Most Disheartening of Sunday's Loss

[twylyght]

As a fan, I can take a lot of things. We are a young team, and the growing pains of building the franchise can take its toll. The penalties, missed gap assignments, over-pursuit of routes, etc are mental errors that can be corrected with good coaching. It is why I am eager to see how our team comes out of the bye as that will be a good indicator of how good our new staff is.

What kills me are things like sloppy tackling and missed FGs from chip-shot distance.

Mare's gaff has been discussed ad naseum and speaks for itself. You're paid to make those kicks, and you should have done it. I know Rivera and the team has rallied around him like a good team should. However, as an evaluator, this will need to be looked at during the off-season.

The one thing that I did not see discussed is a crucial key play missed by one of the few veterans on this team during the Vikings' last scoring drive. When we had them backed into a 3rd and 9 in their territory, Gamble whiffed on his tackle on Adrian Peterson. That was his play to make all day and he choked in a way that made me sick when I saw it... and it makes me sicker to think back on it.

The gap was his SOLE responsibility at that point. All he had to do was drive into the body to stand up MN's greatest play-maker and wait for the cavalry. Instead, he took the easy out and made a dive for APs ankles and kept the drive alive that eventually led to our defeat.

Was that the only play that cost us the game? Absolutely not. But when our young guys look to our veterans to come through in the clutch and they don't even make a professional effort, that bothers the hell out of me. Steve Smith got a penalty making the effort to give us the win. Gamble laid out and let the opposition take the win from us.

If I were Rivera, I'd put that on full display and chew his ass for two weeks straight until he gets the message that lack of effort is NOT an option if you want to win in this league. Better yet... I'd put Gamble and Smith in a film room alone for two hours with nothing but that one play running the entire time.

[Camdemonium]

You'd be a terrible coach

[CPF4LIFE]

Yeah, Lets blame the guy thats been keeping number one receivers from torching us all season.

[Xrated]

We still talking about LAST weeks game? Its over and done with....Move on

[twylyght]

Yeah, Lets blame the guy thats been keeping number one receivers from torching us all season.

I said nothing about his coverage. He's done his job on that front. But shrinking from taking a hit from a bigger guy just isn't football. Says everything I need to know about his attitude at this point.

[Happy Panther]

Our safeties have been a bright spot.

The real question is does Rivera have the balls to yap at Smitty for the holding call that lost us the game.

That's is your coaching test.

[twylyght]

Our safeties have been a bright spot.

The real question is does Rivera have the balls to yap at Smitty for the holding call that lost us the game.

That's is your coaching test.

Gamble's a CB...

[CPF4LIFE]

I said nothing about his coverage. He's done his job on that front. But shrinking from taking a hit from a bigger guy just isn't football. Says everything I need to know about his attitude at this point.

I think you are missing the overall point, there is a million things you could point a finger at about that game, even the defense alone by itself. The fact that you took the time to make a thread singling out one or two player says alot about your attitude, and its Tuesday the game was 2 days ago the team would already be getting ready for the next team on the schedule today if it weren't for the bye week. Let it go. Its over with.

[twylyght]

I think you are missing the overall point, there is a million things you could point a finger at about that game, even the defense alone by itself. The fact that you took the time to make a thread singling out one or two player says alot about your attitude, and its Tuesday the game was 2 days ago the team would already be getting ready for the next team on the schedule today if it weren't for the bye week. Let it go. Its over with.

Bye week.... two weeks to think about a loss instead of a win.

The POINT of the thread is this... I can deal with losing when I feel like our team has put in effort. That one play stood out in a string of bad plays as being especially egregious due to LACK OF EFFORT.

Hell, I was a fan from the outset of the organization. For Christ's sake I am a WFU fan. I've seen losing in about every form you can scarcely imagine. CHARACTER is what shows in a man when things are their toughest. If you want a winning franchise going forward, then ATTITUDE plays a huge fuggin role.

[twylyght]

this thread says alot about your attitude

If you want anyone to understand what you're saying, you need to get that cock out of your mouth

[Camdemonium]

God the smack here is terrible.

[twylyght]

God the smack here is terrible.

That's because it's wrong to hit women and children

[Marguide]

AP has made many great players look like fools. Singling out Gamble or Smith and treating them like children would be a lightening fast way for Rivera to lose the locker room.

[twylyght]

AP has made many great players look like fools. Singling out Gamble or Smith and treating them like children would be a lightening fast way for Rivera to lose the locker room.

No argument on AP being great or that he's made good players look bad. My point would not be made if Gamble had made the effort to at least tackle him. Because Gamble didn't, I made the thread.

Regarding Smith and Gamble... it was a rant with what I thought was an obviously ludicrous statement