An Ugly Game, But Vikings Beat Detroit
by Anthony21 on Sep 20, 2009 3:03 PM CDT
in Minnesota Vikings
Email
PrintThis game surely won't go down as the brightest moment of the Vikings' 2009 season. Let's be blunt: This team's performance in the first half was a downright embarrassment. But hey, it's better to win ugly than lose pretty. And despite the tough goings in Detroit for the Vikings, they escaped with an ugly win.
About that first half. It was a disaster. If the Vikings once again have the best run defense in the NFL, you sure didn't see it today -- because Kevin Smith was essentially getting five and six yards at will. There's no getting around it: This is the worst performance from the defensive line and run defense that we've seen in quite some time.
Things hardly went better on the offensive side. Favre's early-game targets were confined to his running backs. The prospect of throwing the ball downfield was, for whatever reason, apparently out of the question. As was the case last week in Cleveland, Adrian Peterson was held under control early before blowing up later on.
What was to blame for the offensive woes? Two things: The playcalling and the performance by the offensive line. We've seen this before from the coaching staff: Bland, vanilla playcalling that a Pop Warner coach could predict. And on both sides of the ball, the Lions controlled the game in the trenches. While the coaching staff certainly wasn't helping this team make any plays through the air, Favre was under constant pressure and couldn't get comfortable.
It's remarkable the Lions only held a three-point lead at the half, given how thoroughly they controlled the first half. It was the same story as last week for the Vikings: A sluggish start followed by a strong finish. But this team looked more sluggish in the first half than it did in Cleveland, and it failed to dominate the second half like it did last week.
Still, Favre's range of targets expanded. Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice got involved after being silenced in the first half. Some big plays from Adrian Peterson also facilitated the turnaround from a brutal first half.
So what gives? Why have we seen the same thing in two consecutive weeks -- a slow start and strong finish? Part of it has to do with the fact that AD becomes more explosive as the game goes along (in other words, he wears down the defense without wearing himself down). We've also seen Favre work the receiving corps with more frequency as the game drags along -- he started the game with a limited set of targets before bringing in Harvin, Berrian and others in the second half (his first completion to Harvin came with less than five minutes remaining in the first half, and Berrian's only first half reception came within the first few minutes of the game). The defensive line also managed to keep Smith under control in the second half, as Detroit only managed three points in the final two quarters.
The Vikings have had a healthy margin of error in these first two games, just based on the strength of the competition. They've been able to struggle early on before taking control in the second half. But as the schedule gets tougher, that luxury will disappear. Start slowly against the stronger teams in the league, and you're done.
94 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Chilly Rope a Dope?
Joking aside, I just can’t fathom what is up with the play calling. With all the offensive weapons, you can still play a grind it out style; just mix things up a bit. At times, it’s not even vanilla.
My thought on this
is that he feels (probably a very naive thought, IMO) that he should be able to beat these teams w/o digging into the playbook. If not, perhaps the KAO isn’t very…you know…kick ass.
What about what Seifert said?
Seifert’s opinion on his blog over at four letter is that Favre is still learning the offense and his receivers and is ‘winging’ it as much as anything. Perhaps the playcalling will be vanilla until Favre and the receivers are on the same page more.
"Come on Eddie, let's get serious."
I hadn't read that
I was just throwing out one option.
That sounds very plausible though—he’ll need to get on the same page soon, I think SF will be tough.
I dont know...
85% completion rate… 115 QB rating… doesn’t sound like ‘winging it’
I think this team is taking ‘baby steps’ and putting it together week to week.
I believe the 'push off' cost us 'our' SuperBowl...
I believe you 'go for the win'... instead of 'taking a knee'...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Sep 20, 2009 11:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Yep
Why open it up against teams that you don’t need to? Save that for when it is needed. I think that the playcalling is so vanilla in the beginning because the coaching staff thinks that that is all that is needed against such weak defenses. Then, when things aren’t going down as planned, they change it up a bit to take control back.
Again, and to the same point, I think Favre isn’t throwing the long ball because HE DOESN’T NEED TO. I think this approach has worked terrific given the other factors like only being here for a month and whatnot.
I really don’t think that this will be the approach when playing better teams. I think they will open it up from the beginning and not look back.
IF
They don’t address the O-Line problems in pass protection they will never have time to open it up with Favre he is a sitting duck back there right now.
by bleedingpurplesince74 on Sep 21, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
The Chilly way
The offense is being run the way Chilly likes it. True West Coast style. They’ve put up sufficient points each week and done an excellent job limiting turnovers. I really can’t complain with the offense. It has also been excellent in the red zone.
Part of the problem too is pass protection. Any time Favre takes a deep drop and looks further down field the opposing team gets instant pressure and sacks him.
In Agreement
I fully agree with Anthony21, we need to get off to a much better start once we begin playing the really tough teams. Slow starts like this, especially in AWAY games will kill us.
Anyway, glad we won, glad the stupid Packers lost! Eat that, Don Banks – with your idiotic, clearly biased by where you live, #3 ranking of the Packers these past two weeks. Looks like your boneheaded ranking is every bit as dumb as we all thought it was when you unveiled it 2 weeks ago.
Finally, welcome to a brand new Vikings term: Brett Favre to Percy Harvin = FARVIN’ !!!!
YEAH! :D
Should it be
Favrin? Or Pharvin? Or Phavrin?
Eh, either way, I like it. (-:
The Daily Norseman - The greatest Vikings' site on the Internet!
by Christopher Gates on Sep 20, 2009 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Favregnugen!!
Brett Favre is a Viking, and John Smoltz is a Cardinal. The Cubs and Packers still suck. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I don't know much but,
it’s for from poopin ……. the sure cure is old Milwaukee’s best, guaranteed to relieve the pressure!!!
take a kid fishing, it's good for the soul. not only yours, but the child's as well !
try '
a fig newton !
take a kid fishing, it's good for the soul. not only yours, but the child's as well !
Not just a bad 1st half
…but another AWFUL one. I won’t believe in the Vikings as true playoff contenders as long as they need to come from behind at halftime to beat a bunch of playground clubbers like the Browns or Lions.
Your fandom inspires me.
You sir are a beacon of hope in this dismal world. You are a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
Seriously, have you ever heard the term, “Any given Sunday”? Do you know what that means? Are you aware that the Lions always seem to play their best ball against our beloved Purple? Seriously, stop with the crushing pessimism, sit back, and enjoy the Vikings win. They looked like champions in the second half of both games, and nobody else, anywhere, has distinguished themselves enough to change my minds. Right now, the only team that looks better than the Vikings, is the Saints.
by Eric The Viking on Sep 20, 2009 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions
They will get plenty of criticism for this, no doubt...
The only way to fix is to start out faster with a better mix of plays as well as better offensive line play….they have the potential to fix this no issue…I do think Favre will end up injured at some point the way things are going so far if we do NOT fix…
Bottom line: I hope that Chilly gets a little more creative and the O line gets their stuff together! Next week will not be a pushover either, and we all know GB game will be also a killer!
These are just two of many tough opponents to come….We do have the talent and potential no doubt…I do like the way we are able to get in and score with Favre when we need….unlike other years when it seemed we choked when we needed to close in for the kill…
GO VIKES!
by vikingfanfrom afar on Sep 20, 2009 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Besides for Eric the Viking's unending optimism about this mediocre team
I think most sane people will agree with you.
by RipHimToShreds on Sep 20, 2009 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!
But seriously, tell me who’s looked better? Aside from the Saints.
The Eagles? Just got shredded. The Cowboys? Pretty mediocre. The Giants? Still missing Plax. Washington? Barely squeaked by the worst team in the league. The Cardinals? They don’t scare anybody. The 49ers? Not with Shaun Hill at the helm. The Seahawks? Looking pretty poor so far today, I knew last week was a fluke. The Rams? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! The Bears? Not even close. The Packers? Looked really good against the Bungles, didn’t they? The Lions? They hung around for a half, but got rolled in the second. The Panthers? Terrible. The Bucs? Even worse. The Falcons? Maybe.
So… Going through that list, there is one legitimate threat, and one possible threat, in the NFC. The Saints and the Falcons. Seriously, why is this not a cause for optimism?
These past two weeks, a bad team would have given up and gotten rolled in the second half, or ground out an ugly loss. Instead, the Vikings went into the locker room, steeled themselves for the next half of the game, and looked like world beaters.
by Eric The Viking on Sep 20, 2009 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions
That line of thinking will have us eating crow faster than you can say “huh?”.
The teams you listed are not teams to be taken lightly. Just because they haven’t played well yet does not mean they will continue that pattern. We have to come out of the gates more aggressively, or we will end up falling behind a team that actually had a defense.
You really think we will be able to overcome a ten point deficit against the Steelers like we did against the Lions?
We cannot keep playing chilly-ball and still be successful.
Cautious optimism is what is needed, blind optimism will only hurt us in the long run.
by Bjorno on Sep 20, 2009 5:35 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Teams that look better to me
The Saints and the Falcons look better and faced at least 1 quality opponent each.
The Jets looked great last week and came from behind to beat the Patriots this week. They have played against better teams than the Vikings in both weeks, only needing to come back once, and that one time was against one of the best teams in the league.
The Cardinals looked good this week as Kurt Warner had a great day. There will be more days like this and fewer like last Sunday.
The Texans aren’t undefeated because of the Jets last week, but they won a shootout vs. the Titans (a quality defense) this week.
The Cowboys haven’t even played yet this week, so how can you downgrade them at all? I think they are for real again. They play the Giants, so one of these teams will have a worse record than the Vikings for now even though at least one of them is better than the Vikes.
I think that Washington is better than they’ve played so far, but right now the real contenders in the NFC appear to be NO, NYG, DAL, ATL, MIN, ARI, PHI, and CAR. At least two of those will not go to the playoffs, and the Vikes may have the worst OL of the bunch. I do think that SEA or WAS or another NFC North team could sneak into the playoff picture, too.
I'd take CAR off that list
They’ve been pretty awful so far. But the rest are spot on.
Haven't watched them closely
but I did see Delhomme throw a very pretty and precise pass or two today to Steve Smith.
Not Sure
I think all of us here are certainly optimistic (not a bad thing), and surely more realistic than Don Banks, Peter King or many others on the potential of the Vikings….There has been a bit of underrating the Vikings IMHO out there, and in some cases, downright insult…After all, GB/Chicago have been rated higher, although I thought their game was terrible last week…both teams!
One of the ways to get better is to look at what you have done in the past…Certainly the Vikings are better than last year, as can be seen over the past two weeks, when they made come from behind W’s versus while away from home, while othe teams seem to be going in the other direction?
This anakysis is what we are perhaps doing here, and I am sure Chilly and many others on the team will do the same…It can only make us better, and remember, we are still the NFC North champs until someone takes it away frm us….and truthfully, I do not see THAT happening this year!
GO VIKES!
by vikingfanfrom afar on Sep 20, 2009 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions
This year is different
Even when it was 10-0 I knew that the Vikings would come back and win easily. They need to find a way to play better offense early and weather the storm as teams come out stoked. It is clear that the KAO takes a toll on opposing defenses and starts is unstoppable late in games. They just need to find some ways to get it going early.
How about we open a game with a deep bomb.
I would LOVE to see a deep pass on the 1st play of the game!
DET must be better this year than they were last year, so I took nothing for granted when the Vikes were down 10-0 at the half. There should be no storm to weather vs. the basement dwellers. SEA schooled the Rams with a shutout, and the Vikes were down 10 at halftime. That’s a big difference. NO bodyslammed DET many times over in week 1, and the Vikes had to come from behind. The KAO still kicks nothing.
Relying on AP to have 1-3 breakaway plays will get this team about as far as Barry Sanders’ Lions teams 10-20 years ago. Even if the Vikes are able to run over bad teams, they must be able to pass against better teams. Their D is good, but not 2005 or 1985 Bears good.
Hmmmm, not sure what to think
They played about as bad as they could, on the road, in a hostile environment…and still won by two touchdowns. I get the consistency argument, and against a good team, like Bltimore or Pittsburgh, they could find themselves down by 14 or 17 at the half.
That said, I like the composure of this football team. Like last week, they made adjustments and came out strong in the second half. Adrian Peterson ran about as pissed off as I’ve ever seen anyone run, and the defense was flat out dominant in the second half.
The Vikings acted like a veteran team, and didn’t get rattled. I like that.
Oh, and when was the last time you saw a freakin’ tight end linebacker on the hands team? That was frickin’ sweet!
Brett Favre is a Viking, and John Smoltz is a Cardinal. The Cubs and Packers still suck. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I don't buy that either
The Vikings tend to play to the level of their competition in the first half, and run away with it in the second. Regardless, the Lions played some inspired football on defense in the first half, and got a little lucky on offense. The second half, we came out, pumped up to fix past mistakes, and slaughtered them.
The only concerns I have are along the O-line. There was too much pressure getting through, but hell, we’re going to go through some growing pains early in the year. Just wait until week 4, I bet we’ll have it straightened out for the Packers.
by Eric The Viking on Sep 20, 2009 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Hope that coming home will do us some good
if we can get our pass protection issues fixed, we will be awsome.
However the saints were incedible again today!!!!! Vikings and Saints for the NFC title!!!
D was over anxious
Did anyone think the D looked like it was over persuing on some of the run plays? Seems like sometimes they were flying right by the run or taking the wrong lane to the running back. I’m sure they can fix that. Seemed like EJ did that on a couple of plays. Looked much better in the second half. Gotta protect Favre better though.
ay mayn
dont front mayn de vikings be tHOWED mayn COCAINEBLUNTS.com mayn de vikes iz too thowed dat boi AD a beass mayn he in beasssssssssssssssssssssssssssss mode mayn!!!!!!! an mayn hol up!!!!! mayn e vikes thowed cuz de pack an de bears aint nah mean maynnn
MAYN HOL UP!
wuss good mayn
wuss poppin all mah canis hoopaz playaz yall in de playaz circle mayn cuz we finna be BASED maynand saty in beasss mode mayn nah mean mayn wreck dat shit maynnnn
MAYN HOL UP!
he's back
and as incoherent as ever.
The very definition of pure ignorance.
If you can't laugh at yourself... Who can you laugh at?
The Packers, that’s who.
-- The almighty Manimal
This can't be serious.
It just can’t. Yet he keeps coming back. Is it real? I don’t know. I feel like I’m watching Alien Autopsy; it looks so real, but there’s no way, right?
Visit:
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!
did not watch...but
The stats did seem to indicate as Gonzo said in the 1st half. But just watching the stats as the game went I did not have that feeling we were going to lose.
Anyone get the feeling the coaching staff is doing the very conservative thing in the first half to make the opponents later think that is the plan? I mean they must feel confident they can beat these teams, so they play extra conservative in the first half. This to fake out teams later like Pit and Balt.
We may again have our hands full next week with the 49er’s next week last look Gore had over 100 yds in the first half.
by montana vikes fan on Sep 20, 2009 5:16 PM CDT reply actions
thought did cross my mind
I think the rookie oline members really get the benefit of the line coaches breakdown of what the defense is doing against them. They have done very good jobs at shutting down what worked for opponents and correcting for what isn’t working on offense.
by TheEvilProfessor on Sep 20, 2009 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Passing game comes along patiently
O.K. The score wasn’t great at the half. What would it have been if AP hadn’t fumbled? I’ve been saying that we need to give Farve and his receivers some time together. I really liked what I saw with Farve and Harvin ( the farvin). Berriman will get better w/ Farve now that hes back. Coaching staff is showing nothing against these bad teams. If they show this style against good teams then we can blame them and call for heads to roll.
Have to be proud of Farve for eating the ball so many times. No famous Farve turnovers at crucial times.
Can’t be proud of the run defense. Did they play or miss the team buss? I know that bad teams are better than fans give them credit for but really, run, run, run, against the Vikes. Please tell me there is something wrong that is easily fixed. ( Coaching changes don’t count as easy)
by lifelongvike on Sep 20, 2009 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions
All I could see was
the Lions LT grabing Allen’s jersey for the first half. The Lion’s oline in general. if you watch the run plays, the vikings dline couldnt’ disengadge the lions oline. IMO the ref waited way too long to start calling the holding penalties. on the flip side, you could tell that we had two rookies on our oline today. they were just getting beaten with the speed rushes which was why the vikes could get the passing game going in the 1st half.
Side note. The vikings have become much better at changing their game plan in the second half. Say what you want, but it is nice to not crush someone in the first…only to choke in the second.
by TheEvilProfessor on Sep 20, 2009 5:20 PM CDT reply actions
DID YOU REALLY THINK THEY CHANGED 2ND HALF
I thought the game plan was the same. Simply executed better on the defensive side of the ball. Run stop, Interception, Adrian, Adrian and pass when needed.
by lifelongvike on Sep 20, 2009 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I really can’t say that I noticed anything different in the second half either.
Maybe a more balanced run-pass ratio, but most everything seemed similar.
by Bjorno on Sep 20, 2009 5:39 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
thats what
winning teams do. Make adjustments and turn it up in the second half. Better to play better in the second half anyway, because thats when it counts.
JT
All I have to say is...
Chad Greenway, YOU KICK A$$!!!!
We got a win….that’s good enough for me…..and the Packers? Lost to the
Bengals? What a bunch of girls……Of course Bears fans are all cocky now that they beat the Steelers.
after...
The Steelers ‘beat themselves’.
I believe the 'push off' cost us 'our' SuperBowl...
I believe you 'go for the win'... instead of 'taking a knee'...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Sep 20, 2009 8:08 PM CDT up reply actions
We could very easily start the season 3-0
But this first-half sluggishness startles me, and makes me concerned for the mid-season. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves… it’s time to focus on the 49ers and eliminate these slow starts.
And it’s also time to star throwing the ball downfield!
Formerly known as "Andersklasen."
Check out the best Twins' blog on the web: TwinsTarget.com.
More to do with opposition
I think the sluggish starts were more due to the opponents being jacked up and able to stop our ground game early. But once the game drags on a bit and they get a little tired of being physically punished then the flood gates open.
I think the Vikings should try to mix things up early. They like to see the opponents game plan before pulling out misdirection and downfield passing and I understand that but I’d like to see some more end arounds, screens, deep passes, etc. mixed in early. Late in games I think the Vikings will be able to run and dink at will but early they clearly need to mix it up more while the opponent is still fresh and jacked up.
And look, I love AD and he is a beast. Funnest NFL player to watch. But he really seriously needs to tone it down on the huge hits he delivers near the sidelines. Week 2 against the Lions is not the place for that. Go out of bounds.
Looks to me...
Like AP is lowering his head in response to tacklers coming in low…
Like AT HIS KNEES.
I believe the 'push off' cost us 'our' SuperBowl...
I believe you 'go for the win'... instead of 'taking a knee'...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Sep 20, 2009 11:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, Cris Carter was concerned about that too, and he has a point… I just wish he didn’t sound so pouty and whiney these days, when talking about the Vikes.
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!
Farvin's Roots
Just curious if y’all first saw the phrase “Farvin” at this link back on May 4? If not, then great minds think alike.
2-0—it doesn’t get any better than that.
Joe O
Minnesota Vikings Examiner
Go Vikes!
"2-0—it doesn’t get any better than that."
Yeah it does. 3-0 sounds awfully nice.
Formerly known as "Andersklasen."
Check out the best Twins' blog on the web: TwinsTarget.com.
by TwinsTarget on Sep 20, 2009 10:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Division Champs
When the Vikings go into somebody else’s house this year, regardless of who it is and their record, the other team is going to be coming at them with fire in their eyes. Detroit threw a lot of gimmick plays at them in the 1st half and a few worked. Hey, it was Detroit and they had nothing to lose. It also was a division game where the teams know each other. Evil Professor’s right. The Lions held like crazy in the 1st half with the refs unwilling to throw the flag. Kevin Williams had Stafford cold in the backfield on that run of his on 3rd down that was just short of the 1st but was held. Jared was held on several plays also. No calls. Sure the Vikes looked flat but when you look at it, the game turned around on that long drive for a touchdown before the half. It continued into the 2nd half from there. They made adjustments and took care of business. Would I have liked for them to have played better? Sure, but a win is a win. Last year at this time we were 0-2 and the season looked bleak. We played our 1st two games on the road and won both of them this year. Road wins are tough and aren’t always pretty. I’ll take the end result with a win anytime.
I Agree
But there is holding on every play in the NFL
by bleedingpurplesince74 on Sep 21, 2009 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions
2nd half
In the past I alwasy found it irritating that coming out in the 2nd half and start to tear us up. This happend a lot with teams like San Fran in the 80’s. They would script 10 plays in the first half. In the start of the 2nd we would lose footing. I will not mention that run by Steve Young…ops I just did.
Anyway I really like that we can make adjustments and have them work, on D and O. A little more settled in the 1st half and we will be fine.
Can’t believe Chi beat the Pitts. Just means we can do it to.
Does either Dallas or the Giants have a deffence? A lot of points in that game.
by montana vikes fan on Sep 20, 2009 10:57 PM CDT reply actions
The SF game next week...
The 49ers looked solid this week in dispatching a so-so Seattle group. Willis has shut down AD before and Gore can be a monster when on (like today)—anyone else got an uneasy feeling about this one?
I’d love to get some reassurance.
Definately our first test
Their D-line puts the pressure on and Gore is going to give us some problems, but if we do not wait until the second half to start playing we should handle them.
by bleedingpurplesince74 on Sep 21, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Shaun Hill & Hasselbeck hurt in 1st quarter...
That’s where I’d start with my reassurances… If we stop Gore, Hill ain’t gonna beat us. The Niners shut down a Seattle team that centers around Hasselbeck… once he was out, you knew Seattle was done… Wallace is not very good… (I mean c’mon, he went to Iowa St… oops Rosenfels). Home open for the Niners, so they rolled it. Won on the road at Az only because the Cardinals gave them that game. I’m not saying overlook them, but I’m not convinced they can beat the Vikes at the dome, first home game of the year.
by San Diego Viking on Sep 21, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
The Niners didn't necessarily dispatch Seattle. They were tied 10-10 then Hasselbeck went down.
Seattle couldn’t score after that.
How many designed passes did you see in the first half?
Before the do or die drive right before the half when the vikes were down 10-0 I think favre had 6 pass attempts. This thing that the vikings are doing, where they look like an over classes college team in the first half is all on the coaches,
favre looked great when they needed a passing attack to not go into the locker room down by 10. This is more of chilli showing how terrible he is at designing an offense.
Disagree
They are running the same type of plays in the second halves as the first. In the second halves the plays are working but not in the first. It is on the players. Either the opponents have more vigor in the first half or we are not executing.
Pass protection has stalled drives as well. Any time they go to a deep drop Favre gets sacked. You really can’t use the Vikings scoring 61 points in their first two games on the road as evidence that Chilly doesn’t know how to design an offense. They are scoring good point totals without taking any risks.
In the end
Say what you want, but the game-plan worked. You can blame our victory on it being the Lions. Some will claim our run defense must be terrible because we let the lions run on us(still held Smith under 100). The game won’t be played out perfectly, because there is an opposition trying to do the same thing we are. Bad Start. More important a great finish. 2-0 on the road to start off the season. Can’t ask for anything more at this point. Lots of things to work on, and thats why they play 16 games.
Side note: Calvin Johnson is way under utilized.
SKOL
wake up people
Who died and left us King. I think some of you guys think these slow starts are a real problem. How about the fact that both of these games were the home openers for these teams. Don’t you think they came out a little fired up. This is the NFL where on any Sunday any team can beat any team. How long have some of you idiots been watching these games. No team can waltz in and beat another team like its a piece of cake. The Vikes do have alot of talent but the Lions have some players that are studs to. C. Johnson is better than any reciever we got. 90% of the games are single digit spreads. Why is that? Its because the experts know what the hell is going on thats why.
The Bears just beat the Steelers & the Bengals go into GB & win. Texans over Titans.
It’s about keeping it together when the tide turns against you. The Vikes are just fine. They kept it together and what so many of you call a slow start I call taking those teams punches and still be in the fight. Down 3 at half time on the road in this league is not a bad thing . The Forty Niners will be the best team we have faced so far . Its our home opener this week. Don’t worry our boys will be plenty fired up.
Sanity
You hit the nail on the head. Look at the big picture. The Vikings were up three scores late in each game. That is a comfortable road win. The opponents came out jacked up each game and stopped All Day early on.
But most teams can’t maintain that intensity level all game. Especially when our team is making the big hits. There is a reason our guy is called All Day and their defense doesn’t have a nickname.
NIce post! I agree with you that we’re fine overall and the home opener this weekend should produce the electricity they need to have a better first half. My only concern with this team is our pass protection. Favre continues to get too much pressure IMO. There’s no way he can survive this season with that many sacks, seven so far in two games, which equals the total of our defensive sack production. Loadholt needs to shore up the right side and our backfield needs to step it up.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." Theodore Roosevelt
Those are fine points and all...
But calling everyone “idiots” isn’t a good way to gain respect.
Douche.
See? Has no place.
Visit:
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!
in all fairness he did say some of us idiots. not all of us idiots.
i can respect that.
by iseepurplepeople on Sep 22, 2009 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions
slow starts
Even though we played 2 poor teams, it is very hard to play on the road and win on the opponnents home openers. I knew the Lions would be ready, I am very happy we got out of there with a win in both games! Now we have all 8 home games and 2 road games out of the way. The deeper passing game will come when Favre has some time to throw it I am glad he has played smart so far.
san fran
we have played a total of 2 bad halfs and good ones i think seeing that another 2-0 team is coming to our home opener granted that 2-0 is misleading niners probably aren’t as good as they showed yesterday i think you might get them from opening week the ones who could barely generate offense against arizona.as for the lions game i think it might be mental it seems everytime we go to there place we struggle but always come out on top.
Hey Heech stop that
We are the vikings. I’m happy BF is leading us but stop saying Brett Favre and the vikings.
He complains about it...
But he’s the only one who calls them that. Weird.
Visit:
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!
Lions fan here (we really do exist!)
Your team made excellent adjustments at halftime. Good game, would’ve prefered a different outcome of course, but a damn good game. I thought the Lions could’ve stole one from you guys, especially with the way the Lions played in the first half. Maybe next time. Now beat the Pack and Bears!!! (No offense, but I hate those 2 teams more than I hate the Vikes)
Correct me if I'm wrong...
But I remember those 49rs games back when Montana and Young ran the WCO…
And they’d come out against the Vikings in the first half and we’d pretty much handle what they gave us.
The games would be close going into the 2nd half and after halftime, it seemed like the 9rs were ‘going away’.
And it didn’t look like they’d come out with a different game plan, they just controlled the game.
Seems to me we are seeing the same thing from the Vikings this year.
I don’t know… but it feels like we come out with a plan… to see how the D reacts/responds (set them up?) confirm their tendencies (or drive them?) and then take advantage as the game progresses.
It was consistency at QB that made the WCO great back then… and it’s consistency we are seeing from our QB now.
I think that is the difference for our success this year over the last couple. The WCO being run like it should.
GO VIKES!
I believe the 'push off' cost us 'our' SuperBowl...
I believe you 'go for the win'... instead of 'taking a knee'...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Sep 22, 2009 5:13 PM CDT reply actions
bill walsh
he would script the first 10 to 15 plays of the game. no matter what happened those plays would be run. then based on what the other team did they would make the adjustments for the game. we may be seeing this from Chilly now, and it may be why the plays seem so stupid in the begining.
it is better to be thought of as dumb then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Ben Franklin
by montana vikes fan on Sep 22, 2009 10:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
