By beating the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, the Chicago Bears put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the Minnesota Vikings to win today. The Vikes travel to the Valley of the Sun to face the NFC West Champion Cardinals. Excitement and nervousness best describe my emotions heading into this game. I'm excited because if we win, we will be able to clinch the division next week at home (and I will be there). I am nervous because this will be a very tough game and if we lose, it's a whole new ballgame.
Offensively, the key for the Vikings is ball control. We have to pound Adrian and Chester at them and have lengthy drives in order to keep the ball out of the hands of their high powered offense. Their rush D is ranked in the upper half of the NFL, but that may be because teams just try to throw on them. Their D line is solid, but small, so we should have success running the ball. Our wide receiver blocking will be big too, because I hear their linebackers, corners, and safeties are excellent in run support. Tarvaris needs to play like he did in the second half against Detroit. He can't turn the ball over, and he must be confident and composed. He must show the Cardinals that he can take advantage of the single coverage he is sure to see. I am very excited for T-Jack today. For whatever reason, I feel that this time around he will have success and be able to lead us to a huge win. He's had his time to learn from his initial mistakes; now he just needs to go out there and execute.
On defense, the key will be getting pressure on old man Kurt Warner. He has had an MVP-caliber season thus far and he has a multitude of weapons to work with, including Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breasten. Both Fitz and Boldin are big, strong, physical receivers, so it will be very interesting to watch them tangle with our two physical corners in Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin. Jared Allen must have another solid game for us to win. Arizona won't even try to run on us because they can't run on anyone. Some say the match up against our D sets up perfectly for Arizona. However, since we know the pass is coming, we will be able to sit on it and put a lot of pressure on Warner. It's never good to be one dimensional. The Cardinals will get their points because they are very good, but if the Purple can force Warner to make a few mistakes, the Vikes will be in good shape. The turnover battle may decide this game.
The big match up today is the Vikings running game vs. the Cardinals passing game. Both are very explosive and whichever is more successful today will be a good indication of who wins. The Vikings need this game much more and the Cardinals might suffer a little hangover after clinching the NFC West title last week. The Cards are 5-1 at home, so it won't be easy. However, combining all of the various factors and the fact that the Vikings really need this game makes me believe they will pull it off. I feel big days for Adrian and Shiancoe. This game will be close and exciting the entire time. My prediction: Vikings 31, Cardinals 27. SKOL.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wolves
What an extremely frustrating franchise to follow. Good improvement in the effort last night, but they still blew a huge lead down the stretch at home. When will this misery end? Kevin Ollie taking clutch shots? Kevin Love going 2-9 on free throws? Maybe, they could have used Brandon Roy or O.J. Mayo? I'm glad Wittman is finally gone and that McHale is finally out as Vice President of Basketball Operations. However, how can you expect this team to truly turn the corner until the whole operation is blown up? Hopefully for all of us Wolves fans this will happen at the end of the season, but if McHale succeeds I could easily see his good buddy Glen Taylor keeping him around as coach. I personally don't care how much McHale succeeds as coach; he has made so many bad decisions over the course of his tenure in the front office that just from a PR standpoint he needs to go. I don't think there is any way this team can be successful with its current group of players. To succeed in the NBA today, you need at least 2, probably 3 legitimate stars. I don't believe any of the players on this team have star potential, other than Al Jefferson. Mike Miller is at best a third scoring option. Same deal for Kevin Love. To me, the O.J. Mayo trade more than any other recent move will come back to bite the T-Pups in the ass the most. The Roy-Foye deal is looking terrible right now as well, but at least Foye is a guy some thought had star potential. We knew that Mike Miller and Kevin Love probably didn't have star potential, yet we still made the deal. This is not the time to be surrounding Big Al with role players! Mayo is already proving that he is going to be an elite player in this league. Kevin Love is a terrific rebounder and Mike Miller can be a lock down shooter (if he ever decides to shoot the damn ball!), but they are good role players, not possible stars. You are never going to succeed at a high level without at least 2 stars. The Wolves are doing exactly what they did with Kevin Garnett by surrounding Big Al with solid role players. The one deep playoff run we had with Garnett included Sam Cassell and Latrell Spreewell having career years. To pass up on a possible star like O.J. Mayo, something you absolutely need to succeed at a high level, was to me absolute stupidity. This franchise has no plan, no identity, and no high level talent around Big Al. An O.J. Mayo-Al Jefferson tandem would be a nice core to build around, don't ya think?! And then consider this: We just awarded the guy who built this failure of a team with the head coaching position! Am I the only one upset by this decision? The problems start at the top with Glenn Taylor. He is one of the worst owners in pro sports for keeping Kevin McHale around year after year, not to mention Taylor also had a hand in the illegal Joe Smith contract that has destroyed this franchise. Until Taylor gets rid of his good buddy in failure Kevin McHale, this team is going nowhere fast. They had their best chance in years to re-invigorate this fan base and get another legit star by keeping O.J. Mayo. Instead, they set themselves back even more. Great. I'll be at the Lakers-Wolves game on Sunday. I'm sure Kevin Love will have no problem handling Pau Gassol and Andrew Bynum. Maybe I should just start cheering for a team who does things the right way. Unfortunately, my nature prohibits me from doing so. Damn.
Monday, December 8, 2008
SKOL T-Jack
Big props to Tarvaris Jackson for saving a game for us yesterday in the Motor City. I don't care that it was against the Lions; Tarvaris looked the part and was very poised for an entire half of football. It was a big game and T-Jack stepped up huge after Gus had a terrible first half. The question all week will be if Tarvaris should replace Gus, and I have to say I'm not positive yet but I'm leaning towards yes. Why? Because Gus just hasn't been that good lately. In fact, his weekly multitude of interceptions has cost us dearly in a couple games. Nonetheless, the has an 8-3 record as the starter, which is very good. Tarvaris had a good record last year though, and look at what he did in the biggest game of the year against Washington (an awful, awful choke job). This might be the time for Tarvaris though. He's pissed off that he was benched, he's been able to watch Gus Frerotte and his ability to shake off mistakes, and he might finally have the mindset needed to lead this first place team (he's always had the physical tools in my opinion). Bottom line, we'll see about said QB situation, but I'm just happy to get out of Detroit with a win at this point in the season. Green Bay is done after losing to the Texans at home, and if we win two of three we will win the division for sure. We probably need only one of the final three, however. It would be very sweet to see the Bears lose at home to New Orleans on Thursday night and then clinch the NFC North with a victory in the desert on Sunday. Let's do it. Hey playoffs...WE'RE COMIN!!! SKOL.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Random Rumblings and VIKINGS!!
Wild week of sports. Let's get right to it. Vikings preview at the end.
-USC basketball showed they were for real by taking a great #6 Oklahoma team down to the wire in Norman, eventually falling by 1. The Trojans looked terrific from the outset, going up 9-0 in the early going. Unfortunately, my biggest beef with this game was the officiating, specifically the way Oklahoma star Blake Griffin was treated. Basically, he got every call, as if he was already an NBA superstar. Anytime you nicked him, a foul was called. In addition, numerous charging fouls on Griffin were completely ignored or called as blocking fouls on the Trojans. The most critical "no call" came in the final minutes when Griffin absolutely barreled over Keith Wilkinson and put in a layup. If the right call is made just on that one play, the Trojans win the game. The call that got me the most amped, however, was when Leonard Washington absolutely stuffed the s*** out of Griffin. Washington went straight up, and actually jumped so high that he got his wrist on the middle of the ball. Griffin fell down because he got stuffed so hard, and got bailed out with the foul call. Even the announcers, who were drooling over Griffin and the Sooners all game, said the call was horrendous. I really can't say I agree with the love for Blake Griffin nationally. This was the first time he faced a ligit big man in Taj Gibson, and we held him to 6 rebounds (14 below his average). He also is extremely soft in the post, and as I mentioned, gets every frickin call. Normally in college basketball, everyone is treated fairly with regards to officiating. Not the case for the Sooner "star". Regardless, I was happy with the Trojans showing; I just wish they could have pulled off the upset. If they play even close to this level, they should and will win the Pac-10. Surprisingly, it looks like the toughest competition may be ASU, not the bRuins. We'll have to wait about a month to find out.
-Fun being at the Rose Bowl yesterday for the Trojans 28-7 victory over their crosstown rivals UCLA. The game was all about defense for USC, and they showed yet again why they are the best unit in the country. After giving up an early TD after a turnover in their own territory, the Trojans went into lock down mode, surrendering only 7 first downs to the Bruins the entire game. UCLA football has such a long, long way to go to get to USC's level. Rick Neuheisel may have the toughest job in college football because he is at such a huge recruiting disadvantage going up against recruiting master Pete Carroll. The win yesterday clinched a seventh straight Pac-10 title for Carroll and the Trojans, something unprecedented in college football today. Congratulations to Coach Carroll, his entire staff, and the players. Should be a fun Rose Bowl against Penn State and Joe Pa. Hopefully, around January 8 of 2010, we'll be playing in the Rose Bowl (the stadium, not the actual bowl) for something a little better. Fight On.
-North Carolina is so much better than everyone else in college basketball right now. They handled a great Notre Dame team over Thanksgiving and just destroyed a very solid Michigan State team. The Dukies might be the Heels toughest opponent. Those games are going to be ridiculous this year.
-Yet again, we have a team in the BCS title game that doesn't belong there in the Oklahoma Sooners. Anyone in America (except if they're from Norman) can look at the BCS and tell you how unfair it is that the Sooners got to the Big 12 title game over Texas, even though the Longhorns beat Oklahoma by ten on a neutral field. Here's the crazy thing I'm hoping for: Florida to get left out of the title game. It is actually possible Texas could stay ahead of Florida in the BCS rankings, and we could have a Oklahoma-Texas rematch. Why am I hoping for this? Because I don't give a damn about seeing the best title game. I would much prefer huge national outrage against the BCS. Something like this needs to happen if we are ever going to get rid of this archaic system. It will get people up in arms, the BCS would hate it, and we would at least have some hope of finally getting rid of this system.
My question is this: Why should a one-loss Flordia team be taken over a one-loss USC team? Florida lost to Mississippi at home, while the Trojans lost to a solid Oregon State team on the road. And no, it shouldn't be because the SEC is better than the Pac-10 this year. Despite the common perception and the media telling you otherwise, the Pac-10 is a better overall league than the SEC this year. The SEC has 2 solid teams in Alabama and Florida. The Pac-10 has USC, Oregon State, Oregon, and Cal, all of whom have been in the top 25 for much of the season. It may not be as good at the top, but it is much deeper than the SEC. Ultimately, depth is what matters because you have to play more tough games. Before playing Florida, Alabama had faced no one very good. USC had faced Ohio State, Oregon State, Oregon, and Cal, all of whom turned out to be good teams this year. The media love for the SEC has to stop. Even if you disagree with me, you can agree with me on this: a playoff system would put the debate to rest once and for all, and finally, we could all agree that the national champion is the best team in the nation.
-The O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love and Mike Miller is turning out to be a disaster, just as I had anticipated. Mayo is already averaging 21 ppg, albeit for a bad Grizzlies team. The point that I tried to make after the trade was that we gave up a potential superstar in Mayo, and you can't do that when you are trying to build a team. What is the common thread of most championship teams? At least 2, usually 3 stars. Boston last year? 3 star players. What is the common trait of teams like Los Angles, Boston, San Antonio, New Orleans, Houston, Orlando, and Detroit this year? They have 3 legitimate stars. Kevin McHale is doing exactly the same thing with Big Al that he did with KG: he is surrounding him with role players, rather than complimentary stars. Kevin Love might be a solid player in the NBA eventually (he's actually looked very good lately), but he will never be the star that O.J. Mayo is already proving he is. Could you imagine a shooter like Mayo combined with a post presence like Jefferson? That would be the building block to success. Instead, it seems like McHale has no clear plan for the future of this franchise. He is compiling parts, but the problem is that most of them resemble himself as a player rather than Larry Bird. He needs to stop falling in love with people in the draft who clearly don't have good athletic ability, and start keeping the sure things (Brandon Roy, O.J. Mayo). I only needed a few games watching Mayo here at USC to know that he had what it took to be a star in the NBA. He can shoot lights out from anywhere on the floor, but more importantly he has his head in on his shoulders and has the right attitude. He has no shortage of self confidence, and why should he? Unfortunately, the only time we'll see him in Minnesota is when he comes into Minnesota and dominates Randy Foye or Rashad McCants. What a joke this franchise is. It starts up top with Glen Taylor, one of the worst owners in professional sports (that deserves its own post).
-Excited for the Vikings to take the next step towards the playoffs today with a win over the Kiddies in Detroit. After a week of turmoil, the Williams Wall will play, so there are no excuses for anything less than sheer domination. Detroit is so bad and we need to put them and their fans that are still coming to games out of it very early. If I'm Childress I take the ball if we win the toss, and hand it off to Adrian a lot en route to an early score. I can't figure out why AD didn't put up huge numbers against the Lions in the Dome (a scary 12-10 Vikes win). It must have been a good scheme, but there is no way that Adrian will be stopped again by this pathetic team. They can't tackle, they can't fill their run gaps, and their quarterback is Daunte Culpepper . I really want to see Jared Allen light Culpepper up a few times. So far, we have been a bad road team. Today is a good time to start turning that around. The toughest part about today might be the atmosphere at Ford Field. Coming off an emotional win in a crazy building last week, the Vikings may feel like their back at the high school field this week. The challenge will be to come out with the same intensity and assertiveness that they came out with against Chicago. Do that, and there's no way the Lions win. Vikes take the next step this week. My prediction: Vikings 31, Lions 10. Lions go to 0-13. Vikings continue rolling and go to 8-5. SKOL.
Thanks for reading.
-USC basketball showed they were for real by taking a great #6 Oklahoma team down to the wire in Norman, eventually falling by 1. The Trojans looked terrific from the outset, going up 9-0 in the early going. Unfortunately, my biggest beef with this game was the officiating, specifically the way Oklahoma star Blake Griffin was treated. Basically, he got every call, as if he was already an NBA superstar. Anytime you nicked him, a foul was called. In addition, numerous charging fouls on Griffin were completely ignored or called as blocking fouls on the Trojans. The most critical "no call" came in the final minutes when Griffin absolutely barreled over Keith Wilkinson and put in a layup. If the right call is made just on that one play, the Trojans win the game. The call that got me the most amped, however, was when Leonard Washington absolutely stuffed the s*** out of Griffin. Washington went straight up, and actually jumped so high that he got his wrist on the middle of the ball. Griffin fell down because he got stuffed so hard, and got bailed out with the foul call. Even the announcers, who were drooling over Griffin and the Sooners all game, said the call was horrendous. I really can't say I agree with the love for Blake Griffin nationally. This was the first time he faced a ligit big man in Taj Gibson, and we held him to 6 rebounds (14 below his average). He also is extremely soft in the post, and as I mentioned, gets every frickin call. Normally in college basketball, everyone is treated fairly with regards to officiating. Not the case for the Sooner "star". Regardless, I was happy with the Trojans showing; I just wish they could have pulled off the upset. If they play even close to this level, they should and will win the Pac-10. Surprisingly, it looks like the toughest competition may be ASU, not the bRuins. We'll have to wait about a month to find out.
-Fun being at the Rose Bowl yesterday for the Trojans 28-7 victory over their crosstown rivals UCLA. The game was all about defense for USC, and they showed yet again why they are the best unit in the country. After giving up an early TD after a turnover in their own territory, the Trojans went into lock down mode, surrendering only 7 first downs to the Bruins the entire game. UCLA football has such a long, long way to go to get to USC's level. Rick Neuheisel may have the toughest job in college football because he is at such a huge recruiting disadvantage going up against recruiting master Pete Carroll. The win yesterday clinched a seventh straight Pac-10 title for Carroll and the Trojans, something unprecedented in college football today. Congratulations to Coach Carroll, his entire staff, and the players. Should be a fun Rose Bowl against Penn State and Joe Pa. Hopefully, around January 8 of 2010, we'll be playing in the Rose Bowl (the stadium, not the actual bowl) for something a little better. Fight On.
-North Carolina is so much better than everyone else in college basketball right now. They handled a great Notre Dame team over Thanksgiving and just destroyed a very solid Michigan State team. The Dukies might be the Heels toughest opponent. Those games are going to be ridiculous this year.
-Yet again, we have a team in the BCS title game that doesn't belong there in the Oklahoma Sooners. Anyone in America (except if they're from Norman) can look at the BCS and tell you how unfair it is that the Sooners got to the Big 12 title game over Texas, even though the Longhorns beat Oklahoma by ten on a neutral field. Here's the crazy thing I'm hoping for: Florida to get left out of the title game. It is actually possible Texas could stay ahead of Florida in the BCS rankings, and we could have a Oklahoma-Texas rematch. Why am I hoping for this? Because I don't give a damn about seeing the best title game. I would much prefer huge national outrage against the BCS. Something like this needs to happen if we are ever going to get rid of this archaic system. It will get people up in arms, the BCS would hate it, and we would at least have some hope of finally getting rid of this system.
My question is this: Why should a one-loss Flordia team be taken over a one-loss USC team? Florida lost to Mississippi at home, while the Trojans lost to a solid Oregon State team on the road. And no, it shouldn't be because the SEC is better than the Pac-10 this year. Despite the common perception and the media telling you otherwise, the Pac-10 is a better overall league than the SEC this year. The SEC has 2 solid teams in Alabama and Florida. The Pac-10 has USC, Oregon State, Oregon, and Cal, all of whom have been in the top 25 for much of the season. It may not be as good at the top, but it is much deeper than the SEC. Ultimately, depth is what matters because you have to play more tough games. Before playing Florida, Alabama had faced no one very good. USC had faced Ohio State, Oregon State, Oregon, and Cal, all of whom turned out to be good teams this year. The media love for the SEC has to stop. Even if you disagree with me, you can agree with me on this: a playoff system would put the debate to rest once and for all, and finally, we could all agree that the national champion is the best team in the nation.
-The O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love and Mike Miller is turning out to be a disaster, just as I had anticipated. Mayo is already averaging 21 ppg, albeit for a bad Grizzlies team. The point that I tried to make after the trade was that we gave up a potential superstar in Mayo, and you can't do that when you are trying to build a team. What is the common thread of most championship teams? At least 2, usually 3 stars. Boston last year? 3 star players. What is the common trait of teams like Los Angles, Boston, San Antonio, New Orleans, Houston, Orlando, and Detroit this year? They have 3 legitimate stars. Kevin McHale is doing exactly the same thing with Big Al that he did with KG: he is surrounding him with role players, rather than complimentary stars. Kevin Love might be a solid player in the NBA eventually (he's actually looked very good lately), but he will never be the star that O.J. Mayo is already proving he is. Could you imagine a shooter like Mayo combined with a post presence like Jefferson? That would be the building block to success. Instead, it seems like McHale has no clear plan for the future of this franchise. He is compiling parts, but the problem is that most of them resemble himself as a player rather than Larry Bird. He needs to stop falling in love with people in the draft who clearly don't have good athletic ability, and start keeping the sure things (Brandon Roy, O.J. Mayo). I only needed a few games watching Mayo here at USC to know that he had what it took to be a star in the NBA. He can shoot lights out from anywhere on the floor, but more importantly he has his head in on his shoulders and has the right attitude. He has no shortage of self confidence, and why should he? Unfortunately, the only time we'll see him in Minnesota is when he comes into Minnesota and dominates Randy Foye or Rashad McCants. What a joke this franchise is. It starts up top with Glen Taylor, one of the worst owners in professional sports (that deserves its own post).
-Excited for the Vikings to take the next step towards the playoffs today with a win over the Kiddies in Detroit. After a week of turmoil, the Williams Wall will play, so there are no excuses for anything less than sheer domination. Detroit is so bad and we need to put them and their fans that are still coming to games out of it very early. If I'm Childress I take the ball if we win the toss, and hand it off to Adrian a lot en route to an early score. I can't figure out why AD didn't put up huge numbers against the Lions in the Dome (a scary 12-10 Vikes win). It must have been a good scheme, but there is no way that Adrian will be stopped again by this pathetic team. They can't tackle, they can't fill their run gaps, and their quarterback is Daunte Culpepper . I really want to see Jared Allen light Culpepper up a few times. So far, we have been a bad road team. Today is a good time to start turning that around. The toughest part about today might be the atmosphere at Ford Field. Coming off an emotional win in a crazy building last week, the Vikings may feel like their back at the high school field this week. The challenge will be to come out with the same intensity and assertiveness that they came out with against Chicago. Do that, and there's no way the Lions win. Vikes take the next step this week. My prediction: Vikings 31, Lions 10. Lions go to 0-13. Vikings continue rolling and go to 8-5. SKOL.
Thanks for reading.
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