Packing it in

These are the days when it’s good to be in it for the long haul.

The recurring thought running through my head during the second half of last night’s Vikings evisceration at the hands of the Green Bay Packers was:
Is this the worst Vikings team of my lifetime? Or just the perfect storm of a lousy team running into a historically great one?

After a fair amount of pondering that question (pun!), I’ve come to the conclusion that there have indeed been worse versions of the Purple, but few times that they’ve found themselves surrounded by so much strength.

The 2001 Vikings went 5-11, with a point differential of -100; the 2002 squad 6-10 and -52. Those teams had to deal with Favre-led Packer teams, and a Bears club that went 13-3 in 2001; but the Lions were a perennial doormat, and there’s no way you could convince me that those Bear teams, regardless of their great defenses, are better than the current version. When Jim Miller and Shane Mathews are your starting quarterbacks, you don’t get good team status (a point was borne out when Chicago slipped to 4-12 in 2002).

The current version sits at 2-7, and has been outscored by 65 points following last night’s 45-7 destruction. Although Viking fans, myself included, spent Monday trying to talk themselves into the “any given Sunday” angle, the reality was that they were completely outclassed from the word go. Any given Sunday, odd things can happen. But unfortunately this was Monday, it was Lambeau, and the opponent was a Packer team that, at least offensively, is among the most surgical in recent memory.

It was an embarrassment, the worst loss ever at the hands of Green Bay. There was no moral victory potential, no positive takeaways, just a flat-out asskicking administered by the team every Vikings fan wants to beat most.
But this brings us back to the point about the long haul. As usual, people are going to parse today, and try drawing grander conclusions than they should be. In a disappointing season, there’s always a rush to assign blame, regardless of how warranted it actually is. Accountability is important, but more important is the realization that quick fixes can fall apart pretty fast. If you put a Band-Aid where stitches are required, don’t be surprised when you keep bleeding. At this point, my favorite team is in transplant territory, and hoping to avoid having to amputate.

Teams go bad-to-good quickly in this league, and vice-versa, that much is true. But when you look at the teams that do, they’re typically starting from a strong foundation, built tough up front, killer defense, etc. Then a piece or two arrives and changes things dramatically. The Vikings don’t fit this mold, they simply don’t have very many capable players in most areas of the team.

Is it time to blow it up? Probably. With the exception of Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson, the “stars” on this team seem to be more getting by more on reputation these days than dominant play. The linebackers are decent, the defensive line solid, but the offensive line, defensive backs and receiving corps possesses few players who look like starters on a good NFL team. Sure, many of the guys in these spots are young, but that’s only a consolation if they’re good, and more than a few have offered plenty of evidence to the contrary.

Other than Peterson, Allen, Kevin Williams and Chad Greenway, nobody on the roster seems to be a surefire blue-chipper anymore. Even the few guys listed have had moments that made you question their value over the past couple seasons. The Vikings should listen to offers for anyone, and if they’re blown away, make the deal. The problem with free agents, be it signing them from elsewhere or paying to keep your own, is that they’re going to be overpriced at some point or another. It’s the nature of the beast, but with 5 years of suspect drafting, this team needs bodies at just about every spot, nobody should be untouchable.

They also need an experienced GM, with full control over the football personnel decisions. This is less a criticism of Rick Spielman, and more so a bizarre way of doing things that’s been around for decades. The “Triangle of Authority” structure was just the latest example of what has always been a somewhat murky front office situation, and it seems well past time to establish a clearer chain of command. Input from many sources always leads to better decisions, but ultimately it should be clear to everyone involved who’s making the calls. That clarity has been lacking for a long time, going all the way back to Mike Lynn/Gang of 10 ownership era.

Since then, it’s been a long run of quick fixes and strange bedfellows, culminating with this season, in which there’s a new coach paired with a holdover front office. This would seem to imply that a deep and talented roster was only being held back by poor gameplanning and motivation. From where I’m sitting, that has never appeared to be the case. It’s easy to Monday Morning Quarterback drafts, but my tune on the last few drafts has been the same since the day they happened.

Percy Harvin admittedly looked great for a year, but now is morphing into a rich man’s David Palmer. Chris Cook had injury and character issues in college, it’s not surprising they’re continuing (meanwhile, the guy I was pounding the table for on draft night, Patrick Robinson, is turning into a solid contributor in the Saints secondary). And don’t even get me started on this past year, whatever you think of Ponder and Rudolph, drafting a quarterback and tight end with your first two picks, when you have no offensive line or secondary, is not defensible.

As for the coach and quarterback, the only grades that can be handed out at this point are incompletes. If they want to fire Fraizer and ditch Ponder, I’m not throwing myself in front of the bus, but please, if you do so, then get serious about blowing everything up and building from scratch. The coach may not be getting the most of the players he has, but he doesn’t have the players to win, either. The best defense I heard offered for the quarterback’s up-and-down college career was that he never played with elite skill position players at Florida St. Save for Peterson and (at times) Harvin, he still hasn’t; I’ll withhold a final verdict until he plays with a line that can keep him upright and receivers who are suited to their roles. Not to mention significantly more talented than the current crop.

It’s a bummer when the Viking stink this badly, it really is. Last night’s game should’ve been an event, people should’ve been inspired to gather with friends, head out to bars, just generally gear up for the big game. Instead, most that I know expected what they ended up getting, making it tough to muster much enthusiasm for any get togethers. Unfortunately, the competition is as tough as it’s ever been, and things aren’t going to turn on a dime. As fans, we need to take the long view, be willing to consider every option, and hope the powers that be make the right calls to build something sustainable for the long term.

But hey, look at the bright side, in a couple of years, this might all be Los Angeles' problem.

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