The Official Vikings Offseason Thread!

[Sandmannd]

Nice, can't MN teams get contracts right ever??

[Scott K]

Quote:

The NFL has approved the Vikings' contract with rookie Percy Harvin.

The NFL Management Council had disapproved of Harvin's five-year deal, but the issue was quickly resolved. Harvin is back at practice Wednesday morning.

Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

[Scott K]

Quote:

According to coach Brad Childress, the "sky's the limit" in terms of finding different ways to get the ball in Pervy Harvin's hands.

"We're going to throw a ton at him," Childress said. "We're trying to really immerse him." Childress compared Harvin's potential role to that of a young Brian Westbrook. "From the I-back, to the split-back, to the single-back, to the wing, to the mid-spot, to all the way out and everywhere in between, I think we can do some of those things with Percy," said Childress. Harvin is going to test Chilly's reputation as a play-caller lacking in creativity.

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

[crothmeier]

Did anybody ever think that they can't open up the playbook because Tjack isn't capable of handling any more than what they've already put in.

When ahve they tried to open it up? ? ? He should be coached and developed to do this. thats what coaching is, find you players talent level, and work with it, handing the ball off and running short pattern pass plays is limiting your player. theres two parts to that equation. have a coach that doesnt challenge and develop a player they are goign to plateua at a lower level than their are capable of. not saying its not t-jacks fault, im faulting both of them, t-jack just takes the brunt of it.

If they would come out on a first and 10 and take a look downfield instead of run, run, run, run, run, every first down things might happen.

An example. first offensive play EVERY game. run. EVERY game. that playcalling is setting us up to fail. get creative. There needs to be a balance there and there isnt, and that my friends comes from the coach long before t-jack has an oppurtunity to suck it up

[Rick]

Originally Posted By: koonie

Did anybody ever think that they can't open up the playbook because Tjack isn't capable of handling any more than what they've already put in.

Winner winner chicken dinner!!

.

Originally Posted By: zepman

The playbook is and has been open. It's T-Jacks slow progression reads that make our offense look, well, offensive!! It's the checkdown or safety-valve once options 1-3 are covered. Brad Johnson simply couldn't make the throws anymore and he knew it...that's why he checked down so much. T-Jack simply can't or won't go beyond his #1 option and then checks down or scrambles.

Since when does a QB check down or make run-reads when it's a running play or check down when it's a screen.

Our offense early on with T-Jack, even in the Indy game was run-run-run and pass only when it was apparent we had to pass, even then we still ran

On the few passing plays that were called sure he checked down some and he made some good downfield plays as well. Maybe he should have gambled more...that's coaching guys. Unfortunately the pass plays were far and few between.

[FISHINGURU]

i personally don't think we run enough...there's abundant amount of times during games where i'm like why didn't we just run the ball? i thought we tried switching it up to much sometimes just because people wanted us to when we really could of just smashed the ball down thier throat.

its a pass happy league and we aren't built to be pass happy...i like the way we are built with a mean running attack and one of the best defenses in the league if not the best.

the real numbers are we ran 519 times and passed 452 times.....surprisingly we passed for 150 first downs and rushed for only 119 first downs.

i can't stand when we get down to the goaline and do some stupid plays...i say when we get down there hand the ball off 4 times in a row and make them eat it....no one is gonna stop peterson or chester for that matter 3 or 4 times in a row...instead we do some moron play and get sacked...then we are forced to call another pass when we could of just punched it in to begin with.

same thing with getting knocked out of field goal range....the qb has to know not to eat a sack and knock you out of an easy 3...all a coach can really do is make a call and his qb has to execute...the qb has all the options on where the ball is gonna go....not like our playbook is just 10 plays for 3 to 5 yards...its just thats where our qb's throw it because they need to grow a pair....if berrian is covered but is 1 on 1 on the outside, boo hoo just throw the bomb now n again if it gets picked off its just like a punt...but half the time he'd catch it.

percy is gonna open things up big time....if he stays healthy i think he's gonna be the steal of the draft...he's gonna be a gamebreaker and a guy that can strike quick and turn the tables.

our defense is easily good enough to win a superbowl if we can just get some offensive spark i think we will play tough...forsure

[zepman]

Most of that game (Indy) the Vikes were playing with a lead. Vikes also threw very few screens all of last year as compared to years past. The checkdowns passes are all his own doing...it's what makes commentators like Steve Young and Aikman hold their breath and count to three before deciding how to properly say he sucks on national t.v.

I'm not a T-Jack hater, or a bandwagon fan...if he's our starter, I'll be rooting for him all the way...I just hope this isn't the case.

Speaking of the Indy game, had Shiancoe held on to that ball in the end-zone we would all be talking about a totally different scenario here. Vikes would have won that game and T-Jack wouldn't have been pulled in favor of Ferotte. Who knows what would have happened then.....??

[FISHINGURU]

we probably would of had a top 10 draft pick lol

[PierBridge]

Lot's of shoulda woulda coulda's in an NFL season.

9 Touchdowns 2 interceptions and a 1,000 passing yards...95.4 QB rating..... Worst ever? I think not!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/statistics?stat=pass&season=2&year=2008

But since you guys are so open minded about things we'll just concede it for arguments sake..

[Sandmannd]

I don't think we can just run all the time. I would like to see more running as well, but when defenses have no respect for our passing game, it makes it hard to run well when they just stack the box.

[Rick]

Bunch of great football minds...Kudos to you.

It's hard not to stack for the run when an NFL team runs the highest percentage of the time. I like the run heavy offense but the Vikes are so easily predictable and it is a pass oriented league for a good reason, of course teams are going to sit 8 in the box on us on any down except the ones we have to pass on. Because we are going to run it, not pass it unless we have to. No QB will look good in that situation.

Run more for high school teams......

[zepman]

Rick, that's what the beauty of having Favre would have been. No way could they put 8 in the box (all game long)with him flinging the ball. No way. Our offense would have resembled the '98 season, IMO, with no way to stop both AP and Favre.

[Sandmannd]

I don't know if it would have resembled the 98 year, no Carter, Reed or Moss who were all big parts of that.

[Rick]

Rick, that's what the beauty of having Favre would have been. No way could they put 8 in the box (all game long)with him flinging the ball. No way. Our offense would have resembled the '98 season, IMO, with no way to stop both AP and Favre.

You got that right Z. Favre would make the Vikes an instant passing threat on reputation alone.

The Vikes need to establish a legitimate passing threat and they can't do that until they pass more, whomever the QB is. Once the threat is well established then we will be able to run....run...run.

[Scott K]

I agree 100% Rick. We need to throw more, to make our running game better. Once we accomplish that, AP will reach 2000 yds this season.

[Sandmannd]

I agree too. But throwing at ankles isn't going to open up the run.

[Scott K]

LOL...

[Jim Uran]

....and NO downfield accuracy makes for a pretty bad passing attack.

[Rick]

I agree too. But throwing at ankles isn't going to open up the run.

Originally Posted By: leechbait

....and NO downfield accuracy makes for a pretty bad passing attack.

Don't worry, they won't make either of you their QB.

It will be T-Jack, Sage or Booty as our QB.

[Jim Uran]

I don't care who it is I'll still be cheering them on, yelling at them, or whatever. I think someone is a bit sour because their team went 0-16 last year

[Rick]

I don't care who it is I'll still be cheering them on, yelling at them, or whatever. I think someone is a bit sour because their team went 0-16 last year

Your fantasy team went 0-16? Or are you talking about Sandmannd's and LMITOUT's Team - THE Motor City Kitty's -LIONS?

[LMITOUT]

[goblueM]

Hey, the leos will be much improved this year. At least we're all optimistic, drinkin the koolaid and eating the cornbread, instead of all these pessimistic vikings fans

[Sandmannd]

All they have to do is win one game and it's an improvement.

[LMITOUT]

And they have a good chance at that "one game" as I believe they play the Vikings early in the season.