We hesitate to pass along too many practice reports because things change so much from day-to-day in training camp. But we’ve heard enough similar reports in Minnesota to pass this one along.
“This offense is tough to watch right now,” Tom Pelissero of espn1500.com wrote about the Vikings Tuesday morning after a pair of ugly Donovan McNabb passes.
The quarterbacks aren’t the only ones getting criticized. Kyle Rudolph, who has reportedly had a strong camp, had a very rough morning full of drops. The offensive line has struggled in general, and there are questions about how well new left tackle Charlie Johnson will hold up.
This is not an offense a rookie quarterback should be running. Christian Ponder reportedly has looked solid in camp, but has a tendency to just dump the ball off instead of going through his progressions. That’s to be expected for a rookie.
“You know he does a lot of very good things,” Vikings VP Rick Spielman said on PFT Live Tuesday. “There’s no question about the intelligence part and the quick decision-making part. But I think, just like all the rookies or all the new guys, when you start installing your offense and then all of a sudden when you get halfway through training camp, they’re putting in so much that it’ll get a little overwhelming at times.”
With a new offensive coordinator and scheme to install, it could be overwhelming for a lot of Vikings.