From Peter King:
• Re the ills of the Vikings, I see three major problems here. The biggest is the leakiness of the offensive line compared to the past couple of years. Not only is the right side getting caved in regularly -- twice Monday night the Vikes failed to covert third-and-short running there -- but recently the famed Bryant McKinnie/Steve Hutchinson left side is getting pushed back regularly.
Part of the reason is the run-blitzing and Double-A-gap blitzing. (Great story, by the way, by Tim Layden in last week's SI detailing the rise of blitzing two defenders on either side of the center, clogging all interior rushing lanes and putting quick pressure on the passer.) In the past couple of years, Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor simply had better and wider rush lanes. In 2007, Peterson's rookie year, Minnesota averaged a league-high 5.3 yards per rush. Last year it fell to 4.5 yards, still good. But now the Vikes are absolutely average -- 4.1 yards per rush, 18th in the NFL through 16 weeks -- with both Peterson and Taylor healthy. Why'd the Vikings go 70 minutes between Carolina and Chicago debacles without scoring a touchdown? Look no further than the holes not made by the line.
Two: The secondary is mediocre. I looked on ruefully as one of my all-decade corners, Antoine Winfield, got turnstiled by a bottom-of-the-depth-chart wide receiver Devin Aromashodu. Winfield's poor coverage was as big a reason for the loss as any other single factor. Now, he's playing with an injured foot, but facts are facts: He killed the Vikings on Monday night.
Finally, the Vikings have lost the ability to be a big-play defense. In their four-game slide, they've allowed 25.5 points a game and 12 touchdowns. Jared Allen has to get back to his destructive self, as does Kevin Williams; there's too little crashing of the pocket, and in those four games, Minnesota has forced three turnovers and had only five sacks. Contrast those eight game-changing defensive plays in the last four games to the 24 in the Vikings' first four games, or the 20 in the second four games.
I spoke with Minnesota wide receiver Sidney Rice from the locker room after the game, and he had a positive spin on the recent slide. He would, of course. I just wonder if his words are the kind you speak when you're trying to say the right thing to be positive, or if the Vikings know they're in a deep hole now that they've put their number-two seed in the NFC in jeopardy. "You've covered football for a long time,'' he said. "You've seen good teams go through times like this. But we'll come out of it. We've just got to find a way to do positive things consistently. We've done it before. We'll do it again.''
Maybe it had something to do with the absence of injured linebacker E.J. Henderson, but the Vikings missed several tackles, particularly in the first half. In one instance, Jay Cutler slipped the grasp of two defenders to pick up extra yards on a scramble. And the Bears receiver — not exactly a big-name group — were running free through the secondary.
Why was Jay Cutler able to be successful? A big part of the reason was the lack of pressure brought by the Vikings' pass rush. The Bears protected their quarterback well the whole night. Was Jared Allen even out on the field?
The parties involved say it is and stuck to that line after the game. Brad Childress, in fact, seemed practically eager to talk about it. But the offensive struggles of the first half have to make you wonder whether the matter of audibles is still an issue. And the Vikings also must be concerned about their special teams. They allowed kickoff returns of 57 and 59
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Q: The other night I was examining the Tiger Woods scenario, and it hit me. Tiger Woods' situation is exactly like that of Don Draper in "Mad Men." Both of their wives are beautiful. They both have kids. They're both rich. Both women found out from outside sources (Betty from Jimmy Barrett, Tiger's wife from his cell phone). Am I crazy?
-- Josh Peterson, Omaha
SG: Over the past two weeks, maybe six readers made that connection, and every time I was furious I didn't think of it first. It's a mildly mind-blowing analogy. In Season 1, Don Draper was the golden boy with the perfect life on paper who thought the rules didn't apply to him. In Season 2, everything fell apart and his web of secrets began to surface. In Season 3, the secrets finally came out. Humbled, he tried to pick up the pieces, lost his family, lost his mojo to some degree and eventually ended up taking a huge career gamble. Sound familiar? Like Draper, Tiger is the absolute best at what he does. And like Draper, no matter how much turmoil there is, he will survive. People will always forgive the best as long as they're the best. That's just the way life works.
Throw in the moral component (the husband and father who betrayed his family) and that's where these things get dicey for fans. We only know Tiger the golfer. Really, that's all we want to know. Whether his marriage heals or disintegrates isn't really our business. But we are voyeurs when it comes to our favorite athletes. They thrill us, keep us guessing, keep us on our toes, keep us watching. During the average golf tournament, cameras capture every reaction and emotion from the closest of angles -- triumph, anguish, fury, frustration, panic, you name it -- which deceives us into thinking we know these guys better than we do. How many times did you hear someone say "Can you believe Tiger did that?" over these past two weeks. Like we knew him. And we didn't.
During the last episode of Season 1, Don Draper gave a sales presentation to a camera company. At this point, through 12-plus episodes, the viewer was still trying to figure him out as a human being. What's important to him? What's his background? What are his morals? Does he live by any code? He's a hero and an anti-hero, the leading man who might be leading us astray. Draper turns off the lights and shows a series of slides to the camera people, pitching them on an idea called "The Carousel."
The angle is nostalgia. The slides are pictures of his family. Draper starts flicking through them, preys on their emotions and goes for the kill.
"In Greek," he says, "nostalgia literally means 'the pain from an old wound.' It's a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn't a spaceship. It's a time machine. It goes backward, forward. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again."
Now Draper finds himself getting pulled into the moment. Here are these pictures of the perfect American family -- his family -- only he can't feel any connection to them at all. Really, it's more of a Perfect American Family On Paper. They might as well be a new Cadillac or a house with a fence. Just because your family looks perfect doesn't mean you're a family man. The realization makes his eyes glisten. Or so we think.
"It's not called the wheel," he continues, his speech slowing. "It's called the Carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Round and around and back home again. To a place where we know we're loved."
Draper clicks through the last slide. It's a picture of him and his blonde wife on their wedding day. The end. The rest of the room remains frozen in awe. Even Draper seems a little choked up. One of his co-workers (who was having problems with his marriage) hustles out of the room, fighting off tears. The lights go on. And just like that, Draper doesn't seem so choked up anymore. There's a hint of a satisfied smile on his face. Just for a second. Was it a performance? Did he feel the connection? Was it a little of both?
It's the best scene in the history of the show. It tells you everything you would ever want to know about Don Draper. Only he knows how he felt, or if he was feeling anything at all. But he should have been feeling something. You could say the same thing about Tiger Woods, a public figure handling a decidedly private matter right now. He needs a Carousel. He needs to go backward. He needs to go round and around and back home again. And he can't.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnflpicks/091211
 Jonathan Vilma made the key hit to thwart the Falcons' final drive and keep the Saints undefeated. Bob Rosato/SI |
1. New Orleans (13-0).When the Saints needed big plays, it wasn't onlyDrew Breeswho provided them.Reggie Bushdid, with two TDs -- and doesn't he look angry out there when he scores? -- andJonathan Vilmadid, with a pick and a stoning tackle to end the game. It's a deep team.
2. Indianapolis (13-0).Entering a short week, the Colts are going to disappoint fans who flip on the TV Thursday night. Around 8:50 p.m., it ought to be theCurtis Paintershow at Jacksonville, when Manning andJeff Saturdayand the vets who need time off start to get it.
3. Minnesota (11-2).Stat I like about the Vikes' passing game: Through 13 games, Minnesota has six players between 36 and 67 catches. Last year, through 16 weeks, the Vikes had four players with 36 catches or more.
4. San Diego (10-3).Chargers are 5-0 on the road during their eight-game winning streak. In another year, they'd be first or second in the Fine Fifteen right now.
5. Arizona (8-4).The running game has actually become competent.Beanie WellsandTim Hightower, combined, are averaging a quite respectable 4.4 yards a carry entering the game that could clinch the NFC West title for the Cards tonight.
6. Philadelphia (9-4).Thirty points in 30 first-half minutes against the Giants in game one this year in November, and 30 points in 30 first-half minutes at the Meadowlands Sunday night. Good to see the Eagles finally getting some mileage out ofMichael Vick.
7. Green Bay (9-4).I'll be stunned if the Packers don't cop the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs.
8. Cincinnati (9-4).Bengals got what they deserved at the Metrodome, playing without the inside push of defensive tackleDomata Peko. But it's not a disastrous loss, more a predictable one.
9. Denver (8-5).The game at Indy looked to be over 25 minutes in, but the Broncos hung in there and took something good out of the day at the dome.
10. Dallas (8-5).I know it's not fashionable to say anything nice about the Cowboys in December, but I don't believe their season's over yet. Sorry.
11. Baltimore (7-6).Slaughtering Detroit ... meh. ButRay Riceis emerging as a top-10 back. His 219 yards on 17 touches for an average of 12.9 yards per touch -- that's great stuff against any foe.
12. New England (8-5)."This is the flattest game I've ever done,''Tony Siragusasaid from the field on the FOX telecast of Panthers-Pats. Another failed fourth-down call,Randy Mosslooking like he wished he was anywhere but there, no tight end getting open,Steve Smithwhipping corners ... I know there are no ugly wins, but this win was exceedingly unattractive. I'll say this: It's a good thing the Patriots haveTom Brady-- even in a season where he's been mortal half the time -- or their season would be over this morning.
13. Miami (7-6).Sunday in Nashville will be a playoff game for the Fins.
14. Tennessee (6-7).The hammy injury toVince Youngmarred the uncompetitive win over the Rams.
15. New York Jets (7-6).Strangest, streakiest season in a long time. Won three, lost three, won one, lost three, won three. Here's something for you statniks: Has a team ever made the playoffs with two separate three-game losing streaks?
E: Engage physically
N: Nurture dependence
N: Neglect emotionally
I: Inspire hope
S: Separate entirely
