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Bob Ford | Only Eagles' charity can save Vikings
By Bob Ford
Inquirer Columnist
Mike Tice took a deep breath yesterday and, once again, tried to explain that the Minnesota Vikings are more than just an 8-8 team that weaseled into the playoffs somehow.
"We lost a little bit of an edge when we had some injuries," the head coach said. "We lost some tough, close games on the road. We lost some confidence. It's a funny league - you have one win and you're red-hot. I don't know if we're red-hot, but I see a lot more guys walking around the building this week with their shoulders high."
The Vikings are all puffed up because they had the good fortune to play the Green Bay Packers on a day when Brett Favre decided to throw four interceptions. The result was a 31-17 wild-card win and the opportunity for the Vikes to test their lucky streak against the Eagles this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
If Donovan McNabb throws four interceptions in the game, Minnesota also will win this one, and the Vikings will need to duck to keep their shoulders from hitting the light fixtures next week.
Because that is the sad truth about the Minnesota Vikings, even if they don't realize it: They aren't good enough to beat any team that doesn't beat itself. Somewhere deep inside, Tice knows this. As much as anything yesterday, he said he hoped his boys could keep from getting blown out of the game as soon as it begins.
"I think [the Eagles] will be fresh. We're hoping they don't have the same rhythm they had three or four weeks ago," Tice said. "At least not the same rhythm early in the game."
That is important for the Vikings, because they had a lead at the end of the first quarter in only one of their eight losses. Minnesota's mode of operation this season has been to pack it in after falling behind, if not sooner. When the going gets tough, the tough complain about injuries, bad bounces and the referees.
The Vikings charged into the playoffs by losing four of their last five games, including a 10-point loss to the Bears and a 21-18 finale against the Redskins in which star wide receiver Randy Moss went to the locker room before seeing whether his team's last-gasp onside attempt had succeeded.
That was far more of an indictment of Moss - and the Vikings - than the overblown reaction to the receiver's scatological touchdown celebration in Green Bay. Not only should these guys have been eliminated before the playoffs, the players assumed they were and didn't much care how it looked.
Though Minnesota has an excellent offense (ranked fourth in the NFL), it has an atrocious defense (ranked 28th) and the lingering sense that, overall, this is a group of softies.
"I think at times, we lack confidence if we don't get started early," Tice said. "I think that has something to do with youth... certainly with a belief you can carry the day defensively when things don't start out the way you want them to start out."
The Eagles gave up a field goal to Minnesota to start the scoring in the Monday night game between the teams on Sept. 20, but took the lead later in the first period and never trailed on the way to a 27-16 win. The lead was as much as 15 points and the Vikings didn't manage anything louder than a field goal until less than four minutes remained. In the game, the Vikings had two turnovers and the Eagles just one.
That's a pretty consistent pattern for Minnesota. When the Vikes fall behind and aren't playing a team that beats itself, you can rev up the big purple bus and wave goodbye.
"I think we lost some very close games on the road this year," Tice said, as if those shouldn't count as losses. "We lost four three-point games on the road this year. Those are tough losses."
They must seem pretty tough, anyway, because the Vikings actually lost only three three-point games on the road - at Indianapolis, at Green Bay and at Washington. They did lose a couple of close home games as well, to Seattle and Green Bay.
"It's not like we're going around town getting blown out by people," Tice said. "You play two Monday night road games, one Sunday night road game. Those are some tough challenges."
Since Tice wanted to point out how narrow some of the losses had been - five by four or fewer points - it is only fair to also point out that five of the team's eight wins came by seven or fewer points, including in overtime against Houston, at New Orleans and home against Chicago and Detroit.
Not a pretty list, and not a list of results that made it easy to advance to the playoffs.
"There's nothing easy in this league," Tice said.
Not when your team merely survives against an opponent willing to beat itself. On Sunday, the Eagles, and only the Eagles, will decide whether the Vikings have found another.
Bob Ford | Only Eagles' charity can save Vikings
By Bob Ford
Inquirer Columnist
Mike Tice took a deep breath yesterday and, once again, tried to explain that the Minnesota Vikings are more than just an 8-8 team that weaseled into the playoffs somehow.
"We lost a little bit of an edge when we had some injuries," the head coach said. "We lost some tough, close games on the road. We lost some confidence. It's a funny league - you have one win and you're red-hot. I don't know if we're red-hot, but I see a lot more guys walking around the building this week with their shoulders high."
The Vikings are all puffed up because they had the good fortune to play the Green Bay Packers on a day when Brett Favre decided to throw four interceptions. The result was a 31-17 wild-card win and the opportunity for the Vikes to test their lucky streak against the Eagles this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
If Donovan McNabb throws four interceptions in the game, Minnesota also will win this one, and the Vikings will need to duck to keep their shoulders from hitting the light fixtures next week.
Because that is the sad truth about the Minnesota Vikings, even if they don't realize it: They aren't good enough to beat any team that doesn't beat itself. Somewhere deep inside, Tice knows this. As much as anything yesterday, he said he hoped his boys could keep from getting blown out of the game as soon as it begins.
"I think [the Eagles] will be fresh. We're hoping they don't have the same rhythm they had three or four weeks ago," Tice said. "At least not the same rhythm early in the game."
That is important for the Vikings, because they had a lead at the end of the first quarter in only one of their eight losses. Minnesota's mode of operation this season has been to pack it in after falling behind, if not sooner. When the going gets tough, the tough complain about injuries, bad bounces and the referees.
The Vikings charged into the playoffs by losing four of their last five games, including a 10-point loss to the Bears and a 21-18 finale against the Redskins in which star wide receiver Randy Moss went to the locker room before seeing whether his team's last-gasp onside attempt had succeeded.
That was far more of an indictment of Moss - and the Vikings - than the overblown reaction to the receiver's scatological touchdown celebration in Green Bay. Not only should these guys have been eliminated before the playoffs, the players assumed they were and didn't much care how it looked.
Though Minnesota has an excellent offense (ranked fourth in the NFL), it has an atrocious defense (ranked 28th) and the lingering sense that, overall, this is a group of softies.
"I think at times, we lack confidence if we don't get started early," Tice said. "I think that has something to do with youth... certainly with a belief you can carry the day defensively when things don't start out the way you want them to start out."
The Eagles gave up a field goal to Minnesota to start the scoring in the Monday night game between the teams on Sept. 20, but took the lead later in the first period and never trailed on the way to a 27-16 win. The lead was as much as 15 points and the Vikings didn't manage anything louder than a field goal until less than four minutes remained. In the game, the Vikings had two turnovers and the Eagles just one.
That's a pretty consistent pattern for Minnesota. When the Vikes fall behind and aren't playing a team that beats itself, you can rev up the big purple bus and wave goodbye.
"I think we lost some very close games on the road this year," Tice said, as if those shouldn't count as losses. "We lost four three-point games on the road this year. Those are tough losses."
They must seem pretty tough, anyway, because the Vikings actually lost only three three-point games on the road - at Indianapolis, at Green Bay and at Washington. They did lose a couple of close home games as well, to Seattle and Green Bay.
"It's not like we're going around town getting blown out by people," Tice said. "You play two Monday night road games, one Sunday night road game. Those are some tough challenges."
Since Tice wanted to point out how narrow some of the losses had been - five by four or fewer points - it is only fair to also point out that five of the team's eight wins came by seven or fewer points, including in overtime against Houston, at New Orleans and home against Chicago and Detroit.
Not a pretty list, and not a list of results that made it easy to advance to the playoffs.
"There's nothing easy in this league," Tice said.
Not when your team merely survives against an opponent willing to beat itself. On Sunday, the Eagles, and only the Eagles, will decide whether the Vikings have found another.
