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i posted this over on Reddit a couple weeks ago thought I would start posting over here more again, the content still fits and it should spark some interesting conversation.
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In 1998 the Vikings had their best ever regular season. 15-1, and set an NFL single season scoring record that had stood for 15 years. This team was high flying with a great OL, a very good RB and a spectacular group of pass catchers. And their D was much more solid than People gave them credit for. Great at taking the ball away and holding teams off from TDS while in the red zone.
At the start of the year, the team was led by Brad Johnson, young passer entering the prime of his career. Solid and unspectacular, he had a strong arm, was smart and made good decisions. His backup was Randall Cunningham. Randall has been a huge deal as the starter in Philly in the late 80s, early 90s. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated billed as “Football’s ultimate weapon”. He ultimately left Philly in the Mid 90s when OC John Gruden and his Wc Offense arrived and Randall was unable (or unwilling) to learn it. Randall retired and went to Vegas, only to be talked out of retirement in 1997 to become Johnson’s back up.
Randall led the Vikes to a playoff win in 1997, after he took over late in the season after Johnson got hurt. The team scored two TDS in the last 4 minutes to stun the NYG. Johnson recovered from his injury and resumed his place as the leader of the offense while RC went back to the bench. But there was some minor controversy brewing.
The 1998 draft brought Randy Moss and Randy and Randall had great chemistry in Training camp. Stories of the connecting in bombs filled the camp reports and continued during the preseason. But the start of the season brought a solid victory over the Bucs (31-3? - I’m going strictly by memory here) with Randy catching two TD passes. The next week brought them to STL, which was a bottom dwelling team but one with some really good players on it. In it Johnson got an injury on a late hit and Randall came in and led the team to victory and they were off and running.
The victories mounted in a rain of long bombs to the WRs and great runs by Robert smith. RC was enjoying a rebirth, but Denny was always very coy about who his starter would be. Saying it would be Johnson when he was “healthy” but not really defining healthy. There was a minor hiccup in TB where they were exposed a bit as being vulnerable to power running teams, but even that was a tough victory for a TB squad that pulled out all the stops in what I think was Tony Dungy’s finest coaching performance. And then a game against NO came. Johnson was finally healthy enough to dress on a game day and just like that, RC goes down to injury and Johnson came in and led the team to victory over a lesser opponent.
Should have been a great time to transition back, but Johnson suffered another injury, Randall Cunningham decided he could play with a broken left wrist (much to QB3 Jay Fielder’s chagrin), and the Vikes start rolling even more with blow out victory after blow out victory. Eventually Johnson got back, but RC was named the starter for the rest of the season and given a contract extension. The Vikings were all in with Randall.
But Randall had a weakness - and that weakness was playoff football. Despite taking some great teams to the playoffs in Philly, he was 1-4 as a starter with a QB rating around 66 (which is sub Ponder territory). In the playoffs the opponents are better, things are more conservative, and there is just a lot of pressure. Some players do better than others, and Randall had never done well, with the lone exception of the last 4 minutes the previous year against the NYGs.
So, the Playoffs arrive and the Vikes blow the Cardinals out like 44-10 in game one, setting up a match against perennial bottom dwellers the Atlanta Falcons. Now, everyone overlooked the Falcons, but they shouldn’t have. The Falcons were 14-2 themselves that year and were a team led by a vet QB, Chris Chandler, and were seemingly made to order to beat the smaller Viking defense with power runner Jamal Anderson.
The Vikes did a great job early, jumping out to a 17-7 lead right before the half, when Randall fumbled deep in our territory, ATL recovered and promptly scored a TD bringing the score to 17-14 at the half.
In the second half the Vikes offense stalled as ATL took the deep stuff away and Randall kept trying to force it, not recognizing that they were leaving plenty of intermediate and short stuff available. The Vikes were able to score early in Q4 to push the lead to 27-17. After that moment for the rest of the quarter, Randall went 3-8 for 25 yards, took a sack and also fumbled the ball away giving the Falcons the ball at MN’s 30.
The game went into over time, during which time Randal was 2-8 for 23 yards and a sack. He got the ball on his own 29 and 27 yardlines, much better starting position that the Falcons got Which was their own 15 and 9.
The O, which had led the team all year, lost that game. It wasn’t injuries as lore would have you believe. Go back and read [the play by play. ](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/b...tm#all_pbp) this was all in the O.
So, what does this have to do with Case Keenum?
Because, right now many folks have nice big chubbies for Case because he’s winning games and he’s seemingly playing decently. They aren’t noticing that Keenum is getting bailed out by his WRs on lots of catches and that he could easily have more INTs due to how inaccurate some of his passes are. And they are ignoring his history of being a journeyman back up QB.
If this team goes into the playoffs with Keenum as the starter, we can all look forward to another episode of heart break as a good CB takes away one of his behind the WR balls or takes a lollipop thrown on an out 72 yards for a house call.
I don’t write this to be disrespectful of either Keenum or Randall. They both did great jobs in their roles. But if we ask them to go beyond their roles, woe be onto us as they remind us who they are.
Great QBs make 0-1 bad decisions or throws a game
Good QBs make 2-3
Average QBs make 4-5
Below average QBs make more than that. Keenum typically makes 4-5 bad throws and decisions a game. he, like Randall, is very capable of steering a loaded team into the playoffs. But at that point it will just be a matter of time until our hearts are broken again.
We need Teddy.
Skol.
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