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After taking in a few practices in Mankato last week, Sports Illustrated and Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King has five thoughts about the Minnesota Vikings.
- It’s conceivable Teddy Bridgewater could win the starting job
- Head coach Mike Zimmer’s presence will be felt through individual coaching
- Will Everson Griffen be able to replace Jared Allen as an elite pass rusher?
- It will be an adjustment playing outdoor football at TCF Bank Stadium
- The secondary will be tested with games against dominant passing teams like Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit and New England
That final point from King begs for more attention. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks says that the Packers, Bears, Lions and Vikings combine to form the second most potent offensive division in the NFL. He ranked the NFC East No. 1.
The best offenses in football have a set of triplets (quarterback, running back, wide receiver) that strikes fear in the hearts of opponents. The NFC North features some of the best trios in football, with Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson), Chicago (Jay Cutler, Matt Forte,Brandon Marshall/Alshon Jeffery) and Detroit (Matthew Stafford, Reggie Bushand Calvin Johnson) boasting spectacular groups. While the Vikingscurrently lack the quarterback to join the conversation, the presence of the top running back in football (Adrian Peterson) and the most dynamic young playmaker in the game (Cordarrelle Patterson) could help Teddy Bridgewater/Matt Cassel play at a level that produces a number of W’s in Minnesota this season.
Here’s how MMQB’s Dan Greene sees the starting lineups shaking out.
Brian Hall of FOX Sports North made predictions as well. His starting offense is the same as Greene’s, with the exception of Cassel winning the job over Bridgewater. Defensively, Hall predicts that the familiar names of safeties Jamarca Sanford, Mistral Raymond and Andrew Sendejo will all be cut.
The Vikings break camp on Thursday and play preseason game No. 2 Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals.
