Thread: Quotes from Daunte Polyanna

MVP Dreams Seem A Distant Memory

By Scout.com
Date: Sep 19, 2005

Daunte Culpepper’s hopes for an MVP season might have gone out of the window with his performance in the first two games, but he still believes the team’s goals are attainable.

Two games into the season, Daunte Culpepper’s MVP form of 2004 is a distant memory.

A second consecutive subpar performance in Sunday’s 37-8 loss to the Bengals left Culpepper with eight interceptions and 10 turnovers this season. He will enter this week’s home game against the Saints with no touchdown passes and a remarkably poor 41.6 passer rating.

Not the type of performance new owner Zygi Wilf expected when he gave Culpepper an almost $8 million bump in pay for this season.

But Culpepper, in typical fashion, remains optimistic that he and the Vikings can turn things around.

“I definitely feel we still can obtain all our goals,� he said. “It’s tough saying it after a loss like we had (in Cincinnati) but my confidence hasn’t faded at all because I know what we’ve got. I’m going to be just as confident as ever when I get to work on Wednesday to get better this week and go out and play winning football on Sunday.�

He certainly will have to be better than he was at Paul Brown Stadium after throwing a career-high five interceptions and registering a career-low 36.4 passer rating.

In Culpepper’s defense, he no longer has standout receiver Randy Moss at his disposal and he has been under heavy pressure in the first two games.

But Culpepper said he can’t afford to worry about things such as how much he misses Moss or former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who now holds the same job with the Miami Dolphins.

“The thing is they are not here, that’s what is most important,� Culpepper said. “That’s not important because we’ve got the guys that can go out, make plays and get it done.

“We just have to find it within ourselves to do it. It’s as simple as that. If we played like we played (in the loss to the Bengals) and Coach Linehan and Moss (were here), still the same thing would happen. There is no magic solution. You play like the way we played, you’re going to lose no matter who you’ve got on the field.�

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Whatever medication he's on, he needs to cut the dosage.

But Culpepper, in typical fashion, remains optimistic that he and the Vikings can turn things around.

“I definitely feel we still can obtain all our goals,� he said. “It’s tough saying it after a loss like we had (in Cincinnati) but my confidence hasn’t faded at all because I know what we’ve got. I’m going to be just as confident as ever when I get to work on Wednesday to get better this week and go out and play winning football on Sunday.�.

That is huge. They have to remain positive and go out there with a good attitude or the game is lost before it begins.

i hope everyone still has a good attitude. lets get this offense going come on.

Culpepper is right, we can still turn things around. In 1967, Bart Starr started out the season even worse than Culpepper. He had 0 touchdowns and 9 interceptions over the first 2 games. Even after that terrible start, they still ended up winning the championship. Are we going to see some history repeated this year?

"and_one_" wrote:

Culpepper is right, we can still turn things around. In 1967, Bart Starr started out the season even worse than Culpepper. He had 0 touchdowns and 9 interceptions over the first 2 games. Even after that terrible start, they still ended up winning the championship. Are we going to see some history repeated this year?

AWESOME RESEARCH!!!

Positivity is key. Let's hope for a turn around...pretty please!

Culpepper can still make MVP...its not all about stats, Its about leadership as well. And if he can turn around his performance and the team, then he could easliy still be the mvp of the year.

I was wondering about that. If anyone had ever started that bad in a season, thanks for answering that andone. Maybe it's a good thing we play the Saints. Remember last year how Daunte did against the Saints, 5 TDs. Will history repeat itself? Let's hope so!

YOU GUYS ARE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT!!!!!!!!

Daunte is going down in flames, taking the whole team with him, and he is standing there saying, "It's ok..... nothing to worry about...... we can still do it...... la la la la la........."

"I’m going to be just as confident as ever when I get to work on Wednesday to get better this week and go out and play winning football on Sunday.�

Confident as ever????? If he was confident in the first two games, he needs to be worried as hell in the upcoming ones. I would be more encouraged if he were down about his lack of leadership and atrocious quarterback performance, and concerned about what to do, not whistling in the dark as he's doing now.

One thing is for sure, this will be a true test of his leadership. If he can come back and salvage something out of this horror of a season so far, then he will truly be a real leader of men.

I don't think he has it in him. I hope to heck I'm wrong.

I agree that Culpepper has performed very poorly. He is not perfect. I am a little worried about him, but I truly believe that he can get us out of this. Now having said that, this could be the rabid fan in me not the realist. The positive attitude is one of the qualities I like about Daunte, but words are cheap.