The Kansas City Chiefs will be fortunate to win five games this season. And at the rate they are going, so will the Minnesota Vikings. Yesterday's flop was the kind of tone-setter that evaporates a team's fan base in a hurry. Other media folks who pay more attention, and are certainly more passionate, about the Vikes than I am, have already pointed out the silliness of keeping their only offensive weapon on the sidelines during their last possession. But where is the widespread umbrage over the absolutely pathetic performance of Bryant McKinnie, who was alternately manhandled and blown through by defensive end Jared Allen?
Allen's line wasn't too shabby--Eight tackles, two sacks, two pass deflections, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He was without question the dominant player of the game, mostly at McKinnie's expense. And when the Chiefs went to the primo pass rush late in the 4th quarter, Allen was moved inside, opposite Steve Hutchinson. Put simply, the Vikes once again got mashed at one of their precious few areas of supposed strength on offense. And, to bring this full circle, had McKinnie and Hutchinson not been so bedeviled by the heat (I'm offering up that excuse anyway), perhaps Coach Childress might have deigned to play Peterson even if he was a tad deficient in pass protection.
For the second week in a row, Cedric Griffin also got burned, once on the Chiefs touchdown and once when he missed a tackle that otherwise would have forced a punt and saved points. With Antoine Winfield having another strong game (even saving a potential touchdown by Drummond on a punt return), opponents will continue to flame Griffin until he improves or gets replaced.
I know this is beginning to sound like a rerun of my last Vikings diatribe, but that's because the troubling problems are becoming chronic. To wit, the horrible, horrible receiving corps. Yes, the tight end Shiancoe had a really nice day, and caught that TD pass from Mewelde Moore plain as day. He's got good hands and length--he's no Kleinsasser. But the wideouts don't get separation and don't catch well in traffic--assuming the ballclub had a QB who could deliver the ball are the rate occasions they were open. And assuming the offensive line allowed the QB time to survey the field....
You get the drift. Brad Childress is threatening to become a trivia question destined to stump Vikings die-hards around about 2019. As in who was the coach in 2006 and 2007?
PS--for all you Wolves fans. I'll throw something up sometime tomorrow or Wednesday after Tuesday afternoon luncheon with team officials.
I heartily second the recommandation of The Blind Side, another excellent Michael Lewis book. It's no coincidence that two people who appreciate his writing also read Britt on a regular basis.
Keep up the excellent Vikings analysis, yes the problems are chronic, but it's good to read it each week anyways. :-)
The Packers are 3-0. It will sell out. There will be plenty of green and gold in the stands Sunday ...
The vikings (and T-wolves for that matter) have forgotten the adage, "If you're going to lose, entertain." Childress has about as flat an affect as possible, but unlike his twin, Tom Landry, he doesn't win. Sure, the O-line underperforms, the QB and receivers stink and the defense is only ok against the pass, so it may not be his fault, but he really to step up the off field entertainment. Tice was as open as a 12 page book, and his clueless time management kept us on the edge of the seat as every half wound down. In the grander picture, I'm sure many more people were interested in the Arizona game after "They are who we thought they were" than the one that came before.
Someone in Vikings hq needs to take notice. The GB game isn't even sold out. If they want us to fill the seats, Chili needs to disagree with the refs like Bob Knight or the other coaches like Buddy Ryan.
...or maybe they could play better.
On a recent trip, I forgot my book at home. Relegated to chose from a selection of romance novels, and self-help books, I picked up the only book of any interest to me in the airport bookstore, Mike Lewis', The Blind Side. I loved Moneyball and Bringing Down the House, and I found his most recent work to be nearly as entertaining. Much of the book is dedicated to the importance of the left tackle position, a position that is now the second highest paid on the offense on average in the NFL. McKinney was supposed to be a super-duper stud, he's not, and since it is valued as the second most important position in the offense, it really hurts when he plays poorly. His poor play makes the passing game very difficult. I'm not a big footballl fan, and can only manage to watch an hour of the Vikings max (especially when it is 80 degrees and sunny) but I definitely recommend the book.