Bears-Vikings

Well, that was a terrible end to a disappointing season.

The Chicago Bears ended the Minnesota Vikings' season with a 24-10 win.

The game was a tuneup for the Bears before they entered the postseason. Their spot in the playoffs was set. The game didn't have much importance to the Bears. It was a must-win for the Vikings to get into the playoffs. The Bears played like the team that needed to win. The Vikings played like the team that wasn't playing for much.

The Vikings came out with so little apparent energy. It looked like they played on both sides of the ball as if they were going to be ushered into the playoffs. So, why bother showing up? Why play the game? The offense went three-and-out on their first four possessions. They trotted onto the field. After three ho-hum plays they trotted off the field. They did that four times. Four. They ran six plays on their fifth possession. Each failed offensive attempt was more painful to watch than the last. The defense seemed much more engaged. They did make some stops. The Bears punted three times in the first half. They also scored two touchdowns. Despite some stops the defense didn't appear to be playing with much energy. It was more than the offense but not enough more.

The Vikings didn't look like they were playing a must-win game. That's what made it so damn frustrating. It'd be easier to take if the Vikings played their asses off but the Bears played better. I can accept a season ending like that. I wouldn't like it one bit but I could accept it. This effort, this game, and this season has to sit with Vikings for an entire offseason. They were blown out in the NFC Championship game last year. That ending must've produced a painful offseason. This one better feel worse. It sure feels a whole lot worse to this Vikings fan. And I'm not even 24 hours into it.

As much as I shouldn't, I can't help but think about the Week 2 tie with the Green Bay Packers. Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson missed two field goals in overtime. The second one was shorter than an extra point attempt. Carlson was released the next day. I thought that reaction was a bit harsh until I considered the possibility that those misses could end up keeping the Vikings out of the playoffs. Those misses did keep the them out of the playoffs. They'd be in and the Philadelphia Eagles would be out if Carlson had made one of those overtime kicks. But I shouldn't think about that now.

I shouldn't think about this woulda/coulda nonsense because the Vikings haven't played like a playoff team. They have playoff talent, even Super Bowl talent, but they haven't played like a playoff team. They have an offseason to figure out how to do that. Here's a start:

Vikings Offseason Priority #1: Fix the offensive line

Vikings Offseason Priority #2: Fix the offensive line

Vikings Offseason Priority #3: Fix the offensive line

As frustrated as I am with this team right now, I miss them already.

Flea Flicker Week 17 Predictions

Here's a stab at the games on the final Sunday of the 2018 NFL Regular Season. All 32 teams play today. They don't all play games that mean something in the playoffs but they all play today.

Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
Pick: Vikings
There's only one acceptable outcome for this game.

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: Falcons
I'll go with the team on a winning streak.

Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills
Going with the home team.

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
Pick: Saints
Bridgewater Time!

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
Pick: Giants
The Cowboys should win but I don't trust them to do anything that they should do.

New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Pick: Patriots
The Jets might be feisty but they aren't feisty enough to beat the Patriots at home. In Week 17.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
Pick: Texans
Bortles is back!

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
Pick: Packers
The Lions seemed to quit last week after the Vikings' Hail Mary to close the first half.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
Pick: Chargers
Four weeks ago the Broncos were on the cusp of the playoffs. They haven't won a game since.

San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
Pick: Rams
The 49ers have been feisty. It should take much more than feisty to take out a Rams team hoping to maintain a first round bye.

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Seahawks
When teams play in Seattle they have to beat the Seahawks and the refs. The Seahawks should be enough to beat the Cardinals.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins
Pick: Eagles
The Eagles need a win and some help to make the playoffs. I'm guessing that they only get a win and end up outside the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Ravens
I've always had an issue with this rivalry. Neither team would exist if the Browns hadn't left Cleveland after the 1995 season.

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Chiefs
The Chiefs should roll.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: Steelers
The Steelers need a win and a Ravens loss. Or a win and a Colts-Titans tie. Banking on a tie is just stupid. So, the Steelers need a win and a Ravens loss. I think that they only get half of what they need.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Pick: Colts
The Colts have been a beast since October.

Minnesota Vikings 1990s All-Decade Team

The 1990s are up. A lot of playoff appearances but little playoff fun. Until 1998. That season was a blast until it wasn't.

Minnesota Vikings 1990s All-Decade Team

Offense

Quarterback
Warren Moon

Under Dennis Green the Vikings seemed to have a new quarterback each season. Moon's two seasons in Minnesota were fun. Moon-to-Carter was a beautiful connection.

Running backs
Robert Smith
Terry Allen

Receivers
Cris Carter
Randy Moss

Tight End
Steve Jordan

Tackles
Gary Zimmerman
Korey Stringer

Guards
Randall McDaniel
David Dixon

Center

Jeff Christy

Defense

Defensive ends
Chris Doleman
Derrick Alexander

Defensive tackles
John Randle
Henry Thomas

Linebackers
Ed McDaniel
Jack Del Rio
Mike Merriweather

Cornerbacks
Corey Fuller
DeWayne Washington

Safeties
Joey Browner
Robert Griffith

Special Teams

Kicker
Gary Anderson

Punter
Mitch Berger

Kick Returner
David Palmer

Punt Returner
David Palmer

Minnesota Vikings 1980s All-Decade Team

It's on to the 1980s. The first 3/4 of this decade was a little rough for the Vikings. The last 1/4 was fun. But not fun enough.

Offense

Quarterback
Tommy Kramer

Running backs
Darrin Nelson
Ted Brown

Receivers
Anthony Carter
Cris Carter

Tight End
Steve Jordan

-Not to take anything away from Steve Jordan, he was the best tight end in franchise history, but Joe Senser has to be mentioned here. If injuries hadn't taken his career Senser might've been an all-timer.

Tackles
Gary Zimmerman
Tim Irwin

Guards
Randall McDaniel
Terry Tausch

Center

Dennis Swilley

Defense

Defensive ends
Chris Doleman
Doug Martin

Defensive tackles
Keith Millard
Henry Thomas

Linebackers
Matt Blair
Scott Studwell
Jesse Solomon

Cornerbacks
Carl Lee
Issiac Holt

Safeties
Joey Browner
Tom Hannon

Special Teams

Kicker
Chuck Nelson

Punter
Greg Coleman

Kick Returner
Eddie Payton

Punt Returner
Leo Lewis

Throwback Thursday: All-Time Christmas Day Roster

Here's some holiday fun from the fine folks at Quirky Research.

All-Time Christmas Day Roster

Offense

Quarterback
Paul Christman

Running back
Toy Ledbetter

Receivers
Jack Snow
Jesus Wilson
Ike Frankian

Left Tackle
Scott Bergold

Left Guard
Bill Murrah

Center

Pat Elflein

Right Guard
Ben Garland

Right Tackle
Red Sleight

Tight End
Kyle Rudolph

Defense

Defensive end
Frostee Rucker

Defensive tackle
Santana Dotson

Defensive tackle
Jared Clauss

Defensive end
Dadi Nicolas

Linebackers
Frank Kring
Ed Pine
Mathia Kiwanuka

Cornerbacks
Merrill Noel
Daven Holly

Safeties
Gaynell Tinsley
Goose Gonsoulin

Special Teams

Kicker
Sonny Winters

Punter
Rick Partridge

Kick Returner/Punt Returner
Leo Petree

Coach
Pete Carroll

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Minnesota Vikings 1970s All-Decade Team

It's the 1970s Minnesota Vikings turn. This is the decade during which I discovered football and the Vikings. I can't recall which came first. The '70s saw three Super Bowls. 0 Wins. But it sure was fun discovering and falling for this team.

Minnesota Vikings 1970s All-Decade Team

Offense

Quarterback
Fran Tarkenton

Running backs
Chuck Foreman
Dave Osborn

Receivers
Ahmad Rashad
Sammy White

Tight End
Stu Voigt

Tackles
Grady Alderman
Ron Yary

Guards
Milt Sunde
Ed White

Center

Mick Tingelhoff

Defense

Defensive ends
Jim Marshall
Carl Eller

Defensive tackles
Alan Page
Doug Sutherland

Linebackers
Matt Blair
Jeff Siemon
Wally Hilgenberg

Cornerbacks
Bobby Bryant
Nate Wright

Safeties
Paul Krause
Tom Hannon

Special Teams

Kicker
Fred Cox

Punter
Greg Coleman

Kick Returner
Eddie Payton

Punt Returner
Eddie Payton

Flea Flicker Week 16 Power Rankings

Here's one look at how the 32 NFL teams rank after 16 weeks of the season.

1.   New Orleans Saints (13-2)
2.   Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
3.   Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
4.   Chicago Bears (11-4)
5.   Los Angeles Rams (12-3)
6.   Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)
7.   New England Patriots (10-5)
8.   Indianapolis Colts (9-6)
9.   Houston Texans (10-5)
10. Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1)
11. Seattle Seahawks (9-6)
12. Baltimore Ravens (9-6)
13. Dallas Cowboys (9-6)
14. Tennessee Titans (9-6)
15. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)
16. Cleveland Browns (7-7-1)
17. Green Bay Packers (6-8-1)
18. Washington Redskins (7-8)
19  Atlanta Falcons (6-9)
20. Miami Dolphins (7-8)
21. Carolina Panthers (7-8)
22. New York Giants (5-10)
23. Cincinnati Bengals (6-9)
24. Denver Broncos (6-9)
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-10)
26. San Francisco 49ers (4-11)
27. Buffalo Bills (5-10)
28. Detroit Lions (5-10)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-10)
30. New York Jets (4-11)
31. Oakland Raiders (4-11)
32. Arizona Cardinals (3-12)

Until next week.

Vikings-Lions

Ultimately, the Minnesota Vikings took care of business in Detroit. They beat the Lions 27-9. At the start, it didn't look like it was heading in the that direction. For most of the first half  the Vikings were doing no business. The defense did well to limit the Lions to three field goals. The offense did nothing.

Vikings offense over the opening 26 minutes:

3 plays, 1 yard
3 plays, 6 yards
3 plays, -4 yards
3 plays, 1 yard

12 plays, 4 yards.

Against the Lions? That's sad. No offense.

Teams enter a game with a plan for the offense. Most have a script of plays. The Vikings first possession started on their own 1-yard line. Their third possession started on their own 13-yard line. The offensive plan, if not the entire script, is tossed with that sort of starting field position. Those are tough situations to do something but it's no excuse for doing nothing. The Vikings did nothing.

With four minutes to play in the first half the Vikings offense started moving the ball. On 3rd-and-17 from the Lions 49, Kirk Cousins connected with Adam Thielen for 40 yards. Two plays later, Cousins hit Stefon Diggs for an 8-yard score. Just like that, it's 9-7 with 1:32 remaining in the half. Despite a terrible start to the game the Vikings only trailed by 2. The half wasn't over. The Vikings got the ball back with 36 seconds left.

Two days before Christmas it simply seemed appropriate to see some good things from a tight end named Kyle Rudolph. With two seconds to play he caught a Hail Mary heave from Cousins for a 44-yard touchdown. That gave the Vikings a 14-9 halftime lead despite having done so little. There was still thirty minutes to play but the game felt like it was over.

Rudolph stats:
9 catches, 122 yards, 2 TDs

That performance, and his big halftime-ending catch, got Rudolph his very own postgame press conference.

In the second half, the Vikings defense kept the Lions on their side of the field and the offense added 13 points. The Lions never threatened and the Vikings efficiently added some points. 27-9 final.

The defense played well throughout the game. That was the difference in the game. With the offensive ineptitude to start the game the Lions could've led 17- or 21-0. The defense kept that from happening in keeping the Lions to three field goals. They didn't post flashy stats. No turnovers and only 3 sacks. They did have 12 tackles for loss. That's a fine number. The sack total pales considerably to the 10 that the Vikings posted against the Lions in Week 9. The Lions clearly didn't want a repeat as they shortened their routes and had Matthew Stafford throw quickly.

As with several Vikings wins under Mike Zimmer the defense prepped and cooked the meal and the offense cleared the table and cleaned the dishes. Or something like that.

The Vikings control their playoff hopes. They defeat the Chicago Bears at home next week and they are in the playoffs. They don't need any help. They just have to win.

They can't start games like they did yesterday. They also can't have 11 penalties like they did yesterday. Several of those 11 penalties negated good plays on offense or allowed the Lions to stay on the field. Penalties usually do that sort of thing. The Vikings are usually much more disciplined. They weren't against the Lions. They have to be disciplined moving forward. Every game is a playoff game now.

Flea Flicker Week 16 Predictions

Here's a stab at the Week 16 games.

Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions
Pick: Vikings
Just keep winning, just keep winning, just keep winning.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
Pick: Falcons
Taylor Heinicke.

Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets
Pick: Packers
It'll be interesting to see how the Packers play out the final two games of a season with no playoffs. For the second consecutive year.

Houston Texans @ Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: Texans
The Texans are shooting for a bye. The Eagles are hoping for a couple remarkable performances from Nick Foles. Again. I'm going with the Texans.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Miami Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins
I just trust the Dolphins more in the state of Florida.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Pick: Patriots
The Bills in Foxborough is a good way to get the Patriots winning again.

New York Giants @ Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Colts
The Colts are a very good team and they're fighting for the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys
Pick: Cowboys
The Cowboys rebound from being shut out by the Colts.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns
Pick: Bengals
While the Browns are the better team I can't pick a team coached by Gregg Williams.

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers
Pick: Bears
Picking the upset is so tempting.

Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Rams
The Rams are so far from right. Perhaps they can get right against the Cardinals.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New Orleans Saints
Pick: Steelers
I'd much rather see this game in prime time than Chiefs-Seahawks. The Steelers surprise.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Chiefs
The Seahawks could so easily be 6-8 rather than 8-6. If the game is called evenly the Chiefs should roll.

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders
Pick: Broncos
The Broncos have been sliding but I don't see that slide continuing against the Raiders.

Minnesota Vikings 1960s All-Decade Team

Here's some holiday fun. A series of Minnesota Vikings All-Decade Teams. I'll start at the beginning. The 1960s.

Minnesota Vikings 1960s All-Decade Team

Offense

Quarterback
Fran Tarkenton

Halfback
Tommy Mason

Fullback
Bill Brown

Receivers
Paul Flatley
Gene Washington

Tight End
John Beasley

Tackles
Grady Alderman
Ron Yary

Guards
Milt Sunde
Ed White

Center

Mick Tingelhoff

Defense

Defensive ends
Jim Marshall
Carl Eller

Defensive tackles
Alan Page
Gary Larsen

Linebackers
Wally Hilgenberg
Lonnie Warwick
Roy Winston

Cornerbacks
Earsell Mackbee
Bobby Bryant

Safeties
Paul Krause
Karl Kassulke

Special Teams

Kicker
Fred Cox

Punter
Bobby Walden

Kick Returner
Charlie West

Punt Returner
Tommy Mason

Cal Early Signings

The first Wednesday of  February used to be the first day that college football recruits could sign a Letter of Intent with the school of their choice. Now, they can do so in December. This is the second year of the NCAA's Early Signing Period for football recruits. It started Wednesday and ends tonight. Most of the signing action took place on Wednesday. Head coach Justin Wilcox announced on Wednesday the first 25 members of Cal's 2019 recruiting class.


Cal's 2019 Recruiting Class

Blake Antzoulatos, Chaminade (West Hills, CA), ILB, 6-2 225
Spencer Brasch, Higley (Gilbert, AZ), QB, 6'4" 190
DeCarlos Brooks, Chandler (Chandler, AZ), RB, 5'9" 190
Trevon Clark, El Camino College/Silverado, (Torrance, CA), WR, 6'4" 180
Ben Coleman, Linfield Christian School (Temecula, CA), DT, 6'3" 300
DeShawn Collins, CCSF/Grant (Sacramento, CA), RB, 5'10" 200
Kekoa Crawford, Michigan/Santa Margarita Catholic (Altadena, CA) WR 6'1" 190
Braxten Croteau, Liberty (Peoria, AZ), DE, 6-5 240
Kuony Deng, Independence CC/John Champe (Aldie, VA), OLB, 6'6" 235
Brian Driscoll, Torrey Pines (Encinitas, CA), OT, 6'4" 278
Myles Jernigan, South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie,TX), OLB, 6'3" 209
Brett Johnson, Desert Vista (Phoenix, AZ), DT, 6-4.5 273
Jawaun Johnson, Fullerton Colllege/Hutchinson CC/Norwich Free Academy (Harlem, NY), WR, 6'5" 200
Jaylen Martin, Roosevelt (Corona, CA), DB, 6'2" 170
McCade Mettauer, St. Pius X (Houston, TX), OG, 6'4" 287

Devon Modster, Palomar College/UCLA/Tesoro (Mission Viejo, CA), QB, 6'1" 216

Elijah Mojarro, Orange Lutheran (Santa Ana, CA), TE, 6'4" 225

Orin Patu, Rainier Beach (Rainier Beach, WA), OLB, 6'4" 200

Makai Polk, El Cerrito (Richmond, CA), WR, 6'3" 174

Ryan Puskas, Liberty (Peoria, AZ), ILB, 6-3 210
Brayden Rhome, Perry (Gilbert, AZ), OT, 6'6" 270
Kyle Smith, Los Gatos (Los Gatos, CA) ILB, 6'3" 215
Miles Williams, Mansfield (Mansfield, TX), CB, 6'0" 170
Craig Woodson, South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie,TX), CB 6' 190
Curley Young, Hendrickson (Pflugerville, TX), OLB, 6'1" 210

The 25 signings are currently the most in the Pac-12.

It's a fairly even offense/defense split of 12/13.

By position:

Quarterbacks:

Spencer Brasch

Devon Modster

Running backs:

DeCarlos Brooks

DeShawn Collins

Receivers:

Trevon Clark

Kekoa Crawford

Jawaun Johnson

Makai Polk

Tight end:

Elijah Mojarro

Offensive linemen:

Brian Driscoll

McCade Mettauer

Brayden Rhome

Defensive linemen:

Ben Coleman

Braxten Croteau

Brett Johnson

Linebackers:

Blake Antzoulatos

Kuony Deng

Myles Jernigan

Orin Patu

Ryan Puskas

Kyle Smith
Curley Young

-that's a lot of linebackers

Defensive backs:
Jaylen Martin
Miles Williams
Craig Woodson

Six of the 25 are transfers and enter Cal as juniors.

Trevon Clark
DeShawn Collins
Kekoa Crawford
Kuony Deng
Jawaun Johnson
Devon Modster

Kekoa Crawford and Devon Modster are perhaps the most intriguing of the class as they were somewhat high profile, 4-star recruits for UCLA (Modster) and Michigan (Crawford). Modster was recruited to be the heir to Josh Rosen. The firing of Jim Mora and hiring of Chip Kelly apparently threw a wrench in those plans. I hope that it hurt UCLA deeply.

Seeing as Cal's 2018 offense was modest, at best, the influx of talent with some college experience on that side of the ball has to be a good thing.

Stars. Everybody loves the stars that preface a football recruits name. Cal has one four-star recruit among the 25 member class. LB Kuony Deng. The other 24 are rated as three-star players by 247Sports. Despite coming out of high school as four-star recruits, Modster and Crawford have dropped to the three-star level. I thought that it was only automobiles that depreciated like that.

DeShawn Collins, Braxten Croteau, Kuony Deng, Devon Modster, Orin Patu, and Makai Polk will arrive in Berkeley in January as mid-year enrollees. The remainder of the class are scheduled to arrive on campus in the summer. 

Unless something else happens before tonight's close of the Early Signing Period that's it until the first Wednesday of February. With 25 signed there's room for only a handful more.

Congratulations and good luck to the new Golden Bears. Go Bears!

Throwback Thursday: The Oakland Raiders vs The Hell's Angels

This Flicker was originally posted on 3/13/14

The Oakland Raiders of the 1970s were a different sort of football team. They fielded very good, if not great, football teams but they were a little bit different. Al Davis put those teams together in his image and little else really needs to be said. The Raiders of that era were renegades and you could tell that from the company that they kept. Off the field as well as on. Many of the Raiders were friendly with Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and the rest of the Black Panthers. Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels could be found on bar stools next to Ken Stabler, John Matuszak, and Phil Villapiano. You might even find Barger on the sideline of a Raiders football game. It wasn't always beers and fun with the Oakland Raiders and the Hell's Angels. They nearly went to war.

Most NFL teams of the 1970s still held training camp at small colleges. They stayed in the dorms. For at least a month, they lived a decent distance from most of civilization. The Oakland Raiders were, of course, a bit different. They were housed at the El Rancho Tropicana Hotel in Santa Rosa, CA. It wasn't a lovely place. They practiced on nearby fields. As soon as they were free of the daily practices and meetings the rowdy Raiders would scatter to the bars that dotted the area. The Bamboo Room was usually the first and most frequent stop on the rounds. The players would fly to the bars as soon as they could and then fly back to the Tropicana to make their 11pm curfew. One night linebacker Phil Villapiano didn't make it back for that curfew. There were many hell-raisers on those Raiders teams but they were all pretty good at meeting the few rules that the team had. It was unusual for any of the Raiders to miss curfew. Villapiano was drinking off a particularly rough day of practive on this night that he missed curfew. He was being switched to inside linebacker. He had also suffered a pulled muscle. When he finally ventured outside the Bamboo Room he found some gentlemen leaning against his car. He didn't take too kindly to their actions. They didn't take too kindly to his reaction. Villapiano was hit in the head with a hammer before he discovered that he was in a fight with some of the Hell's Angels. The fighting ceased when Villapiano was able to relay that he was friends with Sonny Barger. He thinks that association probably saved his life. By the time that the tardy linebacker had finally made his way back to the Tropicana his teammates were gathered in the courtyard. After hearing the tale, the Oakland Raiders wanted to go to war with the Hell's Angels. The coaches and Villapiano were able to calm the rest of the team before a Bay Area War could erupt. It all ended well. About a week after the incident, the Raiders were practicing when the air was filled with the roar of several Harley motorcycles. The noise and interruption didn't please John Madden too much but the Oakland Raiders and the Hell's Angels had made their peace.

Pro Bowl Rosters Are Here!

Last night, the NFL announced the AFC and NFC rosters for the 2019 Pro Bowl. NFL Network dedicated an episode of Total Access for the roster reveal but the rosters were revealed on NFL.com and pretty much everywhere just before the program aired. That's a good way to cut into the viewing numbers. Anyway, it's always fun to see the players that have been tapped to play in the league's all-star game. The 2019 edition will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on January 27.

The Los Angeles Chargers have a league-leading seven Pro Bowl selections. The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers each have six selections. The Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys pace the NFC with five selections. The Cowboys with five is a surprise. At the other end of Pro Bowl spectrum are the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with no Pro Bowl players. For the moment.

Most importantly, the Minnesota Vikings scored four.

WR	Adam Thielen
DE	Danielle Hunter
LB	Anthony Barr
FS	Harrison Smith

Danielle Hunter should be a starter.

CB Xavier Rhodes was robbed. NT Linval Joseph was as well until I saw the three interior defensive linemen that made the team. Besides, nose tackles don't get a whole lot of respect. I was hoping to see WR Stefon Diggs on the team as he's one of the best receivers in the league but getting two receivers on the team is a stretch.

It's easy to say that a player was robbed of a spot on the Pro Bowl. It gets difficult when you have to make room for that player. I think that Joseph had a Pro Bowl season. San Francisco defensive tackle DeForest Buckner definitely had a Pro Bowl season. I can't bump Aaron Donald, Akiem Hicks, or Fletcher Cox to make room for Buckner. Donald and Hicks aren't just two of the best defensive linemen that I saw play this year. They are two of the best players that I saw play this year. An argument can even be made that Hicks outplayed teammate Khalil Mack.

I'd still make room for Xavier Rhodes. Probably at the expense of Byron Jones.

5 Cal players made the team:

Aaron Rodgers
Jared Goff
Keenan Allen
Alex Mack
Cameron Jordan

Go Bears!

It's Pouncey-Pouncey at center for the AFC.

Here are the teams:

NFC PRO BOWL ROSTER BY POSITION

OFFENSE

Wide receiver: Julio Jones*, Atlanta Falcons; Michael Thomas*, New Orleans Saints; Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings; Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Tackle: Tyron Smith*, Dallas Cowboys; Terron Armstead*, New Orleans Saints; Trent Williams, Washington Redskins

Guard: Zack Martin*, Dallas Cowboys; Brandon Brooks*, Philadelphia Eagles; Trai Turner, Carolina Panthers

Center: Alex Mack*, Atlanta Falcons; Max Unger, New Orleans Saints

Tight end: Zach Ertz*, Philadelphia Eagles; George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback: Drew Brees*, New Orleans Saints; Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams; Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Running back: Todd Gurley*, Los Angeles Rams; Saquon Barkley, New York Giants; Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk*, San Francisco 49ers

DEFENSE

Defensive end: Cameron Jordan*, New Orleans Saints; DeMarcus Lawrence*, Dallas Cowboys; Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings

Interior lineman: Aaron Donald*, Los Angeles Rams; Fletcher Cox*, Philadelphia Eagles; Akiem Hicks, Chicago Bears

Outside linebacker: Khalil Mack*, Chicago Bears; Ryan Kerrigan*, Washington Redskins; Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings

Inside linebacker: Luke Kuechly*, Carolina Panthers; Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks

Cornerback: Kyle Fuller*, Chicago Bears; Patrick Peterson*, Arizona Cardinals; Darius Slay, Detroit Lions, Byron Jones, Dallas Cowboys

Free safety: Eddie Jackson*, Chicago Bears; Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings

Strong safety: Landon Collins*, New York Giants

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: Aldrick Rosas*, New York Giants

Long snapper: To be named by coach

Punter: Michael Dickson*, Seattle Seahawks

Return specialist: Tarik Cohen*, Chicago Bears

Special teamer: Cory Littleton*, Los Angeles Rams

AFC PRO BOWL ROSTER BY POSITION

OFFENSE

Wide receiver: DeAndre Hopkins*, Houston Texans; Tyreek Hill*, Kansas City Chiefs; Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers; Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

Tackle: Taylor Lewan*, Tennessee Titans; Alejandro Villanueva*, Pittsburgh Steelers; Eric Fisher, Kansas City Chiefs


Guard: David DeCastro*, Pittsburgh Steelers; Marshal Yanda*, Baltimore Ravens; Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts

Center: Maurkice Pouncey*, Pittsburgh Steelers; Mike Pouncey, Los Angeles Chargers

Tight end: Travis Kelce*, Kansas City Chiefs; Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts

Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes*, Kansas City Chiefs; Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers; Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Running back: James Conner*, Pittsburgh Steelers; Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers; Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos


Fullback: Anthony Sherman*, Kansas City Chiefs

DEFENSE

Defensive end: J.J. Watt*, Houston Texans; Myles Garrett*, Cleveland Browns; Melvin Ingram, Los Angeles Chargers

Interior lineman: Geno Atkins*, Cincinnati Bengals; Jurrell Casey*, Tennessee Titans; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers


Outside linebacker: Von Miller*, Denver Broncos; Jadeveon Clowney*, Houston Texans; Dee Ford, Kansas City Chiefs

Inside linebacker: C.J. Mosley*, Baltimore Ravens; Benardrick McKinney, Houston Texans

Cornerback: Xavien Howard*, Miami Dolphins; Jalen Ramsey*, Jacksonville Jaguars; Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots; Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns

Free safety: Derwin James*, Los Angeles Chargers; Eric Weddle, Baltimore Ravens


Strong safety: Jamal Adams*, New York Jets

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: Jason Myers*, New York Jets

Long snapper: To be named by coach.

Punter: Brett Kern*, Tennessee Titans

Return specialist: Andre Roberts*, New York Jets


Special teamer: Adrian Phillips*, Los Angeles Chargers

***

Giants RB Saquon Barkley, Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay, Colts G Quenton Nelson, Browns CB Denzel Ward, and Chargers S Derwin James, and Seahawks P Michael Dickson made the Pro Bowl as rookies.

NFC PRO BOWL ROSTER BY TEAM

Arizona Cardinals (1): CB Patrick Peterson*

Atlanta Falcons (2): WR Julio Jones*, C Alex Mack*

Carolina Panthers (2): ILB Luke Kuechly*, G Trai Turner

Chicago Bears (5): RS Tarik Cohen*, CB Kyle Fuller*, DT Akiem Hicks, FS Eddie Jackson*, OLB Khalil Mack*

Dallas Cowboys (5): RB Ezekiel Elliott, CB Byron Jones, DE DeMarcus Lawrence*, G Zack Martin*, OT Tyron Smith*

Detroit Lions (1): CB Darius Slay

Green Bay Packers (2): WR Davante Adams, QB Aaron Rodgers

Los Angeles Rams (4): DT Aaron Donald*, QB Jared Goff, RB Todd Gurley*, ST Cory Littleton*

Minnesota Vikings (4): OLB Anthony Barr, DE Danielle Hunter, FS Harrison Smith, WR Adam Thielen

New Orleans Saints (5): OT Terron Armstead*, QB Drew Brees*, DE Cameron Jordan*, WR Michael Thomas*, C Max Unger

New York Giants (3): RB Saquon Barkley, SS Landon Collins*, K Aldrick Rosas*

Philadelphia Eagles (3): G Brandon Brooks*, DT Fletcher Cox*, TE Zach Ertz*

San Francisco 49ers (2): FB Kyle Juszczyk*, TE George Kittle

Seattle Seahawks (2): P Michael Dickson*, ILB Bobby Wagner


Washington Redskins (2): OLB Ryan Kerrigan*, OT Trent Williams

AFC PRO BOWL ROSTER BY TEAM

Baltimore Ravens (3): ILB C.J. Mosley*, FS Eric Weddle, G Marshal Yanda*

Cincinnati Bengals (1): DT Geno Atkins*

Cleveland Browns (2): DE Myles Garrett*, CB Denzel Ward

Denver Broncos (2): RB Phillip Lindsay, OLB Von Miller*

Houston Texans (4): OLB Jadeveon Clowney*, WR DeAndre Hopkins*, ILB Benardrick McKinney, DE J.J. Watt*

Indianapolis Colts (2): TE Eric Ebron, G Quenton Nelson

Jacksonville Jaguars (1): CB Jalen Ramsey*

Kansas City Chiefs (6): OT Eric Fisher, OLB Dee Ford, WR Tyreek Hill*, TE Travis Kelce*, QB Patrick Mahomes*, FB Anthony Sherman*

Los Angeles Chargers (7): WR Keenan Allen, RB Melvin Gordon, DE Melvin Ingram, FS Derwin James*, ST Adrian Phillips*, C Mike Pouncey, QB Philip Rivers

Miami Dolphins (1): CB Xavien Howard*

New England Patriots (2): QB Tom Brady, CB Stephon Gilmore

New York Jets (3): SS Jamal Adams*, K Jason Myers*, RS Andre Roberts*

Pittsburgh Steelers (6): WR Antonio Brown, RB James Conner*, G David DeCastro*, DT Cameron Heyward, C Maurkice Pouncey*, OT Alejandro Villanueva*


Tennessee Titans (3): DT Jurrell Casey*, P Brett Kern*, OT Taylor Lewan*

* Indicates starter

Flea Flicker Week 15 Power Rankings

Here's one look at how the 32 NFL teams rank after 15 weeks of the season.

1.   New Orleans Saints (12-2)
2.   Los Angeles Chargers (11-3)
3.   Kansas City Chiefs (11-3)
4.   Chicago Bears (10-4)
5.   Los Angeles Rams (11-3)
6.   Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1)
7.   New England Patriots (9-5)
8.   Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
9.   Houston Texans (10-4)
10. Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1)
11. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
12. Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
13. Dallas Cowboys (8-6)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-6)
15. Carolina Panthers (7-7)
16. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)
17. Cleveland Browns (6-7-1)
18. Green Bay Packers (5-8-1)
19  Miami Dolphins (7-7)
20. Denver Broncos (6-8)
21. Washington Redskins (7-7)
22. Atlanta Falcons (5-9)
23. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
24. New York Giants (5-9)
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9)
26. Buffalo Bills (5-9)
27. Detroit Lions (5-9)
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)
29. New York Jets (4-10)
30. San Francisco 49ers (4-10)
31. Arizona Cardinals (3-11)
32. Oakland Raiders (3-11)

Until next week.

Dolphins-Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings had to win this home game against the Miami Dolphins. After two rough weeks on the road, the offense had to come out and do something against the Dolphins. It took one quarter for the Vikings to exceed their scoring of the past two games. They scored 17 combined points against the New England Patriots (10) and Seattle Seahawks (7). They scored 21 points on only 19 plays in the first quarter. In jumping all over the Dolphins defense for those 21 points the Vikings offense gained 202 yards. 101 yards rushing. 101 yards passing. Balance.

The Vikings defeated the Dolphins 41-17.

The scoring pattern was a little different than most 24-point wins.

Vikings score 21 points.
The Dolphins score 17 points.
The Vikings score 20 points.

It was a game of runs. Fortunately, the Vikings had one more run than the Dolphins.

After jumping out to the 21-0 lead, the Vikings offense was on it's way to making it 28-0 early in the second quarter. A questionable holding penalty called on left guard Tom Compton erased a 15-yard run by Dalvin Cook. Instead of 1st-and-10 on the Dolphins 27 it was 1st-and-20 from the Vikings 48. A few plays later Dolphins corner Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Kirk Cousins and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, Miami had some life. The play did what it should and ignited the Dolphins play on both sides of the ball. It also helped that the Vikings offense went took a nap for the rest of the second quarter and most of the third.

On the Dolphins' pick-six, it's easy to call the interception a blunder by Cousins. That's because everything is easy in hindsight. It's a bit more involved than simply saying that Cousins can't make that throw. It was a short screen to Stefon Diggs and Fitzpatrick made a terrific play getting through traffic to get to the ball. I'm fairly certain that the play was drawn up for tight end Kyle Rudolph to be in Fitzpatrick's path. Fitzpatrick got past him. He made the play. Plays are drawn up to succeed. Even if the play is properly executed the defense/defender sometimes makes a play. At least, that's the way that I saw it.

The Dolphins only sustained drive of the game came just before the end of the half. The 14-play, 61-yard, six minute drive delivered three points. The Dolphins only big offensive play of the game came on the first play of the second half. Kalen Ballage ran 75 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, the 21-0 Vikings lead was 21-17.

Then the Vikings defense took over. Actually, the defense played great for all but the sustained field goal drive and Ballage's burst. But, the defense truly took over after the Dolphins had cut the lead to four. The Dolphins took only three second half snaps on the Vikings side of the field. The Vikings sacked Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill nine times. Eight of those sacks came after Ballage's touchdown.

The Vikings defensive play can be best seen in the six Dolphins possessions after the Ballage burst:

5 plays/4 yards
3 plays/-3 yards
3 plays/-10 yards
3 plays/-9 yards
4 plays/-9 yards
8 plays/22 yards

The Dolphins ran 26 plays for -5 yards after that one-play drive.

Tannehill's stats:
11/24
108 yards
59.0 rating

Those aren't 2018 NFL quarterback stats.

Subtracting the 71 yards lost on sacks the Dolphins passing attack generated 37 yards.

For the game, the Dolphins had 193 total yards. 75 of those yards came on that Ballage run.

The Vikings offense started the game and the defense finished it.

Except for the mid-game nap, the Vikings offense did what head coach Mike Zimmer has wanted it to do all season. Be productive, be balanced, score points.

Passing: 198 yards
Rushing: 220 yards

The Vikings offense was so balanced that backup tight end Tyler Conklin was the leading receiver with 2 catches for 53 yards.

Vikings Rushing:
Dalvin Cook:
19 carries
136 yards
2 TDs

Latavius Murray:
15 carries
68 yards
1 TD

Cook's 136 yards are a career high. His 19 carries are a season high. Even though he missed several games to a hamstring injury the fact that Cook hadn't carried the ball 19 times prior to this game was one of the biggest reasons for their offensive inefficiencies. Hopefully this is the sort of running game that the Vikings put on the field for their remaining games.

The Vikings special teams made an impact. Dan Bailey kicked two field goals and all five extra points. No misses. Punt returner Marcus Sherels was a diving slapped ankle away from a 92-yd punt return touchdown. He flipped the field position on that return and a couple others. If there was one thing that the Vikings did wrong it was not converting Sherels' 70-yard punt return into in a touchdown. He catches a punt at his own 8 and returns it to the Dolphins 22 and the offense can't put it in the end zone. The offense only gained four yards and settled for a field goal.

Offense, defense, and special teams contributed in the 41-17 win.

There was one amusing moment if it wasn't so infuriating. On the Vikings' fourth extra point the Dolphins were called for the penalty that wasn't called on the Seahawks last Monday. When the official announced that the Dolphins were called for leverage on an illegal attempt to leap over the line there was an audible reaction from the crowd.

The Vikings are now 7-6-1 with two games remaining.
@Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
At this time of the year teams want control of their playoff path. The Vikings control their path. They just have to win and they're in.

Flea Flicker Week 15 Predictions

Here's a stab at the Week 15 games.

Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings
Pick: Vikings
The Vikings have to stop dicking around on offense and win these games.

Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Falcons
This sure isn't the season that the Falcons expected. But they're at home and more talented than the Cardinals.

Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills
Going with the home team in this battle of teams playing out the season.

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Pick: Bears
It's hard to believe that the Bears are now the bullies of the NFC North. What is this, 1985?

Oakland Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: Raiders
The Raiders are on a roll!

Dallas Cowboys @ Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Colts
This game should be a blast. I'm just going with the home team and the better quarterback.

Tennessee Titans @ New York Giants
Pick: Giants
The Giants have treated this season like they had 12-game preseason.

Washington Redskins @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: Jaguars
If the Redskins aren't smart enough to bring Colin Kaepernick in for a workout they aren't smart enough to win an NFL game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Ravens
The strength of the Buccaneers is their offense. The strength of the Ravens is their defense. The Ravens offense is better than the Buccaneers defense. Ravens win.

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ers
Just a hunch. The Seahawks have had a great deal of luck in their recent rise to relevance.

New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: Patriots
Both teams are coming off of surprising, last-second losses. I think that the Patriots rebound better.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams
Pick: Rams
When the schedule was released this game was probably circled by everyone interested enough in the NFL to check the schedule when it was released. It's lost some of the shine.

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
Pick: Saints
Unless the Panthers finally start playing like they can they aren't playing well enough to beat the Saints.

Stefanski Time

After a string of disappointing offensive performances, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer fired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo on Tuesday. It's never a good thing to make a change like this during the season but the Vikings offense simply hasn't been very good recently. 10 points against the New England Patriots two weeks ago, seven points against the Seattle Seahawks this past Monday night. Both losses could've been wins if the offense had managed anything close to proficiency. Much has been made of Zimmer's recent call for more runs from his offense. It has to be difficult to be a coordinator and call plays with an agenda in your head in addition to a plan. How can a game be called naturally. DeFilippo couldn't get into rhythm or any offensive efficiency. The call for more runs reminded me of Mike Tice's "Randy Ratio" to get Randy Moss involved in the offense more than a decade ago. In the case of the current Vikings, more runs for the sake of more runs doesn't necessarily mean better runs. That was especially seen in short yardage plays and in the red zone. The Vikings struggled with both. Whatever was going on it wasn't working and Zimmer decided that he had to make a change with a playoff spot in the balance.

Zimmer promoted quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski to interim offensive coordinator. He'll be calling the plays. It's his offense for, hopefully, the next seven games. The games could be a trial run at the permanent offensive coordinator job for Stefanski. He's paid his dues and earned the shot. He has a unique opportunity to make the job his.

Stefanski's path to the Vikings started with a summer internship with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005. At the team's training camp, he became acquainted with offensive coordinator Brad Childress while working with the football operations department. When Childress was hired as the Vikings head coach in 2006 he brought Stefanski with him to Minnesota Vikings. He's been there ever since.

Coaching history:

Philadelphia Eagles (2005)
Operations Internship

Pennsylvania (2005)
Assistant Director of Football Operations

Minnesota Vikings (2006-08)
Assistant to Head Coach

Minnesota Vikings (2009-13)
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach

Minnesota Vikings (2014-15)
Tight Ends Coach

Minnesota Vikings (2016)
Running Backs Coach

Minnesota Vikings (2017-18)
Quarterbacks Coach

Minnesota Vikings (2018)
Interim Offensive Coordinator

Stefanski's career with the Vikings has impressed me on two counts. He's coached every offensive position group but receiver and offensive line. Even more significantly, he's survived two head coach firings and been retained by two new head coaches. That doesn't happen often. New head coaches typically want their own coaches and Stefanski has repeatedly impressed. It's been fun to see him progress with and through the Vikings organization.

For the sake of the Minnesota Vikings 2018 fortunes and his own career, I hope that Kevin Stefanski rips up the league.

Some Football Thoughts

Here are some football thoughts that I've been thinking about recently.

1. NFL Television Viewership:
-through 12 weeks, NFL games  were averaging 15.8 million viewers
-that number is up 5% vs. 2017
-46 of the top 50 most-watched shows on TV are NFL games
-19 of the top 20 most watched shows on TV are NFL games
The NFL is doing a lot of things wrong, blackballing Colin Kaepernick and officiating among them, but driving away viewers and interest isn't one of them.

2. This little nugget from 360 Fantasy Football:
Larry Fitzgerald has more career tackles than dropped passes.
He has 29 drops on 211 targets, 37 career tackles.
Fitzgerald has been one of the most fun players to watch in all of my years of watching football.

3. Speaking of career numbers, the fun that people have had with Tom Brady reaching 1,000 career rushing yards was hilarious. Those people include Brady himself.

4. I've missed Jared Allen so it was a thrill to see that he's back in the news for an unlikely reason. He's gunning for the Olympics with a Curling team made up of former NFL players. Allen has recruited Marc Bulger, Keith Bullock, and Michael Roos to join him on his curling quest.
"We aren't coming in to disrespect the curling world. We just want to be a part of it."
It seems like a tremendous long shot for Allen and his football friends to be in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics but it sure is fun imagining him on that stage.

5. The Kansas City Chiefs are hypocrites in their respective handlings of Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill.

6. Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James has been outstanding in his rookie season. It was still surprising to see these remarkable positional snap counts through Week 13 for James from Pro Football Focus.
Box safety: 287
Free safety: 204
Defensive line: 130
Nickel: 125
Outside: 15
This sort of position versatility would be remarkable for a 10-year vet. A rookie? He's the Defensive Rookie of the Year in my book.

7. This from former Eagles and Browns executive Joe Banner after another Washington Redskins quarterback was injured:
"The team leaders in Washington should be in Bruce Allen's office this morning for a discussion. The message should be that you can't expect us to continue to risk our health and well-being when you are keeping a player who can help us win out of the building for political reasons."
The fact that the Redskins didn't even bring Colin Kaepernick in for a workout tells everyone so loud and so clear that the quarterback that just wants to make this society a better one has been kept out of the league for non-football reasons. The Redskins signed one quarterback (Mark Sanchez) that hasn't taken an NFL snap for as long as Kaepernick and a second quarterback (Josh Johnson) that hasn't taken an NFL snap since 2011. The Redskins signed Rueben Foster! A linebacker that has more domestic abuse offenses than seasons in the NFL.

8. Army-Navy is an amazing game and rivalry for so many reasons. I was at the 2000 game in Baltimore. Navy won 30-28 and chipped away at Army's 49-45-7 series lead. Four years later, the series was tied at 49-49-7. It's been mostly Navy since but with this year's win Army has taken three in a row. Fun game. fun rivalry, fun football. Incredible players.

9. I can't say this enough, NFL Network's A Football Life is fantastic. The most recent episode on Doug Williams was amazing. It's Thurman Thomas night tonight. I look forward to it but I'm very disappointed that it's the Season 8 finale. Thank you NFL Films for all that you do.

10. Perhaps I was getting a bit frosty because the game wasn't going well for the Minnesota Vikings but the Monday Night Football broadcasting team isn't good. At one point, with the Vikings facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1, "sideline" reporter Anthony "Booger" McFarland said that the Vikings should kick the field goal to make it a one-score game. The score was 6-0. It was going to be a one-score game no matter what the Vikings did. I muted the game at that point. I wish that I had done it much sooner.

11. While I don't agree with the decision of college football players to skip their team's bowl games, I don't think that it's anybody's business that they do so. It's their life. It's their decision. No one else is in a position to criticize it.

12. The only thing more pointless than a December mock draft is every mock draft done before December.

Throwback Thursday: The Single Season Reception Record

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune recently ran an article about the evolution of the NFL's single season reception record. The Star-Tribune did so because of the Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen's potential place on it. With 103 receptions and only three games to play he'll have to pick up his pace considerably to catch Marvin Harrison's record of 143. Thielen is currently on pace for about 127 receptions which would be the fifth best total in history.

Rank Player Rec. Year Team 1 Marvin Harrison 143 2002 Ind 2 Antonio Brown 136 2015 Pit 3 Julio Jones 136 2015 Atl 4 Antonio Brown 129 2014 Pit

That's a fine group of pass catchers that Thielen could be approaching. Unless the Vikings offense really gets rolling over the final three games with new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski calling the plays I don't think Thielen will threaten Marvin Harrison's record. However, Cris Carter's Vikings team record of 122 receptions is within reach. Thielen is currently leading the league in receptions. If he can hold that lead he could become the fourth Vikings pass catcher to lead the league. The others:

Chuck Foreman (73 in 1975)
Rickey Young (88 in 1978)
Cris Carter (122 in 1994)

Chuck Foreman's 1975 season is unique. His 1,070 yards were seven short of leading the NFC in rushing, His 22 touchdowns and 73 receptions did lead the NFC in those categories. So, Foreman was seven yards short of being the only player in league history to earn a conference Triple Crown.

But, this is supposed to be about receptions!

That brings me to the evolution of the league's single season reception record. As with all NFL statistics records it starts with 1932. That's when the league's decision-makers finally decided to keep track of what players did on the field.

Rec Player Year Team 21 Ray Flaherty 1932 New York Giants 22 John "Shipwreck" Kelly 1933 Brooklyn Dodgers 34 Don Hutson 1936 Green Bay Packers 41 Don Hutson 1937 Green Bay Packers 74 Don Hutson 1942 Green Bay Packers 77 Tom Fears 1949 Los Angeles Rams 84 Tom Fears 1950 Los Angeles Rams 92 Lionel Taylor 1960 Denver Broncos 100 Lionel Taylor 1961 Denver Broncos 101 Charley Hennigan 1964 Houston Oilers 106 Art Monk 1984 Washington Redskins 108 Sterling Sharpe 1992 Green Bay Packers 112 Sterling Sharpe 1993 Green Bay Packers 122 Cris Carter 1994 Minnesota Vikings 123 Herman Moore 1995 Detroit Lions 143 Marvin Harrison 2002 Indianapolis Colts

Don Hutson was the first receiver to dominate the league. That can be seen in the leap that the receptions record took when he started catching passes like no other. After that, it's a gradual increase until Harrison. He put the record so far out there that it looked like it could last a while. And it has. 16 years and counting. That's approaching the 20 years that Charley Hennigan held the record. With passing dominating the league more each season it's only a matter of time before someone catches Harrison. Antonio Brown and Julio Jones have come close.

This record evolution has a personal pet peeve. The NFL has long acknowledged the statistics of AFL players and teams. Lionel Taylor and Charley Hennigan accumulated their receiving numbers in the rival league. It's great that the NFL acknowledges the AFL. I just don't like that they won't show the same respect to the All-America Football Conference. I'm sure that the NFL's rationale is that they had a complete and successful merger with the AFL and only two teams (Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers) successfully came over from the AAFC. The Baltimore Colts (not the same Colts team that continues to this day) joined the NFL as well but folded after a single season. Seeing as the football talent and general circumstances were fairly jumbled following World War II the caliber of play probably wasn't all that different between the NFL and the AAFC. Yet, the NFL has never respected the play of the AAFC. Or it's players.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a look at the evolution of the NFL's single season receiving record. Not a rant about some personal issue.

This evolution clearly tracks the league's change from run-dominant to pass-dominant. In 2009, Brandon Marshall caught 21 passes in a single game to match Ray Flaherty's 1932 season total. The game has changed so much. This list also shows that the AFL was way ahead of the NFL in the passing evolution.

Flea Flicker Week 14 Power Rankings

Here's one look at how the 32 NFL teams rank after 14 weeks of the season.

1.   New Orleans Saints (11-2)
2.   Kansas City Chiefs (11-2)
3.   Los Angeles Chargers (10-3)
4.   Chicago Bears (9-4)
5.   Los Angeles Rams (11-2)
6.   New England Patriots (9-4)
7.   Houston Texans (9-4)
8.   Dallas Cowboys (8-5)
9.   Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1)
10. Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
11. Minnesota Vikings (6-6-1)
12. Baltimore Ravens (7-6)
13. Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
14. Tennessee Titans (7-6)
15. Miami Dolphins (7-6)
16. Cleveland Browns (5-7-1)
17. Carolina Panthers (6-7)
18. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
19  Green Bay Packers (5-7-1)
20. Denver Broncos (6-7)
21. Washington Redskins (6-7)
22. Atlanta Falcons (4-9)
23. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8)
24. New York Giants (5-8)
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8)
26. Detroit Lions (5-8)
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9)
28. Buffalo Bills (4-9)
29. New York Jets (3-10)
30. Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
31. San Francisco 49ers (3-10)
32. Oakland Raiders (3-10)

Until next week.

Vikings-Seahawks Thoughts

The Seattle Seahawks were awarded a win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings last night. The score was 21-7 but it isn't at all indicative of the game that was played.

With Seattle clinging to a 6-0 lead with 5:46 to play, the game turned the Seahawks way on a 47-yard field goal attempt by the Vikings. At the snap, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner leaped over the line and blocked the kick. The play would've been as magnificent as Wagner claimed it to be if he hadn't placed his hands on his teammates to help propel himself over the line. That's illegal and a flag was throw. However, sometime between throwing the flag and enforcing the penalty the officials decided that there was no penalty. Instead of the Vikings having a 1st-and-10 inside the 15-yard line the Seahawks had the ball. The officials handed the Seahawks another prime time win.

When asked about the illegal play that turned the game, Wagner and head coach Pete Carroll both spoke to how often the linebacker was able to successfully make that play in practice. No one gives a shit if he can do it in practice. He didn't do it legally in the game and the Seahawks were rewarded for it.

The official bungling that has repeatedly benefited the Seahawks in prime time games started in 2012 with the "fail mary" call by the replacement officials. The current state of officiating in the NFL has me looking fondly on the days of the replacement officials.

The Vikings loss to the Seahawks isn't entirely on one officiating blunder. For the first three quarters the offense did nothing. They didn't cross midfield until six minutes remained in the third quarter. After that they spent a lot of time on the Seahawks side of the field but they kept blowing scoring opportunities, including a 1st-and-goal from the 4.

There's a lively debate in Vikings land over whether the recent offensive woes are the fault of play-calling or execution. As with most such debates, the answer is somewhere in the middle. Personally, I think that the blame leans toward execution because the offensive line play has been horrible. The blocking has been shaky all season but it has been even worse in recent weeks. Tight end David Morgan has been out the last three weeks with a knee injury. He's been missed. It's a bit sad when a team's best blocker is a tight end but Morgan is a tough, tenacious, high effort blocker. He consistently keeps himself between the defender and their target. That's a very good thing and his absence is a very bad thing. Hopefully, he can get back on the field soon.

One missing blocking tight end isn't the sole source of the Vikings' offensive problems. Even with a modest, at best, offensive line there's too much talent on this offense to struggle so often. They have to get back the timing and rhythm that they have shown for stretches. Kirk Cousins has too ignore the defenders that are around him. He's an NFL quarterback that's being paid to be a difference-maker. When he's been at his best this season he's trusted his receivers. It doesn't look like he trusts anything right now.

As shaky as Cousins was for about 3.5 quarters he still outplayed Russell Wilson.

Cousins:
20/33
208 yards
1 TD
89.0 rating

Wilson:
10/20
72 yards
1 interception
37.9 rating

You look at that and there's no way the Seahawks win, let alone win by two scores.

Wilson's interception was an idiot play to avoid a sack just before the half. He blindly flung the ball away. He probably should've been a little more concerned with where he flung the ball because it went right to Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks. If Kendricks hadn't bobbled the catch there's a real good chance that he could've returned it about 90 yards for a touchdown.

The Vikings had their chances.

At 6-6-1 the Vikings are still holding a playoff spot. Three games (Miami, @ Detroit, Chicago) remain. They can win those games. The defense is playing like a playoff team. The offense is not. If they can't get something going on offense their playoff presence, if there is one, will be brief.

One final thing on the Seahawks. They have been using the "12th Man" moniker for nearly two decades. It's pathetic. The term has been a Texas A&M thing for more than a century. That predates the NFL. The Seahawks have some sort of financial agreement with the Aggies to make it ok. If you have to purchase from another the thing that makes you you maybe you should find another name. This lack of originality by the Seahawks reminds me of Edward Norton's sad sack bad guy in The Italian Job.

Minnesota Vikings-Seattle Seahawks All-Time Series

The Minnesota Vikings traveled to Seattle on Saturday to face the Seahawks tonight. It's the 16th time that the two teams have met in an infrequent "rivalry" that started in 1976, the Seahawks' first season.
Somehow, the Seahawks lead the series 10-5.
5-9 regular season, 0-1 postseason

1.   11/14/76: Minnesota Vikings 27  Seattle Seahawks 21
2.   10/8/78: Minnesota Vikings 28  Seattle Seahawks 29
3.   9/30/84: Minnesota Vikings 12  Seattle Seahawks 20
4.   11/1/87: Minnesota Vikings 17  Seattle Seahawks 28
5.   11/18/90: Minnesota Vikings 24  Seattle Seahawks 21
6.   11/10/96: Minnesota Vikings 23  Seattle Seahawks 42
7.   9/29/02: Minnesota Vikings 23  Seattle Seahawks 48
8.   12/7/03: Minnesota Vikings 34  Seattle Seahawks 7
9.   12/12/04: Minnesota Vikings 23  Seattle Seahawks 27
10. 10/22/06: Minnesota Vikings 31  Seattle Seahawks 13
11. 11/22/09: Minnesota Vikings 35  Seattle Seahawks 9
12. 11/4/12: Minnesota Vikings 20  Seattle Seahawks 30
13. 11/17/13: Minnesota Vikings 20  Seattle Seahawks 41
14. 12/6/15: Minnesota Vikings 7  Seattle Seahawks 38
15. 1/10/16: Minnesota Vikings 9  Seattle Seahawks 10*

Home team in bold
*-postseason game

A big reason that the Vikings have played the Seahawks only 15 times in 42 years is that the Seahawks were an AFC team for 24 of those years.

For all those Seahawk peeps feeling chipper about a five game edge over the Vikings I have two names.

Ahmad Rashad
Steve Hutchinson

Thank you for the mishandling of both.

Flea Flicker Week 14 Predictions

Here's a stab at the Week 13 games. We've entered the fourth quarter of the 2018 NFL season.

Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Vikings
For teams gunning for playoff spots, all games are must-win games at this stage of the season so it's silly to point out that fact. That being said, this is a must-win game for both teams.

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills
Sam Darnold vs Josh Allen. If Darnold wasn't coming off an injury I'd probably pick the Jets.

New York Giants @ Washington Redskins
Pick: Giants
I have zero faith that Mark Sanchez can win an NFL game. The Redskins are idiots to think that he can.

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: Saints
It's the Saints mostly because they have a hint of defense. Then there's the little thing about them being the much better team.

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
Pick: Patriots
The Patriots often have trouble in Miami. I doubt that they have trouble this time.

Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Ravens
Lamar Jackson's running is a problem for defenses and the Chiefs have some problems on defense.

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans
Pick: Colts
The Texans have won nine straight. That win streak has to end some time. Perhaps it ends where it started. Against the Colts. Besides, the Colts have to rebound from being shout out by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.

Carolina Panthers @ Cleveland Browns
Pick: Panthers
The Panthers can't keep losing. Right?

Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers
Pick: Packers
A battle of the two most under-performing teams in the league. I'll go with the home team.

Denver Broncos @ San Francisco 49ers
Pick: Broncos
The Broncos are heating up. The 49ers are just playing out the season.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Los Angeles Chargers
Pick: Chargers
Two teams heading in opposite directions.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Pick: Eagles
Most talking heads handed the Cowboys the division title after they beat the Saints. Not so fast.

Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Cardinals
Simply because it's being played in Arizona.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Oakland Raiders
Pick: Steelers
The Steelers rebound from a home loss that they shouldn't have lost to the Chargers.

Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears
Pick: Rams
I don't think that the Bears can keep up with the Rams.

Flea Flicker College Bowl Predictions

The 2018-19 College Bowl Schedule is set. 39 Bowl games and the big four-team playoff. Fun times. It all starts on December 15th. Here's a Flea Flicker stab at the games.

College Football Playoff schedule

Saturday, Dec. 29

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic 
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
4 p.m. ET on ESPN
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas

Pick: Clemson

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida

Pick: Alabama

Monday, Jan. 7

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T

8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, California

Pick: Clemson vs Alabama

Pick: Alabama

Bowl schedule

Saturday, Dec. 15

Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State
Noon ET, ABC
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta

Pick: North Carolina A&T

New Mexico Bowl
North Texas vs. Utah State
2 p.m. ET, ESPN
Branch Field at Dreamstyle Stadium
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Pick: Utah State

AutoNation Cure Bowl
Tulane vs. Louisiana
2:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida

Pick: Louisiana

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Fresno State vs. Arizona State
3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas

Pick: Fresno State

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan
5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Alabama

Pick: Georgia Southern

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans

Pick: Appalachian State

Tuesday, Dec. 18

Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
UAB vs. Northern Illinois
7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, Florida

Pick: UAB

Wednesday, Dec. 19

DXL Frisco Bowl
San Diego State vs. Ohio
8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas

Pick: Ohio

Thursday, Dec. 20

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Marshall vs. South Florida
8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida

Pick: Marshall

Friday, Dec. 21

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
FIU vs. Toledo
12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas

Pick: Toledo

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Western Michigan vs. BYU
4 p.m. ET, ESPN
Lyle Smith Field at Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho

Pick: BYU

Saturday, Dec. 22

Jared Birmingham Bowl
Memphis vs. Wake Forest
Noon ET, ESPN
Legion Field
Birmingham, Alabama

Pick: Memphis

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Houston vs. Army
3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas

Pick: Army

Dollar General Bowl
Buffalo vs. Troy
7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Mobile, Alabama

Pick: Troy 

SoFi Hawai'i Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii
10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Aloha Stadium
Honolulu

Pick: Hawaii

Wednesday, Dec. 26

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl 
Boston College vs. Boise State
1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Cotton Bowl
Dallas

Pick: Boston College

Quick Lane Bowl
Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech
5:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Ford Field
Detroit

Pick: Minnesota 

Cheez-It Bowl
California vs. TCU
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Chase Field
Phoenix

Pick: California

GO BEARS!!!

Thursday, Dec. 27

Walk-On's Independence Bowl
Temple vs. Duke
1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Independence Stadium
Shreveport, Louisiana

Pick: Duke

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Miami vs. Wisconsin
5:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Yankee Stadium
New York

Pick: Wisconsin

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Baylor vs. Vanderbilt
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
NRG Stadium
Houston

Pick: Vanderbilt

Friday, Dec. 28

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Purdue vs. Auburn
1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee

Pick: Purdue

Camping World Bowl
West Virginia vs. Syracuse
5:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida

Pick: West Virginia

Valero Alamo Bowl
Iowa State vs. Washington State
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas

Pick: Iowa State

Saturday, Dec. 29

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 Michigan
Noon ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta

Pick: Michigan

Belk Bowl
South Carolina vs. Virginia
Noon ET, ABC
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina

Pick: South Carolina

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl 
Arkansas State vs. Nevada
1:15 p.m. ET, CBSSN
Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Arizona

Pick: Arkansas State

Monday, Dec. 31

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Noon ET, ESPN
Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Maryland

Pick: Cincinnati

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Stanford vs. Pittsburgh
2 p.m. ET, CBS
Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, Texas

Pick: Stanford

Redbox Bowl
Michigan State vs. Oregon
3 p.m. ET, Fox
Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, Calif.

Pick: Oregon

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Missouri vs. Oklahoma State
3:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, Tennessee

Pick: Missouri

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Northwestern vs. Utah
7 p.m. ET, FS1
SDCCU Stadium
San Diego, Calif.

Pick: Utah

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
NC State vs. Texas A&M
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
TIAA Bank Field
Jacksonville, Florida

Pick: Texas A&M

Tuesday, Jan. 1

Outback Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Iowa
Noon ET, ESPN2
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida

Pick: Mississippi State

VRBO Citrus Bowl
Kentucky vs. Penn State
1 p.m. ET, ABC
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida

Pick: Penn State

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
No. 11 LSU vs. No. 8 UCF
1 p.m. ET, ESPN
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Glendale, Arizona

Pick: LSU

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual
No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State
5 p.m. ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California

Pick: Washington

Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 15 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia
8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans

Pick: Georgia