Vikings: Five things to watch for against Oakland

By Krupka  |   Friday, August 11, 2006  |  Comments( 5 )

Minnesota Vikings
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On Monday, the Minnesota Vikings will begin their preseason schedule in the same fashion as their regular season, on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

This will be everyone's first chance to see the Vikings, led by head coach Brad Childress and defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin. It also marks All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss' return to Minnesota.

Childress and Tomlin won't be the only two making their debut on MNF in their new roles. Washington Post sportswriter and the co-host of "Pardon the Interruption," Tony Kornheiser, begins his football announcing career. For all involved, let's hope Kornheiser isn't the next Dennis Miller, whose jokes and insight were more annoying than Fran Drescher's voice.

The Oakland Raiders boast a 1-0 record in preseason play, coming off an unimpressive 16-10 win Sunday.

Without further ado, here are five things to watch for Monday Night:

5.) The linebackers- E.J. Henderson is having a terrific training camp and is the odds-on favorite to start at the weakside 'backer position. He will get the start there Monday. It will be interesting to see if he can parlay strong showings in practice into real games. Napoleon Harris will be in the middle and, barring a collapse, will be there when the season starts. Free-agent acquisition Ben Leber will be on the strong side. His skills on paper seem perfect for the Cover 2 scheme Tomlin is installing. Fans will also get their first look at 17th overall pick Chad Greenway. Monday will be the first opportunity to see how much or how little the unit has improved from last year.

4.) Brad Johnson- With the departure of All-Pro quarterback Daunte Culpepper, the reins have been handed over to the 37-year-old Johnson. When Culpepper went down, Johnson nearly brought the Vikings to the playoffs last season, guiding the team to a 7-2 mark. Johnson has looked very good in camp, and the new offensive scheme looks to be a great fit for him.

3.) Cohesion of the offensive line- On the left side Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson could form the best duo in the NFL. McKinnie has Pro Bowl talent, and is working harder than ever. Hutchinson is widely regarded as the best guard in the NFL. The two have been watching film together in order to get acquainted with each other's style and set up strategies for who takes on certain blockers. All-Pro center Matt Birk returns from injury after having missed all of last season. It will be interesting to see how he looks in his first game action in a year and half. The right side boasts guard Artis Hicks, acquired from the Eagles in a trade during the NFL draft, and second-year tackle Marcus Johnson. Both are big (Hicks 6-foot-4, 335; Johnson 6-6, 321) and talented, but Johnson has struggled somewhat in camp trying to block Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze. Last season the unit was inconsistent and got pushed around too much. Adding Hutchinson and Hicks, and getting Birk back should do wonders.

2.) Play calling- It will be the first look at Childress' West Coast Offense. How involved will the receivers be? Will the team be pass-happy or will we see plenty of Chester Taylor and Mewelde Moore? I'd expect a head start on the aggressive, grind it out ground game, letting the line push the Raiders around. That would also prevent Johnson from taking any unnecessary hits. The last thing the Vikings need is for their starting quarterback to get injured.

1.) The "Tampa 2" defense- With it being the first preseason game, don't expect to see anything too in depth on defense, but it will be the first look at the new scheme Tomlin has implemented. In camp, the defense has been aggressive and hard hitting. Slowly but surely the team seems to be changing from a high- strike offense with little defense to a team built around a tough, hard-nosed defense and a ball-control offense.

- Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Raiderusmaximus		12:56 PM
08/11/2006
The Raiders are coming to play the Vikes. Here comes randy Moss. I predict an easy win with Jordan blowing it up at RB. Watch out...
No.2
lou nagy		12:24 AM
08/12/2006
Keep your eye on Chester Taylor .. averaged 4.5 yds rushing 2005. also a sure handed pass receiver out of the back field .
No.3
K diddy		11:29 AM
08/12/2006
The big suprise in this game is gonna be Tavaris Jackson...watch out for this kid he's got the strongest arm I've ever seen...
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