Post date: Sep 17, 2018 2:41:54 PM
I teach 7th graders. On any given day the level of drama in the building can be extremely high. And at this age they are like moths to the flame. No matter how much we try to coach them to avoid it, they just can’t. You would think that someone like me who works in that sort of environment would want… no, EXPECT their weekends to be relatively drama free right? Yet I watch the Vikings every weekend. And is it just me, or does it seem like their drama meter has been red-lining for a while now? It seems like they can’t win or lose (and now tie) without doing so in the most spectacularly heart wrenching fashion. Dropped passes by Williamson, missed kicks by Anderson/Walsh, and disappointment. Whoops….I meant Treadwell and Carlson. It was almost like the whole game, I was re-watching the film I'm creating. All I need now is news to break that while staying in Appleton, some exotic dancers joined the team on the bus, and Fred Smoot was driving! So here are just a few of my (overly drama filled Sunday) post game thoughts.
Dear Rick Spielman, Please stop drafting kickers. PLEASE. Pretty please with a cherry on top? Why are you so fascinated with the long leg kicker? Do you have a leg fetish? Do you have some weird fantasy that’s tied to winning a game on a 70 yard field goal? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you can’t let your private life trickle into your business. Think Rex Ryan… and toes.
A better question might be, why did Zimmer give Carlson a third chance? If I remember right it was preseason when Zimmer opted to go for 2 instead of the extra point after the kicker missed earlier in the game. I liked the message that was sent, if you’re gonna miss, we aren’t going to put you out there. Yet when it mattered yesterday…he did it anyway. That’s teaching 101. If you’re gonna threaten something, you better be willing to back it up or the kids are going to walk all over you. And you could see after that last first down, they stopped trying to get another, and were playing for field goal position. After he’s already missed 2, (one for the win), why not try to score a touchdown? Were we having trouble moving the ball? The green bay defense looked like they had given up. We had 2 time outs and plenty of time left. Were we afraid that we’d leave time on the clock and let ARodge have the ball back? Well, lets talk about that next.
Anyone noticing a trend with the defense? We rushed 4 most of the game. Aaron Rodgers (an injured Aaron Rodgers at that) had plenty of time to throw. And his receivers were continually open. Yes he is one of the best QBs ever. But are we so afraid of 'He whom walks on water' that our vaunted elite defense rarely blitz and our corners give his receivers a cushion? And even when we did send a blitz it was usually one guy who was easily picked up. It’s the exact same thing the Vikes did against the Saints and Eagles at the end of the season last year. And where did that get us? Why didn’t we send the house at him? Are we afraid he might beat us on some quick read? Look at it this way. What we were doing clearly wasn’t working either. So why not do something different. Definition of insanity. If our defense is elite level, let’s see them play like it. Is it talent, execution, or coaching? I’m starting to lose faith in how this defense is coached.
This week the Vikes face a terrible Buffalo Bills team. I think I heard the we are currently 17 point favorites. It’s so bad in Buffalo that the Bills had a player quit at half time, and say he was retiring as he walked out of the stadium! If we play down to the level of our competition this weekend again, I think it should raise red flags.
Lastly, I’m not sure how I feel about people on social media calling for players heads. I’m mad about the kicking and dropped passes too, but I saw one tweet this morning that said “retweet if you think ‘so and so’ should be fired.” How would you like that if someone did that about you and your job. These people have families. Yes I think it’s ok be upset about it, criticize it, or even post about it. I know were all shocked that people have taken it too far, but let the team handle it. I’ve coached for 20 years, and my parents have had to hear some bad things while they were at a game I was coaching. So I see both sides.