Bennett may not be ready for opener

By Gabriel Bravo  |   Wednesday, August 24, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Minnesota Vikings
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Minnesota Vikings' running back Michael Bennett, who was expected to sit out for part of next weekend's preseason finale with a sore neck, may be sitting out the season opener according to head coach Mike Tice. However, Bennett doesn't anticipate that the injury will have him sidelined for that long. After a recent practice, Bennett seemed confident that his neck was improving.

Nevertheless, the final decision belongs to Coach Tice, who has already said that backup Mewelde Moore will start in Bennett's place in the preseason finale against the Chargers, and if needed in the season opener against Tamp Bay.

As a rookie last season, Moore started three games for an injured Bennet and showed tremendous potential. In the three games, Moore rushed for 339 yards and also had 198 yards receiving. The Minnesota Vikings won all three games Moore started.

In two preseason games, Mewelde Moore leads the team with 86 yards rushing and a 7.8-yard average. Moore was picked by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. He played college football at Tulane, where he became only the second player ever in NCAA history to have 4,000 yards rushing and 2,000 yards receiving in a career.

How long Moore's starting role will last is uncertain. Although the second year player will have a few more chances to shine as pro, the decision to bring back Michael Bennett will be up to Coach Tice, and may come sooner than expected.
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