Well after only two games it looks like Tarvaris Jackson is no longer Brad Childress’s “guy”. The Vikings announced today that 15 year veteran Gus Frerotte will get the start Sunday against the surprising Carolina Panthers.
The move comes after repeated votes of confidence for Jackson from the head coach, and is definitely a surprise to many considering the way the coaching staff has approached the quarterback position over the past two years.
Frerotte has shown signs of success over his long career, including several nice games filling in as a backup for the Minnesota Vikings several years ago, however, he has never put together a great record as a long term starting quarterback.
My Two Cents
This Vikings fan thinks this must be one of the dumbest moves the Purple has made over the past several years. Considering how much “confidence” the coaching staff displayed throughout the offseason, pulling the plug on Jackson after only two games simply makes no sense. Looking at the facts, Jackson has not even had 15 first half pass attempts in both games this year combined. The coaching staff clearly has been hesitant to let him go and see what he can do. Playcalling this year has also seemed abysmal at times. Look at the 3rd and 5 last week in Colts territory when the coaching staff decided to pull Peterson out of the game and then hand the ball off to Chester Taylor who did not even get close to a first down. This would have been an ideal passing situation and argueably cost the Vikings the game. Playcalling like this is not uncommon for the Vikings under the Childress regime. His highly conservative playcalling has made it easy for opposing defenses to stack up the box against the run, and the passing game has been basically non-existant for the past 3 years. Jackson actually had a nice second half in the Colts game, completing a solid percentage of his passes and racking up over 100 yards. His season totals for passing and rushing are ahead of many other quarterbacks around the league inclulding Carson Palmer, Jamarcus Russel, Derek Anderson and even Ben Rothlisberger. It seems like the coaches have really not presented Jackson a full opportunity to get into any kind of rythem, and they have also placed him under a huge amount of pressure to perform at the same time.
The real problem here is not necessarily benching Jackson, but what the Vikes didn’t do in the offseason. If they were going to bench Jackson this easily, after two close losses and a performance from Jackson that nobody could call terrible, then why on earth wouldn’t they add a little insurance by picking up a solid veteran QB capable of starting for a long term period of time. I have no problem with Gus Frerotte, but if anyone expects him to start the remaining 14 games of the season with great success and lead the Purple into the playoffs, they are crazy. Frerotte is a great backup who can come in in the middle of a game and rally the team, and maybe even pickup a few wins in spot starts, but for a team with as much potential as the Vikings, he simply isn’t going to cut it.
The Vikings should have manned up and made the Packers an offer they couldn’t refuse for Favre when they had a chance. Green Bay would have had a hard time turning down a #1 pick in next year’s draft, and the Vikings likely go deep into the post season, giving them an opportunity to stick the Pack with a low 1st round pick. That option being down the tubes, there are still several great options available at quarterback. One is Jeff Garcia. Garcia would be a great fit for the Purple in our west cost offense, and could be attained relatively easily from Tampa Bay. Chris Simms, another former Buc, while somewhat unproven, has shown signs that he can play in the NFL and that he has the toughness needed by NFL quarterbacks. The best possible option, is unfortunatley very unlikely due to the hardheadedness of Brad Childress - Daunte Culpepper. Daunte has had plenty of time off since his knee surgery and was pursuing a starting job in the NFL hard before retiring a couple weeks ago. Daunte is still loved by many people in Minnesota, and at this point, I can’t imagine any Minnesota fans who wouldn’t like to see him get another shot. Too bad Brad Childress burned that bridge immediately upon becoming the head coach, and the Vikings have suffered enormously at quarterback ever since.
Vikings - take a long hard look at bringing in a QB as soon as possible or risk another sorry losing season follwed by an almost certain coaching overhaul.
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After starting out the season 0-2 Vikings fans are clearly starting to worry and people are already jumping off the bandwagon. Whether you blame the QB play, or the coaching, there’s no doubt the Vikings are not playing up to fans’ expectations so far this season.
In week one, Minnesota traveled to Lambeau field for a Monday Night showdown with hated rival Green Bay. Although the final score was close, the Vikings clearly did not bring their A-Game offensively or defensively. Jackson still looked inexperienced, and although he played mistake free for most of the game, he threw a critical interception at the end of the 4th quarter that quashed any chance of a Vikings comeback.
In week 2, the Colts came to town, sporting a roster full of injuries and coming off a bad week one loss to the Bears. The Vikings dominated the Colts in the first half and most of the 3rd quarter, jumping out to a 15-0 lead. Peyton Manning heated up in the 3rd quarter and rallied the Colts for a 4th quarter comeback. The Vikes did not reach the endzone at all in the game, instead settling for 6 field goal attempts.
With a matchup against the surprisingly hot Panthers on the horizon, the Vikings will need to make some major adjustments to their game plan if they want to have any hope of a playoff run this year. The most glaring problem with the Vikings offense is the complete lack of a passing game in the redzone. This became completely clear after the Colts game. Opposing defenses know that the Vikings want to power into the endzone with Peterson and stack up the box, making it nearly impossible for AP to score rushing touchdowns once Minnesota reaches the redzone. If 28 expects to score on the ground, at this point his only chance is to break of a huge run. Coaches know the Vikings are having extreme difficulty with the passing game and gameplan accordingly. If Brad Childress and the coaching staff can’t figure out a way to make defenses pay for packing 8 in the box, the Vikings offensive woes will only get worse.
The recipe for success against the Panthers this week is simple - a solid passing attack from the quarterback and receiving corps will make defenses take a more balanced approach and allow Minnesota to use Adrian Peterson more appropriately.
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It looks like one of the Vikings big free agent signings of this offseason could be on the bench for as long as 6 weeks. Starting safety Madieu Williams was hurt during a practice and did not play in the preseason game against Seattle. This is when the Vikings first disclosed the injury. Specific details are still cloudy. A potential 6 week injury will mean that Williams will likely miss the first and possibly second game of the season. Signed to a big contract on the first day of free agency, Williams was brought in to fill a hole in the secondary and allow fellow safety Darren Sharper more freedom to move around the field and get interceptions. This injury will mean the Vikings will likely start the season with a fairly untested safety in the defensive secondary. Rookie Tyrell Johnson has shown some promise and could potentially wind up starting or seeing signifigant playing time. Other safeties on the Viking’s roster that could see increased action are second year player Eric Frampton and the much mailgned Michael Boulware, who originally showed promise as a Safety for the Seahawks in 04, but later converted to Linebacker and subsequently lost his starting job, and was eventually cut from the team. Back with the Vikings as a Safety, Boulware may have just gotten the opening he needs. This will continue to be a very exciting training camp battle as there is less than a month to go before the start of the regular football season.
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Will Jared Allen be seeing touchdowns in his future this season with the Minnesota Vikings? A report from Yahoo Sports indicates Jared Allen has seen a few repetitions with the Purple’s goal line offensive unit as a tight end.
This is not Allen’s first time lining up in goal line packages. Incredibly, Allen caught two touchdowns last year with the Kansas City Chiefs as a tight end.
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The Minnesota sports media has been buzzing for the last week and a half about the possibility of our arch-nemesis Brett Favre potentially having interest in playing for the Purple in 08. Favre himself has made it clear he wants to play football this upcoming season, and has even mentioned the possibility of playing for the Vikes in an interview earlier this week with Greta VanSustren of Fox News. Now, the Pack has gone as far as to file a tampering charge against the Vikings claiming inappropriate contact with the 38 year old quarterback. Apparently the accusation is that Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has had talks with Brett Farve regarding the possibility of him playing for the Minnesota Vikings in 2008. The Vikings issued a statement today declining to comment on the situation.
It seems like this story continues to get bigger on a daily basis and the unthinkable scenario of Favre suiting up at QB for the Vikings may be coming closer to reality. With the Vikings v. Packers Monday Night Football opener drawing closer there is little doubt that the 08 Vikings season is going to be a wild ride. Stay Tuned!
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On Friday the Minnesota Vikings added defensive end Kenechi Udeze to the reserve non football illness list, officially ending any chance of him suiting up for the 2008 season. The move also shows compassion from a Vikings management team that has faced scrutiny in the past for their treatment of some players - specifically last season when they docked wide receiver Troy Williamson a full game check for missing a game due to a death in the family. The story gained national attention and the Vikings later agreed to pay him for the game he missed. By placing Udeze on the non football illness reserve list, he will still be guaranteed his $807,000+ salary for 2008. This will allow Udeze to fully focus on winning his battle with leukemia.
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Vikings fans can finally rest easy as NFL.com is reporting the Purple has reached a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to send the league’s sack leader to Minnesota for the 17th overall pick in Saturday’s draft along with 2 third round picks (73rd and 82nd overall).
Adding Allen should make the Vikings defensive line one of the league’s most formidable, as Jared Allen will join Allstars Kevin and Pat Williams. The only question mark surrounding Allen is his past substance abuse problem. He was suspended for two games in 2007 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He has since sworn off alcolhol completely and hopefully plans to turn over a new leaf in Minnesota. The Vikings have had problems with other players violating the league’s substance abuse policy in the past. Several years ago Koren Robinson was released by the Vikes before the season started after he was arrested for drunken driving.
Jared Allen led the NFL in sacks in 2007 with 15.5, and he also amassed 67 tackles, three forced fumbles and 18 pressures, while playing in only 14 games. This includes a monster game against the Vikings last year where he delivered a whopping 2 sacks, 9 tackles and a forced fumble on Adrian Peterson. Allen is 26 years old.
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After staying the weekend in Minnesota and skipping a scheduled trip to visit the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday, Jared Allen is still waiting on a deal. So far we know Allen wants to play in Minnesota, and the Vikings are willing to fully compensate him. The only hangup in the deal is what the Chiefs will get in return. The latest RUMOR is that the Vikings are offering the 17th overall pick and the first of two 3rd round picks in the 2008 draft, plus a 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft. Although it is a hefty pricetag to land last year’s sack leader, the Vikes would still keep a 2nd and 3rd round pick in the upcoming draft which would allow them to fill other holes - possibly offensive line, wide reciever or quarterback.
Allen led the league in sacks in 2007, with 15.5, despite being suspended for two games due to violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
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The Minnesota Vikings 2008 regular season schedule has finally been released and it looks like it will be an exciting for the Purple. Notable games include:
Week 1 - Monday night at Green Bay
A perfect scenario for the Purple. The Vikes will have an opportunity to show the world just how much the Packers are going to miss #4 by going into Lambeau on the first Monday night game and bringing Aaron Rodgers down to earth.
Week 2 - at Home vs. the Colts
The Vikes get their first real test of the season against a full powered Indy team that is a perennial powerhouse. The Colts should have a healthy D-line and receiving corps that will really test the Purple on offense and defense.
Week 5 - Monday night at New Orleans
Adrian Peterson and Reggie Bush square off on Monday night in front of a national audience. #28 will have a chance to show off his moves and compete against another young superstar running back.
Week 13 - Sunday night vs. the Bears
The Vikings and Bears will mix it up again this year with another night game. Last year, the Purple had great success running the ball vs Chicago and this game will give them a chance to continue their ground dominance over Bears on Football Night in America.
Week 17 - at Home vs. the New York Giants
The Vikings slaughtered the eventual Super Bowl Champion G-Men in their 2007 meeting. This year, the Vikes and Giants will mix it up again in the final regular season game. This game could ultimately have huge playoff implications much like the Giant’s final regular season game in 07 where they squared off against the Patriots on national television. This is a matchup to keep an eye on!
Click Here to see the full Vikings 2008 Schedule
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Add Carl Eller to the list of Vikings’ recent arrests. The 66 year old former Viking was pulled over in North Minneapolis by police who observed him driving suspiciously.
Eller refused an initial breathalyzer and apparently injured a Minneapolis police officer in a minor scuffle. Carl Eller was previously convicted of a DWI in 2006.
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