Week 2 Reaction - Quick Hits

[BGM]

The playcalling on the last series of the Vikings last offensive drive was as bad as I have ever seen. Settling for a FG... grrr!! BUT, the playcalling was not bad the rest of the game. When Ponder was clicking with his receivers, they looked good! If only Ponder had some consistency. The same goes for the OL.

AD did all he could this game. 100 yards, but no TDs. Did he break his fingers? If so, why do you give him the ball on 3rd and goal when a playaction to him and sending everyone into the end zone would have given the Vikes a MUCH better chance?? As for his fumble, it meant little as the Bears went 3 and out after the fumble.

Defensively, this team is a mess. Yes, there are going to be some significant growing pains with the youth movement on defense, but the lack of a second decent safety and the absence of even one LB who can hold their own is seriously degrading the effectiveness of this team. We all knew the defensive backs were going to struggle, just by their inexperience, but did anyone think the LBs were going to be a complete non-factor? The defense has boiled down to the defensive line and Harrison Smith.

I despise teams that play not to lose, so it's hard for me to like the coaching staff right now.

[VikingLord]

They need consistency at QB.

Looks like they could use 3 new LBs.

Could use a better safety next to Harrison.

Need 2 interior guards who can play with consistency.

As much as a I hate to say it, better have RB on the radar as well. AD has not looked himself the last 2 games. He's still incredible, but not even close to what we saw last year. He's getting to that point where backs typically start to fall off as well, so that position has to be o the radar as well.

Spielman has his work cut out for him.

[johnpf12345]

Agreed on all. defensively, they need two linebackers badly to go with greenway. they need a safety to go with smith. they need corners. if we are going to go thru this crap week after week, at least play the first round rooks fulltime and let them learn from their growing pains. Its better than watching josh robinson, etc. I always thought cook was okay but looked horrible on the last bears td. play Floyd, Patterson, and Rhodes full time. I believe Rhodes is the nickel now?

And could you kick the damn ball AWAY from hester for gods sake. with a quarter to go he had 249 kick return yards.

[S197]

We need to get rid of the two TE set. I don't care if Musgrave loves this formation, take away his 4x4 index card that he calls a play sheet and burn it. If we had two Kyle Rudolph's on the team, I'd love the formation. But we don't. We have Kyle Rudolph and a guy who inexplicable gets to play every week despite doing absolutely nothing positive (see: Berrian, Bernard). The second reason we need to get rid of it, at least for the next game, is Zach Line is no Felton. I give him credit, he absolutely blew up the LB on the AD 4th down run but too many other times he was getting stood up. If you watch AD on many of his carries, he jump cuts away from Line because he clogs holes more than creates (see: Tahi, Naufahu).

The offensive line was much less offensive this week. Especially in pass protection. Kalil held his own against Peppers and Ponder had a lot of time in the pocket when he stayed there. There was one truly awful blitz pickup where 3 lineman (I believe Loadholt, Fusco, and Sullivan) all ended up picking the same defender allowing an easy sack on Ponder. But other than that, protection was good. Run blocking wasn't so great but see first paragraph.

LB's looked soft today and Forte had a really big game but overall I think the defense did okay. Yes, the game winning drive was very poorly executed but this is also a defense that forced four turnovers, including one for a touchdown. It also didn't help that they were playing on a short field a lot thanks to Hester. Again, I question the coaching staff on personnel. Henderson and Mitchell continue to be the weak links.

Special teams was black and white. Locke did a great job of punting, and unfortunately Sherels was shoved in the back when he tried to recover the punt in the endzone. Patterson will get credit for the 1st kick return but the blocking was really excellent. The negative of course was Hester gashing them over and over.

As for Ponder, I'm afraid I don't see any improvement. He's shown he can make throws but he simply cannot do it consistently. The pick six was the same throw he's done since he started in the league and if Billick is correct, he's still not going through his progressions and missing open receivers.

I'm rather disappointed with the coaching staff but I will say that it was refreshing to see some halftime adjustments. It's been quite some time since that's happened.

[S197]

One more thing, is it too much to ask to blitz once in a while? I get we have a good front four but so do the Lions and even they brought the blitz now and then.

[Eli]

I'm rather disappointed with the coaching staff but I will say that it was refreshing to see some halftime adjustments. It's been quite some time since that's happened.

Did they _make_ any halftime adjustments? Or did they just play much better in the second half?

[Eli]

One more thing, is it too much to ask to blitz once in a while? I get we have a good front four but so do the Lions and even they brought the blitz now and then.

That gets back to the question of where in the hell is Desmond Bishop?

[mondry]

They need consistency at QB.

Looks like they could use 3 new LBs.

Could use a better safety next to Harrison.

Need 2 interior guards who can play with consistency.

As much as a I hate to say it, better have RB on the radar as well. AD has not looked himself the last 2 games. He's still incredible, but not even close to what we saw last year. He's getting to that point where backs typically start to fall off as well, so that position has to be o the radar as well.

Spielman has his work cut out for him.

For sure, that pretty much sums it up right now. There's nothing really else too it, we have a severe lack of talent in all of those positions you listed. Not just "average guys we wish were probowlers" but guys who wouldn't start for a single other team in this league.

At this rate the draft could literally look like LB, OG, LB, OG, S and it would make sense... Of course how do you get a solid QB prospect at the same time? You're right spielman has a long ways to go for this rebuild to finish.

[S197]

Did they _make_ any halftime adjustments? Or did they just play much better in the second half?

They switched up the front four to start the second half, going with Griffen and Floyd. I think they were trying to find a way to contain Forte. In any case they had two stops back to back then two turnovers later in the game. It might have been more execution than adjustments, there's really no way for us to say for certain but whatever they did, it sure looked a lot better than the 1st half.

[Eli]

It's a little early to be worrying about the draft.

They knew LB and G were two big needs, but failed to address them in any manner beyond signing Desmond Bishop.

[PurpleKoolaid]

That gets back to the question of where in the hell is Desmond Bishop?

This is the question. I personally haven't heard a word about why Mitchell is starting over him. Or Erin. Erin was out of position every play. Greenway is having his worst year ever, he is slow and isn't tackling well. Why did we pick up Bishop? If he s hurt, why aernt we hearing about it. Williams and Fraizer are jokes at coaching, just flat out jokes.

[mondry]

We need to get rid of the two TE set. .

I like this point and agree quite a bit. We just don't have the personnel to do it as much as we are, oddly enough. As I've said in other threads before like sure it made sense when we didn't have any WR's but you can't argue to me that Wright or Patterson isn't a better weapon to get on the field more than Carlson if we swapped the 2 TE's for more of a 3 WR look. I think the pros outweigh the cons / any hit to the running game that may occur. If Ponder can't handle 3 WR's then that's just more proof we need someone who CAN, not an excuse to baby the offense.

[PurpleKoolaid]

I like this point and agree quite a bit. We just don't have the personnel to do it as much as we are, oddly enough. As I've said in other threads before like sure it made sense when we didn't have any WR's but you can't argue to me that Wright or Patterson isn't a better weapon to get on the field more than Carlson if we swapped the 2 TE's for more of a 3 WR look. I think the pros outweigh the cons / any hit to the running game that may occur. If Ponder can't handle 3 WR's then that's just more proof we need someone who CAN, not an excuse to baby the offense.

I agree. The reason that it worked last year doesn't really matter this year, and we are now 0-2. But the powers that be will not make changes. Heck, their cover 2 doesn't even work for the very reason they run it.

[BGM]

It's a little early to be worrying about the draft.

They knew LB and G were two big needs, but failed to address them in any manner beyond signing Desmond Bishop.

Exactly. It honestly would take a quality LB and a very good G to write a different script for the season. I think the LBs would gel around a top quality MLB, and it is amazing the difference one excellent player can make on the effectiveness of an OL.

[CalVike]

Did he break his fingers? If so, why do you give him the ball on 3rd and goal when a playaction to him and sending everyone into the end zone would have given the Vikes a MUCH better chance?

I did not see the game yet, will watch on NFL rewind later. This seems a pretty typical call for the 2012-13 Vikings, irrespective of an injury. Ride the running of their superstar RB from that down and distance. If Ponder threw an int or incomplete many would be questioning why not AD? What we are learning is that opponents don't go static when a back carries for 2K, they change and find ways to stop it. The Vikes need to change too. But they may not be able to do it with current personnel. What I took away was our team is good enough to fight a solid Bears team on the road, to the bitter end. I also saw another instance of Leslie Frazier's always thinking his defense will hold them in the end. Again, they just may not have the personnel to do it.


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