Vikings have plenty to Ponder after latest disaster

Philadelphia, PA – The Brett Favre era in Minnesota may have to-be-extinct Donovan McNabb period in Purple and Gold has been infinitely worse during its brief yet adversely impactful run.

Though it's been only 21 months since the Vikings were an eyelash away from reaching the Super Bowl, the hard-luck team's decline over that relatively short span has been both steep and sharp. Counting that painful overtime loss to New Orleans in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, Minnesota has compiled an ugly 7-16 record with a past-his-prime Favre and an equally over-the-hill McNabb mainly at the controls of the offense. Only three teams (Carolina, Denver, Arizona) have won less games during that stretch.

At 1-5, this year's Vikings are in real danger of producing their worst record since a 5-11 nose-dive in 2001 that prompted the departure of Dennis Green, and could very well threaten the three-win fiasco under Les Steckel in 1984 that ranks among the most ignominious seasons in franchise history on their current misguided course.

"It's humiliating," remarked defensive end after the low point of the McNabb tenure, a 39-10 trouncing at the hands of a noticeably determined Chicago squad on Sunday night. "It's the only word I think of right now."

There have been several other demeaning moments over the course of the Vikings' worst six-game intro in the past nine seasons, with McNabb inheriting the lion's share of the blame for that awful start. And while there's little disputing that the former perennial Pro Bowl quarterback's once-spectacular skills have diminished to substandard levels, he's hardly the sole culprit to Minnesota's swift demise.

McNabb's failure to effectively move a continually-stale offense was just one reason for Sunday's dismantling by a Bears team that's had a hard time stopping anyone over the past month or so. The regressing veteran didn't get a whole lot of assistance from an offensive line that was routinely abused by Chicago's pass-rushers on the night, resulting in five sacks and a safety, or a pedestrian group of receivers that's struggled all season long to obtain separation and deliver big plays.

"When you get in a position where we have to throw, then we have to be able to make some of those throws and we have to be able to protect the quarterback," said Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier. "We weren't able to do that."

Other problems were conspicuously evident during Minnesota' latest stumble, such as a defense that can be thrown upon at will when unable to generate sufficient pressure and lousy special-teams play, with the Vikings surrendering a back-breaking kick-return touchdown to the incomparable Devin Hester early in the second half and normally-steady kicker Ryan Longwell misfiring on a virtual chip-shot field goal attempt.

McNabb's sustained slump under center has still been the most scrutinized of Minnesota's long list of deficiencies, as it's become undeniably evident that the 34-year-old's lost 2010 season in Washington wasn't simply a brief bump in the road. The Bears dared the Vikings to beat them through the air by crowding the line of scrimmage and shutting off running lanes for superstar back Adrian Peterson, and the six-time Pro Bowler wasn't able to take advantage.

Frazier has remained steadfast in his support of McNabb amid an outpouring of calls for heralded rookie Christian Ponder to take over, and the 2011 first- round pick's performance in relief during Sunday's loss somewhat justified the beleaguered coach's reluctance to make a switch. Ponder looked every bit the raw project he was touted to be in his pro debut, hitting on a shaky 9-of-17 passes for 99 yards after taking over in the fourth quarter.

The prevailing train of thought is that's there's little to gain for trotting out a clearly-receding McNabb with the Vikings' season now officially in the tank, and it appears as if Frazier has softened his hard-line stance on the subject by refusing to fully endorse his seasoned signal-caller as the clear- cut starter after the Chicago loss.

"We have to sit down on Monday and talk about a lot of things," Frazier said afterward. "We need to decide on what direction we want to go."

The decision may not be as easy as at first glance, however.

The Vikings acquired McNabb over the summer because they knew Ponder wasn't ready for the rigors of a starting role in the NFL right out of the chute, and the idea that the team has essentially nothing to lose by playing the rookie at this stage isn't entirely true. With a lack of reliable receivers and a front line that's been a sieve in protection, Ponder likely won't be set up for any kind of early success, and the last thing the organization wants to do is create a situation where its intended long-term answer at the game's most important position loses confidence in his abilities.

Therefore, don't be completely shocked if it's once again McNabb taking the snaps when the Vikings take on the juggernaut Green Bay Packers this coming Sunday at the Metrodome, with the fading old pro continuing to be the fall guy for a season that's already reached the point of no return.

Here's a few thoughts on some of the other events that transpired during another action-packed NFL Sunday:

The controversial post-game dustup between San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh and Detroit sideline boss Jim Schwartz following the 49ers' rousing victory over the previously-unbeaten Lions wasn't all that surprising, as Harbaugh has a well-known reputation as an irritant that goes all the way back to his playing days and Schwartz is a noted hothead in his own right (who by the way, had a somewhat-similar exuberant and profanity-laced celebration that some may have also deemed a bit over the top during his team's comeback win over the Vikings a few weeks back). An unfortunate situation between two really intense guys and really good leaders. And when's the last time an opposing coach reacted so jubilantly after his team exited Detroit with a win?

Tough couple of weeks for the Oakland Raiders, who now have to withstand the potentially-crippling season-ending loss of quarterback Jason Campbell right after the emotionally-draining death of esteemed owner Al Davis. There have been lots of rumors about Oakland making a play for the exiled Carson Palmer, but keep in mind the Silver and Black only has three remaining choices in the upcoming draft after dealing their seventh-rounder to Seattle for disappointing linebacker Aaron Curry last week. The Raiders also gave up next year's second- rounder to New England to move up in the 2011 draft, their third to take Terrelle Pryor (who's not at all an option to replace Campbell at this point) in the supplemental draft and a fourth in the trade that brought Campbell over from Washington. It's more likely Oakland winds up with the still-unemployed David Garrard or Trent Edwards (who was cut by the team in training camp) than landing Palmer or the readily-available Kyle Orton.

Staying on the subject of quarterback changes, it was only a matter of time before Rex Grossman underwent an implosion like the 9-of-22, four-interception debacle the incredibly erratic Washington field general put forth in his team's 20-13 loss to win-starved Philadelphia. That's now two straight awful displays from Grossman, who got away with a 15-of-29, 143-yard, two-pick outing against lowly St. Louis prior to the Redskins' Week 5 bye, and a team that's built on playing stout defense and taking care of the ball on offense simply can't afford such careless play at the position to realistically contend in the tough NFC. Though John Beck didn't dazzle after replacing Grossman in the fourth quarter, the lightly-tested backup performed capably enough to deserve a shot at a starting role when the Redskins visit Carolina next week.

As for the Eagles, maybe the previously-struggling NFC East favorites should just move to Washington. Sunday's season-saving verdict over the Redskins was Philly's third straight win at FedEx Field and fifth there in the past six years, and everyone remembers the 59-28 whooping the Eagles laid on Washington in Landover last November on a nationally-televised Monday night stage.

Good move for the Rams in adding Brandon Lloyd to its continually-sputtering offense on Monday at a reduced cost of a conditional sixth-round draft choice. It's a low-risk maneuver for a player that led the entire NFL in receiving yards a year ago under then-Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, now the offensive coordinator in St. Louis, and a virtual bargain if the team is able re-sign the impending free-agent.

After using my mid-week column as a means to implore the league to look into year-round flex scheduling to avoid dreadful matchups like Sunday's Vikings- Bears primetime affair, more schedule ranting is warranted for this upcoming weekend. The expectedly one-sided clash between the still-winless Colts and the high-scoring Saints is the exclusive Sunday night broadcast for Week 7, with the unappealing Ravens-Jaguars showdown on tap on Monday. For the sake of sports fans everywhere, let's hope the World Series lasts at least five games to give us all a fall-back plan in case Baltimore's up by three touchdowns in the second quarter of that thriller.