Looking Back to '03: Predicting the Success of Tyler Murphy

When Jeff Driskel was knocked out of the game due to injury with 10:05 left in the first quarter against Tennessee I figured the season had gone up in smoke. Sure, the defense and special teams might be overwhelming enough to eek out a win versus the Vols, but beyond that the prospects weren't going to be good. Turns out I was wrong. Not only did Tyler Murphy fill in admirably for the injured Driskel, he also provided hope that this season isn't entirely lost.

To be fair, Murphy didn't look great at first, and without the defense forcing back-to-back turnovers I'm not sure how the game plays out. However, that's exactly what this team was built to do. Play suffocating defense, run the ball, control the clock and not turn it over. When the offense needed extra snaps to calm everything down the defense pulled through. By halftime, Murphy had made the most of those snaps en route to a 17-7 lead for the Gators. At that point I felt like Murphy was running a very Chris Leak-esque offense, and based on how the team has struggled to move the ball at times in recent years, that isn't a bad thing.

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The Minnesota Vikings, A Great Team In Need Of A Good Quarterback

As a Dolphins fan I can sympathize with my buddy Eric that is a Vikings fan. For years it seemed like Miami was one good running back away from making a legit Super Bowl run. Then, when they finally had a solid running game, the passing game went to hell. And unfortunately it's remained that way for quite a few years(though, now the team sort of sucks all over).

Anyway, this was supposed to be Minnesota's year. The defense was revamped, and looked imposing(at least on paper), and the running game was dominant last year. However, the passing game left something to be desired, and through the first two games of the season it's still that way.

I hate to say it, but Tarvaris Jackson is not the answer at quarterback for this year's Vikings team. This team has been built to win now. Not be managed by a quarterback project that head coach Brad Childress is too proud(or stupid) to put on the shelf for at least the short term. Jackson didn't play much Division 1 football(he transferred after Matt Jones was named the starter at Arkansas), and while he does have raw talent he does not have the experience or intellect at the present time to master reading NFL defenses at the speed it requires. It's hard enough for the guys who excelled at the premier Division 1 colleges to do(*cough*Leinart*cough*), and even harder for the guys who didn't face that type of opposition week in and week out.

The bad thing is that there aren't a lot of options out there right now. Jeff Garcia may be done in Tampa, but I doubt that the Bucs are going to let him go to Minnesota. They could try to lure Jake Plummer out of retirement by offering to work out a deal for his rights. They could even try to bring back Culpepper(how much worse than T-Jack could he be?).

One thing is certain, they need to get this quarterback problem figured out immediately, or they'll end up just like my Dolphins teams that always seemed to be one piece away from being serious contenders.

Now Eli's Struggles Make Sense

Poor Eli Manning, it seems that he may never be able to step out of his brother's shadow. Anything short of winning a Super Bowl will probably never be enough.

Thanks to Gatorade, however we get a glimpse of what Eli had to contend with growing up. Having his "windshield wiped"? Being elbowed in the head? Getting boogers flicked at him? And watching his assailant(a Herman Munster-esque fellow who happens to be his older brother) still complete a touchdown? No wonder he's so fragile!




Somewhere, Matt Leinart is pissed about this commercial.