The Vikings will learn in three days if they can continue the NFL trend this season of the home team winning on Thursday nights. In six previous Thursday night games, only the Giants have won on the road—decisively defeating the Panthers 36-7 in Charlotte.
God didn’t create pro football players to play a game on three days rest but the marketing focused NFL and a passionate American public say “bring it on.” One league game is scheduled for each of 13 Thursday nights, causing the shortest of all off periods for players who also find themselves playing on Sundays and Mondays.
The Vikings (5-2) play the Bucs (2-4) on Thursday night this week at Mall of America Field in a game nationally televised on the NFL Network. The Vikings defeated the Cardinals 21-14 yesterday while the Bucs lost to the Saints, 35-28.
Both the Vikings and Tampa Bay will have the same amount of time to rest and prepare for the game but the Bucs will travel on Wednesday and that’s not like being at home. “It does help not having to travel,” Vikings center John Sullivan said. “Definitely it will afford you more time to rest. You won’t spend the day before the game on a plane, travelling on a bus. …It’s part of home field advantage.”
Players are routinely sore after games (not to mention injuries) and competing after only three days off can be a particular challenge for veterans like Jared Allen, the Vikings 30-year-old defensive end. He’s concerned about the NFL commitment to Thursday night games, a schedule that was expanded in 2012 from eight to 13 games.
”…Heck, I have been in the training room more this year trying to stay healthy than I have in my entire life. So for me it’s a concern just because you know how your body naturally progresses,” he said.
“…It’s just one of those things. You pray to the good Lord you stay healthy, and you try to do extra cold tubs. Do extra things (and) try to get the soreness out. But it’s not like…(one) team is coming off another Thursday (having more rest), so everybody is in the same boat. So you go out and you make it happen.”
Notes from yesterday’s win over the Cardinals:
The Vikings defense had seven sacks, led by defensive ends Brian Robison (three) and Jared Allen (two). Defensive tackle Kevin Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield had one each.
Adrian Peterson rushed for 153 yards, the 29th game he’s run for more than 100 yards in his Vikings career. That ties him for the franchise record with Robert Smith who needed eight seasons to reach the total while Peterson is halfway through his sixth year.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier after being asked how his offense had so much success running against the Cardinals: “You know, we may see these guys again, so I will not be divulging that info.”
The Vikings made only two first downs in the second half and no offensive touchdowns. Quarterback Christian Ponder completed eight of 17 passes for 58 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions in four quarters. In the last two games Ponder has been intercepted four times and fumbled once.
“I’m trying to do too many things,” Ponder said. “I’m getting out of the pocket and trying to force it to happen. I have to be a lot smarter and make better decisions for sure.”
Yesterday’s attendance of 61,068 was the first time in four regular season home games that the Vikings have drawn more than 60,000 fans.
Former Cretin-Derham Hall receiver Michael Floyd caught one pass for seven yards playing part-time for the Cardinals yesterday. He made available “30-plus tickets” to friends and family to attend the game. Asked to evaluate his rookie season so far, Floyd said: “It’s been all right. It’s just hard taking a loss at home.”
Taylor: Lynx to Make Money
Lynx owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners his WNBA franchise will make a “six- figure profit” this year. Most women’s pro basketball franchises have historically lost money, although the Lynx, who won the league championship last year, did make a profit in 2011, too.
The Lynx won’t repeat as WNBA champions this year. The Fever defeated the Lynx last night to win the WNBA Finals series, three games to one.
Taylor has owned the Lynx since the franchise’s first season in 1999. He couldn’t remember whether he paid a fee to acquire the expansion franchise, or simply agreed to operate the club knowing it was unlikely to be profitable. “I did not pay much, if I did pay anything,” he said last week. “It did require like a million dollars to set it up.”
Taylor said the success of the Lynx has “meant a lot” to him. “It’s made me feel proud and I am glad we stuck with it,” he.
Taylor said his Timberwolves are budgeted to lose money “one year more.” When the budget processes are completed for both the Wolves and Lynx, playoff revenues aren’t included because qualifying for post-season play is uncertain.
The Timberwolves open their regular season on November 2 at home against the Kings. Team president Chris Wright said as of late last week about 5,000 tickets remained for the game. The Wolves have sold approximately 2,000 new season tickets and have a total of 10,000—about 2,000 more than a year ago.
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