Minnesota Vikings liken Russell Wilson to Fran Tarkenton
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings saw a play style similar to former quarterback Fran Tarkenton when watching Seattle Seahawks dynamic passer Russell Wilson.
When the Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North during their week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers, they didn’t have much time to celebrate. In fact, the focus almost automatically shifted to the Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The idea that Minnesota will face off against Seattle right away is a scary one. The Seahawks absolutely manhandled the Vikings during their meeting earlier this season, 7-38. During that game, quarterback Russell Wilson was on fire, throwing three touchdowns and adding another on the ground.
Wilson’s elusiveness and speed are two things that make him so tough to game plan for. However, the Minnesota Vikings know all about mobile quarterbacks who can also be dangerous through the air, as they had one of the best of all time, Fran Tarkenton, in the team’s history.
According to Vikings.com, head coach Mike Zimmer sees a lot of the former Minnesota passer in the Seattle Seahawks quarterback.
"“Wilson can really scramble – he’s ‘Fran Tarkenton-ish.’ He’s throwing the ball extremely well – he’s been extremely accurate on the move,” Zimmer said. “He sees things, he’s got great vision, and he’s been playing at an extremely high level.”"
Minnesota will have until Sunday at noon central time to figure out a way to contain Wilson. If their strategy doesn’t work, it could leave the team on the bad side of another blowout.
Zimmer believes that they’ve made some adjustments that could make a difference in their second meeting.
"“They beat us pretty bad the last time we played them,” Zimmer said. “It wasn’t close. They got after us in every phase, so we have to perform extremely well for us to play good in that game. We have to do things right … I think we’ve been in a lot of tight ball games and we’ve made some strides in those, we’ve had those opportunities, but we have to get it to that point.”"
You can see Mike Zimmer, Russell Wilson, the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks when they face off in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday at noon central. Check your local listings for time and availability.