Well, this is typical for us Vikings fans. I already saw on twitter comparing Blair Walsh's kick to Gary Anderson's missed FG against the Falcons in 1998 which would have just about sealed that game. The game plan could not have been executed any better, they took advantage of the conditions and played conservative. There were people saying the Vikings would have been better off losing to the Packers in week 17 so they could play them again in the wild card round, I thought that notion was ludicrous. Even though the Seahawks were one of the hottest teams in the NFL, you always want to play at home especially in January in Minnesota.
And like most playoff games there were a handful of key plays that decided the game. If Wilson just dives on the football on that mishandled snap or Munnerlyn keeps him in the pocket after he recovered the ball, he doesn't complete a pass to Lockett on the broken play. The Seahawks actually were better off with the miscommunication on the snap because the Vikings secondary were distracted and let Lockett end up wide open. Then we have the AP fumble, which the Seahawks scored a FG on the ensuing drive to take the lead. I think due to AP's career long issues with fumbles will prevent him from ever winning the "GOAT" argument. I just looked at some career stats to put this in perspective:
Name
|
Seasons
|
Fumbles
|
Fumbles per year
|
Adrian Peterson
|
9
|
38
|
4.22
|
Barry Sanders
|
10
|
27
|
2.7
|
LaDainian Tomlinson
|
11
|
31
|
2.82
|
Emmitt Smith
|
15
|
54
|
3.6
|
Then we also had the dropped interception by Sandejo which could have changed that last drive, but of course it comes down to the missed FG. Yes, Mike Zimmer was right; it was a chip shot and Blair has to make it. And I don't think much blame can go towards the holder Jeff Locke. Blair had already made a fourty-some yard FG with the laces in, and Locke said himself he didn't feel comfortable spinning the ball. I am sure he was not able to feel his fingertips, and am not sure what grip he had with the extra thick gloves he was wearing due to the weather. I give credit to Blair not only for knocking 3 FG's through the middle, but for taking the blame for the loss. This instantly reminded me of Scott Norwood, the Buffalo Bills kicker that missed the FG in the super bowl. If you haven't seen the 30 for 30 on those Bills that lost 4 straight super bowls, I would advise doing so. But in that film, Scott Norwood takes the blame and his teammates and city support him 100%. Now onto next year, I think the Vikings have the talent to be back as long as Teddy improves, and hopefully Blair Walsh kicks a game winning FG in the playoffs next year and totally redeems himself!
Lakers 2016 offseason
Yes it is never too early to start thinking about next year when you are 8-31. But I have a plan for the Lakers (hopefully this somehow gets to them).
1. Fire Byron Scott and hire Kevin Ollie
Now why hire an inexperienced NBA coach?
2. Give Kevin Durant whatever he wants
Kevin Durant has publicly endorsed Kevin Ollie and said his veteran leadership is what started OKC down a path to contending for championships. If KD wants a one year deal so he can enter free agency again, a la Lebron, then give that to him. But you will need a contending team to be able to lure him.
3. Sign Al Horford (and one other legitimate NBA starter)
This as well as re-signing Roy Hibbert or acquiring Festus Ezeli changes the front court of the Lakers. This will give them flexibility to either play small with Horford at the 5 or big with him at the 4. You would still have Nance Jr. and Randle to play with him in the small ball lineup. Then if there is money left over you try to lure DeMar DeRozan or Arron Afflalo on a hometown discount as both are originally from the LA area.
4. Trade Brandon Bass, and Nick Young for future assets
No matter how much you get for the return, these guys are not going to help us this year. Bass is just taking minutes away from Nance Jr. and Randle. And no team needs Lou Williams as well as Nick Young. If you can just get 2nd round picks for these guys you take that deal.
5. Hope you keep your draft pick
The Lakers 2016 draft pick is Top-3 protected, if it is outside the top 3 it goes to the 76ers. This is still fallout from that now awful Steve Nash trade. Getting Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram would be, in the words of Donald Trump, huge.
3 Things Things I know.....
1. Adam Gase will be a good hire for Ryan Tannehill. This guy won a playoff game with Tim Tebow as his QB when he was the OC at Denver. He orchestrated Jay Cutler to a career year in Chicago. He also learned a lot from Peyton Manning with the years they shared in Denver.
2. Kobe Bryant should start the All-Star game. This is an exhibition game for the fans. Everyone wants to see Kobe d-up Lebron and dare him to shoot again like he did in the 2012 All-Star game.
3. Tommy Armstrong has to improve for Nebraska to be any good next year. That one is pretty self explanatory.
3 Things I don't know....
1. How Jonathon Papelbon is still a Washington National? He choked the NL MVP, teammate Bryce Harper, in the dugout last year. Then on top of that he filed a grievance against the team about the ensuing four game suspension they gave him.
2. How Ken Griffey Jr. wasn't unanimously elected into the baseball HOF? There is no sane person that would say Griffey was not a HOFer, the only explanation I could come up with is that some old geezer thinks the Hall is this mythical place. And that if Ruth didn't get in unanimously then no one can. It is stupid and part of the reason some people hate the MLB.
3. Why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith? They improved over the two years he was there. They improved their win total by four over the previous year. This is the same coach that brought Rex Grossman to the super bowl. He could have coached up that defense, that along with the play of Winston could have seen them as a playoff team within the next couple of years. I don't Carolina is as good as their 15-1 record states and everyone else in the NFC South is in flux.
