The Minnesota Vikings are in the early stage of their plan to return to perennial playoff contention with a team supporting a power running game with smart, productive passes and backs that up with a stingy, turnover-forcing defense.
The template is coming to town this weekend. The blueprint is labeled “San Francisco 49ers.”
The Vikings, who beat Jacksonville in their opener to get within one-third of last year’s victory total, are well aware of what the 49ers have to offer today. This is a significant challenge, for one, a chance to gauge just how far their offseason improvements have gone. Then there’s the example and the hope the 49ers embody, a confident, homegrown team winning without the type of high-scoring, throw-it-40-times-per-game offense so much of the NFL has taken to.
Of the 22 starters comprising their standard lineups on each side of the ball, the 49ers drafted 15 of them. That includes inside linebacker Patrick Willis, the heart of the hard-hitting group that has given up the fewest yards per carry in the league (3.52) since 2009.
The 49ers really do show that the Vikings rebuilding philosophy can work. That doesn't mean it will, of course, but I think SF clearly illustrates that the basic philosophy is valid. The difference will be in the details and drafting well is of the utmost importance.
Mothman wrote:This is a good read from an Associated Press writer:
http://mankatofreepress.com/sports/x766 ... -blueprint
The 49ers really do show that the Vikings rebuilding philosophy can work. That doesn't mean it will, of course, but I think SF clearly illustrates that the basic philosophy is valid. The difference will be in the details and drafting well is of the utmost importance.
Yes drafting well is paramount but I dont see how you can leave coaching out of the equation . The 49 's are a well coached team and I just dont see that from the Vikings staff honestly .
Lash Man wrote:Yes drafting well is paramount but I dont see how you can leave coaching out of the equation . The 49 's are a well coached team and I just dont see that from the Vikings staff honestly .
I wasn't trying to be that thorough. Coaching is definitely part of the equation but I'm not convinced the Vikes aren't well-coached. A team with a bad record rarely looks well-coached but plenty of good coaches have presided over bad teams at some point in their careers. I think it's too early to write off this coaching staff.
Mothman wrote:
I wasn't trying to be that thorough. Coaching is definitely part of the equation but I'm not convinced the Vikes aren't well-coached. A team with a bad record rarely looks well-coached but plenty of good coaches have presided over bad teams at some point in their careers. I think it's too early to write off this coaching staff.
we will have to agree to disagree on Frasier , he has shown nothing to me that indicates he's even average let alone good , but I don't want to debate that till after the season . I just hope we make the game competitive so we don't lose confidence as a team .
Lash Man wrote:we will have to agree to disagree on Frasier , he has shown nothing to me that indicates he's even average let alone good , but I don't want to debate that till after the season.
Exactly my point... i's too early. Heck, by the end of the season, there might not be a debate worth having...
Lash Man wrote:we will have to agree to disagree on Frasier , he has shown nothing to me that indicates he's even average let alone good...
I ask this in all sincerity: do you feel like he showed you something today? Are you encouraged by the way the Vikes game-planned and the way Frazier and his staff coached this game against the 49ers?
Mothman wrote:
I ask this in all sincerity: do you feel like he showed you something today? Are you encouraged by the way the Vikes game-planned and the way Frazier and his staff coached this game against the 49ers?
Let me ask this do you think Winfields speach had an impact today? I think that had more of an impact then any Frasier speech honestly . I just dont see anything that you do out of Frasier except hes a quiet and religious nice guy .
Lash Man wrote:Let me ask this do you think Winfields speach had an impact today? I think that had more of an impact then any Frasier speech honestly . I just dont see anything that you do out of Frasier except hes a quiet and religious nice guy .
I don't know how much impact Winfield's speech had but it was a speech not a game plan and Winfield didn't coach the game. When a team pulls off a major upset like this and outplays a supposedly superior opponent right from the start, I think everybody deserves credit, including the coaches.
Mothman wrote:
I don't know how much impact Winfield's speech had but it was a speech not a game plan and Winfield didn't coach the game. When a team pulls off a major upset like this and outplays a supposedly superior opponent right from the start, I think everybody deserves credit, including the coaches.
Ok the coaches did a great job ! too ! Like I said we will see next week . The game plan today was excellent until the final two minutes not taking Toby out when it was obvious he couldn't hang on to the ball " I am a huge fan of Toby's by the way" . but he should not have touched the ball again after the second fumble , which was not a fumble . All in all a great game no matter who we as fans want to give credit to most .
Lash Man wrote:
Ok the coaches did a great job ! too ! Like I said we will see next week . The game plan today was excellent until the final two minutes not taking Toby out when it was obvious he couldn't hang on to the ball " I am a huge fan of Toby's by the way" . but he should not have touched the ball again after the second fumble , which was not a fumble . All in all a great game no matter who we as fans want to give credit to most .
@TomPelissero: Frazier said that question I asked him Wednesday about the #49ers as a template "burned me up" because he feels they made the template.
@TomPelissero: So, Frazier told the team. "I wanted our team to know there are doubts about the physicality of our football team and our guys responded."
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Mothman wrote:
I don't know how much impact Winfield's speech had but it was a speech not a game plan and Winfield didn't coach the game. When a team pulls off a major upset like this and outplays a supposedly superior opponent right from the start, I think everybody deserves credit, including the coaches.
If you doubt the effect of " Speeches " as you say then lets see how the Ravens do when Ray Lewis retires because I honestly think his "speeches " are what fires that team up to win so many games , way more than their coaching but again that is only my own opinion and it will be shown when Lewis finally retires , unless they make him a coach lol.
Lash Man wrote:
Ok the coaches did a great job ! too ! Like I said we will see next week . The game plan today was excellent until the final two minutes not taking Toby out when it was obvious he couldn't hang on to the ball " I am a huge fan of Toby's by the way" . but he should not have touched the ball again after the second fumble , which was not a fumble . All in all a great game no matter who we as fans want to give credit to most .
I agree and just to be clear, I'm not giving most of the credit to Frazier. I just wondered if you were encouraged by what happened today.
Lash Man wrote:If you doubt the effect of " Speeches " as you say then lets see how the Ravens do when Ray Lewis retires because I honestly think his "speeches " are what fires that team up to win so many games , way more than their coaching but again that is only my own opinion and it will be shown when Lewis finally retires , unless they make him a coach lol.
I didn't say I doubt that speeches can have a positive effect. I just said I don't know how much impact Winfield's speech had... because I don't know.
Coaching is definitely part of the equation but I'm not convinced the Vikes aren't well-coached. A team with a bad record rarely looks well-coached but plenty of good coaches have presided over bad teams at some point in their careers. I think it's too early to write off this coaching staff.