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Robo-QB Vikings QB Culpepper leaves a wide path
MINNEAPOLIS -- It is one of the more astounding statistics in all professional sports, and when it grew even more impressive Saturday, it probably once again slipped by the vast majority of observers. But when second-year man Daunte Culpepper stepped under center Saturday at the Metrodome, ankle brace and all, he became the seventh different starting quarterback to lead a Dennis Green -coached Vikings team into the playoffs -- in a span of nine years. Green's constant self-congratulatory comments about his quarterback-friendly "system" drew plenty of chuckles this spring, when he was dancing the tango with Dan Marino and then making a renewed pitch for Jeff George. But come playoff time, Green is always invited to the post-season dance, with another new hand under center. Give the man his due: Green's streak is too long to have anything to do with luck. And Culpepper ranks as Green's greatest accomplishment yet. Entering this season without ever having thrown a regular-season pass, Culpepper played with the poise and production of a seasoned veteran this year, earning the starting nod for the NFC in the Pro Bowl. On Saturday, he added the exclamation point. Led by Culpepper, the Vikings demolished the Cinderella Saints 34-16 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, putting him as close as any quarterback has gotten to leading Minnesota back to Super Bowl glory. In an afternoon of near-perfect football, Culpepper swept away the doubts created by his team's season-ending three-game Minnesota losing streak, and added another healthy chapter to his burgeoning legend. "It looked like a walk in the park for him," Vikings running back Robert Smith said of Culpepper. "He so poised. But then again, he's been that way all year. So nothing he does surprises me any more. He's just special." By now, the names and numbers tend to jumble in our heads. The Vikings' roll call reads like a who's who of modern NFL quarterbacking: Sean Salisbury in 1992, Jim McMahon in '93, Warren Moon in '94, Brad Johnson in '96, Randall Cunningham in 1997-98, George in '99, and Culpepper this season. All but Salisbury and McMahon were still active players in 2000. Green has gotten to the playoffs with pure throwers, like Moon and George, with scramblers and creative play-makers like Cunningham, and with career backups like Salisbury. McMahon was past his prime and worn out, while Johnson was developed from the ground up. One of his few mistakes might have come in 1992, when Green failed to see the playoff-effective quarterback that Rich Gannon, his starter for most of the year, would become.
But has any of them had the entire package that Culpepper has, this 6-foot-4, 260-pound Robo-Cop of a quarterback? "He's elusive and he's a big guy," Saints head coach Jim Haslett said. "We got some pressure on him at times, but he's hard to bring down." Against the Saints (11-7), Culpepper was faced with his toughest test so far. If you don't think so, you've already let the ease of Minnesota's victory dull your memory and warp your judgement. All Culpepper had to do Saturday was:
Oh, and for good measure, just to make things interesting, Culpepper was hit Friday morning with some sort of 24-hour bug. That's all. He shook everything off and put up the kind of numbers that first-time playoff starting quarterbacks have no business posting: 17-of-31 with three touchdowns, no interceptions, no sacks and 302 yards passing. His 120.7 quarterback rating was a team playoff record, and he chipped in with four rushes for 51 yards, including a key 30-yard scamper. And he did it all looking as cool as an ice cube in a Minnesota winter. "I just felt a little under the weather," he said. "But I'm OK. I woke up [Saturday] and I felt fine. I wasn't going to miss this game." Under the weather and on top of his game. If Culpepper felt any pressure against the Saints, he never let them see him sweat. If they could have projected his heart rate onto the JumboTron, I'll bet he was close to flat lining all day. Watching him you wouldn't have know the difference between Saturday and the last time the Saints visited the Metrodome, during the preseason in August. When the Vikings needed the quick strike to strike trepidation in the hearts of the Saints defense, Culpepper provided it. Twice actually. His 53-yard scoring pass to Randy Moss on Minnesota's third play from scrimmage got the Vikings off and flying, giving them a lead they would never lose just three minutes into the game. "It was just starting the party," Moss said. "Somebody had to. I think the [Saints] in the back of their head said, 'OK, don't let [Moss] get started. That's what you don't want to do. Let [No.] 84 get started.'" Just to make sure they got the message, Culpepper and Moss hooked up again on the Vikings' third play of the second half, producing a 68-yard scoring play that was one-tenth Culpepper, and nine-tenths Moss' world-class speed. One drive into the third quarter, it was over, at 24-3. The rest was just window dressing and posing for the cameras. "We just wanted to come out here and make a statement, send a message," Moss said. "We're back and we're ready to play. I really didn't know how we'd play today. I thought we were going to dominate, but hell, we just lost three in a row. So I didn't know. "The last three games we've been lackadaisical. But this is the playoffs. You win or you take your ass home."
Thanks to Culpepper and Moss, the Vikings (12-5) are going nowhere. Unless it's to New York for next Sunday's NFC Championship Game. Who would ever have thought that would be Culpepper's fate in his first season as a starter? This off-season, the chorus of questions concerning Culpepper's readiness would have drown out a Metrodome crowd at the opening kickoff. But it took all of one game -- Culpepper's three-rushing touchdown performance on opening day against Chicago -- to realize that Green had once again uncovered a weapon of truly unique potential. Starting every game as a second-year "rookie," Culpepper threw for nearly 4,000 yards, completed almost 63 percent of his passes, tossed more than twice as many touchdowns as interceptions (33 to 16) and hung up a 98.0 quarterback rating. On the ground, he was the team's second-leading rusher, running for 470 yards and seven more touchdowns. Add it up. That's 40 touchdowns the young man from central Florida had a hand in. In the NFL, zero to 40, in four months, is mind-boggling speed for a quarterback. For anyone. And now, add to his resume winning playoff experience. Culpepper is the second member of the famed Class of '99 quarterback crop to reach a conference title game, joining Tampa Bay's Shaun King, who did it last year. Culpepper, of course, has maybe the best chance of anyone to put an end to Green's precious streak. Not the playoff streak, just the half that concerns getting there using different starting quarterbacks. Green won't mind in the least if Culpepper is the guy to halt Minnesota's game of musical chairs at the position once and for all. "I was surprised, too," Culpepper said of how well his ankle responded. "Yesterday I had a lot of different treatments and this morning I felt so good. I felt revived." For first time in more than a month, the Vikings did too. Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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