SB Nation - Bryant McKinnie

Arizona Cardinals News: McKinnie's Stance Tipped the Defense Edition?

Hawkwind — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:59:27 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Could offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie's stance have led to the Arizona Cardinals defensive dominance on Sunday night? That's the rumor..... (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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The Arizona Cardinals enter Monday night's game with the 49ers with two major goals staring them in the face, beat a divisional opponent and win the NFC West. With a win the Cardinals secure their second consecutive NFC West title, and obviously a second straight trip to the post season, but first they're have to repay an opening week loss to the Bay Area boys.

Did Bryant McKinnie's 'tell' lead to the Vikings blowout loss? - Interesting conspiracy theory regarding the Cardinals defense being able to determine a run or pass play depending on McKinnie's stance.
Shutdown Corner defensive player of the week: Tamba Hali - Not one but two Cardinals' defenders were in the running for defensive player of the week (Bertrand Berry and Karlos Dansby).
Playoff matchup could favor Cardinals - An Arizona vs. Minnesota matchup in the playoffs seems probable and the Cardinals hold that advantage.
Mike Sando's MVP Watch - With his latest stellar performance, Warner joined Johnny Unitas as the only players in NFL history to post four consecutive games with a passer rating of 120 or higher, but does that make him a MVP candidate?

Cards' little guys making big impact - The Cardinals have seven players under 6 feet, and Stephens-Howling (5-7) and Adams (5-8) are the shortest. But they played large over the past two weeks. At Tennessee two weeks ago, Stephens-Howling, a running back, returned a kickoff for a touchdown and downed three punts inside the 5. Adams, a cornerback, played in passing situations last week against the Vikings and often was matched up against Percy Harvin, a favorite to win offensive rookie of the year honors.
Hard-hitting Cardinals shedding finesse label - The Arizona Cardinals are pummeling that "finesse team" label into submission. Sure, Kurt Warner throws some pretty passes and he has some marvelous receivers to catch them. But the Cardinals' tough side was on national display Sunday night in a dominating 30-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Warner delivers outside the numbers - Warner is amazing outside of the numbers.
A healthy Boldin produces - Since then, Boldin has played at a Pro Bowl level, averaging 7 catches and 84 yards a game. He's scored three touchdowns. In his previous seven games, Boldin averaged five catches for 58 yards and score one touchdown. "He's certainly played well since then," Whisenhunt said. "The one thing you always worry about is having to fight those things (injuries) all year."
NFL assistants eye possible lockout - Assistant coaches throughout the league, including with the Cardinals, have their eyes on 2011. If a new collective-bargaining agreement with the players isn't reached by March of that year, the owners are expected to lock out the players. That could mean pay cuts or job losses for team employees, including assistant coaches.

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

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

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

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

Looking Forward to the Bengals

Gonzo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:56:08 -0000

There have been a couple of interesting developments over the course of the past couple of days leading up to the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings. The first was the revelation from a Cardinals' "insider" the day after the Vikings' 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The rumor has been circulating that the Cardinals knew whether the Vikings would be passing or running the football based on the stance of left tackle Bryant McKinnie. If McKinnie put his left foot farther back, the Cardinals anticipated pass. . .if it was farther up, they looked for the run.

While this might have something to do with some of the success the Cardinals had against Minnesota, I still think it's quite a bit of hand-wringing over nothing. Honestly, are we to believe that if there was such an obvious tell from the Vikings' offense, it took professional football coaches until Week 13 of the season to exploit it? I doubt it. . .the Vikings' offense would have been getting overrun since September if that were the case. I think what we saw on Sunday night doesn't have anything to do with stances or anything else. It had to do with the Cardinals putting together their best game of the season, the Vikings playing their worst game of the year, and those two events coinciding on the same Sunday night. Do I think the Vikings would get whipped that badly if they had to face the Cardinals again? Not at all. Arizona still might win the game, mind you, but I don't think they'd dominate the Vikings the way they did on Sunday night. Obviously, I'm a bit biased, and your mileage may vary on such matters, but that's my view of things.

Second, as Anthony pointed out in a FanShot yesterday, Chad Ochocinco is already at it, telling Adam Schefter via Twitter that when he scores against the Vikings. . .and you'll note his usage of the word "when" as opposed to "if". . .he was going to take the horn away from the Vikings' mascot and use it himself.

(Do we tell him that the horn sound that plays after first downs is pre-recorded, or do we just let him look for the horn for about half an hour or so? If. . .not when. . .it happens, mind you.)

The problem with Ochenta y Cinco telling us what's going to happen "when" he scores is a bit of a laugh, given the recent inconsistencies of the Cincinnati offense. Back in Week 7 of the season, the Bengals hosted the Chicago Bears. . .and scored on their first seven offensive possessions (6 touchdowns and a field goal) on their way to a 45-10 victory. Then they went on their bye, which was apparently badly timed. Why? Because in their five games since coming back from their bye week, the Bengals offense has put up the following results:

vs. Baltimore - 17 points
@ Pittsburgh - 18 points (4 FG and a touchdown on a 96-yard kickoff return)
@ Oakland - 17 points (and a loss)
vs. Cleveland - 16 points
vs. Detroit - 23 points

Those last three games were against teams that are in the bottom quarter of the NFL in scoring offense. The Vikings had a few easy games prior to their trip to Arizona, don't get me wrong. . .but they won those games rather convincingly, while Cincy has struggled a little bit.

That's not to say that the Bengals offense doesn't have talent, because it does. In their past three games, they've had three different running backs rush for over 100 yards. . .former Bear Cedric Benson, Chiefs refugee Larry Johnson, and rookie Bernard Scott (he of the 96-yard kickoff return mentioned above). But Carson Palmer has had a bit of trouble finding his rhythm since throwing for five touchdowns in the rout of the Bears, and the Cincinnati offense is only 21st in the NFL in passing in terms of yardage. The Bengals predicate everything they do offensively on their ability to run the football. . .which is good for the Vikings, who have moved up to #3 in the NFL in rush defense after getting off to a slow start earlier in the year.

The Bengals are one of the two teams that has been better against the run than the Vikings have, as they currently sit at #2 in the league in that category, allowing 81.8 yards/game on the ground (Minnesota allows 84.2 ypg). The Vikings really, really got away from the run in their last game against Arizona, and definitely need to get back to it. Domata Peko, the Bengals big run-stopping force, will miss this Sunday's game after having arthroscopic knee surgery, so the Vikings might find the sledding a bit easier, but the Bengals' defense has been fierce all season long, and have currently allowed the fewest points in the National Football League. Getting Adrian Peterson established early, with a nice dose of Chester Taylor thrown in, would certainly make the Vikings' efforts easier. I'd look for a lot of Visanthe Shiancoe in this game as well.

The Bengals game could serve as a tipping point in either direction for the Vikings' season. If they can come out and get a victory over the team that has all but sewn up the AFC North, it can serve to put the Arizona game out of mind and put it down as an isolated bad performance by the Vikings. If they lose, however, it could be the start of a spiral that the Vikings don't want to be on heading into the post-season. It should be an outstanding game in any case, and we'll have more on it as the game approaches.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:34:56 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Holt - AP

22 days ago: Minnesota Vikings running back Chester Taylor (29) scores in the second quarter past Chicago Bears' Danieal Manning (38) during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jerry Holt)

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Since we're going to be, as the kids say, waiting all day for Sunday night, let's kill some time by taking a final look back at the Vikings' complete and utter domination of the Chicago Bears by reviewing their performance in the Red Zone. And, 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.

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 - 6 (4 TD, 2 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 66%

A pretty good performance for the Vikings in the red zone last week, but it still could have been better.

After an Adrian Peterson fumble halted a promising opening drive, the Bears and Vikings exchanged three and outs, and the Bears punted again, pinning the Vikings on their own 4-yard line. From there, the Vikings offense went to work. Brett Favre converted a big third down when he hit Sidney Rice for 14 yards on 3rd and 6. He continued to spread the ball around, hitting Chester Taylor twice for 27 yards out of the backfield. Peterson mixed in a 15-yard run and an 8-yard run, and Favre converted another big third down by hitting Bernard Berrian to take the Vikings down to the Chicago 6. After some questionable play calling, including Favre taking a 14-yard sack on first and goal from the 1 (following a Chicago PI penalty in the end zone), the first play of the second quarter saw Favre drill a bullet to the 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year. . .that's Percy Harvin. . .and the Vikings went up 7-0. The Minnesota drive went 96 yards in 13 plays, and took 6:52 to complete.

After the Bears managed to luck their way into their one touchdown drive of the afternoon, the Vikings went to work again from their own 20. Harvin didn't get to return the kickoff because of a touchback, so the Vikings let him start the drive off with a 35-yard run to put the ball into Chicago territory. Favre then hit Berrian for 7, Rice for 11, and Harvin for 4 to move the ball to the Chicago 10. After a three-yard run by Peterson, Favre rolled to his right, dumped one off to Chester Taylor, and #29 did the rest as he dove into the end zone for another Minnesota touchdown. The extra point put the Vikings up 14-3. That Minnesota drive moved 80 yards in 8 plays, taking 4:06 off the clock.

The Bears fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which the Vikings turned into a 52-yard Ryan Longwell field goal. On the Bears next drive, Chicago's awesome, incredible superstar quarterback Jay Cutler threw a pass that got picked off by Cedric Griffin. The Vikings couldn't take advantage, and punted the ball back to Chicago. Cutler's second INT of the afternoon came on the subsequent drive, on a pass that was deflected by E.J. Henderson into the arms of Jared Allen. The Vikings started out at their own 30, and Favre immediately hit Visanthe Shiancoe for 21 yards to move the ball into Chicago territory. He then hit Berrian twice for 16 yards, and then lofted a beautiful pass to Rice, who got pushed out of bounds at the Chicago 2. After a touchdown pass from Favre to Shiancoe was nullified for Bryant McKinnie being downfield, Shank managed to get the touchdown anyway, as Favre found him on third and goal from the 6 for the score. The drive moved 70 yards in 7 plays, and only took 40 seconds to accomplish. It also put Minnesota ahead 24 to 7 as they went to the locker room.

After a Chicago field goal gave the Bears their final points of the afternoon, the Vikings took over at their own 33, as the Bears decided they were too scared to kick to Percy Harvin. Harvin again made them pay for it, catching passes of 12 and 22 yards from Favre to move the ball into Chicago territory. After a fumble by Peterson that was correctly challenged by Childress, Favre hit Shiancoe for 19 yards, and appeared to have another touchdown pass to Chester Taylor that was taken off the board by an unnecessary holding penalty downfield on Berrian. From there, the flags started to fly, and the referees desperately tried to level the playing field for the completely overmatched Bears. After all was said and done, the Vikings had to settle for a 37-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to make the score 27-7. The 12-play, 48-yard drive took 4:59 off of the clock.

Big third down conversions were the story of Minnesota's next drive, as Minnesota started from their own 27. You know it's going to be a productive drive when even Naufahu Tahi gets into the business of converting third downs, which he did with an 8-yard reception. On the next third down, Favre hit Bernard Berrian for 18 yards. Then, on another third down play, Favre found Percy Harvin for an outstanding 31-yard catch that put the rookie over the 100-yard mark for the first time in his young career. Unfortunately, the drive stalled when the Vikings reached the 2, and they had to settle for a 20-yard Longwell field goal. The drive needed to eat up the clock, and the drive did just that, as they took 7:36 to move the ball 71 yards in 13 plays. It also made the score 30 to 7 in favor of the Vikings.

Favre only completed one pass on his final drive of the afternoon, hitting Berrian again for eight yards. The rest of the drive was the Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor show, as the best 1-2 running back tandem in the NFL combined for 35 yards on 6 carries on the drive. A big pass interference penalty aided the Vikings as well, giving them 25 yards and putting the ball deep into Chicago territory. Harvin even mixed another carry in for 10 yards, and that one put the Vikings inside the Chicago red zone again. To cap off what had been a fairly tough afternoon, Peterson walked in from five yards out for a touchdown. Chris Kluwe, unfortunately, bobbled the hold on the extra point, so the final margin of victory for Minnesota ended up being 36-10. The final Viking drive went 68 yards in 8 plays, taking another 5:09 off of the clock.

So, to update our tally, for the season the Vikings' offense has entered the opposing red zone on 43 occasions. They've come away with 23 touchdowns (53.5%), 14 Ryan Longwell field goals (32.5%), and have only come away scoreless six times (14%). The Bears only entered the red zone once. . .and they were lucky to have that many. . .and managed one field goal. So, the Vikings have allowed their opponents to enter the red zone 24 times this season, allowing them to score 10 touchdowns (41.7%), as well as eight field goals (33.3%). On six occasions (25%), Minnesota's opponents have left the red zone empty-handed.

Here's hoping that the Vikings can improve on all of those figures during Sunday night's clash with the Arizona Cardinals.

Viking Fans Apparently Stuffing the Ballot Box

Gonzo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:06:02 -0000

For the past few years, fan voting has accounted for 1/3 of the balloting for the NFL Pro Bowl, and you can go to NFL.com in order to vote for your favorite players (read: Vikings) to play in this year's exhibition. However, according to the folks at Viking Update, a lot of your fellow Vikings fans are way ahead of you on that front.

Right now, members of the Minnesota Vikings are leading at TEN DIFFERENT POSITIONS on the NFC's Pro Bowl ballot. Ten, I say. That's a lot.

As it stands now, Adrian Peterson is the #3 overall vote getter, and Brett Favre is (appropriately enough) the #4 overall vote getter. Unfortunately, since Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints has the most overall votes, that means that Favre is only second among NFC quarterbacks.

Who are some of the other Vikings that are leading at their positions? Well, let's take a look. . .

John Sullivan is the leading vote getter at center
Bryant McKinnie is the leader among offensive tackles (Phil Loadholt is fourth)
Steve Hutchinson has more votes than any other guard
Naufahu Tahi is the leader at fullback. . .and if you're currently drinking anything, I apologize for making it shoot out of your nose. But that statement is true.
Jared Allen is the pace setter among NFC defensive ends (almost twice as many as second place Julius Peppers)
Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are the top two defensive tackles in the NFC
Percy Harvin is leading all NFC kick returners in the voting thus far
Ryan Longwell is the top NFC kicker thus far
And Heath Farwell is the top in the NFC special teams category

Four Vikings hold down the #2 spot at their positions as well. Those three are punter Chris Kluwe, cornerback Antoine Winfield, outside linebacker Chad Greenway, and guard Anthony Herrera.

Now, will all these Minnesota players make the Pro Bowl? Certainly not. Heck, hopefully we won't see any of them in the Pro Bowl this year. After all, the NFL has changed the schedule so that the Pro Bowl will be played the weekend before the Super Bowl, not the weekend after as it has been for all these years. Hopefully our guys will have more important things to worry about.

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.

And On the Ninth Week, They Rested.

ericj69 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:56:19 -0000

It appears only one NFC team stands in the Vikings' way at the halfway point of the season. Here are their cheerleaders.

View full size photo »

If you gave every NFL team the option of when they wanted their bye week, I'm guessing most teams would pick Week 9 because it is the precise median of the 17-week NFL season. Thankfully, the Vikings get that perfect weekend off to kick back and enjoy their perch atop the NFC North. Of course I don't know any of the players personally, but here's how I envision some of them spending their free time this week:

Jared Allen: Hunting at least four species of wild animal using a variety of weapons: bow, shotgun, rifle, his bare hands, and his mullet. The nice thing for Jared is that he doesn't have to change his wardrobe at all when he goes hunting. (Speaking of hunting, I'm heading up to Warroad for my annual deer hunting trip in a few hours, which is why my weekly picks are coming out a day early. Didja see da turdy pointer?)

Brad Childress: Working the drive-thru at McDonald's. (What, you didn't think Mickey D's was just going to give him that headset did you? He has to work it off!) Childress also plans to watch his favorite DVD, "Awesome Beards in History, narrated by Chuck Norris" about five or six more times.

Adrian Peterson: Destroying brick walls and large construction equipment by simply lowering his shoulder into them. You know, just to stay sharp.

Percy Harvin: Making room in his trophy case for the 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. And thinking up more mysterious illnesses to get out of practice during the week.

Asher Allen: Hopefully throwing away his "How to Tackle, by Deion Sanders" book.

Antoine Winfield: Miraculously healing his sprained foot in time for next week's game. (Please?!)

Chris Kluwe: Finally beating "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert in Guitar Hero III and upgrading his Dark Elf Mage to Level 50 on World of Warcraft.

Brett Favre: Finally choosing that TV at Sears.

Tarvaris Jackson: Watching game film from last year's Arizona game alone in his house and quietly sobbing. "I had FOUR TOUCHDOWNS! FOUR! I CAN DO IT TOO!"

Sage Rosenfels: Finish writing his novel titled "The Easiest Money I Ever Made: My Time with Brett and the 2009 Vikings."

Pat Williams: Eating. A lot. Duh.

Bryant McKinnie: I actually know this one. He went through the "ESPN Car Wash" yesterday, appearing on roughly 42 ESPN radio and TV segments. This is a much better alternative to his original plan of ~~fighting in parking lots~~ clubbing in Miami.

(More bye week thoughts and my Week 9 picks after the jump.)

Obviously, the Vikings are in great shape halfway through the 2009 season. They're 7-1, they already have 5 road games out of the way, they pick up after the bye with three home games, and if that wasn't enough, the first one is against the Lions!

But as The Wolf uttered one of my favorite lines of all time in Pulp Fiction, "Let's not start sucking each other's d---- just yet."

We all remember the team that our quarterback was on last year, right? The Jets started 8-3, then Favre got hurt and the wheels fell off. Yes, I know, this team is different, and undoubtedly better overall. I'm just sayin', OK? Of any fan base, we Vikings fans should know that a season can turn at any time without warning. We have a looong way to go before we start seriously talking about that February game in Miami, especially with that team in New Orleans putting up 40 points a game at will. But so far, so good, right?

Let's just hope that the Vikings take this most opportune time to rest, recharge, and be ready to make the second half of the season even better than the first.

Now for my Week 9 NFL picks (home team in CAPS):

FALCONS over Redskins: My Eliminator pick this week (still going at 8-0). I have always loved Clinton Portis' wild characters and costumes he thinks up during press conferences. This year, he's even wearing them on the field! Although I'm not sure "Washed-up NFL Malcontent Running Back" is quite as funny as "Dolla Bill."

BEARS over Cardinals: I wouldn't bet your money on this game. Have two teams ever looked so good and bad on a week-to-week basis? I'm taking the Bears here, but I wouldn't be surprised by a 40-point blowout either way in this one.

Ravens over BENGALS: Big-time revenge game here; Baltimore had their first meeting locked up until they went all penalty-happy. Fun drinking game if you're watching this one: drink every time the announcers mention "leader", "motivator", or "intensity" when referring to Ray Lewis. You should be bombed halfway through the second quarter.

COLTS over Texans: It only took Houston seven and a half years to get two games over .500! Congratulations! I'm a little worried about Indy's rushing attack, but the Colts are in the "not picking against them until they lose" category with New Orleans.

JAGUARS over Chiefs: If I was Maurice Jones-Drew and my team fell behind early to Kansas City on Sunday, I would strip the ball from David Garrard and run it myself every time a pass play was called.

PATRIOTS over Dolphins: Like I'm going to pick against Bellichick at home when he's had two weeks to prepare for a gimmick offense.

Packers over BUCCANEERS: Give the Packers credit--they have looked AMAZING against awful teams this year. Good work Pack! You're 4-1 against teams not named the Vikings!

SAINTS over Panthers: It looks like John Fox is finally figuring out that his rush offense is approximately 48 times more efficient than his pass offense...but it's hard to run the ball a lot when the Saints are putting up Arena League scores.

SEAHAWKS over Lions: Hey, T.J. Houshmandzadeh: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! How's choosing Seattle over Minnesota working out for you?

GIANTS over Chargers: The Chargers are 0-3 against teams with winning records. Believe it or not, the Giants still have a winning record.

49ERS over Titans: Although the Niners seem to have mastered the art of "How to Look Good and Still Lose", I think they'll get a big enough lead in this game to not have to worry about their new skill.

EAGLES over Cowboys: I'm rooting for only one thing in this game: lots and lots of injuries. Worst two fan bases in football? Worst two fan bases in football.

Steelers over BRONCOS: Like Christina Hendricks and Lindsay Lohan, these two teams seem like they're heading in opposite directions.

Last week: 8-5

Season so far: 83-33

Gonzo Reads Books: Peter King's "Monday Morning Quarterback"

Gonzo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:09:06 -0000

So I get home from work a few days ago, and I found a nice surprise in my mailbox from the good folks at Sports Illustrated Books. It was a copy of Peter King's new tome Monday Morning Quarterback: A fully caffeinated guide to everything you need to know about the NFL. Now, I know that I've had my differences with Mr. King in the past. . .well not with Mr. King, per se, but with some of the things he's had to say about our Beloved Purple over the years. However, the guy is where he is because he's a heck of a writer, and really seems to enjoy what he does. Hell, who wouldn't?

I've been reading furiously over the past couple of days, and the MMQB book is full of good stuff. A lot of it is a compilation of King's columns of the same name from SI.com, as well has some lists about "What I Think I Think." But he does include some good, original material in there such as his top 100 players in today's NFL. (Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson, Kevin Williams, Antoine Winfield, Bryant McKinnie, and Chad Greenway all made the list. . .but I won't tell you where.)

King makes lots of good insights, and many of you will be happy to know that the columns taken from previous SI.com entries are limited to just football. . .so, those of you that dislike hearing about stuff like girls field hockey and what he thought about the barista that served him his double-half whipped mocha-choca-latta ya ya he got from the Starbucks at the Denver airport can be spared such things. (Yeah, I worked a "Lady Marmalade" reference in there. . .big deal, wanna fight about it?) In my personal opinion, some of the best columns in the book aren't really football-related at all. . .if you read the story about the King family having to put Woody, the family dog, to sleep and don't get at least a bit of a tear in your eye, you need to check yourself for a pulse. But if you want football, football, and a little more football, King gives you plenty of that as well.

MMQB not only gives you some good, entertaining football stories, it also gives you an opportunity to look behind the scenes and gain a perspective that you ordinarily would get from a book about football. It's pretty light reading, much like King's column is, but you can sit back, read a story or two, and put it away at your leisure. This book will make you laugh and make you think as well. I know I've enjoyed reading it immensely thus far, and I've still got plenty of reading left to do to complete the entire thing. If you're looking for a good read about football. . .and, hey, the Vikings have a bye week coming up, so why not. . .you'd be well-served to grab yourself a copy of this book. Or, in honor of Mr. King, you could go to your local bookstore, get yourself a coffee, and read it in the cafe. Either way, some time with Monday Morning Quarterback will be time well-spent.

Chapter 3, Game 5 - vs. Minnesota Vikings (Oct. 11th)

3k — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:28:22 -0000

Once upon a time, Brett Favre shaved his face. The end. Did you like that story, Brett?

I guess not. Breakdown of a game we probably shouldn't watch after the fold.

For game-specific info, check out tthe SBN event page for this game. For Vikings news leading up the game, check out Daily Norseman.

St. Louis Rams, 0-4 4th - NFC West

Minnesota Vikings, 4-0, 1st - NFC North

Parentheses include NFL rankings in that area out of 32 teams. Statistics taken from ESPN & FootballOutsiders.

STL pass - 64/123, 52% (31st), 139.5 yds/gm (30th), 3 TD, 2 int (t-22nd), 67.5 rat,

-18.3% pDVOA (27th)

MIN pass D - 80/127, 63.0%, 211.25 yds/gm (14th), 6 TD, 5 int (t-6th), 84.6 rat,

-11.1% pdDVOA (6th)

Let me introduce a recurring theme you will probably pick up on throughout this preview: this does not look good for the Rams.

Minnesota has led going into the 4th quarter in every game they've played this season. Despite that reality (and the fact it pushes teams to pass more heavily than they would normally), the Vikings' pass defense has been very good this season. Minnesota's secondary boasts a great pair of CBs in veteran Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin to go with a solid FS, Madieu Williams. Tyrell Johnson, their promising starting 2nd year strong safety, would be a focal point of most defenses, but for Minnesota's secondary, he's the weak link. This is a tough unit to deal with, made even tougher when looking at the Rams' depth chart.

Donnie Avery was limited and Keenan Burton sat out yesterday's practice. Add that to our two receivers who continue to be listed as out for the season, Laurent Robinson and rookie Brooks Foster, and you're looking at arguably the least talented, least experienced and most injured WR corps. Mark Bulger will likely sit this one out before being eligible for next Sunday's game in Jacksonville, so all we can really hope for is that nobody gets injured (worse) and that Boller makes a play or two.

STL run - 25 rsh/gm, 111.75 yds/gm (13th), 4.47 yds/carry (9th), 0 TD, -14.2% rDVOA (25th)

MIN run D - 24.25 rsh/gm, 89.5 yds/gm (9th), 3.69 yds/carry, 0 TD, -3.9% rdDVOA (16th)

This does not look good for the Rams. This is a matchup of zeroes. Minnesota is one of two teams yet to give up a rushing touchdown (along with the Rams' previous opponent, San Francisco). St. Louis is one of three teams yet to score a rushing touchdown. While Steven Jackson is the lone member of St. Louis' offense that is feared around the NFL, he hasn't had the opportunity deep in opposing territory to taste the end zone. Luckily, he's got the weakest unit of the Vikings' defense charged with keeping him under wraps - their LBs.

The tough thing is, while their LBs aren't top-tier, none of their starting three can be considered subpar. While E.J. Henderson had been dealing with a shoulder injury, he played on Monday against the Packers and looked fine. If there's ever a game that you feel more than the ordinary level of pity for Action Jackson, this is it.

STL O-line - 2.5 sacks allowed/game (23rd), 7.6% ASR (Adj. Sack Rate) (25th)

MIN D-line - 4 sacks/game (1st), 10.3% ASR (1st)

This does not look good for the Rams. Like a challenge? I hope so. Minnesota's starting DTs, Kevin and Pat Williams, make up the best DT duo in the NFL. And Jared Allen is a sack factory. It looks as if Jason Smith will be back, though he likely won't get the start. The rest of the O-line is good to go, although "good to go" takes on a different meaning when you're talking about Alex Barron. Coming off of his second half benching in San Francisco, Alex has something to prove that he's been unable to prove since... well, since he's been drafted - that he can play with the fire of Incognito. Speaking of Richie I, you have to worry about this one. This is the kind of situation that lends itself to a blow up, so keep an ear out for the broadcast team to announce his name after a play that sees him tied up with Kevin Williams well after the whistle.

MIN pass - 86/128, 67.2% (4th), 198 yds/gm, 8 TD, 1 int, 103.4 rat, 37.4% pDVOA (9th)

STL pass D - 75/119, 63.0%, 224.5 yds/gm (19th), 7 TD, 2 int, 100.2 rat, 11.2% pdDVOA (24th)

This does not look good for the Rams. If we're lucky, we'll get a slow start from Favre after Monday night's game. If the Vikings come in taking this one for granted, we have to make the most out of it. O.J. Atogwe has to get a turnover, and Ron Bartell (who will play) has to lead the Rams' CBs in shutting down the multiple targets Favre uses. He spread it out pretty evenly among Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and backup RB Chester Taylor, so there is no safe spot in our secondary. Don't forget TE Visanthe Shiancoe, an experienced TE who can make things happen in the red zone.

MIN run - 29.75 rsh/gm, 123.5 yds/gm (24th), 4.15 yds/carry (16th), 5 TD, -3.9% rDVOA (16th)

STL run D - 33.25 rsh/gm, 135 yds/gm, 4.06 yds/carry (16th), 3 TD, 4.6% rdDVOA (26th)

The Rams have performed admirably against the run considering who we've had to roll out at DT. Still, this is quite a task for us to deal with. James Laurinaitis and Will Witherspoon will have to bring their A-game, or we could fall behind very quickly. I don't think I have to use this space to extol Adrian Peterson's virtues.

MIN O-line - 2.25 sacks allowed/game (t-16th), 6.9% ASR (22nd)

STL D-line - 1.75 sack/game (t-19th), 5.2% ASR (23rd)

While Minnesota doesn't boast the best line in the league, they can still get the job done in both pass and run blocking aspects. Steve Hutchinson is a future HOFer. Bryant McKinnie is underrated. And rookie Phil Loadholt has great upside (though his ankle may slow him on Sunday). Given the Rams' line, we're going to have to throw more than 4 guys at the Vikings' O-line to get pressure on Brett.

This week's top 3 storylines brought to you by three confusing Vikings fans:

1.) : Let's start with the bolt down the middle of his head. He must be a Vikings/Chargers hybrid fan; he runs off of Viking gasoline mainly, but can switch over to Charger electricity when coasting thereby saving the Earth. Take note of the pants as well. Are they pajama pants? Chefwear? Only ElectroViking will ever know.

2.) : This one's tough. Were it not for the Vikings stand in the background, you might not even identify these two as Vikings fans. The shoulder skulls? A clear Raider fan knock off. And that hat looks more like a Russian ushanka than your typical Vikings wear, but maybe that's what they were going for: the Russian folk Viking look. With shoulder skulls.

3.) : We have a winner. Let's start with the face paint. While he's definitely more purple than fan #1, it looks much worse. An homage to Violet Beauregarde? Don't. Stop. Wait. And you have to give him credit. #1 may have dyed his fu manchu and goatee, but this guy has no time for facial hair. He just applies yellow face paint to represent his mustache and what I'm assuming were supposed to be eyebrows. Instead, he just looks like a sad purple clown. Let's continue.

The VWO belt certainly is a reference to the NWO of WCW and later WWE fame. That can't be comfortable to wear while sitting, so I bowed in respect to the pain of his fandom...until I looked at that tattoo. No, not the obvious Viking one - that blue star on his right arm... is that a Cowboys' star? Suddenly this all takes on a new light. Reformed Cowboys fan? Closet Cowboy? Confused adult who needs both behavioral and mental help? I lean towards that last one only as long as he can keep wearing his clown face. Because what is worth living for if you can't wear a clown face while doing it?

Go clown faces, but more importantly, go Rams!

The Fight For First Place: Round One

Mitchell_M — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:02:24 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

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CAN YOU FEEL THE TENSION? If you can't, it's probably because you're comatose. Either that, or you don't rightly care about either team involved in Monday Night's NFC North showdown. Which is fine, I guess.

For the rest of you that can feel the tension, let's take a deep breath and relax for a second. Here, watch Daniel Tosh make fun of Nebraska. It always makes me feel better.

As someone who has spent several fortnight-long excursions to Nebraska, I can't think of a state that would be more appropriate for Mr. Tosh's message. Unless you say Montana, but I'm convinced that Montana just flat-out doesn't exist.

Alright, enough of that foolishness. If you're looking for a breakdown of Packers-Vikings, have I got the treat for you...after the jump.

MIN rushing vs. GB defense: You've probably seen it, but it's pretty freakin' cool, so I'm gonna have you watch it again.

There are two glaring mistakes in this video: real life isn't in black and white, and AP doesn't have hexagonical scales that make him look like a cybernetic human-dinosaur-hybrid gladiator-assassin.

Everything else is fairly realistic. AP will smash, dash, cut, juke, spin, hurdle, and quite possibly double-stiff-arm his way through all challengers because, well, he's AP. Granted, San Francisco did manage to hold him to 85 yards on 19 carries. (WEAK! I SCOFF AT ADRIAN PETERSON AND HIS PUNY 4.5 YARDS PER CARRY!) That said, he's still managed to rack up 357 yards and 4 TDs with a 6.1 average. Yikes. But they have few other options to run the ball. Chester Taylor is averaging less than 3 yards on his 17 carries, and Percy Harvin only has five carries. They've generally been decent gains, but he lost 8 yards in his lone rushing attempt against San Francisco. This doesn't mean that neither of them are capable of putting up yards on the ground, but they haven't shown it in a way that's demonstrable through numbers.

It helps that the blocking is usually superb. Bryant McKinnie (6'8", 335) and Steve Hutchinson (6'5", 313) are stalwarts on the left side, but are 30 and 31, respectively. On the right side, Anthony Herrera (6'2", 315) and Phil Loadholt (6'8", 343) have significantly less experience, but are competent in opening running lanes. The weak link is definitely new center John Sullivan (6'4", 301), who is no Matt Birk. But these guys are big, they are nasty, and they don't like it when defenses try to tackle Peterson behind the line (even though it happens more frequently than you'd think).

Green Bay extended the consecutive streak of 100+ yard outings from opposing running backs when Steven Jackson gained 117 on 27 attempts. Jackson's performance was more impressive than Cedric Benson's before him because a) Jackson managed to break off some big gains (including a 20-yarder), b) he had weaker blocking than Cincinnati has, and c) the linebackers played well on Sunday. A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, and Nick Barnett combined for 19 tackles and looked much better (but far from perfect) in run support.

Green Bay's best chance of corralling AP is to get good penetration from Jenkins, Jolly, Pickett, and Raji (if he is healthy enough) and string Peterson's runs to the outside where the linebackers and corners have a chance to flow and gang-tackle or use the sidelines. Of course, it might help to use Peterson's violent running style against him to force a fumble or two; his biggest weakness is carrying the football consistantly (9 fumbles in 2008).

Advantage: Minnesota. Unless Green Bay uses the 3-5-3 alignment with Kampman, Matthews, Hawk, Barnett, and Chillar to clog running lanes and direct defensive pursuit, which could actually keep AP under 100 yards.

Or if Peterson's "troublesome" back gives out. Because he's, you know, carrying the team. And some of those guys are heavy.

MIN passing vs. GB defense: Well, well, well, look who came crawling back to play Green Bay. Wait...you say he's not crawling back? He's playing well? He did this? Undefeated? Oh. Nevermind. Let's skip all the drama (or at least save it for the other posts) and get down to brass tacks; we need to talk about Brett Favre v.2009.

After skipping training camp, people said that the only way Favre could succeed early in the season is if he played the role of game manager and let Adrian Peterson carry the offensive load. Those people were correct. In the first two weeks, Favre was 37 for 48 (77% completion) with 265 yards and 3 TD's. Those are good-day Kyle Orton-esque stats, especially the 0 INTs and the 5.5 yards per attempt. Peterson did what he did best, and the Vikings won both games despite being somewhat hampered by slow starts.

Whether it's simply getting into the groove of the offense, or healing from his bicep injury and subsequent surgeries, or even a result of the Vikings wanting him to get warmed up only in the week before the Packer game (/conspiracy theory'd), Favre was not the same quarterback against the 49ers. Against a tough defense, he went 24 of 46 for 301 yards and 2 TDs. He actually put some force behind his throws and displayed the touch on the deep ball and mobility in the pocket we came to know and love.

His biggest vulnerability is his pass protection, surprisingly. Over three games, Favre has been sacked 9 times, and it would have been 10 were it not for a sweet side-step on the last play in week 3. He is showing his age when defenses come at him, and his offensive line is showing a weakness I didn't know they had. Part of it might be McKinnie's age (unlikely), Loadholt's inexperience (possible), or Sullivan's poor line adjustments (probable). I don't follow the team well enough to know why Favre has been hit so many times against teams like Cleveland and Detroit. But he is vulnerable back there.

As far as receivers go, there are three main targets that pose a significant threat: Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Chester Taylor. Adrian Peterson would be dynamic in the passing game if he were a better catcher, and Bernard Berrian's deep route skills have not yet been displayed in the regular season (and I'm not sure they've done it in practice). Harvin is extremely adept after the catch, Shiancoe has developed into a solid underneath and seam TE, and Taylor has always been an excellent 3rd down back.

Green Bay's pass rush isn't imposing statistically (5 sacks), but they do a good job of getting to the quarterback, disrupting his rhythm, and giving him a good hit when they're close enough. Jenkins and Jolly should be able to get decent pursuit on passing downs, and Pickett and Raji should draw enough double teams to open up a lane for one or two of the linebackers, primarily Clay Matthews and Aaron Kampman.

The best hope Green Bay has of stopping Minny's offense is by baiting Favre into bad throws and forcing interceptions. Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, Tramon Williams, and Al Harris are all outstanding ball hawks who can take advantage of poor routes by some of Minnesota's lesser receivers. Favre has historically struggled against 3-4 zone blitzes, and he is certainly capable of a ~~Favre-esque~~ Cutler-esque multiple INT day.

Advantage: Green Bay by the slightest of margins. Again Favre has struggled against zone blitzes from the 3-4, so let's hope this week is when Dom Capers earns his paycheck. But don't think that Favre isn't licking his chops to get a chance at his old team, especially if they load the box with 8 defenders.

GB rushing vs. MIN defense: Green Bay's rushing attack is the very definition of the term "meh". As a team, the Packers have 317 yards through three games (meh). They're averaging 4.1 yards per carry (meh). They have four touchdowns against one fumble (meh). There's just nothing notable about this team's rushing attack.

I'm at a disadvantage because I haven't watched the games from the last two weeks, but either Grant isn't finding the running lanes or the offensive line isn't opening any up for him. Grant is notorious for running into the backs of his linemen, but he's also well-known for his ability to break off a huge gain. Considering his longest run of the season is 17 yards, I might be inclined to blame the offensive line.

Minnesota's rush defense has struggled to return to their regular insurmountable selves on a regular basis. While they held San Francisco to 58 yards on the ground, 54 of those yards were after Frank Gore's first (and last) attempt of the game. They did allow Jamal Lewis to rack up a 5.2 ypc against them in Week 1, and then Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris put up decent numbers before Detroit fell behind and abandoned the rush. So it's not like they're a seive, but they aren't as suffocating as we're used to.

A big reason for that is the alleged decline of Pat Williams. While I'm not sure it's true, it is certainly a feasible argument to say that a 36 year old defensive tackle might start to fall off after 13 seasons. Regardless, he's still a mammoth load in the middle of the line and will eat up space in a hurry. His line-mate and namesake Kevin Williams is significantly younger and more athletic. Jared Allen is above average against the run, as is Ray Edwards. E.J. Henderson's return from his freak toe injury gave the defense a huge boost, mainly because it took the pressure off of Chad Greenway and Ben Leber, who are outstanding complimentary linebackers but falter when burdened with higher-level responsibilities.

Advantage: Minnesota, but Ryan Grant has historically found success playing against the Vikings. I would be more surprised if he was held below 50 yards than if he breaks 100.

GB passing vs. MIN defense: There are two statistics in the passing game that have been huge in keeping Green Bay at 2-1 rather than 1-2 or even 0-3: Rodgers has been sacked 12 times this season (losing 92 yards in the process), but has committed exactly 0 turnovers. That's downright remarkable. His yardage (714), completion percentage (56.7), and QB rating (97.2) are middling at best, but he has kept the team afloat whenever he was able. Those 12 sacks are the most troubling thing, though. While I'm glad that Rodgers has kept the ball despite getting smacked around (one fumble, which was recovered by Allen Barbre), I'm doubtful that he can keep such a streak alive for long.

My biggest concern has actually been the receiving corps. Donald Driver has been the only guy to really step it up so far in 2009 (he's playing as if he's a #1 guy again). Greg Jennings seems to have reverted to being a deep-route specialist. James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Jermichael Finley were supposed to be dynamic contributors, but none of them have stood out yet. Perhaps the offensive line's issues have disrupted the timing so much that the receivers' routes need to be recalibrated, and only the eldest member (Driver) has figured out how to do it. Still, Green Bay's passing game remains a highly potent group that hasn't performed to capacity yet.

Minnesota's pass defense has been outstanding, allowing only 167.7 yards per game (4th in the NFL). That stat needs to be tempered with the list of quarterbacks Minnesota has faced: Brady Quinn, Matthew Stafford, and Shaun Hill. Additionally, they have only played against two receivers that can be compared to Green Bay's receivers: Braylon Edwards and Calvin Johnson. While the duo of Driver and Jennings will give cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin and safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson a difficult test, the more concerning matchup is the duo of Edwards and Allen against Green Bay's tackles.

Allen Barbre is lucky that Ray Edwards is not nearly as dangerous as his counterpart, but he will still have his hands full if McCarthy trusts Barbre to take on Edwards one-on-one. Green Bay faces a tough decision on who to put against Jared Allen. On the one hand, Chad Clifton may be available from his ankle sprain, and he has been somewhat effective against Allen in the past. On the other hand, Clifton routinely resorted to holding Allen whenever he got beat, and his lateral quickness was in decline before he injured his ankle.

As counterintuitive as it seems, I actually think Daryn Colledge might stand a better chance of locking down Allen. Colledge is much faster than most LTs, which matches up well against Allen's speed rushing. He also plays higher than most LTs are taught to play, which is usually a problem, but playing higher will make lateral movement easier and could help him ride Allen out of the pocket. It also makes him more susceptible to double moves, which Allen is highly proficient at, so Colledge might give up some hits all the same. In any case, I feel more comfortable matching up the younger, healthier, more athletic Colledge against Jared Allen than the older, injured, and surgically-repaired Clifton.

Advantage: Push. If the trends from this season continue, Minnesota has the edge. If the players actually perform up to their potential, Green Bay has it.

Preliminary verdict: This is a game that both fans are overly optimistic about their team's chances. Both teams have significant strengths and weaknesses, and both fan bases are convinced that their team will have the upper hand. I am firmly on the fence about what's going to happen on Monday, but I can tell you that there will be a whole lot of Favre-centric coverage.

Just imagine what this scene would look like if it were being played in Green Bay. Yikes.

Poll

What outcome do you see for Week 4 vs. Minnesota?

Big GB win.

142 votes

Slim GB win.

434 votes

Too close to call.

271 votes

Slim MIN win.

361 votes

Big MN win.

262 votes

1470 votes | Poll has closed