Vikings appear to have a crumbling wall
Following are opinions from Mille Lacs County Times editor-sports editor Gary Larson, reporter Luther Dorr and former Times intern Logan Marxhausen who’s now on the sports staff at the St. Cloud State University Chronicle. Note: This feature is written on Monday each week.
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ASK THE SPORTS WRITERS
•Question: What are your thoughts on Monday night’s Vikings-Bears game?
-Dorr: The game ended a few minutes ago and it was a nice comeback but let’s face it – the Vikings lost to a team that has had a terrible season, one they beat by 26 points earlier. They lost to a five-win team for the second week in a row. Do you believe me now that the defense is terribly overrated? Jared Allen disappeared a few weeks ago and the Williams Wall has crumbled and fallen. On one Chicago reception three Minnesota defenders stood and watched the receiver roll from the Minnesota 8 to the 2. People will point to the Adrian Peterson fumble but probably won’t mention the fumble by Brett Favre in the first half when he wasn’t even hit. That cost Minnesota three points. Ben Leber dropped an interception on the second play of the game, Asher Allen had a personal foul penalty while covering the Vikings’ first punt of the game, Favre fumbled without being hit and then the punter had a 16-yard punt – all early in the game. And an extra point was blocked. The game shouldn’t have gone into overtime. The comeback makes things look better but it was another loss outside, on grass, in cold weather. The facts are the facts, like it or not. And where was Favre in the first half? A good chance for the No. 1 seed has slipped away and the No. 2 seed may be history.
-Marxhausen: The Vikings came out very flat in the first half and decided they didn’t want to show up until the second half. The fact is that you cannot place the blame on just one person, but everywhere. At some point during the game someone was not making that extra play to put the Vikings ahead. So many things the Vikings did could have let them win the game. The extra point was botched. The special teams on kickoffs didn’t seem to want to stop the kick returner on more than one occasion. The secondary seemed to be getting burned more often than not, letting an average quarterback in Jay Cutler throw for four touchdowns. Part of that reason is due to the injury of E.J. Henderson. Replacement Jasper Brinkley, a rookie, does not have the tenacity or the talent that Henderson brought to the linebacking core. In overtime, the Vikings had a big opportunity, stopping the Bears from winning the game with the field goal, but were stopped with two sacks and a run that went to the line of scrimmage. Adrian Peterson’s fumble will light up headlines this week with a bunch of writers criticizing his ability to hold on to the ball when getting stripped. How good the communication between Brett Favre and Brad Childress was is a mystery, but I think that Favre had a little more leeway with the ball and the offense when the momentum shifted.
-Larson: After Minnesota crushed the Bears 36-10 Nov. 29, who would’ve thought the Vikings would lose to that same hapless team a month later? Fifteen games into the season you’d expect better special teams play than the Vikings displayed Monday. Chicago’s three long kickoff returns and Minnesota’s missed extra point were the biggest factors in the game. Earlier this season ESPN was asking viewers to submit a name for the Vikings’ vaunted front four. Taking a cue from Luther, “Crumbling Wall” now looks appropriate. And, the play at linebacker and in the secondary hasn’t been any better.
It’s a shame that a masterful performance by quarterback Brett Favre and Co. in the second half was wasted. Can a quarterback throw more accurately than Favre did in the second half? Can receivers go after the football much better than Minnesota’s did in the second half? Can a back run with more determination than Adrian Peterson did in the second half? That begs the question of where were they in the first half as another Viking team showed up not prepared to play.
Peterson will get the game goat tag but give the Chicago defender credit for making a great play to jar the football loose.
The Vikings headed into their bye week with a 7-1 record and appeared to be one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. That has proven to be a mirage and a “one-and-done” scenario in the playoffs now looks more likely.
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•Question: The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team begins Big Ten Conference play this week. Where do you peg coach Tubby Smith’s team to finish in the conference standings?
-Dorr: Because of the strength of schedule (Brown, Morgan State, St. Joseph’s, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State) the past few weeks, during which the Gophers averaged 93 points in blowout wins, it’s hard to get a read on this team. Sure, the offense has shown some life it didn’t have during the team’s losses, but we know the points wouldn’t have come so easily against tougher opponents. It would be nice if Blake Hoffbarber could score against Big Ten teams like he has against non-conference teams, and shoot 53 percent, but the fact is that he will have a hard time getting shots off against most teams in the Big Ten. The inside game in the 30-point win over South Dakota State was almost nonexistent and that won’t work in the Big Ten. The only real threat to take over a game is Lawrence Westbrook and without an inside game that will be problematical. In the first 15 days of the Big Ten schedule the Gophers play Penn State and Ohio State at home and Iowa, Purdue and Michigan State on the road. A 3-2 record is mandatory to have any hopes of a NCAA tourney bid. If the recent offense is for real they’ll finish in the top three. If not, look for something like a 9-9 record.
-Marxhausen: The thing about Big Ten Conference play is that anything can go and anybody can come out on top. The Gophers have been connecting as of late, especially with perimeter shooting. Blake Hoffarber has put up some impressive numbers from beyond the arc, setting the school record against Northern Illinois. The negative thing about the Gophers’ non-conference victories is that the competition wasn’t worth bragging about. The Big Ten is thriving this season, with Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State getting national attention. The Gophers will be among several teams trying to break into the upper division and make an impression before tournament time.
I hate to say, but without anybody stepping up into a team-leader position consistently every night, another mediocre, average season will unfold. Look at a record of 10-8, 9-9 or even 8-10 to be the Gophers’ fate.
-Larson: Last spring the Gophers, on the strength of a highly acclaimed incoming group of recruits, were being touted as Big Ten contenders and a team that could go deep into the NCAA tournament. That outlook changed with the loss of freshman Royce White and transfer Trevor Mbakwe because of off-court issues. It was predicted that both would make an immediate impact. Their absence means that coach Tubby Smith enters the Big Ten season with his usual roster of role players, a situation Smith is comfortable with and one that he’s had past success with.
The Gophers are good enough and deep enough to challenge for fifth place in a Big Ten race that features several powerhouses, including Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State. If the Gophers can sneak in behind that foursome they should get into the NCAA tourney. I like the Gophers to go 10-8 and get that NCAA berth.
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