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Chad Greenway will show everyone why he was drafted? That's a curious statement. Have people been doubting that he should have been selected in the draft? Was he not suppose to be picked?
You are right; Vikings fans are delusional. Defense wins championships but offenses need a steady quarterback who won't make mistakes. Look at the Giants last season. Their defense helped win games for them, but Eli Manning started to perform on a level that allowed the offense to be successful. If Tarvaris Jackson turns the ball over or the Vikings defense allows the opponents to score, can Jackson rally the team? If there is two minutes left in the game and the Vikings are behind, do Vikings fans trust Jackson to lead them to victory? If their opponents can protect the quarterback, what else do they have?
Why don't we look at the Vikings defense from a sane perspective. The line is good and a strength but it is only one level of the defense. Jared Allen will help with the pressure and Pat Williams and Kevin Williams will continue to make the middle a difficult area to run, but does this necessarily mean that a team can't block them? Of course not! Besides, a team can still use tosses and misdirections, which will avoid the line and challenge the linebackers. And what about them? Chad Greenway and E.J. Henderson are both going to perform at a high level next year? What evidence of this is there? Did this Vikings fan look into a crystal ball? It's all speculation. Until proven otherwise, their linebacking core is average.
And what about passing situations? The team can blitz, but do Vikings fans realize that offenses use more than just a five man line for protection? They also have backs that pick up the blitz and, sometimes, a tight end can be used for blocking. If that team picks up the blitz, that is when the offense can expose the weak secondary and unproven linebackers. A quick and efficient passer with great vision can make plays against their defense. Last season, quite a few teams made plays against the Vikings D. Does adding one player, as talented as he is, really change how good offenses perform against them? Good offenses have good lines.
Finally, lets once again consider the Vikings offense. This (delusional) post suggests that Tarvaris Jackson doesn't need to do anything and the running game will carry them. Really? I thought there needed to be balance on an offense in order for it to succeed. A team can obviously succeed with a strong passing game, but if a team lacks a passing game and focuses on the run, it seems they would be more stoppable. Teams can stack up against Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor and challenge Jackson, who still doesn't have any threatening receivers. Peterson will do well, but not as well, since teams have a year of game tape now to review. And, if Vikings fans haven't noticed, Peterson's numbers dropped the second half of the season.
Of course, there is the problem of Adrian Peterson being prone to injury and even Tarvaris Jackson struggling to stay on the field. For all those who question Aaron Rodgers durability, they sure do seem to ignore the fact that Peterson has suffered injuries throughout his career. I guess no one can say anything bad about him.
It is fitting that that post shows pride in Vikings history and considers this team to be as good as the past, historical teams since it predicts the results: they will choke. Even their best teams choked on the big stage. Don't bring up this season of the Packers because at least we made it to overtime and have many championships in our history. Enjoy your disappointing season!
I know I will!
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