A reminder that with the New Year comes a new day of the week for the WMNSS. For 2020, the survey falls on the day of the week January 8 falls -- Wednesday.
Positive Numbers: Vikings (Last Week: -7). Yep, I said the Vikings were going to lose to New Orleans Sunday by 30. Book it, I said. Goddamn, I'm so glad I was wrong!
I didn't see this coming. But no one saw this coming. A lot of people thought that the New Orleans Saints were the NFC favorite to get to the Super Bowl. But a host of things happened that finally turned the Game, and upset, in the Vikings' favor.
First off and most importantly, Minnesota won the war in the trenches, both of them. They were able to manhandle the Saints and allow the Running Backs to run, thereby controlling the ball and the pace of the Game, and to (I think) wear out New Orleans defenders. Meanwhile, ample pressure on the defensive side silenced Alvin Kamara and led to a very important sack-fumble on Drew Brees.
And Kirk Cousins, for the first time in his career, stood tall in a big Game. No, he didn't carry his squad on his back. But he was competent, didn't make mistakes, and pulled off one hell of a throw in Overtime:
The Vikes did bog down after that massive throw-and-catch; they went nowhere on 1st and 2nd Down & Goal. But Minnesota won the Game on 3rd Down when Kyle Rudolph pushed off on his defender and grabbed the fade pass. I was watching the Game while exercising, and once the Saints came back from ten down in the Fourth Quarter to tie it up in regulation, I finished my workout and began changing because I knew the Vikings blew it. I got to the front lobby, where there is a TV, just in time to see Adam Thielen haul in that pass. And when Rudolph scored, a high-fived a few of the other people at the community center who were watching the Game as well. It was a moment that made me feel closer to humanity.
So the Vikes now go to San Francisco, on short rest, to face a 49ers team that is the top seed in the NFC but, frankly, I don't think is all that. Mind you, Minnesota is also a decisive underdog in this Game. But the offense works out of play action a lot, and I read somewhere that the Niners are very susceptible to play fakes. If Minnesota can control the line of scrimmage again like they did vs. the Saints, I think there's a better chance these guys pull off the upset this weekend then last. Man, and I becoming ... optimistic about this club?
Maybe, maybe not. And I don't know if this season is a success because they pulled off an upset on the road. Ask me again after the Game on Saturday.
#0: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!). Club resumed play with a two-Game rout of Yale at Ridder, 6-3 and 4-1. Still they remain solidly behind Wisconsin (and their merry band of ringers) in the poll. The final showdown remains the only match that matters in women's top-flight college hockey. Visit St. Cloud St. for a two-Game series this weekend.
#-1: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). Beat Northwestern at Williams by nine Sunday. But they sure could have used a road victory for their ambitious but non-productive resume. They took the Boilermakers to Double Overtime Thursday, but couldn't close them out and lost, 83-78. So right now, at least according to ESPN.com's Joey Lunardi, the U. is one of, like, 200 schools on the bubble right now. Their two chances this week to separate themselves from the morass: Thursday in Michigan St., Sunday afternoon at The Barn vs. Michigan. Good luck.
#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). Lately much has been made of how thescrubs role players are stepping up since the departures of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins (the former becoming increasingly worrisome the more time he's away from the team). All well and good, but the likes of Shabazz Napier and Naz Reid aren't going to help you climb into playoff contention.
But the Wolves did go 2-2 this week. They lost a competitive Game at Milwaukee, the team with the best record in the NBA, 106-104 New Year's Night, and fell victim to a Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies hot streak at the end of Tuesday's 119-112 loss in Memphis last (Tuesday) night. But sandwiched inbetween those defeats were a pair of 15-Point victories, over Golden State at home Thursday and at Cleveland Sunday. Of course, they'll need more above .500-weeks for the Woofie Dogs to be even regarded as a playoff contender.
This week they visit Houston inbetween home tilts against Portland and Oklahoma City.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -6). The fortunes of this team are supposed to turn in its favor by now; due to a scheduling quirk (to which old General Manager, weird creep and abusive bully Paul Fenton did not push back, another reason it was right for his ass to be fired), the Wild have already played more than half of their road Games. One would presuppose that the home-ice advantage this club enjoys will help them complete its climb out of the early hole it dug itself and they would become not just a playoff team but a Stanley Cup contender.
Well, that ain't happenin', at least not this screening week. The Mild had three Games over these past eight days, all at home. And they got blitzed by Toronto New Year's Eve, had to come back in order to beat The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers in Overtime Saturday, then blew not one, not two, not three but four leads the next night and lost in a Shootout to The Bastard Atlanta Flames. Because of a 1-2 screening "week," and because the squad only got two Points out of a possible four against two teams along which they are competing for a playoff spot, they currently sit (according to The Athletic) out of playoff probability, with only about a 1-in-3 chance of reaching the postseason. This team's home woes began last year, but the malaise seems to be seeping into this. And it's starting to look dire, even in the first week of 2020.
Hey, maybe going on the road will help. They complete an elongated home-and-home with Calgary Thursday and play at Pittsburgh Tuesday. Inbetween they host Vancouver Sunday afternoon.
#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Yeah, this is what I was worried about. And impressive run through the non-conference schedule (not to be confused with an impressive non-conference schedule) doesn't mean much if you can't follow up with a good performance within the league. And after losing at home to Ohio St. by three New Year's Eve and then getting blasted by Nebraska in Lincoln by 14 on Saturday, the U. is 1-2 in the B1G. Charlie Creme has noticed; the women's basketball bracketologist for ESPN.com has the Goofers in the NCAAs, but as a 9-seed, and slipping.
How good is this team? This is Lindsay Whalen's second year, and improvement from the previous season isn't too much to ask. Maybe this week's Games -- home to Northwestern tomorrow/Thursday, at Illinois Sunday -- will give confirmation as to how good this team is ... or is not.
Positive Numbers: Vikings (Last Week: -7). Yep, I said the Vikings were going to lose to New Orleans Sunday by 30. Book it, I said. Goddamn, I'm so glad I was wrong!
I didn't see this coming. But no one saw this coming. A lot of people thought that the New Orleans Saints were the NFC favorite to get to the Super Bowl. But a host of things happened that finally turned the Game, and upset, in the Vikings' favor.
First off and most importantly, Minnesota won the war in the trenches, both of them. They were able to manhandle the Saints and allow the Running Backs to run, thereby controlling the ball and the pace of the Game, and to (I think) wear out New Orleans defenders. Meanwhile, ample pressure on the defensive side silenced Alvin Kamara and led to a very important sack-fumble on Drew Brees.
And Kirk Cousins, for the first time in his career, stood tall in a big Game. No, he didn't carry his squad on his back. But he was competent, didn't make mistakes, and pulled off one hell of a throw in Overtime:
The Vikes did bog down after that massive throw-and-catch; they went nowhere on 1st and 2nd Down & Goal. But Minnesota won the Game on 3rd Down when Kyle Rudolph pushed off on his defender and grabbed the fade pass. I was watching the Game while exercising, and once the Saints came back from ten down in the Fourth Quarter to tie it up in regulation, I finished my workout and began changing because I knew the Vikings blew it. I got to the front lobby, where there is a TV, just in time to see Adam Thielen haul in that pass. And when Rudolph scored, a high-fived a few of the other people at the community center who were watching the Game as well. It was a moment that made me feel closer to humanity.
So the Vikes now go to San Francisco, on short rest, to face a 49ers team that is the top seed in the NFC but, frankly, I don't think is all that. Mind you, Minnesota is also a decisive underdog in this Game. But the offense works out of play action a lot, and I read somewhere that the Niners are very susceptible to play fakes. If Minnesota can control the line of scrimmage again like they did vs. the Saints, I think there's a better chance these guys pull off the upset this weekend then last. Man, and I becoming ... optimistic about this club?
Maybe, maybe not. And I don't know if this season is a success because they pulled off an upset on the road. Ask me again after the Game on Saturday.
#0: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!). Club resumed play with a two-Game rout of Yale at Ridder, 6-3 and 4-1. Still they remain solidly behind Wisconsin (and their merry band of ringers) in the poll. The final showdown remains the only match that matters in women's top-flight college hockey. Visit St. Cloud St. for a two-Game series this weekend.
#-1: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). Beat Northwestern at Williams by nine Sunday. But they sure could have used a road victory for their ambitious but non-productive resume. They took the Boilermakers to Double Overtime Thursday, but couldn't close them out and lost, 83-78. So right now, at least according to ESPN.com's Joey Lunardi, the U. is one of, like, 200 schools on the bubble right now. Their two chances this week to separate themselves from the morass: Thursday in Michigan St., Sunday afternoon at The Barn vs. Michigan. Good luck.
#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). Lately much has been made of how the
But the Wolves did go 2-2 this week. They lost a competitive Game at Milwaukee, the team with the best record in the NBA, 106-104 New Year's Night, and fell victim to a Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies hot streak at the end of Tuesday's 119-112 loss in Memphis last (Tuesday) night. But sandwiched inbetween those defeats were a pair of 15-Point victories, over Golden State at home Thursday and at Cleveland Sunday. Of course, they'll need more above .500-weeks for the Woofie Dogs to be even regarded as a playoff contender.
This week they visit Houston inbetween home tilts against Portland and Oklahoma City.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -6). The fortunes of this team are supposed to turn in its favor by now; due to a scheduling quirk (to which old General Manager, weird creep and abusive bully Paul Fenton did not push back, another reason it was right for his ass to be fired), the Wild have already played more than half of their road Games. One would presuppose that the home-ice advantage this club enjoys will help them complete its climb out of the early hole it dug itself and they would become not just a playoff team but a Stanley Cup contender.
Well, that ain't happenin', at least not this screening week. The Mild had three Games over these past eight days, all at home. And they got blitzed by Toronto New Year's Eve, had to come back in order to beat The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers in Overtime Saturday, then blew not one, not two, not three but four leads the next night and lost in a Shootout to The Bastard Atlanta Flames. Because of a 1-2 screening "week," and because the squad only got two Points out of a possible four against two teams along which they are competing for a playoff spot, they currently sit (according to The Athletic) out of playoff probability, with only about a 1-in-3 chance of reaching the postseason. This team's home woes began last year, but the malaise seems to be seeping into this. And it's starting to look dire, even in the first week of 2020.
Hey, maybe going on the road will help. They complete an elongated home-and-home with Calgary Thursday and play at Pittsburgh Tuesday. Inbetween they host Vancouver Sunday afternoon.
#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Yeah, this is what I was worried about. And impressive run through the non-conference schedule (not to be confused with an impressive non-conference schedule) doesn't mean much if you can't follow up with a good performance within the league. And after losing at home to Ohio St. by three New Year's Eve and then getting blasted by Nebraska in Lincoln by 14 on Saturday, the U. is 1-2 in the B1G. Charlie Creme has noticed; the women's basketball bracketologist for ESPN.com has the Goofers in the NCAAs, but as a 9-seed, and slipping.
How good is this team? This is Lindsay Whalen's second year, and improvement from the previous season isn't too much to ask. Maybe this week's Games -- home to Northwestern tomorrow/Thursday, at Illinois Sunday -- will give confirmation as to how good this team is ... or is not.
No comments:
Post a Comment