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

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings
Sep 23, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Houston Texans (2-1)	0	14	0	0	14
Minnesota Vikings (3-0)	3	7	23	24	57

Team Stats Comparison
	HOU	MIN
Total Offense	213	410
Rushing Yards	38	249
Passing Yards	175	161
First Downs	13	15
Punt Return Yards	27	27
Kick Return Yards	0	60
Total Yards	240	497
Turnovers	5	1
3rd Down Converstion	2-9	8-13
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/0-1	1/1-2
Penalties	0-0	2-20
Posession Time	19:40	24:20

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		HOU	MIN
3:35	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 57 Yd FG	0	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		HOU	MIN
8:40	(HOU) J. Sanders, 3 Yd run (K. Forbath kick)	7	3
1:32	(HOU) D. Ryans, returned fumble 54 Yds (K. Forbath kick)	14	3
0:56	(MIN) E. Arceneaux 41 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski kick)	14	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		HOU	MIN
10:14	(MIN) N. Devine, 71 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	14	17
4:05	(MIN) N. Devine, 15 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	14	24
0:55	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 54 Yd FG	14	27
0:00	(MIN) C. Greenway, returned fumble 34 Yds (2-pt conversion failed, N. Devine run)	14	33
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		HOU	MIN
10:00	(MIN) N. Devine, 47 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	14	40
9:52	(MIN) T. Elliott, returned interception 23 Yds (S. Janikowski kick)	14	47
1:53	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 26 Yd FG	14	50
1:02	(MIN) B. Burton, returned interception 50 Yds (S. Janikowski kick)	14	57

Houston Texans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Schaub 14/29 204 0 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD A. Foster 13 31 2.3 0 J. Sanders 2 0 0.0 1 M. Schaub 1 7 7.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Jones 4 56 14.0 0 D. Branch 4 69 17.2 0 A. Johnson 2 37 18.5 0 A. Foster 2 14 7.0 0 J. Carrothers 1 10 10.0 0 O. Daniels 1 18 18.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG K. Forbath 0/0 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 M. Dodge 5 244 48.8 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Jones 1 27 27.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 10/16 153 1 0 J. Webb 2/5 39 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 13 157 12.0 3 T. Gerhart 10 47 4.7 0 M. Reece 5 33 6.6 0 E. Gilbert 2 -2 -1.0 0 J. Webb 1 14 14.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 5 66 13.2 0 K. Rudolph 2 15 7.5 0 R. Norton 2 36 18.0 0 E. Arceneaux 1 41 41.0 1 T. Gerhart 1 15 15.0 0 M. Jenkins 1 19 19.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 3/3 6/6 15 57 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 94 47.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 44 22.0 0 P. Harvin 1 16 16.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 27 13.5 0

This game was a tale of two halves that could hardly have been more different. The Vikings started out slow and sluggish on offense, Hope Turner was running for her life behind an offensive line that could not block the Texans vicious pass rush and Noel Devine was held to less than 2 YPC for two quarters. Percy Harvin dropped what might've been a touchdown pass in the first quarter, which led to the first Janikowski field goal of the day.

The Texans weren't much better, initially, with Jackson Bell continuing his incredible rookie performance, holding Andre Johnson to all of 1 catch for a whopping 3 yards (his second catch came on an underneath route against zone coverage in the 4th quarter with his team already down by more than 20), otherwise completely negating the Texan's star wideout.

In the second quarter, this looked like it would be a defensive struggle, the only Texans score came after CB Fabian Washington missed a tackle on veteran, ex-Patriot wide receiver Deion Branch who took the ball down to the goal line, for rookie backup HB Jarret Sanders to punch it in. The Vikings eventually tried to put together a two-minute offense, but took a severe blow when Noel Devine, who had all of 18 rushing yards up until that time, fumbled the ball away after a vicious hit by sophomore defensive end J.J. Watt, and linebacker Demeco Ryans scooped up the ball to take it back for six.

Down 14-3, that seemed to be exactly the warning shot the Vikings needed. Hope Turner drove her team down the field with several pinpoint passes, eventually finding Emanuel Arceneaux deep for the touchdown that brought them back.

It was a different Vikings team that took the field after halftime. Whatever coach Frazier had told Devine in the locker room, he suddenly ran like a man possessed, breaking off huge chunks off yardage and creating big plays every other time he touched the ball. On his second touchdown run of the day, the 5'8'', 180 pound Devine dragged no less than two would-be tacklers into the endzone with him.

On the other side, the Texans couldn't get anything going, Matt Schaub was under siege every time he dropped back, with defensive ends Jared Allen and especially Vic So'oto constantly playing in his face, he was sacked 8 times in the contest, 4 of them by So'oto.

Still, it wasn't quite over yet until the end of the 3rd quarter, when So'oto hit Schaub yet again and managed to knock the ball loose. For a moment, most players on the field didn't even seem to realize it, as the ball was hidden from view behind Schaub's body, and it took several seconds before linebacker Chad Greenway came in to scoop it up and take it home.

While the fumble returned for six had been a wake-up call for the Vikings, the Texans never recovered from the turnover, leading to an implosion of **** proportions in the 4th quarter, when Matt Schaub threw three more interceptions, two of them returned for six, with Noel Devine running all over their defense until the Vikings pulled most of their starters halfway through the quarter. Backup Joe Webb made some nice plays, but it is by now obvious that this team seems to finally have found its long-term answer at quarterback.

"Not much, honestly." Devine told reporters after the game when asked what the coach had told him at halftime. "We all knew we could be better than what we've done so far, I mean, I know I need to take better care of the football, and it was Hope who got us fired up with that deep bomb, it was her who came over to me in the locker room and said something like "When we win this, you don't want to leave all the glory to the girl, do you?", she's always like that, I mean, if course she brags if she did something well, who wouldn't? But if she's doing well, she's always using it to motivate us to be even better."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 3 Results

Cardinals 33 @ Bills 30
Falcons 21 @ Giants 26
Packers 41 @ Titans 28
Saints 26 @ Redskins 31
Cowboys 21 @ Eagles 31
Texans 14 @ Vikings 57
Jaguars 27 @ Colts 13
49ers 14 @ Lions 21
Dolphins 31 @ Rams 35
Raiders 9 @ Broncos 7
Panthers 24 @ Chargers 6
Ravens 24 @ Steelers 27
Buccaneers 31 @ Chiefs 19
Browns 27 @ Bengals 30
Jets 3 @ Patriots 30
Bears 28 @ Seahawks 14

NFC North Standings

Vikings (30)
Packers (2-1)
Bears (2-1)
Lions (1-2)

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 3: vs Houston

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-They just keep on winning. The Vikings are going to Chicago at 3-0 and hope to open their divisional matches with a road win, but the Bears will have to say something about this.

-The center of attention is on Noel Devine. The running back that went undrafted last year has had a sensational season so fear, leading the NFL in rushing yards, touchdowns and yards per carry after three games.

Hope Turner, meanwhile, while not putting up impressive numbers is leading the league in her own category, with a mind-boggling 133.4 passer rating, a 71% completion percentage and 6 passing touchdowns to 2 interceptions, she may not be the most exciting (although there may be other factors that play into this...), but definitely the most efficient signal-caller in the league.

-Other than that, there's not much new to report out of Minnesota, there hasn't been much smack-talking before the next big game, the Vikings seem focused and concentrated on the task at hand, with the offense constantly evolving as Turner and her offensive coordinator continue to work on the new playbook.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-Three games into the season, there are still three undefeated teams, and none of them are the ones you might have expected in this spot a month ago. The Raiders, Buccaneers and Vikings all remain flawless so far, while the Browns, Chiefs, Ravens and Seahawks have yet to see a win this year.

-The most notable injury last week has been San Francisco's Navorro Bowman, the linebacker suffered a compound fracture and has been put on season-ending IR. Chiefs star wideout Dwayne Bowe broke his collarbone, he is expected to miss at least half of the regular season, possibly more.

-The Bears will be missing tackle J'Marcus Webb and wideout Devin Hester this Sunday, meaning the Jackson Bell will most likely match up with #2 WR Johnny Knox.

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Sep 30, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (4-0)	0	21	7	10	38
Chicago Bears (2-2)	0	7	0	10	17

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	CHI
Total Offense	345	260
Rushing Yards	191	119
Passing Yards	154	141
First Downs	19	12
Punt Return Yards	36	5
Kick Return Yards	87	0
Total Yards	468	265
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Converstion	6-9	3-9
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/0-3	2/1-3
Penalties	2-25	0-0
Posession Time	28:01	15:59

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	CHI
10:25	(MIN) N. Devine, 13 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	7	0
7:51	(CHI) C. Gray, 10 Yd run (R. Gould kick)	7	7
1:16	(MIN) M. Reece, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	14	7
0:09	(MIN) T. Elliott, returned fumble 73 Yds (S. Janikowski kick)	21	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	CHI
7:22	(MIN) T. Gerhart, 25 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	28	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	CHI
9:46	(CHI) M. Forte, 5 Yd run (R. Gould kick)	28	14
4:23	(MIN) P. Harvin 12 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski kick)	35	14
1:21	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 52 Yd FG	38	14
0:17	(CHI) R. Gould, 32 Yd FG	38	17

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 14/16 160 1 0 J. Webb 1/3 17 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 20 110 5.5 1 T. Gerhart 6 50 8.3 1 M. Reece 3 14 4.6 1 E. Gilbert 2 19 9.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 9 103 11.4 1 N. Devine 2 -2 -1.0 0 K. Rudolph 2 30 15.0 0 M. Jenkins 1 13 13.0 0 M. Reece 1 33 33.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 1/1 5/5 8 53 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 92 46.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 4 87 21.7 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 4 36 9.0 0

Chicago Bears PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Cutler 14/22 215 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD M. Forte 15 97 6.4 1 J. Cutler 2 12 6.0 0 C. Gray 1 10 10.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD T. Ogbuehi 5 44 8.8 0 E. Bennett 2 26 13.0 0 M. Forte 2 49 24.5 0 J. Knox 2 54 27.0 0 A. Smith 2 33 16.5 0 R. Beatty 1 9 9.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Gould 1/1 2/2 5 32 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Robinson 5 222 44.4 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD C. Gray 1 5 5.0 0

After their third matchup since Hope Turner took over, we guess it is safe to say Jay Cutler does not enjoy playing against the "new" Minnesota Vikings too much. In another impressive performance, the Vikings defense constantly threw the house at him, relying on solid coverage by Jackson Bell (who again only gave up one catch and has yet to be beat for any completion of more than 20 yards) and Chris Cook to force Cutler to hold the ball, and the gameplan worked, leading to 9 sacks and a ton of knockdowns and hurries.

Again, the Vikings started out slow, with Noel Devine getting stuffed for no gain regularly and Hope Turner having trouble finding her receivers, tight end Kyle Rudolph was hardly able to make anything happen because he was getting covered by veteran LB Brian Urlacher for most of the game (out of character: You do NOT want to throw it to Urlacher with the sliders I'm using. The guy is a pick machine), so Percy Harvin was pretty much her only solid option.

Both offenses struggled in the first quarter, until the Vikings finally managed to stage a good drive, with Hope Turner using a great fake to draw the linebackers off on 3rd & 7 to give Devine an open field on a Draw play for the touchdown. But the Bears quickly answered with a big play by Matt Forte (who struggled massively despite has great total yardage, outside of a handful of big runs, he was unable to pick up much) and a quick punch by rookie backup RB Cejay Gray for the tieing touchdown.

The Vikings running game then found some more success, eating up a lot of clock until fullback Marcel Reese (who is having a great season on his new team so far) managed to score, Hope Turner again proved to be a great game manager, not picking up huge yardage but she took great care of the ball, not turning it over and picking the safe throws, she was incredibly efficient converting 3rd downs and is showing very good vision and decision making.

It looked like the Bears might answer before halftime, driving down the field and were already almost inside the red zone and defensive end Vic So'oto knocked the ball out of Cutlers hand on yet another massive hit, and rookie safety Tiger Elliott scooped it up in an amazing display of athletic talent and quick thinking, coming in at almost full speed and not missing a step on his way straight to the endzone for his second defensive TD in his fourth NFL game.

That play right before halftime seemed a real killer for the Bears as well as the home crowd, the second half saw a much quiter Soldier Field and a Bears defense that struggled in getting the Vikings off the field, they ate up a lot of yards and clock with Devine and Gerhart in the backfield, Turner stepping up and making passes as they were needed.

But the Bears weren't quite dead yet, Forte basically willing the ball into the endzone on his own with two consecutive big plays, followed by a five yard touchdown run straight up the middle that saw him run over rookie linebacker Dea'jon Augustus. But again, the Bears simply didn't manage to get the Vikings off the field, and when they finally got them on a holding penalty that took another Devine touchdown off the board and put them on 3rd & goal from the 12, Hope Turner was right there, rolling out to extend the play and finding Harvin with a pinpoint bullet in the back of the endzone.

Afterwards, the game was pretty much decided, the Vikings again pulling Turner and many offensive starters, letting Joe Webb close out the game, both teams managed to score field goals but there was no danger of Chicago pulling some insane upset.

"Another team effort." Coach Frazier summarized the game afterwards. "Everyone was there when they were needed, that's what this game is about. We have a great team and a lot of young talent, everyone can see that. It's amazing what Jackson has done so far on defense, I can honestly tell you I do not think I have ever seen a rookie in the secondary play with his coolness, his anticipation and technique. I do not think there's a wide receiver in this league he couldn't cover." He had high praises for the young cornerback.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 4 Results

Jaguars 13 @ Ravens 24
Buccaneers 23 @ Falcons 40
Cardinals 31 @ Rams 29
Panthers 15 @ Eagles 26
Bills 17 @ Jets 20 (OT)
Cowboys 16 @ Saints 21
Patriots 27 @ Colts 22
Redskins 27 @ Browns 12
Vikings 37 @ Bears 17
Lions 25 @ Seahawks 22
Steelers 35 @ Chargers 31
Chiefs 7 @ Raiders 25
Giants 17 @ Bengals 24
Titans 20 @ Texans 21

NFC North Standings

Vikings (4-0)
Packers (2-1)
Bears (2-2)
Lions (2-2)

[awkwardmoment]

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

Great Franchise to follow! Nice to see the Vikes still have a dominating running game even after Peterson's tragic accident!

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 5: vs Seattle

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-Veteran linebacker E.J. Henderson returned to practice this week after missing the first 4 games of the season injured, but the Vikings have decided not to rush him back.

"Mark (Herzlich) has played well at the position, that does not mean we don't want E.J. back, but we want to make sure he's at 100%." Coach Frazier said in a press conference, indicating that Herzlich and Henderson might share the load in the upcoming games.

-The matchup this week couldn't be a bigger mismatch. On the one side, the hot team of the hour, the undefeated Minnesota Vikings with rookies Jackson Bell and Tiger Elliott having a huge impact on the field, on the other hand the Seattle Seahawks that have yet to win a game and where no rookies at all have even made the starting lineup so far. Still, the Vikings are determined not to take their opponent likely. "Yeah, they haven't been very lucky so far" Running back Noel Devine told reporters. "But guys like Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch are always good for a lucky punch if you're not careful, so we need to remain focused."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-The Oakland Raiders continue to impress, cruising to a 4-0 record and knocking off the Falcons, Giants and Saints on the way there, it's safe to say that they are the surprise team of the season so far, together with the Vikings, of course.

-It has been a slow week injury-wise, with no key starters suffering long-term injuries around the league. The Seahawks are missing wide receiver Mike Williams with a partial ACL tear for Sunday, but otherwise, both teams are pretty close to full strength.

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
Oct 7, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Seattle Seahawks (0-5)	0	3	7	20	30
Minnesota Vikings (5-0)	7	21	3	24	55

Team Stats Comparison
	SEA	MIN
Total Offense	464	525
Rushing Yards	120	370
Passing Yards	344	155
First Downs	18	13
Punt Return Yards	0	43
Kick Return Yards	0	123
Total Yards	464	691
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	5-13	4-9
4th Down Conversion	0-2	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1-3	3/0-3
Penalties	1-5	0-0
Posession Time	21:49	22:11

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		SEA	MIN
4:15	(MIN) M. Reece, 3 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SEA	MIN
7:52	(SEA) B. Campbell, 38 Yd FG	3	7
7:37	(MIN) N. Devine, 71 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	3	14
3:18	(MIN) N. Devine, 16 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	3	21
0:26	(MIN) T. Gerhart, 2 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	3	28
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SEA	MIN
6:31	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 50 Yd FG	3	31
3:08	(SEA) T. Jackson, 19 Yd run (B. Campbell)	10	31
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SEA	MIN
9:43	(SEA) M. Lynch, 2 Yd run (B. Campbell)	17	31
8:14	(MIN) N. Devine, 62 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	17	38
3:25	(SEA) T. Austin 74 Yd pass from C. Whitehurst (B. Campbell)	24	38
1:54	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 49 Yd FG	24	41
0:53	(MIN) T. Gerhart, 62 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	24	48
0:28	(SEA) D. Baldwin 57 Yd pass from T. Jackson (2 pt conversion failed, M. Lynch run)	30	48
0:13	(MIN) E. Gilbert, 77 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	30	55

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Jackson 18/30 317 1 0 C. Whitehurst 1/1 74 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD M. Lynch 19 66 3.4 1 T. Jackson 3 26 8.6 1 J. Forsett 3 18 6.0 0 S. Rice 1 10 10.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD T. Austin 5 99 19.8 1 D. Baldwin 5 120 24.0 1 G. Tate 3 112 37.3 0 Z. Miller 2 22 11.0 0 T. Burrell 1 10 10.0 0 S. Rice 1 14 14.0 0 J. Keys 1 15 15.0 0 M. Lynch 1 -1 -1.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG B. Campbell 1/1 3/3 6 39 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Ryan 4 184 46.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 10/16 157 0 1 J. Webb 1/2 8 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 15 195 12.9 3 T. Gerhart 6 80 13.3 2 M. Reece 5 8 1.6 1 H. Turner 3 10 3.3 0 E. Gilbert 1 77 77.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 80 13.3 0 K. Rudolph 3 55 18.3 0 R. Norton 1 22 22.0 0 N. Devine 1 8 8.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 2/2 7/7 13 51 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 1 51 51.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 5 121 24.2 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 3 43 14.3 0

When the league's dominating rushing attack meets the worst run defense, hilarity ensues. At least, if you were a Vikings fan last Sunday, the result was pretty hilarious.

The Vikings again started out a bit slow, as they have done often, they needed a drive or two to get into a rhythm, but when they did, they were completely unstoppable. It looked as if the Seahawks would manage to keep the game close when safety Earl Thomas picked off Hope Turner on a pretty accurate pass on 3rd & long, but the young safety made an athletic move to beat receiver Percy Harvin to the ball. But the Vikings defense held them to a FG, with rookie corner Jackson Bell pretty much erasing Sidney Rice almost all game long. With Mike Williams out, this allowed rookie backup slot receiver Tyler Austin to have a huge game, Austin, Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate consistently escaped coverage and brought in catches especially late in the game.

Noel Devine ran over the Seahawks at will in the second quarter, picking up huge gains on the ground and scoring twice on big plays, and the defense continued to shut down Seattle almost completely in the quarter, and when Toby Gerhart put up yet another touchdown before halftime, this one looked like it was pretty much over.

The Vikings played things a bit softer in the second half, running down the clock and keeping the Seahawks contained, allowing quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to give his team a spark of hope when he scrambled for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw a lot of crazy shenanigans, the Vikings secondary somehow could not manage to cover the deep ball anymore, allowing huge completions all over the board and the Seahawks to score three more touchdowns in short order, but it was no use since their own defense was completely gassed and unable to stop the Vikings in any meaningful way. Even after backup QB Joe Webb entered the game in relief of Turner with his team up by 28 and tossed a pick on his first passing attempt, the Seahawks didn't manage to turn it around, they scored, but didn't manage to recover the ensuing onside kick, and Toby Gerhart simply ran over two defenders on a simple inside handoff to run out the clock, turning the simple dive play into a huge touchdown run.

The Seahawks managed to go deep yet again, but with less then 30 seconds on the clock, it was no good, they kicked the ball deep and again, the Vikings didn't do anything but hand the ball off to third-string RB Ego Gilbert (who had a good game returning punts, showing quickness and good moves even though Seahawks punter Jon Ryan pinned him deep several times) who broke a tackle for yet another huge TD run.

"I know we're starting to sound like a broken record." Running back Noel Devine (who was voted NFL offensive player of the week) told reporters after the game. "But we really were not trying to run up the score. We had our backups in there, and I guess the coach wanted to see what they can do, I mean, those were inside running plays, it's not like we were airing it out or something. I think no one was more surprised than Toby and Ego when they were suddenly running free downfield."

With the Raiders falling at home to the Panthers, the Vikings are now the only undefeated team in the NFL.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 5 Results

Browns 20 @ Ravens 21
Cardinals 17 @ Dolphins 14
Chargers 20 @ Chiefs 27
Packers 21 @ Bears 17
Steelers 30 @ Giants 17
Texans 9 @ Bills 20
49ers 6 @ Rams 24
Broncos 16 @ Buccaneers 21
Falcons 17 @ Saints 27
Raiders 40 @ Panthers 44
Eagles 24 @ Cowboys 22
Titans 14 @ Bengals 20
Seahawks 30 @ Vikings 55
Lions 3 @ Colts 16

NFC North Standings

Vikings (5-0)
Packers (3-1)
Bears (2-3)
Lions (2-3)

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 6: vs Detroit

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-With E.J. Henderson slowly getting back into the lineup, sophomore backup Mark Herzlich has visibly begun to fight for his position, drawing praise from the coaches. "Mark is a great, young player, and we're glad to have him on our team. E.J. remains the starter, and if he's healthy, he'll play, but I can tell you that Mark will definitely get his snaps." Coach Frazier told the press during the week.

-Even though their record is only a disappointing 2-3, the upcoming test against the defending Super Bowl champions is considered by many to be the toughest yet for Minnesota. But rookie start CB Jackson Bell as always remained positive. "Do I respect Megatron? Who doesn't?" He told reporters after a practice on wednesday. "But am I afraid of him? No way, the only way you can go out there and play is to tell yourself "This guy isn't gonna get past me", and if I have anything to say about it, he won't."

-While many point to Hope Turner, and it's true that the 22 year old Columbia graduate has done an admirable job of managing the Vikings and calling the signals, the true success story of this team is Noel Devine. The sophomore running back, who went undrafted last year, right now leads the NFL in every meaningful rushing statistic, with a staggering 9.7 YPC and over 150 yards per game so far.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-Last week has seen four major injuries, for the Cardinals Daryl Washington (PCL), the 49ers Aldon Smith (tricep), the Dolphins Brian Hartline (hip) and the Steelers Lamarr Woodley (elbow), the season is over. It's an especially tough blow to the Steelers, who are already missing fellow LB Lawrence Timmons injured as well as star safety Troy Polamalu on IR.

-The Lions are missing three key players as well, DT Ndamukong Suh (ACL), OLB Jason Durant (tricep) and CB Nate Clements (broken tailbone) are all out for the long term, so their defense may have a hard time trying to shut down the Vikings red-hot attack.

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Oct 14, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit Lions (2-4)	3	0	0	0	3
Minnesota Vikings (6-0)	0	17	10	5	32

Team Stats Comparison
	DET	MIN
Total Offense	132	281
Rushing Yards	93	132
Passing Yards	39	149
First Downs	8	17
Punt Return Yards	16	59
Kick Return Yards	0	37
Total Yards	148	377
Turnovers	4	4
3rd Down Converstion	3-12	9-15
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/1-1	1/3-5
Penalties	1-10	1-10
Posession Time	15:44	28:16

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DET	MIN
6:13	(DET) R. Longwell, 41 Yd FG	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DET	MIN
7:47	(MIN) P. Harvin 10 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	3	7
6:56	(MIN) J. Bell, returned Interception 47 Yds (S. Janikowski)	3	14
1:51	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 21 Yd FG	3	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DET	MIN
5:49	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 26 Yd FG	3	20
1:39	(MIN) K. Williams, returned fumble 35 Yds (S. Janikowski)	3	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DET	MIN
3:37	(MIN) Team Safety	3	29
0:00	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 26 Yd FG	3	32

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Stafford 10/23 74 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Best 14 39 2.7 0 M. Stafford 4 47 11.7 0 K. Smith 2 2 1.0 0 C. Johnson Jr. 1 5 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD B. Pettigrew 4 18 4.5 0 T. Young 2 17 8.5 0 N. Burleson 1 16 16.0 0 A. Jenkins 1 3 3.0 0 J. Jackson 1 7 7.0 0 C. Johnson Jr. 1 13 13.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 1/1 0/0 3 42 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B. Graham 5 210 42.0 1 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N. Burleson 2 16 8.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 12/25 121 1 4 J. Webb 2/4 59 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 19 95 5.0 0 M. Reece 4 10 2.5 0 T. Gerhart 4 7 1.7 0 H. Turner 2 18 9.0 0 J. Webb 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 5 112 22.4 1 M. Reece 3 -4 -1.3 0 K. Rudolph 3 37 12.3 0 R. Norton 2 32 16.0 0 V. Shiancoe 1 3 3.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 3/3 3/3 12 27 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 83 41.5 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 1 19 19.0 0 P. Harvin 1 18 18.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 4 59 14.7 0

Sometimes, things don't turn out quite as you expect them to. The game began with a huge announcement that linebacker E.J. Henderson had been traded to the Arizona Cardinals for their third-round picks in the next two drafts. Coach Fraziers had announced that Henderson remained the teams starter only days ago, but with Mark Herzlich playing very solid in relief of the injured veteran, the front office decided to stick with the younger player. The Cardinals were desperate for depth at LB since starting ILB Daryl Washington was put in IR last week, and they wanted to defend their lead in the NFC West.

Many people expected this game to be a shootout, but it wasn't quite like that. It turned out to become a game that both quarterbacks would most likely want to forget soon, with Matthew Stafford and Hope Turner combining for no less then 7 interceptions, Stafford suffering a strip-sack as well.

Neither offense could do much for vast stretches of the game, the Vikings found some success on the ground, but not enough to keep drives going, while the Lions were completely unable to do anything, their only points came off a turnover that left them already in field goal range.

Jackson Bell made true on his promise, with the rookie holding Calvin Johnson to only one catch and 12 yards, and not only that, picking off a Stafford pass in the second quarter and taking it home for his very first interception as well as his first TD. Mark Herzlich also proved that the trust the franchise put in him was well deserved, coming up with his third pick of the season, but unfortunately, he had to leave the game later with what turned out to be a torn shoulder labrum, he is expected to miss at least some games so the Vikings have suddenly become pretty thin at LB, with backup Jovan Belcher coming into the game, doing a solid job in relief of Herzlich.

There really wasn't much more to say, the Vikings shut down the Lions on pretty much every level, ran the ball enough to get into position to score and had just enough success on a couple of good passes to blow the Lions out. When sophomore DE Vic So'oto finally sacked Matthew Stafford for a safety late in the game, it didn't change anything about what everyone already knew, the Lions were simply outclassed in this matchup.

"I can't thank our guys on defense enough for this." Hope Turner told reporters in the postgame press conference. "I mean I sucked a-... let's just say I sacked a LOT tonight, I have no excuses to make for myself. But Tiger, Jackson, I mean can what can you say about a guy doing what he does every week? But also Chad, Kevin, Vic... the way they have stepped up tonight, have done it all year, just wow. And of course Mark, too, I really hope we get him back soon."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 6 Results

Bears 17 @ Texans 34
Seahawks 7 @ Packers 16
Giants 20 @ Cowboys 45
Rams 17 @ Jets 28
Saints 41 @ Eagles 31
Colts 20 @ Bills 23
Jaguars 12 @ Titans 19
Falcons 20 @ Buccaneers 23 (OT)
Steelers 31 @ Broncos 27
Lions 3 @ Vikings 32
Raiders 38 @ Chiefs 24
Dolphins 14 @ 49ers 34
Ravens 23 @ Redskins 34
Patriots 16 @ Cardinals 19

NFC North Standings

Vikings (6-0)
Packers (4-1)
Bears (2-4)
Lions (2-4)

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 7: at NYG

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-As has been stated last week, E.J. Henderson is no longer a Viking. The veteran linebacker had missed all of the season so far due to an injury, and when he came back, he found his starting spot taken by Mark Herzlich. With the Cardinals in desperate search for a new ILB after losing Daryl Washington to injury, the front office decided they felt comfortable enough moving forward with Herzlich to trade Henderson for a couple of 3rd round picks.

Of course, things didn't work out quite like the Vikings had hoped, even if Herzlich came away with a pick (his third of the season) against the Lions, but later suffered a shoulder injury and is expected to be out for at least a couple of weeks. Fortunately, the Vikings have a bye in two weeks so he'll only be missing those two games. Backup Jovan Belcher, who has been picked up during the preseason will start, and the Vikings are expected to activate a player from the practice squad or add depth in some other way for those games.

-Hope Turner has been stepping up intensity in practice. After having a horrible 4 pick performance last sunday, even though the defense carried the team to a comfortable blowout win, she is trying to improve her accuracy and decision-making on the field.

"I mean, I'm glad I didn't lose us the game last week", she told reporters. "But I easily could have. And that's not something I can afford to do. I know I got a lot to learn about how to play in this league, so I better get going."

Jackson Bell and Tiger Elliott, the two rookies in the Vikings secondary, meanwhile, continue to have amazing seasons, with many analysts going so far as to suggest Bell has had the best season of any CB in the league so far. He will get a chance to match up against Hakeem Nicks in this weeks game against the Giants.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-After six weeks, there are still two winless teams in the NFL, the Browns and the Seahawks are struggling on every level, and it looks as if the time of Colt McCoy and Tarvaris Jackson as starting QBs in this league may well be over after this season.

-Close on the Vikings heels are the Raiders, Steelers, Buccaneers and Cardinals, all at 5-1 and leading their respective divisions. Especially the Raiders success comes as a huge surprise to many, after their last disappointing season ended in a complete locker room meltdown that led to several veterans not extending their contracts and coaches being fired. But the team has stabilized this year with Jason Campbell having a career year so far with career bests in passer rating, TD/INT ratio and yards per game.

-No week without an injury report. The Jaguars WR Mike Thomas (tricep), Seahawks LT Russell Okung (ankle) and the Cardinals DE Calais Campbell have all been placed on season ending IR. The Giants, meanwhile, are getting thin in their interior Dline, with defensive tackles Anthony Adams, Linval Joseph and Chris Canty all out injured for the contest.

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
Oct 21,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (7-0)	10	7	0	10	27
New York Giants (2-5)	0	0	0	3	3

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	NYG
Total Offense	409	247
Rushing Yards	271	30
Passing Yards	138	217
First Downs	23	10
Punt Return Yards	20	0
Kick Return Yards	45	72
Total Yards	474	319
Turnovers	3	3
3rd Down Converstion	6-11	1-8
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/1-4	0/0-1
Penalties	2-9	2-15
Posession Time	30:40	13:20

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	NYG
5:28	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	7	0
2:39	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 25 Yd FG	10	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	NYG
0:33	(MIN) M. Reece, 7 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	17	0
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	NYG
8:01	(NYG) C. Barth, 46 Yd FG	17	3
5:11	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 47 Yd FG	20	3
2:13	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	27	3

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 10/18 147 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 20 102 5.1 0 T. Gerhart 9 57 6.3 0 M. Reece 7 48 6.8 1 H. Turner 5 17 3.4 2 E. Gilbert 4 47 11.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 5 75 15.0 0 K. Rudolph 3 56 18.6 0 R. Norton 1 19 19.0 0 N. Devine 1 -3 -3.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 2/2 3/3 9 48 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 1 55 55.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 45 22.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 3 20 6.6 0

New York Giants PASSING C/A YDS TD INT E. Manning 16/29 239 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD I. Ingham 8 31 3.8 0 A. Bradshaw 1 -1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Morgan 5 86 17.2 0 V. Cruz 3 56 18.6 0 J. Ballard 3 22 7.3 0 C. Watkins 2 7 3.5 0 H. Nicks 2 63 31.5 0 A. Bradshaw 1 5 5.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG C. Barth 1/2 0/0 3 47 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 R. Malone 4 159 39.7 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD V. Cruz 2 49 24.5 0 A. Rolle 1 23 23.0 0

For everyone not yet worried about these Vikings, maybe now is the time to start worrying. They came into New York and out again with the win, and again, it wasn't even close.

The game was played in a constant downpour of rain that didn't help either quarterback, and predictably, both Hope Turner and Eli Manning struggled to throw the ball with any kind of precision. Both were picked off three times, so despite her efforts to improve, it is safe to say that right now, their girl under center remains a weakness for the Vikings. But if your defense can step up and keep your opponents to 3 points, that's a weakness you can probably afford.

It didn't help that the Giants lost running back Ahmad Bradshaw to an injury after his second touch of the game, backup rookie Isaac Ingham played a solid game but couldn't really help much, especially since his team played from behind constantly.

There really isn't much to say about more than three quarters of the game, it was business as usual for the Vikings, shut down the opponent's offense and run, run, run the ball to keep it away from them and tire out their defense, and it worked yet again like a charm. Jackson Bell again give up only one completion to Hakeem Nicks for 11 yards, shutting down his assigned receiver all game long and even coming away with another interception this week.

Hope Turner didn't score through the air, but had two TDs on her patented sneak move. But it wasn't all roses and unicorns for the Vikings, as running back Toby Gerhart had to be carted off after taking a vicious hit late in the game, he did not regain consciousness on the field and was delivered to the nearest hospital, where he has not been released since and officials refuse to comment on the nature of his injury, just stating that his current state was "critical".

Since everonye was understandably concerned about their fellow teammates, no interviews were given after the game, with the team deciding that they wanted to wait until more was known about the injury before speaking to the press.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 7 Results

Colts 17 @ Packers 23
Buccaneers 13 @ Bears 16
Vikings 27 @ Giants 3
Chiefs 16 @ Steelers 24
Dolphins 10 @ Patriots 37
Panthers 33 @ Redskins 30
Cowboys 42 @ Bengals 38
Cardinals 10 @ 49ers 34
Jaguars 24 @ Texans 10
Titans 20 @ Lions 27
Broncos 27 @ Falcons 20
Saints 10 @ Chargers 24
Jets 20 @ Bills 28
Raiders 17 @ Browns 3

NFC North Standings

Vikings (7-0)
Packers (5-1)
Bears (3-4)
Lions (3-4)

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 8: at St. Louis

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-Toby Gerhart will never play football again. News coming out of Minnesota and the New York hospital where the running back was brought after suffering a tough hit by rookie Giants linebacker Tequan Greene in the closing minutes of last Sundays game.

Gerhart was unconcious and his state was only described as "critical", but during the week, more shocking details surfaced. On wednesday, Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier took the podium on a press conference, declaring that it had been confirmed that Gerhart suffered an injury to his vertebrae. "His state was potentially life-threatening when he was delivered to the hospital, which is why we refused to comment on the situation I hope you all understand that, but he is no longer in critical condition." He explained.

He went on to explain more about the nature of the injury, but the essence is that Gerhart is right now paralyzed from the waist down, there is some hope that with therapy, he may regain some use of his legs, but it is too early to say anything conclusive.

This is the second time in two years that the Vikings have lost a running back to a career ending injury, after Adrian Peterson injured both his legs last summer in a car crash.

Frazier did not take questions, and not a single player has talked to the press this week, but he took the time to state that no blame for this injury was to be put on rookie Tequan Greene. "The boy did absolutely nothing wrong, he delivered a clean hit and from what we understand right now, only a combination of the direst of bad coincidences could make this kind of injury happen."

Out of respect for Toby Gerhart, we will refrain from making any kind of jokes about how the recent shelf life of Vikings running backs is getting more and more comparable to that of Spinal Tap drummers.

(yes, Gerhart REALLY suffered a fractured vertebrae, I'm not making this **** up this time)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-It has been a week of a few changes along the league. After starter Blaine Gabbert suffered a minor injury to his throwing hand that will keep him sidelined for a few weeks, the Jaguars have brought in veteran free agent Matt Hasselbeck to stand in for him, and the Seahawks, after 6 straight losses, have finally seen enough of Tarvaris Jackson as a starter, signing Chad Henne to close out the season for them.

-Concerning their next opponents, the Rams are missing CB Eric Wright (jaw), WR Danny Amendola (bicep) and rookie RT Gavin Anderson (arm) for this weeks contest.

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
Oct 28, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (7-1)	0	0	0	0	0
St. Louis Rams (3-4)	6	10	3	7	26

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	STL
Total Offense	133	252
Rushing Yards	31	166
Passing Yards	102	86
First Downs	9	15
Punt Return Yards	39	3
Kick Return Yards	150	0
Total Yards	322	255
Turnovers	8	3
3rd Down Converstion	5-10	6-14
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0-0	1/3-6
Penalties	3-30	1-15
Posession Time	16:55	23:58

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	STL
5:21	(STL) J. Brown, 22 Yd FG	0	3
0:02	(STL) J. Brown, 31 Yd FG	0	6
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	STL
9:09	(STL) J. Brown, 33 Yd FG	0	9
0:21	(STL) D. Alexander 11 Yd pass from S. Bradford (J. Brown)	0	16
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	STL
3:29	(STL) J. Brown, 38 Yd FG	0	19
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	STL
10:50	(STL) J. Laurinaitis, returned interception 25 Yds (J. Brown)	0	26

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 10/24 147 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 14 33 2.3 0 M. Reece 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 7 112 15.9 0 N. Devine 1 9 9.0 0 K. Rudolph 1 13 13.0 0 E. Arceneaux 1 13 13.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 0/1 0/0 0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 3 148 49.3 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 6 150 25.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 39 19.5 0

St. Louis Rams PASSING C/A YDS TD INT S. Bradford 14/27 103 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S. Jackson 25 140 5.6 0 S. Bradford 7 24 3.4 0 S. Waters 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD S. Jackson 3 9 3.0 0 B. Lloyd 3 23 7.6 0 M. Clayton 3 12 4.0 0 L. Kendricks 2 26 13.0 0 D. Alexander 1 12 12.0 0 M. Hedgecock 1 10 10.0 0 S. Waters 1 11 11.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG J. Brown 4/4 2/2 14 39 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 D. Jones 3 144 48.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Jenkins 1 3 3.0 0

The 7 game win streak of the Minnesota Vikings came to an end in an offensive implosion of epic proportion.

In light of the catastrophic career ending injury to running back Toby Gerhart last week, the players refused to talk to the press before the game, giving only a pregame message to greet their teammate and wish him well for his recovery, but as soon as the ball kicked off, it was obvious that this was not the same team that had run to a league-leading 7-0 record in the last two months. The team had signed free agent Tim Hightower to replace Gerhart, but he did not play a meaningful number of snaps in this contest.

It was painful to watch the Vikings offense in this game, they had turned the ball over twice before they even picked up a first down, and finished the game with a whopping 8 turnovers (3 turnovers, 5 fumbles) and were shut out by the Rams. The Vikings defense still played a good game, shutting down most of the Rams receiving corps and at least keeping Stephen Jackson out of the endzone, but it was no use. Even when practice squad linebacker Vidal Wells, a 7th round draft pick who had been activated for this game, picked off Sam Bradford in the endzone, it didn't help a lot. Whenever it looked like the Vikings might pick up points, bad things happend.

Hope Turner, who was sacked no less than 7 times in this contest, was awful, missing receivers all game long, but she wasn't alone, her line consistently blew assignments and let rushers get in unblocked, Noel Devine showed no explosion whatsoever and backup running back Ego Gilbert didn't fare much better, both of them fumbled the ball away once in scoring position, 2 of Turner's 3 picks came inside the red zone.

It would be hard to pick out one point that broke the Vikings back (absolutely no pun intended), because they failed to score on every level. When Hope Turner didn't throw an interception, it was Percy Harvin (who was the only Viking on offense to have an even remotely adequate game) fumbling the ball away on the 1 yard line, Sebastian Janikowski missing a 52 yard field goal (his very first miss this year), and to top it off, returner Marcus Sherels (who had returned to the lineup after missing most of the season injured, taking over kickoff return duties from Ego Gilbert) actually took second half kickoff back for 102 yards when the Vikings were only down 16-0, but was called back for a clipping penalty that didn't even actually affect the return. Another rushing touchdown by Devine was taken off the board by a holding call.

"We sucked today" Hope Turner was the only offensive player to face the press after the game, announcing her opinion in her usual, blunt manner. "We sucked so hard the words I really don't want to blow up your bleeping sounds trying to describe it in any more detail, so I won't. There's no excuse for what happened, no one on this offense is getting off the hook, because our fans deserve better than what we've done today."

The Vikings have their bye week coming up, and it's probably safe to say that there's hardly a team in the NFL that can use it better right now.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 8 Results

Jaguars 24 @ Patriots 19
Colts 16 @ Titans 34
Bengals 9 @ Ravens 45
Vikings 0 @ Rams 26
Redskins 17 @ Buccaneers 9
Lions 36 @ Bears 37
Jets 20 @ Dolphins 17 (OT)
Browns 3 @ Broncos 20
Packers 20 @ 49ers 15
Chargers 10 @ Raiders 31
Eagles 34 @ Giants 24
Seahawks 26 @ Cardinals 22
Falcons 28 @ Panthers 42

NFC North Standings

Vikings (7-1)
Packers (6-1)
Bears (4-4)
Lions (3-5)

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 9: Bye

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-A lot of silence still coming out of Minnesota. The players have collectively refused going on vacation on their CBA-mandated free days in the bye week, instead coming together in New York with Hope Turner to practice at her old high school and to visit Toby Gerhart.

"We needed this." Turner told reporters during the event at her old school where the media was allowed to watch some of practices, but there were no other interviews allowed. "I'm not big into religion, I gotta admit, but what happened to Toby... I'm not saying that it showed us our hubris or anything like that, but it showed us our limits. Maybe we took things a bit too easy the last couple weeks, cruising from win to win, and maybe we took em a bit too hard against the Rams, we have to rediscover our balance, and I think we've taken a step towards that goal this week."

-Linebacker Mark Herzlich is back in the lineup after recovering from his own injury, and is expected to start against the Packers at Lambeau Field next week. Herzlich, who suffered from bone cancer in college but managed to fight it, has also visited Gerhart in the hospital in New York, but refused to comment on what he told his teammate.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-More quarterback shakeups around the league. The New York Jets, after losing Mark Sanchez to an injury in training (he is expected to miss most of the regular season), did not catch a break last week when backup Greg McElroy had to leave the game as well with an elbow injury after throwing for 2 TDs in the first quarter. Undrafted rookie Avius Stewart took the field and after going 3/3, he too was carted off with a concussion. With no backups left, punter Sav Rocca was the one who actually managed to do the impossible, even though he went only 5/18 for 88 yards, he managed to help his team win the game in overtime. After this disastrous game, the Jets have signed free agent Matt Moore to start while Sanchez is injured.

Maybe it was a bit premature to claim that we've finally seen enough of Tarvaris Jackson. Only a single week after the Seahawks signed Chad Henne to replace him and actually scoring their first season win with him, the former Dolphin suffered a torn PCL and will most likely miss the rest of the regular season, so Jackson will again have to start for Seattle.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 9 Results

Lions 21 @ Redskins 28
Bengals 9 @ Chiefs 21
Ravens 7 @ Browns 21
Patriots 24 @ Texans 31
Eagles 19 @ Steelers 16
Saints 24 @ Panthers 27
Packers 38 @ Jaguars 24
Dolphins 15 @ Bills 31
Chargers 24 @ Broncos 31
Rams 31 @ Seahawks 28
Cowboys 12 @ Cardinals 20
Raiders 10 @ Colts 28
49ers 6 @ Jets 19

NFC North Standings

Vikings (7-1)
Packers (7-1)
Bears (4-4)
Lions (3-6)

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 10: at Green Bay

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vikings News

-The battle for control of the NFC North is just about to start, and the Vikings seem to have lost a lot of momentum. With both Green Bay and them sharing a 7-1 record, their matchups might hold a lot of weight considering the tiebreaking scenarios at the end of the season.

"We are back, we are focused, we can do this." Those were the words quarterback Hope Turner used to describe the attitude of her team concerning this game. "For everything else, just watch the game... we'll see what happens."

There seem to have been some shakeups among the offensive line that gave up a ton of sacks against the Rams, with rookies Brandon Turner and Drake Dinwiddie expecting to see some snaps on the left side, which means that veteran Steve Hutchinson may well start te game on the bench. Hutchinson is in a contract year, and a benching at this point may well mean the 34 year old guard will not be back next season.

-Less changes on the defensive side of the ball, but there doesn't seem to be much need for it, either. Mark Herzlich returns to the lineup at MLB and is expected to start the game, but other than that, the solid unit remains unchanged, with rookie phenomenon Jackson Bell expected to try and shut down Greg Jenning.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around the League

-After more than half the season is done, it's time to take a first look at the Pro Bowl votings and other awards. The Vikings have quite some players on the NFC roster right now, with Noel Devine second to only the Rams Stephen Jackson at HB, Marcel Reece leading the race at FB and of course Percy Harvin showing a very strong season at WR.

On the defensive side, unsurprisingly, the dominant Vikings are defensive endes Jared Allen and Vic So'oto, who are both on track to improve yet again on last seasons sack record. Tiger Elliott is the only rookie on the roster, and a lot of people have been shocked about the exclusion of Jackson Bell. "Maybe it's because he doesn't have as many big plays as some of the other corners." Coach Frazier assumed about the situation. "To me, it just shows what kind of dominant player he is, considering teams aren't even trying to throw it his way most of the time."

Considering the yearly NFL awards, defensive end Vic So'oto is actually leading the league in MVP voting right now, which just goes to show how dominant this defensive stop unit has played so far. Tiger Elliott is high up in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year, the safety being a great addition in both the run and pass defense to the team and already scoring 2 defensive touchdowns, he actually may have a shot at the Best DB award as well. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski also seems on track to be honored as the best placekicker, his miss against the Rams two weeks ago being the first this season.

[TheDelta]

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Nov 12, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (8-1)	3	10	11	14	38
Green Bay Packers (7-2)	7	3	17	7	34

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	GNB
Total Offense	278	415
Rushing Yards	153	267
Passing Yards	125	148
First Downs	15	20
Punt Return Yards	0	4
Kick Return Yards	174	0
Total Yards	452	419
Turnovers	3	3
3rd Down Converstion	4-11	7-14
4th Down Conversion	1-2	0-1
2-Point Conversion	1-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/2-6	1/1-2
Penalties	2-20	1-15
Posession Time	19:07	24:53

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	GNB
6:56	(GNB) E. Walden, returned fumble 16 Yds (M. Crosby)	0	7
0:04	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 34 Yd FG	3	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	GNB
4:39	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 55 Yd FG	6	7
1:35	(GNB) M. Crosby, 55 Yd FG, 1:35	6	10
0:25	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	13	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	GNB
8:29	(GNB) M. Crosby, 23 Yd FG	13	13
5:27	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 34 Yd FG	16	13
1:37	(GNB) J. Starks, 13 Yd run (M. Crosby)	16	20
1:31	(GNB) C. Hope, returned fumble 19 Yds (M. Crosby)	16	27
0:00	(GNB) T. Elliott, returned fumble 75 Yds (2pt-conversion, H. Turner run)	24	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	GNB
7:19	(GNB) M. Sherels, returned interception 74 Yds (S. Janikowski)	31	27
7:06	(GNB) A. Green, 80 Yd run (M. Crosby)	31	34
0:40	(MIN) N. Devine, 9 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	38	34

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 10/15 143 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 24 137 5.7 1 H. Turner 3 9 3.0 1 T. Hightower 2 5 2.5 0 M. Reece 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 79 13.1 0 N. Devine 2 29 14.5 0 K. Rudolph 2 35 17.5 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 3/3 3/3 12 55 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 1 51 51.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 5 129 25.8 0 E. Gilber 2 45 22.5 0

Green Bay Packers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT A. Rodgers 18/30 207 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Starks 18 140 7.7 1 A. Rodgers 4 47 11.7 0 A. Green 1 80 80.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD R. Cobb 5 55 11.0 0 J. Nelson 4 71 17.7 0 G. Jennings 4 35 8.7 0 J. Finley 4 40 10.0 0 T. Gurley 1 6 6.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG M. Crosby 2/3 4/4 10 55 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 T. Masthay 2 77 38.5 1 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD R. Cobb 1 4 4.0 0

For anyone who thought the Vikings had lost their fight, this game was proof to the contrary. In a tough matchup that went down to the wire, the Vikings managed to get a win in Green Bay and take back control of the NFC North.

The game didn't start out as the Vikings had hoped, not only did their offense stall on their first drive, on the second one, when Hope Turner fumbled the ball away after getting sacked on the first snap, and it was returned for a touchdown by the Green Bay defense, it looked like the events of two weeks ago might repeat themselves. But the Vikings fought back, overcame another fumble by Noel Devine that Turner herself managed to cover up and finally put some points on the board.

The game went back and forth, with the Packers offense marching down the field pretty much at will, but often stalling when they reached scoring position, Jackson Bell had another very solid outing, shutting down Greg Jennings for most of the matchup, but it wasn't enough, as Aaron Rodgers could simply spread the ball around as both Chris Cook and Fabian Washington struggled in coverage.

It looked like the Packers would take a 4 point lead into halftime when they kicked a FG with only about 90 seconds left on the clock, but Hope Turner would have none of it, connecting with her usual targets to drive down the field and finally found the endzone on the screen pass to Noel Devine that for some reason was marked down inside the 1 yard line, even though the ball clearly broke the plane before Devine stepped out of bounds, for some reason the referee refused to overturn the call, but Hope Turner put it in herself on the next play on a sneak to give her team the lead on halftime.

The third quarter saw another exchange of field goals, as both teams managed to move the ball between the 20s but not much further, until Starks finally broke out of the backfield for a 13 yard touchdown run to take the Packers up by 4. To make matters worse, returner Marcus Sherels fumbled the ensuing kickoff which lead to another Green Bay return TD. Now suddenly down by 2 scores when they had been in the lead only seconds ago, Turner missed a wide open Kyle Rudolph on third down and the Vikings had to punt.

It was rookie safety Tiger Elliott who brought his team back, knocking the ball out of Jermichael Finleys hand and recovering it himself to take it back over 70 yards for his third touchdown this season.

But Green Bay was far from out of it, still in the lead, Aaron Rodgers, even though facing constant pressure from the best defensive ends in football, set up a great drive, converting several key third downs until a clear fumble inside the 20 by Starks was for some reason overturned even though the replay showed nothing to overturn it, but the Vikings didn't have to wait long, on the very next play, Aaron Rodgers did not see Marcus Sherels undercutting a slant route and the defensive back made good for his earlier fumble, showing his return skills on his way to yet another defensive touchdown for the Vikings.

The Vikings sheers were cut short very suddenly, though, because on the very first play after the ensuing kickoff, backup RB Alex Green broke no less than three tackles to take the ball 80 yard down the field and his team back up by 3. But the drive stalled after a crucial holding penalty on rookie guard Drake Dinwiddie inside the Green Bay half, and the Vikings were stopped on fourth down.

The Packers managed to eat up a lot of clock on the ensuing drive, but did not score as Aaron Rodgers was sacked on two consecutive plays to take them out of field goal range and so they had to punt, giving Hope Turner a little over 2 minutes and 2 timeouts.

Turner again proved to be a very capable game manager, hitting Harvin two times in key situations, but the glory is on Noel Devine. The sophomore running back, leading the NFL in rushing, simply ran over a tired Green Bay defensive front that did expect more of a passing attack, and with a decisive no-huddle, power running drive, the Vikings managed to get inside the Green Bay 10 yard line with less than 60 seconds on the clock. On the next play, Devine just plowed through up the middle for the score, but leaving 40 seconds on the clock for Aaron Rodgers and the pack.

Rodgers did manage to get his team right into Vikings territory but with only seconds left and no timeouts, he had no chance but to settle for three hail mary attempts, none of which connected so the Vikings held on to their lead.

"It wasn't pretty, but we'll take it." An exhausted Hope Turner, who got sacked 5 times during the game, told reporters afterwards. "There's a whole lot we still have to work on, I can't explain to you what happened to our ball security but of course that has to get better. But we showed up today, we did what we had to and we won, that's what this game is about, right?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Week 10 Results

Cowboys 21 @ Panthers 28
Titans 23 @ Bears 27
Giants 17 @ Eagles 10
Buccaneers 20 @ Saints 21
Falcons 6 @ Chiefs 27
Broncos 31 @ Bengals 17
Patriots 3 @ Dolphins 10
Vikings 38 @ Packers 34
Bills 23 @ Rams 20 (OT)
Chargers 17 @ Ravens 20 (OT)
Browns 9 @ Jets 10
Texans 30 @ Jaguars 13
Seahawks 17 @ 49ers 20
Redskins 38 @ Steelers 39

NFC North Standings

Vikings (8-1)
Packers (7-2)
Bears (5-4)
Lions (3-6)