Watching most of last night's fairly entertaining game between the Rams and Niners, a few thoughts:
1. Is Goff better? Or is the level of competition making him appear that way? I can't decide. He looked good but I haven't seen him in the first two weeks. Whatever the case, you can't dismiss the points this team has put up in three weeks. It rivals the output from Kurt Warner's era.
2. I think Gurley is the closest comp right now to AD in his prime. He disappeared last year, but watching him last night, he seems to have the closest skill set and strengths to Adrian.
3. Speaking of RBs, are we embarking on a new golden age of high-quality backs? LeVeon, David Johnson, Gurley rejuvenated, Jordan Howard, Zeke the tweak, Hyde, Jay Ajayi, Freeman, Melvin Gordon, promising early returns on Kareem Hunt and Dalvin. As guys like AD, Jonathan Stewart, Gore and Lynch age out, it appears we have a new wave of youth to replace them, all grouped within a few years of each other. Mark Ingram, Demarco Murray and Shady McCoy are the bridge.
4. Aaron Donald is still a wrecking crew, but it says something when you give up 39 to the touchdown-less Niners. LAR has some injuries but still, it's Hoyer, Hyde and a crew of castoffs.

In June, ESPN’s Matt Bowen, a former NFL safety, ranked his top 10 fastest players in the NFL. Fifth on the list was receiver DeSean Jackson, who the Minnesota Vikings will face this Sunday.
Bowen wrote:

“Even at age 30, Jackson hasn’t slowed down on the tape. One of the top deep threats in the league, Jackson has the ideal combination of vertical speed, route-running ability and body control at the point of attack. We saw that this past season when Jackson smoked the Giants on a deep post (watch). Separate on the break, track the ball and then make a highlight grab. That’s smooth. Based on what I see, I bet Jackson would drop a 4.3 on the stopwatch today. He can still fly.”
Jackson has a track record as the league’s premier deep threat. According to NFL.com “Next Gen” data, Jackson averaged 19.3 air yards per target last week, fourth-highest among receivers.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/0...n-jackson/

All now installing extended netting...Dont know why this wasn't done a long time ago by all teams?

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2017/09/21/reds...ball-park/

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2017/09/21/padr...d-netting/

Pretty broad consensus this guy had a very high ceiling...Looks to be on track to overcoming the sophomore slump. 

Todd Gurley is first with six TDs in first three games since 2011Rams running back Todd Gurley ran for 113 yards Thursday night, marking the first time that he’s crossed the 100-yard plateau since Week 14 of the 2015 season.
That’s reinforces the previous signs of Gurley getting back on track and so do the three touchdowns he scored during the 41-39 victory over the 49ers. Those touchdowns give Gurley six on the season and make him the first player with that many touchdowns in the first three games of a season since Calvin Johnson did it during the 2011 season.
By any metric, Gurley looks a lot more like the impressive rookie of 2015 than the player he was last year.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...ince-2011/

So what are we hearing on Sams status for Sunday?  Any word on how practice has gone yesterday or today?

Here is a slowed-down 10 second clip we took on Sunday of Mike Zimmer walking into the locker room.  We all know he is intense, but off the field, he's a pretty nice guy.  But, he is staring right at us as we film him, and when he is in a "mood", he feels like he is staring through you.

We took some of this shot before the game, and the last part as he was walking into the locker room after the game.

Sam is very quiet in general, but he talked to no one either time.  He was clearly disappointed, and it sure seemed he wished he could play.  He was limping very slightly, and he constantly has security next to him.  You approach him, and security will back you down.   This is true for Sam and Teddy - they are truly off-limits unless it is Fox National or pooled interviews.

PURPLE PERSPECTIVE


“Vikings announce Sam Bradford, ruled out for today’s game vs Pittsburgh Steelers…” That was the alert on my phone after leaving church on Sunday minutes before the Vikings game. There was no way we would win this game now I thought. Okay, optimism still rules me, but a loss would certainly not ruin my day or week. Cancer already did a fine job of that. Saturday I attended the funeral of a young girl AVA who died two days before her 12th birthday. That was difficult to say the least. It kinda ripped the joy out of everything for me. Rest in peace sweet Ava. While it was heartbreaking and emotional to see her parents and sister go through this journey there was joy in knowing that this girl led a special life and touched so many people. She honestly changed my life and the lives of many who she came in contact with. She loved sparkles, the more the better. Pink, Purple were her favorite colors and we sprinkled those colors (glitter) on her casket. The vault the holds the casket was painted like a zebra and the funeral procession was a cross between a wedding procession (cars, announcing the bride and groom) and a regular funeral procession as we “rode” our way through the small iowa town passed her house and to the graveyard. One last ride through town. It was a Blessing to experience.

It appears that when the Vikings list a player as injured we can assume the worst. I don’t mind not getting the straight story from the coach, but anytime a Viking is listed it’s probably worse than what they are saying. It was obvious that they still had high hopes for Sam playing, because the alternative well there is none. It’s hard to yell next man up when it appears the backup is just not effective and I called him backup because I can’t think of his name off the top of my head and that’s scary. It’s also apparent that this defense cannot carry this team to victory. I think that game was very winnable with a healthy Sam, but with the uncertainty surrounding that knee it looks like we are in for another long year. After witnessing Ava’s short life there are better things to do and worry about. tempus fugit memento mori

So now that there are no expectations left for this team, it’s time to move on to Tampa Bay or at least home to defend USB. SKOL VIKINGS, LET’S WIN THIS GAME!


WEEK 3 IS HERE

“I’ve been through a lot with this knee,” Bradford said. “I’ve played through quite a few different bumps and bruises with it. I think every time that I’ve done that, you just know. I don’t think there’s a checkmark or a benchmark you’ve got to meet. You’ve got to be able to play quarterback. You’ve got to be able to do what the position requires you to do. If you’re not able to do those things during practice, it’s hard to be able to do them during a game.”
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-quart...446137553/

Thor’s Hammer 09-20-2017 Ep3
After a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and even tougher news leaving the status of quarterback Sam Bradford in limbo the crew does their best to break down the upcoming Minnesota Vikings ga…

Read the full story here