Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Our Detroit Lions schedule preview continues with the Lions’ opponent in week four, the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions and Vikings will also meet in week ten in Minneapolis.

My thanks to Dan Zinski, editor of The Viking Age, for taking the time to answer my questions. Check out TVA for more on the Vikings.

1. What is your initial reaction to the Vikings’ 2012 draft class?

Dan Zinski: They did what they had to do in terms of addressing the biggest holes on the roster. Taking Kalil was a no-brainer (Blackmon and Claiborne chatter notwithstanding). Taking three DBs in the first 7 picks was also a no-brainer. Little surprised they doubled up on receivers and took a kicker. Biggest surprise was probably how active they were in trading out. They’ll have a bunch of picks next year because of it, which sort of gives a hint about their plan. It’s at least a two year rebuild in their minds.

2. How concerned are Vikings fans about the health of Adrian Peterson’s knee?

DZ: There will always be nervousness, because everyone knows how important he is to the franchise, but this whole offseason has been nothing but one encouraging sign after another. If fans are worried about anything now it’s that he’s pushing too hard and will try to come back too soon. But I think the organization has made it clear they won’t go crazy trying to get him back for the start of the season. There’s no sense putting him out there just to put him out there, especially in a year when no one really expects much from the team.

1. Sacks Allowed
Simply looking at the box score suggest the Lions made no improvement whatsoever in protecting Matthew Stafford compared to their first meeting with the Vikings but the sacks didn’t come as a result of a suffocating pass rush like they did previously. Matthew Stafford had a tendency to hold on to the ball too long rather than getting rid of it. Give him enough time and Jared Allen will get to the quarterback eventually. Pocket awareness and the ability to buy more time with his feet might be the next area for improvement in his game as he continues to improve as a quarterback.

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Clipped from: www.mlive.com (share this clip)

There are several explanations for the emergence of Detroit’s run game over the last few weeks – improved offensive line play, the re-signing of Kevin Smith, defensive focus on the passing attack.

But some argue it’s because the team is running out of more traditional run sets.

From www.mlive.com (share this quote)

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