Official Vikings Week Discussion Thread

[woodbuck27]

If your in town pm me and I'll try to meet up with the one and only Woodbuck.
I don't have a room in Regina, we are only an hour away and rooms have been booked for a year almost. This morning I served orange juice and a bottle of milk at about 7 am after making it home not much before that. Someday I'll learn. Don't have much of a voice today.

Go Riders!!

Very cool.

Of course you know your side is six (6) point favourites.

I'll post that story in the proper thread.

[woodbuck27]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1861831-tactical-advantage-how-the-packers-can-beat-the-vikings-without-aaron-Rodgers

Tactical Advantage: How the Packers Can Beat the Vikings Without Aaron Rodgers

By: Ty Schalter (NFL National Lead Writer) on November 23, 2013


" The Packers now have zero margin for error. They're one game behind the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in the NFC North race, and head coach Mike McCarthy "[doesn't] have a timetable" for Rodgers' return, per Tyler Dunne of the Journal-Sentinel.

Playing against the Vikings at home, the Packers simply must win.

How can they do it without Rodgers?"


" To someone who didn't watch the Week 11 matchup against the Giants, Scott Tolzien's performance sounded pretty typical for an undrafted reserve quarterback who didn't even camp with the team: No touchdown passes and three interceptions in a 27-13 loss.

However, Tolzien completed 24 of 34 passes for 339 yards. Interceptions or no, completing 70.6 percent of your passes for an average of 9.97 yards per attempt is not easy to do in the NFL.

Let's look at what Tolzien and the Packers did right and what they did wrong. Vs the GIANTS " and more....



Comment woodbuck27:

Do you agree with this?

On the Right Track

" The Vikings are the NFL's worst scoring defense, per Pro Football Reference, allowing 32 points per game. They're ranked 10th worst in the NFL in average yards per attempt allowed, with 6.8, but 10th best in average yards per rushing carry allowed.

The Packers will again try to run to set up the pass, and Lacy may well have some success. To put up points, though, they'll need to throw—and throw safely.

Forcing Tolzien to do a lot of field-reading is not the way to protect the football:

Just as they did against the Giants, the Packers should hold off on deploying max protect until the Vikings generate effective pass rush. Even after that, the Packers need to make sure Tolzien always has a hot route, or outlet receiver, to go to in case his first read isn't open."

Please click on the above LINK for the authors analysis of the Packers offense last week Vs the New York GIANTS .


GO PACK GO !

[woodbuck27]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1861385-where-must-the-green-bay-packers-see-improvement-to-beat-Vikings

Where Must the Green Bay Packers See Improvement to Beat Vikings?

By: Zach Kruse (Featured Columnist) on November 23, 2013

.;.. " if Green Bay can see noticeable improvement in several key areas, including Scott Tolzien's ability to handle the blitz, running the football against defenses designed to stop it and getting big plays out of the defense and special teams, the Packers can make their stand Sunday and provide Rodgers with a chance to get Green Bay into the postseason once he returns from his fractured collarbone. "


**

Tolzien Against the Blitz

" According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), four of Tolzien's five interceptions have come when defenses bring five or more rushers. While his passer rating sits at a very respectable 94.9 against a typical pass rush, it drops to just 40.1 with an extra rusher involved.

The Vikings will know these figures. The blitz will be coming again for Tolzien on Sunday.

Overall, Tolzien hasn't been slow with the football or his decision-making against extra pressure. The Packers have allowed just one sack over the last two games. But making a quick read and delivering on the right decision are two mutually exclusive traits that a young, inexperienced Tolzien hasn't yet put together.

in his second straight and third NFL game, Tolzien should be making progression in feeling a blitz coming in the pre-snap and then finding his safety valve quickly.

On Sunday, improvement in this area could be the difference between Tolzien giving the game away and the Packers playing safe, winning offense."


**

Running Against Stacked Boxes

[I]" With Rodgers under center, the Packers were emerging as one of the NFL's dominant running teams this season. Three different times the team cracked 180 yards in a game, and ahead of Week 9, Green Bay was ranked in the top-five in rushing per game.

Defenses have smartened up since then.

" According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Eagles and Giants played the Packers offense with seven or more defenders in the box on almost 50 percent of the combined snaps. That was an uptick of nearly 23 percent from when Rodgers was healthy.

It takes a special kind of offensive line and a special kind of running back to beat eight-man boxes. The Packers have the beginning of both, but neither have proved capable of consistently winning against these looks.

The best solution to beating eight-man boxes is hurting the defense in the passing game. But even then, defenses might not back off with Tolzien under center.

The Packers simply need to run better against stacked fronts."


**

Creating Big Plays on Defense and Special Teams

" In the first meeting between these two teams, the Packers received a punt return for a score and started four drives beyond their own 25-yard line. Rodgers took advantage of those opportunities, scoring a season-high 44 points.

The Rodgers-less Packers now need a similar output from the defense and special teams in the second meeting.

Far too often, Tolzien is starting drives deep in its own territory. "


The Packers and Takeaways:

The Packers have just nine takeaways, including only two in the last four games. Tramon Williams' interception in New York halted a likely scoring drive for the Giants, but it didn't help the offense in any way in terms of field position.

Overall, the Packers have scored just 23 points off turnovers this season, ranking last in the NFL.


Kick Returns and Field Position

" Kick returns remain a huge problem, as Green Bay is averaging just 17.4 yards per return. No other team is averaging less than 20 this season. Punt returns have been better, but the defense isn't making enough big stops deep in opponent's territory for the Packers to take advantage field position-wise.

The Packers offense has obviously shot itself in the foot with turnovers recently, but the unit hasn't received much in terms of help from the defense or special teams. That could use a change Sunday against the Vikings."

Please click on the LINK for all of it.


GO PACK GO !

[woodbuck27]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1859232-vikings-vs-packers-breaking-down-minnesotas-game-plan

Vikings vs. Packers: Breaking Down Minnesota's Game Plan

By: Tim Arcand (Featured Columnist) on November 20, 2013


Comment woodbuck27:

This is interesting and bold...

"...the game plan that head coach Leslie Frazier uses can overcome even the best effort. If Frazier survives this season and is still coaching Dec. 30, then he was directed to tank. There's no other explanation for some of the moves made this season."

**

When the Vikings Have the Ball

" The Packers pass defense is almost as bad as that of the Vikings. They have given up 18 touchdowns with only four interceptions—that's half as many picks as the Vikings.

It will be interesting to see what gives—the Packers pick off one of Ponder's passes, or wide receiver Jerome Simpson catches his first touchdown as a Viking.

Ponder should find a way to continue getting the ball to tight end John Carlson. Over the last two games, Carlson has led the Vikings with 12 receptions and 167 yards. He's been most successful catching the ball in the middle of the field, picking up big chunks of yards—at least what is considered big chunks for the Vikings. "

The Packers Running Game:

" The Vikings should go all out to stop the run, and go with a man-to-man defense against the Packers receivers. With the Packers' injury report from Pro Football Reference listing 22 players, the Packers have a depleted roster. "

Overall

" Putting pressure on Tolzien, and taking away any time to find a secondary receiver, should work in favor for the Vikings—unless of course they have no intentions of winning this game.

Then we know something is up. *** "

Comment woodbuck27:

*** This author (Tim Arcand) is as much saying that if the Green Bay Packers win today. Then the Vikings HC Leslie Frazier tossed the game under orders from his employer. Good grief that's a bold position for this author to take. Why not just leave it as the game is played on the field?

The position this author takes stinks IMO. I can't imagine that Leslie Frazier will hand the Packers this game. I'm adding here that if that's the case then why play AP and Greg Jennings today? Why not hold these two important Vikings out? It was announced just now on NFL.Com that both are up and ready to go today.

ALL the same....... at the end of this day we'll be able to assess it all .

GO PACK GO !

[run pMc]

I don't believe any coach would intentionally throw a game...too much scrutiny, and they'd never work again. Those guys are too competitive, and he'd lose his team completely. Frazier hasn't "lost" his team, although his OC and DC have.

It's a division game, so there's always a chance for an upset. Without Rodgers these teams are more evenly matched. I'm going with GB to squeak one out -- it's gonna be a cold day and I don't think Ponder's going to like that. low scoring affair.

IMO it's not about whether Frazier throws the game, but whether GB's defense will step up, keep Peterson/Patterson bottled up, and "win the turnover battle".

[Infamous]

WOW