Vikings 23 - Packers 20 !!!!!!!! SKOL VIKINGS!!!

Vikings 23 - Packers 20!!!

Edinger kicks career long of 56!

To quote a common football cliche', this was truly a tale of two halves. The Vikings offense crashed and burned in the first half, but rose like the phoenix as the team finally gelled to defeat the most hated of foes. Even if it's only for a week, it is the in thing to be a Vikings fan right now. Prediciton : A win to right the ship towards the playoffs.

Sitting in a small little dive bar in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, my hopes had nearly crashed like guys sitting at the bar drowning thier sorrows in PBR. The guy screaming "STOP EVOLUTION" was beginning to steal my attention as the Vikings fumbled and stumbled thier way through the first half. Anything was better than watching Daunte throw errant passes. My hands covered my face as Moore fumbled the ball on the 25 yard line after a brilliant return from Robinson. My mind burned with confusion as Culpepper fumbled a fourth down sneak attempt. Utter dispair was beginning to set in as the final pass of the half bounced out of 3 Vikings fingers before falling softly to the turf. "When are we going to catch a break" I kept asking myself as Favre drove down the field making perfect passes burning a defense that seemed completly lost. 17-0, then we were treated to a bit of relief as the half guarenteed that we would not make any stupid mistakes for at least the next 20 minutes. I feared what would be in store for us in the second half. I was running out of excuses for the two Packer fans sitting next to me watching the game on the big screen. Home seems infinetly distant when your football team is getting blown out by a divisional rival.

But then the second half arrived. And Thor looked down and saw the injustice being wrought and said to the team, "SKOL." The Vikings responded with the the spirit of Valhalla and proceeded to drive down the field with renewed vigor. Like so many late night Cinemax movies, the Vikings slowly pounded the Packer defense into submission. They drove deep into Packer territory and scored thier first points with a 27 yard field goal. The defense responded promptly with a 3 and out.

Culpepper came out with his running shoes today as he took a designed draw for 18 yards to set up a quick strike to Williamson, only to finish off the drive with a 27 yard burn to Marcus Robinson. The offensive line held strong as the majority of the drive was based upon passing. Culpepper was afforded ample time to find the open recievers, although his passes were still a little off. The Packers thus responded with a long drive of their own covering 51 yards in 5 minutes. The defense held strong though and forced a 42 yard field goal attempt, which was wide left. Down by 7 with the 4th quarter starting, the Vikings were in position to make a remarkable comeback and further heat up the storied rivalry.

The Vikings proceeded to drive from thier own 32 down to the doorsteps of the endzone. Once in the Packer redzone, the offense seemed to die, but further analysis suggests they were just selling the drama. A misplaced pass attempt to Moore fell harmlessly to the ground, forcing another Edinger field goal from 22 yards. Green Bay 17, Minnesota 14.

The Vikings defense stood up to Favre and the Packers after a fumbled kickoff that benefited the Packers with and extra 20 yards. A 5 yard pass, a 2 yard run, and an incomplete pass forced the Pack into another 3 and out as they punted the ball to the Vikings 17. You could feel the electricity in the air all the way down in San Francisco as Culpepper took the ships wheel and attempted to guide the Vikings though the sea of green. A 29 yard pass to Moore essentally launched the ship towards midfield. Followed by a five yard pass to Wiggins and a 10 yard gain to Taylor, Culpepper broke another decent run for 14 yards. On a critical 3rd and 8, Burleson caught a ten yard pass thus saving the drive. Moore came out of the backfield uncovered and open in the middle of the field as Daunte hit him with one of the smartest throws he has made all season. End result, TOUCHDOWN VIKINGS!!! Vikings 20, Packers 17, but there are still 190 ticks on the clock.

Favre used this time effectivly as he drove the field for 56 yards in 11 plays and knocking of 2:46 off the clock. The Vikings defense looked like swiss cheese during this drive, but finaly held thier ground on a crucial 3rd and 2. Forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal thus tying the game. With only 24 seconds left on the clock and 1 time out, the Vikings special teams took to the field for one last ditch effort to win this game before OT.

Green Bay kicked the ball to Koren Robinson, who thus took it, waited for a few blocks and then tried to find a seem to break one loose. And he nearly did. Saved by a shoestring tackle as he was building up steam, Packer fans sighed a breath of relief. Culpepper then hit the field with a mission; Mission to get into field goal range. A quick little dump off to Moore netted 14 yards with 8 seconds remaining. The only plausable play seemed to be one last leave into the endzone. Culpepper didn't see it this way. With wisdom well beyond the arm chair quarterbacks, he hit Marcus Robinson on the sideline with a 12 yard gain, thus leaving the ball at the 38. Enter Edinger. The off-season pickup that many thought was a steal ran out onto the field to kick his longest field goal ever. 56 yards. Attempting to freeze Edinger, the Packers called a time-out. But you can't freeze ice, and Edinger was pure ice cold deadly. 2 seconds remain as the ball is snapped a little low, Brad Johnson does all in his power to set the ball up jsut as Edingers foot sweeps the ball into the air. Viking fans across the nation with fingers crossed pray to Thor for a true kick. Instantly fans recognize that the ball is heading for the space between the posts . . . but does it have the distance? Never has a ball hung up in the air for so long. The only thought running through the Metrodome was "Be long enough, Oh God please be long enough." Eyes are glued upon the refs for the call as the ball sails over the cross bar. The hands shoot up as all the fans in every bar in every city jump from thier seats in jubilation. The KICK WAS GOOD!!! Time has expired, no flags, and the Vikings have a 3 point victory over the worst of all rivals.

All songs are great after a win like this. A man can groove to anything, a smile stretches across his face for hours, and everyone is his friend. This type of win will make the whole week. A man is allowed to wear his jersey all day long in any setting. Life is good after beating the Packers. Life is sweet right now.

After an anemic first half, the Vikings sucked it up and came out as a team in the second half. Culpepper was still throwing his balls everywhere but perfect, but they were catchable. And the recivers caught those balls, refused to be tackled and in the high fashion of this rivalry, never gave up. The sweat of passion was dripping off of every Viking face as they refused to give up on thier season. The defense held strong when they needed to, and the offesnse produced whenever they got the ball. Although we did not play the entire game with this level of competitivness, the Vikings made up for thier first half follies with inspired play to end the game.

The Vikings have finally turned that corner. They came together as a team in the second half and gave ample justification to thier Super Bowl dreams. This was a huge emotional win for the Vikings in the face of recent allegations and off-field problems. A win that solidifies the team under one common goal. A win to propell a long stretch of wins. Detroit may still be a game up on us right now, seeing as they beat the Browns, but we face them head on next week to determine the NFC North leader.

Many people may say that the Packers are not a team to get excited about beating, but lets look at the play of Favre today. 28/36 315 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yet we shut him down in the second half and sent him home crying. We played a team coming off the bye week, and after a huge win against the Saints. We played a game in which records do not matter, only the amount of intesity each team is willing to produce. We won a close game that will be greatly overlooked due to the combined records of the teams. But this was a big win, this was a solidifying victory, this was the corner turned. Look for the Vikings to make a strong run from here on out. SKOL

Players of the Game - Pat Williams, Daunte Culpepper, Offensive line, Koren Robinson, and of course, Mr. 56 yarder Paul Edinger

Goats of the game - no one. This game was played with passion on both ends and thus no one deserves the distinction of being a goat, for either team.

What a game

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!!!! Series tied a 44-44-1. Best rivalry in sports!

Vikings vs. Packers

Packers at Vikings

Another installment of the greatest rivalry in Sports.

The Vikings play host to the Packers this Sunday. A tale of two struggling teams at 1-4, this game is a must win for each side of the border. Playing in a division where 2 wins retains the #1 spot, the winner of this game would only be 1 game out at worst, and possibly take a share of the divisional lead. On the other hand, the still has the possiblity of remaining only one game behind a 2-4 division. This is essentially a springboard game for both teams, and one of the boards will break thus spiraling the losing team into obscurity.

The only win either team has been able to scrape up this year was against a homeless Saints team. Green Bay is coming off a blowout win two weeks ago, and the benefit of the bye last week. Minnesota came out of the bye last week to be embarrassed by the Bears. Neither team has proven themselves capable of playing a real squad and thus the battle this week seems to be the game to decide the biggest loser. But do not expect sub-par football this week, this rivalry has some serious bad blood. Expect some heated disputes, hard hitters, and a full out effort worthy of a Super Bowl performance. This may be the closest either of these teams will get to a big game this year (except the next Vikings Packers game).

The Vikings come into this game heathier than they have been all year. Nate Burleson returns to the field as the Vikings top reciever this week. He had been out for the past 3 games due to a sprained knee. Also, Brian Williams (he who shall not be named . . . again) will take the field and attempt to provide some sort of help in the secondary, although it is unlikely that "he who shall not be named" could help out a Pop Warner football team.

The Packers have essentially been supporting the crutches market this year with tons of injuries to key players. Some of these players will be making thier first returns to the field this week, but are still listed questionable. Aman Green and Bubba Franks look to make some contributions, but are not yet up to full steam. Davenport, Diggs, and Flanagan are reported to miss the game

The Vikings have had a problem gelling as a team so far this year. The gears have not been working in unison thus allowing the complete breakdown of the offense. In the 10 halfs the Vikings offense has played this year, only 1 was worthy of note. But rumors of a "team" developing in Minnesota have slipped under the national radar. Tice commented that the team was finally working together towards a common goal this week in practice. This has been one of the Vikings biggest problems this year, the lack of team work. Some times the line will perform when Daunte falters. Some times the backs have to carry a disproportionate load while the receivers drop balls. And sometimes the line breaks down when Daunte is heating up. The end result is always the same, and the cause is always the same . . . lack of teamwork. If the Vikings can come out to the Metrodome this week and appear as though all 11 men are working towards the same end, we may have a big win on our hands.

The defense of the Vikings as been great at times and non-existant at times. The bi-polar disorder of the defense has shown us what they are capable of, and what they are capable of allowing. Either they shut down the offense or they make them look like gods. Look for a rejuvinated Vikings defense this week as they face thier biggest rival. Look for Sharper to prove himself in front of his former mates, look for line to provide relentless pressure, combined with a series of brilliant blitzing packages. Big games bring the greatest defenses out of the slumber. This defense has the ability to be great, and thus look for a fantastic performance.

Essentially this game comes down to the serious mutual hatred of one another. Packer fans hate Vikings fans, and Vikings fans hate Packers fans, Packer Players hate Vikings players, and Vikings players hate Packer players. Last year the Vikings lost two close games that came down to poor official calls. The Vikings enacted their revenge in the most important match-up of last year, a 31-17 romp on the frozen January tundra. The series is currently at 43-44-1 in favor of the Packers. But that will change this week as the Vikings looks to enact revenge for the two close losses last year. Look for a fantastic game where both teams leave it all out on the field. They have to because the loser will most likely continue to spiral while the winner changes course and looks to the next week with fire in thier eyes. Rivalry games can change a whole teams outlook on the season.

Prediction - The winner of this game wins the NFC North

Vikings 27

Packers 24

Players of the Game - Nate Burleson, Koren Robinson, Moe Williams, Sharper

Goats of the Game - Favre, the Packer o-line

This will possibly be Favre last visit to the Metrodome so look for fans to let him know it. The stadium will reach fever pitches as the fans forget about the previous 5 games and stupid scandals and gel under the common purpose of the VIKINGS - PACKERS game. Watch Favre run off the field in tears as the fans get on him relentlessly.

Don't forget to wear your best lucky combonation of clothing for this game, as if I needed to tell you.

SKOL VIKINGS SKOL!!!

Welcome SuperAhYo

Vikings Review would like to welcome SuperAhYo to the this site. SuperAhYo is a long-time loyal Vikings Fan who absolutly hates the Packers and Broncos. But don't we all? SuperAhYo is a very smart man with some great insights on the Vikings and NFL. Welcome SuperAhYo, looking forward to your opinion.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!

Mr. Weatherstone

VIKINGS - PACKERS WEEK!!!!!!

Packer Joke of the Day

Once upon a time, long, long ago there was a season when neither the Packers nor the Vikings made the post season playoffs. It seemed so unusual that the management of both teams got together and decided that there should be some sort of competition between the two teams, because of their great rivalry. So, they decided on a week long ice fishing competition. The team that catches the most fish at the end of the week wins. So on a cold northern Wisconsin lake they began their contest. The first day after 8 hours of fishing the Vikings had caught 100 fish and the Packers had 0. At the end of the 2nd day the Vikings had caught 200 fish and the Packers 0. That evening the Packers coach got his team together and said, "I suspect some kind of cheating is taking place." So the next morning he dressed one of his players in purple and gold and sent him over to the Viking camp to act as a spy. At the end of the day he came back to report to the coach. The coach asked, "Well, how about it, are they cheating?" "They sure are!" the player reported, "They're cutting holes in the ice."

Runner Up Joke of the Day

A Packer fan, a Viking fan and Cindy Crawford are sitting together in a train traveling through Northern Wisconsin when the train enters a tunnel and the car goes completely dark. There's a kissing noise, and then the sound of a really loud slap. When the train comes out of the tunnel, Cindy Crawford and the Viking fan are sitting as if nothing had happened and the Packer fan is holding his slapped face. The Packer fan is thinking, "The Viking fan must have kissed Cindy Crawford and she swung at him and missed, slapping me instead." Cindy Crawford is thinking, "The Packer fan must have tried to kiss me, accidentally kissed the Viking fan and got slapped for it." And The Viking fan is thinking, "This is great. The next time the train goes through a tunnel, I'll make another kissing noise and slap that f****** Packer fan again."

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!!! VIKINGS - PACKERS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vikings Sex Scandal - Must Read

MUST READ - VIKINGS REVIEW CLASSIC
(so controversial, the NSA is even reading this . . . no kidding)

In response to the increased traffic to this site due to the recent Minnesota Vikings sex scandal, I feel I must reverse my position of non-involvement and offer a bit of social critique.

It is hard to ignore the fact that sports athletes are role models in this day and age. I hold the firm belief that sports stars should not be role models or held in any esteem above and beyond thier actions of the playing field. They should be regarded as superior in thier athletic abilities and looked up to for this reason only. For all other aspects of thier lives, they should be judged on the same level as any normal person.

It says something about our society when we peer into the personal lives of sports hero's for our role models. Basically that we are focused more on entertainment than the real unsolved issues plauging our nation. How is it that the Toledo race riot last weekend got less air time than a football sex scandal? A healthy society would be discussing the arguement of the Right to March, the Right to Protest, and the mindset that poverty breeds in this nation. These are real issues. Sex on a boat is not a real issue. Race riots are far more devastating than a simple moral lapse by a few football players. The question of "What effect does 300 years of oppression and second class citizenry have on the mindset of a particular race" is far more important than "How did Grandma feel when see saw a Vikings winky on a boat in the middle of a lake?" This basically says that our society is no longer willing to tackle the tough issues. It is far more appealing to gossip about meaningless crap than serious issues. Our society has adopted the "Seinfeld" attitude as evidenced in our transformation from the brave men willing to die for an idea, to the "whatever, and f*ck it attitude. We were once a nation of sacrifice and strong men, we are now the powerder puff pansies of history.

For arguements sake, lets say that sports stars are role models and there is nothing we can do about it. Fine. Then the first thing we must do is too look at what the media, and the those whom the media panders to, look for in a story. Do we look to build the sports star "role model" up, or do we look to tear him down? We scream and cry "outrage" when a sports star provides a bad example to the children. We watch endless clips and commentary on how degraded this action was. We are essentially glued to whatever bad happens. But what about all the good sports stars do for the community. Do we ever hear about the churches, or schools, or daycares, or other community service sports stars undertake? No. We don't want to hear about anything good from sports stars. That would be boring. But immorality on the other hand is juicy, and entertaining, and this interests us.

Example- Randy Moss. Yes, Randy Moss. Moss did a lot for the local Minneapolis/St. Paul community. But in order to find out what he did, you had to read pretty deep into some of the articles and interviews he gave. Apparently getting the whole story and accurately portraying a man is a little too difficult and boring. We would rather jump on the bandwagon and denounce him for every little thing he did wrong. Do you think the media did not jump all over this? The media knows exactly what you want to see and hear. They know you don't care about some do-gooder, you want the dirt. And they gave you the dirt and spared you any real thinking by not offering up the other side of his personality. They played you like a fiddle, and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

What about all the other things the NFL players do for the community? We do not pay attention to any of this. But, the second they screw up, we are on thier asses. We are pathetic.

But why do we want to skip the good side, and instead hunt for the dirt? Point #1 - We think sports stars are great. We know that these guys are (a) more athletic than us, (b) better paid than we are (c) get more chicks than we do, (d) and overall, have a better life than we do. We are envious of these guys because they seem to have a better life than we do. We are jealous. We want what they have, and if we can't have that, we tear them down. Beating up a guy is a lot easier than trying to be as good as that guy. Our ego's can't sustain the idea that someone is better than us, or at least percieved to be better than us. We tear them down to bring them to our level based primarly upon our own feelings of worthlessness or inferiority. We do not want to hear about all the good things the NFL players are doing, that would make them better than us. We want the dirt because we are petty weaklings with an inferiority complex. We are pathetic.

The media knows we have this raging inferiority complex, and in the great capitalistic spirit, they give us what we want. The reason sports stars are not good role models for children is because of YOU! YOU are the one demanding the dirt instead of positive reporting that highlights a players good side. YOU are the one propelling this media machine that showcases the negitive side of sports stars. YOU are the one demanding that your children are subjected to this crap everyday. DO NOT BLAME THE PLAYERS, BLAME YOURSELVES AND YOUR RAGING COMPLEXES. But I understand that looking for the good in a person is difficult, even if they do all kinds of good things. Basically, it is just not interesting. But on the other hand, you scream about how hard you work to raise your kids in a good enviroment. Basically, your a hypocrite. If you really wanted to work for a world in which you could raise your children in a decent manner, you would work hard to not pay attention to this "bush league" reporting coming from the media. You would demand that they at least provide pairity in thier portrayal of sports stars. But that might require some effort, so I understand, you lazy SOB.

If you came to this site by using the search words"Vikings Scandal" you should be ashamed of yourself. You look for the evil in people because looking for the good might fracture your fragile ego. You have an inferiority complex, and the sense of rage you feel about this scandal is merely the deep down feelings you hold for yourself. You are a discredit to your generation, your nation, and to your species. This scandal is your fault, the negitive portrayal of sports stars is your fault, and your outrage because of the children is your fault. But seeing as how reading this whole article might be a little difficult, I have a feeling that the past paragraph was written to no-one. We were once a nation of great men, thank to you we are a nation of panisies.

Congratulations, YOU'RE A PIECE OF SHIT.

Mr. Weatherstone

VIKINGS - PACKERS WEEK!!!!!

Jermaine "Karate Kid" Wiggins demonstrates the proper way to deal with Packer Fans.

Joke of the Day

In an annual pre-game tradition, Viking Fans and Packer Fans line up along the Minnesota - Wisconsin border to root for their team.

The celebration ussually starts out with chants and insults flying back and forth bewtween the two camps.

After a few beers, the Packer fans ussually start to throw firecrackers at the Viking Fans on the other side. Viking Fans, being offended at such a rude display of team pride, pick up the fireworks, light them and chuck 'em back.

GO VIKINGS!!!!

Monday Preparation

In preparation for the big Vikings - Packers game this week, the Packers held a scrimage. The Packers first team went against the second stringers in a full contact practice. After three hours, neither team had scored. The second string was extremely tired and all ran off the field to get some water. Brett Favre, seeing an oppurtunity to win the scrimage kept the offense on the field. Three plays later the Packer first stringers scored.

VIKINGS - PACKERS WEEK!!!!!!!

Picture courtesy of Ivanhoeal at Vikings Board, Absolutly brilliant!

Green Bay Packer Joke of the day

On a tour of Texas, the Pope took a couple of days off to visit the coast for some sightseeing. He was cruising along the beach in the pope-mobile when there was a frantic commotion just off shore.

A helpless man wearing a Green Bay Packer jersey was struggling frantically to free himself from the jaws of a 25-foot shark. As the Pope watched, horrified, a speedboat came racing up with three men wearing Minnesota Viking jerseys. One quickly fired a harpoon into the shark's side. The other two reached out and pulled the bleeding, semi-conscious Packer Backer from the water, Then, using long clubs, the three beat the shark to death and hauled it into the boat.

Immediately the Pope shouted and summoned them to the beach. "I give you my blessing for your brave actions," he told them. "I heard that there was bitter hatred between Green Bay Packers & Vikings fans, but now I have seen with my own eyes that this is not true."

As the Pope drove off, the harpooner asked his buddies "who was that"? "It was the Pope," one replied. "He is in direct contact with God and has access to all of God's wisdom." "Well," the harpooner said, "he may have access to God's wisdom, but he doesn't know anything about shark fishing. Is the bait holding up O.K., or do we need to get another one"?

Skol Vikings!!!! Green Bay Packers SUCK !!! (For those of you who went to through the Wisconsin educational system: grEaN bEy PakKers suK)

NO CHEESE ZONE!!!

VIKINGS vs. PACKERS WEEK!!! All WEEK LONG!!!

It's the bi-annual VIKINGS vs. PACKERS week

all week here at Vikings Review!!!!

The two most important weeks of every year, Vikings at Packers and Packers at Vikings. The greatest rivalry in sports renews itself once again this week in the Metrodome. Frequent reports of insomnia plauge doctors offices all throughout the midwest as anxious fans await another installment of football at its finest.

The Vikings were thwarted by two very key bad calls last year in each of the Vikings Packers games. As if Thor felt some sort of injustice, the Mighty Norsemen raped and pilliaged Lambeau Field in January. Revenge was ever so sweet. Most people really didn't care that we lost to the Eagles the next week, just as long as we beat the Packers.

This week the 1-4 Packers visit the 1-4 Vikings. The season can be considered a success if the Vikings can rebound and win two more games this year, but they both have to be against the Packers.

Feel free to list your most favorite Viking Packer moments in the comments!!!!

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the NO CHEESE ZONE!!!!!!!!

A new post everday during Viking Packer Week!!!!

Vikings 3 - Bears 28

Minnesota Vikings 3 - Chicago Bears 28

It's time to bring the ship back to shore and replace the captain. Culpepper actually was able to invoke feelings that I have not felt since Warren Moon. Pure incompetence. The only thing successful Culpepper was able to do today was to lead the team down the road of failure. And he did one hell of a job at that. Congrats Daunte, you have managed to go from a great quarterback, to joining the ranks of such classic failures as Ryan Leaf.

Critics and professional analysists will scream that Randy Moss is the reason why Daunte is falling apart this season . . . they are wrong. It would not matter if Randy was on the field, Daunte would not get the ball anywhere near him anyways. High School quarterbacks can ussually hit a reciever on the run, lead the reciever, thus allowing the reciever to gain a few extra yards. Culpepper could not hit a simple button hook with any accuracy. Every pass was thrown behind a reciever, too far above the recievers head, or so damn low that ants started to buy fire insurance for thier hills. You would think that just out of pure luck he could have hit a reciever in the numbers, but Daunte is a statistical anomoly that would baffle Einstien. There is no way Randy Moss would have brought about a different outcome in any of the games this year.

Point #1 - Daunte has a better receiving corp this year. Yes we did lose Randy Moss in the off season, but we gained far better secondary receivers that should have easily covered the Moss loss. Koren Robinson may be a drunk, but he is no slouch on the football field. We still have Wiggins, and Marcus Robinson is in a far better playing condition, with more motivation than he had last year.

Point #2 - Daunte holds the ball too long before making a decision. We may be having problems with our offensive line, but it does not help matters when they have to block for 10 seconds on every play.

Point #3 - The accuracy of Daunte Culpepper is absolutly devestating to his confidence. The reason he probably sits back in the pocket for so long is because he does not trust himself to make the hard accurate throw. He looks at a receiver, decides he can't make the throw, looks at around, but he does not trust himself to make any throws. Then he gets sacked. Tice is probably yelling at him on the sidelines to get rid of the ball, so he goes out there and throws into impossible coverage in an attempt to make something happen.

Culpeppers lack of confidence in his ablility to make an accurate throw, coupled with increasing pressure to get rid of the ball, leads him down the road of bad decisions. He will continue to throw terrible passes and often times into heavy coverage until he learns to trust himself. He does not have a keen sense of awareness of his ability. He is the most destructive force on this team right now because of this. It is time that he gets benched until he learns to trust himself. Bring in Brad Johnson for a few games, let Daunte cool down, relax, and get back some of his confidence on the sidelines. If it never comes back, so be it. We cannot allow our past love of Daunte to interfere with winning football games. He was great in the past, but he is losing games for us now.

The only novelty that Daunte has over Johnson is that he has the ability to run. But Daunte does not run anymore. The asset that made him rise above the average qb in the past, grows dustier and dustier each week. Brad Johnson may not be able to run, but he has proven himself to be an accurate quarterback all throughout his career. I fully believe that it is time to make the switch. BRAD JOHNSON FOR QUARTERBACK!!!!

The Defense was not that bad this week, they were just put in bad situations. They forced 3 turnovers and defended the pass pretty decently. The running game was another story though, as Thomas Jones rushed for 2 Td's and nearly a 4 yard per carry average. Missing a 40 yard field goal puts the defense in bad field position to start, let alone allowing a 21 yard average on punt returns. The Defense is not to blame for this loss.

Edinger, like I predicted, was one of today's goats. Missing 3 of 4 field goal attempts is inexcusable. I don't care if you tripped, or if one was blocked, the second missed attempt was one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. NO excuses Edinger, no excuses. You get paid to make kicks on astroturf and grass.

Mewalde Moore seemed to take a page from the Michael Bennet school of running today. He looked absolutly tired, lethargic, and jsut plain lazy. He lacked heart, just like Bennett, he fell down quickly, just like Bennett, and jsut plain pissed me off all game, just like Bennett.

It is obvious that Mike Tice's days are numbered in Minnesota, but I am taking the stance that he should not be fired until the off-season. There is no point in instituting an interm coach for the rest of the season, the players will not listen nor respect the replacement. Essentially we will be starting a whole lot of drama for no reason at all. The Vikings seem to do this quite fine already anyways.

In recap, pathetic game. The majority of the burden rests upon Culpeppers shoulders though. He is continuing to hurt this team each week he plays. He has lost all confidence and is afraid to make a standard pass. The Running game is not without blame either, Moore laid down today and never established the run. And Special teams took 9 points off the board. There is not a whole lot to look forward to next week. Maybe we just wont embrass ourselves as badly as we have against the rest of the NFL. After all it is the best rivalry in sports, if we cannot get up for the next game, we need to cut bait on this year and look for new quarterbacks and head coaches.

Game Day Hero - Pat Williams, 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and the only guy who looked motivated

Game Day Goats - Daunte Culpepper, Paul Edinger, Mewalde Moore

Skol Vikings, or something like that. Whatever

Mr. Weatherstone

Vikings at Bears

Vikings at Bears

12pm Central

RIVALRY GAME!

This week looks to be a very important game for both the Vikings and the Bears. Both teams can at steal a share of the divisional lead if the Lions lose. In a division that is as seemingly weak as the NFC North, all teams are in the race regardless of thier record.

The Vikings will be looking to put behind the Sex Boat allegations this week with a win, thus shifiting the national focus from thier off-field exploits, to thier on-field pilliaging. But considering the Vikings last game against the Falcons, thier on field pilliaging is nothing to really talk about. At least with the Sex Boat scandal, no one really focused on thier terrible performance on the field this year.

The Bears have also had thier problems on-field this year. They have a had a highly regarded defense coming into the year, like the Vikings, but also like the Vikings it has seemed to be more in terms of payroll size than performance. Lovie Smith was quoted as saying, ""We're set up to avoid the big play. Teams have to earn it a little at a time. We're not set up to give up big plays like that. We're not supposed to lose games like that, so yes, it's disappointing."

Look for the Vikings to nickle and dime the Bears defense all day, with little dump off passes, runs up the middle, and quick button hooks, ins and outs. The Vikings may not have the big play threat anymore due to the weakened offesive line, but Culpepper proved last year that he was able to hit the little guy with regularity. If Moore and Williams can set up the running game, we should be able to sustain long drives and keep the defense on the field for long periods of time. If we can wear out the defense with old fashioned football, wee may open up that deep threat. Make sure to keep a close eye of the offensive play calling this week. This could be the major factor in the outcome.

Major focus should also be on Daunte Culpepper this week. Keep a close eye on how he plays and juxtapose it with last year. It seems as though he has regressed greatly from last year. Some may claim that he does not have the O-line he used to have, some may say that he does no have the same quality of recievers. But when it comes down to it, he has made some retarded passes this year. He is taking too much time in the pocket, throwing the ball late, and always way off target. Depending upon his performance this week, there may be calls to institute Brad Johnson as the starter for a week. We have made quarterback switches in mid-season in the past, namely with Brad Johnson. Brad Johnson may be getting a little older, but he can hit the open reciever and has good vison. Considering we are in a close divisional race right now, and the guy manning the rudder is drunk, a change of QB may be a good move. But Daunte must prove himself incapable before this should happen. It is Daunte's job to lose.

The Bears are coming into this game with one of the lowest scoring offenses in the League (26th), and one of the worst passing games also (30th). The Vikings come into this game with a defense that has given up 26.8 points per game (27th), and the worst run defense in the league, giving up 178 yards per game. The Vikings should be able to shut down the passing game but may have to deal with an injured Thomas Jones with a 4.8 yard average. Kyle Orton will be starting as QB for the Bears, which does not really mean anything. Second stringers historically have a way of suprising the Viking defense.

Changes to the norm that will be made this week

Newman for Harris

Johnson in for Udeze

Goldberg for Johnson

Withrow will be replace by Fowler

Sharper Returns

This game will be a close one as two second rate offenses take on two second rate defenses. Look to the playcalling from the sidelines to determine who will attempt to take a share of the divisional lead.

Score Prediction - Vikings 17 Bears 14

Gameday Hero's - Sharper, Wiggins, and Brian Williams for not playing

Gameday Goat's - Goldberg, Edinger

"SERIES HISTORY - 89th meeting. Minnesota the leads series, 47-39-2, including playoffs, but hasn't won in Chicago since 2000. The Vikings, who have played the Bears more than any other opponent, are 20-21-2 against Chicago on the road." (Foxsports.com)

Skol Vikings, let's win the game!!!

Vikings Scandal

I will not give acknowldgement to the recent so-called scandal that is rocking the Vikings ship. This is a piece of "reality tv" journalism that appeals to only the most dim witted of fans. It is nothing but fodder for those looking to scream against the NFL and the Vikings. It is "bush league" reporting for a "bush league" newspaper. I am not entirely suprised that ESPN has picked this up an made it national news either. They seem to be focusing more on the lifestyle of the athletes over the actual games they play. ESPN and the rest of the media that is covering this crap story should seriously consider hiring quality reporters that can bring about a real scoop. They should be ashamed of themselves for focusing more on the off field happenings rather than the on field matchups. They are a sports channel, not a social gossip channel. Give me the scores. Period. I don' t need to worry about what some rich football player does on a lake. If I did, there is always 60 minutes and Mike Wallace for that

Should we care about the scandal? NO. We did not start watching football and other sports because they canceled our favorite soap opera. We watch because we love the game, or the competion, of the history of the team. What players do on thier own time is their business, and none of ours. Players should not be role models either. Throwing a ball 75 yards is really neat, but in no way compares to the great social and scientific achievments others have achieved in the past, and those that are continually being made everyday.

For a great arguement on why sports stars should not be role models, please visit The Four Hoarsemen.

I have given this issue to much time already,

Skol Vikings Skol

Sorry about the delay

Sorry about the delay in the analysis for the Vikings Falcons game. I have been very busy with law school crap the past week and therfore unable to write a decent review of the Vikings game. As this week wraps up, I should be able to put forth adequate time to write a decent review of the Great Viking failure last week. Also a decent preview of the Bye week . . . I dont think we will lose any games, but never say never, and a decent prediction on the upcoming Bears game. Thank You for your patience, feel free to cuss me out in the comments section.

Mr. Weatherstone