Monday, December 20, 2010

A bitter sort of peace

As much as I hate seeing Brian Urlacher celebrate anything, it is better than seeing the Packers celebrate anything.

And the Vikings are just two more embarrassing losses from beginning a rebuilding project; we can hope that means that these games will be fun to watch again in 2011.

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:14 PM

    the vikings are a sad terrible team with no direction

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  2. Anonymous11:17 PM

    this team has to fix three key areas qb o line and secondary but i know they wont because they are clearly not interested in doing what it takes to win it all i'm embarassed to be a fan of this pathetic team right now

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  3. Anonymous11:29 PM

    Playing Joe Webb at QB is a terrible waste of his talents. You saw on the TD run his speed and acceleration; later in the game he evaded numerous pass rushers to throw a pass to Camarillo, demonstrating his elusiveness. This guy does not belong at QB but rather WR. Time spent playing him at QB is time wasted in my opinion. He has never played receiver, so there is a learning curve that will take time. But give him a couple offseasons of receiver work, and he could be a good one. Guys like Drew Bennett and Antwan Randle-El made the switch from QB to WR successfully, and Joe Webb absolutely has the athleticism to do the same. In fact, he's probably a better athlete than either of them.

    Even with Childress gone, the Vikings continue to bungle the QB situation. Once Favre was injured against Buffalo, they should have placed him on IR and signed Patrick Ramsey right there and then, leaving Webb at receiver to get valuable learning time. Then if Jackson were to also get injured (which he did), Ramsey would be able to step in with a limited gameplan, but NFL experience at QB and actual pocket passing skills to help this offense function. Seeing Joe Webb run a read option with Gerhart is embarrassing; this is the NFL and these are the Chicago Bears. Just get a pocket passer in there while Webb continues his proper development.

    Joe Webb may only have a 25% chance of making it at WR, but he has probably a 1% chance of making it at QB. Get him to his proper position please, and let the learning begin. This is just wasted time.

    This offseason is going to be an interesting one. I hope what the Vikings do is a hire a strong football guy to run the football operations, and let him hire the next head coach. Wilf and his cronies did a horrendous job last time around, wasting a Super Bowl-caliber defense and the franchise can't afford another mistake like that. With strong leadership at the top, everyting else falls into place. A strong football guy hires a strong head coach, who finds a good QB. But if the Vikings blow it at the top again, we could end up with another Tarvaris Jackson as the future, and I'm not interested in spending a decade searching for a QB. Hiring the right guy to run the football operations is essential.

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  4. Plinthy the Middling2:17 AM

    The only embarrassment I felt was in seeing my team I have been watching for its entire existence looking like eskimos who forgot winter. An 83 year old man, the best leader the franchise ever had, showing up on the field in a short-sleeved shirt, took that embarrassment to a notable extreme.

    Just about every card fell right last season; just about every one fell wrong this one. We know the facts: just about every big bet was laid last year, and this year all bluffs got called. What happened to the Metronome was more than a symbol; it serves to remind us of reality. Embarrassment too serves as reminder. I am less discouraged now than when the season began, in theatrical farce with the sideshow of the trip down south to pull the over-age rock star back to the mike for yet another One Last Final Encore. This team has no real choice but return to its habitat, and for Ziggy to say so is most encouraging on several levels.

    Mighty Joe Young Webb is some kind of special athlete: no small hands like Culpepper, the same sort of poise as Boston Brady, with the same sort of impression of a brain in operation; effortless power with grace and touch and speed; all he needs is a lot of reps with the first squad. If the Vikes choose to see if he can play QB, I am quite sure the rest of the league will be greatly displeased.

    This sort of talk has gone on for decades, every since Rozelle made the NFL seem respectable. I remember Unitas being cut by Pittsburgh; I remember when Bradshaw was too dumb; I remember smart football people saying Marino to Miami was Tebow, a 5 year project to back-upitude at best; and we all should remember that Brady could not make it off the bench in college.

    Unusual athletes are always going misunderstood and unappreciated (How can a guy as tall as Usain bolt ever get out of the blocks; its just ridiculous.), until they get the chance to show what they have.

    And this guy Webb has an awful lot to show.

    So I am not discouraged by embarrassment; a new order is coming. And I am in fact encouraged by what is there, and how little needs to be addressed, rather than disgruntled by what is not and cannot be.

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  5. Anonymous12:13 PM

    It was awesome to see Bud back on the field again. When Blair and Irwin hoisted Bud up on their shoulders, it brought a tear to this old time fan's eye. Which promptly froze.

    Watching the game, and seeing the Vikes wearing their "real" uniforms instead of the clownsuits, only reinforced the notion that when the team moved into the dome they forfeited one of the greatest homefield advantages any sports team has ever had. Playing indoors turned them into pussies. Witness the teams horrible road record in open air stadiums over the decades. Terrible. It's time to regain that advantage!

    And, oh yeah, as stated by others too, draft or trade for a real QB, fix the O line, and get some players for the secondary!
    Terry

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