Vikings Message Board.Com

Vikes got their butts whooped tonight and they were exposed as a very mediocre team. Time to take a 10 day break and figure out what it is they want to do to improve.

The defense shows some promise, but they can't win every game by themselves. The offense needs to bring its game up to a reasonably competent level.

We have decent tight-ends, the best tailback in the league and the best little utility player in the league. Everybody else is highly suspect.
The QB is gun-shy (trying not to say he's chicken####) and looks very confused
The O-line is not consistent
The WR's are weak (not counting Percy)

Musgrave has a big mess to sort out.

Definately the worst game this year when grading the entire team effort. Ponder, the O line, the Defense, the punter, the O.C. they were all terrible tonite.

dead_poet wrote: Maybe that says more about that draft class than it does Ponder.

I'd seriously be as worried about pass protection and receivers as quarterback. I'm also concerned that Musgrave didn't do more to help negate the Bucs' aggressiveness (screens, draws, delays). Very frustrated by that, actually.

Agreed , Musgrave as OC handicaps any development on offense . The only reason this offense has scored any points is that we have Percy and AD .

radar55 wrote:Definately the worst game this year when grading the entire team effort. Ponder, the O line, the Defense, the punter, the O.C. they were all terrible tonite.

It's hard to argue with that. So I won't. Awful performance all around save for Harvin, AD, Robison and Allen (somewhat). Walsh had a solid day. And we lost Cook for Lord knows how long. Couldn't have been much worse tonight.

dead_poet wrote: Maybe that says more about that draft class than it does Ponder.

I'd seriously be as worried about pass protection and receivers as quarterback. I'm also concerned that Musgrave didn't do more to help negate the Bucs' aggressiveness (screens, draws, delays). Very frustrated by that, actually.

Well all I meant by that is Florida St. plays in a supposed NFL friendly offense, not a spread offense etc.

That being said, clearly the issue right now is greater than a single player. With a long break, we'll see what sort of changes are made.

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The thing that stuck out the most for me in this game is how the receivers don't turn around when there is an all out blitz. They just run straight ahead and not go to the vacant spot.

Like it or not: Ponder is our QB to live or die with. We aren't drafting one, so deal with it. What we can change is Musgrave and see what we got from there. I honestly have no idea how he got the OC job in the first place >.>

dead_poet wrote:And we lost Cook for Lord knows how long. Couldn't have been much worse tonight.

I think it really showed when Cook was gone. Man, I hope he's not seriously hurt.

yuck. all game...yuck.

ponder was terrible. again. our o-line gave me flashbacks of last year. just no time. and missed assignments. turnovers killed us. and our d wasn't great. granted...they ccould never get off the field but even in the beginning of the game i was shocked to see the gains we were giving. up. we let a rookie set records.

as the qb ponder is going to take the brunt. as he should...it comes with the position. and he was awful. but this was a team effort and we did not look good.

i'm thankful for a bye week myself....

Man i wish we had Mallet! I really had my heart set on him and was in utter shock when we got Ponder. But then they really wanted Locker and paniced and got Ponder.

People keep saying Ponder doesnt have targets or an Oline, but Freeman was under more pressure then Ponder tonight, he just knows how to handle it, and is big and strong enough to step by it, Ponder panics and runs. Freeman must have been hit 20 times tonight. Also Ponder has some awesome weapons, PH, AD, Kyle, Simpson Carlson (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL) etc. Just as many as other teams. He just can make reads. and i bet that fumbled snap Sullivan didnt know Ponder was changing up the play. Ponder only has the one thing on his mind lately and it isnt football.

I watched this game in a half assed way (while drinking beer and playing pong with my buds) so my opinion isn't worth much... but it looked to me like the Bucs simply played great and we were not on our game. Some of their TDs were just amazing plays--not bad D at all.

The Viking's record makes them look better than they really are and the Bucs are the reverse. We can't play from behind really. With no down field threat it's just hard to pull off.

Was Johnson sucking balls on the line tonight or was that Kalil? I kept seeing major penetration from the left side. Ponder just flips out when he gets pressure too. The kids got me doubting a bit. His confidence is shaken.

Again...bad play calling! Peterson running all over the defense and let's throw it with a QB that doesn't have any confidence right now!

I don't get it...After we scored in the 3rd quarter and we forced a 3 and out...I thought this is it...score a TD and be down by 6 with plenty of time left and what do we do...3 and out. We punt, force ANOTHER 3 and out and what do we do...3 and out...

Yeah the defense gave up quite a few points and a couple big plays, but they were on the field all day. If we would have had some good play calling and converted a few first downs, we could have given the defense time to rest.

Frustrating...

losperros wrote: I think it really showed when Cook was gone. Man, I hope he's not seriously hurt.

I think I heard it's a broken hand in the press conference? Our defense hung in as long as they could this game. Ponder did them no favors. If Ponder had looked somewhat competent, this game would have hopefully looked different. AP had a rough go to start, but his 60 some odd TD run proved that he was there for this game. Percy is Percy, and we can't pad Ponder's numbers with the dink and dunk passes and bubble screens to Percy, though his TD fade catch was very nice. He can make dynamic plays, and so can AP. I feel like those are the only two things we have on offense, save for the occasional Rudolph flash, and if we keep having to resort to those two to have any kind of success, a devastating injury will catch up to us sooner or later. We need to have options in the passing game, and right now, starting with the QB and moving to the receivers minus Percy, they simply do not exist.

Broken bone in wrist according to Frazier in his presser.

PurpleKoolaid wrote:Man i wish we had Mallet! I really had my heart set on him and was in utter shock when we got Ponder. But then they really wanted Locker and paniced and got Ponder.

People keep saying Ponder doesnt have targets or an Oline, but Freeman was under more pressure then Ponder tonight, he just knows how to handle it, and is big and strong enough to step by it, Ponder panics and runs. Freeman must have been hit 20 times tonight. Also Ponder has some awesome weapons, PH, AD, Kyle, Simpson Carlson (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL) etc. Just as many as other teams. He just can make reads. and i bet that fumbled snap Sullivan didnt know Ponder was changing up the play. Ponder only has the one thing on his mind lately and it isnt football.

agree with some of this but freeman was definitely not under more pressure than ponder. i'm not making excuses for ponder as he was terrible tonight but this one isn't close. we didn't even start to get pressure until the 3rd quarter.