Vikings @ Rams Game Day Discussion Thread -- Week 1

[Texas Vike]

Having Quinn in your face will do that.

Plus he dealt with a lot of stupid Oline penalties. I thought he looked good after our coaches made the halftime adjustments. Its so nice to have some coaches on this team that know what they are doing.

Yes. So will a loud away crowd inside a dome. But he's a vet, so I expected a calmer demeanor. He made some poor throws in the first half that easily could / should have been intercepted. Fortunately for us, they weren't. He'll need to be sharp next week.

[PacificNorseWest]

Barr really impressed today. He was all over the field. Coverage was good, provided pressure at times and I don't think he made too many mistakes that I can remember.

The defense overall was good. Not great, but they didn't make mistakes and most importantly they didn't miss tackles.

Thank you, Zimmer! Godsend.

[Mridens]

He'll need to be sharp next week.

So will our OC. I really hope he was holding back today so he'd have some surprises for NE next week, because I was expecting a more explosive offensive performance from the get-go. I'm a firm believer that you can't handcuff a quarterback with poor play calling and expect him to succeed anyway, and the first half was eerily remininscent of days I'd rather not relive again so soon. We will need to put some points on the board against NE early if we are going to stand a chance, so we have to be aggressive. We can't just sit back hoping AP breaks one. Thankfully Norv seems to have snapped out of his Musgrave imitation in the 48 second drive THAT I MISSED.

[PurpleMustReign]

So will our OC. I really hope he was holding back today so he'd have some surprises for NE next week, because I was expecting a more explosive offensive performance from the get-go. I'm a firm believer that you can't handcuff a quarterback with poor play calling and expect him to succeed anyway, and the first half was eerily remininscent of days I'd rather not relive again so soon. We will need to put some points on the board against NE early if we are going to stand a chance, so we have to be aggressive. We can't just sit back hoping AP breaks one. Thankfully Norv seems to have snapped out of his Musgrave imitation in the 48 second drive THAT I MISSED.

I still get sick of the running or short passes on 3rd and long. I don't know why anyone ever started doing that. It is nothing more than a give up. If nothing else, throw it deep... if there is an INT, it is like a punt anyway.

[Mridens]

I still get sick of the running or short passes on 3rd and long. I don't know why anyone ever started doing that. It is nothing more than a give up. If nothing else, throw it deep... if there is an INT, it is like a punt anyway.

Exactly. We played more aggressive O in the preseason for chrissake.

[Cin]

Hey, congratulations on your win! I'm glad Zimmer is doing well and got a win on his debut as a head coach! This team will go far with him at the helm. And I really hope you beat the crap out of Washington in a few weeks.

[Texas Vike]

Calmer demeanor? I thought Cassel looked poised today. Stayed in the pocket, read the blitzes for the most part. Quick with his decisions. But i agree that the offense as a whole will need to do better if they want have a chance to win next week.

First half. He looked nervous to me. Especially when the Rams started getting cheap and blood thirsty (after the Sherels hit that was just brutal). But Mridens is right, part of it was Norv doing a Musgrave impersonation.... the final drive of the first half finally showed some intelligent choices and variety. The second half was better.

I'm no Cassel basher. I like him pretty well, but I won't lie when I see him play scared or poorly. The first half could have been ugly if those two near picks had come to fruition.

[Raptorman]

I still get sick of the running or short passes on 3rd and long. I don't know why anyone ever started doing that. It is nothing more than a give up. If nothing else, throw it deep... if there is an INT, it is like a punt anyway.

Let me say this. I think some of the play calling was because of the Rams D-line. They are supposed to be one of the top D-lines in the league. Cassel did not have a whole lot of time back there. The good thing is I didn't see that kind of pressure being put on by the Patriots against the Dolphins.

[Raptorman]

FWIW, and probably not much at this point. But Cassel's QB rating with two games left to play this week, is currently third best among QB's that played this week. Only Kaepernick and Ryan have higher ratings. It means that he took care of the ball and didn't make bad decisions. Let's see how long he can keep it up.

[saint33]

I think those worried about Norv's play calling need to factor in that we played probably the best defensive front 7 we'll see all year today. Which meant keeping more blockers in to help the oline and quicker passes to alleviate the pressure off of Cassel. Although next week I suspect we'll get a heavy dose of Peterson against a suspect run defense and a solid group of CBs on New England.

[Mridens]

I think those worried about Norv's play calling need to factor in that we played probably the best defensive front 7 we'll see all year today. Which meant keeping more blockers in to help the oline and quicker passes to alleviate the pressure off of Cassel.

Perhaps there is some validity to this.

Although next week I suspect we'll get a heavy dose of Peterson against a suspect run defense and a solid group of CBs on New England.

Then we will probably lose. We will not hold Brady to 6 points, so if we don't develop our passing game early and score points they will have us playing from behind which is not a good place for us.

[3Deep]

Exactly. We played more aggressive O in the preseason for chrissake.[/quote]

I believe from what I gathered from watcing Zimm's presser, they had a gameplan to beat the Rams rush, and they decided to stick with it. It would seem the plan was to get the ball out quickly, resulting in short passes, to beat the Rams powerful rush. O-line played well anyways.

I am fine with this. Don't show off the explosive plays and plan for the W. We got the W, and that's what matters. I bet we come out swinging against the Pats.

[3Deep]

BTW

I was at this game, and let me tell you, it felt like a Vikings home game. I was absolutely blown away by how much purple was in that stadium. Nothing like singing "nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye" to the Rams fans as they file out of their own stadium...

What a blast

[J. Kapp 11]

BTW

I was at this game, and let me tell you, it felt like a Vikings home game. I was absolutely blown away by how much purple was in that stadium. Nothing like singing "nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye" to the Rams fans as they file out of their own stadium...

What a blast

I went to a Rams game last year. My wife was on a retreat to STL ... I traveled along and got tickets to their opener against the Cardinals.

I was dumbfounded at how quiet that stadium was, especially for an indoor stadium. The fans mostly sat on their hands ... for the home opener. When you're used to the Metrodome, which can be absolutely nuts as we all know, it's really a striking difference to see an NFL venue and fan base that generate about as much excitement as the keynote speaker at an accounting convention.

Thanks for going in and making some noise!

[3Deep]

I went to a Rams game last year. My wife was on a retreat to STL ... I traveled along and got tickets to their opener against the Cardinals.

I was dumbfounded at how quiet that stadium was, especially for an indoor stadium. The fans mostly sat on their hands ... for the home opener. When you're used to the Metrodome, which can be absolutely nuts as we all know, it's really a striking difference to see an NFL venue and fan base that generate about as much excitement as the keynote speaker at an accounting convention.

Thanks for going in and making some noise!

Yeah it was really unbelievable. I am from the cities but moved to Kansas City a few years back. My gf bought us tickets for the game and I was absolutely dumbfounded at how lame their fan base was. Honestly felt bad for the Rams, haha. I mean, the team has won a SB, and had a lot of success in years past, but they have absolutely nothing on Vikings fans. I was initially worried there wouldn't be a lot of purple and I would need to keep my mouth shut as to not piss off everyone around me, but instead I was screaming and highfivin' all the Vikings fans around me.