With Tarvaris Jackson, Bernard Berrian, and Sidney Rice all watching from the sidelines, the Vikings took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third exhibition game of the 2008 season last night in Minneapolis.  As you'd expect, there were things that were good and things that were not so good about last night's performance.  That's what this here thread is for, so let's get to it.

What Was Good

The First-String Defense - Oh, so THAT'S what a pass rush looks like, huh?  I was confused. . .it's been so long since the Vikings have actually had one of those on a consistent basis that I had pretty much forgotten.  But yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's quite similar to what I expect the Four Norsemen of the Apocalypse to be doing all season long.  In the first half, the Steelers' first-string offense netted a total of 76 yards and three points. . .three points which were, unfortunately, pretty much set up by the Minnesota offense, but we'll discuss them later on.

Last night we saw Jared Allen blowing up double teams when they were thrown at him, the Williams' boys disrupting things in the middle as only they can, and Ray Edwards showing us that even though he might be the forgotten man on this defensive line, opposing defensive coordinators would be foolish to ignore him.  And we haven't even mentioned the depth on the defensive line, but it's pretty good, too.  If the Vikings can generate the kind of pressure with just their front four that we saw against Pittsburgh last night, they stand to be ready to take a mammoth leap forward.

Aundrae Allison - With the Vikings' #1 and #2 wide receivers sitting out last night's game with a toe injury and a stomach virus, respectively, the new #84 got some significant run with the first team last night, and he responded very well, leading all receivers with 5 catches for 56 yards.  The majority of those receptions came from the slot, which is where Allison is best suited to work.  His receptions covered 8, 11, 13, 17, and 7 yards, and all but one came before halftime.  With the Minnesota passing game looking to become a much bigger threat and with the other receiving options the Vikings have available right now, one has to wonder how Allison will get worked into the offense, but he's proven over the course of the pre-season that he definitely deserves to have his role in the offense increased.

Erin Henderson - I don't know how the heck Henderson the Younger wasn't a first-day draft pick. . .after all, that's where he was originally projected. . .but he's proving to be a very nice addition to an already talented linebacker group.  He tied again for the team lead in tackles last night with five, and also threw in a strip of Rashard Mendenhall to force a Steeler turnover.  With the injury to Heath Farwell, coupled with his performance to this point, it looks to me like the reunion of the Henderson brothers will last through the 2008 season. . .and possibly well beyond.

What Wasn't Good

The run offense - Yes, I realize that the Steelers are a very good defense, and that it's only pre-season. . .but Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor combining for 26 yards on 16 carries last night is rough.  Really, really rough.  For an offense that prides itself on its ability to run the football, such performances simply can't become the norm for this team if they're to live up to the expectations that they've been given.  Fortunately, I'm not terribly worried about this one at this point, and I think it's going to come together before the season opener.

Penalties - Ten penalties in a pre-season game, including three false start penalties on the opening drive. . .at home.  Blech.  Of the ten penalties, there were four false starts, two for defensive offsides, one for illegal formation, and three 15-yard penalties (face mask on E.J. Henderson, unnecessary roughness on Matt Birk, and roughing the passer on Letroy Guion).  At least 8 of those 10 penalties are easily eliminated (the false starts, the illegal formation, and the three 15-yarders), and they NEED to be eliminated before the first game of the regular season.  The Vikings are perennially among the league leaders in penalties, and this is a trend that needs to be completely reversed.

Quarterback - Not that Gus Frerotte was "bad," per se. . .but last night made me happy that he's our backup and not somebody we're relying on for the long-term.  Like I said, he had a decent game (save for the awful interception that set up Pittsburgh's only first-half score), but I don't want to see him out there more than a couple times in 2008.  I'd prefer to not see him at all, but with Tarvaris Jackson's injury history, that hardly seems like a realistic hope.

What do you all think, folks?  What did you like or not like about last night's performance?  Feel free to talk about it here!

We should be back with some more later on this afternoon.  Apparently TS Fay decided that she didn't want a piece of Gonzo and decided to take a track more to the north of where Mrs. Gonzo and I live.  (Or there was something in the atmosphere that made it go that way.  Hell, I don't know, it's just a theory.)  We'll see you then, everybody!

Yep, just like we said last night, the rookie signings are falling into place.

Vikings.com is reporting that Letroy Guion and Jaymar Johnson have already signed their deals.

Access Vikings says that verbal agreements are in place with John David Booty and John Sullivan. . .and that Tyrell Johnson is "very close" to a contract agreement and could have everything finalized tomorrow morning.

See?  I told you that there was nothing to worry about.

Yes, with the start of Training Camp a mere 36 hours away and the first practice about 72 hours away or so (not that anyone's really counting, are they?), the Vikings have not yet signed any of their five picks from April's NFL Draft.  However, according to the good folks at Access Vikings, the Vikings and agents for several of their draft picks exchanged numbers today.

I have no reason to believe that the Vikings will have any problem getting any of their players signed.  For starters, four of their five picks were selected in either the fifth or sixth round, so they're really in no position to hold out.  The one player that went earlier than that, Tyrell Johnson, really doesn't strike me as the diva type that would have a prolonged holdout.  I fully expect the Beloved Purple to start that first practice on Friday with a full squad of players.

Remain calm. . .all is well!

Tomorrow, we'll more than likely finish up the roster projection, and I'm even throwing a bit of an interactive element into the mix for everyone to voice their opinion on.  So don't worry about the draft picks, and we'll see you back here then!

Yes. . .finally, after many delays, we are back into the projection of the Minnesota Vikings' 53-man roster.  We've done the entirety of the offense and special teams, so let's review who we currently have on the team.

QB Tarvaris Jackson
QB Gus Frerotte
QB John David Booty

FB Thomas Tapeh
FB Jeff Dugan

HB Adrian Peterson
HB Chester Taylor
HB Maurice Hicks

WR Bernard Berrian
WR Sidney Rice
WR Bobby Wade
WR Aundrae Allison
WR Robert Ferguson
WR Jaymar Johnson

TE Jim Kleinsasser
TE Visanthe Shiancoe
TE Garrett Mills

OT Bryant McKinnie
OT Ryan Cook
OT Chase Johnson
OT Drew Radovich

OG Steve Hutchinson
OG Anthony Herrera
OG Artis Hicks

C Matt Birk
C John Sullivan

K Ryan Longwell

P Chris Kluwe

LS Cullen Loeffler

That's 29 spots that are occupied. . .need to find ourselves 24 more, unless my counting is bad (which wouldn't be entirely surprising).

For this installment, we're going to be looking at a unit that might be the best of its kind in the National Football League in the Vikings' defensive line.  Like most of the spots on the Vikings' roster, the top of the depth chart is pretty obvious, but I don't think there's going to be quite as much drama at the end as there are at some positions.  Here are the defensive linemen that currently find themselves in the employ of the Minnesota Vikings.

Defensive Tackles

It still kills me to no end that someone is still trying to make us believe that Kevin and Pat Williams are approximately the same weight.  If you actually believe that Pat Williams weighs in at 315 pounds, then I've got some lovely ocean front property in Nebraska that you might be interested in making an investment in.

With all due respect to Jared Allen, who we've devoted quite a bit of bandwidth to on these pages, the men that have made the Vikings' defense go over the past two seasons are the two big men in the middle of the defensive line.  Kevin and Pat Williams are, bar none, the best defensive tackle duo in the National Football League.  Kevin is widely regarded as being one of the best all-around tackles in the league.  He hasn't gotten back to where he was in his first two seasons in terms of generating a pass rush (he generated 22 sacks in his first 2 seasons, but has only mananged 12 since then), but how much help has he really gotten in that department?  The reports are that he's lost some weight this off-season in an effort to regain some of the quickness he felt that he'd lost over the past couple of seasons, and an even quicker Kevin Williams could, in my opinion, make the subject of best all-around defensive tackle in the NFL one that's not subject to debate.

But even with as talented and athletic as Kevin Williams is, there's been a debate as to whether or not he's even the best DT on the Vikings' roster.  Or whether he's even the best DT with the surname of Williams on the Vikings' roster.  Why?  Because of the performance over the last 3 seasons of the ageless wonder known as Pat Williams.  When it comes to defensive tackles that obliterate the opposing running game, there's Pat Williams, and then there's everybody else.  He doesn't generate a lot of pass rush, but that's not really his job, and he usually comes out of the game in obvious pass rushing situations.  There are few players that opposing centers hate to see lined up across from them more than Pat Williams. . .just ask Olin Kreutz (who Pat Williams, incidentally, owns).

Now, concerning the guys that are going to back these two gentlemen up, we'll start with Fred "BZZZZZZT" Evans.  I wasn't a big fan of the Evans signing when it was first made last year (largely due to the incident which gave him that nickname there), but he proved to be an asset at the DT position rather than a detriment.  With Spencer Johnson having departed for Buffalo, Evans is pretty much the top backup DT at this point and, really, you could do much worse at that spot than Evans.

The other backup DT is more than likely going to be Letroy Guion, who was selected in the 5th round of this year's draft out of Florida State.  The Guion pick is one that was made largely based upon potential, as it was largely thought he would have been better off going back to FSU for his senior campaign to get some more seasoning.  However, as it is, he came out for the draft, and now he's a member of the Beloved Purple.  Don't let it be said that Guion doesn't have a lot of potential, because he does.  He's got good size and pretty good athletic ability.  I think he'll make the roster, even though he might be inactive a lot.  I don't think we'd be able to sneak him through waivers or anything like that.

If the Vikings DO think they can sneak Guion through waivers, that might give Kenderick Allen the opening he needs to make it onto the roster.  As you can see, Kenderick is listed as the heaviest defensive lineman on the roster (again, if you actually believe that Pat Williams only weighs 315 pounds), and has been kind of a journeyman to this point.  The Vikings are the fifth team that Allen has played for (after the Saints, Giants, Packers, and Bengals), and he didn't play at all in 2007.  It is possible that he could provide some backup to Phat Pat at the nose tackle spot, as they're both known more for their run stuffing than their pass rushing.

Ellis Wyms was an interesting pick-up for the Vikings, too.  He's the sort of guy that coaches like to have hanging around the roster, as he has the ability to play both defensive end AND defensive tackle.  With as many defensive linemen as Brad Childress likes to have available on game day, he has to appreciate that sort of flexibility.  While he doesn't stand out in any phase of the game, he puts forth a good effort, and should be able to supply some good depth along a couple of line positions.

As far as Leger Douzable. . .I'll be honest, I don't know a damn thing about him.  I thought Douzables were the little green guys from Fraggle Rock that built the little things that the Fraggles kept eating.  It appears I was wrong.  Fortunately, I don't think getting to know a lot about him will really do me (or anyone else) much good, as I don't think he'll be around terribly long.

Defensive Ends

Like I've said, we've given a lot of space to Jared Allen over the past couple of months.  Well, there's a damn good reason that that's been the case, not the least of which is that he's probably the best defensive end to suit up for this team since Chris Doleman, and he possesses Doleman-like ability.  He will single-handedly make the Vikings' pass rush among the most formidable in the National Football League, partially due to his own pass rush abilities, and partially because he'll improve everyone around him as well.  It's going to be fun watching him destroy opposing offensive tackles week in and week out, starting with Week 1.

At the other starting DE spot, Ray Edwards has had an outstanding off-season, from all accounts.  I'm guessing he feels compelled to make up for his 4-game suspension at the end of the 2007 season when the Vikings, quite frankly, could have used him.  Still, he was tied for the team lead in sacks in 2007 despite missing those four contests, and if anyone will benefit from playing next to three all-world caliber players on the defensive line, it will be Edwards.  The guy shouldn't see a double team all season long, and he's already shown he's got some pretty good pass rushing ability.  I don't know if he'll break Michael Strahan's single-season sack record (as he predicted earlier this off-season). . .or even come close. . .but he should be very interesting to watch.

Brian Robison also showed some promise in 2007, notching 5 sacks of his own to be a part of the 4-way tie for the team lead in that category.  Robison has a motor that starts as soon as he hits the field for pre-game warmups, and doesn't stop until the final gun has sounded.  He's not going to be a starter on this line, but whenever one of the two main DEs need a rest, he'll be right there, and there's no reason to think that he won't provide a quality performance.

It's hard not to cheer for a guy like Jayme Mitchell.  Like Anthony Herrera on the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell came to the Vikings as an undrafted free agent, and after a few seasons, he's a solid member of the Vikings' defensive line rotation.  Mitchell works hard, and has some skills in both the run defense department AND as a pass rusher, though he'll probably never be elite in either category.

Otis Grigsby was a pleasant surprise for the Vikings last season.  Signed off the Carolina Panthers' practice squad, he saw a decent amount of action in a few games, even notching a sack and forced fumble in the game against San Francisco.  But with the level of talent that the Vikings have along the defensive line right now, I'm not sure if Grigsby has a real chance of making the squad.

The Vikings felt compelled to give Martail Burnett the highest signing bonus of any undrafted free agent in this year's signing bonanza, so they obviously see something that they like in him.  He's not a real big guy, but the book on him says that he's a natural pass rusher.  He's someone to keep track of in the pre-season to see how things work out with him.

So, after all that, here's what I think we're looking at for the Beloved Purple on the defensive line.

Starters:  Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Ray Edwards
Backups:  Ellis Wyms, Fred Evans, Brian Robison, Jayme Mitchell, Letroy Guion, Martail Burnett
Cut:  Kenderick Allen, Leger Douzable, Otis Grigsby

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Guion or Burnett got. . .ahem. . ."injured" during the pre-season and had to spend 2008 on injured reserve or something.  There's going to be some competition for spots along the defensive line, but this team is so good and so talented at defensive line that a few very good players are going to end up getting a visit from the Turk.  We'll just have to see which ones they are.

That's all for tonight, folks. . .we've got 39 spots on our roster filled, and 14 more to go (and, possibly, a few changes after all the smoke has cleared).  The next time we do the roster projection, we'll be looking at the linebacker position. . .where, frankly, there might be very little drama to be had.

We'll see you back here tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen!