Club Members,
 
Team News:
The best way to start here is by saying a win is a win is a win. We let the Ravens have the fourth quarter and it almost cost us. The first three quarters were ours and the first two drives of the game were close to perfect. Both the offense and defense looked good for the first three quarters. The goal for this week will be 60 minutes of football. In the post game interview with Jared Allen he stated the fourth quarter was the worst quarter he’s been apart of. You can expect the Vikings to be fired up this week; without a letdown.
 
The score in the Ram’s game didn’t reflect the game – I thought the Rams played pretty good. The Vikes forced the turnovers and that stopped all the Rams drives. Without these turnovers the game would have been a lot closer. Although, the old football adage comes to mind – great teams find away to win.
 
There are enough games now for us to take a closer look at our team. The first thing that jumps out at me is our team can score points. 31.5 points per game – only the Saints are averaging more points a game. Without trying to put a hex on our club – I believe the last time we averaged this many points per game we went 15 and 1. I didn’t do any research here; so if I made a mistake, just let me know. The second thing that jumps out at me is: our defense is a lot better than the stats say. We’ve had some big plays against us (no better example than last week), but, this defense is truly a strength. This defense will eliminate the big plays, this defense will be a top ten defense by the end of the year and being the single best defense in the league is still in play. With that said the injury to Antoine Winfield couldn’t have more of an impact than this week against the Steelers. The Steelers are throwing the ball surprisingly well this season – we’ll need to bring lots of pressure. I believe this week’s game is a golden opportunity for our defense; if they want respect, they can earn it this week.
 
Club News:
Arizona Game: This game is sold out and we can no longer get tickets for this game. Your best bet is to try the ticket brokers out there if you’re still looking for a seat to this game.
 
We’re still working on having a dinner this year. At this time we’re at 40% of our revenue requirements to put this event on. You can help in these fund raising efforts by supporting our club with no better way than just showing up on Sunday’s. It’s your continued support that makes this club possible – thanks all.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jerry and Randy Wold and the entire Purple Reign Racing team for bringing the Screamin Norwegian to our club. This was a blast for all.
 
Players Corner:
 
Bernard Berrian
Number 87
Wide Receiver
Height: 6-1
Weight: 185
Born: 12/27/1980 in Winton, CA
College: Fresno State
 
Cedric Griffin
Number 23
Cornerback
Height: 6-0
Weight: 203
Born: 11/11/1982 in Natchez , MS
College: Texas
 
NFL Hall of Famers:
Dan Dierdorf excelled as an offensive lineman for 13 seasons from 1971 through 1983. The 6-3, 275-pounder from Canton, Ohio, where he was born on June 29, 1949, played both guard and tackle his first two seasons before settling down as the permanent right tackle in his third season. Dierdorf, who was equally effective as a blocker on both running and passing plays, was the ring-leader of the line that permitted the fewest sacks in the NFC for five straight years in the mid-1970s. In 1975, the Cardinals set a then-record by allowing only eight sacks in 14 games.
 
In 1982, Dierdorf unselfishly responded to a personnel emergency on the offensive line by agreeing to move to center. He not only made a smooth adjustment to the new position but he proved to be especially effective blocking against the bigger nose tackles of the new 3-4 defensive alignments he had to face.
 
Dierdorf was named All-Pro five seasons – from 1975 to 1978 and again in 1980. He was elected to six Pro Bowl games. The NFL Players Association picked him as the best overall blocker in the NFL three straight years from 1976 to 1978.
 
Fun Facts and Quotes:
Howie Long: "In Montana, they renamed a town after an all-time great, Joe Montana. Well, a town in Massachusetts changed their name to honor my guy Terry Bradshaw--Marblehead.
 
See you all at Northwood,
 
Wm. R. Martin
President
Southern California Viking Club