Morning Buzz: Tough day for Vikings
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a cup of coffee and get ready for your day.
First and foremost, three stories went up overnight here at PackersNews.com that are simply must-reads.
First, there’s Ryan Wood on Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback’s continued struggles on the field as well as his suddenly contentious demeanor with the media in the locker room.
Next, there’s Tom Silverstein’s look at timing issues that seem to continually plague the Packers' offense.
Speaking of the Packers' offense, columnist Pete Dougherty notes that despite an offseason having come and gone, there is still a notable lack of speed on that side of the ball.
The Detroit Lions, for their part, don’t want to hear anything about a slumping Aaron Rodgers. Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press writes:
Coach Jim Caldwell was asked if he could identify any reasons for Rodgers’ struggles. He snuffed out even the suggestion that he thinks Rodgers has struggled.
“Those are your words, just remember that, not mine, because of the fact that this guy is as talented of a guy there is in our league,” Caldwell said. “He can make every throw, he can run, he’s an outstanding leader, he’s won tons of games, extremely capable individual.
“I don’t know what struggling means in that regard, not with a guy like that. He’s like lightning in a bottle, and to me, he’s very, very difficult to handle and defend.”
Elsewhere in the division, the Minnesota Vikings had a brutal day on the injury front Wednesday.
The Vikings announced they had placed their starting left tackle, Matt Kalil, on injured reserve. Head coach Mike Zimmer announced the move prior to updating the media on Adrian Peterson’s knee injury.
As Matt Vensel wrote for the Star Tribune:
Still, before making it to their third game, the Vikings have lost their ascending young quarterback, their All-Pro running back and their starting left tackle for most, if not all, of what they hope will be a special season. Upon bearing the bad news, Zimmer gave the stunned media a defiant shrug, signifying the NFL’s next-man-up mantra.
The Vikings announced Thursday that Peterson underwent a successful lateral meniscus "repair," not a trim, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweeted. No timetable for his return was given. The Vikings added there were "no additional injuries or issues noted in or surrounding the knee joint during the surgical procedure,'' despite reports that Peterson also had sustained a torn lateral collateral ligament.
In ex-Packers news, Andy Reid called into SiriusXM NFL radio on Wednesday and talked with Brett Favre. Favre told a great story about Reid being named his quarterback coach after Steve Mariucci left the Packers organization. You can listen to the audio below.
Finally, don’t forget to join Pete Dougherty at noon for his chat here at PackersNews.com. You have questions about the Packers. Pete has the answers.
Hope you enjoy your day more than Aaron Rodgers enjoyed his time with the media Wednesday (video via Packers.com).