Vikings two step all over the Houston! (9-6)

AP got things going with a Conga Line!

What a game! A few tense moments but over all a solid victory.  We played virtually mistake free, exceptionally hard on defense and everyone did their job.  I give it an "A" overall.  So much has happened since Sunday with Christmas and all but here are a few things that stick out in my memory.  

• We owned time of possession  (35'-25')
• They were 1 for 11 on 3rd down!  NICE!
• We had 4 sacks, they had 1
• We doubled their first downs
• PONDER had 2X APs rushes per yard avg.  =D
• That "finishing" drive TOBY did his thing. Always falling forward... he powered into the end zone. That was sweet
• FOSTER was completely checked,  Andre Johnson did little.
• JJ Watt had his one moment, otherwise he was JJ Watteva 
• AP was held to only 3 yards a carry. I bet he was sore Monday!

Who's that dude that just plowed through us?!?

Here JJ, let me recap it for you.  It was 1st and goal from the 4 with 4:44 left in the 4th.  (Holy fours batman!)  Vikes were up 16-6.  Here's how they lined up!  

 HIKE!

Hand off to toby

 He hits the whole between the Johnson and Kalil

 He's met by THREE Texans

 Cute tackle attempts ensue

Touchdown!

THERE'S YOUR DAGGER! 

Too lazy to make the GIF, JJ. Sorry!  Here's full highlights!

Hey y'all, they did a good job keeping AP from going crazy. A definite hat tip their line and LBs. The wonderful thing is that OUR defense played way better then theirs. The two big plays for me were the fumble punch by Erin Henderson and the huge sack by Evans on 3rd and goal! 

EDIT - THE NFL.COM WEBSITE IS THE WORST WEBSITE FOR SEEING HIGHLIGHTS AND BOX SCORES! ITS SUCH A SHIT SHOW OF AUTO LOADED ADS AND FLASH FUCK UPS. I TRIED FOR TEN MINUTES JUST TO GET A STUPID LINK TO THE FRED EVANS SACK AND IT KEPT FUCKING UP. HONESTLY, FUCK THAT WEBSITE! I AM VERY COMPUTER LITERATE. IT'S THEIR FAULT YOU CAN'T SEE THE HIGHLIGHTS IN MY BLOG. THEY WANT IT LIKE THAT. COMPLETE ASSHOLES. THEM AND ESPN. 

SMDH!

JESUS, I need to exhale!

Shoop Shoop, bitches!

Ugh. OK, back to A.P!  Do you think he can still do it?  Can he break DICKERSON's record?  Take the poll up to the right! I think he has a "chip and a chair" as they say. I hope, unlike last time with Chilly when he was pushing 300, we don't take a knee three times to end the game.  That would be nice because it would mean we won but... I hated seeing AP being shelved with 296 yards and counting! I was really annoyed.  

I honestly have no clue if he will do it.  I know against the Chargers when he had 296 he didn't even have 100 at the half so... "Ain't no tellin!"  It's gonna come down to the O-LINE imposing their will. I can not wait to see this game!

SKOL! 

TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHT TO GO!

Hey JJ, We're not done making fun of you yet!

 Tee Hee!

 JJ Watt allowed PONDER 7 yards per carry

I can't think of a clever caption. Look at JJ ^^^^^ Bahahaha

Please stay tuned for my Packer Week Post... that will be up later tonight!

SKOL!

AP butts heads with Rams, Wins (8-6)

SKOLVIKINGS! This game started out tit for tat but we had a couple explosive plays that really changed the momentum early.  Some fella was nice enough to upload these to YouTube.  Have a look!  

Never get sick of seeing this guy gallop 

The great thing about being up 17 points so fast was that it ended up skewing their playbook.  S. Jackson only ended up with 13 carries for the whole game which is a pretty low number for the work horse that he is, though he have 70+ yards receiving.  (C.C to AP)  Similar to our only other road victory wining the turnover battle was huge for us this game. It will be key against the Texans as well.  This is what stood out for me Sunday.

• Blair Walsh = Pro Bowl: 5/5 FGs 3/3 XPs & 7/9 touchbacks
• Before they went into "catch up" mode our defense had great pressure. Four sacks at the end of the day + many knockdowns
• Every week someone new makes a big play for us 
• We gave up yards but held them to 4/16 efficiency on 3rd and 4th down. Props to our defense!
• Odd (poor) time management at the end of the half but we moved it enough to get the FG. Sure you'd like to "take some shots" at the end zone but I'm still pleased with that little 2 minute offense (after theirs failed)
• AP, again, ridiculous. A broken record breaking records
• Burton did something, Carlson too. Baby steps. 
• Ponder didn't choke. Nice scramble for the TD too!
• B ROB got hurt, but others stepped up. GRIFFEN!

In regards to Robison there's no official word yet on his return. He might miss this game.  We shall see... I bet he toughs it out!  

Yes you can can!

So, the Texans in their house? 

"Oh they have such a good run defense, and a great record, JJ Watt and Foster and Andre Johnson and and and..."  

Yup.  I see all that.  I can't front I really like their brand of football and their star players.  I can't say anything bad about their team actually.  They're a smash mouth team with great skill position players but they're still beatable.  It's just gonna take a really well played game from us with very few penalties, no costly turnovers and some big plays from somewhere.  Maybe it'll be Sherels returning one again or a WR will finally catch AND run or AP will just plug away until he gets one.  WHO KNOWS!  Any given Sunday.  Our defense has to play the game of the year.  I guarantee they're not taking us lightly!  Besides as we all know, there is a lot at stake this game.  Playoff seeds, milestones and records.  Texan's second ranked rush defense prolly has some motivation to stop AP... just a hunch. 

Dickerson had some help in 1984. AP? Not so much.

For those of you unfamiliar with just exactly how dominant Dickerson was.  He set the all time rushing record his second year in the league... in 1984... and went on to dominate for a while.  Have a look.

Fingers crossed for AP!

So the question everyone is wondering, will AP break 2,000 yards? Will he beat Dickerson's record of 2,105?  He needs 188 for 2,000 and 294 to BREAK the record... how far will he go?  NEW POLL! Top right, fill it out!

Oh, sad viking had this to say...

But GRIFFEN stepped up!

"WTF Adrian can't we rest for 2 minutes before you score again?!"

SKOL!

CUTLET STILL WINLESS AT THE ROLLERDOME! (7-6)

LOSER!

"Game over. Thanks for playing. Better luck next time, Mr. Cutler" said a hoarse Ragnar.

Well that was a walk in the park.  Maybe not a perfect one, more like the kind where it starts raining towards the end and you have to hurry home but still... we won semi comfortably!  All thanks to Rudy the soft handed giant. 

And then, finally,  every Viking fan in the world could relax.

During and after the game all the chatter was the same as before, two main topics, Purple Jesus & Christian Ponder.  AP obviously continues to be ridiculous and is universally regarded as the best back in the league.  Talk maybe even of MVP, player of the year, comeback player of the year etc.  He even won a charity award today, all much deserved.  He can do no wrong.

Ponder however, to a LOT of fans at least, can do no right.  Let's jump right into the plays that had Ponder Haters on blast within seconds.  The first one was when we were up 14-0, on our 20...

  Christian ponders taking a sack or throwing it away at someone's feet?

I personally was only worried about this play if the REFs gave CHI the ball & a TD.  It was never a fumble, the ball went forward, I don't know if there was a VIKING in the area to avoid an intentional grounding but, I get his thought pattern.  PONDER haters were all calling him an idiot for not just taking the sack.  I get that too!  Totally.  I'm on the fence here.  Ultimately, no harm, no foul.  No one bitches about the line though?  Moving on. 

The biggest play that pissed off the PONDER haters was the interception at the end of the half. 

Major Wright got 200 points for catching it before letting it bounce!

Now I don't have any problem with the play call, the read or the decision to throw.  (You can watch it here.)  Jarius Wright WAS wide open, by two or 3 steps.  Some people seemed to think it was a dumb idea to throw it per the result, not me.  These are the same people who usually bitch why "we never take a shot," to which the answer is "because no one is ever open."

I do agree with the criticism that the throw was late, behind and of poor mechanics.  It was... but come on!   Look at the play a few times, he didn't have time.  He HAD to step back, just to get room to throw because KALIL got bull rushed NINE YARDS behind the line of scrimmage.  That's not Ponders fault.  Ponder was flushed to his left because the center got pushed back 5 yards.  WTF?  How are you gonna "step into" any throw with the line doing that?  I'd like to add that there was only 32 seconds left, we weren't in scoring position and he lobbed it 50 yards off his back foot.  He doesn't have an arm?  I was fine with this unfortunate play, again, no harm no foul. 

This next play was more so just people taking a dig at PONDER, because it gave us all bad T Jack flash backs.

Ponder does his T Jack impression. I give him a B- because he actually completed it

I'm sure you guys on twitter and the blogs since Sunday have seen the eerie stat comparisons btwn Ponder and T Jack, but here is a nice graphic I saw for those of you unfamiliar. 

 (Via @Mattglions - twitter )

Whoa! So what do we think?  How do you compare the two?  Please fill out my new poll to the top right!  My take is pretty simple.  The stats are pretty identical, plus they both have played with out very good or even productive #1 WRs.  T Jack had Chester Taylor and Shanks, Ponder has Rudy and Harvin. Oh Boy! In the first 4 games with a healthy Harvin Ponder had 800 yards and 4 TDs, no INTs.  He CAN play.  He's just regressed.  IDK why.  The bad news for T Jack is he went on to Seattle, had a great core of WRs and still lost his job.  What will be of PONDER?  I don't know if he will be a bench player, starter or star yet...  but I don't think he'll be a "bust."   I am withholding judgement on him a little longer.  Again, please fill out my poll and let me know what YOU think! (top right)

How about our young fellas?  I know I always yap about our rookies this year but seriously, they were ballin' yesterday!  Kalil did a solid job. Walsh did too. Then there were these two HUGE plays that directly led to 14 of our 21 points!

And, at this moment, all the Chicago fans sighed "here we go again"

To which Harry Smith replied, "Oh we're not even done yet!"

Big ups to Robinson and Smith!  Here is the video of Harrison Smith's PICK SIX.  Mind you it was on a 3rd and ONE.  Hmmm?  You think VIKE fans go crazy about bad calls and throws, imagine the BEARs fans yesterday.  SKOL!

After the game Coach Frazier praised all his players and they heard from Wilf too.  I always laugh when I hear Ziggy talk.  Click here to see the post game locker room speech and who got the game ball.  My game ball definitely goes to the 12th man.  The VIKING fans gave CUTLET hell yesterday!  I'd like to also give FRAZIER props for finally beating the BEARS and give Jenkins a shout out too, he made some key 3rd down catches!  

(And retweeted me =)  Team Player!

"What?! Throw it to Darshull? To Landon? Who? Sampson Farshell? Oh fuck it. TIME OUT!"

You all should peep Paul Allen's Derby video for this game, always entertaining!  That's all I have right now.  We're seven and six and in the mix and that's all you can ask!  

Still reading?  Well here is a bonus for you, an old article from the Chicago Tribune about the good natured feud between Mike Lynn (former GM) and Mike Ditka in 1987.  Hence the title "roller dome."

OH, Sad Viking wanted to share this with you after the Pat's game tonight. They destroyed the Texans.  Looks like we won't get their B squad in 2 weeks after all.  Oh well.  Bring it!

SKOL !!

Packers, Ponder, Percy and other Purple Problems (6-6)

ACK!

So much has happened in the last few days, the PACK game, Charch's "I'm pissed"rant, Ponder's engagement and now Harvin on IR. You guys know I don't like to recap games, anyone can do that.  I might use a play to make a point etc. but I hate reading the same old stuff over and over.   I hate this too. (5 wins in a row WTF?!)

"You're a mean one... Mr Grinch"

Man, that Packer game.  

Classic VIKING fan flow- emotional low, emotional high, low, high, low, lower.   I never look for silver linings or moral victories but by the same token I never JUST judge on wins. For some reason this loss didn't sting as much as they usually do.  Prolly because of this guy. (Highlights Here)

Im calling the plays now. We're gonna do a play action w/me, then I am gonna run a fly route. 

My thoughts on the game.

• Ponder let me down, a lot.
• Loved seeing Harrison Smith pick off that flea flicker of sorts. Way to stay home!
• That offsides that led to a free play- a TD over our corner with good coverage was so so annoying! SMDH!
• Overall our defense played good considering.
• Not enough sacks and why let A-Rod roll out to the right EVERY time?  He killed us rolling out. 
• Adrian Peterson is the only reason I don't hate the NFL world right now. He owned them enough to keep my Packer friends humble. 

Don't get me wrong. I was real mad that we lost and how we lost.  Mad at PONDER's red zone INTs, mad at the coaches inability to adapt during the game, mad at not being able to get of the field on 3rd down. An 11 minute PACK drive spanning the 3rd and 4th quarter down by just 6?  ACK! Torture.  Ponder, WTF?

Here's my take on Ponder.  

First off, I am the patient "wait and see" kind of fan.  I don't always take stock in drafting college stars, nor follow the crowd when it comes to bringing in some help right away with FAs. (Right now people want Vick haha. Remember when we all wanted Derek Anderson from CLEVELAND - he got 26 million over 3 years.  Where is he know?)  Either way its usually a desperate move towards some hyped over valued player.  Very rarely do people live up to it.  I didn't hear anyone begging us to draft Seattle or Cinci's quarterbacks. 

I think Ponder should have been pulled in the 2nd half of the CHI game AND the GB game.  I don't know why he wasn't.  I know the stupid cliche argument is that it would upset his poor ego but I think that's pure BS.  Getting benched isn't the same as losing your job.  I know some people want to throw in the towel with this kid but I'm still on the fence.  

I hope you didn't go on twitter after the game, bro

I saw PONDER make the worst throw of his career, at the worst time, this last Sunday.  That INT was horrible.  I'm not blind and I am not a homer I just know this shit happens. It sucks but it happens.  You wish and hope it won't, at such a clutch time, but it does.  Then you start to "lose faith."  I am... shit.  I HOPE I am wrong about this kid.  I just figure we may as well play him some more and see what happens. (But PULL him if he isn't effective or throws badly)  We can make changes after the season.  That's my only point really- may as well wait until the off season.  Is he gonna rebound and make plays these last 4 games or be in a perpetual T Jack?  Hopefully he recreates the first 4 games of the season. Remember this?

One funny/scary thing I heard today on The Common Man show was that PONDER's career stats- total starts, yardage, TDs, INTs, rating and completion percentage is almost identical to T Jack's.  That made me shudder.  (because T JAck is a back up not franchise grade) Another parallel with T JACK is that he has no one to throw too, especially recently losing HARVIN.  All the other young QBs have one if not two legit targets.  He has only Rudolph.  That has to account for something when you evaluate him.  I'm not making excuses for him I'm just trying to be fair.   In summary, if you play him and he plays bad, pull him, and if you don't pull him, well that's the rope you hang yourselves with, Vikings brass.  I agree with Charch on all his points except two.  

1. The season is NOT lost.  I don't assume we'll play as bad and everyone else will play as good as we all have been. Still 4 games left.  Let's not call it yet.  I could care less about how hard our schedule is... we have two home games where we are 5-1 and no team is "unbeatable" this year.  Period.  
2. There's no point making coach/staffing changes right now and you know why?

Purple Problems

Do we have one assistant you'd even wanna promote at this point? They were all given jobs above their heads by our boy, Mr Interim, FRAZIER.  We all know that was a cheap hire for the Wilfs, because they still had to pay CHILLY some money.  What's up for next year?  We're off the hook for CHILLY? Can we get a real coach and staff in?  I know these guys are nice but week in and out they get beat by the same stuff.  What's worse is they offer no explanations or logic beyond cliches in the locker room and press conferences.  Yeah, FRAZIER, we know you can't have "turnovers on the road and expect to win ball games" but why do you phrase it like that, instead of saying "Ponder's two interceptions in the red zone really killed us..."  That would be obvious too but at least you'd be showing us that you're not a cliche robot.  I've said this before but I think Frazier is better suited to teach kindergarten. "Hey, no children died today.  I did my job."  

I think they're in over their heads.  You can't keep blaming it on "making plays" and  "turning over the ball."  We know why you lost, but why aren't you making the plays? Who isn't making plays? What have you done to change that? I mean you inherited a team with AP!  (Again, see CHARCHIAN's rant.. It'll be posted at the bottom)

Does anyone have any of Percy's migraine meds?

PERCY HARVIN

Well... now what the F_CK?  Is he "hurt hurt" or is he laying low because he doesn't want to rush back and hurt himself even worse seeing as his contract is up?  Time will tell.  It looked like a bad injury when it happened so I am not surprised if it's legit, maybe he needs surgery.  Maybe this is a Joe Mauer situation and they kept it under wraps to sell tickets or keep opponents guessing, who knows?  It's real stupid that they couldn't just give us the medical diagnosis.  Did he consult Culpepper on this one?  MRIs and X-rays maybe never happened?  Maybe Percy was avoiding them who knows? (is that even possible?)  

EDIT - this was released this morning, via Tom Pelissero

"It certainly is disappointing that I was not able to finish out this season with my teammates," Harvin said in the statement. "As a competitor I definitely wanted to get back out there on the field but my injury has just not allowed me to progress to the point where I can help our team. I appreciate the efforts of our medical staff and the support of our fans in helping me through this process and look forward to coming back stronger and better than ever."

All I know for sure regarding Percy is that I wish they would have extended his contract PRIOR to the season.  I don't know why they didn't. SO STUPID!

Speaking of stupid...

Is this the last thing PONDER will get cheered for?

Oh, yeah... Ponder got engaged.  I so don't care.  Not like he can play any worse right now.  For those of you that care this is semi-cute.  Semi.  

"...the Vikings QB reportedly popped the question with Christmas lights that read "Marry Me" and one giant sparkler"

I don't know,  I believe in love but... 3 months?  Is this another bad decision by PONDER?  Why make it public in mid-season?  It's just fuel for the haters, bro.  Hire some PR.  I guess I do care. ACK!  

Good lord I hope the 3 players who blew the game for us on Sunday win it for us next sunday.  Here's Charch's rant for those of you too lazy to click the link. 

And now some memes in case you missed them, 

from our boys at MN Vikings Memes.