Saturday, August 14, 2010

Sage! and other preseason thoughts


My crazy optimism-fueled fantasies about Sage Rosenfels aren't going away. Sure, he was doing what he did against backups, but he was also doing what he did with backups. He's an accurate thrower: he was regularly putting the ball in a receiver's hands, and sometimes the backup he was throwing to caught it, and sometimes he didn't. He's the guy currently on the roster that I trust to stand in the pocket, throw accurate passes, and complete passes downfield. Sage, your fan club includes a) your family b) some alumni at Iowa State, c) Rick Spielman, and d) me. Here's what I think: Sage Rosenfels has the ability to be an NFL starter, so when you stick him in a preseason game surrounded by backups and going against backups, he's the guy that will stand out. OK, it wasn't perfect: some of his passes were off target, and you could see the proclivity for turnovers hanging around his game. But I think he'd get more out of the Vikings' skill position players than Tarvaris Jackson can.

Other thoughts on this game:

Sam Bradford has a good arm (and I get frightened thinking of all the young QB prospects in the NFC), but he might take 90 sacks this season playing on that team. The Rams' offense looks awful.

I like Garrett Mills.

I like Chris Cook.

The Vikings' backup offensive linemen look terrible. The starters need to be healthy for this season to be successful.

Find a way to keep Joe Webb on the roster: he's fast and while his arm looks a little wild right now, he also has some touch and could develop.

So, Viking fans: those of us who spent a Saturday night watching preseason football are in a bad way. Those of us who read blogs about the game are probably worse. And those who actually blog about it? There's no hope for those lost souls.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:04 PM

    Prior to this game all the Sage buzz was about how awful he has been in practice. It sounded like there were going to let him go had Brett come back.

    But like you I too have been a Sage fan. He sure looked worth keeping and perhaps starting if Favre retires

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  2. Anonymous4:59 AM

    I'm glad I'm not the only lost soul!

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  3. Anonymous2:15 PM

    I remember when you scoffed at the idea of even watching a pre-season game. Hope this means your enthusiasm is coming back.

    rk

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  4. I was right to scoff. Even now, I've attended two preseason games (and stayed to the end of one!), but I hope by the end of the preseason that I completely forget everything that I saw in preseason.

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  5. I hate to say this, but Sage reminds me of Gus Frerotte. He's a guy that can stand in the pocket and throw, but his ability isn't going to be the reason for many wins... and his turnovers might be the reason for a loss or two.

    Don't get me wrong. I don't think he's terrible, and if Favre doesn't come back he might be the best option for the Vikings this year. I'm certainly not ready to hang my hopes on him, though.

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  6. I see the Sage-Gus comparison, but Sage is probably much better. He is much more accurate (career 62.5% to 54.7%) and seemingly less statuesque (3.3 sack % to 6.2%). Maybe the team's potential with Sage or Gus is fairly comparable, but by the numbers Sage appears to me to be a much better quarterback.

    http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RoseSa00.htm

    http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FrerGu00.htm

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