From: heim@vms.macc.wisc.edu (JOHN HEIM	)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Packer/Viking thoughts (Packer fan viewpoint)
Date: 8 Sep 92 22:22:01 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin Academic Computing Center

Score: Vikings 23 - Packers 20 (OT)

Summary:  This was a very even game.  Neither team showed any clear 
advantage.  That may sound obvious in light of the score but it's not 
always the case.  The lead changed hands several times and both teams 
had their moments on both offense and defense.

The Packers defense gave up 425 yards.  That stat is somewhat 
deceptive in that the game included a 10 minute OT period.  The Vikings 
probably gained about 70 yds in OT.  There were 2 main problems on 
defense - there no pass rush and they gave up a couple of long runs.  
As a Vikes fan mentioned, Terry Allen had around 150 yrds rushing.  But 
96 of those yards came on 2 plays.  One of Allen's runs was for 51 
yards,  Another was for 45 yards and set up the Vikings winning FG 
in OT.

On the other hand, the defensive secondary played an excellent day.  
Gannon was given lots of time to pass but frequently he had no one to 
throw to.  The 2 sacks the Packers had were really coverage sacks.  
Except for the 2 big running plays the Packers defensed the run very 
well.  Most of the Vikings running plays were stopped for less than 3 
yard gains.

Vinny Clark had an interception which he ran back to the Viking 12.  I 
believe the Packers scored a TD as a result.

The Packers offense played okay.  They got a lot of rushing yardage in 
the 1st half.  The paper I get doesn't have stats from the game (other 
than those already mentioned) so I don't know how much rushing yardage 
they ended up with.  Most of the Packers success on the ground was 
through trap plays.  In the 2nd half, when a couple of 2nd or 3rd and 
short situations came up and the Packers tried to power the ball 
forward they failed.  The big runner for the Packers was Vince 
Workman.  Wild guess:  Workman had about 90 yards on 20 carries.

Majik played pretty well.  He completed a very high percentage of 
his passes up until toward the end of the 4th quarter.  Then he 
started throwing into double coverage and stopped looking for his 2nd 
or 3rd man.  This continued into OT.  As a result the offense was 
unable to move the ball toward the end of regulation and in OT.

The Packers did manage a 10 minute touchdown drive to open the game.  
(I don't think they managed one sustained drive like that in all of 
last year.)

Impressions:  I was disappointed with the loss, of course.  But it's 
not time to panic.  Majik is becoming more and more comfortable with 
the offense and he should improve.  His passes were sharp and on 
target in most cases.

The continuing concerns are the same as last year - lack of pass rush 
and lack of power running game.  The pass rush is especially 
troubling.  I don't know if this was a typical game for Rich Gannon 
but his passes were frequently off the mark.  He completed less than 
50% of his passes but it certainly wasn't for lack of time.  A better 
QB would have been unstoppable.

If the Packers play this well every week they'll finish around 5-11 or 
6-10.

JGH