The Biggest Winners and Losers of Minnesota Vikings Camp, Preseason so Far

With 90 players on the Minnesota Vikings' roster, and a 53-man roster limit, there are going to be 53 winners and 37 losers.

With the close of training camp on Wednesday in Mankato, the focus moves Northeast to Eden Prairie. There are less than two weeks and two preseason games until the first cut-down date to 80 players on August 28. At this point it shouldn't be too difficult to figure which 10 players to cut, but things get much tougher a short five days later.  

On September 2, the roster has to be reduced down to 53 players.

Time is running out for some players to make an impression, while for others everything is falling into place.

Here's a look at some of the winners and losers so far this preseason. 

Winner: Left Tackle, Matt Kalil

Even though he was the Vikings' top pick in the draft and the expectations are sky-high, Matt Kalil has been one of the biggest winners so far.

The Vikings wasted no time naming him the starter. There were never any feints that Kalil was anything but the starting left tackle since the day he was drafted.

Having the opportunity to practice against Jared Allen is a huge benefit for Kalil, as he won't see a better defensive end all season.

Loser: Quarterback Joe Webb

Backup quarterback Joe Webb played in more series (five) against the 49ers on Friday than passes he completed (four).

If Webb was hoping to create a quarterback controversy during training camp, his 4-for-11 passing for only 20 yards did just the opposite.

Winner: Linebacker Audie Cole

The Vikings' seventh-round draft pick made the most of his opportunity against the 49ers. Linebacker Audie Cole finished with three tackles and a sack on Friday and gained the praise of his head coach, Leslie Frazier.

As Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday, Frazier was pleasantly surprised with the play of Cole, among others in the Vikings' 17-6 loss. 

With the Vikings extremely thin at linebacker and only four players to ever make an NFL start at the position, Cole has a real chance to make the team as a backup linebacker—especially after the Vikings moved Everson Griffen back to the defensive line. 

Loser: Safety Mistral Raymond

Second-year safety Mistral Raymond is in a three-way battle with Jamarca Sanford and Harrison Smith to earn one of two starting positions. 

The truth is, after using a first-round pick on Smith, it's really a two-man battle for one spot. 

Raymond didn't help his cause in Friday's first preseason game. Midway through the first period with the 49ers driving, running back Brandon Jacobs made him look terrible when he took a bad angle, allowing Jacobs to turn the corner for a 23-yard run. 

Even though he is one of many as part of horrible team effort that yielded 260 rushing yards on 42 attempts, Raymond will have to play better if he wants to start.   

Winner: Safety Harrison Smith

When the Vikings made a deal to move back into the first round, the expectation was to draft another impact player who could start. 

Unlike Matt Kalil, who was instilled as a starter form day one, head coach Leslie Frazier has made safety Harrison Smith work his way up the depth chart—granted, it wasn't much of a climb.

According to Joe Oberle of CBSSports.com, Smith has made an impression in camp with his hitting. 

That impression has him in line to start the second preseason game on Friday, when the Vikings host the Buffalo Bills. 

Loser: Cornerback Josh Robinson

The Vikings desperately need someone to step up and provide some depth in the defensive backfield. They are so desperate in fact that they have 11 corners on the roster, reaching so far that they signed a former college point guard with some semi-pro experience playing football.

That should have made third-round draft pick Josh Robinson a winner. 

Instead, a hamstring injury has limited his time on the field, preventing him from locking down a position on the roster. 

As a precaution, he was held out of the first preseason game and did not make the trip to San Francisco.

Odds are still in his favor to make the team, but if he wants to actually play, he will have little time to impress. 

Winner: Quarterback Christian Ponder

If we believe what we're told, Christian Ponder will be a better quarterback in 2012—not a little better, but "night and day" better. 

Whether it's the truth or just training camp dribble spewed by offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to keep the confidence of his starting quarterback high should become evident real soon. 

In a report from FoxSportsNorth.com last week Musgrave said, "We think back to when he was here last year at this time or even when we were going through the season last year and we threw him in for the last 10 games with minimal preparation. It's night and day and it's part of the process, which is a good thing, and we'll keep working that process until we get to where we want to be. Every day is a step toward that goal."

From TwinCities.com on Tuesday, Vikings' quarterback coach Craig Johnson continued to heap praise on Ponder even after his 4-for-9 passing with 80 yards game against the 49ers last Friday. Johnson gushed about Ponders' passes being on the mark and his decision-making ability against the 49ers.

Coming into camp as the starter, Ponder was already a winner. Joe Webb's performance in the first preseason game helped to solidify that decision.

Of course, Ponder will need to do better than the 76.2 passer rating to prove he is better. 

Loser: Nose Tackle Letroy Guion

Hopefully Pat Williams didn't curse the nose tackle position after the Vikings failed to re-sign him following the 2010 season. After all, Williams was 38 years old.

In July of 2011 the Vikings signed Remi Ayodele to a three-year, $9-million deal. He was immediately named the starting nose tackle upon signing. He finished the season on the bench with only 1.5 sacks and 14 tackles. 

This offseason the Vikings signed Letroy Guion to a three-year $9-million deal (sounds familiar) and named him the starting nose tackle. 

At least his undoing so far is not his fault. The Vikings came out of their first preseason game unscathed, except for Guion who injured his posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. 

According to a report from Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com, while Guion may miss the next two preseason games, head coach Leslie Frazier fully expects him to be ready for Week 1.

Winner & Loser at the Same Time: Everson Griffen

Linebacker Everson Griffen is a loser.  That makes Everson Griffen the defensive end the winner. 

After three weeks, the Vikings' attempt to transform Griffen to a new position has been abandoned. 

According to Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press, Griffen was back practicing with the defensive line on Monday. 

The Vikings desperately want to find more ways to get him on the field. Perhaps they should consider reducing Jared Allen's snaps to do it.

Sorry, I just couldn't help throwing that in. 

You can check out my opinion of that move here.

Biggest Winner: Kicker Blair Walsh

The Minnesota Vikings' plan from the beginning must have been to name Blair Walsh the team's kicker as soon as they drafted him. 

Since most kickers go undrafted, it seemed like a bit of a stretch when they used a sixth-round pick on him—especially with Ryan Longwell, a 15-year veteran who had spent the last six seasons with Minnesota. 

Head coach Leslie Frazier even went so far as to indicate that the Vikings had no plans to bring any competition for Walsh, who finished only 21-of-35 in field goals as a senior for the University of Georgia. 

Instead of wilting, Walsh has blossomed.

In pregame warm-ups at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, he showed off his leg strength by hitting the upright on a 63-yard attempt under windy conditions.

He finished the night with two field goals and a kickoff that sailed through the end zone.  

Biggest Loser: Wide Receiver Greg Childs

With Jerome Simpson suspended for the first three games of the season, Greg Childs was in line to open as the Vikings' split end. That all changed in the inter-squad scrimmage on August 4. 

So much for being the "steal of the draft."

Lost for the season after injuring the patella tendon on both knees, this is not what the Vikings were hoping for when they drafted Childs with their third pick in the fourth round. 

At the same time, it was not how Childs had envisioned his rookie season ending.

In a USA Today story, Childs told Leslie Frazier that he will be back and that he intends to work as hard as he can to help the Vikings.

While it's not the same injury, he might want to give Adrian Peterson a call and get a real good idea what it takes to come back from a devastating injury.