Alrighty, folks. . .got back late from our funeral detail today, so I'm just now getting the chance to put these things up here. When my 3-month rotation is done (and before my next 3-month rotation starts), I'll have to do a bit of off-topic work here about the honor guard experience, because it really is something cool.
And, hey, by that time, it'll be March. . .or, as I call it, "we're not quite to the draft so Gonzo is reaching for material" time.
So, since the Falcons are the guests of the Beloved Purple this weekend, we'll start out by taking a look at their injuries first.
Comparing this to the NFL.com injury reports (as I always do), all of the players listed on Atlanta's injury report are shown as having limited participation in Friday's practice. Don't even worry about John Abraham. . .he'll be out on the field. Much like Jared Allen, there's no way Abraham is going to miss a game like this where there's so much on the line.
Sam Baker, the promising young rookie tackle, missed seven straight games before returning last week against Tampa. If he can't go, Quinn Ojinnaka will start in his place. In either case, I'd expect the Falcons to have a lot of help for their LT against big #69. Finneran is way down on the depth chart, so I'm not sure he'll even be active for this one (NFL.com's depth chart for the Falcons shows 5 WR at 2 different spots, and none of them are named Brian Finneran). Grady Jackson hasn't missed a game all year, and with All Day and All Night lining up in the Minnesota backfield, I'd be willing to wager that he won't miss this one, either.
On to the Vikings' injuries:
Pat Williams isn't shown on the injury report, but we all know he's out until the post-season, and we've already discussed the injury at length. I think it's a big injury for the Vikings, but it's also something that they can overcome. Anyone that thinks that the Falcons are going to come into the Dome and put up 200+ yards rushing just because big #94 isn't in the middle is in for a bit of a rude awakening, I think.
Hicks and Reynaud didn't participate at all in Friday's practice, and neither of them are going to be "up" on Sunday afternoon. Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson? Yeah, like they're going to miss this game. Robison had full participation in Friday's practice, and it's going to be interesting to see how he gets used this week. He's been coming in for Phat Pat a lot on passing downs thus far as it is, but with Williams being out and the Falcons (likely) throwing the ball a lot on Sunday, I think we're going to see a lot of field time for Robison.
Apparently Gus Frerotte is a bit miffed about losing his starting job, even though he claims to be 100%. First of all, there's no way in hell that Gus is 100% already. He's an almost 40-year old man with a back injury. No way that thing healed up in less than two weeks. Second, I'm not sure if Gus recalls this or not, but he was one half of football away from the Detroit Lions moving from 0-12 to 1-12 at our expense again. Again, let me remind everybody. . .the Lions have 4 interceptions this season through 14 games. Take out Gus Frerotte's contributions, and that number drops from 4 to 1.
Yes, I know that guys aren't supposed to lose their jobs because of injuries and all that. Well, guys also aren't supposed to lose their jobs after a game where they throw four touchdown passes, either. So, I guess it all evens out.
And those are the injuries that could have an effect on this Sunday's game. More on the game tomorrow. . .until then, keep enjoying your weekend, and if your Christmas travels begin over the weekend, stay safe out there, especially in the Upper Midwest where the weather is already turning crappy, by all accounts.