LINKS, LINKS, LINKS

Vikings Frenzy - gives a good rundown of various national publication's pre-season power rankings. We all know that these are incredibly accurate and there is no longer a reason to even play out the season.

Ragnarok - gives the necessary formula for making the playoffs (like that should be a problem at 14-2). What we need to know is what will it take to get home field cause in Kool Aid land the playoffs are a foregone conclusion.

The Viking Age - has their own power rankings, about 18 spots too low but higher than pretty much everybody else.

Skol Vikes - has all of your Vikings roster questions answered. Prax squad, players cut, full 53 man roster, etc.

Pacifist Viking - really just clarify's my point about the Vikings game by game predictions. Shaky QB after shaky QB bodes well for the Vikes. I mean we get to face Harrington, Huard, Favre, Grossman and McCown just to name a few.

Just for good measure, game by game predictions...

• Atl - W (1-0)
• @Det - W (2-0) - 10 wins are just not in the cards for Det
• @KC - W (3-0) - run D too much for LJ and they have not passing game
• GB - W (4-0) - now things get interesting
• bye
• @Chi - W (5-0) - bye week gives 2 weeks to prepare and we'll avenge 0-2 from last year
• @Dal - W (6-0) - TO will be hurt by now and we steal this one
• Phi - W (7-0) - at home we win
• SD - L (7-1) - I'm anxious to see our run D vs. LT but Chargers if healthy win
• @GB - W (8-1) - Aaron Rogers first NFL start won't be pretty
• Oak - W (9-1) - Raiders suck
• @NYG W (10-1) - Giants suck
  
• Det - W (11-1) - Lions suck
• @SF - W (12-1) - 49ers suck
• Chi - W (13-1) - like I even need to justify this one!
• Was - W (14-1) - nothing about the 'skins scares me
• @Den - L (14-2) - obviously resting our starters

2007 Vikings - Kool-Aid(ed) Preview

OK, PKA is back in the swing of things and I feel the need to put out my Vikings preview. I'm going with a little different angle this year as opposed to last year's position group style.

As stated in a previous post, I am officially predicting 14-2. Nobody reads this blog so there is very little chance for embarrassment on this one, when I prove to be right I traffic will flock here because I am a great football mind!

OFFENSE

BRHCP's KAO is going to be unstoppable (see KEY for help with acronyms). We've been told that if executed properly it is kick ass. Well TJax has had an offseason to learn up on the KAO and he'll be given every opportunity to run it to it's fullest. I like that BRHCP is going to take a step back from calling the plays so he can be a big picture guy on game day, I honestly think this will really help. This offense was absolutely terrible last year and can only get better.

Purple Jesus - (love that nickname by the way, HT to Ragnarok) will be a key guy on this offense. I thought Chester did a great job last year. The OLine struggled all year but Chester was able to make the 1st guy miss on a regular basis and racked up 1200 yards. But PJ has a chance to be a game changer. Both should be fresh throughout the game and for the end of the season. PJ really can be someone who adds a new dimension to this offense and is a bigger threat which will open the passing game a little bit.

KEY PLAYER ON OFFENSE - toss up between Sydney Rice and Robert Ferguson. One of these guys needs to step up and be a legit pass receiving threat. I think Rice has a bright future and Ferguson has the ability to quickly ascend to our #1 WR. I don't care who steps up but somebody has to. If we can develop a passing game to go with out potent running game this offense is worlds apart from 2006.

Biggest question? - more than the passing game I'm worried about the right side of the OLine.

Overall Offensive Prediction - 2006 was the perfect storm of things going wrong. The left side of the OL was very disappointing while the right side was terrible. Brad Wonderbread Johnson was bad, BRHCP struggled to keep his players and his message fresh while he tried to establish what exactly he wanted from his offense. 2007 will be a slight improvement in EVERY area.

• TJax will be better than BJ
• WRs will be better than anybody anticipates
• the left OL will play up to expectations
• the right OL will at least be stable
• the running game will be dominant
• RED ZONE scoring can't be any worse (perfect storm of terribleness last year)

DEFENSE

Don't Regress vs the run - had this defense not totally packed it in and were in a hurry to catch their 3:45 flights out of town, they would have been the best run defense in history (statistically speaking). And in all honesty I think they'll be just as good (if not better) vs. the run. There has been nothing but great reviews of Greenway this preseason and EJ has seemingly transitioned back to MLB quite well. The DLine is essentially the same and our safeties are great at stopping the run. I see no reason to think we won't stop the run with the same tenacity as 2006.

Slow down the pass just a little (PLEASE) - Winfield is one of the best corners out there and our safeties are solid as well. I find it crazy how bad this team was vs. the pass last year. I am a big fan of Cedric Griffin and I think we will be much better vs. the pass this year. We will still give up a lot of total yards because teams will HAVE to pass on us. But we'll have more INTs and instead of giving up 240 pass yards per game it will be closer to 205.

Don't be so harsh on Udeze - I know he didn't have a sack all year and pressure on the QB was a problem. But he did tie for the team lead in tackles for losses and clearly contributed to an historic run stopping defense. I am taking the approach this year that we don't need him to be a sack guy. If he finishes the season with 2 or 3 sacks plus another 8-10 tackles for losses then he has done his job.

KEY PLAYER ON DEFENSE - Ray Edwards, this is related to my Udeze theory. If Udeze does his part in run stoppage again this year, that means we HAVE to get some sacks from the other end spot. I don't see James being that guy and it looks like Edwards is getting the start at LE. He has to get to the QB and put pressure on him. If he does then Udeze produces more and the pass defense gets a little relief (like 20-30 yards per game).

Overall Defensive Prediction - just give me a little pass defense and this defense gives us a chance to win every game. It is that simple.

14-2 - is a bit of a stretch, but I really feel that our offense will be slightly better and our pass defense will also be slightly better. It really doesn't take much to go from 6-10 to 9-7. Change 3 plays from 2006 and this team was 9-7. The Chicago home game, the SF road game and the Miami road game. All had 1 play that went horribly wrong and ended in a L. I know most teams can say that (except Chicago who had everything go just right, more on that later) but I don't think this team is as far off as everyone seems to think they are.

What is more shocking?

That I am posting for a 2nd day in a row?

or

Patrick Reusse is optimistic about the Vikings season?

I suck at blogging...

I have been putting all of my blogging energies into Gopher Nation, but so much has gone on I need to throw out some Viking thoughts...

• Blackout? Are you kidding me? - This is the home opener and we can't sell out the Dome. Even in years past there has been even a little buzz and excitement about the season. The Vikings have always dominated this town but as I have previously posted there is more NFL apathy in the Twin Cities than ever before.
  
• BOLD Prediction - the Bears will not win the division! On paper this makes very little sense but in the NFL things rarely end up as the "experts" anticipate. Their defense is good, they are the defending NFC Champs and their special teams are great. BUT, their QB is very questionable, they have no depth at RB, they have the curse of the Super Bowl loser and did I mention that their QB is questionable? Grossman has a better chance of leading this team back to mediocrity than he does of leading them to Arizona. I like Benson but if he goes down this offense will be in trouble. And I think we'll see more holes in this defense than before. In 2006 their yards per game and pts allowed both increased from 2005. I see nothing that this D will improve on their numbers and they'll continue to be in difficult situations as long as Grossman is QB.
  
• BOLDER Prediction - the Vikings will win the NFC North! It should be noted that I am a registered Kool-Aid Drinker and will proudly stand by the Vikings. But I think this could be the surprise team of the NFC. Tarvaris is totally unproven, this I know. But we have what could be one of the best running games in the league, which will ease his transition. The Vikings defense is good good enough to win some games and keep us in the rest. There has to be a few things that come together but I'm hopeful and this will be the surprise team of the NFC.
  
• Bring on the Kids - The Vikings have a TON of 1st and 2nd round kids playing for the first time this season or will be counted on this year. 2 true rookies, a couple guys who are essentially rookies and a couple with 1 yr experience who will be counted upon heavily. 1st and 2nd round picks have to contribute and we have several. Watch this young core of players as they grow this could be the start of a special team.
  
• QB - Tarvaris Jackson - 2nd round pick (2006), essentially his first season
• RB - Adrian Peterson - 1st round pick (2007), ROOKIE
• WR - Sydney Rice - 2nd round pick (2007), ROOKIE
• LB - Chad Greenway - 1st round pick (2006), missed rookie season due to injury
• CB - Cedric Griffin - 2nd round pick (2006), played a lot but will be crucial this year
• OL - Ryan Cook - 2nd round pick (2006), starting RT
• Game by game official PKA predictions.
• Atl - W (1-0)
• @Det - W (2-0) - 10 wins are just not in the cards for Det
• @KC - W (3-0) - run D too much for LJ and they have not passing game
• GB - W (4-0) - now things get interesting
• bye
• @Chi - W (5-0) - bye week gives 2 weeks to prepare and we'll avenge 0-2 from last year
• @Dal - W (6-0) - TO will be hurt by now and we steal this one
• Phi - W (7-0) - at home we win
• SD - L (7-1) - I'm anxious to see our run D vs. LT but Chargers if healthy win
• @GB - W (8-1) - Aaron Rogers first NFL start won't be pretty
• Oak - W (9-1) - Raiders suck
• @NYG W (10-1) - Giants suck
  
• Det - W (11-1) - Lions suck
• @SF - W (12-1) - 49ers suck
• Chi - W (13-1) - like I even need to justify this one!
• Was - W (14-1) - nothing about the 'skins scares me
• @Den - L (14-2) - obviously resting our starters

There you have it 14-2 is the official prediction (9-7 would be my realistic prediction). Home field advantage and the odds on favorite to be the next great NFL dynasty!

QB Theories...

Since I am a follower I will chime in with my pirated thoughts (maybe I pillaged these ideas but you get the idea) about the Vikings QB situation...

Pretty much throughout the spring I was convinced that despite all of the "hoopla" and anticipation for he TJax era to begin, Brooks Bollinger would start at QB for the Vikings much of 2007. I think TJax has plenty of potential and he may be very good, but really your best chance to actually win games this season would be on the arm of Brooks. I have cooled on this theory lately. Here are some popular QB Theories out there today...

McNabb Theory - unfortunately I think that this is the prevalent feeling (hope) amongst Vikings fans, primarily those drinking the Kool Aid. People in this camp are convinced that TJax is the next McNabb and will be that good in 2007. There is "some" rationale behind this theory. Both are athletic QBs with good arms and both were coached by Brad the Red Hot Childress Pepper. But there are some stark differences. McNabb came from a BCS school, was a certain 1st round draft pick and overall a relatively known commodity. TJax came from a tiny school, was likely only a 2nd round pick thanks to the Vikings and was considered a project. These things don't disqualify you as an NFL QB but it demonstrates how McNabb came to the NFL more polished and ready to play with this caliber of athlete. Down the road TJax may be a great NFL QB but I fully expect his learning curve to be a little bit longer due to his background. How good TJax will be in a year or two is irrelevant cause the NFL is a win now (or at least very soon) or bust league.

Rex Grossman Theory - Brooks is serviceable at best. He is not in any way going to WIN you games. Maybe, just maybe he won't lose you games but he is a poor man's Rex Grossman (and Rex Grossman is a poor man's NFL QB). Brooks will give you more consistency. Fewer big mistakes but equally as few big plays. The theory here is that if TJax can just be a game manager and not lose games he'll be just fine. The problem is I think TJax will be the antithesis. I would anticipate some big mistakes but I also see him making more plays, getting 3rd & longs with his legs or an occasional big play with his arm. If your net results between the 2 QBs is even close, TJax has to be your starter. And really I don't want TJax to play Rex style football. I want him to be allowed to make mistakes and in the near future he'll be a playmaker and will win games for us.

The Matt Schaub Theory - Why oh Why didn't we trade for Matt Schaub, or sign a quality veteran QB. But do you really think that Matt Schaub is the answer? Does an aging Jeff Garcia or Kerry Collins really give you a better shot at winning? If you think yes, then why not just bring back Brad Johnson? Truth is there just wasn't much out there for a good veteran this year. You can roll your dice on wisdom over talent or you can take a shot with talent over age/big contract. And Schaub? Well, his numbers don't tell you anything except that there is a 50/50 shot that he'll be the next Scott Mitchell (thank you Detroit for signing him).

I would have enjoyed giving David Carr a shot. Bring him in and if he wins the QB1 job then let him run with it, if not then you aren't any worse off then you were before.

The TJax Theory - here is my take on it all. Basically if week 1 comes along, both current QBs are healthy and Brooks is your starter I think that is a bigger statement about TJax's inability to run an offense than it is about Brooks' ability to get us in the W column. TJax has to be given time to learn and grow as a QB in this league. In year 2 of his career with a young offense, you have to let him struggle and learn to play at NFL speed. I used to coach basketball at the collegiate level and the biggest thing incoming freshmen had to adjust to was the speed. Everything is just a little bit faster. Once they adjusted, the game slowed down and these talented kids could get back to making plays and making shots that they were accustomed to making. TJax has to get used to NFL speed, like all QBs it will take time but eventually the game will slow down, defenses will be easier to read, he'll know where his WRs are on the field and he'll start making plays. If you wait till 2008 to let him play we'll have to watch this maturing process then instead of now.

If he is utterly incapable of running the offense in September then you can't start him. If Brooks is clearly outplaying him and has earned the QB1 job by a couple steps then you have to go with Brooks. It is still about winning games. But if the competition is even close, then TJax has to be the guy.

Sometime soon I will have to post about my excitement surrounding this young offense and the potential it has in a couple years.

back on the wagon

I feel I should share my story with you all, hoping that none of you will suffer the same sad and lonely story of depression, desperation and depravity.

Hi, my name is Tom and I'm a Vikings fan. At an early age I felt a strange draw towards a particular purple headed football team. As a young child I thoroughly enjoyed watching the boys in purple pummeling the NFL representatives from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and even the weak link in Florida. Sure there was an occasional loss along the way but I was confident that next week would be different and I would end my Sunday afternoon with a high that could only be brought on by an Anthony Carter touchdown and a dominant performance by Browner, Studwell and friends.

Unfortunately there always seemed to be a low that far exceeded the high.

• The Herschel Walker trade was the missing piece and who didn't see the Super Bowl in the immediate future after the "oops I lost my shoe but I'll score anyway" initial run. That of course was followed by 3 seasons of averaging 755 yds and just under 7 TDs, a team average of 8-8 over those 3 seasons and most importantly watching the Cowboys build a dynasty with our 1st and 2nd round picks for 3 years including drafting the NFL's all time leading rusher.
  
• And who could forget the 1998 season? Randy Moss takes the NFL by storm and is the catylist in jumpstarting what would become the NFL's more prolific single season offense. 15-1 heading into the playoffs. Sat and rested during the Wild Card weekend, blew past the Cardinals in the Divisional round and then Gary Anderson missed his only FG of the season as we watched the Falcons do the Dirty Bird on the HHH Metrodome turf.
  
• Lightning Round, if you are Vikings fan you'll know what I'm talking about...
• Dropped pass
• the Push-off
• Les Steckel
• Dimitrius Underwood
• Forty-one Doughnut
• Super Bowl IV
• Super Bowl VIII
• Super Bowl IX
• Super Bowl XI
  

There are more instances similar to those listed above, but it makes me wonder if the peaks are worth it if I have to go through the valleys.

So at the urging of my family I have taken a couple months to submit to rehab. My recovery was going fabulous, that is until the Vikings made the trip down to Mankato and the PKA just found it's way back into my veins.

This is our year. How and why this will be our year will be discussed soon.

Keep an eye out for some upcoming posts...

QB thoughts
NFC Central Previews
Vikings positional previews

With a passing game like this...

So ESPN (Insider) has ranked each team's QBs and WRs. You can about imagine where the Viking's passing game ranks. We all thought our passing game was bad last year as it ranked in the top 20 overall. But I'm afraid it could get worse.

QB - ranked 31 out of 32. Just ahead of Kansas City (note to self, don't draft Damon Huard for my fantasy team).

WR - 32 out of 32. WHAT!?! Didn't they see that we signed Bobby Wade (see note on Huard)?
So the Capt. Obvious quote of the day is?...

"This is the worst group of wide receivers in the league and there is a good chance that Minnesota's passing game will be awful this season."

Um, a good chance? Wow, way to go out on a limb on this one.

So we are all pretty aware of our offensive weakness and this is clearly what has the potential to keep the purple headed warriors out of the playoffs. But this blog is clearly NOT about what will keep us down. We are all about what has the potential to carry us.

Not even I can sugar coat the lack of experience this battery has on their resume. But this group has a lot of upside and potential.

QB - Tarvaris Jackson has played in 2 regular season games and the results were mixed (at best). I'm worried that if Brad Johnson was unable to execute the KAO (Kick Ass Offense), then I don't have much confidence that Tarvaris will master it in his 2nd season. My favorite question to ask is...

Tarvaris...the next McNabb or Akili Smith? - please respond

WR - cling to this word..."upside"! Either we start over next year with a new group of WRs or this is the young nucleus that will be a nice compliment to what should be a very good ground game.

Troy Williamson? - struggled mightily and I can't sugar coat this one. TWills has world class speed and can open up this offense but he needs to learn to catch the ball. There is upside here but his leash has to be short cause speed is worthless if you have bricks for hands and lobster arms.

Sydney Rice? - rookie with upside. No experience and there is worry that this 2nd round pick will be a bust and we will point to a handful of WRs who were available when we drafted Rice. Or this was brilliant and he'll be a key part of an explosive offense that will learn to walk this September before sprinting into the playoffs.

No doubt that the passing game will have to be used to keep defenses honest in Brad's KAO that should feature a strong ground game. But hopefully it can be more than adequate and have a little bit of kick. But lets hope that this group can make a handful of big plays per game to do more than "not lose." Just a few plays a game can break defenses that will usually be stacking 8 or 9 in the box. This group will be the key to the Vikings this year.

Mixing in some LINKs

Ragnarok - I'm new to Ragnarok, but can you argue with a man "just trying to come to terms with my relationship with the Minnesota Vikings through my blog. I'm sure that someday they'll show me that they love me too." We can all hope TBird!

2008 Mock Draft - The Viking Age assures us that it is NEVER too early to look ahead to the 2008 draft! The only problem is that the Vikes are drafting 12th in this early prognostication, we all know they'll be drafting 32nd.


Vikings Frenzy - new Vikings blog, a chick in the heart of Raven country. It could be worse, Katie, you could be in Wisconsin.


Orlando LOVES Minnesota - Chris Harry seems to be giving the Vikings a little bit of early love. They must still have some Minnesota snowbirds receiving their paper.


Viking Vixen - gotta love an NFL blog that is pink!



Viking Buzz - this is my link to a bunch of Viking links!

This is our year! (drink that Kool-Aid folks)

I'm sure everyone has been wondering where have I been the last few months. All you've gotten was a spattering of posts since the end of the season. To be honest I have been inspired by the honesty, fortitude and courage of certain young women who took the difficult step of admitting they have a problem and sought help. So, much like Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears I went into rehab for my addiction. If you haven't heard much about my self-admittance it is because I wouldn't let my PR people put it out there to be spun by the paparazzi into something ugly and untrue.

Unfortunatly I was not as strong as the brave women mentioned above and I have not been able to deny myself the life sustaining PURPLE KOOL-AID that I desperately need. I was barely able to make it through Free Agency, the Draft and of course the recent OTAs. But now there is a lull until training camp and I just HAD to get my fix.

I'm telling you folks, THIS IS OUR YEAR! Brad the Red Hot Childress Pepper has the coaches and players he wants to run his Kick Ass Offense (KAO, which btw you read HERE first before Tom Powers stole it HERE.)!

I'll explain why this is our year, but I have to go call my sponser.

For now here were my thoughts on the 2007 offense and defense pre-NFL Draft and free agency.

Expert Analysis of Viking's Draft

Things are looking pretty good around the experts as they give their analysis of the 2007 draft. This is of course fools gold as you don't know anything until a few years down the road, but when it is good news you buy into the hype 100%!

Todd McShay of ESPN/Scouts Inc says - "The Vikings had one of the best overall drafts of any team in the NFL." He then goes on to say that he would have taken either of the USC WRs instead of Sidney Rice, but he admits that he is nitpicking with that criticism.

Mel Kiper Jr of ESPN and your consensus NFL Draft guru gave the Vikings a B+ as their official draft grade. "Vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman had an outstanding weekend." There were no A's given and Minnesota was one of only 3 teams with a B+. He basically says that every pick was good value for it's position.

• Adrian Peterson - franchise RB
• Sidney Rice - potential top 15 pick had he stayed for his Sr. season
• Marcus McCauley - boom or bust pick but great value in 3rd round
• Robison and Allison were both great 2nd day picks, Allison spent time on Kiper's "Big Board" in 2006.

John Clayton of ESPN declares the NFC North as one of the big losers from this years draft. Why? Because Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay all have to face Adrian Peterson in the future. "The NFC North is a big loser with Adrian Peterson going to Minnesota."

Sportingnews.com War Room scouts - Grade A - "RB Adrian Peterson is an elite player, and WR Sidney Rice, WR Aundrae Allison and OLB Rufus Alexander should become very good starters eventually. The sleeper of the group is CB Marcus McCauley."

Gregg Rosenthal of NBCsports.com - Grade A-