For tonight, at least, I am a Packer fan!
I sure hope they can do us a favor, and help keep our slim hold on a Playoff spot (we sure won't see a wildcard!).
As far as all the Vikings fans blaming Childress - do you really think he coaches them to turn over the ball?!? Of course not. The blame lies on two guys who are probably staring at their toes today. Buck up! Get a grip!!! You're off to face the Giants!!!
For the past several weeks, I've actually written several blogs about the Vikings - all in my head, as a matter of respect for the team. I've thought of many clever and discouraging things to say about the way the team was playing ... but I've followed the old maxim about "if you can't say anything nice ...".
Sunday, however, I saw the Vikings I had been waiting for all season. Penalties held to a minimum, no bone-head plays (although the defensive touchdown on our second possession left me with a sense of deja vu), and we really looked like we were in control most of the game.
What has been sad to see the past Sundays was all the effort and improvement by individuals that just wasn't translating to the team. Great plays on the offense and defense were being negated by stupid penalties; so many great plays countered by bone-head moves the next play (and the next, etc). Now, it's finally looking like it's starting to gel.
The only thing to watch out for now is hubris. I think that's what got us at the beginning of the second half yesterday - luckily, we got back to the game and held on the rest of the half.
As far as Childress as a coach ... earlier this year, I was on the "he's got to go" side, but now I am reconsidering. Penalties have consistently been declining - something that has plagued the Vikings as long as I have watched them. Perhaps discipline is setting in in the locker room & on the field (a far cry from Tice's Vikings). As far as the QB position, Childress stuck firmly with his choice, until it was obviously the wrong one. I think that he stood by his decision (and QB) as long as he did speaks a lot to his determination and commitment. It's good to have a coach who worries more about the game than his popularity rating with the fans.
It's not too late to take the NFC North!
The week after my last post, Vikings running back "All Day" Peterson drew the national spotlight back on the Vikings following a record-setting day. Suddenly, the mediocre Vikings are looking at a potential play-off spot ... I decided I better not jinx anything with another post!
But we struggled with Oakland! We only beat the Chargers because they paid no heed to our "unstoppable" running back ... but then, the next three games we struggled to do anything on offense - our one-trick pony had met it's match. We barely beat a struggling Chicago team (what a great day for Urlacher, though!), and that was pretty much all she wrote for any post season hopes.
Two things kill us - penalties on the defense, and a lack of coordination on the offense. While I would have preferred starting the season with a veteran QB, Jackson is showing signs of improvement - at this stage, I think it would be a huge mistake to back away from Jackson. He's there, he's capable - let's start building a solid offense around him. Wade and Ferguson seem pretty solid. Allison might not be bad, but why is he in number 84?!? That number is WAY to big for him! And speaking of numbers, what happened to #40 this year? I know Childress has his own game plans on offense, but hey - Kleinsasser gets yards and points! Granted, he's a good blocker, especially when running the ball, but he needs to have the ball in his hands more often.
Lastly, there were a lot of comments from the announcers about Jackson "telegraphing the ball". I saw that too - but can that be fully blamed on Jackson, or the less-than-accurate receiving staff? You can read where he's looking - but I swear you can read his eyes, too: "Are you going to catch this damn ball, or make me look foolish again?!?".
