My Wish List For This Season

There are a few things I really am hoping for in this upcoming season:


-Tarvaris Jackson Elevates His Play
I am NOT one of those people who believe that T-Jack is hopeless. In fact, I saw some things in him last season that gave me some hope. He started out the season playing terrible. He looked like a lost puppy in the pocket, and he struggled with completing short dump off passes that should be automatic for a starter in the NFL. I remember watching one game that he was injured and Bollinger came in to relieve him. Brooks looked so much better than T-Jack at that point that I was really hoping Jackson had lost his starting job. But when Jackson came back from his last injury, something happened and he became instantly better. It still wasn't enough, though. The Jackson that I want to come into this season is the Jackson that played in the 4th quarter against the Broncos at the end of last season. That Jackson showed the ability to move the ball with his arms or his legs. That's the threat we need.

-Our Passing Threat Keeps Defenses From Stacking The Box
I don't want to see 8 or 9 defenders waiting for Peterson to be handed the ball. Part of this plays into the previous item, but a realistic fan can not put all the blame on Jackson. Jackson had moments of ineptitude last season for sure, but our receivers didn't do a lot to help him out. Williamson still had terrible hands, and Shiancoe was pretty terrible as well. The addition of Berrian and the maturation of Rice and Allison should help a lot here.

-Our Passing Defense Improves
I have the most faith in this one happening. We were terrible defending the pass last year, but I think a big reason for that is we put very little pressure on opposing quarterbacks. I think Jared Allen will help tremendously. I think because of Allen's presence, Edwards will be more effective, and I think less teams will be able to double team Kevin Williams, which will make him more effective against the pass as well. I also think our secondary will benefit HUGELY from this, since they won't have to cover receivers for 8-10 seconds anymore. That's too much to ask of any secondary unit.

-Brad Childress becomes a little less predictable
I think Childress deserves credit (along with Wilf) for his ability to bring in talent. Since Childress became coach, we got Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, Brian Robison (who I think has the talent to be a star), and Jared Allen. I think, though, his play calling is too predictable and conservative. I think he's a big reason why we've never seen a huge game out of Jackson... I think Childress keeps the reigns on Tarvaris a little too tight. I'd like to see him open it up again.


That's pretty much it for me. I think we have a decent chance of seeing most of these things come through. I'd love to hear your thoughts on your wish list, though!