Starks, Farrior and Other Late Comments On Vikes Game

by RickVa on Oct 27, 2009 5:33 PM EDT Comment 13 comments

Reading through some of the post game threads a day later, and while I agree with the general thrusts of the comments I think a couple of performances have been overlooked or just underappreciated. My two cents, for what its worth.

Max Starks. I am agreeing with Mecham here. An absolutely exceptional performance against one of the best, most disruptive defensive ends in the NFL. Nor is this a deviation from what he has been providing day in and day out for the entire season, and extending back thru last year. What makes this acknowledgement so significant all the conversation that we have had here at BTSC concerning Starks; why did the FO invest the Franchise tag on the guy, why would they pay him so much money? And Starks is just the tip of the iceberg as it relates to offensive performance. The O-line seemed comfortably competitive against what is generally agreed to be one of the best defensive fronts out there. They deserve more credit.

James Farrior. Datruth noted this in Blitz's thread. Farrior deliberately decided to carry a bit more weight this season and is playing like a beast. At the moment he is the most impressive and consistent player of the linebacker corps. And he certainly has to be in the discussion for the Pro Bowl again. He may very well be both our best run stopper and pass rusher. And like Starks his play has been consistent all season. Props also to Fox who has proved to be more than a special teams asset and is growing into a very reliable back up as inside linebacker.

William Gay. I guess someone has to be a weak link. I'm not so sure that the supposed weaknesses are schematic or not. I do know one thing, Gay and Ike are for the most part not giving up the kind of plays that will earn them the nickname 'Toast'. If given a choice of picking on Ike, Ryan, Troy or Gay, I pick on BPWG every time. Personally, I think he's handled himself well and he's young. Maybe we can eventually find someone who is more precocious. But I believe he can grow into a more solid performer.

Jeff Reed. Let's just say that this has not been his best week. His kicking hasn't been half bad, but his leadership (remember he's a team captain) sucks. It sucks big time when you compare him to the other captains (Ward, Ben, Farrior, Harrison, Fox (?) ). Seriously damaged his negoiation leverage for a contract.

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Agreed

Farrior is playing great this year, and the whole O-line did very well.

Gay was a 5th round pick who earned some downs as a rookie, then more in his second year, but he is still a fifth round pick who isn’t very big.

I don’t think the FO is planning on Gay being the long-term solution at CB, hopefully that spot is K. Lewis.

I would add: The Mike Wallace/Heath Miller show was interesting. Ward and Holmes get 3 catches between them? That’s a rare day. Usually one of those is over 100 yards.

The game to me was as close a match as we have seen this year. The Vikes got a bad call that took away a TD and we capitalized. who knows what sould have happened otherwise. Those two teams are a great matchup, and would make one heck of a Super Bowl. Too bad Favre used up his cold-weather heroics and only plays good in the fall now.

by Phantaskippy on Oct 27, 2009 6:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

with the 4 options (ward, holmes, miller, wallace), possibly the best in the league. Big Ben emerging as a superstar, and the line playing as a solid unit, we could be in for quite an offensive treat in the coming years. Add a developing Mendy, one of the top coaches in the league and we should be one of the, if not the team to beat in the NFL for years

by qwikdoc on Oct 27, 2009 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

disagree

i disagree…the calls went both ways and i certainly think that the tripping call was legit.

i made some comments on this at postgameheroes.com (because they have three separate vids showcasing questionable penalties(1 against steelers, 1 against vikings, 1 non call)

by surag238 on Oct 27, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not much to argue with

Starks played exceptionally well and the OL seems to get better every game, I dare say that if they keep pace with their improvement, they will be regarded as one of the better OL’s instead of one of the weakest as they were at the start of the year.

Farrior has been playing well although those few extra pounds have hurt his quickness some he is still pretty quick.

Willie Gay is the weak link but that doesn’t mean he is horrible just that he will be a target and as long as we keep winning, I say fire it at him, it can only make him better. I think he has upside, although his size is a limitation he can’t fix.

Jeff Reed, will finish the season, assuming he doesn’t go to jail, and then please move along, he KO’s suck, he isn’t acting like a leader and he is an embarrassment to the Steelers, still surprised nobody has torched Spaeth for pissing in public on the other hand when you compare either to Chris Henry we are pretty lucky that we have so little drama that those seem excessive.

Last tidbit, I have read many posts about the over the hill 40 year old QB we just played, I have to ask, what games has everyone been watching. The man can flat out play and I don’t care how old he is or how many times he changed his mind. He may have lost a little but that still makes him better than all but a few top end QB’s, give some credit where it is due.

by DarinS on Oct 27, 2009 7:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah, he throws with more velocity than anyone I’ve seen this year.

by qwikdoc on Oct 27, 2009 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He was really great

He had plenty of zip on the ball, and had better placement than Ben did, that’s for sure.

And that hard count of his is an amazing secret weapon. I never thought he would be able to pull that off in Pittsburgh, what with the crowd noise. But he made Big Snack his bitch all afternoon…

by MarkJoel66 on Oct 28, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the offsides on Hampton should have been a penalty on sullivan. He jerked his head and shoulders just before the snap. should’ve been another delay of game like griffin got

by qwikdoc on Oct 28, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I noticed that too. I know they let the center move their head prior to the snap, but the Vikes center would jerk his whole torso and half count prior to the snap.

by pghnorthside on Oct 28, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree Darin, he was still putting the ball in a good place, and showed good zip on his throws. He might have lost the ignorance of his younger days when he thought he could make any throw at all, and often did, but he’s doing a good job.

Starks played lights out, it was great to see

by mojo88 on Oct 27, 2009 8:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Indeed

I have to admit, when they were slapping franchise tags on him, I couldn’t quite figure out why we were franchising anyone on the OL. I was very critical of the OL early in the year, but as I like to say, give credit where it is due, and it is due in a big way to the entire OL but Starks and Kemo especially have been playing awesome. If they continue their progress, it really changes what needs to be addressed in the offseason. Last tidbit, I agree with qwikdoc, MN center could have easily been called with a FS.

by DarinS on Oct 28, 2009 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

rewatched game

Everyone said that Max was going to need help from the TE or a RB to be able to contain Allen. From what I saw about 90% of the time Max was 1 on 1 with Jared and he absolutely owned him.
I’ll go back to the monday before the Minn. game when Max went on the lockerroom show with Tunch and Wolf to talk about Jared Allen. First, he mentioned that in the off season he works out with JA and pretty much knows what he brings to the table.He then said that JA was a GOOD player but that playing against him was like grabbing his hawaiian shirt , an umbrella drink , and a lounge chair compared to the " bowling ball "that is James Harrison. He was then asked who the best player he has faced and without hesitation said the guy I play against every day , J Harrison. I don’t think Starks was as worried about the matchup as all of us were. Way to earn that money, Maximillion.

by 1STstate bucco on Oct 29, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs