moklerman
Rise from the Ashes III
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-vikingswrapup&prov=ap&type=lgns
Vikings don’t see much need for change
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer 9 hours, 14 minutes ago
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—The Minnesota Vikings enter the offseason sooner than they anticipated but believing no major changes are needed to make a Super Bowl run next season.
And yes, Vikings fans, that includes the quarterback.
“We have all the makings of a Super Bowl team,” safety Darren Sharper said. “You’ll watch the playoffs from here on out and you can’t say there’s any team that we cannot beat. So in saying that, it lets you know we have a team that should be playing now, still.”
The Vikings beat three of the four remaining teams in the NFC field— Carolina, Arizona and the New York Giants, who rested many starters in the second half—during the regular season. But they fell flat in a 26-14 wild-card loss to Philadelphia at the Metrodome on Sunday, another letdown in a franchise full of them.
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For a team that spent so much money in the offseason to address major weaknesses on the defensive line (Jared Allen), the receiver corps (Bernard Berrian) and the secondary (Madieu Williams), a 10-6 finish in the regular season was not the expected quantum leap forward.
The Vikings won their first NFC North title this season and had six players chosen for the Pro Bowl, but this team will be remembered more for its early exit in the playoffs on its home turf.
“At the end of the season you always want to take the positives, so you say you’re glad you won the NFC North,” Sharper said. “But in the grand scheme of things, you’re disappointed because we do have a team that can go further. But we did not do that, so you just have to chalk up your losses, lick your wounds and go to the drawing board and see what you can improve to not be in this position next year.”
From a roster standpoint, the Vikings face few tough decisions heading into next season. Sharper, center Matt Birk and tight end Jim Kleinsasser are the only notable free agents.
Sharper, one of the defense’s veteran leaders, said Monday he wants to return but hasn’t had discussions with the team on a new deal.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, one of the hottest head coaching candidates, could be the team’s most significant loss.
The biggest question the Vikings face is what to do at quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson shook off an early-season benching and played very well in the final four games of the regular season, instilling optimism he is the solution the team envisioned when it spent a second-round pick on him three years ago.
But he was a mess against Philadelphia’s blitzing defense, unable to move the offense for the entire second half.
Coach Brad Childress said after the game he wasn’t ready to make a decision on Jackson just yet. Veteran Gus Frerotte, who was 8-3 as a 37-year-old starter this season before he was injured, and fourth-round draft pick John David Booty are the other options on the roster.
It also appears to be a thin year on the free agent market at the position, but several of Jackson’s teammates came to the youngster’s defense in the wake of the loss.
“I think he’s taken a lot of great steps this year,” said Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield, who hasn’t hesitated in the past to criticize the offense. “Earlier in the year they switched quarterbacks, but I think the playing experience will only get better. Another year under his belt and another offseason, he’ll continue to get better.”
Adrian Peterson was his usual stellar self, leading the NFL with 1,760 yards in his second season. But the Vikings know they have to find more balance in their offense so opposing defenses can’t simply key in on Peterson.
Childress said the Vikings “have to get better in must-pass situations,” and that was never more evident than in the second half against Philadelphia when Jackson wilted under the relentless pressure from Jim Johnson’s defense.
During a 25-minute stretch from early in the third quarter to late in the fourth, Jackson was 2-for-11 for 17 yards with one sack, one fumble and one botched snap from Birk that the Eagles recovered.
Yet if Sharper returns next season, he would love to see Jackson leading the way.
“I’ve played against quarterbacks that have won Super Bowls and go against him in practice every day,” Sharper said. “He has all the tools to take this team to the next level.”
The Vikings have improved in two-game increments over the last two seasons— from 6-10 in 2006 to 8-8 last year and 10-6 this season.
So owner Zygi Wilf is looking for that trend to continue.
“Right now I know that the team is, as I am, ready to come back next year to defend the division championship and do better,” Wilf said. “I think the experience of being in the playoffs is something to build upon and we look forward to it.”
Vikings don’t see much need for change
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer 9 hours, 14 minutes ago
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—The Minnesota Vikings enter the offseason sooner than they anticipated but believing no major changes are needed to make a Super Bowl run next season.
And yes, Vikings fans, that includes the quarterback.
“We have all the makings of a Super Bowl team,” safety Darren Sharper said. “You’ll watch the playoffs from here on out and you can’t say there’s any team that we cannot beat. So in saying that, it lets you know we have a team that should be playing now, still.”
The Vikings beat three of the four remaining teams in the NFC field— Carolina, Arizona and the New York Giants, who rested many starters in the second half—during the regular season. But they fell flat in a 26-14 wild-card loss to Philadelphia at the Metrodome on Sunday, another letdown in a franchise full of them.
ADVERTISEMENT
For a team that spent so much money in the offseason to address major weaknesses on the defensive line (Jared Allen), the receiver corps (Bernard Berrian) and the secondary (Madieu Williams), a 10-6 finish in the regular season was not the expected quantum leap forward.
The Vikings won their first NFC North title this season and had six players chosen for the Pro Bowl, but this team will be remembered more for its early exit in the playoffs on its home turf.
“At the end of the season you always want to take the positives, so you say you’re glad you won the NFC North,” Sharper said. “But in the grand scheme of things, you’re disappointed because we do have a team that can go further. But we did not do that, so you just have to chalk up your losses, lick your wounds and go to the drawing board and see what you can improve to not be in this position next year.”
From a roster standpoint, the Vikings face few tough decisions heading into next season. Sharper, center Matt Birk and tight end Jim Kleinsasser are the only notable free agents.
Sharper, one of the defense’s veteran leaders, said Monday he wants to return but hasn’t had discussions with the team on a new deal.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, one of the hottest head coaching candidates, could be the team’s most significant loss.
The biggest question the Vikings face is what to do at quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson shook off an early-season benching and played very well in the final four games of the regular season, instilling optimism he is the solution the team envisioned when it spent a second-round pick on him three years ago.
But he was a mess against Philadelphia’s blitzing defense, unable to move the offense for the entire second half.
Coach Brad Childress said after the game he wasn’t ready to make a decision on Jackson just yet. Veteran Gus Frerotte, who was 8-3 as a 37-year-old starter this season before he was injured, and fourth-round draft pick John David Booty are the other options on the roster.
It also appears to be a thin year on the free agent market at the position, but several of Jackson’s teammates came to the youngster’s defense in the wake of the loss.
“I think he’s taken a lot of great steps this year,” said Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield, who hasn’t hesitated in the past to criticize the offense. “Earlier in the year they switched quarterbacks, but I think the playing experience will only get better. Another year under his belt and another offseason, he’ll continue to get better.”
Adrian Peterson was his usual stellar self, leading the NFL with 1,760 yards in his second season. But the Vikings know they have to find more balance in their offense so opposing defenses can’t simply key in on Peterson.
Childress said the Vikings “have to get better in must-pass situations,” and that was never more evident than in the second half against Philadelphia when Jackson wilted under the relentless pressure from Jim Johnson’s defense.
During a 25-minute stretch from early in the third quarter to late in the fourth, Jackson was 2-for-11 for 17 yards with one sack, one fumble and one botched snap from Birk that the Eagles recovered.
Yet if Sharper returns next season, he would love to see Jackson leading the way.
“I’ve played against quarterbacks that have won Super Bowls and go against him in practice every day,” Sharper said. “He has all the tools to take this team to the next level.”
The Vikings have improved in two-game increments over the last two seasons— from 6-10 in 2006 to 8-8 last year and 10-6 this season.
So owner Zygi Wilf is looking for that trend to continue.
“Right now I know that the team is, as I am, ready to come back next year to defend the division championship and do better,” Wilf said. “I think the experience of being in the playoffs is something to build upon and we look forward to it.”
