Crazy game in New Orleans
October 7th, 2008 – 12:25 AM by Chip ScogginsWell, that was an entertaining game. Where to start?
Here is some quick notes from the game. It was a pretty hectic and chaotic postgame locker room because of our deadlines.
– Vikings coach Brad Childress was extremely upset with punter Chris Kluwe, who was supposed to kick the ball out of bounds on both of the touchdown returns by Reggie Bush. The Vikings special teams were a major issue tonight and really have not performed well all season.
Childress was asked if Kluwe struggles with kicking the ball out of bounds. He said if Kluwe can’t execute it, he will find another punter who can.
– Bernard Berrian actually ran the wrong route on his 33-yard touchdown catch that tied the game at 27-27 in the fourth. The ball was intended for Aundrae Allison. Berrian said he was supposed to run a post corner but made an adjustment when he saw the ball in the air.
“I knew I had to get some air on it and put it out there and let them make a play,” quarterback Gus Frerotte said. “I just threw it up there. I’m laying on the ground and I got up and saw Bernard made the ultimate play.”
Berrian finished with a career-high 110 receiving yards and of course drew that 42-yard pass interference penalty that set up Ryan Longwell’s game-winning field goal.
– Antoine Winfield had a monster game. He returned the block field goal for a touchdown; had the sack/strip/recovery that set up a touchdown; finished with eight tackles, including five tackles for loss and a pass break up.
– The Saints bottled up Adrian Peterson, holding him to 32 yards on 21 carries.
– The Vikings naturally had a lot of praise for Reggie Bush afterward. But Bush never should have even touched the ball on those punts.
– It was a physical, hard-hitting game. Vikings rookie Erin Henderson got drilled on Bush’s first punt return for a touchdown. Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin delivered two huge hits in the fourth quarter.
On Winfield’s touchdown return after a blocked field goal by Kevin Williams: “First of all we’ve spent a lot of time on that field-goal block unit. I think we’ve forced two misses so far to date. Obviously, we were able to block that one. We thought we saw something. It takes those guys at the end of a drive something to muster up to be able to attack that. I thought obviously Fred [Evans] and Pat [Williams] and Kevin [Williams] and Jared [Allen], all those guys who contribute on that inside push did a great job of changing the line of scrimmage, which is what you need to be able to do. And then Antoine really is the beneficiary of that block. He’s coming off looking for it.”
On Gus Frerotte’s night: “He’s a tough guy. And he didn’t just come back [after missing one play in the fourth quarter following a big hit] just to play tiddly-winks. He came back because he likes to compete. That’s what you like best about him. He is flat-line, he doesn’t get bent out of sorts but he wants to get out there and find anyway possible to help our team. That’s what I appreciate most about him.”
On Bernard Berrian’s big game: “I just told him in the locker room, you ought to have about eight touchdowns by now. We’ll find a way to get him some more.”
On Berrian’s fourth-quarter touchdown catch on a play in which Aundrae Allison almost collided with him: “We just saw a zero blitz. Whether Gus got the signal to both sides because we were down to about 2 seconds on the play clock. That was a great automatic by him to take advantage of that. He was sending one to the post and one to the corner and both ran to the post.
On Frerotte after the hit that forced him out fo a play: “I didn’t get a chance to get to him because he snuck back in the game. The trainer was trying to grab me and I thought he was going to be out for just a little bit. I thought we were going to have Tarvaris in. We were calling the next play and we were calling it for Tarvaris and the next thing I’m looking at is 12 running back in the game. It kind of short-circuited everything.”
On what the Saints did to limit Adrian Peterson, who had only 32 yards rushing on 21 carries: “It’s hard to tell. I have to always go back and look at what that looks like. Whether it’s the fact we were running side to side or weren’t running up and down enough, weren’t using enough double teams. I can’t take anything away from them. They played exceptional. They were able to use the snap count to their advantage because it’s hard to hear and if you’re a split second off it’s got a chance to affect you. But we’ll go back and take a look at that.”
On E.J. Henderson’s injury: “We debated that and worked through it and talked about what a good long range, how long we thought it would take in a best case scenario. We just thought for E.J.’s welfare, long range, that it would be best served for him to have that surgery and have it now and not hold that spot which he would fight against because he’s such a competitor. He’d say, ‘Hey coach I’ll be back in six to eight weeks.’ As it turns out, what the doctor told us was it was good he went ahead and had it done. It went everywhere from, ‘Going to sit for four weeks and see how it was.’ But when he got in there we’re happy that we fixed it and fixed it now.”
On what they found in Henderson’s foot: “It’s just so hard for me to tell. I’d probably have an MD do that so I don’t screw up somebody’s ligament or tender or what have you. But suffice to say it needed to be fixed and there was little additional stuff that they wanted to do.”
17 Responses to "Crazy game in New Orleans"
If we can’t find a coach who can execute a game plan properly, can we replace him? What an Acehole. Childress is a twit.
[…] Access Vikings: – […]
I have a feeling Childress’ comments are going to give me plenty of fodder tomorrow…
Childress really must have been in charge of nothing in Philly previous to Z.Wilf calling him up for an interview. Andy Reid had to be laughing through his mustache when we hired this guy. Mike Tice is the only coach he seems to know more than in regards to how to coach a team or run an offense and that is not saying anything at all. Childress makes the west coast offense look like the worst idea in NFL history and he has his Stooge Bevell next him looking lost every game to deflect lame from him.
End of the day the solution seems clear, ZYGI please dear GOD can Childress bring in Cowher and draft Tim Teabow after the Vikings go 5-11.
Childress=Unqualified=No chance for success=No stadium=Zygi is the Laughingstock of all the NFL owners!!!!!
Winfield = Stud
Peterson = underutilized
Childress = idiot
ChiliBall = unwatchable
Someone should tell Childress that it is legal to run to the right side. He had peterson running the same two plays all night (up the middle and around McKinnie). Childress is such a freaking idiot that it makes me furious to watch the Vikes. No way they would have won that game if the Saints hadn’t handed it to them.
Love how Childress takes credit for the blocked punt. I hate that man.
positive note: Leber looked good in the nickel.
[…] unknown wrote an interesting post today onComment on bCrazy/b game in New Orleans by JakeHere’s a quick excerptpositive note: Leber looked good in the nickel. […]
That was an early Christmas present last night.
Childress should be backing up to the pay window wearing a mask with everyone on special teams doing the same. INEXCUSABLE. Worst win in the history of the NFL.
My game take: Vikings special teams is horrid. Gotta sign DThomas. We lost two great special teamers this year and its really starting to show.
Reggie? I loved you going to the Saints, but dont do that to our Vikes again.
Why was it that we didnt see Hicks playing LT more often? I thought they were going to split time more. McKinnie was getting dominated last night and Peterson was the beneficiary of the domination.
Glad to see the CTaylor to VShank option work this time. Taylors pass looked like a mini-punt.
Gus Frerotte is not a great QB, but hes not afraid to lay it all out. He was forcing plays, but not in TJack style. Tjack looked like a stiff board when trying to force something. Frerrotte was more collected about his play when the pressure was on. Kudos for that.
CGrif, at least we saw a hard hit out of you this game. About the only thing we have seen out of you this year, with the exception of getting torched all the time. Where the hell is McCauley?
Kluwe, aigh, yiah, yiah, yiah, yiah.. Chilli is a prick about publicly calling you out. But still, dont kick to Bush
DLine.. Not too bad of a game, considering there were no sacks from the front 4.
Berrian.. You continue to drop the easy ones and catch the more difficult ones. Hey, correct me if I am wrong, but isnt this the first Viking to have over 100 yards receiving since week 2 in 2006, which was *gulp* Williamson. When watching I had no clue was the hell happened on that last TD, because Berrian was no where in sight.
Tyrell.. Keep that ball. Congrats on your first INT
AWinfield… Glad to see there is a good player behind all them injuries. Great game. Keep it up because your starting be a irritation to opposing offenses.
Vikings… Blow some one out or get blown out, because I hate these frickin roller coaster games
Chilli… I just got back from coaching 1st grade flag football… Did you steal my playbook???
A win is a win. Right now, take them as we can (except we are screwing up our draft position 
)
Next week, Detroit. And as you know, no one is allowed to lose to Detroit.
Expodis needs the negatitramator.
Is Childress taking credit for ‘Toines TD?;
“On Winfield’s touchdown return after a blocked field goal by Kevin Williams: “First of all we’ve spent a lot of time on that field-goal block unit. I think we’ve forced two misses so far to date. Obviously, we were able to block that one. We thought we saw something.”
What a sap.
Man that was painful. Childress, did you honestly not see the Saints put 9 guys in the box prettymuch the whole game? I saw one run where he might’ve had a chance but because he was never able to get into a rhythm, he tried to force it and got caught in the line. If you don’t know enough to spread the defense out when they do that, then you have no business being a head coach in the NFL. You want some advice, get Peterson out in space. Get him out in the flat, throw a jailbreak screen, line him up in the slot. Hey the saints have done it with great success. Just give it a try, will ya?
I love a Vikings win as much as anyone but this win didn’t feel good at all. Please, please, please can we just get a Coach with a killer instinct? Would welcome a Bill Cowher with open arms.
Would someone give Childress a one way plane ticket to anywhere. (Maybe he’ll take McHall with him)
[…] Thought 1: Whoever claims Gus Frerotte “stepped up” at the end of the game has gone off the deep end. I mean like clinically crazy. There were two big plays that turned the game to the Vikings’ favor: Frerotte’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian, and the pass interference call on Berrian. And in both those plays, Frerotte royally screwed up. Allow me to explain: in the Berrian TD pass, Frerotte wasn’t even throwing it to Berrian. I repeat: he wasn’t even throwing it to him. The pass, intended for Allison, was so damn awful it actually wound up in Berrian’s orbit. You credit Frerotte for that pass, I will have you fitted for a straitjacket. […]
Please leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Access Vikings
Join Vikings beat writers Judd Zulgad and Chip Scoggins on a usually informative and often irreverent journey inside the Vikings.
Just like the NFL, Zulgad and Scoggins go at it all year long -- on and off the field.
Subscribe to Access Vikings:
Learn more about RSS
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
More NFL Coverage
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Vikings
Categories
- Main (2849)
Archives
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006