Yes, you read the first half of that headline correctly.
Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his 11-for-17, 163 yard, four touchdown performance against Arizona this past Sunday. He's the first Vikings' QB to win Offensive Player of the Week since Daunte Culpepper did so in 2005, and the first Vikings' QB to throw four TD passes in a game since Culpepper did it in Minnesota's 31-17 humiliation of Green Bay in the 2004 NFL Playoffs.
Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers is attempting to come up with ways to throw even more game-sealing interceptions for his team. We at the Daily Norseman wish him all the success in the world in that endeavor.
In other news, the Pro Bowl rosters were announced today, and six members of the Beloved Purple will be making their way to Honolulu the second weekend in February.
The biggest story of the six is the fact that the best cornerback in the National Football Conference has finally made his way onto the Pro Bowl roster. That's right, folks. . .Antoine Winfield is on his way to Hawai'i, and it's a well-deserved trip after the season that he's put together in 2008. Everyone knows about his run support abilities, but this season he's taken his already outstanding coverage skills to another level, and opposing quarterbacks generally don't even bother throwing towards his side of the field.
Other members of the Vikings that will be starting for the NFC include that Adrian Peterson fellow at running back, Steve Hutchinson at guard, and Kevin Williams at defensive tackle.
"But, where's Jared Allen?" I know that many of you are asking that. The answer is that he, along with Pat Williams, are reserves on the Pro Bowl roster at defensive end and defensive tackle, respectively. The starters at DE for the NFC are Julius Peppers of the Carolina Panthers and Justin Tuck of the New York Giants. To be honest, I'm not sure why Allen isn't starting either, what with being second in the NFL among defensive ends in sacks with 14.5 (trailing only Atlanta's John Abraham, who didn't even make the squad for reasons I'm not sure of) despite playing with a separated shoulder for the last 4-5 weeks and a sprained MCL for the last two. I'm guessing that it probably has something to do with the fact that Jared Allen is a terrible, awful human being who spends his spare time on his front porch being constantly drunk, kicking puppies, and shooting up steroids with Pat and Kevin Williams while washing them down with bottles of StarCaps.
Or so football fans from Wisconsin and Illinois would have you believe.
Two Vikings that I thought had shots at making the roster and didn't were Chad Greenway and Ryan Longwell. Greenway will make it sooner rather than later, I think. . .and I thought that Longwell really deserved it with the way he's performed this year. Ah, well, there's always next year.