This is what I want to see tonight:
- Tarvaris Jackson: I hope they let him pass a lot. I mainly want to see if he makes good decisions in the passing game and doesn’t fumble the snap or the handoffs. We know he’s got a strong arm. We know he can run. We don’t yet know if he’ll be a smart quarterback. I also want to see him run the two minute offense.
- The right side of the offensive line: Anthony Herrera is starting tonight a right guard in place of Artis Hicks, but Hicks will get plenty of playing time. It appears Ryan Cook will be the right tackle and I’m fine with that. I thought, though he was raw last year, he was a vast improvement over Marcus Johnson. Will Johnson be overmatched again tonight?
- Adrian Peterson: A lot. Just because.
- Wide Receivers: I do want to see Robert Ferguson but only a little. He’s pretty much a known commodity: A good, tough receiver who gets hurt. I want to see them go deep a couple times to Troy Williamson down the left sideline because that has always seemed to be the most difficult catch for him. I want to see a lot more of Sidney Rice, Aundrea Allison, and Chandler Williams, so we can see what we’ve got with those three. And how ’bout Todd Lowber, that track star we invested a three year contract in? Let’s see what he’s got.
- Visanthe Shiancoe: And a lot of him. Has he done anything this preseason except block? I guess he caught one pass, but I can’t even remember it, so it must’ve been unremarkable. I want to see if he can stretch the defense, as advertised. If teams are going to try and shut down our receiving corps, we’re going to have to kill them with Shaincoe, so he’s an important part of the passing game.
- Erasmus James: I hope to God he’ll return with that burst he showed last year before getting injured. If he’s healthy, we’ve got three good pass rushing right ends in James, Ray Edwards and rookie Brian Robison. That would mean that with the way the Vikings rotate their D-lineman, we’ll be able to get consistent pressure on all downs from the right side. I’d like to see Darrion Scott start on the left side because at least he gets some sacks. I am also looking forward to seeing what we’ve got in Fred Evans.
- Chad Greenway: He had a great game last week but didn’t really show up in the first preseason game. I’d like to be assured that last week wasn’t a fluke.
- Dovonte Edwards and Marcus McCauley: This is the best battle on defense and I think we’ll be fine with whoever wins the nickle spot. I give Edwards the nod because of experience. Edwards has got the speed but McCauley has got the size and he’s not slow, either.
- The Defense Against A Spread Offense: I don’t know if we’ll see it tonight, but the Jets tried it against us and we had an answer. I want to see consistent success against the spread.
- Oh, and I almost failed to mention: Matt Hasselbeck is a whiner.
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