Minnesota Vikings Super Blog

This past Sunday, the Minnesota vikings lost their first game of the season.

2009-10-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

by:Fear the Lutefisk

This past Sunday, the Minnesota vikings lost their first game of the season. Given that their previous opponents were of questionable quality, this may be cause for some alarm among the Viking faithful. My view, however, is somewhat different.

In the first place, the Vikings were playing the world champions on their own field. A win under these circumstances would be exceptional for any team. Secondly, the lost in a sand lot free for all that could have gone either way. The fourth quarter was one of the most exciting quarters of football I've seen in more decades of football watching than I care to admit.

But most importantly, I think the Vikings have a solid team in every phase of the game.

Most important is their new quarterback, veteran of a couple of retirements, Brett Favre. Now, there are a couple of side issues here that I think important. I get tired of superstars "retiring" and then "coming out of retirement." Even for superstars like Michael Jordan and Favre, take heed of Emily Post's advice: "having risen to leave, LEAVE." But when Brett announced he was considering "coming out of retirement," my least favorite sports commentator said "what a shock." Only time I've agreed with Mr. Halstrom.

But Favre is different. He still plays the game with all the energy of a sand lot player. Remember the downfield block he made earlier in the season? the national announcers said that he would be talked to by the Vikings staff and not do it again. They were wrong on at least one count. So Favre is still having fun out there, and plays the game with a vim and vigor seldom seen in the NFL. In fact, I've known NFL players and have been very close to the playing field in the early days of the Vikings(remember that the left field fence was the back of one of the endzones in the old Met? I used to sit in the first row behind that fence). If these players were having fun, you could have fooled me. Professional football is brutal, hard, battering, bruising and stressful. Most player's careers are just a few years They just can't take anymore. Stand by the tunnel when a team takes the field and see if you think these people are about to have fun. But Favre seems to do it. That makes him almost unique, out of retirement.

Moving on, Adrian Peterson is obviously a superstar. I don't think the Vikings have ever had a running back of his caliber.

One thing that has always concerned me about the Vikings is their line play, both offense and defense. Even in the days of the Purple People Eaters, their defensive line was so ferocious that they actually won ballgames by themselves. But there was an easy way to beat them that apparently nobody except Hank Stram, the dapper coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, saw. Simple. Don't throw passes. The year the Vikings made it to their first super bowl(against the Chiefs), I watched a televised game between Kansas City and someone else in which the Chiefs won and did not throw a single pass. I thought to myself at the time, "that's how to beat the Vikings." Sure enough, it came to pass.

From that point on, the Vikings pass rush began to detereorate until in the 90's it was non-existent. For a couple of decades it was poor, and I ceased being a Viking fan, because the defensive philosophy was one that couldn't work. That is, rush the passer on every play regardless. The Williams boys have plugged this gap in the vikings defense.

From the start, the Vikings offensive line has been spotty. There is, I think, a maxim: give an NFL quarterback enough time and he will complete a pass to somebody, probably in an inconvenient place on the filed for the defense. Thus the anemic Vikings pass rush of the past and their inability to protect the quarterback is a double loser. But now they're able to protect Favre while limiting the opponents quarterback's time, so I think they're solid on both sides of the ball.

There have been some injuries, particularly in the defensive secondary, but that happens to everybody.

So take heart, Vikings fans: you might have a good second half of the season ahead of you.

Viking Talk: As it happens, the Vikings won and the Bears lost.

2008-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

By Bronko Wilkinson
Sunday was the last regular season for the Minnesota Vikings. It could have had a couple of outcomes, one of which was the Vikings winning the NFC North Division championship. In order for this to happen, one of two things had to happen. In any case, the result had the aura of possibly being tainted. The Vikings were playing the New York Giants, who had already clinched not only their division championship but home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Since the game meant nothing statistically to the Giants, there is always the danger they would be accused of not giving a full effort in a meaningless game if the Vikings won. If the Vikings lost, they would still win their division if the Chicago Bears lost. But then the Vikings would have the stigma of "backing in" to their championship and, for that matter, the playoffs.

As it happens, the Vikings won and the Bears lost, so we can't accuse the Vikings of not deserving their title, at least not and make a strong case. The Vikings game was interesting, though, and they easily could have lost, having won
20-19. The Giants have been saying in the press all week how they were going to take this game seriously, wanted to head into the playoffs on a winning note, etc. And they did play well, at least their regulars did for the first half, after which the Giants back-ups took over, and some of them were injured, so presumably some of the players were back-ups for back-ups.

Ah, but on to the game, which was well played and hard hitting. The score at half-time was 10-9 Vikings, with the]
Giants, not known for run defense, limiting the Vikings to a 67 yard touchdown jaunt by Adrian Peterson, accounting for a good share of his 103 total rushing yards. Ryan Longwell contributed a 50 yard field goal, while the Giants got three field goals, so either the Vikings defense was doing something right or the Giants defense something wrong.

In the second half, the Giants back-ups managed a touchdown and a field goal, missing a field goal near the end of the game. Tavaras Jackson completed a long touchdown pass when the back-up Giant defender fell down. The appropriately named Longwell kicked another 50 yarder as time expired to give the Vikings the win.

I don't think the Vikings can take much pride in this victory, and next week play the red hot Philadelphia Eagles, who defeated Dallas 44-6. To win this wild-card game, I think the Vikings are going to have to play much better.

Minnesota Viking NFC North champs 2008

2008-12-29T13:46:00.001-08:00

Minneapolis MN
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf clapped nervously on the sideline Sunday awaiting Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field-goal attempt with 5 seconds left in regulation and his team trailing by two. "I was just praying for that to go through," Wilf said.

And when it did, when the Vikings had a 20-19 victory over the New York Giants that gave them their first NFC North title and first playoff berth since the 2004 season, Wilf let loose. The billionaire, who had been waiting for this moment since buying the Vikings in 2005, became a kid again. Wilf half-skipped, half-danced to midfield, his shoes never appearing to touch the ground. Hugs were exchanged with anyone in the vicinity.

The fact the victory had come over the Giants, the team Wilf had lived and died with his entire life before getting his own franchise, made this moment all the sweeter.

"It's as good as it gets," said Wilf, who talked in the locker room after slipping on a T-shirt that declared the Vikings NFC North champs. "That's all I can say. To win our division after working so hard and going through all we did this year. To be here where we are at and to be here in the playoffs is something very special. It's what we've been working really hard for, and we're here right now. I'm just glad that we took care business the way we did."

Wilf's reference was to the fact the Vikings would have wrapped up the division even if they had lost Sunday. Houston's 31-24 victory over visiting Chicago -- a score that coach Brad Childress made sure was not shown in the Metrodome -- would have enabled the Vikings to back into the postseason, and it appeared that might happen when the Giants took a 19-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

But the Vikings rallied when quarterback Tarvaris Jackson hit Bernard Berrian for a 54-yard touchdown with 9 minutes, 26 seconds left, and then Longwell made the winner after a curious sequence in which three timeouts were called just before the kick.

Minnesota Viking Super Blog: Minnesota Turnovers Explains Much.

2008-10-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Another Tough Road Battle

Well one word explains the outcome of this game turnovers. Tennessee 1 Minnesota 4. It is almost impossible to win any game with that amount of turnovers. This was definitely the deciding factor of this contest at Tennessee. There will be many fans out there who over look this fact believe me I have heard it on KFAN's fanline and seen it on the Viking Update's Purple Thoughts Blog. But I will say this you cannot blame this loss on Chilly he isn't the one who fumbles and makes penalties. I will say this though, I was greatly disappointed in two play calls in this contest. 1st the 3 and 1 shotgun formation in the 3rd quarter. Once again they call a 3rd and 1 shotgun play. This never makes sense to me when you have the threat of Adrian Peterson. If anything you go under center and if you plan to pass you run a play action to freeze the d but do not go in a shotgun formation you totally limit what you can do from that formation. That play call drove me insane and it did during the Green Bay game as well.
Secondly the punt late in the game when we were down 30-17 with like a minute left.This showed me that Brad quit. This should never ever happen in the NFL because stranger things have happened. Now I don't know if Chilly has lost all confidence in TJack and this is what influenced his decision but I thought that was a terrible call by a coach late in the game even though it was out of reach. It is a very bad signal to send to the team that you are throwing in the towel. I don't know if he was trying to keep his guys from getting hurt but I surely have to say that this was one of the worst calls Chilly has made as coach of our beloved Vikings.
Lastly was that Berrian or Williamson I saw playing out there on Sunday. He did make a great grab late in the game but he also dropped a sure touchdown. If he doesn't start showing some more skill than he has in the 1st 4 weeks than I will be calling this free agency pickup a flop. The only difference so far between him and Williamson is that he doesn't miss the ball completely and let it hit him in the facemask. He just lets it bounce off of his hands. I will give kudos to Shiancoe for not dropping any balls thrown his direction and boy did Bobby Wade have a hell of a game.
Finally has anyone seen a cheaper shot on a quarterback than the one givin to Frerotte by Kyle VandenBosch? That was absolutely ridiculous and Gus has every right to pissed off about that as he was after the game. Now for my offensive and defensive MVP's of the game on Sunday. The offensive MVP in my opinion was Bobby Wade. The guy had 7 catches for 75 yards and continues to pile up first down catches. On the Defensive side of the ball I will give the game ball to Kevin Williams for his 6 tackles and his run stuffings of LenDale White. Even thought the D gave up 30 points 21 of those can be attributed to the turnovers the Vikes gave up throughout the game. Skol Vikings and lets hope we have a better showing against New Orleans although it will be tough without our defensive leader EJ Henderson for it sounds like he will be out with a couple of dislocated toes, sounds very painful. My prediction New Orleans 27 Minnesota 20. I know it is sounds tough but I just don't think we have the firepower on offense to beat these guys unless AP goes off in front of a national audience.

Minnesota Vikings Hot Talk: Vikes get back on track.

2008-09-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

Well finally a win. I didn't get to write after last week because I was quite busy but the move was made and it looks like it paid off. This is exactly what the doctor ordered, serve me up one Gus Frerotte to get this season rolling again. I know I know you are all going to say,"Cyrus I thought you supported TJack, you thought we should be more patient." After the Colts game my mind
really changed. It seems as if TJack lost a little bit after his injury this preseason. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt after the Green Bay game but the Colts game I saw some things that were quite troubling to me.
1st off in the Colts game it seemed as if he was rattled just by the booing. As an NFL quarterback you have to have more of a spine than that, which is something I am now questioning with TJack. He may have a future but his future isn't now. So thus the decision to put in the GusMan. I think it may have been a way to save Chilly's job as well. It looks as if this decision may pay off. Now defenses have to honor the pass more which will open up lanes for AP and Chester Taylor.
At first a fan would think that this was a call from Zygi but after more research it has been found that Bevell and qb Coach Kevin Rogers saw things that deemed this move to be necessary. I wouldn't doubt if some veterans in search of a 1st championship may have a say or two about it as well. By the looks of the way the defense played I think it injected some life into them as well. Let's hope that things continue to improve. We shall have what could be our mirror image of a test coming up next in the Tennessee Titans. I believe our strength maybe a little better than ours but our lone disadvantage is the fact that I could see us getting slightly outcoached in this game. I pick the Titans in a close one 16-13.
Finally each week from here on out I will pick the offensive and defensive players of the game. For week 1 I will say offensive would be Adrian Peterson with our defensive MVP being Greenway for he made some plays in the backfield and was all over the field.Week 2 I would have to say our offensive player of the game would once again be Adrian Peterson and defensive player of the game would be Pat Williams for his stonewalling of Addai(I still don't think that it was a td). Week 3 I will say the offensive player of the game would be Gus Frerotte for sparking the whole team and I will have to pick co-mvp's for defense. Antoine Winfield and EJ Henderson are the most deserving of this award. Man was that a great trifecta of a play by Winfield and Henderson looked like a man possessed out there. This is going to be one heck of a defense barring any serious injuries to key players.

Viking Hot Talk Game 1 : Well it was a tough 1st loss for our beloved Minnesota Vikings in Lambeau

2008-09-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well it was a tough 1st loss for our beloved Minnesota Vikings in Lambeauas the Vikes were beaten in a squeeker 24-19. After sifting through the Viking Update Blog and listening to KFAN's fan line I am quite disturbed. I know that we lost and losing to the Pack is always tough but was I watching a different game than everyone else.

First off everyone is being way too critical of Tarvaris Jackson. After having a rusty start to the game he really seemed to settle down after half and got us back into the game after the punt return by Blackmon. He could've easily mailed it in but he didn't. He showed me something that alot of our fan base doesn't have and that is heart. He may not always use his head the best and he may not always be the most accurate but at least he plays hard and with heart. Qualities I have seen in quarterbacks of the past such as Doug Williams and Steve McNair. I know I hate to compare him to fellow african-american qb's but he is very comparable to these two in the fact that he came from a small division 1AA school as each of these did. Now both of these qb's played in super bowls and Williams won in the only one he played in. So this gives me alot of hope in Tarvaris Jackson. I have seen alot of improvement from his game from the 1st time I saw him until tonight. Believe me we have to be patient with him and the win now attitude will be tough to overcome but it will payout in the longrun.

Also there seems to be alot of criticism on how we didn't get any pressure on Aaron Rodgers, well as far as I could tell he had to run around in the pocket alot. Rmember this isn't Brett Favre we are chasing this is Rodgers who is a much more athletic quarterback than Favre was. Sure he may not throw the daggers that Favre did but this guy can mover around in the pocket quite well and will scrambe for yards when needed.

Finally the main reason we lost this game to me was ST's and a couple of questionable coaching moves. Now I really hate to be the type that blames coaching for I have been a big Chilly supporter but I was wondering about a couple of things he did during the game. First why before halftime did he not call a timeout with 23 seconds left when the Packers had the ball on 4th down. Now after we blocked the fg we could've ran a couple of plays and who knows maybe we get a field goal which could have changed things in a big way later in the game. Second of all what was Bevell thinking when we ran shotgun formation in the beginning of the 4th quarter when it was 3rd & 1. That call made no sense to me whatsoever. By going into shotgun the offense really limits itself in what it can do. That was a very questionable playcall to me and I felt that was truly the turning point in the game. Not the Jennings catch and not even the punt return by Blackmon but when they ran that shotgun formation on 3 & 1 I was absolutely irrate at Bevell just ask my wife and dogs. But oh well such is the life of an armchair qb, I guess that is why I am just a fan and not a coach.

I will say I enjoyed the game alot and have alot of hope for this team. As I always say it is better to lose the 1st game than it is to lose the last one. Skol Vikings and lets go get them Colts and make em 0-2.

Minnesota Viking Hot Talk w Cyrus Bahr

2008-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Vikings Hot Talk: Here Comes the Vikings.

2008-08-18T21:14:00.001-07:00

Well the new NFL year is on its way and I am as pumped as ever to kick this season off. Our beloved Vikings were in and out of the Favre sweepstakes and now it is time to get things started.
So far after 2 preseason games things are going well with the offense. TJack has been showing signs of maturity as he looks as though he may be starting to get it. Some other youngsters that have impressed are Erin Henderson, little brother of EJ. He looks and plays the part quite well I have a good feeling that he will make us all forget Heath Farwell. I have also liked the looks of Martin Nance and Aundrae Allison. Allison is my favorite to really step up his game as well as Sidney Rice.
Jared Allen has been quite impressive as well. He looks like an OLB running around out there. I knew he was talented but man he can really fly around the field. Also old Gus Frerotte is showing that he will be a much more capable backup than Holcomb & Bollinger. As for JD Booty I think he has better days ahead of him as he is experiencing some growing pains.
I have got some predictions as well going into the new year. Barring injury I think our Division winners will be the NFC South-New Orleans Saints, NFC-North-Minnesota Vikings,NFC East-Philadelphia Eagles, NFC West-St. Louis Rams, AFC South-Jax Jags,AFC North-Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC West-San Diego Chargers, AFC East-New England Patriots. My Conference champions being the Saints beating the Vikes and the Steelers beating the Pats. My Super Bowl champs are going to be from the Bayou-the New Orleans Saints. I know I am going way out on a limb there but after a disappointing season last year I believe the Saints are going to bounce back in a big way. Look out NEW ORLEANS!!! Lets hope this is another fun season and happy blogging to you all.

Fargo Hot Talk

2008-06-09T23:51:00.001-07:00

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Hot Talk Vikings: Free Agency Splash

2008-03-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well the Vikings had a very busy weekend in free agency trying to sore up a couple of areas of need. I think they were quite successful in doing this. First, the signing of Thomas Tapeh, Tapeh brings us a solid young replacement for the old vet Tony Richardson. I think Tapeh brings youth, as well as a good receiving threat out of the back field in the WCO. He is also intriguing because he is a local product whom the fans are very familiar with from his days with the Minnesota Gophers. Tapeh is a fullback who helped pave the way for Westbrook and I believe he will be very effective in paving the way for Peteson as well.

The second signing, Madieu Williams. This was a glaring need since we didn't resign Tank William or Mike Doss and we released the troubled Dwight Smith. Williams is a solid hybrid safety who covers receivers very well and is also solid against the run. Williams used to be a teammate of Henderson's at Maryland and played for Leslie Frazier at Cincinnati as well so he should fit right in. He is also a piller in the community as he is very active for the Children's Hospital in Cincinnati and as soon as he signed he visited the Children's Hospital in Minneapolis a much different perosn than the recently departed Dwight Smith.

Finally the top signing of the weekend Bernard Berrian. This is a "double whammy". Not only did they finally get a top notch receiving deep threat the took their divisional rivals top receiving threat away from them. I think Berrian will be a great addition to an offense who is in dire need of an accomplished receiver. Some say we overpaid for him, well I disagree. I think that he hasn't reached his full potential yet. He will also help open up things in the running game as well. If teams continue to run 8 and 9 players in the box they will get burned deep by Berrian.

Hopefully we are not done yet as it sounds as if we are going to sign Maurice Hicks at running back to replace Mewelde Moore and to shore up our return game as well. I am also hoping we can trade for a solid backup such as Sage Rosenfels or JP Losman. We need to get better in this area in case of poor play or injury to TJack. Since we lost out on Justin Smith (which I think is a good thing) I am hoping we get a shot at Antwan Odom who has gradually improved by getting 8 sacks last year. He would replace Udeze very well with his 6'5" 275 lb. frame. Skol Vikings.

North Dakota Politics

Hot Talk Minnesota Vikings: Playoffs Here We Go.

2008-01-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

Here we go folks, finally the big game Pats vs. Giants. I have to admit I am somewhat surprised about the Giants but at the same time I felt going into the season that the Giants were a very underrated team. It seems like when the New York media is down on their own team it is greatly magnified and blown out of proportion. Eli has proven that he was worth the 1st pick of the draft by getting them to the Super Bowl, now lets see if he can lead them to an improbable victory over the unbeaten New England Patriots. I will be rooting for the Patriots myself. I know that by cheering for the Pats I will be in the minority but I have been a big fan of Tom Brady since he came into the league. I remember mentioning to someone that he is going to be another Joe Montana and by god he is just about there. Patriots in a very competitive game until the 4th quarter. New England 41 Giants 24. Randy Moss will be the MVP.

Now to some Minnesota Vikings talk. So what would you guys think of JP Losman, chances are is that he will either be traded or cut by the Buffalo Bills. What the heck he has got the attitude and he is still fairly young and heck maybe it will help us keep Mewelde Moore. Also there has been talk at the Senior Bowl that the Vikings scouts have shown alot of interest in Colt Brennan. I hope not, the guy is 6'2" and 185 lbs... that's right I said 185 lbs. He is absolutely puny by NFL standards. Although there have been comparisons to Jeff Garcia who also has a very small frame. I just don't trust a guy who plays in the spread offense though. Does anyone remember Andre Ware, Ty Detmer, David Klingler. These are all very good examples why not to take him. I would only take a waiver on him if he was available with one of the Vikings two 3rd round picks. Then and only then would I even take a chance on this guy.

All this talk has brought me to this, I would like to hear your opinions of what the Vikings need to do in the off-season and be specific. I don't want to hear" get a new QB." If so then who is it tell me who is out there. Lets get some offseason speculation rolling. Also I would like to hear what you think is going to happen in the Super Bowl. Hopefully I can get some reaction to you Viking fans out there to what you thought of the Championship game between the Pack and the Giants. Tell me how you really feel. Skol Vikings.

North Dakota Politics

Hot Talk Minnesota Vikings: Maybe Next Year

2008-01-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

Well another season is over and another wait and until next year. I truly believe that this will be a team to be reckoned with next year. I attended the game in Denver and had a very enjoyable experience with the exception of a couple of fans that were needless to say a little rude. Aside from the Vikes losing the game I really thought that TJack played alot better than the two previous games. He led the team to the tie and really played very well in a very hostile environment. I was wondering why AP wasn't in the game more and was really puzzled by them using Mewelde Moore so much early in the game. I am kind of wondering if he didn't get in some type of trouble with head coach Childress. If anyone cost us this game it would definitely be Troy Williamson, if I were the Vikings management I would cut him ASAP. His drop was totally unexcusable and his time has got to be up because he has been given plenty of chances.
The offseason should be quite interesting with Minnesota. I am hoping that we are able to get a big name receiver this offseason, either free agent Bernard Berrian or maybe a trade for Larry Fitzgerald. I also believe we need to get a quality veteran qb to help Tarvaris Jackson grow and learn the nuances of the NFL. I think Chad Pennington would be the perfect fit. He is very good in the short passing game and is as intelligent as they come. Also a good TE would help this team improve, I really liked what I saw from Garret Mills on Sunday and I think he could be much more effective than Visanthe Shiancoe. Shiancoe has got to be one of the biggest disappointments of the season. I truly thought they had found another diamond in the rought with Shiancoe but he has proved me wrong. Another position I think we could use some help is at DE. I really think we should have a much better pass rush with players like Pat & Kevin Williams in the middle. Our pass defense did improve as the season wore on but the pass rush has gut to be better from your front four when you run the cover 2 defense.
Well with the end of another season means the end of fantasy football as well. I am in 4 different leagues, and led 3 of the leagues in scoring so I consider myself a fantasy football expert so to speak. I won a championship in my stubborn brother in laws league finally. I have made the playoffs every year but one in this league but was never able to win a championship. Well this year was different finally and I walked away with it in the playoffs. Having Tom Brady doesn't hurt but neither does having Marques Colston, Marshawn Lynch, Anquan Boldin, Josh Brown, Santonio Holmes, Wes Welker, and a pretty good Chargers D. If you can find a team that could field a better team than that then please let me know. I will be back to fend off all of those who wish they had a team as good as mine. Anyway hope everyone has a Happy New Year and Skol Vikings. I will be continuing this column thru the playoffs and offseason so don't go away now.

North Dakota Politics

Hot Talk Minnesota Vikings: Stunning turnaround leaves 'Skins in control of playoff fate.

2007-12-25T16:27:00.001-08:00

Well it was a tough loss against the Skins. TJack had some more growing pains but what do you expect most guys in there first full season do. I know there will be people calling for Childress head but guess what guys he is going to be our coach next year as well. We cannot give up though. There is still one more week and we are still in the playoff hunt. With the exception of a couple of years ( I have been a die hard since 1980), it seems like this is something I say every year. I will be at the Denver game so hopefully they pull one out of there you know what and hopefully (gulp) Dallas wins. I say gulp because I have never rooted for the Cowboys in my entire life until next week. It will be OK thought since Brad will probably be starting for them next week.

Back to the game. It was a tough loss not because I thought we would win but because TJack got us into a hole right away. Now this is going to happen when you have a young QB but we knew this was going to be a roller coaster season with him going in anyway.I still like what I saw in the 2nd half. They didn't lay down and showed me that they have heart. I am a little confused about AP not playing much in the 2nd half but my guess is that he isn't pass protecting very well and that the running game was useless to us at that point anyway. Hopefully it isn't too discouraging for AP because he looked kind of ticked on the sideline. The play that ticked me off the most was the first pick not necessarily because we threw it but because of who picked it off. Fred Smoot the second I saw him pick it I had really bad feelings about this game it was like a very bad omen. Also I have to give Kudos to Joe Gibbs for that challenge. That was the final nail in the coffin. You could just see the dome deflate after that challenge. That is another topic as well. They need to totally get rid of the instant replay. Because the play before it looked too me like Moss's feet were not in and Childress didn't even get a chance to look at the replay. They need to get rid of it if there is going to be crap like this going on.

So really we shouldn't be disappointed and we should be happy with how this season panned out as a whole. Going into this season I expected to be 8-8 or 9-7 with a possible surprise playoff run and that is exactly how it is turning out. Last year I said we would be around 7-9 or 8-8 and I wasn't far off either. Now we aren't out of it yet but I want to talk about next year already. I think with a couple of big free agents next year this team could be one of the best teams in the conference. I truly believe that Jackson will be a much better qb next year but we need a safety net as a backup. NO not Brooks or Holcomb either, I am thinking someone like Chad Pennington, a smart qb who doesn't lose games by making mistakes. Someone whom Tarvaris can learn from. Then I think Childress should suck it up and call Shaun Hill back as our third string qb. This guy has actually looked pretty good the last 3 weeks and actually deserves to be a backup somewhere. He looks like a good fit for a west coast type of offense. Hope everyone his having a merry xmas and see you in Denver where I hope to be bloggin to you from there as well. Happy holidays. Skol Vikings!!!

North Dakota Politics

Hot Talk Vikings: Monday Night Madness in Viking Country.

2007-12-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

Well once again we had a very close and competitive game against the Bears. This was a very closely fought battle and we all had to have known it was going to be this way. Every time we play these guys it is a nail biter and last night was no different. We won in somewhat ugly fashion but these are the dog days of December and it is meat grinding time. I give Kudos to Childress for turning this season around. I know all you naysayers out there will reply but that Plate of Crow is looking like it is almost ready to serve. All that I can say is go Philly and Buffalo. Do you realize that we can very possibly be a 5 seed in this conference?

Here is a shot out to Jim Souhan of the Star Trib. and all of you negative nellies out there. Why is it that there is always a few fans of the purple out there that always have got to rain on the purple parade. Souhan writes that TJack has still got a lot to learn and that he pretty much played terrible last night. If he truly played terribly than why did we win. Why did we have 375 yards of total offense. I know he threw 3 picks and had 1 fumble. But the first pick and fumble were clearly not his fault. So in reality 2 of the to's were his fault. But isn't the good supposed to outweigh the bad. I saw alot more good throws than bad throws. What about the strike to Kleinsasser in the seam. What about finding Boddy Wade multiple times when we needed a first down. How about that throw on 3rd and 10 to Fergie that nearly ended up a 70 yard plus td which would have set a Vikings Record. He only completed 64 % of his passes and threw for a career high 245 yards. Sure he didn't play the perfect game but he played far from terrible. It is so funny how our fans have such good memories when it comes to mistakes but they never remember the good plays. We all knew going in to this season that TJack would have his ups and downs. Then I was on the Viking Update Purple Thoughts thread and someone actually thought that his leg cramps were an act and that cramps shouldn't keep you out of the game. BS. Have any of you had leg cramps while playing football. It is absolutely impossible to play on because it hurts so damn bad. They though he was faking the injury because it was getting too tough. Bullpucky, this guy is tougher than we give him credit for. Did you see him get blasted by the Bears defender when he threw his 2nd pick. He came back from that. I was just waiting for a phone call from my stubborn brother-in-law saying "see I told you he was injury prone." Remember being injury prone is more about luck than is about that individual. TJack is one tough cookie regardless what some of you there think.

So now come the Redskins another game that will be very hard fought. The Redskins are still alive in the playoff hunt so this could be a very tough game. Then on to Denver where I am the most concerned but we shall jump that hurdle when it nears. Skol Vikings!!!!

North Dakota Politics

Viking Hot Talk: WEEK 15

2007-12-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

WEEK 15

Well it is week 15 in the NFL already with two games finished. Man what a disappointment the Cincinnati Bengals have become. With there loss to the 49ers last night they are now in the running for a top 10 pick. I am guessing they will be picking some defensive help. How about that thursday night game. Who would you take with your first pick now Mario or Reggie, I am thinking Mario is a very good pickup for the Texans. Him alongside Okoye is going to make for a very dominant d-line for years to come.

There are some other interesting matchups coming up as well. Buffalo at Cleveland really intrigues me as well. Both teams seem to be on the up and up and they are both are vying for a wild card spot. Who knows if the Steelers lose to the Jags maybe Cleveland could even make a run at the division title. I remember reading a Pro Football Weekly at the Denver Intn'l Airport and laughing at a columnist who picked the Browns to win the division. Boy who is laughing now. This Browns team is looking better and better each week. Derek Anderson looks like he could be the next great find behind Tony Romo & Tom Brady. When was the last time an Arizona vs. New Orleans game had any significance to the playoff picture.

Then there is the big Monday Night game for our beloved Vikings. Hopefully Thursday nights incident with Dwight Smith is more of a wake up call than another stupid act that will bring the team down. Why is it that right when you think things are getting better some idiot has to pull an idiotic stunt like this. I am not as mad at the fact that he smoked the reef, I am more ticked at the timing of it. I really wonder what the heck Fat Pat was doing with him. Sometimes they say guilty by association but I am an optimist and hope that he was there trying to straighten out a tough situation. Nevertheless the often troubled Dwight Smith is going to actually play Monday night. Does this mean Childress has softened? No it means we have no other safeties at this time. If Doss or Tank were healthy they would be sitting him down but since they are both banged up they have no choice but to hope any charges up against him or hearings about it are pushed back until the season is over.

Where are all you Childress bashers now. Why is it when things are going bad in Minnesota the coach gets all the blame. " Fire that SOB right now". I would hear and read on blogs. But now you hear silence. Maybe a few changing tune but mostly silence. Where are you know Chilly bashers. I have stuck by this guy thru thick and thin and it is starting to pay off. By no means does one 4 game winning streak make a great coach but it goes to show that patience is very important and once the players start to understand his and his assistants philosophies things will only get better and better. The other who needs to be given more credit and we need to also continue in being patient with him is TJack. I think he has all the tools except for experience. Once he gets a couple of seasons worth of games under his belt I believe that Daunte will be forgotten and we will be extremely happy with this guy. So for you Chilly Bashers it is time to start warming up a plate of crow because it's looking like you will probably be eating it. Skol Vikes!!!

North Dakota Politics