Quote: @"MaroonBells" said:
Why does this team always seem so ill-prepared? How does a good team playing at home let a below average Bronco offense with a QB playing in his 1st road game, move up and down the field seemingly at will in the 1st half? How does a team not have an answer for what the Broncos were doing defensively?
We always adjust well. I'll give them that. They figure it out and adjust better than anyone. But what if you came into the game a little better prepared so you don't have to adjust? Vikings annihilated the Packers, absolutely dominated them...for the last 3 quarters. But that wasn't enough to overcome the 1st quarter outburst of points. It's not just these two games either. I can point to probably 6 to 8 games over the last couple of years where this has happened.
Is our intel, our pro scouting reports, that bad?
The Vikings defensive players were in positions to make plays and couldn't get out of their own way the entire first half... Rhodes couldn't bat down the first deep pass to Sutton and he made a hell of a contested catch. Same thing later on with Waynes... mistimed his swipe and Patrick made an amazing catch downfield. Then you have Eric Wilson jumping offside on a punt to give the Broncos a new set of downs... Hughes muffs a punt and Abudullah fumbles a kick return that Denver recovers.
The Vikings literally couldn't get out of their own way the entire first half. Those big plays can invigorate even a bad offense like the Broncos... then on the flip side, we couldn't run the ball and the one drive we had something going... Reiff gets called for a hold on a long completion to Diggs that had us set up deep in Denver territory.
If the Vikings knock down those passes and we don't have the special teams gaffes, maybe the Broncos don't have a 20 point lead at half and the Vikings are only down a score or potentially ahead at half time.
This bye week couldn't come at a better time. We really need Thielen, Linval, Harris, Kline, and potentially Harrison Smith with his hammy to get healthy over the bye week.
Quote: @"StickyBun" said:
Zimmer said the team was lethargic in the first half. I think the Dallas came took a lot out of them. The bye week is a godsend for everyone.
it really looked like they were sleep walking the first half
Quote: @"MaroonBells" said:
Why does this team always seem so ill-prepared? How does a good team playing at home let a below average Bronco offense with a QB playing in his 1st road game, move up and down the field seemingly at will in the 1st half? How does a team not have an answer for what the Broncos were doing defensively?
We always adjust well. I'll give them that. They figure it out and adjust better than anyone. But what if you came into the game a little better prepared so you don't have to adjust? Vikings annihilated the Packers, absolutely dominated them...for the last 3 quarters. But that wasn't enough to overcome the 1st quarter outburst of points. It's not just these two games either. I can point to probably 6 to 8 games over the last couple of years where this has happened.
Is our intel, our pro scouting reports, that bad?
Honestly, I think the real weakness is our reliance on a game plan. We need film and a game plan. Look at Philly in NFCCG, it was when the offense did what we weren't prepared for. Against GB, not much film on Rodgers in the new offense. Against Chicago, backup QB came in and we were prepped for the mobile Trubisky. This week, no film on Allen.
I like Zim, but that seems to be a trend. When offenses are unknown, backup QBs and such, our D struggles.
Quote: @"Wetlander" said:
@"MaroonBells" said:
Why does this team always seem so ill-prepared? How does a good team playing at home let a below average Bronco offense with a QB playing in his 1st road game, move up and down the field seemingly at will in the 1st half? How does a team not have an answer for what the Broncos were doing defensively?
We always adjust well. I'll give them that. They figure it out and adjust better than anyone. But what if you came into the game a little better prepared so you don't have to adjust? Vikings annihilated the Packers, absolutely dominated them...for the last 3 quarters. But that wasn't enough to overcome the 1st quarter outburst of points. It's not just these two games either. I can point to probably 6 to 8 games over the last couple of years where this has happened.
Is our intel, our pro scouting reports, that bad?
The Vikings defensive players were in positions to make plays and couldn't get out of their own way the entire first half... Rhodes couldn't bat down the first deep pass to Sutton and he made a hell of a contested catch. Same thing later on with Waynes... mistimed his swipe and Patrick made an amazing catch downfield. Then you have Eric Wilson jumping offside on a punt to give the Broncos a new set of downs... Hughes muffs a punt and Abudullah fumbles a kick return that Denver recovers.
The Vikings literally couldn't get out of their own way the entire first half. Those big plays can invigorate even a bad offense like the Broncos... then on the flip side, we couldn't run the ball and the one drive we had something going... Reiff gets called for a hold on a long completion to Diggs that had us set up deep in Denver territory.
If the Vikings knock down those passes and we don't have the special teams gaffes, maybe the Broncos don't have a 20 point lead at half and the Vikings are only down a score or potentially ahead at half time.
This bye week couldn't come at a better time. We really need Thielen, Linval, Harris, Kline, and potentially Harrison Smith with his hammy to get healthy over the bye week.
Agreed, there were plenty of plays that could have gone the other way. Those 2 passes you mention were contested.
And the penalties early were really unbalanced. Stephen got mugged on the one deep pass and no call. We hit a big pass and a questionable holding call on Reiff brought it back. Even the great tackle by waynes for a loss on the edge, he was blatantly held and no flag. The TD by their fullback should have been called down. He was stopped early.
Quote: @"greediron" said:
@"MaroonBells" said:
Why does this team always seem so ill-prepared? How does a good team playing at home let a below average Bronco offense with a QB playing in his 1st road game, move up and down the field seemingly at will in the 1st half? How does a team not have an answer for what the Broncos were doing defensively?
We always adjust well. I'll give them that. They figure it out and adjust better than anyone. But what if you came into the game a little better prepared so you don't have to adjust? Vikings annihilated the Packers, absolutely dominated them...for the last 3 quarters. But that wasn't enough to overcome the 1st quarter outburst of points. It's not just these two games either. I can point to probably 6 to 8 games over the last couple of years where this has happened.
Is our intel, our pro scouting reports, that bad?
Honestly, I think the real weakness is our reliance on a game plan. We need film and a game plan. Look at Philly in NFCCG, it was when the offense did what we weren't prepared for. Against GB, not much film on Rodgers in the new offense. Against Chicago, backup QB came in and we were prepped for the mobile Trubisky. This week, no film on Allen.
I like Zim, but that seems to be a trend. When offenses are unknown, backup QBs and such, our D struggles.
You might be right about that. Offensively too. Vikings offense came out with a plan thinking the Broncos (and Von Miller) would take away the rollouts and so Cousins played from the pocket for most of the 1st half. In the 2nd half, it seemed we ditched that plan and went back to what's been working (rollouts and play action) and put the playing calling on Cousins' shoulders at the line of scrimmage when they went to a no huddle. This might be a key development going forward.
Quote: @"MaroonBells" said:
@"greediron" said:
@"MaroonBells" said:
Why does this team always seem so ill-prepared? How does a good team playing at home let a below average Bronco offense with a QB playing in his 1st road game, move up and down the field seemingly at will in the 1st half? How does a team not have an answer for what the Broncos were doing defensively?
We always adjust well. I'll give them that. They figure it out and adjust better than anyone. But what if you came into the game a little better prepared so you don't have to adjust? Vikings annihilated the Packers, absolutely dominated them...for the last 3 quarters. But that wasn't enough to overcome the 1st quarter outburst of points. It's not just these two games either. I can point to probably 6 to 8 games over the last couple of years where this has happened.
Is our intel, our pro scouting reports, that bad?
Honestly, I think the real weakness is our reliance on a game plan. We need film and a game plan. Look at Philly in NFCCG, it was when the offense did what we weren't prepared for. Against GB, not much film on Rodgers in the new offense. Against Chicago, backup QB came in and we were prepped for the mobile Trubisky. This week, no film on Allen.
I like Zim, but that seems to be a trend. When offenses are unknown, backup QBs and such, our D struggles.
You might be right about that. Offensively too. Vikings offense came out with a plan thinking the Broncos (and Von Miller) would take away the rollouts and so Cousins played from the pocket for most of the 1st half. In the 2nd half, it seemed we ditched that plan and went back to what's been working (rollouts and play action) and put the playing calling on Cousins' shoulders at the line of scrimmage when they went to a no huddle. This might be a key development going forward.
Pretty sure I saw cousins listening in his helmet (hands over ear holes) as he ran down the field after the first big throw to Diggs. So he was getting play call from Stef, just calling it at the line
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