1. The quarterback situation is far from resolved. And no I don't mean there's a QB controversy. Minnesota doesn't even have anybody they can turn to with confidence if Jackson went down with an injury or if he just absolutely falls flat on his face from here on out. John David Booty is still gonna ride the pine for a while before he gets a chance to show whether or not he can run Minnesota's west coast offense. Brooks Bollinger makes the Bears' backups (and Orton if you wanna have fun with this) look like the Manning brothers playing on the same all-star team. And Gus Frerotte is just there for the insights and helpful pointers to the young guns. He's not somebody you're gonna build a team around, nor is Bollinger. No, as much as fans can't understand it, Jackson is our best chance at winning games. That is why I disagree with the booin at Jackson. If you're booing the playcalling fine, but we need to give the kid some more time. Although that time is running out with every incompletion and bad pick he throws.
But what I mean by the fact that the QB situation is unresolved is that Jackson still has problems managing this offense on gameday despite praises from the coaches on how he's finally starting to turn the corner on figuring out the West Coast offense. His erly performance in the preseason reflected the coaches' remarks. But for one reason or another, on gameday, Jackson just cannot make the big plays. He still doesn't know when he should tuck the ball and do it himself, and he just can't seem to hit his guys deep down field. Some of it comes from drops; those never help a QB's progress. But a lot of it also stems from playcalling. It sends the wrong message when you decide to run the football five times in a row on your opponent's side of the field. A play action or even a draw might have opened up the defense a little. But then again this is also the same play calling that called for a shotgun pass on a 3rd and one in enemy territory. Why they did that I have no idea.
In my opinion, the coaching needs to improve if they want the player to improve. And Jackson has the talent. A lot of people don't see it. They think he's the worst QB in the NFL. But he's got the potential to be much more reliable than he is right now. It's just gonna take some patience by a lot of people, fans included.
2. Defensive effort deserved a win. They weren't gonna hold off Manning forever. Even though Peyton Manning still doesn't look like his old self, he's still not some second-rate backup thrwoing meatballs up for grabs. And when you have a guy like Anthony Gonzalez, who has really come on as of late for the Colts and had 9 catches for 137 yards on Sunday, it's gonna be hard to keep them out of the endzone. Minnesota played opportunistic defense and picked Manning twice and could only muster a field goal for it. They stuffed Indianapolis' run game for 25 yards on the day and held them to 6-of-15 on third-down attempts. Yet the Viking offense, as it has so many times before, could not return the favor for the hard work put in by the defense. It's disappointing because this isn't something that happens on occassion. Minnesota has one of the best defenses in the NFL, but they're human. They get tired too. If they're on the field all the time and if the offensive struggles become frustrating to the team, it subsequently will affect the team as a whole in one way or another, mostly in the momentum factor. It seems like almost every time Minnesota loses it is because a stagnant offense wasted away a strong defensive effort.
3. Running game is still dominant, but needs support if the Vikings want to make it a four quarter dimension of their offense. No offense in the NFL can have a running game last four quarters if you can't find ways to move the ball through the air. Defenses will eventually stack the line and find ways to fill the gaps and blow up any run play a team throws at them, especially if they aren't willing to go downfield. Adrian Peterson had his eighth career 100-yard rushing performance (29 carries for 160 yards- most of which came in the first half) which moved him to fourth all-time already on the Vikings' list. He still has a ways to go to catch Robert Smith. But Smith also played a while before he got to eight 100-yard games. Peterson is a monster, a genuine superstar on a team that desperately needs one. Yet he cannot carry the offensive load entirely. No back in the NFL can. Not Tomlinson, not Barber, not Parker and not even Larry Johnson, who does take on a lot of the offensive load for the Chiefs.
The Vikings need to get this kid some help in a hurry. For one thing it will help to prolong his health. Sure he's got a great offensive line. But as a running back your still gonna get hit almost every single play. And if more happen like where Robert Mathis went VERY low on Peterson, his health won't remain in good shape for long.
4. This is not a playoff team...yet. For all the hype this team got in the offseason, I am just not seeing it right now. I'm seeing the same product I saw on the field at the end of last season when the Vikings had a mini-collapse and just missed the postseason with an 8-8 record. There are still too many kinks to be worked out before I can label this team a playoff contender. Not to mention their schedule is much tougher now than it was at the start of the season when it still looked pretty daunting. With that said, however, people need to lay off of Minnesota. How many teams would just love to trade for the talent the Vikings have at several positions. I'm sure some teams wouldn't mind taking a few of our Pro Bowl linemen, offensive and defensive alike. I'm sure Antoine Winfield would be a fine edition to almost any secondary looking to make an upgrade there. And what about Adrian Peterson. Does your team have one? Well the Bears do. But there are several teams that wouldn't mind picking up Peterson if a managebale trade came up. It'd be a monster deal involving big names and lots of cash, but it could be done if a team was willing and believe me there are. So before you decide to label this team bad, look at your own team and see if you wouldn't benefit from adding a couple of Vikings to your roster.
One other thing I'd like to point out is that Minnesota got out to a 2-5 start to the season last year. The Vikings won 5 in a row and finished with a .500 record. Just because they're down 0-2 doesn;t mean they're dead. They just need to show signs of improvement much quicker this year or things are going to get ugly.
How 'bout that Hawkeye- Chad Greenway continues to have himself a solid 2008 campaign as he, E. J. Henderson and Cedric Griffin recorded six tackles to lead the Vikings against the Colts on Sunday. Greenway registered six solos. He now leads the team with 14 tackles, 12 of those solo, and two for a loss. On the other sideline, Sunday, was former Iowa teammate Bob Sanders, 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Sanders had four tackles in the game before leaving with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Former Hawkeye tight end Dallas Clark, a vital member of the Colts' offense, was out for the game with a knee injury he suffered in last Sunday night's opener against the Chicago Bears.
Minnesota's next opponent sports two former Hawkeyes. Undrafted rookie Charles Godfrey is listed as the starting Free Safety for the Panthers. Godfrey graduated from Iowa last season collecting a career high five interceptions and racking up 63 total tackles his senior year. Jason Baker, an 8th year veteran at punter, is also an Iowa alum and is in his fourth season with the Panthers.
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