Sharpening the Horns - A Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 25)

[Shmanky13]

Week 3: Falcons blow out Vikings at home

The Vikings scored three points on their opening drive of the game thanks to a 31 yard catch by Greg Jennings. On their next drive, Greg Jennings left the game with an injury that ended up being a broken thumb. He did not return for the rest of the game and the Vikings offense seemed to miss him on the field.

At the end of the second quarter, Christian Ponder stared down Cordarrelle Patterson and Falcons CB Desmond Trufant jumped the route perfectly for the interception.

Atlanta Falcons' tight end Jermichael Finley's hands were very inconsistent in the first half. At the start of the third quarter, Blair Walsh missed a field goal from 59 yards. On the very next drive, Finley caught a beautiful deep pass from Matt Ryan, but Jamarca Sanford made sure that didn't last long as he blasted Finley. He fumbled the ball and rookie linebacker Christian Jones picked it up. Christian Jones seemed to be making plays all game. The fumble ended in no points for the Vikings due to an idiotic safety by Christian Ponder.

Finley made up for the fumble with a fantastic touchdown catch in traffic followed by a good catch for a 2 point conversion. From this point on, Finley was unstoppable.

Ponder's second interception was by CB Desmond Trufant again who displayed very good ball skills even though the throw was in traffic.

Cordarrelle Patterson's touchdown catch was a screen on the 10 yard line, he picked up 6 yards with his feet, then dove 4 yards for the touchdown to avoid being tackled short.

The third Ponder interception was by Desmond Trufant and once again he stared down his target and it was easily picked off yet again by Trufant to bring his total to three.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson was sent out instead of Ponder for the final 4 minutes of the game and he threw a pick throwing a deep ball to Kyle Rudolph. At least it wasn't to Desmond Trufant. He got one more drive to work with and he made some great throws before getting injured on a sack. This brought rookie Tajh Boyd into the game for his first NFL career throw on 4th and 26. It was incomplete on a hurried throw.

The Falcons ran out the rest of the clock and went on to win 40-14. Overall, it was a very poor game on both sides of the ball for the Vikings.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
Sep 20, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Atlanta Falcons (1-1-0)	0	13	17	10	40
Minnesota Vikings (1-1-0)	3	3	0	8	14

Team Stats Comparison
	ATL	MIN
Total Offense	397	309
Rushing Yards	95	101
Passing Yards	302	208
First Downs	17	18
Punt Return Yards	0	28
Kick Return Yards	74	165
Total Yards	471	502
Turnovers	1	4
3rd Down Converstion	5	4
4th Down Conversion	0	1
2-Point Conversion	1	1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/2	1/1
Penalties	0	5
Posession Time	25:20	22:40

Atlanta Falcons PASSING C/A YDS TD INT QB Matt Ryan 22/30 310 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD HB Steven Jackson 21 95 4.5 0 HB Jonathan Dwyer 1 1 1.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD TE Jermichael Finley 9 126 14.0 1 WR Roddy White 4 66 16.5 2 WR Julio Jones 4 71 17.8 0 WR Harry Douglas 3 32 10.7 0 HB Steven Jackson 2 15 7.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD ROLB Sean Weatherspoon 8 2 0 0 DT Karl Klug 5 1 0 0 LE Malliciah Goodman 4 2 0 0 SS William Moore 3 0 1 0 LOLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar 3 0 0 0 CB Robert Alford 3 0 0 0 CB Desmond Trufant 2 0 3 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG K Steven Hauschka 3/3 3/3 12 46 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 P Matt Bosher 3 133 44.3 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD WR Harry Douglas 2 51 25.5 0 CB (R) Loucheiz Purifoy 1 23 23.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT QB Christian Ponder 13/27 181 1 3 QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson 6/9 89 0 1 QB (R) Tajh Boyd 0/1 0 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD HB Adrian Peterson 16 100 6.3 0 QB Christian Ponder 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD TE Kyle Rudolph 5 57 11.4 0 WR Jarius Wright 4 59 14.8 0 WR Greg Childs 3 66 22.0 0 WR Cordarrelle Patterson 3 41 13.7 1 WR Greg Jennings 1 31 31.0 0 WR Joe Webb 1 11 11.0 0 WR Jerome Simpson 1 4 4.0 0 HB Adrian Peterson 1 1 1.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD ROLB (R) Christian Jones 7 1 0 0 MLB Erin Henderson 7 0 0 0 SS Jamarca Sanford 7 0 0 0 RE Jared Allen 6 0 0 0 CB Xavier Rhodes 6 0 0 0 FS Harrison Smith 5 0 0 0 LOLB Chad Greenway 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG K Blair Walsh 2/3 0/0 6 56 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 P Jeff Locke 1 50 50.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD WR Cordarrelle Patterson 5 123 24.6 0 CB Marcus Sherels 2 42 21.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD CB Marcus Sherels 2 28 14.0 0

[Shmanky13]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Wow. You are putting alot of work into the Weekly recaps, but I like it. Gives lots of info on how everyone is doing. However if it becomes to much, I am good with just scores. Keep up the great work.

Thank you. Yes it is a lot of work but I think I have it down now so it doesn't take too long. I like doing them because I find it interesting to see how the different teams have changed and how rookies are doing. Gives people an idea of the whole league instead of just my team. Like the Jaguars are completely different with Derek Carr at QB, a rookie HB, and they picked up Victor Cruz. Pretty sweet. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[Shmanky13]

Around the League: Week 3

Week 3 in the NFL just wrapped up and if you missed any action, you'll be back in the loop after today's show. Around the League starts now with game recaps!

Game Recaps

(1-1-0) Saints @ Texans (1-1-0)
20 - Final - 31

Stat Leaders
HOU QB M. Schaub 192 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 48%
NO QB D. Brees 204 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 54%
HOU HB A. Foster 24 att, 93 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 11
NO HB M. Ingram 14 att, 57 yards, 0 TF, 0 F, Long 14
NO WR L. Moore 7 rec, 60 yards, 0 TD, 25 YAC, Long 22
HOU WR A. Johnson 5 rec, 71 yards, 1 TD, 28 YAC, Long 26
HOU CB J. Joseph 5 TAK, 1 INT, 1 TD
NO MLB C. Lofton 8 TAK, 1 SACK

(0-2-0) Lions @ (1-1-0) Packers
16 - Final - 24

Stat Leaders
GB QB A. Rodgers 236 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 58%
DET QB M. Stafford 297 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 51%
GB HB J. Franklin 18 att, 55 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 10
DET HB M. Leshoure 20 att, 49 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 4
DET WR C. Johnson Jr. 8 rec, 119 yards, 1 TD, 41 YAC, Long 31
GB WR R. Cobb 7 rec, 101 yards, 0 TD, 48 YAC, Long 21
GB MLB A. Hawk 13 TAK, 1 SACK
DET MLB S. Tulloch 12 TAK, 1 TFL

(1-1-0) Panthers @ (1-1-0) Colts
24 - Final - 18

Stat Leaders
CAR QB C. Newton 215 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 61%
IND QB A. Luck 181 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 55%
CAR HB J. Stewart 20 att, 104 yards, 0 TD, 3 F, Long 29
IND HB (R) L. Perkins 18 att, 63 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 12
CAR WR (R) J. Huff 6 rec, 69 yards, 1 TD, 25 YAC, Long 24
IND WR T. Hilton 5 rec, 45 yards, 1 TD, 4 YAC, Long 19
CAR MLB L. Kuechly 6 TAK, 2 INT, 1 TD
IND CB V. Davis 9 TAK, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR

(1-1-0) Jaguars @ (1-1-0) Jets
27 -Final/OT - 27

Stat Leaders
JAX QB (R) D. Carr 299 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 50%
NYJ QB G. Smith 294 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 42%
NYJ HB M. Jones-Drew 28 att, 141 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 19
JAX HB J. Forsett 25 att, 86 yards, 1 TD, 1 F, Long 7
JAX WR V. Cruz 9 rec, 131 yards, 2 TD, 30 YAC, Long 24
NYJ WR S. Holmes 8 rec, 165 yards, 1 TD, 56 YAC, Long 31
NYJ MLB D. Davis 8 TAK, 1 SACK, 1 INT
JAX CB D. Gratz 6 TAK, 1 INT

(1-1-0) Ravens @ (1-1-0) Bengals
27 - Final - 17

Stat Leaders
CIN QB A. Dalton 101 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 38%
BAL QB J. Flacco 124 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 51%
BAL HB R. Rice 27 att, 149 yards, 0 TD, 1 F, Long 23
CIN HB B. Green-Ellis 19 att, 77 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 19
BAL TE D. Pitta 6 rec, 36 yards, 0 TD, 8 YAC, Long 18
CIN HB B. Green-Ellis 5 rec, 18 yards, 0 TD, 18 YAC, Long 12
CIN ROLB V. Burfict 5 TAK, 1 INT, 1 DEFL, 1 FF
BAL ROLB C. Upshaw 7 TAK, 1 TFL

(1-1-0) Browns @ (1-1-0) Steelers
13 - Final - 20

Stat Leaders
PIT QB B. Roethlisberger 167 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 46%
CLE QB B. Weeden 256 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 41%
CLE HB T. Richardson 22 att, 83 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 6
PIT HB V. Ballard 19 att, 73 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 14
CLE WR S. Breaston 5 rec, 101 yards, 1 TD, 71 YAC, Long 54
PIT WR M. Wheaton 5 rec, 43 yards, 1 TD, 11 YAC, Long 22
PIT MLB L. Timmons 15 TAK, 3 SACK
CLE MLB D. Jackson 12 TAK

(0-2-0) Giants @ (2-0-0) Bears
30 - Final - 13

Stat Leaders
NYG QB E. Manning 197 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 63%
CHI QB J. Cutler 237 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 57%
NYG HB D. Wilson 21 att, 111 yards, 2 TD, 0 F, Long 21
CHI HB M. Forte 6 att, 27 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 13
CHI WR B. Marshall 8 rec, 129 yards, 0 TD, 62 YAC, Long 25
NYG WR Jacoby. Jones 7 rec, 115 yards, 0 TD, 36 YAC, Long 25
NYG RE M. Addison 8 TAK, 4 SACK, 1 DEFL
CHI ROLB K. Greene 11 TAK

Rookie Focus

(0-2-0) Titans @ (2-0-0) Buccaneers
0 - Final - 37

The Rookie Focus of this week goes to terrorizing defensive end Jadaveon Clowney. Clowney was drafted 4th overall to the Buccaneers this past April and he has helped them to a 3-0 start this year.

Clowney only had 1 sack coming into this game, but he showed why he was taken so high in the draft this week. He sacked Titans' quarterback Jake Locker 3 times and also pressured him into throwing 3 interceptions. This Buccaneers defense looks to be one of the best in the league this season. Clowney is on pace for 21 sacks this season. While he most likely won't reach that, it still shows how elite he is this early on in his career.

Stat Leaders
TB QB J. Freeman 159 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 56%
TEN QB J. Locker 76 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 37%
TB HB D. Martin 16 att, 160 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 93
TEN HB C. Johnson 17 att, 56 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 10
TB WR K. Ogletree 4 rec, 35 yards, 1 TD, 21 YAC, Long 14
TEN WR K. Britt 3 rec, 29 yards, 0 TD, 12 YAC, Long 13
TB RE (R) J. Clowney 6 TAK, 3 SACK
TEN MLB J. McClain 11 TAK

(1-1-0) Broncos @ (1-1-0) Chargers
28 - Final - 27

Stat Leaders
SD QB P. Rivers 252 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 66%
DEN QB P. Manning 325 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 75%
SD HB S. Greene 23 att, 69 yards, 0 TD, 1 F, Long 11
DEN HB P. Hillis 20 att, 55 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 5
DEN WR W. Welker 11 rec, 108 yards, 0 TD, 21 YAC, Long 20
SD WR B. LaFell 6 rec, 77 yards, 1 TD, 14 YAC, Long 23
SD CB S. Wright 10 TAK, 1 INT
DEN DT S. Williams 6 TAK, 2 SACK, 3 TFL

(1-1-0) Chiefs @ (1-1-0) Raiders
30 - Final - 14

Stat Leaders
KC QB A. Smith 231 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 70%
OAK QB C. Henne 122 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 42%
KC HB J. Charles 17 att, 154 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 68
OAK HB T. Jones 15 att, 35 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 7
KC WR E. Royal 5 rec, 47 yards, 2 TD
OAK WR D. Moore 5 rec, 64 yards, 1 TD, 22 YAC, Long 20
KC ROLB (R) D. Perryman 6 TAK, 2 SACK
OAK MLB D. Bishop 11 TAK

(0-2-0) Rams @ (1-1-0) Cowboys
11 - Final - 17

Stat Leaders
DAL QB T. Romo 199 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 57%
STL QB (R) T. Bridgewater 114 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 46%
DAL HB D. Murray 24 att, 101 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 13
STL HB Z. Stacy 16 att, 52 yards, 0 TF, 0 F, Long 11
DAL TE J. Witten 8 rec, 80 yards, 0 TD, 35 YAC, Long 28
STL WR C. Givens 3 rec, 71 yards, 0 TD, 22 YAC, Long 27
STL CB J. Jenkins 4 TAK, 1 INT, 1 TD
DAL LE A. Spencer 7 TAK, 3 SACK

(1-1-0) 49ers @ (2-0-0) Cardinals
27 - Final - 10

Stat Leaders
SF QB C. Kaepernick 108 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 47%
ARI QB R. Lindley 178 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 37%
SF HB R. Mendenhall 26 att, 58 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 8
ARI HB R. Jennings 14 att, 33 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 8
ARI WR L. Fitzgerald 7 rec, 72 yards, 0 TD, 36 YAC, Long 19
SF TE V. Davis 3 rec, 21 yards, 0 TD, 18 YAC, Long 10
SF ROLB A. Smith 8 TAK, 1 SACK, 1 INT, 1 TD
ARI MLB D. Washington 15 TAK

(0-2-0) Dolphins @ (0-2-0) Eagles
3 - Final - 20

PHI QB M. Barkley 237 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 52%
MIA QB R. Tannehill 162 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 46%
PHI HB B. Brown 19 att, 61 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 6
MIA HB D. Thomas 14 att, 30 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 12
MIA WR (R) M. Lee 6 rec, 68 yards, 0 TD, 30 YAC, Long 20
PHI WR D. Baldwin 5 rec, 85 yards, 0 TD, 25 YAC, Long 22
PHI MLB D. Ryans 11 TAK
MIA MLB J. Jenkins 10 TAK

Game of the Week

(2-0-0) Seahawks @ (2-0-0) Redskins
34 - Final/OT - 28

It was the battle of the unbeatens in this game as the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks take on the Redskins. The game went back and forth all the way into overtime.

Russell Wilson threw 1 more pick than Redskins QB Robert Griffin III, but he also threw 2 more touchdowns.

The runningbacks in this game were finding some space as both teams rushed for over 100 yards.

Sidney Rice looked like the #1 receiver the Seahawks have always wanted him to be. He caught 9 balls for 118 yards and also added a touchdown. The Redskins free agent acquisition Mike Williams also looked good. He had 90 receiving yards on the day.

Both defenses scored a touchdown in this game. The difference was when they happened. Redskins' safety Kerry Rhodes intercepted a Russell Wilson pass early in the game and put 6 points on the board for the Redskins. In overtime, Bobby Wagner intercepted RGIII's pass and took it to the house for a Seahawks win.

This game was just as you'd expect from two great 2-0 teams. Even though the Redskins fall to 2-1 they are still in a good spot to make the playoffs. The defending champion Seahawks will improve to 3-0 and look to continue their success.

Stat Leaders
SEA QB R. Wilson 344 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 61%
WAS QB R. Griffin III 209 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 61%
WAS HB A. Morris 25 att, 109 yards, 1 TD, 0 F, Long 24
SEA HB M. Lynch 22 att, 96 yards, 0 TD, 0 F, Long 13
SEA WR S. Rice 9 rec, 118 yards, 1 TD, 56 YAC, Long 19
WAS WR M. Williams 6 rec, 90 yards, 0 TD, 25 YAC, Long 23
WAS FS K. Rhodes 11 TAK, 1 INT, 1 DEFL, 1 TD
SEA MLB B. Wagner 9 TAK, 1 SACK, 1 INT, 1 TD

(2-0-0) Bills @ (1-1-0) Patriots
24 - Final - 17

Stat Leaders
NE QB R. Mallett 150 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 53%
BUF QB E. Manuel 132 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 48%
BUF HB C. Spiller 22 att, 99 yards, 2 TD, 1 F, Long 14
NE HB S. Vereen 16 att, 69 yards, 2 TD, 1 F, Long 14
BUF WR S. Johnson 4 rec, 66 yards, 0 TD, 18 YAC, Long 27
NE WR James. Jones 4 rec, 52 yards, 0 TD, 18 YAC, Long 21
NE MLB (R) M. Bullough 12 TAK, 1 FF, 1 FR
BUF DT M. Dareus 9 TAK, 4 TFL, 3 SACK

That concludes this week's games. Did you guys see the Seahawks and Redskins game?! Instant classic! There were also some great fantasy performances in that game. Top fantasy players of this week is next!

QB:
Matt Ryan carved up the Minnesota Vikings defense with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also threw in 310 yards through the air. Nobody stood in his way en route to fantasy QB of the week.

HB:
Doug Martin only had 16 carries this week, but he made the absolute most of them running for 160 yards. Most of his yards came from a 93 yard touchdown run this week against the Titans. He also catches passes in this Bucs offense so he got you even more points in a points per reception league.

WR:
Victor Cruz is being the great go-to receiver the Jaguars wanted him to be. On Sunday, he caught 2 touchdowns from rookie QB Derek Carr. He also had 131 receiving yards which gives him the highest total points for wide receivers this week.

TE:
Atlanta Falcons TE Jermichael Finley teamed up with QB Matt Ryan this week to deliver a stellar TE fantasy performance. According to "SKOL Vikings" Finley struggled in the first half and looked dissapointing to fantasy owners. He finished the day with 126 yards receiving and a touchdown. He added a two point conversion as well.

DEF/ST:
The Buccaneers defense was unbreakable this week. The Titans couldn't muster any points against this well rounded squad. Jadaveon Clowney had 3 sacks on the day which killed many drives. Titans' QB Jake Locker throws 3 interceptions to help the Bucs stay undefeated.

K:
Connor Barth was a machine for the Buccaneers against the Titans. He kicked 3 field goals and made all of them. He also converted 4 out of 4 extra point attempts. This got him 13 points and he certainly help the Bucs blow out the Titans 37-0.

NFL Players of the Week

NFC OFFENSE:
Falcons QB Matt Ryan: Matt threw 3 touchdowns to help the Falcons defeat the Vikings with a whopping 40 points. He threw for 300+ yards and was very consistent. 22-30, 310 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

NFC DEFENSE:
Seahawks MLB Bobby Wagner: Bobby sealed the deal for the Seahawks in overtime against the Redskins. He intercepted a pass and took it for a TD to win a very close game. He also sacked RGIII one time which is not easy to do because of his mobility. 9 TAK, 1 SACK, 1 INT, 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 TD

AFC OFFENSE:
Jaguars WR Victor Cruz: Victor Cruz and Derek Carr are an emerging combo in the NFL. The rookie QB hooked up with Cruz for 2 TDs. Cruz also managed to get the yardage with 131 receiving yards. 9 rec, 131 yards, 14.6 avg, 2 TD

AFC DEFENSE:
Steelers MLB Lawrence Timmons: For the second week in a row, Lawrence Timmons is the player of the week. Many call him old but he looks like a new superstar. He recorded 15 tackles for the Steelers defense and also 3 sacks. Can his playmaking carry over for a third week? 15 TAK, 3 SACK

Key Transactions

Lions release FB Chris Pressley, sign FB Owen Marecic to 1 year, $1M
The Lions have struggled on the ground this year with Reggie Bush's injury. They look to want more of a blocking fullback so they make the switch here.

Bills release LE Jarron Gilbert, sign K Randy Bullock to 1 year, $600k
The Bills release unwanted depth for a more reliable and proven kicker. This makes sense because they have struggled to kick touchbacks and long field goals.

Around the League Week 3 concludes there. Thank you for sticking around for today's show and be sure to be back for Week 4.

[Shmanky13]

Vikings release Week 4 Bye Notes and give Ponder an ultimatum

The Vikings have released a Team Evaluation and some notes from their bye week team conference. The Vikings execs started their meeting at 9AM this morning and finally finished at 1PM. They released 8 key points from their meeting and it includes a deadline for Ponder.

1. "Christian Ponder will have until Week 8 to prove he is the starter on this team." This was the very first point on the conference release so it seems it is a very important subject in Minnesota. Of course the media was all over this and they got a hold of Leslie Frazier and asked him about this decision. Frazier said, "Christian has been the starter for 2 full years now, and we feel we have a very good football team, the QB position may be holding us back from our ultimate goal. We decided this morning that the mid point of this season should be enough time to decide whether he is our guy or not. We have other quarterbacks on this roster that may give us a better option. Ponder will need to prove over these next few weeks that he's the right man for the job." It appears the Vikings are losing patience with Ponder, the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft.

2. "We have the best runningback in the league, we need to give Adrian Peterson the ball more." The Vikings also came out and said they need to give Adrian Peterson the ball more. Peterson has 54 carries so far on the season which is a low number for the best back in football. It will be interesting to see how many carries he gets in the next game.

3. "Joe Banyard and Julius Thomas deserve more snaps". Minnesota likes the depth on their team and they want to use as many guys as possible. Julius Thomas only has 1 catch on the season but it was for 41 yards. Frazier was also asked about this decision, "We really liked what we saw from Joe and Julius in the preseason. We haven't gotten them on the field as much as we would have liked in the first 3 weeks. Julius made a big catch against Detroit and we feel that is the beginning of something special. Joe is great out of the backfield and we would like to utilize that moving forward."

4. "We have a great run defense as we are in the top 3 in the league. Our pass defense must improve greatly over the course of the season or there may be big changes." The Vikings secondary was torched last week against the Falcons. The team is not happy about its performance against Matt Ryan. The lone bright spots in the secondary have been Harrison Smith and Xavier Rhodes. Frazier commented on the subject earlier today saying, "The secondary has been a weakness for us so far this year. Teams key on that part of our defense and it needs to change immediately. If things don't improve someone may have to step down and we will try our rookies in the secondary (Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Craig Loston) and that will hopefully help us."

5. "ROLB Christian Jones is having a great season so far. He will be a cornerstone of this defense for years to come." The Vikings also covered some good things in this conference as they have publicly said they are very happy with their first round draft choice. Through 3 games he leads the team in tackles with 18. He also has 5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Leslie Frazier said this about their rookie linebacker, "We are extremely pleased about his play. He has been all over the field and has a great motor. He is everything we look for in a starting linebacker".

6. "Everson Griffen is proving he is an elite pass rusher as he is 2nd in the league for sacks" Griffen had great success rushing the passer last year and he has kept his production up this year. He's only behind Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram for sacks.

7. "Adrian seems to be slowing down, he is 10th in rushing yards after 3 weeks of play" This may be because of his limited carries but Peterson hasn't looked like the back-to-back 2,000 yard rusher he should. His age may be catching up to him but we'll have to see as he gets more carries.

8. "Overall, we have been average so far this year as we are 16th in the NFL for Total Offense and 13th for Total Defense." The Vikings are looking to improve both of these ranks with the aforementioned tasks. Ponder will have to improve and AP will be getting more carries which will hopefully help the offense out. On the other hand, the secondary is the weakest spot on defense and that is the biggest factor in having a better defense.

These statements have caused a buzz in Minnesota. This team may look very different after Week 8 if Ponder doesn't step up and the secondary falters once again.

[Mosk]

Following. It must be fun to play with Peterson he's amazing. Also, it's a good idea to give Ponder a wake up call. He needs to finally prove something.

[Shmanky13]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mosk

Following. It must be fun to play with Peterson he's amazing. Also, it's a good idea to give Ponder a wake up call. He needs to finally prove something.

It's really fun to play with Adrian. He's the total
package. He's starting to slow down just a bit now but he's still great. And ponder needs to get his stuff together if he wants to be a starter in the nfl and he has to produce now I'm not waiting any longer haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[Shmanky13]

Hey guys, sorry I've been slow getting posts up this week, it has been a busy week at school and I am planning on getting multiple posts up these next couple weeks. I'd like to get past week 8 at least by next weekend. Just wanted to let you know that if it gets a little slow, don't worry I will not stop posting. I play my franchises for the full cycle of madden so there will always be more. I'd also like to know who is still following, I know there are a few but its awesome to see how many people are following my franchise. Thanks again for those who are following and if you have any questions or want to know anything about any team or the league just ask and I will post whatever you want to know!

[Shmanky13]

Rams struggles bench Bridgewater

The St. Louis Rams announced this week that first round pick Teddy Bridgewater will not be the starter for Week 4. They decided that doing this gives them the best chance to win. 2013 starter Sam Bradford will once again be the Rams’ starter. This move is not very popular with fans as they want to see Bridgewater be their QB of the future.

Teddy didn’t play that bad in the first games of the season, but his play didn’t result in wins, which is why the Rams are making the switch. The moment the Rams drafted Bridgewater it appeared Bradford’s days as a starter in St. Louis were over. Bridgewater has 543 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 54% completion. Those aren’t bad numbers by any means, they are average for a rookie QB. His last game against the Cowboys was his worst only posting a 44.8 rating. This seems to have left a bad taste in the Rams organization.

Rams fans were polled at the stadium on who they think should be the starting QB and this resulted in 77% of fans behind Bridgewater at quarterback. It appears there is a fully fledged competition at the position right now.