CalVike wrote:
We were today. Not sure it will hold. I think this is a far better team than showed today.
Sure it is. It has to be. But my obsession is to see this team win the Big One before I die. And I'm getting any younger.
This team doesn't seem to have a positive trajectory. In fact, it seems to be ready to take a significant step back this year, even if we keep our health. And while I agree that we're not the 4-12 team we looked like today, it's cold comfort for a guy like me who has suffered with an O-for for 4 1/2 decades.
DanAS wrote:Sure it is. It has to be. But my obsession is to see this team win the Big One before I die. And I'm not getting any younger.
I hear you. I was freshly 7 that January when we lost that last Super Bowl in 1977. I never thought I'd wait this long and my dad's (and many of you) been waiting since Super Bowl inception. I don't want to wait either. It was so exciting with AD's run on that first offensive play from scrimmage, reminded me of Percy's kickoff return to start the 2011 season in San Diego. I hope this season turns out better than that one. They usually do ok, hence our curse, but never win the big one. So tough. Go Vikes!
CalVike wrote:
I hear you. I was freshly 7 that January when we lost that last Super Bowl in 1977. I never thought I'd wait this long and my dad's (and many of you) been waiting since Super Bowl inception. I don't want to wait either. It was so exciting with AD's run on that first offensive play from scrimmage, reminded me of Percy's kickoff return to start the 2011 season in San Diego. I hope this season turns out better than that one. They usually do ok, hence our curse, but never win the big one. So tough. Go Vikes!
As long as things are looking up, I'm good. If we're a 6-10 team last year and we look like a 9-7 team this year, I'm having fun. But this year promises to be excruciating unless something dramatic happens. I think it is more about leadership than anything else (other than obvious problems at QB). Someone needs to light a fire under these guys. You could see what was missing from the moment they fired Kluwe to make room for an untested rookie. Apparently this coach doesn't understand the value of fighting for your job during the pre-season or competing for your starting job during the regular season.
Maybe Woody Allen was right when he said that "80% of life is just showing up." But it's not 80% of football. Someone needs to tell that to Frazier or he won't be showing up in Mankato next year.
The only reason Ponder completed 61% of his passes last year is because most of his passes are 2 or 3 yards in the air. Beyond 5 yards his completion percentage is only about 35%. Four turnovers by Ponder today is inexcusable.I've seen a lot of young QB's in my 40 plus years watching the NFL and if they aren't much better in their 3rd year than their first they're a bust. It's a good thing the Vikes picked up Cassell. The question is whether Frazier will have the balls to bench Ponder. You see this a lot where teams draft a QB in the first round and keep playing him long after the world knows they are a bust because their pride won't let them admit they made a bad pick. As for the team as a whole ? Let's be honest - last years team making the playoffs was a fluke. This looks like a 6-10 season and if so may be Frazier's last one here.
I've been worried about our linebacker play all summer, and today's horrid performance legitimized those fears.
Reggie Bush is a nice player, but he shouldn't be running wild over the middle of the field like he did. That long TD was absolutely ridiculous. Do we even have a real linebacker on this team?
The issues at LB are going to have to be shored up fast. Other OC are going to keep testing those guys until they show they can do something. What I don't get is this was mostly a nickel game, so it was the same two guys as last year, what happened?
IMO the biggest issue was the executing in the trenches. Our Defensive line played against an OL that was highly questionable, plus in the 1st half it lost it's RT. Our pressure was non-existent. If that is the best they can do it is going to be a LONG year. In this respect the game reminded me of week 2 last year against IND where we played a crap OL and were terrible.
OL was even worse. The blocking was hideous as was the pass protection. Kalil was awful.
They just have to be better than this. I hope today was wakeup call.
Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi
J. Kapp 11 wrote:I've been worried about our linebacker play all summer, and today's horrid performance legitimized those fears.
Reggie Bush is a nice player, but he shouldn't be running wild over the middle of the field like he did. That long TD was absolutely ridiculous. Do we even have a real linebacker on this team?
Even Greenway looked like terrible repeatedly. Got completely juked out of his jock on a few plays. And while I was completely against the Bishop signing, the guy needs to get in there. He might look like a stiff when he drops into his zone, but was a monster reading plays and making tackles. If the coaches think he doesn't know the defense well enough...so what, the difference between him and Mitchell is clear.
We're in the middle of a rebuild, and linebacker is a huge area of need...not only are the linebackers not very good, but they don't fit the system at all.
IMO the biggest issue was the executing in the trenches.
Where was Floyd? We lose our best interior linemen, and they have Felony in there and other depth scrubs!!!
I think Coaching was a culprit on the defensive side of the ball today. (as well as offense...) This was a nickel type game which means the two LB were EH and Greenway, who both played the nickel last year. They were both terrible today. Hopefully this game was a wake up call.
Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi
J. Kapp 11 wrote:I've been worried about our linebacker play all summer, and today's horrid performance legitimized those fears.
Greenway played like Greenway. I think the observations of others who said he looked slow is due to his having to be involved in too many plays where the ball carrier or receiver should already have been down.
Neither Erin Henderson nor Marvin Mitchell recorded a single tackle or assist. They need to get Desmond Bishop on the field ASAP. They could release Mitchell tomorrow and nobody would ever know he was gone.
And if things get any worse, get Michael Mauti out there and bench Henderson. Unless Mauti isn't 100% healthy, they have nothing to lose.
I take a different view of this game, it was just one game. It is the first game of the season and generally u are rusty. I will worry when it is the 6the game of the year. Right now iI ain't worried. The defense will lock teams down. The offense will get it together. Go, Vikings
JellyBean2144 wrote:I take a different view of this game, it was just one game. It is the first game of the season and generally u are rusty. I will worry when it is the 6the game of the year. Right now iI ain't worried. The defense will lock teams down. The offense will get it together. Go, Vikings
JellyBean2144 wrote:I take a different view of this game, it was just one game. It is the first game of the season and generally u are rusty. I will worry when it is the 6the game of the year. Right now iI ain't worried. The defense will lock teams down. The offense will get it together. Go, Vikings
Yeah, they'll get better and figure some things out. There were times last year during our losing streak you would swear this was a 4-12 team and Ponder was the worst QB in the league. Of course then they put it all together and wound up 10-6. Musgrave is notorious for taking forever to develop the offense around his players skills. Eventually he'll figure out how to get Patterson involved and buy some space for Peterson.
Eli wrote:
Greenway played like Greenway. I think the observations of others who said he looked slow is due to his having to be involved in too many plays where the ball carrier or receiver should already have been down.
Neither Erin Henderson nor Marvin Mitchell recorded a single tackle or assist. They need to get Desmond Bishop on the field ASAP. They could release Mitchell tomorrow and nobody would ever know he was gone.
And if things get any worse, get Michael Mauti out there and bench Henderson. Unless Mauti isn't 100% healthy, they have nothing to lose.
NFL.com shows Henderson with 7 tackles and 4 assists plus an INT.
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." - Frank Zappa
Demi wrote:Almost had a FFumbl too. But was invisible most of the time. Mitchell is a bigger liability. Honestly surprised Bishop wasn't used more....
He will be next week. No way in the world the coaches miss how ineffective Mitchel was. I know I am one of the few but I want Bishop as our mike, for now at last. Until Mauti is ready.
