Post by elp525 on May 19, 2008 4:41:13 GMT -5
By SID HARTMAN
Star Tribune
May 19, 2008
The Vikings will hold a voluntary minicamp starting today and lasting through Thursday, and one of the things the coaches will be looking for is depth in the offensive line.
One of those who will get a good look is Dan Mozes, a 6-3, 293-pound lineman who was making a good impression in training camp last year as a free agent until he tore an ACL in his right knee in a scrimmage with Kansas City in August.
"He was making a lot of progress playing both center and guard," Vikings offensive line coach Pat Morris said. "Most of these OTA [organized team activities] days, he's going to be playing basically center and maybe a little spotting at left guard. He showed some potential but obviously he got hurt.
"We saw him as a good athlete that can play both positions. He's quick, he's done a great job in the offseason in recovering. The key is going to be how he comes off that knee. According to our trainers and everything, he's fully recovered."
One of the more interesting free agents signed this year is Drew Radovich, who was an outstanding starting offensive lineman for Southern California.
After the Vikings selected USC quarterback John David Booty in the NFL draft, I was talking on the phone to Trojans coach Pete Carroll. At the time he'd had 10 players drafted in the early rounds, and he was shocked Radovich hadn't been drafted.
Carroll told me the 6-5, 305-pound Radovich was one of the better offensive linemen he had coached, and he thought some team was going to get a real bargain if he wasn't drafted and signed him as a free agent.
And I wonder if Carroll, being close to Vikings director of college scouting Scott Studwell, might have recommended him to the team.
"We thought Radovich was a draftable player," Morris said. "As we went through the draft, he slipped through the cracks like some guys do. I think maybe because all of those people from USC were drafted. But I think he's got a great chance [here] at right tackle and right guard.
"He knows how to win, he's played with winning teams, he's played with winning quarterbacks. He has practiced against good people, so we're looking forward to him possibly competing for a position."
Another lineman the Vikings signed as a free agent who was on their draft board was Tim Mattran, who went to Chaska High School and played center and left tackle at Stanford. They also drafted Notre Dame center John Sullivan in the sixth round.
"I think that when you're playing underwear [without pads] football, you can see if the linemen take the right steps, do they listen to your coaching, have they been coached well, and I think all those guys have that," said Morris, who held workouts with rookies after the draft.
Even though the Vikings did a lot of good things last year, Morris said he believes the offensive line has to show improvement.
"Last year we led the league in rushing but I think as we look to it, we've got to get better," he said. "We've got to get better at protecting the passer, we've got to be better at running the ball in other situations -- just make sure we continue to get better and solidify all those positions."
Star Tribune
May 19, 2008
The Vikings will hold a voluntary minicamp starting today and lasting through Thursday, and one of the things the coaches will be looking for is depth in the offensive line.
One of those who will get a good look is Dan Mozes, a 6-3, 293-pound lineman who was making a good impression in training camp last year as a free agent until he tore an ACL in his right knee in a scrimmage with Kansas City in August.
"He was making a lot of progress playing both center and guard," Vikings offensive line coach Pat Morris said. "Most of these OTA [organized team activities] days, he's going to be playing basically center and maybe a little spotting at left guard. He showed some potential but obviously he got hurt.
"We saw him as a good athlete that can play both positions. He's quick, he's done a great job in the offseason in recovering. The key is going to be how he comes off that knee. According to our trainers and everything, he's fully recovered."
One of the more interesting free agents signed this year is Drew Radovich, who was an outstanding starting offensive lineman for Southern California.
After the Vikings selected USC quarterback John David Booty in the NFL draft, I was talking on the phone to Trojans coach Pete Carroll. At the time he'd had 10 players drafted in the early rounds, and he was shocked Radovich hadn't been drafted.
Carroll told me the 6-5, 305-pound Radovich was one of the better offensive linemen he had coached, and he thought some team was going to get a real bargain if he wasn't drafted and signed him as a free agent.
And I wonder if Carroll, being close to Vikings director of college scouting Scott Studwell, might have recommended him to the team.
"We thought Radovich was a draftable player," Morris said. "As we went through the draft, he slipped through the cracks like some guys do. I think maybe because all of those people from USC were drafted. But I think he's got a great chance [here] at right tackle and right guard.
"He knows how to win, he's played with winning teams, he's played with winning quarterbacks. He has practiced against good people, so we're looking forward to him possibly competing for a position."
Another lineman the Vikings signed as a free agent who was on their draft board was Tim Mattran, who went to Chaska High School and played center and left tackle at Stanford. They also drafted Notre Dame center John Sullivan in the sixth round.
"I think that when you're playing underwear [without pads] football, you can see if the linemen take the right steps, do they listen to your coaching, have they been coached well, and I think all those guys have that," said Morris, who held workouts with rookies after the draft.
Even though the Vikings did a lot of good things last year, Morris said he believes the offensive line has to show improvement.
"Last year we led the league in rushing but I think as we look to it, we've got to get better," he said. "We've got to get better at protecting the passer, we've got to be better at running the ball in other situations -- just make sure we continue to get better and solidify all those positions."
