Where were the running plays?

By Krupka  |   Monday, October 02, 2006  |  Comments( 5 )

Minnesota Vikings
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Who was that on the Minnesota Vikings' sideline Sunday calling the plays? It sure seemed more like Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, not Vikings head coach Brad Childress.

Of course, it was Childress, but what happened to the man that said everything starts up front, in the trenches. The man that proclaimed, "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."

The only thing that held true Sunday against the Buffalo Bills was not passing for quantity. From the first offensive play until the last, the Vikings forgot their offensive identity: A ball-control team that runs the football, runs the football and runs the football some more.

In the offseason the team signed a new running back, Chester Taylor, a bruising fullback known for his tremendous blocking skill in Tony Richardson, and the biggest addition of all, the signing of stalwart All-Pro left guard Steve Hutchinson.

All of this meant Childress wanted to build a team that could grind out tough yardage, win the time of possession battle, and control the game, essentially.

And after Week 1, it seemed obvious that the offensive identity would be built almost exclusively around the running game. Taylor carried the ball 31 times for 88 yards. And it was no coincidence that the Vikings won the time of possession and the game.

The following week Taylor toted the rock 24 times and gained an impressive 113 yards. The Vikings did win the game, but it had more to do with kicker Ryan Longwell and the defense, rather than the running game. Still, the Vikings stayed committed to the ground game and eked out a victory for the second straight week, also winning the time of possession battle.

A week later pitted the Vikings against the defensive-powered Chicago Bears. Taylor carried 20 times for 74 hard- earned yards, and if not for a fumble on a handoff exchange with just over three minutes remaining, the Vikings would have won the game. They did, however, win the time of possession battle for the third consecutive week.

Back to Sunday. The Vikings found themselves at Ralph Wilson Stadium facing a Bills team that is, to say the least, suspect against the run. The two keys to the game outside of the turnover battle, were for the Vikings to run the ball on offense and stop the league's leading rusher, Willis McGahee, on defense.

Heading into halftime the Vikings trailed just 7-6, and only attempted nine rushes in the first half as a team with six coming from starting running back Chester Taylor. While the nine attempts certainly weren't enough in the first half, it would get worse.

In the second half the Bills started with the football and scored a touchdown to take a 14-6 lead. Instantly, Childress completely abandoned the run, only calling four rushing plays in the entire second half, not counting the three times Johnson scrambled for his life.

Instead of sticking to what they do best, the Vikings found themselves out of their element. Up to this point in the season, it's fairly obvious they don't posses an offense that can air it out with anyone, and it would be foolish to do so against Buffalo, a team that has struggled mightily against the run and shut down the pass.

However, that didn't stop Childress, and in spite of numerous penalties, and abandoning the run, the Vikings still had a chance to steal a victory late.

But, in the end, the Vikings didn't really deserve to win, and the Bills beat them at their own game. The defense did stop McGahee, but that didn't stop the Bills from continuing to run the ball. The 6-foot, 228-pound running back carried the ball 28 times for just 78 yards, but he did score a touchdown, and helped his team do what Childress once said he wanted his team to do--"bludgeon the opponent and run the clock out. Run for quantity not quality."

And, sure enough, the Bills won the time of possession battle, and the game, because they stayed committed to the run.

Hopefully for Childress, it was a lesson learned.

Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
jhood_121		10:23 AM
10/02/2006
The Vikings have been playing offense this season like they are scared to lose instead of trying to win. For all intents and...
No.2
vike73		11:43 AM
10/02/2006
Your article is 100% correct. Childress sold out on everything he said this team would be built on, even after being fairly...
No.3
vikes84		03:05 PM
10/02/2006
Based on some of the playcalling, it seems like Childress has little confidence in the run game. It seems like he is more into...
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