Vikings preseason “Watch List”

By garym  |   Friday, August 14, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

Minnesota Vikings
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With the Vikings opening their exhibition season Friday night at Indianapolis there are several interesting things to watch that will affect play once the regular season starts.. The first three games should be anything but dull to fans who are into the finer points of the team`s game. The last exhibition game is more often than not a contest to fine tune a roster that has already been set.

So here are some things to watch in the early preseason:

THE HARVIN FACTOR
Percy Harvin (12) is an electrifying player who plays all over the field. He has picked up the offense quickly. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Head Coach Brad Childress have added at least 20 ‘Wildcat plays’ to the playbook that they have experiment with. Harvin has run several plays behind center in light pads with Adrian Peterson (28) his option man.
In any case, Harvin brings new options to an offense that has been criticized for being too vanilla. He ran as much as he received at Florida, and he has excellent speed and elusiveness.
It will be interesting to see how Harvin adapts to receiving kicks. He was deemed to valuable on offense at Florida to be a return specialist, so this will be a new chore. If he succeeds, it will likely spell the end of the line for WR/RS Glen Holt (16).
THE 3rd RUNNING BACK
There is a lively battle going on to determine who will back up AD and Chester Taylor (29) at running back. There is some interesting talent in 2nd year Albert Young (34), and undrafted college free agents Ian Johnson (42), Kahlil Bell (36) and Antone Smith (35). The latter signed this week after being waived by Detroit.

Young may have the inside track with a year in the system, but Johnson and Smith come with fine credentials. Smith is a player known to avoid contact, with poor hands. Not intangibles that help one win a rare roster spot. Purely a change of pace back. Johnson turned off people with his show boating at Boise State, but seems to have found a new determination after his wife quit school to support his football hopes. I like his chances to at least make the practice squad. Bell has been fighting an injury that has set him back.

CENTER

The starting position appears set with 2nd year pro John Sullivan (65). He has been impressive in practices but has yet to take a regular season snap. He should be fine shaded by All-Pro LG Steve Hutchinson (76) and RG Anthony Herrera (64). The question is who will replace him if he goes down. Herrera can play center, but he seems too valuable at guard to move for any length of time. Ryan Cook (62) played center at New Mexico State, but he made the move because the team had an injury crisis at the position. At 6’6”, Cook is too tall and thin for the center position in the NFL. Shorter nose tackles are able to get under his pads. Undrafted college free agents Jon Cooper (68) and Juan Garcia (67) are the backup centers on the roster. Neither were expected to be drafted. Garcia does have upside, but the real downside has been his ability to stay healthy. Cooper and Garcia should be watched Friday night and throughout the exhibition season..

SAFETY

Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson are locks at free and strong safety, respectively. Eric Frampton (37) and Husain Abdullah (39) are likely to retain their spots due to their skill at special teams if nothing else
.
A fifth safety slot, not a sure thing, would be filled at this time by 7th round pick Jamarca Sanford (33), Colt Anderson (49), or De`Von Hall (44), the latter two undrafted free agents. All three are strong safeties.

At 5’9”, 214*, Sanford balances lack of height with excellent strength. He is strong supporting the run. In 44 college starts, Sanford did not make an interception. He was the captain of his team at Mississippi. Special teams is where he should make his mark. A downside is his criminal history. Nothing major, but he was arrested for stealing a car radio and later for disorderly conduct.

6’3”, 215* Hall moved to safety as a senior after three years at linebacker at linebacker at Utah State. He averaged an interception a year.

5’10”, 191* Anderson appears to be the people’s choice in Minnesota. Maybe it´s the long flowing hair, maybe the apt name Colt, or maybe it´s his strong and instinctive style of play. In any case, Anderson was unanimous All Big Sky Conference three years running at Montana. He certainly fills out his highlight reels well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgqlG-qxTVM
He is probably the lowest ranked of the three candidates as far as pro potential, but I think he´ll give Sanford a run for his money. My understanding is that he received a $20,00 signing bonus, a high figure for an undrafted free agent. He should at least find a spot on the practice squad.

For these guys, the place to concentrate on their performance is on special teams. God know the Vikings need help in that area.

THE CROWD FACTOR

As a Minnesota ex-patriot and longtime Vikings fan, I was truly embarrassed last October when the Metrodome turned into a boobox during the team´s 12-10 win over Detroit. A win that evened the team´s record at 3-3 with a soft schedule in the future. Coach Brad Childress was booed off the field. It was an extraordinary disgrace to the state of Minnesota. The “hate Childress” had hit it´s zenith. A goodly number of fans have staked their football reputations on dogging Childress. The fact that he has improved the team from 6-10 to 8-8 to 10-6 in his three years means little to many of these naysayers. To them Childress can´t do anything right. I´ve read several post on the internet from fans who actually hope the Vikings fail so that Ziggy Wilf would be forced to fire his coach. Unbelievable.

So when the team is at home, listen to the how the mood of the crowd changes as the tempo of the game swings one way or the other. Hopefully most of the knee-jerk negativity has passed, or will pass with a strong start. But look out if the Vikings lose early. Especially if Tarvaris Jackson (7) is under center.

AND SO ON

MLB E.J. Henderson (56) returns to lead the defense after missing 12 games with dislocated toes. He should be as good as new.

QB John David Booty (4) returns for his second year as clipboard holder. Booty wasn´t ready last pre-season for the speed of the game. The book on him coming out of USC was that he was going to be a project with upside to be a solid backup. It will be interesting to see how he has progressed with a year of NFL coaching.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe (81) broke out around mid-season last year and became a very legitimate receiving threat. His propensity for dropping catchable balls disappeared. Lets see if it disappeared forever.

WR Sidney Rice (18) suffered a disappointing year after a strong rookie season. Rice is again healthy and reports from Mankato indicate that he is back to making his sweet one-handed catches. Rice can work wonders in the red-zone.


That is all.
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