While I wait for the kickoff of tonight's game and the debut of Josh Freeman as the leader of the Vikings offense, my best wishes to Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley, who suffered a serious neck injury in yesterday's game against Cleveland. It sounds like he will be able to recover, but more tests and time are needed to say for sure. Good luck, Jermichael.
Huh. It looks like ESPN will go ahead and broadcast the 1-4 Vikings against the 0-6 Giants. I had put it at 50-50 that they would instead show reruns of Gilligan's Island.
The Giants are beating the Vikings defense on the line and in the secondary. After 9:36 and 16 plays the Giants had to settle for a field goal, but if the Vikes D can't get off the field better than that it will be a long night.
Josh Freeman has taken the field. For those in neighboring states of Minnesota, that strange glow is from the lighting of hundreds of thousands of votive candles.
Nice pass for a first down under pressure.
The offensive line didn't do Freeman or AP any favors that series. Punt.
Good series from the Vikes D.
Great punt return from Marcus Sherels. Guess who thought about picking up the Vikings DST again after I had dropped them for the Ravens because of the bye week a couple of weeks ago? Shoot.
The Vikes defense hasn't been that good, but Sherels on punts and Cordarelle Patterson on kickoffs are dangerous.
Freeman's back on for his second series.
That was over fast again. A somewhat half-assed reverse by Cordarelle Patterson, an overthrow to a WR incomplete, and a pass to the tight end that was short of the first down.
Another three and out, including another overthrown pass and another AP run stuffed at the line.
Hahahaha...look for a clip tomorrow of Jared Allen's sack of Eli Manning in the first half. For a second there I thought Allen was giving Eli a wedgie.
First half impressions of Freeman: He's game speed rusty and it shows with the overthrows. He doesn't panic under pressure in the pocket. He's making good reads, even if the throws aren't always that clean. One exception was a pass that put Jerome Simpson in position to have his head taken off.
Poor series to start the second half. Freeman was lucky that he wasn't intercepted on the third down incompletion. I'm starting to wonder if Freeman has only learned 6 plays so far.
Terrible 2nd and 3 throw by Freeman that ends in an interception. Bad, that was just bad.
I'll pay $1,000 to any person who can shut up Jon Gruden for the rest of the game.
Jerome Simpson just dropped a TD ball. I don't care who is tossing the rock, the Viking receivers definitely have to step up.
Well, nothing good out of this game. Would have been better if we had gone with the Gilligan's Island reruns. I'll recall what I said last week:
"There will be a lot pressure now to start Josh Freeman next week against the NY Giants and I think that would be a mistake. There are too many other things wrong with this team and throwing Freeman in there before a few of them are fixed will just poison the well for him too. I would give Cassel another chance while continuing to bring Freeman up to speed. Then I would hand the offense over to Freeman week 8 at home against Green Bay."
Now what does head coach Leslie Frazier do? I think he has to stick with Freeman for now and keep working on the other issues. And the rest of us might as well write off the rest of the season now. Frazier can still salvage his job if the team at least makes incremental improvements each week, but this game was just a disaster.
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