You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

[TheDelta]

Thanks a lot, don't worry updates will be coming maybe as soon as later tonight, tomorrow the latest, just spent a couple of days at my parents so I was unable to play further.

[TheDelta]

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Week 14: at Detroit

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Vikings News

-After moving to 6-6, the Vikings remain in a good position for a playoff run, since the Falcons at 7-5 are the only team with a better record not leading their division. But still, the road remains tough, with the Cowboys, Packers and Seahawks sharing their record. Still, it's getting obvious that this team has unleashed huge reserves of energy in a winning streak that no one had considered possible only a couple weeks ago.

-Quarterback Hope Turner, meanwhile, remains critical of her own recent performances. "I've not played well the last few games, let's be honest, I've sucked, and sucked hard at times. Those wins are on our defense and they are on Noel and Toby. I really need to step up if we want to make things happen, because it's not getting any easier in the coming games." That last fact is definitely true, with a divisional road game at the NFC leading Detroit Lions coming up.

-The Vikings, unfortunately, aren't at full strength, with veteran middle linebacker E.J. Henderson leaving the game late last week after what looked like only a minor issue, but further examinations have revealed a herniated disk, and it looks like his season is most likely over. Second year pro Jasper Brinkley will substitue for him, and to get more depth at the position, the Vikings have signed undrafted free agent and cancer survivor Mark Herzlich to their roster. Herzlich, who was cut by the New York Giants in the preseason after failing to make the final roster, told reporters he was glad to get another shot at the professional level.

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Around the League

-The Lions, while having back starting quarterback Matthew Stafford who indeed supplanted backup Shaun Hill even though Hill had a career season thus far, still miss star wideout Calvin Johnson, which will allow the Vikings to focus more on the #2 on their depth chart, Nate Burleson, who was only a couple yards away from breaking the single game receiving yards record in their first matchup earlier this year. But this has become a different team since then.

At that, the Lions are missing both starting left tackle Jeff Backus and backup lineman Stephen Peterman, so UDFA Keelyan Kilgo is expected to start opposite star defensive end Jared Allen, which does not sound like an even matchup. But there have been rumours that the Lions might still bring in a free agent addition during the week.

-It has been another slow week, injury-wise, with no key players getting put on injured reserve or otherwise missing significant playing time.

[TheDelta]

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Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Dec 11, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (6-7)	0	3	3	9	15
Detroit Lions (11-2)	0	7	10	7	24

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	DET
Total Offense	306	250
Rushing Yards	141	161
Passing Yards	165	84
First Downs	20	8
Punt Return Yards	46	3
Kick Return Yards	67	79
Total Yards	419	332
Turnovers	5	0
3rd Down Converstion	7-14	3-8
4th Down Conversion	2-3	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/2-4	1/1-2
Penalties	0-0	1-15
Posession Time	28:38	14:09

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
5:29	(DET) T. Young 31 Yd pass from M. Stafford (J. Hanson kick)	0	7
0:47	(MIN) R. Longwell, 36 Yd FG	3	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
8:02	(DET) N. Burleson 12 Yd pass from M. Stafford (J. Hanson kick)	3	14
2:45	(MIN) R. Longwell, 30 Yd FG	6	14
2:32	(DET) J. Hanson, 24 Yd FG	6	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
9:54	(MIN) R. Longwell, 45 Yd FG	9	17
3:05	(MIN) J. Collins, 1 Yd run (2 pt conversion, T. Gerhart run failed)	15	17
2:39	(DET) J. Best, 75 Yd run (J. Hanson kick)	15	24

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 17/33 194 0 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 25 106 4.2 0 T. Gerhart 5 8 1.6 0 J. Collins 3 15 5.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 79 13.1 0 K. Rudolph 4 62 15.5 0 N. Devine 2 -4 -2.0 0 M. Jenkins 2 17 8.5 0 D. Aromashodu 1 10 10.0 0 G. Camarillo 1 22 22.0 0 V. Shiancoe 1 8 8.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 3/ 0/0 9 45 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 1 48 48.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 3 67 22.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 4 46 11.5 0

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Stafford 7/12 105 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Best 19 155 8.1 1 M. Stafford 4 11 2.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Burleson 3 26 8.6 1 J. Best 2 15 7.5 0 T. Scheffler 1 33 33.0 0 T. Young 1 31 31.0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG J. Hanson 1/1 3/3 6 25 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B. Graham 4 172 43.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N. Burleson 1 27 27.0 0 S. Logan 2 56 26.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD S. Logan 1 3 3.0 0

It couldn't go on forever. In what was maybe the worst performance in her professional career so far, Hope Turner and her team lost the game to the heavily favored Detroit Lions.

Turner again struggled all game long with her accuracy, missing receivers and throwing some ugly picks that put her team in a whole they eventually could not dig themselves out of.

"This one's on me, fair and square." A sober Turner told the press after the game. "I need to make those throws, need to hit those guys, and most importantly, I need to stop ****ing our own team up the *** with those picks. I have to apologize to my teammates, I let them down today, and I will work my butt off to not let that happen again."

To be fair, only 2 of the Vikings 5 turnovers this day were really her fault, but they both came at crucial times, once inside the Lions redzone and another time just outside her own, setting up the Lions with excellent field position. The other two picks came on a tipped ball and on a desperation heave at the end of the game, with the fifth turnover being a fumble by fullback Jed Collins on 4th & 1 that ended all realistic hope on a late comeback.

The Vikings defense held well for most of the game, but the Lions didn't have to do too much on offense, Jahvid Best picking up yardage on several long runs but also getting stuffed in the backfield rather often. Stafford took quite some punishment by defensive end Jared Allen who dominated the blindside all game long, but he was efficient and made the completions when it counted.

There was some hope for yet another comeback run when Turner brought the team back within striking distance with a determined drive in the fourth quarter, but when they failed to convert for 2, the task of stopping the Lions fell to the defense, and they finally let up when Best eluded two tackles on 3rd & 5, taking it back for a huge run that put the game out of reach.

The loss is a huge blow to the Vikings playoff hopes, falling behind a handful of other teams that got wins this Sunday, but for Coach Frazier, this still does not seem to be much of an issue.

"I care that we lost today, of course I do. But if you ask me if it hurts more because of playoff implications, no it does not. Every loss hurts, and I feel that we had a chance today. Hope struggled, but she's a rookie, a rookie that never expected to play in this league when the season began, so take it easy on her. We all knew this was going to be a rough season, we've had bad games, but we also had a lot of good games, that's what we know, and that's what we have to improve on. We have a young team with lots of potential on offense, and young players need time. We have three games remaining, and we do whatever we can to win those three and see what happens then."

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Week 14 Results

Browns 9 @ Steelers 24
Falcons 10 @ Panthers 31
Vikings 15 @ Lions 24
Raiders 14 @ Packers 29
Buccaneers 10 @ Jaguars 26
Eagles 10 @ Dolphins 13
Patriots 17 @ Redskins 9
Saints 20 @ Titans 27
Colts 25 @ Ravens 30
Chiefs 27 @ Jets 26
Texans 29 @ Bengals 14
49ers 21 @ Cardinals 24
Bears 30 @ Broncos 25
Bills 34 @ Chargers 31
Giants 27 @ Cowboys 34
Rams 14 @ Seahawks 34

NFC North Standings

Lions (11-2)
Packers (7-6)
Vikings (6-7)
Bears (6-7)

[TheDelta]

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Week 15: vs New Orleans

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Vikings News

-It is not the season of Percy Harvin. After he took a hit on the last offensive play of the loss to Detroit last sunday, it looked like he only had the wind knocked out of him. But the medical staff after the game soon found out that Harvin had re-injured his jaw that had been broken about a month ago and had already made him miss several games. Current reports indicate that the injury isn't severe, he's listed as doubtful this week but is expected back for the last two games of the season.

-Other than that, not many news out of Minnesota these days, as the team seems to have fallen back to quietly focusing on the next game after their winning streak has been put to an end. Even though their chances on the playoffs are slim it 6-7, they are not quite out of the race just yet. But it's obvious that they need to win out if they want to have any chance on an NFC wildcard.

-Said game against the New Orleans Saints will see a reunion with short-lived starting quarterback Donovan McNabb, who has taken over starting duties for the Saints after the Vikings traded him earlier in the season. But even after McNabb managed to beat out backup Chase Daniel for the starting spot with Drew Brees on injured reserve, he has been less than stellar, leading the Saints to a 3-10 record and headed for a top 3 pick in the upcoming draft.

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Around the League

-Speaking of the playoff race, three teams managed to clinch their berth with wins last week. The first two are the 12-1 Patriots and the 11-2 Lions, leading their respective conferences. The third in the gang are the Kansas City Chiefs, who have managed to put up a very good 10-3 record with what's now a 4 game lead in the AFC West.

-With the season coming to an end soon, the Pro Bowl rosters become clearer every week, but the Vikings still don't have many horses in the race. Fullback Jed Collins is the only offensive starter to show up on the ballot, and Jared Allen is the only candidate on the defensive side, joined by returner Marcus Sherels. Allen still leads the NFL in sacks at an impressive 18, only 4 sacks away from the NFL single season record of 22.

-Again, a slow week concerning injuries, not many starting players missing significant playing time, and the Saints, other than QB Drew Brees of course, are only missing defensive end Will Smith with a torn quadricep.

[Blue Ninja]

Wow. I actually enjoyed reading this, keep up the good work man! You got some talent. Maybe you could post ESPN moment highlight plays If you can. That would be awesome!

[TheDelta]

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Game Recap

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Dec 18, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New Orleans Saints (4-10)	10	10	3	14	37
Minnesota Vikings (6-8)	0	0	6	16	22

Team Stats Comparison
	NOR	MIN
Total Offense	450	362
Rushing Yards	235	68
Passing Yards	215	294
First Downs	17	24
Punt Return Yards	20	0
Kick Return Yards	0	111
Total Yards	470	473
Turnovers	1	6
3rd Down Converstion	6-11	4-7
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	2-3
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/1-4	3/0-3
Penalties	1-10	2-30
Posession Time	22.38	20:09

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		NOR	MIN
5:18	(NOR) L. Moore 37 Yd pass from D. McNabb (J. Kasay kick)	7	0
1:40	(NOR) J. Kasay, 21 Yd FG	10	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		NOR	MIN
7:05	(NOR) D. Sproles, 44 Yd run (J. Kasay kick)	17	0
1:13	(NOR) J. Kasay, 53 Yd FG	20	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		NOR	MIN
2:56	(NOR) J. Kasay, 44 Yd FG	23	0
0:13	(MIN) H. Turner, 3 Yd run (2 pt conversion failed, H. Turner pass)	23	6
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		NOR	MIN
10:26	(NOR) D. Sproles 10 Yd pass from D. McNabb (J. Kasay kick)	30	6
4:08	(MIN) M. Jenkins 14 Yd pass from H. Turner (2 pt conversion good, N. Devine run)	30	16
3:09	(MIN) K. Rudolph 6 Yd pass from H. Turner (2 pt conversion good, N. Devine run)	30	22
1:45	(MIN) D. Sproles, 52 Yd run (J. Kasay kick)	37	22

New Orleans Saints PASSING C/A YDS TD INT D. McNabb 15/26 233 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Sproles 26 237 9.1 2 D. McNabb 2 -4 -2.0 0 P. Thomas 2 2 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD L. Moore 6 96 16.0 1 D. Henderson 4 86 21.2 0 J. Graham 2 14 7.0 0 J. Gilmore 1 19 19.0 0 J. Knowles 1 9 9.0 0 D. Sproles 1 10 10.0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG J. Kasay 3/4 4/4 13 54 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 T. Morstead 1 60 60.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD C. Roby 2 20 10.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 25/38 308 2 5 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 15 63 4.2 0 T. Gerhart 1 2 2.0 0 H. Turner 1 3 3.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD K. Rudolph 11 152 13.8 1 M. Jenkins 11 123 11.1 1 G. Camarillo 2 22 11.0 0 V. Shiancoe 1 11 11.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 0/1 0/0 0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 95 47.5 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 6 111 18.5 0

The Vikings are out of the playoff hunt, and they have no one to blame but themselves. In a game that saw massive errors on every level, the Vikings were seriously outplayed by the New Orleans Saints, yet still came close to another comeback in the end.

Nothing worked for the Vikings in the first half. It's simple enough to be summarized like that. The running game struggled and couldn't pick up first downs, quarterback Hope Turner was inaccurate ("I threw like a girl for two quarters.", in her own words after the game), threw picks and when she did hit someone, the ball was more often dropped than caught (all in all, her receivers suffered half a dozen dropped passes in the game)

The defense didn't help much either. Although the game started out well, with a deep ball by Saints QB Donovan McNabb (who played the first couple games of the season for the Vikings before being benched and subsequently traded) picked off in the endzone by Chris Cook. But after a fumble by running back Noel Devine they gave the ball back quickly, and where unable to contain Saints running back Darren Sproles for the rest of the game.

Sproles broke off several huge runs and had an impressive performance, while the Vikings didn't manage to do anything. Only several mental errors and weak blocking by the Saints allowed the Vikings to get into halftime "only" down 20-0.

They didn't fare much better in the second half at first, when kicker Ryan Longwell just missed a 52 yard field goal attempt and the Saints managed to turn the good field position into even more points.

"We failed on every level today. Our gameplan didn't work, our blocking didn't work, our running didn't work, our quarterback struggled and our receivers dropped balls. Our defense couldn't stop the run and wasn't good against the pass either, and our kicker missed his only field goal. I think it's safe to say that no one on this team including the coaches earned his paycheck today." Coach Frazier said bluntly after the game. "Let me correct that, I think we had only one punt today, but that was decent, so Chris (Kluwe, the Vikings punter) gets a pass."

Things didn't start to turn around until the closing minutes of the third quarter, when Hope Turner, after almost getting sacked on a blown play-action pass, somehow got away from a defender, scrambled out of the pocket and threw a 30 yard bomb downfield that receiver Michael Jenkins somehow managed to catch with a display of his athletic talent. Afterwards, Turner really stepped up, hitting Jenkins and rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph in quick successions and managing to score on a scramble herself to finally get her team on the board.

But, after yet another interception by the Saints, they scored another time in the fourth quarter, putting the Vikings down by 24. But the game somehow wasn't over, Turner staged another impressive no-huddle, hurry-up drive to get down the field and find Jenkins for another touchdown, Longwell afterwards managed to recover his own onside kick, followed by another determined no-huddle drive that took only about a minute. Another 2 point conversion later, the Vikings were down by only 8 points, with 3 minutes to go and all their timeouts, it looked as if they really had a shot.

And indeed, they managed to keep the Saints from picking up another first down when Chad Greenway tackled Darren Sproles a yard short of the marker on 3rd & 5, but as Sproles tried to get away from the tackle in a second effort, Greenway grabbed him in the facemask to bring him down, yet another big mistake by the Vikings team tonight, and that one cost him the game as Sproles scored on yet another huge run two plays later.

Hope Turner continues to have a mixed rookie season, throwing yet again for more than 300 yards and 3 touchdowns (2 passing, 1 on the ground), but a whopping 5 interceptions of course raised some eyebrows.

"Maybe she was trying a bit too hard." Her coach said when asked about his quarterbacks troubles. "Nothing worked today, so she may have tried to force some passes that just weren't there. Of course we have to work on that, we have to work on a lot of things after tonight, but if you look at what she did, you can't deny that this girl can play ball. Give her time."

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Week 15 Results

Jaguars 13 @ Falcons 14
Cowboys 30 @ Buccaneers 38
Dolphins 23 @ Bills 34
Redskins 16 @ Giants 25
Titans 13 @ Colts 28
Panthers 20 @ Texans 17
Packers 20 @ Chiefs 27
Bengals 9 @ Rams 35
Saints 37 @ Vikings 22
Seahawks 17 @ Bears 24
Lions 22 @ Raiders 12
Jets 13 @ Eagles 22
Browns 17 @ Cardinals 16
Patriots 14 @ Broncos 13
Ravens 23 @ Chargers 17 (OT)
Steelers 14 @ 49ers 20

NFC North Standings

Lions (12-2)
Packers (7-7)
Bears (7-7)
Vikings (6-8)

[TheDelta]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blue Ninja

Wow. I actually enjoyed reading this, keep up the good work man! You got some talent. Maybe you could post ESPN moment highlight plays If you can. That would be awesome!

Thanks a lot I really appreciate it

I don't quite know how you mean the highlight thing? I'd love to post some replays of key plays but unfortunately you can't save replays that really sucks.

[TheDelta]

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Week 16: at Washington

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Vikings News

-The mood at the Vikings facilities this week wasn't the best, not too surprising after the whipping the team took in their own stadium on Sunday. But even if their playoff hopes are practically eradicated with that loss, the team seems to determined to not just let the last two games of the season just slide by.

"We have something to prove to our fans and to everyone out there." Quarterback Hope Turner told reporters after practice. "We have to show that we're better than what we showed against the Saints, that our winning streak was no fluke or anything like that. Percy's back on the field, too, and he's hungry for the ball, so someone needs to feed him out there."

-With the Vikings out of the playoff race, some expected for the team to just sit wideout Percy Harvin for the last two games after what has been a season riddled with injury, but Harvin would have none of it. "Our girl needs all the help out there she can get, so as long as I'm able to run and catch a ball, that's not a question, of course I'll be out there. That's what I get paid for, after all."

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Around the League

-Several teams added players from waivers and the free agent market during the week, some desperate to fill some holes on their roster, others just trying to "beef up" for a possible playoff run. The signing that got the most media attention by far was that of veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens. T.O. is now an Arizona Cardinal, the team had been looking for a second option behind offensive star Larry Fitzgerald all year long and has now decided to give the veteran a look with Fitzgerald being doubtful for the last two regular season games with a foot injury. The signing came at a weird time, though, with the Cardinals being out of the playoff race at 5-9 it seems as if the Cardinals are more interest to get a closer look at T.O. and see whether the wideout might still be an option for next season.

-Speaking of the playoff race, no new teams managed to clinch their berth, but the Detroit Lions have officially locked up the #1 seed in the NFC with a dominant 12-2 record. In the AFC, while there is still an outside chance for the Kansas City Chiefs to catch up with the New England Patriots, it does not look like the 13-1 Pats are going to play a road game in the playoffs this year.

Other than those three clear-cut playoff contenders, there are several close races. In the AFC North, the Steelers at 9-5 have a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens, while in the South, the Texans and Jaguars have knocked off the Indianapolis Colts and are tied at 9-5 for a close finish. In the AFC East, the Bills have managed to move past the Jets and have a one-game lead, with the Jets having to win out and hope for some other team to slip up if they still want to have a shot at the playoffs.

The NFC East and West look like it will come down to the final seconds, with the Buccaneers and Falcons tied at 8-6 and the Panthers only one game behind, while in the East, everything's up for grabs with the Redskins and Cowboys at 7-7, but only a one game lead before the Eagles and Giants at 6-8, what's gonna happen here is anyone's guess. The 49ers have practically locked up the NFC West, leading the Seahawks by two games.

The NFC Wildcard race, meanwhile, looks completely unpredictable, behind the Falcons, there are no less than 5 teams at 7-7, one of which will most likely eventually end up in the second wild card spot.

-Again, it has not been a good week for quarterbacks. The Eagles, after having to put starter Michael Vick on IR several weeks ago, have now lost backup Vince Young for the rest of the regular season with an arm fracture, third-stringer Mike Kafka is expected to finish the season for them. The Raiders don't fare much better, with both Carson Palmer (arm) and Jason Campbell (shoulder) out for the rest of the season, it looks as if Kyle Boller will close for the team that's out of the playoff race.

Among the contenders, Seattle will miss Tarvaris Jackson for the final two weeks as well, Charlie Whitehurst will have to carry the team if they want to make the playoffs this year.

-This weeks opponent, the Washinton Redskins, meanwhile, reamain at full strength to face the Vikings, and with their playoff hopes alive, this looks like a tough road game for Hope Turner and her team.

-The MVP race is coming to a close slowly as well, and it seems as if New England QB Tom Brady will manage to win the award yet again, taking his team to an NFL leading 13-1 record and on par to surpass 4000 yards for the season for the fourth time in his career.

Jared Allen remains the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, even if he didn't come away with a sack last sunday and needs to step up if he wants to challenge the single season record of 22, he'd need 4 more in the last two games to tie this record.

Carolina QB Cam Newton seems to have locked up OROY, taking his team to a 7-7 record. Vikings rookie RB Noel Devine is behind him in second place, but it seems unlikely that he will surpass Newton in the final voting.