NFL Preseason: 10 Things We've Learned About the Minnesota Vikings

For all practical purposes the Minnesota Vikings' preseason is over.

Sure there's still one game left to play this coming Thursday on the Mall of America Field at the Metrodome, but this game is for those players to make their final impression to determine if there are third-stringers, practice squad material or fodder for the UFL.

The biggest surprise for the Vikings this preseason so far was the unexpected release of Bryant McKinnie at the start of training camp.

So far in the first full season of the Leslie Frazier era, a lot of what I expected has been confirmed. The Vikings will not be a flashy team on offense, relying a lot on Adrian Peterson to move the chains and eat up as much of the clock as possible. This will keep the games under control and limit the amount of time the defense spends on the field, while hopefully wearing down the opposing defense.

Without any offseason OTA's or minicamps, and with a new coaching staff and offensive scheme, it may take a few weeks yet to fully know where this team is heading.

In no particular order, here are 10 things we know about this Vikings team.

Donovan McNabb Can Still Play

Heading into the third preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, there was some concern over the fact that Donovan McNabb had not led the Vikings in a drive resulting in a touchdown.

Another concern was whether or not the Vikings would have a vertical passing game. In the first two preseason games, McNabb was 12-of-19 passing for 121 yards—only 10.1 yards per completion.

There had been no indication the Vikings' offense was going to be amassing a ton of yards in the air or scoring a lot of touchdowns.

In Saturday night's game against the Cowboys, McNabb finally connected for his first touchdown of the season, a 49-yard bomb to Bernard Berrian.

After completing 12-of-18 passes for 164 yards, he has raised his passer rating to 86.0—thankfully closer to his career rating of 85.7 than the 77.1 rating he had in Washington last season. Last season was the first time in McNabb's career he finished with more interceptions than touchdowns.

This Team Will Go as Far as Adrian Peterson Can Carry Them

Adrian Peterson finally got some extended action this preseason—and he did not disappoint.

In the first two games, Peterson only had seven carries for 19 yards. Against the Cowboys, he demonstrated why he is one of the NFL's elite running backs. He gained 81 yards on only 14 carries—a 5.8-yard average.

He showed his strength as he shed tacklers, picking up chunks of yards. Peterson also showed his speed on several plays, as he reversed direction and was able to turn the corner and outrun the defense.

About the only thing we didn't get to see was AP breaking off a big run for a touchdown.

Don't expect Peterson to play in the final preseason game; head coach Leslie Frazier, like everyone, will be saving the starters for Minnesota's season-opener against San Diego. It was against the San Diego Chargers in 2007 that Peterson set the single-game rushing record with 296 yards on 30 carries. He scored three touchdowns as the Vikings went on to defeat the Chargers, 35-17.

Percy Harvin Is the Real Deal

There is no doubt Percy Harvin is the Vikings' best offensive threat.

With only one catch in the first two preseason games, Harvin led the Vikings with four receptions against the Cowboys on Saturday. His five catches this preseason is second on the team, with three of those resulting in first downs.

Like Adrian Peterson though, Harvin has yet to find the end zone. After leading the Vikings in receiving last season with 71 receptions and five touchdowns, look for offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to continue finding creative ways to get the ball in Harvin's hands.  

The Offense Will Be Tight End-Friendly

Look for Visanthe Shiancoe to have a huge season in 2011. I would not be surprised to see Shiancoe lead the Vikings to touchdown catches as he did in 2009 when he connected with Brett Favre 11 times.

With Donovan McNabb at quarterback, the Vikings showed several plays with three tight ends, a formation they did not hesitate to pass out from.

Because it will take time for the Vikings' offensive line to get used to new blocking schemes, as well as to gel into a cohesive unit, the team will employ multiple tight ends for extra protection.

Look for a quick-rhythm passing game that will take advantage of the inside routes of Shiancoe, as well Percy Harvin. 

Joe Webb Is a Better Runner Than a Passer

Let's hope Donovan McNabb can make it the entire season.

While Joe Webb has tremendous talent, his best position for the Vikings is not quarterback. Through three games Webb has completed 12-of-23 passes for 170 yards—only 7.4 yards per attempt. He is still looking for his first touchdown pass of his career, and so far this preseason, he has the lowest passer rating of the three Vikings quarterbacks.

Webb has gained 90 yards on nine carries with a touchdown, showing he is more comfortable to tuck the ball under his arm and run when he feels the pressure.

Christian Ponder and Kyle Rudolph Are Not Ready for the NFL

Again, let me state that we should hope Donovan McNabb is healthy for the entire season.

While it's still way too early to judge how good Christian Ponder can be, it's obvious that without any offseason team activities, he has much to learn before being ready to run the Vikings' offense. 

Ponder is currently 17-of-33 for 207 yards—a low 6.3-yard average per attempt. On the positive side, he has not thrown an interception yet, and he has an acceptable 71.1 passer rating, but Ponder has been sacked four times, more than McNabb has in as many attempts.

Saturday against the Cowboys, with tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on the sideline nursing a sore hamstring, was a great opportunity for second-round draft choice Kyle Rudolph to showcase his ability.

Unfortunately he failed—miserably.

On several plays designed to go to Rudolph, he was unable to get off the line to put himself in a position to receive the ball. While a holding penalty was called on one of the plays, he finished with no receptions.

Like Ponder, it's too early to know how good this kid will be.

The Defensive Backfield Will Be the Vikings' Achilles' Heel

The Vikings' secondary still faces a lot of questions.

Minnesota's top two cornerbacks include Antoine Winfield, who is 34 years old as he starts his 13th season in the NFL, and Cedric Griffin, who is coming off consecutive seasons suffering major injury to both knees.

While it was great to see Griffin get some extended action against the Cowboys, it was apparent that no one has the clear lead as the nickel corner.

Asher Allen, who started 11 games last season, and Chris Cook, who suffered a torn meniscus to both  knees last season, should both make the team as backups, but neither has looked that impressive so far this preseason.

The feel-good story so far this season has been that of Marcus Sherels. An undrafted free agent from the University of Minnesota, Sherels has the only interception of the preseason for the Vikings. Against former Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, Sherels intercepted a tipped ball and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown.

The problem is, against Tony Romo and the Cowboys, Sherels looked out of place on a couple plays that resulted in some big plays.

Along with the cornerbacks, Leslie Frazier and defensive coordinator Fred Pagac, need to determine what combination will make the best safety tandem for the Vikings. Tyrell Johnson and Husain Abdullah opened training camp as the first-string safeties, but Jamarca Sanford leads this trio with eight tackles and could see some significant time this season as well.  

Christian Ballard Will Make the Most Impact of Any Rookie This Season

Through three preseason games, rookie defensive tackle Christian Ballard leads the Vikings with two sacks. The fourth-round draft pick out of Iowa will probably get the best opportunity to play in 2011.

Look for the Vikings to start the season with anywhere from 8-10 defensive linemen. The 6'4", 283-lbs Ballard will be a key player to help offset the absence of All-Pro Kevin Williams, who has been limited in the preseason because of plantar fasciitis.

Williams also faces a two-game suspension from the NFL that will give Ballard an opportunity to contribute early in the season.

Bernard Berrian Can Make the Big Play When He Wants to

We've seen flashes of a No. 1 wide receiver from Bernard Berrian. Against the Cowboys on Saturday, Donovan McNabb was able to connect on his first touchdown pass of the preseason—a 49-yard bomb to Berrian.

Berrian had two catches against the Cowboys, doubling his total to four for the preseason. The bright spot is that he is averaging 19.0 yards per catch, which is much better than the 9.0-yard average he had in 2010.

There will be two main keys for the Vikings' offense: Can the offensive line provide enough time for McNabb to throw the ball downfield, and who will be the main target, Berrian or free-agent wide receiver Michael Jenkins?

Jenkins has as many receptions as Berrian so far and an average of 17.3 yards per catch.

The Vikings Will Be Better, but Most Likely Not a Playoff Team

The Vikings have a new quarterback, a new coaching staff, a new left tackle and, with a compressed timeline to open the season, plenty of questions that won't get answered for at least another month or so.

Head coach Leslie Frazier has a slight advantage over some of the other new head coaches in 2011. Having taken over for the final six games of last season, he knows what he has to work with. 

While the team may not be starting over from scratch, I don't see Donovan McNabb leading the Vikings to the second-best record in the NFC like Brett Favre did in 2009.

While they will be improved, the Vikings have a difficult schedule ahead of them, with the 10th-toughest schedule in the NFL for 2011. Minnesota will most likely finish at 8-8, with a 2-4 record against the NFC North.