Vikings Message Board.Com

Cliff wrote:Since this post is really all about how Rudolph would be great with a "real" QB ... what would your reaction have been if Ponder was in the pro bowl (because every QB ahead of him was 'injured', for example) and he put up 300 yards and 3 TDs.

Would you suddenly say "see, all Ponder needs are some real targets and he'd be awesome"!?

that is a GREAT question.

although i think i know the answer.

GBFavreFan wrote:For all those writing off Rudolph's performance as some sort of a random lottery of "easy" passes that somehow favored the tight end position, how did Jason Witten do? How did any other TE in this game do for that matter? They didn't do dick, so don't give me this interchangable tight end argument. And the other great thing is Rudolph was targeted a lot after the first couple catches, which showed all the QB's had confidence and knew what Kyle was capable of and were looking for him a lot. And if I'm not mistaken, McCarthy put him back in the 2nd half as well. This was a game of big boys, and our Viking showed he IS one of the big boys and that we have a special talent.

I think we all agree Rudolph has special talent. Not so sure I agree the problem is Ponder per se, though.

The issue I have with looking at any performance in the pro bowl is that the game itself has turned into a joke. Many guys voted to it choose not to even show up. Those who do show up are probably doing it as much for the free trip to Hawaii as anything else. It's great to see Rudolph stand out, but drawing conclusions about it is tenuous mostly because the overall quality of play is so bad, and there is literally no downside to making mistakes in the pro bowl.

I think the game itself is headed for the scrap heap. Guys will be voted awards, but there is no longer any point to the game itself. And on that vein, fan voting should probably be thrown out as well. No way a guy like Jeff Saturday deserved to be in that game this season. So much of the voting has turned into a popularity contest that even the selection of players has turned into a joke to some degree.

The NFL can't be taken seriously if it attempts to paint the pro bowl or the voting that determines who goes legitimate.

VikingLord wrote:I think the game itself is headed for the scrap heap. Guys will be voted awards, but there is no longer any point to the game itself. And on that vein, fan voting should probably be thrown out as well. No way a guy like Jeff Saturday deserved to be in that game this season. So much of the voting has turned into a popularity contest that even the selection of players has turned into a joke to some degree.

The NFL can't be taken seriously if it attempts to paint the pro bowl or the voting that determines who goes legitimate.

The process is legitimate. The end result just yields something different than what the Pro Bowl represented in the past and I don't think that reflects poorly on the league as long as they're not disingenuous about it. There's a point to the game, even if that point has changed. It's fun. It's an all-star game for fans (of all ages) and players, not something that needs to be taken too seriously. I didn't enjoy it last year but the effort was better this year and the game yielded a number of moments I found very entertaining. Since the TV ratings remain good, I assume plenty of other people feel the same way.

I see no reason to throw the game on the scrap heap as long as there's still plenty of interest in it. However, when it comes to things like HOF consideration for players who have made the pro Bowl under the current selection system, voters need to reconsider the significance of Pro Bowl appearances and perhaps look a little closer at something like the AP All-Pro Team.

Mothman wrote: The process is legitimate. The end result just yields something different than what the Pro Bowl represented in the past and I don't think that reflects poorly on the league as long as they're not disingenuous about it. There's a point to the game, even if that point has changed. It's fun. It's an all-star game for fans (of all ages) and players, not something that needs to be taken too seriously. I didn't enjoy it last year but the effort was better this year and the game yielded a number of moments I found very entertaining. Since the TV ratings remain good, I assume plenty of other people feel the same way.

I see no reason to throw the game on the scrap heap as long as there's still plenty of interest in it. However, when it comes to things like HOF consideration for players who have made the pro Bowl under the current selection system, voters need to reconsider the significance of Pro Bowl appearances and perhaps look a little closer at something like the AP All-Pro Team.

I agree, but I still like it a week after the Super Bowl. Many more players (1st pick choices) would likely be involved since it only makes sense that the two teams competing for the Championship would have some representation on the squads. It seems to have lost it's 'flavor' with players from ostensibly the two best teams are missing.

The point was..Ponder sucks.....he had a few good recievers and he just plain sucked...he had the best RB in the game and .....he sucked.....we WONT win any super bowls with Ponder...its simple....

chicagopurple wrote:The point was..Ponder sucks.....he had a few good recievers and he just plain sucked...he had the best RB in the game and .....he sucked.....we WONT win any super bowls with Ponder...its simple....

Hey man, while you still have your prediction streaking going, could you tell me the winning numbers for the lottery jackpot this week as well?

as far as the Pro Bowl goes, I just dont get it. Football is a violent game. It makes no sense to play a game that is meaningless. Every play could lead to the end of a career. What if AP tore his knee up?? They ought to just have a skills competition, kick , pass , wt lifting etc....DB's and WR's could have a "fool the Ref" competition and see who can fake interference or get a way with it.....

I don't think you can really compare pro-bowl numbers to real game numbers IMO. Its sorta like getting into a rage because hitters in the home run derby don't "play like that" during the season. With that said, why not just make the probowl Like the all-star game? The winner (afc/nfc) gives their conference home field advantage for the superbowl. Wouldnt be too hard. Just have two cities picked every year, for instances San fran or baltimore. and the winner, again nfc/afc. Wins homefield advantage. Tons of vested interest in the pro bowl then.

As mentioned, it's a different set of rules in the Pro Bowl. Defenses have to stay base, can't blitz, no grounding etc. On one of the long Manning to Rudolph passes (where Eli motioned him to break his route and go long) he had all day to throw that ball. I'm glad Rudolph performed well in his first appearance, it showcased his skillset but it didn't really do much more than that.

chicagopurple wrote:as far as the Pro Bowl goes, I just dont get it. Football is a violent game. It makes no sense to play a game that is meaningless. Every play could lead to the end of a career. What if AP tore his knee up?? They ought to just have a skills competition, kick , pass , wt lifting etc....DB's and WR's could have a "fool the Ref" competition and see who can fake interference or get a way with it.....

Eh, there's a number of rules in place to limit injuries. Of course injuries could still happen but they probably take harder hits in camp and practice than in the Pro Bowl.

Pro Bowl events I would like to see:

Stand up Ndamukong Suh in a wide stance and let every offensive lineman in the Pro Bowl take a free shot at his pebbles. Highest elevation wins a new Escalade.

Have Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler square off in a contest to see who can whine the longest about a "bad" call. Loser gets b-slapped by every defensive lineman in the Pro Bowl. Winner does, too.

Although it's hard to gauge due to the lax environment of a Pro Bowl, it is obvious to see that Rudolph's raw abilities must be utilised more so. Already a huge asset to the team who has become more integrated into the offense, hopefully Ponder's rapport with the Tight End will take even more strides next season. The likely addition of a viable deep threat will undoubtedly free up the seams, avoiding a one dimensional passing game approach.

Pro Bowl stats= Worthless. Next subject please.

soflavike wrote:Pro Bowl events I would like to see:

Stand up Ndamukong Suh in a wide stance and let every offensive lineman in the Pro Bowl take a free shot at his pebbles. Highest elevation wins a new Escalade.

Have Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler square off in a contest to see who can whine the longest about a "bad" call. Loser gets b-slapped by every defensive lineman in the Pro Bowl. Winner does, too.

Very Nice! I like both of those contests... must see TV.

Hah! This thread's kind of amusing. The Pro Bowl is PURE marketing and nothing more, and everyone knows it.

I think Rudolph could have a game just this good with Ponder at quarterback if they were going up against a defense that was focusing on breaking up the passes instead of playing tough. And if the Vikings were just winging the ball around the field all day instead of handing it off to AP. Part of the problem is that there's a totally different guy calling plays out to the field. If you're just telling your quarterbacks to play catch and your defensive players have been told (maybe not openly) to refrain from causing injuries, then a big target is going to get a lot of action. Rudolph benefited from being in the right place at the right time. There might have been MORE hitting in this one, but that's not saying much. Teams don't want their key players getting hurt in a meaningless game designed purely for marketing purposes.

There's a good reason that Adrian didn't have a good game...they had no reason at all to run the ball other than to pay respect to their running backs. This is all marketing, and people don't care about ball control, time of possession, or any of that. They pay to watch their guys chuck long passes around the field and into the end zone. They didn't take the running game seriously at all. But if someone could have gotten hurt, it probably would have been the result of handing the ball off repeatedly.

If it helps Kyle get more of his jerseys on people, then cool for him!