The Tuesday Meltdown with Big Daddy Drew
Posted on September 9th, 2008 – 2:00 PMBy Michael Rand
After every Vikings game, we exchange e-mails with Drew Magary, award-winning blogger of Kissing Suzy Kolber and Deadspin semi-fame. You might remember him from any number of foul-mouthed rants or that one time back in 1999 when he cleverly put out that fire in your mouth despite earlier promises to the contrary. Big Daddy Drew lives in the D.C. area, but he is a huge Vikings fan. He also recently authored a book, “Men With Balls,” which he assures me is a delightful treatise on equipment managers and not in any way a double-entendre (and thus suitable for print on this blog). You can buy his book here, or you can have him come over and read it to you for an extra $25 and a nice glass of Chardonnay. Let’s do this.
RandBall: Tarvaris Jackson — what did he learn in the offseason? Looked like nothing.
BDD: Agreed. Same problems as before. Missing throws badly, especially on quick slants. And either the coverage was great last night or he can’t find open receivers. Also, the pass protection was awful.
RB: Jared Allen — Does he play for the Vikings?
BDD: Yeah, he got swallowed up by Clifton. That was stunning to me. Where was the beast from last year?
RB: Is it possible, for once, to have a game plan that doesn’t look tentative? Seriously, if there is so little faith in the offense (and the quarterback) to execute high-reward plays, then they need a new offense (or a new quarterback). The predictability and limits, particularly in the first half, doomed them to failure. Rollouts where the option is throw it away or throw it for a four-yard gain to the one guy in the pattern?
BDD: Agreed. Jaws even pointed out that the game plan lacked imagination. It was either straight run or straight pass. It looked like a Lloyd Carr offense.
RB: When there is a fumble, you dive on it. You don’t try to pick it up and run with it. [Redacted!!!] Sharper, you are better than that.
BDD: Eh, plenty of guys try and do that. I wasn’t that upset about that. They’re coached to try and get a TD out of fumbles like that. I thought the replay call on the Shiancoe catch was idiotic. HE CAUGHT IT!
RB: This game encapsulates everything I was afraid of: that the personnel changes were nice but more cosmetic than real; that Jackson really hadn’t taken a big step forward; that Aaron Rodgers was going to be pretty decent. Etc.
BDD: Agreed. They looked like the EXACT same team from last year.
RB: That said: I think gloom and doom is a little severe. They lost by 5 and had a chance to win at the end (if they had a scheme and QB that were able to function in a 2-minute environment).
BDD: True, but if the QB has shown no real signs of improvement, and his backup is a real stiff, are you really all that happy about the January prospects here?
RB: I don’t know why I’m not more upset. I should be, right? Maybe I’m taking my emotional flatline from the play of the Vikings yesterday, when only Adrian Peterson really seemed to give a [redacted] (except for when T-Jack tossed his helmet at the end. Ooooh).
BDD: I didn’t think they played flat. I thought they played BADLY, which is far more discouraging.
RB: Indy. Carolina. Tennessee. New Orleans. That’s next. Whaddya think? 2-3?
BDD: You never know. Who thought Chicago would beat Indy? You just never know.
21 Responses to "The Tuesday Meltdown with Big Daddy Drew"
Agreed Rand, I was furious with Sharper. Doesn’t matter if plenty of guys try to pick it up and run with it… It’s not like Sharper knocked it loose from the QB and was the only guy chasing the ball toward the end zone. This was an in-traffic, loose-ball scramble and he needed to jump on it.
Oh, T-JOKE! I get it…
It seems to me the Vikings Struggled a little after they brought in Hutchinson, so maybe these news guys need a game or two to get in the groove of this KAO and KAD.
Or they are just another Minnesota Team that shows promise and breaks our hearts.
I agree with this guy…Jackson sucked, and sorry, purp freaks, he simply won’t get better. He freaks under pressure and throws long, short, hits dbs in the ass, anything to save his skin. I say help him save his skin. Play someone else..anyone else. Coach QB likes to nurture his people. Nurture someone else.
And this was a surprise, but I saw it in the preseason too. Jared Allen is way overrrated, way overpaid and every burly linemen (that means all) with good speed can hold off this “offseason great white hope”…
Also, there hasn’t seemed to be any commentary about the ridiculous number of penalties to start the game last night.
Talk about taking over a game from the get-go, good work stripes… I always enjoy seeing a 1st and 33 in the first quarter.
Indy. Carolina. Tennessee. New Orleans.
Quit reminding me.
I thought the replay call on the Shiancoe catch was idiotic. HE CAUGHT IT!
Indeed. The officiating was horrible last night, if even-handedly so.
Rand -
You listed the next four opponents and then thought Vikes might be 2-3 after five games. Who were the wins against? I would have to guess Indy and Carolina? Were those your wins as well?
Ty: I would guess they beat Tennessee. Or, more appropriately, Vince Young beats Tennessee
Also, there hasn’t seemed to be any commentary about the ridiculous number of penalties to start the game last night.
What got me was that there were SO many penalties, but we almost never saw a replay of what had happened. Like the 15-yard personal foul for “Leverage?” We got a shot of the offender, but not of the offense.
Is anyone else concerned that BDD used all caps THREE times in his responses? He might want to get that checked out.
I was also unaware until today that you could win an award for blogging.
AZGG, many people use all caps in their name, MR even you but not in their whole name…this guy’s words, however, are in lower case on my pc monitor.
As for a blog “award”, I think that’s all crap and something someone gives themself…so right now, I am Award Winning Paul Peter Paulos !! Try it. It’s a rush ..
Anyone else ready to shoot Tony Kornheiser after his commentary during the game last night?
I swear, if he didn’t take the time to analyze every play in Brett Favre terms he wouldn’t have had anything to say.
(Not a reflection of his overall career work, just his annoying commentary last night.)
In this post, the word “award-winning” actually means “bedsore-accruing.”
Rand, MC CF and LQ:
Young’s agent said Tuesday afternoon there was no need for concern because the quarterback was at a friend’s house watching football and eating chicken wings.”
LQs house?
Sorry about the open tag.
Timberhill - I missed the first half, but knew it would be bad when at half time, they asked Kornheiser how he would describe the first half if he were writing about it. He said something to the effect that he’d call Brett Favre in New York and ask what he thought. I think that’s when he was told to drop all the Favre references. Still, they were better than the three Mikes that followed.
I am prepared to personally remove Mike Ditka’s larynx. So, so hatable.
AZGG - I didn’t hear much of the game, as I was working. I did watch the second game and you are right Mike3 was not a pleasant experience. Oakland did not play well, but they acted like it was the first time they saw a team loose by almost 30. I hope they don’t plan on using that crew anymore.
Also, thanks for elevating me above you and P3 in commenter relevance, but you have a special place here as one of few girls that will talk to us.
interesting that eating chix wings and watching football has now been classified as an antidepressant. Maybe if Young gets too heavy to run and hide, he’ll be cured.
That was nice, newbie. I think you deserve the Twins bobbleheads, if Newbile hasn’t already won them from The Hootie Hottie in an applesauce wrestling match.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/nephoenix/articles/2008/09/09/20080909phx-wrestling0910cover.html
Was that your backyard latte?
And, how is girls wrestling in Applesauce the Sideshow?
Oh and AZGG, we told the girls it was a best of 53 contest, so… we’ve got that going for us. It may be a while, I’ll get back to you on the bobblehead.
