SB Nation - Karl Paymah

Practice Report: Cincinnati Bengals (9-3) at Minnesota Vikings (10-2)

Kirkendall — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:42:32 -0000

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI	STATUS
TE Chase Coffman (ankle)	OUT	OUT	OUT	IR
DT Domata Peko (knee)	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT
RB Bernard Scott (foot)	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT
S Chris Crocker (ankle)	DNP	DNP	LP	Questionable
S Kyries Hebert (knee)	DNP	DNP	LP	Questionable
WR Chad Ochocinco (knee)	--	--	LP	Probable
CB Morgan Trent (knee)	DNP	LP	FP	Probable
C Jonathan Luigs (back)	--	FP	FP	Probable

VIKINGS	WED	THUR	FRI	STATUS
WR Percy Harvin (illness)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
S Tyrell Johnson (concussion)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Doubtful
T Phil Loadholt (shoulder)	DNP	LP	LP	Questionable
RB Adrian Peterson (foot, ankle)	DNP	LP	LP	Probable
WR Bernard Berrian (hamstring)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
CB Cedric Griffin (neck)	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
G Anthony Herrera (concussion)	LP	LP	FP	Probable
G Steve Hutchinson (shoulder)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
T Bryant McKinnie (ankle)	LP	LP	FP	Probable
CB Karl Paymah (knee)	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
TE Visanthe Shiancoe (ribs)	LP	LP	FP	Probable
DT Pat Williams (foot)	LP	LP	FP	Probable
CB Antoine Winfield (foot)	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
QB Brett Favre (not injury related)	--	--	LP	Probable

Will Warner and Winfield Play Tonight?

Gonzo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:36:57 -0000

Upon inspection of the injury reports for both teams going into tonight's duel in the desert, each team has one very significant name listed, and the status of each of those players is up in the air at this point in time.

For the Vikings, that player is obviously cornerback Antoine Winfield, who has been absent from the Vikings' lineup since the second quarter of the Baltimore game. We had heard that #26 would be back for the game against the Seattle Seahawks, but found out that he had been deactivated prior to the start of the game. Winfield himself had said that he expected to be back for Minnesota's game against Chicago, but he was inactive last week, too. With the Vikings having to face the best trio of receivers they'll see this year, and perhaps in the entire National Football League in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston, the Vikings could certainly use the services of Winfield this evening.

Of course, the Vikings' pass defense has been doing okay without Winfield, and have gotten some playing time for some of the guys that are lower on the depth chart, such as Karl Paymah and rookie Asher Allen. That experience will only help this team as the post-season draws closer.

Winfield has told the Star-Tribune that he will be a game-time decision for tonight. I hope that he's out there, but I think the Vikings can still win without him.

Speaking of the Cardinals' passing game, their main concern lies with the man responsible for pulling the trigger on that attack, quarterback Kurt Warner. Warner suffered a concussion against the St. Louis Rams a couple of weeks ago, and missed the second half of that game, along with the Cardinals' loss to Tennessee last weekend. Warner's agent has said that he would be "surprised" if Warner didn't start for the Cardinals tonight, but there hasn't been any truly definitive word as to how clear Warner is at this point. Obviously, the Arizona offense becomes much less frightening if Matt Leinart starts at quarterback, but the Vikings' defensive line will definitely need to get after whichever player starts this evening. Minnesota leads the NFL in sacks, but the Cardinals have only allowed 18 sacks in 2009, fifth-fewest in the NFL.

These two players could potentially be difference makers in tonight's matchup of two on the NFL's best teams. It will be interesting to see if either or both of them take the field for their teams.

Well, Isn't That Special (Teams)?

Gonzo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:52:30 -0000

"Well, I'm sure somebody is responsible for the Vikings' improvement on special teams. . .I just don't know who. Could it beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. . .SATAN!?"

View full size photo »

Last season, many jokes were made on this site. . .and just about everywhere else. . .about the Minnesota Vikings' special teams, and with good reason. In 25 years of watching football, I can never, ever recall a Vikings special teams unit performing as horribly as the 2008 version did. Particularly egregious was the punt coverage unit, but as a whole the special teams were terrible in 2008, easily the worst in the NFL and, according to the good folks at Football Outsiders, the second-worst special teams unit of the DVOA era. Then, in the opener this year against Cleveland, the Beloved Purple gave up another punt return TD to Joshua Cribbs, and it looked like we might be in for more of the same.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the rest of the season.

According to Football Outsiders, the Vikings now have the top-rated special teams unit in the National Football League. That would make them the first ever worst-to-first unit of any kind in the DVOA era, and they're on track to totally destroy the mark for biggest single-season special teams DVOA improvement set by the 1998 Seattle Seahawks.

When trying to figure out how the Vikings' special teams got so much better from last season to this one, the first and easiest answer is, "Percy Harvin, duh!" But when FO.com asked Kevin Seifert for a couple of other reasons, the ones he gave made a whole lot of sense.

New coordinator in Brian Murphy. He's put his own spin on the coverage and blocking schemes. They seem more sound.

They have several new special teams-only players, including Kenny Onatolu, who came from the CFL. He is always around the ball.

Two of their draftees, Jasper Brinkley and Jamarca Sanford, are very good special teams players.

Their special teams captain of two years ago, Heath Farwell, has come back after missing 2008 because of an ACL.

The Farwell return has been huge, as we all knew it would be. But the drafting and free agent signings are very telling for this team as well. In the 2009 Draft, after the first couple of picks went to necessities (wide receiver with Harvin and offensive tackle with Phil Loadholt), the Vikings appeared to be drafting and signing players explicitly for special teams, specifically for young, fast guys that know how to tackle. That's how we get guys like Brinkley and Sanford, who have both been very good for us. We also get guys like Karl Paymah (who, for all his shortcomings as a CB, has been a good corner) and Onatolu, and we add them to already solid special teamers like Eric Frampton and Husain Abdullah. Young, fast, and athletic on special teams is always helpful. This keeps Brad Childress from having to play too many starters on special teams and keep them more focused on doing their "real" jobs as well.

A huge pat on the back has to go to Brian Murphy, who had the unenviable task of turning around one of the biggest special teams disasters ever and has done an outstanding job so far. Here's hoping that the Vikings can keep it up for another seven games. Or eight. Or nine. Or, ideally, ten.

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings, Mid-Season Edition

Gonzo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:44:23 -0000

I really meant to do one of these back during the pre-season so that we'd have something to compare it to at this point, but I forgot to. I apologize for that. But, as usual, we'll have our mid-season version. . .conveniently designed to go along with the Vikings' bye week. . .and our post-season version to compare.

I've done these for the past couple of seasons, after originally getting the idea from our friends over at Dawgs by Nature. (See the 2007 mid-season and post-season versions, as well as the 2008 mid-season and post-season versions.) These aren't official or anything, and are more designed to spark conversations/debate than anything else. Since the table that these rankings are placed in is pretty huge, I'll put it in after the jump for everyone to have a look at. Enjoy, and tell us what you think!

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Comment
1	Jared Allen, DE	Greatest trade in Vikings' history? If it's not, it's certainly on the short list. In 24 games since coming to Minnesota, #69 has 25 sacks (3 of which have resulted in safeties), 5 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, and has generally just been the best 4-3 defensive end in the National Football League. He'd probably be the Defensive Player of the Year if the season ended today.
2	Brett Favre, QB	Okay, raise your hand if you thought the guy would be this good. looks around I doubt it was that many, but anyhow. . .in eight games, Favre has turned the ball over all of four times (only one of which. . .against St. Louis. . .could probably be classed as egregiously awful), has a 4:1 TD/turnover ratio, and a quarterback rating of a cool 106.0. Yes, it remains to see how he'll perform over the second half of the year, but the returns have been good so far.
3	Adrian Peterson, RB	You know the bar has been set pretty high for you when you're tied for second in the NFL in rushing yards, averaging almost 5 yards/carry, are second in the league in rushing touchdowns. . .and some folks are under the perception that you're struggling. He's on pace for 40 fewer regular season carries this year than he got last year, and as long as teams still want to defend the Vikings like they have Gus Frerotte at quarterback, his numbers will probably stay low. . .keeping him fresh for the post-season.
4	Percy Harvin, WR	Surprised to see him this high? Don't be. How much of an impact has Harvin had? With him returning kickoffs, the Vikings have the best average starting field position in the NFL. He's also been a big part of the Vikings going from having one of the worst special teams units of the last 20 years to being one of the better units in the league, according to the DVOA rankings from Football Outsiders. Oh, and he's done alright catching the ball, too. Barring an injury, we can probably just stop the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting right now and hand the award to #12. (Oh, and another big thank you to T.J. Houshmandzadeh for signing with the Seahawks. . .because if we had him, we likely wouldn't have Harvin.)
5	Kevin Williams, DT	The best all-around defensive tackle in football has been blowing up interior linemen all season long. He's on pace to have his first double-digit sack season since 2004, and he's still incredible against the run. Oh, and he's thrown in 6 defended passes, too. To borrow a phrase from Eric. . .greatest "missed draft pick" ever? Greatest "missed draft pick" ever.
6	Sidney Rice, WR	Nobody on the Vikings' roster has benefited more from the addition of Brett Favre than El Sid. It's hard to believe that the University of South Carolina produced both Rice and Troy Williamson, since Sidney is pretty much the anti-Williamson. He's on pace to have 1170 receiving yards (and hopefully more than the 2 TDs he has currently), and he has the most ridiculous set of hands this team has seen since Cris Carter left town. Yes, Randy Moss included.
7	Ryan Longwell, K	Ridiculous to put the kicker this high? Perhaps. . .but ponder this: Every time this season a ball that he's kicked has gone past the line of scrimmage, it's gone through the uprights (his only "miss" this season was the block at the end of the first half of the San Francisco game). His kickoffs have been pretty darn good, too. One can't underestimate the importance of a kicker as good as Longwell has been this season.
8	Chad Greenway, LB	The Vikings' leading tackler after the first half of the season, he's also tossed in a couple of interceptions and 4 passes defended. He's really gotten a lot better in coverage over the course of his Viking career, and has become one of the better all-around linebackers in the NFL.
9	Steve Hutchinson, G	Still the best at his position in the National Football League, despite getting called for his first holding penalty in 27 games last weekend against Green Bay. Meanwhile, Nate Burleson is still doing nothing in Seattle. Yeah, I still think the Vikings got the better of that little exchange.
10	Bryant McKinnie, T	McKinnie has been much maligned over the course of the past couple of seasons, and we would lament how he would get abused by speed rushers. However, after making the adjustment to having Brett Favre at QB early in the season (along with the rest of the O-line), McKinnie has done a hell of a job, and is finally really starting to live up to the huge payday he got a couple of years ago. He looks like the tackle the Vikings thought they were getting when they drafted him in 2002.
11	Antoine Winfield, CB	Ordinarily he would be much higher on this list, but his injuries. . .coupled with the fact that the Vikings haven't missed him nearly as much this year as anybody might have thought. . .push him down a little bit. Don't get me wrong, he's still one of the best in the league at his position, but he hasn't had quite the impact so far this season that one would think.
12	Pat Williams, DT	Phat Pat got off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, some of which could possibly be attributed to getting a late start on the pre-season festivities, but has come around over the course of the past few games, and is back to being his usual bad-ass, run-stuffing self. He's even contributed his annual sack with his takedown of Aaron Rodgers in Week 8.
13	Ray Edwards, DE	You know. . .when he's not busy jumping offsides or getting ridiculous late hit penalties, Ray Ray has actually had a pretty solid year thus far, with 26 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks. Sure, he might be the "weak link" on the defensive line, but being the weak link on a defensive line this good is sort of like being a MENSA member with an IQ of "only" 135.
14	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	Second in the NFL in touchdown catches among tight ends, he gives the Vikings yet another weapon to utilize around the goal line. One could argue that he should be getting more catches, but with the emergence of Harvin and Rice, I'm not sure where those catches would come from. (Yes, I know, "Tahi" is the obvious answer.)
15	Ben Leber, LB	Still the quietest member of the defense, but as always, you don't hear his name called very often, which means he's doing what he's asked to do. Occasionally spectacular, but always solid. Still the only good thing Fran Foley ever did for the Minnesota Vikings.
16	Phil Loadholt, OT	The massive rookie from Oklahoma grabbed hold of the starting RT slot in training camp and, like most things he gets a hold of, he hasn't shown any signs of letting go of it any time soon. He did miss a game because of injury, but overall has provided a level of play that few may have expected from him as a rookie. We'll have to keep an eye on him to see if he hits the "wall" during the course of the year.
17	E.J. Henderson, LB	I'm surprised that he's down this far, too, but really. . .who ahead of him do you move? Frankly, E.J. just hasn't looked like E.J. most of the time this season. A good portion of the Vikings' woes against tight ends can be attributed to him (though there is blame to be spread around. . .give me a bit), and he just hasn't been the beast that he was prior to the dislocated toes that caused him to miss most of 2008. He is getting better, though, and hopefully will continue to do so as the season goes on.
18	Bernard Berrian, WR	He's had some injury problems this year, and his average yards/catch is significantly lower than it was in 2008, but he's still providing a pretty steady presence on the outside. He's become pretty much automatic on slant routes thus far this season, and it's only a matter of time before corners and safeties start biting on those and opening up big gainers over the top. He's not the #1 option any more, but he's still solid.
19	Cedric Griffin, CB	This is just my personal opinion, but there isn't a more frustrating player on the Vikings' roster to watch than Cedric Griffin. The guy has a ton of talent, and we know he has the capability to be really good (see the second half of last year), but there are too many times when he forgets how to tackle and gets beaten in coverage. Sadly, he's not even the most disappointing member of the secondary this season.
20	Anthony Herrera, G	Another guy we haven't heard a whole lot from this season, which is a positive. For the most part, he seems to be doing a relatively solid job at the right guard spot.
21	John Sullivan, C	For a guy starting at center for the first time in the NFL to be the pivot on an offense this good says a lot about Sullivan's ability. Has he been great all the time? No. . .but he hasn't been a tremendous drop-off from Matt Birk's play last year, either, and he's still been pretty good, despite a couple of mental errors (like the mis-timed snap in Green Bay).
22	Chris Kluwe, P	Yeah, he had a crappy ~~game~~ half against Pittsburgh, and Joshua Cribbs got a punt return TD against the Vikings in Week 1. . .he does that to a lot of teams. . .but Kluwe has made a lot of strides over last season, in my opinion. The willingness of the Guitar Hero to (finally) sacrifice some distance for hang time has been another part of the Vikings' special teams turnaround.
23	Jimmy Kennedy, DT	If Jimmy Kennedy isn't a testament to the amazing abilities of Vikings' defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, I'm really not sure what is. Kennedy has served the Vikings very well as a rotation player to this point of the season, and may be putting himself in line to be a replacement for Pat Williams in the near future. Yeah, "solid rotation" player isn't necessarily what you want from a guy that was once drafted #11 overall. . .but it's a hell of a lot more than St. Louis, Jacksonville, or Chicago got out of him.
24	Madieu Williams, S	One of the bigger disappointments on the team this year, in my opinion. There have been a few occasions where Williams has just looked completely lost this season, and for a veteran guy like him, that shouldn't happen. He really, really needs to step up his level of play in the second half of the season in order to bring the Vikings' pass defense up to where it needs to be.
25	Tyrell Johnson, S	The other biggest disappointment for the Vikings this year. I know this is his first year as the full-time starter, but he just hasn't been all that good. Nobody questions Johnson's physical ability, to be sure, but he needs to show more of why the Vikings took him in the second round in 2008.
26	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	We just keep putting Kleinsasser out there as a blocker every year, and he just keeps destroying everything in his path. I'm not sure how many years the guy can keep doing this, but he certainly hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.
27	Cullen Loeffler, LS	I'll put the same thing I put next to his entry every year. . .when's the last time you remember the Vikings' special teams units being victimized by a bad snap? Loeffler is solid.
28	Heath Farwell, LB	The Vikings had a lot of turnover in their special teams coverage units between 2008 and 2009, but the return of Heath Farwell has been huge. He's always around the ball on special teams, whether it's kick returns or punt returns, and his tackling is as sure as ever.
29	Jeff Dugan, FB/TE	Remember when most of us thought the only reason the Vikings drafted Jeff Dugan was because he went to Maryland like Mike Tice did? Yeah, that was five seasons ago, and Dugan is still here. He's a solid blocker, and has even gotten a couple of passes this year. One of the more underrated Vikings. . .probably underrated on this list, too.
30	Chester Taylor, RB	This may seem way too low for Chester, but his yards/carry average is way down this year, and I really think we're seeing his last season in Minnesota, as he's in the final year of his contract. With the expansion of Adrian Peterson's role as a receiver and the improvement in his pass blocking, #29 just isn't as vital as he's been in years past.
31	Naufahu Tahi, FB	Good enough blocker, but again, I'll go with something I say every year. . .STOP THROWING HIM THE FOOTBALL. (Although he did have a 30+ yard catch-and-run against St. Louis, which means there are probably more plays in the playbook for him than ever.)
32	Brian Robison, DE	It's not that Robison is bad or anything, because he's clearly not. He just doesn't get a whole lot of opportunities with the guy he has in front of him taking all the snaps. Oh, and Brian. . .the next time a kickoff bounces into your hands, just fall down. . .please?
33	Jaymar Johnson, WR	Another guy that could probably be a few spots higher, he's stepped into the punt return role quite nicely after the injury to Darius Reynaud. Wouldn't mind seeing him get a few more shots as a receiver, but who's he going to displace, barring injury?
34	Kenny Onatolu, LB	I was really rooting for this guy to make the squad after his pre-season performance, and he hasn't disappointed, adding more solid play to the Vikings' special teams units.
35	Greg Lewis, WR	IT'S GREG LEWIS! TOUCHDOWN! OH MY GOODNESS! GREG LEWIS! WELCOME TO MINNESOTA! OH MY HEAVENS!
36	Fred Evans, DT	Twenty-nine taser-free months and counting for Evans. Way to go, #90!
37	Benny Sapp, CB	Could make an argument that he could be higher, I suppose. He's had his moments but, like many parts of the Vikings' secondary this season, he's made a few highlight reels for the wrong reasons, too.
38	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	Hasn't been a disruption, and has actually taken his demotion quite well. Has seen a bit of time in mop-up duty as well. I hope we don't have to see him this year, but if we do, I have confidence that he could do the job for a little while, at least.
39	Letroy Guion, DT	Has bounced back and forth between the active roster and the inactive list, but has done a solid enough job in the time he's gotten.
40	Artis Hicks, OL	Filled in for Phil Loadholt when the big guy was out with an injury, and played pretty well. Still a solid backup at numerous positions.
41	Asher Allen, CB	Has spent most of the year on the inactive list, but has been up for the last two games and has asserted himself pretty well. Easy to see the potential the Vikings seem to think he has.
42	Jasper Brinkley, LB	Hasn't seen much time as a LB, but has been a very good special teamer thus far.
43	Karl Paymah, CB	After watching him get thoroughly abused against Baltimore, it became clear why he was brought in as a special teamer and not a cornerback. He recovered nicely against Pittsburgh, though. . .and, hopefully, will be finding his way back to a strictly special teams role here soon.
44	Darius Reynaud, WR	Was doing an outstanding job as a punt returner before his injury, and now might not get his punt returner spot back thanks to Jaymar Johnson's performance.
45	Eric Frampton, S	Hasn't gotten the opportunity to come alive on defense. . .yes, I continue to murder that joke. . .but has been a good special teamer.
46	Husain Abdullah, S	See above, but without the reference to Peter Frampton.
47	Jamarca Sanford, S	Hasn't been up for all the games, but again has been a solid special teamer in the games that he has been.
48	Ryan Cook, OT	No Ryan Cook on the field makes Gonzo a happy blogger and Vikings quarterbacks much healthier than they may normally be.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	Sage Rosenfels, QB	The best-compensated #3 quarterback in the league. Nice work, if you can get it.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	Still pretty talented, but there just isn't room for him in Minnesota's defensive line rotation. Damn shame, too.
NA	Erin Henderson, LB	Heck, I'm not sure if Henderson the Younger is even still on the team.
NA	Jon Cooper, C	Was signed, then released, then signed again, and I don't think he's seen the field this year.
NA	Albert Young, RB	Hasn't seen the field this year, either.

And there you have it. I'm pretty sure that I haven't missed anybody. . .if I have, let me know, and I'll work them into the rankings at the appropriate place.

Friday Injury Report: Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Brandon — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:57:32 -0000

It's a good sized injury list for both teams this week. For the Packers, they are missing players that have been out the past couple of weeks, while the Vikings might have a problem with depth at WR and LB.

Mike McCarthy spoke about the injuries at his press conference. Clifton and Tauscher were both listed as full participants in practice, but McCarthy said he and his staff will decide on Saturday who will start. Reading between the lines, LT T.J. Lang and RT Allen Barbre will remain the starters. He said Finley had a chance to play, but he hasn't practiced all week, so I expect he's out. I didn't know either Martin or Woodson was hurt, it must have happened last week in Cleveland, and while Martin is probably out, Woodson will almost certainly play. Matthews was knocked out mid-game against the Browns, but he should play against the Vikings. Rodgers has been bothered by a sore foot for a couple weeks, but it hasn't kept him out yet. Sitton must have gotten hurt this week in practice, but he should start. Hall, Nelson, Spitz and Wynn have all been out for at least two weeks, and none of them should be expected to play this week either. WR James Jones might play a big role as the 3rd WR this week as he should take all of Nelson's playing time.

For the Vikings, their big problem is that CB Antoine Winfield is out again. CB Karl Paymah is one of his replacements, they're rotating 3 different backs in place of Winfield, and he's battling a quad injury. 3 WRs are hurting. Even if Berrian does play, he won't be 100%. Harvin's injury has been undisclosed, but he's likely battling a migraine, which may or may not clear up by Sunday. Reynaud is their punt returner, and he was out for the Packers' game in Minneapolis too. I'm a fan of both Henderson and Leber, and while both starting LBs should play, neither will be 100%. Obviously Favre will play despite being listed on the injury report. It's not a critical injury report, but with 3 players listed from both WR and LB, they could run into problems if another player is hurt at either position.

The complete injury list is after the jump.

Packers:

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Chad Clifton	T	Ankle	Full Participation	Questionable
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Korey Hall	FB	Calf	Out	Out
Derrick Martin	S	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable
Clay Matthews	LB	Jaw	Full Participation	Probable
Jordy Nelson	WR	Knee	Out	Out
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Foot	Full Participation	Probable
Josh Sitton	G	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Jason Spitz	C/G	Back	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Mark Tauscher	T	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Charles Woodson	CB	Hip	Full Participation	Probable
Jarius Wynn	DE	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable

Vikings:

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Bernard Berrian	WR	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable
Jasper Brinkley	LB	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable
Brett Favre	QB	Hip	Limited Participation	Probable
Percy Harvin	WR	Illness	Limited Participation	Questionable
E.J. Henderson	LB	Knee	Limited Participation	Probable
Ben Leber	LB	Calf	Limited Participation	Probable
Karl Paymah	CB	Quadriceps	Full Participation	Probable
Darius Reynaud	WR	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable
Naufahu Tahi	FB	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Antoine Winfield	CB	Foot	Did Not Participate	Out

The Fight For First Place: Round Two

Mitchell_M — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:41:12 -0000

Some are calling it the "Game of the Century". Others are calling it the "Hostile Homecoming". Still others are calling it "Favre-Packers v.2.0".

Me? I call it Week 9 of the NFL season.

Admittedly, our opponent this week is eerily similar to the team that handed Green Bay its second loss of the season. We know this team very well, and the only major change is the injury to their star cornerback. Therefore, the actual matchup preview will be abbreviated. Those of you who hate my lengthy previews: commence rejoycing.

MIN rushing vs. GB defense: Adrian Peterson is still scary-good, as is the offensive line that blocks for him. Phil Loadholt has been somewhat hampered by a few nagging injuries, as had Steve Hutchinson, but both seem to be back to normal now. Peterson's rushing stats have actually been underwhelming in 2009, putting up yardage totals of 85, 55, 63, and 69 in four of the last five weeks.

Green Bay gets a major boost to its rush defense compared to the week 4 version of the team now that Atari Bigby is healthy and playing. The defensive line has also been playing well; B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins have managed to get consistent penetration and break up plays as they develop. The linebackers, most notably A.J. Hawk, have been streaky, but I attribute that more to having a surplus of contributors (Hawk, Nick Barnett, Brandon Chillar, Aaron Kampman, and Clay Matthews) and a vast array of sub packages.

Advantage: Still Minnesota, but not as much as before.

MIN passing vs. GB defense: Well, Brett Favre is not playing the same way he did to start the season. He's thrown 79 passes in the last two games, including 50 in last week's incredibly fluky loss to Pittsburgh. He has shown the ability to make any throw at any time, including the deep ball, where he puts it in a place where only his receiver can adjust and catch the football.

Minnesota's receiving corps is somewhat of a question mark. Bernard Berrian is dealing with hamstring problems, Percy Harvin is dealing with illness/shoulder issues (isn't he always?), leaving 2009 breakout Sidney Rice and 2008 Playgirl centerfold Visanthe Shiancoe as the main passing targets. I'd include Chester Taylor on this list, but he nearly got decapitated trying to catch a wildly-overpowered bullet dropped a short screen pass that led to the Vikes' first loss.

Besides Atari Bigby's return, the most important development between Week 4 and now is Dom Capers' realization that Aaron Kampman is effective out of a three-point stance. By shifting him to end on passing downs, Capers has enormous flexibility with his nickel and dime packages. Remember when we saw Kampman in coverage on the play where Favre had 8+ seconds to find a receiver? Don't expect to see that again.

Advantage: Minnesota, if you go by the numbers, but Green Bay has closed the gap.

GB rushing vs. MIN defense: Goodbye 2008 Ryan Grant, hello 2007 Ryan Grant. After seemingly endless questions regarding his ability, his fit in Green Bay, and the deservedness of his contract, Grant had his first breakout game in seemingly forever. This doesn't mean the questions don't still stand, but at least we know he is still capable of what got him his money in the first place. Brandon Jackson takes the place of oft-injured DeShawn Wynn, and might be a better fit as a change-of-pace back.

The offensive line looks much different than it did in the previous meeting, most notably with T.J. Lang likely filling in for Chad Clifton (re-aggravated ankle injury) at LT and Scott Wells possibly taking over for Jason Spitz (back injury). Wells has a huge chip on his shoulder after losing the job to Spitz in pre-season, and Lang has something to prove as a rookie protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side from The Mullet. Combined with the potential availability of Mark Tauscher, the offensive line is nebulous, to say the least.

Minnesota has regained the notorious run defense that made them famous earlier in the decade, coming in at 5th in the league. Pat Williams' decline has seemed to have stalled for the time being, and the Vikings have avoided major injury to crucial players in their front seven (E.J. Henderson is the only starter listed any lower than questionable).

Advantage: Minnesota by a considerable margin.

GB passing vs. MIN defense: Aaron Rodgers is surpassing more expectations than anyone could have reasonably laid out for him. Every notable stat in the NFL has Rodgers among the leaders. First in yards per attempt (9.3), second in QB rating (110.8), tied for third for fewest interceptions (2), sixth in yards per game (283.7), and eighth in completion percentage (65.8).

Donald Driver has been crucial to Rodgers' success, as the 34-year old receiver leads the team in catches (27) and yards (479), not to mention sick one-handed grabs while his other hand is held by a defender (two). Greg Jennings has been unusually quiet in the first half of the season, and James Jones had to overcome a rough start before he got back on track. The absence of Jordy Nelson and (likely) Jermichael Finley puts more pressure on Donald Lee and Jake Allen, newly-promoted off the practice squad.

Minnesota leads the league in sacks with 25. That statistic is more than enough testament to their talent against the pass. However, with Antoine Winfield dealing with a foot sprain, he may or may not be available for Sunday, and likely won't be 100% if he does play. Karl Paymah and Benny Sapp will team up to replace Winfield's presence, and it's highly likely they won't come close.

Advantage: Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers put up his best statistical game of the season despite getting sacked 8 times. If he gets that number cut by half, it will be a long day for fans of the purple squad.

Preliminary verdict: This game is easily the most important game for Green Bay of the season. I cannot imagine a way for Green Bay to remain relevant in the playoff picture if this game ends up putting the Packers at 4-3. The second tier of NFC teams is too good to risk going for a wild-card berth, especially when the team is only 1.5 games out of first place in the division.

If Green Bay wants to win, they need to do three simple things. They are, in no particular order,

Run directly at Jared Allen. Pull guards, lead with Quinn Johnson, double team him. As a smaller DE, he is less effective against the run, and if there's any hope of stifling his pass rush, it's making him tired early in the game.
Test the Minnesota safeties. With Winfield possibly out and definitely limited, Madieu Williams takes the brunt of the coverage duties. That is a weakness worth exploiting.
Wrap, swarm, and strip AP. Clay Matthews' signature play of his young career is the strip-fumble TD of Adrian Peterson. That might not happen again, but the gang tackling and proper mechanics must if the defense expects to limit Peterson's production.

All of these things must happen in order for Green Bay to win. Not one, not two, but all three. If Jared Allen gets after Rodgers, thus preventing Rodgers from throwing downfield, and Minnesota keeps the ball by using Peterson to chew up the clock, the Vikings will have this game in the bag.

I have no idea how this will play out. I'm certain it will be as entertaining as it will be hard-fought. There's no love lost between these two teams (not to mention their respective quarterbacks), and I expect nothing but the maximum effort from both.

That being said, let's get 'em.

Poll

What outcome do you see for Week 9 vs. Minnesota?

Big GB win.

122 votes

Slim GB win.

288 votes

Too close to call.

94 votes

Slim MIN win.

87 votes

Big MIN win.

94 votes

685 votes | Poll has closed

Fake Mailbag Friday!

ericj69 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:52:59 -0000

She's the Antoine Winfield of Hollywood. Amy Winehouse is more like the Carl Paymah of Hollywood. Need I say more?

View full size photo »

If you've read my articles with any frequency, it should be of no surprise that I'm a bit of a Bill Simmons fan. When I first started reading his Sports Guy articles back in 2001, my first thought was "Holy crap, that's exactly how I would write about sports! You know, if I could actually write and stuff." Eight years later, here we are--I still can't write, but I still try to ~~blatantly rip him off~~ model my style of writing after his. Now I have an online following about 0.0000001% the size of Simmons' audience. But I get to write about my favorite team, which is awesome even if I make just slightly less money than Bill for doing it.

So to pay tribute to the Sports Guy for inspiring me (and also because I couldn't think of a good theme for this week's article), I'm shamelessly stealing one of his most popular column gimmicks--the mailbag!

Unfortunately, barely anybody actually emails me about the Vikings. Probably because I'm just another dude on a blog and nobody cares what I think? Oh well. At least I still have my imagination. So without further ado, I present to you my first-ever Fake Mailbag! Let's get to the fake questions I totally made up:

Now that I have approved a new stadium approved for Los Angeles Cal-i-for-nee-ah, are you sceeahed that we will Terminator your team and give them a Total Recall to Jingle All The Way to L.A.? Or do you think just because you have The Last Action Hero (Brett Favre) and The Running Man (Adrian Peterson) that you will avoid The Predator and stay in Minnesota with your Twins?

--Ahhnold S., California

As Anthony pointed out yesterday, Ahhnold has approved the legislature for a new stadium in L.A. Bottom line: this means that sooner or later, an NFL team is moving to Los Angeles. The stadium construction won't be started until a team is actually moving there, but I'm guessing that the league wants a team in the second biggest TV market in the country. Just a hunch. There won't be expansion, because 32 teams is almost utopian for scheduling.

While this isn't exactly thrilling news for Vikings fans, I'm finding it hard to believe that we'd be the team to move. We actually sell out our games (especially after the arrival of The Last Action Hero) and the local fans actually give a crap. Sure, we probably need a new stadium in a few years, but won't Jacksonville already be in LA by then? (Sorry to all fourteen Jags fans, but that city just doesn't care enough about their team.)

(By the way, let's see Simmons cram seven Schwarzenegger movie references into two sentences. Also, if you're looking to kill a few minutes, there's no better way to do so than with the Arnold soundboard. I'M A COP YOU IDIOT!)

How terrified are you that I'm going to almost certain to get lots of playing time on Sunday?

--Karl Paymah, Eden Prairie, MN

Let's just say that your jersey would be the scariest Halloween costume to every Viking fan on the planet.

With all of the talent on the Vikings' roster, Antoine Winfield is probably the one player we can't afford to lose for any length of time. He's incredibly crucial against the run and he can mute the effect of the opponent's best receiver. Paymah was brought in to be a special teams ace, and he's fit the bill admirably. But going from Winfield to Paymah at corner is like going from Megan Fox to Amy Winehouse. Hopefully rookie Asher Allen can step up in his first major action of the year, but we certainly can't expect that. Paymah, Cedric Griffin, and Benny Sapp are going to need to play out of their minds on Sunday to keep up with the top-tier aerial attack of the Steelers. (Yes, it felt just as weird typing that about the Steelers as it was reading it.)

How can I explain to the jury that my erection is due to how excited I am to face a depleted Vikings secondary and not because of the hotel employee in the courtroom?

--Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh, PA

That's a tough one Ben. Did you ask her "Hey, want to see why they call me 'Big Ben'?" Because if I were you, I'd say that about 300 times a day. If you had only learned from Kobe...but I digress. I understand how thrilled you must be to face a Winfield-less Vikings team that gave up roughly 2,538 yards in the 4th quarter to the Ravens last week.

Big Ben is having one of the sneakiest great statistical years that I can remember. He leads the league in passing yards and has more fantasy points than Drew Brees. Yet nobody is really talking about him; which is doubly weird because of that whole "incident." If the Vikings can't get #7 to the ground early and often, it's going to be a long day for our Beloved Purple.

(I was going to go with the "Vikings need to get all over Roethlisberger like he works at Harrah's Lake Tahoe" joke there, but I thought it was a little tasteless. More mailbag and my Week 7 picks after the jump.)

Are you guys excited to see me back on the field? And how great are my Head & Shoulders commercials?

--Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh

To answer your first question: absolutely not. The Steelers defense is nowhere near as dominant when you were sidelined with your injury...much like I think the Vikings will be without Winfield this week. As for your commercials: they're classic. I've never seen no-brainer marketing and humor mixed in so seamlessly with quasi-homoeroticism. "You asked with your eyes Trent. You asked with your eyes."

Um...what happened? Why am I here?

--Willie Parker, The Turf After 1.8 yards

Sorry Willie, but we're going to have to revoke your "Fast" nickname. Yeah, just put it back in the bin next to LaDanian's old nickname. He had to give "LT" back. We shouldn't have given it to him in the first place since it was already taken, but he was embarrassing it to the point where we were forced to take it back.

Is there anything more inexplicable/fascinating in the sports world than the sudden cliff a running back falls off in productivity? One minute a guy can't be tackled be a wrecking ball; the next minute it looks like toddlers can arm tackle him. I think that Willie Parker may have hit that cliff. Unfortunately for Vikings fans, it looks like Rashard Mendenhall is going to pick up the slack fairly well.

It sounds like you don't have much confidence in my team this week. How come? Is it because we're undefeated? Is it because I'm the leading rusher in the NFL? Is it because we have the third highest rated passer in the NFL right now? Maybe it's because only the Saints score more points than us? Or were you scared how the Steelers went down to the wire with teams like the Lions and Titans?

--The Purple Jesus, You Know Damn Well Where I Am

Although you present excellent arguments, I'm playing the role of Purple Judas this week. If Winfield was healthy, I'd pick the Vikes here. But I think his absence will really have a huge negative impact for the Vikings defense against the Steelers. Pittsburgh can and will spread us out with multiple dangerous wide receivers (start Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward, fantasy players), and I don't see our secondary keeping up. Throw in the fact that we're historically bad on the road outdoors and on grass along with how we've more or less got lucky in two of our wins, and I think we're due for the first L of 2009 on Sunday.

Prediction: Steelers 31, Vikings 27

(But after my picks last week, you should feel good about the Vikings' chances.)

What the hell went wrong with your picks last week? You're cruising along all year, then you barely break .500 in Week 6? I lost money because of you!

--A figment of my imagination (because nobody would ever gamble based on who I pick)

You know what? You're right. Time to get back on track. My Week 7 picks (home team in CAPS):

Packers over BROWNS: Wow, Detroit and Cleveland in back-to-back weeks? Rough schedule there Green Bay. Oh wait...

TEXANS over 49ers: I went back and forth on this game at least a dozen times. There are so many reasons to pick for and against each team...so I just said eff it and went with the home team.

Chargers over CHIEFS: When you pour Gatorade on your coach to celebrate going 1-5, chances are I'm not going to pick your team very often.

Colts over RAMS: Can we update the NFL rules to include a running clock for the second half of this game? This is my Eliminator pick of the week, but I already feel terrible for how bad the Rams are going to get their asses handed to them.

Patriots over Buccaneers (In London): Oh bloody 'ell Bucs fans!! Not only does your team get rogered out of a home game, but you're going to get knackered by New England...in Jolly Old England! Right-o chaps!

PANTHERS over Bills: Last week the Bills proved that if you throw six interceptions, they can beat you in overtime. I see only 4, maybe 5 picks from Delhomme this week, tops. That's why I'm picking Carolina.

Jets over RAIDERS: Good news for both teams: Tom Cable won't have to go to jail, and Mark Sanchez doesn't have to play in the New York weather this week. Bad news for both teams: Cable still coaches the Raiders, and Sanchez still plays for New York.

Falcons over COWBOYS: I originally had Dallas here, but I honestly couldn't come up with any reasons why they'd win. Maybe if Atlanta got lost on their way to the field...after arriving at the stadium. I'm fairly certain that could happen.

Saints over DOLPHINS; The Dolphins could control the clock with their Wildcat-happy offense for 55 minutes of this game, and I still think the ridiculous Saints offense could win by a field goal. I'll take the Saints in a game that might be closer than people think.

Bears over BENGALS: The Cedric Benson Bowl! How ironic is it that Benson is performing exponentially better than Matt Forte this season? If this game happened next week, I'd choose the Bengals. No way the Official Team of Halloween gets beat on Halloween weekend at home. But alas, we're a week too early, and I think the Bears have a better team overall.

GIANTS over Cardinals: The Cardinals looked great last week in a win over the Seahawks. Of course, that means the Cardinals will look terrible this week and get blown out by the Giants. That's how they work.

Eagles over REDSKINS: Imagine you're the President of the United States. However, you can't sign any bills or veto anything and you have to do every speech naked. I think that's what Jim Zorn feels like right now. A pointless, embarrassed figurehead.

Last week: 8-6

Season so far: 66-24

Vikings Kick Tires on Cornerbacks

Gonzo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:24:27 -0000

With Antoine Winfield's status for this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers up in the air at this point, the Vikings have brought in some cornerbacks to potentially sign. It's not a replacement for Winfield, mind you, but more than likely for a spot on the practice squad, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The three players that the Vikings brought in today were DeAndre Wright, who was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2009 draft, Trae Williams, a 2008 fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles that spent last season on the Jaguars' practice squad, and Mark Parson, who spend the pre-season with the Houston Texans after going undrafted out of Ohio University.

According to Sean Jensen, the Vikings are expected to sign Wright to the practice squad in the very near future.

If Winfield is out this Sunday, it's likely that third-round pick Asher Allen would see his first NFL action for the Beloved Purple at the House that Ketchup Built this weekend. Or, at least, one would hope so. . .because if I see Karl Paymah out there playing anything but special teams on Sunday, I'm going to be significantly disappointed.

Vikings Complete Cuts; Final 53-Man Roster Announced

Gonzo — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:09:15 -0000

We'll get cut together
So now it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To the league, who can tell?
The coach wants to see me he said
"Bring your playbook"
Well I'll still get paid I hope because. . .

IT'S THE FINAL CUTDOWN!!
DUH NUH NUH NUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. . .DUH NUH NUH UH UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Stupid Youtube making me put this below the video rather than right next to it. Took me half an hour to realize that you apparently can't do that like you used to.

Anyway, let's hit the jump here and we'll compare the Vikings' roster to what I had envisioned them doing.

Quarterback

Gonzo's Prediction (3): Brett Favre, Sage Rosenfels, John David Booty
Actual Roster (3): Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Rosenfels

I didn't think they'd cut Booty, but I'm guessing they'll try to get him to the practice squad. Whether that actually happens or not is another matter. However, based on what we've seen from him the last two pre-seasons, I don't think I'll be terribly disappointed if he slips through our grasp.

By the way, the order in the "actual roster" list there reflects how I think the depth chart should look. Jackson clearly outplayed Rosenfels for most of the post-season, which means we spent a fourth-round pick and gave a three-year extension to a guy that should be inactive most Sundays. Peachy.

Running Back

Gonzo's Prediction (4): Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Albert Young, Naufahu Tahi
Actual Roster (4): Peterson, Taylor, Young, Tahi

No real suspense here. The coaching staff has liked Albert Young since last year, and Ian Johnson just couldn't overcome that. I honestly don't think that he'll get through to the practice squad, which is a real shame.

Wide Receiver

Gonzo's Prediction (6): Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bobby Wade, Jaymar Johnson, Darius Reynaud
Actual Roster (6): Berrian, Rice, Harvin, Wade, Johnson, Reynaud

Kevin Seifert said in his "Three and Out" about the Vikings that they "suddenly have the deepest group of receivers in the NFC North." That became obvious today when, for the first time in the Brad Childress era, the team chose to keep six wide receivers instead of five. With this group of receivers and Brett Favre behind center, I can't help but think that this might be the year that the "Kick Ass Offense" finally starts. . .you know. . .kicking ass.

Tight End

Gonzo's Prediction (3): Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan
Actual Roster (3): Shiancoe, Kleinsasser, Dugan

Dugan is technically listed as a fullback. Meh. Garrett Mills has, indeed, been released, so he's now free to be injured and take up an inactive roster spot for one of the other 31 NFL teams.

Offensive Line

Gonzo's Prediction (8): Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, John Sullivan, Anthony Herrera, Phil Loadholt, Drew Radovich, Artis Hicks, Ryan Cook
Actual Roster (8): McKinnie, Hutchinson, Sullivan, Herrera, Loadholt, Hicks, Cook, Jon Cooper

Cooper over Radovich is a small surprise, since Cooper is strictly a one-position backup at this point (as Mike Mayock pointed out last night). I'm not sure how much versatility Radovich had, but he didn't look spectacular last night by any means. No other surprises along the rest of this unit, although I'm sure that some people will still be surprised that the Vikings only kept eight offensive lineman rather than nine.

Defensive Line

Gonzo's Prediction (9): Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Fred Evans, Letroy Guion, Jimmy Kennedy, Jayme Mitchell
Actual Roster (9): Allen, Williams, Williams, Edwards, Robison, Evans, Guion, Kennedy, Mitchell

Again, no surprises here. The team will no doubt try to slide Martail Burnett back to the practice squad, and it remains to be seen whether he gets that far. That's a disadvantage that teams like the Vikings have. . .they have to cut some really talented guys, and as a result their potential practice squadders tend to get "poached" more frequently than those from some other teams.

Linebacker

Gonzo's Prediction (7): Ben Leber, E.J. Henderson, Chad Greenway, Heath Farwell, Erin Henderson, Jasper Brinkley, Kenny Onatolu
Actual Roster (7): Leber, Henderson the Elder, Greenway, Farwell, Henderson the Younger, Brinkley, Onatolu

I guess Erin Henderson's injury isn't all that serious. Sorry, David Herron. . .if Bill Belichick wants to "steal" you back again, he can have at it. I'm actually really excited to see this group in action, particularly with the return of the man beast wearing #56 in the middle again.

Defensive Back

Gonzo's Prediction (10): Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Madieu Williams, Tyrell Johnson, Asher Allen, Karl Paymah, Benny Sapp, Jamarca Sanford, Husain Abdullah, Eric Frampton
Actual Roster (10): Winfield, Griffin, Williams, Johnson, Allen, Payman, Sapp, Sanford, Abdullah, Frampton

They. . .and by "they," I mean "some of you guys". . .thought I was crazy to suggest the Vikings would keep ten defensive backs. Well, lo and behold, there they are. There was just too darn much talent there to cut guys from this portion of the team. . .which is a nice problem to have, considering that the Vikings are going to have a lot of leads this year and opposing teams are going to have to throw a lot.

Special Teams

Gonzo's Prediction (3): Chris Kluwe, Ryan Longwell, Cullen Loeffler
Actual Roster (3): Kluwe, Longwell, Loeffler

Duh.

Okay. . .so, I went 51 for 53, which is a pretty decent percentage, I think. Just missed on a backup offensive lineman and how the QB battle would shake out. I don't see any huge surprises in the final 53 man roster. How's about everybody else? Any major heartburns or problems with what Rick Spielman, Brad Childress and company have done here? Have at it!

Gonzo's Fearless 53-Man Roster Projection for the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, Part II

Gonzo — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:32:37 -0000

by Paul Battaglia - AP

Will Vikings' seventh-round choice Jamarca Sanford (#33) be a member of Minnesota's 53-man roster? We'll know for sure by 5 PM Central time Saturday.(AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

View full size photo »

So on Wednesday, I took a look at who I thought would stay on the Vikings' roster for Opening Day on the offensive side of the ball. If you'll recall, I had 27 of the 53 spots on the roster reserved.

QB (3) - Brett Favre, Sage Rosenfels, John David Booty
RB (4) - Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Albert Young, Naufahu Tahi
WR (6) - Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bobby Wade, Jaymar Johnson, Darius Reynaud
TE (3) - Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan
OL (8) - Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, John Sullivan, Anthony Herrera, Phil Loadholt, Ryan Cook, Drew Radovich, Artis Hicks
Special Teams (3) - Ryan Longwell, Chris Kluwe, Cullen Loeffler

So we need 26 more names in order to fill out the roster, and unlike the offense, there's a chance that this could potentially change due to injuries, since DE Brian Robison and LB Erin Henderson were both carted off of the Metrodome field this evening. But, assuming their injuries aren't that serious, here's who I'd go with if I were in charge of things at Winter Park. Believe me. . .I do not envy Rick Spielman right now.

Defensive Line

Starters: Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Ray Edwards
Backups: Fred Evans, Letroy Guion, Jimmy Kennedy, Brian Robison, Jayme Mitchell
Cut: Otis Grigsby, Antoine Holmes, Tremain Johnson, Martail Burnett

Kennedy is pretty much here for insurance as far as the whole StarCaps saga is concerned. If it were to come out between now and 5 PM Central tomorrow that the trial of the Williams' brothers wouldn't affect their availability for the 2009 season, you can scratch Kennedy off the list. He just hasn't done enough this pre-season, in my opinion, to warrant keeping him around in the event that #93 and #94 are going to be around all season. I originally had Martail Burnett on the big roster, but he unfortunately got caught up in a bit of a numbers game. The Vikings might be able to sneak him back onto the practice squad again, though.

Mitchell has made pretty good progress coming back from a torn ACL that ended his 2008 campaign in the pre-season, and Evans and Guion have shown themselves to be serviceable in the middle of the defensive line. Ten defensive linemen may seem like a lot, but with the way this team likes to rotate players around, particularly at defensive tackle, it might not be such a bad idea.

Linebackers

Starters: Ben Leber, E.J. Henderson, Chad Greenway
Backups: Heath Farwell, Jasper Brinkley, Erin Henderson, Kenny Onatolu
Cut: David Herron

If Erin Henderson's injury is serious enough to put him on IR, then Herron makes the team. I think he'd be a bit of a downgrade from Erin Henderson, but hey. . .injuries happen.

If you're of the mindset that the Vikings' special teams will be much improved in 2009. . .and I am. . .then this unit is probably going to be at the heart of that transformation, and that's what you're looking for when you're deciding the back half of the roster. We know that Henderson, Leber, and Greenway are outstanding, and I don't need to drum it into your heads any further. But we saw what losing Heath Farwell did to this team in 2008, and his presence will definitely be felt in 2009. Jasper Brinkley has been regarded as one of the bigger steals of the draft, and his combination of size and speed make him a good candidate to be a special teams demon as well. Henderson the Younger played on special teams last year as well, and should only get better with another season.

The guy that intrigues the heck out of me, however, is Kenny Onatolu. Having played his college ball at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he went undrafted by the NFL and spent two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League and was signed by the Vikings after the 2008 season. If you saw the final pre-season game, you saw #55 flying all over the place and hitting everything in sight. He might be a little raw, but I think the guy could be great on special teams for the time being and eventually develop into a pretty good outside linebacker as well.

Defensive Backs

Starters: Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Tyrell Johnson, Madieu Williams
Backups: Asher Allen, Benny Sapp, Karl Paymah, Eric Frampton, Husain Abdullah, Jamarca Sanford
Cuts: Marcus McCauley, Marcus Walker, Colt Anderson, De'Von Hall

I know that keeping ten defensive backs might be a bit excessive, too, but there's also a lot of special teams impact to be had here as well. Frampton was one of the team's leading special teams tacklers last year, and Abdullah is also a capable special teamer. Paymah was brought in, at least in part, because of his special teams prowess as well, and Jamarca Sanford has too much speed and heart (in my opinion) to warrant cutting him. Now, if the team has to flip a coin as to whether to keep an extra DB or keep a d-lineman line Martail Burnett on the roster, I think they'll probably lean towards keeping the extra lineman. In that case, I think either Abdullah or Sanford is most likely to find themselves on the chopping block.

This also closes out the fairly disappointing Marcus McCauley era in Minnesota. After looking promising as a rookie in 2007, the third-round pick out of Fresno State couldn't even get on the field in 2008, and has spent most of this season playing too soft in zone coverage and getting beaten on a fairly regular basis by backup wide receivers on opposing teams. He's officially a disappointment, and it's time for the Vikings to cut their losses with him and move on, in my opinion. Asher Allen has looked really good, and looks to be taking after current Vikings' CB Antoine Winfield when it comes to sticking his nose into the running game and mixing things up. He could certainly have a worse role model, that's for sure.

There you have it. . .my 53-man Vikings' roster prediction for the 2009 season. Obviously there are some unanswered questions after tonight's pre-season finale, and we'll look over those tomorrow before the final cuts come down. Also, we're still awaiting word on the injuries to Erin Henderson and Brian Robison, and we'll pass that info along as soon as we've got it.