lets give him a chance .

Yes, the guy went a year without sacks, and another laid up with cancer. In all fairness, nobody got many sacks that year. He’s definitely not a speed-rusher, so he plays on the left side of the line. When he’s been in the lineup, he’s a big reason why the Vikes don’t give up many rushing yards. He’ll never be Julius Peppers (one of the best strongside ends in the leauge), but he’s definitely an improvement over Ray Edwards. Just remember that his job isn’t necessarily to get tons of sacks from that end of the line, but rather to make sure he holds the point of attack against double-teams from those big road-grader RTs and TEs. In that, he does a damn fine job. So, a first-round draft bonanza? Probably not. But a draft bust? Nope.

I personally think hes a bust but hes good enough to stick around in the NFL and be a OK player.

By that account, he was a bust long ago, but he had become a pretty good run-supporting LE before leukemia.

I hope he comes back from it and is an even better player, but realistically, he could be done. I wouldn’t personally call him a bust, and I’m glad he’s battled his disease to a non-life-threatening point. That’s the only important thing, really.

Will be back from cancer and get 28 sacks this year!!!!!!!!!

But I would say he is an under-achiever.

Udeze has made some good plays in his career, and he is good against the run. But he certainly has not lived up to his draft status.

I think this leukemia thing will really give him the motivation he needs to become what he has the ability to be, and that is a top-20 DE in the league.

Don’t forget there are 2 starting DE’s, so saying he is top 20 is like saying he is top 10.

He came in to upgrade the pass rush, and he did. In 2003, Lance Johnstone had 10, Kevin WIlliams, a rookie, had 10.5, no one else had more than 5. Johnstone was a situational pass rusher and not an every down guy, and he could be flat out dominated on the run. Kenny Mixon was just okay, and would disappear for chunks of games.

In Udeze’s rookie year of 2004, he was solid against the run and got a respectable 5 sacks, but if you look at old games, he brought consistent pressure from the perimeter, and he had a lot of hurries. With no one other than Kevin WIlliams and Udeze, it was easy to isolate those two with a C-G double team on KW, and tight end or RB help on Udeze, because God knows Chris Hovan couldn’t shake a block to save his life.

2005 was a knee injury, if I remember correctly, that took away most of his season.

2006 was coming back from the knee injury, stats were down, but again, he brought consistent pressure from the outside and had a fair amount of hurries.

A healthy 2007 saw him register 5 sacks and remain solid against the run, and of course, last season he was out while he battled leukemia.

Keep in mind he’s had little help, other than Kevin WIlliams, but in 2009, he’ll have Williams, Williams, and Jared Allen, who makes other people pee themselves from fear. If Udeze is healthy and still has his quickness, I can see him getting double digit sacks in 2009.

I think of someone who was drafted to be dominate and ended up out of the league in a few years. Not every player that is drafted in the first round is a pro bowler so I think a solid player that comes out of the 1st round is not always a bust. His trouble with cancer isn’t a injury problem but more of a freak occurrence. I hope he comes back and plays some good football, but either way it is hard to call him a bust because his best football might have been sidelined by a problem no one saw coming and that he had absolutely no control over/

His first year performance was mediocre at best, which is not what you expect from a 1st round draft pick of a lineman.

His second year was gone due to illness, but can he realistically expect to be gone a year of minimal exercise and no working out, then return and be a better lineman than he was when he was drafted?

Anything could happen, and I wish the best to Udeze (and the Vikes, of course :) ), but if he survives the roster more than the next year, I would be pleasantly surprised.

well i believe it is unfair to label Udeze a bust, just becasue of what he has been through. Hopefully he can get back to 100% and he returns to the vikes to help out our wounded defensive line thanks to the Star Caps incident. Get better Kenechi.