vikings/nfl
Dan Wiederer began covering the Vikings in 2011, enthusiastically delivering insight on the team across the Star Tribune's print and digital products. Prior to joining the Access Vikings team, he spent seven seasons covering ACC basketball at The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He also covered the Chicago Bears in 2003 and 2004. Follow him on Twitter @StribDW.
Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL the past 20 years, including the Browns from 1991-95 and the Vikings and the NFL since 2003. Since 2008, Craig has served as one of the 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He can be followed on Twitter at @markcraignfl.
Posts about NFC
Behind Enemy Lines: After slow start, Aaron Rodgers carved Vikings up last week
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: January 4, 2013 - 8:18 AM
As the Vikings prepare for Saturday’s playoff showdown with Green Bay at Lambeau Field, we asked Tyler Dunne, who covers the Packers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, to give us his up-close-and-personal scouting report. Here are four things you need to know …
1) The Packers will welcome two key contributors back to the field – one on offense, one on defense.
After missing last Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, receiver Randall Cobb has been back at practice all week and progressing nicely, likely to start Saturday night and eager to add some pop to the Packers offense.
On the other side of the ball, defensive back Charles Woodson, a 15th-year veteran, seems likely to return after a nine-game absence due to a broken collarbone.
So which return is more important?
Cobb was Aaron Rodgers’ top target during the regular season, registering 80 catches for 954 yards with eight TD catches.
“The Vikings had a little bit of success blitzing Rodgers last week,” Dunne said. “He wasn’t lights out like he usually is against that. But I’d have to think having Cobb back in the slot and on the same page, that’s a big cure for that. And it’s been a long time since we’ve seen the Packers offense with both Cobb and Greg Jennings together, both at full strength, playing their best. That’s a big deal.”
As for Woodson, his last action came on Oct. 21 in St. Louis. With the Packers having significant confidence in a young secondary that includes Casey Hayward, M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian, Woodson’s veteran presence isn’t mandatory but should help. His versatility allows defensive coordinator Dom Capers to unleash his impressive creativity as well.
“As good as those young guys have been, they all had key errors in that game last week,” Dunne said. “So there’s definitely room for Woodson.”
Now it remains to be seen just how extensive a role Woodson will be able to take on, his conditioning certainly lessened due to his extended absence.
“They seem pretty confident that he can jump right in and be a difference maker,” Dunne said. “But you’d have to think there will be some type of transition.”
2) Green Bay’s defense still has no answers for Adrian Peterson.
If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. And if you don’t succeed then? Well, that’s the predicament the Packers seem to be in after allowing Peterson to run for 409 yards in two regular season games. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy continues to insist that his defensive players simply need to do a better job of tackling to slow Peterson. But that’s an easy request for a coach with a headset to make. For the guys absorbing Peterson’s shoulder blows and stiff arms and ridiculous power, the challenge is elevated.
“The Packers can say all the right things around here,” Dunne said. “But you’d have to think that Adrian Peterson, to some degree, has gotten in their heads a little bit. How in the heck do you stop this guy? And what’s even more confusing is that their tackling has been better this season. They did shutdown Arian Foster [29 yards on 17 carries] and Chris Johnson [11 for 28]. They did a pretty good job with Marshawn Lynch [25-98]. Yet, for whatever reason, Peterson owns them.”
Peterson’s 199 yards Sunday came with the Packers devising a decent game plan designed to keep the star running back inside. Still, the yards just kept coming.
“He was chipping away, chipping away,” Dunne said. “That has to be a concern. It seemed like the Packers had a good game plan and guys in position to make stops all game long. And still, they couldn’t do it. So now what?”
3) As good as Peterson is, reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers was at the top of his game last Sunday as well.
During one break in the action, Peterson and Rodgers stopped to talk with one another, both offering sincere praise of the other as the best in the game at their position. So, see, it’s not just the fans who recognized the legendary qualities of Peterson and Rodgers last weekend.
Troubling for Rodgers in last week’s loss: Green Bay’s slow start. The Packers punted on their first three possessions, allowing the Vikings to build confidence and a 13-0 lead.
“Some of that is an offensive line getting comfortable and being able to make calls in a tough environment on the road,” Dunne said. “Similar things happened at Detroit, at Seattle. Sometimes on the road, it’s been a little rocky at the start of games just getting assignments down and knowing who blocks who and getting into a rhythm for everybody. But once they figured that out, they got on a roll.”
Not troubling for Rodgers: he found his groove eventually leading six scoring drives on the Packers’ final seven possessions. Green Bay probably would have won last week’s game had they had the ball last, especially with Rodgers in a zone and picking apart a Vikings’ secondary that lost Antoine Winfield to a hand injury late in the first half. Rodgers threw for 318 of his 365 yards after Winfield’s exit.
“That was as good as they’ve looked in a really long time,” Dunne said. “And after Winfield went out, the Packers went after [Marcus] Sherels. They were just attacking him for big chunks.”
The Packers offense also got a notable boost last week from 24-year-old running back DuJuan Harris, who had 70 yards on 14 carries. Signed to the practice squad in October and later promoted, the diminutive Harris didn’t see his first action until Week 14 as he became the next man up in an injury-ravaged Green Bay backfield. His effort last Sunday was impressive.
“The Packers have a lot more trust and confidence in the guy,” Dunne said. “And his running style is just a little different than everybody else. Ryan Grant is so good on those stretch plays where he can press the hole and cut upfield when something’s there. Alex Green is more of a spread offense kind of back. Harris just gets it and goes. He’s a north-south tough runner.”
4) It’s not just the Vikings trying to vanquish the bad memories of their last playoff game.
For the Vikings, a 31-28 overtime loss to New Orleans in the 2009 NFC Championship game doesn’t require revisiting. It was 236 different kinds of painful. And Saturday will be their first playoff game since.
Green Bay’s last playoff game? A 37-20 home loss last January to the Giants, filled with uncharacteristic errors and providing a galling conclusion to a season in which the Pack went 15-1 during the regular season.
“That was a strange game, especially for the offense,” Dunne said. “They had three fumbles all year and then three fumbles in that game. They rarely dropped passes all year then dropped a ton of passes in that game. With the season on the line and so much at stake, everybody just fell apart, crumbled, played bad. That’s where the sting remains. They just weren’t themselves when it mattered most.”
The emotional scars of that loss won’t impact Saturday’s game with the Vikings much if at all. But certainly it provides motivation and a reminder of capitalizing on postseason opportunities as much as possible.
“You have to think they have that feeling of needing to play their best when it matters,” Dunne said. “Without a doubt, that’s in the back of your head – that feeling of having left something on the table and wanting to make things right.”
Peterson, Walsh named NFC players of the month
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: January 3, 2013 - 10:41 AMRemember on the last Sunday in November when Vikings running back Adrian Peterson missed the team bus to Soldier Field, then struggled somewhat contributing to two lost fumbles and rushing for "only" 108 yards in a 28-10 loss to Chicago? Well, Peterson regrouped from that stumble by putting together a December for the ages.
In five December games, Peterson rushed for 861 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry, added five catches, 32 receiving yards and one receiving TD and propelled the Vikings to four wins.
With a 10-6 record, the Vikings earned the NFC's final wild card berth and a date with Green Bay on Saturday for the opening round of the playoffs. Peterson, meanwhile, has earned the designation as NFC Offensive Player of the Month, a no-brainer choice for his continued excellence.
Also, kicker Blair Walsh is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month. Walsh made 11 of 12 field goals, including five of five from 50 yards or longer. He had three 50+ yarders against St. Louis on Dec. 16, tying an NFL record, and had 10 50+ for the season, a league record.
Frazier on Harvin not being around team: 'It's purely up to him'
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: January 2, 2013 - 4:12 PMRemember Percy Harvin? Pretty good player? Pippen to Adrian's Jordan? Once led the league with 62 catches? Was considered an early league MVP front-runner until he suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle at Seattle on Nov. 4?
Well, his name came up today because Harvin hasn't been at Winter Park since being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 5. (And, btw, the Vikings might want to consider forwarding his mail because it's piling up in his locker).
The Vikings have gone 5-2 without Harvin on the field or, for that matter, anywhere near the team. Coach Leslie Frazier was asked today about Harvin's situation. Here's the exchange with reporters:
Q: Is it by design that Percy is not around or would you prefer that he's here?
A: "It's purely up to him. If he wanted to be around, he could be around. But the guys are working hard doing everything they can. I know he wants our team to do well and that's important. But we got some other guys who are on IR as well, so it doesn't concern us."
Q: Have you talked to him?
A: "Not lately."
Q: Is he in Florida?
A: "Yes."
Q: Is it odd that a player as high profile as Percy not being here?
A: "No. I know he's supportive of his teammates. As any of the guys who are on IR that don't travel with us or don't participate in what we're doing, it's nothing that upsets their teammates or gets them concerned. These guys are so focused on Green Bay and getting ready for that game. That's what's most important."
Q: Is it routine for a guy on IR when he's not going to come back to rehab on his own?
A: "Not on his own. We monitor his rehab."
Q: So [head athletic trainer Eric] Sugarman is in contact with Percy?
A: "Yes."
Q: What is the status with his ankle? Will he need surgery?
A: "I haven't been told he's going to have to have surgery."
Vikings experimenting with slot options in case Antoine Winfield can't play
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: January 2, 2013 - 3:34 PMThe Vikings seems to have little doubt that veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield will play Saturday night in Green Bay. But even if Winfield can start, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to finish, still dealing with a fractured right hand that is significantly swollen and grew so painful Sunday that he left the game for good in the second quarter.
Marcus Sherels supplanted Winfield as the slot corner thereafter and may still be the Vikings’ most likely option there if Winfield can’t play or is limited this weekend. But defensive coordinator Alan Williams admitted that he is shuffling things around in practice this week and has tried everyone from Josh Robinson to A.J. Jefferson to a few of the team’s safeties as the Vikings look for reinforcements to their passing defense.
Reflections of …
When the Vikings left Green Bay at 6-6 following a Week 13 loss to the Packers, most outsiders figured it would be a longshot for the Vikings to win out and reach the playoffs. Jared Allen? He thought back to 2008 when the Vikings were 5-5 and in a crowded NFC North race yet won five of their final six to reach the postseason.
Said Allen: “You start looking around your team and realizing, hey, we’ve got a better team here than 2008. We’re deeper. We have more depth, and we’re injury-free. And we’ve got, especially on the defensive side, some guys playing at a high level. And our back end is playing really well.”
Allen said the Vikings channeled that big-picture into focus and went about plucking off each of their final four wins as independent lines on a checklist.
Truly special
It might have seemed like special teams coordinator Mike Priefer was kidding Wednesday when he mentioned the constant lobbying that Adrian Peterson does to find a role on special teams. He wasn’t.
“He always asks,” Priefer insisted. “He’s a football player. Gunner, field goal block, returner. The guy is awesome. I always say yes. And then I ask the head coach and he says no.”
Peterson confirmed his desire to get on the field more with a role outside of the offense.
“Yeah, for the past two years I have been trying to get in on field goal block,” he said. “Come in off the edge. You know. It’s just going to take one block for them to really be [like], ‘OK, you know what, let’s take the chance and let you go out there and get it done.’ … I believe in having your best players on the field, especially in critical times. You never know what can happen. That’s what I would do.”
Ponder limited with bruised right elbow
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: January 2, 2013 - 3:50 PMQuarterback Christian Ponder had his reps limited in practice today because of a bruise on his throwing elbow, coach Leslie Frazier said after practice today.
"Christian has soreness in his elbow," Frazier said. "He'll get some reps tomorrow. I think he'll be fine. Just get some work tomorrow and see how much he progresses. But it doesn't seem like it should be something that would hinder him come [Saturday]. But we need to ramp it up a little bit tomorrow to see where he is."
Frazier said Ponder suffered the bruise when he was hit on the play in which the ball blooped into the air and somehow avoided two Packers to land in the hands of receiver Jarius Wright for a 17-yard gain.
Meanwhile, Frazier voiced confidence that cornerback Antoine Winfield will be able to play with his fractured right hand. Winfield broke the hand two weeks ago against Houston, but finished the game. He tried to play last week against the Packers, but lasted only 18 snaps before pain and swelling sent him to the sideline for the rest of the game.
"Antoine didn't participate today, but he'll get some work tomorrow," Frazier said. "We think he'll make it. He's making some progress. He's going to participate tomorrow and see how he feels, but right now, he has a whole lot less pain than he had a week ago at this time. So that's encouraging."
Without Winfield, the Vikings went with Marcus Sherels as the slot corner in the nickel. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers picked on Sherels throughout the second half, including a play in which Jordy Nelson beat Sherels for a 73-yard reception.
In other injury news:
- The Vikings held running back Adrian Peterson (abdomen) out of practice just to rest him.
- Safety Harrison Smith (shoulder) and defensive end Brian Robison (shoulder) were limited in practice but should be fine for Saturday, Frazier said.
- The special teams coverage units have suffered a blow. Backup linebacker Tyrone McKenzie (shoulder) didn't practice again and probably won't play, Frazier said. "His shoulder is to the point where I don't know if he's going to make it," Frazier said.
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recent posts
- Update: Winfield and Ponder on Vikings' injury report
- Behind Enemy Lines: After slow start, Aaron Rodgers carved Vikings up last week
- New cast may be key to keeping Winfield on the field Saturday
- Peterson, Walsh named NFC players of the month
- Michael Jenkins justifying his title as "The Professor"
- Sanford's investment, rapid growth typifies Vikings' resurgence
- Frazier on Harvin not being around team: 'It's purely up to him'
- Vikings experimenting with slot options in case Antoine Winfield can't play
- Ponder limited with bruised right elbow
- The words in Christian Ponder's pre-game speeches don't matter
- Ex-Viking Larry Bowie dies
- Walsh wins his third NFC special teams Player of the Week award
- Jared Allen: No 5-year plan, 'I'm here to win now'
- Practice indoors or outside? Vikings opt to straddle the fence
- Vikings defense still has plenty to worry about after Green Bay's explosion
- 'Instant Classic': Erin Henderson couldn't get enough watching Sunday's win back
- Playoffs nothing new to Charlie Johnson
- Pro Bowler Felton hopes he's found long-term home with Vikings
Post By Category
- Update: Winfield and Ponder on Vikings' injury report
- Behind Enemy Lines: After slow start, Aaron Rodgers carved Vikings up last week
- New cast may be key to keeping Winfield on the field Saturday
- Michael Jenkins justifying his title as "The Professor"
- Sanford's investment, rapid growth typifies Vikings' resurgence
- Frazier on Harvin not being around team: 'It's purely up to him'
- Peterson, Walsh named NFC players of the month
- Timing of marriage dictated by 'a lot of personal reasons'
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