Note:  Before I begin this post, I’d like to introduce myself.  My name is Luke Sims and I am the editor/Lead Writer for Black and Teal.  I grew up in Minnesota watching Packers and Vikings games for years and years.  My parents are from Wisconsin, my older brother roots for the Lions, and my younger brother roots for the Bears.  While it has been difficult to watch the Vikings struggle to rebuild since the early Denny Green days, I still take a peek at the games from my current home in Montana.

Stumbling across the interwebs today, I noticed Sports Illustrated threw out a round table discussion between the Jags’ Maurice Jones-Drew, Adrian Peterson, and the Falcons’ Michael Turner.  As much as I am a big MJD fan and Michael Turner fan, it is so tough to not love Adrian Peterson.  I cringed at his early career fumbles as much as the next guy, but as he has developed he has cemented himself as one of (if not, the) best backs in the league.  And with his development he has matured immensely.

That maturity was very well displayed when contrasted with MJD and Turner.

October 5, 2009; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. Source: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

While both MJD and Turner are responsible adults and are widely regarded as mature both on the field and off, the devotion and focus that AP had was beyond anything the other running backs talked about.  When asked about most prized possessions, AP talked about his deep respect and love he has for his brother who passed at age eight.  The picture of his brother is kept safe, a memento and cherished piece of his life.  His pre-game ritual revolves around becoming focused yet being flexible (“going with the flow” actually) and praying – I won’t pretend to know whether it’s to crush the Packers or just not to blow out his knee.

While he talked about his life and let SI really get to know who he is, the quirks and less depth in the responses of the other running backs really set Peterson apart.  He doesn’t prize a ’69 Camaro or a rolex watch, there’s no wacky pre-game order of things that has to be done just right, and according to the article he was the only one laughing and (apparently) relaxing during this interview.

AP has gotten a bit of a bad rap lately due to the arrest, but when looking at the guy it is so tough to be hard on him.  He’s a class act through and through, lives up to his potential, walks the walk and talks the talk, and above all else he is down to earth.  AP isn’t some superstar that lets it all go to his head, he’s the kind of guy who breaks his back to make sure that the team comes first.

It has been apparent for a long time, but every time I get a glimpse at the deeper AP he continues to amaze.

- Luke N. Sims

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Tarvaris was always the weak link in the chain, but at least for awhile he seemed to be improving.  Now it becomes apparent that his success was at least partly a product of the defenses the Vikings were facing in those games down the stretch.  The Cardinals, Falcons and second-string Giants presented much less of a problem than the Eagles, who play D with a ferocity not seen since Kirstie Alley last hit the buffet.  Jackson couldn’t find an open receiver to save his life, so he threw to covered ones – and miraculously only got picked off once, by Asante Samuel, who ran it back for a touchdown to give Philly a big first half lead.  Tarvaris then impressed everyone by leading the Vikes on a snappy answering scoring drive, punctuated by an Adrian Peterson TD run – but that was the last time Jackson would give the impression of being a viable playoff quarterback.  He spent the entire second half looking more lost than Miley Cyrus in a library.  Not that his receivers, running backs or coaches did him any favors.  This loss was a total team effort, an act of collective inadequacy.  Even the normally stalwart defense got in on it by electing not to tackle Brian Westbrook after he caught that screen pass.

The defense does deserve plenty of praise, that one bad play notwithstanding.  We wouldn’t even have been in the game if it hadn’t been for Leslie Frazier‘s squad.  We spent the whole first half giving the Eagles great field position, because our punting game is flat-out atrocious, and the defense kept holding them to field goal attempts.  The leader was once again Jared Allen, who must’ve been the best off-season acquisition in the league with the possible exception of Michael Turner.  Jared played like a wild, uncaged beast in his first ever playoff game, notching two sacks and forcing Donovan McNabb into a critical fumble.  That forced fumble would’ve gone down as the play of the game if only the Vikes had been able to cash in on it with points.  Changing momentum doesn’t mean squat if your offense can’t hold it and build on it.  The defense, for much of the season, looked like a better-coached squad than the offense, and such was the case on Sunday too.  This is why so many Vikings fans are calling for Brad Childress to be fired and Leslie Frazier promoted to head coach…before some team like the Lions or Jets snaps Frazier up.

Childress spent the whole season irritating fans with his game-planning, personnel management and overall handling of game situations, and Sunday’s loss only raised more questions.  Chilly already had a long list of head-scratchers on his resume before his odd decision to run on first down with the clock running out and one time out left, the kind of thing you do if you’re looking to just surrender and go into the half, then throw on second down as if he suddenly decided to get aggressive.  Maybe he thought running on first down would make the Eagles relax and give up a big pass play?  I don’t know.  The Eagles of course were not fooled and the Vikings ended up having to punt – a very bad result given the problems they’ve had all season covering punts.  Thankfully Philly didn’t score, otherwise the drumbeat for Childress to be fired would be louder than the noise of a thousand Bernard Madoff cronies shooting themselves in rapid succession.  It’s already pretty loud as it is.  And the availability of such former Super Bowl-winning coaches as Mike Shanahan and Brian Billick will only add to the cries for Zygi Wilf to make a change. Unfortunately for the Chilly-haters, Wilf seems to have already made up his mind.  Childress will be the coach next year, and all indications are that Tarvaris Jackson will still be the quarterback.  For Vikings fans, the angst never ends.

So now the question is, could these Cardinals actually go into New Jersey and beat the Giants, bringing about an NFC Championship Game in the Metrodome should the Vikes somehow beat Philadelphia and Carolina?  Uh…I wouldn’t count on it.