Three years ago I chronicled the 2005 Minnesota Vikings season. From the jingoism of Week 1 though the end of the Tice Era just a mere 20 minutes after Week 17. All my entries can be found in the first column here. A lot has changed in those three years. New coach, new QB, new RB… pretty much new *everything* at the skill positions. It\’s been a
painful 3 years, but this year promises to be different. With the departure of Randy Moss I didn\’t think the Vikings would see another game changing player for years, but Adrian Peterson has allowed all but the most stubborn Viking fan to finally move on. A lot of questions coming into this season. Can Adrian Peterson repeat his electrifying 2007 performance? Can Tavaris Jackson stay healthy and be at least a serviceable Quarterback? Is this a make or break year for Coach Brad Childress? But instead of a bunch of predictions (9-7 record, tied for first in the NFC North with GB, and hopefully we\’ll have the tie breaker against them), let\’s just sit back and let the season come to us. In the words of an immortal coach: Enjoy the season! So back in 2005 I typically wrote about the game the day (or two) afterwards. Tonight since it\’s Monday night and I\’m not at the game, I thought I would do the old running diary bit; so here we go: 6:00 – We are coming to you live from the Simpleprop.com headquarters at Casa Del Van Betta… well, not really live… I\’m typing this live, but not posting live… but I digress. I\’ve got dueling channels with the same feed on ESPN and our local ABC affiliate. It\’s pretty hard to tell, but the ESPN feed looks slightly crisper than the ABC feed, so I\’m sticking with ESPN. 1st Quarter 8:00 – can I just say that I have become really bored with the introductions done by one of the players? Especially while there is a play happening on the field. I don\’t need the cutesy nicknames and inane chatter. Although it isn\’t as bad as when the players introduce themself and their school… THE University of Louisiana… really? Really?! 1st Quarter 6:41 – first sack of the game goes to… GB. No surprises on either team\’s first possession. Some yards gained, a couple of penalties, a couple of bad plays and a punt. 1st Quarter 3:41 – several penalties in a row on the Packers have them backed up to their own 8 yard line. The Favre talk is already so bad that I\’m considering turning on the local radio broadcast and muting the TV. 1st Quarter 0:00 – Adrian Peterson warms up and the running attack looks legit after looking putrid during the preseason. There was even a Chester Taylor sighting. Tony Kornheiser asks why would you ever throw the ball with a running attack like that. A very good question. The Vikings need T-Jack to be the classic \’game manager\’ (see: Dilfer, Trent). Don\’t turn the ball over, and make a few good throws. 2nd Quarter 13:40 – speaking of being a game manager… 3rd and short and T-Jack throws a terrible pass behind the receiver. Vikings 3, Packers 0. 2nd Quarter 11:56 – the yellow hanky gods have switch sides and the Vikings could have picked a worse time for it. After a 56 yard bomb by Rodgers, the Vikes have stuffed the Packers, but it\’s 1st and Goal from the 1 foot line after a series of penalties. Those penalties aside, wow, some tough run defense by the Vikes… Fred Evans just ate Ryan Grant. And after 6 or 7 plays (I lost track) the Packers finally score on a terrible (and obscenely lucky) throw by Rodgers. And no, it was NOT Favre-like. If I wasn\’t watching this game on a 10 minute DVR delay, so I can skip past commercials, I would have switched to the radio feed 30 minutes ago. On a non-related note… couldn\’t Miller Lite have sprung for some new \”More Taste League\” commercials with John C. McGinley instead of using the same commercials from last season? 2nd Quarter 9:12 – after a 3 and out by the Vikings I grab my first beer… but wait… Pass Interference on the Packers? Um… ok… we\’ll take that. Apparently the penalty gods are back on our side… Jeff Triplett\’s crew (he\’s the ref) is generally better than this. Of course this is all moot as T-Jack throws an underneath route on 3rd down (well short of the 1st down) and the Vikings are forced to punt. Note to the Vikings: you STILL don\’t have the receivers who can get separation on that route to get the first down after the catch. 2nd Quarter 0:40 – same old Vikings from last year. Run well, can\’t throw on offense. Stop the run well, but can\’t stop the pass on defense. At least the debate on which QB would you rather have (Rodgers or Jackson) is over. A bit earlier Kornheiser said that Zygi Wilf is the George Steinbrenner of football (with the spending during the off-season)… I could agree with that except that no real play for any QB was made. This team is still a solid QB away from the playoffs, and a good QB away from being Super Bowl contenders. I know that isn\’t breaking news… but perhaps Jackson can grow into that solid QB… maybe? At least the Vikes blocked a GB field goal attempt as the half expired. Vikings 3, Packers 10. 3rd Quarter 6:00 – the shitty officials continue. Not only was Shiancoe\’s catch called incomplete, even after a challenge they blew the call… punt, run back for a TD by the Pack… massive holding right in the thick of the run back. Regardless, even with the hold not called, there were plenty of opportunities for the Vikes to make the tackle and they didn\’t. 3rd Quarter 4:00 – wait… when did Artis Hicks get replaced by Marcus Johnson? The Hicks era is over! 4th Quarter 14:30 – I complete agree with the call of going for it on 4th and 1, and I applaud the catch and run by Rice for the TD… I am very disappointed Rice couldn\’t hold onto the pass for the 2 point conversion. 4th Quarter 11:00 – another example of the terrible officiating. Packers punt, a possible block in the back happens right in front of an official that isn\’t called (rightly), but the Umpire from 30 yards away runs in well after the play if over and throws a flag. Thankfully the other official sets him straight… and there\’s another terrible call. Holding on Bobby Wade that comes after the play is over from wayyyy downfield. I\’m continually surprised by the terrible officiating job of Triplett\’s crew. And it\’s been on both sides. If the Packers weren\’t winning I\’m sure their fans would be arguing the same thing. So maybe it\’s a karma thing and we\’re all even? 4th Quarter 8:00 – atypical long run given up by the defense becomes a Packers TD shortly thereafter. Down by 12 the Vikings finally open up the offense, but it\’s all bad passes by T-Jack and getting luck with some pass interference calls. The O-line looks tired and T-Jack is getting beat up. 4th Quarter 5:00 – near interception by T-Jack on yet another bad decision/pass. 4th Quarter 3:40 – 4th and 1… gets it. If the Vikes were down by 7 or 8 I\’d be comfortable, but down by 12 this is far too slow and isn\’t going to get it done. Yet another bad pass by T-Jack. 4th Quarter 2:55 – Garrett Mills has become T-Jack\’s favorite target. Do we not have any WRs? T-Jack can\’t find anyone open… due to defensive holding. The 20th penalty of the game. Very sloppy on both sides, sandwiched by terrible officiating. 4th Quarter 2:39 – \”leverage\” is called on the PAT… wow, either a terrible call or bad play… shocking I know. Regardless my favorite football play is coming (sadly), the onside kick. And a brilliant chance for the Vikings rolls out of bounds. 4th Quarter 2:00 – thanks to a (valid) holding call, the Vikings will get the ball back with about 1:50 left on the clock. Had we a real QB I might actually be excited about this. I predict we turn the ball over on downs before 0:50. 4th Quarter 0:54 – well, I had the timing right… but Shiancoe pulls up on this route and T-Jack throws a terrible pass for an INT. Vikings 19, Packers 24 So, what did we learn tonight? Aaron Rodgers, better than expected. Jeff Triplett\’s referring crew, worse than expected. The Vikings? We learned that they are the same team they were last year. Offense: the offensive line did miss McKinney. Hicks started, Johnson finished at left tackle. The Packers were able to get pressure on T-Jack all night long. The running game was still strong, and Adrian Peterson looked good; my favorite AD (All Day) moment was him running over Milli (or was it Vanilli) early in the game. However, the passing game was extremely weak. Although T-Jack didn\’t crap the bed, he did nothing to help the cause. Bad decisions, poor passes (behind, low, etc.)… and when your leading receiver is Garrett Mills (3 for 49 yards), well that just isn\’t good. Once the Vikes found themselves behind late in the game, they needed some semblance of a passing game to bring them back. When Childress finally opened up the playbook late in the 4th it was: incomplete, 5 yard pass, incomplete (Pass Interference call, but one could argue it wasn\’t catchable), scramble (no one was open), incomplete, pass for no gain, 9 yard pass, QB keeper, incomplete, short pass to Mills who runs for 17 yards, scramble (defensive holding), Peterson run for TD. The only pass attempt to a WR was the third play which got the Pass Interference call. Next series: 7 yard pass (Berrian), 7 yard pass (Taylor), interception. Only one completion of a ball thrown further than 15 yards. Not good. Defense: same old, same old. Strong run defense (minus the one big run, they gave up 82 yards), very little pressure on the QB, average linebacking, and terrible pass coverage. Allen was mediocre, getting some pressure, but was a non-entity for the game. Also not good. I had predicted a tight game, but a loss from the Vikings, and that\’s what we got. Sadly we got the same old team from last year. Maybe this is they year that T-Jack improves, but we\’ve been saying that for 3 years now. Skol Vikings :-\\
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