So that story about Bryant McKinnie not just turning down his Pro Bowl invite -- but actually getting kicked off the roster? It's provoked a reaction around the league, which ain't an easy thing to do when we're talking about the Pro Bowl. Pro Football Talk notes that Big Mac had been tweeting about clubbing when he should have been practicing with his NFC counterparts. Not that there's anything wrong with enjoying oneself after a tough week, but the puzzling part is why McKinnie didn't provide earlier notice that he was physically unable to play.

Here's the explanation Big Mac provided via Twitter:

I never said I didn't go out! But I do have some on going injuries that I spoke 2 the trainer about last nite on the phone.

And the ppl who have been following me should already know my body was feeling bad late in the season cause I've said it a numerous amount of times. Getting a massage, getting in the cold tub and all the other things I have 2 try 2 do. I was trying 2 push myself 2 play n this game and I thought my body would start feeling better the later we got in the week. So yesterday I called my agent and said I don't think I will be able 2 play. He called and got in touch with the trainer, the trainer called me last nite and I told him what was bothering me.

We ended up missing each other and that was that.

And here's some reaction from a league source:

"Why didn't he just not refuse to come?" a league source told us tonight.  "That way, they could have gotten someone to replace him.  Now, they have to play the game with one less tackle."

I can see both sides of this now that McKinnie's had an opportunity to share his side. To some extent, this could just be an honest mistake on Big Mac's part, desiring to play but misjudging his ability to get physically prepared for the game. But the NFC is caught in a bad situation and will need to play shorthanded. McKinnie would have been better off not even trying to prepare for the game, and hitting the club scene right before the weekend doesn't make him look good at all -- but at minimum, he did what seemed impossible in my book. He improbably generated some controversy for the Pro Bowl, a game that isn't exactly conducive to controversy.

What a game. And what a shame.

We just witnessed four hours of constant suspense. It just...kept...going. And just...wouldn't...end. The Vikings had their chances. The Saints gave them plenty of room to steal the win. But it wasn't meant to be.

Another heartbreak. We've been through our share as fans of this team, but this one stings. Really, really stings. Reminds me of that feeling just over a decade ago when a perfect field goal kicker missed a field goal.

Tough to know where to start. Adrian Peterson's fumbles, including a game-changing one deep in Saints territory. Brett Favre getting absolutely pummeled throughout the night, and capping off the game, the season, and perhaps his career with an interception. Poor kickoff coverage on special teams. The endless fumbles and turnovers that killed momentum. A complete lack of pressure on Drew Brees. A Saints team that threatened to take control but gave the Vikings an outstanding opportunity to win the game late in the fourth quarter. An inexplicable, inexcusable 12 men in the huddle penalty when the Vikings had just barely pushed into field goal range -- which was a shocking turn of events that quite arguably cost this team a Super Bowl bid. A mundane penalty that may have ruined it all.

It's a lot to process. With two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, I thought this was their year. I thought it was finally their year. I thought they were going to Miami. But after the 12-men penalty pushed the Vikings back to their 38 yardline, Favre tossed a pick. The Saints take over possession and, in the process, take the game to overtime. They win the toss (someone forgot to tell the Vikings that "tails never fails"), and after several key plays -- including a questionable pass interference penalty on Brian Robison and a bobbled reception that was reviewed and ruled a catch -- a field goal gives the Saints a win.

And then it was over. An exhausting, exhilarating year had ended in an instant.

Congratulations to the city of New Orleans -- a city that's always been dear to me since I visited it shortly after Hurricane Katrina. It could certainly be argued that the Vikings were the better of these two teams. But make no mistake about it -- that doesn't mean they were the most deserving team. Not by a long shot. Of these two teams, the Saints were clearly the most deserving of a trip to Miami. With a complete inability to take care of the football at key moments, particularly in the fourth quarter, the Vikings weren't the deserving club.

Despite the fourth quarter interception, it was an absolute pleasure to watch Brett Favre this season. Despite the fumbles, it's always enjoyable to watch Adrian Peterson do his thing. Despite allowing the Saints to push into field goal range in overtime, this defense deserves credit for keeping the Vikings in the game.

But ultimately, the Vikings are heading to the golf course while the Saints are moving on. It was a thrilling game -- one of the most thrilling ones I've ever seen. It was also one of the most devastating. No, the Vikings didn't do enough to say they deserved to win. But take away a few of their mistakes, and they're Miami-bound.

None of that matters, though. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. That stuff is irrelevant. What we're left with is unquestionably one of the most crushing Vikings losses of all time. And we've been through plenty of those.

Gonzo had the opportunity to talk Vikings with Travis of the Travis Talks podcast last week, and I'll be doing the same tonight at about 9:00p CT. Use the player below to listen live, and if you miss the interview the first time, I'll put a player on this page if anyone is interested in listening to a replay of the interview. Hope you can tune in!

The Hottest Team In The NFL? The Team You Don't Want To Play Right Now?

After today's game, it's hard to believe that the NFL experts were using those labels to describe the Cowboys, and not the Vikings. Three hours later, there was no doubt about which was the better of these two teams.

Credit a dominant performance by Ray Edwards, who played the game of his life. Take that a step further, and credit a defensive line that suffocated Tony Romo and left him with little time and little space to throw the ball. Credit a great performance by Brett Favre, who displayed the value of having a poised veteran quarterback under center in the playoffs. Credit Sidney Rice, who caught a pair of touchdowns in the first half and another touchdown in the second half. Credit Chris Kluwe, who did an excellent job of helping the Vikings win the field position battle.

Continue reading this post »

Couple more bullet points for a way-too-long week:

• Don't expect Leslie Frazier to comment on his coaching future while the Vikings are still around in the playoffs: "There will be a time to talk about what happened a week ago, but I don't necessarily know that this is maybe the most appropriate time. But there will be a time." [Associated Press]
• Frazier has interviewed for head coaching positions with the Seahawks and Bills, and while he was simply a Rooney Rule guy for Seattle, there has been a general feeling that Frazier is well-positioned for the Bills job. However, Mike Florio suggests otherwise, as a league source tells him that the Bills are looking for an offensive specialist to become their next head coach. [Pro Football Talk]
• Visanthe Shiancoe -- or vshiancoe as those of us on Twitter know him -- won the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award from the Twin Cities media for his accessibility to reporters and giving them good stuff for the morning papers. Such as the quadratic formula (hit the link). [Access Vikings]
• Favre: "Honestly, I see us sitting here next week having this press conference again. If that doesn't happen, to me it will be a shock." Dallas safety Gerald Sensabaugh: "We'd have to beat ourselves to lose. The way we're playing right now, I don't think we can be beat.'' [Pro Football Talk]
• As noted in the FanPosts, Mike Tice is interviewing with the Bears for an offensive coaching position. The Lovable Lug back in the NFC North? Yes, please. [ChicagoBears.com]
• The FanPosts have also noted that the officiating crew for Vikings-Cowboys is a penalty-happy bunch. Walt Anderson's officiating crew flagged the Vikings for 13 penalties in a game earlier this season, and no other crew assessed 200 penalties this season. [Access Vikings]

Paul Glynn has the scoop on this breaking story over at the Strib:

Looking relieved, Brad Childress took the podium.  "We all know why we're here today, so let's get right to it," Childress said.  "After listening to the expert analysis provided by ESPN, Fox, NBC, the View, and anyone else I may have forgotten, the Minnesota Vikings will forfeit this year's divisional playoff game to the Dallas Cowboys.  If this year's playoffs have proven anything, it's that those guys are never wrong.  So, in a stream of consciousness, it came to me: forfeit is the only logical answer."

I have to think this was the right move for Childress. We know that the experts always get it right, so even showing up at the Metrodome would be a waste of a perfectly good afternoon that could be used for ice fishing or something like that. Of course, critics of the move might point to the fact that the Vikings inked Brett Favre for this very moment, to give them veteran leadership in the playoffs. But ESPN's Matt Mosley notes this:

The Cowboys' plan is to make sure Favre has to test those 40-year-old legs. The last time he saw this defense, he completed 5 of 14 passes and was intercepted twice before being knocked out of the game at Texas Stadium. He was of course with a 10-1 Packers team at the time in '07.

See? Might as well not even play the game.

How about some mid-week news and notes?

• Was Fat Pat a Cowboys fan while growing up in Louisiana and playing college football at Texas A&M? Uh...no. Don't even speak of such nonsense to Pat. "I grew up my mama's fan. That's my only hero. I was nobody's fan. But you guys go ahead and pump them up." [Pioneer Press]
  
• Take a look at last week's games and it becomes clear that starting slow in a playoff game means that you'll be hitting the golf course sooner rather than later. Then consider that in three of their last four games, the Vikings failed to score in the first quarter. Clearly, if the Vikings are going to come out of Sunday's game with a win, it's important for them to get off to a quick start. [Viking Update]
• Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, and Chris Myers will call Sunday's game. [Vikings.com]
• Is the Favre-to-Lewis game-winner the 2009 Sprint Can't-Miss Play of the Year? I think yes. Head over to NFL.com and vote for the Minneapolis Miracle as the year's best play. [NFL.com]
• Kevin Seifert notes that the Vikings have a .661 home record since moving into the Metrodome and are 6-5 in playoff games at the Dome. [NFC North Blog]
• This Sunday's game will be the 22nd playoff game of Brett Favre's career. Mike Wobschall notes that Favre is within striking distance of some of Joe Montana’s playoff passing records. [Vikings.com]
• Three Vikings make an appearance on Sporting News' all-pro offense this season (Adrian Peterson, Steve Hutchinson, and Percy Harvin). Harvin made the cut as SN's all-pro kick returner. The New Orleans Saints are the only other team with multiple players on the all-pro offense. [Sporting News]
  

The Vikings are back at it today after getting the week off and finding out yesterday who their opponent would be for next Sunday's showdown in the Metrodome. And by showdown in the Metrodome, I mean showdown in the hood. And by showdown in the hood, I mean showdown in the Zygihood. Allow Fat Pat to explain:

Pat Williams on facing Cowboys: "They’ve got to come to this hood. They’ve got to come to Zygihood."

He continues:

Williams: "You’ve got Jerry World down there. We’ve got our old stadium in the hood down here. That’s all we got down here is Zygihood."

And Shiancoe chimes in:

Shiancoe: "They’re coming to the hood. This ain’t all that high tech [stuff]. They’re coming to an old school stadium. Old-school Vikings."

Excellent. I love the swagger coming from these guys, especially considering that the Cowboys enter this game as the undisputed trendy pick. The "Team You Don't Want To Play Right Now," if you will.

But let's hear some confidence from our guys, for goodness sake. They're undefeated at home. The Cowboys will be playing in an unbelievably hostile environment. They don't call it the Zygihood for nothing.

When news broke that Leslie Frazier would interview for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job today, there was a suspicion -- and perhaps rightly so -- that his inclusion in Buffalo's search process was simply meant to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule. But ESPN's Tim Graham knocks down the idea that Frazier isn't a serious candidate for the job, noting that the Bills have already satisfied NFL policy on interviewing minorities:

The Bills aren't searching for a minority to interview as many teams have done in the past. They interviewed interim coach Perry Fewell on Monday afternoon. The Bills also are reportedly interested in San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Fewell is black. Rivera is Puerto Rican.

This was echoed by Jay Glazer:

no, Frazier is not just a Rooney Rule guy, he is a VERY legitimate candidate. He commands the room, very good coach. VERY VERY LEGIT!

It's been well-documented that Frazier had some near-misses last season -- instances of being a solid candidate for a head coaching vacancy but ultimately getting passed up. I always thought that if he failed to get a head coaching gig last offseason, he'd be a near-lock to get one this offseason. Sure, a few defensive lapses this season occasionally caused me to question that, but he remains a strong candidate for teams with head coaching vacancies. At the very least, I'm glad he's more than just a token candidate in the eyes of the Bills.

Holy cow. That was a massacre. Absolute domination.

Of course, it helped that the Vikings couldn't possibly have faced a more disinterested New York Giants club. I've seen more spirited efforts from teams playing their fourth game of the preseason. As the final score indicates, the Vikings took full advantage of an opponent that quit on this game and this season long before the opening kickoff.

Now we wait. The Vikes did their part, but they obviously need help to capture a first round bye. Today, we're all Cowboys fans -- and I, for one, think Jumbotronicus will get the best of Philadelphia.

As for the game, the Vikings switched course from last Monday by establishing the pass before seeking to pound the ball on the ground. And their pass-first offense was extremely effective: At the half, Brett Favre had 271 passing yards and a trio of touchdowns (one to Visanthe Shiancoe, two others to Sidney Rice), and he finished the game with a few more yards and another touchdown (to Tahi). Percy Harvin got numerous touches through the air, which was a welcome change from previous weeks.

Favre was never sacked and had plenty of time to throw the ball, as the offensive line had their way with the Giants defense. It was truly a dominant performance up front. The Giants had no interest in covering Rice or Shiancoe, and both finished the season with big games.

The game was done long before halftime -- but that didn't stop Chilly from keeping his offensive starters in the game for two additional drives when the second half got underway. An interesting decision on his part, and as a result, the first teamers put up some second half points before the day was done.  Extending the lead to 41-0 after a touchdown and field goal to start the third quarter? I'd call that a good day.

On the defensive side, the Vikings allowed just four New York first downs in the first half, along with 16 rushing yards and 66 passing yards. Eli Manning made a play or two, but he was surrounded by a lackadaisical team and didn't have any help out there. The defense highlighted the afternoon with a couple turnovers -- the first being a Chad Greenway interception (he then fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Ben Leber), and the second being a forced fumble by Jared Allen (who also recovered it). Not a challenging afternoon for this defensive unit.

The only negative I can muster up? Darius Reynaud fumbled a couple of punts -- a factor that was irrelevant in the long run today (the Vikings recovered the ball both times), but this still can't happen in the playoffs.

But seriously, that's all I can come up with. Take a near-perfect performance by the Vikings, throw in Giants players who were already getting their golf clubs out of storage, and this game was a laugher. Never in doubt for 90% of the afternoon. For a Vikings team that was struggling, this is the absolute right way to enter the playoffs.

And now...GO COWBOYS!!!

At first, it was a red alert, everyone-abandon-ship kind of night. The Vikings had turned in two clunkers against Arizona and Carolina, but make no mistake about it: They appeared to be heading for their worst game yet. The Vikings were shut out in the first half, as Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson's protection was nonexistent and any attempts to establish the run were laughable. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler was playing excellent football.

But then something happened. After a horrendous showing in the first two quarters that left the Vikings behind 16-0, the offense suddenly opened up. Brett was running the show. He had more options than he did in the first half. Adrian was running the football like a man with something to prove -- and although he failed to break any big runs, he was running angry in the second half and was quite effective. A team that appeared dead was taking the game to overtime, and there was new life breathed into the offense.

Unfortunately, while the Favre-led charge was enough to tie the game, it wasn't enough to steal the win. And when handing out the blame, the special teams belong at the top of the list. Danieal Manning was running wild on kickoffs, with one of his returns being particularly costly for the Vikings. An Adrian Peterson touchdown knotted the game at 23-23, but on the ensuing kickoff, Manning returned it for 59 yards and set up a Cutler touchdown toss two plays later. And that brings up another key problem: The pass defense.

For much of the game, Cutler had his way with the Vikings defense. On one hand, the pass rush didn't get much traction until later in the game -- Jared Allen might as well have been on the inactive list. But the issues in the secondary are also starting to get more attention, particularly the lackluster play from the safeties and continuing problems with missed tackles. The tackling was particularly awful in the first half, with Cutler breaking out of a Madieu Williams tackle on one play and Matt Forte breaking out of numerous tackles on another. And then there's Antoine Winfield, who absolutely got torched on the final play of overtime by Devin Aromashodu.

Aside from the defensive mishaps and shoddy kickoff coverage, quite a bit of attention will clearly center on Adrian Peterson's fumble in overtime. There were bigger reasons that the Vikings lost this game, but that fumble put the Bears in position to win the game. Take away the fumble and the result certainly could have flipped.

But because of the slow start, because of Cutler's big game, and because of the poor performance by the Vikings special teams, this team has now lost three of its last four. The Vikings lost out on their chance to capture the top seed in the NFC, and they no longer control their own destiny in the race for a first round bye in the playoffs. Quite a fall for this team -- but the second half of this game shows that there are still reasons for optimism.

When Brett Favre is given options, when he is given control, and when he can spread things out, this offense remains dangerous. When the Vikings can generate a pass rush and when they can actually tackle, they are a serviceable defensive unit. For a team that was collapsing in the first half, they came alive in the second.

There were a few telling moments. Favre waving off the goal line unit when the Vikings advanced inside the five yardline, and getting visibly frustrated when Chilly sent them in anyway. On the next play, Chester Taylor was stuffed at the line. Later in the game, the Vikings once again advanced near the goal line and Favre once again waved off the goal line unit. This time, Chilly let Favre do things his own way. Adrian scored on the next play.

The lesson? Brett Favre is his own man. Let him be his own man. Give him options and flexibility.

This is hardly the ideal way to be entering the playoffs, as the Vikings have clearly been on the decline throughout the past four weeks. Here's hoping their comeback on a cold night in Chicago, although ultimately unsuccessful, provides some momentum and some important lessons. With the potential loss of a first round bye on the horizon, there's no time to waste in figuring this thing out and turning the page on a tough month of December.

The start was horrendous. The comeback was magnificent. The ending cost the Vikings a chance at the top seed in the NFC and could result in them not even getting the benefit of a first round bye. After an exhausting night that required an extra session, that's what we're left with. I've got a complete recap on the way.