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The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

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

10 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.

Friday Injury Report: Vikings at Green Bay Packers

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

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

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

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

The complete injury list is after the jump.

Packers:

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

Vikings:

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

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:15:43 -0000

Once again, it's time for a review of how the Vikings did in the red zone against their most recent opponent. And, as always, this Red Zone Review is sponsored by Comcast, home of the Red Zone channel, the best way for you to keep up with all the scoring action in the NFL each and every weekend. We all know that red zone success is one of the keys to being successful in the NFL, and nobody is more successful at bringing you every score every week than the Comcast Red Zone channel.

So, how did the Vikings do against the St. Louis Rams in the red zone? Pretty darn well, to be honest.

Viking red zone trips - 4
Viking red zone scores - 4 (4 TD)
Red zone touchdown percentage - 100%

Yep, it doesn't get a whole lot better than that, does it?

The Vikings showed the Rams that they meant business from the opening drive, as they took the ball and moved 80 yards in nine plays on their first possession. Brett Favre went 4/5 on the drive, including a big third down conversion to Percy Harvin for 22 yards that moved the Vikings into St. Louis territory. Favre's four completions netted the Vikings 66 of their 80 yards on the drive. The rest of the yardage was taken care of by Adrian Peterson, as he carried four times for 14 yards on the drive, including the capper on a five-yard touchdown run around the left end. The scoring drive for the Vikings took four minutes and 43 seconds off of the clock.

The Vikings' next four drives resulted in a three-and-out, an interception by Rams' rookie MLB James Laurinaitis (after the Vikings turned the Rams over in the red zone), a 47-yard Ryan Longwell field goal, and a drive that took the game to the end of the first half with the Vikings leading 17-3.

The Rams received the ball first in the second half, but went three-and-out, giving the Vikings the ball back at their own 10-yard line. From there, the Beloved Purple put together an outstanding drive, covering the 90-yard distance in just three minutes and 44 seconds. The big play of the drive came when Favre found Sidney Rice deep down the right sideline. Rice managed to fight off Rams' defensive back Bradley Fletcher and haul in the Pass from Favre for 47 yards down to the St. Louis 17. Two plays later, Favre dropped back to pass and lofted a rainbow over the middle to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who made the catch for a 13-yard touchdown and a 24-3 Vikings' lead. Favre went 3/3 on the drive for 72 yards, Peterson had three carries for 15 yards, and Chester Taylor chipped in with a three-yard rush.

After a three-and-out on the next Minnesota drive and another turnover for the Rams in the red zone. . .this one an interception by safety Tyrell Johnson. . .the Vikings took over at the St. Louis 20-yard line. After a 34-yard pass interference penalty on Rams' CB Ron Bartell put the Vikings into St. Louis territory, Adrian Peterson took care of most of the rest, carrying the ball five times and gaining 19 yards, including a seven-yard scoring run to make the score 31-3 in favor of Minnesota. Favre completed three of his four other passes on the drive for 27 yards. The drive took nine total plays and 4:48 off the clock.

The Rams got a touchdown on their next possession to narrow the gap to 31-10. After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the offense was led onto the field by Tarvaris Jackson and Chester Taylor to start their drive from the 20. Jackson, much like Favre before him, moved the Vikings down the field, with a huge play coming from an unexpected source. Naufahu Tahi, the fullback whose pass catching skills have been the subject of a few laughs here over the years, took a pass from Jackson on 3rd and 1 from the Vikings' 29 and rumbled his way down the field for a 32-yard catch and run to put the ball into Rams' territory. Jackson then proceeded to hit Chester Taylor on another short pass with big results, as #29 took the ball down to the St. Louis 3. Two plays later, Taylor burrowed his way into the end zone from a yard out, making the score 38-10 and setting the final margin of victory.

While the Vikings went 4/4 in the red zone last week, the Rams went 0/3 and turned the ball over all three times, two on lost fumbles and one on the interception by Tyrell Johnson. For the year, the Vikings' defense has been very stingy in the red zone. In fact, here's the red zone success rate for Vikings' opponents this season.

Cleveland - 2/2 (1 TD, 1 FG)
Detroit - 2/2 (1 TD, 1 FG)
San Francisco - 2/3 (2 TD)
Green Bay - 1/2 (1 FG)
St. Louis - 0/3

That gives the Vikings' opponents 13 red zone possessions in the first five games, but those have only resulted in four touchdowns and three field goals. On just about half of the red zone possessions the Vikings' defense has faced, their opponents have come away with no points at all, including all three times against the Rams.

As far as Minnesota's offense, they've put points on the board in all 15 of their red zone trips, coming away with 12 touchdowns and three Ryan Longwell field goals. Their last eight trips into the red zone. . .their last score against Detroit, all three red zone trips against Green Bay, and all four possessions against St. Louis. . .have ended in touchdowns. That's a big part of why the Vikings are 5-0 on this young 2009 season.

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

NFL Preview: Former BYU Cougars

sroufe — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:42:32 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh greets former BYU quarterback John Beck (12) as he comes back to the sideline after a first half touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during their exhibition NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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With the 2009 NFL season kicking off tonight in Pittsburgh, it's appropriate to provide a brief preview covering former Cougars playing professionally. There are currently 12 former BYU players on NFL rosters, including rookie WR Austin Collie who finished second on the Indianapolis Colts in receptions during the preseason with eight catches for 69 yards. Two former Cougars should also be playing tonight however in Chris Hoke and Brett Keisel, veterans and long-time Pittsburgh Steelers. (Not a coincidence that last season's champions rostered three BYU alums - the most in the NFL.)

Other players of note include John Beck (reunited with Cam Cameron, the former Miami Head Coach who drafted him) in Baltimore. Beck is QB Joe Flacco's backup along with Troy Smith. Interestingly, Todd Watkins has made the Raiders' roster after struggling to make teams in Arizona and Atlanta. (Of course, his speed certainly didn't hurt his chances with Al Davis' obsession. See: Heyward-Bey, Darrius)

Former BYU linebackers Bryan Kehl (Giants) and Brady Poppinga (Packers) should see a lot of action this season. Last but not least, Fahu Tahi (who signed an offer sheet to return to the Bengals this offseason, but had the offer matched by the Vikings) will get a chance to block for not only Adrian Peterson, but Brett Favre as well.

After the jump is a comprehensive list of those currently playing professionally, their years spent at BYU, and their current teams. Who will you be paying the most attention to this season?

NFL

(2004, 2007-08) Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Rookie)
(2004-05) Todd Watkins, WR, Oakland Raiders
(2003-06) John Beck, QB, Baltimore Ravens
(2003-06) Daniel Coats, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
(2002, 2005-07) Bryan Kehl, LB, New York Giants
(2001-04) Brady Poppinga, LB, Green Bay Packers
(2001-04) Aaron Francisco, S, Indianapolis Colts
(2001-04) John Denney, LS, Miami Dolphins
(1999, 2003-05) Fahu Tahi, FB, Minnesota Vikings
(1998, 2000-01) Brett Keisel, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers
(1998-01) Ryan Denney, DE, Buffalo Bills
(1997-00) Chris Hoke, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers

Free Agents

(2006-08) Travis Bright, OG (Dallas Cowboys) (Rookie 2009)
(2006-08) David Oswald, OT (St. Louis Rams) (Rookie 2009)
(2006-07) Kelly Poppinga, LB (Arizona Cardinals)
(2005-08) Ray Feinga, OG (San Diego Chargers) (Rookie 2009)
(2005-08) Dallas Reynolds, OG (Philadelphia Eagles) (Rookie 2009)
(2003, 2006-08) David Nixon, LB (Oakland Raiders) (Rookie 2009)
(2003, 2006-08) Fui Vakapuna, FB (Cincinnati Bengals) (Rookie 2009)
(2005-06) Jonny Harline, TE (Cleveland Browns)
(2004-06) Cameron Jensen, LB (Seattle Seahawks)
(2004-06) Zac Collie, WR (Philadelphia Eagles)
(2002-04, 2006) Curtis Brown, RB (Oakland Raiders)
(2002-04) Shaun Nua, DE (Pittsburgh Steelers)
(2002-04) Scott Young, OG (Cleveland Browns)
(2000-03) Scott Jackson, OG (Houston Texans)
(1998, 2001-02) Reno Mahe, RB (Philadelphia Eagles)
(1996-98) John Tait, OT (Chicago Bears)
(1993, 1997-99) Rob Morris, LB (Indianapolis Colts)

CFL

(2005-06) Aaron Wagner, LB, Saskatchewan Roughriders
(1997, 2000-01) Ben Archibald, OG, Calgary Stampeders (New Orleans Saints)
(1996-97) Ben Cahoon, WR, Montreal Alouettes
(1996-97) Omarr Morgan, CB, Saskatchewan Roughriders (St. Louis Rams)

UFL

(2000-03) Colby Bockwoldt, LB, Florida Tuskers (Cleveland Browns)

AFL

(2003-06) Jake Kuresa, OT, Utah Blaze (New Orleans Saints)

(Should there be any errors or additions please feel free to correct me in the comments below.)

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.

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

Gonzo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:55:23 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

Will we be seeing this in Minnesota at any point in 2009? We should know by this Saturday. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

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Well, folks, final cutdown day for the Beloved Purple, as well as the rest of the National Football League, is this Saturday, and the Vikings have a few interesting decisions to make. What are they going to do with the quarterback situation? Who's going to be the nickel back? What about the offensive line backups?

Have no fear, for it's now the time to make those projections for the Vikings' roster for the 2009 season. From 75 down to 53, here's what I think I would do if I were in charge. And, heck, I'm going to give myself an easy one to get things started.

Special Teams

Starters: Ryan Longwell (K), Chris Kluwe (P), Cullen Loeffler (LS)

Let's see. . .Longwell is the only kicker on the current roster, Kluwe is the only punter, and Loeffler is the only long-snapper. Therefore, I'll go out on a limb and guess that they're all going to make the team. Damn, this GM thing is easy!

Okay, with those three spots filled, the rest of the roster projection comes after the jump.

Quarterback

Starter: Brett Favre
Backups: Sage Rosenfels, John David Booty
Likely to be traded: Tarvaris Jackson

There's an outside chance that the Vikings will keep four quarterbacks, but I really don't think that's going to happen. Favre obviously didn't come here to hold a clipboard, and the Vikings didn't deal a fourth-round pick for Rosenfels and give him a contract extension to turn around and trade him five months later. That leaves the third QB spot to be decided between Jackson and Booty.

The Vikings could attempt to slip Booty onto the practice squad. . .and it's been determined that he is eligible for the practice squad. . .but Minnesota may still have a bad taste in their mouths over the Tyler Thigpen situation and might not want to allow that to happen again. Jackson, bolstered largely by his performance against Kansas City in the second game of the pre-season, has seen an increase in his potential trade value, and I can't shake the feeling that the Vikings will deal him to somewhere with a need at quarterback for a fifth-round choice. Teams like Jacksonville, Buffalo, and San Francisco are teams that I would expect to be associated with a potential Tarvaris Jackson trade.

Running Back

Starters: Adrian Peterson, Naufahu Tahi (FB)
Backups: Chester Taylor, Albert Young
Practice Squad Candidate: Ian Johnson
Cut: Nehemiah Broughton

The most interesting battle here has been for the #3 spot between Young and Johnson. While Johnson is the sentimental favorite in many eyes, the reason that the Vikings didn't draft a running back in 2009 is because the coaching staff likes Albert Young a lot. To Young's credit, he has outperformed Johnson this pre-season, and I'm not sure that Johnson has made a significant enough impact on special teams to merit a roster spot at this point. I'd love to see him spend a year on the practice squad, though.

As far as the fullbacks are concerned, Brad Childress has a really weird love affair with Tahi, and the versatility of a couple of players that will be mentioned later negates the need for another "pure" fullback. Nehemiah's pink slip should be Broughten to him sometime on Saturday.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice
Backups: Percy Harvin, Bobby Wade, Jaymar Johnson, Darius Reynaud
Cuts: Nick Moore, Vinny Perretta, Bobby Williams

Yes, I have the feeling that the Vikings will be forced to keep six receivers this time around. Contrary to a few years ago when the Vikings had basically zero talent at the WR position, now they have a decent little group. The guy that's on the bubble here is Reynaud. The Vikings appear to have given Percy Harvin the kick returner's job, and Jaymar Johnson is establishing himself as a decent punt return guy, so I'm not sure if they'll find a role for Reynaud or not. Granted, the Vikings do have a couple of guys in Harvin and Rice that have a propensity for getting banged up, but is that enough of a reason to spend a sixth roster spot on a wide receiver? I have a strange feeling that it will be.

Tight End

Starter: Visanthe Shiancoe
Backups: Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan
Practice Squad Candidate: Jake Nordin
Cut: Garrett Mills

Remember when we all thought that the Vikings "stole" Garrett Mills from the Patriots a few years back? Well, yeah. . .that was before we knew that the guy couldn't stay healthy for five consecutive minutes. He's been injured for the better part of this pre-season as well, and the time has probably come to just cut ties with him all together.

Nordin could be an intriguing practice squad candidate. He's a local kid with pretty decent blocking ability and good size. Plus, with the kind of offense the Vikings have run under Brad Childress, it probably wouldn't hurt them to have a spare TE stashed away somewhere. As far as the mainstays, Shiancoe looks to have a big year in 2009, and the ability of both Kleinsasser and Dugan to line up at fullback as well as TE is the reason I mentioned earlier that the Vikings don't need to keep two fullbacks around.

Offensive Line

Starters: Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, John Sullivan, Anthony Herrera, Phil Loadholt
Backups: Artis Hicks, Ryan Cook, Drew Radovich
Practice Squad Candidates: Jon Cooper, Andy Kemp
Cuts: Juan Garcia, Brian Daniels, Chris Clark

Versatility is going to be the key to how this part of the roster is affected. Artis Hicks played capably at a number of offensive line positions in 2008, and Ryan Cook can ~~suck~~ back-up at center, right guard, or right tackle. We haven't heard a lot of noise about Drew Radovich this year after hearing quite a bit about him prior to his injury in 2008, but when you're an offensive lineman, that's generally a pretty good thing. It's entirely possible that the Vikings will carry nine offensive linemen, too, but I'm not sure which of the guys I have getting cut is the most likely candidate to latch on if that becomes the case.

Cooper and Kemp strike me as good practice squad types for this year. Kemp is a mauler out of Wisconsin that the Vikings grabbed as an undrafted free agent, and Cooper. . .the Big 12 Conference's offensive lineman of the year as a senior. . .is an undersized, finesse center that would appear to fit quite well into the Vikings' zone-blocking scheme.

So, with that, we've filled 27 spots on the 53-man roster. That means the other 26 spots need to be filled with defenders, and that's exactly what we'll do in the second half of the preview. Look for that sometime tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the rest of your Wednesday, ladies and gentlemen!