- Frazier’s It
- Joe Webb
- Percy Harvin
- Lorenzo Booker
- Jared Allen
- Nate Burleson
- Highlights
- Fare Ye Well
- Viral Video
This is the way the season ends
This is the way the season ends
This is the way the season ends
Not with a bang but a whimper
Thank you, T.S., for that.
That was underwhelming, wasn’t it? But fitting, I suppose, that it should end on such a flat note, considering how flat this team has looked practically all year long.
I don’t know that there’s much to take out of yesterday’s loss, as it appears that most of the team phoned it in on this last game. Let’s focus on the positives, though.
FRAZIER’S IT
The Star Tribune reported during the game that they had confirmed that Leslie Frazier was the Wilf’s choice to become the next head coach of your Minnesota Vikings.
Frazier would only say that “nothing’s been solidified” after the game but it appears it is only a matter of ironing out details with an announcement to come this week.
JOE WEBB
He certainly didn’t perform as well as he did against the Eagles but along with the inevitable mistakes, he did some good things, as well.
- He threw the ball away on a couple plays that didn’t develop rather than force the issue and trying to make a play that wasn’t there.
- He had that nice completion to Jimmy Kleinsasser on the bootleg.
- He found Adrian Peterson on a checkdown when his first look was covered.
- He fielded a football that John Sullivan put on the carpet without panic, completing a pass.
- He did a fairly good job of running the four-minute offense.
- He made some nice throws throughout the game.
Now for the bad:
- Again, he did not get the ball out quickly on a swing pass, hanging Adrian Peterson out to dry for a big loss.
- On his interception, he didn’t see the safety, threw across the field underneath when he might have lofted the ball over the safety and led Greg Lewis to an easy touchdown. On that play, Webb had plenty of options:
- He could’ve run for the first down.
- He had Lorenzo Booker open over the middle for a likely first down.
- It looked as if Greg Camarillo was wide open on Webb‘s side of the field, which might’ve gone for a touchdown as well.
- He under threw Percy Harvin on the long pass down the middle into the end zone. Had he led Harvin, it might’ve been a touchdown.
- Most egregiously, he overthrew a wide open Lorenzo Booker, missing an easy touchdown. Webb said after the game that play is one of the toughest passes to make, the one to the wide open receiver. It’s true. You see a receiver standing there with only grass between him and the end zone and a quarterback gets excited, wants to get the ball to him quickly, and is prone to make a mistake by rushing the play.
Now for the bad that wasn’t Webb’s fault:
- The offensive line was its usual porous self, giving up three sacks.
- On one play that Webb got good protection, a third and long, he had Bernard Berrian open for the first down but Berrian refused to get the ball, eying linebacker Bobby Carpenter instead.
- On another play late in the game, Webb threw a bullet to Berrian on the sideline, who caught it but wasn’t careful enough to keep his feet in bounds.
- Viasnth(e) Shiancoe dropped a pass that hit him in his hands on second and ten.
- Percy Harvin dropped a first down catch on a third-and-five slant.
There are two things young quarterbacks desperately need to help them develop: 1) Time in the pocket, and 2) receivers that hold onto the ball.
PERCY HARVIN
A Packers friend of mine was trying to tell me that Percy Harvin wasn’t all that.
Whatever.
Despite his third-and-five drop, Harvin came to play. He accumulated 69 yards on eight catches and broke six tackles on one catch.
Six.
LORENZO BOOKER
I do hope the Vikings bring Lorenzo Booker back.
At the very least, he’s a consistently dangerous kick returner, taking one to the Vikings 48 yard line yesterday.
JARED ALLEN
Defensive end Jared Allen couldn’t get to is usual 14 sacks (he only tallied 11 this year) so he had to settle for an awesome, athletic interception return for a touchdown.
NATE BURLESON
It was nice to see our old friend Nate Burleson still bringing it during his eighth season in the league. Nate caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown against Lito Sheppard, who was in perfect position yet still couldn’t make a play.
The catch on which Burleson executed two spin moves was right out of Madden.
HIGHLIGHTS
As usual, we have the highlights of yesterday’s game at the site, such as they are. [WATCH Vikings vs. Detroit Lions highlights.]
FARE YE WELL
Quarterback Brett Favre gave his latest retirement speech during his post-game press conference. [WATCH Brett Favre’s Retirement Speech.]
VIRAL VIDEO
The video of Brett Favre dancing during practice is the ninth most shared video among Twin Citians, according to YouTube Trends.