Round One Goes to Rosenfels
by Anthony21 on Aug 14, 2009 9:13 PM CDT
in Minnesota Vikings
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PrintIn the quarterback competition, Sage Rosenfels has won the first round decisively. That much was decided tonight, as Rosenfels played two drives and couldn't have performed much better than he did. Tarvaris Jackson, meanwhile, treated Vikings fans to a rough couple of quarters -- which were somewhat salvaged by an impressive performance on the ground from Albert Young but will still be remembered for T-Jack's stumbles.
Of course, the disclaimers: The Colts were playing without a single starter in the secondary, and they've never been a team terribly interested in winning preseason games. As a result, saying that this game somehow ended the quarterback competition would be a mistake. But Rosenfels nevertheless pulled ahead tonight.
Rosenfels was getting the ball out of his hands quickly, taking good care of the football while throwing four of his 10 completions to Visanthe Shiancoe. This is undoubtedly the start of a trend, as Shiancoe was a big, dependable target for Rosenfels throughout the first quarter. He caught everything Sage threw his way.
Also notable is the fact that the Vikings converted on a pair of fourth downs while Rosenfels was in the game. One came courtesy of Adrian Peterson, but the other was a 17-yard strike to Shiancoe that took the Vikings into the redzone. It's just one of the plays Sage made that T-Jack likely wouldn't have. Rosenfels threw three incompletions and made only one mistake: Throwing to a double-covered Bobby Wade on third and short to start the second quarter. That incompletion brought up fourth down and was Rosenfels' final play of the game.
T-Jack entered and was tough to watch. First play: Ball slips out of his hand. That really represents the contrast between these two quarterbacks. Sage exits the game after near-perfect execution for two consecutive drives. He and Shiancoe had a great rhythm going. Then T-Jack enters the game and makes mistake after mistake.
In his defense, he was playing with the second-teamers while Sage was playing with the starters. He clearly wasn't comfortable with the guys who surrounded him out there, likely as a result of not having practiced with them too much. I should also note that T-Jack's third quarter performance was better than his second quarter performance.
But the fact remains: T-Jack just wasn't making good throws. He was having difficulties staying poised while under pressure, and several of his throws were either thrown behind or far beyond his intended target. He didn't lose the quarterback competition tonight, but he's on thin ice after this game and has some ground to make up.
It will be telling when the roles are switched next week, and Jackson plays with the starters while Rosenfels gets the backups. Indeed, another sub-par performance from T-Jack could bring the competition to a virtual conclusion.
That will be the headline from the game: Rosenfels excels while T-Jack stumbles. But the performance by the first-teamers on defense shouldn't be overlooked. For the brief period he was on the field, Peyton Manning was battered by the defensive line. Ray Edwards, Jared Allen, E.J. Henderson and Fred Evans all took part in the sack-fest, but the true credit goes to an excellent performance by the secondary. Manning just didn't have any options out there.
The lack of Percy Harvin was disappointing -- a shoulder injury kept him out. Aside from the quarterback competition, the way Harvin is utilized by the coaching staff is on the short list of things to watch this preseason. We didn't get any answers tonight but will hopefully get a taste of Harvin next week.
Best news of the night: Everyone stayed healthy. Berrian got nicked up, but his leg appears to be OK. Rosenfels came up limping after taking a hit early in the game, but he walked it off. Avoiding key injuries is obviously the biggest concern for any team during the preseason -- and so far, so good for the Vikings.
Update: Well, maybe I spoke too soon. Zulgad noted late Friday night that Berrian gingerly made his way from the locker room to the team bus, despite Chilly downplaying the injury.
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Radio
I found a radio station covering it, an Indy station, lol! Still, it was interesting listening to it from the other side of the ball…
We can look at the caveats on Indy not using a lot of first stringers, but let me tell you, those guys are bitter and sad and disappointed. They weren’t impressed by any of their players, all game long.
On the other hand, it was pretty clear that Sage did well, and Albert Young was on full display, to his advantage. T-Jack sounded just as shakey as you said.
Wish I could watch it, though…
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Speaking of watching the game...
could anyone who watched talk about EJ and how he looked? Running smooth, full power and “in it” mentally?
He looked solid. The big play I remember is a sack on Manning he shared with Fred Evans. He looked just as fast as ever when closing in on Manning.
On that sack. . .
I was like “who the heck was that flyin’ to the quarterback? Tyrell Johnson on a blitz?” no it was E.J.
There isn’t any doubt that he’s as fast, I think he’s faster. . .def faster than they had him oh madden 09 last year!
by 123farve567-612 on Aug 17, 2009 7:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Colts fans are spoiled
used to seeing very good football being played by our team.
It's shocking what you can miss sometimes. The amazing color changing card trick.
by shake n bake on Aug 14, 2009 11:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, but come on, this is pre-season. The teams are more interested in giving everyone a piece of practice against an unpredictable opponent, and getting a look at what the newbies can bring to the table. Winning is for the newbies to try to impress someone with, but it’s no indication of what the real team can do. The two radio announcers seemed to take things a bit too seriously.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
I didn't listen to any radio
it was too far behind the comment threads and gametracker, so I don’t know how bad they were.
I think seeing the 4th best OT on the team start and get Peyton sacked twice put everyone in a bad mood, in addition to Colts fans being spoiled by the regular good play.
and maybe the announcers you heard were whiners. I don’t know.
It's shocking what you can miss sometimes. The amazing color changing card trick.
by shake n bake on Aug 14, 2009 11:56 PM CDT up reply actions
It would take a big shift for Jackson to win now
I was hoping to see much more from Jackson, but more important is I wanted to see a QB look like they cared about winning the QB battle. Rosenfels really went after the job tonight and your take is spot on that he has a big lead in the race.
The other big takes are a great defense with good depth, good special teams, and back-ups on offense looking sloppy (not just Jackson). I was really surprised by our pass coverage. I don’t think any of us thought the DB (outside of Winfield & Griffin) were as good as they played tonight. Kick coverage was better than at any time last year and I’d go so far as to say it was good (but not quite great). Finally, if things don’t change the guys who get the last spots on offense will be the ones who don’t make dumb mistakes.
Jackson will get his chance
Jackson was under duress all night while Sage sat comfortably behind the starting line. We won’t have a clear answer on tonight’s game until next week when the roles are reversed. But Jackson certainly didn’t do himself any favors tonight.
The Starting O-line was in there for the second quarter as well.
So, that’s not entirely true.
When you go to somebody's house, you don't crap on their floor. Being a fan of one team does NOT give you license to be a dick to fans of another.
by Robert Rence on Aug 15, 2009 8:03 AM CDT up reply actions
The only starters still in when Jackson entered the game were Loadholt and Sullivan. Yes he threw some bad balls, but the line didn’t do him any favors.
Just saying, we’ll see how things look next week when the immobile Rosenfels gets to stand behind that sieve.
by Cobra312004 on Aug 15, 2009 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes, i’m sure his first snap fumble and seriously overthrown passes from a decently protected pocket were the o-line’s fault. thumbs down
Marginal
After watching some CFL games this year (I hadn’t watched those hosers in 20 years, they’re VERY different from the boring games I remembered!), and seeing how common their ‘high-hikes’ are, it’s difficult to feel too much sympathy for T-Jack on that account. It was only one bad hike, and T-Jack had a lot of bad plays all by himself. He seems downright reluctant to step up into the pocket, instead preferring to try to move backwards and stay behind the pocket. That put him in the direct path of the Colts’ DTs.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Well.....
perhaps the reports last week about him being in pretty bad shape werent accurate? who knows. But anyways, this is somewhat telling, but would need a few more games to make a definate answer.
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk"
ROSENCOPTER!!!!!
I for one was ecstatic to see a QB in minnesota that could make the passes accurately on time. I have been waiting for a QB with speed and accuracy for along time. There has been a lot of talk about the receivers being sub par and I have thought for years, the problem was quarterback play.
Encouraging
I’m glad Rosenfels played well. Let’s hope he can keep this up through the rest of the preseason and all the way into the playoffs. On the other hand, I hope that he is less dependent upon the TE position. I’ve always said that a good TE is a bad QB’s best friend. NFL GameDay also noted that both QBs had the benefit of passing from rushing formations with a few from passing formations on obvious passing downs. Rosenfels got the job done in all of those situations.
TJ may have had 2nd string receivers in the game with him, but he also was throwing against a watered down defense.
Exactly
I don’t buy the argument at all that just because a QB is playing with second stringers means that his performance evaluation should be modified. In preseason games the cream always rises to the top, especially once you start playing all the subs. Remember Tyler Thigpen? That guy, even though he was a third or fourth stringer at the time, was clearly better than his competition (and TJax apparently). Same goes for Albert Young tonight, or Heath Farwell, Gus last year, or any other guys. If TJax has really made an improvement to his game, he would be feasting on what the subpar defense was giving him. I mean seriously—if Brady or, ahem, Manning were out there with our second stringers, we’d be expecting dominance, right? The time is drawing nigh to close the door on the starting TJax experiment. Just my opinion, anyways.
"Come on Eddie, let's get serious."
by biggity2bit on Aug 14, 2009 10:20 PM CDT up reply actions
And
Consider that Sidney Rice was 2nd string tonight (previously considered good enough to be our #2). Many readers who post on this very website were defending Rice as the real #2 up to the draft in April.
Rosenfels was able to get the ball to Andre Johnson well enough last year
I wouldn’t be so worried about the passes to Shiancoe. His problem was fumbles and sucking in the 4th quarter from what I remember.
All Good points
Yeah, I still cringe with the Thigpen thing. But anyways, since I am sitting here at the airport in Albuquerque waiting for my 7AM flight to Cincy, tons of time to spare. It’s very interesting how this may turn out, and if Sage does keep this up, I think not matter what Chilly thinks or say’s, he will have to give up on the T.J. expirement. Also, given the fact that Ziggy has come out and said there will be not talk of a contract with Chilly also tells me that no matter who is QB, it’s going to be a make or break year for him as well. While Sages past performances as a starter have had some people concerned, he has been on teams that were slightly below mediocre at best. This is his first time on a team that does have the capacity to make it to the Superbowl, so perhaps he will sow that he is worthy? Stay tuned on this batchannel!
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk"
by VikesFaninNM on Aug 15, 2009 7:13 AM CDT up reply actions
True
But was that because Sage was good or because Andre Johnson was being Andre Johnson? I think Sage’s chances of success are ok, but I’ll need to see more before saying that those chances are great.
For me
The big question with Sage (for me) is whether he’s willing to play within and execute the system. I think Andre Johnson will make every QB look better (the Moss effect), but that also comes with a downside of trying to force the ball to him sometimes because Andre can do so much with it (the Moss effect, aka Randy Ratio). The Vikings lack a WR like Andre, which may turn out to be something of a silver lining. If Sage can simply locate the open man and make completions (like he was doing with Shank last night), then I think we will be OK at QB.
"Come on Eddie, let's get serious."
by biggity2bit on Aug 15, 2009 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions
QB competition rigged?
The only thing I wanted to see from SAGE that I did not see was a good long one. Was it not there or just not called. Next week TJ will probably have the advantage of the VIKES #1 pick on the field. An advantage not given to SAGE because he was dinged up or is this a nice way of letting TJ have every break possible. Either way it was good to see SAGE be decent tonight because even if the coach hands to job to his favorite we all know how fragile he is. I know TJ maybe is not used to working with some of these guys but her overthre in double coverage and and had he led on reciever rather than having it way behind he might of had a TD. I tought the announcers were harder on Booty’s one bad throw than on TJ several bad throws and bumbling. As of this moment it just seems like TJ can not take the pressure. One other note BOOTY drop back and set are the best of the 3 and TJ is the worst. Consistant footwork hlep get consistent passes as far as the timing goes. Mike Martz drills on that, obviously after 4 years this staff has not been able to teach TJ that or much else. If anything I think BOOTY deserves more time. SAGE – BOOTY – TJ.
That’s the thing. There was not much of Berrian and no Harvin on the field. I guess Childress wanted to go conservative.
Well, perhaps not wanting to get Berrien banged up? who knows, Indy didnt have many if any of their main guys in there for long or at all, so might be reading a little too much into that. Tho at this point, I dont think anything is going to help T.J.
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk"
by VikesFaninNM on Aug 15, 2009 7:15 AM CDT up reply actions
It is over
Sage is the winner. just how he handle the biltz. would win the competition. So a word for tjack enjoy the bench. May be you will learn something.
First off, I need to say that I only got to listen to the game on the radio.
Sage sounded solid, making plays against indy’s second team secondary. But let’s not freak out and label Sage the starter already. Tjack did pretty much the same thing last year in the preseason as well. I don’t have a NFL.com in front of me, but I am pretty sure he completed like 80% of his passes as well, and that was against a first team defense.
I do hope sage is the real deal, because I know the chances of tjack succeeding in this league are about 40%.
But let’s not jump on the Sage Stagecoach (instead of bandwagon cause it sounds cooler) already, lest we be disappointed again like a typical Vikings season.
Remember, this IS preseason, even I have the capability to look good in a preseason game and I have never played a down at qb since my bar league touch football team, and highschool before that.
by Bjorno on Aug 14, 2009 10:20 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Definitely....
Rosenfels wins this one…. I was not disappointed with ANYTHING he did….even his throwing the ball away was fine with me.
His most impressive was his interview…..in-depth talk about the Colts and their new defensive coordinator….you don’t hear that kind of stuff from Jackson.
Jackson played with the 2nd ‘n’ 3rd team but that is NO excuse. He knows he’s competing and he’s letting the pressure get to him again!
At this point, Rosenfels tops the charts.
A total turn of conversation: Our defense kicks major ass.
I don’t care how many starters sat out of the game…….our defense is so ready to take on opponents, I can actually sit back and relax while watching. Manning = NEGATIVE 14 passing yards!? That’s one thing I will take as a huge win and proof that our defense really deserves to be considered a top 3 defense in the league.
Liked what I saw……even without Harvin…….SKOL VIKINGS!
The Ghost of Favres Past
Not only did Sage outperform TJack, but I can’t imagine a resurrected Brett Favre performing any better. In other words, Favre’s ghost will not haunt us—at least for now…
Thus I salute the fortress,
Safe from terror and dread.
Wife, follow me
and dwell with me in Valhalla!
by Franciscan Viking on Aug 14, 2009 10:24 PM CDT reply actions
I "watched" tonight's game.
By which I mean I spent time drinking with my football buddies and glancing at the screen when the offense was on the field. And I agree that it appeared that Rosenfels did a better job. Aside from Kleinsasser’s drop, and the ball swatted out of Jaymar’s hands, there was only one incompletion I could hang on Rosenfels, so good job on you! 11/12 is a good way to impress folks.
Jackson looked erratic. His throws were typically well off-target. And while you could say that it was the fault of being with the second team, I don’t think the first-team had an extra two feet of height to make the grabs necessary.
Finally, Booty looked like Ass.
Next week I’ll be at the game, so I’ll do my best to grab some pictures.
When you go to somebody's house, you don't crap on their floor. Being a fan of one team does NOT give you license to be a dick to fans of another.
Ass
Robert you are giving him tooo much credit, Booty looked like a bad high school QB. He is the biggest QB mistake on the team.
by Duluth Viking on Aug 15, 2009 9:51 AM CDT up reply actions
wrong
Does anything ever thaw out in Duluth? Booty looked better than last year, and better than T-Jack. Booty is not ready to be taken out of the oven yet. But I would make him the #2. His first couple throws looked sharp and on the money.
T-Jack was his typical self and has not improved since last year. The only thing he did well was avoid the rush and not cause turnovers. Most of his passes were either late or off-target. I get why Childress likes him. He looks flashy. I remember his first year, I wanted him to get out there so bad, so much promise. But here we are four years into the experiment and no pay-off in site. I really think he needs at least a year on the bench.
Sage was the man. Favre can plan on expanding the lawn in back yard now.
newmex
Very cold in Duluth this summer, I re watched the game, and JDB wasn’t too bad. I’ve just never liked him, and very weak arm. Booty looked better than last year, but his arm still sucks.
by Duluth Viking on Aug 17, 2009 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Harvin?
Hey, I’m late to the party here so bear with me.
Pretty good victory over a very good team (even though it is the 1st preseason game), but can someone tell me why Percy Harvin didn’t play? Or did he play and just not get any touches? The only way I could follow the game was play-by-play on Yahoo!
(Damn, I wish I lived in Minnesota!)
never mind
I guess it would help if I actually read the article this thread was attached to :)
because....
apparently….the defense ‘n’ the offense got into a very heated battle in the last day of camp and two of our backup safeties decided to sandwich Harvin during a no-contact practice and he hurt his shoulder….nothing serious…apparently….but I think they’re just keeping him out so they don’t spoil the surprise…..maybe?
by gerkvoltage on Aug 15, 2009 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately I worked tonight, so I missed the whole game. But I just watched the highlights. Ignoring the now-normal ADrian Peterson/Chester TAylor greatness, I was impressed with Shiancoe, and also Rosenfels. Sure, they weren’t playing against the Colts top 5 defenders, but they still made the most of it.
My only cretique of Rosenfels this game as A) throwing to, I believe it was, Bobby Wade in double coverage. It was caught, but that was a scary throw. and B) When he was flushed from the pocket, rather than sliding, he dove. Is this not something we’ve ragged on Jackson for? Is that not the reason he fumbled the ball and lost the game for the Texans against the Colts last year? Sage, you performed well, you’ve got a golden opportunity here. You’d have picked up just as many yards sliding as you did diving, with less of an injury/turnover risk.
Highlights
Those are all I saw too (so far, that is… TYT should have the game for DL later today, fingers crossed), and I wasn’t happy with either of the things you mentioned. What was funny, in retrospect, is that pass into double-coverage is a typical T-Jack throw, only when he does it, the pass is so hard and fast you can barely see it – less change of being picked off. Still, it really was good to see a Vikings QB that wasn’t constantly looking to take off running, a man who naturally stepped up into the pocket and hung in there long enough to find someone open. Seeing that was like a huge sigh of relief, when you didn’t know you were holding your breath :)
The dive vs slide thing is how Rosey got ’Coptered, and it looks like a bad habit rather than a judgement issue.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Arguably
I rag on T-Jack when he dives at the last second, Sage dived when guys started to get near him.
When you go to somebody's house, you don't crap on their floor. Being a fan of one team does NOT give you license to be a dick to fans of another.
by Robert Rence on Aug 15, 2009 8:06 AM CDT up reply actions
I live on the west coast...
and it wasn’t on here either… but watchng the replay now… Rosenfels looked alot like Frerotte last year… minus the deep pass… so you can’t get too excited… but Rosenfels looked more poised than Jackson, and it shouldn’t matter which string team your working with, cuz your probably also working against the 2nd string D… anyways… good to see EJ out there again… he looks back to normal… and Loadholt looked like he’s been at this level for awhile
by San Diego Viking on Aug 15, 2009 12:55 AM CDT reply actions
Interesting
I didn’t watch the game but I just saw some highlights on ESPN, and looked at some stats. Sage looked like he fared well, but the Colts did play any of their secondary starters which had to have helped things. I also saw that Jackson completed like 46% of his passes or something like that. Not very good, especially when you take into account he was playing the 2nd and 3rd stringers. Sounds like your defense looked good, though it probably would have helped had Manning had his starting WRs. From everything I’ve read it sounds like you guys looked good tonight, which is something all you guys have to be happy about. I can’t wait for our game tommorrow night against the Browns! Thank god football has finally arrived.
Football HAS arrived
And amen to that.
When you go to somebody's house, you don't crap on their floor. Being a fan of one team does NOT give you license to be a dick to fans of another.
by Robert Rence on Aug 15, 2009 8:07 AM CDT up reply actions
Be Glad
You aint a Broncos fan,and jealous of Jet Fans.Orton stunk up his debut with the Broncs,yet I loved watching the 1 series Sanchez had.
I was impressed with Sages starting role,thought he was poised,used his check downs well,sustained drives when he had to,let plays run their course.Yes,he had the first string on his first drive and T.J. DIDNT. I think as a Q.B. you play well if they are first or second string.But we will know next week when T.J. starts with first string and Sage with the Seconds.
Sage got to play 1 qtr while T.J. played 2 and sry but I like the 10 points in 1 qtr VS the 3 in 2.Sry I just wasnt impressed with T.J. and really wanted him to have a breakout year,the drivers seat is his for the taking.But I dont see the improvement in T.J. seen an improvement in Booty which is a good note.Thers still 3 more before start of the for real season,we just need 1 of this Q.B. s to step and really want that starting role and so far I see Sage,Booty,then T.J.
Berrian Injured his Hamstring during the first...Not looking good from the guys at the star trib but Berrian Tweeted that he's just fine.
If Sage plays like he did tonight..we are going to be in for a great season boys.
Comments about above comments
Im in WV, so could not listen to game, but I watch ESPN and CBS play by play coverage on computer, where each play is typed in to read….Also read a glog where they commented on game as it went on….As for Chilly conservative play calling..That’s what he always does..He is just as much to blame as Jackson for past years poor offense. Sage was accurate and really only missed 1 pass..other 2 misses were a drop and def knocking ball out…Jackson’s 1st half of play was 2-7 for 9 yds..both completed passes to Young out of backfield…glog writers sd, Jackson was terrible throwing ball down field and misses wide open recievers…..I dont care if 1st, 2nd, 3rd stringer or fan out of stands being thrown too, Jackson has to hit his target. As for comment Jackson under pressure, not playing behind 1st team line. I just saw ESPN highlights and Sage hit TE Shanko while running to his right…SOOOOO, no more excuses for Jackson..He has the all physical tools needed, but can not mentally handle play at Pro level…AKA..Deer in headlights look..Time to put Jackson development on back burner and let Sage get reps he needs to build better timing with his new team mates…GO VIKINGS !!!!!
Sage
I really liked how quickly Rosenfels got off his passes, which by the way were very accurate. That kind of a delivery by a quarterback will make the offensive line look a lot more consistent. One thing I never liked about jackson is how long he would stand in the backfield holding the ball.
Sage Not Ready?
The reports from camp said that Sage was having trouble picking up the offense and wasn’t looking very good… but he looked pretty good in this pre-season game. Now I’m kinda curious, did he suddenly have an epiphany on how things work in Purple, or was he sandbagging? Or were the reports off? Hrmmn….
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
I was reading conflicting reports really. People who attended the camp said Jackson looked better, but when I was reading the StarTrib articles, the highlights were all about Rosenfels plays pretty much. But we’ll have to see how it goes. Rosenfels probably knows he’s on the inside track now, and just has to keep getting better. The worst thing he can do is suck it up against KC and have Jackson end up doing well. That’d just take away all his momentum.
It's one thing for a QB to look good in practice.
It makes sense that T-Jack looks better in practice. That is more about pure talent and skill and less about football smarts and commanding an offense down field. You rarely simulate the tempo of a real game in practice.
Sage looked better than I thought he would for the first preseason game. Although I read that Indy did not start their top 2 CBs or Safeties. It was still impressive to see him make sharp throws. Shiancoe was his main target, which is good. But he passed well to others as well.
Booty was also a pleasant surprise. He definitely out-performed Jackson. Booty did not see a lot of playing time, but he made more good than bad plays. I think the competition should consider Booty for #2.
Jackson looked like he was always behind the flow of the play and several passes were off the mark. If he does not preform better against KC, I think you have to consider cutting your losses with this guy. It’s one thing to practice hard and be popular, it’s another to lead an offense in a live game. I have never changed my mind about a QB quite this much before. I don’t know how any of his teammates can have confidence in him. He needs to step up quickly.
I was at camp
and believe me I thought Sage looked very good as he is learning to work with new players. He was hitting Harvin and Barrian long and mid range. On short underneath passing drills, both came up short but the drillwas designed to keep the ball low to avoid picks. Jackson, for a guy who has worked with this team 3 years still looked lost as he did yesterday. Sage is a thinker and exhibits patience and some moboility. He will win this job..
Observations-
I thought the Cook experiment at guard looked very good. He seems a lot better there than at OT. One play peope could argue he screwed up when he was double teaming with Sully and a LB broke through. He needs to learn to eyeball that and peel off bu that is tough for a seasoned vet.
Sully was a pleasant suprize, Albert Young and Ian Johnson looked very good and hopefully will continue to impress and we find a spot for both.
Asher (one of my favorites at camp-nice kid) displayed that tough hitting attitude we heard about.
I thought Loadman looked week on outside pass containment.
Booty looked much btter than last year and is making strides. Still would like to se him run a couple series with 1st team. I see New Mex just wrote on that.
My visit home has been wonderful and look forward to seeing the game on Fri.
Will send my pics from camp when I get home.
Skol to all my DN friends
by CitrusFLViking on Aug 15, 2009 11:24 AM CDT reply actions
Cook is still a Penalty-Magnet
That just gets old, man. How many years does Cook get to learn to stop drawing penalties before the Vikings front office decide that he has more value in a trade?
We have some great RBs tho, don’t we? :) . One thing that kinda bugged me was the announcer making the comment that Chester Taylor could be a starting RB with many other teams. It’s one thing for us to mumble about that here, but when they’re saying it on the game tape, it’s more likely to influence CT’s decision-making in the months to come… I’d hate to lose that guy, but if he’s going to go, a trade is the best thing to do. There’s enough depth behind him to cover the position and the Vikings really really need a nice high draft pick next year.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Remember
Last year, game 1 TJack stats: 8-11 for 118 yards and a TD
Sage game 1 stats: 10-13 for 91 yards
This game means nothing. Indy didn’t even play their starting secondary. We will see how we look throwing against KC, Houston and Dallas.
Booty is a disaster. If he sees the field this season we are screwed.
Next Week
I agree that while Rosenfels obviously is ahead in the race to be the starter, we must wait and see how Jackson fares next week when he is running the starting offense. before annointing Rosenfels the winner in the pre-season QB competition.
That said, Jackson has to pull off a hell of a first quarter against KC to overcome the hole he is in.
by Midnight Rambler on Aug 15, 2009 12:25 PM CDT reply actions
Chili
Should definitely keep that beard. Makes him look slightly less dorky.
Watched some of the highlights on NFL.com and liked what I saw out of Ray Edwards. Guy’s always had a ton of talent and just needs to keep his head in the game.
I’m not going to put much examination into the offense at this point in camp. The third preseason game where the starters play most of it, is the game to watch. Let’s see how Jackson does next week and we’ll get a better handle on the qb situation.
by VikingBillArlingtonVA on Aug 15, 2009 12:39 PM CDT reply actions
3 ?s
The way I see it we had 3 question marks leading into this season.
1. The QB state. which in in the process of sorting itself out, most posts are leaning toward Sage.
2. Williams Wall, which is out of our hands, but looking good so far.
3. Offensive Line, I was driving cross country last night and nobody has really commented on this. How did they look?
I will find out myself Sunday night at 10:00 pm NFL network is rebroadcasting the game in the Canton Ohio area at least.
by bleedingpurplesince74 on Aug 15, 2009 1:33 PM CDT reply actions
The O-line
They looked great for the most part. The starting line was only in together for one series (Hutch came out after the first TD drive). McKinnie was invisible for the most part, which is great news when you’re facing an elite pass rusher like Dwight Freeney. Run blocking was solid as usual. Sullivan handled himself well and made some great blitz pickups. Learning from Birk and practicing against two Pro Bowl defensive linemen has clearly had an effect on the kid.
Loadholt looked pretty good for a rookie in his first start. He was beaten on a speed rush occasionally but we know he has struggled some with that in the past. Even when he was beat though he managed to buy our QB’s a little more time. A definite improvement on Cook (which Cook was kind of enough to demonstrate later in the game)
by Cobra312004 on Aug 15, 2009 11:44 PM CDT up reply actions
1) tenyardtorrents.com
2) I thought the line did alright, but could have done better. The more I watch the ‘film’, the more I think that where the line looked porous was more a problem of not adapting to T-Jack’s style of play. The line did it’s job in forming a pocket wherein there was some safety inside. Only T-Jack wasn’t inside, he was behind the line, trying to keep a ‘line of retreat’. The problem was that the way the O-line formed the pocket, it literally channeled the Colts’ DTs straight into T-Jack’s face. Had T-Jack stepped forward, into the pocket, that wouldn’t have happened and he would have had more time. That T-Jack wasn’t sacked outright was sheer luck on T-Jack’s part, not because the O-line kept the Colts off T-Jack.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Bad footwork
I only got to see Sport Center replays, but as I have said befoe, TJ has the worst footwork of any pro QB. He never seems to set even we he is throwing. Sage looked much more poised in the pocket. If next week is more of the same it will be game, set and match.
Skol
by SouthernNorseman on Aug 15, 2009 3:01 PM CDT reply actions
First off, most people need to just settle down. It was one game in the preseason, and looking good in the first preseason game doesn’t get you a roster spot. Derrrick Robertson got the only pick in the game and I can safely say he won’t be on the 53 man roster, even though his stats were better than every other DB in the game. Anyone who thinks this game is an indication of how the season will go or that this was accurate cross section of how well guys will play through out the season are getting way, way ahead of yourselves. Remember, Detroit went 4-0 with their QBs going 70-104 (67%) for 838 yards with 5 TDs and 1 INT. Anyone think we should go after Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky, or Drew Stanton; cause they all looked fantastic in their preseason games.
Second, how can you (Anthony21) can say, “…the other was a 17-yard strike to Shiancoe that took the Vikings into the redzone. It’s just one of the plays Sage made that T-Jack likely wouldn’t have.” That play was a QB bootleg with a pass to the crossing TE. That is the exact same play the Vikings ran to win the Detroit game when Jackson can into the game and scored the winning TD. Its also the play the starts every Jackson highlight reel whenever he or the Vikings QB situation is brought up on ESPN or NFLN. Shiancoe probably caught half of his passes last year on this play and they also ran it a lot to Wade. I understand you have a personal opinion on who you think the QB should be, but you’ve always been a better writer that making back handed comments like this which aren’t based on fact, but bias opinion or agenda.
that's right
everyone knows you only need a drive or two in the first preseason game to determine your starters and your entire roster for that matter.
by iseepurplepeople on Aug 15, 2009 11:05 PM CDT up reply actions
so it's over then right?
the sage who tanked the indy game last year and rode pine for 8 years is gone for good! we got us a pro bowl qb! did you see the way he checked down on nearly every play? it was awe inspiring. and the way the colts threw every single soon-to-be-cut player at him, how did he do it?
did anyone watch our 1st string o-line? that was either a truly awesome performance or a truly pathetic one by indy’s d.
i also saw everyone annointing albert young as our new 3rd back when ian johnson was the 2nd best back in the game (taylor).
1 preseason game doesn’t show much.
by iseepurplepeople on Aug 15, 2009 11:17 PM CDT reply actions
How much of Jacksons mistakes were mental?
And how many were technical? If he is still tender with the knee injury he might need a few more reps to get his technique back in to sync (which might be why Rosenfels started). Not planting and following through correctly will have had an effect on how he was passing.
It’s too soon to make the call yet, but I’m glad to hear how Sage did. Looking at the Ravens, all a teams needs for the Superbowl is a QB as good as Dilfer when the defence is brutal…
Rosenfels and Jackson played against same DBs
It’s precisely BECAUSE the Colts did not play their starting DBs that you can compare Jackson and Rosenfels, because they passed against the same DBs! But, I don’t just look at the completion percentage. Rosenfels was much calmer in the pocket than Jackson. Rosenfels didn’t fumble the ball. Rosenfels hit the receivers in stride. Even Booty looked more comfortable in the pocket than Jackson. Jackson just looks like he’s on the edge of panic every time he drops back to pass. And, did you see how quickly Booty made his decision and got rid of the ball? Jackson just can’t do that, for some reason.
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