Ball or Nuthin' » Vikings

Quarterback Changes Highlight NFL This Week

T Lamont — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:12:56 +0000

With a little less than half the NFL season under its belt, the last thing that any contending team would want to endure is a quarterback change.

But, of course, we are talking about the National Football League – and on a weekly basis you never can tell what will happen next.

Let’s look at some of this week’s most noted moves and examine the sensibility of each:

Redskins Replace Rex Grossman with John Beck

In Washington, there’s no such thing as a level of comfort. Take, for example, the running back position. Tim Hightower, a local favorite and native of the DC area, was replaced after Ryan Torrain ripped through the St. Louis Rams defense a couple of Sundays ago. So, if running backs have that much turnover, one can only imagine the volatility with a position as critical as quarterback. Rex Grossman, whose play (and QB ratings) has continuously declined after a remarkable opening week against the Giants, was given the hook by head coach Mike Shanahan. His performance really hit rock bottom against Philadelphia, as he tossed 4 picks, no touchdowns and only completed 41 percent of his attempts (to his own teammates, that is). John Beck got his feet wet in his first NFL action of the regular season, and only appeared to be marginally better than Grossman. Only time will tell regarding the longevity of this move, but we all can rest assured that neither one of these guys is the final answer for Shanahan.

Tim Tebow Takes the Reigns

Ever since the hyped training camp battle that apparently never existed, Ball or Nuthin’ has encouraged John Fox to make this move sooner rather than later. Tebow’s finally going to get his shot, and it only makes sense – because this franchise really isn’t headed anywhere anytime soon.

McNabb Goes to the McBench in Minnesota

The time is now in Minnesota. Surely, Donovan McNabb can still make plays that others can’t – he just hasn’t made any of them so far this season. He says that he has “lots of football left” in him, but he hasn’t let it out for others to witness over the past two NFL campaigns. The Vikings have a retooled defense that still features names like Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen and E.J. Henderson. And, of course, they have a hefty contractual agreement with a fairly good running back. There’s no doubt that McNabb was feeling the heat. He put up his best performance of the season, connecting on 19 of 24 pass attempts for 177 yards (0 TDs, 0 INTs). But a 1-5 record is a 1-5 record, and this is not the McNabb that we all grew to love in Philadelphia.

The Raiders took a huge gamble on their acquisition of big-name quarterback Carson Palmer.

Desperate Raiders Nab Carson Palmer

Admit it Raider fans – no matter how much your team does not rely on its quarterback’s ability to air it out, you probably thought Oakland’s great start was about to go up in smoke when Jason Campbell went down with a collarbone injury. But the Raiders preserved your hopes for a somewhat special season, and put the Cincinnati-Carson Palmer saga to an end…albeit at an unbelievably high price. A 2012 first-rounder and a 2013 second-rounder (that has an outside chance of becoming another first-rounder, if the Raiders reach the AFC Title Game over the next two seasons) for a quarterback who had considered himself retired? Palmer admittedly has some rust to knock off and he’d better do it quickly – all indications point to him starting this upcoming Sunday against divisional rival Kansas City. The bottom line is that Oakland didn’t want to write off this campaign, so they rolled the dice on a high-stakes gamble. Will it pay off? If so, there’ll be two satisfied teams instead of just one.

NFL Free Agency Starts With a Bang

T Lamont — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:31:53 +0000

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Now that the NFL is back in business, there’s exponentially less time for players and teams to link up with each other.

Free agency has clearly gotten out a hot and heavy start, and here’s a look at the potential impact from some of the most notable signings and moves:

Plaxico Burress signs with the Jets:

What do the Jets have to lose? Not much, as they answered everyone’s question about where Burress would end up. Plaxico should fit in nicely as a third option, behind Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery. Although Plax has never really been a consistent deep-ball threat, replacing Braylon Edwards’ 2010 pass-catching totals (53 receptions) should not be a hard thing for Burress to accomplish. While the Virginia Beach native has been away from football for some time, one thing has not changed – his size. It should assist him in re-establishing himself as an important possession receiver for Rex Ryan.

Plax's new deal allows him and his wife to stay in New York.

Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young, Ronnie Brown sign with the Eagles:

Word has it that Asomugha, the top corner on the market, left lots of money on the table because he wanted to play for a team that would give him the best chance to win. This says a lot about Asomugha’s priorities, but it also says even more about peoples’ expectations for the Eagles. Philly went out and picked up troubled Vince Young – a great additional to their team as a back up quarterback with a playing style similar to Eagles starting QB Michael Vick (let’s face it – given Vick’s natural athletic attributes, we all know that he will spend some amount of time on the shelf…so this is very significant). Philadelphia topped that off by signing former Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown who, along with LeSean McCoy, will give Andy Reid even more versatility in the backfield. Philly, who was booted out of the postseason by the Super Bowl Champion Packers due to a failed final drive, appeared to be a candidate for the second-best team in the NFL last season. Knowing how difficult it is for NFL teams to repeat, the Eagles – for the first time in decades – sit atop the list of expected Super Bowl participants.

Donovan Mcnabb traded to the Vikings:

Good move by the Vikings? Hardly. Having an experienced quarterback that will set an example for first-round draft pick Christian Ponder is fine and dandy, but McNabb hasn’t been the best at demonstrating good performance habits of late. He suffered mightily with the Skins – so much so that Washington was chomping at the bit to send him packing after one season. Minnesota would have been better advised to stop trying to make last-ditch efforts to make their team relevant (see Brett Favre and Randy Moss), and to simply go back to the drawing board.

McNabb's disappointing tenure in D.C. didn't deter Minnesota from taking a chance on him.

Chad Ochocinco, Albert Haynesworth traded to the Patriots:

Another year, and another couple of players with a past history of disrupting their teams’ harmony get signed by New England. Both Ochocinco and Haynesworth underachieved in big ways last season, but who really believes that they’ll be flops again this season? At the very least, they’ll be on their best behavior. The Patriots were able to reform one of the all-time grumpiest players of all – the recently-retired Randy Moss – into one of the most productive single season performers of all time (in 2007), and were able to appease him for over three years. Comparatively speaking, Ocho and Fat Albert should be child’s play for the motivational abilities of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England organization. And I’m sure that Ocho will tweet us with all of the details.

Vikings Say Goodbye to Moss

T Lamont — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:36:48 +0000

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On Sunday, Randy Moss was very nostalgic when asked about his New England teammates.

On Monday, he’s been given the green light to try and reunite with them.

After some bizarre – and at the same time routine – behavior and comments from Moss, he was released by the Minnesota Vikings earlier today.

Here’s what Moss said about his former team members after Sunday’s defeat at their hands:

“I don’t know how many more times I’m going to be up here in New England. But I’m going to leave the New England Patriots, Coach Belichick, man, with a salute, man. I love you guys, I miss you, I’m out.”

Moss also criticized the Vikings concerning some play-calling in the later stages of the first half. With the game knotted and 7 and a little over one minute to go before halftime, Minnesota faced a 4th down and goal at the New England 1 yard line. Instead of putting three points on the board, Vikings coach Brad Childress elected to try for a touchdown. Of course, Adrian Peterson was stuffed on a play that could easily be referred to as momentum-changing. The Patriots went on the score two touchdowns in the third quarter in route to a 28-18 decision on Sunday afternoon.

San Diego's Philip Rivers is already leading the NFL in passing yards - without the threat of a talented receiver like Moss.

While Moss’ inclination to put points on the board early in the game may have been on point, his attitude has not. Randy seems to be up to his old tricks – not running hard or finishing out routes, and he appears not to be motivated to use the tools that propelled him to be great in his first stint with Minnesota and during his tenure with New England (up until this season).

Who’ll take a stab at signing Moss?

With parity at an all-time high in the NFL – particularly in the NFC – the race for playoff spots is wide open. That means that Moss could be targeted by a myriad of teams looking to get an edge as the season progresses. But as always, the price is steep with Moss – and his suitors will risk the possibility of a player with game-changing potential becoming complacent or even disgruntled if he fails to get touches or the team is unsuccessful.

So much for the highly-hyped duo of Brett Favre and Randy Moss that lasted all of four games – with lackluster highlights and numbers generated.

No Wonder Favre Won’t Retire

T Lamont — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:00:16 +0000

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For years the media has been wondering when the grey-haired one was finally going to step down and out of the NFL.

Well, now, at least we have a reason as to why he hasn’t. He loves to throw passes, and in his career he has been known for throwing ill-advised one…so the latest rumors involving Brett Favre seem to be fitting.

Allegations have surfaced linking the 41 year-old quarterback to two New York Jets message therapists. But linking is probably not the most precise description for what Favre is being accused of. It would be much closer to being a perverted old man than making an actual pass.

Favre may have a similar look on his face if he hasn't yet explained this to his wife.

The women claim that Favre, who has been married for 14 years, sent lewd text messages and that he invited them both to his hotel room. The alleged incident occurred during the Jets training camp prior to the 2008 season.

Favre played for one season with New York, and afterward began his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. With the details of this still under investigation by the NFL, it appears to be no coincidence that Favre’s Jets tenure was a short as it was. After the Ines Sainz debacle that transpired earlier this summer, the New York organization has developed a stereotype that it quickly becoming cemented with each passing day.

As for Favre, he’ll have to make sure that his future pass attempts go only to open receivers.

Moss to Vikings – A Dream Come True For Favre

T Lamont — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:58:06 +0000

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Despite having one of the all-time great quarterbacks in NFL history at the helm, the Minnesota Vikings’ passing game was on life support.

Enter Randy Moss. A third round pick was the price that Minnesota had to pay to inject life into their offense.

That’s seemingly not much of a price for a 7-time Pro Bowl selection, and a player selected to the NFL’s 2000 All-Decade Team.

The scoop was that Moss and the Patriots fell out of love with one another. Translation – Moss wasn’t enjoying not being the primary playmaker this season. The disdain on his face was clear – even during a blowout New England win at Miami in which he didn’t catch one pass (the first time that has happened in his tenure with the Patriots). So far in 2010 (4 games), Moss has only 9 receptions for 153 yards. While his three touchdowns put him in good company, the receptions and yardage are what we might expect in a single game for Moss.

Of course, the media and fans are up to their usual banter about how Moss is a ticking time bomb – and that eventually he was going to blow up. But what we have witnesses over the last few years – Moss’ ‘rebirth’ in New England – was enabled by a team that was enamored to have him. What’s going on this year is what happens when the love fades away. The extra effort to incorporate Randy into the game plan has not been there, and frankly, there’s no excuse for that. Game after game, coordinators are challenged to manage their resources in a manner that yields the best predictable shot at winning. It’s not uncommon knowledge that Moss is a guy who wants the ball in his hands. And why shouldn’t he? He is one of the most physically gifted receivers (along with the Johnson’s – Andre and Calvin) in the league.

So who’s to blame?

The Vikings' addition of Randy Moss will help both of these guys in a big way.

Placing blame is not always critical – but if you are New England, you just let your ego (as an organization) get in the way of smart decision-making. You basically just let your vertical passing game walk out the window. And Moss probably took your chances to stay atop the division with him. The Patriots need not let their recent Monday night win go to their heads – they are not going to make a lasting imprint in the playoffs (if they get there) without a player like Moss. The bottom line is that they lost Moss because they didn’t want to succumb to his competitive nature and give him the amounts of reps that his talent justifies.

Just think about that. The most competitive players are traditionally the most suuccessful, because they want to do more than just win…they want to dominate. For example, football is certainly more of a team sport than basketball…but could you imagine the Lakers telling Kobe Bryant – the one player on their roster who can consistently create mismatches every game – to cut his field goal attempts by 75%? How well would Los Angeles fare in that scenario?

Regardless, Moss will be welcomed with open arms in Minnesota, who now boast a complete set of offensively skilled players in Favre (QB), Moss (WR), Adrian Peterson (RB) and Visanthe Shiancoe (TE). Even more importantly, the re-orders the receiver depth chart for the Vikings and gives them a true #1 receiver. Wideouts like Percy Harvin, Greg Camarillo and Bernard Berrian will become more dangerous will a lessened degree of dependency on their productivity.

Favre has go on record to say that he has “admired” Moss from afar, and is understandably elated to have the league’s premier deep threat on his side. Although they got out to a slow start, Minnesota is looking to heat up.

As for New England, this fall and winter could be both very long and cold.