Week 3: Holy F'ing Balls!
In a game that should have been more of a blowout than the unreal squeaker that it was we found out why the fuss about Favre. Few thoughts:
1. The Vikes are on the other side of those games all the time. Losing to the Cardinals in 2004 on some last second play, that Monday night game at Lambeau when the ball goes off Antonio Freeman's shoulder and Cris Dishman stops playing despite no whistle - just to name a couple. Finally the ball bounces our way. Magic of Favre vs. even a blind squirrel finds a nut? I don't care. We won and it was exciting!
2. Favre was getting killed yesterday, our offensive line needs to step up particularly McKinnie who is, in my opinion, overrated. I don't hink he is gonna last 16.
3. Our defense is good.
4. Percy Harvin for rookie of the year. Wow.
5. Berrian needs to get his shiz together. He dropped at least 3 I can remember. Shortarming balls, letting them go through his hands. I don't like him returning punts either, I know Darius Reynaud (or "DRey" as Chilly calls him) was nicked up but. . .
Vikes/Pack Monday night? Highest ratings ever for a Monday night game? It will be fun.
11 Comments:
OK, first off, I admit that T-Jac and Sagenfels don't make that throw/drive. The skeptic in me sees something like 17-42 and a pick before that last drive, though.
I didn't actually see this game: was San Fran's run defense that stout, or was there some other reason we had a 2x pass/run ratio?
September 28, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Wow...what a game. As Jan said, we've been on the "business end" of too many of these types of comebacks, so I'll enjoy this one. I actually think Favre is getting too much credit...yes, the drive was vintage Favre, but the TD was all about the amazing catch, in my humble opinion. Greg Lewis (who I had forgotten was even on the squad), made a sweet grab and pulled off the fred astaire toe-tapping routine just to stay in bounds. Amazing.
Couple additional thoughts:
1) MCA - yes, the SF run defense was very good. AP had two runs of longer than 5 yards, I think. That's it. His YPC average looks okay because of one 30-yard scamper where he busted it to the outside. As a result, we ran a ton of those short, 5-10 yard little patterns to try and capitalize on all the run-pressure.
2) Berrian was brutal. I was scared stiff when he was catching those punts. It looks like Troy Williamson snuck in and put on Berrian's uniform. He dropped a sure TD and a sure, key 1st down.
3) That FG block was preposterous. The Niner who blocked it didn't even have to jump! And of course it bounced right up into the other guy's hands for an easy TD. That was a 10-point swing that would have, I believe, essentially put the game away for us had we made the FG. SF had two first downs up to that point...ugh.
4) Chilly went WAY too conservative in the 4th quarter. We were having success with the short patterns and the tight end up the middle, why not go back to it? Luckily, Singletary went equally conservative, which allowed us to get the ball back at the end.
5) I can't remember the last time a Viking returned a kickoff for a TD. That was amazing. Best. Draft pick. Ever. (next to Randy Moss).
6) The packers looked just okay yesterday against a rotten Rams team. And the Bears could/should be 0-3, if not for their opponents constantly missing FGs (two each in the last two games). Nonetheless, both still worry me.
I will be in Tokyo next Monday, so will likely miss the MNF game vs. the fudge. So bummed...
Oh...nice win for the Gophers. They were due against NU. The NU defense is swiss cheese this year, however. Not sure what happened, as it was tough last year.
RTS - Iowa looks tough, which is bad news for the rest of the league. Let's hope the Gophers can finally whoop Wisconsin this week.
September 28, 2009 at 5:48 PM
that type of game is a season changer. You lose to a team like that at home, it's a long road back. THere'd be doubts about favre, our d etc. You win one like that, its the exact opposite. not that we can't go into next week and f it all up, but we've been waiting for a vikings team to do that for a long time. i listened to an interview with percy after the game where he said favre was yelling on the sideline to the defense after we got stuffed the previous series, that they were going to go out and stop them, get us the ball back and then we'd march down and win the game. THATS why i like brett favre. THATS why he's different than tjack and sage. it's not so much that i can't imagine them making that pass (i can't) but its that i can't imagine THEM imagining that they could make that pass. THATS the difference.
It's hard not to fold it up facing that situation. He didn't. When was the last time you could say that about a viking? I feel like if he was qb in 98 he would have run up to robert smith when he was trying to run out of bounds and blown the asshole's knee out to keep the clock running.
September 28, 2009 at 8:46 PM
Tak fer 'da insights, gents.
Yes, the Bears by all means should be 1-2 at best and sleepless because they're two games back of the Vikes. That said, the NFC Central appears to be back. Even the Lions won Sunday.
DTK, interesting point about Favre being a leader. That definitely has been missing from our QB position since, I don't know, Brad Johnson v.1.0? I didn't get the impression Daunte was a vocal fire up the troops guy (Cris Carter may have played that role for them). Likewise Cunningham. Anyway, it's not like Favre's the only guy in the league who'd show that kind of confidence - even the young stars like Flacco and Schaub would be out there saying "we're gonna win this." We just need to draft and groom one of those guys with the right mentality and without the fragile psyche of T-Jac or Culpepper. Someone who wants to own a team.
BG, you're not actually disappointed that you get to go to Japan because it interferes with a football game, right? We might have to suspend your posting privileges. DG can operate the DVR, I hope.
I saw the Gopher game (should have gone in person now that I live 7 minutes from Ryan Field - could have gotten tix for $5 with that kind of attendance). To paraphrase jan, this is not your father's Gopher football. Or, actually, it IS your father's Gopher football, it's just not YOUR Gopher football. Glen Mason coached teams lose that game 100% of the time. Brewster's team hangs in there, gets a key stop, shoves the ball down the opposing defense's throat for a time-killing long drive on the ground to take the lead, then forces a turnover in the last few minutes. When's the last time Minnesota successfully pounded the run in the 4th quarter? I realized while watching that game, that there are a lot of things that go bump in the night in the minds of Gopher football fans after Mason, and I was only subconsciously aware of most of them. I feel like you can open your eyes now, at least.
All that said, Wisco scares me just because of who they are. And the schedule is ridiculous. Best three teams in the conference on the road, no Indiana. They should beat Illinois and one of Purdue and Michigan State. Beating Wisconsin would be gravy and get them to a deceptive 7-5, assuming SDSU presents no issues. I think there's a good chance the final W-L record won't be indicative of how much progress has been made.
September 29, 2009 at 9:37 AM
I did not see a lick of the game. The fact that I have not seen a live play, they have the best RB in the league and now the last second TD pass really makes the Vikes feel foreign to me. This is not the Vikings team I know, which is not a bad thing.
I am not a fan of double headers, they are tough to sweep. The delay I think definitely helped the Tigers.
September 29, 2009 at 11:30 AM
PUNTO you ASSHOLE!
September 29, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Ok, no harm no foul. I will take Punto of the kill list.
September 29, 2009 at 2:04 PM
BIG WIN for the Twinkies...one game out! We take two of three from here and it's all tied up.
And no, I am not regretting a trip to Asia because of a missed football game. Clearly, I will record it and see the hype after the fact. Plus, I'm pretty sure I can figure out a way to stream the first half (it starts at 7am Tuesday morning over there).
September 29, 2009 at 2:24 PM
RTS - no, I think you can still call Punto an asshole. Granted that was not an easy pitch to "have to" put down for a bunt but . . .
Squeaker. Why Nathan has to do things like that, I don't get. BTW - Granderson has 29 dongs? And I'm getting all choked up over Cuddy possibly getting to 30?
Huge win. Blackie settled down after what could have been a disasterous start (Portcello is gonna be a stud for Detroit if he stays healthy.)
Game #2 - Bring it.
September 29, 2009 at 3:35 PM
How exciting is it that the Twins are sitting 1 back?
How many of you thought the season was over when Morneau went down?
Personally I did. I questioned the resiliency of the piranas...my mistake.
Go Twins... and I can't believe that I'm going to utter these words, but I wish I was in Detroit today.
September 29, 2009 at 4:47 PM
great day for two.
throwout the record books when these longtime rivals get together. anything can and usually does happen.
you pay for the whole seat, but you'll only need the edge.
if its worth dying for, its worth killing for. (ok, i admit, that one's slightly off target)
anyhoo, i might pee myself if it's too close to get up.
September 29, 2009 at 5:00 PM
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