Let’s hope our other D-tackles can muster up 4 good games….Ellis Wyms, Fred Evans, and Letroy Guion don’t exactly inspire much confidence in me, but I’ll try to reserve judgment until after the Lions game….

I wouldn’t mind seeing Allen, Edwards or Robison play one of the DT spots, then keep the big guys who don’t get to play much fresh. Those 3 are the best d-line man we have right now, they should all be on the field as much as they can.

pacman has been reinstated, the williams wall has been suspended. goodell is a joke.

…which has scored 30 or more points in the last two games (and the turnovers are down too). We may be missing Pat and Kevin but the Lions have the same old defense they had on Thanksgiving Day (yeah, I know, they played us close last time…blah, blah, blah) but this is a different team than the one who eeked out a 12-10 win in the Metrodome. Our linebackers and defensive backs have been playing decent as of late and should help take up the slack. This is all about PRIDE now and the Vikes will step up.

The NFL won’t confess that their steriods program is flawed. That would expose them to scores of lawsuits. Taking the current posture only allows a half dozen players to sue them. If the players’ lawyer’s can’t convince a judge to issue an injunction and postpone the suspensions at a minimum, all is not lost. Allowing teams a better chance to run at you makes the clock run faster. Is it really smart for opponents to try to ball control and out-run a team which has both Peterson and Taylor? There are things Frazier can do, but the element of surprise itself might work for us for a few weeks. If we can beat both Detroit and Atlanta, we might slide into the playoffs on the common opponents tie-breakers and help from the enemy. The Falcons have already beaten both Green Bay and Chicago. Sure, I’ve seen Ryan and Turner, but we get them to play at our house. The best Green Bay can make is 9-7. Go Packers, beat da Bears.

This Bit Proves that the NFL is ABSOLUTELY WRONG in this star caps Bullshit.

Dr. John Lombardo knew that a supplement known as "StarCaps" secretly included Bumetanide, a drug available by prescription only, but failed to share this with all players

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU SUSPEND PLAYERS WHEN THEY DIDNT KNOW ANYTHING?? FUCK YOU ROGER GOODELL.

I would comment on the situation, but I’m about to go dice some lines of cocaine in my car with Matt Jones before he takes on the suspect Bears secondary this weekend.

this really sucks. I’d much rather have the Vikings have a late-season meltdown the old-fashioned way: a last-second Cade/Josh/Scooter McCown TD pass.

It certainly is curious that it took this long for any suspensions to be handed down. I wouldn’t necessarily cry out “conspiracy” right away, because I don’t see how the league benefits by keeping Minnesota out of the playoffs. Especially since the “best player in the NFL” is on your team. (Don’t take offense at the quotes; A.P. scares the bejeezus out of me). If I’m wrong about the conspiracy theories, then feel free to shove it back in my face.

Besides, I don’t think Green Bay or Chicago is consistent enough to go on the necessary 4-game streak to re-take the division. Then again, anything’s possible.

Oh, and for the record, I am totally on board with you about the whole Johnny Jolly codedine thing. I have heard, however, that he is cooperating with law enforcement to take down a bigger player in the drug network, so maybe that’s why he hasn’t gotten suspended/put on trial. But I certainly don’t like it, and I certainly am not comfortable with a guy like that on my team.

Here’s to expecting the Vikes to go 3-1, but hoping they go 0-4.

This obviously sucks. Big time. I originally thought Goodell was the biggest crook this side of the Milky Way, but I don’t think this incident should go against his record…

…unless he instigated this NFL policy on supplements. Allow me to quote:

‘You and you alone are responsible for what goes into your body. Claiming that you used only legally available nutritional supplements will not help you in an appeal…. Even if they are bought over-the-counter from a known establishment, there is currently no way to be sure that they contain the ingredients listed on the packaging or have not been tainted with prohibited substances…. If you take these products, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! For your own health and success in the league, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take.’

(Italics mine)

Yes, I’m sure the Williamses had only good intents in taking StarCaps, they were responsible for what went into their body…plain and simple. There is no way around that. ..unless we are to blame the policy…which I think would be the proper course of action.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like or approve of how Goodell has cracked down on everything from concussion-inducing hits to illegal fingerclipping this year, but that is irrelevant to this case.

It’s fine to be mad at Goodell and the NFL…more power to you!…but to say that Goodell is to blame for this would be silly. The Williames won’t be getting out of this one, as it is open and shut, but in the future the NFL’s policy on supplements should come under some heavy fire.

Now…with all that out of the way, we can talk about what information the NFL made available to the players regarding StarCaps. We know for certain that the NFL knew that illegal substances were in the pill, and we know that they withheld that information. Why?

…but he hadn’t informed players of that for fear that other players might use that as a defense for positive tests in unrelated cases.

Sounds kinda like a set-up, huh? Let’s read on:

According to the league, Lombardo had [after the denials were issued] warned teams and the NFL Players Association that the maker of StarCaps had been added to the league’s list of banned supplement-producers.

I said earlier, “where’s Arlen Spector when you need him?”

I’d like to alter that to: “where’s Woodward and Bernstein when you need them?”

the worst judgement call in NFL history! Does anybody really think that ANY of those 6 players use those pills to mask steroids?! None of those players looked like they needed to bulk up. NONE OF THEM. All of them, however, needed to meet weight requirements for camp. also, YOU CAN’T JUST SUSPEND PLAYERS FOR TAKING A SUBSTANCE THEY HAD NO THEY WERE TAKING!! YOU JUST CAN’T! AND WHAT’S EVEN WORSE IS THAT THE NFL KNEW THAT SUBSTANCE WAS IN THOSE PIILLS, BUT REFUSED TO TELL: A. THE PLAYERS B. THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, AND C. THE NFL TEAMS. THIS IS A HUGE FUCK UP BY THE NFL! AND NOW THE VIKINGS AND SAINTS ARE PAYING FOR IT.

If Brett Favre had taken Starcaps – nothing would have happened. If the teams that were facing the loss of key players were the Jets, Cowboys, Giants, Patriots or Eagles…..nothing would have happened.

The NFL – in the tank for big markets every day of the week.

Listen, I’m not disagreeing with anything you said, but don’t go getting all whiny and act like this is the first time this has happened just because it hit you.

Every time a player tests positive it hits the media weeks before action is taken, so to expect privacy is a pipe dream.

Almost every year there are circumstances that would make you think that a player should be taken lightly on, but isn’t. The NFL was smart in that aspect. It is written that the player is responsible for what they put in their body, bar none.

Yes, the league should have told everybody that their was substance in it, but it still does not preclude it being the player’s responsbility.

I recall a player whose doctor prescribed a drug, because it was the only one that would cure or get rid of the players illness or whatever it was and he was still suspended. They could have taken it lightly on him, but they didn’t.

…is that there seems to be no semblance of consistency at all with NFL punishments, whether it’s the timing, the length, or the crime that caused the punishment. Goodell seems to just hand down suspensions as he sees fit, only pointing to his “iron-clad” policies when it strengthens his argument. The NFL obviously screwed up here, but they’re covering it up by saying “well you should know what you’re putting in your body at all times no matter what—see, our policy says so right here! See?! See?!” Fine, but these guys THOUGHT they knew what they were taking while the NFL KNEW it was illegal but didn’t bother to tell anyone!

Arrrgh…as Bill Simmons might say, I will now thoroughly wash myself with rusty steel wool. Let’s get into the playoffs and stick it to the NFL the best way possible.

All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and MSDSs for their exposed workers, and train them to handle the chemicals appropriately.

Did the trainers recommend the Starcaps?