Why are the Vikings suddenly "winners"?

[vikesfan87]

For now, it is simply that Christian Ponder is playing solid, mistake-free football.

[indianation65]

There are a few good choices amidst the results for success...I'd bet hearing and reading since last year they this year's team would be at the bottom has caused a spark in the players.
Therefore, I vote "locker room confidence" as the main reason for winning. After all, they are pro athletes. Why shouldn't they be able to compete?

...wisdom

[beardedterror]

I voted for the o-line, however, I think it is a mix of a lot of things.

1. The revamped o-line has been huge for us. Christian is getting much better protection and Adrian is getting better holes to run through. That makes their lives a lot easier, and leads to much better production. I will include Jerome Felton in this section. The dude has been a huge part of our offensive production, and (for my money) has been the 'unsung hero' of the Minnesota Vikings this season.

2. Christian has obviously made huge improvements this off-season. The man has clearly worked his butt off, and has played good, smart football. With Christian being a bigger threat this season, it loosens Adrian up a little, and he will be very dangerous once back to 100% (and after yesterday, I'm excited to think that he's close).

3. Rick Spielman. We've had 2 very good drafts in a row IMO, with a home run this past draft. We're seeing immediate impacts from players drafted outside the first round, which has been very rare for the vikings as of late,and we've been getting very young, talented players. If we continue to build through the draft, we could be a super bowl caliber team within the next few years.

4. Better secondary play. Harrison Smith has been better than I expected. While the bend-but-don't-break defense can look porous at times, they have been disciplined, and haven't had a serious meltdown yet (other than at the end of the Indy game).

5. Frazier. While I'm still on the fence as to whether he has earned another contract, I will give him credit for putting together 3 wins that were whole-team efforts. The vikings have looked good in all three phases of the game this year, being more physical than their opponents, and I think that will keep us competitive for the whole year. While I don't think that this campaign will end with a playoff berth, I like the direction the team is going, and we all should be excited for the future of Vikings football.

[Mothman]

I voted other. I think there are a number of reasons for the Vikings current two game winning streak and 3-1 but foremost among them, I think it's the fact they've appeared well-prepared (which speaks to coaching) and they are playing a more physical game than their opponents. They're also playing smart. They didn't play smart (or physical enough) at Indy and I believe that's why they lost that game.

[petev_sj]

I went with Spielman. The "experts" say if you draft for need instead of the best player available, you're in trouble. What if all the best players available were all D-lineman? This was a great draft for the Vikings. Not only do they fill a need, they are also gelling as a team sooner then expected.

I still have hopes that the two Arkansas WR will have an impact. If AD can come back from his injuries, why can't Greg Childs? This team has been a complete surprise. I won't do a spit take if Greg Childs ends up a starter next year.

[dead_poet]

If AD can come back from his injuries, why can't Greg Childs?

Simple. Because Adrian Peterson isn't human.

But in all seriousness, they aren't the same injuries. Players have come back from AD's type of injury and had productive careers. Childs ruptured his patellar tendon — in both knees. I don't think anyone who has had this type of freak injury (it's very uncommon) has ever come back to play another down. The only player that even attempted was Gary Baxter, a former Browns cornerback. And while he came back for training camp, he never played another snap (and he was a "rising star" type of player signing a six-year, $30 million contract with Cleveland in 2005). I hate to be Debbie Downer here, but the chances Childs ever suits up again are incredibly slim. But perhaps with some advancements in medicine coupled with the right attitude and support system he could give it another chance. He's young, which certainly helps. But it's an unfortunate situation all around. I was very anxious to see what he could've done here.

[Just Me]

Simple. Because Adrian Peterson isn't human.

So true!

[losperros]

Maybe I should have voted "other," given all the different reasons for the Vikings early success.

But I voted for Spielman because I think he's responsible for the blueprints of this new Vikings team, which is in the rebuilding process. He wanted a younger and more athletic team with better football smarts. So far it's working.

[Eli]

a) They have someone leading the offense.

This _is_ Christian Ponder's team.


b) The youth movement on defense is paying off.

Harrison Smith has been a great addition on defense, even if he hasn't yet done anything spectacular. He's making everyone around him look better. Josh Robinson has been amazingly solid. Letroy Guion and Everson Griffen have both been outstanding on the defensive line.

[mondry]

If you absolutely can only pick one thing I give the "biggest" reason for our success so far to spielman. The offensive line has improved and drafting Kalil is the biggest / obvious reason for that. Ponder is developing and doing enough to win these games, and spielman drafted him too. You look at the defense and you have to think Harrison Smith, he has made a big impact already and spielman (which was crititized at the time) TRADED UP to get this guy and so far I'd have to say he's worth it. Josh robinson, another young face has managed to make an impact.

Spielman signed Jerome Simpson and while he's only been back one game he forced two pass interference calls and picked up a clutch first down which made a big difference.

Obviously not every move works, John Carlson so far hasn't been a good signing, but if the guy makes 9 out of 10 decisions correct we'll go far!

All in all I thought this team was half complete last year, with guys like AD and Harvin, and Allen / winfield / kwill on defense. The biggest reason for these wins is we got a few more pieces via spielman's signings and good drafting so we're more like 3/4ths of a completed team now.

[Hunter Morrow]

O line and substantial improvements to offensive special teams and secondary.

Without Josh Robinson, Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith, Scherels, Walsh and Brinkley (amazed as you are!) we'd probably have lost every game we played.

[Arma]

I think people are underrating Frazier's importance to the players. He is a defined leader and everyone looks to him, he's an anti-Childress. I know many don't like "players coach", but he really gets it and his attitude is showing off on other players. Don't care about replacement refs, don't care about the media, focus on film studies, play within ourselves and outlast another team . All of those philosophies come from Frazier (and the same philosophies he had on the '85 Bears), and I like it. Hell the team is almost building like the Bears; here's a good analysis:

After a wickedly fun couple months, the Vikes finally finished the draft with a GM calling the shots with the HC, coaching staff and scouting department standing behind the picks. So, I wondered, "why did Spielman and Fraizer do what they did?" None of us has that exact answer, but I theorize the following . . .

As I dug through Fraizers history, I thought maybe Tony Dungy was the leading character to how he's building the team? . . . I didn't find much in way of similarities there -- but one could agree they carry themselves similarly, low-key but fairly intense.

So, I dug back a little further and found Fraizer and Spielman are emmulating a team re-building . . .

Back in '82, a great team owner had an established, premier running back on his squad, a couple of young defensive stars in-the-making, drafted in '79 - ' 81, and very few other pieces resembling a team.

So, the owner brought in a new Head Coach to rebuild his team. The coach and general manager worked through the draft to pick guys they thought could be great starters.

In '82 they picked a QB in the 1st Rd and a couple other players.

In '83, they picked guys who became starters for LT (1st Rd), LG(8th Rd), RG (4th Rd), WR (1st Rd), SS (3rd Rd), CB (2nd Rd) and DE (6th Rd) and even added two undrafted free agents that would become starters.

Yes, this team was the Chicago Bears as run by Papa Bear and Da Head Coach himself, Mike Ditka -- one of the '83 undrafted FAs, yes, Leslie Fraizer.

So, do the Vikes parallel the '82 and '83 Bears drafts in '10 and '11, I'd say the teams mirror each other. We know the destiny of the '85 Bears . . . it's waaaaay to early to tell if the Vikes are on that yellow brick road, but the similarities of the teams structure and draft paths may be the ticket to getting back to being respectable.

Maybe Leslie did sit in the front row of Professor Halas' class back then . . .

He's actually moving on the sidelines, looks more emotional. And I think mostly importantly: the players just want to play for him.

My second choice is obviously Ponder, without his recent success we aren't 3-1.

[FailedtoOpen]

I voted for the o-line, however, I think it is a mix of a lot of things.

1. The revamped o-line has been huge for us. Christian is getting much better protection and Adrian is getting better holes to run through. That makes their lives a lot easier, and leads to much better production. I will include Jerome Felton in this section. The dude has been a huge part of our offensive production, and (for my money) has been the 'unsung hero' of the Minnesota Vikings this season.

2. Christian has obviously made huge improvements this off-season. The man has clearly worked his butt off, and has played good, smart football. With Christian being a bigger threat this season, it loosens Adrian up a little, and he will be very dangerous once back to 100% (and after yesterday, I'm excited to think that he's close).

3. Rick Spielman. We've had 2 very good drafts in a row IMO, with a home run this past draft. We're seeing immediate impacts from players drafted outside the first round, which has been very rare for the vikings as of late,and we've been getting very young, talented players. If we continue to build through the draft, we could be a super bowl caliber team within the next few years.

4. Better secondary play. Harrison Smith has been better than I expected. While the bend-but-don't-break defense can look porous at times, they have been disciplined, and haven't had a serious meltdown yet (other than at the end of the Indy game).

5. Frazier. While I'm still on the fence as to whether he has earned another contract, I will give him credit for putting together 3 wins that were whole-team efforts. The vikings have looked good in all three phases of the game this year, being more physical than their opponents, and I think that will keep us competitive for the whole year. While I don't think that this campaign will end with a playoff berth, I like the direction the team is going, and we all should be excited for the future of Vikings football.

By chance do you post on the IGN Football boards?

[Mothman]

[quote="Arma"]I think people are underrating Frazier's importance to the players. He is a defined leader and everyone looks to him, he's an anti-Childress. I know many don't like "players coach", but he really gets it and his attitude is showing off on other players. Don't care about replacement refs, don't care about the media, focus on film studies, play within ourselves and outlast another team . All of those philosophies come from Frazier (and the same philosophies he had on the '85 Bears), and I like it.

I like it too. Here's another thing I like: in his post-game locker room speech to the team, he told the players to enjoy the victory but to remain classy. Hopefully, if his Vikings teams continue their recent success, his influence will help them handle it well and stay focused and disciplined. I thought one of the problems the Lions had last season was that once they got a taste of success, they didn't seem to handle it well at all.

Jim

[Lash Man]

While I have not been so enthralled as some of you for Frasier I do have to admit win or lose he is a class act .