Pro football is right around the corner, and the Vikings are not being ignored by the punditocracy. The June 30 issue of SI includes a feature on new Vike Jared Allen, and it’s a good story.
Now here’s the bad news for Vikes fans: SI’s Dr. Z picks the team to win the Super Bowl. I'm sure Bears, Packers and Lions fans are all scoffing.
Why, you ask, is that bad news? Simple. He’s no good at picking anything. He would’ve picked Poland against Germany in 1939 and Grenada against the United States in the 1980s.
And I hate to see the Vikings get too much ink. It’d be much better if they come in low on the radar. That’s not going to happen considering that the Vikes got Allen and that hotshot running back Adrian Peterson might be even better this year.
But we all know what the Viking problems have been. Weak passing offense. Erratic play at quarterback. Poor pass defense. Not much of a pass rush.
The Vikes addressed the pass defense and pass rush issues with the acquisition of Allen and safety Madieu Williams. And remember that last year part of the problem was not QB Tarvaris Jackson but lousy receivers. Vikings fans should rejoice that the team got rid of Troy Williamson, he of the golden feet and hands of stone.
The Vikes stole Bernard Berrian from the Bears, and that should improve the pass offense right off the bat. Yet we know that the quarterback play must improve.
In fact, Jackson did improve. He played well in some games, though the loss at home to Washington was a huge disappointment. He had a good game in the finale against Denver.
Jackson must get better or he won’t play. Gus Frerotte, a capable backup, and John David Booty are waiting in the wings. Jackson’s used up a few of his chances. He won’t have an endless number this year, especially if Booty looks good.
If Jackson struggles, the first thing that will happen is the fans will turn on him, putting more pressure on coach Brad Childress. You just know they’ll be clamoring to see Booty in there. The guy proved himself at a high-pressure program at USC and is well-acquainted with the West Coast offense. I think he might well be the starter before the year’s out. He was a great pick for the fifth round. Remember that Tom Brady was taken in the sixth round.
But Jackson will get his chance. He’s had little experience and was basically a rookie last year. Let’s also recall that some pretty good quarterbacks look terrible sometimes. Eli Manning was great at the end of the season for the Giants, but he was horrible against the Vikes in October, throwing three interceptions that went for touchdowns.
Fans in New York were all saying Eli sucked after the Vikings game. And he did. And then a few games later he was terrific. That’s the way it is for young quarterbacks. It takes time — there’s a lot to learn when you go from college to the pros. Having a good arm isn’t enough. Remember Ryan Leaf, he of the IQ of 68.
We’ll see how Jackson progresses. If his improvement isn’t good enough, two guys can step in and do the job. That’s a big improvement from last year.
One last thing about the Vikings’ chances: Their division is not very good. The Bears had a terrible draft and have no offense outside of Devon Hester. It’s hard to believe the Packers can be better without Brett Favre, though Aaron Rodgers played well when called upon against the Cowboys. And the Lions are still the Lions, though some foolish pundit will pick them to win the division.
The division has a lot of question marks at quarterback. The best QB coming back from last year is Jon Kitna of the Lions. All the teams have issues — including the Lions, with Kitna having injury problems.
Vikings fans must be thinking it’s their year. As Allen said in the SI article of the Vikings chances to win the division, "I don’t see how we lose it."
Well, I can. The team has had too many terrible things happen to be overconfident. Still, they have a great shot at winning the division.
