Gopher/Viking Football
By Tom Grout
November 11, 2008
Ok, so it looks like the only time I get response from readers is to comment on the Minnesota pro and Gopher sports teams. So here we go.
Is the real Gopher football team now making their appearance? They have now lost two games in a row and one, the Michigan game, they should have won. The Gopher offense just could not get things going against the Wolverine defense. I guess it all makes sense, a Wolverine is bigger, stronger, and meaner than a Gopher anyway, and now they face off with a Badger this week so it doesn’t get any better.
I could say that the Gophers are now facing stiffer competition and Northwestern was a better team than some that the Gophers had played. Michigan was another story. They haven’t played well at all this year so it leaves us with the question; is Michigan a better team than their record and what people think they are, and are the Gophers not as good as their record or as good as people think they are?
The Gophers really don’t have a running game. They have a history of having a good running game with Barber, Maroney and others. They just don’t have that punishing runner. Beyond Decker there is a droop in quality receivers and he being out most of the Michigan game didn’t help. Adam Weber is a good quarterback and is young so he will get even better, but he is still young and makes young mistakes.
I know, I’m getting a little hard on our buck toothed friends. I also know they are a ton better than they have been the last few years and light years better than last year. I also know this is only Tim Brewsters second year and I also know they have some potential. But with winning comes expectations. The pressure gets tougher the more you win and fans tend to expect more. This will be a big game with Wisconsin, the Gophers need to bring the Axe home.
-The Vikings had a fun win over the Packers. I say fun because it should be a fun win to have a feel good about. Like I have said before I don’t get as emotional about these guys like I used to.
It was still a great day for the players, coaches and the fans as anytime you can beat the rival Packers is a good day.
I was impressed by the defense on Sunday as they have kept the team in most of their games all year. Jared Allen is a beast. I have watched him all year and he is as good as they said he was. He may not be in on every tackle or sack but he is close and has hurried a lot of quarterbacks this year. To play the way he did on Sunday with his shoulder injury was amazing, but time and time again in sports the great players will find a way to come through and in a big way.
Another who came through in a big way was Adrian Peterson. How quickly a player can go from hero to goat to hero again in sports. Peterson was having a great game then he convinced the coach to go for it on 4th down. They even threw the red flag to buy some time to decide and lost a time out because of it. Then Peterson didn’t make it and was looking to be the goat. Fate was on Peterson’s side as the Vikings got the ball again and pretty much used Peterson exclusively on the last drive for a touchdown, so back to a hero again.
During the Viking game I made a comment to my youngest son, who isn’t all that young anymore as he is in his first year of college, that the Vikings just aren’t playing all that good and I meant it in a not so “wow” sort of way. He responded, and by the way he is in a couple of fantasy leagues so he watches a lot of football, that he hasn’t seen “wow” football from hardly anybody. There are some teams out there with good records, like Tennessee, but he felt the over all quality isn’t there. It was an interesting analysis because the league is all for parody of teams and all. Does this mean they have accomplished this? Is it for the good of the game, or any game, if there are not some big time teams leading the way? I don’t know, it’s a good question. What are your thoughts?
"he convinced the coach to go for it on 4th down"
Who is the coach and who is the player? It's really hard to tell the difference anymore. They produce little if any results and get paid millions of dollars so we can pay again for the privelege of getting to see them play. I am so sick of all this garbage. There are people who really need help in this world.
The Gophers? It's going to take longer than 1 year to have a resurgence. We need to be patient. The new stadium will bring a collegiate atmosphere back, recruiting will get better, and eventually they should be able to compete. They just aren't that good this year, as I stated previously in your blog, it'll be very hard for them to win another game.
The Vikes? Fun to watch that defense last week, I actually did watch and if the defense keeps flying around like that, I'll keep watching.
Black Ballplayers? (from your last post) - it's hard to imagine what some of those guys went through in the past. But it is the past, and it'll keep getting better. The next Generation (my kids') really doesn't care that much what color a person is which is the way it should be.
Obama? A candidates opinions are more important than color. He was elected because he was a liberal black man, a conservative black man had no chance. I don't see the election as a victory for America's diversity, it was a victory of media influence and money. That is not a change.
Point taken randlars on Obama only I don't see the conservatives ever backing a black man. There are some black people who are conservatives but I don't see it anytime soon so yes it took a liberal black man to win. I think McCain changed so much during the campaign. He just wasn't the same guy. He got caught up in all the hoopla and listened to the wrong people and did things to try and get elected, like picking Sarah Palin, it was not like him. He is a better man than that. Had he been like he was during his concession speech things may have been closer. I do agree with your comment about the media. They can really influence and election. The Republicans lost mostly because of George Bush and his policies that weren't working.
I will miss Bush only for the Presidential Speeches segment on David Letterman.
Bush? Sometimes didn't know which planet he was on. My guess is he's a really good guy that relied on people he shouldn't have. I think he'd be fun to have a beer with.
McCain? I couldn't agree more, there were moments that he wasn't "handled" and he should've stayed that way.
Black Republicans? Colin Powell or J.C. Watts would've been very welcomed as candidates. Powell's wife wants nothing to do with it and Watts is a preacher now I guess. Powell was savaged by Democrats a couple years ago and called an Uncle Tom. Judge Clarence Thomas also comes to mind as a black conservative that was savaged by the same people who celebrate Obama.
Obama? Seems like a good guy, needs to loosen up a bit though. I doubt if he'd be fun to have a beer with. He's my president and I hope it goes well, America needs success. I'm conservative but I will show alot more respect for him than Democrats ever showed Bush since 2002.
But since it's a sports blog, I think everyone mentioned above was an athlete in their time or in Bush's case, was involved in it. Makes me wonder if that same competitive spirit is part of the mentality of running for public office. Tom, there is something for you to research.
I do think that A.P had a serious claim to go for it on 4th down...What are they paying him for?? It was a critical point in the game and he felt the need to carry the team and keep that drive alive.....he ultimately failed..but did manage to redeem himself.....he is a 1 of a kind feature back in the NFL...I would give him the ball anytime he asked
Lots of great topics! Gophs – Brewster had a great first recruiting class and apparently is putting together another one. The current players have bought into his system. The young guys are really contributing. There are a few hold-overs that have developed into fine players. The quality in the program is building. Their time will come. But perhaps not this Saturday. Against Michigan, I thought the defense played real well – more than good enough to win. The offense just couldn’t do anything against that Wolverine D line and the quality in their defensive backfield. It didn’t seem to be the play calling either – nothing worked. It looked like the Gophs were just out-manned.
Vikes? Geez. They soundly outplayed the Packers and should have won by 15 going away. Turnovers and bad special teams play made it a lot closer than it should have been. And its not always good when you need 4:45 of clock time to score. They should have won the first Packer game as well as the Colt game. Watching the defense play is great, and its something to see Williams on the field – he adds a lot. But watching that offense is painful, and special teams play is really erratic.
Adrian Peterson – All impact players should have the confidence and competitiveness to want to go for it on every fourth down. But apparently the Coach hasn’t made it quiet clear enough who the Coach is.
McCain is better than that campaign he ran, and his concession speech was one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard, Obama’s included. Maybe we all see things through our own glasses, political, religious, racial, social. I get the sense that this election involved working through some of that. Its not always easy to keep in mind that across all of these divides, as Americans we agree on 96% of things and disagree about 4% of things.
Yeah, I’d like to have a beer with George Bush, or alone.
I thought the Vike's decision to go for it on fourth down was alright but probably shouldn't have happened. The way the defense was playing cried out for a punt. I do love it when teams don't play it safe but in this case, a punt would have been considered a good offensive play. I really doubt that AP talked him into it. I've coached before and there is so much going on in your mind that you really don't listen to much at all. I coached a game once with grotesque officiating and as the game went on, the public address guy even got too much into complaining. The ref called me over and told me to tell the guy on the mike to cool it or else. My first questions was, "what was he saying?" because even with the speaker behind me, I hadn't heard a thing. My second question to him was, "how the heck come you're even listening to him? If you were concentrating on your job, he wouldn't be complaining!" He didn't give me a penalty but I sure got a dirty look.
Great story, RanLars. And why was he listening?
Yeah, I guess I have no idea what was said between AP & Childress. I listened too much to the announcers who suggested AP called the play. I thought going for the 1st down was a good idea. But they ran the punt team out on the field. OK, that's the money call. Then the stupid challenge. OK, lost a time-out, now we punt. Then they go for it. I thought it was real dumb to go then. JMHO
Vikes Defense is playing great!
News flash: Vikes special teams are playing like they're not so special.
Irrespective of Childress' call to go for it on 4th down, someone should have told Peterson to sit down and let the coaches make those calls!
Should he, at this stage of his career, be allowed to publicly voice his desire to "go for it?"
I say he should play within the confines of the "team" and let his self motivated inspirations be only known inside the clubhouse.
He's a wonderful talent and there's no doubt of that, but I fear his desire to win may cloud his coaches' judgement by allowing exactly that type of play to have merit.
It was 4th and about 1 from their own -40 yard line in the 4th quarter of a close game.
Logic says punt and let that defense, which had been pounding them all day, to do their job and get the ball back with some time.
As it was, they gave up enough yardage to give up a field goal that made it necessary to score a touchdown to go ahead
.
It all turned out good, but a brain fart by the coach in that situation is hard to stomach.
He has a bigger obligation to the team to win the game, and not give in to the objections of a second year player, no matter HOW good that player is!
Bigs -- well said. I couldn't agree more.
I do agree that the coach should be in charge, but lets be honest, without Peterson's outstanding and to some surprising play last year (he was undrafted in my fantasy league, I picked him up for nothing and there were weeks when he beat the other team I was playing by himself!), would Childress still have his job this year? Take Adrian Peterson away from the Vikings last year, what kind of record would they have had? Adrian makes the Vikings exciting to watch again, like when we had Moss and Cris Carter. They could score or have a big play any time they have the ball and Adrian is the same way. Adrian Peterson is one of the most exciting new players to come along in a long time but this does not give him the right to second guess the coach especially on the sidelines like he is Tyrell Owens. Maybe Childress should have benched him right there (think Hoosers here) but do you think he could do something like that and keep his job? Adrian Peterson could be one of the greatest of all time, but he needs a coach that has heard of the play action pass, that knows how to develop a young player and actually seems like he is in charge. Bring back Denis Green, he did an awesome job keeping Randy Moss in check (Last sentence was a joke if you didn't catch it...)
-on a personal note for Tom, I think I have the First Lady talked into coming here for spring break instead of us going to New York...The Mayor may have to come out for a golfing "fact finding" trip...
Gus would be in a world of trouble without AP taking nothing away from chester who would more than likely be a starter on over half the teams out there.....BUT...Mr.peterson has the ability to take it to the house on any given play....he carried the offense down for that final score....and if childress DOESNT listen to a guy like that hes a bigger idiot than previously thought....do i believe players should call the shots??? ABSOLUTELY NOT....but....odds are hes going to get you 3-4 yards ......we won so be it.....maybe he should be returning punts and kickoffs?? good god i could hobble up the feild better than some of the attemps weve seen so far...JEEESH
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