Gosh I hate the Vikings

And that only made yesterday's win so much sweeter. I hate the Metrodome, I hate the way the Vikings play against us, Brad Johnson makes me want to puke, the list is endless. I somehow have always disliked the Vikings even more than the Packers if one can believe that. The Packers are just a team I have always at least had respect for. They are our bitter rivals, however, there is some nobility in the rivalry that one simply does not see in a Vikings-Bears game. Tempers always seem to flare up against the Vikings, whether its Olin Kreutz and GIGANTIC Pat Williams jawing at the line of scrimage or Daren Sharper talking smack about Rex Grossman, it always seems as if every player is inches or seconds away from getting into a brawl on the field.

This game was a success for the most part. We did a good job of shutting down their running game and did not allow any big plays through the air which is the purpose of the cover two defense the Bears use. However, we got minimal pressure on Brad Johnson and that is not very characteristic of this Bears defense. To the Vikings credit they have a massive offensive line, anchored by Matt Birk at center, the entire left side of the line and Birk are all legitimate pro bowlers and LG Steve Huchinson and LT Bryant McKinie are two of the largest O-lineman in the game. When Hutchinson had to come out of the game the Bears did a good job of gaining penetration as Tommie Harris was lined up on that side of the field. His forced fumble made up for the limited pressure in the early part of the game and this turnover was probably the main reason we won.

Another area of concern is the running game. For the third straight game Thomas Jones failed to reach 70 yards and averaged only 3 yards a carry--this is a concern. After the first two weeks of the season without a solid game under his belt, one could have chalked up Jones' lack of production to more 8-man-fronts by the defense and teams playing the run while not respecting Rex Grossman. However, after Grossman's stellar first two outings of the season, Jones really had no excuse not to create some plays against the Vikings. While he did look good at times, in the end TJ averaged 3 yards-per-carry for the third straight game and that is just not productive enough for a starting running back on a team looking to go to the Super Bowl.