Despite Win, Issues Still Exist

Does The Minnesota Vikings  Offensive Line Have Problems?

I tried to keep it fairly positive around here following the Vikings three point victory against the Cowboys, but there is no doubt that there are still some issues, negative in nature, that plague this team.



The Vikings made some unusual moves when deciding who would be active for the game. They had Fahu Tahi inactive and instead Albert Young suited up. The idea seemed to suggest that the Vikings would protect Favre to the max with multiple tight end sets and having Young in there to pick up blitzes and take some third down duties.



Additionally, Jon Cooper became the third different center to start for this team this year.



I can’t honestly say that despite the effort in shaping the active roster, the pass protection did not seem to improve and the run blocking may have declined.



Favre was hit many times, especially early in the game, and the Vikings gave up three sacks. Anytime Favre tried to extend the play by holding onto the ball, it seemingly ended in disaster, which is why the longest pass play of the day was a 20-yarder to Jimmy Kleinsasser of all people. On a number of occasions, the Cowboys defense was daring Favre to go deep but even if his injured arm could chuck it down the field, he never had the chance to show it.



Peterson, on the other hand, was given his biggest opportunity of the year to be “featured” with 24 carries. It seemed like Peterson was constantly hitting a wall on his way to 73 yards, a three yard average per carry.



Peterson was able to break a fifteen yarder, but it seemed like every other time he broke a long run, it was negated by a penalty along the offensive line.



The Vikings only ended up having five penalties for 45 yards, but they all seemed to come at inopportune times (as if there is ever a good time for a penalty).



To make Peterson’s day even rougher, he came up limping after one play and was the self-proclaimed culprit of the bad exchange that resulted in the Vikings only turnover, despite Favre being credited with the fumble. Peterson’s only catch went for negative two yards.



Presuming Favre’s arm is hurting him, and considering the leaky offensive line, he did a decent job of not throwing the game away. He was pretty darn accurate as he went 14 of 19, but the type of game played is shown by the fact that he only gained 118 yards on those 14 completions. Seeing Favre manage the game was a positive, but seeing him so utterly ineffective only furthers the already existing worries that he is declining rapidly this season.



However, with every week that goes by, Favre can really only develop better chemistry with his receivers and guys like Sidney Rice are only going to get healthier. Speaking of injured pass catchers, Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) was once again nearly invisible, and his name was only really called on a penalty that negated an Adrian Peterson run.



In the end, the Vikings offense only managed 188 total yards, and it seems that most of the problems begin and end with the offensive line play.



It is kind of difficult to be too picky about this defense, as they played really well overall, yet again. They held the Cowboys potent running game in check, and Romo’s 220 yards passing was his lowest of the season so far.



Despite the victory and solid performance, there are always areas which can be improved on. The pass rush was better this week, in my opinion, despite the absence of any sacks. Jared Allen and Kevin Williams were able to be disruptive enough to cause at least one turnover, and Romo seldom was able to set up a long pass to his main playmaker Miles Austin who was held to 12 yards.



Perhaps Austin’s lack of production can be explained by the fact that he was never lined up against Lito Sheppard. Sheppard was a nightmare after playing somewhat solidly this season. All three touchdowns, two from Roy Williams and one from Dez Bryant, were the result of poor play from Lito Sheppard.



Asher Allen was almost the victim of a long touchdown caught by Austin Miles. The play was negated by offensive pass interference. By all appearances, however, Allen may have gotten lucky as the contact was quite minimal and the Cowboys may have had good reason to be upset about the call. Allen also got picked on a few times, and when it came time to end the game with an easy interception, he let it go right through his hands.



Husain Abdullah left early in the game with a concussion and was replaced with Jamarca Sanford at the strong safety position. There was no real notable drop off, and solid tackling all around for the Vikings made up for other shortcomings.



While there are always things to improve on, and the Vikings have their share, Sunday was a day to be celebrated. After all, the Vikings (who we love) beat the Cowboys (who we hate), and were the only team from the NFC North to win on Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings Team Report

Favre Missed Some Crucial Passes In The Season Opener Vs Saints

NFC North Standings W L T PCT PF PA Chicago 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Detroit 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Green Bay 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Minnesota 0 1 0 .000 9 14 Team Stat Leaders Passing Att Cmp Yds TD Int Favre 27 15 171 1 1 Rushing Att Yds Avg TD Long Peterson 19 87 4.6 0 14 Harvin 1 2 2.0 0 2 Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD Long Shiancoe 4 76 19.0 1 33 Camarillo 1 29 29.0 0 29 Schedule/Results Date Opponent Score 9/9/2010 at New Orleans L 14 - 9 9/19/2010 Miami 1:00 PM 9/26/2010 Detroit 1:00 PM 10/11/2010 at N.Y. Jets 8:30 PM 10/17/2010 Dallas 4:15 PM 10/24/2010 at Green Bay 8:20 PM 10/31/2010 at New England 4:15 PM 11/7/2010 Arizona 1:00 PM 11/14/2010 at Chicago 1:00 PM 11/21/2010 Green Bay 1:00 PM

Brett Favre joined the Vikings in late August last year, didn't get into a groove until Week 3 of the season and still they cruised to a 6-0 start.

This season, however, Favre's decision to again not arrive in Minnesota until training camp was over appeared to backfire in quick fashion.

Favre, who took advantage of the fact the Vikings opened up against woeful teams in Cleveland and Detroit in 2009, completed 15 of 27 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a subpar 71.7 passer rating in a season-opening 14-9 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.

It was obvious Favre was not on the same page as his wide receivers and he completed only four of the 12 passes that he threw to Greg Camarillo, Percy Harvin, Greg Lewis and Bernard Berrian. About the only receiver who was in sync with Favre was tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who caught four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.

"I think the timing was off a little bit," Favre said. "Without looking at film, off the top of my head, there were three or four throws that I just missed. I have no excuse other than just missing them. I threw one behind Greg Lewis. I had a couple of reads that I should have made differently. If I do that, I think it is a different ballgame. ... Overall, I just missed on some throws that I should have made."

In his first game with the Vikings last season, Favre completed 14 of 21 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in a 34-20 victory over the Browns. A week later he threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 victory at Detroit before following that with a 301-yard passing performance against San Francisco.

The question now becomes how long will it take Favre to get on track this season? The Vikings play their home opener on Sept. 19 against Miami and then play host to Detroit before having a bye.

Those are key games considering the Vikings will play the Jets, Cowboys, Packers and Patriots coming out of the bye.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Vikings coach Brad Childress acknowledged that his team's opening game was expected to be a shootout between two top offenses. But that isn't what happened. "Obviously, it turned into a defensive struggle," Childress said. "I don't think that anybody would've seen that this way. They had four explosive plays in the first quarter. We kind of held them down after that. We were right where we wanted to be at halftime. Unfortunately, we were three and out far too many times. Hats off to New Orleans. They did a nice job defensively ... and we didn't have a lot of answers for that."

—DE Jared Allen was pleased with how the Vikings defense performed. "I am really proud of the way our defense played," he said. "Other than their first drive (on which the Saints scored), I thought we stopped them a lot on third downs and made plays."

—QB Brett Favre didn't play his best Thursday but he did say his surgically repaired left ankle held up fine. "I don't move around like I used to," Favre said. "But I feel like it did OK."

__  Should Lito Sheppard Be The Number One CB and Greg Camarillo A Starting Receiver? From The looks of Thursday's game these were the players that played the best for the Vikings under pressure.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER NOTES

—S Husain Abdullah started at strong safety Thursday and has won that job, according to coach Brad Childress. Abdullah beat out Tyrell Johnson and Jamarca Sanford, who were believed to be the top two candidates throughout training camp.

—CB Asher Allen started ahead of Lito Sheppard at right cornerback and was used at the left corner in nickel situations as veteran Antoine Winfield moved inside and Lito Sheppard came off the sideline to play right corner.

—WR Bernard Berrian returned punts but didn't do much in that role. Berrian muffed one punt and finished with 2 yards on two returns. He also had two fair catches. There is a chance the Vikings could give WR Greg Camarillo a look in that role.

—CB Cedric Griffin, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the NFC title game last season, was among the Vikings' eight inactives. It's not certain when Griffin will be able to begin playing but he is doing limited work in practice.

—LB E.J. Henderson played against the Saints, nine months after suffering a gruesome broken leg. Henderson started in his usual role in the middle and tied for second on the team with nine tackles.

—LT Bryant McKinnie left Thursday's game in the fourth quarter after he dislocated his finger. He is expected to return for the Vikings next game against Miami a week from Sunday.

REPORT CARD

PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus — A year ago Brett Favre started slowly after joining the Vikings late and it didn't matter as Minnesota cruised past a woeful Cleveland team in its opener. This time, however, Favre's decision to arrive late definitely hurt his team as the Vikings lost to the world champion Saints. Favre often looked as if he was not on the same page as his wide receivers and the stats supported that. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a 71.7 passer rating. The only player Favre seemed to be in sync with was tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who caught four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. No wide receiver caught more than one pass. Greg Camarillo, Percy Harvin, Greg Lewis and Bernard Berrian were targeted a combined 12 times but had only four receptions.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus — The Vikings made a surprising decision to go away from the run game in the second half after having success with it in the first. Adrian Peterson finished with 87 yards on 19 carries, but 57 of those yards and 13 of the carries came in the opening two quarters. The Vikings' run-to-pass ratio in the first half was 17 to 15 but that changed to six to 12 in the second. Peterson did see some time on third down, something that didn't happen much when Chester Taylor was around, and backup Albert Young got only three carries for 2 yards. Percy Harvin also rushed once for 2 yards. Rookie Toby Gerhart, a second-round pick, did not play because of a knee injury.

PASS DEFENSE: B — Despite having only three healthy cornerbacks dressed, the Vikings were able to do a nice job against Drew Brees. The Pro Bowl quarterback threw for 237 yards and a touchdown but that score came on New Orleans' opening drive when Brees completed three of four passes, including a 29-yard touchdown that went to Devery Henderson and came at the expense of cornerback Asher Allen. Allen started at the right corner but the Vikings went nickel much of the game and moved Allen to the left corner in those situations with Lito Sheppard on the right and savvy veteran Antoine Winfield matching up against the slot receiver. Strong safety Husain Abdullah got his first career start and appeared to hold up just fine.

RUSH DEFENSE: B — The Saints accumulated 79 yards on 25 carries with almost all of it coming in the second half. New Orleans only attempted three rushes in the first half but then ran the ball 22 times for 70 yards in the second. The Vikings have one of the NFL's top rushing defenses and for the most part they were solid on Thursday. The Saints were able to gain 31 yards on their 11-play drive that ended with a Pierre Thomas 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — Nothing special here. Bernard Berrian, who had some success on punt returns in 2008, only had 2 yards on two returns and muffed one that he recovered. Percy Harvin was able to return kicks and averaged 20.5 yards on two run backs. Ryan Longwell made a 41-yard field-goal attempt but his extra point try late in the second quarter after Shiancoe caught a touchdown pass was blocked. Longwell also is back handling kickoffs after Rhys Lloyd failed to make the roster coming out of the preseason. Longwell did not have a touchback on three kickoffs but his first kick to open the game did go 2 yards deep into the end zone.

COACHING: C — The decision to go away from the run game in the second half was surprising, especially as Saints coach Sean Payton made the adjustment to try to balance his offense by running more. Childress also was unsuccessful on a challenge of a pass that he thought tight end Jim Kleinsasser had caught early in the fourth quarter. That cost him a timeout he could have used later in the game as the Saints ran out the clock. The bottom line, however, was that if Favre had a better game the Vikings would have won.


Well, look forward to the Miami Dolphins Game Vikings Fans maybe we'll see our offense and secondary step it up and match the rest of the team. Below, is a store of Minnesota Vikings Player Jerseys, get your Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings Jersey, they're selling fast!!

The Vikings A Sure Thing For Superbowl?

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Vikings Superbowl!!

Brett Is Back In Town

     We all remember were we were when Brett Favre arrived in Ziggy Wolf's private plane. It's a moment in sports where you can truly remember where you were because the world stood still that afternoon of which Brett Favre returned,  only this time for his final season. It will transcend memory just like when 9/11 happened, when the 1980 U.S. Team pulled off the miracle on ice against the "unbeatable" soviets, when In a scene straight out of Hollywood,  when an injured Kirk Gibson hits a pinch-hit game-winning home run for the Dodgers in the World Series,  when Mark McGwire breaks the home run record, survives a late surge from Sammy Sosa, and goes on to hit 70, when  Joe Namath delivers on his guarantee of a victory in Super Bowl III, as the Jets upset the heavily favored Colts, or when Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's career home run record. I was at work, like most of you, but the rest of the day faded away because all I could think about is that man's devotion to his team and football. Have we ever witnessed a more amicable, passionate, loving, and driven player in all of sports history. It can be argued, but I strongly believe that Brett Favre will go down as the new symbol and role model of how football should be played for this era. People looking back can reflect on his pure joy and love for the game and his teammates and his never give up attitude. Adding that for a quarterback who's done and seen so much he still remains the same throughout his whole career; humble, well-spoken, enticing, true, and so confident within himself. Brett Favre will be remembered as the role model in all of sports because of his ability of not letting fame change you and consistently playing at a high level. He never let the game change him, he changed the game by attracting more viewers, getting rid of some of the over alpha-male image,and bringing viewers some of the best highlights and moments in sports history.You know, he's kind-of like a waffle: he never changes like a waffle has never changed the way it has been served for its existence, it's the highlight of your day like Brett Favre is for a lot of football [especially Vikings] fans, and its consistent and nice to have meaning that waffles always taste sweet and buttery like Brett Favre's consistency of high-level play. The point is, we are truly blessed to have our icon of football play another year, even if  just for  one more.


Without Brett Favre we were looking at two quarterbacks with a combined 16-15 record and no playoff wins. With on offense to Jackson or Rosenfels, the Vikings chances of winning the Superbowl were 1-20 without Favre and with him 1-10.Our chance to win the NFC championship title is 1-6. Tell me that isn't music to your ears Vikings fans. Statistically and emotionally we are one of the strongest teams going into the 2010-2011 NFL season. The only hinder is our schedule; the third toughest schedule in the league this year. Take a look:

Minnesota Vikings Schedule

9/09 Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints -Biggest game of the year, we should show them how lucky they were during that NFC Championship Game Last Year!
9/19 Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings- Automatic Win, no threats on Offense!
9/26 Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings- Automatic Win, Enough Said
Vikings Bye Week-Rest Up Boys!!
10/11 Minnesota Vikings @ New York Jets-Tough Game, But In The End Favre Delivers A Game-Winning Pass To Rice In The End-zone. Favre gets part two of his revenge!
10/17 Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings- Playoff Match-Up Of Last Year, Vikings Roll Because Of Superior Defense And Pressuring Romo In The Pocket

10/24 Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers-We'll Give The Packers One Only Because They Have Home-Field Advantage!

10/31 Minnesota Vikings @ New England Patriots- Get To Brady Early On Defense, Force A Turnover And Build Momentum From There, Too Much Adrian Peterson And Favre!!
11/7 Arizona Cardinals @ Minnesota Vikings- Superior Offensive And Defensive Lines We Win The Battle In The Trenches And Take The Cake!!
11/14 Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears- Brett Favre Explodes For 300 Yards And Jared Allen Gets His, Vikings Win!!
11/21 Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings- Our Defense Holds In The Second Half And We Beat The Cheese heads At Home!
11/28 Minnesota Vikings@ Washington Redskins-Donovan McNabb With No Other Weapons, Haynesworth Still Trying To Pass The Test...
12/05 Buffalo Bills @ Minnesota Vikings- No Weapons On Offense-Clear Favorites-We Steam Roll Them!!
12/12 New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings- Too Much Eli Manning For Our Secondary To Handle, Vikings Drop One.
12/20 Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings- Peppers Is Neutralized By Mckinnie And The Vikes Outscore Them For Another Victory!
12.26 Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles- Brett Favre Is Too Good To Be Stopped And Adrian Peterson Has A Good Day!
1/2/2011 Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions- When's the last time the Lions beat us, 2007?


Just on a side note, the only reason why Brett made that ballsy pass verse the Saints in the NFC championship game was because of his teammates, specifically Ryan Longwell. We all know that Ryan has been Brett's friend and good teammate at times in the NFL and he didn't want to put the pressure on him or leave him with a really hard field goal opportunity, so he threw it. It got intercepted, but the reason behind his reckless decision was invoked by emotion and not rationality. Brett let the emotions of the game swallow him up and chose to be the leader and put the game on his shoulders like he did for a lot of the comeback wins we had[ the pass to Greg Lewis]. So, put that ongoing discussion of the faultless interception behind you because guaranteed Favre threw so that his teammate could have a more conceivable try at the game-winning field goal, not because he made a true mistake, Veterans of his caliber don't make true mistakes like that for no reason.


    So, Vikings Fans were on our way to the Superbooooowlllll!! Emulation: Brett Favre has another amazing season and Adrian Peterson doesn't fumble and we roll into the playoffs this time with an even temperament and blow on to the Superbowl  vs Colts. Vikings pull it off and claim their first Franchise title  and destiny falls where it may. Brett Favre the best QB in the league last year, except for damn Drew Brees, is back and my year just got a whole lot better!Once again Brett stole the limelight from Hayneswrth, Mcnabb, Rodgers, Brees, Owens, and Ochocinco. This year will be remembered as Brett Favre's last year and the year that was magical, not for Favre like 2009, but  for the Vikings and all of Minnesota!

Favre Visits Doctor; Decision Next?

MANKATO - Brett Favre's decision should be near.

The quarterback traveled from Hattiesburg, Miss., to Pensacola, Fla., on Thursday morning to have his surgically repaired left ankle examined by Dr. James Andrews, according to NFL sources. The NFL Network reported that Favre was aboard a private plane owned by his agent, Bus Cook. Andrews has an office in Gulf Breeze, Fla.

What Andrews told Favre will be key because the future Hall of Famer has said the ankle has not responded as he had hoped it would after surgery was performed by Andrews in late May.

Favre, who led the Vikings to a 12-4 regular-season finish and the NFC title game last season, now will have to decide if he can play a 20th NFL season. Many believe Favre will return, but last week he attempted to tell the Vikings that he planned to retire. The Vikings encouraged Favre to take more time and also sweetened his potential salary from $13 million for this season to a package that could reach $20 million with bonuses.

Thursday marked the Vikings' final practices in Mankato, and no one ever expected Favre to show up while the team was here. The Vikings likely are hoping to get a decision from Favre by the middle of the month. Last year, Favre ended his retirement and joined the Vikings on Aug. 18.

So what does this mean for the now  unpredictable Brett Favre? Does it mean, he'll return in within a week just in time for the 1st regular season game Vs The New Orleans Saints. Does it mean that the time-frame of his return is with seven days? Yes, I believe so. Brett Favre wants to skip training camp because he doesn't need it and what better way to get off scotch-free from the press then to keep on saying that you're ankle is a little stiff.C'mon, let's backtrack to Brett Favre's last few off-seasons. His reasons for skipping camp was that he wasn't sure if could come back and play another punishing season in the NFL. Wake up America, Same storyline; different excuse. His excuse for skipping training camp this year is his ankle because the retirement waffling was growing a little hard to conceive. In other words, Brett Favre will play football, possibly into his mid 40's as long as he's able to step out on the field, but just will keep on putting Minnesota Vikings fans through the same punishment every year unless: he wins a Superbowl, or he just completely can't compete either because of his body or ability to play at per say, "stardom level."

Lance Armstrong

Brett Favre

To think that Brett Favre isn't returning this year is like saying Lance Armstrong is done with cycling. They both persevere through their obstacle, injuries, and media hype and return for another year while fighting off  the Media's backlash. Lance Armstrong and Brett Favre won't quit his respective sport because there is no substitute for the thrill and excitement of top competition  and as long as they are able to sustain their professional careers, you better bet they will regardless of a few aches or pains. Give Armstrong his bike and he'll remain happy and give Favre a football and he'll be happy. It's as simple as that to these guys. They both show pure love, passion, and excitement for their respective sports like no other athletes. When they drop out of their sports, it'll be like the passion and joy just got sucked out of the sports. That's the true sentiment that Favre Means to football and Armstrong to Cycling. They could care less about money, records, or endorsements they just love soaking of the limelight playing football or racing Alberto Contador. These guys play for the the passion of winning  and for the pure love of the game.