If I had told you before the Vikings v. Cardinals game that one of the quarterbacks would have a rating of over 139.0; we all would have assumed that would have been Kurt Warner picking apart the porous Vikings secondary.
But we would have been wrong.
However, I am not surprised by the outcome. Going into the game the Cardinals had struggled, most notably Kurt Warner. He had thrown 7 interceptions in his previous 4 games. The Cardinals rank dead last in rushing the ball and were facing a team that was number 2, and it now number 1 in rushing defense, all the Vikings needed to do is rush four linemen and drop seven into coverage.
But a punt return and a couple quick scores ended the need for that approach and the Vikings spent the game blitzing with reckless abandon. So reckless that Warner dumped a short pass to Urban for a 50 yard TD. Factor in a FG block returned for TD (seriously Dugan, what the **** were you doing on that play???) and suddenly it looked like it could be yet another collapse at the hands of the Cardinals. But on the following possession T-Jack and Bobby Wade execute an excellent double move and a perfect throw to end any sort of hopes by the Cardinal faithful.
For anyone thinking that there might be a QB controversy in the works after T-Jack\’s performance, let me tell you that there should NOT be any controversy. Gus is done, and it\’s time Chili danced with the one he brought (that\’s a terrible analogy, but you get the idea).
While Adrian Peterson shouldered the burden as usual, there were several key plays by T-Jack and a number of deep pass attempts. As I mentioned last week (http://www.simpleprop.com/2008/12/08/week-14-vikings-lions/) Darren Bevell did not close up the playbook and good things happened.
Former Strib columnist, turned ESPN NFL North Blogger (and my guess as the voice of KFAN\’s Karl Gerbschmidt), Kevin Seifert had this germane item (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth/0-6-362/Minnesota-Vikings–Three-answers–one-question.html):
3. The Vikings coaching staff sent Jackson a powerful message with the first play on their 15-play pregame script: A deep pass to Berrian. Arizona cornerback Roderick Hood broke up the play, but Jackson said it was an important throw nonetheless. Not only did it let the Cardinals know that the Vikings were willing to throw downfield with their backup quarterback, but it also let the backup quarterback know he was trusted. \”Just seeing that first play, that tells me we\’re going to take a shot,\” Jackson said. \”It [says], \’I trust you with the football.\’ And that\’s great.\”
A win next week and the Vikings wrap up the NFC Norris division for the first time. The same happens with a Chicago loss. I am cautiously optimistic. While I still don\’t see this team going deep into the playoffs, with T-Jack at the helm it at least becomes a dangerous team. A team with a QB who can make plays… as opposed to a team with QB who thinks he can make plays.
But before hope springs eternal, we\’ll need to find out the status of one Pat Williams. He left the stadium with his arm in a sling. My assessment is separated shoulder. From the way he fell and the tests they briefly showed him doing on the sideline, that\’s my armchair diagnosis. It helps when you\’ve dislocated you shoulder as many times as I have to recognize the things they test you on.
I will be in NY for the next two games, but I hope to post my thoughts for each game. In the immortal words of Jesse Jackson: Keep Hope Alive!
Skol Vikings!
Leave a Reply