Viking play calling on both sides of the ball questioned

[Idgit]

Questioning their offensive play calling:

So when the Vikings got the ball with 4:29 remaining, holding a 23-20 lead, you could almost hear the Vikings defenders calling from the sideline for Peterson to continue to batter a worn-down defense.

Instead, Musgrave called for a pass. Ponder threw incomplete, on a deep pattern to Greg Jennings, a low-percentage play. The clock stopped. Peterson rushed for 1 yard on second down, and then Ponder, facing third-and-9, scrambled for 4 yards.

The Vikings punted, the Cowboys drove, and the Vikings defenders complained.

“You think we would run, to run the time out,” Williams said. “But I don’t coach offense. I just have to play what they call on defense.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/230443741.html

And their defensive play calling.

With the Vikings leading 23-20, the Cowboys took the ball on their own 10 with 2 minutes, 44 seconds remaining. The Cowboys scored in nine plays. Romo threw the ball nine times, completed seven passes and was not sacked.

Williams and Robison noted that the Vikings coaches, presumably defensive coordinator Alan Williams, abandoned the plan to pressure Romo. The play calls required defensive linemen to drop into coverage. Romo, given time, shredded the Vikings secondary.

Hard to say more about the defensive play calls without any details, but I'd agree that that series with them up 23-20, with Adrian Peterson in the backfield, where they put the ball in Ponders hands, twice, would have had me dumbfounded.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/230443741.html
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/230443741.html

 

[Deep_South]

The Vikings went into a soft cover prevent on the the Cowboys' last offensive series, and Romo went right down the field and scored. Kevin Williams and Brian Robison complained about it here:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...robison-questions-vikings-lategame-play-calls

 

[Zimmy Lives]

Hmmm….

Sounds familiar. So when they try and be aggressive and go for the kill it is questioned? Of course if AD had received 3 straight carries and they still punt would there be questions about not going for the kill?

As for the defensive calls at the end, they were playing with no-names in the secondary so anything could have happened, prevent or not.

 

[Plankton]

Musgrave is not a good offensive coordinator. He was a failure in both Jacksonville and Carolina. Not sure why Leslie Frazier would have thought that it would be any different this time around.

Maybe Musgrave felt like he owed Dallas since they drafted him back in 1991.

 

[KB1122]

For the record, I wondered both things during the game.