The Vikings put in another day of mini-camp today, a morning and an afternoon session. KFAN.com ‘s Adam Doctolero provides the following notes:
"Defensive end Erasmus James was out running laps and sprints with the training staff today, a good sign for a team in need of any sort of pass rush."
And a better sign for a team in need of a really good lap-runner, especially against training staffs.
"A near disaster occurred early in the day while the receivers were running routes against air at one end of the field and the backs were doing the same at the other end.Wide receiver Cortez Hankton ran a vertical route at the same time running back Ciatrick Fason was doing the same on the same side of the field. Both were going full speed and looking over their respective shoulders for the ball and came within feet of running head long into one another.The near collision drew gasps and shouts from coaches and teammates alike as the situation unfolded, seemingly in slow motion. Luckily no one was hurt and the drills resumed with the backs shifting to the opposite side of the field."
Gosh, it’s a good thing nothing happened. Cause if either of those guys goes down – you can kiss that Super Bowl goodbye.
"As impressive as top pick Adrian Peterson has been he still has quite a bit to learn about the nuances of the game.Running back coach Eric Bieniemy got very worked up and yelled at Peterson for missing his assignment in pass protection on consecutive plays. Several choice four letter words were used which we’ll omit, this is a family notebook after all.To his credit Peterson did much better as the day wore on, but the little things are where he needs the most work as it generally is with young guys."
If Bieniemy really wants to yell at someone for not being able to pass protect, he should go find Bryant McKinnie.
"Tarvaris Jackson and Troy Williamson continue to improve their timing, however Troy might want to tell his quarterback to try and not get him killed when the hitting starts.Williamson is running more routes across the middle, which is good, but seemingly every time Jackson is leading him with high passes. One in particular today would have resulted in a Dwight Smith delivered kill shot had hitting been allowed."
Um, could it be that the Tarvaris Jackson Project is nothing but a recipe for disaster? Doctolero continues:
"Tarvaris Jackson struggled a little in the morning; he struggled a lot in the afternoon. He just doesn’t seem to be seeing the whole field and is more prone to take off running than he is to find his check downs. Luckily he has several months to iron things out."
Yes, luckily.
In good QB news, back-up Brooks Bollinger looks crisp:
"Brooks Bollinger on the other hand looks every bit the savvy veteran, going through his progressions quickly and finding the right guy more often than not.I’ve said it before, don’t be surprised if the team has to make a mid-season decision on whether to stick with Jackson or give Bollinger a shot."
Mid-season? How about mid-mini-camp? Actually, how about getting Trent Green and giving him the job?
"Got our first extended look at punter Alex Reyes and he was impressive. He hit several balls over 50 yards and his final kick carried at least 65 yards in the air. If he can handle holding duties on field goals Chris Kluwe might be in trouble."
If Reyes can handle holding duties, the Cowboys might try to trade for him and make him QB.
Finally, in Chilly fashion news:
"The fashion no-no of the day came courtesy of head coach Brad Childress who was sporting the fisherman hat in an attempt to keep his sun burn to a minimum."
Childress in a fisherman hat. I gotta see a picture of that.