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 Sidney Rice
Williams on Pack's receivers: `Biggest test we'll face all year'
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: November 29, 2012 - 3:17 PM
They've faced Brandon Marshall. They've faced Larry Fitzgerald. They've faced Sidney Rice and Golden Tate. They've faced Calvin Johnson not once, but twice.
But the Vikings haven't faced anything like they're going to face on Sunday against the Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers are one of only two teams that have four receivers with at least 35 catches and two touchdowns. Of those three teams, the Packers are the only one to have those four targets and their best receiver, Greg Jennings, returning this week after missing the past seven games because of a sports hernia surgery.
So, Alan Williams, how big a test are these Cheesehead receiving targets?
"The biggest test we'll face all year from a group standpoint," Williams said. "You have to defend everybody they have on the field. You can't just take away one guy. If you take away one guy, another one will hurt you. We'll have to be honest and play sound, fundamental football and everyone will have to stand up and do their job this week because they all can hurt you."
The Packers have Randall Cobb with 58 catches, 613 yards and seven TDs. they have Jordy Nelson with 45 catches, 648 yards and six TDs. They have James Jones with 42 catches, 495 yards and eight TDs. And they have tight end Jermichael Finley with 35 catches, 388 yards and two TDs.
The only other teams with four targets that have at least 35 catches and two TDs? Peyton Manning's Broncos and Drew Brees' Saints.
Williams defends Allen ... sort of: Williams was asked what he thought of the block that defensive end Jared Allen threw on Sunday. The blind-side shot didn't draw a penalty, but it did blow out Lance Louis' knee and cost Allen a fine for 21 grand.
Said Williams, who hadn't read the league's report on the play: "[Allen] is trying to get a block to spring our guy through to get a touchdown. I'm not sure. It's a little bit, you can't see it great on the film. It is what it is. The NFL gets to make the final choice on that and we respect their decision."
Musgrave calls drops `uncharacteristic': Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave isn't worried that his receivers didn't receive very well last Sunday. There were at least six drops, including three by Jerome Simpson.
"That was uncharacteristic of our group of wide receivers and we expect them to bounce back," Musgrave said. "We had a good practice yesterday and we look forward to getting back on the field and making improvements."
Why no Adrian on third- and fourth-and-two?: Musgrave was asked what's up with not handing the ball to Adrian Peterson on third-and-two and then fourth-and-two from the Bears' 8-yard line on Sunday.
He said: "We anticipated blitz. We didn't do very well in any of the third- and fourth-and-shorts during the game. I think the first two third-and-shorts, we threw it for 25 yards each time [actually 25 and 13]. We anticipated blitz there."
Musgrave said the next two third-and-short plays were Peterson runs in which he was stuffed. But the plays he was likely referring to came after the two plays from the Bears' 8-yard line. Peterson and Christian Ponder botched a handoff exchange that resulted in a lost fumble on third-and-one. Later, Peterson was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-one.
"That's an area where we need to improve, both conceptually and execution-wise," Musgrave said.
Walsh gets lesson from Peppers: Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had warned rookie kicker Blair Walsh about Julius Peppers' extra long arms and how they tend to get in the way of field goals. But Walsh had to find out the hard way when he mishit a 30-yard attempt that Peppers swatted away.
"Blair did not get under [the ball] enough," Priefer said. "It was great protection and they knocked it down. That's Peppers. He's done it to us before, he did it to us last year. He's done it his whole career. I think he's got 13 blocks. There was really, virtually no penetration. He just jumped straight up. He just timed it up and on a low kick, you're going to knock it down."
Priefer said Walsh typically hits the ball so high so quickly that he has negated the penetration that some teams have gotten this season. Walsh also corrected the problem on his next kick, a PAT.
"He's not rattled at all," Priefer said. "I've been around young kickers and punters and players who make excuses. He made no excuses. He went over the bench and said, `Great protection, fellas. It was my fault. We'll get it corrected.'"
Two-point conversion mishap won't deter Priefer's aggressiveness: Priefer pointed to the Vikings' four blocked kicks this season as the reason he won't back off aggressive blocking schemes. The Bears exploited one of those schemes -- and eight-man overload to the left -- when holder Adam Podlesh, the team's punter as well, took the snap, got up and scored a two-point conversion to give the Bears an 18-3 lead.
"I'm a pretty aggressive guy," Priefer said. "In fact, the next one, the field goal right before the half, we went to an eight-man overload again. That's who I am, and we ended up blocking that one. And we tipped another one early. We're going to continue to be aggressive. Coach Frazier wants us to be aggressive.
"Do I need to a better job in situational awareness? Probably. But it's nothing that they schemed. They got us on it and they got an extra point. Obviously, we lost by 18 and it didn't matter, but it could have mattered. So do I want it corrected? Absolutely. But we're still going to be aggressive, we're still going to go after people and we're still going to block kicks."
Frazier said the players executed the PAT block attempt the right way.
"In fact, Jamarca Sanford almost made the play," he said. "If that's a fake field goal, and they have fourth-and-four or more to go, we're going to stop them."
Priefer also questioned why the Bears would put Podlesh at harm over one point.
" You run the risk anytime you do [what they did]," he said. "If you're going to have your punter go in there and do that, well, good luck. You can [tear] an ACL. You can break a collarbone, you can do something bad. But if they want that extra point, that's up to them. Whatever. I'm cool with it."
Priefer said he had thought that someone might try what the Bears did.
"I've tried to mix [the schemes] up," Priefer said. "But I just didn't mix it up enough."
Priefer not buying wind as Kluwe's excuse: Punter Chris Kluwe has tweeted and talked about how the wind affected the drop on the punt that he shanked out of bounds for 23 yards on Sunday. Priefer isn't buying it. At least as an excuse for that kind of shank.
"I think the snap took him a little bit right and he rushed it a little bit," Priefer said. "He said the wind blew it. Whatever. I don't know. It shouldn't happen. It wasn't that windy. It was a beautiful day. Are you kidding me? For Chicago in late November? It was a gorgeous day.
"He had four punts. Three of the four were pretty good punts. The last one was fantastic. So he had just the one [bad punt]. We have to eliminate those at all costs."
Vikings trail 20-17 at halftime in Seattle
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: November 4, 2012 - 4:34 PMSEATTLE -- Adrian Peterson has two touchdowns and is nearly halfway to that 300-yard rushing game that he keeps saying is possible.
But the Vikings are getting beat by yet another rookie quarterback. Seattle's Russell Wilson has completed 10 of 14 passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns as the Seahawks lead 20-17 at the time. Golden Tate has two of the touchdowns, including an 11-yarder in which he made four defenders miss tackles, leaped to the goal line and inched the ball over before being blown up by Everson Griffen, who jarred the ball loose a fraction of a second too late.
On just 12 carries, Peterson has 144 yards and touchdown runs of 1 and 4 yards as the Vikings have taken a surprising 17-14 halftime lead over the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.
The second play of the game featured a career-long 74-yard run by Peterson. It broke the 73-yarder he had as a rookie against Chicago and could have been 75 yards if cornerback Brandon Browner hadn't caught him from behind at the 1-yard line. Peterson later scored from the 1.
It was Peterson's franchise-record 13th career run of 50 yards or longer, breaking a tie with Robert Smith. Peterson also topped 100 yards in the first half of a game for the 12th time in his career. The next highest total? Two by Smith.
Seattle matched Peterson's first touchdown with a 17-yard touchdown drive set up by Percy Harvin's fumble on a running play. Tate caught a 6-yard touchdown in tight coverage by A.J. Jefferson in the back of the end zone.
Blair Walsh gave the Vikings a three-point lead with a 36-yard field goal with 5:25 left in the half. But Wilson drove the Seahawks 80 yards in 12 plays, with Tate scoring his second TD with 44 seconds left. Kevin Williams blocked the extra point, keeping it at a three-point game.
Former Viking Sidney Rice gave Seattle a 14-7 lead when he caught a
Behind Enemy Lines: Seahawks stingy defense is stacked throughout
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: November 1, 2012 - 11:25 AMAs the Vikings prepare for Sunday’s game with Seattle at CenturyLink Field, we asked Nick Eaton, who covers the Seahawks for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, to give us his up-close-and-personal scouting report. Here are four things you need to know …
1) The Seahawks’ offense goes through Marshawn Lynch.
Yes, Vikings back Adrian Peterson leads the NFL in rushing right now with 775 yards. But Lynch isn’t far behind. The bruising back has 757 yards. And he’s part of a Seattle attack that is ground-oriented to its core. In eight games this season, the Seahawks have averaged 31 rushing attempts and 26 passes. Lynch, meanwhile, is coming off a 12-carry, 105-yard outburst in last Sunday’s loss in Detroit.
That included his longest run of the season, a 77-yard TD sprint during which he hit a hole on the right side of the field and was never touched on the way to the house.
“That was weird to see,” Eaton said. “Because he rarely gets out into the open field and is just able to sprint free. He’s always just busting through, always getting those power bursts. Five yards here, 5 yards there. And I think the most underappreciated thing about him is how headstrong he is. He keeps going and going and barreling through whether he’s getting big yards or not. He never lets up.”
That’s a scary thought for a Vikings defense that has struggled the past three weeks against the run.
2) The Seattle defense is solid on every level.
Up front, end Chris Clemons is a menace. He has seven sacks this season and 29 since joining the Seahawks in 2010. In the linebacking corps, K.J. Wright has a team-best 63 tackles. And that secondary? Corners Richard Sherman (6-foot-3, 195) and Brandon Browner (6-4, 221) are big and physical and apply a regular dose of press coverage to receivers. Plus, safeties Kam Chancellor (6-3, 232) and Earl Thomas (5-10, 202) can deliver some shots as well.
The Seahawks rank fifth in the NFL in yards allowed (312). They allow an average of 85 yards per game on the ground. They’ve also held opposing quarterbacks to an average of 6.4 yards per attempt with a 78.6 rating.
“They’ve been solid against the run and they have been really successful against deep passes,” Eaton said. “You can see how their corners can intimidate opponents at times. Every now and then you see those dropped passes where it’s obvious that receivers are rattled from all the contact and all the hits earlier in the game."
3) Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson can be sneaky dangerous.
Heading into the draft, Wilson faced questions about his height – he’s 5-11 – and whether he’d be able to see over defenses and create proper throwing lanes. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll looked past that and saw a guy who was consistently smart, efficient, driven and poised.
Yes, Seattle signed Matt Flynn to a huge contract in the offseason with the belief that he’d be their quarterback of the future. But Flynn is dealing with an elbow injury and Wilson won the starting job outright anyway with an training impressive camp and preseason.
The rookie out of Wisconsin via N.C. State hasn’t set the world on fire in his first eight starts. He has a .614 completion percentage and has thrown for just 1,466 yards with 10 TDs and eight picks. Overall, Seattle ranks 31st in passing offense (171.1 ypg).
But Wilson has shown he has a presence that his teammates respect.
“His demeanor is so even keel,” Eaton said. “And he has such a level head. It’s been impressive to see the way he came in here and just owned the position from the get-go.”
Oh, and the rookie quarterback has shown he has that clutch gene. He led late game-winning touchdown drives against Green Bay and New England. In last week’s loss to Detroit, he engineered a 12-play, 87-yard march that put the Seahawks ahead 24-21 with 5:27 left. And in the season opener against Arizona, a 20-16 Seattle loss, Wilson took the Seahawks from their own 20 to the Cardinals 4 before three incompletions in the end zone finished the game.
“From what he’s shown, he has an obvious ability to deliver in big moments,” Eaton said. “And you have to figure as young as he is he’s going to keep getting better.”
Former Viking Sidney Rice remains Wilson’s most potent target. Rice has 28 catches for 367 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s been their most consistent receiver so far,” Eaton said.
4) The Seahawks defense isn’t impenetrable.
With a three-point lead in the final minutes Sunday, Seattle was picked apart by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who led a methodical 16-play, 80-yard TD march. Stafford completed 10 of 15 passes on the drive, dismantling the Seahawks with a dizzying array of short passes. The game-winner was a 1-yard pass to Titus Young. That was the sixth completion on the drive for less than 8 yards.
And that may be a bit of an Achilles’ heel for a defense that has been solid just about everywhere else.
“At times, it seems those short passes and those dump offs have given the Seahawks substantial trouble,” Eaton said. “It’s hard to figure why that is. But you saw it with the Lions, all those short-little gains. They found that weakness and exploited it with a bunch of quick-hitters.”
Frazier downplays working out punter, but Kluwe gets message
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: October 31, 2012 - 1:17 PMCoach Leslie Frazier downplayed the significance of the team's decision to work out Brian Stahovich and other free agent punters just five days after Chris Kluwe's poor performance helped put the Vikings in an early 10-0 hole en route to 36-17 loss to Tampa Bay at Mall of America Field.
"We worked out some different guys [Tuesday]," Frazier said. "We worked out some linemen, some punters. We worked out a defensive back over the weekend. We worked out different positions. It's something we'll do throughout the season. We'll probably bring in some guys next week as well.
"[General Manager] Rick [Spielman] and the personnel department do a great job of just helping us to have a rolodex of players that could be avialable if we have an injury or something else occurs. It's something that will we ongoing for us through the year, bringing in guys. We've always done that."
Kluwe has been one of the best punters in team history since signing as a free agent in 2005. Thursday was one of the worst performances of his career. He averaged just 37.8 yards on six punts. His second punt was a 20-yard shank out of bounds. The Bucs got the ball at their 42-yard line and turned the short field into a field goal
"Chris is a pro," Frazier said. "He'll figure this out. Between [special teams coordinator] Mike Priefer and our staff, he'll come through it. He's been in this league for awhile now. He knows how to look at himself and look at tape and figure things out. Mike always does a great job with him so he'll get through this."
Frazier said he doesn't think Kluwe's political activism has anything to do with Thursday's poor performance on national prime-time television.
"He's been able to deal with so many things in his career," Frazier said. "He's able to focus in these situations on the task at hand. He's been a very good punter, which he is. So I don't think anything off the field is distracting him. He knows how to focus on his job. We fully expect him to have a big game for us on Sunday."
Kluwe said the team's decision to work out punters doesn't bother him.
"That's the way the NFL is run," he said. "It's nothing personal. If they feel I'm not performing my job, they will find someone who can.
"I just approach each week the same way. That I'm going to try and do the best job possible. The way I've always approached this job is I will be cut if I don't perform. There's no extra incentive there because that's the way I've always viewed it."
Kluwe said his problem Thursday is easily correctable.
"I'm just going too fast and not letting myself get situated with my drop," Kluwe said. "So that leads to an inconsistent drop and just not hitting the ball well. Just try to slow myself down and not rush myself and just hit the ball the way I know I can hit it.
"It's just correcting some minor things and then going out and hitting the ball consistently well, which I've been able to do for quite a while now. I just have to start doing it again."
Despite Frazier's attempt to downplay the significance, Kluwe said he knows why they worked out punters.
"The main problem is you can't have a 20-yard punt in the first quarter on a long field against a team and give them momentum like that," he said. "That can't happen in the NFL. I just have to have better punt there."
Kluwe also was asked for his reaction to the outcry via Twitter and elsewhere that he "just focus on football" rather than choose to be such an outspoken proponent of gay marriage rights.
"Generally, I just ignore them," Kluwe said. "I read all of them, but I don't really think about them. The funny thing is if you look at that argument, the basic foundation of that argument is why don't you worry more about a children's game than basic human rights. Yeah, generally I'm going to go with the basic human rights on that issue."
Frazier still mulling cornerback decision: The assumption is cornerback Chris Cook's broken arm will force the Vikings to move Josh Robinson from nickel back to starter and A.J. Jefferson from dime back to nickel back. Hold on a second, says Frazier, who won't make that call until the end of the week.
Asked what he was looking for from the Cook and Jefferson, Frazier said, "The consistency in practice and who grasps the game plan the best and gives us the best chance at this stage of the season to go out and be effective at the cornerback position opposite Antoine [Winfield]."
Frazier said the coaches are leaning one way, although he wouldn't say which way.
"We have an idea of what direction we want to go," he said. "But we have to see how it goes in practice the next couple of days."
Vikings still have roster opening: The Vikings still haven't filled the roster spot that's been open since they put Cook on injured reserve on Friday. Frazier was asked if the team is waiting to make a move until Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
"It's different factors, without giving too much [information] away," Frazier said. "You want to do everything you can. I know [General Manager] Rick [Spielman] and our personnel department is doing everything we can to improve our team. You want to exhaust all avenues in doing that."
In other news:
- Tight end John Carlson (concussion) still has not been cleared to particpate in practice.
- Linebacker Tyrone McKenzie won't practice today. His wife is having the couple's first child.
- Receiver Michael Jenkins, who missed Monday's practice for personal reasons, returned and will practice today.
- Frazier on Seahawks receiver and former Vikings receiver Sidney Rice: "He's looking like the Sidney we remember. He's making a lot of plays down the field."
Go Figure: Lynch's power, Wilson's poise could cause Vikings' D fits
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: October 30, 2012 - 1:15 PMAs the Vikings prepare for Sunday’s Week 9 game with Seattle at Century Link Field, here’s a look at a handful of eye-opening figures and facts ...
4.8
Yards per carry this season for Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who is coming off a 12-carry, 105-yard effort in Sunday’s loss at Detroit. Lynch has rushed for at least 85 yards in seven of the Seahawks’ eight games. Last week’s outburst included a 77-yard touchdown run
4.7
Yards per rushing attempt allowed by Vikings in their past three games. Thanks to the dazzling skills of quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Redskins piled up 183 yards on the ground in 32 attempts. Griffin had 138 of those yards on 13 rushes. Then, the past two weeks, the Vikings once proud run D was gashed even more Arizona’s LaRod Stephens Howling (20 carries, 104 yards) and Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin (29 carries, 135 yards). Suddenly, the Vikings have dropped to 16th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 107.6 yards per game.
3
Games this year in which rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has led the Seahawks on a fourth quarter game-winning or go-ahead drive. The latest came Sunday in Detroit when Wilson led a 12-play, 87-yard march that ended with a 16-yard TD strike to tight end Zach Miller. That score gave Seattle a 24-21 lead with 5:27 left. (Detroit responded with its own 80-yard TD stampede to win the game.) But that doesn’t diminish what Wilson has done in the clutch this season. In Week 6, his 46-yard TD strike to Sidney Rice with 1:18 left produced a 24-23 upset of New England. Twenty days earlier, Wilson threw a last-second 24-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate that punctuated a wild 14-12 upset of the Packers. You may have seen the replay of that Wilson-to-Tate score a few times. Just guessing.
9
Turnovers caused by the Vikings in their five victories so far this season. In those wins, the Vikings are plus-2 in turnover differential.
1
Turnovers caused by the Vikings in their three losses. In those stumbles, the Vikings are minus-6 in turnover differential.
4
Touchdowns allowed by the Seahawks defense in three home games this season. Seattle’s stingy defense has been particularly tough at CenturyLink Field, allowing an average of 346 yards and 14 points per game. Led by defensive end Chris Clemons, linebacker K.J. Wright and cornerback Richard Sherman, Seattle has six takeaways in their three home wins and have done a nice job limiting standout quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Tony Romo. Brady threw for 395 yards against the Seahawks but needed 58 passing attempts to do so.
12
Third down conversions allowed by Seattle in Sunday’s loss in Detroit. The Lions were 12-for-16 on third down and converted plays of third-and-5, third-and-10 and third-and-1 on their game-winning touchdown drive in the final 5 minutes.
775
Rushing yards for Adrian Peterson through eight weeks, most in the NFL. Peterson’s 15-carry, 123-yard outburst in last Thursday night’s loss to Tampa Bay was his second consecutive 100-yard game and the 30th of his Vikings career, a new franchise record. He holds an 18-yard advantage atop the rushing charts over Lynch.
60
Receptions for Percy Harvin through eight weeks, tied for most in the NFL. New England’s Wes Welker also has 60 catches so far this season. Harvin ranks fifth overall in receiving yards with 667, easily on pace for a career year and, as of right now, a probable Pro Bowl invitation.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
- Ponder limited with bruised right elbow
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2013 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters