I've just been crunching some numbers over on this end, as I've had some folks telling me recently that this team is soooooooooooooooo much better than last year's team because of the presence of Brad Johnson at quarterback. So, I figured I'd go back and look through everything myself. Here's what I found.
Through 7 games last year, the Vikings were 2-5. The turnover-to-touchdown ratio (yes, turnover to TD, not the other way around) for the QBs that played in those 7 games was 1.88 turnovers for every touchdown:
Daunte Culpepper - 7 total TDs (6 passing, 1 rushing), 15 total turnovers (12 INT, 3 fumbles lost)
Brad Johnson - 1 total TD (1 passing), 0 turnovers
Total & Ratio: 15 turnovers, 8 TDs, 1.88 ratio
Through 7 games this year, the Vikings are 4-3. However, the turnover-to-touchdown ratio (yes, again, not the other way around) for the QBs that played in these past 7 games has been 2.5 turnovers for every touchdown:
Brad Johnson - 4 total TDs (4 passing, 0 rushing), 9 total turnovers (7 INTs, 2 fumbles lost)
Brooks Bollinger - 0 total TDs, 1 turnover (1 interception)
Total & Ratio: 10 turnovers, 4 TDs, 2.5 ratio
Through 7 games last year, the Vikings were averaging 14.7 points scored per game. This year they're averaging 18.1. . .but if you take away the 4 touchdowns that the defense has scored (1 each by Ben Leber, Kevin Williams, E.J. Henderson, and Antoine Winfield), the average goes down to 14.8. If you subtract the 2 that the special teams have put up (Mewelde Moore's punt return against New England and Ryan Longwell's TD pass on a fake FG against Carolina), the scoring average drops to 13.1 points per game.
So, in all actuality. . .the Minnesota Vikings offense is approximately 0% better this season than it was last season. It's quite arguable if the offense is better at all.
So why are the Vikings 4-3 this year despite their offensive ineptitude and not 2-5 like they were last season? It's very simple.
Vikings last year through 7 games: 27.5 points allowed/game
Vikings this year through 7 games: 18 points allowed/game
Gee. . .that's pretty amazing. When you give up nearly 10 less points per game, you win more often!
Well, this is what Brad Childress wanted when he ran our previous quarterback out of town. . .now the team is going to suffer because of it.
Have I mentioned that we should be starting the Tarvaris Jackson era this weekend? I'm pretty sure I said that somewhere.