Caleb's Dream Journal

Minneso-stupid and the Phantom Elite QB
By Caleb Musselman

photo cred: www.chicagonow.com

In a league where the term "elite quarterback" is thrown around as often as Schaub pick-sixes, every team is seeking their franchise QB. Matt Flynn has been passed around the league like a pokemon card and Brady Quinn is now taking over Kurt Warner's job at the local grocery store. Why is this quarterback shuffle so prevalent in today's game? Why are all these teams so desperate to find a QB who is supposed to suddenly revitalize their franchise? Is that real life? 

Let's shift our eyes to the biggest travesty of them all in Minneapolis for a moment. Careful. Like looking at the sun, this sight might blind your eyes. The first three weeks of the season showed the Viking faithful that this year would be a far cry from last year's playoff run. Even with the always dynamic Adrian Peterson in the backfield (90 yards and 2 TD's), the Lions handled the Vikes 34-24 in Detroit in Week 1. But did we expect any different? Week 2 carried the below-average Vikings INTO Chicago to play a very difficult Bears team. AP was good (but no TDs), Ponder was Ponder and the Bears squeaked out a win at home. Overall, a good result for a Vikings team that lost their 2nd most dynamic player in the off-season. How often do teams win when their best player doesn't score? Week 3 brought Cleveland's local JV squad into town. Crippled by an injured QB and suddenly no Trent Richardson, the Hoyer-led Browns were projected to beat out the Jags for the worst record in the league. They stumbled into Minnesota and....beat the Vikings? Ponder broke a rib and it turns out Hoyer is in the NFL for a reason. As my dad always says, "He must be good if he's in the NFL." Them's are fighting words. 

Photo Cred: www.cbssports.com

Ponder's grade over those 3 games? I'd give him a B-. He kept his average team in 2 games that they had no business being in, and fought through a broken rib to keep his team in the game against a hyped up Cleveland squad with something to prove. Fast-forward to Week 4, Ponder is out and the Vikings give Matt Cassel a shot against the Steelers in England. Cassel, the golden boy, Tom Brady back-up who got a big paycheck off of his practice performance in New England. Cassel enters the scene against a Steelers team who is desperately in need of a win. How does he respond? He has a solid, Alex Smith-esque day on the field with 250 yards, 2 TDs and ZERO picks as the Vikings down the Steelers in England. Maybe we are on to something here. Maybe this kid can play. Week 5 brought a solid Carolina team to Minnesota and despite Cassel going 32-44 from the field, the offense struggled and Carolina stomped the Vikings at home.

photo cred: sports.espn.go.com

So here's when things get a little cray cray. A couple hundred miles away in Tampa, things have gone awry.
The physical specimen, Josh Freeman, has taken a Buccaneers team from a once promising position to a 2012 flop and a 2013 defeated abomination. After a downright miserable first 4 games, Freeman was benched by Greg Schiano. This move took a relationship that was on the rocks and put it in the meat grinder. It was clear Freeman's days in Tampa were over. Let's head back to Minnesota. The Vikings sit at 1-4 and are seeking to find a legitimate starter to turn their season around. ENTER FREEMAN.

Bench the QB who was a solid facilitator in the midst of a 10-6 run to the playoffs in 2012. Bench the QB who put up good numbers and got you your only win of the season. AND BRING IN THE BELL OF THE BALL.

Ok, fine. Bring him in. Give him a few weeks to learn the playbook and give him a shot to prove himself. Or bring him in, give him 4 days on the practice field and throw him to the dogs. I think the WNBA playoffs had better TV ratings than the Vikings/Giants game, but if you happened to accidentally watch a glimpse of the game, it was arguably one of the most embarrassing QB performances since Joe Webb (who is now a WR3 for this same Minny team). Freeman went 20-53 for 190 yards, 0 TDs and 1 interception. If you throw over 50 times, either your yards, TDs or interceptions should be high. What does his stat line tell us? He was so bad even the other team couldn't catch the ball. The guy in the first row in the back of the end zone had more targets than Greg Jennings.

photo cred: www.vikesprincess.net

Before this week, the Vikings and Steelers had the same 1-4 record. However, Leslie Frazier and Mike Tomlin took very different approaches to their Week 7 games. Tomlin approached their matchup against the rival Ravens as any normal professional would: a must win. On the contrary, Frazier approached his matchup against the WINLESS Giants as a tryout for a player who already proved his worth(lessness) in Tampa Bay. Further, he completely disrespected his playoff (loose term) quarterback, his above average backup and most importantly, the best running back in the league. If you have Adrian Peterson on your team, what are you doing throwing 53 times with a quarterback who doesn't know the playbook?

Answer: You are giving up. You are mailing it in. In a desperate attempt to hit the lottery and bring Freeman in to save your season, you are showing each player on your team that you don't have any respect for them. If your #1 receiver is Greg Jennings, what do you expect your facilitating QBs to do? If one of your top 3 receivers is a former QB, how do you expect ANYONE to be successful under center?

photo cred: nfl.si.com

A franchise quarterback is not created through magic. A special QB like Brady, Manning and Rodgers is formed through talent, consistency and most importantly confidence that they gain through respect from their coaching staff and their organization. Expect Minnesota to win 3 games this year. Expect Cassel to be gone next year. Expect AP to play til he is 30 and retire just like Barry Sanders. And finally, expect Frazier to be gone next year.

There is no winning formula at QB for Minnesota. However, the least they could do is reward Ponder for his playoff caliber 2012 by giving him the ball under center week in and week out. He is playing this week, but not because they want him to. Freeman has a concussion and Ponder will take the field. A absolute embarrassment for Minnesota comes full circle as the correct quarterback finds himself back in the game on Sunday. Frazier should be ashamed and soon he will be out of a job.