Brett Favre was amazing in 2009 and this team almost went to the Super Bowl. Brett Favre was terrible in 2010, getting benched for Joe Webb, who also sucked. Now, former Eagles’ and Redskins’ quarterback Donovan McNabb is the starting quarterback and many Vikings fans feel he can get them back into the playoffs. However, this is not the same Donovan McNabb who led the Eagles to a Super Bowl in 2004.

In his first and last year in Washington, he was a very mediocre quarterback. Several things are at play here. Washington’s supporting cast was not very good. Also, McNabb is getting older. Finally, Andy Reid likely just made McNabb look better than he was in Philadelphia. Once leaving Reid’s offense, McNabb was exposed. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened. AJ Feeley looked much worse after leaving Philadelphia for Miami in 2004. Meanwhile, Reid turned Michael Vick into a potential Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Besides, it’s not like the Vikings have the same supporting cast they had in 2009 either. Their struggles in 2010 weren’t just at the quarterback position and they figure to be even worse supporting cast wise in 2011. Gone are Pat Williams and Ray Edwards two starters on the defensive line. They will be replaced by Brian Robison and Remi Ayodele, two average at best players.

They will play alongside Jared Allen and Kevin Williams, who are still good players, but have lost a step since 2009. After a league leading 48 sacks in 2009, the Vikings had a mere 31 in 2010, a number that could be even lower this season with Edwards, 8 sacks and 32 quarterback pressures in 2010, gone. Pat Williams was not a great pass rusher, but they’ll feel his loss against the run, where even at his age, 39 in October, he was one of the better players in the league. Going from Edwards to Robison is also a major downgrade in terms of run stopping ability.

If new starter Ayodele struggles at defensive tackle, the Vikings have Letroy Guion, a promising young player, to plug in the hole. They also have Christian Ballard, a 4^th round pick who could have gone in the 2^nd had it not been for a positive test for marijuana at The Combine. I feel the positive test is a non-issue and that the Vikings are getting a very talented player for the future in Ballard, though he’ll be hurt by the lockout. At defensive end, however, their options behind Brian Robison are very limited. Everson Griffen was a 4^th round pick in 2010, but he struggled as a rookie and got arrested several times this offseason.

At linebacker, EJ Henderson is an above average player in the middle when healthy, but he’s suffered several serious injuries in his career. He played a full game 16 set last year so maybe he’s put those days behind him. On the strong side, the Vikings were able to bring back Chad Greenway, 4^th in the league in tackles last season, with the franchise tag. That’s obviously huge.

However, they were unable to resign Ben Leber. Leber was a fairly marginal starter for them, but he’s a hell of a lot better than what they now have on the weak side. Currently Erin Henderson is penciled in as a starter. Henderson, the younger brother of EJ Henderson, was an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 2008 and has been nothing but a career backup since.

The Vikings say he is penciled in as the starter, but I don’t see who else on the roster could take his job unless Ross Homan can have a big preseason. That seems unlikely because Homan is a mere 6^th round rookie who will be hurt by the lockout. He’s also currently listed as the 3^rd stringer at middle linebacker so the chances of him taking the weak side job are very, very slim, at least for right now.

The Vikings actually ranked 9^th in the league against the pass last year, but I’m predicting a steep decline in that ranking this season because I just don’t see the talent there. #1 cornerback Antoine Winfield is 34, right around the age when cornerbacks begin a steep decline. Opposite him is Cedric Griffin, who can’t stay healthy. He wasn’t a great player before his injuries and his injuries could have only made him worse.

The Vikings have spent a lot of picks on cornerbacks in the past few years, but 2009 3^rd round pick Asher Allen and 2010 2^nd round pick Chris Cook have both struggled in their careers to this point. 2011 5^th round pick Brandon Burton is currently listed as 5^th on the depth chart. I thought he was a steal of a draft pick when they got him, but he too will be hurt by the lockout.

At safety, Husain Abdullah struggles a bit against the pass, but is above average against the run. Meanwhile, new free safety Eric Frampton is a very inexperienced player. Fun fact, Eric Frampton went to Oak Grove High School, down the street from my house. Other alumni include Gibril Wilson, Andre Carter, and Seyi Arijotutu. Also, Mike Holmgren used to teach and coach there. Anyway, the Vikings secondary doesn’t have a lot of talent. They aren’t supported by a great pass rush either so they could really struggle this season.

Offensively, Donovan McNabb is now the quarterback. He should provide stability at the position for the season and allow Christian Ponder to ease his way into action, always a good thing. However, that’s about all he’ll do. He won’t win them a lot of games. He’s an average quarterback who borders on mediocre at this point in his career and I don’t know how much a change of scenery will do for him.

McNabb’s chances for a bounce back season are hurt by his supporting cast. Bryant McKinnie, long time left tackle of the Vikings, was cut in camp because he showed up at about 400 pounds. I don’t know how he thought he’d get away with that. What did he think the team wouldn’t notice? Anyway, he’ll be replaced by Charlie Johnson, who couldn’t even adequately protect Peyton Manning’s blindside for him. Peyton Manning’s blindside is the easiest to protect in the league. He has eyes in the back of his head. He doesn’t have a blindside (only sort of kidding). How is Johnson supposed to protect McNabb’s?

At right tackle, Phil Loadholt struggles with weight issues. He was a horrendous run blocker last season and committed 14 penalties. The Vikings drafted DeMarcus Love in the 6^th round as a potential successor for Loadholt, allowing Loadholt to move to any easier position like guard. However, Love, like all rookies, will be hurt by the lockout. He’s currently a 3^rd stringer and shouldn’t see much playing time this season.

At center, John Sullivan wasn’t as bad as he’s been in past years, but he was still pretty bad, especially as a run blocker. Left guard Steve Hutchinson is clearly their best offensive lineman. He’s not the beast run blocker he was in Seattle or in his early Minnesota days, but he’s still an above average left guard. However, opposite him, right guard Anthony Herrera is a terrible run blocker. I don’t know how he still has a job. The Vikings were hoping Brandon Fusco, a 6^th round pick, would at least be able to challenge Sullivan at center or Herrera at guard, but he too was hurt by the lockout. He’s currently listed as a 3^rd stringer.

Fortunately the Vikings have Adrian Peterson because they don’t run block very well upfront. Peterson is about as reliable as they come. They drafted him 7^th overall in 2007 and he hasn’t disappointed. Last season he had a career low with 1298 yards. He’s also never had less than 10 scores in a season. The Vikings drafted Toby Gerhart in the 2^nd round in 2010, but he won’t see much action unless Peterson gets hurt. Basically, he’ll have the same role he did in 2010.

At wide receiver, with Sidney Rice gone, the pressure will fall on Percy Harvin, a 2009 first round pick, to continue to improve and become a legitimate #1 receiver. He’s now in his 3^rd season, that magical season when wide receivers tend to break out. He could be primed for a huge season if McNabb finds the same connection with him as he had with Santana Moss last season. They are similar players so it’s possible.

Opposite Harvin, Michael Jenkins and Bernard Berrian will fight it out to be the #2 receiver. Jenkins, a former 1^st round pick, has never had more than 53 catches or 777 yards or 7 touchdowns in a season despite working with Matt Ryan and Michael Vick in his career. Meanwhile, Bernard Berrian is far from the #1 receiver he was in 2007 with Chicago or 2008 with these Vikings. He managed just 252 yards on 28 catches last season and didn’t score. It’s safe to say Donovan McNabb won’t be thrilled no matter who wins the #2 job.

Something McNabb does have to get at least a little excited about is his tight ends. Visanthe Shiancoe is still listed as the starter, though it’s very possible he’d be 2^nd on the depth chart to rookie 2^nd round pick Kyle Rudolph had Rudolph not been hurt by the lockout. The talented Rudolph is apparently lighting it up in camp. Meanwhile, Shiancoe is an average tight end. The Vikings will use a lot of two tight ends sets this season so both Shiancoe and the rookie Rudolph will have an impact.

People living in 2009 would say this team has a good chance to bounce back into the playoffs this season. In 2009, McNabb led the Eagles to the playoffs and the Brett Favre led Vikings made the NFC Championship. However, this team was not just a quarterback away in 2010. Favre did a great job of masking their flaws in 2009 and the supporting cast has declined since anyway. McNabb will give them decent quarterback play, but unless Detroit implodes, I don’t see any way this team finishes outside the cellar in the NFC North.

Quarterback: C+

Running backs: A

Receiving corps: C-

Offensive line: D

Run defense: B-

Pass rush: C

Pass coverage: C-

Coaching: C

Projection: 6-10 4^th in NFC North

Offensive Tackle

Bryant McKinnie showed up so fat to training camp that they cut him even though they didn’t have a clear successor. They were forced to sign Charlie Johnson, who did an awful job of protecting Peyton Manning’s blindside in Indianapolis in 2010. He predictably struggled, surrendering 8 sacks, 32 pressures, and committing 5 penalties. If they’re going to give Christian Ponder a fair shot to prove that he’s a franchise quarterback, they need to better protect his blindside. The Vikings would be thrilled if Matt Kalil fell to them at 3. If not, they could trade down with a quarterback needy team looking to jump Cleveland for Robert Griffin and grab either Riley Reiff or Jonathan Martin later in the top 10.

Wide Receiver

More help for Christian Ponder, Percy Harvin was his only reliable wide receiver this year. It’s pathetic how much playing time guys like Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu got last year. If Kalil is not available at 3 and they can’t move down, Justin Blackmon makes a lot of sense. If they don’t end up with him, look for them to take a wide receiver sometime in rounds 2-3.

Cornerback

The Vikings ranked 30^th against the pass last year with 8.1 YPA allowed. They were especially bad after Antoine Winfield suffered a season ending injury. Winfield has had a great career, but he’ll be a 35 year old coming off a major injury next season. Meanwhile, Cedric Griffin has cleaned out his locker as he does not expect to be back as a potential cap casualty this offseason, Chris Cook could be going to jail, and Asher Allen was awful last year. If they can’t get Kalil or trade down and they don’t want Blackmon, Morris Claiborne is likely the pick there. If not, they’ll spend a pick in rounds 2-4 on another cornerback in the mix.

Guard

Another need upfront for the Vikings, right guard Anthony Herrera has been consistently mediocre and seems to always be mentioned on needs lists as someone who needs to be upgraded. Meanwhile, left guard Steve Hutchinson is contemplating retirement, which would be a huge blow because he’s probably their best offensive lineman.

Safety

Their struggles against the pass didn’t end with the cornerback, poor safety play was a huge part of the reason why they ranked 30^th against the pass despite leading the league in sacks with 50. Guys like Husain Abdullah, Jamarca Sanford, and Tyrell Johnson were awful for them at safety, especially Sanford who started every game at free safety and allowed 8 touchdowns in coverage. Rookie Mistral Raymond showed some promise down the stretch at strong safety, but best case scenario, they need one more safety to play opposite him next season.

Defensive tackle

Pat Williams was missed this season. The rotation of LeTroy Guion, Fred Evans, and Remi Ayodele wasn’t bad, but at the same time, it wasn’t that good either so if the value makes sense, they could spend a relatively early pick on a defensive tackle.

Middle linebacker

EJ Henderson is a free agent. The soon to be 32 year old has seen better days and might not be back with the team. I think they can get away with resigning him for another year, but they need another linebacker in the mix regardless.

Running back

Adrian Peterson could start next season on the PUP and miss at least 6 games. If the Vikings start 1-5 or 2-4 in their 6 games (definitely possible), the Vikings might decide it doesn’t make sense to bring him back and risk further injury. With him out, Toby Gerhart is their only decent running back. They should bring in another one in the offseason.

Outside linebacker

EJ’s brother Erin is also a free agent. Unlike EJ, Erin is a promising young player who should be their #1 priority to resign.

() FA Rank

QB Tarvaris Jackson

RB Albert Young

FB Naufahu Tahi 

WR Sidney Rice (#10)

Only had one good season, after developing in his first 2 years and getting hurt last season, but he did catch 83 passes for 1312 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2009 and he’s still only 25 in September.

WR Jaymar Johnson- resigned

WR Greg Lewis

WR Hank Baskett

OT Ryan Cook

DT Pat Williams 

DT Fred Evans

DE Ray Edwards (#25)

How will he do without Jared Allen and the Williams Wall? We may find out this offseason. The Vikings seem prepared to let Edwards, who has 16.5 sacks in the last 2 seasons and who dominated in their run to the NFC Championship game in 2009, walk this offseason. I have my doubts about him as a #1 pass rusher, but I have a feeling someone will overpay him.

DE Brian Robison- resigned 3 years 14.1 million 

OLB Chad Greenway (#16)- franchised 

Greenway was all over the place last year with 144 tackles, good for 4^th most in the league. He has 463 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 4 seasons.

OLB Ben Leber 

MLB Erin Henderson

CB Lito Sheppard

CB Frank Walker

S Husain Abdullah

S Tyrell Johnson

S Eric Frampton

K Ryan Longwell

Offseason moves:

Resigned Brian Robinson

Resigned Jaymar Johnson

Franchised Chad Greenway

Draft 

DT Chase Baker (Boise State)

WR Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State)

CB Ron Brooks (LSU)

S DJ Campbell (California)

CB Morris Claiborne (LSU)

OT Tom Compton (South Dakota)

WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame)

TE James Hanna (Oklahoma)

CB Casey Hayward (Vanderbilt)

WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

WR Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina)

S Trumaine Johnson (Montana)

OT Matt Kalil (USC)

CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama)

OT Jonathan Martin (Stanford)

DT Dontari Poe (Memphis)

G Amini Silatolu (Midwestern State)

CB Lionel Smith (Texas A&M)

K Greg Zuerlein (Missouri Western State)

12. QB Christian Ponder D

I’m not going to give this one an F because they’re at least trying to add a quarterback. But come on, Christian Ponder #12? Really? Ponder has major trouble with anything more than 15 yards downfield and he doesn’t have the upside of a Jake Locker or a Blaine Gabbert so this one is a borderline failure.

43. TE Kyle Rudolph B+

I’m not going to argue that tight end was their biggest non-quarterback need, but Visanthe Shiancoe is a marginal player and going into a contract year. Plus, the Vikings want to run more two tight end sets. Rudolph was also one of the best available.

106. DT Christian Ballard A

Ballard slips because of his positive drug test, but he’s a great value at this point in the 4^th round. I’m not making a huge deal about his positive drug test because he is a non-quarterback and it was just weed. Ballard is a great value and fills a huge hole.

139. CB Brandon Burton A

Another great value getting Burton, a borderline 2^nd rounder in my book, in the 5^th. He also filled a need. Chris Cook struggled as a rookie. Antoine Winfield will be 34 this offseason. Cedric Griffin can’t stay healthy. Burton could wind up a starter for this team in time.

168. OT DeMarcus Love A

I love Love’s upside here in the 6^th round. He’s raw, but he has left tackle upside and as a 6^th rounder, that’s a great value, especially for a team that needs it. I don’t know how much longer Bryant McKinnie can stay on the left side and on the right side, where Bryant McKinnie could later play, Phil Loadholt is liability and should be moved inside to guard where there’s a giant hole right now. If Love pans out, they can upgrade 3 offensive line spots at once and just ask Brett Favre how badly this line needs to be upgraded. Excellent pick.

170. S Mistral Raymond C+

There were better safeties available as I had Raymond just outside my top 300, but there’s no denying that incumbent starter Madieu Williams is terrible in coverage and needs to be replaced ASAP.

172. C Brandon Fusco A

Another offensive line upgrade. Fusco is a very good value here in the 6^th round and can take over for center John Sullivan sometime during year 1. I always say you can find good guard and center prospects in the mid rounds. Fusco is one of them. He can also play both guard spots if that’s where they decide his future is.

200. OLB Ross Homan A

Ben Leber is marginal and a free agent. Homan is a 4^th or 5^th round value and could end up being a starter for this team long term. Another excellent value.

215. DE D’Aundre Reed C+

Defensive end was a need with Ray Edwards having one foot out the door and Everson Griffen busy getting arrested, but I think there were better ones available. I didn’t have Reed, a rotational end at Arizona behind Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore, in my top 300.

236. WR Stephen Burton A

Sidney Rice could be a free agent depending on the new CBA rules and given Minnesota’s problems at quarterback, no one would blame him for leaving. Burton helps give them depth behind Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian and is a great value in the 7^th round.

Overall:

I think taking Christian Ponder at 12 might have been the biggest reach of the whole first round (along with James Carpenter at 25), but unlike Seattle, at least they reached for a quarterback and I loved almost every other pick they made. In Kyle Rudolph, they’re getting a future starter at tight end. In Ballard and Burton I think they’re getting future key depth players, if not starters at defensive tackle and cornerback. In DeMarcus Love, they’re getting a guy with the upside to be their franchise left tackle. In Brandon Fusco, I think they’re getting a future starter at center. In Stephen Burton, I think they’re getting a needed depth receiver with the upside to be a starter. That’s not a bad haul at all. They didn’t fill all of their needs, but this team has so many that doing so would have been impossible. They did fill a need with every single selection and they had very few picks that were reaches by my board. They also had a few that were flat out steals. That first round pick sours this draft for me, but I’m still giving it a very high grade and who knows, if Ponder pans out, we could look back at Minnesota as the big winners of the 2011 NFL Draft in a few years.

Grade: B+

By Ryan Glab 

Bears offense vs. Vikings defense

Last week against the worst run defense in the NFL, the Bears managed just 62 yards on 24 carries between Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, a 2.5 average. The most discouraging thing is that the Bears stayed committed to the run game and still couldn’t have success. This week the Bears face the Vikings’ No. 6 run defense and I’d be surprised if they ran the ball more than 12-15 times for anywhere between 35-45 yards. Of course, one broken play can skew those statistics, but that would be about average production for them. Mike Martz figures to dial up quite a few passing plays in this one, especially if the Bears are down early. Minnesota is slightly more susceptible to the pass, but by the slimmest of margins. The Vikings are mostly healthy on the defensive side of the ball and won’t be missing any key players. After having an unusually slow start to the season with just one sack in the team’s first seven games, defensive end Jared Allen registered two and a half sacks last week against Arizona and just might have gotten the jump-start he needed to return to Pro Bowl form. Allen is joined on the line by the familiar faces — and enormous wide bodies — of tackles Pat and Kevin Williams and end Ray Edwards. Of the team’s 12 sacks — which is the fourth-lowest mark in the league — the defensive line has eight of them, which means those guys are going to bring the heat. This game reminds me an awful lot of the New York Giants one in which the Giants recorded 10 sacks against the Bears, most of which came from just the front four. Offensive line coach Mike Tice knows the challenge his unit has in protecting Cutler against the Vikings’ defensive line and he said this week, “We’re going to find out if we’re man enough.” I don’t question the will or mental toughness of the offensive linemen, but I do have my reservations about their talent and physical toughness. Another thing to keep an eye on is that center Olin Kreutz missed practices this week, although he did participate on Friday, and he’s likely to play Sunday, but who knows how effective he’ll be. For the Bears to avoid getting Cutler concussed again, they need to get the ball out of his hands quickly and probably utilize Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, and Chester Taylor early and often. The Vikings have the No. 5 overall defense in the league and I see a lot of struggles for the Bears offense.

Advantage: Vikings

Bears defense vs. Vikings offense

If the Bears are going to beat their division rivals, the game has to be won on this side of the ball. The Bears are ranked No. 8 overall on defense, which is incredible if you think about it because that ranking is based on yards allowed and the defensive scheme they run normally yields a lot of yards. That’s reflected in their pass defense, which is allowing an average of 225.8 passing yards per game and is currently ranked 19th. What’s most impressive is the way the Bears have defended the run this season. The Bears began the season with a solid effort against the Lions which landed them in the top spot and they haven’t wavered much since, never falling out of the Top 6, if memory serves. They’re currently ranked No. 3 while allowing just 83.9 rushing yards per game. They’re also yielding just 3.5 yards per carry, third-best in the league. Here’s an ironic statistic: the Bears have the third-best run defense yet have also allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns in the league. They have the 19th-ranked pass defense, yet they have allowed a league-low five touchdown passes. How can we interpret that? Simple: the Cover 2 defense is working — for the most part — as it should. It prevents offenses from getting the big play down the field but it’s giving up big yards because it allows long drives due to shorter and intermediate routes. When an opponent gets closer to the end zone, the field shrinks and it’s harder to pass for a touchdown in a confined space. Meanwhile, opposing offensive coordinators don’t run as much on the Bears because they know they can move down the field with the pass. But when it comes to power football, the Bears get overrun in the red zone. Perhaps the one reason I most feel the Bears will struggle in this game is that Brett Favre is notorious for evading a pass rush — even with his decrepit body — and he also has long had success at picking apart zone coverage. The Bears are going to have to bring pressure with blitzes because I don’t think the front four will generate enough on their own. I think the safety blitz with Chris Harris has been an effective tool this season. The Bears will also get their toughest test of the season against the league’s top back in Adrian Peterson. Peterson has had plenty of success against the Bears in his career and is averaging over 100 yards per game. He also seems to have a nose for the end zone against them. I expect an inspired effort against Peterson and if the Bears do not have a broken play, I feel they can hold him under 100 yards. Still, Minnesota has the weapons to pick apart the Bears’ defense.

Advantage: Vikings

Special Teams

Devin Hester has had a great deal of success in his career against the Vikings both offensively and on special teams. Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe has made the mistake more than once of kicking to Hester, who has burned the Vikings for touchdowns. Rather than kick the ball out of bounds as most teams have done during the Hester reign, Kluwe tries to punt it high and deep which causes him to outkick his coverage. Assuming Kluwe hasn’t learned his lesson yet, I like Hester’s chances of having a nice day in the return game. The Bears pulled Danieal Manning off the kickoff return duties last week against the Bills and I’m still not sure why. My best guess is that after Buffalo sustained long drives against the Bears’ defense, Dave Toub preferred to put a fresh Johnny Knox in the game instead of a winded Manning. Knox had three returns for a 23-yard average with a long of 27 yards. I’m comfortable with both players back there. I’d prefer Manning’s straight up the field approach to Knox’s slower method of waiting for his blockers to set up. But Knox does have explosive speed and if he does get a crease, he could go all the way. Robbie Gould has struggled a bit this year, missing three field goals, although he did have one blocked. He also sent a kickoff out of bounds last week. Still, he’s an extremely reliable kicker on field goals and he’s had nine touchbacks on kickoffs, 10th-most in the league. Brad Maynard has had a rough season but he’s a weapon when attempting to pin opponents deep in their own territory. Hopefully the Bears don’t need him to kick from his own end zone this week because his lack of leg strength hurts their ability to flip field position.Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell has been a dependable kicker for a long time. He, too, is getting old and his leg strength is waning. He kicks in a dome and yet he has just one touchback this year. He’s made all eight of his field goals but only has a long of 41 yards, the shortest of any kicker in the league with as many attempts.
Advantage: Bears

Intangibles

The Vikings are one of the toughest teams in the league when playing in the friendly confines of Mall of America Field, but their recent struggles on the road have to be disconcerting for them. They’ve lost their last eight road games in a row, including the NFC Conference Championship game in New Orleans and the 36-30 overtime loss to the Bears in December. A turf team playing on grass has to at least be considered a factor in the losing streak. The Bears and Vikings have truly had a close and entertaining rivalry over the past decade. During Lovie Smith’s tenure alone, the teams have split their 12 battles. Four of the six years the series was split, 1-1. The Bears swept the Vikings in 2006 and the Vikings swept the Bears in 2007. The weather shouldn’t play a big factor in the game on Sunday. Temperature at kickoff calls for mid-40s with wind gusts up to 18 mph. That means the playbooks for both teams should be open and almost everything should be in the game plan. From a coaching perspective, both teams have had an outcry of public complaint. But even the most hard-headed Lovie Smith haters out there should be able to realize that the better of the two head coaches will be wearing blue and orange on Sunday. Smith has the respect of his players and if the Bears are to pull off a victory over the Vikings, it could be the cohesiveness of the locker room that makes the difference. Still, I’m not sure a bad head coach and a road losing streak of eight games will be enough to deter the Vikings in this one. They have better talent despite their 3-5 record and they’ll probably be playing with a bigger sense of urgency than the Bears will. The Vikings know that this is a do-or-die game for them. If they lose, they’ll be three games behind the co-division leaders, the Packers and Bears. They’ll have six losses on the season and they may have to run the table to make the playoffs. I expect a close game with careless turnovers from both quarterbacks. Peterson, who had 20 fumbles in the first three seasons of his career, has yet to fumble this season. That could change against the Bears’ opportunistic defense. However, unless the Vikings completely implode on Sunday, I don’t think the Bears have the offensive talent to match up with their Vikings’ counterparts.
Advantage: Vikings

Final Score: Minnesota 20, Chicago 17

http://www.bearsbeat.com/

By Eric Karkovack 

Finally, the regular season is here.  And what better way to start the season than with a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game between the Saints and Vikings?

In last season’s tilt, New Orleans edged Minnesota, 31-28 in an overtime thriller.  The Vikings may have dominated a lot of statistical categories, but their 5 costly turnovers did them in.  The Saints, meanwhile, had just 1 turnover and kept plugging away to create opportunities.

The hype surrounding the Thursday night opener is intense.  Vikings coach Brad Childress has essentially called the Saints a “dirty” team for the many hits they laid on quarterback Brett Favre.  Maybe the Vikings are still kicking themselves for losing a game they thought they should have won?  The Saints, for their part, are downplaying the any hint of a true rivalry.  Usually the teams on the winning side of things do, you know.

Roster turnover wasn’t a big issue for either team during the offseason.  So, you would expect these two NFC contenders to have the same strengths that they had in 2009.

The biggest concerns for the Saints are that they are missing two starters on defense.  Safety Darren Sharper, a catalyst for so many big plays last year, is on the PUP list and won’t be back for at least 6 weeks.  Linebacker Jonathan Casillas is going to miss the entire season with a foot injury.  Casillas was to replace former Saint Scott Fujita, who left for Cleveland via free agency.

It will be interesting to see how Sharper’s replacement, Malcolm Jenkins, will perform in his new role.  Jenkins was drafted as a corner and converted to safety in the offseason.  Coach Sean Payton has said he’s very comfortable with what Jenkins can bring to the table.  Still, Sharper is a seasoned veteran and it’s hard to replace that wealth of experience.

On offense, the Saints are going to have to do a lot better job of controlling the line of scrimmage than they did in the NFC Championship.  Minnesota’s front seven made things very difficult in that game.  Running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush must work in tandem to keep the Vikings off balance.  That’s going to allow Drew Brees more time to look down the field.

Defensively, you have to like a lot of what the Saints did in last season’s matchup.  Vikings running back Adrian Peterson may have had a good day in terms of yardage, but his costly fumbles were a huge factor.  Brett Favre may have had a 300 yard day, but the key 4th quarter interception by Saints’ corner Tracy Porter rendered the yardage numbers irrelevant.  The Saints, as they so often did last year, bent but didn’t break.

If the Saints can pressure Favre as they did last year (and do so without any roughing the passer calls), it can go a long way in making the Vikings a one-dimensional offense.  Favre himself wasn’t sure how his surgically repaired ankle will hold up this season.  If he takes another pounding in week 1, the defense may get in his head as much as they do his ankle.

And, as if the emotions heading into this game weren’t enough, the Saints’ championship banner ceremony is sure to get the Superdome crowd into some kind of frenzy.  The atmosphere of this game should just be electric, even for those of us not fortunate enough to be in the dome.  Enjoy it, Saints fans!

Keys to the Game:

1. Don’t get carried away – The emotion may be the biggest hurdle for the Saints in this game.  The fact that the banners will be unveiled, the electricity in the crowd, and the anticipation of a new season will all be wrapped up in those pregame ceremonies.  The Saints have to use that to their benefit, while being careful not to lose focus on playing smart football.

2 Pierre and Reggie – The Saints’ talented running back duo can play a significant role in helping the offense put up some big numbers.  I’d look for the Saints to use them both not only as runners, but as threats in the passing game as well.  A few well-timed screen plays can slow down the Vikings pass rush.

3. Drew it again – We all know what Drew Brees is capable of doing.  But perhaps the best thing he did in the Super Bowl run was avoiding the costly turnover.  Again, this is where the emotion comes into play.  Let’s look for a cool Brees on Thursday night.

4. Get Brett – The Vikes are already ticked-off about the pounding their elder statesman QB took last season.  Putting pressure on Brett Favre can not only disrupt a play, it can also get this Vikings team off of their game.

5. Stay special – The Saints’ special teams were outstanding in 2009.  However, their coverage units had some struggles in the preseason.  This unit will have to return to their 2009 form to help keep the Vikings’ dangerous attack pinned back in their own end of the field.

Prediction: Saints 27 – Vikings 24

http://www.nosreview.com/

By Steve Janis

·  Stevie Johnson still sucks

·  Lee Evans had a good game by his standers, not a $7 mil per guy though.

·  Ryan Fitzpatrick taught us all we need a real QB

·  The offensive line troubles I blame on injuries. I would still take a tackle like 3rd round next draft.

·  Don’t cross the Moats Brent Fever

·  Aaron Maybin AND John McCargo sightings, sorta

·  This team needs a tight end

·  This team needs to learn how to cover a tight end

·  I would resign Donte Whitner

·  This L was embarrassing but it got us closer to a better draft pick

·  We’ll fuck up our 1st round draft pick if we don’t trade up for Luck (meaning 3 first round picks)

·  Clifford Spiller needs more touches and we don’t know how to use him

·  Chris Kelsay didn’t make me say I hate you at all today

·  Why was that play blown dead when Kleinsasser fumbled and we recovered it and would have scored a touchdown? That play will not show up on the score sheet.

·  We would have been better off with Farve staying healthy today. The defense was so scared of Tarvaris running the ball and the LBs are too slow to catch him.

·  Ayodele you god damn suck.

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