Thoughts on the Giants-Vikings Game

1. Can’t anyone here play this game? Injuries have plagued both offenses and it showed last night. During the third quarter, Jon Gruden pointed out the obvious: “We’re watching two terrible football teams tonight.”   It was a debacle of magnificent proportions.
2.  The Vikings’ best plays were kickoff and punt returns. One of the latter went for the only score they got against the G-Men who can’t seem to cover kicks reliably. (See below for one time they DID cover well.)
   3.       Unfortunately, a Viking punt return miscue also led to a Giant touchdown when the return man slipped and fell without being touched and the ball squirted loose. The Giants recovered that fumble and a short time later scored.
   4.       Could be that Coach Schiano of Tampa was right about cutting Josh Freeman loose. He certainly didn’t himself or the Vikings any good last night. Then again, he only had one week to prepare with his new team. Was he really their best option last night?
   5.       The best part of watching on ESPN was the halftime tribute Chris Berman paid to two men who passed away last week: Bud Adams and Bum Phillips. Adams was the owner of the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans. Phillips was the long-time coach of the Oilers and took them to two AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979. (They lost both games to the Pittsburgh Steelers who went on to win the Super Bowl.) Phillips also served as head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1981 through 1985. Berman quoted Phillips (a colorful character in his day) as having said something to the effect: “You may not win or succeed but you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.”
   6.       Oh yeah, Eli Manning didn’t throw an interception. (Not for lack of trying. He hit a couple of defenders right in the hands. One defender had the ball hit him in the hands and then the chest on a throw out into the left flat. That could have easily been returned for a pick-six as there was nothing but grass between him and the goal line. This was the same guy who slipped and fumbled the punt return. But, that’s why they play on defense.) And the Giants won 23-7. Coincidence? There’s no such thing as coincidence.
   My TV service cut out near the end of the third quarter. Thank God! I took it for a sign and went to bed