by Larry Fitzgerald
How about that — a “Monday Night Football” game in Detroit, and the Vikings in a so-called home game imitate the Lions: New York 21, Vikings 3. Playoffs? The Vikings’ playoff hopes are over.
Vikings quarterback Brett Favre did not play. That’s what I said — it’s the first time since 1992. His remarkable, incredible streak of starting 297 consecutive regular season games with Green Bay, New York Jets and Vikings is over.
The streak is really 321 games including playoffs. Farve‘s right shoulder injury would not allow him to play. He still has numbness and discoloration in his right hand. He will have more tests this week.
Because Minneapolis was hit by a record 17.1 inches of snow on Saturday, the Mall of America Field-Metrodome roof collapsed early Sunday from the sheer weight of the snow. Sunday’s game was moved to Monday night in Detroit. The Vikings should have stayed at home — they were just awful.
Tarvaris Jackson started at quarterback for the first time since 2008. He got treated like a rag doll; the Giants threw him around. The Giants defense held the Vikings to 164 yards as they sacked Jackson six times and knocked him down nine times. Twice he had to leave the game because of injuries.
Adrian Peterson was held to 26 yards rushing on 14 carries while the defense got pushed around, allowing over 200 yards rushing. Both Giants backs — Brandon Jacobs with 116 yards and Ahmad Bradshaw with 103 yards — had their way with the Vikings defense. It’s the first time the Vikings defense allowed over 200 yards rushing since 2005.
It was also Interim Head Coach Leslie Frazier’s first loss. The Vikings are now 5-8 and play Chicago Monday night, scheduled for Mall of America Field — but there’s a hole in the roof. TCF Stadium, where the Gophers football team plays, has two feet of snow and all the pipes have been turned off.
In other words, stay tuned. The best thing that has happened with the roof collapse is that nobody got hurt, just people’s feelings. It should embarrass Minnesota’s governor, politicians, legislators and taxpayers who have refused to support a new Vikings stadium, dragging their feet and making excuses that the Dome is a good stadium.
It is what it is, a dump that has severed its purpose and has had its time. That’s why the Gophers built TCF and the Twins built Target Field and got out of their leases.
Dennis Green returns
Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green will attend the Vikings gala celebration of the 50th season of Vikings football. The live event is Sunday, December 19, 7 pm at the Minneapolis Convention Center. There the “50 Greatest Vikings of All Time” will be named and introduced.
Green and his family — wife Marie, a native of St. Paul, and their two children, both born in Minneapolis — will be in attendance.
Green was the second Black head coach in NFL history, the first in the NFC, and the first ever with the Vikings. Green is now the general manger/head coach of the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.
Green was head coach of the Vikings from 1992-2001. He won 101 games and guided the Vikings to two NFC Championship games, won four NFC Central titles, and reached the playoffs eight times in 10 years.
That includes 1998, when his team finished 15-1, scored 556 points (an NFL record), and averaged 34.8 points a game. Green also initiated Community Tuesdays, which had players active in the Twin Cities on their days off, a concept that spread to the entire NFL.
<i>Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday-Friday at 12:17 pm and 4:17 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.</i>
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