Vikings vs 49ers

Preseason game #1 and the Flea Flicker will be at Candlestick(!) Park when the Minnesota Vikings visit the San Francisco 49ers. In person. In those seats! Preseason games are a funny thing. It's a chance to finally hit someone else. Which is actually a good thing as fuses are likely a little short after two weeks of training camp. Percy Harvin and rookie safety Harrison Smith showed just that a couple of days ago. Preseason games signal little outside of football being back. For players fighting for a roster spot these practice games are very important. Every snap is important. Out of the ninety players on each NFL roster right now about half are in that fight for a job. This particular preseason game is a little odd in that the 49ers visit Minnesota in the third week of the regular season. Teams rarely show much in the preseason. The Vikings and the 49ers will probably show even less. They might as well be playing tag out there tonight. Should still be a blast.

It'll be strange to see Randy Moss wear the 84 jersey of another team. His glory days in Minnesota are so long ago now that I'm mostly numb to his presence in foreign colors. His handful of games in his return to Minnesota in 2010 don't count. Never happened! Still, this will be the first time that I've ever seen Randy Moss in person. For that alone this night is special. He'll probably play little more than a snap but seeing the most physically gifted receiver to ever play the game will be a treat.

The 49ers have an excellent football team. Their defense might be the best in the league. They spent the offseason adding offensive playmakers. Quarterback Alex Smith was much better than decent last year. Now he has the weapons to be better than that. There will be critics but Moss will be terrific this time in the Bay Area. The 49ers are certainly in any conversation about Super Bowl contenders.

The Vikings aren't. So, they'll surprise. I'm looking forward to seeing Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder in his second season. He has a lot of the things that a quarterback needs to excel in this league. Tonight will be my first chance to see the Vikings young and improved offensive line and defensive secondary. Two very sad areas over the last two years. Vikings football is back and it's bad news for the 49ers in a preseason kinda way.