An Open Letter to the Vikings Defense

I have to agree with everything you said. Defense let us down today and it’s past strengths have turned into weaknesses. Run defense and pass rush have got to improve. Man, it felt weird typing that last sentence.

tell itfrom the mountaintops. Rec’d

This whole season has been pathetic. To think that Leslie Frazier and Karl Dunbar are supposed to be rising stars.

Put in the younger guys.

Not just coming up short when we need them to shine, but failing miserably. Unacceptable. This much talent on the team and we can’t pull it together to stop one drive?

I think we started seeing the rush defense falter last year. Now that we don’t have that, we are just not that great. Our secondary has always been a problem. Without any pass rush it is just a matter of time before offenses exploit it.

He was horrible today. The almost-interception that went through his arms in the 1st quarter snatched defeat from the jaws of victory but was just the beginning. He ran bad angles all day long and looked terrible in every aspect of the game — as bad as Tyrell Johnson was all last season.

The D-line and secondary are looking weak. At least the linebackers are playing well.

There definitely needs to be changes made, MB was on to something in another thread. I think Pat needs to just be a situational player at this stage of his career, in short yardage and goal line defense, and Guion needs to start in his place, he is better against the run than Kennedy and have Kennedy rotate in for KWill. Griffen needs to be brought in as a situational pass rusher for Edwards so he can get his feet wet and get experience. Robison needs to start to help light a fire underneath JA.
I don’t even want to talk about our safety play…the CB’s are doing okay considering that they are being asked to cover WR’s for 15 seconds each play it seems like. I knew the Cedric Griffen injury was going to impact this team but I think Chris Cook will only get better as he gets healthier and more acquainted with the defense.
I agree if it weren’t for the solid play of the LB’s we would really be in trouble.

But they are not the ones that left three points on the field before the first half ended. It was once again our challanged coach. You know, the same one who went for it on fourth down in the opening drive of the Miami game and left three important points on the field then, too!!! This turned out to be pivitol when we, with our k.o.a., were blown up at the l.o.s. on a fourth and goal by a good, but not great miami defense. This coach, who may be a good talent evaluator, has no game time instinct. Maybe he would be better in the front office, i don’t know, but he is constantly second guessing himself on the field. If you dont believe me, you need not go any farther than looking at his challange of the patriot’s reception in the second half. now i am not, nor even claim to be, a head coach in the nfl, but i could plainly see that the play did not warrant a challange. His decisions always seem to be too reactionary. i think he challanged that beacause he was afraid of being chastised for not challanging a close call, as was the case last week against green bay. His decision making is supposed to put this team in a position to win the game, but it is apparent that it his his decision making is puttiing the team in positions where we are constantly playing from behind, and in turn, losing the games. It is time for new blood. it is time for an outside source to start making decsions for this franchise!! the only question is who will it be??

If you’re 4th and 1, and on the goal line, the game is tied, it’s the last play of the half.

You have Pro-Bowlers McKinnie and Hutchinson on the left side, you have Kleinsasser as your truck to anchor the left, and you have a brutal monster called Adrian Peterson to hammer the ball in.

1 yard.
 
What do you do?

If you don’t try to run that ball up the left side, one grueling inch at a time, you don’t have a single ball to your name. Not one.

What if, inexplicably, you try to run the ball someplace?

i think the play originated on the right side? Loadholdt, and i stress the load part, was pathetically blown back a yard into the backfield and Adrian tried to switch direction. Adrian was stopped from the penetration. loadholt’s side is not as strong , so why are we going to that side in that situation? Why did we not try the left side. the coach!!! he does not recognize the teams weakness. that being said, he is the weakness!!!!

i’m a bit more upset about this aspect of the game because i spent last week somewhat defending the defense. i was okay with their play up until this game even without the the sacks and picks but this defense is so much better than the one i saw yesterday allowing benjarvus green-ellis (who???) run roughshod them in the waning minutes when a stop gives us a chance to win.

this is the first game this season that we lost because of the defense.

Leslie had this D built 2 years ago. Right now they are following the heartbeat of the coach. A beat that is starting to flatline.
Frazier as one reporter put it is the shining hope in the coaching staff and all the players revere him.
If you make a middle of the season change it is better done with a familiar and respected face

The guys at “Playbook” took a closer look at the final Patriots drive that lost the game for us.