Minnesota Vikings: Randy Moss Explained

Vikings PhotosFull disclosure: I’ve been a Vikings fan since approximately 1970. I started attending about one home Vikings game per year in 1993. When 1998 came around, I told my then-wife that—if she still wanted to see the NFL on a yearly basis—we would need to buy season tickets.








The reason? No. 84.







Today marks the second day in my life that my favorite team has—and I cannot stress the next word enough—incorrectly decided to take Randy Moss away from Viking Nation.







The first time was after the 2004 season—a year in which an over-hyped QB named Daunte Culpepper would have won the NFL MVP had it not been for some guy named Peyton—and Randy was ignominiously traded to the Oakland Raiders. (Remember this, class. It comes up on the quiz.)







Randy languished in Oakland with no direction, no quarterback and no reason to excel. He considered retirement. (Actually, he considered retirement as soon as the trade was announced.)







Daunte Culpepper went on to…whatever. In his defense, I will say he entered the 2005 season in the best shape of his career. But without his bail-out option, he proved to be what most of us knew him to be—another guy wearing a purple jersey. Nothing special. Not bad, but not a world-beater, either. I hear he looks great in the UFL.







Fast-forward to 2007. After dealing with the loser mentality in Oakland for two years (quiz time!) Randy was traded to the New England Patriots. Under the coaching staff and imaginative game plans of Bill Belichick—which included such great plays as “Randy Go Deep”—the Patriots became the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. And who did they beat? The 1998 Vikings. But I digress…







Randy continued to produce in New England until this year, when he let it be known at the beginning of the season that he was looking for a contract extension. He said at the time that New England wouldn’t offer that because that isn’t the way they do business, which is true. Ask Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel or a host of others if you’re in doubt.







(Aside: Since 2001 and the Korey Stringer training camp death, the one thing I have said about Randy is, “Keep him away from a microphone unless you want to hear the truth.” Again, keep that in mind for the quiz.)







So here come the Vikings, offering a third-round pick for Randy. The Patriots gladly accept, the Minnesota Vikings fans go crazy—myself included—and Randy takes back No. 84. All is right with the world.







Except this: Randy smells Oakland, not New England. Randy knows this is a contract year. And—gasp!—Randy has access to a microphone!







So what does Randy do? If you’ve been paying attention, you know that Randy told the truth in front of that microphone. He told the world how the Vikings were out-coached by the Patriots. He said that he tried to help, but that it fell on deaf ears. He sensed a commitment to crap.







In a contract year, he needs to be somewhere where they will use him as John Madden once suggested. “You have to throw it deep to him once per quarter or he’ll sulk,” I can still remember the old man saying. And that’s kind of the deal.







The other side is that Randy wants to win. The Vikings are not winners. They don’t act like winners. They don’t smell like winners. And they sure as hell aren’t coached to win.







So, for the second time in my life, my favorite team has given up on my favorite player. And for the second time they fired the wrong guy. I can only wonder if Brad Childress will look great in the UFL. Lord knows I won’t watch him.







But I’ll watch Randy in Seattle, Denver, KC or wherever. And he’ll rise above it. Because he IS that good. And people will wonder, “Why couldn’t he do that as a Viking?”







The answer: We fired the wrong guy. Again.

The Vikings Take Long, Ugly Road Through October

If the Vikings can survive the October schedule, maybe this team is bound for a deep playoff run. Because the next four games will feel like the playoffs.



The schedule doesn't get much steeper: at New York Jets on Oct. 11, Cowboys at home on Oct. 17, at Green Bay on Oct. 24 and at New England on Oct. 31. Since 2000, these teams have combined for almost 400 wins, 22 playoff victories and, thanks to New England, three Super Bowls.



Here's a quick resume breakdown based on their NFL statistical ranking.



Jets (2-1)

26th passing (172 yards per game), 9th rushing (132.7 ypg), 21st total yards (304.7 ypg), 11th touchdowns (seven), 20th total defense (336.3 ypg), 27th pass defense (274.7 ypg), 4th rush defense (61.7 ypg)



Cowboys (1-2)

4th passing (311.2 ypg), 26th rushing (80 ypg), 5th total yards (391.7 ypg), T-18th touchdowns (six), 8th total defense (299.3 ypg), 14th pass defense (215.7 ypg), 7th rush defense (83.7 ypg)



Packers (2-1)

11th passing (246 ypg), 22nd rushing (95.3 ypg), 12th total yards (341.3 ypg), T-4th touchdowns (nine), 2nd total defense (260.7 ypg), 3rd pass defense (144 ypg), 18th rush defense (116.7 ypg)



Patriots (2-1)

10th passing (247.3 ypg), 10th rushing (123.3 ypg), 7th total yards (370.7 ypg), 1st touchdowns (12), 27th total defense (379.3 ypg), 25th pass defense (260.3 ypg), 20th rush defense (119 ypg)

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!!

Brett Favre Is Back But For How Long

      Brett Favre was retrieved from his farm in Mississippi by three teammates, practiced with the Minnesota Vikings the next morning and then met media. This will be my final season he was heard to exclaim.

Can Brett Endure The Whole Season?

What's funny about that, aside from the obvious, is that he thought the most common reaction would be, "thank goodness". He mentioned that his family will be happy that after his twentieth season he'll be out of pads and a helmet, and thought the rest of America would share that sentiment.
For some reason he didn't realize that the first and most popular reaction would be, "We'll believe it when we see the signed papers filed with the NFL." Of course even that didn't keep him from returning from retirement in 2008 to play for the New York Jets. Favre has not yet grasped the fact that we love it when he plays football, just not when he talks about NOT playing football.
Much has been said and written about why he finally caved in to Steve Hutchinson, Ryan Longwell and Jared Allen when they landed on his doorstep this week. From what they are willing to reveal and what Favre said at the media conference, he was still not sure he was good enough to make a Super Bowl run and doubted his ability to make everyone happy.
Veterans of twelve-step programs say they are taught that addicts-alcoholics are all egomaniacs with inferiority complexes. Both parts of that dichotomy were on display during our third annual "Is He or Isn't He" summer ritual.
The quarterback's insecurity makes him fearful he'll disappoint his team of the moment. Add a rehab from surgery to that and it becomes overwhelming for him.
It's hard for us to understand that an athlete like Favre could ever doubt himself.  He admitted he had to grow to believe his teammates, over the course of the day and a half they spent with him, when they told him he didn't have to replicate last season, one of the best in his 19-year career.
The final straw, according to Favre was when one of the three-some asked him to return as a persdonal favor. He realized his fear of failure was not theirs and that one little "yes" from him would make them very happy.
Meanwhile, agonizing about his own insecurities puts the needs of his team a distant second. He gives little thought to the rituals of a team that makes no exceptions but for him, in demanding that training camp is required.
He doesn't think it's his job to let the coaches know if they are designing schemes for him or backups. He thinks that a few words upon his late arrival at camp makes it all right for him to toy with the heads and hearts of two men who want to take his place if they only knew whether he would return.
 He's special, after all and of course he's right. There are different rules for someone like Favre. But he doesn't have to take advantage to this extent. The fact that he does so without dwelling on consequences, stems from his all consuming insecurity.
Other than the Packers and their GM Ted Thompson, no other team has told him to stick his ridiculous indecisiveness and put it where the sun doesn't shine. So it's back to work for Brett Favre and supposedly only one more try at football glory  Here's a video clip from the press conference. 

The real question Minnesota Vikings fans are pondering is if Brett Favre will be the starting quarterback for the whole season this year without getting injured, and if he does have a remarkable season like last year than would he stay for another year?Well, we all know that his bum ankle isn't tested yet and we won't really know if Brett can make it through the while season even if he doesn't get sacked a lot because of his enigmatic ankle. We know Brett is tough and can play through pain but just to what extent is his ability to maneuver outside and in the pocket affect his game? So, all we can do is say that he will give it 100% like he has for his previous 19 years and try to bring us to the Superbowl.
We all know that Brett Won't quit if he has another outstanding year like last year, how can he when he's still a top quarterback. Get Your Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings Jersey below and get ready for a Minnesota Vikings Superbowl Season.