The Evolution of the Forward Pass

The Minnesota Vikings are doing something that has not been done in the NFL for a long, ne, for a very VERY long time. They have forgotten how to effectively use the forward pass. The Vikings possess arguably the best running back the league has seen over the past decade. Defenses will put 8 or 9 guys up near the line ("in the box" if I was to use NFL-speak) to try and stop Peterson to no avail. The advantages that gives the Vikings to complete a forward pass is one that no other team in the league gets. With that many guys focused on stopping the run, that leaves two, maybe three guys to cover our wide receivers. This is something that should be absolutely easy to take advantage of. And for some reason, the Vikings are unable to do so. Adrian Peterson rushed for over 200 yards in the first three quarters of the game against the Green Bay Packers, and in those first three quarters, they had managed to put up an anti-prolific 53 yards passing.

Insert migraine headache here.

There are a vast majority of people putting the blame of this on Christian Ponders shoulderpad covered shoulders. And that just isn't fair. I am not saying Christian is doing a good job, by any means. But for this to be going as bad as it is, it takes an entire team to be this bad at throwing a ball down the field. It has become painfully obvious that the Vikings possess both the best WR in the game in Percy Harvin (who has missed the last few games), and the absolute worst collection of WR's the league has seen since, well, maybe ever. The Vikings Wide Receivers constantly get the benefit of one-on-one coverage, and they are unable to ever get open. And the few times they do get open, they manage to drop a pass Ponder puts right in their hands or on their numbers (maybe Ponders tendency to be inaccurate in his other passes catches them off guard when he does hit them in their hands?). Then there is also Bill Musgrave, the offensive coordinator for the Vikings. This guy has got to be able to find a way to be able to get ONE receiver open on a play once or twice a game, no? Send the receivers in motion, run them off picks, something has got to pop into his head to take advantage of our receivers getting to find an open spot when only two defenders are worried about them. And then there is Leslie Frasier. Over-all, I think he has done a very good job at moving the team forward this year. The Vikings are a MUCH better team this year. Yes, there have been a few disappointing losses, games that maybe we could have won if we had done something on one or two plays in the game. But the fact we are competitive a year after winning just 3 games is a fantastic improvement. But Fraiser has to be more willing to sit Ponder down when his passes are obviously not working. I am also not here to say that Joe Webb is the answer. He is even less accurate in his passing than Ponder is. So, even though I wish we'd see Webb on the field once in a while to spice things up with that insane athletic ability Webb has, he is not the answer at QB. But throw him in there once in a while when Ponder is struggling.

I still think Ponder can be a decent QB in this league. Yes, there are QB's that are coming in and doing wonderful things in their first year or two in the league now, but that is not something every QB will do. A couple guys named Eli Manning and Alex Smith struggled mightily their first two-three years and they have proven to be pretty good quarter-backs now (ok, yes, Smith has been replaced as a starter. That wasn't due to him not performing, but to his backups stellar play).

So, yes, the Vikings currently possess the worst passing attack the NFL has seen in a very long time. And the fact they are as inept as they are with entire defensive teams focusing on stopping Adrian Peterson exasperates the problem. I think too many people are putting the problem solely on Ponder. I'm blaming this display of fucktitude on Ponder, the offensive line, the wide receivers, Bill Musgrave, and on Leslie Frasier. The entire group should be embarrased (and thankfully it sounds like they are).