I said a few days ago that I wasn't much of a fan of NFL preseason games. I guess I should have added a caveat... if the Vikings are playing in the preseason opener on MNF on Tony Kornheiser's first game, well, I'm watching. Some observations:- Not bad start for the Brad Childress Era in Minnesota. Ok, it was a loss, but that hardly matters. The first-team offense was efficient in driving to a first quarter TD and the first-team defense absolutely crushed the Raiders first-team offense. Plus, Childress spared us all when he decided to go for it on the last play of the game instead of potentially sending it to OT.
- I know it was early, but it was really nice to see the DEs flash some of that talent. Kenechi Udeze and Erasmus James both looked like they could make really solid pass-rushing DEs this year. The rookie Ray Edwards also made a nice play.
- The RBs, on the other hand, didn't impress. Chester Taylor did have some nice moments, but it's hard to get excited when your longest carry is 4 yards and you have a 2.0 rushing average. Ciatrick Fason looked pretty much exactly the same, and Mewelde Moore didn't stand out either.
- Kornheiser touched on this, but it was cool to see all the fans be so supportive of Tarvaris Jackson. He wasn't my first choice for QB in the draft (I was hoping for Kellen Clemens in the 2nd round), but he certainly showed flashes of some of that potential. 7/13 60 yards and 36 yards rushing. And he would have had a TD pass if one hadn't been dropped. He looked poised, made great decisions, and certainly displayed his athleticism. I came into the game excited to see him, and I left the game even more excited.
- However, we all better pray that Brad Johnson doesn't get hurt this year. I really don't think Mike McMahon's going to be winning a whole lot of ballgames.
- Speaking of Kornheiser, I'm a big fan. You could tell he was a little nervous about everything in his first game, but I think he'll be great to listen to. Does he bring a lot to the game as far as football knowledge? Probably not. But he's funny, and a heck of a lot better to listen to than John Madden. Also, bonus points to him for taking it to Theismann a little bit (such as questioning him when Theismann said the Raiders would go with the veteran QB in Brooks, then later saying it was still an open competition). I'm looking forward to MNF with Tony.
- Lastly, it's still tough to watch Randy Moss in other uniforms, especially when they show all those highlight videos. Unbelievable receiver, and all of that talent is going to waste because Aaron Brooks is terrible. It's going to be another long season for Moss, but through no fault of his own.
4 comments:
Nice read twins15. Summarized the strong points of the game and some of the weak points. We could use a guy like you around my forum. Check it out and let me know what you think. We'll be looking for Writers to help make original articles for the site here soon.
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The one question we all want to know: What do you think of the Vikings' new uniforms?
Me, I think they're hideous. But I always tend to feel that way about new football uniforms.
I don't think they're too bad, but then I don't normally pay much attention to jerseys, and my taste is usually pretty bad. (I like the same color pants and tops for uniforms, which most people seem to hate).
Now the ref's new uniforms I could do without. But I suspect that after watching a few more games they'll look normal and I'll hardly be able to remember what the old ones looked like. That's what usually happens to me.
Very effective piece of writing, thanks for your post.
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