Childress era begins with a “W”

By Krupka  |   Tuesday, September 12, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Minnesota Vikings
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"You have to be able to bludgeon your opponent and run the clock out. Run the ball for quantity not quality and pass for quality not quantity."

Those were the words of head coach Brad Childress before Monday Night's showdown with the Washington Redskins. On Monday, his Minnesota Vikings executed the statement to a "T" in a 19-16 victory.

While running back Chester Taylor may not have produced the sexiest stat line, he was the workhorse the offense needed. The former Ravens back, in his first year with the Vikings, carried the ball a career-high 31 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. For those of you doing the math at home, he only averaged 2.8 yards per carry, but it might have been the most effective 2.8 yards per carry since Jerome Bettis' .2 yards per rush on five carries for one yard and three touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders in the 2004 season.

Taylor showed that he could not only carry the load, but get better as the game went along, and could grind out the tough yards needed to keep the clock ticking at the end of the game. The 5-foot-11, 211-pounder also made three receptions for 43 yards, giving him 34 touches for 131 total yards and the aforementioned four-yard touchdown run.

As for the passing attack, quarterback Brad Johnson was his efficient self, protecting the football and managing the game. He completed 16-of-30 passes to seven different receivers for 223 yards and a touchdown. Had second-year receiver Troy Williamson not dropped three passes, the signal caller's numbers could have been even better.

On the Vikings' first drive of the second half, Johnson and receiver Marcus Robinson ran the pump-and-go perfectly as the two connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Some other things that stood out...

The play calling- Brad Childress was exceptional calling the plays. The offense moved the ball crisply, especially on third downs. Although the ground game wasn't overly effective, he stuck to the gameplan, and really had the Redskins' defense off balance.

The red-zone defense- The defense played very well the entire game, but like all good defenses do, they turned it up a notch when the Redskins reached the red zone. Three times the unit held Mark Brunell and friends out of the end zone, forcing field goals of 27, 27 and 22 yards.

Tackling- It was quite apparent that technique was a focal point of training camp. Everyone on the unit seemed to be in sound fundamental position to make the play. The occasional missed tackles happened, but more often than not everyone was wrapping up, even cornerback Fred Smoot who isn't known for his tackling. Safeties Greg Blue and Darren Sharper both had big hits, and the linebacking corps was solid. Corner Antoine Winfield and linebacker E.J. Henderson tied for the team lead in takedowns with seven apiece.

The only real blip came on special teams after the opening drive touchdown. Punter Chris Kluwe is doing the holding this year, and proceeded to drop his first of the year. To add to the mishap, he ran toward the end zone only to be annihilated by two defenders. Luckily, he wasn't injured.

Also, Troy Williamson dropped three passes, two of which should have been caught. However, the second-year man still had a solid game, as he continually beat corners Mike Rumph and Carlos Rogers.

All in all, Childress has to be happy with how his team played. Being 1-0 never felt so good for the Minnesota Vikings.

Eric Krupka can be contacted at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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