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Vikings hope -- 'God willing' -- that Randy Moss spurs stagnant offense
Posted at 10:45 AM on Wed., Oct. 13, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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By Judd Zulgad
Star Tribune (Minneapolis -- MCT)
A day after his team dropped to 1-3 with a loss to the New York Jets, Vikings coach Brad Childress was asked if this will be the week his so-far stagnant offense would start to click.
"God willing," Childress said. "Yeah, that'd be a tremendous plan."
The problem is very little has gone according to plan for a franchise that made a run to the NFC Championship Game last season and had high hopes entering this year. The Vikings should be preparing for one of the NFL's marquee games on Sunday when they play host to Dallas. Instead, the Vikings and Cowboys (1-3) have been among the league's biggest disappointments.
As players enjoyed a day off Tuesday, Childress and his staff looked to answer the question of why the Vikings offense struggled so badly in the first half of a 29-20 loss at the New Meadowlands on Monday before rallying with 20 points in the final 30 minutes. The Vikings finished with 336 yards, but only 51 of those came in the opening half.
"I'm embarrassed we lost this football game," quarterback Brett Favre said late Monday. "We didn't do very much the first half. Forty or 50 yards, that's embarrassing. We still had a chance to win the football game with 40 or 50 yards. They are a good defense, but I think we're a pretty good offense."
Actually, given the star power present on the Vikings offense, it should be better than pretty good. Favre is a future Hall of Famer. Adrian Peterson is one of the NFL's most dangerous running backs. Percy Harvin is a dynamic young wide receiver, and recent addition Randy Moss remains one of the league's top deep threats.
But one season after finishing second to New Orleans in the NFL in points (470), the Vikings are second to last in the league with 63, leading only Carolina (52 points). They are tied for 22nd in red-zone offense with three touchdowns in eight possessions -- the possession total is tied with Miami for last in the league -- and 18th in total offense, including 21st in passing yards per game.
This is attributable to a multitude of factors. Favre has been battling tendinitis in his throwing elbow that clearly has had an impact on his accuracy on some throws. Favre did not take part in training camp, and Harvin also missed much of that time because of migraine headaches, meaning key players had no opportunity to get on the same page. (Just because it worked last year doesn't mean it will work again.)
Moss did not arrive until last week and had only three practices before catching four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Jets.
"I think the addition of Randy Moss is a pretty good addition," said Favre, who had three turnovers that led to 13 points for the Jets. "In just a week's time, he's helped Percy. There's some bright spots, there's a lot of football left and with all the mistakes we made tonight or missed opportunities, we still had a chance to win the game. That's encouraging, that's what we have to build off of."
The lack of offensive continuity to date has meant Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell have had to adjust on the fly as they attempt to give the unit an identity. Not surprisingly, there are players who have strong opinions on what that identity should be.
Harvin, in his second season, is one of those guys. He referred questions to the coaches Monday when asked what changed from the first half to the second against the Jets.
"We kind of opened it up a little bit more," said Harvin, who caught one pass for 19 yards in the first two quarters but then had four receptions for 78 yards with two touchdowns in the final 30 minutes. "The first half we kind of played, I guess, right into their hands. We knew their (defensive backs) couldn't lock us up one-on-one. We knew that coming into the game. You see that in the second half."
Asked if the Vikings should have opened it up in the first half, Harvin said: "That's what the receivers believe. I don't think there is any team that has enough DBs to match us up one-on-one. As you saw in the second half when we opened it up, we moved the ball very easily."
While utilizing a passing attack that has such receivers as Harvin, Moss and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is attractive, the Vikings also want to keep Peterson heavily involved. The Pro Bowl running back knows this isn't an easy situation but remains upbeat. "It's tough when you know you've got all the talent in the world but you're struggling to get a 'W,' " he said. "It's tough, but you can't get down about it. You've got to continue to learn and correct the things and keep pushing."
Posted at 10:45 AM on Wed., Oct. 13, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
By Judd Zulgad
Star Tribune (Minneapolis -- MCT)
A day after his team dropped to 1-3 with a loss to the New York Jets, Vikings coach Brad Childress was asked if this will be the week his so-far stagnant offense would start to click.
"God willing," Childress said. "Yeah, that'd be a tremendous plan."
The problem is very little has gone according to plan for a franchise that made a run to the NFC Championship Game last season and had high hopes entering this year. The Vikings should be preparing for one of the NFL's marquee games on Sunday when they play host to Dallas. Instead, the Vikings and Cowboys (1-3) have been among the league's biggest disappointments.
As players enjoyed a day off Tuesday, Childress and his staff looked to answer the question of why the Vikings offense struggled so badly in the first half of a 29-20 loss at the New Meadowlands on Monday before rallying with 20 points in the final 30 minutes. The Vikings finished with 336 yards, but only 51 of those came in the opening half.
"I'm embarrassed we lost this football game," quarterback Brett Favre said late Monday. "We didn't do very much the first half. Forty or 50 yards, that's embarrassing. We still had a chance to win the football game with 40 or 50 yards. They are a good defense, but I think we're a pretty good offense."
Actually, given the star power present on the Vikings offense, it should be better than pretty good. Favre is a future Hall of Famer. Adrian Peterson is one of the NFL's most dangerous running backs. Percy Harvin is a dynamic young wide receiver, and recent addition Randy Moss remains one of the league's top deep threats.
But one season after finishing second to New Orleans in the NFL in points (470), the Vikings are second to last in the league with 63, leading only Carolina (52 points). They are tied for 22nd in red-zone offense with three touchdowns in eight possessions -- the possession total is tied with Miami for last in the league -- and 18th in total offense, including 21st in passing yards per game.
This is attributable to a multitude of factors. Favre has been battling tendinitis in his throwing elbow that clearly has had an impact on his accuracy on some throws. Favre did not take part in training camp, and Harvin also missed much of that time because of migraine headaches, meaning key players had no opportunity to get on the same page. (Just because it worked last year doesn't mean it will work again.)
Moss did not arrive until last week and had only three practices before catching four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Jets.
"I think the addition of Randy Moss is a pretty good addition," said Favre, who had three turnovers that led to 13 points for the Jets. "In just a week's time, he's helped Percy. There's some bright spots, there's a lot of football left and with all the mistakes we made tonight or missed opportunities, we still had a chance to win the game. That's encouraging, that's what we have to build off of."
The lack of offensive continuity to date has meant Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell have had to adjust on the fly as they attempt to give the unit an identity. Not surprisingly, there are players who have strong opinions on what that identity should be.
Harvin, in his second season, is one of those guys. He referred questions to the coaches Monday when asked what changed from the first half to the second against the Jets.
"We kind of opened it up a little bit more," said Harvin, who caught one pass for 19 yards in the first two quarters but then had four receptions for 78 yards with two touchdowns in the final 30 minutes. "The first half we kind of played, I guess, right into their hands. We knew their (defensive backs) couldn't lock us up one-on-one. We knew that coming into the game. You see that in the second half."
Asked if the Vikings should have opened it up in the first half, Harvin said: "That's what the receivers believe. I don't think there is any team that has enough DBs to match us up one-on-one. As you saw in the second half when we opened it up, we moved the ball very easily."
While utilizing a passing attack that has such receivers as Harvin, Moss and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is attractive, the Vikings also want to keep Peterson heavily involved. The Pro Bowl running back knows this isn't an easy situation but remains upbeat. "It's tough when you know you've got all the talent in the world but you're struggling to get a 'W,' " he said. "It's tough, but you can't get down about it. You've got to continue to learn and correct the things and keep pushing."