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Playoff Teams
Rule Changes
17 Game
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SOS
Strength of Schedule ... Presently there are four teams with 0-4
records. According to the rules governing the NFL draft & if the
season ended today, the Vikings would be drafting 3rd with a SOS of 0.516,
whereas the Colts & Dolphins would be flipping a coin at 0.520 for the
rights to next franchise quarterback Andrew Luck. The Rams bottom out at
4th place in this lottery at 0.477. Tell me, how would it feel to flip a
coin for the next Dan Marino or Peyton Manning if both the Colts & Dolphins
register 0-16 seasons? Before you get gutted like a pig on what the OUTLAW
JOSEY WALES called "A Missouri Boat Ride", that is better known as our 2011
season ... it was important that you all know these facts. Don't focus on
Peyton Manning's recent payday for comfort as the Colts will do anything to
secure Andrew Luck. 3rd place in this lottery is as good as last
place.
(From the mouths of babes) My son from a very early age digested
football. He could tell you the names of every team that ever existed and
there were several unusual names as I recall. He can even tell you about the
location of a certain Pennsylvania landmark sign that records for history a
certain South Central PA NFL football team championship that had been stolen
from them and awarded to the Chicago Bears. One day, when the last person
that remembers that event dies, the landmark will probably be converted into
granite for the cock roaches to observe one day. Thus is another part of
the sordid history of the NFL.
When I asked my son about Christian Ponder this is what he said, "He's a
(first round) bust. He was definitely a reach". He didn't
quiver ... he didn't hesitate ... it was clearly front & center on his
mind. He made that statement after watching a good part of the
preseason. Statistically alone his statement holds a great deal of weight,
just due to the number of quarterbacks that were drafted in front of Ponder but
numbers are meaningless. What is of fact is that it is not enough to just
be able to start in this league. The measure of whether Ponder is a bust
or not is if he develops into a franchise quarterback. History alone
doesn't bode well for Ponder. In Viking history, I remember a few: Kapp,
Tarkenton, Kramer, Culpepper of which we only drafted 3. Favre, Wilson
(drafted 8th round), Moon & Johnson (drafted 9th round) just don't fit into
my concept being of a VIKING FRANCHISE QB. Obviously these
observations are meaningless as it is not a measure of the man they call
Christian Ponder.
Here's the thing! What if they know. What if they know that
Christian Ponder is never going to be the franchise quarterback for the
Minnesota Vikings. In other words, these coaches get Carte Blanche when it
comes to evaluating starters and backup as well as when to start McNabb (believe
me buddy we know more than you do) but they are not smart enough to know what
they have in Ponder after the pre-season alone. What if they know they've
made a mistake. Isn't is odd that the Vikings where able to know that a
certain 3rd round draft pick in 1961 could play based upon the pre-season
alone. You might remember that this kid was called in to play in that
first historical game versus the beat-down of the world renowned Chicago
Bears. Good times! Now combine this thought with the knowledge that
Chilly's concept of, "We can insert any quarterback into a great team and
win it all" ... doesn't work. Now toss these concepts into the
pressure cooker of knowing that Green Bay & Detroit, both now at 4-0 in 2011,
one with a newly acquired Super Bowl championship, which both took a vastly
different approach during those same years by developing their own franchise
quarterbacks and it becomes clear that the pressure needle is clearly in the
red. So your thinking, that like McNabb's first year, that it takes almost
a season to determine whether you have a franchise quarterback or not
... NOT ALWAYS! Like an adult circumcision ... you'll soon have that answer soon.
When faced with overwhelming odds ... Spock chose chess ... Captain James T.
Kirk chose poker. The captains choice was to bluff to win the day ... and
he did. The funny thing about poker and the bluff is that its always
better to be in the position that you don't give a lick whether is works or not
than it is to be immersed within the pressure cooker with the needle pegged in
the red. Let me be direct ... you're holding the losing hand.
Before it all hits the fan, take heart my friends. Why? Because
they've never adequately explored the Joe Webb experience. Oh yes ... you
will be entertained. It's a funny thing, as Fran Tarkenton said, "You
won't know whether or not that you have a Franchise Quarterback ... until you
hand him the keys"!
The Viking Ghost
Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: October 6, 2011
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