Is There a Silver Lining to the Brett Favre/Brad Childress Dispute?

Am I the only one hoping that what has been reported between Brett Favre and Coach Brad Childress, aka Chili, is true?

No, I’m not a closet Green Bay Packer fan hoping the Vikings implode. Nor am I a junkie TMZ fan that craves seeing the rich and famous air their dirty laundry for all to see.

I hope that the whole dispute between Favre and Chili has more than a couple of kernels of truth because when it is all over, the Minnesota Vikings may become a stronger team, both this season and into the future.

While this period of growth and turmoil may be painful in the short term, it may portend longterm success for the men in purple.  

The Vikings got off to a fast start this season and were standing at 11-2 before the start of last week’s game. They were only one game behind the New Orleans Saints for the top seed in the NFC.   

Holding a slim 7-6 lead in the third quarter against Carolina, the inexplicable happened.  Childress told Favre (or was he simply thinking out loud) that he wanted to take him out of the game. The (heated) discussion took place on the sideline for all to see.

Favre told reporters after the game that he wasn’t sure as to why Chili wanted to take him out of the game[1]. Favre suggested that while Chili could have been pulling him to protect him, he also could be pulling him to spark the offense[2]. 

Chili’s recollection of the conversation was that no decision about taking Brett out of the game was ever made[3]. Chili was merely thinking out loud.

Lines were quickly drawn after the game.

Favre was wrong—you never publicly call out your coach. Even if you are going to the Hall of Fame, you are not greater than the team. What a diva!

Chili was wrong—if the offensive line blocking is not working, make an offensive line adjustment. How could you even think of benching your best quarterback and possibly risk losing home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. What a blockhead!

Fortunately, we found out this is not the first time that Favre and Chili disagreed over strategy. Why is this fortunate?

If this was a single isolated incident, all the Favre diva commentary would have been justified.

Multiple sources, however, are reporting that Coach Childress and Favre have had several disputes in which Chili considered pulling Favre. The disputes have all concerned Favre changing plays at the line of scrimmage.

What is most interesting in looking at the situations in which Childress considered pulling Favre was that Childress was willing to pull him even when the audible resulted in a touchdown, or when games were still in doubt.

For example, on Nov. 1, the Vikings led the Packers 31-26. A victory by the Vikings would put Minnesota in the driver’s seat to win the Division Championship. 

Favre called an audible during a drive late in the game which resulted in a 19-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian[4]. Instead of celebrating, Childress directed offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to take Favre out of the game.

The Vikings were in control of the game, but the game was not over. Bevell, however, talked Childress out of taking Favre out of the game. 

When Favre went back into the game he proceeded to limit all subsequent plays to running the ball.

In Childress’ defense, he may have still been mad over an audible that Favre called late in the Oct. 5 game against the Packers in the fourth quarter. That Favre audible didn’t work and the Vikings were not able to run out the clock which allowed the Packers just enough time to score and try an on-side kick.

Favre reportedly heard through the grapevine that Chili wanted to bring Tavaris Jackson into the game as a result of his audible. Favre went into Chili’s office after the game to talk things over. 

A quarterback and a coach bickering over play calling in the NFL is nothing new. The coach may have called a play but the defense shifts in a way to suggest the play won’t be successful if executed.

Should the quarterback simply proceed with the play called or call an audible at the line of scrimmage?

Former Vikings quarterbacks Brad Johnson and Gus Frerotte were not surprised to hear that play calling was the source of the dispute between Favre and Chili.[5]

When Favre initially announced he was coming to the team, Frerotte was asked about Childress’ willingness to allow his quarterbacks to call audible. Frerotte was quoted as saying “it will be interesting to see if [Childress] lets him do that or [Childress] still wants to take control and lead everything[6]“.

Is Childress’ unwillingness to give his quarterbacks discretion at the line of scrimmage part of the reason why the Vikings quarterbacks have struggled the past three seasons?

Championship caliber teams in the NFL have one thing in common. They are comprised of talented, strong willed individuals with egos.

The teams that distinguish themselves from the pack to reach the pinnacle in the league are the teams that are able to put aside their ego for the common good.

In the short term, Vikings fans have to hope that Favre and Chili will put aside their differences and work as a team on developing game plans and figure out when to call an audible and what audible should be called.

Chili has the luxury of being able to give Favre more latitude. Childress has signed a lucrative multi-year contract extension on which he can comfortably retire anytime he so chooses.

In Favre, Childress has a veteran quarterback that is willing to work with him. Remember, Favre went into Childress’ office after the first Green Bay game to talk with him.

If successful, Childress and Favre may find themselves enjoying the fruits of their labor in Miami.

In the long term, Vikings fans have to hope that this “heated discussion” leads Childress towards developing a better working relationship with all of his quarterbacks going forward.

If successful, Childress may find his among the elite teams in the NFL for several years to come.

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Are the Minnesota Vikings Contenders or Pretenders?

The measure of a real champion is not how they respond to success but how they respond to failure.

This weekend’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals will reveal whether the Minnesota Vikings are pretenders or contenders.

Last week the Vikings suffered their first definitive loss. Yes, Minnesota lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the year, but the loss to Arizona was different. 

The loss to the Cardinals was a beatdown.

Minnesota couldn’t run the ball. Adrian Peterson had his worst game as a professional, gaining only 19 yards on 13 carries. Percy Harvin led the team with a measly 22 yards.

Brett Favre looked confused and made bad decisions in the face of pressure by the Cardinals. Favre was fortunate to have thrown only two interceptions.

Excluding their last possession in the first half and end of the game, Arizona moved the ball at will against the Vikings, scoring on six of its ten possessions. Kurt Warner showed no ill effects from his concussion, picking apart the secondary in throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns. 

Then, if things weren’t bad enough on the field, the injury occurred. Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson broke his leg ending his season and possibly his career.

The Arizona Cardinals simply beat the Vikings in all phases of the game.

How will the Vikings respond?

The Cincinnati Bengals are a very worthy opponent standing at 9-3 and are likely on their way to the AFC North crown after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ devastating 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Carson Palmer is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. Palmer has put up very respectable numbers again, and has an outside chance to throw for 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns before the season ends.

Cedric Benson has been reborn in Cincinnati, rushing for 969 yards in just 10 games.  Benson, who had missed a couple of weeks, is expected to play.

Not surprisingly, Chad Ochocinco said he intends to put his stamp on the game.  Ochocinco said once he scores he intends to steal the horn of Minnesota’s mascot, Ragnar, and blow the horn in celebration.

A loss by the Vikings gives the Green Bay Packers hope that they could possibly steal the NFC North crown from the Vikings. The Arizona Cardinals could even begin to dream about hosting a playoff game if Minnesota loses this week.

Is this the beginning of the end for the Purple? 

As a starting quarterback, the fewest number of interceptions that Brett Favre has ever thrown in a season is 13. Favre is currently sitting at five interceptions. Will the wheels come off with Favre as interceptions come fast and furious in the last four weeks?

Favre’s comments after the Arizona game suggested that he wasn’t in a panic about his performance and that he knew he personally had to make better decisions. 

Favre was quoted as saying, “I mad some decisions that I haven’t made up to this point and I’m disappointed about it.”

“There were times when they were rushing three and dropping eight,” he added. “The better decision would’ve been for me not to throw it in thee because you don’t want to give an offense like [Arizona’s] another advantage. But I made some decisions that I haven’t made in some time.”

Favre sounds like the wily veteran quarterback who understands the importance of not falling back into bad habits.

The Vikings’ defense has not had a statement game against a playoff bound team such that all hope of a comeback was extinguished. Can the defense rise to the occasion and squash any and all hope that Cincinnati has of winning the game at the start of the fourth quarter?

If Pat Williams’ comments about Cedric Benson and the Bengals give any indication of the confidence of the Vikings defense, it appears that the team has lost none of its swagger.

“I’ve played against great backs and great players, and he [Benson] ain’t one of them,” Williams said to the media on Thursday. 

The Bengals’ victory over the Detroit Lions didn’t impress Williams either.

“I ain’t scared of no man, trust me. This is not the Detroit Lions, a game they almost lost. So we ain’t worried about it.”

Williams added how he felt about the confidence of Vikings in playing the Bengals.

“That (expletive) ain’t going nowhere. Everybody loses games. We ain’t 2-10; we’re 10-2. We ain’t worried about the Bengals. Ain’t nobody losing no juice here.”

Williams sounds as if he is ready to take the Bengals offense behind the woodshed.

The Vikings have a chance this weekend to show the NFL that they are serious about winning the Super Bowl. 

A win against the Bengals on Sunday and the Vikings will likely be hosting a second round playoff game.  A loss to Cincinnati and questions will be raised asking whether Minnesota is on the verge of a collapse before crossing the regular season finish line.

Minnesota’s game this week against the Bengals following last week’s loss to the Cardinals will be a good measuring stick. The question is simple:

Are the Vikings contenders or pretenders?

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Big Ben, Do You Know about Iron Mike?

Ben Roethlisberger may be undertaking the biggest risk of his life by playing on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Big Ben suffered a concussion last Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Roethlisberger suffers another concussion this weekend he will be at enhanced risk for long-term brain damage.

I hope that those around him have adequately explained the long-term risks to his health. I hope that someone has told him about Steelers Legend Mike Webster. 

Not about how Webster earned four Super Bowl rings protecting Terry Bradshaw and leading the way for Franco Harris.

No. The story that needs to be told is what happened after Webster stopped playing.

Webster retired from football in March 1991 after playing 16 years and suffering multiple concussions, which had damaged Webster’s frontal lobe.

The remaining 11 years of his life after football were not pleasant.

Webster’s health deteriorated, leaving him unemployed, debt-ridden, and occasionally homeless. Webster even found himself on the wrong side of the law, accepting five years of probation after being charged with forging prescriptions for the drug Ritalin.

Webster died at age 50. At the time of his death he was suffering from brain damage and had been diagnosed with traumatic or punch-drunk encephalopathy.

Prior to his death, Webster sought to collect disability benefits from the NFL’s Retirement Plans. The dispute ended up before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals before Webster’s estate reached a reported multi-million dollar settlement. [1]

The NFL Retirement Plans were undoubtedly encouraged to reach settlement by the finding of credible evidence that Webster had suffered brain damage before he retired from the game.

The story that needs to be told about Webster is how the league reacted in response to his death.

After the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion was issued, the league faced criticism over how proactive the league was to ensure the safety of its players.

The Webster case was a significant factor of why Congress invited the NFL to Washington to discuss reducing concussions among its players. The visit to Congress has already prompted the NFL to act.

This week the Associated Press reported that commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to NFL teams on Tuesday about concussions, which stated, in part, that the co-chairmen of the league’s committee on brain injuries had resigned.

Goodell’s memo also states that Dr. Ira Casson and Dr. David Viano had resigned and that the league was in the process of identifying their replacements. Goodell’s memo noted that he wanted to add new members “who will bring to the committee independent sources of expertise and experience in the field of head injuries.”

Dr. Casson was recently criticized by the NFL Players Association and members of Congress for his comments, calling into question independent and league-sponsored studies linking NFL careers with heightened risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

Commissioner Goodell also announced this week that he is looking into rule changes and how teams conduct practices and offseason workouts, in an effort to reduce the likelihood of concussions among players.

The story that needs to be told is about how Webster’s death may have lead to the discovery of a degenerative brain disease.

Jeanne Marie Laskas in the October issue of GQ magazine chronicles how Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered and named a progressive degenerative disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, after discovering a toxic protein in the brain of Webster. The identified toxic protein kills brain cells and impairs function. 

CTE has been found in the brains of several former NFL players that have died prematurely such as Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk, and Andre Waters. University research is now being conducted related to CTE.

There is no doubt that Big Ben is one of the game’s mightiest warriors by any measurable standard applied. There is also no doubt that the same could be said for “Iron” Mike Webster.

ESPN analyst Merrill Hoge, a former Pittsburgh Steelers running back who retired early due to the number of concussions he suffered during his career, suggested this week that the NFL needs to adopt a bright line policy for dealing with the return of players who have suffered concussions.

Hoge’s suggestion is that a player at a minimum would be held out for one week from any contact and would be ineligible to play for seven days. 

His suggestion is based upon the consensus within the medical community that once a player suffers a concussion, they are much more susceptible to subsequent concussions in the future if they suffer head trauma prior to completely healing from the initial concussion.

The decision to play this week is not insignificant to Big Ben or the Steelers. Pittsburgh is in second place in its division at 6-4 and is fighting to make the playoffs. Big Ben leading the Steelers would be a pleasant sight.

Of course having a healthy Big Ben leading the team for several productive years and being a goodwill ambassador after he retires is also significant to the Steelers, and something the fans would love to see.

The decision to play after a concussion carries risk, as Brian Westbrook learned earlier this season. I hope Roethlisberger makes the right decision after having all the facts before him.

I hope that someone has told Big Ben about Iron Mike.

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Can the 2009 Minnesota Vikings Be the Best Team In NFL History?

Calm down, Mercury Morris, we are all aware that the best the Minnesota Vikings can finish in the regular season is 15-1. 

Nonetheless, if the Vikings win the Super Bowl this year, their fans may have the best argument among all fans to claim that their Vikings are the best NFL team of all time.

There is still a lot of football left to be played this season.  However, with a little help, the 2009 Vikings have the opportunity to be hailed as the best squad to ever take the football field in the NFL.

How could Vikings fans have the best argument among all fans when the Minnesota Vikings would have the same record as the 1984 Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers and the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears?

The argument has to do with the competition that the Vikings are likely to face in the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings can do something that the 1972 Miami Dolphins were not able to accomplish.  The Vikings can beat two teams in the same season that had an identical record to the Dolphins.

The Vikings can beat a 17-0 New Orleans Saints team and an 18-0 Indianapolis Colts team on their way to the NFL Championship. 

In measuring champions, we don’t just look at the numbers of wins and losses.  We also measure champions by the competition with which they do battle.

One of the reasons that we recognize Muhammad Ali as the greatest heavyweight boxing champion of all time is because of the amazing talent in the weight class at the time of his reign. 

Would anyone really consider Ali the greatest if his bouts with smokin’ Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Ken Norton, Sr., and George Foreman were replaced with multiple bouts with Zora Folley, Alvin Lewis, Henry Cooper, and Brian London?

The achievement of the Dolphins in winning 17 games is amazing, without a doubt.  Yet one of the reasons the Dolphins haven’t universally been labeled the greatest team of all time is the level of competition that they faced in the playoffs.

Miami played good teams, but none of the teams they played in the playoffs had superstars at the peak or near the peak of their abilities.

The Dolphins beat the Cleveland Browns 20-14 and the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-17. 

The Browns’ leading rusher did not reach 900 yards and their starting quarterback Mike Phipps had 16 interceptions while throwing only 13 touchdowns.

The Steelers had not yet hit their stride as quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.  While running back Franco Harris did rush for more than 1,000 yards, he also had seven fumbles.

Even if the Saints and Colts lose a game before the playoffs begin, the Vikings, in beating a 16-1 Saints team and 17-1 Colts team, would be more impressive than the run of the 1972 Dolphins.

Of course, if we are talking about impressive playoff runs increasing the stock of a champion, the fans of the 49ers and Bears can claim that their respective teams are the best of all time, ahead of the 1972 Dolphins. 

The 1984 Super Bowl Champion 49ers had an impressive playoff run in beating the New York Giants 21-10 and shutting out the emerging Chicago Bears 23-0.  The 49ers then throttled a record-setting year by NFL MVP Dan Marino and his Miami Dolphins 38-16 in the Super Bowl.

Beating Marino was no small accomplishment in 1984, as he had a season for the ages: 64.2 percent completion rate, 5,084 yards, 48 TDs, and only 17 interceptions.  The Dolphins also had two receivers, Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, who both had more than 1,300 receiving yards.

The 1985 Super Bowl Champion Bears, however, had an even more impressive playoff run.  The Bears pitched two shutouts in the NFC playoffs, beating the New York Giants 21-0 and the Los Angeles Rams 24-0.

The Giants were led by Phil Simms, who threw for 4,004 yards and 22 touchdowns.  The Rams had the game’s best running back in Eric Dickerson, who rushed for the highest season total in NFL history at 2,105 yards.

The Bears then went on to demolish the New England Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl.

Which bring us back to why the Vikings should be considered the best team of all time if they beat the undefeated or even one-loss New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

If the Vikings beat the Saints and Colts, they will have beaten two of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league while both were at the top of their game and leading candidates for league MVP honors.

The numbers Brees and Manning are putting up this year are very similar to the numbers put up by Marino in 1984.

The Saints’ Drew Brees has a completion rate of 68.1 percent and is on pace to throw for 4,394 yards, 35 touchdowns, and only 14 interceptions.  The Colts’ Peyton Manning has a completion rate of 69.8 percent and is also on a torrid pace, as he is projected to throw for 5,069 yards, 34 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions.

Last year, Brees threw for more than 5,000 yards.  Brees has thrown for more than 4,400 yards in the last three seasons. 

If Manning throws for more than 5,000 yards this season, his fans won’t have to apologize for placing him ahead of Brees, as Manning has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in nine of his last 10 seasons.

If the Vikings beat both the Saints and Colts, will any NFL team in reaching the pinnacle have faced two better quarterbacks in their prime?

Will style points matter?  Don’t style points always matter in these debates?

A close game won by the Vikings on a questionable call made by the replay officials will obviously taint any claim that the Vikings may have to the best team of all time. 

An injury by Brees or Manning that renders them unable to play the Vikings will also diminish the achievement of the Vikings.

But if the Vikings beat both the Saints and Colts, Vikings fans may finally have a season to make them forget about the four prior, failed attempts at claiming NFL immortality in the big game.

Yes, there is a lot of football left to be played.  All three teams have roadblocks in their way before the end of the season.

Who knows, the final six weeks of the season could be unkind to the remaining three elite teams in the NFL. 

As the reigning Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are finding out this season, the fortunes of a team can dramatically change with an injury to one or two key players.

Hopefully, the three elite teams will avoid the injury bug and give NFL fans a special postseason treat.

If the Saints and Colts finish the regular season undefeated or with only one loss and the Vikings finish the regular season 15-1, the Vikings may not be simply playing for the Super Bowl, but may be playing for the title of the best team in NFL history.  

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Will Vikings Be Exposed Against Dangerous Lions?

The Minnesota Vikings are playing a dangerous team in the Detroit Lions.  The Lions are dangerous because they have lost their last 18 games and are valiantly trying not to be known as the franchise with the longest losing streak in NFL history.

Last year the Lions played the Vikings extremely well.  The Lions staff in reviewing film this week will be able to motivate the team to play hard against Minnesota.  The Lions very easily could have beaten the Vikings twice last year.

In Week six last year, the Vikings squeezed by with a 12-10 win.  Minnesota took advantage of a questionable pass interference call just before the two-minute warning to kick a late game winning field goal. 

The second game was also a nail bitter.   At the 5:53 mark, former Viking Daunte Culpepper hit Calvin Johnson on a 13-yard pass to the Vikings eight yard line.  Coach Childress challenged the play resulting in the play getting reversed.  The Lions then had to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown that would have given them the lead.

The Vikings, guarding a 17-16 lead at the 5:44 mark went on a 10 play drive culminating in a 50-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell.  The drive left the Lions with only 22 seconds to drive the entire length of the field.

The drive last season was memorable because the Vikings were somehow able to survive fumbling the ball twice yet avoid turning the ball over to the Lions. 

This week’s game against the Detroit Lions will say a lot about how serious we should take the Vikings Super Bowl aspirations.   If the 2009 Vikings come out flat against the Lions, questions will be raised about whether GM Rick Spielman has assembled a team that can get to Miami. 

Hopefully, this week all experiments with an on-side kick to start the game are over.  The Lions, similar to the Cleveland Browns, are a weak team that will have difficulty being able to sustain a long drive.   The risk of giving up a cheap field goal to the Lions on a short field and allowing their fans to get going far outweighs trying an on-side kick. 

Assuming the Vikings don’t outsmart themselves with too many trick plays, I expect that the Vikings will beat the Lions in the same way they beat the Browns. 

The Lions do not have a strong run game.  The Lions rushed the ball 20 times against the New Orleans Saints for a measly 33 yards.  Kevin Smith, the Lions leading rusher, had only 20 yards on 15 carries.  Ouch!  Expect Smith to run into additional resistance as the Vikings effectively disguise their run defense to confuse Rookie Matt Stafford.

While most fans were fixated, and rightly so, on the performance of Adrian Peterson, All-Pro Antoine Winfield played a great game that was overshadowed. Winfield smothered any attempts to throw on his side of the field. 

When the Browns did throw the ball his way, Winfield made them pay the old fashioned way.  One Brown who found out how hard Winfield tackles is Running Back James Davis.  Davis, who earlier in the week survived a car accident unscathed, left the game with a shoulder injury after smashing into Winfield.

Earlier this year, I predicted that Jared Allen could have a break-out season for sacks if he got off to a good start against the Browns and Lions.  After week one it looks like I should have identified Ray Edwards for having a big year after he put Quinn into the turf twice. Expect Allen to get a lot of attention from the Lions offensive line and for Edwards to be in Stafford’s face for most of the day. 

Unfortunately, the defensive line may not get more than one or two sacks this week.  Stafford did a good job getting the ball away quickly and avoiding the rush of the Saints last week.  Stafford was sacked only once; he did however throw three interceptions.  Cedric Griffin must be ready to pick off any errant throws as the defensive line of the Vikings will keep up the pressure this week.

While Adrian Peterson is well on his way to 2,000 yards with 180 yards last week, Vikings fans should temper their expectations for this week and be happy with a solid 100 yard effort from Peterson. 

Last year, Peterson ran for more than 150 yards in a game on three occasions.  The following week after running for more than 150 yards, Peterson failed to rush for 100 yards.

Detroit also did a good job not allowing Peterson to run wild.  Peterson gained 111 yards on 25 carries in his first game and 105 yards in 22 carries in his second game.  Peterson will likely post similar numbers unless he breaks a long 50-plus yard run.

Expect the Lions to say again to the Vikings offense in 2009 that if you are going to beat us, you are going to have to do it by passing the ball.  The Vikings should have no problem accepting the challenge.

The intriguing question this week is not whether Brett Favre throws for 3, 4 or 5 touchdowns.  The intriguing question is whether Coach Childress will continue to allow Favre to change plays at the line of scrimmage.

In a post game interview, Coach Childress acknowledged that Favre called a couple of audibles during the game and that it was likely that Favre’s action resulted in a better outcome for the Vikings.   The look on Coach Childress’ face at the post game conference however suggested that he was not completely comfortable with the idea of his veteran quarterback changing plays.

Hopefully, I misread Coach Childress.  If not, hopefully Coach Childress will get comfortable with Favre changing plays.  Favre is making $12 million dollars a year and at that salary the Vikings have to be paying him for using his knowledge of the game.

Coach Childress can always take comfort in knowing that it could be worse.  His long snapper could be calling for a fake punt on 3rd and 11 from his 26-yard line in the fourth quarter.  Chicago Bears Coach Lovie Smith must still be having nightmares.

 I expect that the Vikings long snapper will not call any fake punts on his own and that the Vikings will beat the Lions handily to put the NFC on notice that the Vikings intend to be playing for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

 

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Super Bowl Bandwagon Gains Momentum As Vikings Mess With Texans

This just in: The Minnesota Vikings will be very good this year and are on the short list of teams with a legitimate shot to win the Super Bowl. 

 

While the proposition that the Vikings will be good this year is not a stretch given that their 10-6 record last year, the second statement likely has all but the heartiest of Viking fans laughing out loud.   

 

However, this year no one is laughing at the idea that the Vikings will be playing for the Lombardi trophy. No doubt a few more fans jumped on the bandwagon tonight as the Vikings played well against the Houston Texans. While emotions must be kept in check while watching preseason football, the Vikings did many things right on offense against the Texans, suggesting a long playoff run is in the cards. 

 

First, it starts with the top.

 

No, not Brett Favre.

 

We’re talking about Brad Childress. While there were moments last year that coach Childress showed emotion on the sideline, Coach Chili looked too often like a man who was hoping that the game would end before something bad happened. Tonight, Childress was running up and down as if he were a little kid, or at least Pete Carroll at USC. I guess that is what happens to coaches when you have so many playmakers on your team—it is hard to contain your excitement.

 

Speaking of Favre, the league’s Most Reviled Player looked sharp at the quarterback position. Most analysts and writers suggesting Favre is not the answer noted he couldn’t deliver for a Jets team last season with similiar, if not better personnel than the Vikings. 

 

Favre may fail in Minnesota, but the suggestion that Favre’s situation with the Jets was similar to his present situation with the Vikings is ridiculous. The two-headed running tandem of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor is vastly superior to the Jets’ running “attack,” if you’re generous enough to call it that.

 

While the numbers put up by the Jets’ receivers were better than the Vikings last year, the talent of the Vikings receiving corps is better than the Jets. Now that we’ve added Percy Harvin, the edge clearly lies with the Vikings. Considerring the Vikings play the Lions twice and the Jets have to play the Patriots twice, Favre’s situation is clearly better in Minnesota.

 

Favre demonstrated he is ready to make the best of his situation with the Vikings. After enjoying watching Adrian Peterson scamper 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the very first series, Favre went to work slowly picking apart the Texans with screen passes and short passes over the middle. Favre’s passes were coming out early and in front of the receiver, allowing for yards to be made after the catch.

 

During a play in the second series, Favre patiently went through his progression and, after side-stepping a defender attempting to make a sack, passed to Shiancoe over the middle for a first down. Favre later put a nice touch pass on the hands of rookie Percy Harvin in the end zone, which was unfortunately dropped. 

 

No problem.

 

Later in the half, Favre bought time in the pocket and found Harvin over the middle.  Harvin broke two tackles and picked up eight yards after the catch, earning a hearty slap on his backside from the grey-bearded veteran.

 

Favre finished the first half with a screen pass to Chester Taylor. He didn’t panic, just waited until the defense was firmly on the hook before delivering the pass to Taylor in the flat. The play was nothing special, but it is a play that teams who are serious about playing in January execute on a consistent basis. Taylor made a nice move on the sideline and took it to the house. 

 

The play underscores the difficulty of defending against the Vikings. Favre loves the screen pass and is happy to find the receiver in the flat—just ask Ahman Green. Hutchinson, a Pro Bowl lineman, can get out in front and create gaping holes.

 

Pick your poison. Anytime your defensive ends rush up the field, you’d better make sure it is not a screen to Peterson, Taylor, or Harvin or you might be bringing your offense on the field sooner than you would like. 

 

Not everything worked well for the Vikings against the Texans. Bryant McKinnie is still collecting too much laundry with untimely false start and holding penalties. The special teams play on kick-offs still needs work. After Taylor’s touchdown, the Texans were one block away from returning the kickoff for a touchdown. The Texans capitalized on the miscue with a field goal before the end of the half. 

 

Some of the play calling seemed puzzling. In the wildcat formation with Favre alone in the flat, Favre was asked to make a block for Harvin. Favre picked up a penalty for an illegal block leading with his surgically repaired shoulder. I’m not an offensive coordinator, but I don’t think that we will see that play with Favre again this season. If we don’t see that play and Favre stays healthy, the Vikings could well find themselves playing in January. 

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