Sunday, September 21, 2008

Football with Craig Finn

I was a bit distracted during the Vikings first win of the season. About five minutes into the first quarter The Hold Steady's Craig Finn walked into the bar and started looking for the screen carrying Minnesota's game. I directed him to my table, which was otherwise empty, and we proceded to talk Minneapolis, Twins baseball, and Drive-By Truckers while watching the Vikings defense completely dominate the Panthers.

The most obvious story of the day, at least in the national media's eyes, is that of Gus Frerotte bringing life to the Vikings previously awful offense. But, ultimately, this was one hell of a defensive performance. Carolina finished with 204 yards, including a measly 47 on the ground. After watching the game, my initial impression was that 47 seemed high- it felt like they didn't gain any rushing yards. Jake Delhomme did manage a couple big plays through the air, but for the most part Carolina struggled to sustain any drive. The Vikings helped Carolina out with a turnover, poor special teams coverage, and some horrific penalties, but the Panthers couldn't capitalize.

They couldn't. Minnesota wouldn't let them. Although Delhomme stayed on his feet some, the Vikings defensive line was incredibly active. They were scattering the Panthers offensive line and disrupting passing lanes. They register five sacks, including two exclamation points in the 4th quarter, when Jared Allen and Kevin Williams each nabbed Delhomme once on Carolina's last real chance to get back in the game. Still, the Panthers could not take advantage of the Vikings' aggressive rush; draw plays were not netting Carolina runners much. The Vikings linebackers are among the league's best, and aside from being quick in every direction, they almost never miss a tackle.

On top of the all-around team effort, Antoine Winfield threw in one of the best individual plays that a footballer can make. Winfield blitzed Delhomme from the left side, and in one fell swoop registered a sack and forced fumble, and then picked up the ball and scampered into the end zone for a touchdown. In retrospect, this play pretty much sealed the game. The second half was almost boring; Minnesota dominated every facet of the game, and held the ball for 11:34 before taking a 20-10 lead on a Ryan Longwell field goal.

Frerotte looked sharp, especially relative to Tarvaris Jackson. The playbook opened up a bit, and he slung the ball all over, spreading it between eight receivers. Bernard Berrian finally got involved, and Visanthe Shiancoe finally held onto a ball, and the offense held its own.

Craig seemed happy about the win, although he was more relieved to see that the Twins had beaten the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays 4-1. Things I learned (or reaffirmed) today: The Vikings are a playoff team with Gus Frerotte; Adrian Peterson is the best running back in the NFL; Washington Redskins cheerleaders love The Hold Steady.

No comments: