BUCCANEERS Humble Vikings 24-13!

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 09/13/2005
 

The last time the Vikings won a football game that counts Randy Moss played a significant role in it. Grabbing two touchdown passes from quarterback Daunte Culpepper in the Vikings 31-17 win at Green Bay.

 

History will note that the post Moss era started on Sunday September 11th with a season opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-13.

 

If there is one team over the last decade in this league that has the Vikings number it's Tampa Bay. When the Vikings were members of the old NFC Central and played Tampa Bay twice a year they split with the Buccaneers for nine straight years.

 

Twice in the last ten years the Vikings started the season 7-0 and both times the Buccaneers handled the Vikings. Even when the Vikings were 15-1 in 1998 and the highest scoring team in NFL history the Buccaneers beat them.

 

Sunday was no different the Buccaneers gave the Vikings a heavy dose of reality. Teams are going to attack Culpepper now because they have no fear for the other Vikings receivers. Not one receiver had more than 4 catches and 45 yards.

 

Running game! You call 26 yards a running game? What running game? The Buccaneers defense stuffed the Vikings by manhandling their patched up offensive line. Pro Bowl center Matt Birk out for the year was missed, as was Moss.

 

Culpepper has not played his best against the Buccaneers for some reason. In his career 6 games against the Buccaneers he has thrown 11 interceptions. Sunday Culpepper was picked off three times and had two costly fumbles.

 

He also had a career low 49.2 QB rating. "When things could go bad, it went bad, Culpepper said. It was almost like a bad episode of the 'Twilight Light Zone."

 

The Vikings had two touchdowns called back because of penalties offensively the Vikings struggled big time. When you turn the football over 5 times and run for only 26 yards and fail to produce an offensive touchdown, It's obviously not your day.  

 

Culpepper last year threw 39 touchdown passes Sunday he had zero ending a personal career best streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass in 21 consecutive games. Maybe he tries to hard to play well against Tampa Bay and forces things and puts too much pressure on himself, being from Ocala, Florida just down the road from Tampa. Or maybe he misses Moss, or former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

 

Defensively the Vikings did some good things but they have a long way to go. They did produce a touchdown Darren Sharper's 88-yard interception return and Fred Smoot's interception. But they allowed the Buccaneers 146 yards rushing nearly 5 yards per carry. Are the Vikings as good as advertised?

 

"I think we're a good football team, said Culpepper. I really do I think we just have to continue to work hard. We can't start listening to people saying we're good. You're only good at the end of the year when you have the championship in your hands."

 

 That's what it really comes down to we can't fall into the trap of guys believing and people saying the Vikings are good the Vikings are that. I've been through that. I think it's all about playing winning football every week everyday and then getting to the playoffs doing what you have to do and eventually being world champions."

 

 We will soon see because three of the Vikings next four games are on the road at Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Chicago. And they play at home on Sunday September 25th against America's team the New Orleans Saints who will be emotionally charged fighting for their stricken city and dealing with the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

 

Until the Vikings start winning and moving the football offensively the Moss trade will haunt this team. Tampa Bay just gave the entire NFL a blue print on how to beat the 2005 Vikings.

 

Fitz Notes & Quotes

 

NFL opening weekend since 1978 when the league went to 16 game schedule teams that win the opening weekend are more than twice as likely to make the playoffs. Of the 12 teams that made the playoffs last season 8 of the teams loss Sunday.

 

 

 Larry Fitzgerald Jr.  of the Arizona Cardinals led all NFL receivers with 13 receptions for 155 yards and one touchdown in Arizona's 42-19 loss to the New York Giants.  Former Viking Dr. Leo Lewis and former Gopher Trent Tucker are strong candidates to be hired as associate athletic director at the University of Minnesota.