Top 5 Vikings 'Needs' for 2009

After enduring another season of Viking failure, here are the top 5 needs as I see them that need to be addressed for the Vikings to succeed next season, and beyond.

5).  Might as well be #1 - NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QB Coach

The kind of football mind not afraid to take a chance, the kind of guy that will draw up a play that works, run it in practice against an above, not elite (yet) defense until all the kinks get worked out, and then implement it into a winning game-plan.

Remember Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss, 1998 and the then record 556 point season?  The man behind it all, Brain Billick.

Remember Daunte Culpepper and his record breaking 2004 season?  The man responsible for that, Scott Linehan.

Both of whom went on to become head coaches, both of whom had a lack of success in recent years and were ultimately fired, yet both of whom had enough respect and wherewithall to become NFL head coaches, right or wrong.  Has Darrell Bevell ever struck fear in opponents hearts, or come up on the radar of any team looking to fill a head coaching vacancy?

I would take either of those two 're-treads' above in heart-beat.  Pay 'em what they want Wilf, do a little jig to entice them, and give them co-head or assistant-head-coach duties (head coach for f's sake), whatever, just please don't bring back that D.B. Bevell and his non-imaginative, chili-influenced 'kick @ass offense.'

And what about a real quarterback coach to help out T-Jack?  A real in-your-face kind of guy, the type of coach that Brett Favre would have responded too.   Do the names Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg, Andy Reid, or Mike McCarthy ring any bells?  One thing I do like about the Packers (I can't believe I just said that), they have always had a decent quarterbacks coach.  When was the last time you could even name one of our QB coaches (try to search Wikipedia for our current qb coach and this is what you get)?

4.  Players that need to be replaced/demoted/retire/become coaches.

Darren Sharper - It was a nice run buddy, but you have lost more then a step this season, and much as I love you man, it is your time to gracefully walk away.  Or, I would be fine with you becoming a nickel or dime back, mentor to the kid Tyrell Johnson, or replace Defensive backs coach Joe Woods (who?) when Leslie Frazier leaves to become a head coach and names Woods his defensive coordinator (unlikely, but you never know).

Matt Birk - Quit worrying about life after football and worry about your career.  I agree, former NFL players not getting their due was wrong, and I applaud you standing up for them, but those bad snaps the past couple of weeks, horrible.  Take a pay-cut, be happy you still have a job, or retire.

Ryan Cook - no link, no excuses, if NFL Europe or the Arena League were still around, he would deserve a job.

Benny Sapp - also deserves no recognition for his 'dreadful' and ill-timed penalties (ok, couldn't resist the dreads reference or the pic)

Gus Frerotte - This might have been the last 'late hit' ole' Gus has taken...  And that is just fine.  It was a good run Gus, but we need your salary not to count against the cap next year to find our next washed-up, care-taker, back-up-that-starts-half-the-season-only-to- get- injured-and-give-T-Jack-back-the-starting-job-QB.  Love the enthusiasm, love the guts, but again, you gotta hang 'em up.

Anthony Herrera/Artis Hicks - I don't know if it's plausible, but if it were probable, I would trade the 2 of them to clear a little cap space and make way for a late round pick.

3.  SPECIAL TEAMS

Fire Paul Ferraro, blow them up, start over, cut all of them.  Here is my completely flawed strategy (can't be any worse then what they are pulling now can it?).  Wait until the last cuts of training camp, and snipe every guy who thought he was cheated off the waiver wire for league minimum, lace their contracts with special teams related incentives (special teams tackles, turnovers, blocked kicks, roughing the kicker penalties), add in a healthy Heath Farwell, and staple to the inside of their visors the letters their former team gave them informing them they were cut.  Play a video montage right before kickoff of each guys [highlight] from college (preferably the one of them knocking an inferior Division I Football Championship, DII, DII or NAIA opponent on their can), and sign/draft a kick returner (this link might save Ferraro's career, or lack thereof) who catches the ball at full speed and runs straight ahead.

2.  Put Chester and Adrian in the backfield FULL-TIME.

Again, flawed argument, but compared to what we actually saw of the dynamic duo this season in the SAME BACKFIELD, any less would have been more existent.  I love Adrian, I love Chester, in fact I would like a Taylor/Peterson manwich at least 50% of the time.  Take out the guess work of Adrian run, Chester pass, and make teams defend the both of them.  That, in combination with the new offense we are going to implement with our new offensive coordinator, new and/or motivated center, right guard, right tackle,  and a healthy dose of our former Chicago Bears receivers B.B., B.Dub, Visanthe Schlong-co, and dare I say Sidney Rice, well the possibilities are endless... (not to mention a cool new marketing campaign for manwich sandwiches).

1.  Re-evaluate Brad Childress...

I am not going to say fire Chili, that would be too easy.  What I am going to say is the guy has too much say, too much influence over the offense, and period, point, blank, he is not running a kick-@ass offense.  That statement itself if in-fact offensive, but with that being said, if I was the owner, I would fire him, and give Bill Cowher whatever he asks (how about a 3 yr, 15 million dollar contract, with the option of retiring after he wins the superbowl in his first year, full contract paid, plus a bonus(es) for playoffs, division championships, and buyout after winning the superbowl).  Here is a list of the NFL's highest paid coaches, but after watching this video, try to tell me Bill Cowher isn't exactly the type of in-your-face, no excuses, no b.s. kind of coach this team needs.  I don't know about you, but whatever pipe-dream version of the West Coast Offense Chili thinks he is running is about as realistic as this.

Those are the top 5 ways the Vikings can improve upon a first-round playoff loss next, at least how I see it.  Please do, comment.

BTW, soon to be free agents this coming off-season...

Darren Sharper

Matt Birk 

Jim Kleinsausage

Champions08 Scoring

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Fantasy Football Fallout - 9/30/08

NFL Week 4 Fantasy Recap

It was a weekend that included upsets, great plays, big hits, and the ever preset last minute field goal.  Unfortunately, you don't get any extra points in Fantasy Football for game winning kicks (note to Yahoo! Sports).  Nor do you get a bonus for de-cleating/decapitating an opponent.  What you do run is the risk of getting fined and suspended,  and while I do agree with the Jets official team statement on the previously unknown Hitman Eric Smith, what I think is the real issue hear is what were the Cardinals trying to prove?  Look at the scoreboard - it was 56-35 with under a minute to play, THE GAME WAS OVER.  As amazing as Kurt Warner's rise from rags to riches was, the end to his run in the NFL making plays like this is drawing near.  The guy is 37 and he knows better.  You don't quit, but you also don't go and get your best player killed on a play that means nothing.  Starting to sound like Jim Rome...I digress.

On to my Fantasy Fallout segment and recap of the weekend that was, let's go.

Team: MN Fighting Pike

League: Champions08, 10 Team H2H Format

Week 4 Result: Win 67.24-57.20

Standing after the weekend: Locked in a 5-way tie for second at 2-2, tie-breaker standing (total points) has the Pike holding down the 7th seed (if the season finished today, my team like the Vikings would be out of the playoffs - shocker).

For a guy who has never finished worse then 4th in any Fantasy Football League (see image above), my current standing as the #7 seed in my own league is a bit startling to this point.  My squad eeked out a 67.24-57.20 victory over the Bangbros, my only saving grace being the other manager (we call him Tiny) failed to get a computer in time to swap out the injured Carson Palmer for Kurt Warner and his 23.44 point performance (472 yards, 2 TD's, 3 INT's, 3 FUM's).  *I decided to  use a different scoring system this season, and so far it has not worked in my favor (see the Champions08 Scoring post).  Since Warner put up a ridiculous yardage total this week, he got a 14 point bonus to otherwise offset the -12 for turnovers (-2x3 INT's + -2x3 FUM's).  While 'Tiny' had his problems, I had my own with the thus far disappointing Matt Hasselbeck on the bye, I picked up Jason Campbell last week and Trent Edwards right before game-time Sunday.  My thought process went like this - Campbell was facing a decent Cowboys defense and would struggle on the road, thus I went with Edwards against the pathetic St. Louis squad.  Campbell was solid, though not spectacular (outscoring Edwards 16.74-10.26), and last season's coming out against the Cowboys should have been my basis for comparison (33-54, 348 yards, 2 TD 1 INT) not his season thus far.  My opinion now (hindsight being 20-20), Campbell is on the rise and has the pension to perform in big games and it's going to be hard to bench J.C. in favor of Hasselbeck or Edwards (one of them is getting cut SOON) until they prove otherwise (Seahawks getting healthy at WR, see #4).

Other moves to consider:

While the QB position is up in the air at this point, a lackluster performance from my RB's and WR's almost spelled doom this past week as well.  While Terrell "Give me the ball MORE" Owens and DeSean Jackson each scored TD's and put up 12.78 (T.O.) and 10.74 respectively, what is more startling is the 2.48 point-performance from Marion Barber and 3.34 showing for Fred Taylor.  Felix Jones failed to score for the first time in his short career (0 points on the bench thankfully), and my other bench backs DeAngelo Williams went for a whopping 3.64 points and Ricky Williams was with his Dolphin teammates on the bye.  ANYBODY WANT TO TRADE?  The kicker to all this was my WR/RB flex position manned by Donald Driver and his .82 showing.  Kevin Walter was on the bench with his 19.04 and I still squeaked out the victory.  Oh, and Jacksonville was my D which gave me squat, 0, zip, zilch, nothing.  This is all not to mention Burress being one the bye and now suspended for the Washington game.  Gonna be scratching my head this week...

Team: Minnesota Maskinoges

League: NFC North 08

Week 4 Result: Lost 82-79

Standing after the weekend: Locked in a 5-way tie at 2-2 for 3rd, currently sitting as the #3 seed (if the season ended today, I would be in the 4 team playoffs).

Not much to say about this squad other then it was mine for the taking (not only the week, but the #1 seed in league play).  Lost the matchup thanks to the Pittsburgh D putting up 14 and was ahead 79-68 going into Monday Night.  Pigskin Princess had both the Steeler D and Heath Miller (0) going, my team was done for the week.  Had Baltimore scored one more time, I might be singing their praises.  I am not a Ravens fan.

Moves to Consider:

In this TD heavy league, WR Laveranues Coles and his 3 TD's & 23 point performance were on the bench.  Sure could have used that rather than T.J.'s 2 point debacle.  RB Chris Johnson putting up 2 TD's and 15 points on the vaunted Vikings defense (I am officially OFF the bandwagon) was also a surprise.  Surprise, surprise, he was also on my bench.  Jags defense hurt me in both leagues scoring 0, but Larry Johnson was a nice flex option this week (although he should have started over Barber's 4 and Forte's 1, respectively) scoring 2 TD's and rumbling his way to 19 (with bonuses in my other league he put up 26.92).  Rounding out the roster, Brees turned in a nice performance against SF scoring 23, Sproles was less then unspectactular with 2, and Marvin Harrison and Ricky Williams were both on the bye.

Moving Forward:

It's going to be hard to bench WR Marshall at any point this season with Cutler lighting fools up, but T.J. is going to get the hook.  While Coles put up great numbers last week, he has only accounted for 6 TD's in each of the past two seasons and this week the New York Brett's are on the bye.  Thus, Harrison gets the nod on the road at Houston, Johnson (vs. Carolina) and Forte (against the miserable Lions) again compliment Barber in the backfield and/or the flex option.  The always steady Witten mans the TE spot, while the Free Agent pick up Carolina Defense (vs. K.C.) supplants the dropped Jags D and Seattle @ NYG.

Team: Ihate Favre

League: SN_17988 - Sporting News, 12 Team, H2H, 3 Divisions

Week 4 Result: Lost 81-47

Standing after the weekend: 1-3, 1 Game back in North division (if playoffs started today, I would be out of the 4 team championship race and could place no better then 9th place).

While my track record in Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues is pretty good (23 teams total managed - including NCAA tourney and weekly picks - 10 Trophies, 68% overall performance), my Head-2-Head teams over on Sporting news have been hit and miss.  I placed 2nd this season in Baseball, but my salary cap teams always seem to sputter towards the end (save for last season my salary cap football team placed in the top 3% with a 2.6% percentile rating - not bad).

This team, however, is brutal - draft was conducted in August (rube credit).  QB Anderson is off to a slow start, so I supplanted him with J.T. O'Sullivan last week - call it a wash.  J.T. went for 12, Anderson 10.  McGahee and Turner turned in an identical 5 points with a White TD going for not on the bench.  Addai and Morris were on the bye, while Andre Johnson scored 3, Steve Smith 15 (only bright spot on the day), and T.J. once again hurt yet another one of my teams with 3.  Coles and his 28 was again on the bench (that's also twice now), whatdoyaknow, Jacksonville 0, and a spot start for Jerramy Stevens was no dice as well, 0.

Moving Forward:

I am at a loss with this team.  Public leagues are usually (at least in my experience) easy to snipe players off the wire, but that has not been the case over on Sporting News this season in either Football or Baseball.  I do have a claim (I am 4th) for Matt Schaub, but that he is still the starting QB for the Texans.  LAIM.  Hopefully White can keep punching it in the endzone, Addai shakes off the rust, and T.J. for Pete's sake gets off the schnide, or gets his QB back.  Coles for T.J. this week (though I'm sure that will burn me), gonna comb the wire for a QB (Anderson bye, O'Sullivan going against Pats D), and hope Anthony Fasano has another nice game (dropped Stevens to pick up Carlson as well).  Jacksonville D is again a wild card, not sure to drop them in this my third league, or pick up Washington (@ PHI) or Seattle (@ NYG), neither of whom present great matchups this week, but possibly down the road.  I'm not going to quit, so hopefully my reputation stays intact and I can pull something down the road (Fantasy Football - I have never placed lower then 4th, never won either, Baseball, I have never placed lower then 3rd, again never won either).

That's why we play the game.

Couldn't figure out how to fit this in, but found it interesting nonetheless - Madden aficionados, you might want to check out these cheat codes - M.J.D. is sick.  Why must the Jags D make we want to break my computer??

Champions08 Scoring Format:

MN Sports Scene Rebuffed - 9/29/08

Well folks, there is a first time for everything, so here goes...

NFL Week 4

Vikings looking like Vi-Queens, drop nail-puller to Tennessee Titans 30-17, fall to 1-3

As Vikings fans across the upper-midwest will invariably call for the head of 'head dope' Brad Childress online in blogs, in newspaper articles (fish-wrap factories East and West side), and during phone calls to P.A. & Dubay this week (as they should), keep this in mind - WE ALL wanted Dennis Green to be fired or resign during his entire tenure, yet his Vikings teams (1992-2001) made the playoffs 8 of 10 seasons and went a combined 97-62 under his direction. Sure, they blew the infamous 1998 NFC Title game to the Atlanta Falcons on Gary Anderson's only field-goal miss off the season, but in the subsequent years since Green's departure in late 2001, Mike Tice and Chili (a.k.a. Mr. Noodle) have combined to go 46-51, and have made the playoffs only once in those 8 years. I hate to say it, but I kind of miss the old chubby quote machine.

I want to expound upon comments made by my brother, which I calmly explained to him while watching the game, "The Tennessee Titans are not a better football team than the Minnesota Vikings, however, the Titans are a far better coached team than the Vikings." I am going to retract my original statement and say the Tennessee Titans are a better team, they are better coached, and the Minnesota Vikings brass have brainwashed reporters, fans, and the NFL for far too long. Jeff Fisher has a great NFL mind, one that has been demonstrated now for quite some time, with inferior talent compared to that of the Vikings. That being said, I would take Cortland Finnegan over any player in the Viking secondary, Javon Kearse would have been a cheaper sign at 2 years, $6 million, and no draft picks, rather than Jared '69 Allen (really Jared?) at 6 years, $72.36 million. Granted, this would have hinged on whether or not Kearse would have even signed with the Vikes, but come on, we could have outbid the Titans at that point, couldn't we? How 'bout 2 years, $10 million, throw in a couple 'mil bonus, and we would have had cap space to sign some other key free agents, say a QB (Anderson, Volek, someone!!), a real FB (Thomas Tapeh has been inactive the past two weeks), another WR (Bruce, Hackett, Stallworth), a TE (Franks, Utecht, again, someone to catch the ball, K-Sauce can block), another DE to compliment 'The Freak' (could have re-signed Spencer Johnson, Ebenezer Ekuban, gotta love the name), and still had money left over to patch some other holes now open because of injuries, mainly special teams 'ace' Heath Farwell. This is all not even mentioning the Titans actual use of an effective two-back system (love ya A.D., but where has your Partner in Grind Chester Taylor gone?).

'Nuff said for now, this team is just not as good as Chili (demonstrating to us how he taught T-Jack everything he knows), Zygi, or all the NFL pundits who gassed-up the hype machine with over-priced premium and had the the Vikes cracked up to be NFC favorites. Unfortunately, the joke is on Vikings fans, and all we're all left to ponder is what were we thinking? What we were conned into believing was going to be a successful 2008 NFL season for the Queens has quickly turned into exactly why we shouldn't have drank Childress's concoction of the purple kool-aid. Because just like him, it pure and simply stinks. I hate to admit it, but I miss the days of going to the playoffs in 8 of 10 seasons with Dennis Green...

2008 MLB Season Over - Almost...

Summer of Stun Down to One - Win and They're In - Loose and We're Crude - For even thinking they had a chance

Whether or not the Twins actually win the AL Central Division in a one-game playoff with the heated division rival rival Chicago White Sox remains to be seen (tune in at 6:30 on TBS to find out). What doesn't is that the Twins have to take 3 of 5 games and at least 1 on the road from this MLB season's Cinderella Tampa Bay Rays (formerly the perennial last place Devil Rays), a team 57-24 at home this season, tops this season both leagues.

Sorry folks, but even if the Twins beat the Chi-Sox Tuesday, they would then have to go through Tampa Bay (3-3 vs. this season), Boston (3-4 vs. overall, last series was 3-0 Bo-Sox sweep), or Los Angeles (3-5 vs.) to get to the World Series. The matchup Blackburn vs. Danks is interesting for both parties, but what do we do against the Rays with Slowey potentially hurt and missing a start, a bullpen in dire need of a rest (2 days for our guys, 4 for the Rays), and a slumping MVP candidate in Justin Morneau?

What do I think? If the Twins indeed win and get to face the Rays, it could be an interesting series. But facing one of the other big three with their starting pitchers, clutch hitters (especially the one who got away...), and on the road with a rag-tag bunch of over-achievers, I just pray they don't get killed.

While it would be great experience for all the young players on the roster, we should be ashamed to ask for anything more. The only saving grace this team has is they are just young and dumb enough to think they can win it all, which if they could get out of the AL just might be conceivable being that they went 14-4 in Interleague play (albeit against the Rockies, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Brewers - the only playoff contender of the bunch).

If I were a betting man, and I am, I would say Twins over Sox 6-4, Rays in 4 (we win whatever game Liriano pitches, that's it), and just as the last two times the Twins lost in the ALDS to the Yankees at home (which I attended), we will again be trumped by an AL East team on their way to loosing to the eventual AL Champion Boston Red Sox. Or, we run the tables and sweep every series with the M&M boys combining for 26 runs (Morneau's jersey #33 minus Mauer's #7), Morneau hitting 7 homers, Punto diving into first 11 times (reaching safely twice - nice effort Punto), Span and Gomez stealing 15 bases, Cuddyer not breaking a limb, Young, Casilla, and Kubel each hitting above .300 in the playoffs, and Liriano and Slowey both going 4-0 with a no-hitter and perfect game in tow (Slowey perfect, Liriano walks 2) with 8 saves from Joe Nathan.

I would love to be wrong, man I would love to be wrong. R.I.P. Turkey Bucket(scroll down), I mean Kirby Puckett. Check out this dork too - priceless. And if this one doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you are not human.

Go Twins! Do it for Kirby.