Minnesota Vikings Deja Vu: Another Season of Disappointment?

Well, Vikings fans, we all know this feeling. An offseason full of optimism and hope, only to be disappointed by performance on the field. Of course, the disappointing play usually comes much later in the season.

Whether it’s Gary Anderson missing his only field goal of the season in the NFC Championship game after a perfect regular season, being eliminated from playoff contention by the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals in the last game of the regular season, or losing to the New Orleans Saints in overtime of last year’s NFC Championship, we Vikings fans have plenty of experience in having our hopes dashed. Thursday night’s game was no exception.

The game started ominously for the Vikings when the Saints received the opening kickoff and simply marched down the field into the end zone. After that drive, things had looked hopeless for the Vikings depleted secondary. However, the defense recovered amazingly well and only allowed seven more points the rest of the game. The line backing corps was exceptional, recording 21 tackles between the three starters; Chad Greenway, E.J. Henderson, and Ben Leber. It was good to see this type of performance out of Henderson who had the horrific experience of breaking his femur last season.

Another impressive return from injury was Antoine Winfield. He looked like his old self out there recording seven tackles and two assists. That was about the only bright spot in the secondary, though. Of course, not having Cedric Griffin on the field hurts. New starting safety Husain Abdullah was consistently late providing coverage over the top on passes downfield.

The lack of a pass rush from the Vikings was astounding. With arguably the best defensive line in the league, the Vikes only recorded one sack, by Jayme Mitchell no less. Without a pass rush, Brees had all day to sit back and find his receivers. Jared Allen was a non-factor, although credit should be given to Jermon Bushrod for handling Allen well.

Despite these lapses on the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings defensive performance overall was fantastic. Only allowing 14 points and 308 total net yards to the best offense in the NFL is something positive which can definitely be built on.

For all the good the Vikings defense did, the offense was the exact opposite. There didn’t seem to be any rhythm the entire game. Brett Favre was out of sync and Adrian Peterson didn’t get a whole lot of room to work with. In the first half, it looked like the Vikings would be able to run all over the Saints. A.P. was running hard and making good gains on every play, whether he had a hole or not. As soon as Albert Young came in the game, no yards came on the ground. In the second half, there was almost no run game to go along with Favre’s abysmal passing.

The offense was so bad in the second half that Favre didn’t throw a completion until his eighth pass attempt. Three of the Vikings first four possessions in the second half were three-and-outs; another testament to the play of the Vikings defense which had to have been exhausted.

A huge problem for the Vikings throughout the half was down and distance. Penalties constantly pushed the Vikings into second and long and third and long plays. Down and distance really limits plays an offense can run and makes it hard for players like Peterson to be effective.

The question I kept finding myself asking during the game was, “Where is Camarillo?” The Vikings traded CB Benny Sapp to the Miami Dolphins to acquire wide receiver Greg Camarillo, a slot receiver similar to Wes Welker.

In the final two games of the preseason Camarillo was impressive and in the third preseason game, he and Favre seemed to have a rapport. When Camarillo finally hit the field on Thursday night, he caught a big pass from Favre for a first down and almost made another diving catch. Why did Brad Childress take so long to put him in the game? Who knows, it’s just another classic Childress moment.

Overall, the game was competitive throughout. Although it was a hair-puller for Vikings fans, there were some positive signs. If the Vikings can get Cedric Griffin back on the field and figure out their safety issues, this defense will undoubtedly be among the best in the league. We’ll have to wait and see how bad Bryant McKinney is hurt, but with or without him, the Vikings offense needs to improve. The Vikings have a tough schedule to start this season. The Vikings will take on the Miami Dolphins at home next Sunday and then face playoff teams from last year five out of six weeks after that.

I’d like to say good luck to all the Vikings fans out there. It might be one of those seasons…again.