Leslie Frazier is already proving to be a short-sighted, not bold, non-creative head coach.  The Facts:

- Favre is WORST in the league in turnovers and 2nd to last in QB rating

- Favre will not be back next year

- Favre has single-handedly lost the Vikings at least 3 games this year (Miami, Jets, Green Bay #1)

Logical Conclusion:

There is ZERO reason to continue to start Brett Favre.  Frazier simply doesn't have Guts to make the change.  He's being selfish and short-sighted to try to squeeze out an extra meaningless win with Favre rather than try to develop / evaluate Tarvaris Jackson and/or Joe Webb, just so he can say to the Wilfs: "Look, I went 3-3, give me the job!". Look at his rediculous quote:

“Brett Favre is going to get it going, those turnovers are going to come down, and we’re going to get it going as a football team. I really believe that.”

How Frazier?  Are you the offensive genius that can make a 41-year old turnover machine efficient again?  What a joke.  The irony is that Frazier will lose more games even this season with Favre, than by doing the right thing for the future by playing Jackson or Webb.

Remember when you guys were whining and moaning for the Vikings to keep Sage Rosenfels?  Well, his back-up ass decided to run his mouth about Chilldress and the Vikings, a team that paid him $4 million last year:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/13/sage-rosenfels-says-brad-childress-is-clueless/

"Former NFL quarterback Jim Miller, who now works for Sirius NFL Radio, explains in a column for CSNChicago.com that Rosenfels labeled Childress as “clueless” during an on-air interview.  Miller also writes that Rosenfels, ... “thought Brad was an absolute idiot during his time in Minnesota.”  Rosenfels, per Miller, also “could not believe Brad called plays as offensive coordinator for the Eagles.”  (Actually, Childress didn’t call the plays; coach Andy Reid did.)  Rosenfels’ comments tend to bolster the belief that it was Rosenfels who blabbed to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports in August regarding the friction between Childress and quarterback Brett Favre, especially since Cole’s source said that “Brett thinks Childress has no clue about offense.”

Look, bashing Chilldress has become pretty trendy, both among players, the media, and even here among fans.  But this is just a bush league, cry baby b*tch move.  The guy has been with a new team for over two months, and now he's piling on his old team's coach?  WTF.  I'm personally happy as hell to have his scrub ass off the team, we have enough gutless "off-the-record" complainers already.  Tarvaris meanwhile, who has been jerked around by Chilly and Favre more than anyone, has been nothing but a professional and a team player.  F*ck Rosenfels.

I hope this year turns around.  I really do.  But it's not looking good.  So here are my thoughts on what the Vikings need to do in the next 1-2 years.


Like many people are saying, we need to get YOUNG.  We need to stop trying for the quick fix, the "one missing mercenary piece."  We need to stop mortgaging our future to win now; especially since we haven't "won now."  So I don't want to hear about signing McNabb.  He ain't going to get it done if Favre couldn't.

It's time to TRUST the younger guys, including Tarvaris Jackson.  That is what it comes down to.  Chilly didn't TRUST Jackson, so he got Favre.  He didn't TRUST Harvin, Camarillo, AD, Gerhart, and Shank to get it done on offense, so he panicked and traded for Moss.

It's time to build around a core of Peterson, Harvin, Moss, TJack, Shiancoe, Toby, Greenway, Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, Winfield, and a few others, then trade/cut some dead wood veterans (sorry Madieu Williams, Pat Williams, Sullivan, maybe Hutch at some point), DRAFT well, and roll with what we have and BUILD GOOD CHEMISTRY.

We'll have a lot of talent.  Maybe not the most.  But hopefully with good chemistry, a chip on their shoulder, youth, and a NEW COACH, we can shock the world in the next year or two.

Sadly, this whole Favre-Chilly power struggle and Vikings season collapsing was amazingly well-predicted by Yahoo! Sports writer Michael Silver (yes that same one) over two months ago:

Aug 18, 5:35 pm EDT

"What if things get ugly early and Childress feels he needs to make a change, either to give his team a spark and/or to get Favre healthy for a potential stretch run? Good luck with that, Chilly.

Remember, there’s also the matter of The Streak. Can you imagine how Favre would react if Childress tried to end his NFL-record string of consecutive starts – even if the Vikings were already out of playoff contention?

Hopefully, for Favre, Childress and the Vikings, this is just a sports columnist fretting over worst-case scenarios, and none of this potential drama will ever come into play. Favre is certainly great enough to overcome these obstacles and surprise us once more, and I’m glad he has the guts and competitive spirit to go for it.

When it comes to encores, though, there’s a simple rule that the best entertainers have been preaching since long before pro football existed: Always leave ‘em wanting more.

And I have this sick feeling that by the time the 2010 season is over, we’ll all be saying, No mas."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-favreencore081810

It's time for VIkings fans, and more importantly, Vikings coaches Chilldress and Bevell to realize something: Adrian "All Day" Peterson is by far the best player on the Vikings (he may be the best player in the NFL too) and Brett Favre, who at 41 years old, injured, and missed camp, is the sidekick, NOT the other way around.

Last year was a mirage.  Favre will not be that good again, Rice is out, Chester is gone, teams know how to attack Favre (literally).  The only way the Vikings will have a shot this year is for their O-Line to re-discover their run-blocking mastery and ride AD.  And don't worry haters, he will (a) Run Hard and get good yardage on average (b) NOT fumble and (c) pop some BIG TD runs if we stick with it.

It might not be pretty, but this is the formula we have to use to win.  It was evident tonight.  We had success on offense (and helped out D) when we focused on the run with AD and let Favre pick his spots.  Also, it will be good when Toby Gerhardt comes back as he can take his turn pounding the rock and give AD a breather (Albert Young is small, weak, and doesn't run decisively)

Clearly Chilly and Bevell still didn't realize that 2009 is gone, and relying on Brett to win games won't work, as we saw tonight.  We abandoned the run.  WE stopped Peterson, NOT the Saints. 

Time to Wake Up.

Tony Richardson is a BEAST of a Fullback.  He was with the Vikes two years ago, then was let go and went to the Jets.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/05/jets-cut-tony-richardson/

The Jets cut him to try to save money by hoping to re-sign him after Week 1.  Cheap Bastards.

When he was blocking for AD in Adrian's rookie year, Peterson went NUTS, as we all know.  The Vikings can now re-sign him!  The difference between a monster blocker like Tony Richardson and a doughboy like Tahi is laughable.

It's pretty simple; when Richardson was with the Vikes, they led the league in team rushing.  Then, he goes to the Jets, and last year they lead the league in rushing.  TIME TO BEEF UP THE RUN GAME; GET RICHARDSON BACK VIKINGS!!!

From Judd Zulgad:

"It sounds as if there is a very good chance Rice will end up having surgery on his injured hip."

http://twitter.com/JuddZulgad/status/21974546922

From ProFootballTalk:

"Sidney Rice's hip injury may wind up damaging the Vikings season more than any quarterback-coach schism...The Vikings wideout has reportedly been Vail, Colorado this week at the Steadman Clinic to have his hip examined.  Rice could miss half the season if he decides to undergo the procedure.

The timing of the possible surgery has to drive the Vikings crazy.  Rice practiced despite the injury throughout the offseason and said as recently as July 8 that he'd be "ready to go" at training camp."

Wow.  Just wow.  This story just about speaks for itself.  Rice is our #1, Pro Bowl receiver and now he'll likely be out half the year.  As Florio said, this just drives us Vikings fans crazy, as Sidney has had this issue FOR MONTHS and NOW he's going to have surgery?!?  WTF.  This is terrible news, sorry to be the one to break it here.  I guess we all know why they signed Jevon Walker now...jeez.

I'll say one more thing: the Vikings had better focus like hell on getting the O-Line improved BIG TIME, because we are going to have to ride Adrian ALL DAY (no pun intended here, sadly) if we want to still be in contention later in the year when Rice finally (hopefully) returns.

Read this:

"I really look at it as a guy that if we were fortunate enough to get him, we would have a 1 and 1A," Childress told Mike Morris of KFAN.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/12/childress-says-ap-and-lt-would-be-1-and-1a/

I usually defend Childress, but this is shameful and potentially a team-killing comment.  I'm disgusted and speachless, so I'm just going to reprint the excellent comment of a reader on PFT:

"Nice of Chilly to dismiss the importance of your #1 offensive weapon. If I was Peterson, I would be looking to play out my contract and sign with a HC/Team that truly appreciated my talent.

Why does Childress think he has the luxury of making statements like, we can wait for Favre to make up his mind, because with Favre we are a good team and without Favre we are a good team. It's because Peterson is in the backfield making teams pay attention to the run on 100% of the downs that he is in the game . . . teams stack the box when AP is in the game trying to not get burned by 5 yard runs.

Boy talk about biting the hand that feeds you . . . 30 other teams (note: Vikings have AP and Titans are happy with C. Johnson) would kill to replace their current backfield with AP, fumbles and all.

Talk about idiotic statements, you are going to diss your best player to chase after an over-the-hill, tank-empty, has-been"

If the Vikings get LT (I hope they don't) and they bend over for LT's EGO, they are 100% screwed next season, with or without Favre.  Keep f'ing with Adrian's confidence, bringing in washed-up divas who haven't done sh*t in the postseason...man, I think the Vikes have blown it.

Check this out Fellow Viking fans:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/08/vikings-appear-to-have-interest-in-ladainian-tomlinson/

It's not finalized, but I'm wondering if this is even a good thing or a desperate move to cover for losing Chester Taylor (who is, at this point, clearly better than LT, esp. for 3rd down pass-catching/blocking).  LT's number's suggest he has little athleticism left; but more-so I'm worried about his attitude /baggage.  This is the guy who less than a year ago (!) said he was still the best RB in the League (which was/is laughable actually), and that he was specifically better than AD; and now we're thinking of asking him to back up AD?

For more evidence, check this article out:

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/02/22/ladainian-tomlinsons-options-may-be-few/

"I don't know that he has anything left," one NFC executive said. "I'd be hesitant to sign him."

"Tomlinson rushed for just 730 yards in 14 games and had a paltry 3.3-yard rushing average in 2009 and was, by most accounts, a high-maintenance player in his final two seasons in San Diego. He needed constant reassurance from Chargers coaches and front office people that he was still the cornerstone of their franchise"

"You have to understand, with L.T, you're not just signing the player. You're taking on the whole package," [read: EGO] an AFC personnel executive told FanHouse.

Ugh.  I read quotes like this and I like this (potential) move less and less.  This guy has not been a top RB in a while, and even when he was, he notoriously choked /was-hurt in the playoffs.  I just don't know about this...I'm worried the Vikings' brass are buying into (or trying to sell fans on) the LT "name" instead of looking at what the player actually has left (seemingly not much).

So I ask you guys, could getting LT be a good thing?  Or is this a potentially terrible move for the Vikes?

Hey Vikings Fans!

Can't wait for the Vikes to take down the 'Boys this weekend.  Forgive the concern-trolling, but I was just wondering if you thought this article is a concern:

http://nflblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/01/yellow-flags-anderson-gets-cow.html

The Cowboys haven't even boarded the plane yet for their NFC semifinal game with the Minnesota Vikings this weekend but already have caught a huge break. A league source said the NFL has assigned the officiating crew of Walt Anderson to work the game between the Cowboys and Vikings.

The Anderson crew was the only one of the league's 17 officiating crews to assess 200 penalties this season. It also led the league with its 1,794 penalty yards, 172 more than the No. 2 crew. That should alarm the Cowboys, one of the league's most penalized teams this season.

But it's even more alarming to the Vikings. Anderson's crew was harder on home teams than any officiating crew this season. It assessed 113 penalties for a staggering 1,029 yards on home teams.

As a means of comparison, the Cowboys drew the Ed Hochuli crew for its opening-round playoff game last weekend. Working the same number of games (15) during the regular season, the Hochuli crew called 22 fewer penalties for 317 fewer yards against home teams than Anderson.
Anderson's crew assessed 10 or more penalties against six teams this season. Five of them were home teams. He also assessed 100 or more yards in penalties against five teams. Four of them were home teams.

Anderson worked one game apiece involving the Cowboys and Vikings this the season. In the Minnesota-Detroit game at Minneapolis, Anderson assessed 13 penalties for 91 yards against the Vikings. His crew penalized Detroit only four times for 40 yards. [MY NOTE: This was the game of the Ray Edwards' huge hit that was BS called a penalty for "launching" himself]  In the Cowboys-Broncos game at Denver, Anderson penalized the Broncos 10 times for 81 yards. He penalized the Cowboys seven times for 70 yards.

In the Baltimore-Green Bay game in December, Anderson walked off an NFL season-high 310 yards in penalties. He was hard on the road Ravens, assessing 12 penalties for 135 yards. But he was even harder on the home Packers, assessing 11 penalties for 175 yards.

What do you guys think?  Is the NFL screwing us with this Walt Anderson guy?  SKOL!

First off, let me just wish everyone a Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2010 :)  I just wanted to make a suggestion / get people's thoughts on a possible personnel change in the Vikings secondary. You've probably read that Leslie Frazier and co. plan to "limit" Antoine Winfield this week (and beyond), esp. in terms of coverage, because of his foot injury (and to me he was never the best pass coverage corner, even when healthy and younger):

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/blog/80436142.html?elr=KArks47cQiU47cQiU47cQULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/15328/vikings-exploring-winfields-role

I agree with this move based on how badly he has been burned recently and his foot injury.  However, Winfield brings hard-hitting and toughness to the secondary that would be missed by sitting him.  Playing him at nickel back is one option, but it still opens up coverage issues and limits his playing time.  So what about moving Winfield over to safety?  His hitting, experience, and leadership seem to me to be a great fit for the position, esp. considering how poorly our current safeties have played (Johnson and Williams).  In fact, since both our safeties have been so bad, and Jamarca Sanford seems to have some game, why not  revamp the secondary right now as follows:

CB: Cedric Griffin

Safety: Antoine Winfield

Safety: Jamarca Sanford

CB: Benny Sapp

(Nickel Back: Asher Allen)

Wouldn't this address a lot of the Vikings problems with (a) poor tackling and (b) pass coverage by (a) replacing two weak tacklers (Williams and Johnson) with two hammers (Winfield and Sanford) at safety, and by (b) adding speed to the corners?  Do you guys think this would work?  Why or why not?  If yes, will the Vikings coaches make the move?  Why or why not?  Thanks for your thoughts!