Udezi planning ’09 return to Vikings

Last February we were hit with the sad news of former Trojan, and current Minnesota Vikings, Kenechi Udezi being diagnosed with Leukemia. It was somewhat shocking to believe that a man that stood as a structure of strength and force on a football field was weakened by a disease that eventually led to his wearing of a mask to protect from infections. There was uncertainty of his future, and life became the priority over the game he loved to play.

Since then, Udezi has received a bone marrow transplant, using his brother Thomas Barnes as a donor. And on Sunday, 9 months after being diagnosed with the illness, Udezi made an appearance before the fans of the Metrodome. Being in good spirits and fairly good health, he said his feet are slow to react to treatment, but promised a return to the Vikings roster in 2009. This still remains to be seen, but the progress he’s made in such a short period of time is promising.

Kenechi Udezi was a member of the 2003 USC National Championship team. He played with Mike Patterson on a defensive line that was dubbed “The Wild Bunch II”, and was later drafted 20th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2004 NFL draft. He started 15 games in his rookie season.

Reggie Bush ties NFL record in Saints loss

The Minnesota Vikings went down to New Orleans as a team desperately in need of a win. And from the kickoff to the closing seconds, the Saints, doing the Saintly thing, assisted them in ending their misery. Minnesota capitalized on 4 Saints turnovers, including a blocked Martin Gramatica field goal attempt that was returned for a touch down. But single handedly, Reggie Bush ensured that the Saints would at least remain in striking distance, and at one point, despite all the miscues, gave New Orleans the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Vikings stormed back to tie, and the Saints put their final hopes again on the leg of Gramatica, where he went wide left. In the end, the Vikings made good on their three point try, defeating New Orleans 30-27 in an action packed ballgame.

As much as Bush haters are plentiful, critical of every run, catch, and block, there’s absolutely no denying that the Saints are getting exactly what they paid for. Bush was drafted as a game-changer. With just one touch of the ball, his skills would allow him to make the big play and bring the team from behind or give them a lead. That’s exactly what Reggie has been doing.

In Monday night’s game, sharing the stage with last year’s rookie phenom, Adrian Peterson, no star shined brighter than the Heisman Trophy winner from USC. Bush finished with 269 all-purpose yards, including an NFL record tying 2 punt returns for touchdowns. Only a slip prevented him from getting three.

Bush finished with just 29 yards rushing on 12 carries, which is where the criticism will come. But in contrast, Adrian Peterson amassed just 32 rushing yards on 21 carries, against the supposedly “soft” Saints defense. Bush’s 2.4 yards per rush led all backs in the game with at least 6 carries or more. Of course, Peterson will receive no criticism, as there is honestly none deserved. But despite Bush’s production for his team, regardless of how the yards are accumulated, people will still bring up “between the tackles” conversations. Maybe it’s just me, but I think 269 all-purpose is greater than finishing a game with just 100 yards on the ground. If anyone from that 2006 NFL draft class is being forced to earn every penny of their money, it’s Reggie Bush rushing, receiving, returning kicks, and playing the role of offensive decoy.

Bush and Leinart sidelined

All indications out of New Orleans are that Reggie Bush will not participate in Saturday’s exhibition game against the Houston Texans. Bush missed two practices this week with swelling in his surgically repaired knee. An MRI revealed no damage, but as a precaution, the Saints will likely continue to give the knee rest rather than take chances. It’s the same knee that sidelined Bush in 2007, but up until this point had given him no problems running full speed in all practice sessions. The Saints’ other knee, Deuce McCallister, will make his preseason debut.

Sedrick Ellis is questionable for Saturday’s game, nursing a sore ankle. Coach Payton, along with Saints players have been singing praises about the rookie from USC. "He has a non-stop motor, looks like the kind of guy who'll be a good friend of the linebackers, just by making their job easier by keeping the offensive linemen occupied", said Linebacker Scott Fujita. New Orleans guard Jamar Nesbit gave his own take. "Sedrick reminds me of someone who could play the game like a Warren Sapp or a Booger McFarland, who played at LSU. Sure, the quickness is there, but I also like the way he uses his hands and the way his hips and feet work in unison. I think it helped having someone who coached in the NFL (Pete Carroll) as his college coach. He's still got plenty to learn, but the way he seems to be soaking up the mental part makes me believe that won't be a problem. I'll be surprised if he doesn't turn out to be a problem for the offense."

The Arizona Cardinals announced that Kurt Warner is the likely starter against the Chiefs on Saturday. Warner, who obviously looked upset about holding a clipboard in the first preaseason game, will have an opportunity to shine against a poor Kansas City secondary, and a team that traded their sack leader to Minnesota. Matt Leinart should have plenty of opportunities in the second half, but let's just give Warner an "A" now.

Drew Radovich suffered a separated shoulder in the Vikings preseason opener last week, and shouldn't make a return until sometime next week. Drew said he's regaining his range of motion and no longer wearing a sling.

Rookie tips for John David Booty

John David Booty was the 4th Vikings quarterback to enter the game on Friday night, but he played the majority of the second half. If you’re someone that watched Booty play at USC, you saw very little difference in his NFL debut. That relates to both the good and the bad.

Booty did complete 9 of 18 passes for 82 yards, but he was also sacked once, produced a fumble, and threw one final interception, assuring that no statistical category would go untouched. But if I’m the Minnesota Vikings, there is one major area of concern when it comes to their first year quarterback. Some areas can be improved on with time, but there is one particular statistic that has plagued J.D. since his playing days at Southern Cal, and it’s followed him to the purple city.

Booty had 3 passes tipped at the line of scrimmage, and surely tips are not a rare occurrence in football games. But Booty has a lot of passes tipped, and so many that USC’s Steve Sarkisian experimented with working him from the shotgun, looking to deflate those statistics. Watching Booty play, I came to a point where I would exhale, once the ball traveled beyond the line, knowing that he cleared defensive linemen.

And this isn’t something that took long to uncover, because tipping was immediate, in his replacement of Matt Leinart. The Trojans were riding winning streaks against the Pac 10 and regular season opponents in 2006, and looking to make a third straight appearance in the BCS National championship game. They were still talented and surging, but on Booty's watch they were derailed twice, first by Oregon State, and then by UCLA.

Booty passed for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns against the 2006 Beavers, as USC made a tremendous comeback on the road. With little time remaining, USC scores a touchdown to bring them within 2. The pass on the two point conversion, intended for the 6’5 Dwayne Jarrett, fell harmlessly to the turf, batted at the line of scrimmage.

On the final week of the regular season, USC still had a chance, ranked No. 2 in the polls and needed just a win against their crosstown rivals to make a championship game appearance. It was a defensive struggle, but USC roared down field with time quickly expiring. They were in striking distance, down 13-9 and in the red zone. Booty dropped back, threw forward, and had the pass batted in the air and intercepted.

Three more tipped balls in Booty’s first NFL game? That’s nothing new. In fact, it’s getting pretty old. Trojans fans were pretty forgiving, but it’s still something never fixed. USC managed to win the majority of their games and win their conference, despite the flaw. But as an NFL quarterback, your stay won't be very long, if clearing the line is problematic, consistent, and damaging to the franchise and future hopes of success.

How much does it cost for a little Booty?

From the moment John David Booty grabbed the reins of the Trojan offense, some began to question his worth. I was probably one of his biggest critics, feeling he was wrongly grouped with Palmer and Leinart, before ever taking the field. Booty never achieved the same awards or numbers as the two USC quarterbacks before him. And following the pattern, his first year NFL salary will fall short as well.

Though the full details of his new contract with the Minnesota Vikings are not available, Booty received the standard base contract of $295,000, which would escalate to $555,000 in the final year. He also received a signing bonus of $205,000. Those are nice figures for the average man, such as I, but a drop in the bucket in comparison to the millions of dollars in guaranteed money received by first round selections Palmer and Leinart.

Despite the difference in money, Booty actually finds himself in a great position with Minnesota. The offense being run by coach Brad Childress is geared towards a quarterback like J.D. His strength is the short passing game, making him the prototype player for the West Coast Offense. Where arm strength is the staple for some quarterbacks, for Booty it’s his laser accuracy that moves the sticks. Tavaris Jackson isn’t guaranteed the starting position, though he may take the field on opening day. But if his struggles continue, I doubt the Vikings would hesitate to make a change, after allowing Jackson more than enough time to make the position his own. If a quarterback battle ensues, I really like Booty’s chances.

Thoughts and prayers for Kenechi Udeze

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that Vikings defensive end Kenuchi Udeze will be receiving a bone marrow transplant in July. An exact match was found in his brother, Thomas Barnes, who will be the donor. According to Udeze, recovery time is projected anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks, and though he has nothing but love for football, he realizes that life is bigger than the game played between the lines.

“The game is going on without me. Football, I love it to death, but I don’t need football. That’s something I came to realize through the process.”

I have great memories of Udeze along the Trojan defensive front, pushing his way into an Auburn backfield to limit Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown, and providing constant pressure to Michigan’s John Navarre, as USC claimed their first national championship under Pete Carroll. But now I send my thoughts and prayers, hoping to create newer memories of a man that is victorious in a battle with his newest opponent named Leukemia.

Fight On!