Still Signs of Life with the Minnesota Vikings? What to Look For…
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So it goes without saying that this season for the Minnesota Vikings is more or less a complete bust. To recap: The McNabb experiment has failed, injuries are starting to pile up, and what was once believed to be a playoff-caliber season has turned into a season to forget.
And if that's not bad enough, the Vikings face what is undoubtedly their toughest test yet when they face off against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday.
But even if they come away from the game with a loss, what does that really tell us? We already know that without any momentum coming into this game, it's nearly an impossible task for the 1-5 Vikings to pry a win away from the reigning champs.
Fact is, no other team has been able to do it this season either. So with that, it's not too far-fetched to imagine that Viking Nation isn't exactly holding it's breath in hopes of getting to 2-5.
The question remains, however, as to whether there can still be some bright spots in what is already labeled by many to be too tumultuous of a season to believe.
Surely, Leslie Frazier and the rest of the Vikings staff hope to turn this thing around, and even though it's more likely that it won't happen, there are a handful of things to look for that could represent some positives can still come for the men in purple this season, even with a loss.
Here are four signs that could show the Vikings still have some life left in them.
To Preface: It's Still a Winnable Game.
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While most are indeed picking the Packers to win easily this week, and rightfully so...it's still possible that the Vikings could come away from this game with a victory. It would be unfair to completely write a team like the Vikings off, especially when their season has seen such drastic highs and as drastic lows.
When you have the talent that the Vikings do possess on both sides of the football, any game is winnable, even if it's against the Packers. So it's fair then to assume that the players are going into this game with the attitude that if they come away from the Metrodome with a victory, there is still some hope for the rest of the season.
In a league where a little bit of luck and confidence can go a long way, it's a safe bet that these guys will indeed be ready to play.
Last week's loss against the Bears didn't represent the team that the Vikings have truly been this season, plain and simple. Because it was a Sunday night game, televised to everyone in America, most of what non-fans of the Vikes and media have to go on in regards to what kind of team the 2011 Vikings are, is in fact that game against the Bears.
Because of that, it's easy to imagine that the Vikings are going to do everything within their power to put a better product on the field this time around. Moreover, if any team is going to bring the best that the Vikings have to offer out of them, it's surely to be their biggest rivals in the Packers.
1. Frazier Called out the D-Line; How Will They Respond?
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It was reported earlier in the week bytwincities.com that coach Frazier had "gotten a rise" out of veteran defensive tackle, Kevin Williams. Frazier made a few comments that apparently rubbed some of the players the wrong way when he suggested that the defensive line wasn't playing as physical of football as he and the other coaches would have liked at this point in the season.
While this isn't exactly newsworthy (coaches and players go back and forth all the time), the otherwise quiet Williams rarely, if at all grabs headlines with his comments towards coaching. When he does, then, you hope that a positive response will inevitably come from it.
While it is certainly fair to suggest that the D-line hasn't lived up to the potential most thought they would, there is long list of struggles that suggest better defensive line isn't exactly the No. 1 priority.
The question that lingers with this bit of news is how Williams and Co. will respond to the comments from Frazier? If we are to see a rejuvenated Williams, and an even more ferocious Jared Allen, then maybe we can assume that the message was indeed received.
If we see Brian Robison continuing his ascent into the upper echelon of Viking players and the hopeful emergence of a game Letroy Guion, can we then suggest that maybe what these guys really needed was a little reminder that they are one of the best lines in the league?
Well, if you are a fan of the Vikings, you'd better hope that is the case. It's no secret that sometimes players find themselves in a bit of a rut. The Vikings defensive line has always been effective even when they have played below their standards.
For whatever reason, however, that hasn't exactly been the case with the unit this year. If some of those aforementioned changes come crashing through on Sunday, though, maybe all isn't lost for a line that very well could simply be lacking a bit of confidence.
Maybe it's not too far-fetched to imagine that these guys could gain the momentum needed to re-invent what was once considered the best defensive line in football. If you see Jared Allen repeatedly hog-tieing the air come Sunday, then maybe we can assume that Frazier's comments were heard loud and clear.
2. Will the Real Adrian Peterson Please Stand Up?
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On ESPN's First Take last week, the one and only Skip Bayless (who I surprisingly almost always agree with) brought forth the interesting idea that AP gets a pass from fans and media when things go wrong with the Vikings.
He then went on to suggest that All-Day doesn't pass his "eye-test" on the field when it comes to him being mentioned as the best back in the NFL.
While there may be a bit of truth to the first half of that argument, it should be noted that no other back in the NFL has played more consistent and bruising football over the last few years than No. 28. Folks, he is the best back in the NFL, can we stop that argument?
Lets face it, though, the offensive line has been shaky, the quarterback play has been inconsistent at best, and the play-makers within the offense have been bottled up so much that it's hindered Peterson's ability to truly get anything going.
Unfortunately, it's likely that this will either continue, or possibly even get worse as the season goes on. With a few key injuries along the line, and a new quarterback taking over, who knows how this will truly dictate the rest of Peterson's season?
Just by watching, though, its clear that there aren't many other guys who love playing football at the elite level as much as AP does, and it's as obvious that few want to win football games as badly either.
Is it safe to assume that Peterson has likely struggled with losing as much as anyone else in that locker room? Possibly. But is it also safe to assume that no one in the Vikings locker room will want to win this game as badly? Probably.
A win could do a lot for this team going forward, sure. But a dominant performance by 28, win or lose, will surely show the rest of his teammates and fans that he isn't giving up on this season that easily.
If Sunday night comes and goes, and AP has a few of those, "OMG" type moments, maybe it will rub off on the rest of the Minnesota Vikings players just in time to save the season. His performance Sunday will certainly determine that.
3. Will They Rally Behind Their Young QB's First Start?
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You gotta feel for good ol' Christian in a way. He probably came into this season without the butterflies in his stomach that a lot of rookie QB's would normally face. That's not to suggest that he didn't work hard or that he isn't ready, but rather the idea that he probably figured he'd have a year to sit and learn behind the veteran McNabb.
Well, that didn't last too long did it? Here we are, just a bit of time away from Ponder's first official start as the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. There has to be a bit of confidence that comes when he looks in the mirror and tells himself that. "Yes... I am Christian Ponder, and I'm the quarterback of the Vikings."
Yeah, there's probably a great feeling that comes with that sort of affirmation. Then you remember, "Oh yeah, I'm going against the Packers tomorrow..."
All kidding aside, Ponder doesn't seem like the kind of guy who gets rattled too easily. After all, he did step into last week's game looking like a guy who was making another routine start.
Then he went on to put together a string of throws that Mr. McNabb certainly isn't as capable of on a consistent basis anymore. Quite frankly, Ponder looked pretty darn good for a guy taking his first bit of NFL action.
Then again, Ponder was the guy Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both labeled as the most "NFL-ready" rookie coming into the draft. I would imagine that the coaches and personnel around Ponder have reminded him of that quite a few times during the week's preparations.
After last week's Ponder experience, there's no doubt that you've gotta be feeling pretty.. pretty... pretty good, about what's to come in the years ahead with No. 7 at the helm. The real question, here, though is whether Ponder can do enough against the Packers to not only get a win, but show his teammates and the fans that they shouldn't give up on the season just yet.
4. Play-Calling to Win? Or to Stay in the Game?
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You might ask what the difference is when the suggestion is made that the play-calling can either go towards going after the win, or rather to stay in the game. Remember Brad Childress? He called plays to stay in the game.
Thus far, it's unfortunate that there hasn't been much of a difference when referring to the 2011 Vikings offense. Fans were rather pleased with the acquisition of Bill Musgrave as the new offensive coordinator with the thought that the offense would be much better, and less predictable than they were under the care of Childress.
With the exception of the head-scratching Blazer package which has been thrown in intermittently at the strangest of times, the offense has kept it pretty bare-bones.
They haven't taken many shots down the field, they've failed to mix it up with Peterson, and they seem to be way too predictable when it comes to what type of play they are going to run. It has to be obvious to them at this point that whatever they have been trying to do thus far isn't exactly working.
So the question then lingers as to whether or not they will come out with that same game plan that has gotten them to 1-5, or will they mix it up with the hopes of handing the Packers their first loss? There is a lot at stake for the Vikings Sunday, and it's directly related to whether or not they can get anything going on offense.
Fans want to see that their team has something to build around. If Ponder comes out and is able to mix things up, maybe make a few plays on his feet, it'd suggest that things will only keep improving for this team. Considering their playoff chances are all but over, that's maybe one of the most important things they can work towards this season.
Again, you can't count the Vikings out, so these are all hypothetical situations, but the one thing that isn't hypothetical is that the offense thus far hasn't been broad and/or diverse enough to suggest that they have what it takes, as-is, to beat the Green Bay Packers.
At the end of the day come Sunday, a lot would be said for a team, a coach, and a set of players that show that they are still in this thing to win it as apposed to simply going through the motions.
Fans will likely get behind the Vikings if they come out with the fire to truly win the game. If they get behind early, however, and fail to show the heart that is required to win games in the NFL, what is there to say about the rest of the season going forward?
