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Posted: Thursday, November 5, 2009 4:43 pm
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It’s fair for anyone to say that my obsession with the Vikings may go a little too far at times.
After all, win or lose, I lose sleep after every game playing it over in my mind. Especially when they lose. Honestly, I need help.
Anyway, half the season is now over and the optimism surrounding the team is high and for good reason. They’re 7-1 for the first time since 1998 and the second half of the schedule looks much softer than the first.
Here are four things I took from the first eight games:
1. That Brett Favre guy can still play.
Regular readers of this blog will probably remember that I was not in favor of the Favre signing. At the time I thought best-case scenario: He throws for around 200 yards per game, minimizes mistakes, throws a deep ball or two a game just to keep opposing defenses honest, and, most importantly, lets Adrian Peterson win games for us. Worst-case scenario: He tries to be the ‘old gunslinger’ and forces pass after pass that he can’t make trying to prove myself and all other detractors wrong, resulting in many interceptions and gets beaten up due to a perfect storm of immobility and an inexperienced offensive line.
I would’ve never guessed Favre would be playing this well. Through eight weeks, he’s thrown 16 touchdown passes and only three picks. He’s thrown for 1,925 yards, has a QB rating of 106, and has completed 68 percent of his passes. If those last two numbers hold up, they would be career bests. More importantly, he’s brought stability to a position the Vikes haven’t had it since I’ve been a fan.
In related news, this crow tastes delicious.
2. Percy Harvin might be the steal of the draft.
I was on the fence about the Vikings taking Harvin in the first round of this year’s draft. At the time, I thought his talent was undeniable but the whole testing positive for marijuana at the combine made me a little nervous. (Honestly, what’s his mindset here? “They won’t drug test me at the combine. Drugs are a non-issue in professional sports right now.” Good call Cheech.)
I feared that was a warning sign this guy was going to be nothing but a problem, a distraction, and ultimately, a bust.
Right now, Harvin has to be the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. He’s averaging more than 30 yards per kick return — two of which went for touchdowns — he’s second on the team in receptions with 28 and has become Favre’s favorite target on third down. The guy is flat out dangerous. He can score any time he touches the ball.
3. We need a healthy Antoine Winfield.
Is there any question now how important Winfield is to our defense? Not only is he pretty close to being a shut-down corner, he’s also the best tackler on the team. The number of corners in the NFL that could be described as “exceptional tacklers” could probably be counted on one hand. Antoine is one of them. He might be No. 1 on the list.
Back to my point, the Vikings have sorely missed Winfield’s tackling since he went out early in the Baltimore game with a foot injury. If you watched the fourth quarter of the Ravens game and just about all of the Pittsburgh and Green Bay games, you’d see our tackling is awful. Suddenly plays that might have gone for 10 yards before Winfield made the tackle downfield are going for 25-plus because nobody can make the play.
To exemplify this, look at Aaron Rodgers’ 36-yard run in the fourth quarter last Sunday. Karl Paymah, Winfield’s replacement, is completely duped by Greg Jennings putting his hand in the air like he’s asking for the ball. If you watch the replay, Paymah is literally running away from Rodgers, who’s about 15 yards behind him, following Jennings down the sideline. Winfield has the awareness to know there’s no way Rodgers is still in the backfield, turns around and makes the play after he’s gained 10-15 yards.
4. Lets not get ahead of ourselves.
It was a little scary for me hearing the talking heads on ESPN saying, “Vikings” and “Super Bowl” in the same breath repeatedly Sunday and Monday. Remember, the last time the Vikes started 7-1 was 1998. We all know how that turned out.
The optimism is justifiable. The team does look much better than even I would have anticipated and they’re also one phantom call and two horribly unfortunate mistakes from being undefeated. However, they’re also one miraculous play and one inexcusable missed field goal away from being 5-3. We’re undoubtedly good but I’m still not ready to give them the Lombardi Trophy just yet. A lot can happen between now and the playoffs. |
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