T-Jack, A.P. and Rice! No, they don’t represent a gangster, the Associated Press, and something we send to Third World countries in times of strife to ease our conscious.
They are the nicknames (at least my nicknames) for Tarvaris Jackson, Adrian Peterson, and Sidney Rice, three guys who are going to finally bring back some offense to this touchdown hampered team in 2006 so long as Brad Childress doesn’t call the plays ever!
A.P. and Rice are rookies and even though T-Jack appeared in a few games last year, he’s essentially a rookie too. I’m expecting some fireworks from time to time against lower ranked defenses especially in the running game. Behind two of the best O-linemen in the game in Steve Hutchinson and Matt Birk, the Vikings will pound the ball with A.P. and Chester Taylor. Rice is going to have a very good rookie season at wide receiver. Trust me, he’s not Troy “Drop everything” Williamson.
On defense, they’ve got one of the best D-lines in the game anchored by Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. The linebacking crew is pretty good though not great. Chad Greenway is coming back off of knee surgery and will give us some added speed at the position along with some playmaking ability. The secondary is where the Vikings got burned up last year despite having CB Antoine Winfield and FS Darren Sharper. If this crew doesn’t patch things up, it will be another frustrating season watching close games in the first half go down the drain in the 4th quarter.
The Vikings have more talent on this team than most experts think. If T-Jack can read the blitz and A.P. is anything like he was at OU, then I look for the Vikes to upset a few teams this year and maybe qualify for the wild card. If not, then look out in 2008!
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