Minnesota Vikings 1st-round pick Matt Kalil hasn’t wasted any time living up to expectations.

According to Pro Football Focus, Kalil has allowed zero sacks, zero quarterback hits and just one quarterback hurry. PFF’s weighted Pass Block Efficiency rating ranks Kalil among the game’s elite with a 98.9 percent rating.

It’s only two games and we shouldn’t draw conclusions – good or bad – based on this small sample size. But it’s certainly encouraging for the Vikings to see Kalil hit the ground running.

IMPORTANT NFC NORTH UPDATE:
The Green Bay Packers remain in last place.

...that is all. Enjoy your evening everyone!

Week 1 starting WR's will be Harvin, Jenkins, and Aromashodu. Im predicting by week 5 the starters will be Harvin, Simpson, and Gurley.

@tomscheck: DeKruif tells @timpugmire that he's still thinking about running against GOP Sen. Julie Rosen. He says he'll decide in a few weeks.

If anyone has an early axe to grind against a stadium opponent, here's your first potential chance. I don't know how many emails I sent to DeKruif that fell on deaf ears.

2012 NFL Draft Individual Grades:

*** Rick Spielman says the No. 3 pick will come down to Matt Kalil, Justin Blackmon and Morris Claiborne. I'd like to issue grades for all three scenarios. ***

3. Matt Kalil, OT, USC: A+ Grade
The Vikings made a big investment in Christian Ponder, and they're doing the right thing by protecting him. Ponder suffered a hip injury last year, thanks in part to his offensive line's ineptness. Kalil, considered by most to be the top prospect in this class outside of the two quarterbacks and Trent Richardson, will be a huge upgrade over Charlie Johnson at left tackle. Some may argue that teams don't need an elite blind-side protector to win in the NFL. This is true, but only if you have a perennial Pro Bowl quarterback. Ponder is not that (at least not yet), so he needs all the help he can get. Bravo, Rick Spielman. You made the correct decision.

Update: Great job by Spielman. Not only did he get Kalil; he traded down and got some picks too. Awesome.

29. Harrison Smith, SS, Notre Dame: A- Grade
The Vikings had a bunch of picks from the Matt Kalil trade, so they gave up a fourth-rounder to move up six spots. This was a good move; Harrison Smith fits the range and offers a huge upgrade at safety. He'll really improve Minnesota's secondary.

"I was just being a college student," he said. "I'm pretty sure there were more guys than me that smoked. I just got caught."

Jason Lieser of the The Palm Beach Post Catching Up With Janoris Jenkins

"We have no plans to come back here next year...no action is a decision by the state of Minnesota. Need to get this done"

To answer the questions directed specifically to me, as a father first and foremost, I am glad to report Kyle’s concussion tests have been extremely positive and we are grateful he is ready and anxious to get back to competition. Personally, suspension or not, it’s probably best I’m never in a room with Gregg Williams and wonder if such an order crosses the lines of the aggressive, competitive spirit we all know and love about the sport and leans closer to a criminal act and therefore litigious matter.

CB Chris Carr visiting Chiefs and headed to Minn. #freeagency

@JasonLaCanfora:

I don't know if we'll ever settle whether the bounty program squashed the Vikings' Super Bowl hopes that year. Favre's second interception, as well as an inexcusable 12-men-in-the-huddle penalty, both played huge roles in a close game. I do, however, think you're entitled to eternal anger at losing to a team found to have competed above the ethical rules of the game and then lying repeatedly about it when confronted by the league. Often our natural (if immature) reaction is to assume that a victorious opponent cheated. In this case, that's exactly what happened, according to the league.