Welcome Bethel!

The Vikings signed Bethel Johnson yesterday to return kicks and add depth to the recieving core. This is the kind of midseason pickup I like to see--it adds depth and addresses a weak spot. It also gets Troy Williamson off the kick return team, which is a great move--he wasn't all that great at it, there's a high risk of injury and it will allow him to focus solely on wide reciever.

So welcome Bethel! Hopefully Purple and Gold fits you better than Black and Gold (and whatever the Pats colors are).

And of course, each new beginning is some other beginning's end, and so we must bid farewell to Drew Henson. As always, parting is such sweet sorrow.

A Victory Before the Bye

I was in Minnesota (hence the lateness of the posts) and was lucky enough to find tickets to the game on Sunday. Tailgating, seats twenty rows up from the end zone and a dominating effort from the defense made the experience a memorable one. And, in case you were wondering, I was one of the people booing Brad Johnson after his awful first half performance. The man deserved it.

It was that performance which told us what the problem with the offense is. It’s not Childress’ offensive scheme, and his play calling, while a factor is not the big issue. The offense is sputtering because Brad Johnson is a backup quarterback at best. He’s made quite a few stupid decisions, he can’t throw the ball deep, he has problems hitting open receivers (he short hopped/over threw a ton of passes) and he has a tendency to hang his receivers out to dry. He threw about 4 passes on Sunday that put his receivers in the supporting role of a Jacked Up scene. Part of the reason the receivers aren’t catching all the balls they should is they know in the back of their mind, BJ is likely to get them killed. The sooner Tarvaris Jackson is ready to go, the better. And everyone who thought BJ might be the starting QB next year, is an idiot. And that includes me.

Luckily for the offense, Chester Taylor is starting to hit his stride. He had a monster day, ripping off 123 yards on 26 carries, most of it behind the left side of the line. He was making people miss, and had some sweet cutbacks. Hopefully, Childress has noticed that the Vikings’ best games have been when they relied on the running game. He abandoned it against Buffalo, which was likely one of the reasons the offense performed so poorly. BJ is not a good quarterback, and his likelihood of success diminishes when the opposing defense doesn’t have to worry about the run at all.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings’ defense had its most dominating performance of the season. The entire front seven was an immovable object, holding Kevin Jones to 16 yards on 10 carries, an average of .8 yards per carry. Their only breakdown came when Jon Kitna quick snapped the ball, sneaking 8 yards for a touchdown, and that was such a gutsy call by Kitna, it’s hard to fault the defense. Watching Kitna somehow make his way into the endzone, I had the same reaction Ron Burgandy did confronting Baxter, “And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? Heck, I'm not even mad; that's amazing.”

Pat Williams, however, insured that wasn’t the play of the game when he burst through the line in the fourth quarter, tackling Kitna before he could even finish his play fake and forcing a fumble that Ben Leber recovered for a touchdown. I haven't looked at a list of signings, but Pat Williams has to be one of the best free agent signings in the Vikings’ history. The man is a dominant force against both the run and pass and has been since the Bills let him go.

The other ex-Bill, Antoine Winfield, has also done a superb job for the Vikings’, and he joined the rest of the secondary in shutting down the Lions’ passing game. E.J. Henderson’s interception may have been forced by Ray Edwards, but the only reason Edwards had all the time in the world to get to Kitna was because of the coverage. And that wasn’t the only time that the coverage forced the Lions to have to hold their blocks for longer than any line can be reasonably expected to. Tomlin’s scheme is working extremely well. He even has Dwight Smith as his designated “crowd exciter”. As many people have pointed out, Tomlin’s on the fast track to a head coaching job. Hopefully for the Vikings, it isn’t that fast of a track.

So after five games, we have a solid grasp of who the Vikings’ are. They have a good to great defense that can dominate at times, and one that can create turnovers and convert them into points. The offense is led by an aging back up quarterback, who has problems making throws, but it also has a decent rushing game. The special teams are solid, but are prone to the occasional hiccup. Basically, this is a team that will be in most games, and should be able to turn more than a few into wins. They are by no means favorites for a wildcard berth, but with their favorable schedule and a little luck, the Vikings' could definitely sneak into the postseason.

(I’m going to take the rest of the bye week off so that I can finish my law school applications. I’ll be back on Friday with who to root for on Sunday. Hopefully, there isn’t anything big to talk about until then. The “Chili” jokes the Star Tribune writers are breaking out are bad enough. I don’t think I could take it if the Vikings’ have more off the field issues)

Wisconsin Women with a Tough Choice

Picking which Viking was most responsible for Sunday’s victory was not an easy decision. The Wisconsin women and I debated well into the night (What? You thought they didn’t get some say in the matter?) trying to determine who they were going to spend the week with. There were just so many valid choices—Chester Taylor, Pat Williams, E.J. Henderson, Napoleon Harris, Ben Leber, Ray Edwards and arguments could be (and were) made for almost every major defensive player.

Make no mistake about it—that was a dominating performance by the defense, and one that likely saved the Vikings’ season. That conclusion, along with his inability to get into the end zone in three tries from the seven yard line, eliminated Chester Taylor. If he continues to run the ball this well (4.73 yards per carry!), however, he’ll be in the discussion in upcoming weeks.

And so that leaves us with the defensive standouts. E.J. Henderson and Ben Leber both managed to house turnovers, Napoleon Harris continued his fine play by picking off a tipped Jon Kitna pass and Ray Edwards had a sack and forced Kitna to rush the pass that Henderson picked off. In the end, though, Pat Williams’ play topped them all. He was the one who destroyed Kitna in the midst of his play fake (that’s how quickly he got through the line), forcing him to fumble in the end zone. And he is the centerpiece of the Viking’s rush defense, which held the Lions to 16 yards. 16 yards!!! Kevin Jones didn’t even average a yard a carry! I don’t care how bad the Lions’ line was, that kind of dominance is astonishing. And that’s why he’s going to spend the bye week (heeding Childress’ call to behave, of course) with the Wisconsin women.

Big Pat Dominates

Grading the Vikings: Coaches

Here’s the final installment of my grades for the Vikings after a quarter of the season and my prediction for this week’s game against the Lions:

The Coaching Staff Overall: B

Brad Childress:B-

Mike Tomlin: B+

Everyone else: B

More than anything, the coaching staff has instilled in me the belief that the Vikings are actually being run by competent people. Childress has brought off the field accountability to the organization, as he demonstrated by suspending Dwight Smith for the opener, and by benching Smoot at the beginning of the game against da Bears. Tomlin has made a good defense even better, which is even more impressive considering that he’s lost two key players, in Erasmus James and Chad Greenway, to season ending injuries. Even Paul Ferraro, the special teams coach, has done a superb job, playing a huge role in the Vikings’ victory over the Panthers, designing a successful fake field goal, and the coverage teams have been much better than last year.

Things haven’t been anywhere near as impressive on the offensive side of the ball. The Vikings’ have had problems moving the ball, can’t seem to score touchdowns in the red zone, and are one of the most penalized teams in the NFL. Whether that is because the team still adjusting to the system, Childress doesn’t have the personnel to run his system or because of deficiencies in the system is unclear at this point. Play calling has been an issue as well, especially at the end of the last two games. Again, not all of the problems are necessarily Childress’ fault, as Brad Johnson could have just made poor decisions while carrying out a good play. Most likely, the offenses problems stem from all three issues. The answer probably won’t be clear for another few weeks.

You have to stop sucking, you hear me offense?!?!

Then again, it could just have been because the Vikings’ have faced four tough defenses so far this year, meaning that the Lions should be the solution to their problems. They’ve given up more than 30 points the last three games and are in free fall mode. In other words, they are the same old Lions, and as usual, should be a cure for what ails the Vikings. I think they will be, and that Childress will have as much success against Detroit as his predecessor. The Vikings will go into the bye with a win, starting their march to the playoffs after defeating the Lions 24-10.

Grading the Vikings: Defense

Today I’m going to wrap up the grades with a look at the defense and then the coaching staff. My preview of the game will wait for the scheduling announcement this afternoon.

Defense Overall: B+

Defensive Line: B+

Linebackers: B-

Secondary: B+

The defense has been the Vikings’ best unit so far, keeping the offense in games. The defense is only allowing 289.5 yards a game, good for tenth in the league, and more importantly, are only allowing 16.2 points, tied for ninth with Buffalo. This is the kind of defense that can win a team ball games, and they have done their best to do so. Really, the only thing that it hasn’t done is create many turnovers, a crucial skill when the offense is so punchless.

The defensive line, led by Big Pat Williams has been a dominant force against the run this year. They’ve held opponents rushing games to only 89 yards per game, and 3.4 yards per carry. That’s huge, and one of the reasons that the defense has been so successful. They haven’t been as successful against the pass, however, which is problematic in the Cover 2 defense. Erasmus James’ injury, along with average play at best from Kenechi Udeze and Darrion Scott, has forced Mike Tomlin to call a lot of blitzes, thinning the coverage. The effect of this was obvious against the Bills, where it seemed like receivers were wide open on every play. The line has to get more pressure if the defense is going to continue to be successful. Without it, quarterbacks will be able to pick apart the zone, and interceptions are going to continue to be hard to come by.

Can't... Quite... Reach

If Tomlin is going to blitz, Napoleon Harris is probably his best choice to do so. He’s stepped up this year after moving to the middle, and is second on the team in tackles, including two huge tackles in the backfield against Carolina. The outside linebackers haven’t done as well, partly due to injury problems to Ben Leber and Chad Greenway, and partly because Dontarrius Thomas and E.J. Henderson aren’t that good. Thomas is awful, especially in coverage. Leber, on the other hand, has been a quality pickup, especially considering Greenway’s injury.

The secondary has also had injury problems, losing presumed starter Tank Williams before the season even started, but Dwight Smith has proven to be more than capable, both as a safety and as a p-i-m-p. Darren Sharper has played equally well, but has yet to intercept a pass (including an awful drop against da Bears that would have been a touchdown). And, of course, Antoine Winfield has been the best defender on the field, leading the team in tackles, playing great coverage and picking off Rex Grossman for a touchdown. Other members of the secondary have not done as well (I’m looking at you Fred Smoot), but despite that, the Vikings are holding opponents to only 200 yards passing a game, and continue to dominate on third down (usually third and long), only allowing their opponents to convert 30.4% of the time.

Celebrating in the House

If the defense continues to play as well as they have, they will finish amongst the best in the league, an amazing turn around, considering how god awful they were just two years ago. However, they can, and likely must, do more. The defensive line isn’t getting the pressure needed, and the secondary isn’t creating turnovers. The offense is nowhere near good enough to lead this team to the playoffs, so if the Vikings are going to make it, the defense is going to have to carry them there.

Grading the Vikings: Special Teams

It’s time for the second installment of “Grade the Vikings”. This time, we’ll be looking at the special teams.

Special Teams Overall: B

Field Goal: A

Punts: B-

Kickoffs: B

Kick Returns: C

Punt Returns: C

The Vikings’ special teams have been good this year, but, the lack of big returns and some miscues, prevent them from getting an A overall. The field goal unit has been superb so far this year, led by Ryan Longwell. Longwell has converted 10/12 field goals, and also threw for a touchdown on a fake. The two kicks he missed were both over 50 yards, but he has been perfect aside from that. When you consider he’s scored the majority of the teams’ points, and has two game winning field goals, he might just be the MVP of the season.

And Longwell rolls out...Touchdown Vikings!

Unlike Longwell, Chris Kluwe has not been performing as well as he should be. He currently ranks last in the NFL in punting average, and 29^th in net yards. He also has a nine yard punt (I’m not going to go there). His off season surgery must have had an effect, since he was sixth in both categories last year. He has, however, been very good at landing his punts inside the twenty, which he has done eight times, with only two touchbacks, tying him for the third most in the league. Once he improves his length, however, the Vikings’ will be in even better shape, as their coverage squad has only allowed 5.8 yards a return, seventh best in the league. They also came up with a huge fumble recovery against Carolina that led to the Vikings’ sole touchdown.

The kick off coverage team has also done a good job so far, allowing 21 yards per return, good for 17^th in the league. They've also prevented the big play, as the longest return they’ve given up was 39 yards. Longwell isn’t doing them any favors kicking off, either, only managing to cause two touchbacks with his kicks.

The Vikings’ return units have not done as well as the rest of the special team units, ranking in the middle of the pack on punt and kickoff returns. Neither Mewelde Moore nor Troy Williamson is very skilled at returns, and the blocking hasn’t necessarily been there. That being said, they’ve held onto the ball, which was something of a worry during the preseason.

Troy Williamson--not a kick returner

Overall, the Vikings’ special teams have done a good, but not great job, as expected. The field goal unit has been great, as have the coverage teams, but Kluwe has not performed that well, and Williamson and Moore are only returning kicks because the Vikings’ haven’t signed Jason Clark off of their practice squad yet. If the unit improves, it would be a huge bonus, but so far, it has been performing pretty much as expected.

Grading the Vikings: Offense

This is going to be a long post as it is, so I’m going to skip writing a long introduction and start handing out grades for the first quarter of the season. Since I’m doing this at work, I’ll be doing it one unit at a time. Here’s the offense:

Offense Overall: C-

Quarterback: C

Running Backs: C

Wide Receivers: C-

Offensive Line: D+

The offense has been mediocre at best, and the grades reflect that. The Vikings’ are averaging 226 passing yards and 96.5 rushing yards per game, good for 11th and 22^nd in the league, respectively. Where they are really lacking, however, is in their point production, averaging only one touchdown a game. Combined with the numerous penalties, and you have an offense that is a serious disappointment.

The passing game has been average at best, but has relied too much on short passes. Brad Johnson and his receivers can’t convert a third down longer than five yards if their life depended on it, partly due to the Brad’s weak arm, and partly due to the receivers’ problems with getting open and catching the ball. Compounding the problem, BJ has made some stunningly bad decisions, throwing three picks, forcing a deep ball on 4^th and 2 and throwing the ball over the middle with 14 seconds left and no time outs, to name a few.

Savvy veteran Johnson making a bad decision

On the ground, Chester Taylor has not emerged as a feature back, only averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He has yet to make a defender miss, but when there is a hole, he hits it hard and can bulldoze his way for good yardage. Mewelde Moore has looked great when he gets carries, but his fragility will likely prevent him from taking Taylor’s spot as the starter.

It's hard to gain yards when the entire defense is in your backfield

The line has not blocked well, either for the run or pass. When you consider how much talent is on the left side of the line, you’d assume that the Vikings would be dominating people. Run blocking is not McKinnie’s strength, however, and it seems like the weak side ends have beaten Marques Johnson on almost every play. The line also has been penalized at an astonishing rate, killing drives and forcing the Vikings to settle for field goals. There is way too much talent here to explain their shortcomings, which is why they’ve earned the lowest offensive grade.

The offense has been the major weak spot so far this year and most of the blame for the Vikings' two losses can be directed towards their inability to score touchdowns, especially in the red zone, where they have only managed to punch it in twice in nine opportunities. Make no mistake about it, if the Vikings are going to challenge for a playoff spot, the offense must cut down on its mistakes, both mentally and physically and start scoring more than sixteen points a game.