Fran Tarkenton: Vikings auditioning Josh Freeman? Embarrassi

[Reignman]

Yeah, but now that I've proven I have the prognostication abilities of an NFL QB that has thrown for 47,000+ yards I'm sure I'll be getting the respect around here that I clearly deserve.

Well played sir, well played indeed. I deserve a little more respect too, I've thrown for more yards than Tarkenton ... in Madden and won more Superbowls too. Playing QB isn't as hard as they make it sound xD. But I gotta agree with Mr. Webb here. What did Fran say that everyone else hasn't been saying or thinking for awhile now? Now that lord Tarkenton is displeased, heads should roll.

Turning the season into an audition is unfair to the locker room, to the other players on the team, who would no longer have anything to play for.

Aren't they all auditioning for a position at this point? If not for our team some other team?

Josh Freeman had 4-1/2 years to audition for the Tampa Bay starter job, and he lost it.

Umm he didn't "lose" the job in Tampa, there was a falling out. Mike Glennon certainly didn't beat him out.

It's wrong to do that to the fans, too, who are so passionate and deserve better. They want to see a team that is winning -- or at least giving an honest effort and trying to win.

I can't disagree with that. What the Vikings did on Monday night was #### to everyone including Josh Freeman. He clearly wasn't ready to start and they should have known that.

The starter should be whomever the coaches think gives the team the best chance to win next Sunday. I doubt that's Freeman. If it's Cassel, then start Cassel. If it's Ponder, then start Ponder. Play to win, and let the chips fall where they may. But don't make a mockery of the season. Don't be an embarrassment.

Cassel gives us the best chance to win, but now it's back to the failed Ponder laboratory? The mockery continues.

If you're not a contender, then you need to know what the course is, which goals you need to reach to become a contender. Right now, the Vikings are not a contender for 2013. And they don't seem to have any plan for 2014 and beyond. Leslie Frazier, Rick Spielman, what is your plan? How do you see this circus ending?

So he's saying, I don't know their plan beyond 2014 so they must not have a plan? I'm mad because they won't let me in on the plan?

I seem to remember a bunch of stupid fans on a message board recognizing the failure that is Ponder long ago and being angry because we again started another season without a viable backup plan. Then being mocked because we suggested maybe an open competition would be beneficial for everyone. Now that he was benched people are saying, hey maybe that'll light a fire, and Ponder even saying he's going to seize the moment NOW! Isn't that what us idiots have been saying all along? Nah, competition has never helped anyone. What do we know, leave it up to the ones in charge who have forgotten more football before lunch than the rest of us have known our entire lives combined. Yeah the professionals clearly know what they're doing

[VikingLord]

Umm he didn't "lose" the job in Tampa, there was a falling out. Mike Glennon certainly didn't beat him out.

So in Revisionist history land, Freeman was performing well in Tampa prior to his release? Is that what you're claiming? That the move to release his behind outright was merely the price Tampa had to pay because the QB and coach weren't getting along?

I can't disagree with that. What the Vikings did on Monday night was #### to everyone including Josh Freeman. He clearly wasn't ready to start and they should have known that.

If you ask me Freeman hasn't been ready to start for anyone, much less the Vikings, since late last year. Freeman's recent failures are not specific to his physical capability, but more his worth ethic and preparation, both of which have been pathetic by many accounts. Now I did read that Freeman was spending a lot of time in the building since the Vikings acquired him, and if true, maybe he is trying to get back on the horse and work at the level a pro QB needs to work at to have success, but until I see evidence of it on the field I'm not going to buy the argument that Freeman is the best option for anyone, much less Minnesota.

Those throws he missed against the Giants were just FUGLY. It was the worst display of passing acumen I've ever seen at any level. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and he had guys open.

Put another way, when someone like ME wants PONDER back in, it's BAD. REALLY BAD.

[losperros]

I think this is a great article. Well, probably because I agree with so much of it.

Anyway, this stuck out to me:

I didn't see any semblance of a plan on the field; the players didn't show any purpose, any life. It was just one play after another. What was the plan?

I've been thinking this for a while now. It's as if this year's Vikings team has no persona.

[mondry]

I think this is a great article. Well, probably because I agree with so much of it.

Anyway, this stuck out to me:
I've been thinking this for a while now. It's as if this year's Vikings team has no persona.

This is just a symptom of the players losing faith in the ability of the coaches. There is no plan, it's just the same old "we have to execute better" mantra over and over. Players are human beings and if you hear "it's your fault, you're just not doing it right" cause let's face it, that's what "execute better" means, they're going to realize very quickly that these guys can't lead us out of a paper bag. It's one thing if you can agree with the game plan but if you think running into 9 men in the box over and over is a bad plan, then they tell you you just have to execute better, you're going to get pissed no matter who you are.

[Webbfann]

Silly negativists who can't see the plan. The plan is to execute better! Execute what? The plan! What plan? The plan to execute. Execute what? The plan! Better! What is the plan? To execute!

How can it be more clear?

I think this is a great article. Well, probably because I agree with so much of it.

Anyway, this stuck out to me:
I've been thinking this for a while now. It's as if this year's Vikings team has no persona.

[CalVike]

Thanks for posting this, Jim. It's so ironic that when Rick Spielman interviews he says the team is al about open competition with the players who give the team the best chance to win to start. Except with QB where it's either "Christian Ponder is our quarterback" or we were roaming the waiver wire and found a gem in Freeman who will start. Just play the truly best QB for now as Fran says!

[yezzir]

Tarkenton sounds consistently bitter to me. For him to dismiss Freeman after one game is lame.

[PsyDanny]

Tarkenton sounds consistently bitter to me. For him to dismiss Freeman after one game is lame.

I certainly respect Tark's game back in the day. But it does not seem like he has barely set foot in Minnesota since back in the day. I would consider his opinions on Favre a few years ago, and now Freeman, if Fran gave some appearance of caring about this team outside of an occasional QB issue.

Yeah, yeah, Fran, we remember who you are...

[yezzir]

I certainly respect Tark's game back in the day. But it does not seem like he has barely set foot in Minnesota since back in the day. I would consider his opinions on Favre a few years ago, and now Freeman, if Fran gave some appearance of caring about this team outside of an occasional QB issue.

Yeah, yeah, Fran, we remember who you are...

I remember right when the 2009 season was starting, Fran was killing the Vikings and Favre through the media.

Low and behold, we had the best team in the league, Favre had his best season, and we were inches from a Super Bowl victory.

[Mothman]

Low and behold, we had the best team in the league, Favre had his best season, and we were inches from a Super Bowl victory.

I assume you meant they were inches from a Super Bowl appearance. They were a long way from a Super Bowl victory.

I'm not sure by what standard the Vikings could be said to have the best team in the league in 2009. They didn't have the best record in the league or their conference and they didn't get to the Super Bowl, much less win it.

[mondry]

I assume you meant they were inches from a Super Bowl appearance. They were a long way from a Super Bowl victory.

I'm not sure by what standard the Vikings could be said to have the best team in the league in 2009. They didn't have the best record in the league or their conference and they didn't get to the Super Bowl, much less win it.

Yeah, when you say "team" you have to include Childress and that just knocks them straight out of "best team." If you said "most skilled players" then yeah we had the most talent by far and I don't think that's debatable. It took a Childress goof and a head hunting scandal of our QB to beat us in over time at HOME and as for the colts it was pretty widely regarded whoever won the NFCCG had a pretty high chance of winning the super bowl.

[yezzir]

Yeah, when you say "team" you have to include Childress and that just knocks them straight out of "best team." If you said "most skilled players" then yeah we had the most talent by far and I don't think that's debatable. It took a Childress goof and a head hunting scandal of our QB to beat us in over time at HOME and as for the colts it was pretty widely regarded whoever won the NFCCG had a pretty high chance of winning the super bowl.

That's what I was basing the "inches" noun from.

[Mothman]

Some interesting comments on Freeman's performance from SI writer 9and former Vikings beat reporter) Don Banks:

Many rushed to excuse his performance, saying he was set up to fail by the panicked Vikings in being put on the field so soon, and there's some truth to that. But Freeman is a fifth-year veteran and a former first-round pick, and you'd think he'd be able to hit a few wide-open receivers in stride, even if he still doesn't know all the names on the backs of those white and purple jerseys. Yes, he could have used more preparation time and entered play against New York with a better grasp of the Minnesota offense, but 33 incompletions? C'mon. That's about four games worth for the Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees of the football world.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/ne ... z2iwPxwV7N

[yezzir]

He was terribly inaccurate, but, Freeman showed great "pocket presence" (sick of that cliche), targeted the correct/open receivers, and seemed to understand the offense given to him in a short time.

Mechanics and timing and that stuff can be fixed. It was 1 game.

[IrishViking]

But its not one game. He has been in the league for a number of years.


To me the inability to hit wide open receivers in a game situation speaks to a much more serious mechancial issue a la tim tebow that may very well be un fixable at this point.