Vikings @ Packers Game Day Discussion Thread -- Week 13

[tmscr]

And on the last Packer 4 down before they called a timeout the was a Packer player on the field without his helmet on and the clock running, Automatic 15yd penalty and Hocouli's group NO CALL.

the officiating was below average on both sides today. the baloney RTP call on minnesota and a few missed blatant facemasks/horse collars.

[yezzir]

Let me give this dead horse one more smack...

We were one pointless game away from the Vikings drafting RG3.

[tmscr]

No it wasn't at all. The score implied it was competitive but the gameplay proved otherwise.

the vikings had a chance to make it a one score game with 2 minutes left. if walsh makes the FG there would have probably been an onside kick. i'm not sure what you consider competitive

[Eli]

That was just an embarrassment. The entire organization should be ashamed. What's amazing is that it wasn't 56-0.

[VikingLord]

im sick of quaterbacks gettin their feelings hurt. make it a qb competition and let the strong survive and rid thyselves of the weak!

That's the way it should work. There's just that matter of the wasted 12th pick in a draft and the need for someone to admit they screwed up in the evaluation that led to the pick.

Vikes desperately (hate using that word) need to bolster the QB position this offseason. They need a vet who can man the position and possibly win it, but they also need some more young prospects who have a chance to develop over the longer-term. And that's on top of their need for WR's, LBs, and offensive guards...

[Mothman]

I don't think you are being realistic. The Vikings defense has played well today. They gave up two TD's and 3 FG's against the Packers. In so many drives that I can't count. The Vikings offense just kept giving them the ball back. Sure, they could have shut out the Packers and we would have won the game. But I don't think that puts the loss on the defense. .

I didn't say the loss was on the defense! I said it was a team loss and that it wasn't just on Ponder.

Look over the whole field, and the whole game, and tell me what you think the difference in the game is.

Again, I don't think there's ever just one reason or one difference that determines the outcome of a game. That's not how football works. I think Ponder's performance was the biggest factor in the loss but it wasn't the only factor.

No, I know it isn't, but your focus on a couple bad drives by the defense, against a pretty good offense, to take Ponder off the hook, is a little mind-boggling from my perspective.

Heaven forbid I point out that anybody other than Ponder contributed to the loss. I'm not focusing on the defense to get Ponder off the hook. I don't think Ponder should be off the hook for this performance. All I'm saying is that just because he performed terribly, it shouldn't let the rest of the team off the hook. Somehow, you've managed to interpret that as a defense of Ponder, despite the fact that I've made it clear that he was awful today.

[VikingLord]

Let me give this dead horse one more smack...

We were one pointless game away from the Vikings drafting RG3.

Don't remind me...

Actually, we were one pointless game away from drafting Andrew Luck. IIRC, Vikes would have had the first pick in the draft had they lost that pointless game.

[Fran the Man]

NO RECEIVERS.

And a horrible Quarterback & OC

[soflavike]

Let me give this dead horse one more smack...

We were one pointless game away from the Vikings drafting RG3.

Yes, it's Joe Webb's fault.

[FK28]

The blind loyalty from the coaches for ponder just baffles me. He was not playing well and anyone could see we could run against them at will. Webb can run Why not let him play and make runs as well as the short passes. Webb can not read defenses as well as ponder but that was not an issue today. This loss is on Ponder and the lack of the coaches making the decision to take out a QB that had not completed a pass to a WR in more than three quarters.

That being said the Vikings kept this a game and I will look forward to seeing the Packers in the dome.

there was a lot of hope and blind loyalty to ponder, not only from the coaches. many fans even on this message board that picked ponder without really seeing what he could or couldnt do.

what i dont understand is; why isnt anybody hopeful anf loyal to webb? everytime he was called upon he has done well. when farve was out hurt, he did great. i think now is the time to give him the shot. its well overdue. we find out now what webb can do so the vikes will know what to do for next year. webb was never givin a fair shot and now is the time to do it!

[S197]

I didn't say the loss was on the defense! I said it was a team loss and that it wasn't just on Ponder.

Jim, I get what you're saying, to me it's just coming off sounding nit picky. As Joe Buck mentioned teams with a 200-yard rusher is 57-2 (now 3) since 2000. The defense, while not great, did get critical stops, pressure on Rodgers, and turnovers. Ponder basically handed the football to Peterson and gave away points to the Packers. When one player so overwhelmingly underperforms, the focus is going to be on him.

It will always be a team sport so it will never be wrong to say the loss isn't on one individual. The coaches, the defense, etc. all have a part in the loss but it's fractional compared to the play of Ponder.

[VikingLord]

Webb can not read defenses as well as ponder ...

Um, not sure I agree with that. Ponder is pretty bad at reading anything other than textbooks apparently... Not sure I'd say he's better at anything right now compared to Webb or even MBT, for that matter.

That being said the Vikings kept this a game and I will look forward to seeing the Packers in the dome.

Packers will just sell out even more to stop the run... Or, maybe even more likely, Packers won't have anything to play for because they'll have made the playoffs already and will just rest their starters.

[thatguy]

TIME TO BRING BACK BERNARD BERRIAN! But seriously, at least Berrian had separation speed, and he has about as much heart as Simpson has shown so far.

[CalVike]

Don't remind me...

Actually, we were one pointless game away from drafting Andrew Luck. IIRC, Vikes would have had the first pick in the draft had they lost that pointless game.

This is another case where fans get to engage in pointless speculation. NFL teams don't play to lose, ever. Not should they.

[soflavike]

what i dont understand is; why isnt anybody hopeful anf loyal to webb? everytime he was called upon he has done well. when farve was out hurt, he did great. i think now is the time to give him the shot. its well overdue. we find out now what webb can do so the vikes will know what to do for next year. webb was never givin a fair shot and now is the time to do it!

I agree, but a lot of people seem to think Webb is a horrible passer, and not a a "real" NFL QB... yet they defend Ponder.