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Defensive end is eager to play against team he cheered for as a kid in Texas.
BY DON SEEHOLZER
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 10/18/2007 11:46:18 PM CDT
Adrian Peterson isn't the only Vikings rookie who will be going home this weekend.
Defensive end Brian Robison expects to have about 30 friends and family members in Texas Stadium for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
That will make it a special day for the former University of Texas star, who grew up rooting for the Cowboys in Splendora, Texas, about 220 miles south of Dallas.
Getting to play a few more snaps would make it even better.
Robison got a season-low 13 in last week's 34-31 victory at Chicago, but the fourth-round draft choice said he has gotten over his initial disappointment.
"After this weekend, I really wasn't too happy about the low amount of snaps," he said. "They were way down, but it was a close game. I can't really worry about that. I've just got to leave that in the past and move forward."
Robison leads the Vikings and all NFC rookies with three sacks, and he trails only Houston defensive tackle Amobi Okoye (four) among rookies leaguewide.
Robison got two of his sacks in the season opener against Atlanta, but with swing defensive lineman Darrion Scott lost to a season-ending broken ankle, the rookie's playing time was expected to go up last week, not down.
So what happened?
"That was because Erasmus (James) was healthy," defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. "Erasmus got more reps at right end, and Brian got some at left end. The previous five games he played both right and left, so his reps were up."
Robison's
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chances of getting some of his usual 25-30 snaps back this week could depend on James, who didn't have a sack or tackle in 25 plays in his season debut after spending the first four games on the inactive list while recovering from 2006 knee surgery.
Asked to evaluate his play, James, a first-round 2005 draft choice who has been slowed by a right shoulder injury, said: "It felt all right. The shoulder's been killing me. There are things I've got to work on still."
Asked if he expects about the same workload at Dallas, James said: "I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'm even playing, so we'll see what happens."
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier indicated that James is a part of this week's game plan and that Robison's role might not be determined until the game is under way.
"If you look at the Cowboys, they're real big up front, and we don't know how much they're going to throw the ball," Dunbar said. "You watch the games they've played, except for the last one (against New England) and then Buffalo, they've really pounded people. They might have the biggest offensive line we've faced this year. ... If we can get them in a situation where they're throwing the ball, he should be on the field."
Generally speaking, Dunbar said he has been pleased with the play of his defensive ends, who have accounted for 6½ of the Vikings' 13 sacks, including two by starting left end Kenechi Udeze.
Like James, Udeze is a former first-round draft choice (2004) who has yet to fulfill his promise, but Dunbar said he has played up to that billing this season.
"He's doing great," Dunbar said. "He's doing everything we thought he would be doing. He got two sacks early and got that monkey off his back, and he's been giving us a lot of pressure. On a touchdown last week against Chicago, he hit the quarterback in the face, but Antoine (Winfield) fell down, so the guy was wide open. Those kind of things don't show up on the stats."
Udeze's 18 tackles and seven quarterback hurries do show up and are tied for second among Vikings defensive linemen, but he said there are a lot of things he can do better.
"I feel like I'm doing a good job, but I'm still kind of, not hesitating, but I'm just not sticking to my keys like I should," he said. "But it only takes a game or two, and you're right back in the hunt. So with that said, I'm just going to try to play the run and pass and be the most complete player I can be."
Dunbar said there's plenty of time for Udeze and James to develop into impact players this season, which is why the Vikings are playing them.
"If you've got a first-rounder, you want to put him on the field and kick the tires and toot the horn," Dunbar said.
Robison is hoping to do a little kicking of his own Sunday and said he plans to take advantage of every snap he gets.
He might have grown up rooting for Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley, but this homecoming trip will be all business.
"I was always a Cowboy fan," Robison said. "I've been watching them since I was probably 3 years old and all the way through college, but now I'm a Viking fan. I'm going to make sure we kick their butt this weekend."
Don Seeholzer can be reached at dseeholzer@pioneerpress.com.
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BY DON SEEHOLZER
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 10/18/2007 11:46:18 PM CDT
Adrian Peterson isn't the only Vikings rookie who will be going home this weekend.
Defensive end Brian Robison expects to have about 30 friends and family members in Texas Stadium for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
That will make it a special day for the former University of Texas star, who grew up rooting for the Cowboys in Splendora, Texas, about 220 miles south of Dallas.
Getting to play a few more snaps would make it even better.
Robison got a season-low 13 in last week's 34-31 victory at Chicago, but the fourth-round draft choice said he has gotten over his initial disappointment.
"After this weekend, I really wasn't too happy about the low amount of snaps," he said. "They were way down, but it was a close game. I can't really worry about that. I've just got to leave that in the past and move forward."
Robison leads the Vikings and all NFC rookies with three sacks, and he trails only Houston defensive tackle Amobi Okoye (four) among rookies leaguewide.
Robison got two of his sacks in the season opener against Atlanta, but with swing defensive lineman Darrion Scott lost to a season-ending broken ankle, the rookie's playing time was expected to go up last week, not down.
So what happened?
"That was because Erasmus (James) was healthy," defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. "Erasmus got more reps at right end, and Brian got some at left end. The previous five games he played both right and left, so his reps were up."
Robison's
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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chances of getting some of his usual 25-30 snaps back this week could depend on James, who didn't have a sack or tackle in 25 plays in his season debut after spending the first four games on the inactive list while recovering from 2006 knee surgery.
Asked to evaluate his play, James, a first-round 2005 draft choice who has been slowed by a right shoulder injury, said: "It felt all right. The shoulder's been killing me. There are things I've got to work on still."
Asked if he expects about the same workload at Dallas, James said: "I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'm even playing, so we'll see what happens."
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier indicated that James is a part of this week's game plan and that Robison's role might not be determined until the game is under way.
"If you look at the Cowboys, they're real big up front, and we don't know how much they're going to throw the ball," Dunbar said. "You watch the games they've played, except for the last one (against New England) and then Buffalo, they've really pounded people. They might have the biggest offensive line we've faced this year. ... If we can get them in a situation where they're throwing the ball, he should be on the field."
Generally speaking, Dunbar said he has been pleased with the play of his defensive ends, who have accounted for 6½ of the Vikings' 13 sacks, including two by starting left end Kenechi Udeze.
Like James, Udeze is a former first-round draft choice (2004) who has yet to fulfill his promise, but Dunbar said he has played up to that billing this season.
"He's doing great," Dunbar said. "He's doing everything we thought he would be doing. He got two sacks early and got that monkey off his back, and he's been giving us a lot of pressure. On a touchdown last week against Chicago, he hit the quarterback in the face, but Antoine (Winfield) fell down, so the guy was wide open. Those kind of things don't show up on the stats."
Udeze's 18 tackles and seven quarterback hurries do show up and are tied for second among Vikings defensive linemen, but he said there are a lot of things he can do better.
"I feel like I'm doing a good job, but I'm still kind of, not hesitating, but I'm just not sticking to my keys like I should," he said. "But it only takes a game or two, and you're right back in the hunt. So with that said, I'm just going to try to play the run and pass and be the most complete player I can be."
Dunbar said there's plenty of time for Udeze and James to develop into impact players this season, which is why the Vikings are playing them.
"If you've got a first-rounder, you want to put him on the field and kick the tires and toot the horn," Dunbar said.
Robison is hoping to do a little kicking of his own Sunday and said he plans to take advantage of every snap he gets.
He might have grown up rooting for Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley, but this homecoming trip will be all business.
"I was always a Cowboy fan," Robison said. "I've been watching them since I was probably 3 years old and all the way through college, but now I'm a Viking fan. I'm going to make sure we kick their butt this weekend."
Don Seeholzer can be reached at dseeholzer@pioneerpress.com.
LINK