SB Nation - Jim Kleinsasser

Slipping and Sliding in December: Vikings Get Crushed in Carolina

Anthony21 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:30:32 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

There's something about Sunday nights...

Once again, the Vikings laid an egg in primetime. I don't get it. The two worst games of the season for the Vikings have come on Sunday nights, and it's not even close. Two weeks ago in Arizona, the Vikings had a thoroughly disastrous game that involved an absolute thrashing by Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, a bumbling missed-tackle fest on defense, and a complete inability to utilize this team's many offensive weapons. This week, it was largely the same story -- but the caliber of the opponent was just much worse.

A single poor game in Arizona is unfortunate -- but it probably isn't worth getting too worried about. However, when the same issues emerge against a team not nearly as tough as Arizona, you have to start wondering.

The offensive line? It got shredded by Julius Peppers. Favre's performance? If it's any indication, Jim Kleinsasser was his leading receiver for quite a bit of the first half. Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe and Percy Harvin once again pulled a vanishing act. Adrian Peterson? When he actually had the ball, which wasn't terribly often, there was no room to run. The defensive performance? It had a very tough time handling Matt Moore, a scrub who made high-percentage throws and was only sacked twice. The tackling was ugly, the pass rush belonged on the side of a milk carton, and it's no surprise that Carolina's offense controlled the time of possession battle. Jonathan Stewart slipped out of countless tackles, exposing just how tough the loss of E.J. Henderson is for the Vikings.

But look, despite my gripes about the defense, the offensive performance was horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. The #1 thing you can do to get beat by a mediocre team is allowing them to hang around early in the game. That's just what the Vikings did in this game. Check out their first four offensive drives of the game:

5 plays, 8 yards, 2:31 elapsed
3 plays, 0 yards, 2:23 elapsed
4 plays, 4 yards, 1:29 elapsed
3 plays, 8 yards, 1:53 elapsed

Embarrassing. Let me run some first half stats by you: 66 total yards, 1/5 on third downs, Matt Moore passes for double the yards that Favre did (98 yards to 48 yards), and Peterson is held to 3.1 yards per carry.

But wait, there's more. Things didn't get any better in the second half.

3 plays, 5 yards, 1:05 elapsed
4 plays, 23 yards, 1:28 elapsed
3 plays, 4 yards, 2:34 elapsed
3 plays, -3 yards, 0:57 elapsed
5 plays, 16 yards, 2:23 elapsed
4 plays, 15 yards, 1:10 elapsed

When you perform incompetently in the first half and come out and perform just as incompetently in the second half, you're an offense that stopped caring. You're an offense that faced adversity and flopped.

Some might call this a trap game, and some might say the Vikings got complacent after clinching an NFC North title earlier in the day. I'll call it something else: Getting crushed. Don't make excuses for this Vikings team, because they don't deserve it. I don't care that the field was in lousy condition, I don't care that the game was outdoors, and I don't care about what was happening around the division. The Vikings got killed out there.

What's most disappointing of all is that they seemed to be on the right track just one week ago. After having quite a few problems exposed by the Cardinals, the Vikings responded in a big way against Cincinnati. They were controlled by the Cardinals, and they responded by controlling the Bengals. Antoine Winfield was a nightmare for Carson Palmer, Adrian Peterson had a pair of touchdowns, and the victory was rarely in doubt. But the Vikings are now back to where they started from two weeks ago, coming off that devastating loss in Arizona.

Don't call it a fluke when it happens twice in three weeks. The Vikings are slipping at a time when they need to be building momentum, and suddenly, a first round bye is hardly a sure thing. But when you're a team that gets absolutely dominated against a team like the Panthers, it's hard to argue that anything is a sure thing.

Why John Carlson Was Blocking Mario Williams

John Morgan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:59:41 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

By double clutching and not executing the designed wide receiver screen, Matt Hasselbeck allowed Mario Williams to fight through John Carlson and sack Matt Hasselbeck.

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John Carlson is not yet a competent blocker, but the day he becomes one, and he will, he still won't stand a chance against Mario Williams. So why did Greg Knapp assign Carlson to block Williams? It seems awfully foolish. Even an elite blocking tight end like Jim Kleinsasser shouldn't be matched against an elite end with perhaps the best tools this side of Julius Peppers.

It's simple, really. Knapp called a designed wide receiver screen to Nate Burleson. Burleson motioned from left wide toward the left slot and then Chris Spencer snapped. Matt Hasselbeck motioned hand off to Justin Forsett and then passed to Burleson. Well, he was supposed to. Instead, Hasselbeck faked hand off, pump faked and then surveyed his one remaining option.

And was sacked. T.J. Houshmandzadeh was in the left slot and initiated contact off the snap. He drove his defender back and got him to bite on the route. He wasn't close to open. Deion Branch was on the right. He ran a "go" route that was supposed to draw the safety but didn't. Hasselbeck saw that and optioned out of the screen. And was sacked.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:51:28 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

8 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson (28) dives over Cincinnati Bengals' Keith Rivers for a 1-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy King)

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It's that time of the week where we take one last look back at the Vikings' previous performance and review exactly how they did in the red zone against their last opponent. In order to do that, we need to move into everybody's favorite segment here at DN, the Vikings' Red Zone Review. As always, the Vikings Red Zone Review is brought to you by the good folks at Comcast. Comcast brings you the NFL Red Zone channel every week, and it's your way to keep in touch with all the biggest plays from every NFL game week in and week out. It's great for fantasy players, or for the late games when you're not sure which game you want to view while celebrating the Vikings' latest conquest. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every single NFL game, and nobody brings it to you like the folks at Comcast.

So, how did the Vikings do in the red zone against the Cincinnati Bengals? Well. . .not to spoil anything, but they did pretty darn good.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 4
Vikings Red Zone scores - 4 (3 TD, 1 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 75%

Once again, the Vikings converted all of their red zone possessions into points, which is always what you want to see from your offense, obviously. Minnesota's first three possessions ended with a punt, Brett Favre's sixth interception of the 2009 season, and a 44-yard Ryan Longwell field goal on a possession where the Vikings didn't reach the red zone. On their fourth possession, however, turned into the Adrian Peterson show, which is generally a good thing for the Minnesota Vikings. The drive started at the Minnesota 43-yard line, and two quick carries for #28 picked up 14 yards and moved the ball into Cincinnati territory. After an incompletion that was sandwiched between two false start penalties, Favre hit Peterson on a pass for 28 yards to the Cincinnati 11 and Minnesota's first trip to the red zone on the afternoon. The drive then came down to a third down from the Cincinnati 9. Favre took the snap, pump faked a defender out of his shoes, rolled to his right, and found Sidney Rice in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown strike to put the Vikings ahead 10-0. The drive moved 57 yards in 7 plays, and took 2:46 to complete.

After the Bengals responded with a red zone possession of their own. . .one that led to their only touchdown of the afternoon. . .the Vikings took over again at their own 24. Favre quickly found Visanthe Shiancoe for 6 yards, and another 11-yard jaunt for Peterson set up a fresh set of downs. Favre continued mixing in different receivers, as he proceeded to complete passes to Bernard Berrian and Greg Lewis as the Vikings moved down the field. He even picked up a rare (for Favre) rushing first down with a 4-yard sneak on 3rd and 2. However, the drive stalled in the Bengals' red zone, and Ryan Longwell came in for another field goal, this one from 23 yards out to make it 13-7, Vikings. That drive went 71 yards in 14 plays, taking 3:21 to complete.

Longwell capped the first half scoring with another field goal that came as a result of Antoine Winfield forcing Bengals' running back Brian Leonard to fumble as the Bengals tried to do. . .something. I don't think anyone's really sure. But, in any case, the field goal was good from 44 yards out, and the Vikings took a 16-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Minnesota took the ball to start the second half, and rather than airing another episode of the All Day with Adrian Peterson, they decided to go with a showing of All Night with Chester Taylor instead. AP had a co-starring role in this one, however. . .in fact, Taylor and Peterson combined for all 60 yards the Vikings gained on that drive. In fact, here's how the drive went, play-by-play.

Peterson carry for 2 yards
Peterson carry for 3 yards
Taylor 6 yard reception
Taylor carry for 5 yards
False start on Jim Kleinsasser
Bengal sack
Encroachment on Cincinnati
Taylor 26 yard reception
Taylor carry for 17 yards
Peterson carry for 5 yards
Peterson carry for 2 yards
Peterson carry for 1 yard and the touchdown

Yep. . .the only skill position players that touched the ball for the Vikings on their opening drive of the third quarter were Favre, Taylor, and Peterson. That's still pretty good. The 1-yard touchdown run for Peterson also gave him a tie for the Vikings' single season record for rushing touchdowns with his 13th of the season. The 60 yard drive was accomplished in 10 plays, and it took 6:20 to complete, putting the Vikings ahead 23-7.

The Bengals would eventually add a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make the score 23-10, and after the subsequent exchange of punts the Vikings decided it was time to put things away. Starting at the Minnesota 33, Favre decided to mix things up a little bit by getting the ball to Sidney Rice to pick up a first down. A couple of plays later, a 19-yard completion to Berrian moved the ball into Cincinnati territory. A 9-yard pass to Berrian and an 8-yard carry by Peterson put the ball into the Bengals' red zone again at the 16-yard line. After Sidney Rice got the ball down to the 4, Peterson finished things off with two more carries and what turned out to be a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings ahead 30-10. The touchdown was Peterson's 14th rushing TD of the year, giving him sole possession of the Minnesota Vikings' record for most rushing touchdowns in one season. Congratulations to the best running back in the National Football League on his accomplishment!

With their numbers from the Cincinnati game, the Vikings have ventured into the red zone 49 times in the 2009 season. In those trips, they've scored 27 touchdowns (55.1%), put 16 Ryan Longwell field goals on the board (32.7%), and failed to score on only six occasions (12.2%). Their opponents, on the other hand, have breached the Minnesota red zone 30 times, with the Vikings allowing 12 touchdowns (40%), giving up 12 field goals (40%), and holding the opponent scoreless 6 times (20%).

Here's hoping that the Vikings' numbers on both sides will continue to improve this Sunday night as they travel to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:00:04 -0000

by Carlos Gonzalez - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Vikings tight end Jeff Dugan (83) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Carlos Gonzalez)

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Before we move along to tomorrow's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, it's time to take one final look back at last week's 27-10 victory over the Detroit Lions. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for another installment of the Vikings Red Zone Review. Comcast brings you the NFL Red Zone channel every week, and it's your way to keep in touch with all the biggest plays from every NFL game week in and week out. It's great for fantasy players, or for the late games when you're not sure which game you want to view while celebrating the Vikings' latest conquest. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every single NFL game, and nobody brings it to you like the folks at Comcast.

What kind of performance did the Vikings put together in the red zone last weekend? Let's have a look and find out.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 6
Vikings Red Zone scores - 4 (2 TD, 2 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 33%

Not the finest red zone performance the Vikings have put together this season, but it was good enough to get the job done.

The Vikings took the opening kickoff and immediately began moving downfield. Brett Favre was on early, connecting on a 12-yard pass to Bernard Berrian, a 13-yarder to Visanthe Shiancoe, and a 20-yarder to Sidney Rice. The pass to Rice set the Vikings up at their own 11-yard line, but after an 8-yard run by Adrian Peterson, a false start penalty on Jim Kleinsasser and a couple of misfires left the Vikings to settle for a 22-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to give themselves an early 3-0 lead. The Vikings' drive went 66 yards in 10 plays, taking 5:42 off of the clock.

After the Lions missed a field goal on their next drive to set the Vikings up at their own 38, Minnesota went to work again. Peterson carried the ball twice for 15 yards, and Favre found Rice on two different plays for a combined 30 yards, moving the Vikings to the Detroit 17-yard line. Then, on a play that looked to be pretty well-blocked, Peterson botched a pitch on a reverse to Percy Harvin, and the ball found its way to the turf. Defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill jumped on the loose ball for the Lions, and the Vikings' red zone efforts were thwarted in short order by the Lions' defense. The play call wasn't THAT bad, but the pitch by #28 was horrible. Ah, well. . .I'm sure the next time that play is called, the execution will be better.

Minnesota didn't see the red zone again until near the end of the first half, though they did score another touchdown on yet another Adrian Peterson "Holy cow, how did he do that" run to put themselves up 10-0. After another big pass to Rice for another 43 yards and a shorter completion to Shiancoe, the Vikings were inside the Detroit red zone again. The Vikings got down to the Lions' 8-yard line, and when faced with fourth and one and with unlimited weapons at their disposal, the Vikings tried to convert by. . .handing the ball to Jeff Dugan? (Actually, Dugan has been pretty good in one yard to go situations, but pretty much all of those came on third downs.) So, the Vikings had another unsuccessful red zone sojurn, and went into the locker room leading 10-3 when they could have had a lot more.

After the Lions fumbled on their first offensive play of the second half, the Adrian Peterson show started again, as he took the ball from the Lions' 28 and rumbled all the way to the 1-yard line, setting the Vikings up in the red zone again with first and goal. Peterson ensured that there would be no further drama, as he gained that one yard on the next play. The Vikings scoring drive went 28 yards in 2 plays, taking only 22 seconds of game time to accomplish, all of it gained by the best running back in the NFL.

To the Lions' credit, they responded to that score by putting up their only touchdown of the game, and the only trip they would make into the red zone on the afternoon, aided by a questionable call on Ray Edwards that negated a Minnesota fumble recovery. After a few punts were exchanged, we moved on to the fourth quarter of play, and on the first play of the quarter, Favre unleashed another huge bomb to Rice for 56 yards and another trip to the red zone at the Detroit 4-yard line. After a run by Peterson lost four yards, Favre rolled out to his left and found Jeff Dugan on a crossing route in the end zone, and Dugan made up for his earlier problems by hauling it in for an 8-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-10, Vikings, and effectively put the game out of reach. That Viking drive went 61 yards in four plays and took only 2:03 to complete.

The Vikings' final red zone journey was set up by another "holy cow" moment, this one supplied by Percy Harvin. Your 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year took a short pass from Brett Favre, bounced off a Lions' linebacker, and turned what initially looked to be a 3-yard hitch into a 40-yard catch-and-run. A 21-yard pass to Shiancoe put the Vikings into the red zone. Unfortunately, the Vikings couldn't do anything else with it, and had to line up for a Ryan Longwell field goal try from 35 yards out. Longwell made it, of course, because. . .say it with me. . .that's what Ryan Longwell does. That drive moved 71 yards in eight plays, and gave us our final score of 27-10 in favor of the Beloved Purple.

The results of the game against the Lions mean that the Vikings, through nine games, have made 37 trips into the red zone this year. In those 37 trips, they've come away with touchdowns on 19 of those (51.3%), tacked on 12 Ryan Longwell field goals (32.4%), and failed to come away with points on six trips (16.2%). Their opponents, on the other hand, have entered the red zone 23 times, and have come away with 10 touchdowns (43.5%), seven field goals (30.4%), and have gotten nothing on six occasions (26.1%). Here's hoping that the Seahawks will give us a chance to improve our numbers both offensively and defensively.

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.

The Trap Game That's Too Obvious to Be a Trap Game

ericj69 — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:52:47 -0000

Cheer up, Twins fans. We still have Purple Jesus. And scantily clad women with strategically placed footballs that like to wear his jersey.

View full size photo »

(Editor's note: I'm writing this article right after the Twins' gut-wrenching loss on Friday night. So if I sporadically throw in random rants about the game, please bear with me. I need an outlet to vent before I light myself on fire to REDUCE the pain of that loss.)

It has all the ingredients, doesn't it?

The Vikings are traveling to St. Louis on a short week after an emotional victory over the Packers Monday night.

Minnesota hosts Baltimore and heads to Pittsburgh in the next two weeks, who just happen to be the two teams that met for the AFC Championship last year.

The Vikes are undefeated. The Rams are 0-4 and three of the four losses have been ugly blowouts. They've already been shut out twice this season. The Rams have looked uglier than a Marshawn Lynch/Jim Kleinsasser lovechild.

In theory, the Vikings should slap the Rams around like they were Miguel Cabrera's wife.

(Low blow? Sure was. I don't care. It makes me feel better that the Twins defeated a wife beater on Tuesday. It's just too bad that a steroid-abusing, purple-lipped cheater decided to have the first good playoff game of his career tonight. DAMMIT!!)

However, whenever analysts talk about "looking ahead" and "playing down to the level of their competition", this is more or less the blueprint for what they're talking about. All signs point to Week 5 being a dreaded "Trap Game" for the Vikings. In the past, it's exactly the kind of game the the Vikings have either made way too close (the "moral defeat" as the Bill Simmons put it in today's article) or lost outright.

But you know what? I'm not buying it. I say the Vikings methodically take care of business this week. This is the 2009 Vikings, and it looks like they might just know how to close out games they should win.

(Speaking of closing out games they should win...Joe Nathan. Really?! I mean, really?! You're one of the best in the game, but you're going to be forever remembered as the guy who allowed the first (and probably only) clutch hit of A-Rod's career. DAMMIT!!)

If you've read my articles before, you're probably aware I'm not exactly huge on "research" or "fact checking". But here are some numbers to let you know why I just don't see a close game on Sunday:

The Vikings have scored at least 27 points in each game this year and average 29.5 a game. The Rams have scored 24 points the entire season thus far.
The Rams have lost 14 consecutive games.
The Rams have recorded seven sacks in 2009. The Vikings recorded eight on Monday night alone.
Darren Sharper has three more interceptions than the St. Louis Rams.
Adrian Peterson's rushing yardage by game: 180, 92, 85, 55. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that he reverses this trend and have one of those games where he reminds everyone that he's the still The Best Player in the NFL Period. I see around a buck fifty and a couple scores for Purple Jesus. (I'm Eric's fantasy team and I approve this message.)
When a ball lands fair and bounces over the wall, it is considered a Ground Rule Double, not a foul ball.

(Sorry, that last one didn't have to do with the Vikings or Rams at all. But apparently it needed to be stated after tonight's absolutely awful call. On the bright side, it's good to see that Tim Donaghy found a new job umpiring left field at Yankee Stadium. DAMMIT!!)

It doesn't sound like Marc Bulger will play, leaving the immortal Kyle Boller more than likely to get the start. If Bulger can't go, the backup QB will be someone named Keith Null. So the Rams' depth chart at QB is probably as follows:

QB1: Boller

QB2: Null

As a Computer Science major, I find this completely hilarious. It looks like their second quarterback doesn't exist! I don't care if you get it or not--that joke was for me and the other nerds of the world.

Although it's the prototypical trap game, I say it's too obvious when you add it all up. But just in case you needed more proof, I stopped over and browsed the Turf Show Times threads to see what Rams fans were saying about the game. Under a "Keys to the Vikings Game" Fan Post, a Rams fan commented "Lose by less than 30 points and score a TD". Not exactly lofty expectations right now in St. Louis.

Prediction: Vikings 34, Rams 13 (That's right, I'm predicting less than 30 points AND a Rams TD! They'll be dancing in the streets in St. Louis!)

The rest of my Week 5 NFL picks are after the jump. (I'm hitting at over 75% this year!)

(GO TWINS, AND F*CK THE YANKEES! Hopefully the Dome still has enough magic left to ward off the Evil Empire a couple times.)

Hope team in CAPS:

RAVENS over Bengals: The battle for first place in the AFC North. I know, I can't believe the Bengals are involved in it either. If I'm wrong here and Cincinnati is in sole possession of first place after five weeks, I would suggest stockpiling canned goods. Armageddon can't be too far behind.

Browns over BILLS: That's right, I'm going with winless Cleveland on the road. The Bills seem to enjoy giving teams their first win of the year. The Browns looked slightly frisky last week, so I'm picking Cleveland here along with Dick Jauron getting canned by next weekend. If so, it's definitely better in the long run for the Bills. Every time I see Jauron on the sidelines, it reminds me of Weekend at Bernie's. Not a good thing.

PANTHERS over Redskins: There may have never been a worse 2-2 team than the 2009 Washington Redskins. How bad are they? Well, they're getting points from the an 0-3 team and the Human Turnover, a.k.a. Jake Delhomme.

Steelers over LIONS: Big Ben is going to plow through the Lions defense like they were hotel employees.

Cowboys over CHIEFS: Can we call this the "Hmm, Maybe our Quarterback Isn't All That Good After All" Bowl?

GIANTS over Raiders: My eliminator pick of the week. Do you think JaMarcus Russell struggles horribly with accuracy in all parts of his life, or just on the football field? If a buddy asks JaMarcus to toss him a beer, does he throw the beer 5 yards over his friend's head? When he goes to the bathroom, does he just miss the bowl altogether? I'm serious.

EAGLES over Buccaneers: McRibb is back and the Eagles are coming off a bye week. Meanwhile, the Bucs are obviously celebrating the 33rd anniversary of their franchise by playing exactly like their inaugural 1976 team. Way to pay tribute Tampa!

49ERS over Falcons: I know Frank Gore is still out, but I think Patrick Willis & Co. can shut down Tony Gonzalez and stuff Michael Turner. The Patriots proved that if you do that, the Falcons aren't much of a threat offensively.

CARDINALS over Texans: The Jekyll and Hyde Bowl! I seriously have no idea what to make of either team, so I'm taking the home team coming off a bye.

SEAHAWKS over Jaguars: It sounds like Matt Hasselbeck will be back, so I like his team this week. What I don't like is his EAS commercial. Really EAS? A balding guy wearing a non-flattering purple workout shirt is supposed to make me get ripped by buying your product?

Patriots over BRONCOS: McDaniels knows a ton about the Pats, but I still say the sensei beats the pupil. I also say that Elvis Dumervil will get a 15-yard penalty during a crucial drive for sneezing in the general direction of Tom Brady.

Colts over TITANS: Wow, the Titans are staring 0-6 straight in the face. (They head to New England next week.) But maybe all Tennessee needs to win is for me to stop picking them to win every week. So, um, here you go Titans! Enjoy!

DOLPHINS over Jets: I kind of sense an addition by subtraction with the Fins here. With Chad Pennington's injury, it looks like Miami is just going to pound the ball on the ground and mix in a few shots down the field with Chad Henne, who's actually capable of making those throws. Playing to your team's strengths--what a novel concept! (Don't worry Tony Sparano, it took Childress almost four years to figure that out. You're doing it in your second year coaching.)

Last week: 11-3

Season so far: 47-15

Saturday Injury Report: Green Bay Packers at Vikings

Brandon — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:52:50 -0000

Usually this is written on Friday, but with a Monday night game, the final practice of the week is on Saturday instead. More time to heal!

For the Packers, there are a lot of familiar names. SS Atari Bigby has been out since week 1, but he should be back after the bye week (next week). It means the first big game for SS Derrick Martin who barely played last week because they substituted him for an extra LB. RB Brandon Jackson has been out since the preseason. LB Jeremy Thompson has been battling a knee injury the past two weeks, but he's gotten off to a poor start on special teams so his absence might be noticed in a good way. The big name this week has been LT Chad Clifton, who's been listed as questionable but hasn't practiced all week. I'm not a big fan of LT Daryn Colledge, but I'd rather see him start then an injured player. Mike McCarthy expects Colledge will start, so don't expect Clifton to be active. Everyone else should play.

For the Vikings, they've got a number of big names on their injury list. Of course QB Brett Favre will play, so there's no need to discuss that one. I wonder if he's only being listed because of the Jets injury-report fiasco. LB Erin Henderson probably won't play, but since he's most famous for being LB E.J. Henderson's brother, and only has 15 career tackles, I don't expect they'll miss him. The Vikings struggling pass protection would take a blow if Pro Bowl LG Steve Hutchinson is out with a back injury. He looks like a game-time decision. Don't expect WR Darius Reynaud will play, which might not seem like a big loss, but he's having a great season as a punt returner. It looks like starting FB Naufahu Tahi won't play either. They won't miss his meager offensive production, but his blocking could be missed.

These are not game changing injuries for either team, but they are hitting both teams struggling pass protection units. Complete injury list after the jump.

From Packers.com:

Player	Pos.	Injury	Saturday Participation	Saturday Status
Atari Bigby	S	Knee	Out	Out
Chad Clifton	T	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Brandon Jackson	RB	Ankle	Out	Out
Cullen Jenkins	DE	Groin	Full Participation	Probable
Greg Jennings	WR	Wrist	Full Participation	Probable
Johnny Jolly	DE	Abdomen	Full Participation	Probable
B.J. Raji	NT	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Jeremy Thompson	LB	Knee	Did Not Participate	Out
Charles Woodson	CB	Foot	Full Participation	Probable


Player	Pos.	Injury	Saturday Participation	Saturday Status
Brett Favre	QB	Foot	Limited Participation	Probable
Cedric Griffin	CB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
E.J. Henderson	LB	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Erin Henderson	LB	Calf	Limited Participation	Doubtful
Steve Hutchinson	G	Back	Limited Participation	Questionable
Jim Kleinsasser	TE	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Chris Kluwe	P	Illness	Full Participation	Probable
Darius Reynaud	WR	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Naufahu Tahi	FB	Back	Limited Participation	Questionable

Official Vikings/Lions Injury Reports

Gonzo — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:54:02 -0000

Good evening/morning, campers! Glad to see that things have been relatively normal here, with the exception of some of the more creative FanPosts (all of which have been deleted). I would have gotten to these injury reports a bit sooner, but I spent my evening last night in New Orleans at a retirement party for a very good friend of mine that is moving on to the civilian world after putting in his 20 years. Let me tell you. . .Disney World might advertise themselves as the happiest place on Earth, but they've got nothing on Bourbon Street.

And I'll just leave it at that. This is, after all, a family show.

So, let's move on to the injury reports. As is customary here, we'll look at the visiting team first, so his Minnesota's injury report for tomorrow's game.

Minnesota Vikings Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Anthony Herrera	back	09/18/2009
Jim Kleinsasser	hand	09/18/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Heath Farwell	hamstring	09/18/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Erin Henderson	calf	09/18/2009

Henderson is going to be out, we know that already. The big question here is Heath Farwell's status. According to Access Vikings, Henderson was the only member of the team that didn't practice on Friday, so since Farwell practiced, I'm guessing that he'll be a go for tomorrow's game, barring anything surprising. So, the Vikings should basically have their entire complement of players going into Ford Field tomorrow.

And here's the injury report for the Lions:

Detroit Lions Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Grady Jackson	knee	09/18/2009
William James	foot	09/18/2009
Jason Hanson	knee	09/18/2009
Phillip Buchanon	neck	09/18/2009
Daniel Loper	knee	09/18/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric King	shoulder	09/18/2009
Andre Fluellen	knee	09/18/2009

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cliff Avril	hamstring	09/18/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cody Spencer	knee	08/18/2009
Daniel Bullocks	knee	08/20/2009
Jared DeVries	achilles-tendon	08/11/2009
Chris Roberson	undisclosed	09/05/2009
Damion Cook	triceps	08/07/2009

Grady Jackson is probable despite not having practiced on Friday, and his matchup against Vikings' center John Sullivan will be one of the more interesting ones to watch tomorrow. Sullivan had his difficulties with Shaun Rogers last week in Cleveland, and while Jackson is no longer in the class of guys like Rogers, he's still a big run-stuffing body in the middle of the Detroit defense.

Cliff Avril will likely be inactive for the Lions tomorrow, and I haven't seen anything indicating that anyone else on the Lions' injury report is a definite deactivation for tomorrow.

So there are the bumps and bruises for both teams going into the Week 2 matchup at Ford Field. Not a lot of hugely game-changing injuries for either side. We're about 12 hours away, folks, so make sure you're here for the Game Thread and all the fun that's involved with that. We'll see you here then!

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)

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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.