Do the Vikings now have the momentum?
Comments(0) 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.
********
ASK THE SPORTS WRITERS
•Question: The Minnesota Vikings took it to the Dallas Cowboys 34-3 Sunday to advance to the National Football Conference title game next Sunday in New Orleans. What are your observations on the Vikings’ victory?
-Dorr: The defense, of which I have been critical much of the season, played a fantastic game. Who would have predicted six sacks and only three Dallas points? No one, not even the members of the defense who feel they have been unfairly criticized. Some local media types were critical of Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo Sunday night but he had almost no chance to make plays, something one of his receivers noted in a Star Tribune story Monday. The offense wasn’t dominant but made enough plays to win. The first touchdown pass from Favre to Rice was perfectly thrown and the defender didn’t even put his arms up. That was the key play of the game because it got the Vikings ahead. It was a very workmanlike performance, one for which you have to give Minnesota coaches credit. It seemed apparent that Minnesota coaches outcoached Dallas coaches.
Marxhausen: Did the Brett Favre and Sidney Rice connection remind anyone of the old Green Bay connection of Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman? The two hooked up quickly in the game and kept making big plays on big drives. Adrian Peterson did not match up very well against the Dallas defense. He struggled to make big plays against the rush defense and was shut down. Much of the praise should go to the Vikings’ defense for shutting down a hot Dallas offense. Ray Edwards stepped up huge, pressuring Tony Romo to make quicker decisions. With Jared Allen looking at double-teams and Kevin and Pat Williams receiving extra attention, Edwards capitalized on the one-on-one protection for three sacks, five tackles and six quarterback hits.
-Larson: I’ve criticized Vikings head coach Brad Childress frequently in the past for not having his team prepared for games. Childress and his staff get high marks for this one. The Vikings had a plan and they executed it to near perfection. After giving up some yardage early, Minnesota shut down the Dallas ground game, putting even more pressure on Tony Romo. Trailing 17-3 heading into the fourth quarter, Dallas was forced to become one-dimensional and the Vikings took advantage of that. For old-timers, images of players whose names were Eller, Page, Marshall and Larsen may have flashed through their minds as they watched Ray Edwards, Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams and Jimmy Kennedy manhandle the Dallas offensive line and Romo.
Brett Favre managed an efficient offense that didn’t turn the football over. Favre and Minnesota’s offensive line were masterful on the Vikings’ 80-yard, 10-play drive for their second touchdown. And, the play of the Vikings’ special teams was excellent. While other kickers were missing elsewhere in the playoffs, Ryan Longwell connected on his attempts and punter Chris Kluwe was steady.
********
•Question: What will be the keys in the Vikings-Saints match-up? Who wins?
-Dorr: Minnesota has to slow down the New Orleans offense somewhat and not let Drew Brees get in a comfort zone. The Saints have as many weapons as the Vikings and if that offense gets going it will be hard to stop. The Vikings will have to decide who they want to take away from the New Orleans offense and hope they can rush Brees enough to make him uncomfortable.
The noise will be a factor, one the Minnesota offense will have to find a way to beat. Favre doesn’t call too many audibles but that noise may keep him from calling any. Percy Harvin will have to be more of a factor than he was against Dallas because I can’t imagine the Saints not double-covering Sidney Rice, or at least using some unusual coverages. I’ll pick Minnesota once again because I want them to win.
-Marxhausen: Whichever team has the best team play will take this victory. Both the Saints and the Vikings have nearly-complete teams that know how to connect and their players are able to feed off of each other. The Vikings’ defensive line will have to play up to its potential on every series and every down to shut down another high-powered offense that’s similar to the Cowboys. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees will have to come through with connections to players like Marquis Colston and Reggie Bush behind a strong offensive line. As for the winner of the contest, I believe that the Vikings’ clutch performances in the past have proven that they know how to win. My pick is Minnesota.
-Larson: Will the New Orleans team that lost its final three regular-season games show up or will the Saints team that riddled Arizona last week take the field? Will the Vikings team that struggled against Arizona and Chicago show up or will the team that detroyed Dallas last week make an appearance in the Louisiana Superdome?
Like last week, the play of each team’s offensive line will determine the outcome. Minnesota’s defensive line needs to force Drew Brees to make mistakes. He won’t wilt under pressure as quickly as Tony Romo did last week.
I have a hunch this is the week Adrian Peterson breaks loose. I’ll take the Vikings, 30-20.
********
•Question: Dallas linebacker Keith Brooking said the Vikings were “classless” and disrespectful after Minnesota scored its final touchdown on a pass from Brett Favre to Visanthe Shiancoe with just under two minutes left in the game. What do you think?
-Dorr: I worry about stuff like that in high school games, and sometimes in college, but not in the pros. I wouldn’t have thrown for that last touchdown but it’s not that big a deal in professional football. Should Childress instead have kicked a field goal, or sent Adrian Peterson into the line to get pounded on for the seventh or eighth time late in the game?
-Marxhausen: Last time I checked the game wasn’t over and the teams were still playing. Is it classless to want to have control of the ball and control the game? Sure, the Vikings were up 24 points, but does that mean they should just feel pity for the other team and not try to outsmart anybody and run the ball three times and kick a field goal? If the clock reads anything but 0:00, then the game is still being played and taken seriously. Growing up and playing football, the coaches almost tried to grind in our heads to play your heart out on every single play. These are professional teams capable of doing what they please on the field at any point and time as long as it is within the rules and regulations.
-Larson: As I recall, Dallas stopped the clock with three successive time-outs with about six minutes left in the game. The game was pretty much out of reach then but Dallas was indicating it still had some hope. Having Favre take a knee was an option but would your opponent taking pity on you be worse than having your opponent score a touchdown or field goal? In light of the pounding his team took, Brooking should’ve remained silent.
********
•Question: The Indianapolis Colts topped the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans stopped the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets topped the San Diego Chargers in the other NFL playoff games. Your thoughts on those games?
-Dorr: I didn’t figure the Ravens would have enough offense to beat the Colts and they didn’t. Of all four games last weekend I thought the biggest lock was the Chargers beating the Jets so that was a surprise. The San Diego quarterback and San Diego kicker had horrible days and that was the difference. The Green Bay defense exposed what a terrible defense the Cardinals have and New Orleans took advantage of that. How did the Vikings manage to lose to the Cardinals (and Carolina and the Bears)? I thought Arizona-New Orleans would be a close, high-scoring game but it wasn’t.
-Marxhausen: The Colts winning over the Ravens seemed almost inevitable with Peyton Manning’s cunning passing and his poise in the pocket. He knows how to throw defenses off with his tapping feet and can read the defense’s play better than the defense itself. New Orleans came out and made a huge statement, crawling all over Arizona from the start of the game until halfway through the third quarter. It was all over by then. Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees hasn’t lost his touch with the ball and running back Reggie Bush remembered how to get down the field quickly. The Jets over the Chargers absolutely was the upset of the playoffs so far. The Chargers didn’t play like they did in weeks past and the New York defense came up big.
-Larson: After the way San Diego rolled through the second half of the regular season I didn’t think the Jets had a chance and not many others did, either. San Diego was the only “bye” team that lost as the other three scored comfortable victories. New Orleans looked like the team that started the season 13-0. Right now, Indianapolis and Minnesota have several similar characteristics – strong defense, balanced offense, veteran quarterback.
********
•Question: Indianapolis hosts the New York Jets in the American Football Conference title game. Who wins and why?
-Dorr: The easy answer is Indianapolis so I’ll pick the Colts. I didn’t see too much of the Jets-Chargers game but when I last tuned in the Chargers were leading and I thought they would win. It sounds as though San Diego quarterback Rivers had a bit of a melt down but maybe the Jets deserve some credit. So, knowing little about the Jets and just not being able to comprehend the Colts losing to the Jets, I’m picking Indianapolis. But wouldn’t it be something if the Jets won and faced former quarterback Brett Favre and the Vikings in the Super Bowl?
-Marxhausen: I firmly believe that Peyton Manning’s control of the game will be the deciding factor in this game. The Jets’ offense isn’t very powerful and can make mistakes frequently, giving the ball back to the other team. If New York rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez can throw for more than 100 yards and running back Shonn Greene has a great game and the Jets’ defense comes up huge, New York might have a chance. For the Jets to win, all cylinders will have to be clicking.
-Larson: Can the Jets continue their surprising run that started near the end of the regular season? I don’t think so, especially against the veteran Peyton Manning. The Colts’ defense will rattle rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez just like the Vikings rattled Tony Romo. Make it Indianapolis 33-13.
********
Do you have an opinion on any of this week’s questions? Do you agree or disagree with the sportswriters? Let us know by sending an e-mail to editor.millelacscotimes@ecm-inc.com or a note to Mille Lacs County Times, 225 S.W. 2nd St. Milaca, MN 56353. Or comment online.
