Category: Vikings

 

What now for the 2-10 Vikings?

With four games remaining on the schedule none of the players and coaches will probably talk about anything but competing and trying to win, but the best long range benefit for the franchise could be extending the team losing streak to eight straight games.  The Vikings lost their fourth consecutive game yesterday to Denver, 35-32 in the closing seconds.

It was the seventh loss by seven points or less.  The defeat left players frustrated and critical of their own misdeeds.  “I am trying to win games,” Jared Allen said.  “I don’t want it (the season) to end at 2-11 or whatever the hell we are.  …”

Three of the Vikings four remaining opponents have winning records.  The Vikings probably won’t even be favored on the road against 4-8 Washington.  A 2-14 final record would position the Vikings near the top in the 2012 NFL draft order and that’s a reward which figures to be more valuable than winning a couple more games.

Other than Indianapolis (0-12), no team has a worse record than the Vikings (St. Louis is also 2-10).  The Vikings have painful personnel needs at wide receiver, along the offensive line and in the secondary.  They could use a top five draft choice to improve themselves, either drafting a college player or perhaps even leveraging their pick in a trade.

The irony about the Vikings is that even with a bad record, this team has exceptional players in certain positions, starting with Allen at defensive end and all-world running back Adrian Peterson.  And certainly the Vikings saw into their future during the Denver loss with rookie quarterback Christian Ponder throwing for 381 yards while tossing two touchdown passes to third year receiver Percy Harvin and one to rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph.

Everyone who cheers for the Vikings wants to see young players like that trio develop in the four remaining games, but those with a long term perspective are just as open to L’s as W’s the rest of the way.

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With Tim Tebow it isn’t worth getting caught up in the statistics usually used to analyze quarterbacks.

The Broncos second year quarterback has led Denver (6-5) to five wins in six games since becoming the team’s starter.  Win No. 6 could come on Sunday afternoon at Mall of America Field against the Vikings (2-9).

It should come as no surprise that the born-again Christian does some of his best work on Sundays.  It’s just the way he often looks doing the job that is unconventional by NFL quarterback standards.  With a throwing motion only his mother could love, Tebow doesn’t look too pretty and neither do his stats.  His passer rating is 80.5, way below the best in the NFL who are over 100, and Tebow has only tossed eight touchdown passes in six games.

But winning five of six games — often in dramatic fashion — is a pretty nice story for the Broncos who also have an improved defense and are contenders to win the AFC West.  The five Tebow-led wins have come by a total of 21 points.  Four of the triumphs are by a combined 14 points.

Tebow points toward the heavens on Sundays and Broncos fans gesture toward No. 15 as a savior (so far).  The 24-year-old quarterback, who averages 5.8 yards rushing and has scored three touchdowns, won the Heisman Trophy and played on two national championship teams at Florida.

Tebow’s college success gave him a stage for promoting his faith.  He’s spoken up for God in front of prison inmates and converts halfway around the world.  In football locker rooms teammates have recognized his leadership and rallied around him.

Good things seem to happen for Tebow who at 6-3 and 236 pounds looks like a fullback trying to play quarterback.  Playing with Tebow, the Broncos have bucked the NFL pass-happy formula to success — instead relying on a few timely throws, a lot of running (including by No. 15) and a tight defense.  It all seems to work out even if Tebow has produced minimal yards and points.  He’s only been intercepted once and although he’s fumbled five times, he’s recovered four.

The Broncos run the spread-option offense Tebow had so much success with at Florida.  To Vikings veteran placekicker Ryan Longwell the switch to that offense is a smart move of fitting personnel to a scheme, not the other way around.

“I think the thing is there are so many people in this league that are so stubborn about running their system, no matter what the player can do well,” Longwell told Sports Headliners.  “You gotta give credit to the Broncos and (head coach John) Fox and those guys for knowing they have a special, special player who can do something really well, and they’ve tweaked their offense to do it.”

So with all the success and momentum of Tebow and his teammates, dare we ask if God has become a Broncos fan?

“Well, it’s certainly hard to argue against it,” Longwell said. “There’s no reason to believe He isn’t.”

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