The positives

[S197]

I take some issue with this. He lays wood, for sure, but I do seem him have a tendency to think his power will take a guy down and it frustrates me to no end when I don't see him wrap up. I saw a couple plays yesterday where he continued to do this and it was a good thing he had some help otherwise the guy would've recovered.

Interesting. I saw a guy making a lot of plays where everyone else looked rather sloppy in tackling. There was one particular play where he made a great open field tackle on 3rd down before the sticks. The announcers on TV credited it to Greenway but it was all Smith. I agree that he does have a tendency to lunge at people but overall I thought his tackling was solid. I guess my main point is that it was refreshing to see a guy who can hit players the right way. In this day and age there's too many defenders looking to knock the other guy out with the helmet to helmet stuff, Smith will make you pay but he does it cleanly for the most part.

Man, I hate to do this again, but I was continually frustrated him (save for the strip). He allowed nine catches for 93 yds (78 YAC) against mediocre talent. He's reminding me more and more of Asher Allen. I want to see him better in run support and significantly improve his coverage.

He's not fully there but I thought I saw a lot of improvement from him over the preseason. I think Cook and Rhodes struggled a lot more than him. Cook in particular who was often beat, including by an UDFA for a TD. The PI on Rhodes I thought was ticky tacky but he does need to work on his aggression after 5 yards.

I agree. The strange part is, he does little after that. Lack of technique? Weight? Strength? Athleticism? I don't know. But he does seem to perform a bit better than Guion at the position. Unfortunately, it seems as though whoever was in there yesterday was getting bullied around by a mediocre front four.

A lot of times the NT is tasked with causing disruption more than anything. When he quick steps like that, he'll often draw a double team from the center, at that point it's up to the other 3 who usually will now have a one-on-one matchup to make a play. Don't forget that he also had the tipped ball that led to the interception, so while he didn't have any sacks, he made his presence known.

[PacificNorseWest]

Uniforms are dope.

[Eli]

Cordarrelle Patterson caught a pass.

[dead_poet]

Interesting. I saw a guy making a lot of plays where everyone else looked rather sloppy in tackling. There was one particular play where he made a great open field tackle on 3rd down before the sticks. The announcers on TV credited it to Greenway but it was all Smith. I agree that he does have a tendency to lunge at people but overall I thought his tackling was solid. I guess my main point is that it was refreshing to see a guy who can hit players the right way. In this day and age there's too many defenders looking to knock the other guy out with the helmet to helmet stuff, Smith will make you pay but he does it cleanly for the most part.

The tendency is there if you go back and watch last season. I suppose I'm just nit-picking, but that's one thing that really frustrates me about players (especially having been spoiled by Winfield's precision and expertise in the art of tackling) because it's such a fundamental thing. He's been as advertised. But if you continue to watch him, you'll see what I mean. I think he's trying to dislodge the ball (which he's done with these types of hits), but there have been times where he either glanced off the guy or the ball-carrier bounces back and regains his footing. Don't forget that Smith has been fined at least twice already.

He's not fully there but I thought I saw a lot of improvement from him over the preseason. I think Cook and Rhodes struggled a lot more than him. Cook in particular who was often beat, including by an UDFA for a TD. The PI on Rhodes I thought was ticky tacky but he does need to work on his aggression after 5 yards.

It's interesting how different our perspectives are on the guy. I thought Cook/Rhodes did much better in this one and are clearly better players. I mean, Robison was targeted the most, gave up the most catches and the most yards-after-the-catch. I'm still pretty down on the guy. His coverage skills leave a lot to be desired.

A lot of times the NT is tasked with causing disruption more than anything. When he quick steps like that, he'll often draw a double team from the center, at that point it's up to the other 3 who usually will now have a one-on-one matchup to make a play. Don't forget that he also had the tipped ball that led to the interception, so while he didn't have any sacks, he made his presence known.

Then I must find fault with others for the running lanes that opened up consistently for Bush/Bell. The linebackers really struggled in this one.

[mondry]

Harrison Smith! Nuff said, guy was unbelievable yesterday! Making plays all over the place even. If we ever get some line backers so he doesn't have to stop RB's too look out!

[Funkytown]

The biggest positive for me is that it was only game one. So many people are freaking out, wanting to fire and bench everyone and their dog. Oh, and already discussing not being a fan anymore? The heck? After one game? Holy macaroni! Maybe I need a new TV! What I saw on Sunday wasn't that bad! That's about redonkulous! After I had time to think about it and cool off, I don't mind that the Vikings got humbled a bit. Sure, losing always sucks--and it especially sucks after seeing how much work we have to do. But, keeping things in perspective, it was just one game. Isn't game one a good time to realize the changes you need to make? A lot of things went wrong on Sunday, but I know the Vikings coaches and players are more upset than any fan is. And, knowing that, I know they are going to do their best to improve and win. They want to build on a 10-win season, not go backwards. So, as upset as I was on Sunday, I'm not hitting that panic button for a few more weeks at least, but I'm hoping to not have to hit it at all. We all know what went wrong, and so do they. I'll only panic if I see minimal improvement from week to week. That is when I'll be truly upset and irritated. Our schedule is tough, so we'll need a lot of improvement to win many games--but, for now, I still believe in the guys. The coaches and players needed a rude awakening, and I think they got it on Sunday. Now, I hope they pick up the pieces and move on. It's all they can do. No more crying about the loss for me; that ended Sunday night! It was only one-freaking-game. 15 other teams eventually lost right along with us--some really darn good teams, too; some of which are probably going to pick it up and make the playoffs in the end. Why can't one of those teams be us?


Lots of football left, folks.






Leave your hand right there! Don't push it yet!

[BGM]

So, as upset as I was on Sunday, I'm not hitting that panic button for a few more weeks at least, but I'm hoping to not have to hit it at all. We all know what went wrong, and so do they. I'll only panic if I see minimal improvement from week to week. That is when I'll be truly upset and irritated.

Leave your hand right there! Don't push it yet!

I have been a fan for so long that I no longer have a panic button. Why bother? One of the glories of being a Viking fan is the ups and downs. Can you imagine the explosion of joy when the Vikings win a Super Bowl?

This is but a blip on the ultimate conquest!

[mansquatch]

The last two posts are so refreshing. My big thing is I just do not see how this team can realistically have taken as big a step back from week 17 last year and week 1 this year. I get we had a few key players out and that hurt, but on offense aside from no Felton, this unit just flat out stunk up front. On paper our WR should be better (they were) and our OL should be the same. IMO, the OL was not at it's week 17 level. Ditto on the DL. So are these regressions the result of rust or are they permanent? IMO they are rust.

I just have a hard time thinking that units returning so many starters are suddnely so bad.

[Mothman]

The biggest positive for me is that it was only game one. So many people are freaking out, wanting to fire and bench everyone and their dog.

Yeah, that dog should be fired!

The last two posts are so refreshing. My big thing is I just do not see how this team can realistically have taken as big a step back from week 17 last year and week 1 this year. I get we had a few key players out and that hurt, but on offense aside from no Felton, this unit just flat out stunk up front. On paper our WR should be better (they were) and our OL should be the same. IMO, the OL was not at it's week 17 level. Ditto on the DL. So are these regressions the result of rust or are they permanent? IMO they are rust.

I just have a hard time thinking that units returning so many starters are suddnely so bad.

I doubt they are...

I heard Jimmy Johnson on the radio this morning talking about how week one, in particular, can be strange and misleading. I've also heard a lot of discussion this week about how sloppy many games were last weekend and the potential impact reduced practices this summer may have had on week 1 performances.

In terms of personnel, I think the Lions were a tough matchup for the Vikings. The bad news is, the Bears might be too. They're another team with a strong defensive front, a great WR and a back who's a matchup nightmare for LBs when he catches passes out of the backfield (the Vikes really need to try using Peterson the way the Lions used Bush last Sunday, especially when the running game is getting stuffed). On the other hand, as ugly as last week's game was, it was close deep into the second half and it was winnable. If the Vikes can make fewer mistakes and play a little smarter, there's no reason they can't beat the Bears. However, they'd better be ready to face stacked defensive fronts and a lot of quick release, underneath-the-coverage passing from Cutler.

I'm not going to panic after one game. I won't even panic after two but it would be reassuring if they started the season 1-1 and not 0-2.

[PurpleKoolaid]

A positive, like Mel said, is, last game should be a wake up call. For the entire organization. Lets hope that's true. Cause if we go 0-2, and to divisional rivals, this board now will look positive for what's about to come.

[Just Me]

A positive, like Mel said, is, last game should be a wake up call. For the entire organization. Lets hope that's true. Cause if we go 0-2, and to divisional rivals, this board now will look positive for what's about to come.

It depends. I can live going 0-2 if the Vikings put up a good fight at Soldier Field. If they roll over and are dominated, I won't be happy. We haven't won there in a while, so my theory is "we're due"

[PurpleKoolaid]

It depends. I can live going 0-2 if the Vikings put up a good fight at Soldier Field. If they roll over and are dominated, I won't be happy. We haven't won there in a while, so my theory is "we're due"

It seems like forever since we won at Soldier's. Or since our Dline beat their Oline. That needs to change. One can hope.

[Funkytown]

I've also heard a lot of discussion this week about how sloppy many games were last weekend...

There were definitely some sloppy performances. And 4 safeties? What in the world? Odd.

Either way, I'm just glad that we got our ONE loss for the season out of the way already. Let's do this.

[mansquatch]

IMO the first 4 weeks of the season have more of a slop and luck factor than the rest of the season as a whole. I also think it is part of why the better teams start winning in November. The teams reach the apex of their ability and the true competitors shine.

That being said, all the Ponder chaos has a grain of wisdom to it. This team will rise as far as he does once he hits whatever his stride ends up being this year. I for one hope that last week was some of the bad, ergo we have yet to see the good. However, the haters are justified to the extent that he has shown a consistency in the stupid errors we saw last week. The question remains: Can he get over it? We'll know in 2-3 weeks, I suspect if we see more of what we saw last Sunday he'll find the bench by week 4 or 5.

[allday1991]

A.p looked angry that he didn't have a better game, hopefully the O-line opens a few holes cause Peterson will be running angry.