I admit I stopped watching midway through the third quarter, but here are a few quick observations about the Vikes first preseason game from the two-plus quarters I did watch.
* Happy to see Sage Rosenfels look sharp – even if Indianapolis didn’t have any members of their starting secondary in the game. Rosenfels was accurate, completed a lot of passes and got rid of the ball quickly. He looked like a starting NFL quarterback. It's been a while since we've had one of those around here.
* Also happy to see Visanthe Shiancoe continue to show nice hands and continue being a big factor in the passing game. Offensively, a lot of the focus this offseason has been on the quarterback and Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin. But it’s important to have a tight end who’s a receiving threat, someone who can catch those 10-15 yard throws down the middle and get open in the red zone. Shiancoe was that guy last year and the Vikings offence needs him to be that guy in 2009.
* John Sullivan looked solid playing centre (Canadian spelling alert!), which was a relief. Phil Loadholt looked okay, too, although he appeared to get help from running backs and tight ends on almost every pass play and he had one false start that was very Ryan Cook-like.
* On the Vikings’ special teams first coverage assignment of the year – a Colts kick-off return – Heath Farwell makes the tackle. Farwell is so important to the Vikings coverage units. They won’t suck this year as long as he is playing.
* While Tarvaris Jackson didn’t have much to work with, he looked very inaccurate on several easy throws. This is why Jackson will never cut it as a starter in the NFL.
To be fair, he was running for his life most of the time and escaped some sacks with his strength and scrambling ability – something I don't think Rosenfels could have done. Let’s see how Jackson does with the first-teamers against Kansas City.
* I like how rookie cornerback Asher Allen tackles.
* And it was a letdown that Harvin didn’t play in this one. The Vikings say they kept him out because of a shoulder injury. That kind of bummed me out. I really hope Harvin is a unique talent – just like Randy Moss was in 1998 – that can turn a good Vikings team into a great Vikings team with his ability to make big plays.
I have nothing else for you. The Vikings first-teamers looked sharp and that's better than the alternative. And I hope Bernard Berrian's injury is not serious.
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4 comments:
To me, the main upside is that Sage wasn't awful. He looked like "the good Tarvaris" that we saw flashes of last year. If he can maintain consistentncy at that level of play, the Vikings will have another decent season.
Tarvaris looked pretty bad. If we can judge the season on one preseason game, Sage will have no trouble winning the job.
The plays and the offense looked the same as last year, though. I know that it is just a preseason game, but it kind of had that slow, lethargic Childress feel that we have become accustomed to. One could argue that Childress is holding back his exciting, kick ass offense for the regular season, but history would tell us differently.
At the end of the night, I just realized that we probably have just made marginal improvements at a few key positions. If Harvin is a game breaker, that could change a few L's into W's this year... and if we get lucky enough, hey, we could even make a run at the big game (why not, Arizon did it last year)?
I was encouraged by Rosenfels' play. We know were not getting an elite guy here, but if he can up the standard of play at the QB position from what it's been the past couple of seasons, with this defence that could be enough to vault the Vikes into the Super Bowl.
I really think – as long as health and suspensions don't become an issue – that this year's defence could and should be dominant. With the special teams not being brutal and Rosenfels and Harvin giving the offence a boost, we could have a season to remember on our hands.
A lot of things have to go right for that to happen but you can say that about a lot of teams.
I have mentioned before, I really like Sullivan. I watched him at Notre Dame and he can be very good. I hated to lose Birk, but this guy will turn some heads. As for Loadholt, it is impossible for him to be as bad as Ryan Cook (please, please, please) I will chalk it up to first game yips.
NHV:
I thought Sullivan looked really solid against the Colts. Obviously that's good news as he's one of the unknown quantities on this team. And Loadholt didn't play badly. I think it was wise for the Vikes to give him help on pass protection. Get his confidence up and then as the season progresses, maybe he won't need as much help.
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