The modern England Patriots kicked off the 2015 NFL season with a 28-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football,but Minnesota Vikings fans still must endure several more painfully long, Ragnar-less days until their team takes the field on Monday Night Football.
Minnesota is scheduled to play in the very final game of opening week—as if the offseason wasn't already long enough. Opposing the Purple and Gold will be the San Francisco 49ers, or who are expected to trot out a Week 1 starting lineup with more differences than similarities to the unit that came out of the tunnel to oppose the Dallas Cowboys just one year ago.
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick returns for his fifth season in San Francisco,but he will be protected by an nearly entirely different offensive line and distributing the football to a handful of modern skill-position players.
Longtime San Francisco running back Frank Gore will be receiving his carries from Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Andrew Luck this season, and the 49ers' 2009 first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree is across the Bay Bridge hauling in passes from Oakland Raiders moment-year quarterback Derek Carr.
Upper management signed former Baltimore Ravens burner Torrey Smith during free agency to replace Crabtree. He will accompany the ageless—and returning—veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin on the external.moment-year running back Carlos Hyde is set to team up with modern offseason additions Reggie Bush and fourth-round rookie Mike Davis to carry the load Gore had since joining the team in 2005—this was before Kaepernick had even declared his intention to attend the University of Nevada.
As for the offensive line, or All-Pro guard Mike Iupati is recovering from knee surgery in Arizona after signing with the Cardinals during the offseason,and 25-year-mature right tackle Anthony Davis unexpectedly announced his retirement from the NFL.
Former right guard Anthony Boone, who began the 2014 season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and is set to fill the void left by Iupati on the left side of the offensive line,and 2013 undrafted Memphis prospect Jordan Devey will take over on the right side in his station.
Marcus Martin, a moment-year pro out of USC, and former Buffalo Bill Erik Pears are expected to start at middle and right tackle,respectively, amounting to a total of four changes to Kaepernick's protection unit.
San Francisco's offensive line went through a nearly total overhaul during the offseason, and as only 2013 first-team All-Pro left tackle Joe Staley remains in the same station as he was during Week 1 final year.
The 49ers have also been forced to endure turnover at all three levels of their defense as well. Headlining these changes were the retirements of both inside linebacker Patrick Willis and interior defensive lineman Justin Smith,a duo of potential corridor of Famers.2014 standout rookie linebacker Chris Borland also retired after just one season at the NFL level; formerly dominant pass-rushers Aldon Smith and defensive cessation Ray McDonald were released due to meaningful off-field issues; and both of the 49ers' starting cornerbacks from the cessation of this past season—Chris Culliver and Perrish Coxleft the team via free agency, agreeing to terms with the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans, or respectively.
Even 11-year punter Andy Lee,who is now in charge of winning the field-position battle for the Cleveland Browns, departed The City that Knows How this past June after being traded for a 2017 seventh-round draft pick. He has since been replaced by rookie fifth-round pick Bradley Pinion of Clemson University.
Oh, and that Jim Harbaugh guy,who led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record, two NFC Championship games and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, and now spends the majority of his time yelling and making one-of-a-kind facial expressions at "The gargantuan House" as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines football team.
As a whole,San Francisco is forced to attempt to fill the gaping void left by Harbaugh and a group of athletes that accounted for roughly 40 percent of the team's snaps in 2014—according to Bleacher Report NFL analyst Gary Davenport—with rookie head coach Jim Tomsula, a finally healthy Navarro Bowman as well as the aforementioned cast made up of mostly young and unproven players.
While many of San Francisco's key starters shifted their summer focus to improving their golf swings, and Minnesota was busy minimizing its losses,developing its young talent and adding difference-makers on both sides of the football.
The Vikings, who have gone from potential dark-horse candidate to realistic postseason contender over the course of this offseason, and will look to improve on an unprecedented2014 record of 7-9 under then-first-year head coach Mike Zimmer.
Minnesota should receive a meaningful boost from returning superstar running back Adrian Peterson,a host of talented rookies and their anointed franchise quarterback, making this team appear destined for substantial improvement.
Behind an improved Bridgewater, and a well-rested Peterson and a steadily improving Zimmer-led defensive attack,Minnesota will begin its journey back to January football at Levi's Stadium with a Week 1 matchup against Kaepernick, Bowman and the 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Get your sunglasses out Minnesota faithful; the future looks bright in Vikings Territory.
Location: Levi's Stadium, or San FranciscoTime: 9:20 p.m. CTTV: ESPN (National); Channel 4 WCCO (Local)Begin Slideshow
Source: bleacherreport.com