Vikings Vs Seahawks 10/11/2020

 That's Vikings Football as a friend from twitter always says.

Honestly, this game has been kicking around in my head since last night, so many small things that could have gone different for a Vikings win, some small errors, and also some big errors, and I wanted to try writing about them. I have written about sports all that much, but really wanted to get my thoughts onto the page.

The Good

I bet I am in the minority of Vikings fans on this, but I really thought overall this was the best defensive game the team has played. Being able to mostly rush 4 and pressure Russell Wilson while playing coverage, and the coverage holding up for the majority of the game was a really great sign. I thought the Wilson interception was a great play as well, working the receiver out of bounds before coming back in and making a play on the ball. The fact that the Vikings should have won this game is a testament to how well the defense played for most of the game.

I think the pass rush was pretty impressive in this game going up against a really good team in the Seahawks, they were able to get pressure bringing just 4 guys, allowing the secondary to play coverage pretty well.

The running game was really great, they ground down the defense in the game, Cook getting hurt is unfortunate, but Mattison and even Boone looked good when they came in, getting chunks of yardage several times.

Thielen has looked like a #1 receiver this season, he is still somehow able to get open even if the defense is keying off him, and the ascendancy of Justin Jefferson will help, and Erv Smith Jr. also had the best overall game I have seen. It also helps that I have Thielen on my main fantasy team this season.

I really thought that to start this game, the Vikings offense took a page out of the Seahawks playbook and came out aggressive, throwing with play action on some early downs. I think the calls were aggressive while also working on grinding down the defense. I like all of the calls to go for it on 4th down. I think the 4th and 1 that decided the game, it was 100% the right call to go for it. I think the play call could have been better, with some misdirection. Honestly, if Cook is healthy I think he is able to power through for the first down, but he wasn't in the game. Hindsight is 20/20, but there was a big gap that Mattison could have bounced it out to, just one gap away.

I think the tough thing to handle with going for it on 4th and 1 is how fatalistic Vikings fans are at this point, if they don't make it they are going to lose, even though they had a decent lead against an offense they had shut down for most of the game. I like to think of football as a mind game, so everyone in the building thinks the Vikings are going to run it on 4th and 1, the questions I have are, was the right side the correct side to run to? And would the Seahawks have gone hard for a play fake and a bootleg to the left? 

Thielen was 1 on 1 up top on the key play, if you bootleg left, you have your stronger blockers in front of the play, and you also have a lot of space. If the linebackers bite you should have an easy pass for a TD, if they don't and Thielen clears out space, I think Kirk can run for the first down. Yes this all based on a lot of assumptions, but I am fan of doing things that your opponents think are extremely unlikely.

The Bad

I thought Dru Samia got destroyed far too often on pass coverage that adjustments should have been made much earlier in the game. If he can't handle the guy in front of him one on one, he needs help, not much else to say about that. He was good in run blocking, but led to a lot of pressure for Kirk in the game.

I think there are a few key plays in this game that had they gone the other way would have been game changers.

At the end of the 2nd quarter, the Vikings had a chance for another TD on 3rd and 7 there was a pass to Thielen in the end zone. This would have made the score 17-0 going into half time. I think it would have just taken a slightly better throw from Kirk and Thielen brings it down. Kirk floated the ball outside just a bit when Thielen had inside position, if the pass is just inside a little bit its a score.

One play was just the Vikings getting too cute, when they went for 2 they called a QB draw. Great call to go for 2, but a QB draw? Honestly I am probably more of a fan of Kirk than most people, but he is not QB draw material, you have so many other weapons to use on that play, including the under utilized Kyle Rudolph who has been amazing in those situations in his career.

I said it before and I will say it again, the Vikings should have won this game, they just didn't execute their game. I do feel like there maybe were too many blitzes on the final drive to allow more space for the Seahawks receivers, I get it, coaches sometimes want to be the reason a team wins, but it didn't have to happen like that. The other issue was allowing such a big completion on 4th and 10 on the final drive. I am not sure why Dantzler accelerated like he did but Metcalf was able to pop up for the ball and a huge gain. That was really a heartbreaking play for me.

Dalvin Cook getting hurt is a bit of a rough blow for the team, but at least the team has Alexander Mattison ready to go behind him. It does bring into focus why myself and many others were opposed to giving Dalvin so much money, he just hasn't been able to stay healthy. With him making so much money you have to carry another running back on the roster who you believe is capable of handling a decent workload while he is out. Right now the Vikings have Mattison, but we aren't that far away from him being ready for his 2nd contract, and I think he is talented enough to get paid by another team looking for someone to plug in. Going forward, I think Mattison takes over 80% of the Cook workload, while coming out on passing downs for Boone or Abdullah, I think Boone moves into the role that Mattison had coming in when Mattison needs a breather.

The Ugly

Kirk had a decent game, but man were those 2 turnovers killers. The fumble isn't as much his fault as the interception was, but both were preventable. On the fumble, I get it, you don't want to take a sack for a big loss, but if you take the sack, you live to fight another day. On the interception, it really took an amazing play from a defender to pick that ball off, but a great quarterback puts it well above where it can ever possibly be reached. Without those 2 turnovers the defense isn't put into such a tough spot at all.

Takeaways

Honestly, the Vikings should have won this game, and it shouldn't have been that close. Some slight changes and they are running out the clock with a 10+ point lead. I think the defense has shown a lot of improvement, we will see how the team comes out next week. There is still an outside shot at the playoffs, but prospects would have been so much better if they were 2-3 with a huge win over the Seahawks leading into the next week. I think the Vikings can come close to competing for the last wild card spot, but you need to go on a big run here before and out of the bye week they have. Maybe they can get Hunter back? That would shore up the pass rush quite a bit, and he can play the run pretty well too, but who knows if he will play a snap this year.

Weddings

Last night I attended my first wedding of the year. Last year was my first time attending weddings for people I was not related to. But this was my 6th wedding that I have attended in about 1 year's time. That is a lot of weddings over the course of just about a year. I think I have had the same thought at every single one of the weddings. I wish I had someone to bring as a date. There is just something so singular about going to wedding after wedding alone. Its not like I was the only person who was at the wedding without a date, although it is becoming more and more common that I am the only one of my frends without a date. I have the feeling by the time I have someone to bring to a wedding as a date, all of my friends will already be married.

Now how selfish is it of me to think about myself at wedding which are of course celebrating the love of 2 people. I enjoy weddings to a certain extent, but going to 5 last year was more than enough for a while. I think there is only one more that I will be going to this year, but I have not even gotten an invitation to that wedding yet.

I guess at least now I know what to expect from weddings, I have seem them done a few different ways. Some with the church ceremony, then the gap of time before the reception at another location. Some with the ceremony and the reception in the same place, with a much smaller gap of time. I was even an usher in one wedding.

The wedding last night was in a very interesting location. I didn't even know there were indoor parks, but I guess Woodbury, MN has an indoor central park. It was kind of a cool environment, reminded me of the tropics section or the Minnesota zoo. I thought there would be some real grass or something inside. There were lots of trees, and a small waterfall.

I was a little worried that all of the bridesmaids and the bride had to walk down some cement and rocky steps to get down to the altar, but everything went smoothly. I also liked how the wedding was casual. The guys didn't even have suit jackets, which is something I give the thumbs up! I would be ok without ties, and with suit jackets, but I enjoy that it was not super formal.

I got to see some people I hadn't seen sincce the last wedding I had seen them at. I had a great time talking to  Spencer Miller specifically. I swear we spend a lot of time talking to each other at every wedding we see each other at. I think we bonded over out distaste for dancing, and our common senses of humor. Always nice to see him and his lovely wife. There are many other friends I was happy to see, and of course get extremely excited hugs from.

My Review of It's Kind of a Funny Story: I really loved this movie. I thought the narrative style was very creative. I thought the casting was very well done. I liked that Zach Galifianakis was funny when he was supposed to be, but he was not the creepy weirdo. He did play an important role though. Actually the entire community in the hospital played a very important role for the main character.

I really connected with the emotions in the movie. Some parts were very melancholy, while others were much more upbeat, and laughter filled. I think I really connected with this movie because I have been through depression before, and even at the same age as the main character. I could definitely connect to just about everything he was going through. I really liked this movie. Definitely something that slid under the radar in movie theaters. I don't even remember seeing commercials for it,

Bonus review of Bridesmaids: Holy crap is Bridesmaids funny. A movie that I was interested in a while ago because it was written by and stars Kristen Wiig, it was directed by Paul Feig who was the creator of Freaks and Geeks, and it was produced by The Judd Apatow, all of which were great indicators in my book. Some movies can focus too much on the humor and not have enough story, but this movie has enogh story to with the the tons of laughs as well.

They were able to space out the laughs enough so that you would stop laughing and could listen to the movie again before making you laugh again. Don't go into the movie expecting it to be a chick flick, sure most of the characters are female, but the movie is funny as hell regardless of gender. Sure some of the scenes make fun of guys, but lets face it some guys are just douches, and deserve to be made fun of.

Seriously, I want to see this movie again, and it just ended about an hour ago. There is just too much hilarity to even begin to describe. I really think it would be enjoyable for anyone around my age. I also don't think The Hangover Part 2 will live up to the first one. I know all the frat boys out there are pumped for another one of those, but the first one was not even very rewatchable. Go see Bridesmaids, you won't regret it!

Quo Vadimus-Where are we going?

I have been wondering for a little while what I should do with my life. I still don't actually know. I would really like my job as a small business counselor to be a full-time position, but I really think that goal will go unrealized. The cuts in Wisconsin have all but taken away any possibility of that. I may have been a bit delusional in thinking that it would be anything more than it currently is. The odds are I will probably be moving to Minnesota after my contract is up at the end of July.

I have some places that I will be looking for a job through. I have been told that Americorp has some positions in economic development around in Minnesota, but I have not looked yet myself. I also have been told about a company that will help people find business related jobs in the Twin Cities area free of charge. I would defintiely like something business related, preferably with some financial work involved as well. I always enjoy working with numbers.

If anyone has any leads let me know. I am currently working on fixing up my resume, it has been over a year since I really updated it at all. I am not even sure what I am looking for right now, but any job would be good for me, something that is fully time, and maybe I could finally have some health insurance. That would definitely be a bunch of worry off my shoulders.

What I really need right now is some time off, but on the plus side im not worried about finding a girl. Thats good right? I am more worried about what I should do with my life. I would love a semi-professional job, just as long as I don't have to wear a suit. I am cool with khakis and a polo, but just not a suit.

Well I think that this is a good time for something more fun!

Movie of the week: Mystery Men, I woke up and found this on one of the HBO stations last weekend. It was awesome to find. I own it on dvd, but I just never think to watch it. Possibly my favorite Ben Stiller movie, plus Hank Azaria, and William H. Macy are always good. A good movie about fake superheroes.

TV Show of the week: Firefly, this is one of the best shows I have ever watched, but sadly it was a victim of poor marketing and poor ratings. Its what could be described as a space western, imagine Han Solo before the Star Wars trilogy. There is just oh so much more to it as well. It is full of the brilliant humor of Joss Whedon, as well as great music. Nathan Fillion is the captain of this vessel, with a great cast of others beside him. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Well thats all for the first entry of a new blog, which will be more or less the same as my old blog.

So long for now,

Peter Weck