MVN - Most Valuable Network

A Few Midweek Vikings Notes

(updated Wednesday 12/12…look further down on this post for the new stuff).

Sunday Night Lights:

The NFL announced today that the Vikings-Redskins game on Sunday, Dec. 23 has been shifted to a 7:15 p.m. start on NBC. It will be the Vikings’ first appearance on NBC’s Sunday night package, which began last year and is considered the marquee prime-time slot for NFL games.

Good to see this team getting some recognition…they deserve to be playing in front of a national audience. I was going to try to get tickets for that game, but doing so might be slightly more difficult and more expensive than I had anticipated…still, it would be awesome to attend a nationally-featured game. Should be a great matchup, and I can’t wait to see how Adrian performs on national TV…he’ll come to play during primetime, for sure.

And then, of course, I can’t forget about the Vikings’ appearance on next week’s Monday Night Football game…but I see SNF as a much bigger deal than playing on MNF. NBC had the ability to select which game they wanted to air that week, and they chose our game. To me, that’s something special, and it highlights the amazing turnaround this team has made.

Orton will start for the Bears next week…wonder if he’ll be partying it up in Minneapolis before the game:

Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your interest and participation in the NFL’s “Take a player to School” sweepstakes. We regret to inform you that you and your request have been deemed ineligible. The contest is reserved for children 6-13 who have an interest in bringing their favorite NFL player to their school. Your request to have Kyle Orton of the Chicago Bears come to the University of Illinois to, in your words: “Drink a ton of beer and get completely obliterated” has been denied.

Indeed, Orton has been known to enjoy a few adult beverages from time to time…but anyways, I’m not worried one bit about facing Orton. Some rubes are concerned that, since Orton hasn’t played for the past two years, the Vikings won’t be able to watch any recent film of him…but come on, this is Kyle freaking Orton we’re talking about.

Whether Griese or Orton is running the show, this Chicago offense isn’t anything to be afraid of. They rank 22nd in the NFL in yards per game, 31st in the NFL in rushing yards per game, and 14th in the league in passing yards per game. Our defense has faced tougher offenses, and played extremely well in the process.

No, Kyle Orton won’t suddenly become a stud quarterback this Monday…he hasn’t played in a regular season game in two seasons, and he threw for over 200 yards twice in his 15 games in the 2004 season. And, with Chicago’s horrible running game, he’ll be forced to throw the ball constantly, which doesn’t concern me one bit…all in all, our defense has shut down far better quarterbacks than Orton, so I’m very confident about this game.

(and, just for good measure, here are more pictures of Orton partying…gotta give a hat tip to Rube Chat for this stuff)

The main thing I’m worried about: Devin Hester. Time after time, teams have dared to kick to Hester, and they’ve gotten burned as a result. We got burned when we played Chicago earlier this season, as Kluwe punted to Hester despite instructions to kick it out of bounds.

Note to Chilly: Don’t kick to Hester. Just don’t. I beg you.

On every single punt, Kluwe should be booting the ball out of bounds. And as far as kickoffs go, I’d be fine with kicking out of bounds or squib-kicking it…but regardless of what they do, Longwell absolutely cannot let Hester get his hands on a kick. Just play smart football, and keep the pigskin far, far away from Hester.

12/12 updates…

*Interesting observation from Souhan:

Be thankful for empty police blotters: It’s been a while since a Viking has embarrassed himself in public. Maybe instead of publicly renting Love Boats, they’re privately renting love canoes. Whatever. Their avoidance of the news section is noted.

I noted the lack of penalties in my game recap last week, but it’s also important to note that the team’s newfound discipline isn’t just limited to the playing field. No longer are the Vikings the laughing stock of the NFL for their off-field antics…aside from Cedric Griffin’s baggy jeans, there haven’t been many issues away from the field (and even that bizarre incident occurred many months ago). Maybe there’s a method to Chilly’s madness…maybe this “Culture of Accountability” thing actually started to click with the players.

*This week’s selection in the Brad Childress Book Club–Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

*I think it was Mark Craig that, in today’s Star Tribune, questioned whether or not the Vikings will be able to keep the Taylor-Peterson duo intact for much longer. He wondered if Taylor would bolt to become a featured-back for another squad. Personally, I see nothing but benefits for both Adrian and Chester if they remain together in Minnesota…considering the short careers of NFL running backs, both of them could extend their careers significantly by remaining in a two-back system.

Could Taylor leave and get more carries on another squad? Yep. Would such a move shorten his career? It’s a very likely possibility. And besides, it’s clear to me that these two are making each other better…the Vikings’ two-back system is keeping opposing defenses completely off-balance, and that’s increasing the effectiveness of both Chester and Adrian.

This organization needs to do everything in its power to keep this combo intact…it’s in everyone’s best interest to maintain the current running back system.

*I’ve seen some discussion about picking up a solid backup quarterback in the offseason, and I definitely think that’s something the front office should pursue. As of now, T-Jack’s prospects for starting in 2008 look extremely good…however, the fact remains that he’s missed four games this season. With that in mind, I’d look for someone who wouldn’t be looking to start, but could provide us with a chance to win if Tarvaris went down. Forget Holcomb and Bollinger…those guys are third-stringers, not backups. Let’s get a real backup QB in Minnesota.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 7:07 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.