I have to say that was a disappointing weekend all around. First, the Borat movie was bad. And I mean bad. It had all the excruciatingly awkward parts of a good Borat sketch, but with none of the funny parts. That being said, it still wasn’t as excruciating as watching the Vikings attempt to play “offense” against the 49ers. If there is a loving, all powerful, omniscient God, I will never have to watch something that painful again. Sadly, it seems the Vikings are proof that God can’t be loving, omnipotent and all knowing. It breaks my heart, it really does.
- Brad Johnson is awful. AWFUL. A-W-F-U-L. He currently sits at 26th in the NFL in passer rating, behind such amazing quarterbacks as Mark Brunell, Alex Smith, J.P. Lohsman and Daunte Culpepper. That would be somewhat excusable if he was performing like he was supposed to (i.e. making good decisions, not turning the ball over and generally managing the game). He’s not. Once again, he turned the ball over in crucial situations and made some inexplicable decisions. It’s his decision making that angers me the most. It’s like he’s bipolar. Sometimes, he’ll check down unnecessarily, or hold on to the ball too long and have to make a rushed throw or take a sack. And then other times, he’ll decide to force the ball down field into double or triple coverage. Case in point: the last two times the Vikings had the ball. The second to last drive, the Vikings faced third and three, and Brad, waited and waited and waited, (for what I don’t know) and eventually ended up throwing the ball into the ground while trying to evade the rush. No one was wide open, but it wasn’t like his receivers were all doubled. And then he became manic on the next drive, forcing a deep ball to Bethel Johnson on 4th and 7 (forcing deep balls on fourth down being something he apparently likes to do) and effectively ending the game. Someone get him some Lithium before
- Troy Williamson, meet Kenny Rogers. Kenny Rogers,
- The only positive thing that came out of yesterday’s game on the offensive side of the ball was the continued dominance of Chester Taylor. Man, is that guy good. He’s really in a groove right now, seeing holes, bouncing it outside when there’s nothing up the middle and breaking tackles. He’s also shown he’s a consistent big play threat, taking a pass 65 yards for a touchdown. Wait…you mean that got called back because of an illegal block? Oh.
- The defense was its normal dominant self, holding the Niners to 9 points, less then 200 yards and picking off an Alex Smith pass. Clearly, that’s not enough. At this point, the defense can’t be content to hold their opponents under 20 points, or even under 10 points. They have to score more points then they give up, otherwise the Vikings are going to lose. Luckily for the Vikings’ playoff hopes, the defense might just be able to do that.
- Finally, a legitimate question for my tens of readers: is it time to start the Tarvaris Jackson era? Could he be any worse then Brad is right now?
4 comments:
I don't know how much good Tarvaris Jackson would do. His mobility would help, but his arm strength isn't going to help when there's no dependable WR on the field. Maybe when Marcus Robinson comes back...I'd hate to see Tarvaris's confidence destroyed as his passes bounce feebly off of Troy Williamson's hands.
True, but Tarvaris can make plays with his feet, which will not allow opposing defenses to drop all of their linebackers in coverage. One would hope that this would at least free up someone.
In a moment of true despair, I actually told my wife that the Vikes should re-sign Jeff George. She knows very little about football, but enough to reply, "But doesn't he suck too?'
How much worse can the QB situation get?
I think it boils down to how Tarvaris starting would impact his development. I don't honestly believe the offense would be worse with him under center (and would likely be better). But like Pacifist said, the recievers suck, and they could mess with his head, retarding his growth.
The Vikings aren't winning anything this year. But next year could be a big one with the right additions and if Tarvaris can step in and be a good quarterback. So the question is, does playing him now make him more likely to be ready for next year, or does keeping him away from our recievers insure that he doesn't develop any mental issues?
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