Minnesota Vikings: A possible 13 win team?

The NFL schedule was released this morning, much to the delight of fans everywhere. I always love the beginning of the season because it enables fans of all teams to believe their team can win it all (except Lions fans, I can't honestly believe they think they have a chance). The Minnesota Vikings, coming off an off-season that was full of moves, look to have a very favorable schedule. Here is the schedule in its entirety:

Sept. 8: Vikings at Green Bay (6 p.m. Monday, ESPN)
Sept. 14: Indianapolis at Vikings (noon, CBS)
Sept. 21: Carolina at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Sept. 28: Vikings at Tennessee (noon, FOX)
Oct. 6: Vikings at New Orleans (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Oct. 12: Detroit at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Oct. 19: Vikings at Bears (noon, FOX)
Oct. 26: BYE
Nov. 2: Houston at Vikings (noon, CBS)
Nov. 9: Green Bay at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Nov. 16: Vikings at Tampa Bay (noon, FOX)
Nov. 23: Vikings at Jacksonville (noon, FOX)
Nov. 30: Chicago at Vikings (7:15 p.m., NBC)
Dec. 7: Vikings at Detroit (noon, FOX)
Dec. 14: Vikings at Arizona (3:05 p.m., FOX)
Dec. 21: Atlanta at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Dec. 28: N.Y. Giants at Vikings (noon, FOX)

Looks good, right? Ok, so maybe I'm reaching for some stars when I think the Vikings could win up to 13 games this season, but it might be a legit prediction. Starting at the top of the schedule, the Vikings should be able to get off to a good start with a pounding at the hands of the Packers. The Vikings, after their upgrades and the Packers loss of Favre, are definitely the better of the two teams when they meet. Then the Vikings run into the Peyton Manning-led Colts, a tough game even though it's at home. I did have the Vikings losing this game, but you never know. I believe this game will come down to the Vikings secondary and whether or not they can keep Manning in check. Next on the block is the Carolina Panthers, a team that doesn't match up with the Vikings at all. Steve Smith is far and away their best player, and without a solid quarterback, he can't even be utilized (as evident by my terrible Fantasy season last year in which I leaned on him way too much). Then the Tennessee Titans host the Vikings in a game that shouldn't be too difficult for the Vikes. I love the Titans and the direction their going with Vince Young at QB, and I do think they are a good team, but I still think the Vikings are better all around. Then the Vikings travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The Saints, with plenty of good players but coming off a very disappointing season, will play the Vikings close, but in the end, I again have to believe my Vikings would beat a team like that. Of course I believe this game is contingent on how Drew Brees and Reggie Bush perform, but I don't see both of them lighting it up, at least in the same game. The Vikings then have the privilege of hosting the Detroit Lions, the perennial cellar-dweller in the NFC North. I hate to pick on the Lions, but even when they do well (like last year), they still screw up at the end of the year. As I'm sure you picked up by now, I am taking the Vikings in this matchup. Minnesota then travels to the windy city to take on the Bears. I don't know what to think of the Bears this year, but right now, my thought is that they won't be very good. They still have Rex taking the snaps and they don't have a running game. I wouldn't be surprised if the Vikings shut the Bears out in this game. With my predictions, that puts the Vikings at an impressive 6-1 going into the BYE week. Although that may be very lofty, I like to think big for my hometown teams.

The Vikings first matchup after their week off is the Houston Texans at home. The Texans, another team I like to see succeed, are not a team I see keeping up with the Vikes. As has been the theme with this post, you'll find that I say that teams "cannot keep up with the Vikings" quite often. That is because of four reasons:

1) Adrian Peterson
2) Our outstanding defensive line
3) Our outstanding offensive line
4) And Adrian Peterson

If those reasons don't impress you, then...well you're not on the same page as me. But still, the Vikings have a great team that should be able to keep up with most teams this year. Anyway, back to the schedule. After the Texans, the Vikings have their second game against the Packers, but this time the game is at the Metrodome. Again I do not see the Pack putting any real pressure on our defense, so I see another semi-blowout in the Vikings favor. The Purple then travel to sunny Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. Although the Bucs don't strike me as a team with a lot of firepower, I just don't see the Vikings winning 8 games in a row, even if I wanted it to happen. This is a game that I will concede and give to the Bucs. Next up is a very very talented Jacksonville team. I have a ton of faith in the Vikings, but the Jaguars are too good. As much as it pains me to say, I believe the Vikings will go on a losing streak at this point in the season. The Vikings will rebound from their losing streak though when they take on the Bears again. I am really glad that the Vikings are in the NFC North because we play the Bears twice. It won't be a difficult task to take down the Bears again, and that will get the Vikes back on the right track. Next the Vikings take on another divisional foe in the Lions. The Lions are not a good team, so again I see the Vikings having no trouble. The next couple games are against the Cardinals and Falcons, respectively. I kind of see these two teams as evenly matched, although I think the Cards are a bit better. I can see the Vikings blowing both of these teams out, although the Cardinals could pull a fast one on the Vikes. The Vikings wrap up the regular season against the defending world champion New York Giants. This will be a tough game, simply because after last year the Giants proved they are a good team, but also last year the Vikings dismantled the Giants with a team that isn't as good as they will be this year. I can see the Giants winning this game, but I still choose the Vikings because I like them better.

I know that these predictions are kind of far-fetched, but I have a lot of confidence in the Purple this year. They upgraded all around and got guys that will add to the team right away (Bernard Berrian, Madieu Williams, and Thomas Tapeh). If the Vikes do well in the draft and are able to grab a guy like Derrick Harvey, they will be in good shape. If Tarvaris Jackson can really become a big time quarterback this year after a decent season last year, the Vikings offense will be as potent as any.

Who should the Vikings take in the 2008 draft?

With the 2008 NFL draft approaching in less than a month, I figured it was time to sort out the different scenarios that could come about for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have some massive holes to fill on defense, and there are many different players in this years draft that could help the team tremendously right away in their rookie year. After reading many mock drafts, I have compiled a list of possible draft choices (that seem logical) that the Vikings could go with for next months draft. All of these choices obviously depend on how the teams ahead of the Vikings choose, but I'm just pretending that every player I go over will be available for Minnesota's 17th pick.

Possible players:

Derrick Harvey (DE University of Florida)-Harvey is a guy that would fit right in with Minnesota. With good size (6-5 271 pounds) and decent speed (4.84 40), he is the type of tackling player we need on the line. He is listed as the 3rd overall DE at nfldraftscout.com. Harvey registered 49 tackles and 8.5 sacks for the Gators last season while starting all 13 games. He has shown enough agility and strength that teams that run both the 3-4 and the 4-3 defense have lined up to watch him. Harvey is definitely a guy that Minnesota should look at if he isn't snatched up earlier in the draft.

Philip Merling (DE Clemson)-Merling is another guy that would seem to be a great fit with the Vikings. About the same size as Harvey (6-4 276 pounds), Merling is listed as the 4th overall DE at nfldraftscout.com. He collected a career-high 78 tackles with 7 sacks last season while starting in all 13 games. He was given the Rock Solid award at Clemson last season for his consistency on the field. His 40 yard dash time is just slightly better than Harvey (4.73), but Harvey seems to have a little more agility than Merling. Although he is intriguing because of his numbers, there is a bit of a worry with him. Merling hasn't been able to work out for scouts since the season ended due to a sports hernia. He wasn't able to compete in the NFL Combine, citing a groin pull as the reason. Based strictly on numbers, Merling seems to be a guy that could help the Vikings, but the injury is sure to catch the teams attention.

Calais Campbell (DE Miami)-Campbell is a huge guy that would plug the hole the Vikings are trying to fill. Campbell is listed at 6-8, 290 pounds, making him much bigger than the other two prospective defensive ends. Campbell isn't the fastest guy (5.04 40), but his size is a big advantage. He registered 50 tackles for the Hurricanes last year to go along with 6 sacks. Campbell may be big, but his strength is an issue to some NFL scouts. Campbell was only able to do 16 reps at 225 pounds when tested in strength. His lack of strength coupled with his not-so-good speed has been causing him to slip down the draft board, making him the most likely to be available for the Vikings. Although there are concerns about him, Campbell is another DE that has a tremendous upside if he can work out a few kinks in his game.

Antoine Cason (CB Arizona)-Even with the upgrade of the secondary by adding Madieu Williams, the Vikings still lack the depth that makes teams afraid to throw against them. By drafting Cason, the Vikings could become a legitimate pass defense. Cason is listed at 6-0 and 190 pounds, making him the ideal size for a speedy corner. Cason has the speed (4.45 40) and has shown that he has the talent to be a great cover guy. He recorded 71 tackles last year and intercepted 5 passes, returning two of those 5 for touchdowns. Many teams would like a guy like Cason on their team, but if he were to slip to 17, I would hope the Vikings take a serious look at him.

Of course these are all hypothetical draft picks we're looking at, but it is obvious that the Vikings should upgrade the DE position, and if Cason becomes available, they should look at upgrading their secondary, too. It's hard to really think about which player would work best for Minnesota, but if I had a choice, I think I would want Harvey on the Vikings, followed by Cason, Merling, and then Campbell. I also read today that it is a possibility the Vikings may explore the chance to trade oft-injured Bryant McKinnie to the Miami Dolphins for Jason Taylor. That would definitely be a trade I would be in favor of, since losing McKinnie wouldn't be that big of a deal. I also wish that the Vikings would either draft or trade for a reliable quarterback to take over for Tavaris Jackson. Until they get a QB that can throw the ball more than 40 yards downfield, they will not go very far. The Vikings have taken huge steps to becoming a team that could make it to the Super Bowl, and it shows. I'm definitely counting down the days to the draft so I can see just how good the Vikings may be this year.

All stats courtesy of nfldraftscout.com

Vikings best in NFC North after Favre retirement?

After Brett Favre announced his retirement this morning, it got me thinking what the state of the Packers would be for this upcoming season. After a stunning 13-3 season in which Favre threw for 4,155 yards and 28 TD's, Green Bay will be thrusting career backup Aaron Rodgers into the spotlight. Rodgers, who has played in a grand total of 7 NFL games, was drafted out of Cal in the first round of the 2005 draft to serve as the eventual replacement for Favre. After sitting on the bench for 3 full seasons, Rodgers is going to have to show he has the stuff to succeed one of the best there ever was. Although Green Bay has many intrical parts returning from a season in which they won 13 games and lost in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, I still believe that with the Packers losing their most important piece, the NFC North title is now the Minnesota Vikings for the taking.

Now I'll be the first to admit, the NFC North is definitely not a strong division. We have the up-and-down Packers, the underachieving Vikings, the "one more shot for Rex Grossman" Bears, and the Matt Millen-run Lions. Realistically any of these four teams could easily get lucky and take this division. But after the upgrades the Vikings made and the subsequent loss of Favre to the Packers, the Vikings look to be able to capture their first division title since 2000. The Packers are definitely still a solid team with receivers like Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, Defensive Ends like Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, and a decent kicker in Mason Crosby. Looking at it realistically though, the Packers will have growing pains this season. With a big shakeup in the NFC North, here is how I think the division will turn out this year:

1st Place: Minnesota Vikings (12-4)-After a rash of seasons in which the Vikings were second in the division, this is the year they finally break out of that funk. With recent upgrades in the secondary (Madieu Williams) and receiving units (Bernard Berrian), the Vikings are already a step-up from last year when they finished 8-8. The Vikings Defensive End position is a little shaky right now with Kenechi Udeze out of the picture, but they will either find someone to fill that gap through free agency or use their 17th overall pick to take one of the many good DE's out there. If Tarvaris Jackson can improve from last year and learn to handle pressure, the Vikings will be a team with some force come end of the season.

2nd Place: Green Bay Packers (7-9)-Not many people saw last season coming for the Packers. With a revitalized Brett Favre and a young receiving corps ready to go, the Pack came out shooting and finished with a 13-3 record and a first round playoff win. After a 2006 season in which Favre threw for only 18 TD's and 18 interceptions, 2007 was a nice surprise for Packers fans. It is tough to tell how the Packers really will be this year with Rodgers stepping in, but I don't think it will be pretty. Although still an all-around solid team, I don't believe that with an inexperienced QB the Packers can keep riding the wave from last season.

3rd Place: Chicago Bears (6-10)-The Bears definitely have a tough schedule coming up in 2008, and with Rex Grossman taking snaps, I don't see this team making any difference in the division. Now that the Bears have traded their backup in Brian Griese, if Rex struggles (and of course he will), what are the Bears going to do? It's a good sign that Chicago was able to re-up Lance Briggs to a 6 year contract, but the defense will not be much improved over last season. And with the loss of Muhsin Muhammad to the Panthers and Bernard Berrian, their top receiver, to the Vikings, even when Grossman throws the ball, there will be no one there to catch it. Good luck this season Bears, you're definitely going to need it.

4th Place: Detroit Lions (4-12)-I don't even really know what to say about these guys. It's admirable they try, and last season was fun to watch, but let's be honest, this is not a team that is going to compete. Sure Jon Kitna is a solid quarterback, and eventually Calvin Johnson will turn into something special, but outside of that the only really good player they have is their kicker, Jason Hanson. The Lions fell off the radar even more when they traded Shaun Rogers, a defensive tackle who had 7 sacks last year, to the Cleveland Browns. Leigh Bodden, a defensive back they got from the trade, is a good player, but in the grand scheme of things, they have so much more to correct it won't help them too much. I do hope the Lions can pull off some upsets this year, but if they start off slow next season, they will fall quickly.

Let's keep in mind that this is early in the offseason, players will still be traded and picked up, but this is my early impression of how things will go. Good luck in retirement Brett, I'll miss watching you throw the ball like you're still in your 20's.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a good offseason

Not long after the clock struck midnight and the free agent period began, the Minnesota Vikings, true to their word, went out and wrapped up a player well worth the 6 year, $33 million contract they gave him. 26 year-old safety Madieu Williams agreed in principle this morning to sign with the Vikings after jetting from the Cincinnati Bengals following a year where he had 2 interceptions and 2 sacks. Williams, known more for his exceptional coverage skills, immediately upgrades the Vikings secondary, a major concern for the last couple of seasons.

It was refreshing to see the Vikings spend some of their money on a position that needed help desperately. After releasing Dwight Smith earlier in the offseason and thinning out the secondary even more, it became critical for them to find a guy that can compliment Antoine Winfield. Williams has 4 years service in the National Football League all with the Cincinnati Bengals. Drafted in the second round (24th pick) in 2004, Williams started all 16 games for the Bengals in his rookie season. Williams played only 4 games his sophomore year in the league after being put on Injured Reserve due to a bum shoulder. He recovered for the 2006 campaign and again played all 16 games, compiling 90 tackles and 3 interceptions. Last season Williams started the first 13 games of the season before being put back onto IR with a bad quad. I assume that Williams is all set to go and has fully recovered from his quad injury.

The Vikings, who are $35 million under the salary cap, have vowed to be aggressive in this years free agent pool in order to better a team who has many good parts, but fell just short of the postseason last year. With a scheduled visit from Bernard Berrian this afternoon, it seems as though the Vikings are really committed to making this team a playoff team.

It had to happen at some point....

As I sit here writing this blog, I still can't believe what transpired last night. I watched it with my own eyes, yet for the first time in my life, I doubt what I saw. New York Giants-17 New England Patriots-14. The New York Giants, who had lost 6 games this season, beat the New England Patriots, who, coming into this game, hadn't lost. Period. But this was the Superbowl, the epitome of championships, so there is never a gurantee. I had the Patriots winning 35-17, because I didn't foresee Tom Brady's offensive line absolutely fall apart, nor did I see Eli Manning having the game of his life. I guess I was wrong. I will dole out credit where credit is due, no matter how hard it is. Congratulations Giants, you played a heck of a game, and you deserve the Lombardi trophy. With that being said, I'm going to go over a few points of the game that either a) baffled me or b) amazed me.

1) The Patriots O-Line: What surprises me here is that the guys up front (Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Koppen) had been absolutely lights out all season, giving Brady plenty of time to drop back, step forward, and get the pass off. Yet we get to the Superbowl, and they couldn't block anything. Brady got sacked 5 times and didn't have time to look downfield very often. With that being said....

2) Tom Brady: I don't even know what to say about him. Brady, who's statistics ( 29/48 266 yards 1 TD) show he played a decent game, actually had an absolute atrocity of a game. The aspect of his game that got to me the most was his inability to get the ball to Randy Moss. Moss was in position the whole game, running his routes and waiting for Brady to throw. Yet when Brady threw the ball in Randy's direction downfield, it was nowhere near Moss. Overthrown, underthrown, too far right, too far left; it was crazy how Brady couldn't find Moss for a big play. Moss was constantly open, blowing by the Giants secondary, but Randy could never capitalize because of Brady.

3) Wes Welker: Welker is a class act and without a doubt deserves everything he got this year. It's too bad he couldn't come away with a ring, but he had a great year nonetheless. Welker got open all night in Arizona, and he put on a show. It seems like every catch Welker makes is for a first down. Welker caught 11 passes for 103 yards, and all of those yards were important. If the Patriots had come away with a victory, Welker would have been my choice for MVP.

4) Eli Manning: I can personally say I will no longer refer to Eli as "Peytons little brother." Eli lit up the field last night and deserved to walk away with that MVP trophy. Manning (19/34 255 yards and 2 TD) looked brilliant on his way to winning his first world championship. With his brother Peyton there to watch him, he definitely showed why someday there could be a Manning v. Manning Superbowl.

5) The Giants Defense: Keeping my dignity intact, I will now admit that the Giants defense is for real. Don't get me wrong, after riding them my whole fantasy season I knew there was something right with them, but I really thought the Patriots would find a way to get around them. That wasn't the case. The front seven of the Giants pressured Brady all night and rattled him around until he couldn't even concentrate. For this Giant defense to come to Arizona, on the biggest stage they will ever be on, and hold the best offense to ever play football to 14 points is pretty amazing in my book.

6) Tiki Barber: The fact that the Giants won this game the year after Tiki retired is one of the few bright spots I found in this victory.

Going into this game, I had no doubt in my mind that the Giants could pull this victory from the Patriots. But just because I knew they could does not mean I saw this coming. Even when the Patriots got the ball back with 30 seconds left, I thought they were going to march downfield and kick a field goal to tie the game. As much as I would have loved to see history being made with the Patriots going undefeated, I guess it's not the end of the world. Playing a whole season without losing a single game is definitely a hard thing to do, and I give credit to the 1972 Miami Dolphins for remaining the only undefeated team in NFL history. And I give credit to the Giants for pulling out this improbable win when not many thought it would happen. I just still can't believe that the team that just won the Superbowl was beaten by my Vikings 41-17 just a mere 10 weeks ago....

What's a Vikings fan to do?

So after a game of extremely high highs, the Vikings have officially reached the low of the low. The Vikings followed their 35-17 romp of the Chargers last week with a 34-0 drubbing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. Ryan Grant ran for 119 yards and a touchdown and Brett Favre had 351 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Pack. The Vikings looked inept the entire game and were completely caught off-guard on defense when Grant came out running all over them. Everybody knew the Packers were essentially a one dimensional team, opting to go with Favre because of their lack of a running game, but after today, it seems the Packers have found their running back. Grant took advantage of a Vikings defense who seemed almost too scared to tackle him and had a career day. Here are a few of the records that were set with todays lopsided loss:

1) The Vikings had not been shutout in a span of 260 games dating back to 1991.
2) This was the worst shutout loss in Vikings team history.
3) Worst loss (point-wise) since 1984 when the Vikings lost 51-7 to San Francisco.

And the icing on the cake for this game was that after gaining only 45 yards on the ground, Adrian Peterson was helped off the field after hurting what appears to be his knee. There is no word on the severity of the injury yet, the MRI will take place tomorrow (Monday). I believe, as well as most of Minnesota based on the comments left on blogs on the local newspapers, that Brad Childress deserves most of the blame for today's abysmal showing. It's pretty obvious that Childress is a terrible coach that cannot make correct play calls to save his life. He doesn't seem to have any sort of grasp on his own team, and it doesn't seem like he will anytime soon. I think that it is time to see if Bill Cowher has had enough time off with his family and try to lure him out of retirement to coach our Vikings. Having someone like him, or even Marty Schottenheimer coach the team would definitely bring a lot of the fan base back and could possibly turn this team around. Once the Vikings get a decent quarterback (Derek Anderson maybe?), they should be a pretty good team. So after todays game, the Vikings will examine Petersons injury and hopefully try not to get too down on themselves. I don't think the Vikings can get any lower than they are now, but losing next week the the lowly Raiders would definitely not help.


Off the topic of sports for a minute, I just want to point out that it was reported today that Kanye West, the famous Hip-Hop artist, had his mother pass away today at the age of 58 years young (http://allhiphop.com/blogs/news/archive/2007/11/11/18868133.aspx). It's really unfortunate when something like this happens to such an influential and good person such as Kanye. He was very close to his mother, whom he rapped about in a 2005 song called "Hey Mama." My prayers go out to Kanye and his family.

Week 9 Football

Well, the game of the century is over. Super Bowl 41 1/2 as some dubbed it. Whatever it was, it was a hell of a game. In most sports blogs, this game may be the first thing talked about, in others it may be the only thing talked about. But for me, the number one story of the Football day was none other than Adrian "All Day" Peterson. As a tried and true Vikings fan for many years, it is absolutely great to see this guy run through defenses like there's nothing to it. If for some reason you don't know what AD did yesterday, here is his line:

30 carries
296 rushing yards
3 touchdowns

Those 296 rushing yards set a new NFL single-game rushing record, beating Jamal Lewis' record of 295 yards set back in 2003. Oh yeah, AD is also only a rookie playing in his eighth career game. If that doesn't impress you, I don't know if you can call yourself a Football fan. I do have to mention that AD did lose a fumble in Chargers territory, but why focus on the negative when there is so much more positive?
Back to the other game. In the game that was said to be the best in over a decade, the Patriots and Colts did not disappoint. In a game that featured two of the best quarterbacks ever, Tom Brady and the Patriots came out on top 24-20. Here are the stats for both Quarterbacks:

Brady: 21/32 255 yards 3 td 2 int
Peyton Manning: 16/27 225 yards 1 td 1 int 1 fumble lost

Statistically speaking, Brady did have a better game, but both Quarterbacks played well enough for their respective teams to win. The score was close for most of the game, with Brady having to lead a comeback after being down 20-10 with less than ten minutes to play. Brady swiftly led the Patriots on two consecutive touchdown drives, one score on a short pass to Wes Welker and another on a short pass over the middle to Kevin Faulk who took it 13 yards to the the house. The Patriots defense was outstanding at the end of the game, forcing Manning to fumble twice to seal the victory. The win over the Colts kept the Patriots undefeated at 9-0 going into their bye week, and the loss dropped the Colts to 7-1 before their showdown with the San Diego Chargers next week.
Here are all the others scores of the week:

Atlanta over San Francisco 20-16
Buffalo over Cincinnati 33-21
Detroit over Denver 44-7
Green Bay over Kansas City 33-22
Minnesota over San Diego 35-17
New Orleans over Jacksonville 41-24
Washington over NY Jets 23-20 OT
Tampa Bay over Arizona 17-10
Tennessee over Carolina 20-7
Cleveland over Seattle 33-30 OT
Houston over Oakland 24-17
Dallas over Philadelphia 38-17

Minnesota Wild play tonight at home against Edmonton. The Wild will be missing Gaborik and Demitra again, but they played strong Saturday against Calgary so hopefully they can keep the confidence and ride it.