's the list. I don't believe we have any defensive tackles on the practice squad, either.
So, with that being said, there's some good news to be had, and some bad news to be had. Let me start with the bad news.
It may be time to start looking forward to the 2009 season.
Yes, just like all of you. . .even though some of you will swear otherwise. . .I'll be watching the Vikings every week and hoping for a miracle run to the post-season or something like that. But the fact remains that if we're without Phat Pat and Big Kev for the next 4 games, we're staring at a 3-8 record. 4-7 at best. Even if we were to get to 9-7, that's probably not going to be enough to win the NFC North and, as a result, not good enough to get Minnesota to the playoffs. If that happens, it will mark the first time in Minnesota Vikings' history that they will have had four consecutive non-playoff seasons.
The good news?
It may be time to start looking forward to the 2009 season. . .a season that will see the Minnesota Vikings with a new coach on the sidelines and an exciting, new, young quarterback calling the signals.
Yes. . .if this team fails to make the playoffs, and particularly if this season turns into the kind of disaster it's shaping up to be, I honestly feel that Brad Childress will be packing up his kick-ass offense and looking for a new job. Since he seems to love the University of Wisconsin so much, maybe he can get on as the head coach there. (It would be a perfect fit, considering that the Badgers suck, their coach is a joke, and Wisconsin sucks in general.) But, rest assured. . .the Brad Childress era is coming to an end, ladies and gentlemen. And it can't come soon enough for this Viking fan, and I know that many of you agree with me.
So, no matter how black the darkness gets, if you look hard enough, you can always find that one little ray of sunshine. Can any of you draw any positives from this season in light of the past couple of days? If so, feel free to toss them out here.
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That video made me cry. Is all hope really gone?
In AP I trust
by FarvaForTheVikings on Oct 27, 2008 8:28 PM CDT reply actions
Oh, come on!
You can’t cry watching Monty Python! (-:
The Daily Norseman - The greatest Vikings' site on the Internet!
by Christopher Gates on Oct 27, 2008 8:34 PM CDT up reply actions
Not doomed just yet...
I know ESPN isn’t the greatest for news but it said on the bottom that Childress expects that Pat and Kev to start this sunday.
I’m left in the dark on this one. Serious question though. Why are water pills illegal in the NFL?
The Why and Wherefore as in the Court of the Red Queen
Water pills are banned because the commish is afraid that they can be used to flush other banned things out of the body. Since the product the Williamses have taken doesn’t list the NFL banned substance as an ingredient on the bottle, you might think that it would be allowed, but in the No Fun League, the rules are made so as to presume guilt on the player for not navigating the NFL’s lists of approved and banned products. Of course, no NFL trainer is allowed to discuss such this matter of what’s kosher and what’s not with their players, because you don’t think the NFL wants to assume any responsibility other than dealing out punishments, do you?. It’s similar their views on instant replay: Whatever the NFL officials decide goes, even if it’s obvious they are all as blind as Mr. Quincy Magoo. The NFL is never wrong, even when they are. Keep this in mind. Maybe the eight players can sue the supplier and win enough money to retire from football or even form their own league. Always look on the bright side of life.
Season Ended on 4th and 1 against Chicago
The entire Vikings season can be summed up in one botched play … Late 3rd quarter at Soldier Field. 4th and 1 on the Bears 36. Childress, or a member of his hand-picked staff, decides to pass. Pure genius. Peterson is averaging 6 yards per carry, so you go with the weakest part of your game. Result? Ferotte to Berrian: incomplete.
Da Bears take over and 4 plays later are in the endzone. What could have been a tie game, or even a Vikings lead, is now almost out of reach at 41-31.
Whatever happened to going with your strength when the season is on the line?
Strength?
You mean like taking AP out on 3rd and 4th down plays, and not running Chester Taylor, who would be a starter on the majority of NFL teams hardly at all this season?
Childress keeps trying to cram his idiotic offensive scheme down everyone’s throat. He’s simply incapable of running anything other than a West Coast Offense from 20 years ago. He might as well bring in a 100 year old Jerry Rice and his slant route.
This team is not built for a WCO. It is built for a power running game, but it appears Childress would rather die than adapt.
by liveforadrenaline on Oct 28, 2008 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Song just came up on my Zune, perfect for this situation
If there’s a bright side to this suffering
Can you help me see?
It’s getting harder to believe.
-The Bright Side of Suffering, Scary Kids Scaring Kids
In AP I trust
by FarvaForTheVikings on Oct 28, 2008 10:41 PM CDT reply actions
Pennington, Gus, and TJ, Oh My
Does anyone know why Pennington went to the Dolphins? Did the Vikes not even try to snag him?
I know this isn’t a ‘bright spot’, I’m just curious as to why the best-fit QB to lead the Vikes in a real WCO for the next 5 years slipped past us.
The real pain, for me, is this; even if we draft the most awesome rookie QB to come down the pike in years, he’ll need some time to learn and grow. That means 2-3 years as a backup. That means we still need a decent veteran QB, and even if I thought that Gus was the Man, I don’t think he’s the Man for 2-3 more years.
If we don’t get a great veteran QB, the best thing to do might be to stick TJ back into the frying pan and see if he can be cooked into something that looks like a starting NFL QB. Maybe he isn’t a franchise QB, but he’s what we got.
Else, it seems to come down to staring at the rest of the NFL’s QBs like a pack of hungry vultures waiting for a potentially decent QB to have a falling-out with his team and come available to the Vikes.
Pennington
I agree with DC. Chad might have been a good fit in Minn. How long did he play with that smelly offensive in in NY before Jets management decided to shore it up? Then they reward Chad by signing Brett and letting him go. Now the Dolphins have shown improvement under him with less talent than the Vikings have on paper. Yes, he could have been the answer while the Vikes attempt to draft a good QB and groom him for the future.
Sure his stats were dismal and inconsistant at times but, when your O-line was no better than silly putty what can you expect?
by CitrusFLViking on Oct 30, 2008 10:41 AM CDT reply actions
PS
Why is Pat Williams the only one speaking up for himself in this “Water Gate” scandle?
Maybe cause he is not guilty and if anyone has to worry about weight clauses it is obvious he does.
Maybe of all these guys Pat is the true goat in all this. Then, as I said, “How can these guys not know that the substance was banned?” A friend who tried out in the NFL says teams always lecture guys on these things so they know they need to be careful with whatever they take and check it out first.
by CitrusFLViking on Oct 30, 2008 10:48 AM CDT reply actions

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