Whether you love the Daily Norseman, or not, I'm a fan of the work done by Ted Glover, and I asked him to answer a couple questions prior to the Vikings upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers.
Q: Could you give us a recap on how the 2011 season has gone, and what went wrong last weekend in Chicago?
A: Well, it's been disappointing, to be sure. After the San Diego game, I was actually encouraged. They played well, for the most part, on the road against a team a lot of people have on the short list for AFC representative in the Super Bowl. Yeah, they lost, but eh, that happens. No way McNabb looks that bad again, we thought, and I really thought moving forward they had the makings of a good season. But the Tampa and Detroit games really took the wind out of their sails, and it became apparent that this team was devoid of talent at the most crucial position in the modern day NFL, quarterback. Now, I'm not here to kick Donovan McNabb when he's down--the problems the Vikings have are more than just poor QB play--the offensive line and pass defense have been suspect, and that's putting it kindly. Don't get me wrong, I love Adrian Peterson, but in the 21st century NFL you have to be able to pass effectively, and McNabb can't do it anymore. With no real threat from the air, teams can drop an 8th guy down in the box, and the Vikings offense is effectively stopped. The Vikings defense has played very well at times, but they can be passed and run on in crucial situations. When they need to get off the field, they can't, for the most part. I think they're a good defense, but they have issues in the secondary, which was on full display on Sunday night. As to the blowout, I think every team gets one 'mulligan' per season, and I hope that was Minnesota's, at least on defense. They're usually not that bad, and almost always generate a lot more pressure on the quarterback than they did against Chicago. Oh, and NOT kicking to Devin Hester would be a good idea next time. Jesus.