Vikings Wrap-Up
- wadE
What's most painful about the Vikings loss this last weekend was that they didn't need to play
their best game to win. Contrary to the verbal handjobs being given from the Fox sportscasters
in the booth, Philly was awful. McNabb played well early, making nice throws, but was mediocre
for most of the game.
But all in all it was for the best. I don't think I could have taken another loss to the
Falcons in the NFC Championship. I was very impressed with the way they played against the Rams.
While I still don't think Vick is quality passer, he's brought Nebraska style quarterbacking to the
NFL. I'm suprised they haven't gone to the full DVD (Dunn-Vick-Duckett) wishbone backfield and run
the option. If the Falcons aren't forced to throw more than 20-25 passes next weekend, they might
have the best shot of the NFC winning the Super Bowl.
But this is about the Vikings... what went right, what went wrong.
What went right:
The signing of Antoine Winfield. Winfield was the best player on the field whenever Moss and
Culpepper weren't. He was the best defender, and the best special teams player. He isn't a shut
down corner, but he's a tackling machine.
Daunte Culpepper. What a year! Without Manning running up the score each week, Culpepper could
have been the MVP of the league. And maybe if the Vikes would have won their division. The stats
speak for themselves. The guy has become a complete passer. Now (like I've said before) they need
to let him start running more again. Only Vick is a bigger threat running than Culpepper.
Kevin Williams. Where the hell did this guy come from? The first Vikings DL to go to the pro bowl
since John Randle. That's really saying something.
Mewelde Moore. The back of the future. The Vikings really need to pick a back and go with him.
Moore showed he has the skills to play in the NFL. Each of our backs excelled at different points in
the season. I really like how Bennett ran toward the end of the year. He ran hard and actually fell
forward after being hit instead of backwards. Smith had moments of greatness as well. However, the
RB out of this group that learns to pick up a blitz first will get the starting job. Not a bad
problem to have, but still a problem.
What went wrong:
Injuries. The Vikings weren't as unlucky as the Panthers, the injuries were just as damaging.
Kleinsasser, Rosenthal, Moss, Ken Irvin, a variety of RBs and LBs. The team wasn't 100% from the
first game of the season.
Chris Hovan. "Goodbye Minnesota." Well, hasta la vista to you too. How a guy on the brink of
becoming a household name to being benched (and more than likely released) so fast is beyond me. As
I've said before, once he lost his quickness, he lost the only skill he had.
Linebackers. Between injuries and the whole "not lining up in the right spot" thing, our
linebackers (outside of that Packer playoff game) were horrible all year. Is our coaching that bad?
Are these guys just not very smart? I never thought I would miss Greg Biekert at middle linebacker.
Oy, just ugly stuff. If one of these guys can take a big step forward, or if Scrooge McCombs can
use some of his ample salary cap to sign someone, the Vikings aren't that far from having a
decent defense. Scary, but true!
Randy Moss. The injury, the walk-off, the fake-moon. This was not Randy's best year by far.
It's obvious the guy has no respect for anyone on the team...except maybe for Daunte. He doesn't
even respect his coach...although I'm not sure I can blame him for that. His talent is far too
enormous to be traded. It just is. I'd rather keep him around and unhappy than let another team
have him. Personally I think he just doesn't handle the tough times very well. If this was an 11-5 team that
won the division handily, I have a feeling we aren't even talking about this.
Mike Tice. A-huh...huh-huh-huh...huh. The big lug is taking two steps forward and one back as a
coach. I don't think a coach needs to be stoic on the sidelines like Souhan of the StarTribune does,
he does need to be more disciplined. He's finally put the red-hanky in his pocket. Now he just needs
to reel in Linehan and Moss. No easy task.
And finally... Scrooge McCombs. What more can you expect from a used-car salesman? Not using the entire salary
cap. Under paying for a head coach by nearly 100%. Allowing the facilities to rot away to the point
where they are the worst in the league. It somewhat reminds you of the movie Major League. I can
almost picture Birk hooking up an outboard motor to a tub to make a whirlpool.
However, all is not lost. The Vikings really only need two things to have a good chance of playing
deep into the playoffs next year. They need to be lucky with injuries (which most playoff teams are),
and they need one good linebacker. Small minor things. :-) ... but within the realm of possibility.
Besides all the bad news, how unsuccessful of a season is it when you can beat the Packers, in
Lambert Field, in the first playoff meeting of the teams? Next to a Super Bowl, it doesn't get
any better than that!
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
