Packerlifer
Cheesehead
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2008
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Somewhere in Minnesota there's a shed where they keep a purple trailer that they trot out every couple ofyears or so, fill it with noisy drumbeating fans and media types, and roll it down the road proclaiming the Vikings to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The wagon has been out since Brett Favre announced his retirement last March as the Queens have been advanced as the **** favorite to supplant the Packers as NFC North champion this season.
We've seen this phenomenon before. Minnesota was supposed to take the NFCN in 2003,'04 & '05 when they had the explosive Daunte Culpepper-Randy Moss teams. As a 45 yr. Packers fan living in the Wisconsin-Minnesota border area we've seen it many times before that even; going back at least 40 years!
Apparently they don't keep the lugs on that bandwagon very tight, though, since the wheels keep coming off it time after time.
Besides the Favre departure from Green Bay, the steam for Minnesota this year relates to the rookie of the year showing of Adrian Peterson last season and the offseason additions of wr Bernard Berrian and talented but troubled Kansas City de Jared Allen.Somehow these developments are going to close and surpass the 5 game difference between Green Bay & Minnesota in the standings last season and the 34 point differential between them in their last head to head at Lambeau.
Don't get me wrong; the game Monday night and the season race will be close and probably down to the wire. But before going out on a limb for the Queens consider their history. They have a repeatedly demonstrated penchant for falling short of the highest expectations. While their boosters are saying all the elements are in place for a playoff season, I say the elements are also in place for another letdown.
Most obvious is their quarterback question mark with Tarvaris Jackson. But even with some of their strong points there's ways things might not work out as planned.
Adrian Peterson gained about 40% of his rushing yardage in just 2 monster 200-plus yd. games last season. The rest of the time he was a good back but as the season wore on he showed signs of wearing down and opposing defenses figuring him out. Don't forget; the Vikings coaches didn't even make him a starter ahead of Chester Taylor until near midseason.
Jared Allen was considered a suspension waiting to happen in KC. He led the NFL in qb sacks last year but gained almost half of his total in the final month when the Chiefs played Denver, Detroit & the Jets; 3 of the weakest pass protecting teams in theleague in '07. Allen was shut out or contained consistently in his games against the league's better left tackles; including Green Bay's Chad Clifton.
Berrian is an okay receiver but not a great one. He's an upgrade over what they had but that's not saying a lot. And he's got a turf toe type injury that's likely to bother him thru the season.
Otherwise the Minnesota cast is pretty much the same as the outfits that have gone 14-18 over the past 2 seasons. And they've got a schedule that includes 7 games against teams that were in the playoffs last season and 2 more that figure to be on this season's contender lists.
Consider that and consider their own tradition when hearing about how this year's Vikings are going to be 10 feet tall. They still look to me a lot closer to average.
The wagon has been out since Brett Favre announced his retirement last March as the Queens have been advanced as the **** favorite to supplant the Packers as NFC North champion this season.
We've seen this phenomenon before. Minnesota was supposed to take the NFCN in 2003,'04 & '05 when they had the explosive Daunte Culpepper-Randy Moss teams. As a 45 yr. Packers fan living in the Wisconsin-Minnesota border area we've seen it many times before that even; going back at least 40 years!
Apparently they don't keep the lugs on that bandwagon very tight, though, since the wheels keep coming off it time after time.
Besides the Favre departure from Green Bay, the steam for Minnesota this year relates to the rookie of the year showing of Adrian Peterson last season and the offseason additions of wr Bernard Berrian and talented but troubled Kansas City de Jared Allen.Somehow these developments are going to close and surpass the 5 game difference between Green Bay & Minnesota in the standings last season and the 34 point differential between them in their last head to head at Lambeau.
Don't get me wrong; the game Monday night and the season race will be close and probably down to the wire. But before going out on a limb for the Queens consider their history. They have a repeatedly demonstrated penchant for falling short of the highest expectations. While their boosters are saying all the elements are in place for a playoff season, I say the elements are also in place for another letdown.
Most obvious is their quarterback question mark with Tarvaris Jackson. But even with some of their strong points there's ways things might not work out as planned.
Adrian Peterson gained about 40% of his rushing yardage in just 2 monster 200-plus yd. games last season. The rest of the time he was a good back but as the season wore on he showed signs of wearing down and opposing defenses figuring him out. Don't forget; the Vikings coaches didn't even make him a starter ahead of Chester Taylor until near midseason.
Jared Allen was considered a suspension waiting to happen in KC. He led the NFL in qb sacks last year but gained almost half of his total in the final month when the Chiefs played Denver, Detroit & the Jets; 3 of the weakest pass protecting teams in theleague in '07. Allen was shut out or contained consistently in his games against the league's better left tackles; including Green Bay's Chad Clifton.
Berrian is an okay receiver but not a great one. He's an upgrade over what they had but that's not saying a lot. And he's got a turf toe type injury that's likely to bother him thru the season.
Otherwise the Minnesota cast is pretty much the same as the outfits that have gone 14-18 over the past 2 seasons. And they've got a schedule that includes 7 games against teams that were in the playoffs last season and 2 more that figure to be on this season's contender lists.
Consider that and consider their own tradition when hearing about how this year's Vikings are going to be 10 feet tall. They still look to me a lot closer to average.