Gus Frerotte is 37 years old. He's been around the NFL for 15 years and with 7 different franchises. He was with the Vikings before in 2003 and 2004 before being picked up by Miami in 2005. At the beginning of the 2008 season, Minnesota signed the veteran QB in the hopes to provide some experience at a position that was a question mark coming in.
However, in four starts for the Vikings, since Head Coach Brad Childress's decision to bench former starter Tarvaris Jackson, Frerotte has helped Minnesota return to a .500 record at 3-3 and has thrown for over 200 yards in all four starts. Frerotte's passing ability and experience in situations have proven valuable for Minnesota in climbing back from a 1-3 start. Frerotte was poised in leading the Vikings to comeback wins over New Orleans and Detroit and has a chance to put Minnesota into first place in the NFC North division next Sunday against the rival Chicago Bears.
Frerotte's numbers haven't been that impressive. His best completion percentage (58.1) came in a loss to the Tennessee Titans. He passed for a season high 296 yards, but has 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions thus far. The Vikings are still not lighting up the scoreboards on offense, nor is the addition of a passing threat one that's going to make opposing defenses shutter, but the ability to make plays and execute in crucial situations has been more prevalent when Frerotte is in.
He may not put up impressive fantasy football stats, but it's his leadership skills that he has acquired over the years that make him a viable threat for the Vikings. His ability to come up with key plays is a reason Minnesota can still hope for a shot at the playoffs.
For example, in the last two games, he has hooked up with Bernard Berrian for two deep balls that resulted in critical touchdowns and drew two major pass interference penalties from deep passes late in the game as well, which aided in the Vikings' past two comeback attempts. That's what veteran knowledge will get you.
The Vikings may win ugly, but a win is a win, and if veteran leadership at quarterback is what it's gonna take to get the Vikings into the 2008 playoffs then they may have found the right guy in Gus Frerotte. He will have a chance to lead the Vikings against a Bears' secondary that will be battered up in the hopes of stealing a win at Soldier Field, moving above .500, shifting into first place in the division, and giving Vikings fans a bit more hope for the near future.
All of this...and he's 37 years old.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A win is a win...
My weekend is complete. As I sat on a stool in Buffalo Wild Wings watching four great NFL games come down to the wire, with each TV screen lined up right next to the other, I couldn't help but think about how good a day it was for me as a football fan. My Iowa Hawkeyes finally ended their three-game losing streak with a 45-9 win over Indiana. Iowa State lost although that's more for those diehards that hate the Cyclones. And the Vikings and Bears were fighting for a victory in the closing minutes to set the stage for their showdown at Soldier Field next weekend.
The end result? I watched Houston come back in the closing seconds to knock off Miami 29-28, St. Louis making one spectacular play after another in route to a stunning 19-17 win over the Redskins in Washington thanks to the first of three game-winning field goals, Chicago take the lead over Atlanta late and then in two plays lose it thanks to a Jason Elam game-winner, and of course the Vikings who overcame terrible offensive execution to beat the Detroit Lions 12-10 on another game-winner by Ryan Longwell.
I missed the whole first half of the Vikings-Lions game thanks to FOX deciding to broadcast that amazing Bears-Flacons game, but if it was anything like the second half then it wasn't pretty.
The Vikings trailed at halftime 3-2 after a 50-yard run by Kevin Smith set up a Detroit 40-yard field goal with 1:56 to go in the 2nd qtr. Minnesota got on the board first when the defense forced backup QB Dan Orlovsky out of the back of the endzone for a safety in the first quarter. Orlovsky was starting for the injured John Kitna (back).
Things looked even worse for Minnesota when Calvin Johnson, first caught a 37-yard deep ball on 3rd and 19, and then caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to give Detroit a 10-2 lead.
But then the Vikings caught lightning in a bottle. After forcing a three-and-out on Detroit's next possession, the first play the Vikings ran was a slant route in which Gus Frerotte hit Bernard Berrian, who broke a few tackles and raced down the field for an 86-yard touchdown to make it 10-9.
The Vikings had the momentum back. However, penalities and turnovers killed scoring opportunities for much of the remainder of the game for Minnesota. They just couldn't capitalize. Even Ryan Longwell, who was 13-of-15 on field goals coming in, had a kick blocked by former Hawkeye Jared DeVries (who ended the game with 6 tackles and a sack).
It just looked like it wasn't meant to be for Minnesota yet again.
Then with 2:22 left to go in the 4th, and the Vikings with the ball needing to get it down the field in a hurry, Frerotte went deep to Aundrae Allison. Allison stretched out for the ball, but it looked as if he was slightly pushed from behind by Lions DB Leigh Bodden causing him to lose his balance. The play drew a pass interference penalty and Bodden was quite upset with the call. Even the announcers were unsure about the legitimacy of the call. From my perspective it looked like he pushed off on Allison and the contact kept him from being able to make the play. Call it ticky-tack (I will), but it was not a horribly incorrect call in my opinion.
That set up Minnesota at the 32 with 2:15 to go and of course here I am thinking they will try and punch it in or at least take some shots. Well they get to about the 15 yard-line and low and behold they go run-run-run taking a page right out of Mr. Conservative's play book. The good news is that they had enough faith in Longwell to give him the opportunity for a game-winner after they ran the clock down to 12 seconds on a 4th and 4 from the Detroit 9.
Longwell had hit 13 game-winners is his career. This 26-yard attempt would be number 14. The kick gave Minnesota a 12-10 win and moved them back to a .500 record (3-3).
But my what a terrible game.
- It's sad that when the Vikings accumulated 392 yards of total offense you could nitpick about the poorness of their offensive showing. Gus Frerotte threw for 296 yards and a touchdown. Adrian Peterson carried 25 times for 111 yards. Bernard Berrian had 131 yards receiving and become the first player since Nate Burleson in 2004 to have back-to-back 100 yard games for Minnesota.
But against one of the worst defenses in the National Football League...they should've done more.
Adrian Peterson had the quietest 100 yard rushing performance I had ever seen. This was mostly due to the two fumbles he lost in the game, both on potential scoring drives for Minnesota (although the first later resulted in a safety). For whatever reason, All Day is not finding the same success he had last year when he won Rookie of the Year. The holes aren't there as much anymore and he has already lost 3 fumbles this year, which is 3 more than you would like your running back to have. He is trying too hard to run people over and is missing opportunities to cut outside for bigger gains.
I realize that defenses are keying much more on stopping Minnesota' run game, but for arguably one of the best offensive lines in the league you should expect better. The O-line also gave up 5 sacks today.
- The defense did their part aside from a few miscues here and there. Some examples would be on that 3rd and 19 when Orlovsky hit a WIDE OPEN Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith's 50-yard run, and Rudi Johnson ripping off 6-7 yards at a time setting up the Lions with more manageable downs. Detroit's offensive line is not good, so to allow 100 yards of rushing from the Lions has obviously gotta leave the defense with a bad taste in their mouth.
Nonetheless, in the second half the stout D-line was the determining factor in keeping Detroit out of the endzone. The Williams Brothers (Pat and Kevin- no relation) were in the face of Orlovsky the whole game. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams had an exceptional game recording 8 tackles and 4 sacks. Despite giving up the touchdown early on, the Vikings defense played with a certain tenacity for he rest of the game and really put the hurt on Detroit's offense.
- Gus Frerotte didn't do too bad a job. But for more on him stay tuned as I will be discussing Frerotte in an upcoming post.
- And finally....just who the heck is Dan Orlovksy? The guy was 12-of-21 for 150 yards and a TD and almost led Detroit to an upset win over Minnesota. There were times where the Vikings were letting this guy look like Tom Brady. But thankfully the Vikings D stepped up and got in his face in the second half.
Oh and in case you really were wondering who Orlovsky is: click here.
Thanks to the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings are now in a three-way tie atop the North division with the Bears and Packers. Next week's showdown with Chicago is going to be a big time matchup to establish some early separation in this division race. Despite the Bears loss, Minnesota is going to need Adrian Peterson to repeat the performance he put on a year ago - (224 yards rushing, 3 TDs, 128 KR yards) - in Soldier Field if the Vikings have any hope of taking them down.
The end result? I watched Houston come back in the closing seconds to knock off Miami 29-28, St. Louis making one spectacular play after another in route to a stunning 19-17 win over the Redskins in Washington thanks to the first of three game-winning field goals, Chicago take the lead over Atlanta late and then in two plays lose it thanks to a Jason Elam game-winner, and of course the Vikings who overcame terrible offensive execution to beat the Detroit Lions 12-10 on another game-winner by Ryan Longwell.
I missed the whole first half of the Vikings-Lions game thanks to FOX deciding to broadcast that amazing Bears-Flacons game, but if it was anything like the second half then it wasn't pretty.
The Vikings trailed at halftime 3-2 after a 50-yard run by Kevin Smith set up a Detroit 40-yard field goal with 1:56 to go in the 2nd qtr. Minnesota got on the board first when the defense forced backup QB Dan Orlovsky out of the back of the endzone for a safety in the first quarter. Orlovsky was starting for the injured John Kitna (back).
Things looked even worse for Minnesota when Calvin Johnson, first caught a 37-yard deep ball on 3rd and 19, and then caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to give Detroit a 10-2 lead.
But then the Vikings caught lightning in a bottle. After forcing a three-and-out on Detroit's next possession, the first play the Vikings ran was a slant route in which Gus Frerotte hit Bernard Berrian, who broke a few tackles and raced down the field for an 86-yard touchdown to make it 10-9.
The Vikings had the momentum back. However, penalities and turnovers killed scoring opportunities for much of the remainder of the game for Minnesota. They just couldn't capitalize. Even Ryan Longwell, who was 13-of-15 on field goals coming in, had a kick blocked by former Hawkeye Jared DeVries (who ended the game with 6 tackles and a sack).
It just looked like it wasn't meant to be for Minnesota yet again.
Then with 2:22 left to go in the 4th, and the Vikings with the ball needing to get it down the field in a hurry, Frerotte went deep to Aundrae Allison. Allison stretched out for the ball, but it looked as if he was slightly pushed from behind by Lions DB Leigh Bodden causing him to lose his balance. The play drew a pass interference penalty and Bodden was quite upset with the call. Even the announcers were unsure about the legitimacy of the call. From my perspective it looked like he pushed off on Allison and the contact kept him from being able to make the play. Call it ticky-tack (I will), but it was not a horribly incorrect call in my opinion.
That set up Minnesota at the 32 with 2:15 to go and of course here I am thinking they will try and punch it in or at least take some shots. Well they get to about the 15 yard-line and low and behold they go run-run-run taking a page right out of Mr. Conservative's play book. The good news is that they had enough faith in Longwell to give him the opportunity for a game-winner after they ran the clock down to 12 seconds on a 4th and 4 from the Detroit 9.
Longwell had hit 13 game-winners is his career. This 26-yard attempt would be number 14. The kick gave Minnesota a 12-10 win and moved them back to a .500 record (3-3).
But my what a terrible game.
- It's sad that when the Vikings accumulated 392 yards of total offense you could nitpick about the poorness of their offensive showing. Gus Frerotte threw for 296 yards and a touchdown. Adrian Peterson carried 25 times for 111 yards. Bernard Berrian had 131 yards receiving and become the first player since Nate Burleson in 2004 to have back-to-back 100 yard games for Minnesota.
But against one of the worst defenses in the National Football League...they should've done more.
Adrian Peterson had the quietest 100 yard rushing performance I had ever seen. This was mostly due to the two fumbles he lost in the game, both on potential scoring drives for Minnesota (although the first later resulted in a safety). For whatever reason, All Day is not finding the same success he had last year when he won Rookie of the Year. The holes aren't there as much anymore and he has already lost 3 fumbles this year, which is 3 more than you would like your running back to have. He is trying too hard to run people over and is missing opportunities to cut outside for bigger gains.
I realize that defenses are keying much more on stopping Minnesota' run game, but for arguably one of the best offensive lines in the league you should expect better. The O-line also gave up 5 sacks today.
- The defense did their part aside from a few miscues here and there. Some examples would be on that 3rd and 19 when Orlovsky hit a WIDE OPEN Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith's 50-yard run, and Rudi Johnson ripping off 6-7 yards at a time setting up the Lions with more manageable downs. Detroit's offensive line is not good, so to allow 100 yards of rushing from the Lions has obviously gotta leave the defense with a bad taste in their mouth.
Nonetheless, in the second half the stout D-line was the determining factor in keeping Detroit out of the endzone. The Williams Brothers (Pat and Kevin- no relation) were in the face of Orlovsky the whole game. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams had an exceptional game recording 8 tackles and 4 sacks. Despite giving up the touchdown early on, the Vikings defense played with a certain tenacity for he rest of the game and really put the hurt on Detroit's offense.
- Gus Frerotte didn't do too bad a job. But for more on him stay tuned as I will be discussing Frerotte in an upcoming post.
- And finally....just who the heck is Dan Orlovksy? The guy was 12-of-21 for 150 yards and a TD and almost led Detroit to an upset win over Minnesota. There were times where the Vikings were letting this guy look like Tom Brady. But thankfully the Vikings D stepped up and got in his face in the second half.
Oh and in case you really were wondering who Orlovsky is: click here.
Thanks to the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings are now in a three-way tie atop the North division with the Bears and Packers. Next week's showdown with Chicago is going to be a big time matchup to establish some early separation in this division race. Despite the Bears loss, Minnesota is going to need Adrian Peterson to repeat the performance he put on a year ago - (224 yards rushing, 3 TDs, 128 KR yards) - in Soldier Field if the Vikings have any hope of taking them down.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
NFC North Recap- week 5
Chicago 34, Detroit 7- The Chicago Bears routed the Detroit Lions and took a one-game lead in the NFC North division race thanks to another Green Bay loss. The Lions have been established as the worst team in the NFC at least, and probably the NFL too, only mustering 185 yards of total offense against the Bears resurgent defense. Kyle Orton, an Iowa native, had another big game passing for 334 yards and 2 TDs, one of those going to Devin Hester as the Bears are looking to utilize the All-Pro athlete more in any way possible to put points on the board. The Bears are starting to look like a formidable opponent down the road, but impending match-ups with Green Bay and Minnesota loom so we'll see what the Bears have in store for them when the time comes.
Next game: Chicago (3-2) at Atlanta (3-2); Detroit (0-4) at Minnesota (2-3)
Atlanta 27, Green Bay 24- The Atlanta Flacons, led by rookie QB Matt Ryan, went into Lambeau Field and knocked off the Packers to hand them their third straight loss. Aaron Rodgers threw for 313 yards and 3 TDs but also threw a pick and the Falcons kept Green Bay off the scoreboard for long enough to win the game. After the Packers tied it early in the 4th quarter at 17-17, Atlanta racked up 10 more points to make it 27-17 with 3:35 to go. Rodgers' third TD pass, which was to Donald Lee, cut the lead to 27-24 with 1:56, but Green Bay could not get the ball back and the Falcons continue to surprise as many thought it would be a rebuilding year for Atlanta. Green Bay is now tied for second in the division with Minnesota.
Next game: Green Bay (2-3) at Seattle (1-3)
What does it mean for Minnesota?- With the Vikings' exciting win over the Saints on Monday night, it should give them plenty of momentum heading into a week 5 showdown with the winless Detroit Lions. It will also help that they are returning home after a two-game road stint. A win on Sunday will get the club back to .500 and will be an important step in getting back into the playoff picture. Meanwhile, Chicago travels to face off against a surprising Atlanta team that's looking to make it two wins against two NFC north teams in two weeks. A loss by the Bears could find the Vikings right back in the thick of things with a match-up against the Bears coming up next week at Soldier Field.
It also means that if Minnesota wants to continue to build momentum as the season goes on, they're gonna need to keep getting better on offense. The run game was nonexistent against New Orleans, so hopefully that can get back on track against Detroit. The defense continues to play well though so I'm not so worried on that front, but they can't overlook the Lions. They just aren't good enough to be looking past anybody.
Next game: Chicago (3-2) at Atlanta (3-2); Detroit (0-4) at Minnesota (2-3)
Atlanta 27, Green Bay 24- The Atlanta Flacons, led by rookie QB Matt Ryan, went into Lambeau Field and knocked off the Packers to hand them their third straight loss. Aaron Rodgers threw for 313 yards and 3 TDs but also threw a pick and the Falcons kept Green Bay off the scoreboard for long enough to win the game. After the Packers tied it early in the 4th quarter at 17-17, Atlanta racked up 10 more points to make it 27-17 with 3:35 to go. Rodgers' third TD pass, which was to Donald Lee, cut the lead to 27-24 with 1:56, but Green Bay could not get the ball back and the Falcons continue to surprise as many thought it would be a rebuilding year for Atlanta. Green Bay is now tied for second in the division with Minnesota.
Next game: Green Bay (2-3) at Seattle (1-3)
What does it mean for Minnesota?- With the Vikings' exciting win over the Saints on Monday night, it should give them plenty of momentum heading into a week 5 showdown with the winless Detroit Lions. It will also help that they are returning home after a two-game road stint. A win on Sunday will get the club back to .500 and will be an important step in getting back into the playoff picture. Meanwhile, Chicago travels to face off against a surprising Atlanta team that's looking to make it two wins against two NFC north teams in two weeks. A loss by the Bears could find the Vikings right back in the thick of things with a match-up against the Bears coming up next week at Soldier Field.
It also means that if Minnesota wants to continue to build momentum as the season goes on, they're gonna need to keep getting better on offense. The run game was nonexistent against New Orleans, so hopefully that can get back on track against Detroit. The defense continues to play well though so I'm not so worried on that front, but they can't overlook the Lions. They just aren't good enough to be looking past anybody.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Crazy Game Ends With Vikings Victory
The Vikings had the lead at half. And then in two plays watched it shift right back to New Orleans.
On a night where the improbable was more than likely to happen though, the Minnesota Vikings overcame two Reggie Bush punt returns for a touchdown to beat the New Orleans Saints in the Super Dome 30-27 on Monday Night Football.
Minnesota had a 20-10 lead. All was going well. Antoine Winfield became the first player in the NFL since they started recording sacks in 1982, to record a sack, force a fumble and recover it, and return a blocked kick for a touchdown in a single game. The defense was making plays left and right and all signs pointed to a Viking victory. But that soon changed with a punt.
Minnesota's offense was stagnant for most of the game. Once again the Vikings were faced with 4th down and had to punt from their 23 yard-line. Chris Kluwe, one of the best punters in the league, boomed another kick that Reggie Bush fielded at the 29 yard-line. Bush made them pay. He ran right around would-be tacklers and got two huge blocks downfield on his way to a 71-yard return for a touchdown. Just like that it was 20-17. Momentum Saints.
Next possession, Vikings must punt. They punt to Bush again. And again Bush shakes poor tackling attempts and it looks like he is going to do it again, but thankfully he trips over his own feet after a 29-yard return. With good field position the Saints move into range for Martin Gramatica, who boots a 53-yard field goal to tie the game.
Minnesota gets it back. And then two penalties and two incompletes later, it's time to punt again...and again they kick to Reggie Bush. Kluwe's 39-yard punt is taking by Bush at the 36 yard-line and returned 64 yards for the go ahead touchdown. Saints lead 27-20. The Super Dome is going nuts. 1-4 for the Minnesota Vikings is imminent now. It makes sense after all. Minnesota was outgained in total offense 375-270 and gave up 354 return yards, two returns for touchdown, and several more that put Minnesota's defense behind the eight-ball all night long.
But the way the night had gone, you just couldn't count them out.
The Vikings had punted in five straight possessions since the end of the half. They had done literally nothing on offense to suggest that they could mount a rally. New Orleans defense was flying off the ball and stuffing Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson for little to no gain and sometimes even for a loss. The Saints had the momentum and the crowd and Minnesota had Gus Frerotte at quarterback. Que the comeback.
On the fourth play of their next drive, Frerotte hooked up with offseason acquisition Bernard Berrian for a 36-yard gain and suddenly the Vikings were in business. But then two plays later that trusty old yellow hanky made another appearance as Aundrae Allison was flagged for offensive pass interference after he picked up what would've been a first down completion. This made it 3rd and 16 and it looked like Minnesota was gonna shoot themselves again. But oddly enough the Vikings did something out of the norm in this situation. They took a shot down field, and it paid off. Frerotte launched a pass towards the endzone and out of four players (2 Saints DBs and 2 Vikings WRs), Berrian came up with the ball after running into his own teammate in the process. Touchdown Minnesota. Game tied 27-27 with 7:18 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Saints got the ball back with a chance to retake the lead again, but this time Bush was not back deep to return. New Orleans did manage to do what it had all night long, however, moving the football down the field under the guidance of Drew Brees and allowing Martin Gramatica to come in once again to try and give the Saints the lead and possibly the win. But as fate would have it, Gramatica's 46-yard try went wide left and hope was restored in the Vikings for they now had the final shot at a game-winning score with two minutes to go.
It wasn't easy getting there though. Faced with a 3rd-and-3, Frerotte took another shot downfield for Berrian, who was bear-hugged by two Saints defenders drawing a defensive pass interference penalty that set Minnesota up at the 14 yard-line of New Orleans.
The Vikings ran the clock down and on 4th-and-8 from the 12, Ryan Longwell netted his 13th career game-winning field goal capping off another perfect night going 3-for-3, none more important than the one that gave Minnesota their second win of the 2008 season. Vikings win 30-27.
So it was a crazy game to say the least. A few things I want to knaw on before I go though.
- I am still sold on Minnesota's defense being one of the best in the league. They already have the stats to back up their claim to most opportunistic (16 turnovers returned for a touchdown and now a blocked kick returned for a touchdown). The Vikings were in this game because they were able to come up with key stops and force critical turnovers (2 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries) that kept the high-octane Saints off the score board. Antoine Winfield practically played himself into the Pro Bowl with his performance last night ( 8 tackles, 1 sack, forced fumble and recovery, blocked kick return for TD). Though Winfield has been making plays for Minnesota all year long, he got a chance to highlight his talent on the brightest stage of the week. Cedric Griffen also put on a display with 10 solo tackles including a bone crunching hit on Saints tight end Billy Miller. The good news is that Minnesota's D allows them to win games.
- Now for the bad news. Aside from a few big plays and lucky breaks, the Vikings offense did absolutely nothing and looked overmatched by the Saints defense, which isn't even that good to be honest. Peterson was held in check and the offensive line is just not getting things done up front like they were last year. The pass protection is better at times, but what happened to the NFC's best ground game and the monsters that cleared the way? If we don't start seeing more of that soon, the Vikings are gonna need more than a few big plays and luck-of-the-draw penalties to get any more wins.
It was also nice to see Bernard Berrian finally produce on offense as well. Berrian had a solid evening with six receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. Berrians was traded from the Bears in the hopes that he could give a very thin wide receiver corp a much-needed boost and make the Vikings' passing game seem a little more threatening. Hopefully after tonight, teams will start loosening up by trying to defend the deep ball from Frerotte to Berrian, which should open the lanes for Peterson and Chestor Taylor to run through.
- And speaking of Chestor Taylor, FINALLY this coaching staff breaks from the dull and throws in a little trickery and look what happens. Taylor threw a 4-yard toss to Visanthe Shiancoe for Minnesota's first touchdown. It was the first of a few occassions where the offensive coordinators decided to break away from their standard plays that have resulted in stagnant offensive production. The other most noticeable play calls were on 3rd downs when Frerotte was called upon to take a shot down field to a streaking Berrian. It takes guts and ingenuity to make those calls and I'm glad to see this staff actually show some signs of thos qualities. ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast crew even criticized the Vikings' staff for a lack of urgency and imagination in the final minutes of the first half as they settled for a field goal when they could've taken more shots in the endzone. More imaginative play calling and more trust in the players to make plays such as Taylor's TD pass will go a long way in improving the production of this offense.
Up next for the Vikings (2-3), they return home to take on the winless Detroit Lions (0-4) in an NFC North showdown. Hopefully playing the hapless Lions will be just what the Vikings need to put together, perhaps, their first complete game and keep pace with the Packers and Bears in the early division race.
On a night where the improbable was more than likely to happen though, the Minnesota Vikings overcame two Reggie Bush punt returns for a touchdown to beat the New Orleans Saints in the Super Dome 30-27 on Monday Night Football.
Minnesota had a 20-10 lead. All was going well. Antoine Winfield became the first player in the NFL since they started recording sacks in 1982, to record a sack, force a fumble and recover it, and return a blocked kick for a touchdown in a single game. The defense was making plays left and right and all signs pointed to a Viking victory. But that soon changed with a punt.
Minnesota's offense was stagnant for most of the game. Once again the Vikings were faced with 4th down and had to punt from their 23 yard-line. Chris Kluwe, one of the best punters in the league, boomed another kick that Reggie Bush fielded at the 29 yard-line. Bush made them pay. He ran right around would-be tacklers and got two huge blocks downfield on his way to a 71-yard return for a touchdown. Just like that it was 20-17. Momentum Saints.
Next possession, Vikings must punt. They punt to Bush again. And again Bush shakes poor tackling attempts and it looks like he is going to do it again, but thankfully he trips over his own feet after a 29-yard return. With good field position the Saints move into range for Martin Gramatica, who boots a 53-yard field goal to tie the game.
Minnesota gets it back. And then two penalties and two incompletes later, it's time to punt again...and again they kick to Reggie Bush. Kluwe's 39-yard punt is taking by Bush at the 36 yard-line and returned 64 yards for the go ahead touchdown. Saints lead 27-20. The Super Dome is going nuts. 1-4 for the Minnesota Vikings is imminent now. It makes sense after all. Minnesota was outgained in total offense 375-270 and gave up 354 return yards, two returns for touchdown, and several more that put Minnesota's defense behind the eight-ball all night long.
But the way the night had gone, you just couldn't count them out.
The Vikings had punted in five straight possessions since the end of the half. They had done literally nothing on offense to suggest that they could mount a rally. New Orleans defense was flying off the ball and stuffing Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson for little to no gain and sometimes even for a loss. The Saints had the momentum and the crowd and Minnesota had Gus Frerotte at quarterback. Que the comeback.
On the fourth play of their next drive, Frerotte hooked up with offseason acquisition Bernard Berrian for a 36-yard gain and suddenly the Vikings were in business. But then two plays later that trusty old yellow hanky made another appearance as Aundrae Allison was flagged for offensive pass interference after he picked up what would've been a first down completion. This made it 3rd and 16 and it looked like Minnesota was gonna shoot themselves again. But oddly enough the Vikings did something out of the norm in this situation. They took a shot down field, and it paid off. Frerotte launched a pass towards the endzone and out of four players (2 Saints DBs and 2 Vikings WRs), Berrian came up with the ball after running into his own teammate in the process. Touchdown Minnesota. Game tied 27-27 with 7:18 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Saints got the ball back with a chance to retake the lead again, but this time Bush was not back deep to return. New Orleans did manage to do what it had all night long, however, moving the football down the field under the guidance of Drew Brees and allowing Martin Gramatica to come in once again to try and give the Saints the lead and possibly the win. But as fate would have it, Gramatica's 46-yard try went wide left and hope was restored in the Vikings for they now had the final shot at a game-winning score with two minutes to go.
It wasn't easy getting there though. Faced with a 3rd-and-3, Frerotte took another shot downfield for Berrian, who was bear-hugged by two Saints defenders drawing a defensive pass interference penalty that set Minnesota up at the 14 yard-line of New Orleans.
The Vikings ran the clock down and on 4th-and-8 from the 12, Ryan Longwell netted his 13th career game-winning field goal capping off another perfect night going 3-for-3, none more important than the one that gave Minnesota their second win of the 2008 season. Vikings win 30-27.
So it was a crazy game to say the least. A few things I want to knaw on before I go though.
- I am still sold on Minnesota's defense being one of the best in the league. They already have the stats to back up their claim to most opportunistic (16 turnovers returned for a touchdown and now a blocked kick returned for a touchdown). The Vikings were in this game because they were able to come up with key stops and force critical turnovers (2 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries) that kept the high-octane Saints off the score board. Antoine Winfield practically played himself into the Pro Bowl with his performance last night ( 8 tackles, 1 sack, forced fumble and recovery, blocked kick return for TD). Though Winfield has been making plays for Minnesota all year long, he got a chance to highlight his talent on the brightest stage of the week. Cedric Griffen also put on a display with 10 solo tackles including a bone crunching hit on Saints tight end Billy Miller. The good news is that Minnesota's D allows them to win games.
- Now for the bad news. Aside from a few big plays and lucky breaks, the Vikings offense did absolutely nothing and looked overmatched by the Saints defense, which isn't even that good to be honest. Peterson was held in check and the offensive line is just not getting things done up front like they were last year. The pass protection is better at times, but what happened to the NFC's best ground game and the monsters that cleared the way? If we don't start seeing more of that soon, the Vikings are gonna need more than a few big plays and luck-of-the-draw penalties to get any more wins.
It was also nice to see Bernard Berrian finally produce on offense as well. Berrian had a solid evening with six receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. Berrians was traded from the Bears in the hopes that he could give a very thin wide receiver corp a much-needed boost and make the Vikings' passing game seem a little more threatening. Hopefully after tonight, teams will start loosening up by trying to defend the deep ball from Frerotte to Berrian, which should open the lanes for Peterson and Chestor Taylor to run through.
- And speaking of Chestor Taylor, FINALLY this coaching staff breaks from the dull and throws in a little trickery and look what happens. Taylor threw a 4-yard toss to Visanthe Shiancoe for Minnesota's first touchdown. It was the first of a few occassions where the offensive coordinators decided to break away from their standard plays that have resulted in stagnant offensive production. The other most noticeable play calls were on 3rd downs when Frerotte was called upon to take a shot down field to a streaking Berrian. It takes guts and ingenuity to make those calls and I'm glad to see this staff actually show some signs of thos qualities. ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast crew even criticized the Vikings' staff for a lack of urgency and imagination in the final minutes of the first half as they settled for a field goal when they could've taken more shots in the endzone. More imaginative play calling and more trust in the players to make plays such as Taylor's TD pass will go a long way in improving the production of this offense.
Up next for the Vikings (2-3), they return home to take on the winless Detroit Lions (0-4) in an NFC North showdown. Hopefully playing the hapless Lions will be just what the Vikings need to put together, perhaps, their first complete game and keep pace with the Packers and Bears in the early division race.
Monday, October 6, 2008
20-10 at the half
The Vikings are happy that Antoine Winfield is in their defensive backfield. Winfield, an opportunistic Viking defense, and a trick play near the goal line are the main reasons Minnesota has a 20-10 lead over the New Orleans Saints at halftime.
After New Orleans went nearly uncontested into the endzone for a quick 7-0 lead on their first posession, Minnesota struggled on their opening posession, having to punt, and it looked like the Saints were gonna walk away from this thing in a hurry. The Saints marched down the field, but were finally slowed at the 26 and Martin Gramatica went out to add to the Saints lead. However, the Vikings got penetration and blocked the kick and Winfield took it 59 yards for the touchdown to make it 7-7. It was the first blocked kick return for a touchdown in Vikings' regular season history and just the second overall.
Both teams traded field goals and then Winfied came up with another big play. Saints' QB Drew Brees dropped back to pass on a 3rd-and-5 and was blindsided by a blitzing Winfield, who took the ball right out of Brees' hands and rolled his way forward for a few yards after the fumble recovery.
Minnesota couldn't get anything going running the football though inside the red zone, so they turned to trickery to take their first lead of the game. On a 3rd and goal from the 4, Chestor Taylor took the handoff from Gus Frerotte, probably surprising everybody in the stadium. More often than not in those situations, when Taylor is in and not Adrian Peterson it is going to be a pass. Therefore, when Taylor got the ball, the Saints defense, which had been snuffing out the run since the opening kick, got a little overzealous and started to fly at Taylor hoping to stuff him behind the line. Taylor, however, reared back his arm and, to further surprise everybody and their mother, lofted a touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe. Vikings lead 17-10.
Another Ryan Longwell field goal made it 20-10 at half.
The other theme of the half has been the penalties. The first was when Saints' RB Reggie Bush took a hand off around the right side, Vikings LB Chad Greenway reached out and forced a fumble that was recovered by Minnesota and then illegally advanced by one of the linemen, though it was still Minnesota's ball. The thing was that it was clearly visible on the replay that Greenway had ahold of Bush's facemask and used it to help him get ahold of Bush in order to force the fumble. Had the penalty been called it would've been Saints ball still. But the call was missed and Minnesota got the ball. And of course they could not capitalize, having to punt shortly afterward.
The other was when Adrian Peterson got one of his longest runs of the half, his helmet strap was pulled off and then he took a shot to his helmet, which was partially off his head at the time, causing him to lose the ball and the Saints recovered. The play was reviewed, however, and the ruling was that the ball was still secured in Peterson's hand when his knee touched the ground, even though it was moving, therefore it was still Minnesota's ball. The Vikings had to settle for a field goal though.
Thus far the story has been that the Vikings are capitalizing on New Orleans' mistakes. New Orleans is dominating the offensive statistics and Minnesota cannot run the ball at all, but the Vikings still lead 20-10 thanks to the efforts of their defense.
Minnesota must get the run going in th second half and they need to be better on special teams especially against the return. The Saints have been getting great starting position off of returns. If the defense can keep making plays and Minnesota can put a few more points on the board, the Vikings could be on their way to a 2-3 record.
After New Orleans went nearly uncontested into the endzone for a quick 7-0 lead on their first posession, Minnesota struggled on their opening posession, having to punt, and it looked like the Saints were gonna walk away from this thing in a hurry. The Saints marched down the field, but were finally slowed at the 26 and Martin Gramatica went out to add to the Saints lead. However, the Vikings got penetration and blocked the kick and Winfield took it 59 yards for the touchdown to make it 7-7. It was the first blocked kick return for a touchdown in Vikings' regular season history and just the second overall.
Both teams traded field goals and then Winfied came up with another big play. Saints' QB Drew Brees dropped back to pass on a 3rd-and-5 and was blindsided by a blitzing Winfield, who took the ball right out of Brees' hands and rolled his way forward for a few yards after the fumble recovery.
Minnesota couldn't get anything going running the football though inside the red zone, so they turned to trickery to take their first lead of the game. On a 3rd and goal from the 4, Chestor Taylor took the handoff from Gus Frerotte, probably surprising everybody in the stadium. More often than not in those situations, when Taylor is in and not Adrian Peterson it is going to be a pass. Therefore, when Taylor got the ball, the Saints defense, which had been snuffing out the run since the opening kick, got a little overzealous and started to fly at Taylor hoping to stuff him behind the line. Taylor, however, reared back his arm and, to further surprise everybody and their mother, lofted a touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe. Vikings lead 17-10.
Another Ryan Longwell field goal made it 20-10 at half.
The other theme of the half has been the penalties. The first was when Saints' RB Reggie Bush took a hand off around the right side, Vikings LB Chad Greenway reached out and forced a fumble that was recovered by Minnesota and then illegally advanced by one of the linemen, though it was still Minnesota's ball. The thing was that it was clearly visible on the replay that Greenway had ahold of Bush's facemask and used it to help him get ahold of Bush in order to force the fumble. Had the penalty been called it would've been Saints ball still. But the call was missed and Minnesota got the ball. And of course they could not capitalize, having to punt shortly afterward.
The other was when Adrian Peterson got one of his longest runs of the half, his helmet strap was pulled off and then he took a shot to his helmet, which was partially off his head at the time, causing him to lose the ball and the Saints recovered. The play was reviewed, however, and the ruling was that the ball was still secured in Peterson's hand when his knee touched the ground, even though it was moving, therefore it was still Minnesota's ball. The Vikings had to settle for a field goal though.
Thus far the story has been that the Vikings are capitalizing on New Orleans' mistakes. New Orleans is dominating the offensive statistics and Minnesota cannot run the ball at all, but the Vikings still lead 20-10 thanks to the efforts of their defense.
Minnesota must get the run going in th second half and they need to be better on special teams especially against the return. The Saints have been getting great starting position off of returns. If the defense can keep making plays and Minnesota can put a few more points on the board, the Vikings could be on their way to a 2-3 record.
Monday Night Primetime
The Vikings are back in action on Monday Nigh Football facing the surging New Orleans Saints in a game that is almost a must-win scenario for Minnesota. The SuperDome will play host to this primetime game on ESPN and will feature two of the league's most dynamic running backs in Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson.
The Vikings are coming off a tough 30-17 loss at the hands of a surprisingly good Tennessee Titans squad and need to get a win tonight in order to keep up with their NFC North rivals. If things keep going like they are now, chances are the only team going to the playoffs from the North will be the division champion. Green Bay lost and Chicago moved ahead of the Packers with a win, so it's imperative that the Vikings try and keep pace. However, it's not going to be easy going on the road against the Saints.
New Orleans features a revamped offense that struggled at times last year. Drew Brees is back to form and one could say that he looks like the best quarterback in the NFL right now. Brees has 1343 passing yards and eight touchdowns in this young 2008 season and a passer rating of 106.9, which is second only to Brett Favre. Minnesota's pass defense is going to have to be up to the challenge if they want to keep this game close.
The difficulty will be if Minnesota cannot stop the pass it will open things up for the Saints duo at RB in Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush. If those two can eat up yardage then it's going to be a long night for Minnesota.
The key for Minnesota's offense will be to capitalize on opportunities and not hurt themselves with penalties. Many times in the last few weeks the Vikings hurt themselves with drive-killing penalties and in close games every point matters. A penalty can be the difference between six and three or even no points on the board, and right now Minnesota needs to start putting more points on the board if they want to even get back to where they were in the middle of last season- when they won 5 in a row and looked poised for a playoff run only to fall short. The Vikings need to execute more efficiently tonight on the line. Giving Peterson more room to run and Frerotte more time to pass will go a long ways to getting this team back on track.
I'll be back with updates at the half. Right now it's game time.
The Vikings are coming off a tough 30-17 loss at the hands of a surprisingly good Tennessee Titans squad and need to get a win tonight in order to keep up with their NFC North rivals. If things keep going like they are now, chances are the only team going to the playoffs from the North will be the division champion. Green Bay lost and Chicago moved ahead of the Packers with a win, so it's imperative that the Vikings try and keep pace. However, it's not going to be easy going on the road against the Saints.
New Orleans features a revamped offense that struggled at times last year. Drew Brees is back to form and one could say that he looks like the best quarterback in the NFL right now. Brees has 1343 passing yards and eight touchdowns in this young 2008 season and a passer rating of 106.9, which is second only to Brett Favre. Minnesota's pass defense is going to have to be up to the challenge if they want to keep this game close.
The difficulty will be if Minnesota cannot stop the pass it will open things up for the Saints duo at RB in Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush. If those two can eat up yardage then it's going to be a long night for Minnesota.
The key for Minnesota's offense will be to capitalize on opportunities and not hurt themselves with penalties. Many times in the last few weeks the Vikings hurt themselves with drive-killing penalties and in close games every point matters. A penalty can be the difference between six and three or even no points on the board, and right now Minnesota needs to start putting more points on the board if they want to even get back to where they were in the middle of last season- when they won 5 in a row and looked poised for a playoff run only to fall short. The Vikings need to execute more efficiently tonight on the line. Giving Peterson more room to run and Frerotte more time to pass will go a long ways to getting this team back on track.
I'll be back with updates at the half. Right now it's game time.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
NFC North Recap- Week 4
Tampa Bay 30, Green Bay 21- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knock off their second cosecutive NFC North opponent in the Packers. The Bucs were formerly in the same division with the Packers as part of the Central division before the divisional realignment. The Buccaneers built a 20-7 lead only to watch Green Bay comeback and take a 21-20 lead early in the 4th. However, turnovers and a stingy Buccaneer defense allowed them to make a comeback of their own as Matt Bryant's 24-yard field goal with 2:26 remaining gave the Bucs the lead again, and then Earnest Graham's 1-yard score 30 seconds later put the Bucs on top 30-21. Graham finished with 111 yards rushing on 20 carries and the TD. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers struggled at times despite throwing two touchdowns in 14-of-27 passes for 165 yards . Rodgers also threw three critical interceptions, including one right after Tampa Bay had retaken the lead in the 4th. Green Bay was held to just 28 total yards rushing.
Next game: Atlanta (2-2) at Green Bay (2-2)
Next game: Atlanta (2-2) at Green Bay (2-2)
Chicago 24, Philadelphia 20- The Chicago Bears used a terrific goal line stand to stop the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football and be the only team in the NFC North to come out a winner in week 4. The Bears are now in a tie with Green Bay atop the division standings and will face their first divisional opponent next week in Detroit. The Bears were outgained in total offense (340-256), but were able to put points on the board and the defense was able to come through when needed. Kyle Orton went 18-of-34 passing for 199 yards 3 TDs and 2 interceptions. One of those TD passes was to Devin Hester in the 2nd quarter to give Chicago a lead they would not relinquish. After Robbie Gould's 41-yard field goal gave the Bears a 24-20 lead in the 4th, Philadelphia marched down the field from their own 24 yard-line and had 1st and goal from the 4 with 5:40 to play. The Eagles' first run gained 3 yards but, with just a yard to gain, the Bears tightened up and stuffed the Eagles' next three running plays to keep Philadelphia off the scoreboard. The Bears would eventually have to punt the ball away giving Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb one last shot at the endzone, but the pass play was snuffed out by Nathan Vasher and the Bears sealed the victory.
Next game: Chicago (2-2) at Detroit (0-3)
Detroit- Bye week. Next game vs. Chicago. The good news for Lions fans is that Detroit didn't lose this week.
What does it mean for Minnesota?- It means that Minnesota is right back where they were last year and in probably worse shape on both sides of the ball. Teams are figuring out how to stop Minnesota's ground game, and since the Vikings don't have a passing game that scares anybody folks up north are getting a little nervous about whether or not the Vikings will even make the playoffs this year. Minnesota's 30-17 loss at Tennessee drops them to 1-3 on the year. Next week they play at the New Orleans Saints (2-2), who took care of San Francisco last week. If the Vikings fall to 1-4 you can pretty much assume the Vikings will be done. Both Green Bay and Chicago have very winnable games next week and Minnesota is gonna need to start winning some games if they want to keep pace. Gus Frerotte will still be the starter at QB despite cutting his hand at the end of Sunday's loss. The defense will be in for a stern test against one of the more high-powered offenses in the NFC and if the Vikings' offense can't find ways to score more than 20 points in a game then 1-4 is looking like a very good possibility. Despite the fact that the odds are not in their favor, Sunday's game is a must win.
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