The last quarter of the Minnesota Vikings 2013 season starts today at Baltimore. When the schedule came out in the spring, I saw the final four games at Baltimore, Cincinnati, at Philadelphia, Detroit as a tough gauntlet to run as the Vikings powered to a return to the playoffs. Instead the Vikings are fighting to avoid a second three win season in the last three years. The playoffs are still a mathematical possibility. The Vikings have to win their remaining four games and too many teams to count have to lose.
Matt Cassel gets the start at quarterback for the Vikings. Christian Ponder failed to pass the required concussion protocols.
Vikings middle linebacker Audie Cole is starting his third consecutive game. He's pretty much taken the job from Erin Henderson. Cole had an opportunity when Henderson was inactive two weeks ago. The overall performance of the defense improved. In that short span of time the defense has been the league's best at getting their opponents off of the field on third down. They had been pathetic at the task all season.
The Vikings have played two consecutive overtime games. For health reasons (mine), I hope that there is not a third.
"He can skedaddle pretty good."
- Chiefs coach Andy Reid on facing Robert Griffin III
I love coach-speak.
Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon has exploded the last two weeks. An NFL record two consecutive 200-yard receiving games. 14 catches for 237 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh. 10 catches for 261 and two touchdowns against Jacksonville. 24 catches for 498 yards and three touchdowns over two weeks is ridiculous. He's done this despite catching passes from a parade of concussed quarterbacks in Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden. Gordon has always had the physical skills to excel. 6'3" and 225 lbs with 4.4 speed. His on-field performance is fast approaching those skills. His off-field errors nearly kept him from reaching his potential. Marijuana got him kicked off of the Baylor football team. Can anyone imagine Robert Griffin III throwing passes to Kendall Wright, Terrance Williams, and Gordon? The mistakes in college forced Gordon to take the Supplemental Draft route to the NFL. He's now making the most of his opportunity.
I highly recommend Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback site. His recent series on a week in the life of an officiating crew is excellent.
Kabam Field!
Cal and Kabam, Inc. have come to a 15-year, $18 million agreement on naming rights for the football field inside the beautiful Memorial Stadium. It will be Kabam Field at Memorial Stadium. I like it. Kabam sounds exciting. High scoring. Hopefully, higher scoring for Cal than this season. The name will be seen on the field at both 25-yard lines. It will also be seen on midfield signage above the Cal team bench. Kabam is the western world leader for free-to-play mobile games for traditional players. Three of the four co-founders and nearly 10% of the company's employees are Cal alums. Kabam!
The end to last week's Alabama-Auburn game was incredible. Seeing a missed field goal returned for a touchdown is a rare event. Seeing it end a game is even more rare. In the last week I've heard a few talking heads saying that we'll never see it again. That's a bit quick. We were even in a position to see it the very next day. Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould attempted a 66-yard potentially game-winning field goal at the end of their game against the Vikings. Cordarrelle Patterson returned the short attempt but only managed the 31-yard line. Patterson is always a threat to take the ball a very long way so the potential was there. He was slow to come up field perhaps due to his inexperience dealing with the field goal team rather than his usual return blockers. Never say never in football.
In the first quarter of the Alabama-Auburn game, Auburn had a 3rd and 18. Quarterback Nick Marshall completed a pass for about twenty yards and moved the chains. Auburn right tackle Avery Young bought Marshall some time with some blatant facemask/holding on Alabama linebacker Denzel Devall. I don't know how an official misses a pass rusher's head and upper body being twisted like that. Instead of a very challenging 3rd and about 35, Auburn had a first down and momentum. It led to Marshall's 45-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. You can always point to game-changing instances in a game decided on the last play and this missed penalty was one of them.
Last week, San Jose St.(526 yards) and Fresno St.(469 yards) combined for 1,006 yards in the first half of their game. The Spartans took a 42-21 lead into halftime. They went on to win a scorcher, 62-52. The two teams combined for 376 yards and 31 points in the second half. The defenses really picked up their game in that second half.
I watched a little of the Rice-Marshall Conference USA Championship game. I noticed that Rice had sons of a couple NFL coaches on their team. Corey Frazier is the son of Vikings coach Leslie Frazier. Klein Kubiak is the son of Texans coach Gary Kubiak. Seeing as the elder Kubiak was fired on Friday this little bit of trivia was no longer true yesterday. Many yahoos in the media feel that the elder Frazier will face a similar fate in about one month. Personally, I don't think that is so sure to happen.
Auburn's first touchdown against Missouri in the SEC Championship game contained some nice sleight of hand by quarterback Nick Marshall. The play ended with a beautiful 38-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates. I like this Nick Marshall kid.
I get a kick out of the cards that Auburn uses to signal their offensive plays. I recognized the Hulk, Iron Man, Puss-in-Boots, and someone that looked a lot like Mr. T.
Auburn running back Tre Mason was a beast against Missouri. 46 carries for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
Missouri had 233 rushing yards. That's a pretty nice ground game. It's meager when Auburn runs for 543 yards in the same game.
Florida St. quarterback Jameis Winston has been fantastic all year. His receivers have made a lot of plays for him. Kelvin Benjamin is huge. Kenny Shaw makes tough catches in every game that I've seen. Winston doesn't have to be perfect to be successful. Benjamin, Shaw, and Rashad Greene should all go over 1,000 yards receiving on the season.
Ohio St. lost for the first time in two years. Michigan St.'s terrific defense knocked the Buckeyes out of the BCS Championship game.
Unless there's something truly screwy in the BCS rankings, which is always a possibility, it looks like Auburn-Florida St for the championship. Ohio St.'s loss makes it possible for an SEC team to an eighth straight national title.
There was an interesting shuffling of coaches in the Pac-12. Washington coach Steve Sakisian bailed on the school that gave him his first head coaching shot. He left for USC. I was hoping that Ed Orgeron would have the interim title removed and get the full time job for USC. Sarkisian follows Lane Kiffin as former USC assistant coaches that ditched head coaching jobs to return to Los Angeles. I hope that Sarkisian has as much success as Kiffin. Washington then went out and improved their lot by stealing Chris Petersen from Boise St. Petersen's departure from Boise St. was inevitable. He'd taken the program about as far as he could.
The Pac-12 has a terrific mix of proven and promising coaches. David Shaw, Jim Mora, Todd Graham, Rich Rodriguez, Mike Riley, Mike Leach, Kyle Whittingham, Steve Sarkisian, Mark Helfrich, and now Chris Petersen. Colorado's Mike MacIntyre and Cal's Sonny Dykes probably have the most to prove as both had rough rookie seasons in the Pac-12. Each has shown that he can turn a program around in his first head coaching job. MacIntyre at San Jose St. Dykes at Louisiana Tech. So, the potential for success is there in a rapidly improving Pac-12.
Congratulations to David Shaw and the Stanford Cardinal on winning the Pac-12 Championship game. They will return to the Rose Bowl.
Stanford-Michigan St. Rose Bowl sounds pretty nice. The sideline reporter was mentioning that it's been 26 years since Michigan St. was last in the Rose Bowl. Wow. That's really something. It's only been 55 years since Cal was last in the Rose Bowl. Go Bears!
Go Vikings!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Championship Saturday
Last night's Mid-American Conference Championship was the first conference championship game on tap. Bowling Green thrashed #14 Northern Illinois 47-27.
There are six Conference Championship games being played today.
Conference USA
Marshall vs Rice
SEC
Missouri vs Auburn
Pac-12
Stanford vs Arizona St.
Big Ten
Ohio St. vs Michigan St.
ACC
Duke vs Florida St.
Mountian West
Utah St. vs Fresno St.
The worst thing about having six conference championship games on one day is that it's difficult to watch all six conference championship games on one day. Conference USA kicks it all off. They have the time slot all to themselves. The SEC is up next. That's probably the most anticipated in that we have #5 Missouri facing #3 Auburn. It's simply stunning that the two Tiger teams combined for two conference wins just last season. Everyone expected Alabama to be part of this game but Auburn shocked everyone last Saturday. Fortunately, the SEC has the the second time slot all to themselves. After that, we have problems. The Pac-12, Big Ten, and ACC Championship games all kick off at roughly the same time. The Ohio St.-Michigan St. game could be fantastic. The Buckeyes offense against a brilliant Spartans defense. Oh my. But, the Pac-12 and ACC games are intriguing as well. I haven't seen surprising Duke yet this year. I'd like to. Although this may not be the game to truly appreciate them. Everyone expects #1 Florida St. to take the Blue Devils apart. No matter, David Cutcliffe definitely has Duke people thinking about a sport other than basketball this time of year. Then we have the Mountain West with the last time slot all to themselves.
Today should be a fun day of college football. I just wish that the games were spread out a bit more.
There are six Conference Championship games being played today.
Conference USA
Marshall vs Rice
SEC
Missouri vs Auburn
Pac-12
Stanford vs Arizona St.
Big Ten
Ohio St. vs Michigan St.
ACC
Duke vs Florida St.
Mountian West
Utah St. vs Fresno St.
The worst thing about having six conference championship games on one day is that it's difficult to watch all six conference championship games on one day. Conference USA kicks it all off. They have the time slot all to themselves. The SEC is up next. That's probably the most anticipated in that we have #5 Missouri facing #3 Auburn. It's simply stunning that the two Tiger teams combined for two conference wins just last season. Everyone expected Alabama to be part of this game but Auburn shocked everyone last Saturday. Fortunately, the SEC has the the second time slot all to themselves. After that, we have problems. The Pac-12, Big Ten, and ACC Championship games all kick off at roughly the same time. The Ohio St.-Michigan St. game could be fantastic. The Buckeyes offense against a brilliant Spartans defense. Oh my. But, the Pac-12 and ACC games are intriguing as well. I haven't seen surprising Duke yet this year. I'd like to. Although this may not be the game to truly appreciate them. Everyone expects #1 Florida St. to take the Blue Devils apart. No matter, David Cutcliffe definitely has Duke people thinking about a sport other than basketball this time of year. Then we have the Mountain West with the last time slot all to themselves.
Today should be a fun day of college football. I just wish that the games were spread out a bit more.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Too Much Football?
I've never been a fan of the Thursday night football games. The NFL thinks that every fan wants more football. I'd rather see more football on Sunday. The NFL says that the Thursday night games are for the fans. The NFL should admit that the Thursday night games are all about the money. Money is what drives, actually flies, the NFL to London. Money is what drives the NFL to Thursday. Most, maybe even all, of the players would prefer to drop the extra night of football. Some of the younger players might not care when they play. They likely will if they last long enough.
Says Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett: "People don't know; after the game, it's normally Friday and Saturday when your body starts feeling better. I've been around for 13 years, so it takes a little longer to recover."
Playing another game before the body has recovered from a previous game doesn't sound like the right thing to do, ever. Maybe most of the players can recover in time to play a Thursday game early in the season. Doing it in November in December is pretty much impossible. The league stresses to the press and the fans their pursuit of safety in the game. Their actions often contradict that pursuit. Forcing every player in the league to play two football games in five days doesn't show a great concern for safety. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a dream of squeezing an 18-game schedule out of the players. The NFL tried to show their concern for player safety by doing an injury study. The league found that roughly the same number of injuries happened in 2012 Thursday games (5.2 per game) as in games played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (5.3). There are so many problems with this study. One season is a ludicrously small sample size. It could reveal nothing more than blind luck. What constitutes an injury? Are they only counting the players that are seen on the ground? Are they only counting the players that leave the game? How many players actually exit an NFL feeling excellent? I'd be more curious to see the injury rates of players in the games following a Thursday night game. The safety concern of Thursday games is not necessarily the injuries in that game. It's playing a game after only three days of rest. It's playing a football game before a player has truly recovered. A player's body likely has only so many games in it. Playing two games in five days might be the equivalent of playing four games. Maybe more. Study that. The league should do a study that actually shows something meaningful before they make an NFL playing career even more stressful.
I tend to side with the players on most league matters. Especially on those matters that deal with safety. Most everything that the NFL does is about the money. After all, it's a business. The players only get a few years to make their money in the game. The owners can get a lifetime. Virginia McCaskey has never seen a day that her family hasn't owned the Chicago Bears. She's 90. Right now, the league has their own network televising the Thursday night games. They are looking to put half of the games up to the highest bidder. Turner, Fox, NBC, and ESPN might all jump into the bidding. This potential bidding war could bring in $700 million per year. For eight games! It's getting to the point where TV networks will pay any amount that the NFL fancies. Everybody is watching. The game pairing the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, five wins between them, was probably one of the most watched shows on TV last night. Everybody is watching. The NFL is a juggernaut and they still want more. At some point, the league has to step back and realize that it's the players that are paying the price. Unfortunately, the league also knows that there's an endless supply of football players. There always has been.
The players aren't innocent little bunnies here. They opened the door for the expansion of the Thursday games when they agreed to the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. Maybe it was one of the final gives in the extended give-and-take of the ridiculous lockout.
Says Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett: "People don't know; after the game, it's normally Friday and Saturday when your body starts feeling better. I've been around for 13 years, so it takes a little longer to recover."
Playing another game before the body has recovered from a previous game doesn't sound like the right thing to do, ever. Maybe most of the players can recover in time to play a Thursday game early in the season. Doing it in November in December is pretty much impossible. The league stresses to the press and the fans their pursuit of safety in the game. Their actions often contradict that pursuit. Forcing every player in the league to play two football games in five days doesn't show a great concern for safety. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a dream of squeezing an 18-game schedule out of the players. The NFL tried to show their concern for player safety by doing an injury study. The league found that roughly the same number of injuries happened in 2012 Thursday games (5.2 per game) as in games played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (5.3). There are so many problems with this study. One season is a ludicrously small sample size. It could reveal nothing more than blind luck. What constitutes an injury? Are they only counting the players that are seen on the ground? Are they only counting the players that leave the game? How many players actually exit an NFL feeling excellent? I'd be more curious to see the injury rates of players in the games following a Thursday night game. The safety concern of Thursday games is not necessarily the injuries in that game. It's playing a game after only three days of rest. It's playing a football game before a player has truly recovered. A player's body likely has only so many games in it. Playing two games in five days might be the equivalent of playing four games. Maybe more. Study that. The league should do a study that actually shows something meaningful before they make an NFL playing career even more stressful.
I tend to side with the players on most league matters. Especially on those matters that deal with safety. Most everything that the NFL does is about the money. After all, it's a business. The players only get a few years to make their money in the game. The owners can get a lifetime. Virginia McCaskey has never seen a day that her family hasn't owned the Chicago Bears. She's 90. Right now, the league has their own network televising the Thursday night games. They are looking to put half of the games up to the highest bidder. Turner, Fox, NBC, and ESPN might all jump into the bidding. This potential bidding war could bring in $700 million per year. For eight games! It's getting to the point where TV networks will pay any amount that the NFL fancies. Everybody is watching. The game pairing the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, five wins between them, was probably one of the most watched shows on TV last night. Everybody is watching. The NFL is a juggernaut and they still want more. At some point, the league has to step back and realize that it's the players that are paying the price. Unfortunately, the league also knows that there's an endless supply of football players. There always has been.
The players aren't innocent little bunnies here. They opened the door for the expansion of the Thursday games when they agreed to the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. Maybe it was one of the final gives in the extended give-and-take of the ridiculous lockout.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Throwback Thursday: Who's To Blame For The Option
Option football has popped into the National Football League. The recent addition of elusive quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson have made the read option a serious weapon. The read option has flourished in college football for over seven decades. It's never had a sustained life in the NFL for a couple of reasons. Until recently there haven't been too many quarterbacks with the running ability to make it effective. More inportantly, no coach wants to put his quarterback in harms way on a consistent basis. Of the young, mobile quarterbacks in the league today, I think that the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson runs the option the best. He may not win a foot race against Newton, Kaepernick, or Griffin but he always seems to be fast enough on the football field. What truly sets him apart for me is his ball-handling, timing, and vision. He gashed the New Orleans Saints on Monday night whenever he pulled the ball back and ran. When he ran the path was wide open. Most importantly, there was never a risk to his continued health. This season, the Seahawks have risen to Super Bowl favorites. Much of that is due to the magic that Russell Wilson brings to the football field. His ability to run the read option makes the Seahawks a versatile, dangerous offense. Who's to blame for bringing the read option to football?
In 1941, Missouri football coach Don Faurot thought about his basketball past. Specifically, he thought about the 2-on-1 advantages often found on fast breaks. He thought that he could create similar advantages on the football field. His creation was the Split T formation. The T formation was all the rage in the football world at that time. The Chicago Bears had taken apart the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship game by the score of 73-0. Eyes were opened and single wing playbooks were scrapped. Faurot added his little twist on the T. The Split T relied on wider line splits between the offensive linemen. This spread out the defense. One or two defensive linemen would be left unblocked. The free rushing linemen would then be used as option keys. Like the fast break in basketball, the quarterback would keep the ball or pitch it depending on the actions of the free rushing lineman. As Russell Wilson found against the Saints, defenders were often helpless trying to deal with two potential ball carriers. It was a numbers game and Faurot had found a way win it. He led Missouri to three Big 6 Conference titles. During World War II, he coached the Iowa Pre-Flight football team. Two of his assistant coaches were Jim Tatum and Bud Wilkinson. Both coaches took the Split T with them after the War. Tatum was hired at Oklahoma with the condition that Wilkinson be his top assistant. Tatum left for Maryland after only one year. Wilkinson took over and created a dynasty at Oklahoma. Wilkinson, with Faurot's Split T, won a record 47 consecutive games, three National titles, and 14 Big 8 Conference titles. Tatum didn't do too badly at Maryland. He also won a National title as well as two ACC Conference titles. Those were the first two coaches to grab hold of Faurot's Split T option offense. So many would do the same. Some of the greatest teams and greatest coaches in college football history have used the option in some form. The veer, wishbone, flexbone, I formation option, the pistol, and the spread option offenses of today have all evolved from Don Faurot's Split T. It's been a staple in college football since Faurot brought a part of basketball onto the football field. Now, it's popping up in the National Football League.
In 1941, Missouri football coach Don Faurot thought about his basketball past. Specifically, he thought about the 2-on-1 advantages often found on fast breaks. He thought that he could create similar advantages on the football field. His creation was the Split T formation. The T formation was all the rage in the football world at that time. The Chicago Bears had taken apart the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship game by the score of 73-0. Eyes were opened and single wing playbooks were scrapped. Faurot added his little twist on the T. The Split T relied on wider line splits between the offensive linemen. This spread out the defense. One or two defensive linemen would be left unblocked. The free rushing linemen would then be used as option keys. Like the fast break in basketball, the quarterback would keep the ball or pitch it depending on the actions of the free rushing lineman. As Russell Wilson found against the Saints, defenders were often helpless trying to deal with two potential ball carriers. It was a numbers game and Faurot had found a way win it. He led Missouri to three Big 6 Conference titles. During World War II, he coached the Iowa Pre-Flight football team. Two of his assistant coaches were Jim Tatum and Bud Wilkinson. Both coaches took the Split T with them after the War. Tatum was hired at Oklahoma with the condition that Wilkinson be his top assistant. Tatum left for Maryland after only one year. Wilkinson took over and created a dynasty at Oklahoma. Wilkinson, with Faurot's Split T, won a record 47 consecutive games, three National titles, and 14 Big 8 Conference titles. Tatum didn't do too badly at Maryland. He also won a National title as well as two ACC Conference titles. Those were the first two coaches to grab hold of Faurot's Split T option offense. So many would do the same. Some of the greatest teams and greatest coaches in college football history have used the option in some form. The veer, wishbone, flexbone, I formation option, the pistol, and the spread option offenses of today have all evolved from Don Faurot's Split T. It's been a staple in college football since Faurot brought a part of basketball onto the football field. Now, it's popping up in the National Football League.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Where's Josh?
It's been nearly two months since the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Josh Freeman. A couple weeks after his arrival in Minnesota he stumbled through a simply brutal throwing performance against the New York Giants on a forgettable Monday night. Freeman hasn't been seen on a football field since. He's rarely been seen in a football uniform since. He's only been active for one game and that came when the team didn't even have the required number of healthy players for a game. Did the Vikings just toss away $2 million? Fans and media talking heads have asked and wondered, where's Josh?
I think that the Vikings may regret trotting out their new quarterback after about a week of practice but I doubt that they regret their investment. Josh Freeman clearly wasn't ready to play for the Vikings against the Giants. Maybe the addition and elevation to starter, if only for one game, of Freeman was done to light a fire under supposed starter Christian Ponder. If that was the intent, it's been hit and miss. Ponder has had some nice moments since his demotion and promotion but he's also had some of the same issues that has plagued his play the past two years. I think that the Vikings signed Josh Freeman simply to have an extended job interview with him. If he was an immediate hit instead of a train wreck in that first start, great! The job is likely his. Instead, I think that the Vikings had an opportunity to bring in a football player that intrigued them. The Vikings have been looking for a franchise quarterback for years. Freeman has shown the potential to be a franchise quarterback. In essence, the Vikings have him for a redshirt year. They can see him practice and workout with the team. They can see him in meetings. They can see how he interacts with coaches, teammates, trainers, and equipment managers. They can get to know the person behind the football player. From his recent experiences with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh Freeman, the person and the quarterback, has been questioned. It's not often that a team has the opportunity to audition a player, let alone a quarterback, in a manner like this. I think that the Vikings are taking advantage of that opportunity. Freeman is only signed through the end of the season. If the Vikings wish to sign him after this season, they have the first shot at doing so. With that Giants game and the mess in Tampa still fresh in everyone's mind, the price tag shouldn't be steep.
The media just wants to draw out the drama of every story. Even if they have to create that drama themselves. The fans just want to know everything that's going on with their team. Both feel like the Vikings are keeping something from them. I don't think that there's any conspiracy. I don't think that the Vikings feel that they stepped in something with the signing of Freeman and that they can't shake it off. I just think that they signed Josh Freeman with the future in mind rather than the present.
I think that the Vikings may regret trotting out their new quarterback after about a week of practice but I doubt that they regret their investment. Josh Freeman clearly wasn't ready to play for the Vikings against the Giants. Maybe the addition and elevation to starter, if only for one game, of Freeman was done to light a fire under supposed starter Christian Ponder. If that was the intent, it's been hit and miss. Ponder has had some nice moments since his demotion and promotion but he's also had some of the same issues that has plagued his play the past two years. I think that the Vikings signed Josh Freeman simply to have an extended job interview with him. If he was an immediate hit instead of a train wreck in that first start, great! The job is likely his. Instead, I think that the Vikings had an opportunity to bring in a football player that intrigued them. The Vikings have been looking for a franchise quarterback for years. Freeman has shown the potential to be a franchise quarterback. In essence, the Vikings have him for a redshirt year. They can see him practice and workout with the team. They can see him in meetings. They can see how he interacts with coaches, teammates, trainers, and equipment managers. They can get to know the person behind the football player. From his recent experiences with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh Freeman, the person and the quarterback, has been questioned. It's not often that a team has the opportunity to audition a player, let alone a quarterback, in a manner like this. I think that the Vikings are taking advantage of that opportunity. Freeman is only signed through the end of the season. If the Vikings wish to sign him after this season, they have the first shot at doing so. With that Giants game and the mess in Tampa still fresh in everyone's mind, the price tag shouldn't be steep.
The media just wants to draw out the drama of every story. Even if they have to create that drama themselves. The fans just want to know everything that's going on with their team. Both feel like the Vikings are keeping something from them. I don't think that there's any conspiracy. I don't think that the Vikings feel that they stepped in something with the signing of Freeman and that they can't shake it off. I just think that they signed Josh Freeman with the future in mind rather than the present.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Breaking Ground
Ground will be broken in Minneapolis today. The Minnesota Vikings have two more home games in this disappointing football season. While those games are played inside, construction on a new stadium will be taking place outside the Metrodome. It's still a little stunning that this new stadium is really happening. It's been a long, long road. It took more than a decade to gain any sort of traction with the state and local governments. The last few years have been downright painful. Watching the legislative process in the spring of 2012 was mind-numbing. Even the past few months, when everything was thought to be good to go, have been rocky.
First, Vikings owners, Zygi Wilf and his family were found guilty of some shaky business deals that they had made over twenty years ago. That prompted Minnesota governor Mark Dayton to re-open the Wilf's financial books to make sure that they can actually pay their share of the new stadium. They can. After that was settled, the bids for pretty much everything started coming in quite a bit higher than expected. Some of nifty stuff that everyone wanted in the new stadium was in jeopardy of getting cut before construction even started. The Vikings had been scheduled to to pay $477 million of the stadium's nearly billion-dollar cost. Through various means the Wilf family committed an additional private contribution of up to $41.4 million. Now, everything seems good to go for today's groundbreaking. If everything proceeds as planned, the Minnesota Vikings will open the 2016 NFL season in their new home.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened September 12, 1982. The fact that this lump of concrete and fabric lasted thirty-two years is a miracle. It was made on the cheap. Even with the dollars of the late 1970s and early '80s, $55 million wasn't much for a stadium. It seems downright puny next to the billion dollars being piled up over the next few years. The Metrodome roof famously fell when a bunch of snow fell in 2010. Imagine that, snow in Minnesota. The roof fell twice before a game was even played. As a naive, young kid from California, I assumed that the Metrodome sailed through the decision-making and construction process. I was surprised to discover that the process was every bit as frustrating and long as that of this new stadium. I was never quite sure what to make of the Metrodome. Domed stadiums were still somewhat unique at the time. At least, they were to me. Houston's Astrodome, Detroit's Silver Dome, New Orlean's Superdome, and Seattle's King Dome were the few that provided the sterile, indoor presence in the league. I loved Vikings football in little Metropolitan Stadium. December and January in Minnesota looked incredible. For a team named for Vikings, frozen football seemed perfect. It was certainly easy for me to think that while watching games on TV in California. No heaters for the Vikings, both teams on the same sideline. Metropolitan Stadium was a throwback to another era of professional football. The Metrodome brought the Minnesota Vikings a little closer to the rest of the league but they didn't do it right. In terms of their home, the Vikings always seem to be a few decades behind their rivals. Today, they start the process to change that.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Week 13 Thoughts
Strange end to the Chicago Bears-Minnesota Vikings game. Blair Walsh hit the game-winning field goal in overtime. Hold on. A facemask penalty against the Vikings negated the kick. The longer attempt was no good. Bears turn. Robbie Gould missed a 47-yard attempt. Vikings turn. Adrian Peterson took over. Blair Walsh got his third shot at the game winner. 34 yards. Good! Vikings win, 23-20.
Adrian Peterson was a beast! Again. 211 yards on 35 carries. He went over 10,000 rushing yards for his career. It has been an absolute honor to see every single one of those yards. I look forward to the next 10,000. Congratulations Adrian Peterson.
Only Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson hit 10,000 yards faster than Peterson.
Peterson also went over 1,000 yards on the season for the sixth time. He missed the milestone once. In 2011 he shredded his knee and ended with 970.
In the past two weeks the Vikings have seen six two-minute warnings.
The Vikings ended their first three possessions of the game with third down sacks. I know that quarterback Chrisian Ponder wants to avoid stupid interceptions but he has to get rid of the ball. The offensive line also has to give the quarterback more time.
In Ponder's three seasons, I find two quarterbacks. There's the quarterback that simply plays football. Then there's the one that's trying to avoid mistakes. The latter played yesterday.
Ponder suffered an apparent concussion at the end of the first half. That brought Matt Cassell in for the second half.
Cassell moved the team. Instead of 28 second half points the Vikings scored 13. He had two touchdown passes that weren't. Tight end Rhett Ellison bobbled a pass into the hands of Bears linebacker Khaseem Greene for an interception. Jerome Simpson dropped a potential game-winning touchdown. The Vikings had to settle for a game-tying field goal. And overtime.
4th and 11 from their own eight-yard line with under two minutes. Cassell hits Simpson for twenty. Nice.
One thing that I can certainly say for Cassell is that he makes terrific use of the skills of receiver Greg Jennings. Getting the ball into the hands of Jennings shouldn't be a struggle.
The Bears safeties, Cal's Chris Conte and Craig Steltz, made many, too many, saving, diving, grasping tackles on Peterson. Those were the desperation tackles that kept Peterson under 300 yards.
The Vikings scored one rushing touchdown. It wasn't Peterson or Toby Gerhart. Rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson lined up in the backfield, Gerhart split wide, and had a nifty 33-yard touchdown run. It was a formation and play from the Percy Harvin days. Patterson can make an offensive impact similar to that of Harvin.
I'm getting a little tired of Brian Billick and Thom Brennaman being assigned to announce Vikings games. Once is more than enough. I actually like Billick when he pops up on NFL Network for commentary but he leaves a lot to be desired in the broadcast booth. It always seems like he'd prefer to be somewhere else. He hacks up player names and game situations regularly. Jared Allen was Gerald Allen for a few years.
Brennaman brought a lot of love for Bears kicker Robbie Gould to the game. At one point, he said that one can make the case that Gould is the greatest kicker to ever play the game. He added that would surprise some people. Well, it surprised me.
Gould saw the birth of his baby early in the morning and then raced to the game.
Watching Matt Forte run the football is a real treat. I'm surprised that his 120-yard game was the first career 100-yard game against the Vikings.
I was immediately concerned when the Bears traded up in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft to select South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery. Pairing a big, talented receiver opposite the big, talented Brandon Marshall was and is a very scary prospect. Jeffery had an up and down rookie season due to injuries. He's stayed on the field and been an impact player this season. He and Marshall will both haul in over 100 catches this season. Jeffery nearly had that many in the first half yesterday. Tight end Martellus Bennett was a nice addition last offseason. If quarterback Jay Cutler can stay on the field and stays in Chicago, the Bears have an extremely potent passing attack. Actually, they have a potent passing attack with Josh McCown.
The stats show that Vikings corner Chris Cook gave up an 80-yard touchdown to Jeffery to start the second half. Cook was right there in coverage. His reach to deflect the ball was better measured with the metric system. Jeffery scored a 46-yard touchdown against Cook later in the third quarter. Again, his coverage was right there. Jeffery simply made a great play on the ball. Cook has to get better at making plays on the ball. His coverage is routinely right there. Whether it's timing his jump or his reach, he's got to make it more difficult for the receiver when his coverage is perfect.
Cook made matters worse when he grabbed the officials shirt and was ejected. Little Marcus Sherels, more suited to the slot, was tasked with covering receivers about a foot taller than him.
Cook is a free agent after this season. I really hope that he and the Vikings can agree on a contract extension this offseason. Injuries have been his biggest problem so an extension is a bit of a gamble. I think that it's a gamble worth taking. I really like the Vikings corner duo of Cook and rookie Xavier Rhodes.
For some reason, the Bears got a little conservative after Cook was ejected. Most teams would have gone after Sherels for the rest of the game.
The Indianapolis Colts are sure in a funk. They have got to get out of it quick. With their win against the Tennessee Titans they have a big lead in their division. They have to play a lot better if they expect to do anything in the playoffs. The team that defeated the 49ers, Broncos, and Seahawks is way too talented to be playing like this.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has been playing great. His team is getting hot and he's the main reason. The Arizona Cardinals came into their game against the Eagles as hot. This was a huge win for the Eagles. The NFC East race between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will likely come down to their game on the last weekend of the season.
Before the season, Houston and Atlanta were considered Super Bowl contenders. Now, they are contenders for the first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. Despite their difficulties this season, these are teams with a lot of talented football players. At the top of the draft, they'll be adding some elite talent. Both should be the contenders next year that they were supposed to be this year.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan missed receiver Roddy White at the start of the season. As White was starting to return to form receiver Julio Jones was lost for the season. That was a lot of offense to lose. The Falcons offensive line hasn't made things easy for Ryan. The Falcons should be in position to select the top lineman in the draft.
The Buffalo Bills had two turnovers in their game against Atlanta. The first came on their last possession of regulation. The second came on their first and only possession of overtime. Each came at the end of big plays. Each ended chances to win the game.
The Denver Broncos have defeated the Kansas City Chiefs twice in the last three weeks. Now, the AFC playoffs likely go through Denver. The most significant thing to come out of the two games is that the Chiefs were able to hang with the high-scoring Broncos. The Chiefs have been tagged with the great defense, game-managing offense label. They've actually proven that they can keep up with the Broncos on the scoreboard.
The officiating screw-up at the end of the New York Giants-Washington Redskins game was one of the worst that I've ever seen.
I was saddened to hear that Jerry Seeman passed away last Sunday. I remember well his on field officiating of the '70s and '80s. He was the Senior Director of Officiating from 1991-2001. Hugh "Shorty" Ray is the only official honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I can see Seeman being the second.
RIP Jerry Seeman
Adrian Peterson was a beast! Again. 211 yards on 35 carries. He went over 10,000 rushing yards for his career. It has been an absolute honor to see every single one of those yards. I look forward to the next 10,000. Congratulations Adrian Peterson.
Only Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson hit 10,000 yards faster than Peterson.
Peterson also went over 1,000 yards on the season for the sixth time. He missed the milestone once. In 2011 he shredded his knee and ended with 970.
In the past two weeks the Vikings have seen six two-minute warnings.
The Vikings ended their first three possessions of the game with third down sacks. I know that quarterback Chrisian Ponder wants to avoid stupid interceptions but he has to get rid of the ball. The offensive line also has to give the quarterback more time.
In Ponder's three seasons, I find two quarterbacks. There's the quarterback that simply plays football. Then there's the one that's trying to avoid mistakes. The latter played yesterday.
Ponder suffered an apparent concussion at the end of the first half. That brought Matt Cassell in for the second half.
Cassell moved the team. Instead of 28 second half points the Vikings scored 13. He had two touchdown passes that weren't. Tight end Rhett Ellison bobbled a pass into the hands of Bears linebacker Khaseem Greene for an interception. Jerome Simpson dropped a potential game-winning touchdown. The Vikings had to settle for a game-tying field goal. And overtime.
4th and 11 from their own eight-yard line with under two minutes. Cassell hits Simpson for twenty. Nice.
One thing that I can certainly say for Cassell is that he makes terrific use of the skills of receiver Greg Jennings. Getting the ball into the hands of Jennings shouldn't be a struggle.
The Bears safeties, Cal's Chris Conte and Craig Steltz, made many, too many, saving, diving, grasping tackles on Peterson. Those were the desperation tackles that kept Peterson under 300 yards.
The Vikings scored one rushing touchdown. It wasn't Peterson or Toby Gerhart. Rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson lined up in the backfield, Gerhart split wide, and had a nifty 33-yard touchdown run. It was a formation and play from the Percy Harvin days. Patterson can make an offensive impact similar to that of Harvin.
I'm getting a little tired of Brian Billick and Thom Brennaman being assigned to announce Vikings games. Once is more than enough. I actually like Billick when he pops up on NFL Network for commentary but he leaves a lot to be desired in the broadcast booth. It always seems like he'd prefer to be somewhere else. He hacks up player names and game situations regularly. Jared Allen was Gerald Allen for a few years.
Brennaman brought a lot of love for Bears kicker Robbie Gould to the game. At one point, he said that one can make the case that Gould is the greatest kicker to ever play the game. He added that would surprise some people. Well, it surprised me.
Gould saw the birth of his baby early in the morning and then raced to the game.
Watching Matt Forte run the football is a real treat. I'm surprised that his 120-yard game was the first career 100-yard game against the Vikings.
I was immediately concerned when the Bears traded up in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft to select South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery. Pairing a big, talented receiver opposite the big, talented Brandon Marshall was and is a very scary prospect. Jeffery had an up and down rookie season due to injuries. He's stayed on the field and been an impact player this season. He and Marshall will both haul in over 100 catches this season. Jeffery nearly had that many in the first half yesterday. Tight end Martellus Bennett was a nice addition last offseason. If quarterback Jay Cutler can stay on the field and stays in Chicago, the Bears have an extremely potent passing attack. Actually, they have a potent passing attack with Josh McCown.
The stats show that Vikings corner Chris Cook gave up an 80-yard touchdown to Jeffery to start the second half. Cook was right there in coverage. His reach to deflect the ball was better measured with the metric system. Jeffery scored a 46-yard touchdown against Cook later in the third quarter. Again, his coverage was right there. Jeffery simply made a great play on the ball. Cook has to get better at making plays on the ball. His coverage is routinely right there. Whether it's timing his jump or his reach, he's got to make it more difficult for the receiver when his coverage is perfect.
Cook made matters worse when he grabbed the officials shirt and was ejected. Little Marcus Sherels, more suited to the slot, was tasked with covering receivers about a foot taller than him.
Cook is a free agent after this season. I really hope that he and the Vikings can agree on a contract extension this offseason. Injuries have been his biggest problem so an extension is a bit of a gamble. I think that it's a gamble worth taking. I really like the Vikings corner duo of Cook and rookie Xavier Rhodes.
For some reason, the Bears got a little conservative after Cook was ejected. Most teams would have gone after Sherels for the rest of the game.
The Indianapolis Colts are sure in a funk. They have got to get out of it quick. With their win against the Tennessee Titans they have a big lead in their division. They have to play a lot better if they expect to do anything in the playoffs. The team that defeated the 49ers, Broncos, and Seahawks is way too talented to be playing like this.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has been playing great. His team is getting hot and he's the main reason. The Arizona Cardinals came into their game against the Eagles as hot. This was a huge win for the Eagles. The NFC East race between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will likely come down to their game on the last weekend of the season.
Before the season, Houston and Atlanta were considered Super Bowl contenders. Now, they are contenders for the first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. Despite their difficulties this season, these are teams with a lot of talented football players. At the top of the draft, they'll be adding some elite talent. Both should be the contenders next year that they were supposed to be this year.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan missed receiver Roddy White at the start of the season. As White was starting to return to form receiver Julio Jones was lost for the season. That was a lot of offense to lose. The Falcons offensive line hasn't made things easy for Ryan. The Falcons should be in position to select the top lineman in the draft.
The Buffalo Bills had two turnovers in their game against Atlanta. The first came on their last possession of regulation. The second came on their first and only possession of overtime. Each came at the end of big plays. Each ended chances to win the game.
The Denver Broncos have defeated the Kansas City Chiefs twice in the last three weeks. Now, the AFC playoffs likely go through Denver. The most significant thing to come out of the two games is that the Chiefs were able to hang with the high-scoring Broncos. The Chiefs have been tagged with the great defense, game-managing offense label. They've actually proven that they can keep up with the Broncos on the scoreboard.
The officiating screw-up at the end of the New York Giants-Washington Redskins game was one of the worst that I've ever seen.
I was saddened to hear that Jerry Seeman passed away last Sunday. I remember well his on field officiating of the '70s and '80s. He was the Senior Director of Officiating from 1991-2001. Hugh "Shorty" Ray is the only official honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I can see Seeman being the second.
RIP Jerry Seeman
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