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

[TheDelta]

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

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Game Recap

Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings
Dec 4, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Denver Broncos (3-9)	0	0	14	0	14
Minnesota Vikings (6-6)	0	6	8	14	28

Team Stats Comparison
	DEN	MIN
Total Offense	284	349
Rushing Yards	200	205
Passing Yards	84	144
First Downs	8	19
Punt Return Yards	11	19
Kick Return Yards	97	124
Total Yards	392	492
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	3-10	7-12
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0-0	2/1-3
Penalties	1-8	1-5
Posession Time	21:11	22:49

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DEN	MIN
6:19	(MIN) R. Longwell, 21 Yd FG	0	3
0:26	(MIN) R. Longwell, 44 Yd FG	0	6
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DEN	MIN
3:25	(DEN) E. Royal, 56 Yd run (M. Prater kick)	7	6
3:13	(MIN) M. Sherels, returned kickoff 101 Yds (2 pt conversion good, N. Devine run)	7	14
0:01	(DEN) L. Ball, 38 Yd run (M. Prater kick)	14	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DEN	MIN
5:49	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (R. Longwell kick)	14	21
0:03	(MIN) T. Gerhart, 2 Yd run (R. Longwell kick)	14	28

Denver Broncos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Tebow 7/10 100 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD W. McGahee 21 66 3.1 0 K. Ball 5 64 12.8 1 T. Tebow 3 14 4.6 0 E. Royal 1 56 56.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Fells 3 19 6.4 0 W. McGahee 1 31 31.0 0 E. Decker 1 42 42.0 0 D. Thomas 1 5 5.0 0 M. Willis 1 3 3.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG M. Prater 0/1 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B. Colquitt 5 237 47.4 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Royal 4 97 24.2 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Royal 2 11 5.5 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 13/22 147 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 18 114 6.3 0 T. Gerhart 16 72 4.5 1 J. Collins 2 8 4.0 0 H. Turner 2 4 2.0 1 L. Booker 1 7 7.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 40 6.6 0 K. Rudolph 3 52 17.3 0 N. Devine 2 31 15.5 0 M. Jenkins 2 24 12.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 2/2 2/2 8 45 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 88 44.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 2 124 62.0 1 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 2 19 9.5 0

While Hope Turner continues to struggle, her team continues to win game on strong defense and a dominant rushing effort.

This weeks matchup against the Denver Broncos and "the other" QB phenomenon, Tim Tebow, saw plenty of both, with both defenses effectively taking away the long passing game for the most part, and relying heavily on their running game to pick up yards.

The game was low-scoring in the first half, with both offenses picking up yards but unable to punch it in, Ryan Longwell put his team up by 6 with two field goals while Matt Prater just missed on a very long 57 yard attempt for the Broncos.

It looked as if the Broncos were back in the game when Eddie Royal finally stepped up for his team, taking an end around that had the defense completely fooled to the house in the third quarter. But the Vikings answered with some magic of their own only seconds later when Marcus Sherels returned the ensuing kickoff for 101 yards to take his team back up by 7 after a succesful 2 point conversion.

Both defenses looked tired in the fourth quarter, and when Hope Turner tossed an interception to linebacker D.J. Williams on her own 30 yard line, it looked like the Broncos were right back in the game, but defensive star Jared Allen managed to step up and make three consecutive plays, tackling running back Willis McGahee for a two yard loss, blowing up a play-action pass to sack Tim Tebow for a 7 yard loss, and then repeating the performance on 3rd down to take the Broncos out of field goal range with an incredible individual effort.

After that, the Vikings took advantage of a Broncos defense that didn't manage to hold back running backs Noel Devine and Toby Gerhart anymore, the former breaking the 1000 yard mark for the season on a 15 yard run that took him all the way down to the one yard line, allowing his QB to punch it in on her trademark sneak that has goal line defenses all over the league wondering how to stop it.

The Broncos tried to set up a comeback, but where stopped short on 4th down just outside the Minnesota redzone, after which the Vikings could just run out the clock, scoring yet another rushing touchdown on 3rd down right before time expired that had Broncos players upset accusing the Vikings of running up the score.

"I really don't know what to say to that." Running back Toby Gerhart who scored the touchdown commented on the issue afterwards. "We were inside two minutes, so we ran out the clock, it's not like we were airing it out or anything, I just pounded that ball in there, it was third down and we had to snap it one more time. Could we have taken a knee? Maybe, sure, but if they don't want me to score, they just need to stop me. We really didn't do anything to humiliate them on purpose or whatever."

With this win, the Vikings advance to 6-6, but have a very tough game ahead of them in a divisional road game against the 10-2 NFC leading Detroit Lions.

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Week 13 Results

Eagles 17 @ Seahawks 30
Ravens 20 @ Browns 27
Bengals 16 @ Steelers 24
Panthers 17 @ Buccaneers 34
Chiefs 21 @ Bears 17
Jets 37 @ Redskins 30
Falcons 34 @ Texans 31
Raiders 21 @ Dolphins 27
Lions 17 @ Saints 3
Titans 19 @ Bills 30
Broncos 14 @ Vikings 28
Rams 20 @ 49ers 27
Cowboys 31 @ Cardinals 20
Packers 27 @ Giants 13
Colts 10 @ Patriots 20
Chargers 10 @ Jaguars 15

NFC North Standings

Lions (10-2)
Vikings (6-6)
Packers (6-6)
Bears (5-7)

[legenddt]

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

I love this man keep the updates coming please

[TheDelta]

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

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]

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

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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]

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

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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]

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

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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]

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

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]

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

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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]

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

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]

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

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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.

[TheDelta]

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

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Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins
Dec 24, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (7-8)	7	6	0	7	20
Washington Redskins (7-8)	0	7	0	3	10

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	WAS
Total Offense	307	250
Rushing Yards	162	33
Passing Yards	145	217
First Downs	19	13
Punt Return Yards	10	0
Kick Return Yards	59	53
Total Yards	376	303
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Converstion	8-13	5-10
4th Down Conversion	2-2	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1-3	1/0-2
Penalties	0-0	2-10
Posession Time	25:07	18:53

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	WAS
3:04	(MIN) H. Turner, 4 Yd run (R. Longwell kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	WAS
5:40	(MIN) R. Longwell, 30 Yd FG	10	0
2:03	(WAS) A. Armstrong 10 Yd pass from R. Grossman (G. Gano kick)	10	7
0:32	(MIN) R. Longwell, 49 Yd FG	13	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	WAS
8:33	(WAS) G. Gano, 47 Yd FG	13	10
1:49	(MIN) L. Booker, 5 Yd run (R. Longwell kick)	20	10

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 12/21 152 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD T. Gerhart 18 60 3.3 0 N. Devine 15 59 3.9 0 H. Turner 4 23 5.7 1 L. Booker 2 18 9.0 1 J. Collins 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 8 99 12.3 0 K. Rudolph 2 41 20.5 0 M. Jenkins 1 3 3.0 0 N. Devine 1 9 9.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 2/3 2/2 8 50 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 1 50 50.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 3 59 19.6 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 2 10 5.0 0

Washington Redskins PASSING C/A YDS TD INT R. Grossman 17/21 231 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD C. Portis 15 36 2.3 0 R. Grossman 2 -2 -1.0 0 R. Helu 1 -1 -1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A. Armstrong 4 50 12.5 1 F. Davis 4 78 19.5 0 S. Moss 4 63 15.7 0 J. Gaffney 2 26 13.0 0 C. Portis 1 4 4.0 0 C. Cooley 1 10 10.0 0 L. Hankerson 1 1 1.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG G. Gano 1/2 1/1 4 47 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 S. Rocca 2 89 44.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD B. Banks 1 30 30.0 0 J. Wilson 1 23 23.0 0

If Hope Turner was out to prove that this Minnesota Vikings team can win games without crazy late-game heroics, without ridiculously dominant rushing attacks, just by playing solid football, then it is Mission Accomplished.

Both teams struggled to get much going on the ground, with rookie Noel Devine being constantly stuffed in the backfield, it didn't help that fullback Jed Collins missed most of the game after taking a hit in the first quarter after converting a 3rd & 1 on a dive play, veteran tight end Visante Shiancoe took over the FB spot for the rest of the game, and it was obvious that both Devine and Toby Gerhart struggled without their lead blocker.

The Redskins started out slow as well, going three and out on their first serious with running back Clinton Portis not finding any more success than his purple counterparts.

Vikings rookie QB Hope Turner again struggled with her accuracy, missing Kyle Rudolph on two open plays so she was put into several 3rd & long situations, and this is where she really stepped up and where having wideout Percy Harvin back gave the Vikings a huge lift. Harvin played all over the field, going deep as well as underneath and blowing up coverages wherever he went. It was Turner herself who took the ball on a 4 yard scramble off a bootleg, her 7th rushing touchdown of the season. When asked about how she felt about scrambling and if she didn't felt nervous about taking a hit from defensive players literally twice her size and weight, she just laughed after the game. "There's only one player in this league I'd be afraid to take a hit from. Lucky me, Jared plays on our team so I can leave the other QBs to worry about him."

Allen had another dominant performance, consistently putting pressure on Redskins QB Rex Grossman and coming away with two sacks as well as a forced fumble. Grossman, though, was surprisingly unaffected by all the pressure right in his face, hardly ever missing a pass and spreading the ball around against a Vikings secondary that simply couldn't hold up against an amazing quarterback performance.

Unfortunately for the Redskins, though, Portis continued to struggle and their drives tended to bog down the closer they got to the goal line, both sacks as well as the fumble ended drives that had already gotten into scoring range, in a game as close as this that was definitely a key element.

But the Vikings left some points on the field as well, especially at the end of the first half, after their defense forced an aggressive stop and got the ball back with only seconds to go, Turner delivered maybe her best throw of the game, a 30 yard bullet right down the sideline to Harvin that got her team almost into field goal range, and her next pass found Jenkins' fingertips right on the goal line, but the #2 receiver couldn't hang on, and Longwell missed the last-second, 54 yard field goal attempt.

It became more of a defensive battle in the second half, with Grossman continuing to show impressive accuracy, but unable to put up points, and the Vikings settling for long ball-control drives, with Devine and Gerhart splitting carries almost evenly and visibly tiring out the Redskins defense.

After scoring a field goal to get them back within 3, the Redskins kicked the ball away in the fourth quarter and didn't get it back before the Vikings had put the game out of reach with a score on a draw play by third down back Lorenzo Booker that had the defense completely fooled with a great pump fake by Turner before handing the ball off behind her back.

"We did what we wanted to do, not turn the ball over, control the game, just play smart football." Turner told the press after the game. "It wasn't flashy, it wasn't a game for the highlight reels, but it was a W, one that belongs to the whole team, because everyone got it done today."

At 7-8, whatever happens in week 17, the Vikings can now rest assured to have improved from last years 6-10 record.

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Week 16 Results

Texans 22 @ Colts 15
Browns 20 @ Ravens 10
Buccaneers 14 @ Panthers 24
Dolphins 23 @ Patriots 31
Raiders 19 @ Chiefs 33
Jaguars 31 @ Titans 24
Cardinals 24 @ Bengals 14
Giants 48 @ Jets 17
Rams 23 @ Steelers 20
Broncos 17 @ Bills 37
Vikings 20 @ Redskins 10
Chargers 27 @ Lions 17
Eagles 27 @ Cowboys 7
49ers 34 @ Seahawks 21
Bears 13 @ Packers 10
Falcons 21 @ Saints 7

NFC North Standings

Lions (12-3)
Bears (8-7)
Vikings (7-8)
Packers (7-8)

[TheDelta]

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

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Week 17: vs Chicago

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Vikings News

-Another troubled season is about to come to an end. After losing star running back Adrian Peterson to a career ending injury before the season even started, after losing first round pick Christian Ponder to a holdout (in related news, Ponder has announced his intention of re-entering the draft next spring) and then going off to an 0-5 start with veteran Donovan McNabb, the team somehow managed to turn the ship around and now could even finish the season with a .500 record.

Mood in practice has been generally positive, with everyone focused on the last game of the season against the Chicago Bears. The Bears would actually be able to secure a wild card with a win, so this seems like it will be one of the more interesting matchups in week 17, especially considering how the Vikings emberassed the Bears in their first meeting, getting their first win of the season at Soldier Field and almost completely shutting down the Bears all game long.

"Believe me when I tell you, no one's going to give less than 100% for this game." Turner told reporters during the week. "I mean, a year ago, if you'd told me I'd ever play a snap in the NFL, I would've called you crazy. And now, to be able to end the season as QB #1 in front of a home crowd, I can tell you, I don't care about playoffs or what, I'm playing to win this game, nothing more, nothing less."

-Owner Zygi Wilf meanwhile is already planning for next week, announcing this week that the organisation is planning to move forward with both head coach Leslie Frazier and quarterback Hope Turner. "When I brought her in, most people thought it was just a publicity stunt. I think her deeds speak louder than my words ever could in that regard. But as of right now, I see no reason to change anything. Hope has proven that she can win in this league and the team believes in her, she's a Viking and if I have something to say about it she will be a Viking for a long time."

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Around the League

-Playoffs, playoffs, playoffs, what else could there be to talk about? The picture is starting to clear up in some places, yet is getting even blurrier almost by the minute in others.

In the AFC, it's clear. Patriots and Chiefs have already locked up their respective divisions, and in the South, Texans and Jaguars are tied at 10-5 with both having their playoff berths secured, it's only a question of who will take the division. In the North, the Steelers lead the division at 9-6, with a one game lead at the Ravens, there's an outside chance for the Steelers to still miss out but it is unlikely. The front-runners for the second wild-card spot are actually the Buffalo Bills who have managed to put up a 9-6 record, so if the Ravens want to get in, they will have to win and hope for either the Steelers or the Bills to lose.

In the NFC, on the other hand, things get a lot more confusing. The Lions are sitting pretty at 12-3, while the 49ers have locked up the West and the Falcons at 9-6 lead the South, and whatever happens, they have their playoff berth secured. They only have a one game lead on both the Buccaneers and Panthers, so with a Falcons loss, the division might be up for grabs, with both teams also having a good shot at a wildcard since a 9-7 record should be good enough to get one of those.

The "however did THIS happen?" award, however, goes to the NFC East, where all four teams share a 7-8 record. But since the Redskins face the Eagles this sunday, and both teams hold the tiebreakers above the Cowboys and Giants, it's a bit clearer than one might imagine at first, the winner of this game will go to the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, even if they won and both the Panthers and Buccaneers lost their respective matchup, the Panthers would still hold the tiebreaker due to their win in the direct matchup, so the Vikings are definitely out of the picture, so the wildcards will most likely be determined between Chicago, Carolina and Tampa Bay.

-Safe to say that this has been a season to forget for the Packers. The defending Super Bowl champions haven't defended much this year, and may even end up on 4th place in the NFC North after this season. To add injury to insult (sic!), Aaron Rodgers suffered an elbow injury and his season is over, although the injury is reportedly not severe and will not keep him from practicing for long.

Another starting QB that went down last sunday was the Bills' Ryan Fitzpatrick, he too will miss this weeks game as well as a possible wild card round matchup, just what the Bills needed after finally having a shot at making it to the playoffs again. The halfback C.J. Spiller is out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone doesn't exactly help, either.

Wes Welker will miss the playoffs yet again, going down with what turned out to be an achilles tear early last sunday, a huge blow to the Patriots offense after Welker had posted yet another 1000 yard season and helping Tom Brady to what looks to be yet another MVP award.

-The Bears are missing CB Charles Tillman (wrist) and LT J'Marcus Webb (arm) for this sundays matchup, but remain at full strength otherwise.

[TheDelta]

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

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Game Recap

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Jan 1, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago Bears (8-8)	7	7	0	0	14
Minnesota Vikings (8-8)	0	10	10	20	40

Team Stats Comparison
	CHI	MIN
Total Offense	170	329
Rushing Yards	120	110
Passing Yards	50	219
First Downs	6	17
Punt Return Yards	28	42
Kick Return Yards	157	42
Total Yards	355	413
Turnovers	2	2
3rd Down Converstion	2-10	9-15
4th Down Conversion	0-2	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/0-1	4/1-6
Penalties	0-0	1-13
Posession Time	14:17	29:43

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
1:08	(CHI) M. Forte, 49 Yd run (R. Gould kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
8:41	(MIN) N. Devine 45 Yd pass from H. Turner (R. Longwell kick)	7	7
1:52	(MIN) R. Longwell, 37 Yd FG	7	10
0:02	(CHI) J. Knox 59 Yd pass from J. Cutler	14	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
4:51	(MIN) P. Harvin 10 Yd pass from H. Turner (R. Longwell kick)	14	17
1:07	(MIN) R. Longwell, 49 Yd FG	14	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
5:17	(MIN) J. Collins, 1 Yd run (2-pt conversion failed, H. Turner run)	14	26
2:15	(MIN) J. Collins, 1 Yd run (R. Longwell kick)	14	33
1:40	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (R. Longwell kick)	14	40

Chicago Bears PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Cutler 7/13 129 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD M. Forte 14 106 7.5 1 M. Barber 1 5 5.0 0 J. Cutler 1 9 9.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Knox 3 88 29.3 1 M. Forte 1 10 10.0 0 E. Bennett 1 3 3.0 0 R. Williams 1 1 1.0 0 K. Davis 1 27 27.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Gould 0/1 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 A. Podlesh 5 238 47.6 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Hester 6 157 26.1 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Hester 3 28 9.3 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 18/26 249 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 16 57 3.5 0 T. Gerhart 11 40 3.6 0 J. Collins 3 12 4.0 2 H. Turner 1 1 1.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD K. Rudolph 6 88 14.6 0 P. Harvin 6 64 10.6 1 M. Jenkins 3 38 12.6 0 N. Devine 2 51 25.5 1 V. Shiancoe 1 8 8.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 2/2 4/4 10 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 3 134 44.6 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 1 23 23.0 0 L. Booker 1 19 19.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 5 42 8.4 0

For a team that just missed the playoffs, the Vikings sure know how to celebrate. They finished their season by blowing out their divisional rivals Chicago at home and in front of a pumped up crowd, celebrated their 8-8 record, good for 2nd place in the NFC North, like they had just gone to the Super Bowl.

It hadn't started out quite like that. One the Vikings first possession, running back Noel Devine fumbled the ball away, but the defense soon answered with a ridicilously athletic play by linebacker Erin Henderson who leaped into the air and just managed to reach a throw by Jay Cutler over the middle, and then somehow managed to haul it in for the interception. The Vikings offense again struggled in the first half, with both Devine and Gerhart unable to pick up much on the ground and Turner missing several open passes or suffering drops on first and second down. But again, she was very solid on 3rd & long, converting several times even in the face of massive defensive pressure, but still, the Vikings were unable to put up points on the board.

Defensive pressure was the name of the game for the most part, with both defensive lines basically playing in the other teams backfield every single snap, both offensive lines looked completely outmatched. Soon, both Jay Cutler and Hope Turner were running for their lives, Cutler finding Matt Forte on a quick dumpoff at the end of the first quarter that Forte managed to take home for the first points on the board, and the Bears looked to be on schedule for their postseason ticket (since the pass was technically a lateral, Cutler did not receive credit for the TD)

But Turner had something to say about that, setting up an impressive drive that had her again converting 3rd & 8+ no less then three times, finally finding Devine an almost exactly the same play that the Bears had used only minutes earlier, Devine juking and faking his way past no less than three defenders on his way to the endzone.

Neither defense was of a mind to let up, even after defensive end Brian Robison had to leave the game in the second quarter with a concussion, backup pass rusher Vic So'oto stepped in and put up a vicious performance, sacking Cutler twice on his first 5 snaps.

Where Turner stepped up and made plays even with Peppers constantly playing in her face, it was obvious that the pressure was getting to Cutler, he took 4 sacks before the half, 2 of them from Jared Allen who got up to 22 for the season with those, tieing the single season record.

But even after another field goal as the time wound down, the Bears weren't quite done yet, on a hail mary play just before halftime, a tipped ball somehow found his way into Johnny Knox's hand, giving the Bears a touchdown and the lead.

If there were heads hanging low going into halftime, whatever Coach Frazier did with his team during the break, it seemed to work.

The Vikings completely crushed the Bears in the second half. Not only did Jared Allen get his single season sack record, he finished the game at 6, only one short of the single game sack record, and those were only half the sacks the Vikings got out of Jay Cutler today, prompting announcer Cris Collinsworth to comment "If I was Jay Cutler, I might simply refuse to go out their unless I get max protection every play. Those guys are going to kill him."

He indeed was knocked out for a few minutes late in the third quarter but came back soon after, but by that time, the damage was done. The Bears couldn't do anything on offense with Forte getting shut down in the backfield since the Vikings were constantly rushing 5 or even 6 people, leaving Forte no room to run and Cutler no time to throw. The offense wasn't as dominating but was doing just enough to widen the lead even further, and it was obvious that this Bears team would not be coming back.

Since they were still playing for their playoff chances, the Bears didn't let up, but where finally stopped on 4th down and put up even more points afterwards, in front of a home crowd that by now could only be described as ecstatic, Turner and her offense scored three more touchdowns out of very good field position, with fullback Jed Collins receiving the honor to punch it in twice, while the final offensive snap the Vikings played was a QB Sneak by Turner that saw her score yet again, finishing the season with 22 touchdowns (14 passing, 8 rushing) and being carried off the field by her teammates to deafening cheers from her fans.

"Thank you all, all of you who believed in me, and all of you who didn't, because both of you challenged me to be as good as I can be!" Turner told the crowd during the postgame celebrations. "And I can tell you one thing right now, we will be back next year, and we will kick some serious ***, Vikings nation!"

So after losing so much, after going through a very dark time, and after missing out on the playoffs two years in a row, the Minnesota Vikings can still look at a bright future, because they have found one thing. They have found Hope (pun intended in every possible way)

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Week 17 Results

Buccaneers 36 @ Falcons 38
Cowboys 21 @ Giants 24
Panthers 23 @ Saints 14
49ers 33 @ Rams 21
Colts 23 @ Jaguars 19
Titans 20 @ Texans 41
Lions 24 @ Packers 14
Redskins 31 @ Eagles 17
Bills 27 @ Patriots 36
Bears 14 @ Vikings 40
Jets 9 @ Dolphins 21
Ravens 26 @ Bengals 9
Steelers 24 @ Browns 27 (OT)
Chiefs 10 @ Broncos 27
Cardinals 21 @ Seahawks 7
Chargers 19 @ Raiders 23

NFL Final Standings
(x - Wild Card, y - Division winner, z - Homefield advantage)

AFC North

y-Steelers (9-7)
x-Ravens (9-7)
Browns (7-9)
Bengals (5-11)

AFC South

y-Texans (11-5)
x-Jaguars (10-6)
Colts (7-9)
Titans (3-13)

AFC East

z-Patriots (15-1)
Bills (9-7)
Jets (7-9)
Dolphins (7-9)

AFC West

y-Chiefs (12-4)
Chargers (7-9)
Raiders (5-11)
Broncos (4-12)

NFC North

z-Lions (13-3)
Vikings (8-8)
Bears (8-8)
Packers (7-9)

NFC South

y-Falcons (10-6)
x-Panthers (9-7)
Buccaneers (8-8)
Saints (4-12)

NFC East

y-Redskins (8-8)
x-Giants (8-8)
Eagles (7-9)
Cowboys (7-9)

NFC West

y-49ers (11-5)
Seahawks (7-9)
Rams (7-9)
Cardinals (7-9)

[TheDelta]

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

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Regular Season Recap

The Good

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The 2011 season comes to an end and as always there have been a lot of surprises, some pleasant, some less so.

The Good

League Leaders

NFL League Leaders - Updated: Dec 1, 2012
Passing		Yards	Rushing		Yards
	1. T. Brady	4213		1. J. Charles	1774
	2. P. Manning	3891		2. A. Foster	1642
	3. A. Rodgers	3685		3. A. Bradshaw	1612
	4. K. Kolb	3511		4. F. Gore	1612
	5. M. Schaub	3411		5. L. Blount	1583
Receiving		Yards	Defensive		Tackles
	1. R. Wayne	1521		1. L. Fletcher	150
	2. R. White	1499		2. J. Beason	150
	3. B. Marshall	1413		3. J. Mayo	143
	4. A. Johnson	1214		4. C. Lofton	143
	5. M. Austin	1152		5. V. Miller	139
Defensive		Sacks	Defensive		Ints
	1. J. Allen	26.0		1. A. Talib	8
	2. A. Clayborn	14.0		2. M. Trufant	7
	3. J. Babin	13.5		3. C. Gamble	7
	4. M. Bennett	13.5		4. R. Mathis	7
	5. C. Haggans	13.0		5. S. Routt	6

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Regular Season Awards
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	Tom Brady	QB	New England Patriots
Offensive Player of the Year	Tom Brady	QB	New England Patriots
Defensive Player of the Year	Jared Allen	DE	Minnesota Vikings
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers
Defensive Rookie of the Year	Adrian Clayborn	DE	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best Quarterback	Tom Brady	QB	New England Patriots
Best Running Back	Jamaal Charles	HB	Kansas City Chiefs
Best Wide Receiver	Brandon Marshall	WR	Miami Dolphins
Best Offensive Lineman	Logan Mankins	OG	New England Patriots
Best Defensive Lineman	Jared Allen	DE	Minnesota Vikings
Best Linebacker	Clark Haggans	OLB	Arizona Cardinals
Best Defensive Back	Chris Gamble	CB	Carolina Panthers
Best Kicker	Joe Nedney	K	Denver Broncos
Coach of the Year	Bill Belichick	Coach	New England Patriots

Tom Brady comes away with yet another NFL MVP Award, leading the league in passing yards as well as touchdown passes while leading his team to a 15-1 record, there's no question that he deserves it. Same for Cam Newton, who beat out Noel Devine for OROY, he took a first pick team and took it straight back to the playoffs. Jared Allen, crushing the single season sack record by 4 and putting up a number for the ages, has without question been the dominant defensive player in the league this season, putting fear in the heart of opposing quarterbacks.

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Pro Bowl Nods

Jed Collins (FB)
Jared Allen (DE)
Brian Robison (DE)
Marcus Sherels (KR)

Not a huge year for the Vikings concerning Pro Bowl nods, other than the sack tandem of Allen and Robison, only "secondary" position players Collins and Sherels made the NFC roster this season, with Sherels scoring several key return TDs that secured wins and Jed Collins maybe being the most-utilized fullback in the league and proving the worth of his signing both as a lead blocker as well as a short yardage back.

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Surprises

The positive surprise of the year are without question Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Not only did the rookie out of Auburn lead the team with the #1 pick in the 2011 draft back into the playoffs, he also locked up a well-deserved OROY award on the way. It looks like with Newton under center, the Panthers are a contender again for years to come.

The Houston Texans making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, as well as the Jaguars locking up a wildcard only one win behind them, is clearly the surprise of the year in the NFC South. Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Arian Foster finally delivered on the promises of potential, taking the team to an 11-5 record, good for third in the AFC.

When quarterback Rex Grossman announced in the summer that he thought the Washington Redskins, that most preseason polls had picking #1 in the 2012 draft, might win their division, most people were ready to put him into a mental hospital. Like college football commentator Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast!". January has come, and guess who won the NFC East?

In the NFC, there are the Detroit Lions. Only a few year removed from an 0-16 season and several other high draft picks, the Lions seem to have finally come of age, winning their conference with a dominant 13-3 record, even after losing starting quarterback Matthew Stafford for most of the year. And the scary thing, with so many young players on their roster, they are bound to only get better in years to come.

We close the list with the San Francisco 49ers and their new head coach, Jim Harbaugh. Leading the 49ers to second place in the NFC, Harbaugh's team, with a surprisingly improved Alex Smith under center, won the NFC West and locked up its first playoff appearence in eight years.

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The Bad

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers miss the playoffs yet again, again by only one win. Other teams just on the outside of the bubble include the Buffalo Bills, who went 9-7 but lost the wildcard on tiebreakers to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears both finish 8-8, good enough for an NFC Wild Card, but lose out against the New York Giants who just eke out another playoff appearance after the season already appeared as good as over for them.

A season to forget for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Brees went down with a season-ending injury in week 4 of the preseason, and without him, the team imploded, finishing the year 4-12 after trading for veteran Donavan McNabb didn't pan out, the Saints will have the #2 pick in the upcoming draft, behind only the Tennessee Titans, who couldn't get anything going with injuries to both Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker keeping them from having a clear-cut starting QB for most of the year.

The Tim Tebow experiment in Denver hasn't exactly been impressive, either, with the Broncos finishing a disappointing 4-12 and Tebow scoring only a 55.5 passer rating, dead last among starting QBs in the NFL. It is unclear yet whether GM John Elway plans to move on with Tebow at QB or whether the team will draft a new QB next spring.

And of course, there are the Green Bay Packers. That Super Bowl win seems like ages away now that the team not only failed to make the playoffs, they finished last in their division. Super Bowl hangover, much? Even though Aaron Rodgers continued to put up good numbers, the team had a problem converting those numbers to scores, as well as a defense that just couldn't put up stops when it needed to.

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Minnesota Vikings Recap

Minnesota Vikings Stats - 2011
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
H. Turner	208/333	2631	7.9	164.4	59	14	25	69.8
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
N. Devine	257	1300	5.0	58	7	8	81.2	3
T. Gerhart	174	669	3.8	16	0	5	41.8	1
J. Collins	34	127	3.7	12	0	5	7.9	0
H. Turner	26	83	3.1	11	0	8	5.1	6
L. Booker	6	50	8.1	13	0	1	3.1	0
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	20+	YDS/G	YAC
P. Harvin	64	832	13.0	5	85		83.2	297
M. Jenkins	63	763	12.1	3	25		47.6	199
K. Rudolph	48	716	14.9	2	27		44.7	247
N. Devine	28	260	9.2	3	54		16.2	351
D. Aromashodu	18	318	17.6	3	52		19.8	102
V. Shiancoe	17	225	13.2	0	27		14.0	63
G. Camarillo	11	167	15.1	0	33		10.4	32
T. Gerhart	3	17	5.6	0	15		1.0	31
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
M. Sherels	52	1415	27.2	101	3	30	9.7	0
L. Booker	11	298	27.0	98	1	5	12.8	0
P. Harvin	8	192	24.0	33	0	7	10.1	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
R. Longwell	23	27	85	53	44	44	100
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
C. Kluwe	45	2010	55	44.6	38.6	0	17	1

Not a great season for the Minnesota Vikings, but one that showed promise for the future. After starting the season by losing their best offensive player as well as their first round draft pick, things looked bleak for the Vikings and didn't improve as the team stumbled to an 0-5 start. But after Hope Turner took over at quarterback, the team started to rally around her, against all odds, and managed to rebound to finish the season 8-8.

Even if they missed out on the playoffs, with Hope Turner under center, Noel Devine and Toby Gerhart in the backfield and with Percy Harvin and the emerging tight end Kyle Rudolph as receiving weapons, the offensive core of this team seems to be solid for years to come. It is expected that the team will focus on the defense as well as the offensive line that gave up a whopping 46 sacks this season, third worst in the NFL.

[Blue Ninja]

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

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.

I'm guessing people would record it with their video cameras and upload it..I personally haven't done it here so not really sure though..but again keep up the good work!!