This up coming year is looking to be an uncapped year. This basically means that the NFL will suddenly be a lot more like the MLB. The Yankees spend a crap load of money every year and then there are the Marlins who pay everyone the minimum. You don't actually hear about it much, but there is a cap relating to a minimum each team has to spend. So, I am guessing that the Cowgirls go all out and spend a crap load of money. Jenny Jones loves to shop, but I the Wilf's aren't shy with the check book either! So, I expect that if the talent is out there, the Vikes will make a play at it. Question is, and hopefully what some of you can help me with...who is going to be available that is worth anything anyways? I heard about Peppers tonight on the pro bowl and another post, but who else and who is worth throwing all kinds of money at?

What a win over the hated Cowboys!!!  My favorite sack was actually Kennedy's sack where Romo just laid there mangled for a second like a crash test dummy.   Ahhhh...I also found it funny how the noise that wasn't going to be a factor according to ESPN and Dallas seemed to cause all of these problems (but maybe I took that one a little personal).  Anyways, the Vikes won't get respect until they win it all, so on to the next game and the next game is going to be tough.  I happen to watch the Saints on Sunday Ticket because a good friend of mine is a huge fan and we rooted for each others team until now (we're not on speaking terms right now).  They are extremely explosive and what is remarkable is the decisive nature of Brees and the passing game.  It is fast! 

One of the things I have looked at is how the addition of Darren Sharper helped their defense.  Obviously he has flourished in their defensive scheme.  Needless to say, he knows a lot about the Vikings defensive scheme too.  So, outside of actual play, I wonder how much of an advantage he gives the Saints.  I also wondered how bitter he was with them letting him sign elsewhere....I think I got the answer to that one with this little snippet of Darren Sharper talking to Micheal "I like to talk a lot of smack and then make excuses" Irvin (Just need to watch the beginning).  The indication is that he really wants to play Minnesota.  So, with that said, what do you think Sharpers biggest threat is?  Clearly, the Saints pose numerous threats, but will sharper be the difference?

Poll

What will Sharper's knowledge of the Vikings and Farve do for the Saints?

9%

The Saints will know every Defensive Scheme we run, but offense is completely different now.

5 votes

7%

Both Offensive and Defensive Schemes are in the hands of the Saints (we better hope they fall down)

4 votes

5%

He feeds them more useless informtion than good and it ends up working in the Vikings favor

3 votes

32%

Doesn't matter about the team knowledge, his play making ability is a difference maker

18 votes

45%

Last but not least, Doesn't matter about the team knowledge, he is a big risk taker and gets burned in the game.

25 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

So, I'm catching up on the Wednesday press.  Dallas this and Dallas that.  The Cowboys are going to handle the Vikings.  The tackles for the Vikings can't Handle the rush of the Cowboys.  Peterson has dissappeared, Farve has a terrible record against the Cowboys....Bla, bla, bla, bla freaking bla.  So, i am thinking, if I'm a player, I am freaking irritated right now and I want to destroy something...and then they go even further. 

The Minnesota fans aren't really that loud.  Say what? ...Once the speakers are turned off it is a really noticeable drop off.  Are you kidding me?  Oh the Cowboys played the Saints at home, so there is no way 64,000 Minnesota fans can be louder than 70,000 crazy cajuns.  Really?  REALLY?  Now I'm freaking irrated and I want destroy something (not going to Gonzo, don't worry).

So, if your going to the game I hope you are as freaking pissed as I am and you bring the freaking noise the entire time the Dallas offense is on the field!  Because appearantly the world of Football forgot who the ______ we are!  Make sure you spread the word that not only is the team getting disrespected, but so is the fan base.  Don't believe me, read the articles below. 

SKOL Vikings! 

Dallas Article

ESPN Article

Yes, I know that this is just another year of Vikings disappointment.  It makes me sick that Childress is anything other than a personnel guy.  And before we even collapsed I still sat there and thought to myself "Only the Vikings would have a season (10 and 1 at the time) like this when there are two undefeated still out there".  If you don't remember, the 15-1 Vikes of 98 got beat by the 14-2 falcons which met the 14-2 broncos in the superbowl.

Pause for tears....

OK,

So, with that off my chest, to the title of the post.

Sharper:

I have to wonder the difference Sharper would make in the secondary.  In fact, I have started to wonder what the rookie Sanford would do since he seemed to do pretty damn good against the Bengals.  The question with Sharper is whether the cover 2 fits him or not though.  He is obviously doing well on the saints and it seems that we do not get the turnovers we used to.

Birk:

The O-line does not seem to be as solid this year (obvious I know).  Maybe it is not just Birk, but when you are bringing a rookie in at right tackle and have inconsistent play at right gaurd, I think it was a bit much to let Birk go to the Ravens.  While it is not the only source of problems, he was an anchor and might have made a difference in the overall line performance this season.

Fumblerson:

I have a been a Vikings fan for a long time, not as long as some of you, but long enough that as exciting as Peterson is, I don't buy the humble great person crap that the media feeds.  The fumbles as everyone predicted would come back to bite him and the team.  It is pretty arrogant of Peterson to not make that his highest priority.  I remember Tiki Barber and his problems and a complete change in how he held the ball to cure it (even though it looked funny at times).  I hope that last night was humbling enough that Peterson really takes ball security seriously.  IF that happens in the playoffs, well, we all know what will happen.  Again, I hope that something finally clicks for him.

I got to say, I did better with Favre.  Go ahead, you determine who works best for you at the following link on the star tribune

I was able to complete 20 passes with Favre, my low was 17.

Tjack way more inconsistent and I sometimes threw the ball off my back foot.  Sage, well, I was doing great until he dove head first into a wall of defenders.  I don't remember what happened after that, but I am pretty sure I have filled my 75 word minimum.

A lot is being made about the Chilly being the one in control of this.  I think that is bogus.  The Wilf's are about making money, they are also about winning, but they are about winning both on the field and off.  With Farve, MN is now one of the hot comodities for TV broadcasts, most certainly his jersey will sell like crazy and I doubt that their will be any problems with local blackouts this year.  I am guessing they don't think this hurts the stadium deal either. 

SO, before we all get talking about who the better option would be, comparing ratings and theories about how defenses will actually back off the line with Farve and wouldn't with Rosenackson, let's just keep it real for a momement.  This move is about Finance first, Superbowl second.

Keep in mind one thing:  MN was at the bottom of the NFL in revenue.  The bottom...the Wilf's are putting their money into making this team good.

SInce I am a fan of the polls...

Poll

Who made the call on this and what is their primary motivation

26%

Childress, he is going for it this year or he is out

12 votes

11%

Childress, Bevel, Farve is his BFF after all

5 votes

53%

Wilf's, They see ticket and jersey sales going crizznazzy this year

24 votes

8%

Wilf's, They just want to win a Superbowl.

4 votes

45 votes | Poll has closed

I was checking out the PFT one liners for the NFC north and ran accross this article on Daunte Culpepper.  To sum it up, it describes Daunte as looking really good, back to his old form etc etc.  And it got me wondering, we are basically a QB away from being serious, serious Super Bowl contenders.  What if Chilly and Daunte get along?  What if he were still in MN or came back to MN?  Assuming that we still had Peterson and so on, would he make a difference and be better than what we got?  Give me your thoughts.

Poll

Would Daunte of this year be better than Rosenackson?

14%

Yes, We would be clearly on top of the Power Rankings

25 votes

33%

No, Daunte is washed up and needed Moss anyways

59 votes

31%

We would be better off, but still have a question mark a QB

55 votes

21%

We are no better and no worse with Daunte or Rosenackson

38 votes

177 votes | Poll has closed

Charles Gordon got waived today.  While it was likely a roster spot opening to sign another play (can't imagine who that might be), I do want to state that I felt Gordon had made noticeable improvements both as a corner and returner.  When he broke his ankle, I think we all knew it could be career ending or at least something that would set him back more than one year.  So, he probably would have had a tough time making the roster this year, but I wish him well.  You hate to see it end like that. 

This may not be the right place for this, but since I am only a member of this site and think that only Vikes fans can look at things objectively, I have to raise the question here.

I was watching a NFL Films recap of the Super Bowl and they had a their cameras in the back of the end zone on one of the shots (not an angle TV crews had).  Here is what I saw and why I am now questioning whether Holmes had both feet down.

 When Holmes caught the ball, his right foot was lifted off the ground, as he brought it down to tap the turf, it hits and stays on the heel of his left foot.  It appears from this NFL Films view that it never gets to the ground.  As Holmes falls forward and out of bounds, the right foot remains locked to the left heel. 

I invite all to please review this angle and others and then tell me if I am crazy or not.  My contacts may need to be changed, but I think NFL Films had an angle that showed something.

Here is the URL for the video,

NFL Films Video

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80e9de21

I beleive the view in question is around the 19:00 minute mark of a 21 minute and change video, sorry I don't have a shorter one.  View from the back of the endzone is the one I am talking about.

I'm pretty sure Peterson has the most fumbles by a non QB for the year.  He killed us today with the fumbles.  Freaking hold the ball to your body.  I don't want to bash the chosen one, actually yes I do....I don't give a F how bad ass you are...Football 101, hold on to the damn ball.  Maybe he should go chat with Shank about how he fixed it (stud performance by shank if anyone did not notice)

I think I feel better now...

Play calling at the end of the game was way too simple.  Jackson sure seemed to be throwing well, making good decisions, so why handcuff him at the end.  If you can't trust him or he can't handle the whole play book (I happen to think he can), then get him out of there. On the other hand, we could just get a coach who will trust his players to handle the playbook.

 

Well, I am pretty stoked about the win over the Greenbay Hackers.  Given, it shouldn't have been so close, but a win is a win.  So, now that we are tied for 1st, but lose the tie breaker, it made me wonder how the beloved purple would make it to the playoffs.  Obviously, the best chance is to win the division, but there is an outside shot at a wildcard also.

So, here is the rest of the schedule and from what I can see the next three games are critical to our chances.  Other than Detroit, none of these teams are givens and if Detroit is desperate, you never know what they will through at you.  If we beat CHI, TB and ATL we will have evened or have the tie breakers.  So, looking at the schedule below, what do you think the Vikes will do the rest of the season and comment on what you see is the biggest threat.

MIN @ TB
Currently 6-3 and coming off a bye
MIN @ JAC
Currently 4-5 and about to play the Titans
CHI @ MIN
Currently 5-4 and will play @GB and @St. Louis
MIN @ DET
well, I sure hope they win before we meet again, but they could very well be winless. @Carolina, TB and then the Titans. 
MIN @ AZ
Currently 5-3, SF tomorrow....they should still be a winning team by the time they play
ATL @ MIN
Currently 6-3, Who is this Matt Ryan kid
NYG @ MIN
Current Champs and while I would love it if history repeats a third time, I don't see Manning flopping over and giving us another game....we will have to earn it.

 

Poll

How will the Vikes finish the Season

3%

6-1 they are still in the hunt for a bye week

3 votes

3%

7-0 they smoke it and get a bye week

3 votes

35%

5-2 they win the division and play in the wildcard

31 votes

21%

4-3 and win division

19 votes

13%

4-3 and don't win division, pray for other teams to collapse

12 votes

22%

3-4 or worse...the flop and Chilly gets thrown out on a cold December Night

20 votes

88 votes | Poll has closed

I was reading the latest on the Daunte sage over on the Star Tribune and one of the comments had, what I thought was a funny Childress nickname.  So, vote away at what we should be calling him...maybe Gonzo will adopt the winner. 

Leave comments if you think of something better.  Since I have to make the 75 word minimum I will continue to type till about, just about, right about, just about now.

Poll

What should we call Childress

35%

Chilly

15 votes

9%

ChildsIQdress

4 votes

11%

Colonel Klink Chillydink

5 votes

42%

He doesn't deserve a nickname

18 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

We have to get the Wilf's attention and put the pressure on him to fire Childress.  Do I dare say we boycott the games?  I have a feeling he is more about his stadium than winning.  Childress was brought in mainly to clean house after the love boat cruise and secondly to win games.  This was done for a new stadium that fell through, that is all that he is about.  So, if we hit his pocket book and possibility of a new stadium, that has to get his attention....right

So, I pose this poll?

Poll

What is the best way to get the Wilf's attention?

17%

Boycott games and leave stadium empty

10 votes

50%

Continue the Chants of "Fire Childress"

28 votes

5%

Go to your state legislature and get them on him.

3 votes

26%

It's hopeless, Brad and Ziggy have a "Special" relationship....we're doomed

15 votes

56 votes | Poll has closed