Vikings Message Board.Com

Mothman wrote: He can't be productive without opportunities. I know there's a "chicken and the egg"-style argument there about earning opportunities but I'm not going to get into it again.

It seems to me that he played pretty well in the preseason. He was catching the ball. He burned a DB for a nice TD. He ran a kickoff back for another TD. I don't buy the idea that he's afraid of contact. He didn't look afraid of contact on his first KO return today or on the jet sweep he ran, where he was literally fighting through tacklers to get a first down. I didn't see the return where he supposedly did shy away from contact (I'll have to catch it later) but even if he did, I'd say that was atypical.

He does what they ask him to do and he maintains a good attitude. The Vikes don't seem to be complaining about his attitude or work ethic. On the contrary, Zimmer seems to like it.

Pondering Her Percy wrote: This team is going nowhere? Hmmmm ok? So are we suppose to be pissed because we're 2-1?? I think this team has a lot of potential and if you remember, Rodgers wasn't a "real QB" for quite a long time before he was ever relevant. We beat Aaron Rodgers with Christian Ponder at QB a few years ago. So what ridiculous logic does your post even have behind it??

Pondering Her Percy wrote: And you know that how? Last time I checked, he's still one of the best returners in the game

PurpleMustReign wrote: Stupid CBS doesn't acknowledge that. They woule rather massage Rivers's butt all day.

fiestavike wrote: Offensively we are not in the same league as the Packers. I don't think this is a newsflash or controversial. I think this is the point in 2 sentences.

Mothman wrote: They won games very much like this with Ponder (and Bridgewater turned it over in the red zone today!).

Thus far in his second season Bridgewater's game actually resembles Ponder's at this same point in his career.

PurpleKoolaid wrote: Well Rivers would need it. He was on his backside a lot of the game and got the snot kicked out of him.

@MartyCaswell: King Dunlap has a concussion. Orlando Franklin on crutches. DJ Fluker can hardly walk.

dead_poet wrote:Poor Philip Rivers...

fiestavike wrote:I know its quite an undertaking, but compare his first 16 games with his last 19 games as a returner. If you can't see the difference one of us is missing something, and you know I respect your opinion Jim. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but it seems obvious to me that what made him a great returner is no longer part of his game. Same thing happened to Percy…There aren't many guys who have a long shelf life as a kick returner. It gets beaten out of them. Eric Metcalf, Devin Hester maybe? (and he lost something too).

*edit…Jerry Gray?

Mothman wrote: I'll try to undertake that project this season when I have the time. It would be interesting and maybe it will open my eyes to something I've missed.

For now, I just don't see the fear of contact you're talking about. I definitely didn't see it this week. He ran with a "full speed ahead" effort on his first KO return and he ran hard and fought off tacklers on the jet sweep. I had a chance to watch his second KO return this morning (I missed it yesterday) and I'm inclined to agree with Dead_Poet about that one. It looked like he was covering up the ball as he ran into the pile. There was no real hole or seam for him to go through. I think that was just a player taking care of the football and trying to get a couple of extra yards.

If Patterson had developed a genuine fear of contact I would expect it to manifest itself much more clearly and consistently.

Texas Vike wrote: Conclusion:
1. "Hater" = posters down on a player that YOU don't think deserves the criticism.

2. CP84 is terrible, and that is an objective FACT outside the purview of Haterism.

(I am much too old to use the word hater... I'm trying to figure out the lingo of whipper snappers).

fiestavike wrote: Its been a year and half since you last checked...

fiestavike wrote: Its been a year and half since you last checked...