Daily Norseman

Condolences to the Spielman Family

2009-11-20T03:50:42Z

We here at the Daily Norseman would like to join the football community at large in giving our condolences to the Spielman family, as it was learned tonight that Stephanie Spielman has lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 42.

Stephanie Spielman is the wife of Chris Spielman, who we all remember as a linebacker for the Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1995 after an outstanding career at Ohio State. Chris Spielman is also the younger brother of Rick Spielman, who is currently the Vikings' Vice President of Player Personnel.

Stephanie is survived by Chris and their four children, Madison, Noah, Mason, and Audrey, as well as her mother and three sisters.

Again, our deepest condolences go out to the Spielman family in their time of need.

Well, Isn't That Special (Teams)?

2009-11-20T01:52:30Z

"Well, I'm sure somebody is responsible for the Vikings' improvement on special teams. . .I just don't know who. Could it beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. . .SATAN!?"

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Last season, many jokes were made on this site. . .and just about everywhere else. . .about the Minnesota Vikings' special teams, and with good reason. In 25 years of watching football, I can never, ever recall a Vikings special teams unit performing as horribly as the 2008 version did. Particularly egregious was the punt coverage unit, but as a whole the special teams were terrible in 2008, easily the worst in the NFL and, according to the good folks at Football Outsiders, the second-worst special teams unit of the DVOA era. Then, in the opener this year against Cleveland, the Beloved Purple gave up another punt return TD to Joshua Cribbs, and it looked like we might be in for more of the same.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the rest of the season.

According to Football Outsiders, the Vikings now have the top-rated special teams unit in the National Football League. That would make them the first ever worst-to-first unit of any kind in the DVOA era, and they're on track to totally destroy the mark for biggest single-season special teams DVOA improvement set by the 1998 Seattle Seahawks.

When trying to figure out how the Vikings' special teams got so much better from last season to this one, the first and easiest answer is, "Percy Harvin, duh!" But when FO.com asked Kevin Seifert for a couple of other reasons, the ones he gave made a whole lot of sense.

New coordinator in Brian Murphy. He's put his own spin on the coverage and blocking schemes. They seem more sound.

They have several new special teams-only players, including Kenny Onatolu, who came from the CFL. He is always around the ball.

Two of their draftees, Jasper Brinkley and Jamarca Sanford, are very good special teams players.

Their special teams captain of two years ago, Heath Farwell, has come back after missing 2008 because of an ACL.

The Farwell return has been huge, as we all knew it would be. But the drafting and free agent signings are very telling for this team as well. In the 2009 Draft, after the first couple of picks went to necessities (wide receiver with Harvin and offensive tackle with Phil Loadholt), the Vikings appeared to be drafting and signing players explicitly for special teams, specifically for young, fast guys that know how to tackle. That's how we get guys like Brinkley and Sanford, who have both been very good for us. We also get guys like Karl Paymah (who, for all his shortcomings as a CB, has been a good corner) and Onatolu, and we add them to already solid special teamers like Eric Frampton and Husain Abdullah. Young, fast, and athletic on special teams is always helpful. This keeps Brad Childress from having to play too many starters on special teams and keep them more focused on doing their "real" jobs as well.

A huge pat on the back has to go to Brian Murphy, who had the unenviable task of turning around one of the biggest special teams disasters ever and has done an outstanding job so far. Here's hoping that the Vikings can keep it up for another seven games. Or eight. Or nine. Or, ideally, ten.

Four More Years of Chilly

2009-11-19T21:01:26Z

Four More Years of Chilly

The Vikings and Brad Childress have agreed to a contract that will keep Mr. Noodle in Minneapolis through 2013. The numbers aren't finalized, but it sounds like he'll get between $4 million and $5 million a year. Not bad for someone who's never won a playoff game. Personally, I was really, really hoping we'd wait and see how this year played out before we locked up Childress for the long term. But what do you guys and gals think?

So 'Housh' Laughing Now?

2009-11-19T19:27:05Z

More photos » by Ross Franklin - AP

"Dear God, please forgive me for choosing location and money over success and achievement. But I beg of you, can we never wear the neon-snot green jerseys again? We're already 3-6, isn't that punishment enough?"

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Good morning class. Today's word is schadenfreude. Can you say "schadenfreude"? (SHAH-den-froy-duh). Good!

Wikipedia, the Web-based bastion of infallible truth, defines schadenfreude as "pleasure derived from the misfortune of others."

You better believe that I'm currently enjoying a heaping spoonful of our word of the day when it comes to one Touraj Houshmandzadeh, Jr., better known as Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

My, how far we have come since early March. After Housh spent a couple of days toying with our emotions and eating free meals from our fanciest downtown steakhouses, he bolted for greener pastures. And by "greener", I mean this kind of green and this kind of green.

(Don't worry, I'll give you time to let your pupils readjust after seeing those neon-snot green monstrosities. You good? OK, let's continue.)

In the end, you can't blame a professional athlete for choosing a team that's offering more money and that's closer to home. But after it happened, Vikings fans were pretty bummed out about it. Take a look at my article and Gonzo's article--we were downright bitter and depressed. I even called T.J. a childish name (Housh-bag), which is totally out of character for me! (OK fine, so it isn't out of character. You got me.)

Now fast-forward to Week 11 of the 2009 NFL season. The Vikings are three games clear in the NFC North at 8-1. The Seahawks are three games behind the Arizona Cardinals at 3-6. Does all of this have to do with which team Houshmandzadeh joined? Of course not. But as Judd Zulgad intimated so well in his article earlier this week in the Star Tribune, Housh probably did the Vikings a favor by taking the money. If T.J. decided to set up shop in the Twin Cities, there's no way Minnesota drafts Percy Harvin, the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors. We probably would have taken someone like Michael Oher, who is doing just fine in Baltimore, but is he really doing much more than Phil Loadholt? Doubt it. I think Housh's decision set up the best possible draft for the Vikings, and it shows on the field this year.

When Houshandzadeh was with the Bengals, everyone assumed that he was he was the one good apple in a bushel of rotten ones. Popular opinion held that Housh just wanted to win, while teammates like Chad Ochocinco were more interested in jackassery. But after seeing Cincinnati flourish without him and T.J. already driving the waaahhhhhmbulance in Seattle, I'm not so sure.

But enough about Whosyourmomma--who's going to win on Sunday?

(More analysis and my Week 11 NFL picks after the jump.)

I sort of feel bad for Seattle lately. They had their basketball team ripped from the city by a greedy, heartless owner. Their baseball team has a huge payroll, but they haven't made the playoffs since 2001. It rains a lot. They're overpopulated with coffee-snob hipsters. And for the past two years, the injury report for their football team has been more crowded than the new Cowboys' Stadium "party plaza" on opening night.

I truly believe the Seahawks are a solid team, but they just can't stay healthy. Matt Hasselbeck is a great quarterback when he isn't fracturing various body parts. Their defense is solid when they aren't forced to start third stringers. Heck, even our old pal Nate Burleson has some good games from time to time. (But I'm still keeping Steve Hutchinson out of that poison pill battle, thankyouverymuch.)

That said, as it stands right now, I don't think even a solid, full-strength Seattle squad could beat this Vikings team in the Metrodome right now. The Vikings haven't actually put many complete games together this year, but the embarrassment of weapons they have always seem to do enough to win. I can see the 'Hawks keeping it close at first, but eventually a big play by one of our studs will break the game open. The only question is who will it be? A deep pass from Brett Favre to Sidney Rice? A huge kick return by Percy Harvin? A strip-sack by Jared Allen? A big play in the secondary from Antoine Winfield, who's slated to return on Sunday? A "no f---ing way did he just do that" run by Purple Jesus?

When you're asking who's going to make the big play rather than if you're going to make a big play, it's a good thing. Sorry Seattle. But hey, I hear Pearl Jam's new album is pretty good!

Prediction: Vikings 33, Seahawks 17

Here's the rest of my Week 11 NFL picks (home team in CAPS):

PANTHERS over Dolphins: I originally had the Fins here, but Ronnie Brown's injury really hurts them. You're high if you think Ricky Williams can smoke the defense by himself. Maybe if this was 2004, when Ricky was used to smoking all sorts of things by himself. Either way, I think the Panthers will be able to avoid passing more than Miami...because you do NOT want either of these teams passing very often.

RAVENS over Colts: I know, this pick doesn't make much sense, and I said I wouldn't go against the Colts or Saints until they lost. But the spread for this game opened as a pick 'em. How can a 9-0 team not be favored against a 5-4 team coming off a short week? I have no idea, but Vegas sure does. I'm going with Vegas on this one.

COWBOYS over Redskins: How can a coach of a 6-3 team be on the hot seat? Just take a look at the lowlights from the sh*t sandwich that Dallas turned in last week at Green Bay. One garbage time touchdown against a team that gave up 38 points to Tampa the week before?! I'm still going with the Cowboys here because Dan Snyder's Redskins obviously enjoy eating sh*t sandwiches.

LIONS over Browns: That's right boys and girls, the Lions have been favored TWICE this year!! Break out the champagne and confetti! Hopefully they don't screw this up again, like when they were favored against the Rams and handed them their only win of the season thus far. As for the Browns...if you ever watch "The Soup", this is the part where they'd show the Billy Bush clip simply saying "It's gross."

PACKERS over 49ers: Meh, who cares. We're 3-0 this season against these two piles of suck anyway.

JAGUARS over Bills: Congratulations to everyone who had Dick Jauron in their "first coach fired" pool. What I don't get is why Jauron said he was surprised. That's like being surprised that the serial killer that lived in your building was a "quiet guy that usually kept to himself".

Steelers over CHIEFS: The Steelers should really be concerned about their lack of pass protection. Luckily for Pittsburgh, the Chiefs have absolutely no semblance of a pass rush.

GIANTS over Falcons: No way the Giants lose coming off a bye week against a Turner-less Atlanta team. But if I'm wrong, let's hope Fox shows a ton of what my girlfriend likes to call the Eli Manning "Stupid Face":

The Eli Manning "Stupid Face". Making my girlfriend giggle since 2007.

Saints over BUCCANEERS: I feel a big "Oh really, you were concerned about me turning the ball over and putting up mediocre numbers the past few weeks? How's 400 yards and 4 TDs sound?" game from Drew Brees. Not like the Bucs can do much to stop Brees if he wants to have one of those games. (Please Drew, my 6-4 fantasy team on the edge of playoff contention implores you!)

Cardinals over RAMS: Another NFC West "thriller". Can you imagine the numbers Stephen Jackson would be putting up on even a mediocre team? He's having an outstanding year, and his team has to abandon the run by halftime most games. Speaking of Arizona, our buddy ArizonaVikingsFan sent me a nice Vikings picture he'd like posted. Apparently it's a "friend of a friend" of his on Facebook. Well AVF, you asked, and you shall receive:

Proof that the commenters make this site better. Thanks AVF!

Chargers over BRONCOS: That's nice that Denver is giving up their huge division lead to the Chargers earlier this year. Less stressful for both sides, don't you think? By the way, Kyle Orton got hurt the first game after he shaved his neckbeard. That was NOT a coincidence. Kyle, grow it back or suffer the consequences!

PATRIOTS over Jets: Oh you poor Jets. You're going to be the latest victim of a classic Bill Belichick "Eff You" game. The Titans will think they got off easy earlier this year. The Patriots might go for it on every fourth down and go for every two point conversion on Sunday. Then in the press conference, Belichick will say "how about you critics go suck on that" in his always-monotone voice and just walk off the stage.

Bengals over RAIDERS: Cincy's next 3 games: at Oakland, then home against Cleveland and Detroit. Are you ready for a world where the Bengals are 10-2? I know I'm not. Maybe "2012" should have been called "2009", because this is surely a sign of the apocalypse.

Eagles over BEARS: I wish the Bears could play every game on national television. They're 0-3 this year with everyone watching, and Jay Cutler has thrown ELEVEN interceptions in those three games. So um, yeah, I'm not going to pick the Bears here on a Sunday night game, regardless of how bad Philly has looked the past couple weeks.

Titans over TEXANS: Simple steps to victory for Tennessee: 1) Hand off to Chris Johnson. A lot. 2) When not handing off to Chris Johnson, throw to him in the flat. 3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 until time has expired.

Last week: 10-5

Season so far: 100-44

Brett Favre's New Wrangler Commercial

2009-11-18T17:37:26Z

Brett Favre's New Wrangler Commercial

OK maybe not, but this video for "Wrangler Really Tiny Jean Shorts" from FunnyOrDie.com is pretty hilarious.

Viking Fans Apparently Stuffing the Ballot Box

2009-11-18T02:06:02Z

For the past few years, fan voting has accounted for 1/3 of the balloting for the NFL Pro Bowl, and you can go to NFL.com in order to vote for your favorite players (read: Vikings) to play in this year's exhibition. However, according to the folks at Viking Update, a lot of your fellow Vikings fans are way ahead of you on that front.

Right now, members of the Minnesota Vikings are leading at TEN DIFFERENT POSITIONS on the NFC's Pro Bowl ballot. Ten, I say. That's a lot.

As it stands now, Adrian Peterson is the #3 overall vote getter, and Brett Favre is (appropriately enough) the #4 overall vote getter. Unfortunately, since Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints has the most overall votes, that means that Favre is only second among NFC quarterbacks.

Who are some of the other Vikings that are leading at their positions? Well, let's take a look. . .

John Sullivan is the leading vote getter at center
Bryant McKinnie is the leader among offensive tackles (Phil Loadholt is fourth)
Steve Hutchinson has more votes than any other guard
Naufahu Tahi is the leader at fullback. . .and if you're currently drinking anything, I apologize for making it shoot out of your nose. But that statement is true.
Jared Allen is the pace setter among NFC defensive ends (almost twice as many as second place Julius Peppers)
Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are the top two defensive tackles in the NFC
Percy Harvin is leading all NFC kick returners in the voting thus far
Ryan Longwell is the top NFC kicker thus far
And Heath Farwell is the top in the NFC special teams category

Four Vikings hold down the #2 spot at their positions as well. Those three are punter Chris Kluwe, cornerback Antoine Winfield, outside linebacker Chad Greenway, and guard Anthony Herrera.

Now, will all these Minnesota players make the Pro Bowl? Certainly not. Heck, hopefully we won't see any of them in the Pro Bowl this year. After all, the NFL has changed the schedule so that the Pro Bowl will be played the weekend before the Super Bowl, not the weekend after as it has been for all these years. Hopefully our guys will have more important things to worry about.

Periera: Edwards Hit Not a Penalty

2009-11-16T23:28:41Z

According to the good folks at SI.com, immediately after Minnesota's 27-10 victory over the Detroit Lions yesterday, Vikings' coach Brad Childress was on the phone with the NFL's VP of Officiating, Mike Periera. Chilly was apparently livid over the helmet-to-helmet hit call against defensive end Ray Edwards that led directly to the lone Detroit touchdown of the afternoon, particularly considering that it didn't appear that Edwards hit Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford's helmet at all.

And in response, Periera. . .agreed?

Edwards was flagged for unnecessary roughness after hurdling a cut block with a Superman-style leap to take down Stafford and force an incompletion on third down at the 13, leading to Detroit's only TD. Childress called NFL officiating VP Mike Pereira after the game to complain about that call, and he said Pereira agreed with him that it wasn't a penalty.

Well, yeah. . .after seeing the replay, it was pretty clear that it wasn't a penalty. For starters, Edwards didn't "launch" himself at Stafford. . .he was leaping over an attempted cut block by a Detroit running back. It didn't appear that Edwards had any sort of malicious intent towards Stafford on the play. Secondly, it appeared that Edwards hit Stafford with his shoulder, not with his helmet.

I'm sure that Edwards will still get fined for this. . .but he shouldn't. It was an outstanding play from a guy that had a monster game yesterday. The Lions were bound and determined to not let Jared Allen beat them on Sunday, and to their credit, he didn't. Ray Edwards, on the other hand, certainly beat them and helped administer a beating to Matthew Stafford and company that certainly left the rookie from Georgia a little sore this morning.

One of the many "how the &#^$ did he do that?" moments we've been treated to by...

2009-11-16T20:43:49Z

One of the many "how the &#^$ did he do that?" moments we've been treated to by Adrian Peterson.

Lions/Vikings Highlights with Hometown Radio Calls

2009-11-15T23:27:35Z

Lions/Vikings Highlights with Hometown Radio Calls

The usual awesomeness from the folks at NFL.com from this afternoon's Vikings victory.

Mistakes Aside, Vikings Take Control Against Detroit

2009-11-15T22:44:06Z

This wasn't quite the dominant performance some were expecting, but the Vikings nevertheless overcame some stumbles to avoid yet another dramatic finish -- and they came out of the bye week with a solid win.

What went wrong for the Vikings today? Simple: Unforced errors. Too many penalties (though some, most notably a roughing the passer call which ultimately gave the Lions seven points rather than three, were horrible calls), a turnover by Adrian Peterson as he sprinted his way toward the endzone (with Sidney Rice missing an opportunity to recover the fumble), too many dropped passes (I'm looking at you, Bernard Berrian), and a couple promising drives early on that failed to land any points for the Vikings.

But if the negative aspects of this game were mainly things the Vikings inflicted on themselves, that could almost be considered a positive. It gives Chilly something to bug his players about. It proves that this team still has progress to make, despite its 8-1 record and its commanding lead in the NFC North.

On the positive side, Sidney Rice was absolutely spectacular. His outstanding season continued today with seven receptions and 201 yards -- so he was responsible for well over half of Brett's 344 passing yards. The passing game headlined this one, though Adrian did land himself a spot on the highlight reel with an amazing 22-yard touchdown run in the first half that gave the Vikings a 10-0 edge. Still, his fumblitis remains an issue.

It's tough to say much more about this game -- the Vikings probably should have took control earlier than they did, but even during some of their first half stumbles, they never seemed to be legitimately in danger of losing the game (T-Jack even got in the act after a Favre-to-Dugan touchdown sealed the deal). Brett Favre continues to stretch the field while limiting his mistakes and avoiding turnovers. Kevin Smith posed some problems for the Vikings defense, but the D nevertheless played well enough to win. Only the various unforced errors and miscues ever put the result of this game in doubt -- and when the result of the game was in doubt, it wasn't in doubt for long. The Vikings controlled the game more than the score would indicate.

The missed opportunities in the first half to put the Lions away early, along with the penalties, give the Vikings something to build off of in future weeks. And indeed, this was hardly a perfect performance. But 27-10 looks the same in the standings as 45-0, and Sidney's brilliance easily overshadows any of the downers from this game.

Lions/Vikings Second Half Thread

2009-11-15T19:44:17Z

More photos » by Andy King - AP

5 days ago: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson runs against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of their NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy King)

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After a first half where the Vikings dominated the stat sheet, they somehow only find themselves ahead 10-3 against that peskiest of pesky opponents, the Detroit Lions. The Vikings' lone touchdown came on a ridiculous 22-yard touchdown run by the man pictured on the right there, Adrian Peterson. Peterson has 12 carries for 100 yards in the first half, but has also been credited with two fumbles (one of which may not have been his fault). That and the Vikings getting stuffed in the red zone on 4th and 6" by inexplicably handing the ball off to Jeff Dugan have played huge roles in contributing to the Vikings' lead only being 7 points.

Brett Favre is 11/16 for 197 yards in the first quarter of play. Sidney Rice has caught six of those passes for 145 yards.

Join us here for the second half excitement, ladies and gentlemen! Remember, our last game against Detroit was close at halftime, too, and the Beloved Purple wound up winning by 14 points. Let's hope this one takes a similar tack.

The Second Half of the Year Starts Today!

2009-11-15T16:30:25Z

DETROIT LIONS (1-7)	GAME #9	MINNESOTA VIKINGS (7-1)
	@

Date:	15 November 2009	Location:	Minneapolis, MN
Time:	12:00 P.M. CST	Stadium:	Hubert H. Humphrey
TV:	FOX DirecTV Ch. 710	Know Thy Enemy:	Pride of Detroit
Gonzo's Prediction:	Vikings 34, Lions 10
Final Score:	Vikings 27, Lions 10

Well, after the excruciating hell that is the bye week, the 2009 NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings will kick off the second half of their season against a familiar foe, the Detroit Lions. Although the Vikings have won 14 of the last 15 meetings against Detroit, they've been the source of some consternation for the Beloved Purple over the past few years, playing the Vikings much closer than many folks might have thought them capable of. Since defeating the Washington Redskins back in Week 3, the Lions haven't notched another victory, while the Vikings have been on a sizable roll over the first half of the 2009 season.

So, what do the Vikings need to do in order to continue their domination of the Lions?

1) Don't get cocky - Yes, the Vikings are a much better football team than the Lions, and the NFC North division race has pretty much been decided. But as we saw in both Vikings/Lions games last season, this team can't be taking anybody lightly. Minnesota has a three game homestand coming out of the bye, and they can establish some pretty good momentum to carry themselves through the next two games with a solid performance against a team that, on paper, they should blow out.

2) Get after Matthew Stafford - The rookie out of Georgia got his first career touchdown pass in the first meeting this year between these two teams. Unfortunately for him, he also threw two interceptions (both to LB Chad Greenway) and, to be honest, didn't look terribly impressive. For the year, Stafford has five touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and is coming off of a five interception meltdown against a Seattle defense that. . .well, let's say they're not quite as good as Minnesota's. The Vikings got pretty good pressure on Stafford in the last meeting, and if they can continue that trend this afternoon, it could be a long day for young Matthew.

3) Remain balanced - For the most part, the Vikings have done a pretty good job of keeping the offense balanced. The one game where the playcalling was too heavily one-sided was the game against Pittsburgh. . .and, not coincidentally, that's the only game Minnesota has lost to this point. If the Vikings can keep a 50/50 run/pass ratio like they should in this one, it would be quite beneficial. (Or, you know, if they could finish the game with their second stringers on the field like they did in the last meeting against the Lions, that would be even better.)

We're about an hour and a half away from kickoff, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully you'll join us all here for the best game-time discussion of Vikings' football on the internet!

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

2009-11-14T02:48:18Z

More photos » by Jerry Holt - AP

18 days ago: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre reacts after throwing for the Vikings' final touchdown in a 38-26 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jerry Holt)

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I skipped this last week with the Vikings being on their bye and everything, but now we're back for more. And I'm not sure about anything else, but the bye week gave me an opportunity to experience just how awesome the Red Zone Channel is. Obviously, during most weeks I'm wholly and solely focused on the Vikings, but during the bye week the Red Zone channel was constantly moving me to different games all over the league. Whether it was the Bears getting destroyed by the Arizona Cardinals, the Packers losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or any of the other action around the NFL during Week 9, the Red Zone Channel made sure that I didn't miss any of the best action around the NFL. The action flows seamlessly, and you get to see all of the biggest plays from all the live action around the league. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every NFL game, and the only cable company that brings it to you is Comcast.

So how did the Vikings' red zone offense look in their last game against Green Bay? Let's take a look.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 5
Vikings Red Zone scores - 4 (4 TD)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 80%

The Vikings' first red zone appearance of the day against the Packers came on their third possession. After a bad snap from John Sullivan resulted in a fumble, the Packers took an early 3-0 lead. Then they made the mistake of kicking the ball to 2009 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin. Harvin wasted no time in responding to the Packer score, as he torched the Packers special teams unit and took the ball all the way down to the Green Bay 14-yard line. From there, Adrian Peterson handled most of the work. After a couple of carries by #28, the drive appeared to stall after a pass from Brett Favre to Chester Taylor, but Green Bay DT Johnny Jolly inexplicably head-butted Taylor after the play, drawing a personal foul penalty, and the drive continued. Peterson hammered the Vikings down to the 1, and on 4th down he punched it in for the score to give Minnesota a 7-0 lead. The drive took 7 plays to move 14 yards and took 3:48 off of the clock.

The Vikings held the Packers to a three and out on their next possession, and a good punt return by Jaymar Johnson set the Vikings up just short of midfield. This time, Favre did most of the heavy lifting, as he hit Sidney Rice for six yards, Harvin for nine, and Bernard Berrian for 12. After Peterson carried the Vikings into the red zone at the 19-yard line, Favre found Rice again for seven yards. Then, on first down from the Green Bay 12, Favre found Visanthe Shiancoe. . .it's a verb, to Shank. . .for a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 14-3 lead for the Vikings. Minnesota's scoring drive went 51 yards in 7 plays, taking 3:37 to accomplish.

After another Packer three and out, the Vikings appeared to be on their way to scoring again, as Peterson went 33 yards on first down to put the Vikings into the red zone again at the Green Bay 16. After a couple of short runs and an incomplete pass, the Vikings had lined up to attempt a field goal, but the Packers were whistled for a neutral zone infraction that took the Vikings from fourth and six at the 12 to fourth and one at the 7-yard line. Brad Childress put his offense back on the field and, to the Packers' credit, they rose up and stopped Peterson in that short yardage situation, and the Vikings turned it over on downs. That would turn out to be the only red zone failure of the afternoon for the Minnesota offense.

The only other Viking score prior to intermission came on a 41-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell, and Minnesota went into the locker room with a 17-3 lead.

After the Vikings' lone non-red zone touchdown of the afternoon, a 51-yard bomb from Favre to Harvin, the Vikings had a 24-3 lead and appeared to be on cruise control. However, things got a bit dicey for the Purple after that, as Green Bay got a field goal and two touchdown passes to something named Spencer Havner to give them 17 unanswered points and pull the score to 24-20. Then the Packers decided to kick to Harvin again, and again #12 made them pay, ripping off another huge return (48 yards) and letting the Vikings start at the Green Bay 38-yard line. A 15-yard pass to Harvin that was sandwiched between a couple of Peterson runs (and a B.J. Raji face mask penalty) moved the Vikings inside of the Green Bay 10. After Chester Taylor toted the rock down to the 2, Favre rolled right and found Jeff Dugan at the goal line for his third touchdown pass of the evening and made the Viking lead 11 points again at 31-20. The drive went 38 yards in seven plays, taking 3:22 to accomplish.

The Packers answered on their next drive with a TD pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings, and the score went to 31-26 after a failed two-point conversion attempt. After a punt from the Vikings and a missed field goal by Mason Crosby, the Vikings set about putting the game on ice. Peterson took a ~~handoff~~ screen pass (Editor's Note: Oops.) on the first play of the drive and raced over the left side for 44 yards, moving the Vikings to the Packers' 15-yard line. After a couple of unsuccessful carries brought up third and 11, Favre dropped back and fired a quick pass to Bernard Berrian, who was subsequently tossed into the end zone by his helmet by Al Harris for a 16-yard touchdown for Minnesota. It was Favre's fourth touchdown of the day, their fourth red zone touchdown of the day, and it provided the final margin of victory by a count of 38-26.

All that means that, through the first half of the 2009 season, the Minnesota Vikings' offense has made 31 trips into the red zone, and have come away with points on 27 of those occasions. 17 of those have been touchdowns, with 10 being Ryan Longwell field goals, giving the Vikings a red zone touchdown percentage of roughly 63% on the season. The game against Green Bay was one of the poorer performances of the year for Minnesota's red zone defense, as they allowed the Packers to convert points on all five of their red zone appearances (three touchdowns, two field goals). So, for the year, Viking opponents have gotten into the red zone 22 times, and have come away with nine touchdowns and seven field goals, giving them a red zone touchdown percentage of roughly 41%. Hopefully both of these numbers will improve on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

Winfield Officially Ruled Out for Sunday

2009-11-13T01:09:52Z

Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network is reporting that CB Antoine Winfield will not play this weekend when the Vikings take on the Detroit Lions at the Metrodome.

Winfield suffered a foot injury back in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, and is hoping to return for Minnesota's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11.

Good move by the Vikings to keep #26 on the bench for this week, I think. The extra week off will have given Winfield a full month to rest up, and it's obviously much better for him to be completely healthy than to risk a potential aggravation of the injury at a later date by rushing him back.

Hopefully, it will turn out that we didn't need him this weekend after all.

And a quick programming reminder. . .tonight marks the first Thursday night football game of the 2009 season, and it's something of a concern to us, as it features the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers. The game is being shown on the NFL Network, and if you don't have that on your cable package, you can follow along with the game on NFL.com as well.

Week 12 Matchup Between Bears and Vikings Moved to 3:15 PM Central

2009-11-11T22:33:47Z

Well, as we mentioned earlier, if everything bounces right for the Beloved Purple, they may have a chance to close out the NFC North division race in Week 12. If that's the case, the National Football League has given anyone that wants to see it the opportunity to do so.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Week 12 matchup between the Bears and the Vikings that was scheduled for noon Central time on 29 November has been moved to 3:15 PM Central time instead. Why? Because, well, apparently Fox didn't have a 3:15 game scheduled that say. They obviously came to the conclusion that the Bears have been woefully underexposed this season so far, and so decided to put the Bears/Vikings game into that featured afternoon slot.

So, if you had any plans for anything after about 3 PM Central on 29 November, you might want to move a few things around if you can.

Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker

2009-11-11T18:59:41Z

Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker

Here's a fun little site if you're interested in killing a few minutes. I know I enjoyed it.

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

2009-11-11T15:02:55Z

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

Great story from the Star Tribune about Vikings Free Safety Madieu Williams giving TWO MILLION DOLLARS to his alma mater, the University of Maryland. The money will go towards health care research. Williams didn't want any attention for his incredibly generous gift, but I'm afraid I have to give credit where it's due. Kudos to Mr. Williams for reminding us that many athletes do great things with their wealth.

The Division Race Could Be Over Soon. Really Soon.

2009-11-11T14:55:53Z

More photos » by Jeffrey Phelps - AP

Thanks, guys! Because of you, we might be able to get a lot of rest over the last month of the season! (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

Browse more photos »

How soon? Well, how does Week 12 work for you?

In an entry on his blog this morning, Kevin Seifert points out to us how the NFC North divisional race could be over before the calendar hits 1 December. How? Well, a few different things would have to happen, none of which are entirely unfeasible at this point. According to Seifert, the things that would have to happen are as follows:

1) Minnesota would have to win their next three games to move their record to 10-1.

Thankfully, Minnesota has a three-game homestand coming out of their bye week, and none of those games are against teams that are playing particularly well. After the Vikings (hopefully) beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they have games against the Seattle Seahawks (currently 3-5) and the Chicago Bears (4-4) at the Metrodome. The Vikings should be favored in all three of those games, and probably heavily favored in the first two. . .heck, I've seen lines that show Minnesota as a 16.5-point favorite over Detroit (for entertainment purposes only, of course). Seattle has been abysmal on the road this year as well, sporting an 0-3 mark thus far and losing those three road games by an average of 17 points.

2) Chicago would have to lose one of their next two, in addition to their Week 12 matchup against Minnesota

The Bears have to turn around on a short week and fly out to the west coast to take on the San Francisco 49ers tomorrow night. (I almost feel bad for. . .wait, no I don't.) The Niners are reeling a bit, having lost four straight after getting off to a 3-1 start, but the Bears are reeling as well, having given up 40+ points in two of the last three weeks. After that, Chicago gets a little bit of extra time to plan for a home game against Philadelphia, (tenatively) scheduled for Sunday night, part of the NFL's inexplicable "Hey, let's try to get the Bears on in prime time as much as possible" strategy.

In any case, a loss for the Bears to either of their next two opponents and a loss to the Vikings would leave them at 5-6, and incapable of finishing any better than 4-2 against the NFC North, thanks to their Week 1 loss to the Packers. Speaking of Green Bay. . .

3) Green Bay would have to lose two of their next three games

It's tough to determine how many "easy" wins are on the Packers' schedule right now, what with them just having lost to the last winless team in the NFL. However, this seems like the least likely of the three things we would need to have happen to occur. On Sunday, the Packers will host a Dallas Cowboys team that is leading the NFC East and is riding a four-game winning streak since starting the season 2-2. It's going to be some tough sledding for the Packers to win that one, and frankly I'm not sure if they can do it. A loss there would put us halfway to what we would need.

However, the Packers' two games after that are a bit easier, with them hosting San Francisco and then getting a trip to Detroit on Thanksgiving. The Niners will probably give them some trouble, and Thanksgiving in the Motor City for the Packers has always been a bit of a minefield, but there's a pretty good chance of the Packers winning both of those games, in my opinion. But if the Packers were to fall to Dallas and to either Detroit or San Francisco, they would also be staring at a record of 5-6, and they've already been swept by the Vikings head-to-head.

So, if all three of these things played out over the next couple of weeks, the Vikings could go 0-5 over the last five weeks of the season to drop to 10-6, and if either Green Bay or Chicago ran the table to get themselves to 10-6 as well. . .they can't both run the table, as they have a head-to-head matchup in Week 14. . .the Vikings would remain ahead of the Packers on the strength of head-to-head record, and they would stay ahead of the Bears on the strength of division record (a Minnesota victory over Chicago in Week 12 would mean Minnesota couldn't finish worse than 5-1 against the NFC North, while a Chicago loss in that game would mean they couldn't finish better than 4-2 inside the division). Hence, the Vikings would sew up the NFC North division title after their upcoming victory over the Bears in Week 12.

Basically, it's not a matter of if the NFC North division race is over. . .it's a matter of when it's going to be over. We're Niner fans for the next couple of weeks for sure, as they'll be taking on both of our "closest" competitors, so hopefully they can help us out a bit on that front.

Happy Veterans Day, America

2009-11-11T13:07:59Z

I'll make with the football stuff later on today. However, today is about something much bigger than football.

I put this video on the site every 11 November, and the song develops a greater meaning for me with every year that passes by. So some of you have seen and heard this one before.

After the jump, you'll find the text of General George S. Patton's "Blood and Guts" speech. I'm putting it after the jump because, for starters, it's lengthy. And also because. . .well, General Patton was known in his time for using some, shall we say, "colorful" language. So there's your warning.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll be back with some Vikings stuff later on.

Be seated.

Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self-respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight. When you, here, every one of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players.

Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.

You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to all men. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he's not, he's a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood.

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base.

Americans pride themselves on being "He Men" and they ARE "He Men." Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. Because they are not supermen!

All through your Army careers, you men have bitched about what you call "chicken shit drilling." That, like everything else in this Army, has a definite purpose. That purpose is alertness. Alertness must be bred into every soldier. I don't give a fuck for a man who's not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready for what's to come. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stay alive. If you're not alert, sometime, a German son-of-an-asshole-bitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you to death with a sockful of shit! There are four hundred neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily, all because one man went to sleep on the job. But they are German graves, because we caught the bastard asleep before they did!

An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horseshit. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about fucking! We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. Why, by God, I actually pity those poor sons-of-bitches we're going up against. By God, I do!

My men don't surrender, and I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight back. That's not just bullshit either. The kind of man that I want in my command is just like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Nazi Kraut poking a Luger against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand, and busted the hell out of the Kraut with his helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German before they knew what the hell was coming off. And, all of that time, this man had a bullet through a lung. There was a real man!

All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.

What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn't like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly bastard could say, 'Hell, they won't miss me, just one man in thousands.' But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the hell would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like?

No, Goddamnit, Americans don't think like that. Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important in the vast scheme of this war. The ordnance men are needed to supply the guns and machinery of war to keep us rolling. The Quartermaster is needed to bring up food and clothes because where we are going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man on K.P. has a job to do, even the one who heats our water to keep us from getting the 'G.I. Shits.'

Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats! If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men.

One of the bravest men that I ever saw was a fellow on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of a furious firefight in Tunisia. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at a time like that. He answered, 'Fixing the wire, Sir.' I asked, 'Isn't that a little unhealthy right about now?' He answered, 'Yes Sir, but the Goddamned wire has to be fixed.' I asked, 'Don't those planes strafing the road bother you?' And he answered, 'No, Sir, but you sure as hell do!' Now, there was a real man. A real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time, no matter how great the odds.

And you should have seen those trucks on the rode to Tunisia. Those drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-bitching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting all around them all of the time. We got through on good old American guts!

Many of those men drove for over forty consecutive hours. These men weren't combat men, but they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it, and in one hell of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without team effort, without them, the fight would have been lost. All of the links in the chain pulled together and the chain became unbreakable.

Don't forget, you men don't know that I'm here. No mention of that fact is to be made in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell happened to me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be here in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the Goddamned Germans! Someday I want to see them raise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Jesus Christ, it's the Goddamned Third Army again and that son-of-a-fucking-bitch Patton.' We want to get the hell over there. The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit!

Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it! The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!

When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually. The hell with that idea. The hell with just sitting back and taking it! My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket!

War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours! Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!

I don't want to get any messages saying, 'I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that! We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls! We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like shit through a tin horn!

From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed.

Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that.

There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, 'Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.'

No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, 'Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!'

"That is all."

--General George S. Patton, 5 June 1944

Winfield Back in Action

2009-11-09T21:26:07Z

Winfield Back in Action

Some good news coming off a great bye week: Antoine Winfield was able to get on the practice field for a bit today (though not during the part of practice that was open to the media). Still don't know when he'll be back -- Chilly didn't address that today -- but Toine's apparently getting there.

Daily Norseman

Condolences to the Spielman Family

Well, Isn't That Special (Teams)?

Four More Years of Chilly

Four More Years of Chilly

So 'Housh' Laughing Now?

Brett Favre's New Wrangler Commercial

Brett Favre's New Wrangler Commercial

Viking Fans Apparently Stuffing the Ballot Box

Periera: Edwards Hit Not a Penalty

One of the many "how the &#^$ did he do that?" moments we've been treated to by...

Lions/Vikings Highlights with Hometown Radio Calls

Lions/Vikings Highlights with Hometown Radio Calls

Mistakes Aside, Vikings Take Control Against Detroit

Lions/Vikings Second Half Thread

The Second Half of the Year Starts Today!

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The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Winfield Officially Ruled Out for Sunday

Week 12 Matchup Between Bears and Vikings Moved to 3:15 PM Central

Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker

Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

The Division Race Could Be Over Soon. Really Soon.

Happy Veterans Day, America

Winfield Back in Action

Winfield Back in Action