Catching up on some sports-related web browsing, and I see the following link headline from yesterday’s “football” game:

Marshall catches 4 TDs; AFC wins Pro Bowl

Upon reading this, my brain had the following discussion with itself:

Wilber Marshall? . . . No, that makes no sense. Hm . . .

Leonard Marshall! . . . No, same problem there.

Defeated, I had to click on the link to find out that it was Brandon Marshall who did the thing with the ball in the game I didn’t watch or care about. But at least I was slightly amused by that point.

“I expected so much more… yet I didn’t…”

That’s how I feel about the 2010 Minnesota Vikings. So before we preview the 2011 campaign let’s recap 2010.

I had predicted a 12 or 13 win season, but with a *lot* of caveats:

1) Offensive line is a mess – Check!
I was right that the O-line was a mess with injuries and subpar play (toodaloo Mt. McKinney… it’s been fun!). Quite possibly the biggest contributor to a 6-10 season. I nailed this one with my proposed question: “Will the Offensive Line step up in pass protection and run blocking with a new Center, suspect Right Guard, and rookie Right Tackle? – More or less the same question but with a twist: will McKinney actually play to his potential, will Sullivan recover in time for the start of the season? The O-line looks to be the weak link this year making the Vikings essentially the 2009 Packers. But they’re QB is a helluva lot younger.” This year’s version has less talent overall, but is currently healthy.

2) Sidney Rice will be out for half the season – Meh
When he returned Rice was less than spectacular, but still good. He’s now gone to Seattle where I expect him to slightly outperform the last WR the Seahawks stole from the Vikings (Nate Burleson). Good luck with T-Jack and Charlie Whitehurst Sid!

3) Chester Taylor is gone – Check!
3rd and long was disastrous for the Vikings last year, no more so than the first 3rd down they faced against the Bills on December 5th. Farve was knocked from the game and essentially from his career. It remains to be seen if Peterson or Gerhart can be effective on 3rd and long.

4) Favre is a year old and has an ankle operating around 10% – Check!
Even before getting creamed Favre was ineffective. The offensive line had him hobbling for his life and he didn’t have Rice to bail him out of throwing jump balls. It was a recipe for disaster.

5) Our defense is improved and should be top notch in the rushing *and* passing games – Wrong!
Well, not totally wrong, but a ranking of 9th and 10th (respectively) isn’t all that bad (the Packers were 18th and 5th).

6) Regarding a tough early stretch of games: If they can win 3 of those 4 [Jets, Dallas, Green Bay, New England] I see them returning to the NFC Championship. If they only win 1, it’s feasible they miss the playoffs. – Check!
Nailed that one. The Vikings were only able to beat what turned out to be a terrible Cowboy team. They missed the playoffs and finished last in the division for the first time since 1990 (when the Packers, Bucs, Lions, and Vikings all finished 6-10).

After a brilliant 2009 effort there was bound to be letdown in 2010, but even with the huge question marks, I didn’t foresee it being this bad. We knew that Green Bay would be better, but I don’t think anyone who doesn’t drink paint thinner regularly thought they’d win a super bowl. But such is life… better them than the Patriots.

“It’s over Johnny… IT’S OVER!” – Col. Trautman

But enough of the past… A lot has changed with the Vikings from this time last year. If you need a rundown, check espn.com. Long story short: New QBs (I would have preferred we had McNabb 3 years ago, not now) (Ponder… ? Hmmm…), new coach (fair thee well Chili… fair thee well), and a lot of departures (bye bye Sidney).

But what does that mean for the Vikings? It means they are a team that has to try the most difficult trick in all of sports. Rebuild on the fly while staying competitive and relevant. Not an easy task. And one I don’t believe they’ll be able to pull off this year. It’s going to take a lot of surprises and career years (I’m looking at you Jared Allen) for them to be above .500.

For purposes of this preview we’ll assume McNabb performs around average, Percy Harvin takes a step forward, Adrian Peterson plays as well as last year, the offensive line takes a step back, and the defense stays steady at slightly above average. (Wow, if that doesn’t get you excited for a year of Vikings football, I don’t know what will!)

Let’s look at the games:

Week 1: Sep 11 – at San Diego
San Diego is a notorious slow starter, and they have something called Ryan Matthews at RB, but they still have Rivers and Jackson. It’s possible the Vikings steal this one, but on the road, first game with the new players. Don’t bet on it. But bet on a close game. 0-1

Week 2: Sep 18 – vs. Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay <Denny Green> is a good young team. They are susceptible to the run, but even at home I don’t see the Vikings getting it done. Vikes lose a close one. 0-2

Week 3: Sep 26 – vs. Detroit
I don’t care that people say Detroit is better this year (although they are already riddled with injuries). They haven’t won at Metrodome in over a decade, that ain’t changing. 1-2

Week 4: Oct 2 – at Kansas City
Another young team on the way up. KC had the best rushing attack in 2010. The Williams Wall will still be suspended. Expect the Henderson brothers to have 40 tackles combined. KC wins another tight game. 1-3

Week 5: Oct 9 – vs. Arizona
Kevin Kolb is an upgrade at QB. Fitzgerald may be the best WR in the game right now. But a terrible team on defense got even worse during the offseason. Vikings win this game at home, on the road, in Detroit, or at TCF Stadium. 2-3

Week 6: Oct 16 – at Chicago
I dislike Chicago. Post Ditka there has been nothing to like there (except Dave Wannestedt’s mustache). Their O-line is a mess (“settle down” <Mike Tice>), but their running defense will still be strong. The only good news for the Vikings is that they play in Chicago before the snow flies (fingers crossed). However, on the road, I see the Vikings losing yet another close game. 2-4

Week 7: Oct 23 – vs. Green Bay
If the Vikings end up going 1-15 this season, as long as this is the one win, it’ll be a successful season. Sadly the Packers should only be better than they were last year (which honestly wasn’t very good until late in the season. Classic case of a team peaking at the right time.). I expect a better home showing than last year’s 31-3 debacle, but a loss nonetheless. 2-5

Week 8: Oct 30 – at Carolina
Cam Newton? Really? Maybe someday, but not this year. A road win for the Vikes! 3-5

Week 9: BYE
A good time for a Bye week. Last year having it in week 4 did not do the Vikings any favors.

Week 10: Nov 14 – at Green Bay
Historically the Vikings and Packers have split games, but the overall series now sits at 48-51-1 (courtesy of last year’s sweep by the Packers). I really want to say the Vikings steal a game, but I just don’t see that happening. Dark days for Vikings fans. With any luck the Packers will enter another dormant 25 year period like they did between the late 60s and early 90s. 3-6

Week 11: Nov 2 – vs. Oakland
Oakland’s strong ground game will get overshadowed by Adrian Peterson rushing for 175 yards and 3 TDs in this game. Vikings get their first laughter of the year (yeah, I think the Carolina game will be less than a 10 point win). 4-6

Week 12: Nov 27 – at Atlanta
The best team not from Philly in the NFC this year. Vikings don’t stand much of a chance in the Georgia Dome, or Metrodome. 4-7

Week 13: Dec 5 – vs. Denver
Is this Tim Tebow’s year? No. He can’t even beat Brady Quinn for the backup spot behind Orton. And you thought the Vikings QB situation was scary. The only good thing I can say about the Broncos is that they dumped Josh McDaniels. On the great tree of NFL coaches, the Belichick branch is shriveled and brown. Oh… Vikings win this game. 5-7

Week 14: Dec 11 – at Detroit
No way the Vikings split with Detroit again. Last year it was the last game of a disappointing season, the game didn’t matter (outside of the fact that it meant the Vikings technically finished last in the division for the first time since 1990). This game won’t matter much this year either, but it isn’t that final letdown game either; and with the NFC, the Vikings will probably be in the wild card race even at 5-7. Vikes win. 6-7

Week 15: Dec 18 – vs. New Orleans
If the Vikings went 2-14 this year, with one of those wins being against the Packers, I would want this to be the other win. One personal foul, and one bad Favre INT way from a trip to the super bowl, where the Colts proved to be beatable. I don’t think I can forgive N’awlins. Even with their bourbon street and drive up daiquiri bars. Sadly, the Vikings lose to the Saints for the third year in a row. 6-8

Week 16: Dec 24 – at Washington
Projected starter John Beck hasn’t played a down since 2007 with Miami. He may speak fluent Portuguese, but he has no business starting for an NFL team. Looks like Shanahan is all in on the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. 7-8

Week 17: Jan 1 – vs. Chicago
It’s doubtful, but the Vikings could be in the wild card hunt going into the final week of the season, especially if they pick up another game and are 8-7 going into this game. It’ll really depend on the NFC South (very possible both wild card teams come from that division). *IF* the Vikings are in the hunt, it’s also likely the Bears are right there with them. Big game, at home, a possible playoff berth (or pride), on the line. I predict Mike Singeltary chloroforms EJ Henderson before the game and puts on his uniform to get a shot at his old team. Show Urlacher what a real monster of the midway looks like. After all the negativity I’m going positive and picking the Vikes to win on a last second Longwell field goal. 8-8

Final thoughts: Last year I was wildly optimistic and went with 13-3… a long way from the 6-10 they ended at (for all the reason chronicled above). I think 8-8 is a very reasonable expectation. The Vikings have a decent 4th place schedule, and a QB with a one year contract with everything to prove. They still have the best RB in football and an electric WR in Percy Harvin. It’ll be a rebuilding year for the Vikings, but they’ll be competitive and with some good luck they could actually make the playoffs. One word advice to Vikings faithful. Don’t write the Vikings off early in the season. If they can enter December with 4 or 5 wins, there is still a shot at a successful season. And if not, let’s just hope the Packers don’t repeat.

Skol Vikings!

We’re gonna try a new Gambit format, starting today. Every Tuesday/Thursday, Alex is gonna throw out a topic, and we’re all gonna sound off. Topics will cover a very wide range, you can be assured of that. So without further ado, here’s some armchair punditry about the 2011 Minnesota Vikings draft:

wadE:
Time has tempered my initial thoughts on the Vikings draft. I’ve seen draft grades range from B to D on their picks, and I can see arguments for any grade in that range.

Why it’s a D: picking Ponder at twelve overall is just ridiculously early. The only defense for the pick is if the Vikings could not trade back before their time was up (maybe the Bears screwed them too?). I think Ponder is a solid pick, just not at 12.

Why it’s a B: although the first pick of any draft will overshadow the rest, picking up the best TE in the draft in round 2 (also a stretch, but not that bad) should pay off for years to come. It’s a position that is only going to decline with the current batch. Additionally the rest of the picks consisted of players who were expected to go much earlier than they were picked, which makes up for a stretch in round 1.

Overall, grading a draft right away is a bit of a farce. It would be best to grade a draft in November. See how many of those picks are still with a team, and how many are contributing during that first season. Then perhaps grade them 5 years later and see how it shaped the team.

For example, looking back at the 2006 draft for the Vikings: Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Ryan Cook, T-Jack, Ray Edwards, Greg Blue, Tyrone Culver. That draft is obviously a C. Keeping it from being an F is Greenway and Edwards who have contibuted a lot in the last 5 years; Griffin has also contibuted when he isn’t tearing a knee. Keeping it from being a B is T-Jack. A pick that was considered a massive stretch at the time and has put the franchise behind the 8-ball at QB for 5 years. Let’s hope that Ponder isn’t the new T-Jack.

Wade A:
(Alex advertised this topic as a softball. Little does he know the last draft to which I paid significant attention was 2002, when David Carr was drafted first overall by the Houston Texans. I didn’t even know the draft had moved to Thursday and Friday evenings, which happened a year ago. As such, writing about this topic is one of the harder balls I’ve encountered today. I’ll do my best pundit impression, though, and make sweeping generalizations based off very little actual knowledge.)

By selecting Christian Ponder twelfth overall in the 2011 NFL draft, Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman effectively ensured that he’ll be looking for new employment next January. Despite his awesome name, Ponder is, at best, the dreaded game-manager quarterback. The team will fail to secure a reliable veteran quarterback and sign some has-been (Marc Bulger, anyone?) whose mediocrity will force the team to start Ponder behind center next year. First-year jitters and lack of talent at the wide receiver position will lead the team to a second consecutive 6-10 record, missing the playoffs again. For a state like Minnesota, this is unacceptable. Spielman will be long gone, and new coach Leslie Frazier will quickly find himself on a short leash for the 2012 season.

The Vikings needed a quarterback, but picked the wrong one at that pick. They easily could have pulled a Tice, turned in their pick late, and ended up with Ponder at 14 instead.

To be fair, though, they also messed up their second-round pick. While Kyle Rudolph might have been the best tight end available in this draft, the TE position was far down on their list of needs for next season which, after quarterback, reads: offensive line, defensive line, and secondary. These positions were addressed later in the draft, where the chances of finding a future starter decrease significantly. It should not be forgotten that, last season, the Vikings released promising 2010 7th-rounder tight end Mickey Shuler (subsequently claimed by the Miami Dolphins) when, out of desperation, they signed Mr. Kendra Wilkinson to fill in at wide receiver.

The bright side of this poor draft (as well as numerous other questionable personnel decisions) is that I might remember to tune in to the 2012 NFL draft– in that there’s a good chance we’ll have the first pick.

Alex:
I agree with wadE in that it is mostly futile to grade a draft immediately, based on the players themselves. However, I think you can look at how the team drafted, and in that light I like what the Vikings did this year. We don’t know how Ponder’s going to turn out, but I think that there’s more upside in potentially getting a franchise QB than there is in bringing in any of the various re-treads to try and do just enough to win games now and make the playoffs. And as we’ve seen with Carolina (and as Wade A just mentioned), if Ponder tanks it this year, the Vikings could be in line for Andrew Luck next year.

For the rest of the draft, the Vikings made out well (at least according to how the talent was rated by folks who know a lot more about this than me). We know that ownership will spend money to fill the rest of the holes via free agency, whenever that starts up again. If the front office has hit on the right talent, the team could definitely be a contender this year, unless the labor strife cuts pre-season down to a week.*

I don’t know if Christian Ponder was the *right* choice with the 12th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. But I like that the Vikings made that choice.

*The cynic in me assumes that the coaching staff, on some level, wants this to happen. It would essentially be a mulligan on the season. They’d be able to talk about how difficult it is for a new coaching staff and new personnel to learn a system in such a short amount of time (which is undoubtedly true), and say just wait until we can *really* practice next summer.

After last season’s heartbreaking loss in the NFC title game I never had the motivation to properly wrap up last season. Continuing in the long storied tradition of my Scandinavian forefathers we’ll just pretend last season never happened and we’ll take those feelings of anger and crumple them up into a little ball and put it in our pocket.

Now that we’ve taken care of that, let’s look forward to the 2010 season. Last year I started my Vikings Preview with the ESPN Power Rankings that had 8 teams ahead of Minnesota. Per usual those rankings now look ridiculous a year later. However this year has the Vikings at number 3 (behind the Colts and the Saints). Last year’s number 3 was the Giants who didn’t even make the post-season. Let’s hope the geniuses over at ESPN are a little better this year.

Last year I summed up my opener with the open questions I had about the Vikings. It’s startling how very little has changed:

• Will Favre play well? – an even bigger question this year considering after one preseason game Favre had a cup of “fluid and junk” drained from his ankle.
• Will Favre even make it through 16 games? – I’d lay pretty good odds that this is the year that Favre’s streak ends. But will it be Sage or T-Jack coming in?
• Will the Offensive Line step up in pass protection and run blocking with a new Center, suspect Right Guard, and rookie Right Tackle? – More or less the same question but with a twist: will McKinney actually play to his potential, will Sullivan recover in time for the start of the season? The O-line looks to be the weak link this year making the Vikings essentially the 2009 Packers. But they’re QB is a helluva lot younger.
• Will the Williams Wall get suspended for 4 games during the season? – my guess is no. This won’t get settled until after Pat Williams retires, and Kevin will be past his prime. And even if they do, the Vikings backup front 4 is better than half of the starting D-line in the NFL.
• Will Childress and Bevell actually open up the playbook a little bit for Favre and Harvin? – there was some opening last year, but now the question is will they open up the playbook for Joe Webb?
  Will Berrian actually get through a season without getting injured? – replace Berrian with Rice, and put down “no” as the answer. I don’t know who was giving Rice advice in the offseason but there is no excuse for a guy to have hip surgery in August when he could have had it in February.
• Will Childress consummate his love with Naufahu Tahi? – out of all the tough decisions that the Vikings have to make this pre-season the one I am most interested in is if Tahi is cut in favor of D’Imperio.

Enough musing, let’s get to the games!

Week 1: Sep 9 – at New Orleans
This is why the NFL is the most dominant sport in America. In what other sport can you see an instant rematch of a huge title game? My hope for this game is that Pat Williams snaps Drew Brees’ ankle and doesn’t get flag for it. Actually, I’m quite concerned that the Saints will come out with the same game plan as last year and beat the crap out of Favre. The O-line is worse than last year and Favre is even slower. This doesn’t look good for the Vikes (why in the hell couldn’t the rematch be at Metrodome?). A 0-1 start for the Vikings isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Week 2: Sep 19 – vs. Miami
The Vikings have drawn the AFC East for their non-conference schedule this year. In years past that was an easy 3 wins (minus New England), but the AFC East is a different division now. Miami still has Chad Henne under center, which is why I give the nod to the Vikings. 1-1.

Week 3: Sep 26 – vs. Detroit
I think Detroit is going to surprise a lot of people this year and could win 6 games. However, this isn’t the year they break the steak of losing in the Metrodome. It’ll be a close game, but one the Vikings should win at home. 2-1

Week 4: BYE
I’m generally not a fan of having a Bye week so early in the season, but with several injuries affecting the Vikings (Sullivan and Rice being the big ones) an early Bye week gives a little more time for them to heal.

Week 5: Oct 11 – at New York Jets
A huge Monday night game after the Bye week. If you had only listened to the talk last year about the Jets you would have assumed they were 12-4 or 13-3. They were 9-7. I expect them to be even better this year, but this team isn’t Dallas bound for the Super Bowl quite yet. I’m going to go ahead and predict a Vikings win, because if they can’t win this game there isn’t much point in predicting anything else. Big test for them early in the season to see if this year’s team is for real. 3-1

Week 6: Oct 17 – vs. Dallas
Another rematch from last years’ playoffs where the Vikings mopped the Dome with the ‘Boys. Another tough game, but if I’m assuming the Vikings beat the Jets, I need to assume the Vikings beat the Cowboys. However, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to assume the Vikings lose one of these two games. But for now we’re sticking with 4-1.

Week 7: Oct 24 – at Green Bay
Yet another return to Lambeau for Favre. I don’t think it’ll play out as sweet as it did last year. The Vikings typically swap wins with the Packers and Bears. My optimism only goes so far. Record after 6 games: 4-2.

Week 8: Oct 31 – at New England
Halloween in Massachusetts. Early season snowstorm? Probably not. I have no idea what to expect from the Pats this year. Their probably not the best team in their own division anymore, and Tom Brady isn’t the same QB he once was. I think the Vikings win this game. The scheduling gods gave the Vikings the Jets and Pats on the road, and Miami and Buffalo at home, but I think they are up to the challenge. 5-2.

Week 9: Nov 7 – vs. Arizona
Arizona is not as good as ESPN thinks (15 on the power rankings). If they had to bring in Derek Anderson to challenge Leinart, then they are in a world of hurt. This should be a 28-10 win. 6-2.

Week 10: Nov 14 – at Chicago
As difficult as the first half of the Vikings schedule is, at least the scheduling gods cut them a little break in the second half. Chicago in November is far better than December. It also helps that Chicago is terrible. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the Lions win more games this year. I wonder what the over/under is in Vegas for the number of interceptions that Cutler will throw this year. 25? 30? After 9 games: 7-2.

Week 11: Nov 21 – vs. Green Bay
Aaron Rodgers plays much like his predecessor in the Metrodome, running for his life, throwing interception, and finding himself flat on his back. They key difference is that Favre was able to pull some games out. Key stat: in 2 games in the Metrodome Rodgers has been sacked 12 times. Expect that to be 16 after this year. 8-2.

Week 12: Nov 28 – at Washington
The Vikings passed on 4 more years of McNabb for 2 of Brett Favre. Only time will tell if that was the right move. At any rate, in another case of a QB moving to a division rival McNabb is now a Redskin and is the best player on a mediocre team. With nothing else to say about this game I’ll recount my favorite Washington Redskins story. The year was 1998, what would turn out to be a magical year for the Vikings. Week 7, beautiful October day in Minnesota. After tailgating prior to the game I am walking up the outside ramps past a small group of Native Americans who are silently protesting the name of the team from Washington. Sitting amongst the group of 6 or 7 of them is a small woman who looks like she has to be 115 years old. She’s holding a small sign that reads: “Welcome Washington Cocksuckers”. 9-2.

Week 13: Dec 5 – vs. Buffalo
As much as Chelle would like to see Buffalo win this game, it’s not in the cards. Trent Edwards is back again as the Bills QB, and even if he improves over previous years the rest of the team around him has gotten worse. 10-2

Week 14: Dec 13 – vs. New York Giants
For the third year in a row the Vikings play the Giants at home late in the season (the last two years the Vikings have closed the season with the Giants). In fact, since the 1998 season the Vikings have played the Giants every year except for 2006; going 6-4 against them during that time. Last year’s shellacking (44-7) almost made up for 41-donut. I would expect the Vikings at home to be able to take care of the Giants once again. 11-2

Week 15: Dec 20 – vs. Chicago
Assuming Cutler is still the QB in Chicago by this point in the year, perhaps the final score of this game will be 35-24. Otherwise expect 35-3. 12-2

Week 16: Dec 28 – at Philly
Late season, outdoor game. Expect Favre to throw a couple of picks. Besides I’ve been way too optimistic so far. 12-3

Week 17: Jan 3 – at Detroit
If the Vikings are lucky enough to be 12-3 coming into this game I would think we’d see plenty of starters on the bench. Even so, our backups could probably beat Detroit, even on the road. 13-3

Last year I predicted 11-5 and the Vikings ended up 12-4. This year I’ve settled on 13-3, but it’ll probably 12-4. The Vikings offense has regressed from last year. The offensive line is a mess, Sydney Rice will be out for half the season, Chester Taylor is gone, Favre is a year old and has an ankle operating around 10%. However, our defense is improved and should be top notch in the rushing *and* passing games. I figure a lot fewer 35-28 games and a few more 24-17 games.

Final thoughts: Same story as last year. It’s too early to book your plane tickets to Dallas. The question marks are there, plus the Packers should be much improved this year (and since they were 11-5 last year that’s a tough call). The Vikings play a hard first half schedule and face a key stretch of Jets, Dallas, Green Bay, New England (3 of 4 on the road) that will decide their season. If they can win 3 of those 4 I see them returning to the NFC Championship. If they only win 1, it’s feasible they miss the playoffs.

Regardless, this will mark the last season of Brett Favre (you heard it here first!). What will the Vikings do with their QB position? Also, will Adrian Peterson re-establish himself as the top RB in the NFL… or will he fumble it away .

All the power rankings and my guesses won’t amount to much five months from now. How does that saying go… that’s why they play the games?

Skol Vikings!

wadE and Wade have teamed up to give you the most indepth analysis of the upcoming 2009 NFL Wild Card Weekend… well… the most indepth analysis you’ll find on simpleprop.com at least…

wadE: I have no idea if this is a fact or not, but since I’m posting it on the internet makes it true. Never in the history of the NFL have 3 final games of the season resulted in 3 immediate rematches the following week in the playoffs. Two of those games will even be in the same location.

Wade: I know nothing about this NFL you speak of, except that I’ve been advised against ever going on a boat ride on Lake Minnetonka with any of their players. To your point, though, knowing nothing about a topic shouldn’t preclude one from writing about it. Especially on the InterWebS.

wadE: This sets up a very interesting wild card round. Let’s take a look at the game and make some predictions we can all laugh about later.

AFC:
#5 New York Jets (9-7) @ #4 Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
wadE: These teams met last week in the final (most likely) game in Giants Stadium. Unlike the Giants the Jets actually showed up to play their final home game and destroyed the Bengals. The Bengals defense here is that they had nothing to play for, but their starters were in for much of the first half and produced nothing. Ochocinco hurt his knee before the game started, Palmer was terrible, and the defense let the Jets march up and down the field. But this game will be in Cincinatti, the Bengals will have something to play for, and they got a good look at the Jets and what they like to do. Early line of the game is Bengals with a 2.5 point spread. My prediction is that the Bengals win by 6.

Wade: The J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS waltzed into the playoffs against the B-squads of two opponents; they must know this, and can’t feel great about it. Additionally, Mark Sanchez posted the following on his Twitter account a week ago: “Memphis on Broadway… Soooooo good! Music, lyrics, choreography, costumes all great… Overall a great show.” The Bengals, on the other hand, will likely be playing inspired football after the death of wide receiver Chris Henry last month. Will that be enough to combat the potential defensive holes if Domata Peko can’t play? I think so. Also, Cincy is at home, which is really about the only thing above that will affect the outcome of the game. Bengals by 10.

#6 Baltimore Ravens (9-7) @ #3 New England Patriots (10-6)
wadE: The one match-up that is “new” for wild card weekend. These teams played each other in week 4 with the Pats winning 27-21. The Pats are favored by 3.5 points this time around and that seems right to me. They just lost Wes Welker for the year, who is like a really talented version of Wayne Chrebet; but the Patriots still have Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Their defense ranks surprisingly well even though Belichick has no faith in them. But this game is really about the Ravens. Their last win over a playoff team was their only win over a playoff team in Weed 2 against the Chargers. They are a good team but not as good as last year. The offense isn’t as good, neither is the defense, and their kicker is suspect (more than suspect, he cost them 3 games this year). Unless there is a blizzard in Foxboro, Pats by 4. And if there is a blizzard, Pats by 1.

Wade: Are you knocking Wayne “The Flashlight” Chrebet, who was really just the football version of David Eckstein? Baltimore certainly has some talented pieces in place on offense, with Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and Derrick Mason. Their D is certainly less strong than it’s been traditionally, Ngata and Lewis notwithstanding. Talent-wise, I think they match up pretty evenly with the Pats, who are even more of a ghost of their former selves without Welker; the deciding factor in this one, though, is the fact that New England is playing this one at home. Randy Moss will have a monster game (because he’ll actually be, like, trying) and Tom Brady will do what Tom Brady does (no, I don’t mean having kids out of wedlock) and the Pats will advance. Side note: am I the only one who would become a huge Pats fan if they switched back full-time to their 1986-era throwbacks? Yeah, maybe. Pats by 6.

NFC:
6. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) @ #3 Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
wadE: The biggest game from Week 17 (and not just from the Vikings perspective) was the Eagles travelling to Jerry World (http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/Jerry-World-Has-A-NameKind-Of.html). Winner would be the NFC East champion, and in the case of the Eagles they would secure the number 2 seed. Thankfully for the Vikings, the Eagles imploded on both sides of the ball setting up a rematch 7 days later in the same spot. The Cowboys are a 4 point favorite and rightly so. This was a game the Eagles needed, not as badly as the Cowboys, but they needed the game. I don’t believe this game will be another blow out, but I do believe the Cowboys win by 6.

Wade: Isn’t the definition of insanity akin to doing something repeatedly and expecting different results, or some such nonsense? Yeah, sure, on any given Sunday and all that, but why would we expect Andy Reid to get any smarter in the past seven days? Although, to be fair, I think it’s reasonable for Wade Phillips to get dumber in the same amount of time. (His name’s Wade; he’s quirky and irrational!) I believe Wade is playing for his job, the ‘boys are confident, Marion Barber and Felix Jones are doing a good impression of the Giants’ balanced running game from 2007, and that Miles Austin guy is pretty decent at catching the ball. The Eagles peaked too early and will enter an offseason in which they ultimately trade Donovan McNabb for Terrell Owens. (I made that part up, just to sound like I’m an insider. You believed it, didn’t you?) Dallas by 10.

#5 Green Bay Packers (11-5) @ #4 Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
wadE: I was so pleased as I drove to the Vikings/Giants game last Sunday morning and heard that the Packers game was being bumped here in the Twin Cities for the Eagles/Cowboys game. One more thorn in the side of Packer fans living in MN. The Packer fans will be especially rabid next week after the 33-7 shellacking of the Cardinals. However, the Cardinals tend to have their best games of the season after their worst games of the season. Lose the first game of the season at home to lowly San Fran? Come back the next week and beat up the Jags on the road. Get crushed by the Colts? Hold on the following week to beat the Texans. Get spanked by the Panters? Come back the next week and obliterate the Bears. Lose a tight one to the Titans? Come back the next week and beat the Vikings. Lose another game to the 49ers? Play the Lions the next week. Ok, that last one doesn’t count, but the fact remains that the Cardinals haven’t lost back to back games all year long. The good news for the Packers (besides wiping the floor with the Cardinals last week) is that Arizona is 4-4 at home. The Cardinals are favored by 2.5 points, but I see the Packers winning this game by 7.

Wade: It’s funny– a decade ago there was another person named Kurt Warner who was an NFL quarterback. Great story– undrafted, former grocery bagger at the Hy Vee, kinda goofy. Odd coincidence. Wait… what? Same guy? How many concussions? You’re freaking kidding me. Packers by 8.

Quite the big day for the Vikings yesterday. 487 total yards on offense. Only 181 yards given up on defense.

These totals weren’t surprising. The Vikings played a New York Giants team that was out of the playoff picture and couldn’t even be bothered to show up in their last game at Giants Stadium ever. In a game that mattered against Carolina the Giants gave up 41 points. In a game that didn’t matter the Giants gave up 44 points, and it could have been worse.

I would have preferred worse. Viking fans will never forget the infamous 41-doughnut game on January 14th, 2001. In the third quarter of yesterday’s game, with the Vikings ahead 34-0, when Childress went for it on 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line I was shocked. Taking the field goal is the safe thing to do. Taking the field goal is the right thing to do. But every Viking fan in that stadium wanted to look up at the scoreboard and see Vikings 41, Giants 0. I can’t believe that Chilly had it in him to be such an ass. It actually makes me like him a little… very little. In comments after the game players said the coaches emphasized “having a statement game” as they headed into the playoffs. When asked about the aggressive (read: pouring it on) game plan Childress responded “just wanted to stay on the gas”.

The most fun for me though was partying before and after the game. Through a relative of a friend I was able to tailgate indoors near the stadium prior to the game. Tons of free food and booze. A big screen TV, music, and quite the interesting crowd. The highlight of which was meeting, getting a picture taken with, and partying with 100% Cheese Free. We partied before the game and after we celebrated every Dallas Cowboys touchdown that delivered the Vikings the number 2 seed they so desperately needed.

Regardless, this game doesn’t solve all the Vikings problems. As I wrote last week the number 2 seed gives them a chance in the playoffs. They still have flaws and weaknesses, and they thrashed a team that didn’t seem very interested in playing the game (13 penalties!). But an extra week of rest, a home game, and no chance of playing outdoors until the Super Bowl gives the Vikings as good a chance as any other team. Here’s to hoping I have three more games to blog about!

Skol Vikings!

29-37
20-48
34-10
14-35
7-47
34-21

Those are the final scores of the last 6 games of the 2008 season for the Arizona Cardinals. I bring this up to illustrate that all hope isn’t lost for the 2009 Vikings. Although I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I already have one foot off of the bandwagon.

Last week’s loss in Chicago wasn’t completely unexpected. At the beginning of the season I assumed the Vikings would lose in Chicago. Old Man Favre in cold weather, late in the year, hostile environment. Sounds like a recipe for a loss, maybe 17-16 with Favre throwing two or three interceptions. So what happens…? Favre throws for 321 yards, two TDs, and no picks. It turns out that the Minnesota defense lays a huge turd on the field and lets the hapless Bears and cry-baby Cutler throw for 4 TDs, with the last one coming in overtime from 39 yards out.

Now the Vikings are in danger of being the 3 seed in the playoffs. Missing a bye, and most likely seeing an outdoor game prior to the Super Bowl. I liked this team’s odds when they looked like the 2 seed. Playing a game at home and then traveling to New Orleans for the NFC Championship (playing indoors and on turf against a team they match up well against)… and if New Orleans fell (which is very possible) the Vikings would host the NFC Championship. However, going to Philadelphia will spell doom for the Vikings season. Playing outdoors is part of it. Playing against a good rushing (and overall) defense. Donovan McNabb is a Jedi. Chili facing his old team which he doesn’t “relish” doing. All of these don’t bode well for the Vikings.

I’m struggling to keep the faith. A strong showing against the Giants would help, but still won’t be enough. But I would still like to see them beat the Giants.

Skol Vikings!

Sports Illustrated ran an article this week about former NFL players who, frankly, aren’t doing very well. Carson Palmer, earlier this year, stated that his opinion was that someone would eventually die on the field. Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article about the alarming rate of concussions among football players, and a link from that to dementia. Gladwell, in a recent chat with ESPN’s Bill Simmons, also had this to say about the NFL:

“Yes, football has kind of been ruined for me, I’m afraid. Understand that I live for the game. But I’m increasingly of the opinion that it is screwed up — on a moral level — in a way that no other professional sport is.

Think about it. The league has a salary cap (which limits players’ pay), minimal health insurance for retirees and no guaranteed contracts. In other words, the owners reserve the right to limit the pool of money available to players, to walk away from contracts whenever they please and then hold no long-term responsibility for the health of the players whose contracts they have limited and declined to honor. Coal miners aren’t treated this badly. And now we strongly suspect a fourth fact: that some significant percentage of ex-players, as a direct result of playing professional football, will suffer from dementia in their 40s and 50s, in addition to all the known and significant other health risks of the game (severe arthritis, substantially elevated risk of heart disease, etc.).”

Gladwell finishes that exchange by wondering at what point does it become morally shaky to support an industry with these kinds of known negatives. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy watching football – but a part of me agrees with him. Playing football takes years off the players’ lives, and takes away the quality of life of what’s left. Yes, some of the players make substantial money, but at what sum is that ‘worth it’? The league minimum salary this year is $310,000. Is that worth it? And this is only for the minimal percentage of players who actually make it to the NFL. What about the vast majority of college players who get hit just as hard for four years and reap no financial reward?

Obviously, football’s not going away any time soon. Are there rule changes that would help prevent some of this? I don’t know. I know I would watch the game if there were less hitting, but I wonder if there is a certain segment of people who wouldn’t – who are just watching to see if, like in a NASCAR race, someone hits the wall.

Perhaps Robert Byrd could have expanded his focus to include the other sport here, too:

It was the best of times it was the worst of times. Yes, it truly was the tale of two games over the past two weeks.

The Vikings rebounded from their ugly loss at Arizona to dominate a good Bengal team. However, they followed it up with their worst loss of the season by getting destroyed by a woeful Carolina team.

What is a fan to believe? Is this team the one they saw beat up on an AFC division leader, or the team that laid down against an inconsistent Cardinals team and a Panthers team that was 5-8?

In reality they are both. The Vikings are a very talented team; I believe the most talented team in football. But they are also a very flawed team, with the majority of the flaws on the sidelines.

Questionable decisions riddled this game. Peppers hit Favre hard all game long. To the point where they pulled McKinnie in the 4th quarter… why not give him some TE help instead?

With only one decent receiver in Steve Smith, all the Vikings needed to do was cover Smith and force a rookie QB to beat them by checking down and hitting other receivers. Instead the Vikings leave Smith in one-on-one coverage all day long. No changes, even late in the game. Smith’s line: 9 catches, 157 yards, 1 TD

In the 4th quarter with the score 19-7 the Vikings had the ball at their own 35 with a little over 8 minutes left. They are down by two scores (neither score can be a field goal) and it is 4th and 5. The obvious choice is to go for it right? It’s only 5 yards and it’s your last chance to get some momentum and steal the game back. But no, Childress sends the punt team onto the field signaling that he had given up.

But the biggest story from the game now tells us that Childress had given up long before his 4th quarter choice to punt. In the third quarter cameras caught a “heated exchange” between Favre and Childress. Today we now know that Childress wanted to pull Favre from the game. Was it because Favre was not playing well? Was it because he was getting hammered? No one knows except Childress, and I doubt he’ll divulge much as his next news conference.

Regardless, at the time the score was 7-6 with the Vikings leading. The Saints had lost a couple days earlier opening the door for a shot at the #1 seed. The Eagles are chipping at your heels challenging the #2 seed. And the thought is… let’s pack it in.

The only chance the Vikings have in the playoffs are to play their first game at home, and either play in a dome at New Orleans, or have the number 2 seed to host the NFC Championship if the Saints get knocked off. If the Vikings have to go on the road and play outdoors (like in Philadelphia) they don’t stand a chance.

All season I’ve said “we’ll know more next week”. At this point I don’t think we’ll know what this team is really about until that first playoff game.

In either case… interesting days ahead.

Skol Vikings!