Purple Mediocrity

Looking at our blog a few minutes ago, I was hit with the following thought:

IcebergCarwash could really use another football-related post right now.

I know, I know, you've all been thinking that same thing for weeks already.
I guess I'm a little slow on the uptake.
So sue me.

If you've got no interest in a football post, well, to paraphrase Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa's opponent in Rocky IV, "I blog for me. For me. Not government. For me."

Speaking of Rocky the Fourth, I believe that with that movie, along with the Rambo epics, Sylvester Stallone played a pivotal role in ending the Cold War. The Russians knew that they could not compete with us.

I find it curious that Mr. Stallone has not received more recognition for his actions on our nation's behalf. Perhaps it's yet another shameful episode of a deserving immigrant not receiving his due simply because of the incredible difficulties he's had in mastering the English language after coming to our supposedly-welcoming shores.

(Pardon me, folks. My editors have informed me that Mr. Stallone, is not, in fact, an immigrant. He was born in New York City. Never mind. Still, he probably should get some recognition for his geopolitical impact).

Anyway, back to the football. Yesterday, in a generally uninspired performance, the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 19-13. Actually, the Vikings put in a pretty good first half, and were leading 13-6 at halftime. Unfortunately, they didn't do anything of note in the second half and ended up losing the game. The loss leaves the Vikings' record at 5-5. Five wins, five losses. That's what you call mediocre.

Officially, with six games to go in the regular season, the Vikings are still solidly in the hunt for a playoff position, owing to the general mediocrity (there's that word again) of their division, the NFC North. There's currently a three-way tie atop the division, with the Vikings, Bears and Packers sporting identical 5-5 records.

It now looks possible that the winner of that division will end up with a 9-7 record, maybe even 8-8. As the division winner, whichever team ends up on top would then automatically qualify for the playoffs. Whereupon they will probably be beaten like a rented mule by whichever decent team they end up playing.

While I didn't buy into the preseason hype, the Vikings are definitely not playing as well as most observers expected.

The offense continues to struggle, particularly when it comes to throwing the ball.
The defense, while improved, has not been dominant, and is still susceptible to giving up big plays in the passing game.
The special teams have been dismal. Specifically, the punt coverage units are the worst I've seen in the 30+ years I've been following this sport.

Typically, when a team's performance is below expectations, it is either a matter of the coaching decisions (e.g. play-calling) or the personnel. In this case, I think it's both.

* The offensive line, which was supposed to be one of the league's best units, is overrated. Specifically, the right side of the line remains a weakness. The primary culprit is RT Ryan Cook. I'm sure he'll make a nice backup in the future, given his ability to play a few positions, but the Vikings will need to upgrade this position going into next year. He was terrible yesterday, doing his best "matador" impression, while the man he was blocking walked right past him several times.
* Not surprisingly, the QB position is a mess. Tarvaris Jackson was benched after two games, and it was the right call at that point. Gus Frerotte has been inconsistent. Yesterday, he made several poor throws. At this point, I believe that the Vikings might as well put Tarvaris Jackson back in there, to see if he's learned anything by watching the action from the sidelines. Let's be serious. The Vikings aren't going anywhere this year anyway. By playing Jackson over the remaining six games, at least they'd be able to make a final decision on T-Jack this coming offseason, and move on.
* The offensive play-calling has been atrocious. The Vikings need to throw more often on first down, when opposing defenses are keying on Adrian Peterson. In addition, they just have the wrong personnel in the game most of the time. Why do they insist on playing with a fullback? They'd be better off spreading things out more often, with three - or even four - wide receivers. This would eventually give Adrian Peterson more room to run. It's not like the fullbacks are doing a good job of opening holes for him anyway. Here's a general rule to coach by: Whether on offense or defense, you should have your best 11 players on the field as often as possible.
* Unlike the offense, the defense seems to employ a decent scheme. However, there are personnel issues, which have prevented this unit from playing at a higher level. First of all, the loss of MLB E.J. Henderson was a major blow. Despite the efforts of Chad Greenway, the defense has not been able to fully overcome the loss of a player of E.J.'s caliber. In addition, the secondary has not done a great job covering receivers. Specifically, Cedric Griffin is getting burned worse than FBB trying to make creme brulee'. A key task in the offseason will be finding a starting cornerback to replace Griffin in the spot opposite Antoine Winfield next year.
* As for the punt coverage units, surely the loss of ace coverage guy Heath Farwell hasn't helped. But, even I'm at a loss to explain how bad this unit has been.

Ten games are usually more than enough to get a good feel for a football team. At 5-5, the Vikings appear headed for a record of 7-9 or 8-8, and will probably miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Not even John Rambo could pull them out of this one.