Vikings ans Titans

The idiotic lockout is difficult for everyone in the NFL. The teams with new head coaches and schemes are at a particular disadvantage. The Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans certainly fall into that category. The similarities don't end there. Mike Munchak of the Titans and Leslie Frazier of the Vikings were standout players in the NFL. Munchak is honored in the Hall of Fame. Leslie Frazier had a strong career cut short with a serious knee injury in Super Bowl XX. Unlike other teams with new head coaches, Frazier and Munchak have the slight advantage of having been with their respective teams for some time. They have a familarity with their teams that some of the other new head coaches don't have. That is a help in this ridiculous environment. Both teams are also likely to start rookie QBs. The Titans drafted, my pre-draft favorite, Jake Locker with the eighth pick in the draft. The Vikings selected Christian Ponder four spots later. This vanishing offseason is not the ruin of these new sgnal callers, but it certainly isn't doing them any favors. They will be aided by further similarities between the two teams. The Vikings' Adrian Peterson and the Titans' Chris Johnson are perhaps the top two runningbacks in the league. The standout running games of the teams will relieve a lot of the pressure on Ponder and Locker. They will be further assisted by strong defenses. The Vikings and Titans are talented teams that ran into some unusual difficulties last year. Neither team responded well to these difficulties. Horrible seasons were the result and both head coaches were fired. Neither team is far removed from very successful seasons. Both could be close to getting back to that success. With consistent play from rookie QBs, a positive influence from new coaches, both with playing experience themselves, a strong running game and defense, success could very well start this season.