Childress: Rosenfels will start tonight

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Vikings coach Brad Childress told KFAN?s Paul Allen during an interview this morning that Sage Rosenfels will start at quarterback tonight against the Indianapolis Colts. Childress said on Wednesday that he did not know whether Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson would start the preseason opener.

With Rosenfels getting the first snaps tonight, Jackson presumably will start next week?s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Childress said ideally both quarterbacks would get the same amount of work. Childress also said Jackson might play into the third quarter. John David Booty will then finish out the game.

 

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ABOUT THE VIKINGS

Childress did say that whoever doesn't start tonight will start next Friday against Kansas City. ... As is often the case in the preseason, the Vikings are expected to go with a vanilla game plan, so it remains to be seen if any of the team's new offensive plays, i.e. the Wildcat formation, will be introduced. .... The Vikings are 5-4 in the preseason against the Colts franchise, with the last meeting coming on Aug. 24, 2001, at the Metrodome. The Vikings, however, are 7-15-1 in the regular season and postseason against the Colts and never have won a regular-season road game against the Colts, going 0-10 all-time at Indianapolis and Baltimore. The Colts rallied to beat the Vikings 18-15 in Week 2 of the regular season last year at the Metrodome. Jackson was benched after that defeat. ... TE Garrett Mills injured his left shoulder in practice this week and had his arm in a sling on Wednesday.



ABOUT THE COLTS

This will mark Jim Caldwell's first game as Colts head coach. Caldwell, who joined the team in 2002 as quarterbacks coach, was named to the position on Jan. 13, 2009, after Tony Dungy resigned. ... The Colts went 12-4 last season but finished second in the AFC South to Tennessee, which won an NFL-best 13 games. Indianapolis lost in the first round of the playoffs to San Diego. ... QB Peyton Manning won't play much. Backup Jim Sorgi is out because of a hamstring injury, meaning rookie sixth-round draft pick Curtis Painter could see extensive playing time. ... Caldwell has not been afraid to shake things up. He has benched left tackle Tony Ugoh and replaced him with 2006 sixth-round pick Charlie Johnson. ... The Colts will be without seven injured starters, including their entire secondary. Safeties Antoine Bethea (hand) and Bob Sanders (knee) and CBs Kelvin Hayden (hamstring) and Marlin Jackson (knee) are out. TE Dallas Clark (concussion), OT Ryan Diem (back) and WR Anthony Gonzalez (hamstring) won't play.

 

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Colts Clark continues to sit out with concussion

- Colts tight end Dallas Clark is expected to miss Friday night's preseason game against Minnesota and could be out until Monday with a slight concussion.

Clark missed his third straight practice Wednesday.

Starting right tackle Ryan Diem also sat out the morning workout after hurting his back. Coach Jim Caldwell says Diem would likely miss a couple of days.

Diem's absence elevated the recently demoted Tony Ugoh into the No. 1 spot on the right side of the line. Ugoh has played exclusively at left tackle since Indy drafted him in 2007.