Twin Cities, Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings 2008 Draft

If we have learned anything from watching the Wilf/Childress regime in action on draft day, it's that they draft for need. Not that the previous regimes didn't; it's just that this one does it well. They've earned my trust because they've had far more hits than misses on draft day.

In 2006, they picked Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Ryan Cook, Tarvaris Jackson, Ray Edwards and Greg Blue. The only one who definitely didn't work out was Blue. Jackson remains to be seen.

The 2007 draft brought Adrian Peterson in the first round, followed by Sidney Rice, Marcus McCauley, Brian Robison, Aundrea Allison, Rufus Alexander, Tyler Thigpen and Chandler Williams. Alexander was injured during camp, so we should see what we've got with him this year. Thigpen was snatched up by the Kansas City Chiefs and Williams was last playing for the Dolphins. Another solid draft.

This year looks like it will be no different. After coughing up a first and two third-round picks for Jared Allen, the Vikes didn't have a lot to work with this year. But I like what they did do.

Fourth rounder, safety Tyrell Johnson, looks to be great value at that spot and he is likely the heir apparent to Darren Sharper.

They got their developmental quarterback with USC's John David Booty. It's a nice pick in the fifth round because at that slot it's not quite threating enough to cause TJacks to stay awake at night yet he's a big enough name to give Tarvaris enough pause to realize this is his make or break year. And if TJacks doesn't ultimately work out, we've got Booty.

With their second fifth round pick, the team added depth to the defensive line and selected an apprentice to Pat Williams in Florida State defensive tackle Letroy Guion.

With their first sixth round pick, they drafted Notre Dame center John Sullivan to likely eventually replace Matt Birk. It's said that Sullivan could also play guard.

With their final pick, and the second of the sixth round, the Vikes got a wide receiver in Jackson State's Jaymar Johnson. This is the pick we got for the Troy Williamson trade.

Johnson's a burner--he runs a 4.4 40--but he's small. Still, he can catch and he can return kicks, two things Williamson couldn't do. It would be ironic if Johnson became the deep threat Williamson was meant to be or, at the very least, carved out a role for himself as a return man.

So all in all, given the picks that remained after the Allen trade, I think the Vikings had a solid draft. Though I really thought the Vikings would draft an offensive tackle early, given McKinnie's possible four game suspension, I wasn't far off in my pre-draft speculation. They addressed the needs I thought they would, just in a different order.

The team added depth and, with Tyrell and Jaymar Johnson, bolstered their special teams. Keep in mind, too, that we've got last year's fourth round pick, linebacker Rufus Alexander, returning from injury this year, so he will likely be another special teamer.

It looks like the team will wait for the roster cuts to fill out the remaining weak spots on the roster: A quality, spot-starter left tackle, and a backup defensive end. I don't think anyone's signed Darrion Scott yet...
 

Jaymar Johnson Video Highlights

With their last pick of the sixth round, 193 overall, the Vikings took Jackson State receiver Jaymar Johnson. This was the pick the Vikes got from the Troy Williamson trade. At 6'0", 176 lbs., he's a little small for a pro receiver but he runs a 4.41 40 and has return abilities.

• NFL.com Profile
• ESPN Profile
• NFL Draft Countdown Profile
• Rivals Profile
• Scout.com Profile
• Sports Illustrated Profile
• Jackson State Bio

High quality video:

John Sullivan Video Highlights

The Vikings used the first of their two sixth round picks to select Notre Dame center John Sullivan. The 6"4", 301 lbs. Sullivan is said to be smart, gets out of his stance quickly, has power at the point of attack but has short arms.

• NFL.com Profile
• Scout.com Profile -
• Rivals Profile (Video)
• FootballsFuture.com Profile
• Draft.com Profile
• Sports Illustrated Profile
• Notre Dame Bio  (Q & A)

Letroy Guion Video Highlights

The Vikings took Florida State defensive tackle Letroy Guion with their second fifth round pick, number 152 overall. The 6"4" 303 lbs. Guion is quick off the ball and strong but he's inconsistent and raw. In other words, he's the perfect candidate to apprentice to the Williamses.

• NFL Draft Profile
• Rivals Profile (Video)
• Scout.com Profile - (College stats) Rates him eighth best tackle
• NFL Draft Scout Profile
• FF Toolbox Scouting Report
• Sports Illustrated Profile
• Florida State Bio

John David Booty Video Highlights

The Vikings traded their first fifth round pick and their seventh round pick to the Green Bay Packers to move up to the Packer's fifth round pick at 137 overall to select USC quarterback John David Booty. Booty stands 6'3" and weighs 213 lbs and is considered a solid West Coast quarterback.

Tyrell Johnson Profile

Tyrell Johnson is six feet tall and weighs 198 pounds. Led safeties in bench presses at the combine with 27 and in the broad jump with a jump of 10' 7". Johnson ran a 4.42 40 and had a vertical jump of 32" but he jumped a 39" vertical at his Pro Day.

• NFL.com profile (including video of Johnson's combine workout)
• From NFL Draft Scout: One of the fastest rising prospects over the last few weeks, Johnson was ranked by some clubs as the elite safety in the draft. A dominant player throughout his career at Arkansas State, Johnson was the most impressive safety in workouts, as well. Only questions about his level of competition pushed him this far down the board.
• Rivals.com profile
• Scout.com profile (ranked 6th best safety)
• NFL Draft Dog
• Arkansas State profile
• Forgotten Man Gains Ground - Scout.com
• Tyrell Johnson Video Highlights

Tyrell Johnson Video Highlights

The Vikings traded their fourth-round pick to the Eagles for their fifth round pick and swapped second round positions with Philly in order to move up and take Arkansas State free safety Tyrell Johnson:

Here's another highlight reel. What, by the way, is it with the Mozart-esque opera music for these football clips?!?

2008 Minnesota Vikings Draft Needs

After the trade for Jared Allen, the Minnesota Vikings are left with no first-round pick and no third-round pick, leaving them with six draft picks this year. This dearth of picks has left me with little enthusiasm for doing my typical pre-draft research on possible Vikings' picks.

That said, these are the area I believe the Vikings will address.

With Bryant McKinnie facing a possible four-game suspension and with a lack of depth at the position regardless, it looks fairly obvious that the Vikes will take an offensive lineman with their second-round pick at number 16 (47th overall), preferably a left tackle.

Fortunately, this draft has a strong class of offensive lineman, particularly at the tackle position. With the second-round pick, the Vikings should be able to get a player who will at the very least be able to challenge Ryan Cook.

With the fourth-round pick, I could see the team taking a wide receiver ro a safety. The Vikings will need to find Darren Sharper's eventual replacement, and that could come soon, so a safety wouldn't surprise me at all here but only if value falls to them. The talent drops off sharply at this position after the top three players.

For that reason, it may be more likely the team picks a receiver here. While the addition of Bernard Berrian helps a lot, the team still doesn't have that breathtaking athlete that you want at the position.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the team draft a quarterback in the latter rounds as well. Childress really didn't want to lose Tyler Thigpen last year, so look for the Vikes to draft a QB to challenge Brooks Bollinger for the third string position and provide another developmental project should Jackson ultimately not work out.

In the sixth and seventh rounds, the Vikes will likely look for depth on the defensive or offensive lines and perhaps a cornerback or tight end.

Let's hope that last year's strong draft was no fluke because this year the Vikes will especially need solid talent evaluation acumen.

Jared Allen Video Highlights

I know I should be very excited about the Vikings prospects for this upcoming season. The trade for Jared Allen, despite the high cost of a first- and two third-round picks, has made the Vikings the favorites to win their division and the team should be considered Super Bowl contenders.

The Vikings pass defense was so bad last season only because of our woeful pass rush. The addition of last year's NFL sacks leader to the right end position turned the number one weakness on defense into the best defensive line in the league.

Allen has improved steadily since his first season, earning nine sacks as a rookie in 2004, 11 sacks the next year, slipped to 7.5 sacks in 2006, but rebounded in 2007 to lead the league with 15.5 sacks. He achieved these numbers while playing for a Kansas City Chiefs line that included defensive tackles Alfonso Boon (25 tackles, 1 sack) and Ron Edwards (23 tackles, 3 sacks), and second-year defensive end Tamba Hali (58.5 tackles, 7.5 sacks). Not a bad line but those tackles are no Pat and Kevin Williams.

If Allen continues the progress he's made in his career thus far--and there's no reason to think he won't--the Vikes should have their best front four since the 1989 line of Al Noga, Keith Millard, Henry Thomas, Chris Doleman line, and perhaps the best line since the 70s-era Purple People Eaters of Jim Marshall, Alan Page, Gary Larsen, and Carl Eller.

With a line of Ray Edwards/Brian Robison, The Williams Wall, and Allen, teams will no longer have the luxury of focusing their double-teams on one of the Williamses. Edwards and Robison are good pass rushers who now have a bit of experience under their belt and who combined for 9.5 sacks last year. With opponents focused on Pat and Kevin Williams and Jared Allen, look for Edwards and Robison to have a very good year.

The pocket pressure we should be able bring with the front four will free up the linebackers to cover the underneath routes which, in turn, will provide more time for the front four to get to the quarterback. And that will allow the secondary to become ball hawks rather than having to shut down the passing game all on their own.

This defense should, in the immortal words of Brad Childress, "kick ass."

So why do I still have reservations about the Vikings Super Bowl aspiration this season?

Tarvaris Jackson. It really depends on Jackson's ability to keep defenses honest by being able to hit receivers and defeat the eight-in-the-box defenses we saw all last year. If it kicks in for Jackson in his third season, we'll do fine. If not, while I'm a fan of Gus Frerotte, the question is whether or not he's durable enough at his age to start for most of the season.

We'll see.

Jared Allen Highlight Video

Um, be afraid Visanthe Shiancoe, be very afraid:

Vikings Press Conference For Jared Allen Trade

Thank God It's Football Season Again

I got the best of both worlds for the Super Bowl, with former Minnesota guys Laurence Maroney and Randy Moss each getting a touchdown in the big game while the Patriots still lost in the most exciting Super Bowl since the Titans came up a yard short against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

After a long off season, it's football season again with the NFL Scouting Combine, which you can watch live at NFL.com.

Childress and the Vikings scouts are hard at work evaluating players these days. For all the criticism I've leveled at the current Vikings regime, I'll give them this: They do their homework on player evaluation. That is evident in the past two drafts.

Defensive End

The Vikings biggest offseason need got bigger with the sad news that veteran defensive end Kenechi Udeze has been diagnosed with a form of Lukemia. The team cannot rely on Erasmus James remaining healthy and Darrion Scott will test free agency, so that leaves Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, and Jayme Mitchell as the top defensive ends.

The pickings are mighty slim for defensive ends in free agency this year, with the only notable name being the Bengals' Justin Smith. Fortunately, though, this year's draft class appears to be thick with quality ends. The team should in position to take one of the top three or four defensive ends in the draft. Many mock drafts have the Vikings taking Florida speed rusher Derrick Harvey. I wouldn't be surprised if the team took one or two more defensive ends this year, though.

Wide Receiver

The team is reportedly going to pursue a free agent wide receiver. Like last year, the 2008 free agent wide receiver class is fairly unimpressive. Topping the list are Chicago's Bernard Berrian and Oakland's Jerry Porter. Neither player excites me, but between the two, I'd take Porter over Berrian. While Berrian may be faster, at 6'1", 185 lbs, he seems rather slight for a number one receiver. Porter has more bulk and size (6'2", 220 lbs) and more experience.

On the other hand, Berrian fits the profile of the young, on-the-rise player coming off their first contract the Vikings like to target in free agency. In addition to stretching the field, Berrian caught 71 passes and scored 5 touchdowns on a Bears team with horrible quarterbacks, so he might be a good fit for a still-developing Tarvaris Jackson.

Arizona Cardinals' receiver Bryant Johnson also fits the young, on-the-rise profile the Vikings like. At 6'3", 213 lbs, he provides a big target who is consistent, reeling in at least 40 balls during the past four seasons. Having played in the shadow of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin his entire pro career, he's never really had a chance to carry the load and show what he can do.

Troy Williamson's agent is shopping his client around with the blessings of the Vikings, who also say are happy to keep Williamson if they aren't offered a deal they like. I can't imagine the Vikes getting anything better than a 4th round pick, which they should consider a blessing and move on.

It also wouldn't be a surprise to see the Vikings take a receiver in the draft even if they sign a veteran free agent and especially if they get an extra pick from moving Troy Williamson. At least one mock draft has the Vikings taking DeSean Jackson, a speedy wide receiver with superb return skills. Jackson would certainly help fill a special teams hole the Vikings have long tried to plug.

Safety

With the release of Dwight Smith and the pending departure of Mike Doss via free agency, the Vikings are suddenly thin at the safety position. They probably would've had to find a safety anyway because that position was getting grey, but the departure of Smith and Doss forces the team's hand.

Tank Williams will likely be given the chance to start alongside Darren Sharper, but the only backup now is Eric Frampton. The team is reportedly interested in pursuing Bengals safety Madieu Williams or the Giants' Girbril Wilson.

Why I Hate The Patriots

  Tom Brady's Red Boots 
  Originally uploaded by doubleess65

Let me first say that I love Randy Moss, I knew those who were writing his football obituary were wrong, I knew he was going to blow up the league this year, and I'm glad he had a record year, broke Jerry Rice's record, and will get to play in the Super Bowl.

That said, with the exception of Moss, I cannot stand the New England Patriots. The Sporting News had an article some months back that quoted Joe Montana's wife, as the 49ers approached their third Super Bowl title, complaining that everyone now hated San Francisco. Everyone used to love the 49ers but now that they were going for, and likely to win, a three-peat everyone was against them. It was in this context that the article tried to explain the animosity many now feel against the Patriots.

Dynasty fatigue certainly explains part of my loathing for the Pats but it's much more than that. I haven't felt this way about the Patriots until this year but now I think they are a bunch of punks. Here's why:

Cheaters

  Bill Belichick 
  Originally uploaded
by 'Ey Capernicus

First and most obviously, the Patriots are cheaters. They are documented cheaters. They got caught red-handed cheating. And now there are reports that they cheated before their first Super Bowl victory by taping a St. Louis Rams walk through before the game. If you know what your opponent plans to do beforehand, it is clearly a huge advantage.

Patriots apologists--mostly the NFL talking heads and broadcasters who are supposed to be impartial as they call games--dismiss the cheating by saying that now that they've been fined and their documents have been turned into the league, they are no longer cheating and besides, they are superior team anyway, which their undefeated season proves and can't we put this behind us finally and forever and declare Tom Brady God?

Well, I don't know that the Patriots haven't continued to cheat. How can I? Roger Goodell destroyed all the evidence? There is only one reason you destroy evidence; because it is damning. So I'm not buying that the Patriots are that good and that they no longer benefit from their years, it turns out, of cheating.

A less talented and less athletic team can vastly outplay a superior team if they know what their opponent is going to do. I know this first-hand from playing football myself by peaking into the opponents' huddle and watching the quarterback diagram a play. When it works, it works beautifully because I know exactly what the team is going to do and can put myself in position to defeat the play.

Because the evidence has been destroyed, I don't know how good Tom Brady. I don't know that he hasn't simply benefited from the Patriots' cheating.

The Patriot Way = Arrogance

From Head Cheater Bill Belichick on down, the Patriots are breathtakingly arrogant. And it's Belichick who sets the tone. LaDainian Tomlinson expressed his disdain for the classlessness of the Patriots in general and Belichick in particular last year after the Patriots rubbed the Chargers' nose in the dirt following their playoff victory:

That classless behavior was also on display last year when Belichick dissed his former assistant Eric Mangini after beating the Jets:

Then, of course, there's the time Belichick tried to bully Vikings head coach Brad Childress over a waiver wire player.

After Mangini exposed the Patriots cheating ways, the Patriots made a point of running up the score on their opponents. Bush league. And I mean that in both the traditional and presidential sense (or, perhaps they're one and the same).

Poor Sports

Perhaps the biggest joke of the year was Tom Brady being named Sportsman of the Year.

There is a team in my touch football league that is extremely talented and they play very smart football. They nearly always wain the championship. Winning is so important to them that they pay people to play with them so they have the best talent. Pretty lame in my book for a touch football league, but there you go. They are fun to play with and friendly and good sports...when they are winning. When they are losing, they turn into a bunch of whiny pricks who try and knock you over and complain to the refs about every play. They turn into ***holes.

The Patriots behaved exactly like them toward the end of the year when they had been in close games and were losing.

*

The only good thing to come out of the Patriots this season is that we will finally shut the 1972 Dolphins the hell up:

So that's my indictment against the Patriots. I my mind, they will forever be associated with Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire and they're accomplishments will thus be followed by the qualifying asterisk.

Will Adrian Peterson Win The Rushing Title?

Packers Vikings Football 
Originally uploaded by   
psuedophreak

After last week, when they had a chance to lock up their playoff spot, it's sorta pointless to talk about or get your hopes up for a Vikings post-season this year. They could come out and stink or they could play wonderfully and still not make it with a motived Redskins team playing Dallas' second-stringers.

So absent the burden and frustration of phantom playoff hopes, my interest will be focused narrowly on my hope for a 400 yard rushing game for Peterson and improved play for Tarvaris Jackson. And one probably depends upon the other.

The Denver Broncos' defense is 30th in the league against the run but even a really bad defense can improve significantly against the run by deploying eight or nine men in the box. So we'll see, but there's plenty of reason to hope for a big ground game for the Vikings and for Adrian Peterson in particular.

The one thing the Vikings will have to do for Peterson to have a big day, of course, will be to make the Broncos pay for stacking the box. And that depends upon Jackson making those plays, something he hasn't done consistently.

Maybe the Vikings should come out in no-receiver sets. Sit the receivers in favor of tight ends and fullbacks and maybe an extra offensive lineman. Say to the Broncos, we're running the ball; try and stop us. It ain't gonna happen but I'd love to see it.

Peterson needs only 12 yards to overtake Pittsburgh's Willie Parker, who is out for the season. But in order to win the title, Adrian will have to significantly outplay LaDainian Tomlinson who has 1,418 yards to Peterson's 1,305. The problem is that the Chargers play the Oakland Raiders today.

In the passing game, I want to see Jackson make better decisions and not get flustered in the face of a heavy rush. He seems to do just fine when he's got sufficient time in the pocket, but he's going to have to learn play well under pressure.

Those are my modest hopes at the end of a disappointing season.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins Preview

Things seem to be falling the Vikings' way today. Philadelphia beat the Saints and, playing for home-field advantage (and this time of year, playing at Lambeau is a decided advantage), the Packers had their ass handed to them by the Bears.

With a win tonight, the Vikings will clinch a playoff berth.

But the Redskins scare me.

They are ninth against the run, so it's going to be a tough game tonight. They will probably not have to put eight or nine men in the box to stop the run, which means it will be more difficult for Tarvaris Jackson to make them pay.

The Vikings offensive line will need to play much better tonight than they did last week, especially Matt Birk. Birk was man-handled by the Bears back-up defensive tackle last week. Despite Washington's tough run D, the Vikings are going to have to pound the ball often to make the play-action work. And, by the way, there's always an excellent chance of Adrian Peterson ripping off a long TD run or two. He nearly had two last week.

How bout a dual backfield with both Peterson and Chester Taylor and let the Redskins pick their poison about who they want to stop? I've been waiting for this all season and I think today is the day to implement it.

The Redskins are 18th against the pass, so there's a good chance we'll see Jackson toss the ball with some frequency but he'll have to avoid the mistakes he made against the Bears last week. He'll also be without wide receiver Sidney Rice.

This is a game where it will be a huge advantage to get out on top early and then pummel the Skins to demoralize them early. I wouldn't be surprised to see BevelChildress call a trick play on the fist series.

What scares me the most about Washington, though, is Todd Collins.

First, since he hasn't started in 10 years, there's precious little tape of the guy, so the Vikings defense has had one and a half games worth of material with which to prepare for him. Second, Collins has been in the same system for years, so presumably he knows his offense inside and out. Lastly, the Vikings have historically played poorly against backup QBs.

Washington has the 11th ranked rushing offense and despite boasting a dangerous duo of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts, but I'm only concerned with them to the degree that they are able to set up a credible play-action.

The Redskins have the 4th worst special teams unit, so Aundrae Allison could have a big game returning kicks. And that could prove to be the difference in this game.

I expect most of this game will be a fight for field position, tough and close. The single most promising thing that emerged from last week's game was that the Vikings played badly but still found a way to overcome their poor play and turnovers to win the game. That's something we haven't seen in a while.

I don't know that I buy into the Vikings being the hottest team going into the playoffs, as so many national pundits have proclaimed them to be, but a win tonight will go a long way toward convincing me.

Sports Writers Who Don't Play Sports

Among the criticisms Star Tribune's sports columnist Jim Souhan has of Tarvaris Jackson's performance Monday night is that the QB would "bail out on a game because of a leg cramp, as he did Monday night."

This kind of stuff drives me nuts. I can only assume that Souhan does not play football or perhaps any sport because he clearly doesn't understand how a leg cramp feels.

It doesn't last long but it hurts a lot and freaks you out even more because your body is behaving in a way it does not usually behave. It's not a condition with which you can effectively play.

There was plenty to criticize about Jackson's game but taking himself out for a few plays because of painful and disruptive leg cramps is not one of them.

And is Souhan had had just a bit of experience with the sport he writes about, he'd understand that.

Update: Add Patrick Reusse to the list of desk jockey sports writers: "Against Chicago, Jackson threw three interceptions, had a quarterback rating of 50.0 and bailed out with a cramp when his team was inside the 10 on the winning touchdown drive."

Update II: Sadly, add the Star Tribune's generally very good Vikings beat writer Kevin Seifert to the list: "...oddly succumbing to leg cramps in the Vikings' 20-13 victory over the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome."

I'm On Google StreetView!

I was messing around with Google Maps' new StreetView feature but hadn't notice until The Vet pointed it out, that we're on StreetView. You can't explicitly identify us, but but you can definitely see the crew we play touch football with every Saturday of the year on StreetView.

If you look straight ahead, across the other side of the parking lot, between the cars you can see some people seated on the ground under the shade of the trees. That me and my crew resting in between football games. Amazing!

View Larger Map

400 Yards For Adrian Peterson?

Adrian Peterson
Originally uploaded by catman_1966

The offensive line has excelled since Anthony Herrera was inserted into the starting lineup. Tarvaris Jackson is maturing, realizing that he needs to study more. It's showing.  And then there's the rookie phenom of the decade, Adrian Peterson. 

Peterson has amazed us since the first game of the season, long before our offensive line pulled it together and became an machine. So with the line opening up gaping holes, the receivers opening things up with their downfield blocking, and the credible threat of a passing game, could Adrian Peterson run for 400 yards in a game, as I suggested last week?

I really don't see why not, especially today. While the 49ers are not the least effective team against the rush, they rank 27th in the NFL against the rush. They are giving up 124 yards a game to running backs not named Adrian Peterson. And there's the rub.

Such gawdy numbers are not all that implausible when you consider that the guy had 361 all-purpose yards against the Chargers. All Peterson needs to do is rip of three or four long runs--a feat for which he's entirely capable--and he's easily within striking distance of four hundred.

The Vikings need to account for 49ers cornerback Nate Clements and their outstanding rookie linebacker, Patrick Willis. Willis has 128 tackles and the season ain't over yet. He's supposed to be a sideline-to-sideline terror so watch for the Vikings to run between the tackles today, right at him and bet that our offensive line and Adrian Peterson can overpower him.

I absolutely believe Peterson can run for 400 yards in one game. The greatest limitation to that accomplishment may very well be Brad Childress himself by pulling Peterson before he's through.

1987 Vikings Upset 49ers In Playoffs

Today, Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman called the 1987 Minnesota Vikings victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, the Vikes greatest upset. He's right. The Vikings absolutely blew away the 49ers. Watch some of the highlights:

The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship game and came within a fourth and four play and overtime with momentum on their side to advancing to the Super Bowl that year:

All Of A Sudden, The Vikings Are A Good Team

Let's remember that the last three games the Vikings have played were against the dreadful Oakland Raiders, against the New York Giants and Eli Manning on possibly the worst game of his career, and the free-falling Detroit Lions.

That said, the Vikings have been an infinitely more palatable team to watch during this winning streak.

The Vikings Offensive Line

Adrian Peterson
Originally uploaded by
italian_freedom_fighter

Not coincidentally, the offensive line has been awesome for the past three games. It looks like we've found our starters on the right side with guard Anthony Herrera and tackle Ryan Cook. Cook took care of Michael Strahan in the Giants game and has been burying people on the run blocking.

They are giving Tarvaris Jackson plenty of time to throw the ball and are opening massive holes for Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson.

Tarvaris Jackson

But the single biggest improvement has come at the quarterback position, and that makes a huge difference.

I've been about as critical of Brad Childress as can be over playing Jackson when he clearly wasn't ready to play. And I've complained that Jackson has not even shown any progress thus far.

Well, he has now. During the New York game, he wasn't spectacular, but he made no  mistakes and he did connect with Sidney Rice on a long bomb, a pass he hadn't been able to make till then. Against the Lions, it wasn't just that he kept the mistakes to a minimum (his only mistake was the interception), he actually showed progress in his development. A lot of it.

Nearly all of Jackson's passes were dead-on accurate; he threw with touch when that was required and drilled it in there when he needed a bullet. He knew when to pull the ball down and run it and when he did, he knew how to slide to avoid the big hit. He made some plays with his athleticism, but it wasn't his weapon of first choice.

Jackson showed pocket presence; he stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush and looked comfortable doing so. That's the first time I've seen him looking natural in the pocket, feeling the pressure, and sliding around to avoid it. His timing passes were right on time.

Jackson has been looking off defenders and he read the blitzes accurately and got the ball to the right receivers to make the defense pay. His decision making was superb.

Maybe the Vikings coaches have scaled down the playbook to the plays with which Jackson is most comfortable, or the offensive line has started to click, or maybe the game just begun to slow down for Jackson. Whatever it is, I hope it continues because Jackson actually looked great against the Lions.

Adrian Peterson

It helps enormously, of course, to have Adrian Peterson back in the lineup. The guy has missed two games, yet he still leads the league in rushing. He was his usual self against the Lions: 116 yards on 15 carries.

Let me just get this on the record: Adrian Peterson will run for 400 yards in a game this season and his best chance of doing that will be this Sunday against the 49ers.

There, I said it.

Vikings Defense

On defense, the Vikes are blitzing a lot more but are not getting burned because they do such an incredible job of disguising their defense. Greenway and Henderson and Smith will creep up to the line of scrimmage, showing blitz, and hold...hold...hold...until the second before the sack and then drop into coverage. Two plays later they'll show the same look and come with a full on blitz.

The artistry of maintaining a look until the very last second is helping to confuse opposing quarterbacks. The Vikings D is getting plenty of pressure now, just not with their front four. The nice thing is, with the offense now seemingly capable of scoring a lot, the defense can afford to lay off the blitzes and just bring pressure with the front four because they're backed by a big lead.

It's clear that the Vikings gained a lot of confidence by trouncing the Giants and that carried over into the Detroit game. That helps a lot. You play a lot better when you're confident you're going to play well.

I hate to get my hopes up because I've done that too often with this team, but considering the Vikings' remaining schedule, they have every reason to be confident. Everyone they have left to play this year is a losing team.

Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants Preview

How shall the New York football Giants beat the Minnesota Vikings today? Let me count the ways.

If I had a smidgen of confidence in our offense, I might have hope that the Vikes could pull out a win today. But I don't. If they want to have any chance at a wild card spot this season, the Vikings need to beat the Giants today. I just do not think they are capable of a victory over a Giants squad whose 7-3 record is far less impressive than it looks.

The Giants wins have come at the expense of such NFL powerhouses as Washington, Philadelphia, the Jets, Atlanta, the 49ers, the Dolphins and last week against the reeling Lions. Their losses have been against good teams: Twice to the Cowboys and once to the Packers. And the Green Bay loss was during the second week of the season, when the Pack was not nearly as good as they are now.

If the Giants have proved anything this year, it's that they can beat bad teams. Lucky for them, they face the Minnesota Vikings today.

The Giants Running Game

Will be nonexistent. With New York down to their third down back, Ruben Droughns, the Giants will not seriously commit to the run. They will beat the Vikings as everyone does, through the air.

The Giants Passing Game

New York tight end Jeremy Shockey will eat up the Vikings D underneath today. They will take advantage of the Vikings' Cover 2 deep defenders by challenging Minnesota's linebackers to cover underneath, of which they haven't proved capable.

With Antoine Winfield out, rookie corner Marcus McCauley will be challenged just as much as his fellow corner, Cedric Griffin. I expect the Giants will pick on Griffin--since everyone seems to do that--by matching him up against the 6'5" Plaxico Burress. That's a match-up against which Griffin simply cannot physically succeed.

The Vikings Running Game

The only way the Vikings will have a chance is if they eat up the clock with long, run-dominated drives that end in scores. With Adrian Peterson apparently warming the bench today, that effort will be much harder. Chester Taylor proved he could run for far more than 100 yards last week, but he's still no Adrian Peterson.

If the Vikings offensive line and receivers run block as they have since the Chicago game, they certainly could execute a time-consuming, run-mostly strategy.

The Vikings "Passing" Game

When the Vikings are in passing situations, the Giants can be counted on to bring maximum pressure on Sidney Ri---um, Tarvaris Jackson.

What does it say about Tarvaris Jackson that our first passing play last week was thrown by our wide receiver, Sidney Rice? What does it say about Jackson that our longest pass play from scrimmage this year was thrown by our wide receiver, Sidney Rice? What does it say about Jackson that the first red zone pass by Jackson last week, from the three yard line, resulted in a drive killing interception?

With left tackle Bryant McKinney matched up against speed rusher Osi Umenyiora and right tackle Ryan Cook taking on Michael Strahan and still having to account for middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, Jackson is nearly certain to have a defender all up in his grill on every passing play.

And he has yet to prove he can handle that pressure. What he has proved is that he's indecisive and there's no reason to believe he'll anything other than indecisive as well today. That indecision will result in sacks or interceptions today.

A loss today means the effective end to the Vikings' 2007 season. Sadly, we'll be playing for picks from here on out.

Brad Childress' Trades

I've already discussed Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress' draft picks, his free agency and waiver wire acquisitions, and his handling of the Vikings quarterback position.Today, then, I look at the Vikings trades under the Childress regime.

2006 Minnesota Vikings Trades:

• March, 2006: Daunte Culpepper to Miami Dolphins for 2nd round pick (51st overall) in the 2006 draft.
• April, 2006: 19th pick of the third round (83rd overall) and 31st pick of the third round (95th overall) to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 32nd pick of the second round (64th overall) which they used to draft QB Tarvaris Jackson. The Steelers drafted FS Anthony Smith (83rd) and WR Willie Reed (95th) with the acquired picks.
• April, 2006: Vikings send the 115th and 185th overall picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 127th overall pick and G Artis Hicks.
• May, 2006: WR Hank Baskett to Philadelphia Eagles for WR Billy McMullen.
• August, 2006: DT C.J. Mosely to New York Jets for QB Brooks Bollinger and undisclosed draft pick.
• September, 2006: T Adam Goldberg to the St. Louis Rams for undisclosed draft pick.
• April, 2007: Vikings trade 9th pick of the second round (41st overall) to the Atlanta Falcons for the Falcons second round (44th overall) and a fourth-round pick (121st overall). The Vikings drafted WR Sidney Rice and traded the 121st pick to the Denver Broncos. The Falcons used the 41st pick to draft CB Chris Houston.
• April, 2007: Vikings trade seventh pick of the fourth round (106th overall) and the eighth pick of the sixth round (182nd overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to draft DE Brian Robison. The Bucs draft S Tanard Jackson with the fourth round pick and LB Adam Hayward with the sixth round pick.
• April, 2007: Vikings trade the fourth round (121st overall) pick acquired from the Atlanta Falcons to the Denver Broncos for the Broncos sixth (176th overall) and seventh round (233rd overall) picks of the 2007 draft and the Broncos third round selection of the 2008 draft. With the sixth round pick, the Vikings draft LB Rufus Alexander and with the seventh round pick, they draft WR Chandler Williams. The Broncos use the 121st overall pick to draft DT Marcus Thomas.

Let's knock them down one at a time.

The Daunte Culpepper Trade

This turned out well for the Vikings. Culpepper didn't want to play for the Vikings anymore and as much as I wanted to sit him, let him sulk on the bench until he fully rehabbed and then trade him for more value, trading him immediately was the right move. Culpepper was a disaster in Miami and only this year does he look like he resemble the quarterback he was when he played here.

With the 51st overall pick they got from Miami, the Vikings drafted T/C Ryan Cook. Most people thought it was a hell of a reach to draft Cook at that spot; that the fourth round was a more reasonable place to pick him. Cook is starting at right tackle, but he has been extremely raw.

He is improving, though, so so far, so good.

Trade Up For Tarvaris Jackson

The Vikings traded two third round picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers to grab Jackson in the second round. The move surprised a lot of people because Jackson wasn't anyone's radar screen and was considered a sixth or seventh round pick.

With the two third rounders, the Steelers chose FS Anthony Smith and WR Willie Reid. Smith has played in 26 games and started nine of them for the Steelers. During the past two years, Smith has made 67 tackles, defended seven passes and intercepted three balls.

Reid has played in three games for the Steelers during the past two years and has a whopping three catches during that period.

Jackson has hardly lived up to his billing and worse, he doesn't seem to be improving. Meanwhile, the Vikings' safeties are older and have lost a step. We could use some young depth at the position. With a roster that boasts Hines Ward, Cedrick Wilson, and Santonio Holmes, Reid is not likely to see much action any time soon, so who knows how good he is. At least with the Vikings, we'd find out.

At this point it sure looks like trading up for Jackson was a bad move.

Vikings Trade Picks To Eagles For Artis Hicks

Artis Hicks is no longer starting and he was pretty bad when he was.

The Vikes traded the 115th and 185th overall selections to the Eagles for Hicks and the 127th overall pick. The Eagles subsequently traded both picks to the Green Bay Packers.

With the 115th pick, Green Bay took cornerback Will Blackmon. Blackmon has one tackle in the eight games he's played for the Packers during the past two years. With the 185th pick, the Packers selected DB Tyrone Culver, who had one pass defended in 2006. He is no longer on the roster.

The Vikes took DE Ray Edwards with the 127th pick. Edwards is great as a starter but between the 115th and 127th picks, the Vikes missed the opportunity to take RB Leon Washington (averaging 4.3 yards a carry this season), WR