I can't hold it back anymore (Besides, I miss PPO)

**NodakPaul** · 11-07-2012, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by C Mac D

"Nothing I've seen isn't fixable."

Really? Like our best corner being out for the year? Ponder's absolutely atrocious decision making? Or our complete lack of WR depth? How are any of those issues fixable this season?

Cook is designated to return.
Ponder's decision making IS fixable.
Using the WRs that we DO have differently (as I listed in my post) would improve the passing game.

**Purple Floyd** · 11-07-2012, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

I thought I read that we have the second youngest team in the NFL right now. Whether you want to admit it or not, that does make a difference. Not all the difference of course, but it is a factor.

If that is the case, that youth is mainly in the depth of the roster I would think though correct?

Look at the positions:

Offense
QB- 2nd year
RB- 5th and 2nd years
OL- Only Kalil is a rookie
WR- No starting rookies or 2nd year players

Defense
Dline- All veterans.
LB-No rookies. Do any 2nd year players rotate in?
Secondary- Here we might be the youngest with at least 1 rookie at S and one at CB. But we have Winfield, who is like a coach on the field.

I just see far too many really skilled vets on the team to call it young. These guys:

Sullivan
Peterson
Harvin
Rudolph
Jenkins

Williams
Allen
Robison
Greenway
Winfield

Make a pretty solid core to build around. That is as much talent as a lot of teams who are doing well have. The rest need to be role players who just do their job.

**Zeus** · 11-07-2012, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by singersp

Originally Posted by Zeus

Get a grip, Marty. This team is young, inexperienced and not very deep. the 4-1 start was a mirage.

=Z=

Just stop it!

Exactly how many young & inexperienced guys do we have starting on offense again?

How many young & inexperienced guys do we have starting on defense?

I mean, let's be real people. Quit trying to make it sound as if 80-90% of our starters our rookies or first year starters. Let's also not forget that of those that are, some are playing at a high level. Kalil, Smith & Walsh for example.

So which young, inexperienced guys are you blaming our losses & poor play on?

So why is it we can't beat teams with young & inexperienced QB's with less than half the experience ours has?

On offense, Kalil, Fusco, Rudolph and Ponder.

On defense, Guion, Henderson, Smith, Sanford, Brinkley and Robinson.

=Z=

**mountainviking** · 11-07-2012, 09:37 AM

But Fusco is basically a rookie too...I don't think the PS really counts much for experience, and Charlie is in a new position on this team. It usually takes some time for OL to gel, and we've got 3 of 5 guys in new positions with a rookie LT and a semi-questionable RT too.

But, the base blocking isn't the problem, its the extra guys on the blitzes. And that falls on the coaches...they have to come up with some plays to beat the blitz, and I havn't seen it happen once.

**vikinggreg** · 11-07-2012, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

I thought I read that we have the second youngest team in the NFL right now. Whether you want to admit it or not, that does make a difference. Not all the difference of course, but it is a factor.

I did some checking and the Bucs are about the same as the Vikes in average age with less than 6 months in average age more, a first year head coach, with a couple of wins at home against lossing teams, they traveled on a short week to the dome and kicked the Vikes in the teeth. Sure we lost Cook in the 3rd quarter of that game but they were in control well before that. Bucs have turned that into a positive swing for them and the Vikes are reeling and that probably what really bothering me the most right now.

**singersp** · 11-08-2012, 05:45 AM

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

I thought I read that we have the second youngest team in the NFL right now. Whether you want to admit it or not, that does make a difference. Not all the difference of course, but it is a factor.

Young doesn't necessarily mean worse & age & experience doesn't necessarily mean better.

Would you rather have Luck or RGIII as your QB or McNabb? Walsh or Longwell?

Having a team that has a young roster & having a team that has young starters are two different things. Are those young players all starters or are they inactive every week or last on the depth charts?

**singersp** · 11-08-2012, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by Zeus

On offense, Kalil, Fusco, Rudolph and Ponder.

On defense, Guion, Henderson, Smith, Sanford, Brinkley and Robinson.

=Z=

On offense, how many of those 4 are playing terrible or you feel aren't legit starters & are major contributors to the cause of the losses you're attributing that lack of age & inexperience to?

On defense, Guion has 5 years experience & Henderson 4. Smith & Brinkley are playing at a very acceptable level.

Robinson & Sanford are backups, not starters although Sanford is seeing starting time with Raymond out. Even at that, he isn't playing that poorly.

That essentially leaves 2 starters Ponder, Fusco & Robinson (2 out of 22 starters) & 1 back up that you're chalking up our struggles to.

**bleedpurple** · 11-08-2012, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by C Mac D

Where are the derogatory nicknames for Ponder? Hmmm....

Our team is pretty awful, but you have to look at our GM for thinking Christian Ponder and Jerome Simpson were the answers. I guess this had to happen in order for everyone to see how inept Spielman truly is... in case you weren't paying attention to his entire career.

Originally Posted by C Mac D

My question is: How is anyone surprised by this? You keep a lot of the same pieces from the Childress coaching regime, promote the VP of Player Personnel to GM and completely over-draft a mid-talent QB....

[sarcasm] Can't believe we're not a better team. [/sarcasm]

I can't agree with this statement more!!!

**bleedpurple** · 11-08-2012, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by C Mac D

Where are the derogatory nicknames for Ponder? Hmmm....

Our team is pretty awful, but you have to look at our GM for thinking Christian Ponder and Jerome Simpson were the answers. I guess this had to happen in order for everyone to see how inept Spielman truly is... in case you weren't paying attention to his entire career.

Originally Posted by singersp

On offense, how many of those 4 are playing terrible or you feel aren't legit starters & are major contributors to the cause of the losses you're attributing that lack of age & inexperience to?

On defense, Guion has 5 years experience & Henderson 4. Smith & Brinkley are playing at a very acceptable level.

Robinson & Sanford are backups, not starters although Sanford is seeing starting time with Raymond out. Even at that, he isn't playing that poorly.

That essentially leaves 2 starters Ponder, Fusco & Robinson (2 out of 22 starters) & 1 back up that you're chalking up our struggles to.

Its definately not youth.. if it was you wouldn't see success from QB's like RG3, luck, Weeden, Tanehill, Wilson etc. these are ALL rookies playing very well in the league....

Secondly, where the hell has our tackling been? Our defense has been flat out awful the last 4 weeks... and can't get off the field to save their paychecks...

on offense, the O-line blocking has been the best i've seen since Peterson's rookie year and the Favre year... Pass blocking has some work to do.. but it's not like Ponder has no time...

the main problem is our qb... less than 64 yards passing 2 of the last 3 weeks... that's just unacceptable...

**NodakPaul** · 11-08-2012, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by bleedpurple

Its definately not youth.. if it was you wouldn't see success from QB's like RG3, luck, Weeden, Tanehill, Wilson etc. these are ALL rookies playing very well in the league....

Secondly, where the hell has our tackling been? Our defense has been flat out awful the last 4 weeks... and can't get off the field to save their paychecks...

on offense, the O-line blocking has been the best i've seen since Peterson's rookie year and the Favre year... Pass blocking has some work to do.. but it's not like Ponder has no time...

the main problem is our qb... less than 64 yards passing 2 of the last 3 weeks... that's just unacceptable...

Definitely not youth? So you are saying that just because SOME younger players are having success on SOME teams that means that youth and inexperience has absolutely no effect on a player's performance?

Wow. I had no idea.

While I agree that the OL has been much better this year, any time there is a blitz Ponder get hit almost immediately. Go back and watch the last two games. They were blitzing almost every third down, especially in the Seattle game, and Ponder had absolutely NO time to get the ball off. That is a problem.

I do agree that Ponder's performance has been the biggest problem on the field the past two games. But WR play and Pass Blocking are two big problem areas right now as well.