Vikings Stock Market Report, Week 16

9 Tackles, 1 for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, oh and a forced fumble and a touchdown.

Solid game by Antoine Winfield.

The utilization of the cornerback blitz package. Winfield was a beast and the only question I have is…Why hasn’t it been used more this year?

“Stephen Hawking could’ve caught those.” Friggin’ hilarious!

……is absolute horse puckey. Gawd he was horrendous to listen to last night (and every other game.) C’mon, give credit where credit is due. Yeah, the Eagles were playing poorly, but, c’mon, the Vikes had their GAME ON. How about a shout out to that, instead of making excuses for Philly and Vick. I loved seeing Vick getting hammered like that. Nice job all around, Vikings!!!!!!

For a TD. But it’s a hell of a lot better than trying to thread the needle somewhere in the corner of the end zone and getting picked.

The fact that Webb made several great reads and throws from the pocket and didn’t turn the ball over gives him a much better chance of being a starting QB in this league than anything he does with his legs.

Though watching him run is downright awesome.

1) What do you see the Vikings doing at QB going forward? Do you think it’s between Jackson and Webb or do you think they bring in another QB to compete for the starting role?

2) What do you think Leslie Frazier’s chances are of getting the interim tag removed and being the head coach in 2011?

beyond those questions, congrats to the Vikings on a good win last night. It would have been awfully easy to phone it in last night, but they looked impressive. I just like seeing Vick get knocked around. I didn’t like listening to the media talk about him like he was the greatest thing ever. He’s playing better football but he’s still not a great QB.

Buy: Webb’s in your face, “you’re not taking me down without a fight and be damned the penalties” facemask in the 4th quarter I believe. I think even the guy from Philly was a little shocked.

I hope that Sid is alright, and can be good for next week

After reading that first part about Winfield, was this post written by a fellow Ohio State Fan? Go bucks! Is so, don’t you think both Dane Sanzenbacher and Brian Rolle would look really good in pruple next year? I think Spielman needs to whisper something in his brother’s ear. Thoughts anybody?

But tonight was an island in this Insane Asylum that is the 2010 season

Couldn’t have put it better. Agree with almost everything you said following from that.

Stephen Hawking could’ve caught those. What, too insensitive? Would you prefer more self immolating monks, or pictures of Benito Mussolini instead? I can go either way on this, boys and girls.

Touche’. Or wait, is the word I’m looking for here actually “touchy?” Well, either way you have the right to say whatever the hell you want. Consider that right exercised.

he IS the heir apparent in the middle, IMO. He drilled Vick up the middle, leading with his shoulder pad. He pursues almost as well as KWill, and plays hard on every down he is in.

Great stock report, as always, Ted :)

To Webb, or not to Webb, that IS the question. Last night, he answered that question. Webb. Joe Webb.

I saw a young guy with the sort of expansive confidence in his own ability AND in his team-mates, step up at every level and control the game. He literally dominated one of the best defenses in the NFL with his ability AND he pulled his team-mates up to that same level. This is a team which has had just about every bad thing that could happen to a team, happen to them this year. They’ve had their hopes and expectations absolutely shredded this year. They had every right to be demoralized by this point, and ready to pack the season in with half-assed performances. Joe Webb didn’t let that happen.

He may not be the QBotF, it might have been a flash in the pan, but last night he proved that he’s got the right stuff to play in the NFL at a pretty high level and he earned the right to compete for the starting QB job. As a minimum.

Where it gets interesting is the question of the draft. If Webb is The Man, then the Vikings can focus on the O-line in the draft and FA, let T-Jack find his way in FA, and bring in a competent veteran to mentor Webb next year, along with another long-shot QB.

If they don’t believe Webb is going to be the man, then they have to jump up for a franchise QB and winning last night just made it that much harder. I’m really interested to see how the Vikes assess Webb.

For myself…. I like what I see, and if I see it again next week, I’m prepared to stand behind Joe Webb as our new 1st string QB. I’m not one of these guys who believes that playing time early in a career will hurt a QB; on the contrary, it breaks those who needed to be shown the door and it lets those who are the real thing, excel and get better. Webb has improved with every outing he’s made.

There’s only one concern I have about him, and that is that I do NOT like it when our QB rabbits and upon encountering the LB who’s going to stop him, lowers his shoulder and tries to plow forward another couple yards.

Joe, if by some miracle your’e reading this, PLEASE STOP DOING THAT CRAP! It’ll get you injured sooner or later and quite frankly, we can’t afford to lose you. And you don’t want your career derailed or destroyed by doing something you could have avoided. Learn to slide, don’t take a single hit that you don’t have to take. You’re the QB now, not a WR. Act like it.

The safety play. They were mediocre most of the night. They got beat deep on a big play early. There were 2-3 other passes where they should’ve been beat, but Vick missed the throw. And then there was the Vick run, where both of them got left with broken ankles. They made a couple plays. But I’m not taking safety off my list of team needs.

Nice to see someone else get on my “Move Loadholt to Guard” movement. He has no footwork, and for a big tackle, he’s not nearly as nasty as he should be. Move him inside, and have Hutchinson teach him how to use that size.

I agree with the measured analysis of Webb’s future. 1 Game is NOT enough to hand him the reins without question, competition, or ready backup plans for next season. We have to accept an element of ‘ambush’ in this game. Philly had watched the Vikes roll over and play dead each of the last 2 weeks. They had no reason to expect anything different this time. They were wrong.

It was a total team win on both sides of the ball and that goes for the special teams and coaching staff. Where have they been all year? Holy crap. We, the Minnesota Vikings won on the road, outdoors, “in Philadelphia” (it’s been 25 years since we won in Philly) with a rookie QB and an interim head coach. Are you kidding me? We survived three freakishly strange weeks only for the players and coaches to leave their families on Christmas to spend 3 nights in a Philly hotel room. Talk about playing through adversity? Nobody expected them to win … hell I don’t even think most of the players expected to win, but they didn’t quit and they played their damn hearts out. I don’t care what happens next week, that Vikings win on Dec 28th 2010 will be I’ll never forget!

The Eagles are, IMO, a freakishly great team right now. The Birds have really got it all going on, on both sides of the ball. I’m not ready to say that the Vikings are a better team because they aren’t. But they could be, if they get their act together the way they did tonight, on a regular basis. Last night, the Vikings stood back up again, after a long, painful season of disappointing themselves and their fans. They remembered themselves, who they are and what they are capable of when they actually play like a team. They weren’t without their share of mistakes and not every player was awesome (let alone competent), but they made us proud to be standing behind them once again.

I hope they remember that, build on this going forward. The team needs help in a lot of spots still, but this is by no means a group of scrubs. This is fundamentally the same team that sent 12 guys to the Pro Bowl just 10 months ago, and this is a team that, if the right moves are made in the off-season, can be very competitive next year.

The Eagles didn’t lay down last night, they needed a win and they fought down to the very last minute, trying to get it. The Vikings denied them.

Last night, the Vikings created silence at Lincoln Field. Repeatedly. There is no greater acknowledgement or respect that any team can expect from their foes.

Holy Cow, am I the only one who was shocked by refs who gave the Vikes a slew of friendly calls? Seriously, I’m just not used to seeing that. There was one first down in particular that on replay it was obvious that AP came up short, but they gave him a sweet spot and the 1st.

Every time I see a flag, I’m conditioned to assume that it’s a Viking that’s about to get nailed for doing something boneheaded, or maybe just because they’re wearing Purple. When a spot is in doubt, it doesn’t often go the Vikings way. Til last night.

Now I know how it must feel to be a Cowboys, Patriots or Packers fan, in regards to the Zebras :)