Chargers vs. Vikings: 10 Key Players, Things to Watch for Minnesota

In the strange, underwhelming world that is the NFL preseason, the third game has, by default, become the one that matters. Most starters will play an entire half and even a series or two in the third quarter. What happens on the scoreboard isn't very important, but it's the last chance for most starters to get in some game snaps before the real season kicks off.

For the rest of the players, Game 3 is about staying off the waiver wire. Auditions are coming to a close and come next Tuesday morning, only 75 players will be asked on callbacks.

The Minnesota Vikings arrive at Week 3 on their exhibition schedule with things going about as well as they could since training camp began back in July. Christian Ponder looks to be more poised and ready to lead heading into his second season.

First-round picks Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith are in the starting lineup, and both have lived up to their draft hype. Adrian Peterson is on schedule to return far sooner than anyone had hoped for after January's knee surgery.

As the Vikings and Chargers get set to tee it up on Friday night at Mall of America Field, there are still jobs to be had, eyes to be opened and roster spots to be claimed.

Here are 10 things to watch for from the Minnesota side of things. 

Another Good Outing from Christian Ponder

Christian Ponder looked really good last Friday night against the Buffalo Bills. Christian Ponder also looked really good on occasion last season too.

Such is the life of a starting quarterback in the NFL. Other than, perhaps, the top 10 QBs in the league, the rest are constantly saddled with the question, "What have you done for me lately?" 

There was definitely something different about Ponder last week against the Bills, though. He looked acclimated. He looked like he was in charge. He looked like he had confidence in what he was doing.

For most of his rookie season, even when Ponder was having his bright moments, things looked a little askew. He was a rookie quarterback on a bad football team and didn't get to learn the offense over a spring and summer of OTAs and minicamps. It showed.

So what Vikings fans want to see now is a continuation of this more mature play. Yes, he played well last week, but he was only in for three series. Show us again that you can move the offense down the field when given pass protection. Show us again that you can make plays with your legs when you have to—but get down earlier!

You've heard it time and time again. The NFL is currently a quarterback's league. For the Vikings to make huge strides forward from the misery of 2011, Ponder is the most important piece.  

Is Brandon Fusco Good Enough to Start?

The Vikings are pretty set in stone at four of the five spots on the offensive line.

Matt Kalil has been as good as advertised at left tackle. Charlie Johnson has made a smooth transition to left guard, a position he is more suited for than tackle anyway.

John Sullivan looks even better than he did last year and is becoming one of the better centers in the league. Phil Loadholt has had a solid camp and looks like he's ready to get back on track after a disappointing 2011.

Brandon Fusco looks like he'll be the starter at right guard. Fusco, the second-year man out of Slippery Rock. No, Slippery Rock is not in the SEC. 

Fusco has done well so far, but he's sort of won the position by default. Geoff Schwartz has missed most of training camp and won't play again this week. DeMarcus Love is also out with an injury. Chris DeGeare and Joe Berger have settled into moveable backups. 

Fusco has done nothing to lose the job, but Vikings coaches are understandably concerned about his lack of experience.

From a Q and A with Leslie Frazier on Vikings.com:

Q: What is it that is not locking up that job for Brandon Fusco?

A: No, we just continue to put him in more situations. Part of what he’s doing with the depth at the position not havingGeoff Schwartz to participate. We are working Chris DeGeare, not having DeMarcus Love to find out if he can play guard and tackle. So you don’t want it to be start at default. You want to keep putting him in situations to see how he handles things and then make a determination is this the best thing for the team. He has done a good job so far, but he has a limited amount of experience so we want to keep giving him more and see how he responds.

The Vikings are hoping Fusco goes out and has a solid performance against the Chargers, so that they can head into the regular season not having to worry about the right-guard spot.

Chris Carr and Josh Robinson

Chris Cook and Antoine Winfield are going to start at cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings. Others will see a lot of action, as the Vikings hope to implement a rotation that will keep everyone fresh and keep opposing offenses guessing.

The Vikings know exactly what they have in their two starters and are hoping to learn a lot more about everyone else this Friday night. Cook will not play, as a precaution after being slightly concussed last week. 

With Cook in street clothes, the stage is set for rookie Josh Robinson and veteran Chris Carr to put a claim on the first sub in role. Carr has impressed with his football knowledge and experience. Robinson, after missing time with a hamstring problem, has impressed with his speed and obvious physical talent. 

Zack Bowman, Brandon Burton and Bobby Felder will also get plenty of action as the Vikings try to figure out who are the best people to keep around at a position where the team was woeful last year.

The Vikings would love to see Robinson make a splash, as he has the highest upside of any of the players vying for playing time behind Cook and Winfield.

Is Jasper Brinkley a Starting NFL MLB?

The Vikings and most of their fans were pretty optimistic that third-year man Jasper Brinkley would be just fine taking over at middle linebacker for E.J. Henderson. Brinkley played well as a rookie and proved he was a hitter and a playmaker in the latter stages of his rookie season.

It sounded like Brinkley was a having a decent camp, and then, the Vikings played their first exhibition game. The 49'ers rushed for 198 yards. In the first half, Brinkley was nowhere to be found and a collective gulp could be heard from Vikings coaches and fans.

Brinkley was much better last week against the Bills, but it's a stretch to say he eased all the worries. Brinkley missed 2011 with injuries, so he's basically a second-year guy who hasn't faced game action in a long time. 

The middle linebacker spot comes with a lot of responsibility, but what the Vikings want more than anything is just to see Brinkley make plays. Be a run stuffer. Be a hitter. Let the rest of the stuff take care of itself.

Calling All Linebackers

Speaking of linebackers, as far as the Vikings' depth chart goes, we know this much: Chad Greenway will start all year at the strong-side LB spot.

Beyond that, nothing is set in stone. Jasper Brinkley and Erin Henderson look like they will start at the other two spots, but they are being pushed.

Marvin Mitchell has showed that he is a playmaker and has a mean streak you love to see out of your linebackers. Tyrone McKenzie has experience and has shown that he might be worth a shot in the middle if Brinkley can't get it done.

And then, there's Audie Cole. The rookie has done everything possible to make the team and put himself in the discussion for playing time.

Coming off a stellar career at North Carolina State, Cole might just be one of those players who doesn't blow anyone away in practice, but once refs and stadiums and television and keeping score are involved, he becomes a completely different player—a gamer.

All of these guys will see plenty of action Friday night at the position that is probably the most up in the air on the Vikings' roster. 

Jerome Simpson Has Been Great, But...

Jerome Simpson has looked fantastic in camp and in game action so far. He'll start Week 4 alongside Percy Harvin. 

Simpson, of course, is suspended for the first three weeks of the season due to a drug arrest, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (h/t Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Vikings are desperate for another receiver on the roster to make some plays.

Michael Jenkins will more than likely start for the first three weeks, and while a capable receiver, Jenkins is nothing more than a third or fourth receiver on a good team. 

Devin Aromashodu has made some nice catches, unfortunately they've all been two or three steps out of bounds. Second-year man Stephen Burton has shown some flashes, but also has shown that he has a ways to go.

This leaves us with rookie Jarius Wright. With his Arkansas teammate and fellow rookie Greg Childs out for the season, Wright is now the rookie wideout the Vikings are hoping can contribute. Wright missed time in camp with nagging injuries, but now, he appears ready to go, and the Vikings are hoping he makes his presence known against the Chargers.

The Joe Webb experiment at receiver is officially over, right?

Jamarca Sanford and Robert Blanton

It's all but a given that Mistral Raymond has beaten out Jamarca Sanford for the starting safety spot alongside rookie Harrison Smith. Raymond has had a great camp and looks like a totally different player than the one who struggled through 2011.

The Vikings are also still very high on Sanford, who works as hard as anyone on the team and shows flashes of brilliance along the way. Sanford will be given a ton of playing time Friday night in hopes that he can take his play on the practice field into game action.

Minnesota is also hoping to get a good look at fifth-round draft pick Robert Blanton against the Chargers as well. Blanton has missed most of camp with hamstring problems, but he has practiced this week, and the hope is that he'll be able to play Friday night.

Blanton needs to make a quick impression as a fifth-round pick who's making a position switch after playing cornerback at Notre Dame. Blanton is a good athlete and the hope from Viking brass is that Blanton and Smith would gel together and form a strong, smart duo on the back line for a defense that needs it.

Smith has jumped right in and won a starting spot. Blanton has some work to do just to make the active roster.

Kyle Rudolph Has to Assert Himself

We've heard all of the accolades: steal of a pick in the second round. The prototypical new school tight end. The best hands on the team. 

We've seen nothing that says otherwise about Kyle Rudolph; we just haven't seen enough of it yet. At 6'6", 260 pounds, Rudolph does indeed look the part of the new breed of dominating tight end. Coming off a slight concussion from last week, Rudolph may see limited action Friday night, but we'd like to see the Vikings go to him at least a few times.

With Jerome Simpson missing the first three weeks of the season, it's vital that Rudolph be up to speed and ready to go right out of the gate, as one of the Vikings' main receiving threats. Backup John Carlson has missed that last couple of weeks, so it's become even more vital that Rudolph become a steady playmaker. 

Another name to look for is Rhett Ellison. The surprise fourth-round pick out of USC has been everything the Vikings said he was when they drafted him and could be a very valuable blocker/receiver.

Toby Gerhart and Who?

Toby Gerhart has been fantastic in Adrian Peterson's absence. Gerhart has eased a lot of the worry surrounding Peterson, as he's shown that he is perfectly capable of handling the load as a main back if need be.

He's running quicker and with more confidence in his third year. It's as if Gerhart has finally decided, "yes, I can run in this league," as every time he touches the ball he looks likes the best possible version of what we saw in his first two seasons.

Beyond that, it's anybody's guess as to who wins the third running back spot. Lex Hilliard has been mediocre as the guy who can get you three yards. Jordan Todman has some excitement to his game, but hasn't been able to stay on the field. Derrick Coleman has looked like a poor man's Hilliard. 

Matt Asiata has made some nice runs, but doesn't look quick enough to be an impact player. All of this is to say that there is a roster spot to be won in the backfield. Someone needs to take it.

Special Teams Can Be Crucial

There are jobs to be won and special teams will be the deciding factor. 

Special teams are indeed one third of the football equation and the Vikings can be forgiven if they are gloating about sixth round pick, kicker Blair Walsh. Walsh has showed off a huge leg and made five out of six field goals last week against the Bills. His kickoffs pinned Buffalo deep in their own end and was a brilliant reminder of how important field position is in football.

As for the other areas, the Vikings would love for someone to jump forward in the return game. Marcus Sherels has the punt-return job for now, and though he has the most experience in the group and is very dependable, he's far from explosive.

Josh Robinson and Jarius Wright will probably get opportunities to field some punts Friday night, and the Vikings would love to see some flash out of them.

Elsewhere, backup jobs at linebacker, secondary and running back could be won or lost on special teams Friday night. If you're not an every-down player, you'd better bring something else to the table when the competition for roster spots is so tight.

Audie Cole probably made the team last Friday night. Other spots can be won this Friday night.