Welcome back to Odin's Eye ladies and gentlemen! Week 7 marked the beginning of the Christian Ponder era, and boy did it start with a bang. Michael Jenkins came inches away from being the guy with 50+ yard touchdowns on two different players' first ever NFL pass, taking a nice double-move route 72 yards. Two plays later, CP7 had his first career touchdown pass and the state of Minnesota let out a collective sigh of relief. We may have a franchise quarterback.
Speaking of franchise quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers was surgical against us as I predicted. This man is the best quarterback in the league and has been. Some folks have been keeping the Bradys and Mannings of the world above him, but you simply cannot deny it any longer. Manning and Brady have been doing it for longer and that may be why some people give them the nod over Rodgers, but let's get real. How often do you see either of those guys roll out at full speed and with a flick of the wrist, drop a ball 35 yards upfield right into their receivers' chest? The man is a beast. Rodgers finished with 335 yards, 3 touchdowns, and only 6 incompletions (Oh, and one discount double-check). He sits atop the league with a robust 125.7 passer rating. In case you are wondering, the record for passer rating in a season is 121.1, set by Peyton Manning in 2004, so he's not just playing well, he's playing record-breakingly well.
What I did not predict however, was Christian Ponder pumping some life into what was an absolutely stagnant offense only a week ago. Sure, he went 13-32 and threw two pretty bad picks to Charles Woodson, who was quoted as saying he thought he should have had four (He did have 4 decent opportunities, but the 2 he converted were especially easy). These are areas he will need to improve on, as one was just a forced throw on an out to Shiancoe and the other he simply needed to get more loft on and the route was undercut by Woodson. HOWEVAH, he did something that Donovan McNabb had failed to do for six games and that was consistently convert third downs (9-16) and hit receivers between the numbers while doing it. Ponder showed some great improvisational skills and was at his best on rollouts, and I was very impressed with his ability to bounce back after completing ZERO passes in the 3rd quarter and throwing 2 interceptions within a three-throw span. He led us on a great drive to bring the score within 6, but fell just short on the next after being faced with a 98-yard field. The defense couldn't stop James Starks after we punted with little over 2 minutes left and 3 timeouts, and that was that. Eye-Catchers and Stink Eyes as well as a Week 8 preview, after the jump.
Hello again, all. I apologize for the super late post this week, I have been a bit busy. I had an exam on Thursday and started a new job later the same day, which I worked until 3AM Friday morning. My beautiful saint of a mother also had a surprise 60th birthday party thrown for her earlier tonight, so I was doing some things for that as well. It went swimmingly, if you're wondering.
So remember last week, when I predicted a Vikings win if our pass rush was good, we stopped Devin Hester and Matt Forte? Well, none of those things happened and we consequently got straight D-Bo'd by the Bears.
It hurt to watch. I knew after the bomb to Hester followed by a second dropped 3rd down conversion that the game was going to get ugly. Then McNabb just took a dive in the end zone, and oh the pain I do not want to relive, you Chunky soup guzzling skidmark of a quarterback. The only silver lining was a strip-sack-recovery by Jared Allen (who is still on pace to break the single-season sack record) and Donovan McNabb finally getting benched for Christian Ponder, who will start tomorrow today against the Packers.
Ponder went 9-17 for 99 yards in his debut last week, while running for his life nearly every single play as the Bears suddenly got blitz-happy at the end of an already decided game. The man is quite mobile, which he will need to be as the Vikings will be without 2 of their starters tomorrow on an already putrid offensive line. He made his way through his progressions in a way that McNabb had not through 5.5 games. Sure, he will experience "growing pains" (which is just a stupid name for interceptions thrown by a rookie) against a team as good as the Packers, but I see it as better to throw this man into the fray and see what he can do than baby him. Some pundits talk about it being risky to start a rookie quarterback against such a tough squad, but that is a bunch of mularkey. We need to find out what we have as soon as possible, and if he can make plays against the world champs, we will know he can do it any other time.
I am especially afraid this game could also get ugly. Sadly, before the season started I actually predicted the Packers to repeat as champs. Blasphemy, I know, but they are the lone unbeaten team left in the league and are leading the NFL in scoring at 32 points a contest. Aaron Rodgers is surgically good and it's been obvious since the first game he ever played against us. The Pack went 6-10 that season, but those contests were close and I can still remember him making throws on the run that made me (rightfully) nervous for our future against him. My worry in this game is that our pass rush will again be stymied, either by Rodgers' ridiculously quick release or the Packers using the same techniques the Bears did last week and keeping 6-7 blockers in for pass protection. Our defensive backs got exposed last week and just to add insult to injury, Chris Cook got arrested last night and is being held without bail on felony domestic battery/strangulation charges. Odds are this guy is probably not going to be a Viking in 2012 if not sooner than that. What a shame, he was just looking comfortable on the field and I thought we had a solid future starter in him. Who knows what will become of him now. Just a waste of talent. The Vikings now have the most player arrests of any NFL team since 2000. So much for Minnesota nice.
(Chris Cook's favorite Chappelle Show skit)
The odds of the Vikings winning this game are only slightly better than Keith Nichol's odds of catching that Hail Mary tonight against Wisconsin. With a banged up offensive line, one of the biggest priorities needs to be keeping Christian Ponder healthy. He is the future of this franchise and the Packers are going to be coming hard early and often to try to disrupt his rhythm. Green and Yellow has a backup starting at LT, which is encouraging because JA continues to be a beast this season and has always taken advantage of overmatched players. If he can continually disrupt Aaron Rodgers, there is some hope. The Pack defense has not been nearly as good as they were last year, and if Ponder can move the offense it may be able to set up Adrian Peterson for a big day.
It would be the ultimate rube move to call this game a "trap game" for the Packers, as this is not college football and I do not believe the Packers are looking past a big rival in the Vikings. In fact, I believe the Packers are going to go all out in this game and really try to embarass us. You might recall that last year we fired a certain coach after getting blown out by the Packers at home. If things are not going our way, I am looking for Leslie Frazier and his staff to do a good job of keeping this game close and not let us embarass ourselves at home against our most hated rival. If things are going our way, the Packers will probably be playing very badly. Sorry for the negativity, but last week was a big reality check and I am not here to sell hope. The two weakest parts of our team got substantially weaker over this week, and that is weak. Aaron Rodgers should shred our defense with relative ease and our offense probably will not be able to keep up the pace. Clay Mathews probably will play catch-up on sacks since his numbers are low so far this season, I am expecting him to pick up at least 2. This sucks to have to write 10x more than it does to read, but I shall perservere. I'll be back on Monday or Tuesday to try and sift through the negatives and find some things we can build on. I'll leave you fools with a song that always puts me in a better mood. Thanks for reading.
It's a beautiful fall day today, and I am just hanging out at work because nobody golfs in mid-October. I wanted to write up a preview section for this game as I am working tomorrow 1- close and may not see the game in it's entirety, though I will still be doing a follow-up on it. We have a big game tomorrow, at least as big as one can get when your division is occupied by the only two undefeated teams left in the NFL and you aren't one of them. The last time we saw these Bears, they were using the ol' Dongslinger Brett Favre's head as a basketball on that cushy TCF Bank Stadium turf, as I believe @ChrisWarcraft described it. Devin Hester also ran back a punt right past said punter, and the game was pretty much a complete bust other than being the first outdoor Vikings home game in the past 20 years.
This week, I believe there are some reasons for optimism:
The Bears have allowed the third-most sacks in the league (18).
Minnesota is tied for second in the league with 16 sacks, and all but one have come from the defensive line.
The Bears are surrendering an NFL-worst 5.7 yards per carry.*
Donovan McNabb is from the Chicago area, and is 5-1 all time against the Bears.*
Offenses are basically even, with the Bears favoring the pass and the Vikings favoring the rush more, the Vikings giving up only 75 yards a game on the ground while the Bears are giving up 135 per game.
A fourth straight victory over Minnesota would give Chicago its longest streak since a series-best six-game run Dec. 11, 1983-Oct. 5, 1986*
The Bears have benched RT Frank Omiyale for the game after he got manhandled by Cliff Avril on MNF and the line committed 9 false start penalties. They are also benching both safeties for a 2nd year player and a rookie.
Julius Peppers did not practice Friday and is listed as doubtful on the injury report. Considering he has destroyed the Vikings our past two matchups, this is great news.
Though all of the above reasons make me believe it is likely we will see a win for the Purple on Sunday Night, there are a few counterweights:
Jay Cutler, who has thrown for 13 TDs in his five games against the Vikings. Kevin Kolb could have easily had 3 TD's on us last week, one got called back after a penalty, and he sailed a line drive over a wide open Jeff King in the end zone as well. Cutler will not make those same mistakes.
*Donovan McNabb. The veteran quarterback's completion percentage (56.8) and yards per attempt (6.43) both rank 27th in the league.
*The Bears have held AP under 100 yards in their past 2 meetings.
*The Bears have beaten us in 3 straight meetings.
Antoine Winfield will be out for the game and E.J. Henderson will only see limited action.
Devin Hester always seems to have at least one big return on us. Our special teams coverage units have been outstanding thus far, but if Hester touches the ball there is always a decent chance he houses it. Since I am a huge Miami Hurricane fan, it sucks that Hester is playing for my most hated rival team. I cannot help but cheer for him though, because he is absolutely one of the most, if not the most explosive and electric player in the league. (Maybe 2nd most, behind Purple Jesus)
Prediction: Vikings 28, Bears 24.
Every time we play the Bears it is a tough contest that seems to come down to one of the last possessions, save last year's 40-14 shellacking at Soldier Field. Chicago looks a little out of sorts after Jay Cutler spent 4 quarters running for his life on MNF, and they are coming off of a short week. It will take a big game from our ends, who so far this season have been up to the task, as well as our running game. If we can limit Devin Hester in the return game, slow down Matt Forte (namely on screens, our rush D is solid), and sustain drives with some decent passing gains to keep 8 men out of the box, this should be a victory.Last week's game gives me hope that AP may go extra-beast mode and drop one of his patented 200 yard games this week on his Wheelz of Steel. Let's hope so, since he also is on my fantasy squad. Here's a little Outkast for you on my way out. Enjoy the game, and SKOL!
I was jarred from my slumber Sunday afternoon like a bear out of hibernation. My girlfriend's phone went off, as ESPN notifies her phone every time the Vikings score. The night before had been SCSU's unofficial Homecoming, since my school is currently more broke than even I am and cannot afford an official one, and I had taken part in the celebration. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and flipped on the television with urgency to find my beloved Vikings. Right as I found the game, Brian Robison was in the midst of executing a pure speed rush around Jeremy Bridges, hitting Kevin Kolb's arm in motion and causing an errant throw into the arms of Asher Allen. Was I still dreaming?
Yesterday's game was (mostly) the stuff of dreams. After three nightmare games where the Vikings had a win firmly in their grasp until the final seconds, only to have it pried from their fingers, and a terrible showing overall in Kansas City, most everything came together and it added up to a big first win for the Purple. I will say that I still think Donovan McNabb is just awful, but he doesn't turn the ball over. He is a modern-day Trent Dilfer, for all intents and purposes. In all seriousness, Trent Dilfer may be better than what we have starting at QB right now, but I digress. Adrian Peterson ran pissed off. It was awesome to see. I didn't get to see the first touchdown run, but that was his tamest of runs anyway. At the end of the second TD run, Patrick Peterson, the highly-touted rookie corner, stood between "The Cashier" and the end zone. AD seemed to accelerate another 10 MPH, gave him a shoulder that said, "stay the hell out of my way, rookie" and zipped past for the score. Apparently P-Twice didn't get that memo, however, because on the very next Viking possession he found himself in a very familiar spot...
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.. - AP
It's a tough way to get broken into the league, Patrick, but the five yards that Adrian Peterson drove you back into the end zone for his third touchdown were character-building yards. Someday, you'll be able to tell your grandkids about the time the most freakishly athletic and talented running back to ever play the game put you on your back. On another note, Chris Cook is looking more and more like a starting defensive back. Brian Robison is making anyone who thought we should have handed Ray Edwards a big contract look silly, and on the other side of the line, Jared Allen is playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level, regardless of our awful record.
The final 3 quarters of this game were about as interesting as watching the Metrodome turf grow. After a team record-setting 28 point first, they simply chewed clock to ensure a victory. No huge collapses, no stupid penalties, and no painfully close losses here. The offense did a great job getting touchdowns and not field goals, but this was a game won by our defense. They caused two turnovers out Arizona's first three offensive possessions. Stat of the day: the Vikings' average starting field position on their first three touchdown drives was the Arizona 22.
In the previous post, there are a few points where I explain how I can't explain what is quite wrong with this year's team. They seem like they should perform better than their record indicates. Kevin Seifert is the NFC North writer for ESPN's NFL Nation Blog, and really hit the nail on the head about this year's team, IMO.
I’ve seen some bad Vikings teams over the years. Their teams in 2001, 2002 and 2006 were especially inept. The 2011 team doesn’t feel like an undermanned or incompetent team. And yet they’re one of four teams in Vikings history to start 0-4. If they don’t beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the Vikings will be 0-5 for the first time since 1962.
So obviously, 0-5 is an unfamiliar territory for this team. It's comforting knowing the odds are against us dropping another one next Sunday, but at the same time, the odds have been against the Vikings dropping their first three games in the manner that they did.
I'm trying to find the right analogy for a person choosing to blog about a sports team, then watching that team go winless in the first quarter of their season. It's like signing up for a History of Rock course and the professor using Simple Plan and Nickelback as their main topics for the first month. Having been a Vikings fan as long as I have, I should have known this came with the territory. Hell, it was even predicted by me in my regular season projections that this team could very well start 0-5 with a couple bad bounces. Something about this particular season seems to really stink though. I can't put my finger in on it. At least after the Vikings fell 22-17 at the hands of the Chiefs this week, I can write a new entry since we didn't have a humongous second-half lead to give up in order to achieve this loss. This was a mostly boring game, indicative of two terrible teams, featuring more field goals than touchdowns. The season began with optimism, and even after the first 3 games there was clearly a team that looked like it had something. At 0-4, it doesn't matter. Check your statistics if you think otherwise. 0-4 teams don't make the playoffs in the National Football League. Donovan McNabb, you can hand over that football (or can you?!) to Christian Ponder, grab some pine, a clipboard, and collect the rest of your year's salary before getting the hell out of town. You suck. Phil Loadholt and Charlie Johnson may as well be tackling dummies, because they have no clue what to do when the call isn't a run. Bill Musgrave, this year might be your lone year of coordinating anyone's offense. This team has me downright pissed off. It should not be a surprise to anyone, yet it surprises me every week how the Vikings find innovative ways to piss games down their own legs. Many stink eyes to come, after the jump.
