Archive for September, 2010

Remember when the Minnesota Vikings actually had a KAO? A team that was capable of averaging 29 points a game. That team lined up with Rice-Berrian-Harvin-Shiancoe. Single teaming Rice meant mismatch. Double-teaming Rice meant either Berrian or Harvin sprinting down the field would likely be uncovered or Shiancoe would have a mismatch down the middle of the field. Without Rice it’s up to the other 3 to carry the load and that’s clearly not working. Favre does not trust Berrian, Harvin made some plays but also dropped a key ball in the red zone which should have gone for 6. [...]

The Vikings had a lot going for them today at home against the Dolphins.  Adrian Peterson ran 28 times for 145 yards and a touchdown, and caught 5 balls for 41 yards.  And didn’t fumble.  The defense held Miami to 226 total yards and forced two turnovers.  Sadly, Brett Favre picked today to have his worst game as a member of the Vikings, throwing 3 picks and fumbling another ball away in the endzone for a Miami touchdown, and generally making the sort of terrible throws every Favre hater thought he would make last year, but mostly didn’t. It all [...]

Plenty to complain about after the first half of today’s game.  First-and-foremost, Brad Childress‘s decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 with the Vikings well within Ryan Longwell‘s range.  Some might defend Chilly by arguing the Vikings had momentum there, but I say that was no time for heroics. The Dolphins came right back after that bad decision and scored a touchdown, torching Lito Sheppard twice on the drive, once for a long completion to Brandon Marshall.  That drive also featured some nice Wildcat action from the Dolphins…and more evidence that the Vikings’ run defense isn’t what it used to [...]

The Albert Young era may be over before it started. Shockingly, the man we thought was going to take over the third down back role vacated by free agent Chester Taylor is listed among Sunday’s inactives, despite not being injured that we know of. Rookie Toby Gerhart, who missed last week’s game with an injury, will be the #2 back behind Adrian Peterson. So, what do we now make of all the Vikings’ big talk about Young’s abilities?  And what do we think of their decision to dump guys like Ryan Moats and Darius Reynaud just so they could keep [...]

Even the most optimistic Viking fans had to agree, it was unlikely the team was going to begin 2010 the same way it started 2009.  Last year the Vikes were red hot out of the gate, winning their first 6 in a row.  Their first loss didn’t come until the 25th of October in Pittsburgh.  Their second defeat didn’t come until December 6th in Arizona. Of course, last year the Vikings had the benefit of a favorable schedule.  Their first two games were on the road, but against abysmal Cleveland and feeble Detroit.  They then got the tough 49ers and [...]

Things have improved on the injury front for at least two of the Vikings’ defensive players. Last week, Chris Cook and Jimmy Kennedy were out with knee injuries.  This week, both players are listed as questionable on the Friday injury report, meaning they could both play against the Dolphins. Cedric Griffin is also listed as questionable.  He was listed the same way last week and ended up not suiting up against the Saints. Then there’s Percy Harvin, who missed practice Thursday with a bruised hip.  Harvin did get back on the practice field Friday, and is listed as questionable for [...]

The bad hip that caused Percy Harvin to be limited in practice on Wednesday was not any better on Thursday.  In fact, Percy went from being limited in practice to not practicing at all. Nevertheless, according to Judd Zulgad, it appears Harvin will still play Sunday against the Dolphins. How effective he’ll actually be after yet another partial practice week remains to be seen.  Last week against the Saints, Harvin caught just 1 pass for 12 yards, and appeared to run a route different than the one Brett Favre was expecting on at least two occasions. Do you think there [...]

Vincent Jackson has had his hearing and the verdict is in:  The Chargers receiver, who is currently suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, will be eligible to play in the fifth game of any team he is traded to. If he is untraded, his suspension will be for six games. This is significant news for the Vikings, who are believed to be interested in swinging a deal for the talented wide-out.  Originally, it was feared that Jackson’s total suspension would be set at six games regardless of whether he was traded, per some wacked-out rule involving his roster [...]

Brian Miller of Phin Phanatic was kind enough to trade five questions with The Viking Age as part of this week’s Dolphins coverage.  Brian and I discussed former Dolphin Greg Camarillo, the Wildcat, quarterback Chad Henne and the state of Miami’s defense… Q: Vikings fans are hoping for a lot from former Dolphin Greg Camarillo (mostly because our other receivers are all hurt or just suck).  What’s your assessment of him? A:  Greg Camarillo is the Brett Favre savior that he doesn’t know he has.  A Wes Welker clone with better hands but a slower speed, Camarillo is every QB’s [...]

Percy Harvin says his migraine troubles are behind him, thanks to the oxygen pump he now uses to help the sleep apnea he believes was behind the problem. Unfortunately, Percy now has other physical issues besides the threat of migraines.  The receiver landed on Wednesday’s injury report with a bad hip, and was limited in practice. The troubling thing about that, besides just the fact that Harvin’s hip is hurt, is that he was once again not able to participate fully in practice.  As last week’s game showed, Percy has a long way to go to make up for the [...]