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Smash Articles
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According to Polian, as backed by Zulgad in his recent article, Teddy Bridgewater shouldn't be allowed to play until year 2, a mirror image of what was done with Daunte Culpepper. It's funny how all the other 31 franchises are eager to help with how the Vikings utilize their assets and we are so eager to accept pure unadulterated misdirection! It's called negative reinforcement ... and it works too. Point #1: What we did with Daunte Culpepper backfired. In his second year, the year we lost the championship game to the New York Giants 41-0, Daunte was so eager to hit the field that he was willing to listen to anything his wide receivers uttered. In time, it is clear that Daunte shut it all down. His learning curve became nothing more than chuck it deep to Moss to get out of jam rather than to perfect his game. What was clear for all to see is that quarterbacks throughout the game became students of the game and something deep within Culpepper, combined with the at hand skills of both Moss & Carter, prevented his development from respect of the game to choosing the easy path instead. Point #2: Starting Peyton Manning in his first year was a mistake in that his team went 3-13. Really! Was that record a reflection of Peyton Manning or was it the team that surrounded him. You might recall in that year that they had to peal defenders of Peyton early and often as they couldn't protect him and his defense was a sieve. What Peyton learned in his inaugural season was invaluable to his development and any idiot worth his salt knows that you cannot learn jack sitting on the pine ... no matter what Mr. Polian might utter. Do as I say ... not as I do! Baloney! Point #3: In Daunte's rookie campaign riding the pine, Cunningham started the season and was replaced by the "HEAD CASE" known as George. How often would he cough up points ... as the ultimate HEAD CASE ... only to have to chuck it down the field to make up for his mistakes. For lesser teams it worked ... not so much for the Rams. So now ask yourself a question, what would Daunte be in that 2000 championship game if he had another solid year of experience under his belt? Now skew the projection. What if the Vikings chose to invest into Daunte, as Cunningham's replacement, where Daunte failed early and often. Would Daunte's learning curve have changed to respecting the NFL for what it is? I know, how could you possibly have that answer because it didn't happen. Oh, but it did. Go ahead. Ask Peyton Manning if he appreciated Bill Polian and his group believing in his abilities and skills and most importantly in his potential? Now you have your answer. What Daunte had was a whole bunch of bitterness and he carried that every day he walked the Viking sidelines. Any idiot could see it. Point #4: Starting a rookie quarterback didn't work for other franchises, what would make you think that it would work in Minnesota? Well this is not Joey Harrington in Detroit as Joey Harrington certainly was no Barry Sander's that could play minus a team. Minnesota has a strong contingent of players that encompass a team. In other words, this ain't Cleveland! Point #5: Let's take it one step further. Do you think Russel Wilson appreciated that the Seahawks immediately implemented his abilities, skills and his potential by starting him on opening day ... to the dismay of the league? Maybe there is something to investing in potential. Some of the greatest men known to mankind were immediately thrown into the fire ... sink or swim ... which immediately revealed character. What did it reveal in Ryan Leaf's case? Point #6: Let's point to Christian Ponder and his plethora of excuses. You might as well point to Tim Couch and Ryan Leaf for that matter. After watching McNabb throw balls into the dirt because the receiver wasn't open enough, they inserted Ponder too early. Really! Let me help you out with that. It's not about a quarterbacks confidence. It's about TEAM and it's about film. If Teddy Bridgewater has the SHIT it's going to show up on film immediately. At present, the 2014 team isn't perfect ... in fact, it is far from it: - A new defense is full of new individuals that have not been battle tested. They maybe better athletes. They may have better skills. They may be tougher but are they prepared to cover the back sides of someone they are playing next to? Are they mentally prepared to anticipate all the moving parts on the field to work as one unit? Of course they think they are however unless they achieve stopping and shutting down Tom Brady, they are nothing more than a work in progress. To be direct, any team that is relying on Marcus Sherels as part of their defensive scheme is a team preparing for failure. Was Sherels success on special teams a measure of his return skills or was it a breakdown in special teams or due to some great block by Joe Webb. We all hope that some certain QB in Charlotte doesn't ask for too much money because that might expose the folly of the Vikings in how they handled Webb. Love ya Joe! - We have way too many players in the league that think that their first year in the league is some sort of throw away year ... as if it didn't matter. How did we get to this level of benevolent acceptance of skewed learning curves and who does it ultimately benefit? By the time a player is either allowed to perform on the field for the Vikings he's thinking about the next franchise for which he will be playing. At what point did we accept this? Did the 2013 handling of Patterson cost him Rookie of the year honors because our coaches were afraid to put him on the field because he might not be ready? Is it any wonder why they found themselves without a job. In other words ... safe thinking ain't so safe after all. Maybe a year of extra tread on Bridgewater might prove very valuable to Polian ... whoops ... did I say that last part out loud? In 53 years, how many times have we heard that a player is looking to join a team that they expect will have a valid shot at winning an NFL Super Bowl Championship? What's wrong with this statement? - Firstly, this statement is a recognition of acceptance that somehow the Vikings are some sort of 2nd rate franchise. Would Vince Lombardi be associated with this statement? How about Don Shula? - Secondly, this statement is a reflection that the team is focusing on patchwork rather than a fool proof plan of action for the future. Here is snap shot of what I'm talking about. We are planning to win Super Bowl 50 & 51. The question then becomes, who will be leading this team and who will be the basis of those rosters? Did you answer Matt Cassel? Were you prepared to start Teddy Bridgewater immediately knowing full well that before he walked onto the field that you were going to almost immediately bench him because he failed to learn the game? The game only respects the ones that master its elements ... and that doesn't happen from the bench. Where you prepared to show the true value of Matt Cassel in that he has the ability to not only win in any situation ... he is the prime instrument of developing an NFL Super Bowl Champion? What value might that be to Matt Cassel? Benching Bridgewater & Cassel continually ... as a reflection of the 1971 Dallas Cowboys season (their first NFL Super Bowl Championship season) ... could this be the mold for our immediate future? Did you consider that Matt Cassel might be traded for the 2015 season to the team of his choice landing the Vikings a plethora of high value draft picks. Rick Spielman ... are you listening ... high draft picks come from developing demand and Matt Cassel represents DEMAND INCARNATE (but that requires a large set of balls)! - Thirdly, this statement is an acceptance of an open door policy. The Minnesota Vikings are willing to accept anybody and also we are willing to allow anyone to leave. In our long history since the 70's this is more than apparent, except for our very recent history when both Jared Allen and Kevin Williams were given their walking papers similar to what Dennis Green did with Joey Browner. The Free Parking Space, loaded with all sorts of money from Chance and Community Chest, as well as other sources is no more. Do we accept Brandon Flowers on his terms that may compromise our defensive scheme or do we hope that a bunch of money is going to somehow change his focus. We don't want you here. You can't be a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Your one step away from the exit because every coach that surrounds you is not going to accept anything but a 100% effort ... as we can see through every step and we can discern the genuine from the phallacy. - Fourthly, in this statement, no one knows who will be winning Super Bowl 49. What good is it to join the Bronco's, which is doing everything is possibly can to purchase Super Bowl 49, if Peyton Manning has little hope of completing the 2014 season if he is destined for injured reserve ... the final stanza of his outstanding Hall of Fame career. - Fifthly, this statement is acceptance that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. We'll entertain and we'll collect pay checks. Any player that views this franchise has to access it's ability to win a championship. The assessment is either an immediate result (Kevin Williams in Seattle) or it's a long term assessment. Under Chilly, starting Brad Johnson was an admission that there was no light at the end of the tunnel in Minnesota. What message does it send to the entire league when you state that your planning to play Teddy Bridgewater early and often and that you will be benching him early and often as it is not clear if he truly respects the game. Let me tell you that this witness has a great deal of respect of Zulgad and its not because he's either right or wrong. He's perceived as a skeptic with a great deal of passion for this franchise. He's apart of a great magnitude of skeptics that have witnessed mismanagement and wasteful behavior first hand, "How did we allow the career of Adrian Peterson to slip through our hands?" So what differentiates Zulgad from the rest? Well he's not a Rah Rah type in the mold of a publicist or as a shill for this franchise. He knows that there is something "Major-League-Wrong" within the history of this franchise that's enveloped within monumental merits. The questions that he both asks and answers are hard questions that can help this organization achieve excellence however my main problem with Zulgad is that he is quick to accept the cliché as a valid argument to asuccession of failures. Remember that cheap free advice is exactly that ... Cheap and Free! Zulgad and his cohorts want to view this franchises first Super Bowl Trophy in what is now an empty case of Ziggy's & Mark's imagination. When will this franchise collectively accept that you don't have a choice in this matter. You need to determine if Bridgewater respects this game and you need to determine if it shows up on film immediately. If it doesn't then you don't wait to move on. You keep looking at cards until you finally secure your franchise quarterback and Bridgewater just might be that special card for which we've all been dreaming. The true purpose of Matt Cassel to this franchise is to expose the reality ... he is a proven winner. Teddy Bridgewater cannot be exposed sitting on the bench ... it's just that simple. Stop trying to whitewash the obvious. When will be have an organization that is led by someone to true character. Hey my name is Mike Zimmer. I'm so old that I'm pissin' dust. To be direct, I don't have the time to play around with you guys so let me start by saying that I'm bull goose loony and I'm about to pull off the craziest plan ever conceived by any NFL coach ever. We have a proven winner in Matt Cassel and we have a player that hasn't yet proven that he respects the NFL for what it truly is. Rick Spielman, and the ownership has overtly made it's future under Teddy Bridgewater ... He is our future, and as such he is a projected starter. My job is to bench Mr. Bridgewater ... over and over again ... until he's proven that he respects the game. I'd like to state that I'm envious of Dick Vermeil and Kurt Warner after Trent Green went down in the pre season because like I said ... Matt Cassel is a proven winner. Matt just might be the most valuable player in the entire league and he's not even going to be guaranteed a start for the entire season. Call it old school ... you know ... like when the recently deceased Earl Edwin Morrall played. Just answer me one question. Why do I have to wait a year or two before you'll answer the question and why are you so patiently willing to wait before you will have the balls to answer it? Sorry! We all need to accept negative reinforcement of concepts that have no chance whatsoever of working. Who will be our next Donovan McNabb or Brad Johnson, etc., etc., ect, ... ????
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