Vikings Preseason Game

The Minnesota Viking defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-16 last night.

This is the opening weekend of the NFL's Preseason but it was the Vikings second game of the preseason thanks to their debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Canton last week.

The Vikings won the game but they really lost. Right tackle Phil Loadholt may have been lost for the entire season on the second play from scrimmage. Perhaps today brings better news but the reports last night were that Loadholt had torn his achilles. Very bad.

For the past two weeks I've been very happy with the lack of injury news coming out of Minnesota. Injuries are so much a part of football that you simply expect them. The Vikings have dodged them through the Mankato days of Training Camp. A few players have missed some time but nothing serious. That changed on the second play from scrimmage last night.

Losing Phil Loadholt is a big loss.

Fourth-round pick T.J. Clemmings replaced Loadholt during the game. It remains to be seen whether he replaces Loadholt for the season.

NFL Network presented us with the Vikings announcers. Paul Allen and Pete Bercich were speculating that current right guard Mike Harris might slide to his more familiar right tackle spot and bring in free agent Evan Mathis to fill in at guard. I don't buy that. It's too late in the process of building to the the new season for that. But, who knows? I like the idea of Clemmings taking the spot moving forward. He's raw but talented. Typical of a rookie. If he's the guy, he has a month to get ready.

It's hard to fight through the loss of Loadholt but there was a football game. Even if it was of the practice variety. The Vikings showed a little more offense than they did in Canton last week.

Teddy Bridgewater was great. He missed on a single throw. That miss was thrown high into the end zone to a definite spot. It was either going to be caught by Mike Wallace for a touchdown or it was going to be incomplete. It was incomplete. Bridgewater played a very nice quarter of football.

Shaun Hill played better. According to the ridiculous QB rating Bridgewater was something like 104.4. Nice. Hill was 154.4. Nearly perfect. There's no quarterback controversy in Minnesota. But, it was great to see the Vikings veteran backup play well.

This game might have been about 50-3 if it wasn't for the turnovers. Vikings running backs put the ball on the ground three times. The coaches can't be happy with that.

It's not often that you see a team dominate a game and lose the turnover battle. If you do see it there's a real good chance that the game was a preseason game.

Zach Line fumbled away the ball when the Vikings were driving to a score at the end of the first half.

Joe Banyard fumbled on his own side of the field. The Buccaneers turned that into a touchdown.

Dominique Williams had a real nice run going until he fumbled the ball into and out of the end zone. Touchback. Buccaneers ball.

Three turnovers. Never a happy thing.

The NFL rule that calls for a touchback when a player fumbles the ball through the opposing end zone is one of the more asinine rules on the books. If there's a fumble not recovered anywhere else on the field it goes back to the spot of the fumble. Nowhere else on the field, or in the rule books, is a defensive team so rewarded for not coming up with the ball. Stupid rule.

Vikings player that made some plays:

Safety Antone Exum got himself another turnover. A fumble last week. An interception last night. Exum is battling Robert Blanton for a starting spot. Blanton made a nice play to knock away a potential touchdown pass. From my perch, this is a close battle. A battle that will only improve the team. No matter which player gets the job the Vikings are better as a result of it.

The same thing can be said for the middle linebacker spot. Audie Cole is on top of the depth chart. At first viewing he played an average game. Rookie Eric Kendricks played the second half. He was outstanding against the Buccaneers backups. He was all over the field. Again, this position battle makes the entire defense better. The perfect middle linebacker is a combination of Cole and Kendricks. Cole's size. Kendricks' instincts. You can't coach size or instincts. His game may have come against the backups but I'd have to say that Kendricks moved ahead in this position battle.

Good things seem to happen when receiver Adam Thielen is on the field. He makes an impact on special teams. He makes an impact on offense. He's one of those high effort football players that simply makes the entire team better.

Cordarrelle Patterson showed some life. He's been a very puzzling player in his two-plus years with the team. He's a once-in-a-generation physical talent but seems to fade away at times. There are some among the media and fans that have given up on the kid. I have a little more faith. Something as simple as a preseason touchdown might kick him into gear. He got that touchdown last night. He also had a stupid penalty. We'll see. He has the talent to be a star but his window is starting to close.

Punter Jeff Locke. He had some difficulties last year and the usual critics were critical of the Vikings for not bringing in competition for the young punter. Locke was solid last night.

This game was on national television because of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shiny new quarterback. Jameis Winston.

He looked like a rookie quarterback. The more pessimistic (read idiotic) of the football talking heads might have called him a bust after his first two possessions. It was a rough start. On his third possession, Winston went after Vikings first round corner Trae Waynes. Winston found some success. Vincent Jackson got way behind Waynes on the first big throw of Winston's NFL career. Louis Murphy had a lot of room on the sideline with Waynes in something that might be called coverage on the the second big throw of Winston's NFL career. Those plays led to a field goal. Waynes did have a nice play on jumbo-sized tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to make sure that it was a field goal rather than a touchdown.

Waynes got a lot of criticism last week. Three penalties. He'll receive even more criticism this week with the chunks of yardage he gave up to Jackson and Murphy. These are lessons for the young, talented corner. There's nowhere for a corner to hide. Young or old but in particular young, there's no grey area for a corner. He batted away a potential touchdown and everyone remembers the receiver that got wide open behind him. Winston, the first pick in the draft and the future of the Bucs, looks like a hack for two series and only his touchdown run is remembered. Waynes will be fine.

So will Winston.

The Buccaneers have a lot of young talent. Winston, Doug Martin, Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins on offense. But it's two players on defense that make this team a team that I think has a bright future. Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David are two of my favorite football players in the league. The Buccaneers have some nice players. The only question that I have is with the coaches.

Some of the best stories in the NFL so far this year came together in one game last night.

Arizona Cardinals-Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry beat back cancer and returned to football. He didn't miss a single training camp. Welcome back.

Sarah Thomas debuted as the first female NFL official. Welcome to the NFL Sarah Thomas.

Jen Welter debuted as the first female coach in an NFL game. She's coaching the Cardinals linebacker in training camp. Welcome to the NFL Jen Welter.

Those events alone are enough to love football again. They are enough to forget about the nonsense that has surrounded the game for too long.