Post by Frosted on Dec 10, 2014 16:55:28 GMT -6
"I think when Teddy decides to be the leader of the football team, because right now he's still feeling his way a little bit and his personality is just do what you do and do what you have to do," Zimmer said. "This franchise is Teddy's. I know that was a good headline for you." - Iron Mike Zimmer
Viking Stat Box: Offense
Viking Stat Box: Defense
Random thoughts/observations:
* Wild ride there, eh? I know that the win is all that matters, but there are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up if this team wants to compete with Detroit on Sunday.
* The run defense, despite giving up 168 yards, was actually a bit better this week than it has been. 4.0 YPC allowed, while definitely not a mark to get excited about, is an improvement over every previous week since Tampa Bay. That said, it pains me to see us giving up so many short conversions on 3rd/4th and a yard or two. I have written about it in the past, but I do think the failure falls more on the LBs than the DL. We were doing better with this early in the season, and I can specifically remember a play I highlighted from the last Lions game, where Hodges and Barr magnificently play a stretch run and stop it for a 1 yard loss. The defensive line played it perfectly, the LBs disengaged from blocks quickly, and it was exactly how defense is supposed to be played. I will post it down thread for reference. We just have had too few of those type of fundamentally sound plays of late, and it is hurting our defense greatly in terms of getting off the field.
* I worry a lot about the Josh Robinson issue. He seems to be regressing again, after showing some improvement earlier in the season. It's troubling, to say the least. I'm all for giving players time to figure things out, and showing patience. That said, I think we'd be well served to consider drafting a CB relatively early next April. I'm by no means advocating that we move on from him entirely, but I think we can upgrade at the outside corner position, and having Josh would provide us with good depth. Even if we have Josh as our starter opposite Xavier going into next season, I hope we have a rookie behind him pushing him for the spot.
* On a positive note, I think it is time to start thinking about, maybe, possibly, hopefully, are we really having this conversation, calling Xavier Rhodes a shutdown CB. The past few weeks it seems the game has really slowed down for him, and it's remarkable what he's been able to accomplish. The last hiccup he's really had was the Buffalo game - I was hard on him for not making that play at the end of the game against Chris Hogan, and in looking at pictures of it, he was thisclose to doing so. But, back to the point. Since that game, per PFF, he's been targeted in coverage 29 times. 11 of those passes have been completed (38% completion), for 140 yards (4.8 YPA), no touchdowns and 1 interception. Furthermore, he's deflected 10 passes in that span. That's actually remarkable. He's almost deflected as many passes as he's allowed catches in that span. Let that sink in. I realize it isn't Zimmer's M.O., but I think he should strongly consider having Xavier follow Calvin Johnson around the field on Sunday, and rolling coverage to Golden Tate to help Josh, whenever possible. That might be playing with fire a bit - even as well as Rhodes has played, Johnson is a different animal, but it might be worth considering.
* Here's my token Gerald Hodges bullet point. I know, I know, I've probably worn this one out, but he HAS to be on the field. Even when (if) Barr comes backs this season, and Chad is healthy. He has everything you want in a LB, and I see great things in his future. He played very well against the Jets, and that's outside of his pick six - the rest of the game went great for him too. I hope to do some cut ups focused on him this week.
* I like Matt Asiata as a capable pass catcher and a good pass protector, but he just leaves so many yards on the field as a RB. He's not going to create more than what's blocked, and often times, he doesn't even get everything that is blocked. I realize the value in having him out there, what with a young QB under center, having an RB capable of picking up blitzers is essential. But, I truly hope we see less carries being taken by Matt this week, and more being given to Tate and Banyard. We really miss McKinnon in our running game right now.
* Teddy did a fantastic job taking what the defense was giving him and limiting his mistakes on Sunday. It's been encouraging to see his progression as QB the last few weeks. This week will tell us a whole lot about how far he's really come. On the road, against one the best defenses in the NFL. The same defense, in fact, that he had his worst game as a pro against earlier in the season.
* You know who's been quiet lately, after a strong start to the season? Tommy Johnson. Would like to see him step up big this week, especially if Floyd is still very limited.
* With Robert Blanton (one of our most steady defensive players this season, yet somehow flying under the radar) possibly out this week, I'm assuming we'll see Andrew Sendejo get a lot of playing time on Sunday. I don't think Exum has seen the field on defense since week 1.
* Everyone go to the NFL's website and vote for Everson Griffen, Harrison Smith, and Xavier Rhodes for the Pro Bowl. It'll be a crime if they don't make it, IMO.
* I've been really impressed with Charles Johnson recently, as I'm sure most of us have. I will say though, he's still struggling with the occasional drop and he has a really hard time making contested catches. He's been pretty wide open a lot of the time, so it hasn't been a huge issue, but he seems to struggle when he has to try to overcome tight coverage and make a catch. Something to watch, going forward.
* I wonder if David Yankey will be active this week, if Chuck Johnson can't go.
* I saw an article earlier in the week about how the Vikings are the first team to move into a temporary stadium (displaced), and improve their record. Granted there wasn't really anywhere to go, but up. Still, nice to see. I know that was a big talking point this offseason. I think Mike Zimmer is doing a tremendous job coaching this football team. I'm feeling confident about the future of the Vikings.
* Don't look now, but we are 0-4 against the NFC North this year. That has to change.
* I think I'm having Barr withdrawals..Not only has he missed most of the last two weeks, but the way he was playing since the the few games before that, it was like he wasn't even there.
This Week
Difficult task at hand this week. The Lions, believe it or not, are legit. They currently field one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are 2nd to Seattle in total yards allowed/game. They're especially strong against the run (1st), and not too shabby against the pass (10th). They also rank 1st in points allowed/game to go along with strong rankings in sacks (7th) and interceptions (2nd). Simply put, they are among the cream of the crop defensively. Offensively, they haven't been as dangerous as year's past (16th in total yards/game), but they are getting healthy (by they I mean Calvin Johnson), and will be much improved over the last time we played them. So far this season, they are just ahead of the Vikings in scoring offense (24th). They rank 9th in passing yards/game and 29th in rushing yards/game. It will be a great test for the offense, to see how far they have come, and will be an opportunity for a bounce back game for our defense. I'm not feeling great about our chances, especially on the road, inside that dome (boy, who would have thought I would ever look at playing in a dome as a negative). My prediction is 24-14, Lions win.
Key Players to Contain - Lions Offense
* Calvin Johnson (WR): Not much to say that hasn't been said about him. I think we're all aware that he's one of the best offensive players in the NFL. I alluded to it above, I think we should consider having Xavier shadow him around the field this week. Talk about a test.
* Golden Tate (WR): The Robin to Megatron's Batman. He is as good a 2nd WR as any not named Emmanuel, Randall, or Alshon. Btw, how messed up is it that all but one of those duos is in the NFC North?
* Joique Bell (RB): Reggie Bush is old hat. This is the RB we should be worried about this week. He's actually a beast, believe it or not. If we don't fix the tackling issues, he's going to make us pay for it.
* Matthew Stafford (QB): He's prone to the big mistake, but he can still make just about any throw on the field. We'll need to get pressure on him, early and often, and hopefully force him into some big mistakes.
Key Players to Neutralize - Lions Defense
* Ndamukong Suh (DT): I don't like him, but he's probably the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. He's the biggest reason why the Lions defense is performing the way they are this season. I'm not going to try to talk about how we have to try to do this and that - he'll impact our offense, like it or not.
* DeAndre Levy (LB): He's as underrated as they come. He's a STUD against the run. Playing behind Suh helps him excel, but he makes a ton of plays for himself as well.
* Ezekial Ansah (DE): I believe he terrorized Matt Kalil in the first game, to the tune of four sacks. Ouch. Let's go Matty!
This Week's TV Maps
506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2014&wk=15
Remember fellas (Hawaii bros, I'm talking to you), this game is at 3:25PM. We get Chris Meyers and Ronde for this game. The Twin Cities sees Pecker-Bills in the early slot on FOX and also New England-Miami on the early CBS slot.
Here are the enemy fan forums for this week:
Lionsbacker.com
www.lionbacker.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4
Football's Future
www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=16
Official Fan Forum
www.detroitlions.com/fan-zone/messageboards.html
What they're saying:
Go Vikes!
Viking Stat Box: Offense
309.2 Total Yards/Game (28th in NFL)
194.8 Passing Yards/Game (30th in NFL)
114.5 Rushing Yards/Game (13th in NFL)
20.2 Points/Game (25th in NFL)Viking Stat Box: Defense
348.1 Total Yards/Game (12th in NFL)
220.8 Passing Yards/Game (6th in NFL)
127.2 Rushing Yards/Game (23rd in NFL)
21.6 Points/Game (13th in NFL)Random thoughts/observations:
* Wild ride there, eh? I know that the win is all that matters, but there are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up if this team wants to compete with Detroit on Sunday.
* The run defense, despite giving up 168 yards, was actually a bit better this week than it has been. 4.0 YPC allowed, while definitely not a mark to get excited about, is an improvement over every previous week since Tampa Bay. That said, it pains me to see us giving up so many short conversions on 3rd/4th and a yard or two. I have written about it in the past, but I do think the failure falls more on the LBs than the DL. We were doing better with this early in the season, and I can specifically remember a play I highlighted from the last Lions game, where Hodges and Barr magnificently play a stretch run and stop it for a 1 yard loss. The defensive line played it perfectly, the LBs disengaged from blocks quickly, and it was exactly how defense is supposed to be played. I will post it down thread for reference. We just have had too few of those type of fundamentally sound plays of late, and it is hurting our defense greatly in terms of getting off the field.
* I worry a lot about the Josh Robinson issue. He seems to be regressing again, after showing some improvement earlier in the season. It's troubling, to say the least. I'm all for giving players time to figure things out, and showing patience. That said, I think we'd be well served to consider drafting a CB relatively early next April. I'm by no means advocating that we move on from him entirely, but I think we can upgrade at the outside corner position, and having Josh would provide us with good depth. Even if we have Josh as our starter opposite Xavier going into next season, I hope we have a rookie behind him pushing him for the spot.
* On a positive note, I think it is time to start thinking about, maybe, possibly, hopefully, are we really having this conversation, calling Xavier Rhodes a shutdown CB. The past few weeks it seems the game has really slowed down for him, and it's remarkable what he's been able to accomplish. The last hiccup he's really had was the Buffalo game - I was hard on him for not making that play at the end of the game against Chris Hogan, and in looking at pictures of it, he was thisclose to doing so. But, back to the point. Since that game, per PFF, he's been targeted in coverage 29 times. 11 of those passes have been completed (38% completion), for 140 yards (4.8 YPA), no touchdowns and 1 interception. Furthermore, he's deflected 10 passes in that span. That's actually remarkable. He's almost deflected as many passes as he's allowed catches in that span. Let that sink in. I realize it isn't Zimmer's M.O., but I think he should strongly consider having Xavier follow Calvin Johnson around the field on Sunday, and rolling coverage to Golden Tate to help Josh, whenever possible. That might be playing with fire a bit - even as well as Rhodes has played, Johnson is a different animal, but it might be worth considering.
* Here's my token Gerald Hodges bullet point. I know, I know, I've probably worn this one out, but he HAS to be on the field. Even when (if) Barr comes backs this season, and Chad is healthy. He has everything you want in a LB, and I see great things in his future. He played very well against the Jets, and that's outside of his pick six - the rest of the game went great for him too. I hope to do some cut ups focused on him this week.
* I like Matt Asiata as a capable pass catcher and a good pass protector, but he just leaves so many yards on the field as a RB. He's not going to create more than what's blocked, and often times, he doesn't even get everything that is blocked. I realize the value in having him out there, what with a young QB under center, having an RB capable of picking up blitzers is essential. But, I truly hope we see less carries being taken by Matt this week, and more being given to Tate and Banyard. We really miss McKinnon in our running game right now.
* Teddy did a fantastic job taking what the defense was giving him and limiting his mistakes on Sunday. It's been encouraging to see his progression as QB the last few weeks. This week will tell us a whole lot about how far he's really come. On the road, against one the best defenses in the NFL. The same defense, in fact, that he had his worst game as a pro against earlier in the season.
* You know who's been quiet lately, after a strong start to the season? Tommy Johnson. Would like to see him step up big this week, especially if Floyd is still very limited.
* With Robert Blanton (one of our most steady defensive players this season, yet somehow flying under the radar) possibly out this week, I'm assuming we'll see Andrew Sendejo get a lot of playing time on Sunday. I don't think Exum has seen the field on defense since week 1.
* Everyone go to the NFL's website and vote for Everson Griffen, Harrison Smith, and Xavier Rhodes for the Pro Bowl. It'll be a crime if they don't make it, IMO.
* I've been really impressed with Charles Johnson recently, as I'm sure most of us have. I will say though, he's still struggling with the occasional drop and he has a really hard time making contested catches. He's been pretty wide open a lot of the time, so it hasn't been a huge issue, but he seems to struggle when he has to try to overcome tight coverage and make a catch. Something to watch, going forward.
* I wonder if David Yankey will be active this week, if Chuck Johnson can't go.
* I saw an article earlier in the week about how the Vikings are the first team to move into a temporary stadium (displaced), and improve their record. Granted there wasn't really anywhere to go, but up. Still, nice to see. I know that was a big talking point this offseason. I think Mike Zimmer is doing a tremendous job coaching this football team. I'm feeling confident about the future of the Vikings.
* Don't look now, but we are 0-4 against the NFC North this year. That has to change.
* I think I'm having Barr withdrawals..Not only has he missed most of the last two weeks, but the way he was playing since the the few games before that, it was like he wasn't even there.
This Week
Difficult task at hand this week. The Lions, believe it or not, are legit. They currently field one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are 2nd to Seattle in total yards allowed/game. They're especially strong against the run (1st), and not too shabby against the pass (10th). They also rank 1st in points allowed/game to go along with strong rankings in sacks (7th) and interceptions (2nd). Simply put, they are among the cream of the crop defensively. Offensively, they haven't been as dangerous as year's past (16th in total yards/game), but they are getting healthy (by they I mean Calvin Johnson), and will be much improved over the last time we played them. So far this season, they are just ahead of the Vikings in scoring offense (24th). They rank 9th in passing yards/game and 29th in rushing yards/game. It will be a great test for the offense, to see how far they have come, and will be an opportunity for a bounce back game for our defense. I'm not feeling great about our chances, especially on the road, inside that dome (boy, who would have thought I would ever look at playing in a dome as a negative). My prediction is 24-14, Lions win.
Key Players to Contain - Lions Offense
* Calvin Johnson (WR): Not much to say that hasn't been said about him. I think we're all aware that he's one of the best offensive players in the NFL. I alluded to it above, I think we should consider having Xavier shadow him around the field this week. Talk about a test.
* Golden Tate (WR): The Robin to Megatron's Batman. He is as good a 2nd WR as any not named Emmanuel, Randall, or Alshon. Btw, how messed up is it that all but one of those duos is in the NFC North?
* Joique Bell (RB): Reggie Bush is old hat. This is the RB we should be worried about this week. He's actually a beast, believe it or not. If we don't fix the tackling issues, he's going to make us pay for it.
* Matthew Stafford (QB): He's prone to the big mistake, but he can still make just about any throw on the field. We'll need to get pressure on him, early and often, and hopefully force him into some big mistakes.
Key Players to Neutralize - Lions Defense
* Ndamukong Suh (DT): I don't like him, but he's probably the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. He's the biggest reason why the Lions defense is performing the way they are this season. I'm not going to try to talk about how we have to try to do this and that - he'll impact our offense, like it or not.
* DeAndre Levy (LB): He's as underrated as they come. He's a STUD against the run. Playing behind Suh helps him excel, but he makes a ton of plays for himself as well.
* Ezekial Ansah (DE): I believe he terrorized Matt Kalil in the first game, to the tune of four sacks. Ouch. Let's go Matty!
This Week's TV Maps
506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2014&wk=15
Remember fellas (Hawaii bros, I'm talking to you), this game is at 3:25PM. We get Chris Meyers and Ronde for this game. The Twin Cities sees Pecker-Bills in the early slot on FOX and also New England-Miami on the early CBS slot.
Here are the enemy fan forums for this week:
Lionsbacker.com
www.lionbacker.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4
Football's Future
www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=16
Official Fan Forum
www.detroitlions.com/fan-zone/messageboards.html
What they're saying:
Won't be an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, but from everything I've heard, Caldwell has the guys in the right mindset. Although we remain unproven against top talent, this year we've generally won the games we were expected to win. For that reason, I think we can feel good about our chances Sunday.
Lions win 34-17
Trap game.
Teddy and Johnson getting good chemistry
Teddy and Johnson getting good chemistry
I suppose. They almost lost to Geno and The Jets though.
When all else fails this year, just thinking about what our dline does to folks makes me feel better.
And yes, 34-17 sounds about right...
When all else fails this year, just thinking about what our dline does to folks makes me feel better.
And yes, 34-17 sounds about right...
Beat them the first time without half of our offensive weapons, at their place. Playing them indoors, with our offense getting really hot. Vikings don't have a running game, not that it would matter going up against our run defense, and will have to rely solely on Teddy Football and Co. to beat us. I also like that our defense has been really getting after teams and creating turnovers.
I don't think this is a trap game at all, Caldwell has done a great job keeping them focused on the task at hand. I think we continue to role, put up another big number, I am thinking 34-10.
I don't think this is a trap game at all, Caldwell has done a great job keeping them focused on the task at hand. I think we continue to role, put up another big number, I am thinking 34-10.
Minny has a solid D. This has more to do with the Minny D
Lions by 17, mimimum. Vikings will score no more than 10 points.
They held the Packers to 24 couple weeks ago and Packers offense far superior to Det.
All I am saying is all this 20 plus pt win and throwing 34 plus pts out there is a little premature given Vikings are not horrid
All I am saying is all this 20 plus pt win and throwing 34 plus pts out there is a little premature given Vikings are not horrid
talent vs. talent this shouldn't be close. But they're well coached, unified by adversity, and have no glaring weaknesses that are bigger problems against the lions than they would be against every other team. Asiata is going to get his 3ypc against any team in the league, they know their line isn't good against the pass rush and call plays accordingly, and their young QB is getting more chemistry with his receivers as the season goes. The lions are pretty much doing exactly what they've been doing all season, whereas the Vikings have changed up their game as the season has gone on to better utilize their line up and cover for the holes in their roster. The Vikings are the perfect trap team, particularly the second time you play them.
I certianly hope Caldwell isn't marking the win up without doing the work to get it, as his predecessor seemed to at times. Luckily he doesn't seem to be that kind of coach, at least in the media.
I certianly hope Caldwell isn't marking the win up without doing the work to get it, as his predecessor seemed to at times. Luckily he doesn't seem to be that kind of coach, at least in the media.
Vikings might be missing Floyd/Barr Sunday.........could open up the running game quite a bit...
Go Vikes!
... and neither is this Chris guy.