Bye bye Brad....

Greetings Rubes!

Well, unfortunately for Vikings-nation, my prognostications proved to be all too
prophetic with the Vikings getting spanked 31-3 by the hated Packers, at home no
less (I had predicted 36-13), and Head Coach Brad Childress was fired. 
Surprising?...eh?....no.  It was the same ol', same ol', with dropped passes,
turnovers, blown coverages, dumb penalties, in other words, the exact same thing
we've seen all year.  I believe that the Childress firing was apprpriate, and I
did get the sense that this team had quit on it's coach, but I'm not ready to
lay all of the blame on him.  He certainly deserves his share of the blame
however.  Poor game planning, poor play calling, poor clock management, and
really the defining problem with the Chilly-era, was a complete and total lack
of ability to connect with and communicate with and motivate his players. 
Again, it's a fine line....he doesn't have to be everybody's buddy, but he came
off as a very distant dictator, and like it or not, today's pro athletes are
necessarily thrilled to be lorded over.  Out of his control of course, is that
QB Brett Favre has been terrible, pretty much from the get-go, save an awesome
performance against the Cardinals in an overtime win.  I think stud RB Adrian
Peterson, while being 2nd in the league in rushing, has been underutilized.  The
pass rush had been non-existent while showing a modest comeback the last two
games.  The pass coverage has been poor.  And we're last in the league in
turnover differential.... (-13).  You're not going to win much with those things
happening.  Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier has been annointed as the
interim-head coach, and here's hoping he can at least bring this team back to
some kind of respectability and competitiveness in these last 6 games.

The Vikings 3-7 start is actually the 3rd worst start in TEAM HISTORY.  That's
pretty hard to swallow for a team and a fan base hoping for a Super Bowl run.

The fact is, this team will look a lot different next year.  Favre will be gone,
DT Pat William will be gone, LB Ben Leber, S Madieu Williams, WR Bernard
Berrian, DE Ray Edwards, and probably TE Jim Kleinsasser will all be gone.  That
doesn't necessarily gut the team, but that's a lot of holes to try and fill. 
The Vikings need to do several things, contractually speaking:  Re-sign K Ryan
Longwell, LB Chad Greenway, and WR Sidney Rice.  Then, they can look at signing
RB Adrain Peterson to a contract extension.  The cupboard isn't bare by any
means, assuming Peterson, Rice, and Harvin are all here and producing.

Let me throw something out here...

I'm also going to suggest something here, that hasn't been brought up in the
national media, or in the chat rooms,..but how about this:  In the offseason
trade DE Kevin Williams.  Now before vesuviusing on me for something so
ridiculous, think about it:  We're not going to be a Super Bowl team next year,
Kevin's trade value will never be higher, and we could probably get a 1st round
pick (if not more) for a perennial Pro-Bowler who could solidify an aspiring
teams' defensive line...(think Atlanta Falcons).  Look at this idea the same way
as New England trading DE Richard Seymour to the Raiders.  Stock-piling draft
picks for a solid vet still playing at a high level.  Hmmmm.......

As a Packer Hater...

Personally, as a Packer-hater, it's hard for me to look at this team as a force,
because I don't see them as anything special.  But take a close look at them: 
This years' squad actually, to me, resembles perennial powerhouses Indianapolis
and New England.  They're not dominant defensively, but can get to the
quarterback, and create turnovers.  They've got a crappy running game, but an
awesome quarterback and a nice group of recievers, with which they "throw to set
up the run".  The Patriots have been winning with that type of team for years
and the Pack have an uncanny resemblance to that formula.  I still think they
missed an opportunity to trade for a solid running back at the trade deadline
(Marshawn Lynch).  RB Brandon Jackson?....he's Scottie Graham,..nothing more. 
And I think I saw something called "Demitri Nance" running around with the
football on Sunday?  What the hell is that?  Anyway, with the NFC being as wide
open as it is, and I hate to admit this, but I have to call 'em the way I see
'em,.look for the Pack to be a serious contender for the NFC title.  (Note: 
Before the season, SI's Peter King picked a Packers/Steelers Super Bowl.....time
will tell.)

Need something to believe in Vikings

Greetings Rubes!

Well, unfortunately for Viking-Nation, our local gang teased us all last week with a miracle 4th quarter comeback to beat Arizona and give us all, as Poison would put it, "Something To Believe In". But they knocked off that nonsense this week and got back to normal with yet another uninspired, stumblin', bumblin' loss to a very mediocre Bears team, essentially putting the nail into the coffin of the 2010 season. This team has suddenly gotten very old very fast. I don't think anyone expected QB Brett Favre to equal last years magic, but 10 TDs with 16 interceptions? That's terrible, although a few of those were clanks off of recievers hands. Last year we sent a dozen guys to the Pro Bowl. This year the possibilities max out at 3. (RB Adrian Peterson, WR Percy Harvin, and possibly P Chris Kluwe) The Packers come to the Dome next week and as much as I'd like to pound those posers into the dust, I have this sinking feeling a 36-13 spanking is coming our way. Here's hoping for the return of WR Sidney Rice and he ignites a once potent offense. However, it's obvious that we're a listless vessel drifting towards the rocks and I have zero confidence in Head Coach Brad Childress ability to right the ship. With his rather dopey handling of the Randy Moss situation, he's completely lost any credibility he had within the locker room, even if a few veterans meekly try and stick up for him. His "my way or the highway" approach isn't new, but requires a certain deft touch. Bill Parcells?...yes.....Bill Cower?...yes...Brad Childress?....eh?....not so much. I don't think there's any question that he's going to be fired, the only question is when?



There's plenty to blame for this years unraveling, but the sudden disappearance of the Vikings pass rush is the most surprising to me. That, and an uncanny ability to fail to get off the field on third downs is equally disturbing. And as much as I didn't want to single anyone out specifically on offense, RG Anthony Herrera has been just awful. Play after play I see this guy turning around running backwards to see who just torched him on his way to crushing a Vikings ball carrier. I bet I've seen that 50 times this year. I'd at least like to see rookie G Chris DeGeare get a shot. He's 6-5, 330, and I don't think it's possible to be any worse than Herrera at this point.

Sign of the Apocalypse...

This week's Sign of the Apocalypse: The Golden Gophers football team went TO Illinois and pulled out a 38-34 road victory. Seriously. And it was a good game! I'm happy for the kids, but I think I need someone to explain to my why the Gophers have had, basically, the worst defense in college football for, oh I don't know,...about 20 YEARS? What do you call that?? I mean, isn't it possible to get lucky with a couple of defensive studs sometime within the past TWO DECADES??

I got some toe tapping for the Wild

Through 16 games, the Minnesota Wild have skated the State of Hockey....into the State of Mediocrity. Win one here,...lose one there. It's been a little weird how they're playing however. Head Coach Todd Richards is still playing around with his line pairings way too much this far into the season, but I'm beginning to see why: His go-to-guys aren't producing. Our leading goal scorer is D Brent Burns with 5. C Mikko Koivu and C Matt Cullen have 3, and $30 million man RW Marty Havlat has 1. This is unacceptable, and if it weren't for a couple of Herculean efforts from G Niklas Backstrom, their record could be much worse. Let's pick it up a bit, eh boys?

Love is a bonus to the Timberwolves

My initial excitement over the 1-1 start to the Timberwolves season quickly dissipated during a 6-game losing streak, including a couple of 30-turnover "performances", and a franchise-worst 42-point blowout loss to Orlando. I was kind of hoping those types of nights were a thing of the past, but no such luck. However, they finally got back on track with a couple of clutch wins including an historic night for F Kevin Love who had a 31-point, 31-rebound effort in a win over the Knicks. A 30-30 hadn't been recorded since Moses Malone did it with the 76ers in 1982. Mass props Kevin.

Saturday morning cartoons are manure...

One last note:  Has anyone but me noticed how crappy the Saturday morning cartoons have gotten??  It's brutal.   The lack of the Buggs Bunny/Road Runner Show is stunting the growth of children everywhere.  SCOOBY-DOO.......WHERE ARE YOU......??

 
*Related subject reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_morning_cartoon