Monday locker room notes
September 22nd, 2008 – 6:21 PM by Chip ScogginsWide receiver Sidney Rice said he “definitely” feels like he will play against Tennessee after missing Sunday’s game because of a sprained PCL in his right knee.
“I feel pretty good,” Rice said. “Every day shows progress. I’m feeling real good.
“It’s gotten better now. I’m feeling pretty good. I went out and ran this morning. Hopefully everything will be fine come Sunday.”
– Chester Taylor talked about being used with Adrian Peterson at the same time: “I think it’s really effective because the defense has to prepare for both of us. They’ve got to change up, I guess a linebacker or whatever, when they see two tailbacks back there instead of a fullback and a tailback. I believe it just mixes up the defense a little bit.”
– Artis Hicks said he has kept in touch with suspended left tackle Bryant McKinnie throughout his suspension.
“Yeah, we text quite a bit. I text him after the game, and I ask him, ‘What do you think?’ He ends up making a joke and I come back twice as hard on me. I miss that and I miss him being here, because he’s a good teammate, a good locker room guy, and we miss him. Not just me, the whole team. We miss him.”
– Brad Childress talked more about using Naufahu Tahi at fullback instead of Thomas Tapeh, who was inactive Sunday.
”Fahu will put his hat on you,” Childress said. “They kid him about having a gigantic head. He will put his hat on you along with that head and body and legs. He does a nice job of lead blocking, zone blocking, does a good job catching the football as well.
“I think right now Fahu is playing a little bit better [than Tapeh]. The big thing is you can’t keep them all up. You can’t keep all your fullbacks up, all your tight ends up.”
– Linebacker E.J. Henderson on his flying tackle of running back DeAngelo Williams for a 5-yard loss: “That’s not something you practice. Nothing you really think about. I looked at it [on film] and I’m like, ‘I don’t know what made me do that.’ It looked good.”
– Rookie safety Tyrell Johnson on his role as starter in place of Madieu Williams, who is still sidelined because of a neck injury: “I haven’t been told the situation. I’m just playing it as long as they need me to. I’m just enjoying my time starting or whatever. I hope Madieu does come back soon. I know it might mean less playing time for me but I don’t wish anybody to be hurt longer than they need to be.”
60 Responses to "Monday locker room notes"
I don’t hear anything encouraging about Mad in that report.
First. Thanks Chip.
Looking forward to seeing more of Chester and AP in the game at the same time.
Judd or Chip….we have yet to hear really anything on the progress (or lack thereof) of Madieu’s injury…could this possibly be a 6 or 8 week injury…dare I say the whole year and this is why we haven’t heard much?
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It looks like Tapeh has officially entered the “Mewelde” zone. If Childress doesn’t take an instant liking to you, you will never see the field! Personally, I think Childress has some sort of mental disorder. Perhaps OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder).
Chester and AP at the same time could be fun. Hey, as bad as it is to be 1-2, and all the crap that has transpired over the last couple years, did anyone see what the Younger Ford said about Matt Millen? He said if he had the authority (and he doesn’t ) he’d fire Matt Millen, no matter how bad things get in Viking land, the Lions are always way more screwed up.
Does anybody know what happened to Brian Robison ??
There is no question Matt Millen has either incriminating evidence against the Ford’s, or he has sold his soul to the devil. There is not a third possible reason why he is still employed. And since selling his soul would have undoubtedly resulted in a deal for the Lions to win football games, I’m voting for the evidence thing. But hey, at least the Lions and Bears are in our division. And after the Packer/Cowboys game, the rest of the copy cat league will see how to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense. It’s premature, but I’m going to go ahead and pick the Vikings to win this division with an 11-5 record to the Packers record of 10-6. The Bears should finish about 7-9, with lowly Detroit at about 4-12.
I would like to already revise my Lions prediction of winning 4 games. That is way too many. I don’t know what I was thinking. I will pick them to win maybe 2 games. And with their horrible luck (management) they will still probably get only the 3rd overall pick. The good news is there should be another great wide receiver available with that pick.
I would like to already revise my Lions prediction of winning 4 games. That is way too many. I don’t know what I was thinking. I will pick them to win maybe 2 games. And with their horrible luck (management) they will still probably get only the 3rd overall pick. The good news is there should be another great wide receiver available with that pick.
My question is in regard to the alleged KAO. When was the last time it did any K’ing of anyone’s A? We will only be upper average at best until we get rid of this Bear/Raven look on the offensive side of the ball.
bones,buster,hello……
or how about kao,he must be crying cause that perfect packer organation lost .wow how could that have happend.
i know it was just one win,but its still pretty cool.defense looked like they were having fun,i like it.and then there was good old gus,there somthing kind of cool about an old vet comin in and righting the ship.i hope he can keep it up,with this running game i think theres a chance .why not?no realy why the hell not?gotta be our time soon,even with chilli
organization?
From Viking Update:
The media saw a rarity in the Vikings locker room following Sunday’s game. Typically by the time the media is ushered into the locker room, the coaches have vacated the locker room for their own dressing rooms. On Sunday, not only was Brad Childress still in the locker room, he was individually congratulating players at their cubicles – something that hasn’t been seen since the Mike Tice Administration…
This smells of someone who is anxious about his job and is all of a sudden showing a human side…
Zygi, PLEASE get rid of this clown…NOW!!!
Ouch…Titan’s stats through 3 games:
TITANS TEAM STATS
per game NFL AFC SOUTH
Total Offense 315.7 yds 18th 1st
Total Defense 240.3 yds 3rd 1st
Points Scored 24 pts 12th 1st
Points Allowed 9.7 pts 1st 1st
This is gonna be a very tough game…this looks like the toughest game so far.
With our brilliant coach and his superb gameplan skills… we don’t stand a chance!
I’m going to enjoy the Titan test. We need to play good teams and beat them soundly. Yeah though I walk through the valley of death. I shall fear no evil- for I am the biggest, badest, mofo, in the valley, and it was named after me. Thinking any other way-even for a moment, opens the door for your demise. Skol, Vikings
3. Vikings coach Brad Childress should leave the literary references to college professors. Speaking to reporters after the game, Childress quoted a passage he said was written by George Orwell. (Childress also used it on his players Saturday night). Childress challenged reporters to do some research to understand the full meaning; those who did could find no connection between the passage and Orwell. It was apparently written by an 18th century Baptist minister.
Anybody miss him because he’s a good player?
—–
Left tackle Artis Hicks said he has stayed in touch with suspended starter Bryant McKinnie, who is eligible to return to the team next Monday.
“We text quite a bit,” Hicks said. “I text him after the game, and I ask him, ‘What do you think?’ He ends up making a joke and I come back twice as hard on him. I miss that and I miss him being here because he’s a good teammate, a good locker room guy. We miss him.”
Chili had the wrong author ‘cuz he was thinking about the game plan. Next week Gus and the boys play another 54 year old quarterback. Just watch, in Tennessee Williams, Winfield, Allen and Company will make Kerry Collins run around like a “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. (you might want to go back and see how i got tennessee and williams side by side, he was the author)
Either that, or the game plan is typically weak because Chili is thinking about authors and post-game quotes and quips…
Just kidding, Chili. You’re a genius.
For JP, wherever he may roam:
http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2008/09/22/that-hot-hefner-girl-and-hank-baskett-might-be-engaged-and-datin/?icid=100214839×1209634514x1200558185
Hank Baskett is a dirty dog.
Titans are going to be all over Gus this weekend…we can only hope the front four do the same to Kerry
How ’bout them Bison HOPPY? The Gophers are 4-0 me boy!
Kenny, that was skillfully done. It was also stupid and meaningless, but skillfully done, nonetheless.
Would 1-3 mean “Happy Trails” to you-know-who? (no, not Brett Favre!)
Queen, although I was not in attendance Sunday, I could have been the old guy (probably a little younger) behind you regarding the wave. I despise the wave, as I feel it makes us into people who would rather play a birthday party game instead of getting involved in the one we are at! (IMHO) I know, people will continue to do the wave, and I will have to live with it. So help me, though, if people go to any of these White Sox games, or the next Packer game, and engage in the wave instead of watching playoff-level competition, well…, well… I’ll be pissed I guess.
Our QB is terrible. Too many picks. I was angry on Sat night.
Watching our offense is not watching a “playoff-level” competition…
I understand what you are saying, I also know I have seen our offense. And if one cannot stand and watch the field at the same time, they might be a little too overwhelmed by the dome experience…
You know what it is HOPPY? Karma is coming back to bite NDSU in the butt for beating up on my Dragons all those years!
B.G., I know what you mean about the wave. however when it is in the dying moments of a game, like Sunday, it has a certain celebratory feel to it.
As for this Sunday, The titans are a running team are they not? They are very good this year, but seriously, one of their running backs looks like a retired linebacker. Why does L. White hate cardio so much?
I will admit, I have been known to:
Watch the game
Eat a dome dog
Drink a diet cola
Do the wave
Sing the Weiner Winner song
Watch the scoreboard for other games’ results
All at the same time…
Okay, now I’m just bragging… 
Oh yeah the gophers have beat some quality teams. Why don’t they just join the FCS? ha ha ha ha ha ha
Then it will be a lot of years of Karma. Thoe 70-3 losses hurt me boy.
But they’re not watchin’ the field. They’re all cheering and watching the wave go around and checking to see when they have to stand and sit. You stand when your team does well or in a tense moment on the field, NOT to keep a frickin’ wave going. (Can I get an Amen?)
Yea, if our team is stinking the place up, I suppose the wave is a good message to say, “we have to find something to do to entertain ourselves.” But in the heat of a close game, it seems more like an insult to our teams. (As in, I’m out here throwing a 3-2 pitch to Thome with the game tied, and our fans are doing the wave!)
I cannot defend our KOO (Kick Ourselves Offense) at all, so I’m completely with you on that subject. (And if Chili needs to be told that the wave is more fun than watching your offense, well, OK.)
Again, for those not able to do two things at once, they are probably the same idiots that stand in the middle of the concourse blocking the flow of traffic…losers…
I have complete confidence in my multitasking…
Nor have I seen the wave done during the most pivotal of times. You and I aren’t going to the same games, obviously…
You are a rarely talented fan, Queen. I cannot challenge those credentials. When I am looking at other scores, I have to turn away from the field. And I cannot sing AND eat a hot dog at the same time - I tend to go out of tune! (Is that an A sharp at the end of the Weiner Winner song?)
I could live with a celebratory wave, King. (Wow, I am conversing with the King and Queen - goosebumps!)
At least the wave is rare in football. I can’t remember a single wave last season. I admit that during one or two of the games I may have had a few too many “diet cola’s”, so I may not remember.
Yeah, I cannot recall the last wave either. Perhaps it was during Anderson’s kick in the NFC championship game. No wonder! Sorry, that was low. 
ops:
The wave is also rarely done during times of sadness or rage.
Stand up 
Stand up
Bones are you pissed that the Vikings won on Sunday?
I just pulled a 2MT ops:
1-2 is better than 0-3.
11-5 playoffs homies
Go Vikes
I’m 0-3 in FF. Thanks for reminding me. 
Ok, I’m off the wave soap box.
When will Madieu be back? (Oh wait, he hasn’t played for us yet, so how could he be back?).
When does the KOA offense get introduced?
Will the next pass to Shank get caught or dropped?
Is Chili still our coach?
So am I Queen. You are not alone.
Go Vikes
Hello? Was there an expolosion? Is everyone OK?
Have we become complacent with the fact we won one game?
What do you think about the titans Grant?
On television the Metrodome crowd came across as nothing but fantastic, knowledgeable fans, that made the Panthers jump off sides. It was terrific. I found myself yelling in my living room also.
I think most of us can agree Brad Childress is not the long term answer, but the constant “fire Childress” quotes does nothing. He isn’t going anywhere during mid-season. It is a waste of our times to say so.
If you can’t be happy after a win, you just can’t be happy. Personally, I never thought, and still don’t think, the Vikings were going to the Superbowl this year. But I expected to win the division and one playoff game. I think the Vikings time table is similar to the Twins. Young, dominant players that will be unbelievable in the next two years.
They are one tough machine and they are at home. On the other hand, perhaps they are due to have a bad game, that tends to happen in the NFL.
It will come down to pressuring Collins so that we will only need 17 points to win. Two big questions: Is AP going to be at full strength? Will Rice be back, including a full week of practice?
Without Peterson at full strength, he managed 77 yards rushing, and with Gus at the helm the offense had a 19 play 11 minute drive. Yes, it lead to only a field goal, but it allowed our defense to come out and crush the Panther passing game. When the Vikings D shuts down the Titans rushing game, I suspect Collins will have to either hurry some passes or take a few sacks. I like either option.
it may not do anything, but damn it sure looks good
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!
The last two games the crowd has been great. Unlike the last two years…
I’m not sure if I have said this here yet so I will anyway. The Titans strike me as an inferior version of the same team the Vikings are. Both have very good defenses but the Titans lack the playmakers that we have on offense. That’s not to say that we are over loaded with play makers. They rely on the running game which doesn’t bode well for Viking opponents. Johnson & White cannot hold a candle to AD & Taylor. People want to denigrate our receivers, but Tennessee doesn’t even have any receivers worth talking about. Good or bad. I think the lack of talent in their passing game is going to make the difference in a 24-16 Vikings victory. It sounds strange to be saying that about the team the Vikings are playing but that’s my take on it
You are right, ‘Slinger. It doesn’t do any good, and mid-season is not the time to switch. The criticism here and the booing at the dome didn’t make their mind up to switch quarterbacks, either. A couple of losses and a close non-sell out did that. Nobody listens to what the blogs say or to the boo-birds, and sometimes that’s a good thing.
You just cannot state enough about the schedule these two teams have started with also. Cincy and Houston for the Titans as oppossed to GB and Indy for the Vikings. How is that even a fair comparison? And, Gus has only played one game but it seems the Vikings entire team just jelled with him out there. Maybe it’s just the fanbase, but instead of hoping Jackson finds a secondary receiver on 3rd down, I felt like Gus would absolutely find that receiver in the middle for 6 yards. That is the difference between punting the ball away and hoping to maintain field position and getting an extra set of downs on the way to a 19 play, 11 minute drive. If the Titans are hinging their game on a great rushing attack it is going to be a long day in Tennessee. Look for EJ Henderson to once again show why he is worthy to be in the Pro Bowl.
Kenny, you don’t think the booing was an indicator that the game would not be sold out if the change wasn’t made? You also think that Wilf’s desire to get a stadium built with public funds wasn’t motivation for the change?
I think Zygi’s plan for the Vikings is to win the superbowl and get a new stadium and the Pohlads plan for the Twins is to keep the salary low and hope to compete.
I honestly believe Wilf wants to win. But he also understands that winning is the way to get everything else. A way to get a new stadium, a way to sell out said stadium, a way to build the most revenue. And to win you have to spend money on great players. It seems simple enough, but when was the last time a Minnesota sports team owner understood this novel idea?
I don’t know about that, Ben, but when you’re sitting there with your family and 10,000 fans are annoying you, it isn’t much fun. Remember, not all 60 plus thousand are booing. Some know that you take the good with the bad and we should be grateful to live in a city with Professional Sports and Major College Sports. I feel sorry for people in Green Bay, where all they have is the Packers and they are going to be miserable before the end of the season I hope.
I can understand the part about the annoyance but blame the reason for it not the response to the poor performance. These people weren’t booing one single effort, they were booing a body of work they had seen over the last year and a half. Be thankful they weren’t all vomiting like I was. That probably would have been more than annoying
I know Chili will be the coach for the remainder of the year, and I truly hope he proves that this plan of his will soon be paying off.
But remember, this is now the 3rd year of the plan, with major bucks spent in free agency over that time. Going into this year I really felt that his judgment of TJack was going to prove right. When we saw almost no improvement, and play simiar to two years ago, that starts to make you question this guy.
I want to bleed purple, but you can’t deny some poor personnel analysis, play-calling, clock management… these are things that determine the quality of a coach.
Like I said before, the fans have been patient, but patience is about ready to run out, and understandably so. Hey, Bellicek got booed already in game 3 of this year, and he’s coming off 3 years in the AFC Championship game and 2 in the Super Bowl (I think that is correct). While I am glad this isn’t Detroit or Oakland, I think the fans want a little more for all this money they are paying.
(Kenny, I hope you feel sorry for GB’ers only because you were born there! 
)
[…] Source: Star Tribune […]
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