I'm a bit late on commenting on the Vikings' last-second win over the New York Giants to catapult them into the playoffs on Sunday, but I do want to put in my two cents worth on the Vikings' effort.

At first glance, the Vikings-Giants Week 17 matchup looked like another one of "those games" for the Vikings, where they play well but almost let things slip away in the end.  While I will admit that the time-management towards the end of the game was atrocious (Longwell should have lined up for a much easier field goal than 50 yards) and really can only be blamed on Brad Childress (as he ultimately decides when time-outs should be called in those situations).  However, besides that lousy ending that was (again) saved by some Longwell heroics, the Vikes played a much better game than the score indicated.

Continue reading "Vikings 20, Giants 19: Getting the Job Done"

Before previewing the big Vikings/Eagles matchup that will cap off the NFC Wild Card playoff round, I would first like to give my "official" (meaning they are most likely completely wrong!) predictions for the other three wild card games:

Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers: Although Indy has been the hottest team in either league of late and the Bolts won their division with a very mediocre 8-8 record, I think that the Chargers will prevail on their home turf.  Talent-wise, both teams match up very equally, but the Chargers' defense is finally coming around and their offense (when they put their mind to it, which SHOULD happen in the playoffs) can be very dangerous.  If the Colts are going to succeed, it will have to be on the shoulders of Peyton Manning, as I really don't see Joseph Addai or Dominic Rhodes taking over the game.  Prediction: SD 34, IND 24

Continue reading "NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Preview"

When the Vikings/Eagles wild card playoff matchup was finalized last weekend, the Las Vegas betting line had the home Minnesota Vikings as 10-point underdogs to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.  Personally, I think that a different sort of "line" will be much more important on Sunday, that being the defensive variety...

If the Vikings (more specifically Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and whoever fills in for the injured DE Ray Edwards) can constantly harass Philly QB Donovan McNabb and put him in some pain (as shown above), I think the Vikes will be heading to Carolina next week.  Sure, the Eagles usually win games by leaning on RB Bryant Westbrook, but does anyone seriously think (Pat Williams or no Pat Williams) that a RUNNING BACK will dominate a game against the Vikes? I don't think so!  Westbrook may have a decent game--even topping 100 yards--but I think McNabb will determine the outcome of the contest.  If given time, Donovan will pick apart the Vikings' secondary just because he is good enough to do so.  If pressure is applied, their entire scheme changes, as Philly has no big-time WRs that can dominate a game even if the QB is running for his life.  So, it's that simply...pressure McNabb and success will follow.

Continue reading "Vikings/Eagles Preview: "Line" Is Crucial To Vikings' Success"

Last Sunday's 26-14 Viking defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round was a tale of two halves:

In the first half, the Vikings' stingy defense limited the Eagles to just three field goals (although an interception of Tarvaris Jackson by Asante Samuel gave them 16 points for the half).  On offense, the Vikings looked more than decent against a difficult-to-decipher Philly defense and got two Adrian Peterson runs for scores.

At the half, then, with the Vikings trailing 16-14, I really thought that our Purple crew could pull it out.  The Eagles were doing absolutely nothing on offense, while Adrian Peterson was just starting to get warmed up.  Of course, as it turned out, the Vikings laid an egg in the second half and couldn't put up a single point.  The defense still played very well, allowing just one more David Akers field goal and surrenduring a lucky screen pass to Brian Westbrook that went 71 yards for a score, but the offense did not (for the umpteenth time the last few years) hold up its share of the load that it takes to win an NFL football game.

Continue reading "Eagles 26, Vikings 14: Can't Quite Put My Finger On It"

Although "my" Minnesota Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs last weekend, the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs for both leagues offers a host of great matchups, Vikings or no Vikings...

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans: Despite being the #1 seed in the AFC and cruising through the regular season, I think the Titans will fall to the Ravens on Saturday.  The Ravens always have that ability to completely shut down an opponent's rushing game, and if they happens to the Titans they are toast. Prediction: Ravens 24, Titans 19

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers: As much as I want to root for the underdog Chargers in this game, I think the Steelers will take care of business quite handily.  The Bolts are hurting (Tomlinson, Gates) on offense against a defense that can shut down teams at their peak.  Prediction: Steelers 31, Chargers 17

Continue reading "Quick Picks For The NFL Divisional Playoffs"

(First of all, I want to sort-of apologize for this picture...I usually don't like to personally attack people on this blog without due cause, but it is just too funny not to put up!)

Now that the proper time to reflect on the Vikings' first-round playoff loss to the Eagles has been taken, I want to comment on what I feel is the biggest area the Vikes should address in the offseason...the Head Coaching position.

The obvious question after any season that falls short of expectations is whether or not the Head Coach deserves to keep the reigns for another go-round.  In Brad Childress' case, I do not think he does.  Sure, he did lead the Vikes to a 10-6 season (technically better than any record Mike Tice posted), but my judgement comes down to this: Under Childress next year, I think the Vikings could just as easily go back to being a 7-9 team as they could make the playoffs again.  I mean, who really thought that the Vikings could make a realistic run at the SuperBowl this year (or will next year with the exact same staff in place)?  When Childress was quarantined by the Vikings front office and hired away from Philadelphia, he was supposed to be an offense-orientated leader.  However, now with three years of hindsight, Brad Johnson throwing to Koren Robinson and handing off to Chester Taylor (the last year of the Tice regime) was just as productive as Tarvaris Jackson throwing to Bernard Berrian and giving to Adrian Peterson.  Essentially, what I'm trying to say is that Childress has come nowhere near delivering the "kick-ass" offense he promised a few seasons ago.  Sure, the defense has been incredible, but Chilly lucked out in that regard (and was likely helped by the presence of Mike Tomlin, now Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers), as the Wilfs had just doled out the money to Pat Williams, Antoine Winfield, and Darren Sharper, while Kevin Williams was becoming a major inside force.

Continue reading "Dismiss the Sheriff, Promote the Deputy"

In the aftermath of Tony Dungy's recent retirement from the NFL, there really isn't much more I can say about him that hasn't already been said.  He proved that an NFL Head Coach doesn't have to yell and scream at his players in order to motivate them to play football.

The lasting memory I will take with me of Dungy is that nearly every one of the teams he ever coached were competitive (and often very good).  How many head coaches in the NFL can say that?!  Whether it was luck (not likely) or skill (he turned the Tampa Bay Bucs around when they were pathetic), Dungy's Bucs or Colts never underachieved.  I don't think there are too many NFL teams who wouldn't can their current head coaches to have a chance at getting Dungy were he not retired.

Continue reading "How I Will Remember Tony Dungy"

Because I may be a bit busy with work the next few days, I would like to quickly give my predictions for both the NFC and AFC Championship games occurring this weekend:

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals: As much as Philly is on a roll right now, I think that (for the umpteenth time) they will be stopped by the Red Birds in the NFC title game.  Brian Westbrook is hurting badly, so the Cards may be able to key their defensive plan around pressuring Donovan McNabb into bad situations.  On the flip side, the Cardinals play very well at home and finally have a fan base behind them that is tantalizing close to the Promised Land, so excitement shouldn't be a problem.  I still think there is a reason why Philly barely made the playoffs this year, and I think we will see it on Sunday.  They barely squeaked by the Vikings, and also probably should have had a much closer game with the Giants if not for all the New York mistakes.  Prediction: Cardinals 21, Eagles 14

Continue reading "The Birds and the "D's""

About a week ago, I blogged about what I thought was the biggest question mark for the 2009 Minnesota Vikings...Head Coach Brad Childress.  In this post, I would like to examine the quarterback position, which will also come under deep scrutiny as the season plays out.

From what I have gathered during the 2008 season, there are two "camps" on the issue of Tarvaris Jackson as our starting QB: either you think he is still maturing and could become a good player, or you don't think he'll ever develop into a serviceable starter.  Personally, I find myself in the first camp.  I will admit that Jackson stunk in his rookie season of 2007 and even stunk as the anointed starter early in 2008 (before he was benched for Gus Frerotte), but the last few games of '08 he looked like a completely different QB.  His passes were on-target, he wasn't making boneheaded decisions, and he was scrambling not for his life, but in order to deliver big gains.  One or two games into his replacement of the injured Frerotte, I remarked that I hadn't been this excited about the Vikings' offense since Daunte Culpepper was heaving the rock to Randy Moss.  Of course, Tarvaris did stink in the playoff game against the Eagles, but one must remember that the Philly defense is perhaps the toughest in the NFC.  After the Vikes, the Giants couldn't do anything against them and only the Kurt Warner-Larry Fitzgerald combination could post any points (and that was only for about one half!).

Continue reading "Issue #2: The Quarterback"

Being a fan of the NFL, by all accounts right now I should be doing nothing but preparing for the "holiest" of all days...Super Bowl Sunday.  Now don't get me wrong, I will watch the game on Sunday and enjoy it, but I really don't get into all the hype that precedes it.  In fact, I really dislike the fact that two weeks must commence between the AFC/NFC Championships and the overall title game (although I DO like the fact that it gives the players a chance to rest up in order to give their best performances).  However, at about this time every year, I start to become hooked by another sport...bowling.  I'm usually just a baseball (Twins) and football (Vikings) guy (I haven't watched an entire basketball or hockey game in years), so that February-March void needs to be filled with something (and Spring Training doesn't quite cut it).  Thus, I turn my attention to bowling.  Whether it be lacing up the flattened shoes at the actual alley or watching the pros break a sweat over every ball, I love what the sport of bowling represents: the idea that a task (knock down ten pins) that looks so easy can be so frustrating.

Continue reading "The Third Season"

The first year I ever watched a Super Bowl was after the 1996 season, when the Green Bay Packers (whom I, ironically, as a Vikings fan, was rooting for) beat the New England Patriots thanks in large part to a kickoff return by Desmond Howard for a touchdown to open the second half (if my memory serves me right).

Since then, I have witnessed a number of exciting Super Bowl moments, including John Elway's Broncos going out on top ('98), Tampa Bay's defense destroying Rich Gannon's Oakland Raiders' offense ('00), the Miracle Patriots ('01), and last years' huge upset (Giants over Pats).

However, the Super Bowl following the 1999 season will (likely) be forever etched in my mind as the greatest NFL title game I have ever seen.  For starters, the St. Louis Rams had knocked off "my" Vikings in the Divisional Round, so I really wanted them to get beat.  Adding on to that, I was also a pretty big Titans fan at the time (I loved Steve McNair and Eddie George...how could you not?!), and thus was energized by their miraculous (if not altogether legal, had instant replay been in effect back then) last-second lateral against Buffalo now know as the "Music City Miracle".

Continue reading "My Favorite Super Bowl"