Vikings @ Panthers Game Day Discussion Thread -- Week 3

[IrishViking]

So what if someone wants to declare Zimmer the second coming? Who does it hurt? Since when does fandom need to be taken in moderation. It doesn't hurt anyone for someone to be crazy excited about the team or Zimmer. We all know that eventually it will happen like it does everywhere; He will be slow to evolve, suffer some injuries or QB controversy and it will tank him to a few subpar seasons and he'll be out on his ####.

The Vikings have a crazy good defense, For the first time since Farve we have a QB who can make every throw he could need to. There is no reason for someone to have to chill out about being excited or relax a bit on Zimmer, Let them be excited. It doesn't hurt anything and like I said, we all know how the song ends, if someone wants to pretend it wont for a while, let um.

I feel like too often on this board (And this goes for many, many of us, myself included) we feel that someone has to be the voice of reason or opposition. Not even for reasons of belief more along the lines of.

"The sky is blue"

*Sigh* (well it is an internet forum) "Prove it please, it could be pink"

Sometimes its perfectly fine to just be absurdly over the top and just be rabid fans. As long as you arent hurting anyone or being a dick go for it.

We can talk about the inevitable defensive letdown and Bradford INT in the NFCCG when it happens in January.

[Mothman]

If I read only the last couple of pages of this thread it would be hard to imagine we just beat the NFC champs, on the road, by a wide margin. Without our starting LT, G, and hall of fame RB. Oh, and with a QB that has been on the team for 20 days or so.

Really, is it so hard enjoy a win for a couple of hours without qualifying it with something? Lets remember that the goal at the end of the day is winning. And we are.

... and it's great and we'd like it continue all the way to the Super Bowl.

I'm enjoying the wins. I wrote more than once yesterday that it feels good to be 3-0 but I think we can enjoy the wins and still discuss the big matzah ball sitting out there: a 31st-ranked offense that's managed to score just 4 TDs in it's last 5 games. That's the kind of thing that tends to catch up to a team and eventually prevent winning when it matters most.

[TSonn]

... and it's great and we'd like it continue all the way to the Super Bowl.

I'm enjoying the wins. I wrote more than once yesterday that it feels good to be 3-0 but I think we can enjoy the wins and still discuss the big matzah ball sitting out there: a 31st-ranked offense that's managed to score just 4 TDs in it's last 5 games. That's the kind of thing that tends to catch up to a team and eventually prevent winning when it matters most.

I don't think it is fair to go back to last season with that stat. We have different players and different coaches. Granted, 3 TDs in 3 games this year is still concerning but we can take it just from when Bradford started we are 3 TDs in 2 games. Plus, with the defense and special teams scoring points, the coaches aren't taking unnecessary risks on offense when maybe we'd be putting up more points if the D wasn't as dominant.

[Mothman]

So what if someone wants to declare Zimmer the second coming? Who does it hurt? Since when does fandom need to be taken in moderation. It doesn't hurt anyone for someone to be crazy excited about the team or Zimmer. We all know that eventually it will happen like it does everywhere; He will be slow to evolve, suffer some injuries or QB controversy and it will tank him to a few subpar seasons and he'll be out on his ####.

The Vikings have a crazy good defense, For the first time since Farve we have a QB who can make every throw he could need to. There is no reason for someone to have to chill out about being excited or relax a bit on Zimmer, Let them be excited. It doesn't hurt anything and like I said, we all know how the song ends, if someone wants to pretend it wont for a while, let um.

I feel like too often on this board (And this goes for many, many of us, myself included) we feel that someone has to be the voice of reason or opposition. Not even for reasons of belief more along the lines of.

"The sky is blue"

*Sigh* (well it is an internet forum) "Prove it please, it could be pink"

Sometimes its perfectly fine to just be absurdly over the top and just be rabid fans. As long as you arent hurting anyone or being a dick go for it.

We can talk about the inevitable defensive letdown and Bradford INT in the NFCCG when it happens in January.

Fine. Let's all don our outfits (I've picked them out, picture below) and spend the next 4+ months doing nothing but agreeing that the Vikings are the best, Zimmer's the greatest, etc. It should be a fascinating conversation that's sure to keep the board very active. I won't suggest there might be a better coach in the league than Zimmer or express frustration at an offense that's only scored 4 TDs in 5 games. Nobody can complain about Norv Turner. Nobody can gripe about Patterson's playing time. Nobody can suggest Peterson's over-the-hill, too expensive, or any of the other litany of complaints that get posted about him. From here on out it's pie-in-the-sky thinking, pure enthusiasm for the team, nothing else. Go Vikings!

I hope this fits everyone:

[PurpleMustReign]

Fine. Let's all don our outfits (I've picked them out, picture below) and spend the next 4+ months doing nothing but agreeing that the Vikings are the best, Zimmer's the greatest, etc. It should be a fascinating conversation that's sure to keep the board very active. I won't suggest there might be a better coach in the league than Zimmer or express frustration at an offense that's only scored 4 TDs in 5 games. Nobody can complain about Norv Turner. Nobody can gripe about Patterson's playing time. Nobody can suggest Peterson's over-the-hill, too expensive, or any of the other litany of complaints that get posted about him. From here on out it's pie-in-the-sky thinking, pure enthusiasm for the team, nothing else. Go Vikings!

I hope this fits everyone:

She will fit me.

[Just Me]

In the interests of "cheerleading" here was a good article:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... o-30-start

[fiestavike]

I don't think its an issue of positivity or negativity or being a cheerleader. Most of us have our issues we are critical of with this team and its players in spite of a 3-0 start.

The issue is one of knowledge. If there is knowledge then we can learn from one another. If there isn't, its all just a bunch of opinions equally valid and invalid. That seems to be the consensus, but it actually renders discussion completely pointless. I've grown incredibly frustrated by the nature of the discourse here. Rather than talking about the game with one another, or what actually happens on the field, its all an appeal to some statistical authority, or some snarky attack on the objectivity of the previous comment. Its shamelssly NOT a conversation based on knowledge or analysis, however limited, by which we could share our collective knowledge and benefit each other.

[IrishViking]

Fine. Let's all don our outfits (I've picked them out, picture below) and spend the next 4+ months doing nothing but agreeing that the Vikings are the best, Zimmer's the greatest, etc. It should be a fascinating conversation that's sure to keep the board very active. I won't suggest there might be a better coach in the league than Zimmer or express frustration at an offense that's only scored 4 TDs in 5 games. Nobody can complain about Norv Turner. Nobody can gripe about Patterson's playing time. Nobody can suggest Peterson's over-the-hill, too expensive, or any of the other litany of complaints that get posted about him. From here on out it's pie-in-the-sky thinking, pure enthusiasm for the team, nothing else. Go Vikings!

I hope this fits everyone:

Not what I said. But hey, if your roll is crapping on peoples enthusiasm the day of ending a home winning streak of the defending NFC Champions and holding them to 25% the points they have been scoring go for it. No one is stopping you, but it is some silly debbie downer stuff. Do you really think we wouldnt be having a normal conversation about the positive and negative impacts of the game by tuesday if this didnt happen? Is there a "thin purple line" on this board that walks the beat everyday to maintain high brow conversation and prevent a cesspool of band wagoneers? It's one thing to say "hey we won and it was awesome. but what did you think of this?" It's another to say "your excitement is childish and premature and misplaced" the former acknowledges the person's feelings and directs the conversation to something else. The latter is just pissing in the milk. I see the latter a lot more. Like, everyone gets one excited post then it's pull out your analysis, show your work, and break down the game.

[Mothman]

Have a nice day, everybody! I'm off to twiddle my mustache and tie a young lady to the railroad tracks.

[IrishViking]

Have a nice day, everybody! I'm off to twiddle my mustache and tie a young lady to the railroad tracks.

Hey with an outfit like that I am sure the lone ranger will rescue me



Legs for days

[Nunin]

Hmmmm I have yet to see anyone being told NOT to be enthusiastic. Quite the opposite in fact when it comes to anyone telling others how to express themselves.
I will say it's kinda ironic (maybe not, not always clear on that) that a team and it's fanbase can get so exuberant over beating a team that went 15-1 in the regular season with an incredible defense...but got mauled in the SB because they couldn't protect their QB for crap when it counted most. The exuberance is honest and feels good, but the criticisms are honest too, even if they are sobering.
Time will tell. I hope they can keep Sam healthy while managing to put points up there. I have zero faith in the back up plan. But it's just football..eh?

[IrishViking]

Hmmmm I have yet to see anyone being told NOT to be enthusiastic. Quite the opposite in fact when it comes to anyone telling others how to express themselves.
I will say it's kinda ironic (maybe not, not always clear on that) that a team and it's fanbase can get so exuberant over beating a team that went 15-1 in the regular season with an incredible defense...but got mauled in the SB because they couldn't protect their QB for crap when it counted most. The exuberance is honest and feels good, but the criticisms are honest too, even if they are sobering.
Time will tell. I hope they can keep Sam healthy while managing to put points up there. I have zero faith in the back up plan. But it's just football..eh?

We have given up 6 sacks on the year and one of them this last game was fully on a mckinnon mismatch so to me the online gave up 1 sack. I fully agree that our oline is a huge question mark but we are on pace to give up 32 sacks this year. Yes address it. But giving up one oline sack to a front as good as the panthers doesnt strike me as a huge concern.

[Mothman]

Hmmmm I have yet to see anyone being told NOT to be enthusiastic. Quite the opposite in fact when it comes to anyone telling others how to express themselves.
I will say it's kinda ironic (maybe not, not always clear on that) that a team and it's fanbase can get so exuberant over beating a team that went 15-1 in the regular season with an incredible defense...but got mauled in the SB because they couldn't protect their QB for crap when it counted most. The exuberance is honest and feels good, but the criticisms are honest too, even if they are sobering.
Time will tell. I hope they can keep Sam healthy while managing to put points up there. I have zero faith in the back up plan. But it's just football..eh?

It IS just football and everybody comes at it a little differently. To the people who want to see conversations go a certain way, all I can say is steer it that way yourselves. Content on this board is user-generated so if you want more analysis, post analysis and reciprocate when others do so. The same goes for enthusiasm or criticism or anything else. It's all about discussion but we all have to understand that once something is posted, it's open for that discussion and individually, we can only have so much influence on the nature of the discourse.

As I said, everybody comes at this differently. Some fans are more inclined to live in the moment and believe the best is yet to come. Others are more inclined to fret over shortcomings they see in the team that might bite them later in the season. Neither approach is "right".

To address something IrishViking wrote above: there is no "thin purple line" on this board to maintain high brow conversation and prevent a cesspool of band wagoners but there IS an effort to prevent a cesspool. Maybe some of you haven't seen how quickly and easily an online forum like this can descend into such a cesspool but it can happen fast so yes, there's an effort here to maintain civility and at least a certain level of reason in the discourse. The conversation itself can be positive or negative, about stats or about game play, both or neither.

[Nunin]

It's the 1 sack that concerns me most...

[IrishViking]

It IS just football and everybody comes at it a little differently. To the people who want to see conversations go a certain way, all I can say is steer it that way yourselves. Content on this board is user-generated so if you want more analysis, post analysis and reciprocate when others do so. The same goes for enthusiasm or criticism or anything else. It's all about discussion but we all have to understand that once something is posted, it's open for that discussion and individually, we can only have so much influence on the nature of the discourse.

As I said, everybody comes at this differently. Some fans are more inclined to live in the moment and believe the best is yet to come. Others are more inclined to fret over shortcomings they see in the team that might bite them later in the season. Neither approach is "right".

To address something IrishViking wrote above: there is no "thin purple line" on this board to maintain high brow conversation and prevent a cesspool of band wagoners but there IS an effort to prevent a cesspool. Maybe some of you haven't seen how quickly and easily an online forum like this can descend into such a cesspool but it can happen fast so yes, there's an effort here to maintain civility and at least a certain level of reason in the discourse. The conversation itself can be positive or negative, about stats or about game play, both or neither.

Agreed. I think i can speak for Moth when i say its wonderful to see the run game start to produce without AP in there, finally time to turn the page right Jim? And the oline, stoutest I've ever seen. Good to see the attention Spielman gave it paying off.




Seriously though, room for improvement but the oline play in the second half ... I could deal with that for the rest of the season. Not all pro but Bradford won't die and we might get close to 100 rushing yards a game behind the second half line.