I really enjoy the writing and football passion of Sports Illustrated's Peter King. His interest in football includes everything that makes the game tick. From the equipment managers and coaching connections to the chess match strategy that takes place in every game. It's not just about the players and their statistics. His new MMQB (Monday Morning Quarterback) wedsite presents all of that and so much more. King strives to educate the readers on all aspects of the game. It's great stuff. So is his MMQB podcast that popped up this week. His chats with Eli Manning and Matt Ryan were terrific. It was his conversation with fellow Sports Illustrated writer Greg Bedard that made me wince. It was only a couple of things and not the conversation as a whole.
In talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers, King referred to Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau as a Hall of Fame coach. LeBeau is in the Hall of Fame and he is a football coach but he is not a Hall of Fame coach. I've never heard Tennessee Titans head coach and Hall of Fame guard Mike Munchack referred to as a Hall of Fame coach. It's because he's not. King isn't alone. I recall one football talking head saying that LeBeau's induction could open the door for other excellent assistant coaches. Many people seem to forget or simply don't accept that LeBeau was a senior committe nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player. I suppose that people make this mistake because they know LeBeau best as a terrific defensive coach and so few remember his days as a Detroit Lions cornerback. They just assume that he made it as a coach. I was surprised to hear King make this mistake seeing as he was in the room to vote on Dick LeBeau for the Hall of Fame.
The other little nugget that popped up in this conversation is something that has been bugging me since the 2005 NFL Draft. Bedard said that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers greatly benefited from the time spent playing behind Brett Favre. Bedard's reasoning was that Rodgers didn't show the quarterback that he would become while he was at Cal. From his fall to #24 in the 2005 NFL Draft to comments like this from Bedard, I wonder if anyone actually watched Rodgers play football at Cal. I really don't get it. He was a fantastic college quarterback. In two years at Cal I saw a lot of the quarterback that amazes everyone today. I had no doubt that he would one day excel in the NFL. His game against USC in 2004 was a masterpiece. Sometimes I wonder if the supposed experts say this stuff about Rodgers to cover up for the mistake that so many made on draft day. The Packers were lucky that so many were blind. I've always wondered if they still select Rodgers if they drafted even ten spots earlier. It's no wonder that Rodgers always plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. No one has ever been willing to admit that they screwed up in evaluating him in 2005.
Outside of that, even including that, Peter King's MMQB website and podcast are must-see and must-listen stuff. Check it out.
Cal hosts the Portland St. Vikings today. Any school named Vikings usually attracts my attention. That isn't what first attracted my attention toward Portland St. I first heard about the school in 1980 when they took apart Delaware St. by the astounding score of 105-0. That was the first I heard of quarterback Neil Lomax and offensive innovator Mouse Davis. The 2013 version of the team put up 57 points last week against Eastern Oregon. Hopefully the Vikings far fall short of both point totals today. Cal won the only other meeting between the two teams in 2006, 42-16. I prefer it when Cal challenges themselves with their non-conference schedule. This year they did that with Northwestern last week and Ohio St. next week. Supposedly, today's game against Portland St. is a break but you never know. It wasn't too long ago that UC Davis chopped down the mighty Stanford Cardinal. Go Bears!
I wish that I could watch this game on TV but I have Directv. Those clowns and the Pac-12 Networks are still in their juvenile pissing contest.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Even More Vikings Receivers Stuff
I just can't stay away from this topic.
The Minnesota Vikings team that suited up to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2012 season opener included these receivers:
Percy Harvin
Michael Jenkins
Devin Aromashadu
Stephen Burton
That's very thin. Not one of those receivers is on the current roster. I can't believe the complete turnover of the Vikings receiver position in a single year. It's obvious that changes needed to be made but it's rare that so many are actually made. When the Vikings visit Detroit on Sunday, they will have these receivers on the field:
Greg Jennings
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Joe Webb
To be fair, Simpson, Wright, and Webb were actually with the Vikings last year. Simpson was kicking off a suspension when the Vikings were kicking off their season. Wright was injured. Webb was playing quarterback. Of the newbies, Jennings was starting his injury-plagued, final season in Green Bay. Patterson was playing his only season at the University of Tennessee. Now, they are all together. I like this group. Wright, Patterson, and Webb are starting their first full season as NFL receivers. Simpson has had some highlights in the NFL but has yet to truly establish himself as a reliable receiver. Jennings is trying to put the injuries behind and return to the elite status that he once held. Despite all of that, I like this group of receivers. Perhaps because this group is not the group from last year. I like the athletic ability and the potential. Jennings is the leader, the established veteran. He's an outstanding route runner with terrific hands. Simpson has to make the plays in games that he routinely makes in practice. Wright was an immediate deep threat when he was finally healthy last year. He's a smaller, quicker receiver that is often pigeon-holed as a slot receiver. I think that he can make plays from the outside as well. Patterson has the talent to be a superstar. Despite being 6'3" and 220 lbs, he moves like a smaller receiver. I've never seen a receiver his size with the movement skill that he has. The Vikings can run many of the plays with him that they ran with Harvin. Lining up in the backfield, reverses, bubble screens, anyway to get the ball in his hands and let him run. Webb is an unbelievable athlete but he's still learning the receiver position. With his size and leaping ability, the Vikings probably have a package of plays that take advantage of those skills. His role should expand as he becomes more comfortable with the position. Next year, maybe even later this season, Greg Childs will hopefully return from his torn patellar tendon injuries and make this group even better. Likely at the expense of Simpson.
Last year, the Vikings had so little talent at receiver outside of Percy Harvin. It was really pretty sad. Now, there is some talent. There's actually considerable talent. There's also a lot of inexperience. That's what made the addition of Jennings in free agency so important. The Vikings had to get young quarteback Christian Ponder some help. I think that they succeeded.
The Minnesota Vikings team that suited up to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2012 season opener included these receivers:
Percy Harvin
Michael Jenkins
Devin Aromashadu
Stephen Burton
That's very thin. Not one of those receivers is on the current roster. I can't believe the complete turnover of the Vikings receiver position in a single year. It's obvious that changes needed to be made but it's rare that so many are actually made. When the Vikings visit Detroit on Sunday, they will have these receivers on the field:
Greg Jennings
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Joe Webb
To be fair, Simpson, Wright, and Webb were actually with the Vikings last year. Simpson was kicking off a suspension when the Vikings were kicking off their season. Wright was injured. Webb was playing quarterback. Of the newbies, Jennings was starting his injury-plagued, final season in Green Bay. Patterson was playing his only season at the University of Tennessee. Now, they are all together. I like this group. Wright, Patterson, and Webb are starting their first full season as NFL receivers. Simpson has had some highlights in the NFL but has yet to truly establish himself as a reliable receiver. Jennings is trying to put the injuries behind and return to the elite status that he once held. Despite all of that, I like this group of receivers. Perhaps because this group is not the group from last year. I like the athletic ability and the potential. Jennings is the leader, the established veteran. He's an outstanding route runner with terrific hands. Simpson has to make the plays in games that he routinely makes in practice. Wright was an immediate deep threat when he was finally healthy last year. He's a smaller, quicker receiver that is often pigeon-holed as a slot receiver. I think that he can make plays from the outside as well. Patterson has the talent to be a superstar. Despite being 6'3" and 220 lbs, he moves like a smaller receiver. I've never seen a receiver his size with the movement skill that he has. The Vikings can run many of the plays with him that they ran with Harvin. Lining up in the backfield, reverses, bubble screens, anyway to get the ball in his hands and let him run. Webb is an unbelievable athlete but he's still learning the receiver position. With his size and leaping ability, the Vikings probably have a package of plays that take advantage of those skills. His role should expand as he becomes more comfortable with the position. Next year, maybe even later this season, Greg Childs will hopefully return from his torn patellar tendon injuries and make this group even better. Likely at the expense of Simpson.
Last year, the Vikings had so little talent at receiver outside of Percy Harvin. It was really pretty sad. Now, there is some talent. There's actually considerable talent. There's also a lot of inexperience. That's what made the addition of Jennings in free agency so important. The Vikings had to get young quarteback Christian Ponder some help. I think that they succeeded.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Throwback Thursday: NFL Kickoff Game
The 2013 NFL season begins tonight in a real nice game between the defending champion Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. The annual Kickoff game is supposed to be hosted by the defending Super Bowl champion. Denver got it instead because baseball's Baltimore Orioles wouldn't play ball. I never understood why this was a factor as the Ravens and Orioles play in different stadiums. I say bring in 75,000 Baltimore football fans and leave the crumbs for the Orioles. A baseball team in a playoff chase might still lose many of their fans to TV sets tuned to a football game from Denver. I guess that the NFL doesn't play that game. They just move their game to a different city. They only move the date of the game for Obama acceptance speeches. The National Football League Kickoff Game was introduced in 2002. In the years since it has become a spectacle and a tradition. There are concerts and other ceremonies. They even find time for a football game.
That first Thursday night to kickoff the 2002 season was conceived as an effort to boost economic recovery in the New York and Washington areas following 9/11. The New York Giants hosted the San Francisco 49ers. ESPN televised that first game. It was considered an economic success for football as well as those that actually needed it. The NFL, never blind to potential dollar signs and the expansion of the shield, saw opportunity. The rights to televise the game and the pregame concert were transferred immediately after the season to ABC as part of their Monday Night Football package. The 2004 Kickoff Game started the tradition of the defending Super Bowl champion hosting the game. That matchup has proved fruitful for the champs as only the New York Giants have lost to start the new season. That was last year when the Dallas Cowboys prevailed in the Giants home. The new television contracts in 2006 gave the Kickoff Game to NBC. That network has had the game ever since. National politics impacted the start of the 2008 and 2012 seasons. In 2008 the time of the game was moved so that we could listen to John McCain during the Republican National Convention. In 2008, the game was actually moved to Wednesday so as not to interfere with Barack Obama and the Democratic National Convention. The sitting President carries more weight than the Republican nominee. That brings us to 2013 and baseball fouling up the start of the NFL season. I can understand why baseball ruffles it's feathers when the big, bad NFL comes around. It's been a while since a World Series game generated more interest than a routine regular season football game. Tonight, the city of Baltimore and the Orioles will be in the shadow of a Ravens game in Denver.
I've been slow to warm to these Thursday night Kickoff games. I've never seen the need for NFL games on Thursday outside of those on Thanksgiving. Football and Thanksgiving has always been a beautiful union. I've never really seen much need for NFL games outside of Sunday. I'm a traditionalist that way. I also don't think that the Sunday to Thursday turnaround is good for the players. They're barely moving around from the collisions of Sunday when they have to be ready to collide again. It isn't right but those that run the game and don't actually play the game have always seen more as better. I see Sunday football as just right. No matter the day, I am ready for some football.
That first Thursday night to kickoff the 2002 season was conceived as an effort to boost economic recovery in the New York and Washington areas following 9/11. The New York Giants hosted the San Francisco 49ers. ESPN televised that first game. It was considered an economic success for football as well as those that actually needed it. The NFL, never blind to potential dollar signs and the expansion of the shield, saw opportunity. The rights to televise the game and the pregame concert were transferred immediately after the season to ABC as part of their Monday Night Football package. The 2004 Kickoff Game started the tradition of the defending Super Bowl champion hosting the game. That matchup has proved fruitful for the champs as only the New York Giants have lost to start the new season. That was last year when the Dallas Cowboys prevailed in the Giants home. The new television contracts in 2006 gave the Kickoff Game to NBC. That network has had the game ever since. National politics impacted the start of the 2008 and 2012 seasons. In 2008 the time of the game was moved so that we could listen to John McCain during the Republican National Convention. In 2008, the game was actually moved to Wednesday so as not to interfere with Barack Obama and the Democratic National Convention. The sitting President carries more weight than the Republican nominee. That brings us to 2013 and baseball fouling up the start of the NFL season. I can understand why baseball ruffles it's feathers when the big, bad NFL comes around. It's been a while since a World Series game generated more interest than a routine regular season football game. Tonight, the city of Baltimore and the Orioles will be in the shadow of a Ravens game in Denver.
I've been slow to warm to these Thursday night Kickoff games. I've never seen the need for NFL games on Thursday outside of those on Thanksgiving. Football and Thanksgiving has always been a beautiful union. I've never really seen much need for NFL games outside of Sunday. I'm a traditionalist that way. I also don't think that the Sunday to Thursday turnaround is good for the players. They're barely moving around from the collisions of Sunday when they have to be ready to collide again. It isn't right but those that run the game and don't actually play the game have always seen more as better. I see Sunday football as just right. No matter the day, I am ready for some football.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Flea Flicker's Ridiculous Predictions
Here's my attempt at predicting the divisions and their winners:
(this should not be used for gambling purposes!!!)
NFC
North
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
East
New York Giants
Washington Redskins
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
South
Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
West
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
Arizona Cardinals
AFC
North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cleveland Browns
East
New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars
West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
Oakland Raiders
I love the symmetry of eight divisions, four teams each. It looks so clean.
I have to say, the NFC, as a whole, is so much stronger than the AFC. All four of the teams that I have as finishing in fourth place in the NFC divisions could win those divisions. It's unlikely but I wouldn't be completely surprised. There's about six teams in the AFC that I give about a 0% shot at making the playoffs. The four teams that end up as NFC division champs will have gone through some serious battles to earn that distinction. Of course, none of the predictions mean a thing right now. In 17 weeks they will be forgotten.
(this should not be used for gambling purposes!!!)
NFC
North
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
East
New York Giants
Washington Redskins
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
South
Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
West
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
Arizona Cardinals
AFC
North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cleveland Browns
East
New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars
West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
Oakland Raiders
I love the symmetry of eight divisions, four teams each. It looks so clean.
I have to say, the NFC, as a whole, is so much stronger than the AFC. All four of the teams that I have as finishing in fourth place in the NFC divisions could win those divisions. It's unlikely but I wouldn't be completely surprised. There's about six teams in the AFC that I give about a 0% shot at making the playoffs. The four teams that end up as NFC division champs will have gone through some serious battles to earn that distinction. Of course, none of the predictions mean a thing right now. In 17 weeks they will be forgotten.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
New Golden Bears
Having Aaron Rodgers for a couple of seasons allowed fans of the California Golden Bears to see how the quarterback position should be played. It was a such a short time. It was enough for many of us to realize how bad the years since have been. Nate Longshore showed some promise but it was fleeting. Quarterback has been mostly a disaster in Berkeley for nearly a decade. Former head coach Jeff Tedford might have increased expectations for Cal football in most of his eleven seasons as head coach but a change had to be made. When up-tempo, pass-happy Sonny Dykes was hired as head coach after last season he brought some hope to a stagnant offense. That offense was on display this past Saturday night. It was most definitely a change from the past.
Cal was a couple of tipped passes away from upsetting #22 Northwestern. Instead, Cal lost by a score of 44-30. There was still a lot to like. For one, true freshman quarterback Jared Goff looks like he's ready for college football. He completed 38 of 63 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns. 63 passes! 445 yards! My goodness, the ball is certainly in the air a lot in this new offense. That was expected but Cal still found the time to run the ball 35 times. The commitment to run the ball is one aspect of Dykes' offense that I've liked. The most stunning thing with this new "Bear Raid" offense in it's debut was the 99 total plays. That's an insane total. Tedford's offense was sometimes considered an explosive offense. I doubt that his offense exceeded 70 plays too often. Cal gained 548 total yards against Northwestern with a true freshman quarterback leading the way. That's a promising start. It would have been more promising if two of Goff's weren't tipped, caught by the wrong team and returned for touchdowns. Goff had three interceptions on the night. The last, which wasn't returned for a touchdown, sealed the win for Northwestern.
This sort of offense certainly puts a lot of stress on the opposing defense. No huddle, fast-paced, explosive. It also puts a lot of stress on Cal's defense. That was seen in them giving up 508 yards. Losing top pass rusher Chris McCain on a horrible penalty and ejection in the third quarter didn't help that defense. Still, 508 yards is a lot of yards to give. Cal has some talented defensive players. They made some nice plays but they also clearly gave up a lot. One of things that I've disliked most about these up-tempo offenses is what seems to be a lack of concern for anything resembling a decent defense. I don't want to see Cal fall into this.
An interesting development during the Cal-Northwestern game was the possibility of Wildcat defensive players faking injuries in an effort to slow down the Bears offense. The Cal fans started giving the supposed cheaters the business. I found it funny because Cal defensive players were guilty of this same tactic against the Oregon Ducks a few years ago. It was difficult for me to get upset with Northwestern when my team was once known to do the same thing. A little payback, I guess.
Despite the loss, this was a promising start to the Cal careers of Sonny Dykes and Jared Goff. Cal has some real nice receivers in Bryce Treggs, Chris Harper, Richard Rodgers, Darius Powe, Kenny Lawler, and Jackson Bouza. Dangerous runners in Brendan Bigelow, Daniel Lasco, and Khalfani Muhammad. The offense looks to be in a great place. I like many of the defensive players but they can't give up 500 yards on a regular basis. They play Ohio St. and Oregon in two of their next three games. Offenses like that will tear them apart if they don't tighten that defense. After too many years of watching a mostly floundering offense, it was fun to see Cal get an opponent, especially a talented opponent, on their heels.
Cal was a couple of tipped passes away from upsetting #22 Northwestern. Instead, Cal lost by a score of 44-30. There was still a lot to like. For one, true freshman quarterback Jared Goff looks like he's ready for college football. He completed 38 of 63 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns. 63 passes! 445 yards! My goodness, the ball is certainly in the air a lot in this new offense. That was expected but Cal still found the time to run the ball 35 times. The commitment to run the ball is one aspect of Dykes' offense that I've liked. The most stunning thing with this new "Bear Raid" offense in it's debut was the 99 total plays. That's an insane total. Tedford's offense was sometimes considered an explosive offense. I doubt that his offense exceeded 70 plays too often. Cal gained 548 total yards against Northwestern with a true freshman quarterback leading the way. That's a promising start. It would have been more promising if two of Goff's weren't tipped, caught by the wrong team and returned for touchdowns. Goff had three interceptions on the night. The last, which wasn't returned for a touchdown, sealed the win for Northwestern.
This sort of offense certainly puts a lot of stress on the opposing defense. No huddle, fast-paced, explosive. It also puts a lot of stress on Cal's defense. That was seen in them giving up 508 yards. Losing top pass rusher Chris McCain on a horrible penalty and ejection in the third quarter didn't help that defense. Still, 508 yards is a lot of yards to give. Cal has some talented defensive players. They made some nice plays but they also clearly gave up a lot. One of things that I've disliked most about these up-tempo offenses is what seems to be a lack of concern for anything resembling a decent defense. I don't want to see Cal fall into this.
An interesting development during the Cal-Northwestern game was the possibility of Wildcat defensive players faking injuries in an effort to slow down the Bears offense. The Cal fans started giving the supposed cheaters the business. I found it funny because Cal defensive players were guilty of this same tactic against the Oregon Ducks a few years ago. It was difficult for me to get upset with Northwestern when my team was once known to do the same thing. A little payback, I guess.
Despite the loss, this was a promising start to the Cal careers of Sonny Dykes and Jared Goff. Cal has some real nice receivers in Bryce Treggs, Chris Harper, Richard Rodgers, Darius Powe, Kenny Lawler, and Jackson Bouza. Dangerous runners in Brendan Bigelow, Daniel Lasco, and Khalfani Muhammad. The offense looks to be in a great place. I like many of the defensive players but they can't give up 500 yards on a regular basis. They play Ohio St. and Oregon in two of their next three games. Offenses like that will tear them apart if they don't tighten that defense. After too many years of watching a mostly floundering offense, it was fun to see Cal get an opponent, especially a talented opponent, on their heels.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Your 2013 Minnesota Vikings
An NFL roster is an evolving thing. It's never really set. Still, the Minnesota Vikings 2013 is down to the 53 players mandated by the NFL. Here is that roster:
QB
Christian Ponder
Matt Cassel
McLeod Bethel-Thompson
RB
Adrian Peterson
Toby Gerhart
Matt Asiata
Zach Line
WR
Greg Jennings
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Joe Webb
TE
Kyle Rudolph
John Carlson
Rhett Ellison
OL
Matt Kalil
Charlie Johnson
John Sullivan
Brandon Fusco
Phil Loadholt
Joe Berger
J'Marcus Wright
Jeff Baca
DL
Jared Allen
Kevin Williams
Letroy Guion
Brian Robison
Sharrif Floyd
Everson Griffen
Fred Evans
George Johnson
Chase Baker
LB
Chad Greenway
Erin Henderson
Desmond Bishop
Mike Mauti
Gerald Hodges
Audie Cole
Marvin Mitchell
Larry Dean
CB
Chris Cook
Xavier Rhodes
Josh Robinson
A.J. Jefferson
Marcu Sherels
S
Harrison Smith
Jamarca Sanford
Mistral Raymond
Andrew Sendejo
Robert Blanton
LS
Cullen Loeffler
K
Blair Walsh
P
Jeff Locke
There you go. Fullback Jerome Felton and tackle DeMarcus Love are suspended to start the season. In a few weeks roster decisions will have to be made involving them. Felton should move smoothly into his role of paving the way for Adrian Peterson. As a result, undrafted rookie Zach Line could lose a spot.
The Vikings have completed their eight-man practice squad.
RB Joe Banyard
WR Rodney Smith
WR Adam Thielen
TE Chase Ford
G Travis Bond
T Kevin Murphy
DT Everett Dawkins
DE Tristan Okpalaogo
With Dawkins and Bond on the practice, all nine of the Vikings 2013 draft choices have made the team in some fashion.
QB
Christian Ponder
Matt Cassel
McLeod Bethel-Thompson
RB
Adrian Peterson
Toby Gerhart
Matt Asiata
Zach Line
WR
Greg Jennings
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Joe Webb
TE
Kyle Rudolph
John Carlson
Rhett Ellison
OL
Matt Kalil
Charlie Johnson
John Sullivan
Brandon Fusco
Phil Loadholt
Joe Berger
J'Marcus Wright
Jeff Baca
DL
Jared Allen
Kevin Williams
Letroy Guion
Brian Robison
Sharrif Floyd
Everson Griffen
Fred Evans
George Johnson
Chase Baker
LB
Chad Greenway
Erin Henderson
Desmond Bishop
Mike Mauti
Gerald Hodges
Audie Cole
Marvin Mitchell
Larry Dean
CB
Chris Cook
Xavier Rhodes
Josh Robinson
A.J. Jefferson
Marcu Sherels
S
Harrison Smith
Jamarca Sanford
Mistral Raymond
Andrew Sendejo
Robert Blanton
LS
Cullen Loeffler
K
Blair Walsh
P
Jeff Locke
There you go. Fullback Jerome Felton and tackle DeMarcus Love are suspended to start the season. In a few weeks roster decisions will have to be made involving them. Felton should move smoothly into his role of paving the way for Adrian Peterson. As a result, undrafted rookie Zach Line could lose a spot.
The Vikings have completed their eight-man practice squad.
RB Joe Banyard
WR Rodney Smith
WR Adam Thielen
TE Chase Ford
G Travis Bond
T Kevin Murphy
DT Everett Dawkins
DE Tristan Okpalaogo
With Dawkins and Bond on the practice, all nine of the Vikings 2013 draft choices have made the team in some fashion.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Unbreakable Records
"Records are meant to be broken." -someone said it
I really don't think that there are unbreakable records. There's always someone out there that can do one better. Sure, there are football records that can't be beat. 99-yard runs, 99-yard passes, 98-yard punts, those can only be matched. I saw Tony Dorsett score from the 1-yard line on the Minnesota Vikings side of the field. It was a depressing handful of seconds. On the other end of emotions was watching Bernard Berrian take in a Gus Frerotte pass and completing a scoring play that covered 99 yards. Good times. I'm hoping that Vikings rookie punter Jeff Locke can one day equal Steve O'Neal. Hit a nice little 98-yard punt.
There was a time when John Unitas' record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass was considered one of the most unbreakable records. Drew Brees sailed by it last year. It was actually an accomplishment that I thought was under appreciated. Passing a record held by Unitas isn't trivial stuff. Today's passing game has made pretty much made all passing records a revolving door. 5,000 yards in a season is common now. Is 50 touchdown passes in a season going to be routine? Sorry, Tom. Since 1979, I've felt that Minnesota Vikings safety Paul Krause's 81 career interceptions was the most unbreakable NFL record. With today's passing game, balls are in the air a lot. There are so many more chances for interceptions. I just don't think that one guy is going to get all of them. Krause's 81 will last. It's hard to imagine longevity records passing the 26 years of George Blanda. Morten Andersen has 25. Gary Anderson and John Carney have 23. Come on! Do kickers really count? Football players like Jackie Slater and Darrell Green played 20 seasons with one team. Jim Marshall played 19 seasons with the Vikings. It's real hard to imagine anyone in today's game matching those records. It just doesn't happen anymore. Not since Favre retired.
Today's passing game has changed everything. Passing has become something closer to "what have you done lately?" It's also minimized the role of the running back. Emmitt Smith's career rushing record is way out there in the best of running times. It's way, way out there when the quarterback is throwing the ball nearly 50 times in a game. That dynamite back is begging for touches. If Adrian Peterson retires without Smith's record, will that record ever be touched.
"Records are meant to be broken."...
I really don't think that there are unbreakable records. There's always someone out there that can do one better. Sure, there are football records that can't be beat. 99-yard runs, 99-yard passes, 98-yard punts, those can only be matched. I saw Tony Dorsett score from the 1-yard line on the Minnesota Vikings side of the field. It was a depressing handful of seconds. On the other end of emotions was watching Bernard Berrian take in a Gus Frerotte pass and completing a scoring play that covered 99 yards. Good times. I'm hoping that Vikings rookie punter Jeff Locke can one day equal Steve O'Neal. Hit a nice little 98-yard punt.
There was a time when John Unitas' record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass was considered one of the most unbreakable records. Drew Brees sailed by it last year. It was actually an accomplishment that I thought was under appreciated. Passing a record held by Unitas isn't trivial stuff. Today's passing game has made pretty much made all passing records a revolving door. 5,000 yards in a season is common now. Is 50 touchdown passes in a season going to be routine? Sorry, Tom. Since 1979, I've felt that Minnesota Vikings safety Paul Krause's 81 career interceptions was the most unbreakable NFL record. With today's passing game, balls are in the air a lot. There are so many more chances for interceptions. I just don't think that one guy is going to get all of them. Krause's 81 will last. It's hard to imagine longevity records passing the 26 years of George Blanda. Morten Andersen has 25. Gary Anderson and John Carney have 23. Come on! Do kickers really count? Football players like Jackie Slater and Darrell Green played 20 seasons with one team. Jim Marshall played 19 seasons with the Vikings. It's real hard to imagine anyone in today's game matching those records. It just doesn't happen anymore. Not since Favre retired.
Today's passing game has changed everything. Passing has become something closer to "what have you done lately?" It's also minimized the role of the running back. Emmitt Smith's career rushing record is way out there in the best of running times. It's way, way out there when the quarterback is throwing the ball nearly 50 times in a game. That dynamite back is begging for touches. If Adrian Peterson retires without Smith's record, will that record ever be touched.
"Records are meant to be broken."...
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