Thursday night’s game in Houston will be the last chance for 22 players to show why they belong on the 53 man roster.
The decision to not play Christian Ponder this week was a disappointment only because I would to have liked to see one good series after last week’s performance by the first unit . Thursday will give Joe Webb a good chance to continue his working on being a passing quarterback. I like what I saw of Sage Rosenfels against San Diego. I am real excited to see McLeod Bethel-Thompson get his final playing time to see if the team thinks enough of him to make the roster or nail down a practice squad spot. I love the arm strength on this young man.
The third running back spot is frustrating as it seems no one can step up enough to give the coaching staff confidence in who they should keep. Jordan Todman, when signed by the Vikings really excited me. Then to watch him suffer a sprained ankle early in camp was disappointing as I did not get to see him much on the practice field in Mankato. Thursday will be his biggest night in purple as the coaching staff wants a serious look at him. He was so fun to watch on TV when he played at the University of Connecticut.
I still hold high hopes for Matt Asiata as well. This guy I thought had a nice camp and he has looked good running in preseason games. The fumble down in the red zone is a concern but I think he has shown enough to make the 53 man squad.
The receiver group lost 2 when the cuts happened Saturday with Kamar Jorden and Kerry Taylor both being released. The Houston game will be big for 3 including Devin Aromashodu, Emmanuel Arceneaux and Stephen Burton. All 3 have shown good hands in camp. Burton had a great deep catch in San Francisco and also a fumble after a catch in a game. Arceneaux still has yet to be given much time yet so Thursday is huge for him to try and solidify a spot. Aromashodu has been very active and made some nice catches thus far. My hope is these 3 players play well enough to make the coaches think about who stays and who goes
The tight end group has a player I really like and has shown hands in training camp as well as this past game is Alan Reisner. He came last season from the University of Iowa as a undrafted free agent. I am saying right now I believe he will be on the roster. The injury to John Carlson was disappointing but did give a chance to give Reisner and Mickey Shuler to see more looks in practice.
The offensive line I would like to see 2 guys come through and make it. They are Vikings draft choices. Chris DeGeare plays guard and DeMarcus Love who plays tackle. It would really be nice to see these guys pay off for the organization who thought highly enough of them that they drafted these two.
This game Thursday not only will define the team, but will hopefully give the team some much needed depth at all positions without having to scour the waiver wire and bring some new guys in. It would be nice if the guys that fought in Mankato for three weeks will be rewarded.
The punt return game took a hit as Marcus Sherels sprained an ankle, then Saturday Bryan Walters was cut. Josh Robinson who fielded some punts in camp will be out Thursday as well after suffering a concussion Friday against San Diego. The door is wide open for 2012 4th round pick, Jarius Wright to solidify himself as the man who will do the duty this season. Friday he had a nice return showing his quickness. Thursday is a huge night for Wright.
The defensive line is in need of depth and I sure like what I see out of two specifically, being Fred Evans and Christian Ballard. Nick Reed,Trevor Guyton and Jeff Charleston have a night to show their value. Guyton is a 7th round pick in this years draft.Reed and Charleston have shown spurts of Brian Robison like speed around the edge.
The Linebacker corp for backups is a great fight to watch. I believe there are 4 candidates starting with Larry Dean who is back in his 2nd season after making the squad last year after being a rookie free agent. He played all 16 games on special teams.
Marvin Mitchell is in his 6th season in the NFL after spending 4 years in New Orleans then last season in Miami. He has looked very good in camp.
Tyrone McKenzie in his 3rd year in the NFL was drafted in 2009 in the 3rd round by New England, 2010 in Tampa Bay and last year on the Vikings practice squad.
Audie Cole, 2012 7th round pick with his big game against Buffalo did he do enough? He seems to be a ball hawk as he seems to be getting better attacking. I watched him blitz on Friday against San Diego. This should be a great fight to watch.
The secondary is real banged up right now so any player still healthy well Thursday is your lucky night. Robert Blanton 2012 draft choice out of Notre Dame has been battling an injury for much of camp. He is good to go. He was a defensive back the Vikings are working on converting him to a safety. It sounds as though he may play most of the game.
Harrison Smith I believe is everything I have read about him. I was at camp when he got in the skirmish with Percy Harvin. He did not appear to back down. The guy plays so physical which will nice to see back there this season.
I would really like to see Zach Bowman come up big. The ex-Bear could be huge not only for depth but a great candidate for special team’s coverage units. Zach signed a one year deal which I would hope to be a big incentive to have a big season and then who knows in the future. Zach is familiar with the NFC North which is great asset to have.
Friday is a big day for the organization to put together the final roster that we will move forward with. I am looking for a lot of surprises which is always welcome. Predictability is not always fun.
Next up: Thoughts on week 4 in Houston
Thanks for reading
Purplestick
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