Archive for September, 2011

For the second straight game the Vikings had a healthy lead at the half…and for the second straight game they choked that lead away. This week’s loss was even more bitter than last week’s. The Vikings were up 17-0 at halftime over the Buccaneers only to watch the Bucs outscore them 24-3 in the final two quarters, sending the Vikings reeling to an 0-2 record. After the game players and coaches expressed stupefaction at their epic second half meltdown. ”It’s tough to swallow,” said coach Leslie Frazier of the team’s second consecutive come-from-ahead loss. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe lamented, “It’s very, [...]

The Vikings caught a big break getting Tampa Bay coming off their loss to San Diego. The Bucs right now look like a bad team, unable to run or pass effectively, or play any kind of defense. The Vikings totally dominated in the first half, running Adrian Peterson down their throats, getting some rhythm in the passing game, working in the tight ends and Percy Harvin and basically looking much better than last week. Defensively the Vikings totally tore apart Tampa, stuffing LeGarrette Blount, locking down on their receivers, harassing Josh Freeman and basically making life miserable for the Bucs. [...]

E.J. Henderson is active for the Vikings against Tampa Bay a few days after having fluid drained from his knee. Also active is newly-signed center/guard Joe Berger. 5th receiver Greg Camarillo is down, as is Adrian Awasom who missed practice all week with a knee issue. Brandon Burton, Mistral Raymond, Brandon Fusco, DeMarcus Love and D’Aundre Reed are also inactive. Xavier Adibi is up after being inactive last week. For more in-game updates, follow me on Twitter. Like The Viking Age on Facebook. Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.

The Vikings need a win in their home opener to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Here are five men who need to step up and help deliver that victory… 1. Charlie Johnson Why single out Charlie? The entire line offensive line was sub-par last week in pass protection, but Johnson struggled the most glaringly. Any defensive end with a decent speed rush seems able to blow by Johnson without difficulty. The question is, what can Johnson do at this point in his career to significantly improve? Sadly, I don’t think there’s anything. He is what he is: A guard playing [...]

Your Friday injury report today featuring musical guests Creedence Clearwater Revival… E.J. Henderson – Questionable (Knee) Adrian Awasom – Questionable (Knee) Asher Allen – Probable (Toe) Michael Jenkins – Probable (Groin) Like The Viking Age on Facebook. Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.

E.J. Henderson was fine after the game on Sunday and fine in practice early in the week. Then on Thursday morning he woke up with swelling in his knee and was held out of practice. An X-ray on Thursday showed no structural damage. Nonetheless Henderson was held out of practice again on Friday, and will likely be listed as doubtful on the injury report when it is released later this afternoon. Mark Craig says Erin Henderson got the reps at middle linebacker in practice Friday in place of his brother, while Kenny Onatolu took the snaps at weak-side linebacker. The [...]

And on to Week 2, the home opener vs. Tampa Bay. Here’s some stuff to watch (it’s a suggestion not an order)… 1. LeGarrette Blount This guy is an absolute tackle-breaking monster – the stat “yards after contact” should just be renamed “Blounts.” If the Vikings want to avoid giving up lots of Blounts to Blount, they need to wrap up a lot better than they did last week against San Diego and Mike Tolbert. Did I mention that E.J. Henderson has a knee issue and might not be able to play? So Blount against our crap defensive tackles with [...]

Over-played   What is this I hear about Viking Nation calling for Ponder if Donovan plays against the Bucs like he did against the Bolts?   Let’s play a little game I like to call: Step away from the ledge.   Here is what we have to realize. That was game 1 of 16 and for a half of game numero one, our favorite football club displayed some excellent football skills while playing the football game.   Look, no way should we see Ponder this early in the season. It’s kind of like when you got hired as an intern. [...]

If you thought the Vikings‘ offense looked pathetic especially from a taking-shots-down-the-field perspective on Sunday against San Diego, you weren’t alone. Bill Musgrave also thinks the offense didn’t live up to expectations, especially when it came to pushing the ball downfield and overall just getting into a rhythm in the passing game. Musgrave promises this sad situation will not repeat itself this Sunday against Tampa Bay. “It is important [to take more deep shots],” Musgrave told the media on Thursday. “That’s what we’re based on is running the ball, featuring Adrian [Peterson] but at the same time getting our quarterback [...]

Time to toot our own horn a bit. The Viking Age has been named the editor’s choice as most valuable sports blog by CBS Minnesota. I have a sneaking hunch “editor’s choice” is just a fancy term for second-place but I’ll take it. We beat Sports Tears in Our Beers! Take that blog I never heard of until just now! Thanks to the editor of CBS Minnesota for throwing us a bone. Like The Viking Age on Facebook. Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.