Quotulatiousness

November 8, 2010

Vikings doze for 3/4 of game before waking up

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 08:40

Yesterday’s game started (and continued for most of the regulation time) with the Arizona Cardinals looking like the better team. The Vikings didn’t appear to have any interest in being on the field, with a few notable exceptions like Percy Harvin. After 55 minutes of play, the Cardinals had a two touchdown lead and the game seemed to be pretty much done. As did the season. As did head coach Brad Childress.

Then, something amazing happened — the Vikings finally woke up:

By the fourth quarter, it appeared the prudent thing would have been to ignore Wilf’s advice. Chants of “Fire Childress” had been heard in the stadium, and under-fire coach Brad Childress’ seemingly lifeless Vikings trailed Arizona by 14 points with 4 minutes, 39 seconds left.

So, of course, in a season in which the abnormal has become the norm, a giddy Wilf ended up greeting players at the door to the locker room repeating “Great heart” over and over following the Vikings’ 27-24 overtime victory over the Cardinals.

Brett Favre set a career high with 446 passing yards and tied his career best with 36 completions. Percy Harvin had nine catches for a career-high 126 yards, and a defense that hadn’t had a sack in three games had six against Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson, including two on the opening possession of overtime.

When Ryan Longwell connected on a 35-yard field goal on the Vikings’ first possession of overtime, Childress’ job appeared safe for at least another week. And the Vikings (3-5) pulled out of a last-place tie in the NFC North.

Percy Harvin had a great game, with 214 total yards and moving the chains at key moments, but also had a costly fumble to start the second half. Brett Favre had 446 yards passing, setting a different kind of record: he’s gone nearly 17 years between 400+ yard games.

October 29, 2010

The Two Scotts disagree over Vikings-Patriots

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 09:47

Scott Feschuk and Scott Reid each pick the other team in their weekly football column:

Feschuk: Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of the Minnesota Vikings. Welcome to the NFL’s hottest soap opera, where tensions are running so high between Brett Favre and Brad Childress that it’s only a matter of time until they get in a fistfight or start making out. Favre has described his injury as a “broke foot” because he’s from Mississippi and words like “fractured” and “ankle” done got too many dem fancy “syllbulls” in ’em. Will Favre’s ankle be healthy enough for him to play but painful enough that he can limp around engendering our collective sympathy? We sure hope and also know so. Meanwhile, Childress keeps taking shots at his own players — most recently by saying he hopes he that “one of these days” he gets to coach a team as mentally tough as the Patriots. If the Vikings somehow turn this around, Childress may be the first NFL coach to be doused with Gatorade, then sealed inside the empty jug and rolled down a hill onto the interstate. Pick: Minnesota.

Reid: According to some reports, Brett Favre admits to sending suggestive texts to Jenn Sterger but denies he forwarded photographs of his wang chung. This is the beginning of the tried and true male tradition of the ‘half-lie.’ Confess to some sins (it’s generally smart to pick the lesser crimes that will prove to be eventually undeniable anyhow) in an effort to bolster your credibility as you reject the remaining — and usually more damaging — allegations. “Alright honey, I’ll admit: I gave that girl a ride in the car. Frankly, she looked a bit cold and I was already planning on driving by that spot under the bridge so it wasn’t even out of my way. But God as my witness, I did not let her touch me with her feet. She just made that part up to make me look bad in the eyes of my family, friends and law enforcement.” Of course, there are two vital steps to successfully pulling off the half-lie. First, you must volunteer the confession part early in order to pre-empt and create doubt about the really bad stuff. Second, yo, Kim Philby — have you ever heard of hotmail? Pick: New England.

October 25, 2010

Brad Childress to be fined for criticizing game officials?

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 09:36

After last night’s loss at Green Bay, Vikings coach Brad Childress poured some of his frustrations into a possibly expensive criticism of the officials:

Brad Childress was upset by Brett Favre’s decision-making on Sunday night as the now-injured quarterback threw three interceptions in a 28-24 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field, but the Vikings coach reserved the majority of his ire for the officiating job done by referee Scott Green’s crew.

Childress clearly wasn’t happy when he spoke to the media in the postgame news conference, but he was seething during an earlier interview on Vikings flagship station KFAN (1130 AM).

“That’s the worst officiated game I’ve seen,” said Childress, whose team fell to 2-4 after losing four games in the entire 2009 regular season. “That referee came over and apologized to me for not calling a hold on the scramble by [Packers quarterback Aaron] Rodgers. And I’ll tell you what, that’s his job. Protect the quarterback and look at the left tackle. Look at the left tackle hold his tail off.”

As a long-time Vikings fan, I’m used to grousing about how the Vikings don’t get the same benefit of the doubt from the officials that certain other teams seem to get. Last night’s game was a good example, where Green Bay’s second TD catch looked like an incompletion (but was allowed) and Visanthe Shiancoe’s TD catch was disallowed. The Vikings kicked a field goal, but the four point difference was the losing margin at the end of the game.

Of course, if Brett Favre had just taken a sack instead of trying to force the ball, the game result would have been different, too.

October 15, 2010

The Two Scotts both pick Minnesota over Dallas

Filed under: Football, Humour — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 12:28

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Feschuk-Reid affair without some light banter:

Dallas (plus 1.5) at Minnesota

Reid: I’ve always thought that when a girl plays hard to get, it’s time to start sending her up-close photos of your bait and tackle. On the field, Favre may be guided by pure instinct but off the field he appears to be a careful thinker. Shrewd strategies designed to achieve maximum impact. That’s what I take away from this entire Deadspin affair. And like Wade Phillips, I look forward to seeing how Tony Romo blows this game in the fourth quarter. Pick: Minnesota.

[. . .]

Feschuk: Favre got nailed in the bag with a pigskin during practice this week, and that’s not even a euphemism. Clearly, the football gods are taking rare pleasure in delivering the gunslinger’s comeuppance. The video of Favre taking one in the tenders was funny enough on its own, but even funnier in this treatment by the folks at Kissing Suzy Kolber.

Pick: Minnesota.

An alternate interpretation of the video was from Mark Craig who suggested that it was “NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (not pictured) visited Winter Park today to deliver his punishment to the future Hall of Fame quarterback.”

October 12, 2010

Vikings fall short in 2-minute drill

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 07:39

After either a thrilling defensive struggle or a boring low-scoring affair (take your pick), the Vikings suddenly became dangerous through the air, with two touchdowns to Percy Harvin and one to Randy Moss. The Favre-to-Moss score was historic, as it was Brett Favre’s 500th TD (and he went over the 70,000 yards of total passing milestone on that series — nearly 40 miles through the air).

Minnesota’s defence kept them in the game, limiting the Jets to only field goals through the first half, but spending far too much time on the field — the Vikings managed just barely more than 50 yards of total offense through 30 minutes. The end of the first half must have seemed more like the end of a regular game for the tired defenders.

In addition to the other records, Favre also passed Warren Moon for the top all time in another category: fumbles. He fumbled the ball twice (both times the Jets came up with the ball), including one that he dropped onto Adrian Peterson’s foot for an unplanned punt.

After the second Harvin TD, it was a two-point game (the Vikings having missed a conversion to tie the game). The Vikings finally appeared to be clicking, with the offensive line keeping the pressure off Favre and the receivers managing to get open for passes.

The Jets gave Minnesota a gift in their second-to-last series, stopping the clock twice and going incomplete on third down to give the Vikings nearly two full minutes to close out the game with a score. Favre then re-gifted the opportunity back to New York with an intercepted pass that was run in for the game-sealing score.

The game, however interesting, may have been less important than the latest scandal to excite the media feeding frenzy:

The Vikings shocked the NFL world by orchestrating a trade that brought Randy Moss back to Minnesota. Who would have guessed it would become a secondary story by the end of the week?

The Moss trade became a sidebar to the evolving scandal involving Brett Favre and alleged inappropriate messages and photos sent to former New York Jets employee Jenn Sterger in 2008.

The story, broken by the website Deadspin.com, gained steam throughout the weekend and serves as a juicy subplot to the Vikings’ Monday night game against … you guessed it, the New York Jets.

The “sexting” story actually broke a while back, but for some reason didn’t catch the media’s attention until this week. The NFL is investigating, which may end up with some disciplinary action against Favre if they determine that the story has validity.

October 7, 2010

Feschuk and Reid don’t think adding Moss will help the Vikings

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 17:22

The Two Scotts are rather sniffy about how much, if any, improvement the Vikings will see by adding Randy Moss:

Feschuk: So Randy Moss is back with the Vikings — because nothing inspires a veteran to new heights than returning to the scene of his greatest suckouts, hissy fits and feigned moonings that make Joe Buck cry. Clearly, this is an attempt to appease Brett Favre, which is a waste of time because everyone knows you can’t please old people.

     Coach Childress: Hey, Brett, look! I brought you a shiny new deep threat!

     Brett: Bah. Nobody visits me and ham doesn’t taste like it used to.

Pick: New York.

Reid: The Moss deal got me to thinking: Mabye we could get traded back to the PMO. Sure, Harper would be a bit different to work for than Martin — there would be fewer free-wheeling debates, more cats and way more waterboarding. But wouldn’t it be nice to tear it up big in the old town again? I guess that’s the nostalgic glow that’s roped Randy Moss back to Prince territory. Here’s a fun party game: Add Randy Moss’ age to the number of seasons Brett Favre has played, then divide by the total touchdown passes that Bernard Berrian has caught this year. If it comes out zero, congratulations. You’re not only correct, you’re Brad Childress — watching your season circle the toilet bowl. I’m not saying this looks desperate but the Vikings may have to change their name to Danny Bonaduce. Pick: New York.

October 3, 2010

Interesting speculation for the 2011 NFL season

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 10:57

In a post advising Vikings fans which games this weekend will be of particular interest (our boys having the week off due to an early bye), this item was quite interesting:

After beating Dallas in Week 1, a loss today will be the ‘Skins’ third straight. There will be fingers pointed, which, from the Vikings’ perspective is good. Those who know their history know that the Vikings offense is a glove fit for certain quarterbacks. One was Brett Favre. When his time ran out in Green Bay, the Packers knew that he could kick butt running the same offense with the Vikings. They shipped him off to the Jets, where he was in a foreign offense for the first time in his career. He posted an 8-4 record before injuring his biceps tendon, but, in the end, failed with the Jets. The next year, he ended up with the Vikings. McNabb is being asked to adjust to a Redskins offense that Mike Shanahan has devised — not a West Coast Offense he has spent his entire career running. McNabb hasn’t signed a contract extension — which many insiders thought was a prerequisite to the Redskins making a trade to get him. Unless the Redskins franchise McNabb next year, he will become a free agent. Déjà vu? Let us be among those to throw out the possibility of McNabb replacing Favre as the Vikings QB in 2011. Just sayin’.

I think that might be a worthwhile scenario . . . if Tarvaris Jackson isn’t re-signed next year, it leaves only rookie Joe Webb on the roster at QB. What little I’ve seen of Webb gives me hope for the future, but I’d be astounded if he was ready to start next season (assuming there will be a 2011 season, of course). Bringing in another aging veteran might make a lot of sense in that situation.

September 27, 2010

Detroit improves, but not enough to beat Vikings

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 08:36

Yesterday’s 24-10 victory was a result of two things going well for the Vikings: the base defence and Adrian Peterson. Peterson ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns (including a career-long 80 yard run), while the defence kept Detroit to three-and-out several times. All of Detroit’s points came from turnovers. Brett Favre had a less-than-stellar outing, with only 201 yards passing for one touchdown and two interceptions, being sacked twice and hit several other times.

On their first offensive play, the Vikings lost starting center John Sullivan to a calf injury. Ryan Cook looked quite good coming off the bench to replace him. Later in the game, Visanthe Shiancoe had a leg injury and left the field.

Minnesota’s passing game is still very much a work in progress: although Favre distributed the ball to lots of receivers, it was almost all short passes. The longest pass was the touchdown reception by Percy Harvin, and that appears to have been a defensive miscue, leaving Harvin uncovered.

It was the first NFL start for rookie cornerback Chris Cook, who was injured in the preseason and the first start of the season for Cedric Griffin, who is now fully recovered from his torn ACL in the NFC championship game.

September 26, 2010

Vikings-Lions . . . the NFC North’s basement dwellers

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 10:40

After missing going to the Superbowl by inches last season, the Vikings are on a two-game losing streak. They look nothing like last season’s dominant squad, and there’s a hint of desperation in the air. Normally, facing the Detroit Lions would be a gimme for the Vikings. It might still be today, but as Jim Souhan points out, things may be changing in Detroit:

The worst Midwestern franchise this side of the Timberwolves will play in the Metrodome on Sunday, and the Vikings may leave a trail of rose petals between the Lions’ hotel and the stadium, just to make sure they show up on time.

In a sink-or-swim league, the Lions have long been the Vikings’ water wings. Sunday, the Vikes have the privilege of facing a should-lose team in a must-win game.

Where would the Vikings be without the Lions? Bud Grant (26-8-1 against Detroit) might not be in the Hall of Fame. Mike Tice (8-0 against the Lions) wouldn’t have kept his job so long. Brad Childress (7-1 against Detroit) would have a lower approval rating than house mold.

The Lions are to the Vikings what the curtain was to the Wizard of Oz.

Here’s the problem for The Purple: This might be the last day for a long time they can treat the Lions like kitty litter.

It’s frequently said that football teams are built from the lines. No matter how good your quarterback is, if the offensive line can’t keep him upright long enough to throw the ball or hand off to the running back, you’re not going to win games. On the defensive side of the ball, the more pressure your linemen can get on the opposing quarterback, the fewer options they have and the less likely they are to score. Detroit has done a good job of building their defensive line for this season, adding Kyle Vanden Bosh, Corey Williams, and rookie Ndamukong Suh.

Minnesota has been having trouble keeping Brett Favre standing upright and wearing a clean jersey this season. The Lions are starting to become the kind of team opposing quarterbacks hate to face (they sacked Michael Vick five times in last week’s game against the Eagles).

And all of this doesn’t mention that Detroit appears to have a franchise quarterback (although injured for this game), a very impressive rookie running back, and a legitimate number one wide receiver. The kind of line-up the Lions have not been able to boast of since their glory days — and nobody seems to remember when those glory days might have been.

As Souhan says, maybe it won’t be this year for Detroit, but they have started to improve and may not be the cupcake of the NFC for much longer.

September 24, 2010

You know your football season is in trouble when . . .

Filed under: Football, Media — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 10:24

. . . even the funny guys are picking Detroit to beat you:

Detroit (plus 10.5) at Minnesota

Feschuk: Did you get a good look at Brett Favre last week? He looked as utterly dazed and defeated as Frodo climbing Mount Doom or Robert DeNiro suddenly realizing he was starring in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. I haven’t seen anyone regret a decision so intensely since the last eight women to marry Larry King. Conventional wisdom holds that the Vikes will turn it all around this week. But the Lions have 10 sacks in their first two games and — just as important — a talent for scoring late, otherwise inconsequential touchdowns that result in a cover. Pick: Detroit.

Reid: According to a new book, evidence has recently been uncovered that it was a crew member who mistakenly steered the Titanic into the iceberg, guaranteeing its doom. Any resemblance to Brett Favre is coincidental. Brad Childress? That resemblance is better described as entirely accurate. Pick: Detroit.

Okay, to be fair, they’re just picking Detroit to do better than lose by 10.5 point, but still . . .

If Detroit’s new defensive line is as good as they’ve been in the first two games, Brett Favre will not have fun in this game. Better ensure that Tarvaris Jackson (and even Joe Webb) get properly warmed up.

September 20, 2010

Vikings put themselves deeper in the hole

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 09:35

I didn’t see yesterday’s game . . . and it sounds as if I missed a really disappointing viewing opportunity:

Sunday’s loss came down to missed opportunities for the Vikings, who wasted Adrian Peterson’s first regular-season 100-yard rushing performance since last Nov. 15 against Detroit.

The stats indicate this was a one-sided game — in the Vikings’ favor.

They ran 72 offensive plays to 46 for the Dolphins. They had 364 total yards to 226 for Miami and controlled the ball for 35 minutes, 48 seconds.

But when faced with crucial situations, the Vikings failed. They converted five of 14 third-down opportunities and were unsuccessful on three of four fourth-down attempts. The Vikings brought the ball into the red zone five times but came away with only one touchdown.

Favre threw three interceptions — one more than all of last season at home — and committed a crucial fumble in the third quarter, recovered by Miami linebacker Koa Misi in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-0 Dolphins lead.

Tom Powers wonders how long it’ll be before the team (or the fans) reach for that panic button:

The magic is gone. Or at least it has been misplaced.

Brett Favre and the Vikings’ offense had labored all game Sunday at the Metrodome. But with 1:42 left, they took the field, trailing by four points, 55 yards from victory. Favre has made a career out of situations such as these. And not one soul from among the sellout crowd for the season’s first home game had dared move toward the exit. This was Favre time.

On the sideline, coach Brad Childress felt confident. Despite watching Favre occasionally misfire against the Dolphins and watching a sub-par receiving corps struggle to make plays, he was convinced something good was about to happen. He could sense it.

“You do,” he agreed afterward. “And we had a timeout left.”

Not this time. What in the past would have been a final, glorious Vikings touchdown drive fizzled. The last play was a raggedy-looking short pass toward Visanthe Shiancoe over the middle. Then the Vikings walked off the field, heads down, staring at an oh and two record after their 14-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Somewhere in Vikings Land there is a big red button just waiting to be pushed. Then sirens will wail and buzzers will bellow. Then it officially will be time to panic. Can that button be pushed after just two games?

So, Brett Favre has now had his post-pre-season workout . . . will he be back in synch with his receivers next week? It took three regular season games last year, against weaker opponents than the first two this year. The defence is in late-season form: they’ve been doing more than their share of the fighting, it’s the other guys in the passing attack who haven’t been picking up the slack.

Bernard Berrian is making a case for him not being with the team next year: this was his big opportunity to prove that he’s a number one receiver, but he’s not making the case (Powers is even harsher, “Bernard Berrian is about as useful as a hood ornament”). Visanthe Shiancoe once again was the leading receiver, and Adrian Peterson had his best running performance in more than a year . . . but the wide receivers didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

It’s not impossible for the Vikings to right the ship and sail on to a division title . . . it’s just the next thing to impossible at 0-2 with the Packers doing everything right.

September 12, 2010

Vikings face uphill struggle in new season

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 00:08

The acid-penned Jim Souhan points out the difficulties facing the Vikings this season:

For months, the Vikings’ opener at New Orleans, in a rematch of an epic NFC title game, in the home of a city believing the Saints offered proof of its rebirth, felt as consequential and symbolic as Christmas.

Turns out it was more like Halloween — a holiday signifying little, featuring loud costumes and leaving half the participants with queasy stomachs.

Ugly and overhyped as it was, the Vikings’ 14-9 loss to the Saints doesn’t mean much. Losing on the road to a championship team early in the season is hardly fatal. It was just another Fleur de Loss in “The City That Doesn’t Sleep In Its Own Bed.”

What the loss means is that the Vikings suddenly have little margin for error. They haven’t dealt with this predicament previously with Favre at their helm.

Last year, they started with easy victories over Cleveland and Detroit, stole one from the 49ers and started the season 6-0. The early winning streak gave them immense confidence and a cushion in the NFC North that allowed them to survive unsightly late-season losses at Arizona, Carolina and Chicago.

In fact, that early winning streak obscured the Vikings’ struggles on the road under Favre. Including the end of last season, the playoff loss at New Orleans and Thursday’s loss, the Vikings have lost six of their past seven road games with Favre under center, a strange occurrence given his experience.

As I’ve enumerated before, the Vikings were lucky to return so many of their 2009 starting players and key backups, but luck had a lot to do with their early season last year. They’re not as lucky this time around, and it’ll be easy for bandwagoners to bail in coming weeks. The Vikings still have the talent to go deep into the playoffs — once Favre gets into synchronization with his wide receivers. That will take a few more games, if last year is a guide.

September 10, 2010

Saints 14, Vikings 9

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 08:38

It wasn’t a pretty game, aside from the opening New Orleans drive. Drew Brees had a great start, making the Viking backfield look like statues, but that was the only really “magic” part of the game. From that point onwards, it was a very pedestrian performance by both teams.

This is similar to the start of last season: Brett Favre came in after training camp and only had the playing time in preseason games to learn about his new teammates. The difference is that last season, the Vikings had an easy start to their schedule.

Both Favre and Percy Harvin showed the effects of too little practice, and appeared to be on different pages of the playbook for too much of the game. It’s not surprising that they both have rust, especially for Harvin, who suffered from migraines all through training camp (and had other medical issues). At one point during the game, TV reporter Andrea Kramer reported that Harvin’s heart had stopped after he collapsed on the practice field during training camp, and that he’d then been diagnosed with sleep apnea (the migraine medication may have caused the collapse).

In spite of the early problems, the Vikings went in to the locker room at the half holding a 9-7 lead, thanks to a drive that showed what they’re capable of (given more time to gel). Visanthe Shiancoe got behind the covering linebacker for a touchdown, and Ryan Longwell had put the Vikings on the board with a field goal earlier. A blocked extra point kept the Vikings at 9.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was how well the Vikings’ patched-together-with-string-and-bailing-wire defensive backfield held up under the pressure:

Despite a few lapses, it’s hard to complain with a Vikings defense that held the NFL’s best offense to 14 points. In the first half, the Vikings showed they are still one of the league’s best at stopping the run. In the second half, the Saints managed to methodically push through the game. After the ugly first drive, the cornerbacks held their own. Lito Sheppard played well after a quiet training camp.

But the Vikings offense has 10 days to work out the offensive rustiness in time for Miami next Sunday in the Metrodome.

“This won’t get us derailed from our goal of the Super Bowl,” said Shiancoe, who finished with a team-high four catches for 76 yards. “It’s nothing to panic over.”

Update: Jim Souhan isn’t as kind:

Thursday night, in their season-opening, 14-9 loss in New Orleans, the Vikings’ skill-position players performed as if they needed nametags on the front of their jerseys, as if they should have taken time in the first huddle of the season to reacquaint themselves.

As in, “My name’s Brett, I’m from Hattiesburg, and I’m real sorry I held out for more money.”

On this visit to New Orleans, the Vikings needed a 12th man in the huddle just to make introductions.

Favre lived a charmed existence in 2009. He didn’t pay for his belated arrival because the Vikings started the season against Cleveland and Detroit, enabling him to make more warmup tosses than Mariano Rivera.

By the time the Vikings began facing real teams, Favre had developed a bond with Sidney Rice and a football version of telepathy with Percy Harvin.

Thursday, Favre played as if he had just driven over from his hometown of Kiln, Miss. On his tractor. With a cattail between his teeth.

September 9, 2010

QotD: Why football is king in America

Filed under: Football, Quotations, USA — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 09:37

You probably remember the pain, the feeling of deja voodoo.

You probably remember a sense of disbelief, as the Vikings and Brett Favre blew another epic game.

If you can forgive the Vikings their sins of that day — the 12th man in the huddle, the five turnovers, that fateful Favre pass — what you should remember is this:

The Vikings’ 31-28 loss to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game stands as the latest, best demonstration of why football is king in America.

Baseball is a beautiful and comforting game. Basketball showcases the world’s most spectacular athletes. Football reaches into our guts, reaches into the most evolved and most prehistoric portions of our brain, combining all of the elements of our greatest dramas, from violence to pathos to unpredictability to intricately interwoven plots.

What happened in the Superdome on Jan. 24 was Shakespearean. Not Shakespearean in the popular use of the word, meaning “effete” or “intellectual.” Shakespeare became popular by writing plays filled with blood and revenge, lust and greed.

And tragedy.

Shakespeare would have loved Favre.

Jim Souhan, “Take your seat, the big show is about to resume”, Star Tribune, 2010-09-09

August 29, 2010

Vikings beat Seahawks 24-13 in 3rd preseason game

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 09:39

I didn’t get to watch this game, so I’m depending on the nice folks at the Star-Tribune to fill in the details for me:

Brad Childress has taken to describing the Vikings’ offense as being “in flux.” Exhibit A came with 4 minutes, 22 seconds left in the first quarter of the Vikings’ 24-13 preseason victory over Seattle on Saturday night at Mall of America Field at the Metrodome.

Wide receiver Greg Camarillo, who arrived on Wednesday in a trade with the Dolphins, caught a 12-yard pass from Brett Favre on third-and-8 to put the ball at the Seahawks 6. The play looked to be perfectly executed. Afterward offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell admitted there was one problem: Camarillo wasn’t in the right spot when he made the catch.

That’s what happens when two receivers, Camarillo and Javon Walker, arrived in the past five days, beating the quarterback to town by only a week. That’s what happens when another receiver, Percy Harvin, plays in his first preseason game after participating in only six training camp practices because of issues with migraines. That’s what happen when the starting center, John Sullivan, remains sidelined by a calf injury and the starting right guard, Anthony Herrera, is shifted to center and a rookie, Chris DeGeare, takes over at guard.

So, with all that flux, how the heck did they win the game?

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