The Official Minnesota Vikings 2013 Thread!!

[Scott K]

Not really any news, but

Quote:

Although Christian Ponder (ribs) has been cleared to play, Matt Cassel is expected to start Sunday's Week 6 game against the Panthers.

The Vikings can't sit Cassel down after he went 16-of-25 (64.0 percent) for 248 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a win over the Steelers before the bye. He'll get some rope until he struggles and/or loses a game, at which point newly acquired Josh Freeman is expected to get his chance. It's very possible that Ponder, the No. 12 overall pick in 2011, has played his last down this season.

[Scott K]

I would be surprised if Cassel isnt the starter for the next couple weeks.

Quote:

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Matt Cassel took "most, if not all" of the Vikings' first-team reps on Thursday.

It's just another sign Cassel is getting the call on Sunday. Coach Leslie Frazier is holding off on an official announcement, but Christian Ponder has hinted he's been told he's the backup. Josh Freeman isn't a candidate to start as he catches up on the Vikings' playbook.

[LABS4ME]

Word is Ponder has not confirmed the decision as it has not been officially announced, but that he has told reporters he is very disappointed with the decision... Soooooo.... not much to read into that.

Good Luck!

Ken

[LABS4ME]

Stop the presses... Frazier just had a news conference to say who will be starting....

It's......

Not 'HIS' starter! It's Cassel. OMG, it's not Ponder. Holy Cow. Can you believe it? What a shocking development. Christian Ponder is healthy and not starting... HMMMMM! what's next? Jerome Simpson will NOT be the feature reciever? Thought I'd be the first to break this startling news release...

Good Luck!

Ken

[CaptainMusky]

Actually, Simpson is having a pretty decent season thus far. I do wish Patterson could get the ball more, but Simpson is playing well enough to earn the spot over him at this point.

[LABS4ME]

Satire

[CaptainMusky]

Yeah, I get that, but you were comparing Ponder to being "His" starter who has obviously had an unproductive season to Simpson not being "Featured" receiver when in fact he has been playing well.

Now if they both had been playing poorly, I think your satirical point would have made complete sense, but not in this case. IMO

[luckycrank]

Whos going to be the first person to blame cassel for losing this one ? Its quite obvious it aint a QB issue .

[CaptainMusky]

That's what I have been saying all along. Next will be freeman and the same result. There are too many glaring holes on this team and qb is just one cog.

[luckycrank]

Start with Frazier , muskgraves amd keep going !

[LABS4ME]

They should take Christan Cassel out and give Ponder a chance!

Good Luck!

Ken

[Bryce]

Remember when Ponder was the issue?

[schmitty3]

That was worse than when Chilli was still coaching.

[Scott K]

Well scoring 3 points, with a garbage td, the QB can take some blame there, along with the turnovers.

A couple things I have noticed with Cassel in the game, the OL seems to hold up much better then with Ponder, and for some reason, the receivers seem to catch a few more balls. Sure Cassel has his same turnover issues, but we all new that wasnt going to change. I have to say Cassel is an improvement over Ponder, and the offense does seem to click a little better with him behind center. Maybe with Freeman in they will mesh a little more.

Now giving up 35 points per game by the defense isnt going to give any QB many chances either.

[schmitty3]

To be honest I don't think we score much more than 10 points with Peyton Manning at qb. Musgraves play calling is absolutely pathetic. At one point Greg Jennings had 4 catches for 6 yards. It's always funny when Billick makes fun of his play card, cause it resembles his play calling to a T. How can you continue to keep throwing these passes that don't even make it past the line of scrimmage.

With that said the Defense is a mess too. Secondary is a joke, D-line is doing absolutely nothing, and the linebackers just aren't good.

[harvey lee]

One of the poorest games I have watched for some time. Panthers are not that good yet they crushed the Vikes.

I will not blame this on any one QB as the best one in football could not bring this team to a victory.

As far as the coaching, they are not much better.

Freeman will not change a thing in regards to wins, one man cannot change this mess.

Cancel the cost of the new stadium and send them packing if this is all the Wilf's can put together for a team.

[JAfish]

Time for a fire sale! Start over at the top. Head Coach. Does not pay to have Cassel on the team at @ 7 million to throw crappy passes like that. He had more time in the pocket than Ponder has had.

[Scott K]

Time for a fire sale! Start over at the top. Head Coach. Does not pay to have Cassel on the team at @ 7 million to throw crappy passes like that. He had more time in the pocket than Ponder has had.

His contract is for 2 years, 7.4, but he got a 2 million dollar bonus right away, and he is only making 1.6 this year. We could cut him, but we have to pay him anyhow.

[LMITOUT]

Remember when Ponder was the issue?

The problems run deeper than just one issue.

One of the problems was addressed when Ponder was benched and fresh meat was brought in.

The next item that needs to be handled is the coaching staff, starting at the top.

[LMITOUT]

Cam Newton had career high 143.4 passer rating & career-high tying 3 TD passes today in Panthers win.

Wow. Considering how hot Newton has been at times in his career this is shocking.

[Peter]

Vikings, can I get my money back for the tickets today? Seriously, that was terribe.

[schmitty3]

Watching some of these highlights from today's games, and couldn't help but realize how creative some of these offensive plays are. Anyone catch Manning's td pass to Welker today? It was a designed fake to the outside receiver and set up Welker perfect for an easy td. The plays the Vikings have are so vanilla it's no wonder they can't go anywhere. Part of their defensive struggles have to go on the offense as well since they can't stay on the field for more than 6 plays. Heck the Panthers ran a flee flicker today, you think the Vikes would ever think about doing something like that? Nope, they don't even have the creativity to run a screen pass.

[fishersofmen]

What this coaching staff brings to the table is glaringly obvious. Muskgrave has no business being an offensive coordinator in this league. Defense is embarrassing. I thought this article by Allen Moody summed things up pretty well.

Somewhere deep inside, Christian Ponder had to be smiling a little bit after watching the Minnesota Vikings get pummeled 35-10 at the hands of Carolina on Sunday at Mall of America Field.

The longtime whipping boy for the Minnesota Vikings, Ponder saw from the sidelines what he already knew: The team's biggest problem isn't at quarterback.

The Vikings' most glaring weaknesses are poor offensive-line play, a defense that appears to be intent on proving it's the worst in the league, and a coaching staff that is hopelessly outclassed on a weekly basis. To be manhandled by a 1-3 Carolina team at home after a bye week is an embarrassment to the organization.

Still, quarterbacking is a problem. It may not be the team's biggest area of concern, but it is still a problem and it was evident Sunday. With Matt Cassel playing a below-average game, the Vikings were doomed early on and it was no surprise that they were out of the game just more than a minute into the second half.

Now sitting at 1-4 after playing the softer portion of their schedule, the Vikings need some sort of boost and that should come in the form of Josh Freeman getting the start against the New York Giants next week in one of the most dismal Monday night games in recent memory.

The Vikings have nothing to lose by handing the reins to Freeman for the balance of the season to see where he can lead them. They are not going to make the postseason, but Minnesota will know if Freeman is the one to lead the team in 2014 and beyond by giving him an extended trial run.

If Freeman proves to be nothing special, the Vikings can simply target a quarterback through the draft. If Freeman doesn't post amazing numbers, that draft choice is likely to be pretty high as the defense will continue to give up its share of points. That means a Marcus Mariota or Tajh Boyd will likely be available when it's time for the Vikings to select.

If Freeman plays the way he is capable of -- which will be no easy feat in a Bill Musgrave offense -- the Vikings will have the option to look for help on the defensive side of the ball and nab a cornerback like Ohio State's Bradley Roby or Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. The Vikings need plenty of help defensively, so they can also target a linebacker or defensive lineman. Anybody Minnesota selects is likely to be an upgrade over who is playing now.

Freeman is still young enough that a team could build around him and his skills. If a change of scenery is all that he needs, the Vikings have a quarterback for the next five years. What they could really use is a defense and a coaching staff to go along with him.

Allen Moody is an author and sports bettor living in Nevada. A newspaper sports reporter for 12 years, he has been a fan of the Minnesota Vikings since the 1970s.

[greebs]

Ya I think this was a good game to show those who thought this team was just a good qb away from being right there with the better teams. Lots of holes with this team and unfortunately not too many of them being created by OL or being closed by entire D. Qb of course didn't help but by far not the only problem.

I have a sneaky suspicion that this coaching staff will be held a bit more accountable than the local baseball team come year end (even tho Frazier ain't out there on the field throwing, catching, tackling etc. ). A playoff appearance last year won't be grounds for a lifetime contract here.

[fishersofmen]

I think Frazier should be let go tomorrow no joke. This team has taken on the head coach's personality. Laid back and aw shucks we didn't come in prepared today. At this point things are only going to get worse and like that article sais which I believe is true, what are the odds of Freeman being able to play his best under this misguided staff? We have zero chance with this crew running the show. Anyone have some ideas on his replacement......