Tag: Minnesota Vikings (Page 29 of 61)

      Can the Vikings slow down the Cowboys’ pass rush?

      January 12, 2010 /

      If Brett Favre watched how the Cowboys’ defense dismantled Donovan McNabb and the Eagles’ offense last Saturday, then he probably didn’t get much sleep that night.

      For as good as the Vikings’ offense has been this season, the offensive line hasn’t played well in weeks. That doesn’t bode well for Minnesota given that its O-line has the unenviable task of trying to slow down a Dallas pass-rush that has emerged as a dangerous unit over the last month of the season.

      In the Cowboys’ 34-14 trouncing of the Eagles last Saturday, DeMarcus Ware sacked McNabb twice and harassed him on several other occasions. It was Ware’s fourth multi-sack game of the season and it no doubt sent a message to Brad Childress that he better figure out a way to protect his quarterback this weekend.

      One way to slow down an aggressive pass rush is to run the ball straight at it. Fortunately for the Vikings, they have a back in Adrian Peterson that excels running between the tackles and attacking the edge of a defense. But the problem is that Childress got away from his balanced attack over the course of the season and the Vikings suffered a little down the stretch. If Minnesota believes it can beat Dallas by throwing the ball early and often, then a second-round knockout is inevitable for the Vikings.

      It’ll be interesting to see if Childress commits to running the ball with AP this weekend in order to attack the Cowboys’ excellent pass-rush. If he doesn’t, then he and Favre might be in store for a long day.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Harvin named Offensive Rookie of the Year

      January 6, 2010 /

      Vikings’ receiver Percy Harvin was voted Offensive Rookie of the Year according to FOXSports.com.

      The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver/kick returner ran away with the balloting the same way he outran defenses and special teams this season. Harvin received 41 votes Wednesday from the nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Baltimore tackle Michael Oher was second with six votes.

      The 22nd overall draft pick out of Florida, Harvin had 60 receptions for 790 yards and six touchdowns; rushed 15 times for 135 yards; and returned 42 kickoffs for 1,156 yards (27.5 per) and two touchdowns, one covering 101 yards.

      He tied with the Colts’ Austin Collie for most catches by a rookie and set Minnesota’s single-season franchise record for all-purpose yardage with 2,081.

      If you remember correctly, this is the same Percy Harvin that had plenty of question marks surrounding him last April. But Brad Childress and the Vikings took a chance on him in the first round when they arguably had greater needs and it obviously worked out well.

      I thought Bernard Berrian paid a great compliment to Harvin when I interviewed him back in October:

      TSR: Can Percy Harvin be the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2009?

      Berrian: I can definitely see that. The way things are going right now, he’s off to a great start and I only see him getting better. So yeah, that’s definitely a possibility for him.

      TSR: Have you taken him under wing? Has he learned a lot so far?

      Berrian: I think he has learned a lot just being out there and I think another thing that has helped him is having Brett out there. We’re always having conversations about what he should do and where he should be. He knows a lot of stuff on his own, which is kind of surprising when you sit down and look at things. He knows a lot himself.

      Harvin has the skill set and the football I.Q. to take him very far. It’ll be fun watching him in the playoffs.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Vikings show depth in win over Giants

      January 3, 2010 /

      Sidney Rice

      For the second straight week, the New York Giants were horrendous. In their pathetic 41-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, they proved that they need to rebuild. It’s easy to accuse Eli Manning, but I’d put more blame on offensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. The Giants looked confused on each of their drives so it’s no surprise that the Minnesota Vikings defense shut them down. Their only score came on a one-yard run by Danny Ware early in the fourth quarter. Still, Manning wasn’t completely absent as he did manage 141 yards on 17 of 23 attempts. With this defeat, the Giants fail to make the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their fans deserved a solid effort but the Giants just didn’t seem to care.

      As for the Vikings, they straight up abused their opponents. Not only did they show up on defense, but their offense was even more impressive. Brett Favre posted possibly his best game of the season, repeatedly finding receivers Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Percy Harvin. Gradually picking apart an uninspired Giants defense, Favre went 25 for 31 on attempts for 316 yards and four touchdowns. His passes to Rice were a sight to behold. Rice really worked for both of his touchdowns, running interesting routes to fool the coverage.

      The Vikings will now await the results of today’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallsas Cowboys. If the Cowboys beat the Eagles and clinch the NFC East, the Vikings will get the buy in the first week of the playoffs.

      NFL

      NFL Week 16 ROY Power Rankings

      January 3, 2010 /

      Lots of rookies this year keep reminding us why they were drafted so high, making this a very difficult race to predict. But we’ll try our best……

      1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—He hasn’t had an interception in a few weeks, but he’s still tied with Asante Samuel and Darren Sharper for the NFL lead with 9.

      2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He leads all rookies with 897 rushing yards, with an outside chance of reaching 1000 yards Sunday against the Chiefs.

      3. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—Yes, he plays for the Rams, and yes, a good linebacker who doesn’t rack up a ton of sacks isn’t one of those sexy picks for MVP or Rookie of the Year. But Laurinaitis’ 102 solo tackles ranks behind only Patrick Willis, Jon Beason and Curtis Lofton.

      4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—46 catches for 795 yards and 6 scores is a good stat line for any receiver. But when you consider how big a question mark the Giants were at the position, this rookie has stepped up nicely and immediately contributed.

      5. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—He’s battled migraines recently, but this explosive game-changer is a dual threat as a receiver and as a kick returner.

      Honorable mention: Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Beanie Wells, Cardinals; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles; Brian Cushing, Texans; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Michael Oher, Ravens

      NFL

      NFL Week 16 COY Power Rankings

      January 3, 2010 /

      Upsets galore and crazy outcomes have forced us to look a bit harder at the Coach of the Year rankings, but most of our contenders are hanging tough.

      1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—The poor guy is still dodging proverbial rocks being thrown by Colts’ fans, who wanted their team to continue its pursuit of perfection instead of rolling over against the Jets. Being that the Colts were still in position to go to 15-0 when Caldwell did that, we have to cut him some slack and remember that his team is still the top seed in the AFC and would be in the NFC as well.

      2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Payton surely did not want to back into the #1 seed in the NFC, but after losing two games in a row, his team did just that when the Vikings’ loss Monday night let the Saints snag the top position. And once again, we have to consider the entire season’s body of work.

      3. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers—When you consider that Turner’s Chargers always play lousy in September, only to win when it really matters, that’s far better than it being the other way around. It’s time we started to give Turner his due.

      4. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals are another team not playing well, but they have dealt with two tragedies this season—the death of player Chris Henry, and the passing of the wife of D-coordinator Mike Zimmer. And still, the Bengals are 10-5 with an AFC North title. Raise your hand if you expected that.

      5. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Yes, the Vikings are floundering and in danger of losing the #2 seed to Philly or Dallas, but I’ll keep mentioning two players who Childress sought in the off-season that made this a championship caliber team—Brett Favre and Percy Harvin.

      Honorable mention: Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Mike McCarthy, Packers; Andy Reid, Eagles; Bill Belichick, Patriots; Rex Ryan, Jets; Wade Phillips, Cowboys; Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos

      NFL

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