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Ballard, Griffen Will Have Opportunity To Contribute On Sunday

On Sunday the Vikings will face a Lions offense that leans heavily on the pass. No team passes on a higher percentage of their offensive snaps (64.9%) than the Lions and only the New Orleans Saints have attempted more passes on the season. The Lions pass-to-run ratio currently sits at 490-278, which includes games with 63 and 50 pass attempts.

The Lions are coming off back-to-back games of 45 and 44 pass attempts, and now they may be even more inclined to attack through the air with starter Jahvid Best out and his replacement, Kevin Smith, also battling injury.

Suffice it to say, Vikings pass rushers – especially the defensive ends – will have a lot of work to do this Sunday. Jared Allen has been productive for the Vikings this season – his 14.5 sacks rank 2nd in the NFL – but not even he can put enough pressure on Lions QB Matthew Stafford alone. Allen’s usual partner on the other end of the defensive line is Brian Robison, but Robison is trying to comeback from a concussion he sustained in last week’s game against the Broncos.

With or without Robison, the Vikings will rely on depth along the defensive line to keep fresh bodies in the game and a relentless pass rush in Stafford’s face. After Allen and Robison, the next two outside pass rushers the Vikings will insert into the game are rookie Christian Ballard and 2nd-year DE Everson Griffen.

Vikings Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac was asked about his depth along the defensive line during his customary Thursday morning meeting with reporters.

“We’re planning on playing him,” Pagac said of Griffen. “He’s been getting more reps as the season’s gone on. We plan on using him quite a bit. The other guy will be Christian Ballard. Those guys are going to have to play. We’re going to have to rotate people through, we’re going to have to get fresh bodies in there rushing the passer, and play sixty minutes of football. Give them different looks, play aggressively and have some fun.”

Both Ballard and Griffen are 4th-round draft picks of the Vikings, and both figure to be in the team’s long-term plans along the defensive line after impressing coaches and scouts early in their careers. For both players, versatility is a strong-point in their skill sets. They can both contribute on multiple phases of special teams, and they can both play multiple positions on defense. Griffen is most comfortable playing DE, but the Vikings have also experimented with him as a LB. Ballard was a standout at the University of Iowa at both DE and DT, and he’s been productive in short stints for the Vikings at both positions as well.

With the Vikings season coming up short of expectations, now is a great opportunity for these two young players to gain additional playing time and prove even more to coaches that they’re deserving of playing time. Add in the fact that the Vikings defense will face a pass-happy Lions attack this weekend, and the opportunity for Ballard and Griffen gets even better.

Here’s what Pagac had to say about both Ballard and Griffen when he was asked to evaluate them:

On Ballard: “I think that kid is multi-talented. He can play different positions. I don’t think he’ll have a problem there. In fact, the snaps that he has gotten at that end position, he’s been pretty stout and he’s gotten us pretty good push on the pocket. He’s a young player who’s going to be a good football player.”

On Griffen: “Everson has great potential. In my opinion, he’s had pretty good productivity on the plays that he’s played and he’s got to continue to mature and grasp some scheme and go from there. He has great athleticism. He has a good motor. He can make athletic plays.”

E.J. Henderson Hosts 4th Annual Turkey Giveaway

Vikings LB E.J. Henderson hosted his 4th annual “E.J. Henderson Turkey Giveaway” at a Cub Foods location in Minneapolis on Tuesday morning. At the event, Henderson and a few of his teammates distributed 3,500 turkeys to families in need.

Joining Henderson were LB Larry Dean, DE Everson Griffen and LB Tyrone McKenzie. The event’s opening presentation took place inside the store from 9:00-9:20 a.m., with remarks from local political leaders, dignitaries and Henderson. Following the presentation, Henderson and his teammates began distributing the turkeys to and visiting with those who attended the event.

Henderson is a 9-year veteran with the Vikings and has become one of the most community-conscious members of the team. His younger brother, Erin, has followed the lead by not only becoming a core member of the team but also by becoming involved in the local community.

E.J. has established the The E.J. Henderson Youth Foundation (EJHYF), which serves urban youth in the Twin Cities area. The mission of the EJHYF is to provide opportunity and encouragement to urban youth through academic, life skills and athletic programs developing each student in mind, body and soul. E.J.’s goal is to provide youth with the skills to become responsible members of their communities and to find success in their futures.

Griffen Playing At High Level On Special Teams

Balloting for the Pro Bowl has begun, and for Vikings fans the easy choices are to select DE Jared Allen and RB Adrian Peterson. Allen leads the NFL in sacks with 12.5, and Peterson ranks 1st in the NFL with 9 rushing TDs and 3rd in the NFC with 795 rushing yards.

But there’s another Vikings player who deserves your Pro Bowl vote. Each team has one designated non-kicker special teams player on the ballot. For the Vikings, this player is Everson Griffen. And his performance to date is well-worthy of a special teams nod.

Griffen plays on all 4 core special teams phases, leads the club with 13 special teams tackles, has forced 1 fumble, and has 5 multi-tackle games on special teams. Griffen’s versatility on special teams is perhaps the most impressive part of his game. He runs down on kickoff coverage, but is also a blocker on kickoff return. In fact, Griffen was part of a key block on Percy Harvin’s season-opening kickoff return for a TD against the San Diego Chargers.

Incredibly enough, Griffen also plays gunner on punt coverage. The gunner position is usually designated for a DB or WR; very rarely do you see a player the size of a DE in this spot. But Griffen excels at this position and has been a handful for opposing teams in the punt game.

“I’ve had linebackers before, but I’ve never used a defensive end,” Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer said of using Griffen at gunner. “He’s a unique athlete as you guys know, Everson. And he’s playing at a very high level right now and I hope he keeps playing at that level because to me, I think the more experience he gets doing that, the harder he’ll be to block. He’s going to be very difficult to block, especially for the smaller corners and safeties that are out there.”

Griffen, who has 3.0 sacks on defense for the Vikings this season, is a product of football powerhouse USC. He was a standout DE at a well-known football school, yet he’s completely embraced his role on special teams and has become one of the Vikings most valuable players in each phase of special teams.

Fans are an important part of the Pro Bowl selection process, and this year vikings.com has a slick balloting process for fans to utilize. Click here to cast your ballot.

Notes From Pagac Press Conference; Robison, K. Williams Playing Well

A lot of you have commented here on the vikings.com Blog recently that Vikings Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac does not take a loquacious approach to his weekly press conferences. It’s true, Pagac does tend to hold his cards close to the vest.

But hey, he’s been a successful coach for a long time and you don’t keep at job as an assistant coach at Ohio State University for 23 seasons by divulging secrets and strategies. On top of that, let’s give him credit for not being one who spews out hyperbole just to pass time and give the standard, run-of-the-mill quote.

With all that said, there were a few interesting notes to come out of Pagac’s press conference on Thursday. Here they are…

Not surprised by Robison
There’s always a natural level of concern when a team loses a starter, and that was certainly the case for Vikings fans when DE Ray Edwards left the club via free agency this past offseason. Brian Robison, who had been an important member of the DL rotation since entering the League as a rookie in 2007, was tabbed as the replacement and he was even given a contract extension during the offseason.

Concerns about Robison not being able to replace Edwards have reduced, if not gone away, after the first 3 games. Robison is off to a good start in 2011, having tallied 11 tackles and 1.0 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and 1 pass defensed. He’s gotten to the opposing QB constantly and has 10 QB hits.

Robison’s fast start may surprise some, but it doesn’t surprise his defensive coordinator.

“No, Brian Robison’s a good football player,” Pagac said. “He’s one of our top fifteen, sixteen guys on our football team. We expect those things out of Brian. He’s doing a good job right now.”

Williams right back into the swing of things
Last week marked the return of DT Kevin Williams to the lineup following a two-game suspension to begin the season. It’s no coincidence that the Vikings registered 5 sacks against the Lions in the same game that Williams made his return. When Williams is in the game, opposing offenses generally allocate two blockers to him each play, which gives other defensive linemen one-on-one opportunities. And, Williams was in the game a bit more than Pagac and the Vikings coaching staff expected against Detroit.

“Thought he did well,” Pagac said. “We’re happy to have him back. Obviously we think he’s a great football player, and we expect him to continue to improve as we go on.

“He probably played more than we thought (he would). He probably played probably fifteen, twenty snaps more than we thought he would’ve. But he was in great shape and he was able to go. Whatever he did during his two weeks off, he did a good job of staying in shape and working out.”

Asked if he expects Williams will have any limitations this week because of conditioning after missing the first two games or because of his foot injury, Pagac’s answer was (predictably) simple.

“He’s back to work.”

Encouraged by Everson Griffen
DE Everson Griffen has quickly become one of the Vikings best special teams players. And now he’s also starting to find a niche on defense. The Vikings have experimented with Griffen in a variety of roles on the defense, including standing him up as a LB or sorts.

Griffen was in this role occasionally against Detroit, and Pagac indicated he was satisfied with what he saw, but he’s also expecting improvement.

“I thought Everson did a great job in the game,” Pagac said. “He did a good job of rushing. What he did in the drop part of it was fine. We’ll continue to get better at that. It was one of the first times we did it with live bullets. We expect him to get better and better.”

Community Tuesday: Vikings Help Contribute $200K To Local School

The Vikings don’t have practice on Tuesday, but many of them will be working on a football field anyway. Several Vikings players will join Vikings Executive Director of Community Relations/Youth Football Brad Madson, Viktor the Viking, the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders and other members of the organization to celebrate a $200,000 investment into the refurbishment of Washburn High School’s MacQuarrie Field.

The $200,000 donation comes from the Vikings in partnership with the NFL and LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) as part of an NFL Grassroots program grant. The money will be used to replace the natural field at Washburn High’s MacQuarrie Field with synthetic turf as part of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) ‘Team Up For Turf’ campaign, a commitment to raise $2.2 million to convert the athletic fields at Washburn and Henry high schools to state-of-the-art synthetic turf fields.

Vikings players who will take part in the ceremony include Everson Griffen, E.J. Henderson, Marcus Sherels and John Sullivan. Also participating in today’s event will be Vikings VP of Public Affairs/Stadium Development Lester Bagley and Pro Scout Jeff Robinson, who is a leader within the Vikings organization in working with youth football programs.

The NFL Grassroots Program is part of the NFL Charities Youth Football Fund, a $150 million effort of the NFL and its teams – such as the Vikings – in partnership with the NFL Players Association to ensure youth across the country have the opportunity to enjoy the game of football. The NFL’s partnership with LISC has resulted in the construction or renovation of 243 football fields nationwide the past 13 years.

A Few Notes On Vikings Defensive Line Heading Into Opener

The Vikings will open the 2011 regular season against one of the best pass offenses in the NFL and they’ll have to do so without one of their best defensive linemen. Six-time Pro Bowl DT Kevin Williams, an anchor for the Vikings defense, will miss the first two games of the season because of suspension.

Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier met with reporters after Friday’s practice, the last full practice before the team heads to San Diego, and he confirmed that Letroy Guion will be the starter at that spot on Sunday. We’ve written about Guion previously here on the vikings.com Blog, and Vikings fans should be anxious to see what #98 can do to help this defense.

But Guion won’t be alone in trying to fill the void created by Williams’ absence. A couple of other defensive linemen were brought into the conversation with Frazier on Friday…

– Rookie Christian Ballard, whom the Vikings selected in the 4th round in last April’s draft, has some position flexibility to him because started a lot of games at both DE and DT in college. He projects to be a versatile defensive lineman in the NFL, too, but right now Frazier said he’s asked Ballard and his coaches to have the rookie concentrate solely on playing what they term the “3 technique.” The 3 technique is a technical football term for the position that Williams plays.

– Another young defensive lineman, Everson Griffen, will be in the mix this season. Griffen is a DE but he has a touch of versatility to him as well. In fact, the Vikings experimented last week with playing Griffen at outside LB. But Frazier and the Vikings defensive coaching staff have the same strategy planned for Griffen that they do for Ballard – for now, concentrate on playing the primary position. For Griffen, that’ll be DE, where he’ll join the rotation with starters Jared Allen and Brian Robison and then reserves Adrian Awasom and D’Aundre Reed.

A couple of other quick notes from the conversation with Frazier…

– CB Asher Allen has been limited in practice all week and Frazier indicated there’s a good chance Allen will be listed as questionable on this week’s final injury report.

– Frazier was also asked about LT Charlie Johnson, who joined the club in training camp and has had to assimilate to the team quickly. As should’ve been expected, Johnson took his lumps early. He was learning a new offense, moved to a new city and was going against Jared Allen every day in practice. But now Johnson seems to be getting his feet under him and Frazier said on Friday that the team is growing more and more comfortable with Johnson at LT. Frazier also praised Johnson for his work ethic, study habits, preparation and overall professionalism. I know many fans are nervous about this part of the offensive line, and I understand the reasoning. But from what I’ve been able to glean after training camp, the preseason and this week of preparation for San Diego, I think the Vikings will be just fine at LT.

5 Things To Watch Tonight

After a month of training camp and three preseason games, it’s easy to write-off the fourth preseason game as meaningless and instead focus on the start of the regular season. But that’s not the climate surrounding the Vikings, according to Head Coach Leslie Frazier.

“I think the guys know going into this final game there are still some opportunities for them to make our team and help our team improve at a number of different spots,” Frazier said earlier this week. “So we do have certain spots where we know we have our starters in place, but we have some places up for [grabs] as well.”

With that in mind, here are five things to watch during tonight’s Vikings-Texans game…

Christian Ponder gets the start at QB
No, there won’t be a rigid, point-of-no-return decision made about the backup QB spot following this game. But tonight is still a significant test for rookie Christian Ponder because he’ll start the game and will likely get an extended look. Unfortunately, Ponder probably won’t play with a lot of first-teamers, so it’s hard to get a truly accurate gauge on his progress, but tonight will still be the best look Vikings coaches get at their first-round QB. Rather than 80-yard drives and long TD passes, I’m looking for Ponder to display confidence and poise, limit mistakes (penalties, bad reads, sacks) and to just play fast.

Everson Griffen at LB
Earlier this week, the Vikings played DE Everson Griffen at LB. Both Frazier and Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac indicated that Griffen would play some LB tonight against Houston, as the Vikings get creative in trying to get their talented players out on the field. It’s a bit unclear yet what this development means. Some have speculated the team might not be pleased with Erin Henderson (I doubt that), while Frazier and Pagac have said it’s more about how well rookie Christian Ballard has played; with Ballard playing so well, he can provide depth along the defensive line while Griffen is moved to LB. At this point we don’t know how this experiment will go, but we will know a little bit more after tonight.

Who will step up at WR?
About the only certainty with regard to the Vikings WR situation is that Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin and Michael Jenkins will make the team. After that, we don’t know A) how many total receivers the Vikings will keep and B) which receivers are in line for those additional roster spots. Manny Arceneaux, Devin Aromashodu, Stephen Burton, Greg Camarillo, Juaquin Iglesias and Jaymar Johnson are the remaining WRs on the roster. A couple weeks ago I would’ve discounted Arceneaux, but since then I think he’s taken a step up. Aromashodu is an attractive option because he can cover kicks and has great speed. Camarillo and Johnson can also perform punt return duties. Burton is a project and looks to have potential, while Iglesias is a smooth athlete and can probably play both out wide and inside as a slot receiver. So there is a lot to like about this group of WRs. The question now is, will any of them step up to separate themselves from the rest of the group?

Reserve offensive linemen
I thought the Vikings first-team offensive line played very well last week against the Cowboys. So well, in fact, that I’d be pleased if the Vikings decided to rest all five of them tonight. That course of action would allow the coaching staff to get a good, long look at the reserve offensive linemen on this roster. You’d like to keep all of them, but of course that’s not a realistic option. So tonight represents the last opportunity for this crew of players to make a case for themselves. Jon Cooper looks to be a step ahead of Brandon Fusco for backup center duties, but is “a step ahead” enough for Cooper to keep a spot over a draft pick? Ryan Cook, a late signing during camp, has stepped in nicely and is a versatile reserve. Another draft pick, DeMarcus Love, has looked good at times; can he stamp his first training camp and preseason with a solid performance tonight? Chris DeGeare was at one time a promising up-and-comer, where does he stand? And what about Pat Brown, Seth Olsen and Thomas Welch? All three of shown flashes of ability worthy of keeping around. Tonight is a big night for this crew.

Kickoff and punt return roles
I’m guessing both Lorenzo Booker and Percy Harvin won’t play much, if at all, tonight. That leaves a few extra return opportunities for the guys who do play. Can Marcus Sherels step into the return role and provide a little spark? That could be all he needs to secure a spot on the CB depth chart. Or maybe Jaymar Johnson can register another 40-yard punt return to convince the coaching staff to keep him on the WR depth chart. Will Greg Camarillo get a look at punt return? Can Cord Parks step in and contribute with another long kickoff return? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a play or two on special teams tonight turns out to be a “tie-breaker” of sorts in determining a roster spot on either defense or offense.

Vikings Getting Creative With Young D-Linemen Ballard, Griffen

One of the themes new Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave operates under is to tailor his system to fit the players on the Vikings roster. And it looks like that theme is one the Vikings defensive coaches are going to subscribe to as well.

On Monday at practice, 2nd-year DE Everson Griffen spent a few plays standing up and playing in the spot usually occupied by an outside LB. Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier was quite complementary of Griffen’s athletic ability during his post-practice press conference and he made it clear the team has every intention of tapping into Griffen’s potential.

“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Frazier said, also noting that Griffen weighs 270 pounds and can run a 4.5-4.6 forty-yard dash. “He’s just a tremendous athlete with good football intelligence and has some playmaking ability, so we want to utilize his athletic ability.”

The back and forth Frazier had with reporters after practice was more centered on having Griffen “stand up” on defense, rather than simply moving him to outside LB. Whether the idea actually involves a position change remains to be seen. What is clear, though, is that the Vikings have a few things in mind to just get #97 on the field.

“We have some packages where we want him to stand up sometimes,” Frazier said, “and we thought that this (experimenting during practice) would give him an opportunity to get comfortable doing that [for] when we go to some of those packages during the year.

“We’re going to try to get him in there, depending on how he handles things this week that we’re throwing at him in these couple days that we got. But we’d like to take a look at him and just see how he does. But for sure, as the year goes on, we want to be able to stand him up sometimes in certain situations and let him be like a linebacker.”

Frazier was also clear that using Griffen in this manner is no indictment on the play of Erin Henderson or any of the other outside LBs currently on the roster. Rather, it’s actually based on confidence the Vikings defensive coaching staff has in another young DL on the roster.

“What it speaks to more is, some of the things we have in mind for Christian Ballard,” Frazier explained. “The fact that we think he can play inside, but also slide outside. We’ve seen some things with him that makes us believe he has some position flexibility. We’re going to try him a little bit in this game on Thursday night at (defensive) end and just see what he gives us in that area. If he can come around, it’ll help our football team.”

Who says the 4th preseason game is boring? It sounds like the Vikings defense has a lot of fun in store for the preseason finale.

5 Things To Watch Tonight

The Vikings preseason opener is tonight in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans. Here are five things to watch tonight when the Vikings and Titans clash in Nashville…

5. Mental mistakes, procedural penalties
No one on the field has a lack of competitive desire, but the truth of the matter is that the preseason is not about wins and losses. With the exception of guys at the bottom of the roster trying to bite, scratch and crawl for a spot, it’s about looking good, knocking the rust off and progressing every day. Coaches are more concerned about seeing zero missed assignments than they are about seeing 31 offensive points on the board. What we don’t want to see tonight are blitzers running free at Vikings QBs, running backs from the Titans bursting through the line of scrimmage without a hand on them and Vikings WRs cutting one way and the QB tossing a pass the other way. We also don’t want to see botched QB-center exchanges, false starts and illegal formation penalties.

4. The QB eye test
We’re going to have to go easy on crafting a water-tight judgment of Vikings QBs after this game. Remember, three of them are new Vikings (Rhett Bomar, Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder) and the other (Joe Webb) may as well be new to the team because he’s learning a brand-new offense. With the lockout cancelling all offseason practices, offenses across the League have only just begun to install their strategies. So we’ll see a very vanilla style from the Vikings offense tonight, but I still want to see any Vikings QB who trots out there pass the eye test and at least look comfortable in all situations, whether it be a snap on first-and-ten or a pressure moment late in the half with time winding down and the defense dialing up a blitz.

3. Vikings pass rush
Jared Allen and Everson Griffen had great camps, but I’d like confirmation that they’re playing well tonight. Confirmation will come in the form of a few disruptive plays against the Titans. This might be a bit tougher to see from Allen because head coach Leslie Frazier may want to limit his reps to reduce exposure to injury, but I think Griffen will get plenty of reps tonight and I expect him to play well.

2. Kick and punt returners
The Vikings have a deep group of players competing for kick and punt return duties. This is an important role on the team not only because it helps the team win the field position battle, but also because anyone who can contribute on special teams will increase their chances of making the roster. If a WR can be relied upon to return kicks and cover kicks as well as run the correct routes on offense, he has a better chance to make the roster. If a RB can do the same while also showing good pass protection ability and a burst with the ball in his hands, then he has a better shot to make the roster. The same can be said for a CB trying to win the return job. RB Lorenzo Booker, WRs Stephen Burton, Percy Harvin and Jaymar Johnson and even a few members of the secondary are examples of players who can increase their value to the team by giving a good accounting of themselves in the return game.

1. Reserve offensive linemen
There are six offensive linemen you can count on (barring injury) being around once the regular season begins – LT Charlie Johnson, LG Steve Hutchinson, C John Sullivan, RGs Anthony Herrera and Chris DeGeare and RT Phil Loadholt. But who will fill in as reserves? The process of determining that begins tonight and, specifically, begins about midway through the first quarter when the starters will exit the game. Draft picks C Brandon Fusco and OT DeMarcus Love have had nice camps. The versatile Ryan Cook was brought back and could fill in anywhere. Veteran Scott Kooistra is a big body that can play both LT and RT. What about Seth Olsen, who filled in for Hutchinson at LG during camp a few times? There are several more names in the mix for reserve offensive linemen jobs and it’ll be interesting to see who plays well tonight.

Jared Allen, Michael Jenkins And Adrian Peterson Shine At Practice #8

Friday was the best day of practice so far at 2011 Verizon Vikings Training Camp and the outstanding work on the field was seen by the biggest crowd of camp to this point and also most pleasant weather conditions. Mild temperatures, a slight breeze and complete cloud cover provided a nice break from the bright sun and humid conditions we’ve seen for most of the week.

The afternoon practice on Friday was a full pads, full contact affair and the intensity continued to rise. Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier is guiding a smooth ship so far during his first training camp as a head coach. The intensity has steadily risen each day, crowds continue to get larger and there’s not an assistant coach I’ve spoken to who hasn’t said that his guys have improved each day.

The players that really stood out to me on Friday were DE Jared Allen, WR Michael Jenkins and RB Adrian Peterson. I’ll say a little bit about each of the three players…

– Allen is having an outstanding camp and no one has been able to slow him down. Vikings QBs should be very thankful for the invention of the red jerseys that signify they are off limits from being hit, because Allen would have VP of Player Personnel Rick Spielman looking for new passers if he was able to finish the plays he’s been making in the backfield. This is great news for the Vikings because having Allen at his best will help not only the defensive line look good, but it will also help the back end of the defense as they try and defend the pass. Less time for the opposing QB to find receivers means the Vikings secondary’s job gets a lot easier.

– Friday was just the second time Jenkins put on the pads for the Vikings because he was a player operating under a new contract, which meant that he couldn’t practice until the CBA was ratified (that happened on Thursday). But already Jenkins looks like a natural fit in this Vikings offense. McNabb and Jenkins connected for long receptions twice in the early part of full team drills. The first reception was deep down the right sideline and the second reception was in traffic as Jenkins sprinted down the right seam. We’ll have more from Jenkins later tonight because we taped an interview with him on the field right after practice. So stay tuned for that.

– Peterson returned from Houston last night and was back on the field this morning for the walk-through. He of course looked good at the walk-through – it’s natural for athletic specimens such as Peterson to look good while practicing in shorts and no pads – but he looked even better this afternoon when everyone strapped on their pads. Early on in practice was a 9-on-7 period, where nine offensive players go against seven defenders in a drill that features run plays only. This is one of my favorite drills because of the collisions that take place between the two lines and because you can really see which group – the defensive line or the offensive line – is getting more push and is winning more plays. It’s rare for a RB to go through the drill untouched, but Peterson did it twice in three carries on Friday. Also, Peterson was a major factor in the passing game on Friday. He was the reason McNabb and Jenkins connected on their first long reception because E.J. Henderson was coming in on a blitz and Peterson picked it up beautifully. Peterson hauled in at least three catches that I saw for long gains as well, including one down the right sideline that required him to slow down, spin around and leap before hauling in the football and then sprinting toward the endzone. I’m glad Peterson is on this team.

A Few Notes
– Former Gopher Marcus Sherels continues to stand out. He even grabbed an INT during Friday’s afternoon practice.
– Devon Torrence, an undrafted free agent who went to Ohio State and even played pro baseball before coming to camp with the Vikings, also grabbed an INT during Friday’s afternoon practice. He might be a guy to keep an eye on as a surprise bubble player who could content for a roster spot.
– Both CB Chris Cook and LB Erin Henderson dropped INTs on Friday afternoon. In my estimation both of these guys are having nice camps and it’s certainly great that they got their hands on a couple of passes, but those dropped INTs can be killers for defenses.

The Eye Test
Passing Friday’s eye test were: FB Matt Asiata, DEs Jared Allen and Everson Griffen, WR Michael Jenkins and RB Adrian Peterson.

Asiata is a little-known FB out of the University of Utah and was probably considered an extreme longshot to make the team. But I must say that I’ve really liked what I’ve seen to this point. He’s actually shifty and has good speed. I will pay more attention to his skills as a lead blocker, since that is what a FB does more times than not.

Griffen, I’m told, is having a nice camp and is showing up quite a bit on tape. This isn’t something I picked up on myself, but I’ll be sure to make note of it and follow up with an observation or two on the blog in the next couple of days.