Injuries test Vikings’ D-line depth

By John McMullen  |   Wednesday, August 20, 2008  |  Comments( 4 )

Minnesota Vikings
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Professional football is often a war of attrition.

While it's pretty obvious you have to be talented to win at a consistent level, health is almost of equal importance.

And, when you are talking to NFL coaches, few things are more disappointing than losing players before the season starts.

To date, the Minnesota Vikings have already lost three players, including special teams stalwart Heath Farwell, who were locks for the 53-man roster
and another who was pushing for a spot. The team has been especially hard hit on the defensive line with the loss of veteran tackle Kenderick Allen, who was placed on injured reserve on Monday.

Allen, who signed during the offseason with hopes of providing experienced depth at nose tackle, injured his right wrist in the preseason opener against
Seattle.

The Vikings' defense also lost end Jayme Mitchell (torn ACL) for the season in the Seahawks game and was already without former first-round pick Kenechi Udeze, who is undergoing treatment for leukemia.

To make matters worse, promising second-year defensive end Brian Robison has also missed significant time in camp after undergoing surgery to repair a
varicose vein in his leg, while the underrated Ray Edwards has struggled with back problems.

Still, most outsiders look at the Minnesota defensive line with envy. Jared Allen is the game's best pure pass rusher at right end, while Kevin and Pat
Williams form the most impressive interior duo in the NFL.

In today's NFL, though, numbers are key. Defensive coordinators like to run waves of fresh linemen at the opposition, hoping to wear down the enemy offense's five blockers.

Vikings defensive chief Leslie Frazier is no different in that regard and was counting on having one of the league's deepest fronts.

Frazier still has his stars, but his role players are dropping at an alarming rate. The loss of Kenderick Allen, the team's only natural nose tackle besides
Pat Williams, leaves the Vikings with Fred Evans, a favorite of personnel man Rick Spielman, and Ellis Wyms -- a veteran -- along with raw rookies Leger Douzable and Letroy Guion as backups on the inside.

With Mitchell and Udeze sidelined, Robison and Otis Grigsby, a high-motor player plucked off the Carolina Panthers' practice squad late last season, are
the top options behind Jared Allen and Edwards. Rookie Martail Burnett, an undersized pass-rushing specialist from Utah, may also force himself into the
mix.

For now, Frazier is happy with his limited options.

"I thought Leger Douzable, along with Letroy Guion, both of those guys have been playing well," Frazier said earlier this week. "Otis Grigsby is having a
great training camp and that carried over into this second ballgame. He played a very good ballgame against Seattle, and he did it again (at Baltimore).
Those were some of the guys that have stood out."

But will it be enough?

Frazier and the Vikings should know in the fourth quarter of the team's regular-season opener in Green Bay.

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About John McMullen

John is the managing editor of The Phanatic Magazine, the assistant managing editor of The Sports Network and the co-host of the highly rated 'Johns on Sports' radio show on WTBQ in New York. Every Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m. (et) you can hear John along with his co-host, John Gottlieb, talk to the ...
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