I guess I could buy it if the Vikes were squeaky clean, but just look at their penalties from the 49ers game. Delay of game, roughing the passer, defensive offsides, false start, illegal formation, and offensive holding all in the first half of the game. But against division rival Green Bay Packers, they did ...nothing?
To be fair, that quote could be argued in favor of the Vikings, actually... It could be argued that their performance with the 49ers earned them a pretty livid dressing down by the coach... Usually when you f-up that badly on penalties, you get raked over the coals about it the next day when you're going over tapes, and subsequently play a more disciplined game next time.
I know this is not football per se, but the Penguins played the Coyotes in Pittsburgh the other night (NHL here for those who aren't following) and were issued no less than 10 2-minute minor penalties for dumb ****, all night. That totals 20 minutes of penalty time, or 1/3 of the game playing down a man... Ultimately, I believe it likely cost them the game... wishy washy calls, or solid ones, it was a pretty dismal stat for a team of professionals.
So flash forward to tonight, they played rival Philly in Philly, and were a much more disciplined team, all night. It was reported that the head coach dressed the team down after their Phoenix loss and really was generous with handing out criticism of all of them individually, and they came out the next night with a much more solid effort overall and less mistakes to cost them penalties.
It's just an example of how it's very conceivable that the Vikings were going into their primetime game with the mindset that the week prior was inexcusable on their part as the penalties go, is all. It's quite likely actually, that the week prior's penalties WERE addressed by the coaching staff as excessive, and that they were going to tolerate a repeat against the Packers in primetime... That doesn't always mean the team listens of course, but I think they probably did. Unless of course they're generally known as an undisciplined squad?
Anyway, like I said, it's just an example why that may have worked in the Vikings favor the following week is all.
