After every Vikings home game, we trade e-mails with Drew Magary (formerly Big Daddy Drew, sort of a Chad Ocho Cinco in reverse) of Deadspin and Kissing Suzy Kolber semi-fame. Drew is a Vikings fan living in the Washington D.C. area, which is a terrible thing on so many levels. Sunday’s game with the Colts is perhaps one of the greatest arguments for why the Meltdown was started. Drew also has a book out, which you can purchase right here; he has said he will come read it to you at your house in exchange for a six pack and a nice back rub. Let’s do this:

RandBall: Here’s the thing: Every offensive play seems designed to protect the quarterback from himself. At this point, to me, it’s not about throws he’s missing (which there were yesterday) or making (which there also were) but about that exact idea. If in the third year of your development as a quarterback, you still can’t be trusted to throw a tight pass on 3rd-and-5 or reasonably expected to lead a late drive, then there’s really no point in you being out there. If you have the ability and you are being held back by overprotective or unimaginative playcalling, then there needs to be a philosophical change. Essentially, either turn Jackson loose, or cut him loose. The in-between garbage is a sure way to lose. That said, I ask you: how short do you think the leash will be with Jackson (and, in turn, with Childress?)

Drew Magary: Agree 100%. That is a freaking Big Ten offense out there. It’s not a pro offense. They are absolutely TERRIFIED to pass, and when they do, they are the most basic pass plays you can get: counter passes and quick slants (which T-Jack had lousy accuracy on). It’s a joke; 30 other QB’s out there could have helped win that game with a couple of basic throws. He was off by miles in some instances. The Colts had nine in box early in the game, and they threw a swing pass to Purple Jesus. Are you joking? They can’t exploit obvious passing situations, and it’s painful to see. You can’t hide your quarterback. What’s the point? He needs to be benched. I’m all for patience with QBs, and I kind of admire Childress’ stubbornness in sticking with Jackson. But this has gotten way out of hand. At some point, Childress will bench Jackson out of self-preservation, but I wonder how long it’ll take him to get to that point. It needs to be soon. Like, NOW.

RB: That said, Part II: Fans booing Jackson loudly in the fourth quarter with the Vikings leading. Probably not the right time, and probably not warranted.

DM: Whatever. He’s a pro. If that bothers him, he can go have a romantic dinner with Vince Young. That crowd knew exactly what was going on out there. They knew this was a rare chance — to beat the Colts when half of Manning’s support system was gone — and they knew the team had absolutely zero passing game to work with, and that it was going to cost them by the time the game was over. They were right to be annoyed, and Dan Dierdorf can cram it if he thinks that’s so mean.

RB: The worst part: The game followed such a sickeningly familiar script. Early dominance undone by missed opportunities to cash in more. As soon as Longwell missed that field goal that would have made it 18-7, I knew exactly how the rest of the game was going to unfold, from the quick TD to the 2-point conversion, to the false hope of a defensive stop, to the next false hope of a 3rd-and-long, to the game-winning field goal. Those are the unfortunate privileges that come with having watched 20+ years worth of Vikings games.

DM: Yep. It was beyond obvious. The pass rush can only hold up so long when the offense can’t sustain any drives. You knew the second Chester got the ball on 3rd and 5 that it was a done deal. It makes me want to … BRRAAAAHHHHHH

RB: Disappointing: the pass rush in the last 1.5 quarters. They were humming (as was the whole defense). When the Colts got into must-throw mode, I expected Allen and Co. to pin their ears back even more and get even better. Instead, the Colts adjusted and the Vikings didn’t.

DM: Yeah, but defenses eventually wear out if the offense can’t do simple things like score off of turnovers, or put together at least a long series to give them a break.

RB: Adrian Peterson: He can’t be much better. Stop [redacted] wasting him!

DM: Yeah, but he’s all we’ve got.

RB: Visanthe Shiancoe: If Chad Johnson can legally change his name to Ocho Cinco, could Visanthe change his last name to “One Drop” just to make it easier on everyone? I mean, I know Shiancoe has become synonymous with “one drop” (per game) anyway, but it’s just a thought.

DM: Yeah, but then Reebok would want 10 cents back from all the Shiancoe jerseys they made.

RB: Bright sides obscured by the finish: Offensive line played pretty well overall; the drive at the end of the first half to get 3 points was unexpected and welcome; Chester Taylor returning kickoffs.

DM: It means nothing when the heart of the operation is so junior varsity. I also liked the drive at the end of the half, but completing two passes in a row shouldn’t have to feel like a freaking miracle. Teams not only openly disrespect our passing game, they even tell us in advance that they plan on sneaking out in the middle of the night and never calling again.

RB: Difference between Vikings 2007 vs. Vikings 2008: somewhat upgraded pass rush. That’s it.

DM: Yes, but I’m drunker now, so that must count for something.

RB: You might not know this if you only studied the Vikings’ passing game: there are pass plays aside from slants, rollouts and bombs, and there are throws designed to go somewhere between 6 and 40 yards. You can look it up! It’s a fact.

DM: You can also throw screen passes out into open spaces, as opposed to designing them so that they look like inadvertent shovel passes.

RB: Things I wish I liked: home improvement tasks; a non-spirit-crushing NFL football team; gardening; a martial art; anything to keep me otherwise occupied at noon on Sundays. Any suggestions?

DM: Nope. I just watched Jay Cutler develop into a fine young passer against the Chargers. Now I have to go cry my eyes out.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 8:22 am and is filed under Monday Meltdown, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.