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.

New Places to Check Out

The Twins’ loss yesterday sapped my will to spend to spend time thinking about the Vikings’ last night, so I don’t have my quarter season grades ready yet. Tonight should be different, however, since I won’t be waiting until I get home from work to watch the Twins’ game, meaning I’ll have a little more time to get over a loss.

Anyway, as you may have noticed, I’ve updated my links section, adding Pacifist Viking’s blog, twins15’s Complete Sports and the Vikings Army message board. I suggest you check them out. Pacifist and twins15 are frequent commentators here, and both of their sites are worth a look. Pacifist’s is extremely well written, as you’d expect from an English professor who spends his officer hours blogging about the Purple (and, as a recent college graduate who never went to office hours, I’m not at all surprised he has the time). Complete Sports covers a host of sports (hence the name), but still has some good NFL and Vikings’ related posts (as well as stuff on other sports if you're interested). Finally, if you’re looking for a place to talk Purple 24-7, the Vikings Army board is a good spot, after its members left the awful ESPN boards and started it.

Make sure you check them out, and then come back tomorrow for the Vikings’ quarter season grades.

A Look Around the League

We’re basically a quarter of the way through the season, so it’s time to step back and evaluate what’s happened so far. I’m going to do it in two parts: a look at the NFL today, and a look at the Vikings’ tomorrow. So what have we learned so far about the Vikings’ competition for a playoff berth?

1) Da Bears are really good. While Shaun Alexander didn’t play for the Seahawks (he won’t be back until Oct. 22- take a wild guess who they’re playing), da Bears defense wasn’t the major surprise of the game. We already knew their defense was good, so shutting down an Alexander-less offense is par for the course. What was surprising was da Bears’ offensive performance. They looked like they were playing the Lions or Packers. I’m not yet ready to anoint them the favorites (the Eagles have looked good as well) in the NFC, especially since every game Grossman starts through the rest of the season will set a new season best for him. And they’re having problems running the ball, which serves to emphasize how important Grossman is to them. Without him, they’re just the same team as last year.

2) There are two reasons I’m still optimistic the Vikings can make the playoffs. The first is their schedule. Their ten remaining opponents are a combined 19-21 so far, and they get to play the 1-3 Packers and 0-4 Lions twice. The second is that their competition mainly consists of teams from the NFC South and NFC East, two of whom they own the tiebreaker over. The only possible wild card team from the NFC West, the Rams, has to come to the Metrodome the last week of the season. So even after the horrendous loss to the Bills, the Vikings are still in the driver’s seat. And that’s why their schedule will be the MVP of the season if they make the playoffs.

3) The Vikings’ caught the Redskins and Panthers at the right times. Both have reeled off two straight wins, and both are looking like playoff quality teams. The ‘Skins offense put up 36 points on the Jaguars defense, while the Panthers beat a tough New Orleans team. If either team had played that well against the Vikings, they would have easily come away with the win. Luckily for the Vikes and their playoff hopes, they didn't.

4) The Brett Farve Interception Watch continues. He threw two last night, putting his season total at 5. He’s currently on pace to throw 20 for the season, which would leave him two short of tying Blanda’s record of 277. He can definitely still do it, but he can’t afford to have any more games without an interception. I have faith though. (Also, can someone please explain to the media that Brett Farve holds the record for most consecutive starts for a QUARTERBACK, not the record for most consecutive starts overall? That would be Jim Marshall’s record. It’s like people continually bringing up the third baseman with the most consecutive starts and never mentioning Cal Ripken Jr. )

My Kingdom For An Offense

When I sat down at the bar to watch the Vikings game, I had high hopes. A win against the Bills would put the Vikings in the drivers’ seat for the playoffs, likely only needing to go 7-5 against an easy schedule to get in. And their prospects for victory looked good, considering the Bills were a worse version of the three teams the Vikings had already played.

Then the game happened, and, well, it was ugly. U-G-L-Y. The offense was atrocious. There were penalties, bad throws, no holes to speak of for the running backs, worse throws, and a nine yard punt. Nine F*&%*@# Yards.

And unlike the past three games, the defense wasn’t playing well enough to make up for it. Now, I’m not saying that it’s the defenses’ fault. They even came up with a huge stop to get the Vikings’ the ball back with enough time to have a shot at a game winning drive. But when J.P. Losman looks like Jim Kelly, you aren’t on you’re “A” game. And when you’re tired and off your game, bad things tend to happen. Like Losman channeling Steve Young and scrambling for 15 yards. And, of course, the “tackling” on Peerless Price’s touchdown. See what I mean? When you’re on the field all game and not playing well, it can only lead to bad things. Bad, bad things. And when they happened it was over for the Vikings. They needed their defense to step up if they were going to win, because their offense sure as hell wasn’t going to do it.

Now, I may have missed something, but it seemed like every single player on the Viking’s offense played poorly today. I’m actually having trouble writing this post because I have no clue where to start. Should I start with the abysmal run blocking? Chester Taylor’s inability to make someone miss (and make no mistake about it, he had lots of chances to break tackles in the backfield). Or maybe I should discuss the receivers’ inability to get open. Or haul in a pass when they did.

Luckily for this post, however, there is a pretty obvious choice in the “who played the worst” contest. And that would be Brad Johnson. Remember when I thought the Vikings should give him more money? Well, I’m an idiot. If I were to choose two words to describe him, they would be “old” and “bad”. Or maybe “washed up”. Or “why did Tarvaris get hurt, I want him to be the starter now because Brad Radke and his torn labrum and fractured shoulder can throw the ball harder than Brad Johnson and could probably make better decisions too”. Ok, I know, that’s not two words, but I think it probably describes the situation best. I want to start a quarterback controversy, but I will give up watching the Vikings before I call for Brooks Bollinger to start. I may be an idiot, but what I am not sir, is an idiot. Then again, we did just sign Drew Henson. I hear he’s pretty talented…