The Vikings Thread

[lefthook1]

bring back the championship to the black and blue division!

[JKidd]

Wow.

This is the most confusing thing ever.

A game the Vikes originally HAD to win. They actually win. then to find out, the Bears **** the bed, and it didn't matter. I'm shocked. I'm actually shocked this team performed and beat the G-men.

Crazy. Here's to the first round playoffs.... and however long we'll be there!

[Webby1517]

Originally Posted by lefthook1

bring back the championship to the black and blue division!

Lets Go Vikings! Show'em that the worst & best teams in the NFL are in the black & blue div. It's a long shot, but anything can happen. Go viks!

[itsJ.Millertime]

Haven't gotten here much throughout the season but now that's its over I would like to say its time for Childress and Bevell to go and take Jackson with them.
Bevell has to have the least imaginative offense in the league and if he cannot devise other ways to get the ball to AP than to hand it to him then it's time to find someone that can.
If Jackson cannot do it with the best running threat in the nfl he never will. There were at least 4 passes today that were easy picks but dropped or the cb slipped before getting to the pass. He will never be the consistent, turnover free QB that it takes to win in this league and although I will give him the credit on playing fairly well down the stretch today proved he is not a clutch QB and I highly doubt he ever will be.
I give Childress credit for turning the program around from Tice's loosey goosey squad to one that toes the line but he is a average coach at best and this is about the best he will ever do plus I would hate to see another top notch assistant like Frazier get away ala Billick and Tomlin.

This year the team HAS to address it's Offensive line problems, giving up over 40 sacks is unacceptable and way too many times was Peterson stopped behind the line of scrimmage this year, for a back of his talents to be stopped so often it's a obvious lack of blocking (although I will admit the lack of a true passing threat does not help) skill.
A new right tackle is a MUST and a guard would be nice as well. Since John Sullivan was picked last season to be the eventual replacement to Birk I would hold off on a center for now unless something fell into their laps. Of course we need a QB as well as Frerotte showed he is only marginaly better than Jackson and going into another season with those 2 would spell sure problems and another season of near 500 ball and a 1st rd. exit if we even make the playoffs. If a highly rated passer like a Teebow, McCoy or whoever decides to come out fell to them in the 1st rd. I would go for it but otherwise the top lineman should be their pick and address the QB problem through free agency and then a 2nd or 3rd rd. pick if something falls to them.

On defense they should try to keep the squad they have and maybe look for some help at CB and depth at Saftey mid to late in the draft or/and in free agency, especially if they can play special teams, punt coverage preferably. The corners cover skills are still the weakest part of the defense but they are very strong against the run and Griffin seemed to improve his cover skills as the year went on and benefited greatly from the big time pass rush the Vikes developed throughout the season. Johnson played well for Williams early on in the year but was burned badly a couple times today filling in for Thomas so the jury's out on him but I will give him the benefit of doubt since he did play well early on in the season.
As was seen today and throughout the year a major change in the punt coverage team is needed, one of the worst in history. Enough said.

It really speaks volumes to how mediocre the nfl has gotten that a team with as many holes as Minnesota, from the top of the coaching ladder to bottom of the special teams units, can win 10 games and be in contention to win a playoff game for 3 1/2 quarters but that's the truth of todays nfl. A few well placed picks in the draft, a good free agent or two signed for the right positions, a coordinator promoted and a offensive guru brought in and who knows, we could be super bowl bound.

[JKidd]

Well said J, well said.

I think next year, as scary as this is, the defense will be even better. Take a look at the amazing steps Chad Greenway took this year. Now throw in a guy like EJ Henderson next year, and the level he was playing at before his season ending injury. Its going to be scary how good the defense will be next year with EJ back.

Onto the offense. The right side was a disgrace. Hicks and Cook were terrible, and the entire offensive line, and running back crew, couldn't keep our QB's upright for its life. A new RT would help immensely, but, like you said, a new QB that knows what he's doing would probably help things.

Onto the coaching... and players. Brad Childress = useless. Talking with the old man over the weekend, bring in Mike Shanahan, and (at the time) Matt Cassell as QB, and get this ship righted.

With the defense and running game we have, THERE IS NO REASON we shouldn't run away with the division, year in year out, and do something in the playoffs. None.

Get rid of Childress. Get rid of his protege, Jackson. Get rid of Bevel. And get rid of our special teams coach. My ****ing god, is it that hard to cover a punt?

[JKidd]

Good to see Percy holding out and not reporting to camp.

You'd think that after you get nailed with a failed drug test, and still get taken high in the draft, you'd get your retarded ass into camp regardless of a deal and show the team it wasn't a mistake taking you... guess that's not the case.

God, I love seeing unproven rookies wanting vast contracts despite never even seeing an NFL field yet.

[blades29]

Originally Posted by jkidd

Good to see Percy holding out and not reporting to camp.

You'd think that after you get nailed with a failed drug test, and still get taken high in the draft, you'd get your retarded ass into camp regardless of a deal and show the team it wasn't a mistake taking you... guess that's not the case.

God, I love seeing unproven rookies wanting vast contracts despite never even seeing an NFL field yet.

Crabtree is holding out too. Agent, im assuming, is the issue. Heyward- Bey signed a 5 year deal, so we should start seeing other receivers signing... WAY too much money given to these unproven rooks. The NFL needs to implement a rookie cap or something to that effect. Crock of ****.

[caps87]

Originally Posted by blades29

Crabtree is holding out too. Agent, im assuming, is the issue. Heyward- Bey signed a 5 year deal, so we should start seeing other receivers signing... WAY too much money given to these unproven rooks. The NFL needs to implement a rookie cap or something to that effect. Crock of ****.

Absolutely. There have been so many duds, especially at quarterback, who made off with 30 something million and didnt do jack sh!t but fuk their team over. There should be a base salary, depending on where you were drafted, and you earn your money through incentives.

I did find this article that says that the rookie caps may be coming.

A rookie salary cap is coming in the NFL, but not before its draft this weekend once again makes helpless dopes of everyone at the top of the order, with the exception of the unproven players who have yet to play one down and their agents.

In 2007, JaMarcus Russell got $31 million guaranteed. The year before, Vince Young, $25.74 million. The year before that, Alex Smith, $24 million. Take it back to 1998, and another do-nothing quarterback, Ryan Leaf, received the largest signing bonus ever for a rookie, $11.25 million, when he was taken one pick after Peyton Manning.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/43600772.html

[JKidd]

Originally Posted by blades29

Crabtree is holding out too. Agent, im assuming, is the issue. Heyward- Bey signed a 5 year deal, so we should start seeing other receivers signing... WAY too much money given to these unproven rooks. The NFL needs to implement a rookie cap or something to that effect. Crock of ****.

I think me and Wes talked about this earlier with rookies - what grounds do they have, other than potential, to demand so much money?

You haven't taken a single snap in practice, you're essentially coming in as a backup player - what the **** gives you the right to handcuff and hold a team hostage?

I'd almost rather teams let their 1st round picks walk, just to get this whole situation under control and prove to everyone that these guys are drafted off of potential.

In this case, he has no grounds to hold out - at all. Everyone else around you, in your draft class, is signed and has reported, with the exception of maybe one or two guys. Makes so little sense it does nothing but piss me off and make me hate NFL players even more.

This is 80% of why I have lost a ton of interest in football over the years.

[JKidd]

Percy finally showing up to camp.

TJack now hurt with a sprained MCL. Painful injury no doubt, a couple weeks off of it, then brace it, and should be good to go by the 3rd preseason game or so.

Kenechi Uduze, the DE and 1st round pick of the Vikes a few years back, retired and ended his return attempt from leukemia. A sad story in its own right. Never lived up to the hype, but was always a solid pass rusher on the edge.

[JKidd]

1-0... against the Browns, who put up a hell of a fight yesterday.

Thought the offensive line looked like absolute ****, especially pass blocking and picking up the blitz. I thought Bryant McKinnie looked like **** all game long.

[BrianTheAdsFan]

Originally Posted by jkidd

1-0... against the Browns, who put up a hell of a fight yesterday.

Thought the offensive line looked like absolute ****, especially pass blocking and picking up the blitz. I thought Bryant McKinnie looked like **** all game long.

Good thing then that they have Adrian Peterson super stud in the backfield.

Damn he's good...

[JKidd]

Originally Posted by BrianTheAdsFan

Good thing then that they have Adrian Peterson super stud in the backfield.

Damn he's good...

No kidding. Its amazing his rushing stats in the first and second half. That Browns defense just couldn't hold up in the 2nd half when they were tired from him constantly punishing guys. And it paid off huge in the 2nd half.

He's a hell of a back, and one of the only reasons to watch the Vikings offense.

[JKidd]

So, that's what its like to have a quarterback win you a game when the star running back does jack ****?

Interesting...

[BrianTheAdsFan]

Difference in the game IMO.

Vikings O-line looked solid as hell in pass protection.

Green Bay barely had a semblence of an O-line. If the Pack can't shore it up, Rodgers is gonna get killed.