Pre-Season Review

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

The Defensive Line- Very solid performances throughout the pre-season. They were even getting pressure in thier one bad Defensive series vs the Steelers. Kenechi Udeze and Erasmus James look on the verge of breakthroughs, and if Kevin Williams can return to form. The Defensive Line can be good enough to keep the Vikings in games.

Brad Johnson: I am still not a huge fan due to lack of arm strength and mobility. But he does make good decisions. He could lead a very efficent offense if the Running game can ever develop

Troy Williamson: He looks like he has really improved, I am looking forward to seeing how much he has improved during the regular season.

The Bad:

The Offensive Line- When you have Matt Birk return and sign Steve Hutchinson, you would expect to maybe see a better running game. But Artis Hicks also seems to be having trouble adjusting to the right side, and the Vikings running game has struggled. People are naive if they think it is Chester Taylor's fault. Shaun Alexander would have a hard-time running behind blocking I have seen so far. One big problem is that Bryant McKinnie just isn't that good a run-blocker. He is average in this area. So I think dreams of a vaunted Vikings left side are hard to imagine.

The Ugly:

Personnel Moves- Everyone who has ever read this blog knows what a fan I am of CJ Mosley who had three sacks in two starts last year. Mosley moved very well for a man his sized, and would seem with his pass-rushing skills an ideal replacement down the line for Pat Williams. But yet the Vikings traded him to get a back-up QB. While Mosley wasn't going to start, he should have played. But Childress for some unknown reason prefered Ross Kolodzeij an Arizona Cardinal Reject that he knew from the University of Wisconsin. While Kolodzeij was fine he had nowhere near the ability of CJ Mosley. But then they traded Mosley for the bad Brooks Bollinger of the Jets. Bollinger lacks an NFL Arm, and great size. While the Vikings needed to make an improvement of Mike McMahon who is beyond bad and terribly awful. They probably could have found someone as good as Bollinger after cuts happened. But the Vikings apparently didn't want to pay enough money to get AJ Feeley, I am not even making this up.

Then the Vikings decided we need a receiver lets sign "Alligator Arms" or wait I mean Todd Pinkston. He's terrible. He can't get off the line due to lack of strength, and he's afraid to take hits. Only Coach Childress would want him. But he is a good pairing with other Eagles bust WR Billy McMullen. Isn't there somone young like Jason Carter the Vikings could maybe give a chance to instead of these rejects.

If these are the types of moves that Brad Childress keeps making it doesn't matter how good a coach he is because in two years, the Vikings will have five win talent.

That's all for tonight. Look forward to next weekend to my season picks, and Viking vs Redskins preview.