For what might be the final time this season, there will be plenty to write about the Vikings' miserable offensive showing in a 9-3 snoozer in the Bay Sunday afternoon. That's because, for the second straight week and the forth time this season, the Vikings' offense failed to score a touchdown. For those counting, that's 26 of 36 quarters in which the Vikings have failed to score an offensive touchdown. And that might be enough to drive away most fans in hordes.
The Vikings accomplished their most recent heroics against arguably the worst defense in the NFL. Prior to Sunday's game, the 49ers had been allowing 33 points per game and nearly 400 yards a game--almost 275 of that in the passing game. The Vikings responded to this gift horse by staring it straight in the mouth, accumulating a meager 103 yards passing and 238 total yards of offense.
What's worse, if you any longer hold out hope that the Vikings can figure out a way to correct everything that offensive football requires after the snap, is that both quarterback Brad Johnson and head coach Brad Childress are of the opinion that all that is necessary to right the ship is to make some minor adjustments.
If by "minor adjustments" Johnson and Childress mean finding a better quarterback, right tackle, right guard, left tackle, and two receivers, then they are dead on. Artis Hicks has a place on the Vikings only because of his Philadelphia ties to Childress, Marcus Johnson is a starter only for utter lack of an alternative, McKinnie continues to be the Vikings' answer to the Hindenberg, and the receiving corps, beyond awful, is stocked with mistakes up to which nobody wants to own.
But it's not just Williamson's constant dropped passes, Travis Taylor's inane, drive-killing penalties, McKinnie's inability to block, Marques Johnson's and Artis Hicks' overall pitiful play, nor Brad Johnson's downward spiraling performances. It's all of that combined with myopic playcalling by a stubborn, first-year head coach who, for advice in a pinch, can turn only to first-year offensive coordinator who, apparently is most comfortable watching the game. The result is a dump-off, up-the-gut offense more befitting of the 1930s NFL than of today's modern pro offense.
And all indications are that that's just fine with the head coach who believes that it "gives the team a chance to win every game." And, it should be added, it also gives the team a more than fair shot of losing every game.
Up Next: Time to think outside the box--or even inside the box!
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After this gane, I can understand calls for our third string qb. He might not even be the best choice to win games but he would make a few really exciting plays each week. I have also concluded that we have probably the worst recieving corps in the nfl...all of the nfl.
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