NFL Week 7 Thread

[Steak Snabler]

Ponder's pickle is that he isn't elite at anything. Not legs. Not arm. Not decisions under duress. I doubt there is much high-level interest in him because nearly every NFL coach is a bad QB away from getting fired.

He'll always have Samantha.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Apparently, the Vikings are turning to Josh Freeman for an audition at quarterback this week.

As a fan, very mixed feelings on this. I don't see why they brought him in. If he bombs, you're no better off than you were a month ago. If he succeeds, you open the door of temptation to sign to a long-term contract and you've got Christian Ponder, Chapter 2. In no way, shape or form is he the "quarterback of the future". At best, he's a stopgap. And for what? So you win six games instead of four and delay the inevitable rebuilding process?

When Brett Favre retired in 2010, that was the end of the Super Bowl quest and the start of the rebuilding process. We all swallowed hard and acknowledged it was going to be a rocky 3-4 years of suckitude while the rebuilding commenced. Drafting Ponder was a major step in that process (anytime you spend a first-round pick on anyone, they have to be considered a major part of the puzzle). So now what?

Umm. Minnesota made the playoffs just last season.

That was the worst possible scenario. Accomplished absolutely nothing except a major butt-whipping in the first game that further exposed all the weaknesses. Team was 6-6 at Thanksgiving and got hot/lucky to win four straight at the end. Sometimes, that gives a false sense of accomplishment and makes management overlook very obvious work to be done.

I could tell after watching a couple of pre-season games that this was, at best, a 6-10 team. Lots and lots of holes to fill. I'm patient enough that I'd prefer to build the right way (like Dallas did in the 1990s and New England more recently) and not go for quick fixes.

If Christian Ponder isn't your guy, so be it. Fire the whole scouting staff, cut or trade Ponder, start over and pick someone you feel you can commit to long-term, whether that be a rookie or veteran. Ditto for other positions. If you think you can get a king's ransom for Adrian Peterson (the way the Cowboys did for Herschel Walker), then trade him.

My point is... don't worry so much about now or next year but envision what the team can look like 3-5 years from now. That's how the best teams are built.

The Vikings were fool's gold in 2012. Eeked into the playoffs against a Packer team merely trying to stay healthy and then got their doors blown off in the cold.

Minnesota went 3-13 in 2011 and the playoff appearance kept Leslie Frazier as the coach and probably bought him a couple more years. Like Romeo Crennel's Chiefs upsetting the Packers in 2011, it actually stood as a stumbling block for the team's "long term".

Let's say that Minnesota goes 3-13 in 2011 and then follows with 4-12 in 2012. Heads would roll. Change would occur.

I would rather bottom out and hit the reset button than be consistently mediocre and not have any hope of a Super Bowl run.

The Packers lost a bye and home playoff game by losing that finale. I think the Niners would have crushed them no matter where the game was last year, but who knows?

I think Freeman could be a great addition for the Vikings. It will be interesting to see how he does. It just seems like a perfect fit and we know he's capable of playing at a high level.

 

[joe king]

Just a reminder that the NFL is playing games this week, and Kurt Warner is not playing. He is, however, on the NFL Network.

 

[nmmetsfan]

I think we should debate whether Warner's work at the NFL Network hurts or helps his HOF chances.

 

[Mark2010]

I think Freeman could be a great addition for the Vikings. It will be interesting to see how he does. It just seems like a perfect fit and we know he's capable of playing at a high level.

We do? I must have missed that drive.

 

[JackReacher]

I think Freeman could be a great addition for the Vikings. It will be interesting to see how he does. It just seems like a perfect fit and we know he's capable of playing at a high level.

We do? I must have missed that drive.

You did.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I think Freeman could be a great addition for the Vikings. It will be interesting to see how he does. It just seems like a perfect fit and we know he's capable of playing at a high level.

We do? I must have missed that drive.

You did.

It was too dark for Mark to see.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'm not saying the guy is going to be the next Tom Brady, but he's less than a year removed from a 4,000 yard season and he's all of 25. Definitely worth giving the guy a chance.

 

[outofplace]

Not sure if anybody else mentioned this, but the Packers placed Randall Cobb on the IR/designated for return list with a broken fibula Tuesday. Baltimore's Matt Elam dove into Cobb's legs as Cobb tried to catch the ball Sunday.

That is at least two major injuries on similar hits that I've seen since the NFL started its crackdown on blows to the head. That is also how the Steelers' Heath Miller blew out his knee late in 2012.

Defenders warned this was going to happen and it seems this is going to be a consequence of the rule changes and fines.

 

[NDJournalist]

I'm not saying the guy is going to be the next Tom Brady, but he's less than a year removed from a 4,000 yard season and he's all of 25. Definitely worth giving the guy a chance.

System guy.

 

[joe king]

Not sure if anybody else mentioned this, but the Packers placed Randall Cobb on the IR/designated for return list with a broken fibula Tuesday. Baltimore's Matt Elam dove into Cobb's legs as Cobb tried to catch the ball Sunday.

That is at least two major injuries on similar hits that I've seen since the NFL started its crackdown on blows to the head. That is also how the Steelers' Heath Miller blew out his knee late in 2012.

Defenders warned this was going to happen and it seems this is going to be a consequence of the rule changes and fines.

Well, if you can't hit high, there's only one other direction left to go.

 

[93Devil]

A busted knee won't make you kill yourself when you are 45.

 

[outofplace]

Not sure if anybody else mentioned this, but the Packers placed Randall Cobb on the IR/designated for return list with a broken fibula Tuesday. Baltimore's Matt Elam dove into Cobb's legs as Cobb tried to catch the ball Sunday.

That is at least two major injuries on similar hits that I've seen since the NFL started its crackdown on blows to the head. That is also how the Steelers' Heath Miller blew out his knee late in 2012.

Defenders warned this was going to happen and it seems this is going to be a consequence of the rule changes and fines.

Well, if you can't hit high, there's only one other direction left to go.

True, but the NFL has pretty much ignored defensive players pointing that out and insisting there will be more leg injuries due to the focus on keeping hits down.

93Devil, you have a point. I just think the NFL isn't really trying to protect players. If it was, it would hold teams more accountable than it currently does for mistreated concussions or silly crap like the Patriots refusing to admit that Amendola had a concussion until yesterday.

 

[joe king]

NFL.com reporting that Percy Harvin is expected to return to practice next week and could play in Week 8.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000264704/article/percy-harvin-will-practice-for-seahawks-next-week

"He's getting really close," coach Pete Carroll said, telling reporters that Harvin "ran well last week and ran well in pregame."

CS Monitor wasn't far off, it appears.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'm not saying the guy is going to be the next Tom Brady, but he's less than a year removed from a 4,000 yard season and he's all of 25. Definitely worth giving the guy a chance.

System guy.

I know you're trolling, but it was the system of the guy who wanted nothing to do with him this season.

 

[Mark2010]

Good to give Keenum a shot. I said when he was in college he could play in the NFL at least as a backup. Might as well see what he can do. Schaub's confidence is probably shot right now and his body is hurting, too.

I agree with the point about low hits. Where the heck do you want defenders to hit players? Knees? Thighs? Shoulders? Head? Football has always been a violent sport and bodies are just too big nowadays and make too much of an impact upon collision.

Was watching a game recently and someone mentioned how you now have to be 300 lbs., absolute minimum, to play on an offensive line. Weight restrictions, anyone? If it works in Pop Warner league, maybe it's worth a try.

 

[NDJournalist]

I'm not saying the guy is going to be the next Tom Brady, but he's less than a year removed from a 4,000 yard season and he's all of 25. Definitely worth giving the guy a chance.

System guy.

I know you're trolling, but it was the system of the guy who wanted nothing to do with him this season.

I meant he was a system quarterback in college. Not sure his game can translate into the NFL. Look at Harrell and Colt Brennan.

 

[outofplace]

I'm not saying the guy is going to be the next Tom Brady, but he's less than a year removed from a 4,000 yard season and he's all of 25. Definitely worth giving the guy a chance.

System guy.

I know you're trolling, but it was the system of the guy who wanted nothing to do with him this season.

I meant he was a system quarterback in college. Not sure his game can translate into the NFL. Look at Harrell and Colt Brennan.

He has had some success at the NFL level, so that comparison doesn't really hold up.

 

[old_tony]

Not sure if anybody else mentioned this, but the Packers placed Randall Cobb on the IR/designated for return list with a broken fibula Tuesday. Baltimore's Matt Elam dove into Cobb's legs as Cobb tried to catch the ball Sunday.

That is at least two major injuries on similar hits that I've seen since the NFL started its crackdown on blows to the head. That is also how the Steelers' Heath Miller blew out his knee late in 2012.

Defenders warned this was going to happen and it seems this is going to be a consequence of the rule changes and fines.

Having seen that play over and over again, the Packers have to be ecstatic that it was only a broken fibula.

And you are right about the fix being worse than the original problem. It used to be that quarterbacks took it upon themselves not to lead their receivers into such hits. Then the NFL started fining defenders. These seam routes and deep slants have only come into vogue the last 10 years or so.

 

[old_tony]

What happened to penalties that stop the clock resulting in a 10-second runoff?

Seahawks got a holding penalty in the final seconds of the half on a play where Wilson scrambled and got tackled inbounds with no timeouts left. There were 10 seconds left at the end of the play and the clock would have run out without the penalty.

They got a field goal because of the penalty.