If the Minnesota Vikings had a wish for this season, it would be for Adrian Peterson to avoid injuries on the 2008-2009 campaign.
Adrian Peterson can be portrayed as a NASCAR vehicle on the field; authority, changing lanes at high crazy speed and avoiding traffic at close turns!
It seems like Minnesota is all prepared. They've overloaded good special teams, the defensive line is bursting and ready to go and so is the offensive line. All of the young guys are sitting in the back; many of them have matured enough to where they don't need anyone among them. Peterson's behind the wheel, so it looks like the Vikings are packing up the vans right now; by the way, this is a road trip. If we had their intense offensive line, we would in all probability travel on the ground as well!.
Now the rest of the V8's; left-side tandem Bryant McKinnie (tackle) and guard Steve Hutchinson are absolute track machines. McKinnie is 6'8", 335; Hutchinson has been to the last four Pro Bowls, chiefly because he's as energetic and formidable as an SUV. He's a great fit in this zone-blocking scheme. Center Matt Birk is a mastermind as well, both on and off the field.
In some of the past articles we posted (Chicago Cleveland pre season) we mentioned the name Bernard Berrian, why? Ok let's see; besides the fact that he was doing great with the Chicago Bears, does a $16 million contract with the Vikings sound accurate? Consent to bring him along this season and we will have a good article on how not to spend $16 million in a season!!
We spoke way to much about offense already, so let's go back to the track; on defense they remain solid in the secondary and the team will welcome in Madieu Williams to step in at the open safety spot left by Dwight Smith. On special teams we have veteran kicker Ryan Longwell, Bobby Wade and newcomer Maurice Hicks, a pretty solid piece.
Again, with Peterson and Taylor, Minnesota's top urgency is always to run the ball. Having Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson on the left side makes this a no-brainer. Last season, Peterson averaged 6.3 yards per carry when running left (Taylor averaged 5.3). There's a risk the Vikings could be lacking McKinnie for a period of time. The seventh-year pro has been apprehended four times in his career, counting this past offseason after a nightclub brawl in Miami. The charges were dropped in two of McKinnie's arrests, but he could still face interruption from the NFL. So, thinking future, backup guard Artis Hicks would fill in at left tackle (not a good move). Center Matt Birk is in the final year of his contract and likely won't be back in 2009. John Sullivan is close to draft. Right guard Anthony Herrera is solid and right tackle Ryan Cook could still become just that. Cook, a beefy second-round pick in '06, has been more consistent than second rate Marcus Johnson, but he still has some progress to make in his footwork.
Now that Favre is out of Green Bay, what are the chances for the Vikings to shine?
Now they have put together a real solid defense and a strong offense, which could get even better if quarterback Tarvaris Jackson recovers from an injured right knee (Ravens game a couple of weeks ago). We predict an 11-12 this season, so even if Favre remained on Green Bay, the Vikings can make it to the top for the 08-09 campaign. |
