He’s all ours now.
Quarterback Kelly Holcomb - rumoured to be heading to Minnesota almost since the day he was traded from Buffalo to Philly in the Takeo Spikes deal - finally became a Viking on Monday. The Eagles sent him to the Vikings for a 2009 sixth round pick.
The word “journeyman” best describes Holcomb. In his 12-year career he’s been with five other NFL teams. I won’t detail his stats in this post. Google them if you’re really curious. But suffice it to say Holcomb’s body of work isn’t impressive. Still, after neglecting to go after more appetizing options during the offseason, like Jeff Garcia, David Carr and Trent Green, and witnessing Brooks Bollinger’s brutal play during the preseason, Chilly and the rest of the Vikings brain thrust had to do something. Enter Mr. Holcomb.
But does acquiring him really help the Vikes? NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan thinks so. “The Vikings really helped themselves trading for Holcomb,” Kirwan said after the trade. “A quarterback controversy might arise, but Minnesota really got the best of both worlds. [Tarvaris] Jackson got the practice time he needed while Holcomb spent the summer in Philadelphia, and now the team has some position security. Ask yourself this question: How many teams could have used Holcomb and passed on the opportunity to get him?”
Maybe there’s a reason other teams passed on Holcomb, like, they didn’t see how he could possibly help them. I won’t argue that Holcomb isn’t better than Bollinger – I think he is. But the question is how much better. If T-Jack doesn’t make it as the starter this season, either due to injury or ineffectiveness, do the Vikings win any more games with a with a slightly less horrible Holcomb replacing him than with a slightly more horrible Bollinger? I’d say no. Getting Holcomb seems like a step sideways, at best, not a step forward.
Another question that needs to be asked of Chilly and Rick Spielman is whether there were just as good or better options out there that the Vikings could have got either by waiting a few more days till teams made their final cuts, or through a trade. A quick sifting through the depth chart of the rest of the league shows the pickings were pretty slim. However, there were a couple of options that the Vikes should have pursued.
Tim Rattay, who is currently the number three quarterback in Tennessee, probably could have been had for about the same price as Holcomb, or maybe even less, as there is no guarantee the Titans will keep three quarterbacks on their roster this year. And Rattay, stuck behind Vince Young and Kerry Collins, is clearly the number three guy in Tennessee. Yet Rattay’s number of starts, completion percentage and passing yardage compare favourably to Holcomb’s. He also has thrown for more touchdowns (28) than interceptions (20) in his eight-year career, something that can’t be said for Holcomb, who has thrown 37 TD’s along with 37 picks.
Another possible option was San Diego’s Billy Volek. It should be noted Volek’s won the Chargers backup job over Charlie Whitehurst and probably would have cost the Vikings a higher draft pick than Holcomb as a result. He also might not have been as keen playing behind the untested Jackson and serving as a veteran mentor as Holcomb claims to be. But the Chargers are set at quarterback with Phillip Rivers and they seem to like Whitehurst’s potential, so Volek wasn’t indispensable to them at the right price. Volek’s looked very sharp this preseason, by the way. Plus, he’s younger and more talented than Holcomb. His best year in 2004 with Tennessee (61.6 completion percentage, 2,486 yards, 18 TD’s and 10 INT’s in eight starts) outshines Holcomb’s best season in 2005 with Buffalo (67.4, 1,509, 10, and 8 in eight starts). There’s no guarantee the Vikings could have got him but if you don’t ask…Sadly, it appears Chilly and the boys never asked.
Ah, well, what can you do? As of right now, the Vikings have both Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger on their roster. If that remains the situation at quarterback, you might say the Vikings got the worst of both worlds.
Trade talk
Our friends at Viking Update and some other Twin Cities media outlets have suggested this week that Vikings third-string running back Mewelde Moore could be trade bait. The scuttlebutt is that the Vikings might dangle Moore, who plays a position where the team has some depth, to acquire a player (read: wide receiver) who plays a position where they don’t have much depth. I have no problem with that line of thinking. But in the case of Moore, it’s a move that makes so little sense you fear Chilly and the Vikes management might just do it.
Trading Moore would be a mistake. It would be a mistake because a) As a third-string running back on a team expected to bring up the rear in a weak NFC North, Moore would net the Vikings nothing more than a second-day draft pick, not the impact wide receiver the team needs; and b) The Vikings are one serious injury to Chester Taylor or Adrian Peterson away from going from “deep” to “thin” at the running back position.
Lookit, Moore is a useful weapon in an offence that has too few of them. Fair weather Vikings fans tend to forget about Moore because he’s had trouble staying healthy. But when he has been healthy and called upon, he’s been extremely productive. He was the team’s second leading receiver last year. His career rushing numbers of 1,172 yards and 4.8 yards per carry average aren’t too shabby. He’s also the best punt returner the Vikings have had since David Palmer’s heyday. Remember, Moore has returned a punt for a touchdown each of the last two seasons. Why wouldn’t Chilly want this guy around?
It’s true Moore doesn’t figure to get many carries with Taylor and Peterson around. But considering how bad the Vikings receiving corps currently are, Moore would be a handy option to have catching screens, etc. out of the backfield. There’s been some speculation that the Vikings could land Miami wide receiver Chris Chambers for Moore and maybe a draft pick. That’s extremely wishful thinking. The Dolphins are okay at running back with Ronnie Brown and there’s no way they trade a former Pro Bowler for that kind of package. Perhaps that deal happens if Rick Spielman was still the Dolphins GM. But Spielman works for the Vikings now.
As for the other wideouts Moore is rumoured to be trade bait for – Tampa Bay’s Michael Clayton and Jacksonville’s Reggie Williams – don’t get me started. Clayton’s been injured or ineffective for the past two seasons and Williams hasn’t been much more productive than Troy Williamson. If a late round draft pick, Clayton or Williams are what the Vikings are going to get for Moore, the team’s better off standing pat. You know what they say; sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.
On Deck: Herrera or Hicks?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Back Up Plan
It may not be the most pressing concern for the Vikings heading into the 2007 season but after Saturday night’s miserable performance, it’s time for head coach Brad Childress to admit what even casual Vikings observers have known for many months now – Brooks Bollinger isn’t backup quarterback material.
In fact, Bollinger probably shouldn’t be collecting an NFL paycheque at all. But Chilly, for whatever reason, seems to think the former University of Wisconsin star can handle the job. Bollinger’s performance on the field suggests otherwise and his handiwork Saturday night in Minnesota’s 30-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks was the latest incriminating evidence. Bollinger completed 6 of 11 passes for 52 yards with no touchdowns. He was picked off twice, the first of which was returned for a Seattle TD, the other coming inside the Seattle 10-yard line late in the game. He was also sacked once. Oh yeah, in his first series he led to Vikes to a field goal.
This kind of performance is no aberration either. In approximately four quarters of work this preseason, Bollinger’s 12 for 20 for a whopping 102 yards. He’s had the two aforementioned picks. He’s been sacked three times. The offence has “managed” to pick up a first down or less in six of the nine drives he’s been under the centre for. He’s fumbled once (which the Jets eventually turned into a touchdown) and he’s led the Vikes offence to two scores – a couple of field goals. And he’s done this while facing the opposing teams second and third stringers the majority of the time. Imagine how Bollinger would fare against the first-teamers. Yeesh.
If the likelihood that Bollinger would be pressed into action this season were slim and none, it wouldn’t matter that he’s currently the odds-on favourite to back up Tarvaris Jackson. But with a leaky offensive line that has trouble protecting the quarterback, Jackson is likely going to take some heavy shots from opposing defenders this season. And quarterbacks that take too many hits eventually get hurt and miss games. If and when that happens, as the back up Bollinger takes over for T-Jack. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen.
As the Sept. 9 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons draws near, it’s time for Chilly and Rick Spielman to start looking at other options for who is going to back up Jackson. Those options aren’t likely to be very appealing (Kelly Holcomb, anyone?) but just about anything will be an upgrade over Bollinger. As a quarterback, Bollinger has many faults but some that immediately come to mind include: an inability to escape the pass rush, a below average arm by NFL standards and poor decision-making in the pocket.
I expect the Vikes will be scanning the waiver wire when teams make their final cuts come next week, hoping to find a quarterback who can bump Bollinger to third-string, the practice squad, or better yet, the street. And if they can’t find one, well, I hear Jeff George is still looking for a team.
Other stuff
So, what else was noteworthy about the Vikings 30-13 loss to Seattle? Let’s get the bad stuff over with first.
The consistently shoddy play of the special teams unit is a cause for serious concern. The Vikes coverage unit continues to give up at least one big kickoff or punt return – and often both – per game. And the bad play seems to be contagious because Minnesota’s kickers didn’t look very good, either. Chris Kluwe shanked another punt on Saturday and placekicker Ryan Longwell missed what for an NFL kicker of his pedigree should be a chip shot field goal of 37 yards.
There’s talk the teams coverage woes may force Chilly to put more starters on the unit. The danger in doing this is that it increases the chance his better players will get injured. But it’s a gamble he might have to take to try to improve this sad-sack area of his team, which is going to cost the Vikings some football games if it keeps on playing like this.
As for the performance of Kenechi Udeze and Troy Williamson, well, let’s just say their continued absence from the stat sheet - Udeze for the third game in a row, Williamson for the second – was duly noted by Vikings fans. At this point, it might be a good idea for Udeze to change his number from “95” to “0”, to reflect his contributions on the field.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Vikings, despite the loss. Jackson looked good at times against the Seahawks. Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, and the Vikings defence in general, continue to make plays. The running game also looked pretty good for the second straight game with number one pick Adrian Peterson continuing to look like a guy who will play in the Pro Bowl many, many times.
Perhaps the most significant good news to come out of the Seahawks game was the play of receiver Bobby Wade (five catches for 85 yards). That kind of production was rarely seen from Vikings wideouts in 2006. While Wade might not be a legit number one receiver by any stretch, Vikings fans will gladly take it if Wade does a reasonable impression of a number two. Wade did that on Saturday night. Keep up the good work, Bobby.
All in all though, the Vikings took a step back from its performance in the win over the Jets. Next up are the Dallas Cowboys. Vikings fans will be looking for a better effort from its team in this one.
In fact, Bollinger probably shouldn’t be collecting an NFL paycheque at all. But Chilly, for whatever reason, seems to think the former University of Wisconsin star can handle the job. Bollinger’s performance on the field suggests otherwise and his handiwork Saturday night in Minnesota’s 30-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks was the latest incriminating evidence. Bollinger completed 6 of 11 passes for 52 yards with no touchdowns. He was picked off twice, the first of which was returned for a Seattle TD, the other coming inside the Seattle 10-yard line late in the game. He was also sacked once. Oh yeah, in his first series he led to Vikes to a field goal.
This kind of performance is no aberration either. In approximately four quarters of work this preseason, Bollinger’s 12 for 20 for a whopping 102 yards. He’s had the two aforementioned picks. He’s been sacked three times. The offence has “managed” to pick up a first down or less in six of the nine drives he’s been under the centre for. He’s fumbled once (which the Jets eventually turned into a touchdown) and he’s led the Vikes offence to two scores – a couple of field goals. And he’s done this while facing the opposing teams second and third stringers the majority of the time. Imagine how Bollinger would fare against the first-teamers. Yeesh.
If the likelihood that Bollinger would be pressed into action this season were slim and none, it wouldn’t matter that he’s currently the odds-on favourite to back up Tarvaris Jackson. But with a leaky offensive line that has trouble protecting the quarterback, Jackson is likely going to take some heavy shots from opposing defenders this season. And quarterbacks that take too many hits eventually get hurt and miss games. If and when that happens, as the back up Bollinger takes over for T-Jack. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen.
As the Sept. 9 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons draws near, it’s time for Chilly and Rick Spielman to start looking at other options for who is going to back up Jackson. Those options aren’t likely to be very appealing (Kelly Holcomb, anyone?) but just about anything will be an upgrade over Bollinger. As a quarterback, Bollinger has many faults but some that immediately come to mind include: an inability to escape the pass rush, a below average arm by NFL standards and poor decision-making in the pocket.
I expect the Vikes will be scanning the waiver wire when teams make their final cuts come next week, hoping to find a quarterback who can bump Bollinger to third-string, the practice squad, or better yet, the street. And if they can’t find one, well, I hear Jeff George is still looking for a team.
Other stuff
So, what else was noteworthy about the Vikings 30-13 loss to Seattle? Let’s get the bad stuff over with first.
The consistently shoddy play of the special teams unit is a cause for serious concern. The Vikes coverage unit continues to give up at least one big kickoff or punt return – and often both – per game. And the bad play seems to be contagious because Minnesota’s kickers didn’t look very good, either. Chris Kluwe shanked another punt on Saturday and placekicker Ryan Longwell missed what for an NFL kicker of his pedigree should be a chip shot field goal of 37 yards.
There’s talk the teams coverage woes may force Chilly to put more starters on the unit. The danger in doing this is that it increases the chance his better players will get injured. But it’s a gamble he might have to take to try to improve this sad-sack area of his team, which is going to cost the Vikings some football games if it keeps on playing like this.
As for the performance of Kenechi Udeze and Troy Williamson, well, let’s just say their continued absence from the stat sheet - Udeze for the third game in a row, Williamson for the second – was duly noted by Vikings fans. At this point, it might be a good idea for Udeze to change his number from “95” to “0”, to reflect his contributions on the field.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Vikings, despite the loss. Jackson looked good at times against the Seahawks. Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, and the Vikings defence in general, continue to make plays. The running game also looked pretty good for the second straight game with number one pick Adrian Peterson continuing to look like a guy who will play in the Pro Bowl many, many times.
Perhaps the most significant good news to come out of the Seahawks game was the play of receiver Bobby Wade (five catches for 85 yards). That kind of production was rarely seen from Vikings wideouts in 2006. While Wade might not be a legit number one receiver by any stretch, Vikings fans will gladly take it if Wade does a reasonable impression of a number two. Wade did that on Saturday night. Keep up the good work, Bobby.
All in all though, the Vikings took a step back from its performance in the win over the Jets. Next up are the Dallas Cowboys. Vikings fans will be looking for a better effort from its team in this one.
Friday, August 24, 2007
I blog, therefore I am
Well, I’ve finally done it. After mulling it over for months, I’ve decided to do the blog thing. The Great White Norseman is an NFL blog about a specific NFL team – the Minnesota Vikings. Now you may be saying to yourself, "Does the world really need another NFL blog, particularly one dedicated to the Vikes?” Perhaps it doesn’t. But I must admit starting this Vikings blog is more for me than it is for any NFL or Vikings fans I might reach.
As a diehard Vikings fan for the past 31 years, after every Minnesota game I usually have a gazillion thoughts running through my mind on what the team did right, what it did wrong and how it could have turned out better. But there’s no outlet to express all of that. Sometimes that’s frustrating. So this blog will be that outlet. In the process, I hope to provide some useful analysis for other Vikings fans out there and maybe generate some useful discussion among the team’s passionate fan base.
The plan is to post as much as I can. I’ll have a better idea what I’m capable of grinding out in the next month or so. Maybe that means a post every day (although I doubt it.) Or maybe it will be just be once or twice a week. We’ll see where this all takes me.
But enough of this intros, it’s onto the first installment of this blog.
Sleepless in Seattle
Now that Vikings coach Brad Childress and his players have stopped patting themselves on the back after last weekend’s 37-20 thumping of the New York Jets, it’s time to move on. Next up on the preseason plate are the Seattle Seahawks. Fans, media, players and even coaches often say (particularly after a loss) that the preseason is meaningless. But that’s only partially true. While the end result is meaningless, how the team and its players perform during the game isn’t. The data coaches glean from those performances is used to make decisions on who stays, who plays and who is gone. It helps shape the team. That’s hardly meaningless. The regular season starts Sept. 9. That isn’t far away and yet there are many questions that still dog this team and need answering. Here is a sample.
Is Tarvaris Jackson ready?
The answer to this question, of course, is no. T-Jack’s lack of NFL experience means despite his considerable physical gifts (strong, quick, cannon arm) there is no way he could be “ready” at this point in his career for what NFL defences are about to throw at him. But Chilly and his staff aren’t helping him much in getting up to speed. Because Jackson’s so green, logic would seem to suggest he needs all the reps he can get this preseason. Yet after a decent quarter of work in Minnesota’s first exhibition game against the St. Louis Rams, Jackson threw just four passes against the Jets, as Chilly stubbornly stuck to his master plan of playing the four quarterbacks he has in camp basically one quarter each.
That might make sense if the other three quarterbacks Chilly has were NFL material worthy of taking snaps away from Jackson. Unfortunately for the Vikings and their fans, that isn’t the case. In backup Brooks Bollinger’s short time with the team, he’s shown he’s proficient in one area - getting sacked. Drew Henson is headed for the Vikes practice roster or worse. Tyler Thigpen is a seventh round draft pick whose college career with that noted football factory, Coastal Carolina, means he is capable of little more than holding a clipboard this season.
So, Chilly and the Vikes are stuck with Jackson for better or worse. If the coaching staff wants to avoid the “for worse” scenario, they’d best play T-Jack at least two quarters in the Seahawks game and the preseason finale against the Cowpokes. Jackson needs to be tested as much as possible in the heat of battle and learn by doing. But so far, Chilly hasn’t been providing his starting QB with enough opportunities to do so. That’s gotta change.
Is Visanthe Shiancoe going to earn his $18.2-million?
The early results aren’t encouraging. Shiancoe’s caught one ball for seven yards in two preseason games. Maybe Chilly and the coaching staff are easing him into his role as the Vikes new pass catching tight end. Or maybe Shiancoe just isn’t very good. To be fair, Shiancoe hasn’t had many opportunities to show what he can do in the first two games. But it’s still worrisome that Shiancoe’s four-season career catch total of 35 is 36 less balls than Jermaine Wiggins caught in his best season with the Vikings. Wiggins is now plying his trade with Jacksonville.
Much like with Jackson, it would be wise for Chilly and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to play Shiancoe a lot against Seattle. Throwing a ball or two his way wouldn’t hurt either. The Vikes need Shiancoe to be the kind of downfield receiving threat the West Coast offence supposedly needs to be effective.
Is Kenechi Udeze ever going to get a sack?
Forget a sack, how about a tackle? Through two preseason games, Udeze has neither and Vikings fans know all too well that their starting defensive left end went 0-for-the-season in the sack department in 2006. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the Vikings drafted Udeze with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, the USC star was viewed as a player that could give the team a pass rusher from the end position. He had 28 sacks as a three-year starter at USC - pretty good numbers.
Unfortunately, Udeze is starting to look like a major bust. In fact, after the sackless year he had in 2006, if he weren’t a first-round pick, Udeze probably would’ve been waived after last season. But management doesn’t like to admit mistakes when it comes to first round picks, so they are always willing to give them second, third, fourth and even fifth chances. It’s the kind of thinking that kept Derrick Alexander (remember him?) on the Vikings roster for four seasons back in the late 90s.
2007 is probably Udeze’s last chance with the Vikings. If he can seize it and be a factor as a pass rusher (six-to-eight sacks would be acceptable), it will help this defence immensely. Although I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Ray Edwards and rookie Brian Robison this preseason, I’m not sold that either one will be consistent, every-down playmakers once the regular season starts. Ditto for Erasmus James. And Darrion Scott, while a solid player, is never going to be a great pass rusher. Maybe Udeze can be that guy. The problem is that he seems to have neither the power to bull rush his way past offensive lineman to get to the quarterback, nor the speed to beat them off the edge. Nevertheless, it’s time for Udeze to turn his career around. A sack and a few tackles against the Seahawks might get him started.
That’s just a sampling of some the question marks on this 2007 version of the Minnesota Vikings. There’s many more. But I wanted to take it easy with the first few blogs.
On deck: Assessing the Vikings performance against Seattle.
As a diehard Vikings fan for the past 31 years, after every Minnesota game I usually have a gazillion thoughts running through my mind on what the team did right, what it did wrong and how it could have turned out better. But there’s no outlet to express all of that. Sometimes that’s frustrating. So this blog will be that outlet. In the process, I hope to provide some useful analysis for other Vikings fans out there and maybe generate some useful discussion among the team’s passionate fan base.
The plan is to post as much as I can. I’ll have a better idea what I’m capable of grinding out in the next month or so. Maybe that means a post every day (although I doubt it.) Or maybe it will be just be once or twice a week. We’ll see where this all takes me.
But enough of this intros, it’s onto the first installment of this blog.
Sleepless in Seattle
Now that Vikings coach Brad Childress and his players have stopped patting themselves on the back after last weekend’s 37-20 thumping of the New York Jets, it’s time to move on. Next up on the preseason plate are the Seattle Seahawks. Fans, media, players and even coaches often say (particularly after a loss) that the preseason is meaningless. But that’s only partially true. While the end result is meaningless, how the team and its players perform during the game isn’t. The data coaches glean from those performances is used to make decisions on who stays, who plays and who is gone. It helps shape the team. That’s hardly meaningless. The regular season starts Sept. 9. That isn’t far away and yet there are many questions that still dog this team and need answering. Here is a sample.
Is Tarvaris Jackson ready?
The answer to this question, of course, is no. T-Jack’s lack of NFL experience means despite his considerable physical gifts (strong, quick, cannon arm) there is no way he could be “ready” at this point in his career for what NFL defences are about to throw at him. But Chilly and his staff aren’t helping him much in getting up to speed. Because Jackson’s so green, logic would seem to suggest he needs all the reps he can get this preseason. Yet after a decent quarter of work in Minnesota’s first exhibition game against the St. Louis Rams, Jackson threw just four passes against the Jets, as Chilly stubbornly stuck to his master plan of playing the four quarterbacks he has in camp basically one quarter each.
That might make sense if the other three quarterbacks Chilly has were NFL material worthy of taking snaps away from Jackson. Unfortunately for the Vikings and their fans, that isn’t the case. In backup Brooks Bollinger’s short time with the team, he’s shown he’s proficient in one area - getting sacked. Drew Henson is headed for the Vikes practice roster or worse. Tyler Thigpen is a seventh round draft pick whose college career with that noted football factory, Coastal Carolina, means he is capable of little more than holding a clipboard this season.
So, Chilly and the Vikes are stuck with Jackson for better or worse. If the coaching staff wants to avoid the “for worse” scenario, they’d best play T-Jack at least two quarters in the Seahawks game and the preseason finale against the Cowpokes. Jackson needs to be tested as much as possible in the heat of battle and learn by doing. But so far, Chilly hasn’t been providing his starting QB with enough opportunities to do so. That’s gotta change.
Is Visanthe Shiancoe going to earn his $18.2-million?
The early results aren’t encouraging. Shiancoe’s caught one ball for seven yards in two preseason games. Maybe Chilly and the coaching staff are easing him into his role as the Vikes new pass catching tight end. Or maybe Shiancoe just isn’t very good. To be fair, Shiancoe hasn’t had many opportunities to show what he can do in the first two games. But it’s still worrisome that Shiancoe’s four-season career catch total of 35 is 36 less balls than Jermaine Wiggins caught in his best season with the Vikings. Wiggins is now plying his trade with Jacksonville.
Much like with Jackson, it would be wise for Chilly and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to play Shiancoe a lot against Seattle. Throwing a ball or two his way wouldn’t hurt either. The Vikes need Shiancoe to be the kind of downfield receiving threat the West Coast offence supposedly needs to be effective.
Is Kenechi Udeze ever going to get a sack?
Forget a sack, how about a tackle? Through two preseason games, Udeze has neither and Vikings fans know all too well that their starting defensive left end went 0-for-the-season in the sack department in 2006. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the Vikings drafted Udeze with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, the USC star was viewed as a player that could give the team a pass rusher from the end position. He had 28 sacks as a three-year starter at USC - pretty good numbers.
Unfortunately, Udeze is starting to look like a major bust. In fact, after the sackless year he had in 2006, if he weren’t a first-round pick, Udeze probably would’ve been waived after last season. But management doesn’t like to admit mistakes when it comes to first round picks, so they are always willing to give them second, third, fourth and even fifth chances. It’s the kind of thinking that kept Derrick Alexander (remember him?) on the Vikings roster for four seasons back in the late 90s.
2007 is probably Udeze’s last chance with the Vikings. If he can seize it and be a factor as a pass rusher (six-to-eight sacks would be acceptable), it will help this defence immensely. Although I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Ray Edwards and rookie Brian Robison this preseason, I’m not sold that either one will be consistent, every-down playmakers once the regular season starts. Ditto for Erasmus James. And Darrion Scott, while a solid player, is never going to be a great pass rusher. Maybe Udeze can be that guy. The problem is that he seems to have neither the power to bull rush his way past offensive lineman to get to the quarterback, nor the speed to beat them off the edge. Nevertheless, it’s time for Udeze to turn his career around. A sack and a few tackles against the Seahawks might get him started.
That’s just a sampling of some the question marks on this 2007 version of the Minnesota Vikings. There’s many more. But I wanted to take it easy with the first few blogs.
On deck: Assessing the Vikings performance against Seattle.
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