Kenechi Udeze's Leukemia Is in Remission

The Vikings have plenty of questions heading into the 2008 season, but the run defense isn't one of them. According to Football Outsiders, Minnesota ranked second in 2007 and first in 2006 in stopping the run. The pass rush is a different story, but some of that can be blamed on injuries and bad luck.

In 2005, the Viking used the 18th-overall pick on defensive end Erasmus James, and he's still recovering from various knee surgeries that limited his playing time the last two seasons. And worse, 2005 first-rounder, defensive end Kenechi Udeze was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this off-season.

Minnesota is looking to bolster the position and improve the pass rush, but in the meantime, there's some great news on Udeze:

... Udeze announced today he is in remission from acute leukemia and also said his older brother is a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant, outstanding news for a player who has been suffering from the disease since the beginning of February.

According to the Star Tribune's Kevin Seifert, Udeze's bone marrow transplant procedure hasn't been scheduled yet, but it'll happen soon. I'm assuming he'll still miss the 2008 season, but in the scheme of things, that's hardly important. Hopefully, Udeze will make a full recovery and return to football, but as he rightly pointed out, "My health is my number one priority at this point."

Purple Jesus works in mysterious ways.