Vikings Message Board.Com

That loss wasn't just about the offense:

The Vikings' defense is on notice to tighten up and get off the field Sunday against Chicago after allowing Detroit to consume huge chunks of yardage and time off the clock in Week 1.

The Lions rolled up 28 first downs and 469 yards in a 34-24 victory, operating at will because Minnesota was unable to force them into challenging down-and-distances to pressure quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Eight times the Lions faced second down and five yards or less, which made for five easy conversions and a touchdown. And they converted first downs on three consecutive first-down snaps during their second series.

http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_24 ... tance-this

It's a brief article but in it, Jared Allen talks about the importance of controlling down and distance, maintaining individual responsibilities and not trying to do too much. As he put it:

"You're going to make 99 percent more plays in your gap than you will anybody else's."

What it wasn't just Ponder's fault? OH SNAP

mansquatch wrote:What it wasn't just Ponder's fault? OH SNAP

There were actually people who tried to argue that it was Ponder's fault that the defense was so bad.

80 PurplePride 84 wrote: Probably the same people who said Tebow made the Broncos defense good in 2011.

That gets another "OH SNAP!"

LOL

Ironically this is a core topic (down and distance) in the thread on the playcalling. Would only make sense (OH SNAP) that it also apply to the defense.

I believe if we control our turnovers as a collective offensive group the defense will show improvement.

~

not stopping the run, terrible linebacker play and bad penalties are all ponders fault! burn him!

Ponder plays a good game and we win. The D isn't on the field all the time, we actually convert some 3rd downs. How hard is that for you apologists to figure out? Oh Snap!

You are right, it was all Ponder's fault that they ran twice as many offensive plays as the Vikings.

~

This needs to stop. This thread is an excellent microcosm for the issues that have been plaguing the board as of late. An article is posted, which is ripe for good and open discussion but the thread is instantly derailed. Ponder gets brought up in every thread whether it has anything to do with him or not, it's annoying and I get it. However, each and every one of us has the decision on how we individually respond. If you are not adding to the discussion, then guess what, you're part of the problem. It's just like in football, one guy hits the other, the other retaliates and he's usually the one to get the flag. You're better off walking away.

I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, if you look I'm sure you can find instances where I added to the pile at times as well. This post isn't meant to single out any individual or a group of people, what I'm asking is for everyone to think for a second what you want out of this forum and if you aren't happy with the direction things are going, to evaluate whether or not you're helping or hurting the situation.

As a moderator, I'm not here to censor opinions. No one is breaking board rules so if you wish to carry on, that's your right. We've heard the complaints, both public and private, but everyone needs to realize that there are only a few of us and banning half the forum isn't the answer. This is your hangout, make of it what you want but please be cognizant of how your actions are impacting the overall discussions.

S197 wrote:This needs to stop. This thread is an excellent microcosm for the issues that have been plaguing the board as of late. An article is posted, which is ripe for good and open discussion but the thread is instantly derailed. Ponder gets brought up in every thread whether it has anything to do with him or not, it's annoying and I get it. However, each and every one of us has the decision on how we individually respond. If you are not adding to the discussion, then guess what, you're part of the problem. It's just like in football, one guy hits the other, the other retaliates and he's usually the one to get the flag. You're better off walking away.

I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, if you look I'm sure you can find instances where I added to the pile at times as well. This post isn't meant to single out any individual or a group of people, what I'm asking is for everyone to think for a second what you want out of this forum and if you aren't happy with the direction things are going, to evaluate whether or not you're helping or hurting the situation.

As a moderator, I'm not here to censor opinions. No one is breaking board rules so if you wish to carry on, that's your right. We've heard the complaints, both public and private, but everyone needs to realize that there are only a few of us and banning half the forum isn't the answer. This is your hangout, make of it what you want but please be cognizant of how your actions are impacting the overall discussions.

Well said, I read the op and thought about what I wanted to post in this one and between that and the rest of the replies decided to just hit my back button.

mondry wrote: Well said, I read the op and thought about what I wanted to post in this one and between that and the rest of the replies decided to just hit my back button.

Appreciate it. And just to be clear, I'm not singling out any particular person that has posted in this thread. I could have put this is any of the dozen active threads we have going on that have gone down in similar fashion. This one just so happened to be at the top when I logged on.