Percy Harvin is experiencing migraine headaches; Offensive Guard Steve Hutchinson has a broken right thumb; Defensive End Ray Edwards is gimpy on a bum ankle. The aforementioned ailments are enough to send any Vikings fan running for Maalox, but Adrian Peterson also had a limited ability to make cuts due to his sprained ankle.
This is a recipe for disaster for a Minnesota Vikings team that entered Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills thirtieth in the NFL in points scored per game (17.2).
Much like the Detroit Lions, the Bills record is not indicative of their performance thus far in the season. The team would have won last weekend’s game against the Steelers, but receiver Steve Johnson dropped a sure touchdown because it was God’s fault. This accountability is refreshing in a league where receivers consistently make bad decisions and are in constant search of the spotlight.
By Patrick Herbert
Their record entering the game at (2-9) was not fair to the job Coach Chan Gailey has done with the roster this season. Unlike Marvin Lewis and Wade Phillips, he still has the team playing hard on every play and a leader in Ryan Fitzpatrick at the quarterback position who won’t back down in adverse situations.
It has to be difficult for the Bills to not truly have a home considering that they have to split time between Toronto and Buffalo. They also had to battle winter storms all week that dumped a foot and a half of snow in the area. It made Interstate 90 useless for days. The bright side is that this could have kept some of the team focused with the limited access to distractions. The franchise has experienced some lean years since Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, but there is some promise on the horizon with the current crop of players.
Leslie Frazier has proven that he deserves to keep the job because he has the respect of the players and the capacity to complete the task. He does, however, have a steep hill to climb. Much like USC experienced with their football season under Lane Kiffin, it is tough to motivate players who are used to playing in the postseason when it is no longer a possibility. A true professional should never have his motivation waver, but in today’s atmosphere of signing bonuses and instant gratification attention deficit disorder can become a factor.
Adrian Peterson needed to accumulate eighty-four yards to surpass the eleven hundred yard mark. It seemed to be a likely possibility that came to fruition considering Frazier’s affection for the run. This, however, only occurs when the game takes a certain turn. Inside the dome it is less important than it would have been in upstate New York. In addition, if the club is playing from behind, the coordinator and the quarterback are forced to put the ball in the air no matter how the defensive line-ups occur. There is a reason that the only first fifteen or twenty plays are scripted at the start of the game. The rest depends on what transpires.