Vikings v Bill Kool-Aided Preview

Week 4
These teams are a combined 0-8 in the Super Bowl (for now!) so it is a battle of big game losers. This should be a solid test for the Vikes but one that is VERY winnable. A road game is always tough to win in the NFL especially against a team you are not very familiar with. Look for Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield to have big games in their return to Buffalo.

The Trenches - I think on both sides of the ball advantage goes to Minnesota. MN O-line should be able to protect Brad and open holes for Chester. The Bills D gave up 4.7 and 4.6 yards per carry vs. New England and Miami respectivly so this is an opporunity to establish the run and dominate the line of scrimmage all game. On the defensie side of the ball this is probably the weakest offensive line the Vikes have face all year. This is an opportunity for the Williams and the DEs to start getting pressure on the QB without help from the LBs.

Nobody on Buffalo's O or D line should be a factor, if he is then we are losing a position battle that we shouldn't and 2-2 becomes more likely than 3-1.

The Pretty Boys - Losman vs. Brad and I'll take Brad. RB and WR I'lll give the advantage to Buffalo. But when you factor in the offensive line I think our skill position players will have better games. I fully expect Chester to have a breakout game this week, start him on your fantasy teams! If we get pressure on Losman then Price and Lee Evans shouldn't be a major factor. Troy vs. Nate Clements is an interesting matchup, one that if we can win it will go a long way to being 3-1 on the flight home.


The Ball Hawks - If the D-line can get pressure on Losman then it will be intersting to see how our pass defense is with everyone in coverage. I am counting on 2 picks this week! In addition to solid pass coverage (an no blown assigments Whittaker!), we need to continue to be stout vs. the run. If anyone can take over this game for Buffalo it is McGahee. We must continue to stop the run, make them one dimensional and then be in position to create turnovers.

For Buffalo, London Fletcher has been playing great through 3 games. If we get a block on him, as stated I think Chester will have a breakout game.

Keys to the game

1. Chester - I've said it thrice times now, but Chester needs to have a breakout game. O-line vs. their D-line should be a win for us and if we can get a helmet on Fletcher I think Chester will put up big yards.
2. D-line getting 4 man pressure - we have been blitzing on a far too regular basis through 3 games. This is the weakest O-line we'll see all year so I'd like to see Udeze, Williams and Williams get to Losman without Napo or EJ blitzing. Let Napo and EJ get into coverage or flow to stop the run without taking them out of position.
   
3. Red Zone futility - both teams have struggled in the red zone this year. The team that breaks that funk and gets 7 instead of 3 might be the team that has the happy locker room.
   
4. Williamson vs. Clements - if TWill can be an open target for Brad (and CATCH the ball) on a regular basis we will move the ball and score this week.
   

This is a game that I am really excited for. I truly think the Vikings win most of the matchups that we'll be faced with. If Chester can run for yards and our D-line can get pressure on Losman I really think this game could get out of hand.

Vikings go 2-0 on road and dominate the line of scrimmage
MN - 27
Buf - 13

The Morning After...

So it is really the afternoon after the morning after, but I don't think anybody is frantically checking the blog hourly waiting for my post-game grades.

A very dissapointing loss for the Vikings. Leading by 4, with the ball, late in the 4th qtr is exactly where they wanted to be. 1 botched handoff and 1 blown coverage later the Vikes trail by 3 with under 2 min to go. I have a 3 month old baby, I can put things in his hands but he is not mature enough to grab a hold of said object. The Vikings are maturing from a team loaded with talent and negative headlines to a tough minded and accountable team. This game was in their hands but they did not grab a hold of it. Chalk this up as a learning experience, the wake up call that every Super Bowl team gets at some point throughout the season!!!

No game balls to go out this week, you have to win to get a game ball.

Grades...

Offense (C-) - I'm still sold that Chester Taylor was a very good offseason signing and is more than capable of being the #1 guy in the backfield, I'm looking forward to seeing him run vs. a team that isn't a run stopping force (Carolina and Chicago). Other than that the rest of the offense was very average. Another key dropped ball by Williamson, unimpressive O-line play and an average showing by Brad. I know Chicago's defense is very good, but we have to be better in the red zone and if we want to claim one of the best O-lines in the league we have to perform against the best defenses in the league.
QB (C) - didn't make any mistakes but also did not make any big plays happen. I am expecting better leadership and results in the red zone from this point forward.
RB (B+) - I see Chester making the first guy miss most of the time and falling forward through tiny holes. Don't let Moore be forgotten here. As we were trying to put the game away while leading in the 4th he had one of the guttiest runs I've seen on 3rd and long. There was no amount of arm tackling that could keep him from getting that 1st down.
WR (D) - Williamson had a drop that would have kept their 4th qtr drive alive, a pass interference call that killed a drive (although the validity of the call is surely questionabl) and the only contribution Travis Taylor made all day ended in a fumble. This group needs to step up more than anybody to get this offense jump started.
OL (C) - This is only a C because Marcus Johnson really stepped up his game since last week and made Ogunleye a non-factor for much of the game. But this group needs to live up to it's hype at some point. And I credit the 4th qtr fumble to the OL getting flat out beat by Tommy Harris more than I would fault Brad/Chester.

Defense (B+) - this would be higher if it were not for a couple big missed opportunities. Sharper with a dropped INT that would likely have been 6 points. EJ Henderson also dropping a sure INT. And of course the blown coverage on the Bears game winning TD. If you want to win big games (at home) you have to make the plays when you have the opportunities, and they didn't.
DL (A-) - Solid job of putting pressure on Grossman. They didn't get to him more than once but the Chicago O-line was consistently pushed back into Grossman's pocket. Also Pat Williams had a very good game.
LB (B-) - The DBs had way too many tackles, EJ's dropped INT and they were too easily blocked on 2nd half blitzes. It was not a bad game for this group but there is room for improvement. They did display very good lateral speed and flew to the ball on the edges.
CB (B) - This group was just OK today. I already discussed the missed opportunities by Sharper. But Smith and Winfield did not disapoint when they had their shots at the ball. It is hard to believe that Winfield had never scored a defensive TD before his pick on Sunday, but it was a monster play at exactly the right time. This group also lead the team in tackles so they were very active throughout the game.

Coaching (B-) - the team was well prepared as usual, but I would say that Lovie won the 2nd half battle from the sidelines. Their half time adjustments made more of an impact than Minnesota's. And the play call on 4th and 2 (whether it was Johnson or Childress) was a terrible call.

This was a highly entertaining game. There was a level of intensity and a feeling that every play was significant. I think we are far enough into the season to know that we have a team with a level of toughness and competitiveness that we haven't seen in several seasons. This defense is legit and the offense is not too far from being at the least more productive than it has shown. 15-1 will still be a pretty good season.

Positives to take away from this loss

Don't jump off the bandwagon just yet. My Kool Aid is still cold and has enough strength to last me well in to January. Grossman and the Bears just beat us on our turf, but there is a lot of season left...

1. Chester Taylor is going to be pretty good. He has a solid offensive line, but Kool-Aided viewing shows that he often makes the first guy miss and runs well when he can get past the line of scrimamge. I'm am really anxious to see him run against a team that doesn't boast a run stopping defense. I know that 2005 is getting further and further in our review mirror, but Was, Car and Chi were 3 of the best rushing defenses from a year ago. Buffalo and their 137 yds per game in rushing defense is next!
2. Marcus Johnson wasn't as bad as he showed last week. I kept a close eye on Marcus this week and he did a solid job vs. a very good DE in Ogunleye. We ran quite a bit to the right side this week and Marcus held his own. (BUT Hicks scares me)
3. Our defense is as good as we hoped. Chicago had been averaging 30 ppg, 372 yds per game and Grossman was the #1 rated QB in the league. Our D was not perfect but it kept Chicago from the big play and kept their offense out of the endzone for 58 min.

That's all I can come up with for now, but be encouraged Vikings fans. We will be in the playoffs and we have lots of time to perfect our execution and gel as a unit. The Bears can have this win, but we'll get them in the playoffs.

Ouch

It is not very often that you would describe a game with 165 yards in total penalties, 4 turnovers and 1 offensive touchdown as a great game.

There were plenty of mistakes...

• Grossman - 71.7% completion, 5 TDs to 1 INT and a league leading 128.7 QB passer rating coming into the game. 56% completion, 1 TD to 2 INTs and several other bad throws during his 3rd game.
• Bears D - several missed tackles in critical situations.
• Bears penalties - 10 which equaled their season total in 2 games.

• Sharper - dropped INT that would have been 6 points.
• Taylor - fumble on 3rd down in 4 qtr (not entirely his fault, but nonetheless)
• Brad - on 4th and 2 decided to go deep
• Williamson - dropped a huge pass on final drive

But in the end the Bears made the necessary plays to win the game.

• Tommy Harris with a great bull rush that caused a huge fumble in the 4th. Giving the Bears the ball at the Viking 37 instead of the Vikings punting on the next play.
• Grossman with clutch TD pass on 2nd and 10 to put the Bears up for good

This was an entertaining game. I hope the Vikings can take away from this game that there is not a big gap between the Bears and themselves. This game was a 1 play game and we are right there.

16-0 is no longer possible, but 15-1 is still out there! Lets go to Buffalo!

Vikes v Bears halftime thoughts

Let's review the keys to the game...

Keys to the game

1. Grossman - has not looked like the #1 rated passer in the NFL. He has thrown 1 pick, had 2 more picks dropped and missed Berrian on a big 3rd down play. We are getting pressure with our LBs and DTs, but not fully taking advantage of his mistakes yet.
   
2. Tony Richardson's blocking - not really a factor in the 1st half.
   
3. Safeties - Danieal Manning was beat on the Vikes first drive but other than that has been OK. Sharper dropped an INT that would surely have been a TD and Smith has a pick. Sharper needs to make those plays.
   
4. Penalties - What I assumed might bite the Vikings has killed the Bears to this point. 9 penalties for 77 yards is bad, if they don't cut that down it will be a long flight home to Chicago.
   
5. Special teams has to win again - MN wins the FG battle, Chicago is winning the return battle, neither team is clearly winning this one. Vikes have to keep Hester in check in the 2nd half.

Decent half for the Vikes but the Bears have to feel fortunate to be within 3 points after all of their mistakes.

Tecmo Agrees with PKA

Some brilliant bloggers simulate each NFL game on Tecmo Super Bowl with updated rosters. The results again point to the Vikings winning

MN - 20
Chi - 14

"But the Minnesota Vikings are a fully unstoppable force, and are impossible to defeat."

I could not have said it better myself.

Vikings v Bears Kool-Aided Preview

Week 3

The purple headed warriors are 2-0 heading into our first divisional game. We have been witness to 2 straight weeks of a solid gameplan that was executed till Longwell decided he wanted it to be over. I believe that every good team has at least 1 game per season where neither the offense or defense "wins" the game for you and special teams has to step up and make the plays necessary to win. This was that week for the Minnesota Vikings. Ryan Longwell was special teams player of the week after drililng 4 FGs and throwing a crucial TD on a fake FG. In addition to Longwell, the Viking's special teams recovered a critical fumble on Chris Gamble's ill advised punt return-throw back fumble. For the most part the offense played OK and the defense played pretty well but the special teams won the game.

Week 3 will be a similar type game but the O and the D need to step up their play if we are going to be 3-0. Here is how I see it happening...

If Bears fans think that Walter Payton, Jim McMcMahon, Mike Singletary and Dick Butkis are going to walk through the tunnel onto the HHH turf on Sunday they have another thing coming. In fact since most Bears fans live in the past, they probably do expect the 85 Bears to play on Sunday. But it won't help them because the Bears suck...

The Trenches - As good as the left side of our O-line was in week 1, the right was the ying to the left side's yang in week 2. Marcus Johnson was beat to a pulp on a regular basis by Julius Peppers. Fortunately for Marcus the Bears D-line is not as good as Carolinas, but it Ogunleye is pretty dang close. These are fairly even mathcups on both sides of the ball. The Bears D-line is pretty good but so it our O-line. The Bears O-line is also rather good, but our D-line is quickly becoming a strength of our defense. I expect these matchups to be a wash. We'll open some holes and give Brad time to pass on most plays but their D-line will occasionally make some plays to put us in 2nd or 3rd and long. Same thing will happen on the other side of the ball.

I think it is more important for Chicago to win the battle of O-line protection. Grossman is prone to more mistakes when rushed than Johnson is. As we saw last week even with a D-line in his face all day Brad was till able to make plays and not make mistakes.

The Pretty Boys - Going into the season neither team's skill position players really thrilled you or took up roster spots on your fantasy team. After 2 weeks though Grossman, Berrian, Williamson and Chester are either hot pickups or are moving from your bench to a start position. Both defenses now realize there is big play potential on these offenses so I wouldn't expect to see 8 men in the box all game long like we have in the past. If one team can come up with 1 or 2 big plays I think that is what will be the difference maker.

The Ball Hawks - this is a monster key for the Vikings. On the road in a hostile stadium, you can expect that Grossman will make a couple mistakes. We have to capitalize on them. LBs will have to do their job vs. the run so we don't have to pull up our safeties and the LBs can't get blocked when blitzing. I keep seeing visions of Napo breaking through the line, Grossman tries to hit his hot receiver but a DB jumps the route, picks it and takes it to the house.

Keys to the game

1. Grossman - we need to get some pressure on Rex and pounce when he makes a mistake. If he manages the game, can sit comfortably in the pocket and doesn't throw into coverage then I don't like our chances.
   
2. Tony Richardson's blocking - really this is Richardson vs. Chicago LB core, but specifically Urlacher. If MN wants to establish the run at any point it is critical that Richardson can get to a LB and hold a block (without holding of course) long enough for Chester to get into the secondary. Tony also needs to help on the pass blocking so we don't see visions of Peppers in our backfield again.
3. Safeties - the Viking safeties may also be a key to this game. They will need to fill quickly to stop the run but not bite on play fakes and keep the likes of Berrian in front of them at all times. On the other side the Bears are starting rookie Danieal Manning at Safety this week, if he makes rookie mistakes we have to cash in on those.
   
4. Penalties - The Vikes have had a few too many penalties of late. 2 TDs were essentially taken from us last week inside the 10. And conversely Chicago benefited from Detroit's rash of yellow flags last week to help them breeze to their W. Last week Detroit intercepted a Grossman pass and took it for 6, but was called back because of a personal foul. That is exactly what cannot happen if the Vikes want to win agian this week.
5. Special teams has to win again - Longwell needs to pass for 250 yds and 3 TDs, oh wait... special teams does not have to win the game for us but simply outplay Chicago's special teams. Don't give up huge returns and win the field position battle. This game will come down to the little things.

I think this is the perfect time to be playing Chicago. They have a lot of confidence following 2 offensive explosions and defensive beatdowns, but it was vs. GB and Det so I'm hoping it is a false confidence. Also they are playing Seattle next week and everyone outside of Minnesota assumes that is a better test for the Bears. I don't expect them to totally look past a divisional road game, as they are not prone to do that, but I'm hoping they are more confident than they should be heading into this game. Finally let's not forget that it has been a LONG time since the Bears have won in the Metrodome.

The Vikings win as Rex struggles in the Dome.
MN - 20
Chi - 16

Vikings / Bears Week - trash talk review

Well, it is Vikings / Bears Week.

One of the fun things in the NFC North is that the 3 teams in the division (Detroit not included) are relatively close together, have been rivals for decades, the 3 primary cities Minneapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee (Green Bay doesn't actually count) are full of transplants from the other cities, and nearly every family is divided at some level amoungst Bear/Packer/Viking fans. All 3 teams have spirited rivalries and always give us entertaining games.

With all that said, it makes for a lot of fun during the weeks which these teams play against each other. Before we get into breaking down the matchups and me telling you why the Vikings will roll over the Bears, I'd like to give you a quick reference guide to smack talk and rebuttles to be used towards your overweight, beer drinking, barely educated Bears fan friend or family.

You being on the offensive - here are some solid ideas/statements you can use to get under their skin. These are the buttons you should push but if you go down this road don't tread lightly, come out guns blazing...

"Walter Payton is the most overrated RB of all time, he couldn't hold a candle to Barry Sanders." - this will always get them riled up and fiesty. You will likely need to follow it up with something like, "If Barry would have had an offensive line he would have destroyed Payton's record and still could have retired early."

The Super Bowl Shuffle is gay! - this needs not explanation and really is not defensible.

When was the last time the Bears actually won a playoff game? - we all know their response to this one, but hold them to the fire don't let them redirect to 1985. I'll help you out, it was 1994. 12 years ago and really only 2 opportunities in the playoffs over that span (both at home).

Finally you could always just say something about Steve Smith, that one is still fresh in their memories.

You on the Defensive - sometimes you get that obnoxious Bear fan who thinks he is watching the reincarnation of the 85 Bears (man they are always living in the past) and decides to come at you all week with how bad the Vikings are and how the Bears will roll on Sunday in the HHH Metrodome.

1. Remain calm, no matter what they say don't show any emotion. They will feed off your fear so don't react to anything.

"The Vikes are the worst 2-0 team remaining, they haven't seen a defense like this one yet!" - RIGHT because beating Was/Car isn't nearly as impressive as beating the juggernaughts that are the Packer/Lions. And that defense was pretty stout when it mattered last year wasn't it.

"Rex Grossman is the highest rate QB in the NFL" - again, camly refer to him putting up numbers vs. the Packers and the Lions. Don't be afraid to throw in how that is just an unfair matchup, kind of like Santana facing the Cubs lineup.

"Your team parties on boats with strippers!" - AND?

"We don't even care about the Vikings, the only rivalry we have is with the Packers." - this one is just retarded. If he/she thinks you are going to get offended that we aren't the TOP rivalry then he needs some new material. And really when was the last time the Packer or Bears played a meaningfull game. When Green Bay was good, Chicago was terrible and when Chicago was good (in the 80s) Green Bay was aweful. So really who cares, Bears fans know that Green Bay is irrelevant this year and this game is their only meaningful divisional road game.

"When was the last time you won a Super Bowl?" - The Bears Suck!

Idiot Broadcasters

When watching or listening to football nothing is more frustrating than idiot broadcasters. I can handle the color-man being one sided or falling all over a particular player, that can upset me but generating an emotion is fine. But play-by-play guys or color-guys who say the dumbest things are annoying and painful to listen to. Here are just a couple of examples from this weekend...

Joe Sensor - Vikings Radio color-commentary guy
I am torn on the KFAN Radio broadcast. I tend to enjoy Paul Allen's play-by-play. He gives me the game with some flare, he is obviously a Kool Aid drinker but isn't a complete homer when he's giving the call. Joe Sensor on the other hand is just an idiot. Because you played in the NFL does not necessarily mean you have the qualifications necessary to give good commentary throughout the game. I think Joe feels that if he's talking he's doing his job so he talks out of his ass when he thinks there might be a nano-second of dead air. Knowing something about the game or the rules helps immensly when calling a game.
Case in point on Sunday I was driving home and listening to part of the 1st half on the radio. There was a play with offsetting penalties. Offensive holding on Carolina and defensive on Minnesota. Joe told us how that was not the right call because the ball was not catchable, therefore it should just be offensive holding on Carolina. Sounds great Joe, but if you knew the rules you would know that with defensive holding whether the ball is catchable or not is irrelevant. If that were an isolated incident I would say big deal, but he is constantly squabbling over official's calls saying things that are just absolutely false. He is terrible.

Bill "Beep Nice" Maas - Fox TV color-commentary guy
Maas is always bad, but he should probably win an award for his call on Sunday. After Carolina won the overtime coin flip, he actually suggested that if he were the coach he would have chosen to kick off. In his world of fuzzy logic and "purist football" the Panter defense was playing so well that it would have taken the pressure off of the offense. He was 1/2 right as the Panther offense stalled quickly and punted. But the Carolina defense as we all know let the Vikings march down the field on their first OT drive and kick a chip shot for the game winning FG.

Maas's second offense (really his first because it happened earlier in the game) was rather comical. Fred Smoot comes up to make a nice open field tackle in the flat for no gain. He gets up and does his usual little dance because he actually made a tackel. The Vikings fans started yelling "SMMMOOOOOOOTTT." Maas who is a self describe football purist assumes that the Minnesota fans are booing Smoot for his unneccesary dance for simply making a tackle. While that would be refreshing to see fans not rewarding such behavior, BM should listen, think for about 2 seconds then put the 2 together and realize that is sounds more like "SMMOOOOOOTT" than BOOOO.

Honorable Mention Idiot - Micheal Irvin - he is painful to listen to AND watch.

To be fair I should list some of the better broadcast individuals out there...
Erin Andrews (ESPN)
Melissa Stark (NBC)
Jill Arrington (CBS)

There are many more knucklhead broadcasters out there (as well as some good ones), please comment with ones I am missing.

The Morning After...

Another solid win for the Vikings in Week 2. The Panthers were a VERY popular pick to represent the NFC in this year's super bowl, 8 of the 12 ESPN "experts" had them winning the NFC and 2 had them winning the championship. Well, Chris Gamble better work on his punt return throw back if they plan to win any big games on the road this year.

In all seriousness this was another well played game by the Vikings as a team and winning games vs. good conference opponents are the games we'll look back on in December and be very thankful we came away with a W. We have now beat 2 teams that are expected to be in that mix of teams vying for a playoff spot. Beating them will only help in tie breakers for wild card or home field. Essentially we have a 3 game lead on Carolina and Washington. The Vikes can start airing their "it's not too late to get post season ticket priority" commercials any day now.

A month ago many would have looked at the first 5 games of our schedule and said 1-4 maybe 2-3 heading into the bye. Well things are now looking like 4-1 maybe even 5-0 before we take on Seattle and New England. This week vs. the Bears is another monster game for the purple.

My game balls go to...

• Ryan Longwell - for accounting for all of our points this week. 4 FGs and a passing TD.
• Napoleon Harris - I am a huge Napo skeptic, but he was huge this week accounting for 10 tackles and a big red zone sack.
  

Grades...

Offense (B) - Chester Taylor looked very good and Brad was as gutty as I've ever seen him. But the O-line was dissapointing. It is easy to put it all on Marcus Johson and the right side of the line, but Hutch was beat once and McKinnie was beat a couple times that I saw. In their defense this is hands down the best D-line we'll see all year, but Brad has to be pretty bruised today. The offense failed to score any points, had stupid penalties twice in the red zone and performed an abysmal 2-15 on 3rd down. With that said they got it done when they had to and had a nice drive in OT to secure the win.
QB (B+) - Brad had Julius Peppers in his face on virtually every play and still managed to complete 61% of his passes and post 243 yards.
RB (A-) - Taylor looked pretty good in my opinion. Much better rushing average this week and put up 113 while making guys miss once he got into space. Taylor is the best rushing threat we have had a few years.
WR/TE (B) - Williamson had the best game of his young career as he continues to look like a favorite target of Brad's. The rest of the crew was very quiet, someone needs to step up as a possession receiver so Troy can get downfield.
OL (C-) - I will grant that this D-line was very good if not the best in the League, but if you want to be considered one of the best O-lines you need to perform better than this against elite competition. Part of the blame has to be on the coaching staff for not giving better help toward Peppers, but this group could have done better.

Defense (A) - The defense came up big again this week. In the 2nd half we held Carolina to 102 yards, 6 points and came up huge in the OT period with a big sack (ruled imcomplete pass) on 3rd down to force the punt. We also forced 2 red zone FGs giving us 5 big red zone stops on this short season.
DL (B+) - I was hoping for this group to dominate the game more with the Panther's injuries on their O-line, but all in all these guys came up big. Both Williams boys made some big plays in the backfield and as a group they put serious pressure on Delhomme in the 4th qtr and OT.
LB (A+) - Napolean Harris finally had a breakout game. Defensive player of the game (for MN) with a huge red zone sack and 10 tackles. EJ had 5 tackles but had a couple nice coverage plays that will not show up in the stat book.
DB (B+) - Smoot and Smith both supported the run defense well and the group as a whole allowed only 164 yards passing (41 in the 2nd half). Keyshawn had a pretty good game with 5 catches for 106 yards, but I'd like to see how many times he was thrown to.

Special Teams (A+) - Good teams will have their special teams win about 1 game per year for them. No doubt that ST won this one for us. Recovering the Gamble fumble, Longwell creating a QB controversy, Longwell connecting on 4 FGs including the game winner again and Kluwe redeaming himself with a 46.3 punt average after 38.0 last week.

Coaching (A) - Once again we looked prepared and ready for the game. Opening drive was crisp and should have resulted in 7 points were it not for a stupid holding penalty inside the 10. The preparation for and execution of the fake FG was a much better gameplan than a reverse punt return. And the level of calm and poise of the entire team that elevates as the game progresses is encouraging.

Now it is on to the Bears. This will be the 1st of 3 games vs. Chicago this year, the winner of this game should decide who will host the other in the NFC Championship game!!

Vikings v Panthers Kool-Aided Preview

Week 2

Well, the PKA was accurate in week 1. The Vikings are 1-0 and we here at PKA are also 1-0 (I think we can both go 16-0 if the the Vikes hold up their end of the bargain). Here is how I see week 2's matchup with Carolina breaking down...

The Panthers are TERRIBUL and the Vikes are un beatable!!!

The Trenches - as I stated last week, this will be important in every game this year. Last week it held true as the O-line won the game in the 4th qtr and the D-line made 2 huge plays in the 4th to make sure a Redskin's 1st and goal resulted in only 3 points. This week is no different. The Panthers D-line is better than Washingtons and it is vital that our O-line protects Brad and lets Chester get to the LB level of the Panther defense. Kris Jenkins and Julius Peppers both grade out as the top DT and DE respectively in the NFL. We may not see a better D-line this season. Birk and Hutch should be able to handle the interior with the help of Hicks, but Peppers vs. Marcus Johnson is a key (if not THE key) to our offense being productive on Sunday.

Defensively this is a matchup that we have to win. The Panthers LT Travelle Wharton is out and their C Justin Hartwig is also likely not playing. RT Jordan Gross moves to LT and Todd Fordham starts at RT. This jumbled O-line is something that we HAVE to take advantage of. I'm hoping that our defensive scheme will involve giving a solid rush to the right side of their line and getting in Delhomme's face.

The Pretty Boys - Offensive skill positions are a little more important to this week's game. If Steve Smith plays he is obviously the key to their offense. Keeping him to under 200 yds might be a good idea this time around. I think better scheming and not just putting Smoot on an island with Smith will help a ton, but he has to be slowed down. On our side of the ball Troy Williamson has quickly become a factor. It was obvious that Brad looked his way early and often. It appears as though he is a favorite target, BUT Troy has to hang on to the ball or Brad will find a new catching partner. If Troy can get down field, make big 3rd down catches and actually hang on to the ball that will continue to open things up for the rest of the passing game and Chester on the ground. I wouldn't expect quite as many carries for Chester this week but hopefully he can still bang out 80-90 yds on 25 carries this week.

The Ball Hawks - Last week Carolina was held to 65 total yards rushing and were 2/12 on 3rd down. I'm guessing those are 2 things they are looking to correct this week. With the reshuffled O-line, hopefully they will not be able to get that ground game going and they'll be stuck in 3rd and long early and often. If that is the case the LBs and DBs need to turn last weeks stats into a trend. I feel that EJ had a solid game last week and he needs to continue that this week.

Keys to the game

1. Shutting down the Panther run game. The more 3rd and long situations and the quicker we can make them 1 dimensional the better for us. At that point we can key on Smith and attack their wounded O-Line.
2. Peppers vs. Marcus Johnson - I feel pretty good about the rest of our O-line vs. their D-line matchups, but this one makes me nervous. All week we've heard about the left side of our line, well Marcus now is the time for you to stand up and point out that our entire O-line is good, not just the left side.
3. Brad's trust in Troy - Brad is clearly looking Troy's direction and Troy needs to reward him with receptions, first downs and touchdowns. Dropping a perfectly thrown ball that goes right through your hands is unacceptable. Troy has the choice to be a fan favorite or the complete goat.
4. DBs vs. Steve Smith - the healthier Smith is the higher this moves up the list. Smith is very good and will make plays, but a TD and 201 yds on 11 catches (or 12 for 218 and 2 TDs vs. Chicago) are unacceptable and will secure a road win for the Panthers.

I know we are not supposed to look too far ahead, but this game is actually really huge. Carolina is wounded and on the road. We are playing well and completely healthy. This win (paired with the WAS win) really will come into play at the end of the season when we are compiling playoff scenarios. Washington and possibly Carolina are teams we could be vying for a wild card spot with. It is WAY too early to know who is a wild card team and who is a division winner, but it is never too early to rack up NFC wins to put us in a better position in December when that is all we will talk about. Every win is important, but head to head and NFC record will be a factor down the road so take care of business when you have the opportunity.

Verdict - Longwell has 3 FGs, but the game winning score will be a 4 qtr TD.
MN - 23 Car - 20

My thoughts....

"Touchdown to checkdown mentality" - as I was watching the Vikings/Redskins game, I noticed how on a large percentage of the passing plays Brad was looking deep downfield on his 5 and even 3 step drops. The first 3 pass plays of the game he was looking down the sideline then checked down to something in the medium to short pass range. The "West Coast Offense" is famous for the short passing game to RBs out of the backfield, TEs and WR short routes. It is a ball control, long drive and efficient offense. So this downfield looking puzzled me. Until I listened to Brad Childress' press conference and he mentioned a "touchdown to checkdown mentality." This must be the other twist to the new "Midwest Coast Offense." TD to checkdown and power running is a combo that I like a LOT.

Someone on the Lions is drinking the Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid (do not try that at home folks, it is dangerous) - I'm sure everyone has heard that Roy Williams (he's an WR for the Lions in case you didn't recoknize the name) has guaranteed a win at Soldier Field this Sunday vs. the Bears. That is asinin by itself but it isn't even the craziest thing he said. Before I give you his sweet comments let me preface them by saying Roy had a grand total of 36 receiving yards on Sunday, admittedly did not block well and was flagged for holding that nullified an 18 yd run by Kevin Jones. Now for the priceless comments from Roy...

• "We'll win this game, you can take that as a guarantee … or whatnot, but we will win this game." - um, does he know that he's playing against arguably the best defense in the NFL, on the road? Someone remind him the lost 38-6 there last year (more on that later).
• "it was stupid how close we were to putting 40 points on the board." - um, could someone tell Roy that they only score 6? They didn't sniff the endzone the entire game, how did they actualy just miss 5 TD? It was stupid how close they were to reaching double digits, I'll give him that.
• "there's not a defense in the NFL that can stop us." - well, I think he is going to find a defense that actually can stop them (for the 2nd week in a row)
• Fellow Lion WR, Mike Williams did not dress for Sunday's game and Roy came to Mike's defense... "He needs a taste of winning. He comes from USC. He is used to winning and is not used to being somebody's backup guy. He can play this game well." - um, somebody tell Roy that playing for the Lions is NOT going to give him the taste of winning that he needs.

Roy needs to realize that he needs to accomplish something (anything) in this league before anybody is going to take him seriously. Chad Johnson is brash, entertaining and VERY GOOD; Roy Williams is an idiot and a joke. In case you are curious the Bears are not taking his guarantee too seriously.

Free Agent Money well spent - The Vikings made Chad Hutchinson the highest paid G in the NFL and it was worth every penny. He wasn't perfect on Monday night, but he was very good and if he improves we will be in very good shape. He created the large hole for Chester on his 8 yd TD run and he helped to put the Skins on their heals in the 4th Qtr on our way to the game winning FG. Chester Taylor got better as the game went on and finished with 88 yds rushing against a top 10 rush defense from 2005. Tony Richardson didn't carry the ball but his blocking did not go unoticed in the 4th qtr as well. And Ryan Longwell hit 2 significant FGs, including the game winner with 1:00 left.

The Vikings also let Nate Burleson go to Seattle for a 3rd rnd pick as a restricted free agent. The Seahawks tried to exact revenge by giving Burleson a 49 million poison pill contract, but now they think so highly of him that he has dropped to 3rd on the depth chart after the acquisition of Deon Branch.

Steve Smith vs. Fred Smoot part 2? - I hope not. Smith torched Smoot last year for 201 yds and a TD. It was not pretty. Now Smith is hobbled with a sore hammy and may not play on Sunday. After some pregame trash talk a year ago, Smoot is saying the right things this year...

"I feel like I want to win," Smoot said, adding an expletive. "I'm not worried about evening the score. I want to be 2-0 when the game is over with."

I hope he means it, but it is kind of a lose lose situation for Smoot. If Smith plays and Smoot "shuts him down" it will only be because Smith is slowed by the hammy. If Smith doesn't play and the Vikings win it will be because they were without their superstar WR. Utlimately I don't care what happens with Smith, I'm with Smoot I just want to be 2-0 when the game is over with.

Looking back and Looking forward

Reaction from Week 1 victory over Washington...

Michael Wilbon
Jim Souhan
Tom Powers

Looking ahead to Carolina

Panther Injuries
more to come throughout the week...

Happy Birthday Brad!

Happy Birthday to the oldest active offensive player in the NFL.

38 and still carving up defenses and winning football games.

Here is the question of the day.

Does Brad go into the Hall of Fame with (please cast your vote in the comment section)...

• Tampa Bay - his first Super Bowl team

• Minnesota - his first team, last team and Super Bowl team to end his career

The Morning After...

No Kool-Aid needed to realize this was a very big win for the Vikings!

The Redskins

• 10 win team in 2005
• who won a playoff game
• upgraded offense at WR
• signed Al Saunders at Offensive Coord
• Many predicted the Skins to be a 10 win team in 2006 and in the mix to win the NFC East.
  

As the Vikings are trying to establish themselves as a playoff caliber team, this game was very important. A road win vs. a 10 win playoff team is a great start to the season. If you take a look at the Vikings first 8 games, this win takes on an even greater significance.

@ WAS - win
Car - didn't look good vs. Atl, but they are very good
Chi - if they want to win the division must beat the Bears at home
@ Buf - gave NE all they could handle
Det - gave Sea all they could handle
BYE - not a loss
@ Sea - NFC rep in Super Bowl last year and on the road
N.E. - home, but tough game

That is a brutal start to the season before we get to play SF, AZ and the Packers twice. 4 of those first 7 games are against Super Bowl contenders and Det/Buf teams who gave the Seahawks and Patriots all they could handle in Week 1. Winning @ Washington is significant because the first 7 games are not pretty for the Vikes.

Grades

Offense (A) - Some VERY key drives that greatly helped us win the game. Opening drive for a TD, last drive of 1st half for a FG, from their own 3 yd line to midfield and the game winning 4th Qtr drive were all very impressive.
QB (A) - Brad was composed from opening drive to the game winning drive late in the 4th. And don't forget the drive to end the 1st half that ended in a FG.
RB (B) - Chester had a nice TD run on the opening drive and looked good on the final drive, but was lackluster in between
WR/TE (C+) - Williamson's dropped passes on 3rd down in the first half could have really hurt. But he made a few other big catches and Robinson came up big on the 2nd half TD.
OL (A) - gave Brad time to make his reads and dominated the Skins in the 4th qtr as they put on a Midwest Coast Offensive clinic!

Defense (B+) - the stats say they gave up 103 yds rushing but 28 of those were really passes to Moss that were considered laterals. Regardless, giving up 266 total yards and 3 red zone FGs forced was great for this defense.
DL (B-) - inconsistent and Jame's roughing the passer penalty almost killed us. But Edwards batted a pass and on 1st and goal from the 5 the D-line came up big on 1st and 2nd down then they allowed Sharper to make a big play on 3rd down to force the FG.
LB (B) - LBs were rather quiet all game. But some thought Chris Cooley might have a big day but was held to 2 catches for -3 yds. And EJ finished tied for team lead with 7 tackles.
DB (B) - Starting the rookie Blue at FS didn't prove costly, Smoot made a couple nice plays and Winfield had 7 solo tackles. Was finished with only 163 yds passing which I was is a win for the DBacks.

Coaching (A+) - Does anyone remember when a Vikings team went on the road vs. a good team and came out as crisp and prepared as they did last night? I was very impressed with the opening drive. And the drives that ended both halves were also very crisp and the team seemed prepared for the 2 min drill like nothing I've seen in a while. Also, we made nice adjustments for the 2nd half, especially defensively. And we cut out the penalties in the 2nd half. Great adjustments and great preparedness, congrats to Major Dad on his first NFL win as a head coach.

I'll be staying at the Motel 6 in Miami, room #212 in January!

Are you read for some football?

This begins a semi-live blogcast of the Vikings season opener.

T-minus 35 min to kickoff - ESPN Monday Night Countdown is reporting that starting safety Dwight Smith is inactive for tonights game. Smith is NOT injured and one can only assume that this is a disciplinary action stemming from Smith's stairwell adventure at Block E.

T-minus 30 min to kickoff - time to go put together my favorite Purple Kool-Aid mix. Maybe in the offseason I'll share some of my favorite recipes with you, but now is not the time. And hey, is that the Kool-Aid playing tricks or are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the game? Where is the Unicorn Princess of the 5th Dimension, Suri?

T-minus 2 min to kickoff - Boomer and Tom Jackson pick the Vikes to win. Irvin is an idiot and Steve Young is only slightly less of an idiot.

6-0, 10:05 1st Qtr - Chester Taylor 5 yd TD run! Opening drive 10 plays 80 yds (70 passing and 10 rushing). Fantasy owners pick up Troy Williamson 2 big catches on 3rd and long. Very good opening drive!
**excellent hold job by P Kris Kluwe, failed PAT**

6-3, 1:55 1st Qtr - EJ Henderson closes on Portis and makes a nice tackle on 3rd and 5. WAS kicks a FG seconds after our first Tony Kornheiser jab to Joe Theisman, they may actually fight before this one is over.

END OF 1st QTR - Vikes are 4/4 on 3rd down and the offense looks to be efficient. WonderBrad has looked good and Chester Taylor has run well on his limited carries. The defense was OK on the Skins first drive. Napo overpursued Brunell on a blitz that led to a QB scramble on 3rd down, but nothing to be overly concerned about yet.

6-3, 14:45 2nd Qtr - um, nevermind...don't pick up Troy Williamson. WAS blitzed to the left side, picked up by the OLine and RBs, WonderBrad goes deep to Williamson 1-on-1 down the sideline...perfect pass that went right through Troy's hands.

6-10, 8:04 2nd Qtr - Skins score helped by a long run by Betts compounded by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Kevin Williams. Vikes D zigged as the Skins O zagged on this drive. Portis takes it into the end zone.

6:31 2nd Qtr - Williamson drops another pass that hits him in the numbers on 3rd down. 3 and out for the Vikes offense.

2:43 2nd Qtr - Williamson finally catches a 3rd down conversion but it is called back because of the Vikings 7th penalty of the game. It will be interesting to see if Childress can get his team focused and back in rhythm.

6-13, 1:09 2nd Qtr - The D-line makes 2 solid plays in the backfield then Sharper makes a ball jarring hit in the endzone to force a FG. Defense needs to make adjustments at half time.
** And WTF is Sharper doing in that hyberbalic chamber? I think he drank too much of the paint thinner while in Green Bay.

9-13, HALFTIME thoughts - penalties, penalties, penalties. If this is the mark of the Childress Era why did we bother getting rid of Tice? The offense has looked OK outside of a couple dropped passes by Williamson. The defense is underperforming imo. The D-line needs to get more pressure and action in the backfield to take pressure off the rest of the D. EJ Henderson has made a couple of nice plays but Napo appears to be nowhere near the play each and every time. We'll see what kind of adjustments we make as the game is still anybody's to win.

16-13, 9:38 3rd Qtr - WonderBrad was converting 3rd down after 3rd down and hit Marcus Robinson on 3rd and 5 from around the 25 for another TD. Chester Taylor was taken down easily but the passing game looks sharp.

16-16, END OF 3rd QTR - Brad has really led the offense and they've been sharp. The defense had one 3 and out then made 1 red zone stop. Better than the 2nd qtr. Tied into the 4th, can't ask for much more on the road against a playoff caliber team.

19-16, 1:04 4th Qtr - Longwell 26 yd go ahead FG. Excellent drive of power MidwestCoast Offense football. Hutch and Chester proved to be worth their contracts when it counted tonight.

19:-16, FINAL - John Hall missed a 47 yd FG with 0:16 left, WonderBrad knealed and our prayers were answered.

Vikings win Childress's first game, on the road against a 2005 10 win, playoff winning team. The offense was efficient, especially on 3rd down (9 of 17) and the running game came through in the 4th qtr. Defense was OK, I would hope for better if we are going to make the playoffs.

2 Keys to the win...

• 3rd down conversions. Brad was cool and made the right throw most of the time. 9 of 17 and should have been 11 of 17 without 2 drops by Williamson.

• Half time adjustments - especially reduction of penalties. James had a stupid roughing the passer but other than that the Skin's penalties in the 2nd half were much more costly than the Viking's. Portis was held to 39 total yards which is a win for the Vikes.

Vikings v Redskins Kool-Aided Preview

WEEK 1

Ready for some in depth analysis that will blow your minds? Are you prepared for a verbal abyss of information that will make you the smartest person at your Vikings MNF party? Well strap on your Helga Horns and pay attention...

The Vikings rock and the Redskins suck!!!

Alright here is some real insight...

The Trenches - This could be said for probalby all 16 games this season but this game will likely be won or lost with the O-line and the D-line. The Vikings offensive line will have to be prepared and ready to right what was wrong in the preseason. The Redskin's D-line isn't spectacular, but their LBs are all pretty good. McKinnie, Hutch, Birk, Hicks and Johnson need to give WonderBrad time in the pocket from blitzing LBs and create some holes for Taylor to get into the backfield. If they can do this I really like our chances of moving the ball downfield, especially with Shawn Springs out for the Redskins.

Defensively, our D-line HAS to put pressure on Brunell and occupy enough of their O-line so our LBs will be free to flow to the ball and keep their running game in check.

The Pretty Boys - our offensive skill positions are all decent but nobody is really a dynamic weapon. As discussed above if the guys in the trenches do their job at an exceptional level, our offense will be good enough to put up 20 points or more. The MidWest Coast Offense (copyright John Clayton) will one that eats up yards and eats up clock, but WonderBrad, Chester and the WR core are not good enough to do it all on their own. Given time and some holes they are good enough to get the job done.

The Ball Hawks - defensive LBs and DBs are important to the outcome of this game (duh!). If the D-line does it's job, that doesn't guarantee much if the LBs and DBs don't hold up their end of things. Our LB core which is suspect to begin with HAS to play disciplined. They are athletic enough to cover the likes of Cooley and whoever is in at RB for the skins, but if they bite on play fakes/counters or overpursue they will be out of position and made to look like fools. That will be bad for us.

I am secure in all 4 of our DBs. Winfield and Smoot's ability to cover and tackle (especially Winfield) make them one of the best CB combos in the league. Sharper and Smith are solid as well, just cover guys downfield and let the D-line get in Brunell's face. These guys will make plays on the ball when the skins make a mistake.

Keys to the game

1. O-line must do their job at a high level. Open holes for Taylor and give Brad some time to find the open guy.
2. D-line must make plays in the backfield. Udeze/James have to be in Brunell's face, KWilliams must be making plays vs. the run and pass in the backfield and PWilliams has to occupy linemen to allow Napo/EJ to make plays.
3. Nape/EJ/Leber MUST PLAY DISCIPLINED and make the plays they are suppose to make
4. DBs have to create turnovers when the skins make a mistake.

Verdict
MN - 20
Was - 13

NFL Gets its ROLL ON tonight

Tonight the 2006 NFL season kicks off featuring the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers vs. the Miami Dolphins featuring new starting QB, Daunte Culpepper.

In my recollection I cannot think of any Minnesota sports figure who ignites passion in one direction or the other like Daunte Culpepper. Even months after being traded to the Dolphins you cannot go 2 weeks without hearing a radio referendum on the talent of Daunte. This guy was inconsistent for his first 3 seasons as the Vikings starting QB while showing flashes of incredible talent. In 2004 Daunte turned in of the top 5 statistical season by a QB in NFL History (4th highest passer rating in NFL history), but followed that season with a complete disaster of 2005 before injuring his knee and missing the last 9 games of the season.

My opinion is that Culpepper has taken WAY too much heat from the Vikings fan base. Fans have passionately cried for Todd Bauman and Gus Frerotte to replace him throughout his tenure as the Purple's signal caller and that is ludicrous. Daunte has his issues but when he struggled everything was blamed on him and when he succeeded he was only given partial credit. Here are my thoughts...

1. Daunte Culpepper is not a fast learner - I'll start with this negativity. Over DC's career he has shown that he is slow to learn a new offensive system. His first year under new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan (2003) wasn't spectacular by any stretch. But his 2nd year was outstanding. In 2005 the Vikes were too cheap to pay Linehan a legit salary for an NFL Offensive Coordinator and Culpepper had to learn a new system from the offensive genius that was Steve Loney. This is not giving DC a free pass because an NFL QB should be able to learn an offense, read a defense and be relatively successful or a new QB should be taking the snaps. But the previous Vikings ownership regime had any football saviness they should have made an effort to keep things the same for DC after his tremendous 2004 season. In 2005 DC was the one who failed miserably, but his team should not have set him up for it.

2. For the last 15 years the Vikings defense has been TERRIBLE - There are a number of losses and interceptions that are directly related to the poor play of the Vikings defense. DC takes criticism for not being able to lead a game winning TD drive late in the game. 2004 had back to back road games vs. Indianapolis and Green Bay when DC drove his offense to game tying TDs with less than 2 min remaining. Both situations ended with the defense allowing a game winning FG drive. Not DC's fault but you better believe he took the heat for it.

3. 2005 Vikings Offensive Line was TERRIBLE - Outside of Bryant McKinnie at LT the Vikings offensive line was in disarray. Both G spots were a carousel of personnel, Matt Birk did not play a snap at C and RT Mike Rosenthal was a free agency mistake. Brad Johnson did have more success, but that is also very much tied to the timely improved play of the defense. Culpepper had defenders in his face early and often and had to check down to his TE and RBs. Fans were outraged by this and wanted the ball to be thrown downfield which resulted in turnovers and sacks/fumbles. WonderBrad made a living out of checking down and completing a high percentage of passes. This was much more acceptable because the defense was decent and the team was in position to win more games.

4. Mike Tice was TERRIBLE - The Randy Ratio, lack of any team discipline, lack of any experience on his coaching staff and generally unprepared in every NFL game he coached. Culpepper was often set up for failure because of his coaching staff's lack of preparedness and transparent game plan each and every week.

Culpepper was terrible in 2005, no excuses for that. But not everything was entirely his fault in his 5 years as a Vikings starter. He absolutely is one of the most talented QBs in the league, but he also has his weaknesses. I really feel though that he was set up to fail in a number of situations and any success he had was in spite of a talentless defense and a moron for a coach. He isn't perfect and the bottom line for Vikings fans is that it absolutely was time for he and the new coaching staff to part ways. I also expect him to be success in Miami this year and will be even better in 2007.

So in conclusion...WE DON'T NEED HIM. Culpepper was terrible, a cancer and a bad leader. The Vikes are 10-3 when another QB starts over the last 3 years. Getting a 2nd round draft pick for him was highway robbery from the Dolphins and him just being in another state will automatically equate to 4 more wins for the Vikes!!!

KEY

BRHCP - Brad the Red Hot Childress Pepper

KAO - Kick Ass Offense

Purple Jesus (PJ) - Adrian Peterson, this term is stolen from Ragnarok. But it is good and I will help proliferate it. AP is an OK nickname but PJ is better.

TJax - Tarvaris Jackson. Boring nickname buts it's the best I've got for now. And it is so much easier than spelling Tavarius?...Tarvaris?...Travius...Trapazoid...TJax!

TYSW - Troy-You Suck-Williamson - I just made this one up right now. It will be used until further notice.

Chad I'm Not Mike Miller I'm the other guy from South Dakota Greenway - nevermind, that's too long, I'll stick with Greenway.

Final Pre-Season Thoughts

5 things I think I thought I heard that Peter King was thinking...

1. The preseason is meaningless. Don't get too excited about the play of the Vikings defense thus far or WonderBrad's amazing completion %. Also don't get too worried yet about the lackluster play of the offensive line and the running game. IT IS THE PRESEASON. Culpepper and Burleson were ROLLIN last year at this time and on their way to the Super Bowl and then Hawaii. We all know how that turned out.

2. Regardless of the network (local or national) broadcasters are usually terrible (unless your name is Bert Blyleven). I think it is hilarious when you hear things like "And that is Terrel Owen's first catch as a Cowboy." Or "Laurence Maroney scored his first NFL touchdown..." He has not caught a pass as a Cowboy and Maroney has never scored an NFL touchdown. IT'S THE PRESEASON!

3. No depth in the defensive backfield has quickly become the biggest area of concern for the Vikes this year. Backup QB, WR depth, LB competence are all valid questions but if one corner or safety go down we have a serious hole on the defense.

4. My fantasy football team is stacked!
4b. Swan's team is terribul.

5. With all that said...

The Vikings defense has looked awesome (dare I say dominant). The linebackers were a huge question mark and they answered all those questions with flare!. WonderBrad has been exceptionally good and is poised to lead us deep into the playoffs behind that offensive line that is gelling but will protect WonderBrad like gold in Fort Knox.

Who are you and What did you do with Sid?

Sid Hartman today was unusually pessimistic in his column. This saddens me greatly as he predicted that both the Gophers and Vikings will continue their championship droughts.

Sid is the original Kool-Aid drinker and drove many of us to this lifestyle of K-A consumption. He has spent 6 decades consuming the K-A and often spilling it on his tie. My guess is that he has a new nurse and the IV he gets hooked up to nightly actually has clear saline in it and not his usual dosage of Maroon or Purple K-A.

The Vikings of course have never won a Super Bowl in 4 attempts. The Gophers have the longest streak in the Big 10 without winning the conference title. Usually mid to late August we get our fill of Purple (or maroon) Kool-Aid as we hear about the Vikes cakewalk through the NFC and the how the pundits will miss the brilliance of Ski-U-Mah as they roll through the overrated Big 10 competition. Amazingly, Sid is usually (read ALWAYS) wrong.

Hey wait aminut!!! Sid is always wrong (sid is always wrong?). SID IS ALWAYS WRONG so that means the Gophers are in line for a Big 10 Championship and better still the Vikings are locks for the Super Bowl!!! You almost had me there Sid, but I see right through you.