What DIDN'T happen today...

Today is supposed to be, next to Christmas morning or a Charlie Sheen webcast, the greatest day of the year.....the first day of NFL free agency. Right about now, I should be hitting 'F5 on nfl.com to see who is coming to Winter Park, who is rumored to be coming to Winter Park, and who I WANT to come to Winter Park. I remember when message boards were still kind of a novelty, staying up past 3 AM the year the Vikings signed Antoine Winfield, and when (I think it was him) Kevin Seifert confirmed that Mike Tice got a buddy of his to send a jet to New York to fly Winfield to Minnesota, then and only then, did I allow my vigil to end.

But....no, there will be none of that today, because of the labor strife. Thanks for kicking us in the collective junk, NFLPA and owners.

But what I can do is provide a list of players at the biggest "need" position for the Vikings had free agency began today..... quarterbacks. And then I can determine which unrestricted free agent, if any, will send a thrill up my leg. Let's break it down......

Kyle Boller (Oakland): No. He was terrible in Baltimore, terrible in St. Louis, and I had no idea he was even signed by the Raiders.

Todd Bouman(Jacksonville): Can you see Bouman coming back here? I can't.

Marc Bulger (Baltimore): I think Bulger is the best of a mediocre lot, but he sees more shadows than the kid in The Sixth Sense. Bulger had some very good years in St. Louis, but with the Vikes' questions at the offensive line, I don't know that he would be anything better than the 2007 or 2008 versions. You know, the guy that got benched for Kyle Boller.

Kerry Collins (Tennessee): He was the conductor of 41-doughnut in 2001 NFC Championship Game. Screw him.

Kellen Clemens (NY Jets): I remember when the Jets made a draft day trade and moved just ahead of the Vikings and drafted Clemens in 2006. And I remember how a segment of the Vikings fan base was pretty upset about it. Yes, yes it WAS an over reaction.

Todd Collins (Chicago): Oh HELL no.

Brodie Croyle (Kansas City): I'd rather take my chances with Joe Webb.

Charlie Frye (Oakland): See Collins, Todd.

Rex Grossman (Washington): Ah, Rex the Wonder Dog. Just when I think he's done, he goes off for 300 yards and 4 TD's and I think, "you know, maybe". And then I remember how bad he was in Chicago, and I quickly come back to my senses.

Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle): If Hasselbeck's back could hold up, he's an intriguing option. He still has some talent, and could put up some big numbers with Rice, Percy, and Shiancoe, which are big upgrades to what he had to throw to in Seattle. But I think the first time he bent over center he'd throw his back out, and it would be a moot point.

Tarvaris Jackson (Minnesota): I think it's safe to say that if TJack comes back to Minnesota, the Libya protests will look like a backyard cook-out compared to the wailing and gnashing of teeth we will see in Vikingland.

Matt Leinart (Houston): I thought Leinart was going to have a good NFL career. Which, coincidentally, is reason # 6,407 you should never take anything I say or write seriously.

J.P. Losman (Seattle): No.

Luke McCown (Jacksonville): No.

J.T. O’Sullivan (Oakland): For the Love of God, no.

Chad Pennington (Miami): If signed, Pennington would become the first quarterback to make an NFL roster with only one arm following successful amputation surgery in the off-season. What's that? It was just his 312th shoulder surgery? Oops, my bad.

Patrick Ramsey (Minnesota): Quick...what was YOUR favorite Patrick Ramsey moment?

Chris Simms (Tennessee): Seriously? I'd rather sign his dad....

Alex Smith (San Francisco): Intriguing option, but with Mike Singletary on the Vikings coaching staff now, I don't see Smith interested in coming here. Part of me thinks Smith could be good, but part of me thinks he's marginally better than Tarvaris Jackson.

Jim Sorgi (NY Giants): Uhhhhhhhhhh, no.

Brian St. Pierre (Carolina): If you can't beat out Jimmy Clausen, I don't want you on my football team.

Billy Volek (San Diego): Probably my third pick behind Bulger and Hasselbeck. That's still not saying much, but hey, he's third!!

All said and done, I might be more interested in a trade for either Carson Palmer, Kevin Kolb, or Donovan McNabb...yes...in that order. However, I don't want us giving up too much for any of them. Specifically the 1st round pick. Might be the year the Vikes go QB with the 12th overall pick....Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert anyone?

2010-2011 NFHell Season...

I apologize for flat out skipping on blogging during this past season. With the birth of my first child and the added responsibilities at my job, I just never seem to get that peace and quiet I needed to let my feelings be heard. This past year started out incredibly. The Vikings came within a breath of a Super Bowl appearance and even though the season ended in heartbreak, it gave me something to look forward to (Or so I thought). Then two months later, the birth of my daughter. Wow, easily the best day of my life. The emotions you go through that day are just overwhelming. Wouldn't trade it for anything. And then, despite all the years of heartbreak as a sports fan, my Chicago Blackhawks rewarded my perseverance with a Stanley Cup. The rest of the summer was spent enjoying the company of my little girl, being grateful I didn't have to grow that ridiculous playoff beard anymore, and planning my first to trip to the Metrodome.

Then the 2010 NFL season began. I find it poetic that in a lost season of blogging, the Minnesota Vikings season really did turn out to be...well...lost.

I heard somewhere a few years ago that whenever you have a tough calender year, one way of ridding yourself the burden of the previous year is to "kill it with fire." Simply toss that year's calender into a fire was supposed to symbolize that we can forget about what's behind us. Give us energy to face what was on the horizon. What's done is done. Pick up the pieces and move on.

And so it is with the 2010 NFL season for me as a Vikings fan. What began with such promise ended with an indifferent loss to Detroit in the season finale. In between I was asked to face a variety of issues--The Hip That Wouldn't Heal, The Secret Flight of the Three to Make Four, The Prodigal Son Returning, Wishing said Prodigal Son Would Go Away, Chilly's Firing, The Vikings Becoming Homeless, 1-5 in the Division, and...well... I'm sure I'm missing something. Now that I've had time to decompress, I think most Viking fans should file for disability, because if you're not suffering from a Vikings induced PTSD, then by God, you're not really a fan of the Purple and Gold. And with the lockout and stadium fight looming, it's not over.

The phrase 'that which does not kill you makes you stronger' keeps rolling around in my head, but I don't know why.

But I am a Vikings fan. I keep my chin up and move forward into the fire.

But c'mon, Lord, could you let up on me just a little? Did you really have to put the Bears AND the Packers in the NFC Championship?

Really?

Really. The conference championship games are, for me, such a perfect storm of shitastic that I really think my football season has already ended. I've been beaten into submission. The AFC has the Steelers-Jets. Pretty sure my feelings towards the Steelers need no explanation whatsoever. They are the NUMBER ONE reason I considering moving out of state. That's right, not a career move, not for family purposes, because of the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's a hate nobody can ever understand. The Jets? Let's put it this way. If Rex Ryan was the Vikings coach, I would love him. LOVE him. But he's not. He's the Jets coach. Never really liked the Jets, can't really stand New York anything, so it's easy to hate them and their brash trash talk. Who am I pulling for then? Give me the Jets while I hold my nose.

Well, it's time. Time to talk about what I don't want to, but must.

That game. That. Game. With those teams.

God. Damn. It.

Packers v. Bears. Historical blah blah blah. Franchise quarterbacks blah blah...excuse me while I throw up and then roll around in it. Two great defenses blah blah blah.

Here's my best case scenario. The Bears beat the Packers in the NFC championship, and then the Jets blow out the Bears in the Super Bowl. And for any fans that will come on here posting about "you should cheer for the NFC North", I say no. If it was the Lions, yeah, I'd cheer for them. Their fan base is more tortured than a victim of the Spanish Inquisition, so I could get behind them. But not the Bears, and especially not the Packers. I hope they both lose Sunday, and I would rather the NFC North be perceived as the NFC West before I ever see those teams in the NFC Championship again.

Because understand this, and let me make this clear: I hate three of these teams. Well, I do. I respect them, and the accomplishments of the teams are to be acknowledged, but I will never cheer for them unless doing so would somehow benefit the Vikings. And I would hope, as fans of the Bears, Packers, and Steelers you can appreciate this sentiment, and would reciprocate. When you watch the games on Sunday, watch knowing that I am in NFHell, and you can rejoice in that. Because one day the Vikings will scale the mountaintop, and I promise you, I will rejoice knowing you are in your own NFHell.

It's not personal, it's football fandom.

My Dad asked me last night if I was going to watch the NFC Championship game on Sunday.

"Well", I said, "I can't cheer for that bitch or that baby, so I don't think so."

"Who's who, Son?" he asked.

"Rodgers is a bitch, and Cutler is a baby, but it's pretty much interchangeable at this point."

Good luck to both teams. I hope you both lose.

As for possible Super Bowl match-ups and my viewing plans? I can put it to you this way, if the Jets aren't in it, I'm not watching.....

Oh, one more thing. I'm off work today and on my way outside to burn some boxes that I have piled up in my basement. Will I burn my 2010 calender along with it? No, how can any year when your child was born be bad? I saw my favorite hockey team win the Stanley Cup in 2010. I made my first trip to the Metrodome this past year, and even though they lost that game, it was quite the experience. So no, I'm not burning...wait, I have a 2010 Vikings calender of events I was given at the home opener...hmmm....

Anyone got a match?

Vikings @ Saints - NFC Championship Game

What a game. And what a shame.

Sorry it took me so long to come up with anything about this game. The four hours of constant suspense I witnessed two Sunday's ago was a lot to take in. The Vikings had their chances. The Saints gave them plenty of room to steal the win. But it wasn't meant to be.

Another heartbreak. I've been through my share as a fan of this team, but this one stings. Really, really stings. Reminds me of that feeling just over a decade ago when a perfect field goal kicker missed a field goal.

Tough to know where to start. Adrian Peterson's fumbles, including a game-changing one deep in Saints territory. Brett Favre getting absolutely pummeled throughout the night, and capping off the game, the season, and perhaps his career with an interception. Poor kickoff coverage on special teams. The endless fumbles and turnovers that killed momentum. A complete lack of pressure on Drew Brees. A Saints team that threatened to take control but gave the Vikings an outstanding opportunity to win the game late in the fourth quarter. An inexplicable, inexcusable 12 men in the huddle penalty when the Vikings had just barely pushed into field goal range, arguably costing this team a Super Bowl bid. A mundane penalty that may have ruined it all.

It's a lot to process. With two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, I thought this was their year. I thought it was FINALLY the year. I began to get emotional because I thought they were going to Miami. But after the 12-man penalty pushed the Vikings back to their 38 yardline, Favre tossed a pick. The Saints took over possession and, in the process, took the game to overtime. They won the toss (guess the Vikings didn't hear everyone in Barry Dyngle's scream that "tails never fails"), and after several key plays, including a questionable spot on 4th down, a questionable pass interference penalty, and a bobbled reception that was reviewed, a field goal gave the Saints a win.

And then at 10:18 pm EST it was over. An exhausting, exhilarating year had ended in an instant.

It certainly could be argued that the Vikings were the better of these two teams. As it turns out the Vikings had the biggest total yardage advantage by a team to LOSE a postseason game. But make no mistake about it, they weren't the most deserving team. With a complete inability to take care of the football at key moments, the Vikings weren't the deserving club.

Despite the interception that ended the season, it was an absolute pleasure to watch Brett Favre this season. Despite the fumbles, it's always enjoyable to watch Adrian Peterson do his thing. Despite allowing the Saints to push into field goal range in overtime, this defense deserves credit for keeping the Beloved Purple in the game.

It was a thrilling game, one of the most thrilling ones I've ever seen. It was also one of the most devastating. No, the Vikings didn't do enough to say they deserved to win. But take away a few mistakes, and they're Miami-bound.

None of that matters, though. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. If there is one thing I learned over the years of being a sports fan is that all that stuff is irrelevant. What I'm left with though is unquestionably one of the most crushing Vikings losses of all time. And I've been through plenty of those.

As for the Saints-Colts matchup in Super Bowl 44??? Gee...let me know who wins...

Cowboys @ Vikings - NFC Divisional Playoff

The Hottest Team In The NFL?
The Team You Don't Want To Play Right Now?

After last Sunday's game, it's hard to believe that the NFL experts were using those labels to describe the Cowboys, and not the Vikings. However three hours after kickoff, there was no doubt about which was the better of these two teams.

Credit a dominant performance by Ray Edwards, who played the game of his life. Take that a step further, and credit a defensive line that suffocated Tony Romo and left him with little time and little space to throw the ball. Credit a great performance by Brett Favre, who displayed the value of having a poised veteran quarterback under center in the playoffs. Credit Sidney Rice, who caught a pair of touchdowns in the first half and another touchdown in the second half and prompted me to ask Tonya if we can consider naming our 2nd daughter after him. Credit Chris Kluwe, who did an excellent job of helping the Vikings win the field position battle.

After humiliating the long line of analysts who spent the week breathlessly praising the Cowboys and hardly mentioning the other team slated to take the field, the Vikings are heading to New Orleans for a shot at the Super Bowl. Not quite a perfect performance, but it was really dang good and we have reason to be confident heading into this Sunday's game. After all the hype surrounding other NFC teams, it's down to the Vikings and Saints.

And indeed, Edwards tops the list of guys to credit for this win. Constantly harassing Romo, Edwards finished the game with five tackles, a trio of sacks, and even more hits on the quarterback. He wasn't the only difference-maker up front.

Jared Allen roped Romo for a sack, as did Jimmy Kennedy and Chad Greenway. Romo did have open receivers out there. And when the Cowboys ran the ball, they were largely successful. But when Romo dropped back to pass, the Vikings were all over him and made his life miserable.

On the offensive side, Adrian Peterson turned in another nondescript game, but Brett Favre made up for that. The opening drive was rough, and Dallas quickly jumped out to huge advantages in time of possession and total yardage. But Favre responded on the next drive, targeting Sidney Rice for a 47-yard touchdown.

The Vikings took the lead with that score, and they extended their lead after a much more methodical drive early in the second quarter. The drive lasted 10 plays, 80 yards and nearly five minutes. Brett capped it off with another touchdown toss to Rice, and after a Ryan Longwell field goal, the Vikings took a 17-3 lead into the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, a flurry of scoring in the fourth quarter sealed the deal. A bit of controversy over the fact that the Vikings offense kept the pace up after the game had been decided, but I have no sympathy for any member of the Cowboys who didn't like it. Should have played better. Should have stopped Brett.

Clearly, the Vikings owe a great deal to all people around the league and media who doubted them. They quite arguably entered this game as the underdogs, and they came out as a team with something to prove. Particularly the guys up front on the defensive side. By the conclusion of the afternoon, a statement was made.

Once again, that's not to say the Vikings played a perfect game. They were flagged far too often for my liking, partly due to uneven officiating from Walt Anderson's crew. Adrian Peterson was held to under three yards per carry. On the occasions that Romo had time, he had plenty of options. And when the Cowboys kept the ball on the ground, Felix Jones proved tough to stop (though for some reason, he was rarely given the ball).

But aside from those ever-so-slight negatives coming out of this game, the Vikings played about as well as we could have hoped. Need to keep up the pressure on the quarterback, need to continue feeding Sidney Rice, and need to avoid playing from behind. All three of those factors were instrumental to this victory, and all three must continue into next week to land a spot in the Super Bowl. It's a tough task, but a doable one.

The Mission to Miami shall continue.

Giants @ Vikings - Week 17

Holy cow. That was a massacre. Absolute domination.

Of course, it helped that the Vikings couldn't possibly have faced a more disinterested New York Giants team. I've seen more spirited efforts from teams playing their fourth game of the preseason. As the final score indicates, the Vikings took full advantage of an opponent that quit on this game and this season long before the opening kickoff.

The Vikes did their part, and the Dallas Cowboys did their part by beating down the Philadelphia Eagles, so the Beloved Purple were able to capture a first round bye.

As for the game, the Vikings switched course from last Monday by establishing the pass before seeking to pound the ball on the ground. And their pass-first offense was extremely effective: At the half, Brett Favre had 271 passing yards and a trio of touchdowns (one to Visanthe Shiancoe, two others to Sidney Rice), and he finished the game with a few more yards and another touchdown (to Tahi). Percy Harvin got numerous touches through the air, which was a welcome change from previous weeks.

Favre was never sacked and had plenty of time to throw the ball, as the offensive line had their way with the Giants defense. It was truly a dominant performance up front. The Giants had no interest in covering Rice or Shiancoe, and both finished the season with big games.

The game was done long before halftime, but that didn't stop Chilly from keeping his offensive starters in the game for two additional drives when the second half got underway. An interesting decision on his part, and as a result, the first teamers put up some second half points before the day was done. Extending the lead to 41-0 after a touchdown and field goal to start the third quarter? I'd call that a good day.

On the defensive side, the Vikings allowed just four New York first downs in the first half, along with 16 rushing yards and 66 passing yards. Eli Manning made a play or two, but he was surrounded by a lackadaisical team and didn't have any help out there. The defense highlighted the afternoon with a couple turnovers. The first being a Chad Greenway interception (he then fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Ben Leber), and the second being a forced fumble by Jared Allen (who also recovered it). Not a challenging afternoon for this defensive unit.

The only negative I can muster up? Darius Reynaud fumbled a couple of punts, a factor that was irrelevant in the long run today (the Vikings recovered the ball both times), but this still can't happen in the playoffs.

But seriously, that's all I can come up with. Take a near-perfect performance by the Vikings, throw in Giants players who were already getting their golf clubs out of storage, and this game was a laugher. Never in doubt for 90% of the afternoon. For a Vikings team that was struggling, this is the absolute right way to enter the playoffs.

So bring on the Cowgirls....

Vikings @ Bears - Week 16

At first, it was a "red alert, everyone abandon ship" kind of night. The Vikings had recently turned in two clunkers against Arizona and Carolina, but make no mistake about it, this time it appeared they were heading for their worst game yet. The Vikings were shut out in the first half, as Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson's protection was nonexistent and any attempts to establish the run were laughable. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler was playing excellent football.

But then something happened.

After a horrendous showing in the first two quarters that left the Vikings behind 16-0, the offense suddenly opened up. Brett was running the show. He had more options than ever before. Adrian was running the football like a man with something to prove. A team that appeared dead was taking the game to overtime.

Unfortunately, while the Favre-led charge was enough to tie the game, it wasn't quite enough to steal the win. And when handing out the blame, I'm going to put the special teams at the top of the list. An Adrian Peterson touchdown knotted the game at 23-23, but on the ensuing kickoff, Daniel Manning returned it 59 yards and set up a Cutler touchdown toss two plays later. And that brings up another key problem: The pass defense.

For much of the game, Cutler had his way with the Vikings defense. On one hand, the pass rush didn't get much traction until later in the game, and Jared Allen might as well have been on the inactive list. The issues in the secondary though are starting to piss me off. The tackling was once again awful, particularly in the first half. Then there's the game winning touchdown pass in overtime in which Antoine Winfield got absolutely torched. O-H.....OH NO!!

Aside from the defensive mishaps and shoddy kickoff coverage, quite a bit of attention will clearly center on Adrian's fumble in overtime. There were bigger reasons that the Vikings lost this game, but that fumble put the Bears in position to win the game.

The Vikings have now choked away homefield advantage and are no longer in control of their own destiny for even a bye week (which we desperately need to have any chance). We need a win against the G-Men and a Cowboys win over the Eagles to secure a first round bye. Quite a fall for this team, but the second half of this game shows that there are still reasons for optimism.

When Brett Favre is given options, when he is given control, and when he can spread things out, this offense remains dangerous. When they can generate a pass rush and can actually TACKLE...the defense remains a serviceable unit.

This is hardly the ideal way to be entering the playoffs, as the Vikings have clearly been on the decline throughout the past four weeks. Here's hoping their comeback on a cold night in Chicago, although ultimately unsuccessful, provides some momentum and some important lessons.

Vikings @ Panthers - Week 15

There's something about Sunday nights.....

Once again, the Vikings laid an egg in primetime. I don't get it. The two worst games of the season for the Vikings have come on Sunday nights, and it's not even close. Two weeks ago in Arizona, they had a thoroughly disastrous game that involved an absolute thrashing by Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, a bumbling missed-tackle fest on defense, and a complete inability to utilize this team's many offensive weapons. This past Sunday was largely the same story, but the caliber of the opponent was just much worse.

A single poor game in Arizona is unfortunate, but it probably isn't worth getting too worried about. However, when the same issues emerge against a team not nearly as tough as the Cardinals, you have to start wondering.

The offensive line? It got shredded by Julius Peppers. Favre's performance? Well..Jim Kleinsasser was the team's leading receiver in the first half..what's that tell ya? And for the record....if you are looking to this blog to see my thoughts on the whole Favre-Childress saga...look somewhere else. Adrian Peterson? When he actually had the ball, which wasn't terribly often, there was no room to run. The defensive performance? It had a tough time handling Matt Moore, a scrub who made high percentage throws and was sacked just twice. The tackling was ugly and the pass rush belonged on the side of a milk carton.

Despite my gripes about the defense, the offensive performance was horrendous. The #1 thing you can do to get beat by a mediocre team is allowing them to hang around early in the game. That's just what the Vikings did in this game. Check out the first four offensive drives of the game:

5 plays, 8 yards
3 plays, 0 yards
4 plays, 4 yards
3 plays, 8 yards

Embarrassing. The first half stats: 66 total yards, 1/5 on third down, Matt Moore passes for double the yards that Favre did. Yet, still 7-6 Vikes at the half.

Here is the second half for you:

3 plays, 5 yards
4 plays, 23 yards
3 plays, 4 yards
3 plays, - 3 yards
5 plays, 16 yards
4 plays, 15 yards

When you perform incompetently in the first half and come out and perform just as incompetently in the second half, you're an offense that stopped caring. You're an offense that faced adversity and flopped.

Some called this a trap game, and some said the Vikings got complacent after clinching the NFC North title earlier in the day. I'll call it this: GETTING CRUSHED. I'm not gonna make excuses for this team, because they don't deserve it. What's most disappointing of all is that they seemed to be on the right track just one week ago. After having quite a few problems exposed by the Cardinals, they responded in a big way against the Bengals.

Ultimately, don't call it a fluke when it happens twice in three weeks. The Beloved Purple are slipping at a time when they need to be building momentum, and suddenly, a first round bye is hardly a sure thing. However, I'm not so concerned with the bye or homefield advantage as I was Sunday morning after the Saints had lost. I'm just worried about this team even winning a playoff game..