SB Nation - Charles Gordon

First Day of Vikings Training Camp in the Books

Gonzo — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:37:39 -0000

I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a Pro Bowl defensive tackle with a bird on his head. (Picture courtesy of Vikings Now, St. Paul Pioneer Press)

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Yes, after a little less than seven months of waiting, the Minnesota Vikings are back on the football field. Even though it's just Blakeslee Field in Mankato and not the raucous confines of the Metrodome, it's just the sign we've been waiting for. We're less than two weeks away from the first exhibition game of 2009, and right around five weeks away from the kickoff of the 2009 regular season.

One of these days, I'm actually going to make it up to training camp and see what it's like to watch these guys do their thing. Not sure when "one of these days" will be, exactly, but it will eventually happen. For now, though, I. . .like 99% of the rest of you. . .am reduced to following the Twitter feeds of roughly every journalist in the Twin Cities area with even a remote connection to the Vikings. (If you're scoring at home, that would be Judd Zulgad, Chip Scoggins, Sean Jensen, Rick Alonzo, and Phil Mackey.)

What, exactly, did our intrepid reporters tell us about today's happenings in Mankato? Well, hit the jump, and I'll give you some of the highlights.

-The big story in training camp is, obviously, the quarterback situation. Tarvaris Jackson started out the day with the first team, but he and Sage Rosenfels split the first-team snaps equally After Day 1, we apparently don't have a winner in the QB derby, which will probably upset some folks. (Yeah, that was sarcasm. . .mostly.)
-By all accounts, however, Jackson looked much better than Rosenfels did during today's drills.
-Jackson threw the best pass of the day, as he connected with Sidney Rice on a 65(!?)-yard pass where Rice had Marcus Walker draped all over him.
-The second-team cornerbacks were Benny Sapp and Marcus McCauley. Sapp, by all accounts, is out there in the role of nickel back.
-The second team defensive tackles are Fred Evans and Letroy Guion. . .we may have to get used to seeing those two in the middle of the line.
-Jaymar Johnson continues to impress, but Aundrae Allison made a couple of nice plays today, too. These two guys probably realize that they're competing for one roster spot, and it might be the most interesting non-QB position battle of camp.
-Karl Paymah is wearing #41. That was Charles Gordon's number last season.
-Tyrell Johnson says that he feels much more comfortable in the defense this year and hopes to be more of a playmaker. Which is nice when you consider he's pretty much the starting strong safety by default this year.
-Glenn Holt managed to drop a pass when there wasn't a defender within five yards of him.

-From our friend Capital J: "Phil Loadholt is the hugest mofo I have ever seen. He makes McKinnie look miniscule. He lined up as the starting RT all practice from what I could see."

We'll be here following tomorrow's Twittering as well. If any of you good folks are at camp or anything like that tomorrow, please take advantage of DN's (fairly) new mobile commenting features and let us know what's going on from your perspective. So, with that, start enjoying your weekend, folks. . .because, by God, it's FOOTBALL SEASON again!

The Parade of Re-signing Role Players Marches On

ericj69 — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:20:18 -0000

The Vikings signed another free agent today. Unfortunately, it's becoming obvious that they're very xenophobic, because they only seem interested in re-signing their "own kind" instead of going after players from other teams.

No matter who mediocre their own kind may be.

The Star Tribune is reporting that the Vikes re-signed CB Benny Sapp to a one-year deal, worth something above the league minimum. Sapp isn't going to be confused as a shutdown corner any time soon, but he did get quite a bit of playing time last previous season after Charles Gordon's ankle did its best impression of origami. He ended up with two interceptions, but easily quintupled that number in boneheaded penalties and blown coverages. Judging from what I've read from most commenters on this site about Sapp, this move probably won't go down as the crowning achievement of the 2009 free agency period.

I agree that re-signing Sapp excited me about as much as a visit to the proctologist, but at least it adds a little depth. Emphasis on little. More importantly, what this tells me is that the Vikings are probably going to lose out on the Karl Paymah Sweepstakes (wow, never thought I'd ever type those three words). Although it was irresponsibly reported that Paymah would be visiting Winter Park this weekend, that has yet to happen. Apparently Baltimore, Tampa, and Cleveland are also interested in Mr. Paymah's services, and he's visiting them first.

Feel free to go back to your nap now; the free agency period has undoubtedly induced more sleep than excitement. Maybe tomorrow we can report on something really thrilling, like Naufahu Tahi!

Vikings News: Gordon Signs, Birk Negotiating, Sage a Done Deal(?)

Gonzo — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:35:13 -0000

A couple of Vikings notes here this evening, as we now sit about 48 hours away from the official start of free agency. Closer to 51 hours from the time I type this, to be exact.

The Vikings have signed cornerback Charles Gordon to a 1-year contract extension, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Gordon was the Vikings' nickel corner before he got his ankle ripped to shreds against the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome in November. The deal is a pretty good bargain for the Vikings, as Gordon is only set to make $530,000 next season, but that number could reach the million dollar plateau if Gordon meets certain playing time marks and performance incentives. With the way Gordon had performed prior to his injury, here's hoping that he recovers enough to make himself a millionaire in 2009.

In a somewhat surprising development, the Vikings are apparently working to bring back center Matt Birk. I, personally, thought it was a foregone conclusion that Birk was going to be heading somewhere else for the 2009 season, but it appears that there has been renewed interest from both sides to get a deal done. I'm not sure if Vick is giving the Vikings a hometown discount or what the situation is, but it will be interesting to see if the teams can get a deal in place before 11 PM Eastern time on Friday.

I'm not sure how excited I am for this to happen, if it does. Birk is getting up in age, and while he's still one of the better centers in the league, there's always the fear in the back of your mind that he's starting to slip a bit. But if the Vikings think he can still get the job done, then I'm not going to argue too loudly about it.

Also, the Houston Chronicle is reporting that Sage Rosenfels to the Vikings is pretty much a done deal, as the Beloved Purple will send their 4th round selection to Houston for the veteran signal caller. As lame as this sounds, I'm still not sure whether to be excited about this or not, either. On one hand, yeah, the Vikings are trying to do something about their quarterback situation. On the other hand. . .Sage Rosenfels? Really? More thoughts on this over the next couple of days for sure.

That's all for tonight, folks. . .continue enjoying the rest of your Tuesday evening, and we'll see you back here tomorrow as free agency gets closer and closer!

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings: 2008 Final Edition

Gonzo — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:06:32 -0000

Back at the halfway point of the season, I put forth a set of Player Power Rankings for everyone's viewing pleasure. Now that the season is over and we've had a chance to see some of our players grow and mature while some others fell off the map, it's time to take a look at how those have changed since late October. The table comes after the jump. Remember, these are strictly my opinions, and are certainly open for discussion. . .in fact, discussion is encouraged, as I'm sure there will be some disagreements.

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Mid-Season Rank	Change	Comment
1	Jared Allen, DE	4	+3	When you're made the highest-paid defensive player in the National Football League, you'd better be prepared to go out and prove why that was. Jared Allen did that this season, and then some. 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles during the regular season, followed up by two sacks and a forced fumble in the playoff loss to the Eagles, showed the world what Jared Allen was brought here for. He's clean, he's tough, and he's the best pass-rushing DE in football. Oh, and he turns 27 in April.
2	Adrian Peterson, RB	2	0	I know he's getting the ball, you know he's getting the ball, the guys in the booth know he's getting the ball, everyone in the stands knows he's getting the ball, everyone on the other team knows he's getting the ball. . .and he led the NFL in rushing anyway. Sure, he had a case of the yips toward the end of the season. . .but is there a running back in the National Football League that you'd trade him for right now? Yeah, I didn't think so.
3	Kevin Williams, DT	1	-2	Tailed off a little bit at the end of the season, certainly, but still finished with 8.5 sacks and was his usual tremendous self against the run. Albert Haynesworth is going to end up getting paid more than #93 this off-season. . .but given the choice, I wouldn't trade Kevin Williams for him. In my opinion, Kevin Williams is still the best all-around defensive tackle in the NFL.
4	Pat Williams, DT	7	+3	The game against the Giants at the end of the year showed us what a valuable asset Pat Williams is to the Minnesota defense. As a run-stuffer, he's absolutely without peer, and was a huge part of the reason why the Vikings' defense was #1 against the run for the third consecutive year. One has to wonder how many more years we can get out of the big man, but if Ted Washington played at a fairly high level until he was 85 years old, I think Pat Williams can do the same.
5	Antoine Winfield, CB	5	0	The biggest little man in the NFL has finally been rewarded for his high level of play with his first trip to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl. Everyone knows about his ability against the run, but this year the Vikings' pass defense was 5th in the NFL in DVOA against #1 wide receivers, and the #1 guy on the other team almost always lined up against #26. It's about time he got the recognition that he deserves.
6	Steve Hutchinson, G	5	-1	Having the best guard in the NFL this far down on the list isn't so much about how he played in 2008. . .it's more about the high level that the five guys in front of him performed at. He's blocked for a 1,000 yard rusher every year he's been in the NFL, and as long as Adrian Peterson is in Minnesota, that streak should continue for a few more seasons, at least.
7	Ryan Longwell, K	8	+1	Tremendously consistent, and in fact might be getting better with age. He was 6-for-6 from 50+ yards this season, including the kick that put the Vikings into the post-season. Why? Because that's what Ryan Longwell does.
8	Chad Greenway, LB	17	+9	One of the big risers on the list, Greenway was an absolute monster over the second half of the season, despite the absence of fellow LB E.J. Henderson. He led the Vikings in tackles with 115, managed to throw in 5.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and got markedly better in coverage as the season went on.
9	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	11	+2	Shank has developed into a serious threat at the TE position, particularly over the second part of this season. He was in the top 10 in receiving yards at the tight end position, and averaged 14.2 yards/reception. The only two TEs in the NFL that had more touchdowns than he did are a couple of guys that you might have heard of. . .Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. Finally appears to be worth the money that was spent on him in 2006.
10	Bernard Berrian, WR	6	-4	Berrian certainly did what he was asked to do when the Vikings signed him away from the Chicago Bears. Minnesota wanted him to come in and stretch the field, and his 20.1 yards/reception says that he did just that. But he did have a couple of games where he completely disappeared, and is probably more suited to be a #2 guy than a true #1. Hopefully we can find that true #1 here very soon and let Berrian do what he does best.
11	Madieu Williams, S	NR	NA	After he finally got himself healthy, he got on the field and was pretty effective for the most part. With the likely departure of Darren Sharper this off-season, Williams will likely move into more of a free safety/center fielder type of position, with Tyrell Johnson moving into the strong safety spot.
12	Matt Birk, C	9	-3	Another player that has, more than likely, played his last game for the Vikings. While still one of the best at his position, it certainly appears that he's lost a little bit. He'll turn 33 in July. . .he's the last holdover from the 1998 squad. . .and it probably won't be cost-efficient to bring him back at this point. Stranger things have happened, though.
13	Bobby Wade, WR	18	+5	The Vikings caught a lot of flack for signing this guy after the 2006 season, but you know something? This guy can play on my team any time. He led the Vikings in receptions again this season, he makes tough catches, he gets first downs, and he knows what his role in the offense is. I'm quite happy to have him here for another couple of years.
14	Ben Leber, LB	10	-4	Leber was his usual understated self in 2008. He goes out there every week and does his job in a solid, but not spectacular, fashion. He might be someone that the Vikings need to look at replacing in the near future, as he'll turn 31 this season, but he's still a good veteran leader and an asset to the defense at this point.
15	Cedric Griffin, CB	25	+10	Another big riser here, Griffin looked like a completely different player in the second half of the season. It appears that the coaching staff finally realized that Griffin isn't a "lay back and play zone" cornerback. He needs to be allowed to get up in people's faces and be physical. With Antoine Winfield getting up in age, Griffin will probably face more of a burden in the near future. . .oh, and he has a contract year coming this next season, too.
16	Artis Hicks, OL	15	-1	Played well in Bryant McKinnie's stead when he was called upon to do so, and filled in on other spots in the line as well. His versatility makes him a valuable part of the roster, but injuries clearly hampered him down the stretch, causing him to miss some time.
17	Gus Frerotte, QB	12	-5	Gus was brought here to be the backup, and he performed the way a backup quarterback would be expected to. He had some moments of brilliance, coupled with some throws that make you wonder how the heck he's lasted in the league as long as he has. His comments after the Eagles' game were particularly grating, since I really don't think he would have given us any more of a chance than Tarvaris Jackson.
18	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	28	+10	In the last 4 1/2 games of the season, we caught a glimpse of both what's so intriguing about Tarvaris Jackson, and what absolutely drives us crazy about him. Again, he's got all the physical ability in the world, but at this point, I don't think he's going to be able to put it all together as a consistent NFL QB. He gets bumped up the list, though, based on his performance at the end of the regular season when the Vikings were fighting for a division title.
19	Darren Sharper, S	14	-5	The greatest safety in Green Bay Packer history has probably played his last game in purple. As the season progressed, Sharper looked older and slower than he has at any point in his career, and started taking bad angles to the football. He's given us a few great seasons as a member of our secondary, but it doesn't look like he can get it done any more. If Sharper does prove me wrong, he'll more than likely have to do it in another uniform.
20	Chester Taylor, RB	23	+3	He didn't get nearly the number of touches that he got over the past couple of seasons, but Taylor proved why he and Adrian Peterson are still the best 1-2 running back punch in the National Football League. One of the best pass-catching backs in the league and a vital asset on third downs, he's approaching that 30-year old point where running backs tend to start declining, but he hasn't had a lot of carries over his career for the most part. We'll have to keep an eye on him.
21	Bryant McKinnie, OT	16	-5	Paid like an elite LT. Not an elite LT. Not to mention one stupid, drunken incident away from taking a year's vacation from the NFL. There are few players on the Vikings' roster as disappointing as Bryant McKinnie. Need more proof? I listed three other offensive linemen, one of whom is a backup, before I got to him.
22	Brian Robison, DE	29	+7	An interesting study. . .he played well this season, largely when spelling Pat Williams at DT on obvious passing downs. He also played pretty well when called upon against the Eagles as well. If nobody else is brought in this off-season, I firmly believe that he should be starting opposite Jared Allen at DE in 2009, but we'll have to see.
23	Tyrell Johnson, S	13	-10	His drop isn't because he played horribly or anything. . .but with Madieu Williams insertion into the lineup, he simply didn't get to contribute in the same way he did during the early part of the season. I think he's still got some promise as an in-the-box type of safety, and he's likely going to be a starter in 2009.
24	Anthony Herrera, G	19	-5	Still solid against the run, but his pass protection seemed to slip a bit in the later stages of the season. It seemed that whenever the quarterback had pressure on him, it was generally coming from his right. . .although I'm not sure how much of this is a function of Herrera's play as much as the play of someone we'll get to here in a while.
25	Ray Edwards, DE	21	-4	Talked a lot in the pre-season about Michael Strahan's single-season sack record. Came up roughly 17 sacks short of that mark. He's solid at DE, but with the talent that he's playing next to, he should be significantly better. The competition between him and Brian Robison in training camp in 2009 should be interesting.
26	Fred Evans, DT	24	-2	Again, solid, but not spectacular. At least he managed not to get tasered this season, which is always a plus. He is a pretty valuable backup, however, all joking aside.
27	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	27	0	How much fun was it watching ol' Jimmy K rumble downfield with that little slip screen in the Eagles' game? But his purpose here isn't to catch passes, it's to crush people as a blocker, something he still does tremendously well. Hopefully he'll be back next season.
28	Naufahu Tahi, FB	22	-6	I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . .good blocker, but for the love of God, STOP THROWING HIM THE FOOTBALL!
29	Napoleon Harris, LB	NR	NA	Same Napoleon Harris we saw the first time he was in Minnesota. . .solid against the run, can't blitz, can't cover. Good depth, but I really hope we don't have to rely on him to start for any length of time.
30	Charles Gordon, CB	31	+1	Showed some real juice as a punt returner, and was starting to improve as a cornerback as well. . .up until he got his ankle mangled against the Packers. His comeback from that injury is going to be interesting to watch. He really gives us a solid nickel option if he can come back.
31	Cullen Loeffler, LS	35	+4	Hey, let's give the guy some more props. . .again, I ask, when was the last time we saw a bad snap on either a field goal or a punt? It was before Cullen Loeffler came along, that's for sure.
32	Marcus Johnson, OL	30	-2	Played well in the early part of the season, particularly against Indianapolis, when he was asked to play LT (a position he had no experience at). Just didn't get a lot of chances as the season wore on. Still, he's the only member of Minnesota's 2005 draft class that has any chance of being worth anything in the NFL.
33	Benny Sapp, CB	41	+8	He committed some dumb penalties, to be sure, but overall wasn't completely awful or anything like that. He should be back competing for a spot next season.
34	Ryan Cook, OT	20	-14	By far the weakest link on the offensive line. Seems to be good for at least one drive-killing false start penalty a game, and gets beaten far more often than a third-year guy should be getting beaten. He probably won't be starting in 2009, and it wouldn't surprise me if he was off the roster all together.
35	Chris Kluwe, P	26	-9	A very disappointing season for Kluwe, to say the least. After the Eagles' game, DeSean Jackson came right out and basically said, "Man, that guy outkicks his coverage on almost every play." And you know what? He's right. Part of the Vikings' punt-return woes this year came from lack of special teams discipline, but a lot of it came from opposing returners having a lot of space to work with after they catch the ball, too.
36	Husain Abdullah, S	37	+1	Minnesota's leading special teams tackler in 2008. Given the state of the Minnesota special teams, I'll let you decide whether that's good or bad.
37	Vinny Ciurciu, LB	32	-5	This guy, on the other hand, was brought in a few years ago to be almost exclusively a special teamer, and he hasn't been up to snuff. Should be fighting for his job this coming training camp.
38	Marcus McCauley	42	+4	Actually wasn't all that bad when he got on the field. . .but for someone that was a third-round pick and showed a lot of promise a year ago, he should be getting on the field more frequently than he is.
39	Eric Frampton, S	38	-1	Another guy whose main job is to bolster the special teams. Have you noticed that a lot of these "special teams" types are going to be fighting for their jobs next season? Curious, that.
40	Ellis Wyms, DT	48	+8	Hey, at least I noticed he was on the field in the later part of the season. . .that's more than I can say for him over the first half.
41	David Herron, LB	33	-8	Played well in place of E.J. Henderson until Napoleon Harris was brought in. Then we really didn't hear from him much.
42	John Sullivan, C	47	+5	Barring a change via the draft or free agency, this is probably our starting center in 2009. Didn't do much this year.
43	Sidney Rice, WR	36	-7	Like I said on the mid-season list, it absolutely kills me to put Sid the Kid this low, but he had a terrible season. Injured for most of it, and when he did play, he didn't perform terribly well. . .and the route he ran on the play against the Eagles that wound up being a pick-6 was as horribly lazy a route as you're ever going to see. I don't know how much of that was the lingering effects of his knee injury, but he's on the verge of being a bust here.
44	Maurice Hicks, RB	43	-1	I expected nothing, and he delivered. Bravo, Maurice.
45	Otis Grigsby, DE	39	-6	Was actually hoping for big things out of Grigsby this season, but with the way the line rotation set up, he just didn't get a lot of chances.
46	Jeff Dugan, TE	45	-1	Probably should be a little bit higher, but I'm not sure where else I'd slot him at this point.
47	Erin Henderson, LB	44	-3	Has the potential to be more than "E.J's little brother," but didn't get a lot of opportunities to show it this season. He's one to watch for the future, though.
48	Aundrae Allison, WR	34	-14	Another guy that had huge expectations going into the season, and had next to nothing in production. There were questions about his work ethic when he came out of college, and it appears that it might be catching up to him once again. I hope he snaps out of it here soon, or he might find himself without a job.
49	Garrett Mills, TE	40	-9	Again. . .3 catches for 49 yards in the season opener. 2 catches for 16 yards the rest of the way, and spent most of the second half inactive.
50	Letroy Guion, DT	NR	NA	Was expected to be a project, and spent most of the year inactive.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	E.J. Henderson, LB	The Minnesota defense was #6 in the NFL in total yardage, #1 against the run, one of the best in terms of DVOA for the season. . .and they played without this guy from Week 5 onwards. I can't wait to see him back next season.
NA	Heath Farwell, LB	Based on the performance of the Vikings' coverage units this year, Heath Farwell may be the greatest special teams player in the history of the universe. Hopefully he'll be back healthy in 2009.
NA	Dontarrious Thomas, LB	He was here. I don't know how many games he was active for, but he was here.
NA	Drew Radovich, OL	Future prospect. Went on IR with a "shoulder injury" early in the year. Should compete for a spot in training camp.
NA	John David Booty, QB	Didn't see the field after the pre-season finale. Thank goodness.
NA	Robert Ferguson, WR	"Veteran leadership" and "downfield blocking" will only get you so far in this league.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	It would have been nice to have him around to work into the line rotation.
NA	Michael Boulware, S	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Kenderick Allen, DT	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Thomas Tapeh, FB	Epic fail. What else can be said, really?
NA	Jimmy Kennedy, DT	Interesting signing, I think. . .brought in late in the year as Pat Williams insurance. Was a first-round pick a few years ago, so he's got some talent. I think he might stick. . .because, hey, if anybody can tap into the talent that he has, it would be Karl Dunbar. Keep an eye on him this off-season.

Looking Back at the Vikings' 2008 Acquisitions

Gonzo — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:37:22 -0000

The Beloved Purple made many, many splashes over the course of the 2008 off-season. Some of those acquisitions made some pretty big splashes in the regular season for the Vikings as well. It's time to take a look back at the names the Vikings picked up prior to this season and see if their contributions were worth the time, effort, and money that Minnesota spent on them.

This list undoubtedly has to be kicked off with Jared Allen. A lot of folks thought that the Vikings were crazy to give the Chiefs the bounty that they did (the Vikings' first round pick and their two third round picks in the 2008 draft) and to give Allen the contract that they did (making him the league's highest-paid defensive player), particularly when Allen's well-documented off the field problems were taken into consideration. However, a couple of days later at the NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars gave up even more (their first round pick, two third round picks, and a fourth round pick) to trade up to the #8 spot in the draft and take Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey. . .and then gave him $17 million in guaranteed money on top of it.

Harvey had 3.5 sacks in 11 games after an extended holdout. Jared Allen had 14.5 in 16 games. Which team was crazy again?

How good is Jared Allen? In 2007, without a whole lot on the defensive line to help him out, Allen had 15.5 sacks for the Kansas City Chiefs despite missing two games. In 2008, the Chiefs had 10 sacks as a team. Yes, that's ten. That's 1.5 more as a team than Kevin Williams had all by himself. Allen stepped into the Minnesota defense and, despite injury concerns and his self-admitted "problems" getting used to playing with new teammates, he gave the Vikings the best play at defensive end they've seen since Chris Doleman left town. He put constant pressure on quarterbacks, he opened things up for other Vikings' defenders in the pass rush, and he helped to elevate the Vikings' pass defense to a pretty decent level. Oh. . .and he gave us this. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

But you know what the best part is? The fact that Allen turns 27 this April. He averages 11.5 sacks a season. He's tougher than a two-dollar steak. And he's going to be a Viking for a very long time.

It won't be long before we're seeing the Steve Hutchinson effect with Jared Allen throughout the NFL. . .much like Hutchinson, the time is going to come very soon when guys that play the same position as Allen at a lesser level than Allen will start getting paid more than Allen. And when that happens, his contract is going to look like a bargain.

Not just content to make big noise in the trade market, the Vikings went and hit the free agent market as well, signing wide receiver Bernard Berrian, formerly of the Chicago Bears. Berrian was brought in to stretch the field and provide the Vikings' offense with a legitimate deep threat, and it's tough to say that he didn't do what he was advertised to do. He averaged over 20 yards a catch, the most for any NFL receiver with more than 30 catches, and provided us with one of the most exciting plays in Vikings' history.

Yeah, not the highest quality video of it, but it was the best that YouTube had to offer.

While he may have gotten off to a slow start and had a couple of games where he disappeared entirely, it's still tough to say that Berrian wasn't worth the money. He might not be a #1 receiver, but he's been very effective in the Minnesota offense to this point.

The Vikings also needed a quarterback and a mentor for Tarvaris Jackson for this season, so they talked Gus Frerotte out of retirement to be the backup. Frerotte took over the starting role in Week 3 and led the Vikings to an 8-3 mark in the games that he started. . .and I use the word "led" quite loosely, because the Vikings won as many games despite the presence of Frerotte as they did because of it. While Gus probably won't be back in 2009 because of the comments he made after the playoff loss to the Eagles, he played his role well in 2008, despite all of the ups and downs.

I was puzzled by the signing of Maurice Hicks when it happened. I was puzzled by it when the season started. I was more puzzled when I saw him actually return kicks. For a guy that was brought in almost exclusively to be a kick returner, the guy had an amazing propensity for taking the kickoff, going straight ahead, and running into a wall of defenders. No real moves, no great returns. . .and, to be honest, no reason to think that he'll be a Minnesota Viking next season. Darius Reynaud looked much better as a return guy than Hicks did, and could probably serve a dual role as punt returner as well.

Benny Sapp played adequately in most of the situations he was in last year. He started the season as Minnesota's #4 CB, and was elevated to the nickel role when Charles Gordon got his ankle turned to mush against Green Bay. He's probably best remembered by Vikings fans for getting a stupid penalty that negated a third down stop against Chicago just before the goal line stand/99-yard TD sequence. But he's at least earned the chance to come back in 2009 and compete for a roster spot.

Linebacker Derrick Pope got cut by the Vikings before the season even began. And that's the end of that chapter.

I'll say one thing about the Thomas Tapeh fiasco. It helped me to realize the value of Naufahu Tahi, particularly his value as a lead blocker. In fact, Tahi is so valuable as a lead blocker that I firmly believe that all plays that put him in a position to potentially catch the football should be removed from the playbook immediately.

(Seriously. . .dude averaged 2.3 yards a catch this year. He's over 6' tall, so if he catches the ball and falls down, you'd have to figure that's good for 2 yards, isn't it?)

Overall, there are more good things to be said about Minnesota's 2008 off-season acquisitions than there are bad things, in my opinion. Hopefully the Vikings can have the same level of success this off-season as well.

Charles Gordon to Miss Remainder of Season

Gonzo — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:34:16 -0000

Not a surprise to anybody that saw it happen, but Vikings' CB Charles Gordon will miss the remainder of the 2008 season after having his ankle turned to mush on a punt return during the first half of Minnesota's 28-27 victory over the Packers.

There's a link to an animated .gif of the injury in the comments of the game thread below. It's not a full Theismann or anything, but it's still pretty nasty to watch. Gordon's foot basically did a 180. I'd be surprised if any of the ligaments in his ankle made it out intact. Gordon was seen at the post-game press conference wearing hospital scrubs with his ankle in a cast.

The injury to Gordon likely means that Benny Sapp will assume the full-time nickel responsibilities, and Marcus McCauley might actually be able to get onto the active roster every once in a while.

Between the injury to Gordon and WR Robert Ferguson apparently asking for his release, it will be interesting to see what happens to the Vikings' roster over the course of the next couple of days.

Oh, and if anybody missed it yesterday, the Vikings beat the Packers 28-27 on Sunday afternoon. I wasn't sure whether or not everybody knew, so I thought I'd say it again.

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings, Mid-Season Edition

Gonzo — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:14:16 -0000

If you'll recall, I did this last year at the mid-season point and at the end of the season. Yes, I know we're not "technically" at the mid-season point yet, but we're pretty close to it, and I don't think one game is going to change these that much anyway.

Now, these aren't "official" or "scientific" or anything like that. They're my take on how the players that the Minnesota Vikings have put on the field this season have performed. I'm anxious to hear what some of you folks think about these. . .should be a good topic for discussion.

So, without any further ado, here are your mid-season Minnesota Vikings Power Rankings:

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Comment
1	Kevin Williams, DT	The beast is back, and he's again showing why he's considered by many to be the best all-around DT in the National Football League. He's the team leader in sacks with 6, which also puts him in a tie for #6 in the league in that category, and he's again an anchor of what will be the NFL's best run defense.
2	Adrian Peterson, RB	With LaDanian Tomlinson finally showing some signs of wear, the mantle of "Best Running Back in the NFL" now rests squarely on the shoulders of All Day. He's on pace to eclipse the numbers from his outstanding rookie season, and only two running backs in NFL history reached 2,000 career yards faster than he did. And he's only going to continue getting better.
3	Antoine Winfield, CB	After some. . .including myself. . .questioned some of his ability last season, he's come back this year with a vengeance. He's got two sacks that forced two fumbles and led to two momentum-changing touchdowns in Viking victories, and he's been playing lights-out coverage for most of the year.
4	Jared Allen, DE	Has he been everything that he was advertised to be? Well, almost. . .he has five sacks on the season, and has been demanding the double teams that have opened Kevin Williams up to have the monster season that he's been having to this point. He's also among the league leaders in QB pressures, which are always helpful. Look for him to pick it up even more in the second half.
5	Steve Hutchinson, G	Another Viking, along with Williams and Peterson, that carries the title of best in the NFL at his position. This is his third season as a member of the Vikings, and he's still worth every penny. Meanwhile, Nate Burleson is still a glorified kick returner and went on IR after Week 1 this year. Boy, the Seahawks sure got us good with that poison pill, didn't they?
6	Bernard Berrian, WR	After the first two games of the year, I didn't think that #87 would be anywhere near this high on the list. However, as of now, he's on pace for nearly 1,200 yards and has given the Vikings a couple of huge plays since the quarterback switch took place. He's another guy that will look like a bargain in a couple of seasons.
7	Pat Williams, DT	Phat Pat has been fairly quiet this season. . .of course, for him, "quiet" is a relative term. He's still the Immovable Object to Kevin Williams' Irresistible Force, and continues to make every play he's asked to make in the running game.
8	Ryan Longwell, K	He's still amazingly consistent, he still doesn't miss from 45 yards and in, and he might still be the Vikings' most consistent offensive weapon that doesn't have the name "Peterson" on his jersey. With the way Brad Childress' "Kick Ass Offense" runs most weeks, you have to be happy to have a reliable guy like Longwell to turn to.
9	Matt Birk, C	Still among the best in the league at his position, and still makes pretty good calls at the line. You have to wonder whether or not this will be his last season with the Vikings. I have a sneaky suspicion that it just might be.
10	Ben Leber, LB	Going into his third season as Minnesota's most overlooked, most unheralded defensive player. Has been a leader on the defense since he's been here, and that role has only increased with the injury to E.J. Henderson. You won't hear his name much, but that's pretty much because he never gets beaten or finds himself out of position.
11	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	Surprised to see him this high on the list? Me, too, quite frankly. It only took him about 20 games or so to get himself established, but since the change at quarterback, he's catching more passes and been infinitely more effective. He could be developing into a real weapon for the Vikings' offense.
12	Gus Frerotte, QB	Since becoming the starter, Gus has been basically the same quarterback he's been his entire career. He has moments and games where you think he's capable of being the guy for the long haul (see the New Orleans game), and then he has moments and games that remind you of why he's been a backup for most of his NFL career (see the Chicago game). Sadly, that still makes him more consistent than Tarvaris Jackson, and that's what the Vikings need at the QB position right now.
13	Tyrell Johnson, S	Another nice surprise for the Vikings. With Madieu Williams being out, teams have largely avoided Darren Sharper and tried to go after the rookie from Arkansas State, and he's been equal to the task thus far. He'll make a nice replacement for Sharper, who will probably be gone after this season.
14	Darren Sharper, S	As I said above, this is probably the last season in Minnesota for the best safety in Green Bay Packer history. He may have finally lost that step that Packer fans have been convinced that he lost three years ago. No interceptions this season yet for #42, but I can't help put think that will change as the season goes on.
15	Artis Hicks, OL	You know, considering the guys he was lined up across from in the Vikings' first four games, he really didn't perform that badly. He wasn't great or anything, but then again, you could say the same thing about. . .
16	Bryant McKinnie, OT	. . .the guy he was standing in for. Seriously. . .have I been the only one that's noticed that the offense really hasn't been THAT drastically different with McKinnie at LT than it was with Hicks lined up over there?
17	Chad Greenway, LB	Still a fine athlete with a knack for the big play. . .but, strangely enough, there are still times where the guy looks completely lost in coverage. He's in his third year. . .he really needs to cut down on those sort of incidents.
18	Bobby Wade, WR	Actually leads the Vikings in receptions this season with 30, and his on his way to eclipsing his stats from last season when he was the "#1 wide receiver." Still a very good YAC receiver, and can be counted on most times to the a first down when the Vikings need one.
19	Anthony Herrera, G	To be honest, I haven't heard his name very many times this year, either. For an offensive lineman, this can only be considered a good thing.
20	Ryan Cook, OT	Same for Cook. . .he's certainly not an elite right tackle by any stretch, but he's not getting regularly abused, either. Still, you can't help but have the nagging feeling that both parts of the right side of the line could use an upgrade.
21	Ray Edwards, DE	Only needs to average about 2.5 sacks per game from here on out to break Michael Strahan's single-season record. "It will be interesting to see if he can do it," the author said sarcastically.
22	Naufahu Tahi, FB	With as many times as he's thrown to in this offense, you'd think that he'd be the Vikings' leading receiver. He's averaging an amazingly low 2.2 yards/catch, but he has provided decent blocking to this point. And his name is still fun to say.
23	Chester Taylor, RB	It saddens me that I have to put Taylor this far down on the list. However, for reasons that I'm really not sure of, he's not being used in the offense this year nearly as much as he should be. He's only had 10 carries or more in two different games this year, and hasn't rushed for more than 44 yards in a game this season. He's still catching the ball well, but I still think he needs to be used more frequently. I love Adrian Peterson as much as anyone, but #29 shouldn't be getting ignored like this.
24	Fred Evans, DT	Has provided some pretty decent relief for the Williams' boys when he's rotated in. Had the bonehead play in Chicago that made a end-of-half field goal attempt five yards closer than it needed to be, but otherwise has been relatively solid.
25	Cedric Griffin, CB	When you think of somebody being "lost in coverage," Griffin is the first guy that should come to mind. Part of the reason that Antoine Winfield is having the season he is comes from the fact that, when Griffin is on the field, teams have no reason at all to throw Winfield's direction. I still think that Griffin could be an elite NFL safety, but it looks like the Vikings want to have Tyrell Johnson and Madieu Williams at the position for the long haul. It will be interesting to see what Griffin's Vikings future holds.
26	Chris Kluwe, P	You have to wonder if the guy's head isn't completely messed up at this point. The punt returns for TDs, the bungled snap in Chicago, Brad Childress bringing in punters to try out during the week. I still think he's a pretty decent punter, but he may have had more screw-ups this season than in his entire Minnesota career, and we're not even to the half way mark.
27	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	North Dakota's favorite son is still a killer in-line blocker, and his 34-yard reception against the Lions a couple weeks ago flashed us back to what he used to be capable of. One of the guys that I hope that this franchise always has room for in some capacity.
28	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	Well, what can I say. . .except that I was wrong about this guy. I doubt that he'll ever take another meaningful snap for the Minnesota Vikings, which in a way is kind of sad. He's still got a world of physical ability, and he appears to be relatively smart. He just got thrown into the fire way too soon. It will be interesting to see if he catches on with another team (because I don't think he'll be here next year) and, if so, how he does under the direction of a real NFL coach.
29	Brian Robison, DE	Another guy that really, really needs to get on the field more often. There's a very good chance that he's better than Ray Edwards, although Edwards remains the starting DE across from Jared Allen. I like Robison's intensity, and hope he starts seeing more playing time in the near future.
30	Marcus Johnson, OT	Has actually been pretty good when called upon, making him the only member of Minnesota's 2005 draft class to be worth a damn at the NFL level.
31	Charles Gordon, CB	Has performed ably as the nickel back this season, but hasn't shown much as a punt returner, other than an inability to get the hell away from the football when it's going to bounce inside the 10-yard line. Yeah, I'm still miffed about that play.
32	Vinny Ciurciu, LB	Actually didn't perform too horribly as MLB when called upon, other than getting penalized on a 4th and goal play against the Bears for getting pushed down by Desmond Clark. But, honestly, we don't want him out there at MLB.
33	David Herron, LB	Had two games where he started in place of E.J. Henderson, and then got hurt. Wasn't terrible, but wasn't great either. Good depth, but probably won't ever be a full-time guy.
34	Aundrae Allison, WR	Hasn't gotten quite the chances I had hoped that he would this season, and has inexplicably been stripped of his returner duties. I, personally, don't understand. . .but that's probably why I don't run an NFL franchise or anything.
35	Cullen Loeffler, LS	Hey. . .when's the last time you remember seeing a bad snap? And don't say "last week against Chicago." That snap was perfectly fine.
36	Sidney Rice, WR	Yes, it pains me to put him here. But, the reality is that he's missed 4 or 5 straight games with a knee injury. He's been alright when he's been on the field, but he's developing a reputation for being soft. The Vikings NEED him on the field, and he hasn't been there.
37	Husain Abdullah, S	Looks like he might be our team leader in special teams tackles. For a guy that I didn't even project to make the roster, that's pretty good.
38	Eric Frampton, S	Hasn't come alive the way I had hoped. Yes, I will run that joke completely and thoroughly into the ground. Thank you for asking.
39	Otis Grigsby, DE	Haven't really noticed him much this season. Not surprising, since he only has one tackle through seven games and has been inactive a couple of times.
40	Garrett Mills, TE	Was the Vikings' leading receiver in the season opener with 3 catches for 49 yards. Has 1 catch for 10 yards since. Maybe we bought into the hype too quickly.
41	Benny Sapp, CB	Decent enough in coverage, but I wonder what, exactly, it is that he does that. . .
42	Marcus McCauley, CB	. . .couldn't do. McCauley looked like he was really starting to come on at the end of last season, but has spent most of this year on the inactive list. Another one I don't understand.
43	Maurice Hicks, RB	I remember why I hated the Hicks signing now. It's because he didn't make us appreciably better at any spot on the field. He's not a great kick returner, he doesn't return punts, and he's not a very good RB. Other than that, great signing by Minnesota.
44	Erin Henderson, LB	The thing that people remember about Henderson the younger this season is seeing him get absolutely clocked on one of Reggie Bush's punt returns for a TD against the Saints. I really have nothing else to add here
45	Jeff Dugan, TE	Spent most of the year inactive. . .really hasn't done a whole lot when he's been on the field. Not a lot to say.
46	Robert Ferguson, WR	Yes, I know. . .veteran leadership, blocking, yadda yadda yadda. Seriously, we could have kept Martin Nance here.
47	John Sullivan, C	Has been active for every game this year. Can't say that I've noticed. Have you?
48	Ellis Wyms, DT	I know he's been on the field, but he's yet to register any sort of a stat this season. I haven't seen anyone do that since the glory days of Chris Hovan.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	E.J. Henderson, LB	With the level he was playing at prior to his injury, he probably would have been #1 on this list if he was still healthy. The guy's a monster in the middle, and is already sorely missed by the Minnesota defense.
NA	Madieu Williams, S	Williams says that he "hopes to play" against the Texans coming out of the bye. I've been hoping to see him play since we signed him in March. Hopefully he can help shore up the pass defense a little more.
NA	Heath Farwell, LB	If you don't think losing a special teams leader can make a big difference, look at the special teams coverage last year WITH Farwell, and then this year without him. A bigger loss than even we could have imagined during the pre-season.
NA	Dontarrious Thomas, LB	Well, he's familiar with the system, so it will be interesting to see how the Vikings use him.
NA	Napoleon Harris, LB	Same story as Thomas. Started at MLB against the Bears and got worked over pretty good. We'll have to see if he's better adjusted after the bye week.
NA	Drew Radovich, OL	Appeared to be stricken with "Hey, we want you on the team, but we really don't have a spot for you at the moment, so hang out on IR"-itis. That's my diagnosis, anyway. I'm not a doctor or anything.
NA	John David Booty, QB	Inactive all season as the #3 QB. With the way he looked in the pre-season, I can only consider this a blessing in disguise.
NA	Letroy Guion, DT	Inactive most of the season. Hasn't done much.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	It would have been nice to have him around to work into the line rotation.
NA	Michael Boulware, S	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Kenderick Allen, DT	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Thomas Tapeh, FB	Pretty much epitomizes the Brad Childress era to this point. Signed a 5-year contract, played in exactly two games, was inactive for a month, and then got cut. Epic fail. Probably wouldn't have been signed if the knee surgery he had in the off-season had been discovered. Whether that's Tapeh's fault or Minnesota's fault is up for debate, but the end result is still bad for the Beloved Purple.

And there they are, folks. . .my take on the Vikings' roster to this point of the 2008 season. Feel free to discuss, debate, agree, disagree, or whatever it is that you feel like doing with these.

Vikings At the Bye: The Negatives Outweigh the Positives

Gonzo — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:00:34 -0000

Yep. . .that pretty much says it all. A season that started with so much promise now teeters on the brink after seven games with the Beloved Purple going into the bye week. No, the season's not over by any stretch, but there are a lot of things that need to change if things are going to improve in the season's second half.

So what have the major lowlights been to this point? Let's go through them, as only we can.

The Special Teams? Quite Possibly the Worst in the History of the NFL

And I'm not even remotely exaggerating when I make that declaration.

In the past three weeks, the Vikings' punt teams have allowed four touchdowns. . .two returns to Reggie Bush on Monday night in New Orleans, Chris Kluwe's. . .whatever the hell that was. . .against the Bears, and Charles Gordon forgetting to get the hell away from a punt that was going to land inside the 10-yard line. The two gaffes in the Bears' game are fundamental errors. Getting away from a punt is something you learn in high school. . .you can't be doing that crap in the National Football League.

As far as Kluwe, after the hissy fit thrown by Brad Childress after the New Orleans game and bringing in four different punters to "try out," I wonder if he just hasn't completely screwed Kluwe's psyche all to hell at this point. Kluwe was, for whatever reason, scared to death of an injured and ineffective Devin Hester, and didn't even catch the snap before he tried to punt it away. Whatever the reason, it's simply inexcusable.

The kickoff coverage team is awful as well. Three times in the first half against the Bears yesterday, we attempted to pooch or squib the ball to the Bears in an attempt to avoid Hester. The Bears started those drives at the 46, 48, and 41-yard lines. You know what that means? That in each of those situations, we would have been better off telling Ryan Longwell to just kick the ball out of bounds. That way, the Bears would have only gotten the ball at the 40.

I've never been a fan of "avoiding" returners on special teams. Discipline on special teams will stop pretty much any returner, whether it's Devin Hester or Reggie Bush or anybody else. Unfortunately, the Vikings are last in the NFL in pretty much every major special teams category, and they have absolutely no discipline in any phase of their special teams play. I don't know if it's on the players or on the coach, but the Vikings' special teams have been atrocious for a long time. Something needs to be done.

Our Quarterback of the Future? Not On This Roster Anywhere

Gus Frerotte showed on Sunday why he's been a backup for the majority of his NFL career. Yes, one of his four interceptions was tipped, but the other three were simply awful, inexcusable passes. Yes, the offense has looked "better" since Frerotte took over, but that's more of an indictment of how the "kick ass offense" looked before Frerotte than it does about how it looks with him at the helm.

Tarvaris Jackson is done in Minnesota, which is sad, because we're never going to know how he could have done with an actual football coach in a real, NFL offensive system. It's obvious that the current coaching staff has no confidence in him any more at this point, and when they get fired at the end of this season, it's unlikely that the new regime is going to hold on to him. Most coaches want to bring in "their guy" when they take over a team, and whoever is coaching the Vikings in 2009 will likely be no exception.

Could John David Booty be the answer? Not unless he somehow has a light bulb go on during the upcoming off-season and looks significantly less lost than he did during the 2008 pre-season. The guy's got talent. . .you don't get to start at quarterback for USC if you don't. . .but we have to see how that talent will translate to the NFL.

This situation is made infintely more frustrating by the fact that the Vikings have, bar none, the most talented team in this division if you take the other 21 positions into account. The only. . .ONLY. . .difference is that Green Bay and Chicago are getting productive play from their quarterbacks, while we've gotten next to nothing from ours for seven weeks. The fact that we're still only a game out of the division race given our quarterback situation, our special teams, and our coaching staff is a direct testament to the talent and abilities of the rest of this roster.

The Coaching Staff? They All Need to Go, and Sooner Rather Than Later

I'm not just limiting this one to Brad Childress. Everybody needs to be gone. Childress? Gone. Darrell Bevell? Gone. Leslie Frazier? Gone. Paul Ferraro? Gone.

Sometimes, I think that Leslie Frazier would make a fine head coach if we were to fire Brad Childress. . .and then there's times like yesterday that makes me think I should personally drug test myself for believing such things. For example, on Chicago's last touchdown, a 5-yard hitch that Marty Booker turned into a 51-yard touchdown, the closest man to Booker in coverage was. . .Jared Allen?

Now, I understand the concept of a zone blitz and all that, and I understand that such things will be called on occasion. However, let me question the timing of this one. In a situation where we're down by one score, we haven't stopped the opposing offense all day, and we need to stop them on one particular drive. . .we're not paying Jared Allen $73 million to cover Marty Freaking Booker. We're paying him to attempt to separate Kyle Orton's head from his shoulders.

I've been over and over my problems with the "Kick Ass Offense," and I touched on the atrocity that is our special teams earlier in the post. But I thought I'd highlight the defense because Frazier seems to get a free pass more often than not. . .however, when you consider all of the talent this defense has on it and then watch them give up 48 points yesterday to the Bears, one could reasonably draw the conclusion that Frazier might be doing the worst coaching job of all. At least the offense has the excuse of having garbage at quarterback to fall back on. The Vikings have talent at all three levels of the defense. . .there's no excuse for the kind of crap we saw yesterday.

There will be more throughout the week, but that's all the righteous indignation I can muster for this morning. Just keep telling yourselves "We're only 3-4, and we're only one game out." It's been working for me, for the most part. We'll see you back here later today, folks!

Whether the Vikings Have Questions Or Not, Gonzo Has Answers

Gonzo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:06:06 -0000

Well, in the last 24 hours or so, we've learned that we've got a spineless moron for a head coach. Actually, we covered spineless yesterday, and at today's press conference, we got the moron part covered, too. When asked at his press conference today why he chose to punt the ball away on 4th and 13 with no time outs and about 2:30 left on the clock, Brad Childress gave the following answer, verbatim:

"Based on the way we were playing defense, I thought we’d have a chance to get it back."

What. . .in the blue hell. . .are you talking about? You thought you were going to get the ball back? How? Did you think that the Titans were going to fumble the ball DURING THE KNEELDOWN!? Good lord, just because a team coached by you is capable of something that stupid doesn't mean that a team with even an iota of discipline is capable of the same thing.

A couple of other things from yesterday's game before we get to the Vikings' problems.

The call on the Gage reception on 4th and 1 in the second quarter was complete horse crap. After the replay, the officials spotted the ball a full yard ahead of where Gage actually got to. . .which was at least 3/4 of a yard past where he needed to get to. Between the fumble and the fact that he didn't actually get there, that call was nothing short of complete garbage. Yes, I know that the Vikings lost that game in plenty of other ways, too, but it would help if a big call in a big situation would just once. . .just once. . .go Minnesota's way.

Oh, and the Vanden Bosch hit on Frerotte was completely cheap and gutless. He took way more than his alloted one step after Frerotte got rid of the football, and then felt the need to shove his helmet into Frerotte's. . .well, helmet. Eh, at least he didn't follow it up by stomping his cleats into Frerotte's face, I guess, so that's a plus.

But, anyway, enough about all of that. This is where we take a look at what the Vikings need to do to make an attempt, however futile, to get their season turned around. I thought about making this a Top Ten list, but items 1-8 wound up being "Fire Brad Childress," which would be a big part of the solution, in my opinion. . .but failing that, here are a few humble suggestions, in no particular order.

1) Get serious about the "accountability" and "discipline" we've heard so much about over the past 2+ years

We thought this team was undisciplined during the Tice era. They were, mind you. . .but Childress was supposed to be an improvement in that regard. He's been anything but. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Vikings are once again among the most penalized teams in the league. . .27 in 4 games, to be exact (of the ones that have actually been accepted, that is). But it's not just the penalties. It's other things, like. . .oh, I don't know. . .getting called for delay of game not once, but TWICE, on the first play of a drive after a TV time out. It's things like having one time out left down on the 2-yard line down by 6 points and burning your last time out rather than taking what would be a good delay of game penalty that would move you back a whole one yard.

Well-coached players on well-coached teams don't do that sort of garbage. Tony Dungy wouldn't accept that crap. Bill Belichick wouldn't accept that crap. Neither would Mike Holmgren. Or Tom Coughlin. Or any other coach worth his salt. But for the last 2+ years under Childress, we've seen exactly the same thing that we saw the previous four years under Mike Tice. It hasn't gotten any better, and it can't get much worse.

If you're going to preach discipline and accountability, start walking the walk.

2) Cedric Griffin needs to sit down for a while

The most surprising defensive play of the Vikings' season was turned in by CB Antoine Winfield. But it wasn't his sack/strip/TD against the Panthers that I'm talking about. No, the play I'm talking about was Winfield's interception against the Colts in Week 2. Why is that the most surprising defensive play of the year?

Because it meant that an opposing quarterback actually threw towards Winfield's side of the field. . .and, more surprisingly, AWAY from Cedric Griffin's. Honestly, for most of the last couple of years, every time an opponent has gotten a big pass play, the quarterback looks for where #23 is on the field, and goes right after him. And, the majority of the time, there's not a damn thing that anybody can do about it.

Part of it is the fact that the Vikings insist on playing way more man coverage than they should with cornerbacks that aren't suited to play it, but Griffin has gotten progressively worse since his rookie season. I don't know if the answer is Charles Gordon or Marcus McCauley (if Childress ever sees fit to activate him) or Benny Sapp or who it is. . .but as of right now, Cedric Griffin is NOT the answer. And he might never be the answer at CB. I still think he could be a great safety if they made the switch, but he's not a CB in the National Football League, in my opinion.

3) Get Adrian Peterson the ball in space and stop just slamming him into the line

Yesterday, Adrian Peterson took a handoff from Gus Frerotte, made a move to the outside, got around the corner, and went 28 yards for a touchdown. When Adrian Peterson gets out into space, he can do some truly special things. We all know that. . .which makes it that much more frustrating that he rarely ever gets the ball there. We can run eighteen different screens for Naufahu Tahi, but when was the last time we put together a decent screen for #28? There's hardly any swing passes, there's no splitting Peterson out wide or putting him in the slot. We have the best running back in the National Football League at our disposal, and we can't come up with more creative ways to get him the football? The Eagles can do it with Westbrook, the Chargers can do it with Tomlinson. . .why can't we do it with Peterson?

4) While we're at it. . .remember that Chester Taylor still plays for the Vikings

Chester Taylor got 11 carries for 44 yards in the game against Carolina when everyone knew Adrian Peterson was nursing a bad hamstring. In the other three games of this season, he has a total of 10 carries for 37 yards. It doesn't matter if you have the best 1-2 combination in the league at running back if you only use half of it.

Hey, I've got a wacky idea. . .why don't we put Taylor and Peterson on the field together? Isn't that crazy? Nah. . .I bet that would never work. I'm sure that Brad Childress and his infinite wisdom would have come up with that already.

5) Stop trying to get so cute with the play calling

Yes, I know the offense needs to be more creative. But 3rd and 1 with the running backs and the offensive line that the Vikings have is generally NOT the time to go to a 4 WR formation and throw the football. Get your one yard, move the chains, and do something more creative on first and second down when the other guys are least expecting it.

Do any of you folks have any suggestions for fixing the Beloved Purple? Feel free to share them here if you do.