Thread: Deja vu: Vikes' rushing attack reminiscent of '98 squad

[size=13pt]Deja vu: Vikes' rushing attack reminiscent of '98 squad[/size]

By Eric Krupka on June 21, 2007 12:44 AM
realfootball365.com

When the Minnesota Vikings selected Adrian Peterson with the No. 7 overall pick in April's draft, not only did they get whom many believe to be the best offensive player in the draft but also a franchise-type running back who should become a premier player in the NFL.........

Check out this quote:

Jordon Voss of Annapolis, Md., is a Cowboys fan who believes that Minnesota's offense was undoubtedly the greatest of all-time. "There is no way a team could go 15-1 with that defense unless their offense was just disgusting. I'm no Vikings fan, but I do realize greatness. My team is the Cowboys so I have seen some "decent" units -- still nothing like the one the Vikes had when they came in and tore up the league in '98."

I'm guessing someone remembers the Thanksgiving ass-kicking the '98 Vikes put on the Cowboys in Irving.

11/26/98 Minnesota Vikings 46 at Dallas Cowboys 36 Minnesota’s rookie wide receiver Randy Moss caught only three passes against the Cowboys, but all were touchdowns as he finished the day with 163 receiving yards.

http://www.nfl.com/features/thanksgiving/tradition

=Z=

Smith and Hoard combined for 2,155 total yards and 18 touchdowns. They averaged 5.21 yards per touch (4.58 yards per carry average. Not too shabby considering they were overshadowed by the other stars on the team.

Here's the breakdown. The 5.21 YPT includes receiving;


Name









|
G |
RSH
YARD
AVG
TD
|
REC
YARD
AVG
TD |
+----------------------+----+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Leroy Hoard




| 16 |
115
479
4.2
9
|
22
198
9.0
1 |
| Robert Smith



| 14 |
249
1187
4.8
6
|
28
291
10.4
2 |

We don't have the dangerous passing game today like we did in 98, which really opened up the run. I think the two running backs we have now can definitely do better than our tandem in 98, but probably won't until we can take some men out of the box.

Robert Smith was a good back with sprinters speed.
Hoard was a hard nose back who would fight for extra yards.
I believe that Peterson and Taylor are a better combination than Smith and Hoard.
First off, Smith did not have the passion for the game that Peterson has.
Robert Smith played football because he could make money, and he was a good player.
He did not play because he loved the game.
I do believe Hoard loved the game.
I think Peterson loves the game, and he loves to punish tacklers.

My favorite Robert Smith run:
at Chicago, 2000, Urlacher's rookie season.
We were sitting in the rain.
It was the middle of October.
The Bear's are dominating us in the second quarter.
One play, Smith runs 72 yards for a TD.
The entire complexion of the game changes.
We win 28-16.

My favorite Leroy Hoard run: at Denver, Halloween day, 1999.
It was a beautiful day, sunshine temperature near 80, and lot's of purple.
The lady I was sitting next to said "I have never seen so many opposing fans at a game."
It was like our Super Bowl.
Denver got up on us and were dominating us, then we intercepted a pass and scored on the return.
We got the ball back, and our offense could do nothing.
Soon it was something unreal like 3rd and 37 the ball inside our own 5.
The crowd was going crazy.
Mile High was booming.
We call a draw to Hoard, and he runs 44 yards to the 47, first down, we go on to score and take the lead and end up winning the game.

"Mr" wrote:

We don't have the dangerous passing game today like we did in 98, which really opened up the run. I think the two running backs we have now can definitely do better than our tandem in 98, but probably won't until we can take some men out of the box.

Exactly, Mr. Anderson.

It's like you took the words right out of my mouth

Adrian Peterson might be the next big thing, but if we can't keep opposing defenses honest with our passing attack, he's NOT going to be that sucsessful. I'm sorry, but Tavaris Jackson ( an unexperienced QB ) throwing to garbage WR's like Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, and Billy McMullen isn't going to be good enough.

"TimmyT" wrote:

"Mr" wrote:

We don't have the dangerous passing game today like we did in 98, which really opened up the run. I think the two running backs we have now can definitely do better than our tandem in 98, but probably won't until we can take some men out of the box.

Exactly, Mr. Anderson.

It's like you took the words right out of my mouth

Adrian Peterson might be the next big thing, but if we can't keep opposing defenses honest with our passing attack, he's NOT going to be that sucsessful. I'm sorry, but Tavaris Jackson ( an unexperienced QB ) throwing to garbage WR's like Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, and Billy McMullen isn't going to be good enough.

I disagree. With Chester, Peterson, Richardson, Birk, Hutch, and Mckinnie, we have the talent to run whenever we want. This is a run attack that you shouldn't be able to stop, even if you know its coming. We saw glimpses of it last year, and I expect it to improve with the addition of AD and the line having a year of experience together under their belt. They can put 8 defenders in the box and we will just have to wear the shit out of those 8 as the game goes on. When it comes to playing from behind and scoring, the WR corps might hinder us, but I don't think it will hinder our running game.

"V" wrote:

"TimmyT" wrote:

"Mr" wrote:

We don't have the dangerous passing game today like we did in 98, which really opened up the run. I think the two running backs we have now can definitely do better than our tandem in 98, but probably won't until we can take some men out of the box.

Exactly, Mr. Anderson.

It's like you took the words right out of my mouth

Adrian Peterson might be the next big thing, but if we can't keep opposing defenses honest with our passing attack, he's NOT going to be that sucsessful. I'm sorry, but Tavaris Jackson ( an unexperienced QB ) throwing to garbage WR's like Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, and Billy McMullen isn't going to be good enough.

I disagree. With Chester, Peterson, Richardson, Birk, Hutch, and Mckinnie, we have the talent to run whenever we want. This is a run attack that you shouldn't be able to stop, even if you know its coming. We saw glimpses of it last year, and I expect it to improve with the addition of AD and the line having a year of experience together under their belt. They can put 8 defenders in the box and we will just have to wear the pooh out of those 8 as the game goes on. When it comes to playing from behind and scoring, the WR corps might hinder us, but I don't think it will hinder our running game.

I like the point you make V.
We did see glimpses of it last year and we should be improved upon that.
The O-line should be more solid after a year of playing together, Richardson will be back and healthy, Birk is supposed to be bigger and better.
Not to mention our 1st round pick.
If they do stack the box, it will just give TJack and our lackluster receivers a better chance to prove themselves.

"BloodyHorns82" wrote:

"V" wrote:

"TimmyT" wrote:

"Mr" wrote:

We don't have the dangerous passing game today like we did in 98, which really opened up the run. I think the two running backs we have now can definitely do better than our tandem in 98, but probably won't until we can take some men out of the box.

Exactly, Mr. Anderson.

It's like you took the words right out of my mouth

Adrian Peterson might be the next big thing, but if we can't keep opposing defenses honest with our passing attack, he's NOT going to be that sucsessful. I'm sorry, but Tavaris Jackson ( an unexperienced QB ) throwing to garbage WR's like Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, and Billy McMullen isn't going to be good enough.

I disagree. With Chester, Peterson, Richardson, Birk, Hutch, and Mckinnie, we have the talent to run whenever we want. This is a run attack that you shouldn't be able to stop, even if you know its coming. We saw glimpses of it last year, and I expect it to improve with the addition of AD and the line having a year of experience together under their belt. They can put 8 defenders in the box and we will just have to wear the pooh out of those 8 as the game goes on. When it comes to playing from behind and scoring, the WR corps might hinder us, but I don't think it will hinder our running game.

I like the point you make V.
We did see glimpses of it last year and we should be improved upon that.
The O-line should be more solid after a year of playing together, Richardson will be back and healthy, Birk is supposed to be bigger and better.
Not to mention our 1st round pick.
If they do stack the box, it will just give TJack and our lackluster receivers a better chance to prove themselves.

I really hope Mckinnie does something this year. he has really let me down. His whole pro-career

"vegasvike" wrote:

"BloodyHorns82" wrote:

"V" wrote:

"TimmyT" wrote:

"Mr" wrote:

We don't have the dangerous passing game today like we did in 98, which really opened up the run. I think the two running backs we have now can definitely do better than our tandem in 98, but probably won't until we can take some men out of the box.

Exactly, Mr. Anderson.

It's like you took the words right out of my mouth

Adrian Peterson might be the next big thing, but if we can't keep opposing defenses honest with our passing attack, he's NOT going to be that sucsessful. I'm sorry, but Tavaris Jackson ( an unexperienced QB ) throwing to garbage WR's like Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, and Billy McMullen isn't going to be good enough.

I disagree. With Chester, Peterson, Richardson, Birk, Hutch, and Mckinnie, we have the talent to run whenever we want. This is a run attack that you shouldn't be able to stop, even if you know its coming. We saw glimpses of it last year, and I expect it to improve with the addition of AD and the line having a year of experience together under their belt. They can put 8 defenders in the box and we will just have to wear the pooh out of those 8 as the game goes on. When it comes to playing from behind and scoring, the WR corps might hinder us, but I don't think it will hinder our running game.

I like the point you make V.
We did see glimpses of it last year and we should be improved upon that.
The O-line should be more solid after a year of playing together, Richardson will be back and healthy, Birk is supposed to be bigger and better.
Not to mention our 1st round pick.
If they do stack the box, it will just give TJack and our lackluster receivers a better chance to prove themselves.

I really hope Mckinnie does something this year. he has really let me down. His whole pro-career

McKinnie was excellent in 2005, and I cant really complain about what he did before then either. He just had an off year at the beginning of the season last year, but he straightened out later on. He should be even more comfortable now, and really has the tools to be a great OT, so I'm thinking he'll have a good year.