Ready Men

Injuries prevented the Vikings from seeing their QB/#1 receiver combo as much as they would’ve liked in the preseason, but if things go according to plan, both Tarvaris Jackson and Bernard Berrian will be on the field for the season opener next Monday night against Green Bay.  Tarvaris, for his part, guaranteed he will be ready for the Packers in spite of his bad knee:

"I feel good. Through the whole process I’m feeling better each day. I had a couple days off, couple days to rehab. I feel a lot better."

Jackson qualified his remark by saying he is not 100% healthy and shouldn’t be expected to achieve 100% health any time soon.  Berrian, meanwhile, says he’s stoked about finally donning the Purple for real:

"I’m very excited to start the season.  Preseason is a long process, you really look forward to the games. You really can’t ask for much more. Monday night, Green Bay, the stage is really set. It’s the way you would like to start a season off, with a division opponent at that. As long as we take care of doing what we’ve been doing through the offseason, the outcome of the game should be pretty much what we want."

The Vikes have a lot to live up to – Peter King and Dr. Z are both counting on them, not to mention all those Super Bowl-hungry fans – and T-Jack and Berrian have more pressure on them than almost anyone else on the roster.  Both have yet to prove definitively that they are deserving of their #1 status at their respective positions.  And Berrian has the added stress of having signed a very large free agent contract.  I’m hoping for at least one long TD pass against the Packers, with Al Harris on the wrong end.