The Long, Hard Wait for the Vikings Home Opener Against Miami

I don't know about anyone else out there, but I'm really glad that the Minnesota Vikings season opener against the New Orleans Saints is done and over. The anticipation and hype leading up to that game had me so wired I was hopping around like a squirrel on meth. If it was over and the Vikings had won I would be happier and I probably wouldn't have spent so much of Thursday night accusing the NFL officials of doing immoral things with sheep, but it's still a relief that a game with so much overwhelming hype is done.

Thursday's game shouldn't be completely written off because it isn't as if there weren't bright spots in the Vikings performance against the Saints despite the loss, because there were. But when you want a win those bright spots aren't quite bright enough.

But now it is a new week and the Vikings are preparing for a new game. It reminded me of the song "Walk and Don't Look Back" by Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh because the Vikings need to learn what they can from Thursday's disappointing loss without dwelling on it. I was even going to post the video to that song, but Mick Jagger acted so weird in it that it almost killed the song for me.

Join me after the jump to see what I'm looking forward to on Sunday.

On Thursday night the Vikings offense looked out of sync and, well, kind of crappy but even then there was reason for hope. The Vikings offensive line did a fantastic job of keeping Brett Favre upright and giving him time to find a receiver. He didn't, but that was hardly their fault. Even Bryant McKinnie put in a solid performance until he left the game with a dislocated finger. Adrian Peterson, despite getting mugged, did not fumble the ball. He was also on track to have what would have been a 100-yard game, but the Vikings, for reasons I don't understand, abandoned the run in the second half. New acquisition Greg Camarillo's hands were just as sure as advertised, but the Vikings didn't put him in the game until the fourth quarter.

The Vikings defense, with the exception of the Saints first offensive series, held one of the league's most dynamic offenses to a paltry 14 points. Drew Brees was able to exploit the Vikings' corners during the first series, but after that the Vikings secondary put on the brakes and held firm. The Vikings linebackers were men on a mission, making flying tackles and showing that E.J. Henderson really is up to game speed. And Jayme Mitchell even got a sack on Drew Brees who didn't look comfortable all night.

So yeah, it was a loss, but there were plenty of positives for the Vikings to build on and that has me impatient for the Vikings match-up on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphins are sitting at the bottom of the AFC East, but that doesn't mean they won't put up a fight when they face the Vikings at the Dome on Sunday. On Sunday they won their first season opener in five years and they did it on the road in Buffalo. Quarterback Chad Henne and receiver Brandon Marshall flashed a growing chemistry that could prove challenging for opposing defenses to contain. And the Dolphins defense set a fast pace that Buffalo had a hard time answering. Will they be as much of a challenge as the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints? Probably not, but you never can tell what will happen.

Even with time off for his grandson's christening [insert your own Brett Favre is old joke here], The Favre^TM will have another week learning his receivers and how they run their routes. Favre didn't unretire to lose, so I'm willing to bet that he's logging his characteristic long hours in practice and looking at film. His favorite target from last season, Sidney Rice, may not be available, but something tells me that the 29-yard pass Favre lobbed at Greg Camarillo on Thursday night is just the beginning. Not only that, but it was reported that Percy Harvin's migraines may have been triggered by sleep apnea. If that diagnosis is accurate, then now that Harvin is under treatment for sleep apnea, look for a surge in his production as he kicks off the rust.

And, for the love of Ragnar, give Adrian Peterson the damn ball! He's running angry trying to show the team and everyone else that his fumbles are behind him and that Chris Johnson is full of hot air. Let him.

On defense, there is a good chance that possibly both Chris Cook and Cedric Griffin will be healthy enough to play in the next two games. If so, the secondary will get a nice upgrade and, just maybe, a few interceptions. He's a nice, tall cornerback and I have a feeling that Cook will be able to win the jump-ball battle. Other than the secondary, the defense's greatest problem on Thursday night seemed to be fatigue-the Vikings offense didn't stay on the field long enough for the defense to catch their collective breath. By the fourth quarter the line that had done such a good job of stuffing the run suddenly seemed porous. I believe that as the offense improves the defense will too.

So, once again, I'm counting down until a Vikings game and stockpiling my optimism. But this time, I think there's a much better chance that I'm counting down to a win. I'll leave you with a song that no corny video can ruin for me. Which is good because the video really is pretty corny.