Hey guys, you'll never believe what happened yesterday!

Oh, you guys get ESPN too? You've already been bludgeoned over the head by every sports media outlet for the past 18 hours or so with this story? Cool. Then I'll be short with the details.

Yes, one of our NFC North rivals made a big ol' upgrade at QB yesterday. The Bears traded away Kyle "Neckbeard" Orton, their 2009 first and third round picks, and their 2010 first round pick for Jay Cutler and Denver's 2009 5th round pick. Lost in the Cutler Sweepstakes story was the fact that Chicago also signed veteran free agent tackle Orlando Pace.

As a Vikings fan, I hate to admit it, but I gotta tip my hat to our Chi-town rivals. They went big. While the rest of the division has "attacked" the free agency period with the ferocity of a dead sloth thus far, Da Bears made a big splash. They got rid of their mediocre party-animal quarterback and replaced him with a...better party-animal quarterback.

As a Vikings blogger, I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit jealous. Our neighbors over at Windy City Gridiron have a shiny new QB (and former Pro Bowl tackle) to talk about while we get to listen to the crickets coming from Winter Park. Even if the Bears did give up too much to get Cutler--which they most likely did, more on that later--at least they did SOMETHING.

But before everyone goes too bonkers and Bears fans start buying Super Bowl tickets, let's take a step back and heed the advice of the legendary Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction. I'll paraphrase here, but as famously he said at the very end of this clip, let's not start congratulating the Bears on the 2009 NFC North title just yet.

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The free agency season hasn't been a terribly exciting one for the Minnesota Vikings thus far, save for the drama surrounding the potential signing of T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  The Vikings have only made two moves to this point, and both moves were to re-sign guys that were on the team last year.

The Vikings signed TE Jim Kleinsasser to a three-year deal shortly after free agency got underway, securing the services of one of the best blocking TEs in the game and probably ensuring that big #40 will retire with Minnesota.  I've already expressed my pleasure with the Kleinsasser signing, so I won't re-hash all of that here.

The Vikings' other move was to retain LB Heath Farwell.  On Friday, Farwell signed a three-year, $7.75 million deal with the Vikings, approximately a third of which is guaranteed.  Farwell has made his mark in the NFL thus far as a special teams standout. . .and, as I've said before, with as far as the Vikings' special teams coverage dropped off without him last season, he may be the greatest special teams player ever.  I certainly hope that he is fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered in the pre-season opener last year and that he can deliver the same impact to our special teams again in 2009.

The rest of the NFC North has been relatively quiet during free agency, too.  Let's take a brief look at some of the new faces we'll be seeing around the division in 2009.

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Going into tonight's match-up, our own Bobby Wade (a former Bear) was so kind as to provide the current Bears with some bulletin board material.

Minnesota receiver Bobby Wade paused wearily and considered the question. Would he watch Monday night's matchup against Green Bay (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET), one that could decide the NFC North?

"Yeah," said Wade, who played three seasons in Chicago. "We need the Bears to blow it. Where are they playing? At home? Great. They'll definitely blow it."

See, I like Bobby Wade. . .he's been a decent acquisition for our team in the time he's been here.  Not spectacular, but he wasn't signed to be spectacular.  But for the time being, Bobby needs to shut the hell up and remember where he is and what his team did yesterday.

Now, the last time these two teams got together, the Bears were on the wrong end of a 37-3 tail-kicking.  I wouldn't expect the same score tonight by any stretch of the imagination, but I still think the Packers have a chance win this one.  The Bears are still a division rival, and a win for the Pack tonight would give them not only the chance to sweep the Bears, it would also (in all likelihood) keep them out of the playoffs entirely.  Aaron Rodgers needs to have a good game, and Greg Jennings needs to light up Charles Tillman like the proverbial Christmas tree.  Both of those players are capable of such things. . .whether it will happen or not remains to be seen.

So, discuss the game here. . .and remember, we're not necessarily pulling for a Green Bay victory here.  We're pulling for a Chicago loss.  There's a difference. . .it's all about perspective, you know.

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In approximately two hours, the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears will kick things off at Soldier Field in a game that's off immense interest to Vikings fans.

If the Bears were to lose to the Saints tonight, the Vikings would have to win just one of their remaining three ball games to wrap up the NFC North division and a playoff spot.  Also, a Saints victory tonight would pretty much ensure that the Vikings would be the only NFC North team this season with ANY victories over any of the teams in the NFC South.  The Vikings are currently 2-1 against the NFC's best division (in my opinion). . .the Packers have already gone 0-4 against the NFC South, the Bears are currently 0-3 against them going into tonight's game, and the Lions are 0-3 against the NFC South, and they'll host New Orleans in Week 16.

So, let's all gather around the NFL Network (or the online stream here if you don't get that channel) and pull for favor to smile down upon the Beloved Purple.  It's already done so once with the announcement about the StarCaps case, but one more time isn't too much to ask, is it?

Discuss the game here, folks. . .I'll be watching, and I hope that you will be, too.

GEAUX SAINTS!!

Well, folks, with 6 games left in the 2008 NFL season, there are three teams at the top of the division with identical 5-5 records.  It should make for an interesting rest of the regular season, but what are all three of these teams looking at during the rest of the year?  Let's take a closer look at the schedules for each of these three teams, as well as what they've done to this point in the year.

Here's how each of the three teams involved in the NFC North race have gotten to their current 5-5 record.

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As promised, here's a look at what another obscenely early NFL preview magazine thinks of the NFC North for 2008.  Lindy's scale is significantly different from Pro Football Weekly's, as they opt to rate teams on a 1-10 scale rather than an A-F scale.  They also tally up 10 categories rather than PFW's 8.  Here's what they've got for their rankings:

As you can see, this projection shows the NFC North as being a little bit more balanced than PFW's did.  The Vikings have the highest ranking in 3 of the 10 categories (RB, DL, and Intangibles), with the Packers, Bears, and Lions having the outright lead in 2 categories each and the Packers and Bears tying for the highest ranking in the secondary category.

Ranking Green Bay's offensive line ahead of Minnesota's is completely laughable, but I'm not going to get into the reasons why here tonight.  It should be pretty obvious to anyone that's seen both teams play who the better OL is.  But, Lindy's makes up for that by coming to the realization that Tarvaris Jackson is a better quarterback than Aaron Rodgers, and is at least as good as whatever warm body the Bears start at quarterback.

Lindy's also does rankings of the best units in the league.  (Must. . .refrain. . .from. . .Ron. . .Jeremy. . .jokes.  Not. . .that. . .unit.)  Let's look at where the Vikings rank in some of those categories.

Running Game - #2

"While the name Adrian Peterson carries marquee value, the key to this attack is a fabulous offensive line with a hardcore interior that provides a plethora of options for any runner.  Peterson just so happens to maximize those opportunities.  Chester Taylor is a perfect No. 2 and Maurice Hicks a respectable No. 3.  The mixture is spiced with a mobile quarterback as well as a superb addition in lead fullback Thomas Tapeh.  This group will do damage figuratively and literally to the opposition."

Offensive Line - Ranked as a unit to "keep an eye on"

"The Vikings' starting five is a powerful cast that proved an immovable force at times.  The interior trio has few peers.  If Bryant McKinnie maximizes potential, forget about it."

In something that's sort of funny, they also rated Green Bay's offensive line as the "Biggest Disappointment."  Which, you know, makes it that much funnier that their rankings put Green Bay's line above Minnesota's.

Defensive Line - #1

"Without question, the Vikings will field the best starting foursome in the league.  Kevin Williams and Pat Williams rank as the best inside tandem assembled in memory.  The addition of Jared Allen guarantees the Vikes are without peer.  Ray Edwards will reap the benefits of blockers focusing schemes to battle his linemates.  The supporting troops are solid as well."

As far as individual players, here are the Vikings that are listed:

Running Backs - Adrian Peterson #5 (say what?)
Fullbacks - Thomas Tapeh #6
Left Tackles - Bryant McKinnie #10
Left Guards - Steve Hutchinson #1
Center - Matt Birk #6
Left Defensive End - Ray Edwards listed to have a "Breakout Season"
Right Defensive End - Jared Allen #3
Defensive Tackle - Kevin Williams #1
Nose Tackle - Pat Williams #2
Outside Linebackers - Chad Greenway listed to have a "Breakout Season"
Free Safeties - Madieu Williams #7

That's everyone.  The fact that Lindy's listed 15 middle linebackers and didn't once mention the name of E.J. Henderson is ludicrous, as is the fact that Darren Sharper's name isn't on the list of strong OR free safeties.

And yes, I focused this one pretty much on Minnesota as opposed to the rest of the division.  Why?  Because it's getting late and I'm tired.  I might expound on this in a future post. . .then again, there will hopefully be more magazines coming out here in the relatively near future.

That's all for tonight, folks. . .have fun discussing this, and we'll see you back here tomorrow.

Well, it's the last day of May, and you know what that means.  Obviously, it means that the first NFL preview issues of the season are hitting a newsstand near you!  Honestly, I keep joking about this happening earlier every single year, and yet every single year. . .it keeps happening earlier.  But hey, it gives us something to discuss, so let's do that.

The first two magazines of the year are Lindy's Pro Football Preview, which I'll look at in a future post, and our subject for this discussion, the Pro Football Weekly NFL Preview issue.  PFW grades each team in eight different categories, giving each position a letter grade on the school-style "A through F" scale.  Let's take a look at where they've ranked the different units of the NFC North teams.

Honestly, I'm not sure if it's some sort of typo or what, but I'm not sure how PFW has the Vikings AND Bears listed with better odds to win the Super Bowl than Green Bay, yet still have Green Bay winning the division.

As you can see, when looking at the individual units, the Beloved Purple come out on top in 3 of the 8 categories, the Packers come out on top in 3 of the 8 categories, and the Bears take the other 2. . .sorry, Detroit.  Overall, the only one of the rankings above that I can really argue with is the quarterback category.  I discussed this with The Sports Guru and BigBlueShoe this past Tuesday on the SBNation Football Frenzy, and it still boggles my mind that so many football "experts" can be so completely sold on Aaron Rodgers and so completely convinced that Tarvaris Jackson will never be anything better than awful.  On top of that, if we're looking at depth charts as a whole, I don't know how you can grade Green Bay's QBs any higher than Minnesota's.

For starters, comparing the two offenses, Green Bay's offense is much more dependent on the pass than Minnesota's is.  Hell, Minnesota's offense isn't just a run-first offense. . .it's the run-first offense.  Say what you will about Brett Favre. . .and I hate the guy as much as anybody. . .but Green Bay's running game got absolutely destroyed for the first half of 2007, and he carried that team during that time.  Apparently, based on one whole half of football in a game against Dallas where he entered the game with his team losing by 17 points, some people think that Aaron Rodgers is capable of exactly the same thing.  I, on the other hand, would beg to differ.  Ryan Grant better hope he gets that big new contract here soon, because he's going to take a serious thumping in 2008.

As far as the rest of the depth chart. . .Aaron Rodgers has no NFL starting experience, and has played against largely prevent defenses in the games he has played.  If he goes out and throws a boneheaded pass, he gets to go back to the bench, as most quarterbacks do, and discuss it with his backup.  Oh, his backup just happens to be a rookie that's never seen an NFL defense before.  And the guy that's backing up THAT rookie?  Also a rookie.  But, apparently, having three guys with a combined zero NFL starts and about 7 quarters of NFL game experience gives you a better quarterback situation than a team with guy that actually has 16 games of starting experience in the NFL and a 15-year NFL vet backing him up.  Please.  The Vikings might not have the best QB situation in the NFC North or anything, but it's certainly no worse than the team that, according to these rankings, has the best one.

Outside of that, as I said, the rankings appear to be pretty solid.  Still scratching my head over the "Odds to Win the Super Bowl" stuff as it relates to record, but it's not my magazine.  I'm just relaying what the nice people at PFW are printing.

PFW also has a feature that ranks the top players at each position, including a list of the Top 50 NFL players regardless of position.  The ratings go on a 1.0 to 5.0 scale.  Here are the NFC North players that are featured on the list and where they're ranked:

5) Jared Allen, DE, Minnesota - 4.55
16) Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota - 4.3
23) Brian Urlacher, MLB, Chicago - 4.2
25) Kevin Williams, DT, Minnesota - 4.2
46) Devin Hester, RS, Chicago - 4.0
47) Tommie Harris, DT, Chicago - 4.0

Allen is the highest-rated defensive player on the list. . .the four players ranked ahead of him are a few guys named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Randy Moss (in that order).  Pretty good stuff, I'd say.

As far as the individual positions, here's where NFC North players are ranked on the lists:

Quarterbacks - Jon Kitna #26, Rex Grossman #27, Tarvaris Jackson listed among "Top Veteran Prospects"
Running Backs - Adrian Peterson #3, Ryan Grant #20, Chester Taylor #29
Tight Ends - Greg Olsen #13, Donald Lee #16
Wide Receivers - Donald Driver #12, Roy Williams #17, Greg Jennings #22, Bernard Berrian #24, Calvin Johnson listed among "Top Veteran Prospects"
Centers - Olin Kreutz #3, Matt Birk #4 (huh?), Dominic Raiola #19
Guards - Steve Hutchinson #3, Daryn Colledge listed among "Top Veteran Prospects"
Tackles - Bryant McKinnie #7, Chad Clifton #9, John Tait #16, Mark Tauscher #17, Jeff Backus #24

Defensive Ends - Jared Allen #1, Aaron Kampman #6, Adewale Ogunleye #19, Dewayne White #28, Mark Anderson and Cullen Jenkins listed among "Top Veteran Prospects"
Defensive Tackles - Kevin Williams #2, Tommie Harris #3, Pat Williams #4, Cory Redding #19, Ryan Pickett #21, Johnny Jolly listed among "Top Veteran Prospects"
Inside Linebackers - Brian Urlacher #1, Nick Barnett #11, E.J. Henderson #19
Outside Linebackers - Lance Briggs #6, Ernie Sims #11, A.J. Hawk #16, Chad Greenway listed among "Top Veteran Prospects"
Cornerbacks - Antoine Winfield #10, Charles Woodson #11, Al Harris #12 (suck it, Woodson and Harris), Charles Tillman #18
Safeties - Darren Sharper #7, Madieu Williams #14, Atari Bigby #23, Dwight Smith #24, Gerald Alexander, Nick Collins, and Danieal Manning listed among "Top Veteran Prospects

Return Specialists - Devin Hester #1
Kicker - No NFCN players listed
Punter - No NFCN players listed

That's the inside scoop on what the NFC North looks like according to the good folks at Pro Football Weekly.  Feel free to use the comment section to discuss these rankings, any agreements or disagreements, and just generally looking at the NFC North.

Not sure if there will be anything later on today or not. . .Mrs. Gonzo and I have plans for this afternoon, but I could possibly get something up here later on today.  If not, be sure to check back tomorrow.  Enjoy your Saturday, ladies and gentlemen!

As was pointed out by FSUViking over in the fanposts, Koren Robinson (aka K-Drunk, aka Tipsy McStagger, aka Drunky McDrunkerton) was cut by the Green Bay Packers yesterday.  In Packer terminology, this means that he will now transition from a "troubled young man fighting his demons" to being a drunk, which is how he was referenced by those same fans when he was a Viking.

Now, you might be telling yourself that it's wrong for me to openly laugh at Koren Robinson while embracing the Vikings acquisition of Jared Allen.  And to that I say, "No, it's not."  Because comparing the case of Jared Allen to that of Koren Robinson is like comparing apples to. . .something that's not very apple-like at all.

Now, we've documented Jared Allen's changes here on this site. . .how he's stopped drinking all together, how he's been sober for a significant amount of time, how he's surrounded by family members that will hold him accountable for his actions, and so forth.  We won't rehash all of that here.  But let's look back at Koren Robinson's case, shall we?

Back in 2005, Koren Robinson was pretty much the Hester Prynne of the National Football League.  He, like Prynne, had a big letter "A" affixed to his chest.  However, whereas Prynne's "A" stood for "adultress," Robinson's had a different meaning. . ."alcoholic."  The man was a discipline problem when he played for Seattle, the team that drafted him 9th overall in 2001.  He was constantly late for practice, and admitted to having a problem with alcohol. . .so much so that he showed up at a one-day jail term he was to serve for pleading guilty to driving under the influence with alcohol on his breath.  It was obvious that pretty much every team in the National Football League wanted anything to do with Koren Robinson.

"Pretty much every team," however, did not include the Minnesota Vikings.  No, Mike Tice. . .bless his big, goofy heart. . .thought he saw something in Koren Robinson.  At a time where everyone was pushing Robinson away, Tice reached a hand out to Robinson instead, and brought him into the Viking family.  He responded by having what might have been his best season in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, and scoring touchdowns via the air, via the ground, and via kickoff return.

Tice was fired after the last game of the 2005 season, and one of the first moves that the new Viking regime made was to tear up Robinson's old contract and give him a brand new deal with a decent signing bonus and the promise to install him as the new #1 receiver in Brad Childress' offense.  The Vikings were convinced that Robinson had really kicked his demons, and were willing to make a commitment to him.

And in return for that commitment, Koren Robinson thought that the best way for him to say "thank you" would be to screw the Minnesota Vikings over.

A day after Minnesota's first pre-season game of 2006, Koren Robinson was arrested for leading police down the highways of Minnesota at 100+ miles per hour. . .while legally drunk.  Robinson had blown yet another chance, and was cut by the Vikings in short order.  Shortly after that, Robinson filed a grievance with the league that said. . .get this. . .that the Vikings had no reason to cut him.  Well, maybe they didn't. . .in Bizarro World.  He wound up getting suspended for a year, and then signed by the Packers. . .where he underwent the aforementioned transition from "drunk" to "troubled young man," according to the national media.

So, basically, the difference between Jared Allen and Koren Robinson is that Robinson screwed this franchise over.  And while Allen has expressed contrition for what he did, Robinson. . .according to this tidbit from Access Vikings. . .really doesn't seem to care about what he did to the Minnesota Vikings:

Mark Craig of our paper did a story on Robinson last November in which the receiver thanked the Vikings for the role they played in his life.  

“Thank you, Minnesota Vikings,” he said in the Packers locker room. “Thank you, Coach Brad Childress.”

Craig wrote that reporters laughed. Robinson did not. “Y’all are laughing, but I’m very serious,” Robinson said. “The way I look at it, if I was with the Minnesota Vikings, I don’t know if I would have really gotten over the hump as far as getting to the place or being the person God wants me to be. So I’m very serious when I say I’m thankful to them. I’m blessed that it happened.”

Color me cynical, but that doesn't sound like much of an apology to me.  Yeah, Koren, you're blessed for the fact that the Minnesota Vikings cut you because you're a damn screw-up.  It's not the Minnesota Vikings' fault that Koren Robinson is a screw-up. . .it's Koren Robinson's fault that Koren Robinson is a screw-up.

Believe me. . .if Jared Allen pulls anything like Koren Robinson pulled as a member of the Vikings, I'll have exactly this same opinion about him.  But as of now, he hasn't. . .and he doesn't strike me as having the propensity to do so.  There's the difference.