SB Nation - Napoleon Harris

Horse Tracks 8/25/09 - Transactions all across the AFC West; Broncos waive WR Travis Shelton and claim DB Antwain Spann

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:47:47 -0000

DB - Broncos Claim Spann Off Waivers - Gray Caldwell

DB - Mile High Debut - Patrick Smyth
Fun facts about this week's matchup versus the Bears.

DB - Steps Forward - Mike Rice
Rice offers his even-keeled thoughts on the Broncos and their progress through two preseason games.

DP - Coaching breaks Nalen's silence - Terry Frei
Tom Nalen is thrilled to be coaching the O-Line at Denver South High. Obviously, he wanted to retire with zero fanfare, but hopefully there will be some sort of ceremony at the Big IF for Nalen. How fast can they put him into the Ring?

DP - Turnover margin troubling for Broncos - Lindsay Jones
It's the same story, every year. Hopefully 2009 is when it changes?

DP - Mailbag: Who's the real Kyle Orton? - Mike Klis

DB - The Marathon Hasn’t Even Begun - Jim Saccomano

CSG - Cutler's return brings an edge to Bears-Broncos preseason game - Frank Schwab
Jay Cutler is coming to town this week? Wow, who knew?!?!

DP - Broncos' starters busy with plenty of preseason work
The first teamers have logged plenty of minutes thus far. Meanwhile, Robert Ayers is still catching up in learning his assignments within the defense.

DP - Teammates' praise enough for Wright - Irv Moss
Moss profiles Broncos legend Louis Wright.

CSG - Broncos nose tackle offers life lessons to Liberty football squad - Justin Pederson
Chris Baker visited Liberty High in CO Springs.

AP - Broncos Have Troubles As They Prepare For Cutler - Arnie Stapleton

KDVR - Denver Broncos vs. Chicago Bears Preview: Jay Cutler Week - Chris Tanaka

ESPN - Broncos in tough spot with Marshall - John Clayton
Although he was impressed by the Broncos' offense on Saturday, Clayton apparently didn't think much of the defense. Oh, and he thinks the Broncos should trade BMarsh.

ESPN - Breaking down the Broncos' game - Bill Williamson
This is rich...Pork Chop says Matt Prater's FG on Saturday "could go a long way in helping him make the team." As the only PK on the team, I'd say Prater's chances were already pretty good...

AFC West News

SDUT - Rivers happy to get long-term deal done - Kevin Acee
Phil Rivers will receive $38.5 million in guarantees as part of a six-year, $92 million deal which extends his contract through 2015. Just remember, folks - guy's started three seasons and won three division titles. Oh, and he led the NFL in passing last year.

SDUT - Chargers' window of opportunity just got clearer - Tim Sullivan

SDUT - Cornerback Cletis Gordon released - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Quotes from Rivers press conference - Kevin Acee

NFL - Chargers lock up Rivers with six-year, $92 million extension

KCS - Haley says nobody has officially made the Chiefs team yet - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs make trade to bolster offensive line - Kent Babb
The Chefs acquired OGs Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe from the Dolphins for an undisclosed 2010 draft choice; to make room, they released OT Brian de la Puente and LB Vince Redd.

SFC - Walker tests his knee - David White

CCT - Raiders notebook: New linebacker long ago gathered the Moss - Steve Corkran
Jokeland brought back LB Napoleon Harris after Kirk Morrison dislocated his elbow. To make room, they released recently-signed CB RIcky Manning, Jr.

NFL Results

NFL - New York Jets 23 at Baltimore Ravens 24
Mark Sanchez tosses one TD and one INT while struggling in his starting debut.

NFL News

NFL - 49ers will go with Hill as starting QB to open season

NFL - Seahawks add Edgerrin James, part ways with T.J. Duckett

NFL - Shawn Andrews says he'll be ready to play opener

NFL - Godfrey has surgery for broken hand; Beason sits out practice

NFL - Vikings' Favre expected to see more playing time vs. Texans

NFL - Bengals, Palmer cautious with ankle injury in preparation for opener

NFL - Rams DE Little hurts knee, but injury not considered serious

Y! - Unemployed Marvin Harrison generating little interest - Jason Cole

ESPN - Plaxico Burress says club security knew he had a gun the night he shot himself in the leg

NFL Opinion

NFP - NFL Notebook: time for Bucs to pick a QB - Matt Bowen
Bowen was impressed by Kyle Orton's performance on Saturday.

NFP - Diner morning news: A look at odds - Mike Lombardi
Lombardi thinks Vegas is a little too down on the Broncos

Y! - Freeman impresses as Bucs start new era - Jason Cole

NFL - Hasselbeck, Romo impress, but Browns' QB situation harder to clear up - Pat Kirwan

NFL - Health, age could prevent storybook ending for Favre - Jason La Canfora

Y! - Steven Jackson not ready for extinction - Charles Robinson

NFP - Tavern talk: almost blue list - Mike Lombardi

FOX - Mailbag: Glazer on Warner, Favre, Romo and more - Jay Glazer

PFW - Harvin adds versatility, excitement to Vikings

FOX - CAMP SIGHTS: Could Peterson catch Emmitt? - Alex Marvez
Seriously? Isn't it at least 5 years too early to even think about this?

NYT - Lab Results, Atlanta Falcons - KC Joyner

CBS - 49ers camp report: Counting on Gore to end running joke - Clark Judge

ESPN - Bengals mired in mediocrity - Elizabeth Merrill

NFP - First-rounders are cashing in - Andrew Brandt
Tell me you can look at the picture of B.J. Raji without laughing...

CBS - Hey governor, right this wrong: Please pardon Plaxico - Mike Freeman

SI - Cris Collinsworth ready for comparisons to John Madden - Richard Deitsch

NFP - 2009 NFP scouting series: Georgia Tech - Wes Bunting

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings: 2008 Final Edition

Gonzo — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:06:32 -0000

Back at the halfway point of the season, I put forth a set of Player Power Rankings for everyone's viewing pleasure. Now that the season is over and we've had a chance to see some of our players grow and mature while some others fell off the map, it's time to take a look at how those have changed since late October. The table comes after the jump. Remember, these are strictly my opinions, and are certainly open for discussion. . .in fact, discussion is encouraged, as I'm sure there will be some disagreements.

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Mid-Season Rank	Change	Comment
1	Jared Allen, DE	4	+3	When you're made the highest-paid defensive player in the National Football League, you'd better be prepared to go out and prove why that was. Jared Allen did that this season, and then some. 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles during the regular season, followed up by two sacks and a forced fumble in the playoff loss to the Eagles, showed the world what Jared Allen was brought here for. He's clean, he's tough, and he's the best pass-rushing DE in football. Oh, and he turns 27 in April.
2	Adrian Peterson, RB	2	0	I know he's getting the ball, you know he's getting the ball, the guys in the booth know he's getting the ball, everyone in the stands knows he's getting the ball, everyone on the other team knows he's getting the ball. . .and he led the NFL in rushing anyway. Sure, he had a case of the yips toward the end of the season. . .but is there a running back in the National Football League that you'd trade him for right now? Yeah, I didn't think so.
3	Kevin Williams, DT	1	-2	Tailed off a little bit at the end of the season, certainly, but still finished with 8.5 sacks and was his usual tremendous self against the run. Albert Haynesworth is going to end up getting paid more than #93 this off-season. . .but given the choice, I wouldn't trade Kevin Williams for him. In my opinion, Kevin Williams is still the best all-around defensive tackle in the NFL.
4	Pat Williams, DT	7	+3	The game against the Giants at the end of the year showed us what a valuable asset Pat Williams is to the Minnesota defense. As a run-stuffer, he's absolutely without peer, and was a huge part of the reason why the Vikings' defense was #1 against the run for the third consecutive year. One has to wonder how many more years we can get out of the big man, but if Ted Washington played at a fairly high level until he was 85 years old, I think Pat Williams can do the same.
5	Antoine Winfield, CB	5	0	The biggest little man in the NFL has finally been rewarded for his high level of play with his first trip to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl. Everyone knows about his ability against the run, but this year the Vikings' pass defense was 5th in the NFL in DVOA against #1 wide receivers, and the #1 guy on the other team almost always lined up against #26. It's about time he got the recognition that he deserves.
6	Steve Hutchinson, G	5	-1	Having the best guard in the NFL this far down on the list isn't so much about how he played in 2008. . .it's more about the high level that the five guys in front of him performed at. He's blocked for a 1,000 yard rusher every year he's been in the NFL, and as long as Adrian Peterson is in Minnesota, that streak should continue for a few more seasons, at least.
7	Ryan Longwell, K	8	+1	Tremendously consistent, and in fact might be getting better with age. He was 6-for-6 from 50+ yards this season, including the kick that put the Vikings into the post-season. Why? Because that's what Ryan Longwell does.
8	Chad Greenway, LB	17	+9	One of the big risers on the list, Greenway was an absolute monster over the second half of the season, despite the absence of fellow LB E.J. Henderson. He led the Vikings in tackles with 115, managed to throw in 5.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and got markedly better in coverage as the season went on.
9	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	11	+2	Shank has developed into a serious threat at the TE position, particularly over the second part of this season. He was in the top 10 in receiving yards at the tight end position, and averaged 14.2 yards/reception. The only two TEs in the NFL that had more touchdowns than he did are a couple of guys that you might have heard of. . .Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. Finally appears to be worth the money that was spent on him in 2006.
10	Bernard Berrian, WR	6	-4	Berrian certainly did what he was asked to do when the Vikings signed him away from the Chicago Bears. Minnesota wanted him to come in and stretch the field, and his 20.1 yards/reception says that he did just that. But he did have a couple of games where he completely disappeared, and is probably more suited to be a #2 guy than a true #1. Hopefully we can find that true #1 here very soon and let Berrian do what he does best.
11	Madieu Williams, S	NR	NA	After he finally got himself healthy, he got on the field and was pretty effective for the most part. With the likely departure of Darren Sharper this off-season, Williams will likely move into more of a free safety/center fielder type of position, with Tyrell Johnson moving into the strong safety spot.
12	Matt Birk, C	9	-3	Another player that has, more than likely, played his last game for the Vikings. While still one of the best at his position, it certainly appears that he's lost a little bit. He'll turn 33 in July. . .he's the last holdover from the 1998 squad. . .and it probably won't be cost-efficient to bring him back at this point. Stranger things have happened, though.
13	Bobby Wade, WR	18	+5	The Vikings caught a lot of flack for signing this guy after the 2006 season, but you know something? This guy can play on my team any time. He led the Vikings in receptions again this season, he makes tough catches, he gets first downs, and he knows what his role in the offense is. I'm quite happy to have him here for another couple of years.
14	Ben Leber, LB	10	-4	Leber was his usual understated self in 2008. He goes out there every week and does his job in a solid, but not spectacular, fashion. He might be someone that the Vikings need to look at replacing in the near future, as he'll turn 31 this season, but he's still a good veteran leader and an asset to the defense at this point.
15	Cedric Griffin, CB	25	+10	Another big riser here, Griffin looked like a completely different player in the second half of the season. It appears that the coaching staff finally realized that Griffin isn't a "lay back and play zone" cornerback. He needs to be allowed to get up in people's faces and be physical. With Antoine Winfield getting up in age, Griffin will probably face more of a burden in the near future. . .oh, and he has a contract year coming this next season, too.
16	Artis Hicks, OL	15	-1	Played well in Bryant McKinnie's stead when he was called upon to do so, and filled in on other spots in the line as well. His versatility makes him a valuable part of the roster, but injuries clearly hampered him down the stretch, causing him to miss some time.
17	Gus Frerotte, QB	12	-5	Gus was brought here to be the backup, and he performed the way a backup quarterback would be expected to. He had some moments of brilliance, coupled with some throws that make you wonder how the heck he's lasted in the league as long as he has. His comments after the Eagles' game were particularly grating, since I really don't think he would have given us any more of a chance than Tarvaris Jackson.
18	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	28	+10	In the last 4 1/2 games of the season, we caught a glimpse of both what's so intriguing about Tarvaris Jackson, and what absolutely drives us crazy about him. Again, he's got all the physical ability in the world, but at this point, I don't think he's going to be able to put it all together as a consistent NFL QB. He gets bumped up the list, though, based on his performance at the end of the regular season when the Vikings were fighting for a division title.
19	Darren Sharper, S	14	-5	The greatest safety in Green Bay Packer history has probably played his last game in purple. As the season progressed, Sharper looked older and slower than he has at any point in his career, and started taking bad angles to the football. He's given us a few great seasons as a member of our secondary, but it doesn't look like he can get it done any more. If Sharper does prove me wrong, he'll more than likely have to do it in another uniform.
20	Chester Taylor, RB	23	+3	He didn't get nearly the number of touches that he got over the past couple of seasons, but Taylor proved why he and Adrian Peterson are still the best 1-2 running back punch in the National Football League. One of the best pass-catching backs in the league and a vital asset on third downs, he's approaching that 30-year old point where running backs tend to start declining, but he hasn't had a lot of carries over his career for the most part. We'll have to keep an eye on him.
21	Bryant McKinnie, OT	16	-5	Paid like an elite LT. Not an elite LT. Not to mention one stupid, drunken incident away from taking a year's vacation from the NFL. There are few players on the Vikings' roster as disappointing as Bryant McKinnie. Need more proof? I listed three other offensive linemen, one of whom is a backup, before I got to him.
22	Brian Robison, DE	29	+7	An interesting study. . .he played well this season, largely when spelling Pat Williams at DT on obvious passing downs. He also played pretty well when called upon against the Eagles as well. If nobody else is brought in this off-season, I firmly believe that he should be starting opposite Jared Allen at DE in 2009, but we'll have to see.
23	Tyrell Johnson, S	13	-10	His drop isn't because he played horribly or anything. . .but with Madieu Williams insertion into the lineup, he simply didn't get to contribute in the same way he did during the early part of the season. I think he's still got some promise as an in-the-box type of safety, and he's likely going to be a starter in 2009.
24	Anthony Herrera, G	19	-5	Still solid against the run, but his pass protection seemed to slip a bit in the later stages of the season. It seemed that whenever the quarterback had pressure on him, it was generally coming from his right. . .although I'm not sure how much of this is a function of Herrera's play as much as the play of someone we'll get to here in a while.
25	Ray Edwards, DE	21	-4	Talked a lot in the pre-season about Michael Strahan's single-season sack record. Came up roughly 17 sacks short of that mark. He's solid at DE, but with the talent that he's playing next to, he should be significantly better. The competition between him and Brian Robison in training camp in 2009 should be interesting.
26	Fred Evans, DT	24	-2	Again, solid, but not spectacular. At least he managed not to get tasered this season, which is always a plus. He is a pretty valuable backup, however, all joking aside.
27	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	27	0	How much fun was it watching ol' Jimmy K rumble downfield with that little slip screen in the Eagles' game? But his purpose here isn't to catch passes, it's to crush people as a blocker, something he still does tremendously well. Hopefully he'll be back next season.
28	Naufahu Tahi, FB	22	-6	I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . .good blocker, but for the love of God, STOP THROWING HIM THE FOOTBALL!
29	Napoleon Harris, LB	NR	NA	Same Napoleon Harris we saw the first time he was in Minnesota. . .solid against the run, can't blitz, can't cover. Good depth, but I really hope we don't have to rely on him to start for any length of time.
30	Charles Gordon, CB	31	+1	Showed some real juice as a punt returner, and was starting to improve as a cornerback as well. . .up until he got his ankle mangled against the Packers. His comeback from that injury is going to be interesting to watch. He really gives us a solid nickel option if he can come back.
31	Cullen Loeffler, LS	35	+4	Hey, let's give the guy some more props. . .again, I ask, when was the last time we saw a bad snap on either a field goal or a punt? It was before Cullen Loeffler came along, that's for sure.
32	Marcus Johnson, OL	30	-2	Played well in the early part of the season, particularly against Indianapolis, when he was asked to play LT (a position he had no experience at). Just didn't get a lot of chances as the season wore on. Still, he's the only member of Minnesota's 2005 draft class that has any chance of being worth anything in the NFL.
33	Benny Sapp, CB	41	+8	He committed some dumb penalties, to be sure, but overall wasn't completely awful or anything like that. He should be back competing for a spot next season.
34	Ryan Cook, OT	20	-14	By far the weakest link on the offensive line. Seems to be good for at least one drive-killing false start penalty a game, and gets beaten far more often than a third-year guy should be getting beaten. He probably won't be starting in 2009, and it wouldn't surprise me if he was off the roster all together.
35	Chris Kluwe, P	26	-9	A very disappointing season for Kluwe, to say the least. After the Eagles' game, DeSean Jackson came right out and basically said, "Man, that guy outkicks his coverage on almost every play." And you know what? He's right. Part of the Vikings' punt-return woes this year came from lack of special teams discipline, but a lot of it came from opposing returners having a lot of space to work with after they catch the ball, too.
36	Husain Abdullah, S	37	+1	Minnesota's leading special teams tackler in 2008. Given the state of the Minnesota special teams, I'll let you decide whether that's good or bad.
37	Vinny Ciurciu, LB	32	-5	This guy, on the other hand, was brought in a few years ago to be almost exclusively a special teamer, and he hasn't been up to snuff. Should be fighting for his job this coming training camp.
38	Marcus McCauley	42	+4	Actually wasn't all that bad when he got on the field. . .but for someone that was a third-round pick and showed a lot of promise a year ago, he should be getting on the field more frequently than he is.
39	Eric Frampton, S	38	-1	Another guy whose main job is to bolster the special teams. Have you noticed that a lot of these "special teams" types are going to be fighting for their jobs next season? Curious, that.
40	Ellis Wyms, DT	48	+8	Hey, at least I noticed he was on the field in the later part of the season. . .that's more than I can say for him over the first half.
41	David Herron, LB	33	-8	Played well in place of E.J. Henderson until Napoleon Harris was brought in. Then we really didn't hear from him much.
42	John Sullivan, C	47	+5	Barring a change via the draft or free agency, this is probably our starting center in 2009. Didn't do much this year.
43	Sidney Rice, WR	36	-7	Like I said on the mid-season list, it absolutely kills me to put Sid the Kid this low, but he had a terrible season. Injured for most of it, and when he did play, he didn't perform terribly well. . .and the route he ran on the play against the Eagles that wound up being a pick-6 was as horribly lazy a route as you're ever going to see. I don't know how much of that was the lingering effects of his knee injury, but he's on the verge of being a bust here.
44	Maurice Hicks, RB	43	-1	I expected nothing, and he delivered. Bravo, Maurice.
45	Otis Grigsby, DE	39	-6	Was actually hoping for big things out of Grigsby this season, but with the way the line rotation set up, he just didn't get a lot of chances.
46	Jeff Dugan, TE	45	-1	Probably should be a little bit higher, but I'm not sure where else I'd slot him at this point.
47	Erin Henderson, LB	44	-3	Has the potential to be more than "E.J's little brother," but didn't get a lot of opportunities to show it this season. He's one to watch for the future, though.
48	Aundrae Allison, WR	34	-14	Another guy that had huge expectations going into the season, and had next to nothing in production. There were questions about his work ethic when he came out of college, and it appears that it might be catching up to him once again. I hope he snaps out of it here soon, or he might find himself without a job.
49	Garrett Mills, TE	40	-9	Again. . .3 catches for 49 yards in the season opener. 2 catches for 16 yards the rest of the way, and spent most of the second half inactive.
50	Letroy Guion, DT	NR	NA	Was expected to be a project, and spent most of the year inactive.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	E.J. Henderson, LB	The Minnesota defense was #6 in the NFL in total yardage, #1 against the run, one of the best in terms of DVOA for the season. . .and they played without this guy from Week 5 onwards. I can't wait to see him back next season.
NA	Heath Farwell, LB	Based on the performance of the Vikings' coverage units this year, Heath Farwell may be the greatest special teams player in the history of the universe. Hopefully he'll be back healthy in 2009.
NA	Dontarrious Thomas, LB	He was here. I don't know how many games he was active for, but he was here.
NA	Drew Radovich, OL	Future prospect. Went on IR with a "shoulder injury" early in the year. Should compete for a spot in training camp.
NA	John David Booty, QB	Didn't see the field after the pre-season finale. Thank goodness.
NA	Robert Ferguson, WR	"Veteran leadership" and "downfield blocking" will only get you so far in this league.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	It would have been nice to have him around to work into the line rotation.
NA	Michael Boulware, S	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Kenderick Allen, DT	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Thomas Tapeh, FB	Epic fail. What else can be said, really?
NA	Jimmy Kennedy, DT	Interesting signing, I think. . .brought in late in the year as Pat Williams insurance. Was a first-round pick a few years ago, so he's got some talent. I think he might stick. . .because, hey, if anybody can tap into the talent that he has, it would be Karl Dunbar. Keep an eye on him this off-season.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW...: Scanning the Schedule

Josh from Hollywood — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:00:07 -0000

Welcome to ‘After Further Review...’ where we treat any Frank Gore injury like a death in the family, where we believe every time Terrell Owens whines on the sidelines an angel gets its wings, and where we’re ready to bring you the odds, ends, and trends from this weekend's action in the NFL.

After an exciting Sunday, the playoff races have tightened up considerably. Suddenly, it’s that time of year when the picture comes into focus, and when you remember that down the stretch, a team’s most valuable player can sometimes be the NFL’s schedule-maker. With so many teams so close in the standings -- especially at the top of the AFC easy, where three teams are tied for first place -- often the best advantage a team can have is a weak remaining schedule.

If you looked at the Christmas wish lists of any coach in the playoff hunt right now, you’d be sure to find "A home game against the Lions, Bengals or Rams" right near the top. So let’s take a look at the closest races going right now for available playoff spots, and see how the games on their schedule stack up:

AFC EAST

Jets (8-5) -- Buffalo, at Seattle, Miami

Patriots (8-5) -- at Oakland, Arizona, at Buffalo

Dolphins (8-5) -- San Francisco, at Kansas City, at Jets

The Jets appear to have the easiest road, as Buffalo is struggling mightily, and Seattle is just bad. If they can take care of business, they’ll likely control their own destiny at home against Miami in Week 17. Two division wins would give them five, and win them any tie-breaker against either the Pats (1-1 head-to-head record) or Miami (1-0 head-to-head). Miami appears to have the second best chance, but probably needs to beat an improved Niner team and also win in Arrowhead, a tough road venue, in order to control their own destiny against the Jets. Because of the tie-breaker situation, New England must hope to win out and for the Jets to stumble.

Also, because both Baltimore and Indy are at 9-4 (and with the Colts playing Detroit and Jacksonville the next two weeks), any stumble by these teams could not only cost them the division, but also eliminate them from Wild card contention.

AFC NORTH

Pittsburgh (10-3) -- at Baltimore, at Tennessee, Cleveland

Baltimore (9-4) -- Pittsburgh, at Dallas, Jacksonville

Obviously, the game next week goes a long way to determining the winner of the division. The Steelers hold not only a game lead, but also the tie-breaker -- they defeated the Ravens in OT 23-20 in Week 4. If the Steelers win, they would virtually clich the division. If the Ravens win, they would be tied in record, head-to-head, and division record, but the Steelers would still hold the tie-breaker based on a one-game lead in conference record. That means Baltimore would still need Pittsburgh to drop at least one of their remaining games to have a shot at the title. Seeing as one is the Titans, it’s still possible, but the Ravens must win next week.

NFC NORTH

Minneso ta (8-5) -- at Arizona, Atlanta, Giants

Chicago (7-6) -- New Orleans, Green Bay, at Houston

Minnesota has a game lead, but a much tougher schedule -- three teams in the midst of their own playoff hunts. Chicago doesn’t have it easy exactly, but none of the teams they will face are likely playoff entrants. However, Chicago needs to not only gain a game in the standings, but also to have Minnesota lose two conference games to even have a chance at the tie-breaker. Essentially, the Vikings need only to win two of their last three, or have the Bears lose either of their conference games to clicnch the division.

NFC WILD CARD #2

Dallas (8-5) -- Giants, Baltimore, at Philadelphia

Atlanta (8-5) -- Tampa, at Minnesota, St. Louis

Philadelphia (7-6-1) -- Cleveland, at Washington, Dallas

Assuming the loser between Tampa and Carolina takes the #1 Wild Card, there’s only one left for these teams. Dallas holds the tie-breaker over Atlanta based on a 1/2-game lead in conference record, but they also have the toughest schedule left. Atlanta’s isn’t exactly easy, however. Should it come down to the last week with the teams still tied, the Falcons would have the obvious advantage, but until then, it’s two likely playoff opponents for both. Still, the Cowboys have to be kicking themselves for letting their game today slip away from them.

Chicago, New Orleans and Washington are all 7-6 and still in it, but need help from each of the above teams.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY T.O. YOU: It was Terrell Owens’ 35th birthday on Sunday -- complaining on the sidelines, scoring a TD, and then more complaining on the sidelines. T.O. complained to coaches when he was shutout in the 1st half, but was much happier after halftime, when he caught three passes for 32 yards and the go-ahead TD to help the Cowboys take a 13-3 4th quarter lead. But after they blew the lead late and lost -- chiefly on two passes which went to Witten, and not him -- he was back to tantrum mode, or as I like to call it, "The Greg Knapp Zone". T.O. may not have gotten what he wanted for his birthday, but seeing him in misery as he walked off the field was definitely what I wanted for his birthday.

DIRRRRTY: The cheap shot of the year occurred in the Lions/Vikings game when Lions OL Gosder Cherilus cut Vikings DE Jared Allen on an ugly-looking play (about 15 seconds in). It’s the football equivalent of kicking a guy in the nuts (although some football players do that, too), but I’m not sure Allen has too much room to criticize. Still, he did charge Cherilus before being held back, and the tensions led to former Lion FB (and former 49er) Moran Norris being ejected for punching Vikings LB Napoleon Harris. Expect some more discussion about this throughout the week.

BAD BRAD: The Jets might want to re-consider employing plays where Brad Smith laterals the ball. Last week vs. Denver, he attempted a lateral on the reverse, the ball came loose, and the Broncos returned it for a TD. This week, they called on Smith to lateral to Leon Washington on a kickoff return against the Niners -- again the ball came loose, Washington having to make a good play to keep it from being either a TD or the ever-popular safety.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Smith made just about every highlight reel for the week in another bad way -- when he was absolutely crushed by Patrick Willis. My favorite part was when he tried to pull the old bounce-right-up-like-it didn’t-hurt thing, before having to resort to the fall-down-on-your-way-off-the-field-because-you-think-you-might-be-dying thing.

You know it was a devastating hit because you don’t see P-Willie celebrate too many hits, and he went full-on Ray Lewis after nailing Smith.

THEM’S THE RULES: In the offseason, when the NFL got rid of the “force out” rule, I wondered if DB’s in the league would be able to take advantage of this change by knocking receivers out of bounds -- or even grabbing receivers in mid-air and carrying them, or tossing them, out of bounds. I haven’t seen many examples of this kind of change this season, but in the last two weeks it’s become fairly clear that at least one team appears to have figured this out.

Twice last week in the San Diego/Atlanta game, Chargers WR Vincent Jackson leaped up to catch what appeared to be a TD pass, only to be caught around the waist in mid-air and carried out of bounds by Falcon DB’s. This week, Marques Colston got even rougher treatment -- he caught a sideline pass, but before he could get his feet down, Atlanta CB Chris Houston caught Colston around the thighs and threw him down violently out of bounds. Incomplete.

After watching highlight shows and game film, I wonder how long it is until this catches on around the league and every DB will be trying to take full advantage of this rule change.

GIANT MISTAKES: I guess maybe the Giants aren't so distraction-proof after all. I know it's possible the Giants just came out flat today, or the Eagles had their A-game, but the Giants made enough uncharacteristic mistakes Sunday to at least raise the question of whether they were distracted by the whole Plaxico Burress sideshow. Giants WR's dropped several passes, including a few back-breakers -- Domenik Hixon's drop of a long bomb, and Steve Smith's drop of a 4th and 3 pass in Philly territory with one minute left in the 1st half comes immediately to mind. On defense, Giants defenders missed several tackles, especially on Brian Westbrook's 30 yard run for Philly's first TD. After the game, Amani Toomer even hinted the Burress situation was to blame, saying "We dealt with this all week, and played our worst game -- I'll let you figure it out."

4 BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Is there an uglier uniform in the league than the Broncos when they wear their alternate Orange tops?

2. How lucky does Minnesota feel to escape this season without losing to the Lions? (They eeked out two close victories -- 12-10 and 20-16 -- with the help of crazy plays, bad calls, and coaching mistakes -- more on this in a moment).

3. Who would’ve guessed rookie backup RB Tashard Choice, filling in for the injured Marion Barber III, would compile more rushing yards (88) against the Steelers than any player all year, or that the Cowboys would lose anyway? (More on him later.)

4. Is there anyone still left willing to go on record as saying the Lions won't go 0-16?

4 BURNING QUESTIONS -- STRICTLY FOR MY NINERS EDITION

1. Am I the only the only 49er fan who doesn’t understand what the team sees in Michael Robinson as a short-yardage back?

2. Is there one 49er fan who doesn’t think they are a new and improved team since Mike Singletary took over?

3. Was I the only one happy the Jets didn’t challenge the TD scored by Joe Staley? (It looked to me like Jason Hill never had complete possession of the ball before fumbling.)

4. What’s more impressive -- that the Niners upset the Jets by 10 points, or that they did in spite of five fumbles, two turnovers in FG range, one TD called back, an injury to Frank Gore, and a partridge in a pear tree?

WHY THE LIONS ARE THE LIONS: Detroit had a legitimate shot to get their first victory this week. They stayed with Minnesota all day, and if not for a couple of bad breaks (see above) and key mistakes they might not be still looking to avoid history. One key juncture occurred at the end of the 1st half:

Leading 6-3, Detroit had a 2nd and 1 at the Minnesota 20-yard line, but failed to get a yard despite going on 4th down. However, they got the ball right back on a Gus Frerotte pick, and drove it to the 5-yard line, where WR John Standeford caught a Daunte Culpepper pass and fell to the ground untouched -- inches from the 1st down. Rather than just stick out the ball as he was touched down, he struggled to get up, and was contacted before he gain anymore ground.

Again, Rod Marinelli called for the team to go. Up in the booth, color man Tim Ryan gave some good advice: “Whatever yoyu do, don’t go up the middle on the Williams Wall.” A moment later, Culpepper tried to sneak the ball right into the teeth of the Williamses -- no gain. Viking ball. And while Minnesota was still in the shadow of their own goalposts, with only a minute to go in the half they were able to run out the clock.

GOAT OF THE WEEK: Some players are born goats, some become goats, and some have goatness thrust upon them. Falcons LB Michael Boley didn’t make a stupid play on Sunday, or an unforgivable play, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or rather, he was in the right place at the right time, but failed to take advantage.

With six minutes left in the Falcons/Saints game, Atlanta led 25-22, and New Orleans faced a 3rd and 1 at the Falcon 5-yard line. Atlanta applied pressure on Drew Brees, who tried to loft a swing pass to Reggie Bush in the flat. Boley had him blanketed, and did a job to find the ball in air, seeing it was off-target and headed right to him. He peeled off Bush, reached up and got both hands on the ball, but dropped it.

The Saints went on 4th down, made it, and went on to score the game-winning TD, and Falcons were dealt a tough loss, dropping them behind the Cowboys in their tie-breaker (conference record) for the last last playoff spot.

GOOD ANALYSIS OF THE WEEK: Again, Brian Billick separated himself from the pack of mediocre announcing to deliver insightful commentary. A good example happened on the play following the afore-mentioned drop by Boley:

On 4th and 1, the Saints ran Pierre Thomas up the middle for the 1st down. Mike Smith, however, didn’t like the spot and challenged the play. Billick right away cut to the crux of the issue: “The problem with challenging a spot is he’s gonna put it all on us, guys -- because it’s all about the camera angle.” Billick was right on -- the spot might have been off, but with no shot right down the line of scrimmage, there was no definitive proof to overturn it.

Later, when Smith chose to punt the ball to the Saints on 4th and 5, down four points with 3:23 left to play and only two timeouts, Billick again questioned the decision. He cited the fact the Falcons had allowed New Orleans to score two straight TD’s, and there was a good chance his offense might not get another chance. They didn’t, as the Saints ran out the clock.

BAD ANALYSIS OF THE WEEK: Steve Beuerlein, who badly butchered his analysis of at least two plays in the Denver/Kansas City game:

1) Beuerlein called a Tyler Thigpen pass, originally ruled an interception, a good call while replays showed it to be very questionable -- both receiver and defender had dual-possession before it fell to the ground. Replay overturned the call -- incomplete.

2) Moments later, when Herm Edwards decided to go for it on 4th and 1, Thigpen looked to have the first down, but Beuerlein claimed he was short, and questioned the spot when it proved him wrong. Replays showed the right call was made.

X-FACTOR: The above-mentioned Tashard Choice, not only had more rushing yards against the Steelers than any other player this year, he also caught five passes for 78 yards, and displayed some nice moves. When Barber and fellow rookie RB Felix Jones are healthy, he’s still #3 on the depth chart, but a nice option to have as a change-of-pace back, and may have earned himself increased playing time down the road.

THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW

New Orleans (7-6) at Chicago (7-6)

Like so many dome teams over the years, the Saints are great on turf and in good weather (6-1 at home), but seem to take a slight step back when playing on the road (1-5), especially in inclement conditions. If you Google "inclement conditions" you'll probably find something about December in Chicago. The Bears have found a great young RB in Matt Forte, and for that reason, I think Chicago has the edge between these two teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. The loser here is all but done.

The pick: BEARS

Vikings/Jags Post-Mortem: A Win? By Double Digits?

Gonzo — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:39:38 -0000

I apologize for the tardiness in getting this up here, folks. Had a lot of stuff going on after yesterday's game, and haven't been able to get it on the site before now.

As I mentioned in the Game Thread comments early on yesterday, just after the Vikings had scored 14 points in the game's first 95 seconds and people started talking about a blowout. . .these are the Vikings. The Brad Childress Vikings. The Brad Childress Vikings don't "blow teams out" with any sort of regularity. The modus operandi of the Brad Childress Vikings is to play teams close, slug it out until the end of the game, and hope that either a) your team makes a big play, or b) the other team commits a massive screw-up.

But, yesterday afternoon, the Jaguars seemed bound and detemined to get blown out, and the Vikings. . .for once. . .happily obliged.

The game started off with a play that I don't think I've seen before in my years of being a football fan. David Garrard lined up in the shotgun, called for the snap, and Jags' center Brad Meester snapped the ball. . .approximately 6 inches or so. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Garrard was about 7 yards behind Meester at the time. The Vikings' Napoleon Harris alertly pounced on the fumble, sprinted 26 yards, and the Vikings had a 7-0 lead a whole 13 seconds into the ball game.

After a Jacksonville fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Vikings found themselves with first and goal on a run by Chester Taylor and an end-around by Bernard Berrian. Then, Frerotte handed the ball to Taylor again, and Taylor put on the most beautiful move executed by a Vikings' running back since Adrian Peterson humiliated Kenoy Kennedy at the Metrodome last season, and the Vikings were up 14-0. As you can see by the final score, that turned out to be all the points Minnesota needed. . .but not after making things a little more interesting than they needed to be.

The Vikings were outgained by the Jaguars yesterday by a count of 321 yards to 226, and Maurice Jones-Drew put together what has got to be the quietest 113-yard receiving performance the league has seen in a long time. I know I had to do a double-take when I looked at the box score. Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, considered by some to be the best running back duo in the league not comprised of backs named "Adrian Peterson" and "Chester Taylor," combined for 24 yards on 9 carries. David Garrard did throw for 317 yards, but only one of those passes found the end zone, and two of them found the hands of Minnesota defenders. He was also sacked four times, a component that was missing in the Vikings' 19-13 loss to Tampa Bay.

The Vikings won despite another lackluster performance from Gus Frerotte. . .and "lackluster" is being generous. Don't get me wrong. . .I'm sure that Gus is a fine human being, and he's a very scrappy competitor and all that. But you'd think that a guy that's been in the league for as long as #12 has would know that there are times when nothing's happening that you need to take the ball and throw it into the fifth row of the stands rather than do something crazy with it. Crazy things like. . .I don't know. . .throwing across your body while rolling out and overshooting your closest target by 10 yards en route to throwing an INT. Or rolling out on 1st and goal from the 2 and losing 10 yards on a sack rather than throwing the ball away.

The latter of those two incidents brings me to my Brad Childress complaint from yesterday, and an illustration of why this team rarely blows anybody out, despite all their talent. The Vikings lined up on that series with 1st and goal at the 2-yard line. They have the best running back tandem in the league on the sidelines. They have a huge offensive line that had been getting good push on the entire series.

Why on earth, then, would you call a designed rollout for a guy with very limited mobility in that situation? Why would you just not slam Peterson and/or Taylor into the line anywhere between 1 and 4 times, take your touchdown, and be happy that you've put the game away?

At times like this, Childress reminds me of a guy that's playing video games with his little cousin. You know that if you're playing your little cousin and you start winning by too many, he's going to start whining and crying and throwing things. . .so you start calling plays and doing dumb things to try to let him at least get close again. He doesn't have any killer instinct at all. He gets his foot on a team's throat, and is content to let them back up again. At some point, this really needs to change. This team has too much talent to try to go the distance in a slugfest every week. . .it would be nice for the Vikings to not just knock a team down early, but then jump on them and continue pounding away until their opponents just lose their desire to fight back.

Other than those two minor quibbles, there's not a lot to be sad or angry about with yesterday's game, and there's never any need to apologize for a win. The Vikings are 6-5, and will spend this week in no worse than a first-place tie in the NFC North. They also have a HUGE game coming up in prime time on Sunday night against the team they're currently tied with, the Chicago Bears. Every week for the last few weeks has been the biggest game of the year for the Beloved Purple, and Sunday night's matchup is no different.

While the Vikings prepare for that, they also await word from the league office about the fate of Pat and Kevin Williams. . .a decision that will have a massive impact on the final five games of the regular season. Whatever happens over the course of this week, we'll be here to talk about it, even over this holiday week. Continue enjoying the rest of your evening, ladies and gentlemen, and GEAUX SAINTS!!

What Went Wrong in Minnesota

Brandon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:00:07 -0000

I took a close look at the game vs. Minnesota last Sunday to figure out what went wrong on the offensive and defensive lines.

On the offensive line (pass blocking):

It was surprising to see LT Chad Clifton get beat a couple times by DE Jared Allen. What really surprised me was that Mike McCarthy didn't keep a back or tight end in to help. Clifton got a lot of help in pass protection during the Tennessee game.
If the backs and tight ends weren't blocking, then they could at least provide some receptions, but only RB Brandon Jackson had 2 receptions and TEs Donald Lee and Tory Humphrey had one catch a piece.
A bigger problem was that on some of the plays, Clifton and RT Mark Tauscher were pushing their pass rusher upfield so QB Aaron Rodgers could step up in the pocket, but the pocket was getting blown up by pressure up the middle. He was often trying to run outside to avoid the inside rush and would run right into the path of Allen.
RG Jason Spitz was beaten by DT Kevin Williams on the fumble that led to the 1st safety, but LG Daryn Colledge had a really bad game. Little used DE Brian Robison didn't have a big statistical game, 1 tackle and 1 sack, but he was in Rodgers' face a lot when he would come inside on a stunt or delayed rush and get the better of Colledge.
The blitz pickup was terrible too. LB Napoleon Harris ran right through RB Ryan Grant for one sack, and LB Ben Leber clobbered Rodgers on another blitz that wasn't picked up. The offensive line and the blocking backs have to do a lot better job going forward.

On the defensive line, I was all ready to blame the awful play of the defensive tackles, but they actually don't deserve it. They aren't guilt free, but the collapse of the run defense is not all their fault.

The defensive tackles. They are holding their lanes, most of the time, but their biggest problem is that all of them can be blocked by one offensive lineman. This allows one of the interior offensive lineman to go into the second level and take out a linebacker. On the game losing TD run by RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota's guards blocked the tackles and C Matt Birk ran straight upfield to block middle LB Desmond Bishop and take him out of the play.
Right defensive end. DE Cullen Jenkins was having a great season as a pass rusher, but the Packers really miss him on running plays. DE Jeremy Thompson was the main problem, it seemed like he was shoved around on every running play right at him. They looked better with DT Michael Montgomery at right end. On passing downs, DE Kenneth Pettway often came in and provided no serious pressure on the QB. There is no fix here this season. They should let Montgomery play on most downs, and bring in a linebacker to provide a speed rush on 3rd and long.
Linebackers. Peterson is hard to tackle, but LB Brady Poppinga was putting on a clinic on how not to tackle him. If a blocker got in on him, he was blocked. Peterson ran past or through Poppinga on two of his big runs. Poppinga had been great in run support during the last two seasons, but not in 2008. Good thing he's got a $17 million contract. LB A.J. Hawk was sure missing and/or blocked when Peterson was cutting back to Hawk's side of the field. Whenever the Packers' guards go upfield to block a linebacker, the opposing linebackers often seem to use their speed to slip around them to make the tackle, but the Packers' linebackers always seem to be blocked by that guard or center.

Overall there isn't one player to blame on either offense or defense. It's not the system either. I can see that the players aren't executing properly, not communicating, or just not making the play. On defense, the problem is the personnel, and that's not going to be fixed this season. The offense should be able to fix the problems with stunts and blitzs.

Poll

Who was worse last Sunday?

Offensive line

37 votes

Defensive line

12 votes

49 votes | Poll has closed

Texans/Vikings: Post Game Thoughts

Gonzo — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:16:54 -0000

The Vikings are back to .500, and back into a tie for second place in the NFC North. The first half looked like the Beloved Purple might turn this game into a blowout, but the Texans, to their credit, gave them a run after subbing in a new quarterback and figuring out how to get the ball to guys not named Andre Johnson.

Like I said in the game thread. . .Bernard Berrian is officially worth the money. He now has 621 receiving yards, four touchdowns, and is averaging over 20 yards a catch. At one point in the first half, Gus Frerotte had 143 passing yards. . .Berrian had been on the receiving end of 104 of them, with his 55-yard grab to open the game and his TD catch with the Madden '09-esque spin move that covered 49 yards. As of now, here are the receivers that are averaging more than Berrian's 20.7 yards/catch:

Derek Stanley (1 catch)
Robert Meachem (8 catches)
Devery Henderson (18 catches)
Miles Austin (10 catches)
Johnnie Lee Higgins (8 catches)

That's it. Berrian now has 30 catches on the year, and is the only WR with that many catches averaging more than 20 yards/pop. Barring an injury, he's a lock to go over 1000 yards, and is going to get a lot of TDs, too.

Speaking of free agent acquisitions showing up. . .Madieu Williams looks like he might have been worth the wait. He led the Vikings today with 8 tackles, had a very athletic interception in the end zone, and played a very solid football game all-in-all. Since I think this is Darren Sharper's last year in Minnesota, it will be interesting to see the tandem of Williams and Tyrell Johnson at safety in the near future.

Oh, and that Jared Allen guy is still pretty good, too. He was credited with two sacks today (although I thought he had three. . .doesn't a forced fumble on the QB count as a sack?), which gives him 7 on the season. He led a defensive line that was getting outstanding pressure on the Houston quarterbacks for most of the day. Speaking of which, Ray Edwards is now only 21 sacks away from breaking Michael Strahan's regular-season record. Way to go, Ray!

Overall, the Vikings defense racked up six sacks (if Allen is given credit for the one he should be given credit for), forced two fumbles, nabbed two interceptions, and only allowed 14 points. . .remember, Houston's only TD of the first half was a gift from Frerotte and Berrian.

Then there's Adrian Peterson. The best running back in football had 14 carries for 35 yards in the first half. He wound up with 25 for 139. Seriously, teams will eventually learn that it's rare to keep this guy down all game long. They just haven't learned it yet, that's all. Some of the runs he put together today were breathtaking.

Now, the bad stuff. . .does any team get lit up by backup quarterbacks more horribly and more frequently than the Minnesota Vikings? After doing a decent job against Matt Schaub in the first half, the Texans turned to Sage Rosencopter Rosenfels, and he proceeded to shred the Vikings for 224 yards and two touchdowns (to go along with the aforementioned Madieu Williams INT) in one half of football. That's unacceptable. At no thyme should Sage do that to anybody.

(See what I did there? That's comedy, damn it!)

Oh, and I know the Vikings did a decent job against Andre Johnson today. . .they held a guy that had gone over 130 yards in 4 consecutive games to four catches, 62 yards, and a late touchdown. . .but as we've seen on numerous occasions over the past few years, the Vikings can't cover tight ends to save their souls, as Owen Daniels went off for 11 catches and 133 yards.

I don't know how much of this is due to the loss of E.J. Henderson, because Napoleon Harris looks like as much of a stiff in coverage as he ever was, but at some point the Vikings' defensive schemes have to take that position into account. It's been a LONG time since we had a truly great coverage linebacker in Minnesota. I love our LB corps, but the tight end is playing a bigger role in this league, and the Vikings need to realize that.

Other than that, there weren't a lot of things to complain about. Enjoyable game all around, particularly for we fans of the Beloved Purple. Big thanks to the Texans fans that were here over the course of this week, and I'm sure that Tim will have his take over at Battle Red Blog here shortly, if he hasn't already put one up while I've been typing this. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday night, folks!

Morning Update (Halloween Edition)

Chris Thorman — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:59:40 -0000

Yes! Punter Steve Weatherford's tackle last weekend is on YouTube! He's no Louie Aguiar...but who is?

Quick Buc injury update: Three starters (running back Warrick Dunn, safety Jermaine Phillips and guard Arron Sears) did not practice. One other (defensive tackle Jovan Haye) was limited in practice.

The Orlando Sentinal on RB Michael Bennett, DT Ryan Sims and DE Jimmy Wilkerson- " All three played for the Kansas City Chiefs. All three could be keys to victory Sunday." Um, no. They won't be keys to victory.

Nice to see that Nap Harris is going to be a starter in Minnesota again. How about that preseason hype, Vikings fans?

The Buc's official site talks about Glenn Dorsey.

I hope the Kansas City Chiefs running back situation never gets so bad that Kolby Smith is the full time starter.

I had to click this link and watch this video- Dwayne Bowe raps about a Chiefs win. No player has been more positive than Dwayne Bowe this season.

Enjoy reading these links and enjoy your Halloween. What's everyone got going on tonight? Costumes?

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings, Mid-Season Edition

Gonzo — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:14:16 -0000

If you'll recall, I did this last year at the mid-season point and at the end of the season. Yes, I know we're not "technically" at the mid-season point yet, but we're pretty close to it, and I don't think one game is going to change these that much anyway.

Now, these aren't "official" or "scientific" or anything like that. They're my take on how the players that the Minnesota Vikings have put on the field this season have performed. I'm anxious to hear what some of you folks think about these. . .should be a good topic for discussion.

So, without any further ado, here are your mid-season Minnesota Vikings Power Rankings:

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Comment
1	Kevin Williams, DT	The beast is back, and he's again showing why he's considered by many to be the best all-around DT in the National Football League. He's the team leader in sacks with 6, which also puts him in a tie for #6 in the league in that category, and he's again an anchor of what will be the NFL's best run defense.
2	Adrian Peterson, RB	With LaDanian Tomlinson finally showing some signs of wear, the mantle of "Best Running Back in the NFL" now rests squarely on the shoulders of All Day. He's on pace to eclipse the numbers from his outstanding rookie season, and only two running backs in NFL history reached 2,000 career yards faster than he did. And he's only going to continue getting better.
3	Antoine Winfield, CB	After some. . .including myself. . .questioned some of his ability last season, he's come back this year with a vengeance. He's got two sacks that forced two fumbles and led to two momentum-changing touchdowns in Viking victories, and he's been playing lights-out coverage for most of the year.
4	Jared Allen, DE	Has he been everything that he was advertised to be? Well, almost. . .he has five sacks on the season, and has been demanding the double teams that have opened Kevin Williams up to have the monster season that he's been having to this point. He's also among the league leaders in QB pressures, which are always helpful. Look for him to pick it up even more in the second half.
5	Steve Hutchinson, G	Another Viking, along with Williams and Peterson, that carries the title of best in the NFL at his position. This is his third season as a member of the Vikings, and he's still worth every penny. Meanwhile, Nate Burleson is still a glorified kick returner and went on IR after Week 1 this year. Boy, the Seahawks sure got us good with that poison pill, didn't they?
6	Bernard Berrian, WR	After the first two games of the year, I didn't think that #87 would be anywhere near this high on the list. However, as of now, he's on pace for nearly 1,200 yards and has given the Vikings a couple of huge plays since the quarterback switch took place. He's another guy that will look like a bargain in a couple of seasons.
7	Pat Williams, DT	Phat Pat has been fairly quiet this season. . .of course, for him, "quiet" is a relative term. He's still the Immovable Object to Kevin Williams' Irresistible Force, and continues to make every play he's asked to make in the running game.
8	Ryan Longwell, K	He's still amazingly consistent, he still doesn't miss from 45 yards and in, and he might still be the Vikings' most consistent offensive weapon that doesn't have the name "Peterson" on his jersey. With the way Brad Childress' "Kick Ass Offense" runs most weeks, you have to be happy to have a reliable guy like Longwell to turn to.
9	Matt Birk, C	Still among the best in the league at his position, and still makes pretty good calls at the line. You have to wonder whether or not this will be his last season with the Vikings. I have a sneaky suspicion that it just might be.
10	Ben Leber, LB	Going into his third season as Minnesota's most overlooked, most unheralded defensive player. Has been a leader on the defense since he's been here, and that role has only increased with the injury to E.J. Henderson. You won't hear his name much, but that's pretty much because he never gets beaten or finds himself out of position.
11	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	Surprised to see him this high on the list? Me, too, quite frankly. It only took him about 20 games or so to get himself established, but since the change at quarterback, he's catching more passes and been infinitely more effective. He could be developing into a real weapon for the Vikings' offense.
12	Gus Frerotte, QB	Since becoming the starter, Gus has been basically the same quarterback he's been his entire career. He has moments and games where you think he's capable of being the guy for the long haul (see the New Orleans game), and then he has moments and games that remind you of why he's been a backup for most of his NFL career (see the Chicago game). Sadly, that still makes him more consistent than Tarvaris Jackson, and that's what the Vikings need at the QB position right now.
13	Tyrell Johnson, S	Another nice surprise for the Vikings. With Madieu Williams being out, teams have largely avoided Darren Sharper and tried to go after the rookie from Arkansas State, and he's been equal to the task thus far. He'll make a nice replacement for Sharper, who will probably be gone after this season.
14	Darren Sharper, S	As I said above, this is probably the last season in Minnesota for the best safety in Green Bay Packer history. He may have finally lost that step that Packer fans have been convinced that he lost three years ago. No interceptions this season yet for #42, but I can't help put think that will change as the season goes on.
15	Artis Hicks, OL	You know, considering the guys he was lined up across from in the Vikings' first four games, he really didn't perform that badly. He wasn't great or anything, but then again, you could say the same thing about. . .
16	Bryant McKinnie, OT	. . .the guy he was standing in for. Seriously. . .have I been the only one that's noticed that the offense really hasn't been THAT drastically different with McKinnie at LT than it was with Hicks lined up over there?
17	Chad Greenway, LB	Still a fine athlete with a knack for the big play. . .but, strangely enough, there are still times where the guy looks completely lost in coverage. He's in his third year. . .he really needs to cut down on those sort of incidents.
18	Bobby Wade, WR	Actually leads the Vikings in receptions this season with 30, and his on his way to eclipsing his stats from last season when he was the "#1 wide receiver." Still a very good YAC receiver, and can be counted on most times to the a first down when the Vikings need one.
19	Anthony Herrera, G	To be honest, I haven't heard his name very many times this year, either. For an offensive lineman, this can only be considered a good thing.
20	Ryan Cook, OT	Same for Cook. . .he's certainly not an elite right tackle by any stretch, but he's not getting regularly abused, either. Still, you can't help but have the nagging feeling that both parts of the right side of the line could use an upgrade.
21	Ray Edwards, DE	Only needs to average about 2.5 sacks per game from here on out to break Michael Strahan's single-season record. "It will be interesting to see if he can do it," the author said sarcastically.
22	Naufahu Tahi, FB	With as many times as he's thrown to in this offense, you'd think that he'd be the Vikings' leading receiver. He's averaging an amazingly low 2.2 yards/catch, but he has provided decent blocking to this point. And his name is still fun to say.
23	Chester Taylor, RB	It saddens me that I have to put Taylor this far down on the list. However, for reasons that I'm really not sure of, he's not being used in the offense this year nearly as much as he should be. He's only had 10 carries or more in two different games this year, and hasn't rushed for more than 44 yards in a game this season. He's still catching the ball well, but I still think he needs to be used more frequently. I love Adrian Peterson as much as anyone, but #29 shouldn't be getting ignored like this.
24	Fred Evans, DT	Has provided some pretty decent relief for the Williams' boys when he's rotated in. Had the bonehead play in Chicago that made a end-of-half field goal attempt five yards closer than it needed to be, but otherwise has been relatively solid.
25	Cedric Griffin, CB	When you think of somebody being "lost in coverage," Griffin is the first guy that should come to mind. Part of the reason that Antoine Winfield is having the season he is comes from the fact that, when Griffin is on the field, teams have no reason at all to throw Winfield's direction. I still think that Griffin could be an elite NFL safety, but it looks like the Vikings want to have Tyrell Johnson and Madieu Williams at the position for the long haul. It will be interesting to see what Griffin's Vikings future holds.
26	Chris Kluwe, P	You have to wonder if the guy's head isn't completely messed up at this point. The punt returns for TDs, the bungled snap in Chicago, Brad Childress bringing in punters to try out during the week. I still think he's a pretty decent punter, but he may have had more screw-ups this season than in his entire Minnesota career, and we're not even to the half way mark.
27	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	North Dakota's favorite son is still a killer in-line blocker, and his 34-yard reception against the Lions a couple weeks ago flashed us back to what he used to be capable of. One of the guys that I hope that this franchise always has room for in some capacity.
28	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	Well, what can I say. . .except that I was wrong about this guy. I doubt that he'll ever take another meaningful snap for the Minnesota Vikings, which in a way is kind of sad. He's still got a world of physical ability, and he appears to be relatively smart. He just got thrown into the fire way too soon. It will be interesting to see if he catches on with another team (because I don't think he'll be here next year) and, if so, how he does under the direction of a real NFL coach.
29	Brian Robison, DE	Another guy that really, really needs to get on the field more often. There's a very good chance that he's better than Ray Edwards, although Edwards remains the starting DE across from Jared Allen. I like Robison's intensity, and hope he starts seeing more playing time in the near future.
30	Marcus Johnson, OT	Has actually been pretty good when called upon, making him the only member of Minnesota's 2005 draft class to be worth a damn at the NFL level.
31	Charles Gordon, CB	Has performed ably as the nickel back this season, but hasn't shown much as a punt returner, other than an inability to get the hell away from the football when it's going to bounce inside the 10-yard line. Yeah, I'm still miffed about that play.
32	Vinny Ciurciu, LB	Actually didn't perform too horribly as MLB when called upon, other than getting penalized on a 4th and goal play against the Bears for getting pushed down by Desmond Clark. But, honestly, we don't want him out there at MLB.
33	David Herron, LB	Had two games where he started in place of E.J. Henderson, and then got hurt. Wasn't terrible, but wasn't great either. Good depth, but probably won't ever be a full-time guy.
34	Aundrae Allison, WR	Hasn't gotten quite the chances I had hoped that he would this season, and has inexplicably been stripped of his returner duties. I, personally, don't understand. . .but that's probably why I don't run an NFL franchise or anything.
35	Cullen Loeffler, LS	Hey. . .when's the last time you remember seeing a bad snap? And don't say "last week against Chicago." That snap was perfectly fine.
36	Sidney Rice, WR	Yes, it pains me to put him here. But, the reality is that he's missed 4 or 5 straight games with a knee injury. He's been alright when he's been on the field, but he's developing a reputation for being soft. The Vikings NEED him on the field, and he hasn't been there.
37	Husain Abdullah, S	Looks like he might be our team leader in special teams tackles. For a guy that I didn't even project to make the roster, that's pretty good.
38	Eric Frampton, S	Hasn't come alive the way I had hoped. Yes, I will run that joke completely and thoroughly into the ground. Thank you for asking.
39	Otis Grigsby, DE	Haven't really noticed him much this season. Not surprising, since he only has one tackle through seven games and has been inactive a couple of times.
40	Garrett Mills, TE	Was the Vikings' leading receiver in the season opener with 3 catches for 49 yards. Has 1 catch for 10 yards since. Maybe we bought into the hype too quickly.
41	Benny Sapp, CB	Decent enough in coverage, but I wonder what, exactly, it is that he does that. . .
42	Marcus McCauley, CB	. . .couldn't do. McCauley looked like he was really starting to come on at the end of last season, but has spent most of this year on the inactive list. Another one I don't understand.
43	Maurice Hicks, RB	I remember why I hated the Hicks signing now. It's because he didn't make us appreciably better at any spot on the field. He's not a great kick returner, he doesn't return punts, and he's not a very good RB. Other than that, great signing by Minnesota.
44	Erin Henderson, LB	The thing that people remember about Henderson the younger this season is seeing him get absolutely clocked on one of Reggie Bush's punt returns for a TD against the Saints. I really have nothing else to add here
45	Jeff Dugan, TE	Spent most of the year inactive. . .really hasn't done a whole lot when he's been on the field. Not a lot to say.
46	Robert Ferguson, WR	Yes, I know. . .veteran leadership, blocking, yadda yadda yadda. Seriously, we could have kept Martin Nance here.
47	John Sullivan, C	Has been active for every game this year. Can't say that I've noticed. Have you?
48	Ellis Wyms, DT	I know he's been on the field, but he's yet to register any sort of a stat this season. I haven't seen anyone do that since the glory days of Chris Hovan.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	E.J. Henderson, LB	With the level he was playing at prior to his injury, he probably would have been #1 on this list if he was still healthy. The guy's a monster in the middle, and is already sorely missed by the Minnesota defense.
NA	Madieu Williams, S	Williams says that he "hopes to play" against the Texans coming out of the bye. I've been hoping to see him play since we signed him in March. Hopefully he can help shore up the pass defense a little more.
NA	Heath Farwell, LB	If you don't think losing a special teams leader can make a big difference, look at the special teams coverage last year WITH Farwell, and then this year without him. A bigger loss than even we could have imagined during the pre-season.
NA	Dontarrious Thomas, LB	Well, he's familiar with the system, so it will be interesting to see how the Vikings use him.
NA	Napoleon Harris, LB	Same story as Thomas. Started at MLB against the Bears and got worked over pretty good. We'll have to see if he's better adjusted after the bye week.
NA	Drew Radovich, OL	Appeared to be stricken with "Hey, we want you on the team, but we really don't have a spot for you at the moment, so hang out on IR"-itis. That's my diagnosis, anyway. I'm not a doctor or anything.
NA	John David Booty, QB	Inactive all season as the #3 QB. With the way he looked in the pre-season, I can only consider this a blessing in disguise.
NA	Letroy Guion, DT	Inactive most of the season. Hasn't done much.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	It would have been nice to have him around to work into the line rotation.
NA	Michael Boulware, S	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Kenderick Allen, DT	IR'd in pre-season. Hasn't seen the field as a Viking.
NA	Thomas Tapeh, FB	Pretty much epitomizes the Brad Childress era to this point. Signed a 5-year contract, played in exactly two games, was inactive for a month, and then got cut. Epic fail. Probably wouldn't have been signed if the knee surgery he had in the off-season had been discovered. Whether that's Tapeh's fault or Minnesota's fault is up for debate, but the end result is still bad for the Beloved Purple.

And there they are, folks. . .my take on the Vikings' roster to this point of the 2008 season. Feel free to discuss, debate, agree, disagree, or whatever it is that you feel like doing with these.

Napoleon Harris Returns to Minnesota; Thomas Tapeh Released

Gonzo — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:19:06 -0000

The Vikings have signed the second linebacker that they had a past relationship with in a week, as they've brought back former starting middle linebacker Napoleon Harris. Harris signed a one-year deal.

Harris, if you'll remember, originally came to the Vikings in the Randy Moss trade prior to the 2005 Draft, and was the starter for the Raiders at that spot the last time they went to the Super Bowl. After not doing a whole hell of a lot for the team in 2005, he had a pretty outstanding 2006 season, and cashed in on that success by signing a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Strangely, here are his 2008 stats to this point:

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2008 - Napoleon Harris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Yes. . .for whatever reason, Harris hasn't seen the field in six games for the Chiefs this year. I'm not sure if he was injured or what the deal is. I'll be looking around here to find out as soon as the post goes up. If there are any Chief fans out there that could enlighten us as well, that would be great.

I'm guessing that Harris won't be available this weekend against Chicago, but he should be ready to go after the bye week. The scheme is basically the same as when he left, so there shouldn't be much of an adjustment period.

In order to get Harris on to the roster, the Vikings release fullback Thomas Tapeh, just six games into the five-year, $6 million contract he signed this off-season with the Beloved Purple. It came to light over the past week that Tapeh had undergone a knee surgery just prior to signing with the Vikings that he didn't bother to tell anyone about. He had also spent the past four games on the inactive list.

Yeah. . .not the best signing ever for the Vikings there.

We'll be back with more throughout the course of the day. Blogger Deathsport picks, injury reports, all sorts of goodness. Stay tuned!

Kansas City Chiefs Week 1 Injury Report

Chris Thorman — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:00:36 -0000

I'm not too sure what happened with Nap Harris. He was fine until today so he must have injured his knee in practice this afternoon. If Franklin and Price don't play, that means the Chiefs will have three, three healthy wide receivers.

A bit unnerving, no?

Check out the backups on the roster and Herm's press conference from today.

Patriots injury report is after the jump.