Crom's Corner: Harvins and Sherels and Lions, Oh my! (3-1)

FIRST PLACE! ( 3-1)

Well that was as "fun" as I had expected. The games with the Lions are always close even when we were 12-4 w/ Favre and they were 0-16. This one was no different. There is always one team that somehow comes back to make the game interesting in the end. Typical black and blue.

You guys know how I don't like to recap games or say the same things we see in the STRIB or online at NFL.com etc. I prefer to just share my thoughts. (E.G. it's WACK that you can't look at a simple box score at NFL.com without seeing a stupid ad/video)

First I'd like to say welcome to our man JEROME SIMPSON. Good game! He drew two penalties and hauled in a big first down catch. One of our few bright spots in the passing game yesterday.

I hate to sound like Stewart Scott but, dude was money

So, yeah, about that offense. Where the hell was it? Two field goals? PONDER was pretty gummed up, 16-26-111 yards. Only three passes travelled more then 7 yards. He spread it around pretty good but at like 8 yards a completion AVG. "That's what the defense gave him" so what can you do? I tip my hat to the DET defense they forced us to run but it didn't work out so well for them.

Pardon me, bro. Not quite a first down yet.

You know I love my stats, check this out. (via @TomPelissero)
Of AP's 102 yards, 71 were after first contact. Pelisserro had him down for 10 broken tackles. He was in beast mode.

As for RUDOLPH and HARVIN- last weeks heavy lifters? Five catches for 30 yards combined. HARVIN also rushed twice for 8 yards. We didn't do much but we did "just enough." Hopefully we'll learn a lot from the tape. (Via Tom P - 1500 ESPN)
We'll see. SIMPSON caught 4 for 50 yards and drew those 2 PI calls. He will only get more action moving forward.

WALSH was 2 for 3. He's entitled to miss one now and then but I know a lot of VIKES fans said "UH OH' when he missed and we "only" led by 14. The negativity amazes me. He's a great addition to our special teams. Yo, LIONS didn't have 1 kick return yesterday. All touchbacks. He has 12 for the season. How'd you like to be a gunner on our team? I could do it, shit.

Robison's Prayers for Touchbacks program is working.

(5 vikings, 5 touchbacks)

How about our returns? Both were nasty. One because it was so clean, the other because it was so dirty! HARVIN's was all scheming, blocks and execution while SHERELS' was all balls, balls and shimmy. I thought fer sherels we were 'bout to see surm Murf.

Check out these 2 dope GIFs from SB NATION Minnesota. Sherel's Punt return first.

PS3 = R stick left, R2, R1, R stick L, Tap X, R2, hold O

I will put HARVINs further below so the screen isn't too busy.

What else...

We got tackled for a loss 5 times. Usually on first down. We need better 2nd down scenarios to sustain drives.
Gave up 2 sacks. OK. None by KALIL.
DET did a great job of keying on HARVIN for those quick outs and bubble screens and they had some timely blitzes. It was just a hard nosed game.
We didn't allow a TD pass which is great.
We got 5 sacks on STAFFORD while only blitzing twice the whole game. (via @TomPelissero)
JASPER BRINKLEY played great. 13 tackles.
We broke up 10 passes (via @Mike Wobschall)
We gave up five first downs via penalty. OUCH

Coach was real proud at his press conference, not of himself but of his defensive coach, special teams coach, and players. He felt they prepared and schemed great... Obviously they did. No one would have predicted no TDs passing for the LIONS or us making MEGATRON look like bumble bee. (5-54) Here is how a LION fan ranked the "big three"

Our secondary played pretty great. Our whole defense did actually. They didn't give up any big plays and they played hard. Soon H. SMITH will go from reacting to post routes to anticipating and wishing they'd throw it. I have a feeling blssting people is his favorite thing. He's getting more settled every week What did you think of this penalty on our rook J ROB? I thought it was rubbish. Check this kid out. He has a future wrestling for sure.

Billick thought it was harsh, coach thought it was too. On twitter I read they may have called it on Winfield for "piling on" but even that would be wack. I think our safeties played well. They each had some good hits. Sanford had 1 PBU, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed, 4 tackles & 1 special teams tackle in relief. Well Done! I don't know about you but I love hearing what the losers have to say.

Here is what KLUWE said about the game, such a good punner!

(click to enlarge view in a lightbox)

In other KLUWE news, here is his response letter to MATT BIRK's defense of the marriage act. It's direct from his "Out of Bounds" blog at the Pioneer Press. Here is how I feel. I won't talk politics on here, I'll let KLUWE's logic do it for me.