KFAN.com

Heading into this game, because the Saints were clear favorites with homefield advantage and the most explosive offense in the NFL, I didn’t think it was possible for a loss of any kind to equal the utter devastation of the 1998 NFC Championship Game.

I was wrong.

11 years ago, absolutely nobody envisioned the Falcons beating the Vikings at the Metrodome. When Morten Anderson eventually booted the game-winning field goal in overtime, shock finally set in, and the scars still haven’t healed in Minnesota.

Sunday night’s game had the opposite feel. In 1998, a Vikings loss didn’t seem likely until less than two minutes remained in the 4th quarter. On Sunday night, a Vikings win didn’t seem likely until less than two minutes remained in the 4th quarter.

In fact, after Chester Taylor ripped a 14-yard run down to the Saints’ 33-yardline with 1:00 left in the 4th quarter, this game, quite frankly, was over. Despite five turnovers, with Ryan Longwell warming up on the sidelines, the game was over.

That’s why this loss was so heartbreaking and numbing. For 58 minutes, Vikings fans could watch with nervous enthusiasm and tempered expectations. But with two minutes left, the Super Bowl was within arm’s length.

But because the football gods simply aren’t ready to grant the Vikings a Super Bowl championship, for whatever reason, a series of 10 disastrous events took place. If any of the events would have gone in the Vikings favor, the outcome of the NFC Championship game likely would have been much different.

* We could obviously point to the five turnovers, the inexcusable red zone fumbles by Bernard Berrian and Adrian Peterson, and probably a few other things. But the fact is, Minnesota still had the ball in field goal range with a chance to win. There will be a time for ripping Peterson to shreds over his chronic fumbling. That time will come at a later date.

1.) Taylor’s huge run set the Vikings up with what would have been a 51-yard field goal opportunity if they didn’t gain another yard. Of course, as has become the norm throughout the second half of the season, Peterson and Taylor were each stuffed for no gain on two subsequent handoffs. The Vikings burned a timeout with 19 seconds left.

The Saints obviously knew the Vikings were going to run the ball, but in a game where Minnesota ran for 165 yards, it would have been helpful — if not dagger-like — to punch the ball inside the 30-yardline.

If the Vikings could have found a way to inch inside the 30-yardline, the following events were much less likely to occur.

2.) Coming out of the timeout, facing 3rd-and-10 from the Saints 33-yardline, the Vikings inexplicably wound up with 12 men in the huddle.

After the game, Brad Childress said fullback Naufahu Tahi was the extra man in the huddle. Whether that was a coaching mistake or a player brain fart, who knows. But Favre realized there were 12 men in the huddle and he attempted to call a timeout, which also would have been illegal, because the Vikings already burned a timeout before the play. Teams are not permitted to call back-to-back timeouts.

The 5-yard penalty pushed the Vikings back to the 38-yardline, which would have been a 56-yard field goal. Longwell’s season long is 52, and 56 is probably the back end of his range, so the Vikings found themselves needing to gain a few more yards.

If the Vikings don’t inexplicably screw up the huddle situation, a 51-yard field goal would have been perfectly acceptable as a worst-case scenario.

3.) Childress said he would have run the ball from the 33-yardline, but after the penalty (which pushed a potential 51-yard field goal attempt back to a 56-yard attempt) Childress and company decided to pass. Many fans will no doubt rip Childress’ decision to throw the ball in this spot, but after watching the Saints stuff the two previous rushing attempts — and knowing the Vikings run for more no-gains than almost any team in football — it’s hard to blame him for putting the ball in Favre’s hands at that point. The Vikings needed to gain a few yards, and running the ball wasn’t going to accomplish that task.

According to Childress, the play was a rollout designed for Bernard Berrian. When Berrian went in motion, the Saints recognized something, checked to a different defense, and covered appropriately. This caused Favre to throw late across his body to Sidney Rice, and Tracy Porter cut in front for the interception.

Longwell might be the best kicker in the NFL, and he didn’t even get a shot.

If not for the 12 men in the huddle penalty, the Vikings settle for a 51-yard field goal at worst.

If Favre would have simply run the ball instead of throwing into traffic, he probably had room to gain three or four yards.

And if Favre would have just thrown the ball away, Longwell would have had a chance to hit a 56-yard field goal with roughly 10 seconds remaining.

4.) At the start of overtime, Steve Hutchinson called heads. The coin landed tails.

If Hutch knew that “tails never fails,” the Vikings win the toss.

5.) With the Vikings likely still dazed from how regulation ended, Pierre Thomas ripped off a big kick return to the Saints’ 39-yardline. Cedric Griffin was injured on the play and had to be helped off the field. Rookie Asher Allen, who rarely plays, was thrust into action.

Three plays later, after two unsuccessful rushing attempts, Drew Brees dropped back and fired incomplete over the middle on third down to Marques Colston. Of course, Asher was called for defensive holding, giving the Saints an automatic first down.

If Griffin doesn’t come up lame on the kickoff, Asher doesn’t see the field. There are no guarantees that Griffin would have covered the play differently, or that the defensive alignment would have remained the same. But Asher is the culprit here, regardless.

6.) After an incomplete pass on first down, Brees dropped back again on second down, firing a dart over the middle toward Colston. The ball ping ponged off Colston and two Vikings defenders before resting in the hands of Tyrell Johnson. Unfortunately, Johnson was unable to corral the interception, and the ball fell harmlessly to the Superdome turf.

On the Falcons’ final drive of the ’98 NFC Championship Game, Robert Griffith had two golden opportunities to intercept Chris Chandler, and he dropped the ball both times. It was hard to avoid flashbacks when Johnson dropped this one.

If Johnson intercepts that pass, assuming he’s tackled on the spot, the Vikings regain possession near their own 20-yardline.

7.) A few plays later, on 4th-and-1 from the Vikings 43-yardline, Pierre Thomas dove over the pile, only to be met by Chad Greenway, who jarred the ball loose for a moment. The ball originally broke the first down plane, but Greenway’s hit pushed Thomas backwards and jarred the ball loose. Referee Pete Morelli went into the booth for a review, and he ruled (presumably) that because Thomas didn’t completely lose possession (he pinned the loose ball to his leg at the last second), the Saints earned a first down via forward progress.

If Thomas doesn’t regain possession at the last second, the Vikings turn the Saints over on downs near midfield, 20 yards from Longwell’s field goal range.

8.) On the next play, with the Saints needing roughly eight yards to inch into realistic field goal range, Brees lobbed a pass well over the head of tight end David Thomas, who was battling with Ben Leber. Leber was flagged for pass interference, even though the ball was completely uncatchable. This questionable call gave the Saints a first down at the Vikings’ 29-yardline.

If the refs correctly rule Brees’ pass uncatchable, the Saints face 2nd-and-10 from the Vikings’ 41-yardline, still out of field goal range.

9.) After stuffing Reggie Bush for a 5-yard loss to back the Saints up to the 34-yardline, Brees fired over the middle to Robert Meachem, who bobbled the ball on his way to the ground, but somehow found a way to pin it to his leg. Multiple replays showed inconclusive evidence. Morelli went under the curtain once again, but could not overturn the call.

If Meachem doesn’t find a way to pin the ball to his leg at the last second (much like Pierre Thomas a few plays earlier), the Saints face 3rd-and-15 from the outskirts of field goal range. Or, if the booth review showed more conclusive evidence of the ground helping Meachem retain possession… Instead, they faced 3rd-and-3 from the Vikings’ 22.

10.) Of course, we all know what happened next. Garrett Hartley split the uprights with a 40-yard field goal, sending the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl.

If Favre doesn’t sign with the Vikings in August, Hartley doesn’t make that kick. That’s because the Vikings never would have made it to the NFC Championship Game without Favre.

After the game, Favre looked and sounded completely dejected.

“I just wonder if I could hold up, especially after a day like today,” Favre said. “Physically and mentally. That was pretty draining.”

When asked if he thought this was a successful season, Favre said yes.

“I can’t print anything for you guys, but I’m going out on top one way or the other.”

Sunday’s loss will go down in Minnesota sports history as one of the absolute most devastating, hands down. What makes it sting more is the fact that the Saints didn’t actually beat the Vikings. The Vikings beat the Vikings.

After the game, Favre spent five minutes crying inside the Vikings locker room, and he declined a post-game interview with Fox. Jay Glazer reports that Vikings players believe Favre will retire, and many national pundits (and, predictably, Packer fans) will point to the fact that Brett Favre led his team and his new fan base to the brink of elation only to stick a dagger in their hearts, as expected.

Regardless, Vikings fans will pat Favre on the back, tell him thanks for the great ride, and welcome him back with open arms in 2010, if he so chooses.

From KFAN.com

Exactly 12 hours before kickoff on Sunday, ESPN 2 showed a rerun of the 1998 NFC Championship game between the Vikings and Falcons. Funny, no matter how many times you watch it, the outcome never changes.

Many comparisons have been made this season between the 1998 Vikings and the 2009 Vikings, mostly because 1998 was the last time people in Minnesota truly believed this football team had a realistic shot to win the Super Bowl (the 41-0 NFC Championship game after the 2000 season hardly qualifies).

But contrary to what many Vikings fans believe, the parallels between the ‘98 team and the ‘09 team are few and far between, most notably the fact that Dennis Green’s squad essentially rolled through the entire season without a humbling experience, sans one blip at Tampa Bay. The ’09 squad was humbled throughout the entire month of December, and they came into Sunday’s match-up with Dallas as underdogs in the eyes of the national media.

The biggest problem with the 1998 Vikings is that they had no concept of what it was like to lose a football game, and when things started snowballing in the wrong direction against Atlanta, they curled up in the fetal position. Their aura of invincibility eventually served as a downfall.

It’s too early to say whether the 2009 team will write a different story than the 1998 team. But after watching the Vikings thoroughly dismantle the hottest team in the NFC, 34-3, it’s obvious Brad Childress’ bunch has put its December struggles in the rear view mirror.

And the best part? They’re almost certain to be underdogs once again in New Orleans next weekend for the NFC Championship game.

Maybe the Saints will play the role of the 1998 Vikings.

Vikings defense, not Cowboys’, walks the walk

Heading into Sunday, the Cowboys defense had allowed only 31 points over its last four games, while tallying 16 sacks. Two of those games were shutouts, and three of those games came against the Saints and the Eagles.

It’s understandable why most people thought tenacious pass rushers Anthony Spencer, DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff would give the Vikings fits. Instead, it was Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Jimmy Kennedy, and Brian Robison who feasted. Oh, and Ray Edwards, who had the game of his life.

“I just went out there and read my keys like my coach (Karl Dunbar) taught me,” Edwards said. “I just went out there and played my butt of for him and continued to work. God willing, I’ll be back next week and I’ll be 100%.

“They were saying all week how our DBs weren’t going to match with their receivers, but they did a good job. They gave us enough time to get at them up front.”

Before exiting with a right knee injury in the second half, Edwards tallied three sacks, a forced fumble, and multiple quarterback hurries. Tony Romo ran around the backfield like a wounded cat for three hours. In fact, Romo dropped back to pass 40 times and was hit 16 times.

The Vikings pass rush has certainly made quarterbacks sweat this season (see: Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, etc.), but does Sunday’s flustering of Romo stand at the top of the list?

“I think so,” said Ben Leber, who was the beneficiary of a Romo ill-advised interception in the second half. “And for the most part, we blitzed when we had to, but a lot of those times the D-line was just running their game. We knew their big guys really couldn’t handle movement that well. So those guys just did a great job of getting a four-man rush and making it a lot easier for us on the backend.”

The Cowboys gained 118 yards in the first quarter, essentially moving the ball at will. If not for Ray Edwards coming up with two huge sacks and a forced fumble, the Vikings may have trailed early instead of jumping out to a 7-0 lead.

But coming away with zero points in the first quarter seemed to frustrate the Cowboys. At one point in the opening period, when facing 4th-and-1 from the Vikings 30-yardline — and with Romo and company dissecting the Vikings defense — Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips elected to attempt a 48-yard field goal with embattled kicker Shaun Suisham, who most people may remember as the Redskins kicker who missed a 23-yard field goal earlier in the season that would have clinched a win over New Orleans.

Of course, Suisham missed the 48-yarder. It seemed logical that making a 48-yard field goal was a much more difficult task than gaining one yard at the time. As it was, Dallas missed its window to jump out in front and gained only 130 yards the rest of the game.

From that point on, the Vikings defense overwhelmed America’s Team. Romo was sacked six times. He also threw an interception and fumbled three times, losing two of them.

“We had our game plan ready,” Pat Williams said. “We just figured we’d come out and smash them and outwork them. We smashed them and outworked them.

“Put the Saints on up there. We’re going to ride down low, right under the radar at the bottom.”

Quiet confidence led to blowout

With everyone around them talking about the tenacity of the Cowboys defense and the various match-up advantages Dallas had heading into Sunday, Vikings players remained tight-lipped in the locker room all week long. They bit their tongues and sat with quiet confidence.

“I know that the conversations were a lot about if our tackles were going to be able to hold up against the outside linebackers,” Childress said. “Our deal was this; we got a good football team. I told them that all year long. I heard all that nonsense and all the hype about the Dallas Cowboys coming to town, the hottest team in the playoffs. I asked my team early in the week to choke it back and shut up. We will play the game when we get here on Sunday. The game is always won on the football field.

“I knew they would play their tail off and be able to dispel that myth of (who) was coming to town.”

Not a bad strategy, and the Vikings may want to implement a similar plan this week. After New Orleans dismantled Arizona, they will likely be clear favorites.

And speaking of the offensive tackles, with the exception of DeMarcus Ware coming untouched for a sack on the first play of the game (put that one on Chester Taylor), Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt held their own in pass protection.

“I feel like everybody just put in a lot of work,” McKinnie said. “Plays were being executed. As hard as everybody worked all week long, I’m not surprised (at the margin of victory). But then again, if you listened to the media then you would be surprised.”

Dallas sacked Favre four times on Sunday, but Favre completed 15-of-24 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns, and it rarely seemed as if he was uncomfortable in the pocket.

“We did a lot of play action,” McKinnie said. “We set up the run a little bit, and it enabled us to do play action, bring some draws. They kind of weren’t sure. They didn’t get a chance to pin their ears back like I’ve seen them do against other teams, because they usually get up first, have a lead, and then other teams are playing catch up and passing the ball a lot. That allows them to just rush the passer, but we mixed it up.”

Credit Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell with putting together a fantastic offensive game plan. The running game, statistically, was not aesthetically pleasing; 26 rushes and 63 yards for Peterson, and 33 rushes for 109 yards as a team.

But the presentation was fantastic. The Vikings used a series of fake reverses and fake handoffs to Peterson and Percy Harvin to keep Dallas off-balance. Later on, Favre actually handed the ball to Harvin in some of those same scenarios, and he ran three times for 23 yards.

There was a growing sense that Minnesota’s offense simply had too many weapons in too many places, and the Cowboys defense had trouble dictating pace.

“It probably wasn’t the prettiest running game,” Steve Hutchinson said, “but four or five yards a pop when we had to get it to keep the chains moving, to keep their defense off-balance, and then we were able to convert and move the chains with the short passing game and take our shots when we had to… That’s probably went as well as we could have planned.”

Sidney Rice with another coming out party

If the world was unfamiliar with Sidney Rice before Sunday, his 141-yard, three touchdown performance (three receiving touchdowns ties an NFL playoff record) pushed him one step closer to being a household name.

As recently as January of 2009, Rice was a beleaguered, banged-up, underachieving, former second round draft who showed very few signs of having a breakout season in 2010. At best, in the eyes of most who follow the Vikings closely, if Rice could stay healthy, he may have been in line for a solid 2010 campaign.

But 1,300 yards, eight touchdowns and a Pro Bowl berth? What?

“I said that from day one that Sidney is that type of player,” Brett Favre said. “I hate to compare him or put him in categories, because I think he is in a category by himself. There are faster guys, there are taller guys, there are quicker guys, but the thing about Sidney — and I’ve played with guys like him as far as the work ethic — is he wants to be good. It matters to him.”

Rice said after the game that the game plan didn’t dictate Favre throwing deep. He said Dallas’ safeties do a fantastic job of rolling coverages and limiting home runs. Even on the two long touchdowns to Rice — a 47-yarder in the first quarter and a 45-yarder in the third quarter — safety Gerald Sensabaugh and cornerback Mike Jenkins provided very good coverage. Rice just flat out made big plays, like he has all season.

“I feel like it’s been a real good season for me so far,” Rice said. “And I definitely feel like we won’t be finishing anytime soon. A lot of it has to do with the guys around me. None of it would be possible without those guys around me.”

From KFAN.com

There seems to be a quiet confidence in the air at Winter Park this week. Viking players have even embraced the underdog role, regardless of the fact that they aren’t necessarily the ‘dogs.

The final six quarters of the regular season, against Chicago and New York, seem to have provided the Vikings with a semblance of momentum, but players are certainly mindful of how everything derailed in early December. The vibe in the locker room, however, suggests that this team has seen and experienced it all. They’ve sniffed the mountaintop air at 10-1, they’ve tasted mud at 11-4, and now they’re ready to move forward.

After listening to Vikings players in the locker room, and after talking with various people “in the know,” it appears as if two factors stand out above the rest if the Vikings intend on advancing to the NFC Championship Game:

1.) How well will the offensive line play? Are we talking Carolina game? Or Giants game?

2.) How will the Vikings slow the Cowboys passing attack?

Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt will likely shoulder the largest responsibilities on Sunday, because they must prevent pass rushers DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer from beheading Brett Favre.

The Cowboys have tallied 16 sacks over the last four games, and they’ve pitched two shutouts. Only one team has scored more than 21 points against the Cowboys defense all season (Giants, twice).

“There’s things you have to do, first of all, with those two outside edge rush guys,” Brad Childress said. “They can bring the heat from the outside. With that said, a guy like (Keith) Brooking, they feature him blitzing. He does a great job of timing up his A-gap blitzes. And then I look at the nose guard, (Jay Ratliff), can bring pressure any way you want it. He can walk the center back, he can make  quick move and beat you with quickness in there, and then they wave people in and have some pretty good people that they bring in the game in their nickel situations.

“The conventional ways (to offset the pressure), adding a tight end, adding a running back, mixing scat in where there’s nobody in the backfield, you have to mix it now. (Defenses) are too good if you’re only showing them one kind of protection. Typically they’re going to break a protection down.”

As far as slowing the Cowboys passing attack, that revolves around two things: Getting pressure on Tony Romo, and limiting yards after the catch (i.e. tackling properly). If Romo takes a three-step drop and completes a 5-yard pass, the Vikings defense must make sure Dallas gains only five yards, rather than 15.

“(Romo) is very elusive back there,” Jasper Brinkley said. “A good quarterback. Great quarterback. Fire hot right now in the playoffs. When he throws that quick stuff, it’s all predicated on tackling receivers and getting them down. A lot of missed tackles after contact and it turns into a big play.”

“It’s important,” Benny Sapp said. “You’ve got to tackle. You’ve got to get off the field, especially on third downs. You’ve got to make those tackles and make the plays.”

On top of that, the Vikings safeties and linebackers must keep tabs on TE Jason Witten, who caught 94 passes for 1,030 yards this season. According to Football Outsiders, the Vikings rank in the bottom 1/3 of the league when it comes to defending tight ends in the passing game. This obviously comes as no surprise to anyone who’s watched Vernon Davis and Jermichael Finley run roughshod in the Metrodome.

- Interestingly enough, we’re halfway through January and hardly anybody has talked about the future status of Brett Favre, who signed a two-year contract upon arriving to Minnesota.

Surely we won’t know anything officially one way or the other until August or September, but what will it take for Favre to hang up the pads for more than just OTAs and training camp? If the Vikings lose in the playoffs, will he return for yet another season? Or is this a discussion that is so drenched in drama that maybe we should just leave it alone until further notice?

When asked about retirement on Wednesday, Favre smiled and said, “Good try.”

But as he always does, Favre eventually opened up.

“You know what? All I want is to beat Dallas,” Favre said. “To even think about next year is doing myself an injustice, and this team. I came here for one reason, and that’s to hopefully lead this team to the Super Bowl this year, not next year. We have that opportunity. I’m not good enough to focus on this game, what may happen in the next few weeks, and then next year. I’m going to devote every ounce of energy to this game.

“I see us sitting here having this press conference again next week. If that doesn’t happen, to me it’ll be a shock.”

At this time last year, Favre’s former team, the Jets, were watching the playoffs from their couches at home. Favre nursed a torn biceps. Health issues certainly played a role in Favre’s decision-making process last year, but this year he’s gone relatively unscathed.

“Coming into this year, having that opening press conference and talking about having surgery, but also finding out having a rotator cuff tear, and the fact that I’d been throwing, and throwing OK, but here we are in the playoffs and my arm feels… I’m throwing the ball as well as I threw it back then, two years ago.”

- Brad Childress wouldn’t go into detail, but he said Antoine Winfield (foot), who played only in nickel and short-yardage situations against the Giants, will see more action on the outside this Sunday.

- Childress also said his defense has practiced all season with music blaring over the speakers. This helps simulate a raucous Metrodome atmosphere, and it forces the Vikings defenders to learn how to communicate non-verbally.

- Pat Williams (elbow) spent the bye week treating. Childress expects him to be near 100% on Sunday. It sounds like Pat feels the same way.

“I’m good. Same old same old. Got up this morning early, came to work ready to go. Smiling as usual.”