I would like to start off this post by saying I hate the phrase “dress rehearsal.” First off, this isn’t a play, and the first preseason game is just as important as the 3rd, but for different reasons.
It seems pretty clear after week 3 of this preseason there are 2 major things to notice. 1. Very few of the big named Vikings players have been injured. 2. Jerome Simpson is going to be a lot of help to Ponder. It was clear watching that game that Ponder missed having his go to guy in Simpson. Early on the Vikings struggled to get anything going (3 and out on the first two drives). Now, I’m not going to say that by having Simpson on the field that the Vikings would have magically scored 3 TDs in the first half, but Ponder still would like to have had him out there.
Now, let me go back to point number 1. It’s very good news that Carlson and AP will be practicing this week. They’ll both be working hard to be read by Sept. 9 for the season opener against Jacksonville (the only offense that looked worse than ours last week. Also for those who haven’t found out yet, the Vikings have cut their roster down to 75, and here are the victims.
G Bridger Buche
RB Derrick Coleman
G Grant Cook
LB Solomon Elimimian
DB Corey Gatewood
OT Levi Horn
DT Anthony Jacobs
WR Kamar Jorden
WR AJ Love
LB Tyler Nielsen
DE Ernest Owusu
DT Tydreke Powell
DB Chris Stroud
WR Kerry Taylor
WR Bryan Walters
Really the only name on that list that stands out to me is Solomon Elimimian. He hasn’t look good in preseason, so it’s really not that big of a shocker, but I was hoping to get one more chance to see him in the “final dress rehearsal” yeah, that’s right, I went there. The Vikings only have a few more days until their final game of the preseason and then the final cut down to 53, keep checking back as we’ll keep you up-to-date.
