Ready for final chapter of the 2014 Preseason

CASSEL NAMED STARTER

The announcement by the Vikings on Monday that Matt Cassel would be Week 1 starting quarterback came as no surprise to me. I feel Matt did nothing to hurt himself value wise in preseason. I thought he looked extremely comfortable as he moved the team down the field.

The nightmare of 2013 with quarterback carousel is finally over. I could not be any happier knowing Teddy Bridgewater is extremely capable of coming in when needed. If anything would happen to Cassel we have a kid ready to roll. I can’t remember the last time the team had 2 quarterbacks of this caliber. It is time to be excited in Purple land.

FIRST CUT NAMES RELEASED

Monday also came the dreaded day for 14 players as they were released. The only player that surprised me was Mistral Raymond. I guess I am not totally shocked being he had been recently injured. I enjoyed his efforts through his Vikings career and wish him well in the future.

Brandan Bishop ................. S ...................... 1 ................. N.C. State

Pierce Burton .................... T ..................... R ................ Mississippi

Derek Cox ...................... CB ...................... 6 .......... William & Mary

Andy Cruse ................... WR ...................... 1 ............... Miami (OH)

Kamar Jorden................ WR ...................... 1 .......... Bowling Green

Erik Lora ........................ WR ..................... R .......... Eastern Illinois

Kevin Murphy .................... T ...................... 2 ..................... Harvard

Kheeston Randall ........... DT ...................... 2 ........................ Texas

Tyler Scott ...................... DE ..................... R ............ Northwestern

Jake Snyder ................... DE ..................... R ..................... Virginia

Kory Sperry ..................... TE ...................... 6 .......... Colorado State

Robert Steeples ............. CB ...................... 1 .................. Memphis

Ty Walker ...................... WR ...................... 1 .............. Illinois State

Waived/Injured

PLAYER POS. EXP. COLLEGE

Mistral Raymond ............... S ...................... 4 ............ South Florida

A LOOK AT IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS

Yes, it is preseason and records mean nothing but if you are a numbers guy like me these numbers I will show you are fascinating.

1. Vikings Quarterbacks through 3 preseason games are 55-86 which is 64 percent. The quarterback rating is 106.3 which ranks 2^nd best in the NFL
2. The Vikings defense is giving up 15.3 per game which is good for 4^th best.

ALL TIME VIKINGS PREASON NUMBERS

1. In 242 games the Vikings are 143-96-3  which is .597 percent
2. The Vikings up to the 2014 season have only gone undefeated 6 times prior (1964,1965,1973,1972 1998,and 2001)

 

1. In the previous 40 seasons when the Vikings have finished above .500 that 31 times the team in the regular season has finished .500 or better
2. In 53 seasons the Vikes have finished .500 or better 40 times
3. In the 13 seasons the team has failed to reach .500 in previous seasons the regular season the team has failed to reach .500 seven times

VIKES OPPENENT: TENNESSEE TITANS

The Vikings face the Tennessee Titans Thursday August 28^th in the 4^th and final preseason game. It is the last chance for players to make their case on why they should be part of the 53 man roster. It is also important these players play their butts off because 31 other teams are watching as well.

The Vikes have played Tennessee 6 times in preseason and have gone 5-1. Let’s hope we go 6-1 and finish undefeated. The biggest thing to come out of this game will be health.

 

THINGS TO WATCH FOR

It has been a fun 3 games to watch but areas I would like to see get better is the blitz pickup. I am hoping Blair Walsh continues to be consistent after having a nice game in Kansas City. I am looking for someone to step up as middle linebacker and finally the biggest concern for me will be the secondary. I am excited thus far but in the division we are in we need guys to be consistent and tough.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick