NFL: Challenge us and you shalt continue peeing in cups

By Nate Sandstrom

This story in the Star-Tribune has the latest in Pro-Bowl Vikings DT Pat and Kevin Williams's court challenge to the NFL's decision to suspend them for 4 games for a banned substance.

At isssue is that the Williamseses took a weight loss supplement that could mask the use of steroids, not that the NFL is officially accusing them of using steroids. However, due to its masking ability, it is banned.

Now that you have the main issue down, the interesting twist this story takes today is that the Williamseseses' attorney says the NFL is singling the Williamseseses out for me tests since they challenged the suspension. From the article:

Ginsberg alleged that the increased testing amounts to retaliation against the defensive tackles and violates both the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs and state law. He said he's still trying to get the testing records to be sure, but he said it appears they have each been tested more than six times since the Pro Bowl and that the frequency has increased.

"They seem to be testing them about three times a month if not more, which is far in excess of what the testing policies allow. ... It's not being done randomly. Kevin and Pat are being singled out," Ginsberg said.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello denied that the league is retaliating against the Williamses, but declined to comment on how often they've been tested.

So is this purely punitive? Is the NFL trying to bust them with steroids to get them to drop their challenge the current 4-game suspension that would begin in Week 1? Stay tuned.

Minnesota Vikings: Free agent weekend #1

"Say Goodbye to these, Vikings!"; or, "How I Stopped Worrying About Not Signing Housh and Focused on Players that Matter."



By Nate Sandstrom

Who's in: Sage Rosenfels
Who's out: Darren Sharper, Vinny Ciurciu, Matt Birk, Maurice Hicks
Who's back: Jim Kleinsasser
Up in the air: Jay Cutler

Pretty much all talk about the Vikings this season begins and ends with the quarterback position. That was briefly interrupted when the Vikings chased — but failed to sign — an old, whiny receiver in T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Relax angry Viking fans, Seattle overpaid while Sidney Rice is entering his third year: in which many NFL receivers have had breakout season.

Houshmandzadeh said he was impressed by the way the Seahawks treated his family. I guess Vikings fans won't be privileged enough to have the Housh kids running up and down the Metrodome aisles. Fortunately, they will also miss out on paying $40 mil to a receiver who had three fewer TD catches than Bernard Berrian last year. Plus, Sidney Rice is in his third year, the one where receivers with promise typically break out in the NFL.

So let's get back to who will be throwing him the ball. Denver insists they are not trading Cutler, so I'm going to take them at their word and continue to promise that Josh McDaniels will be a disaster there.

That leaves them with newly acquired Sage Rosenfels, who was just signed to a two-year $9M deal. Rosenfels is slated to compete with Tavaris Jackson, who was 2-4 as a starter last year, including playoffs, and never-played-a-down USC alum John David Booty.

I think Sage will win the job. He can throw the deep ball and will be dangerous with Bernard Berrian. Turnovers have always been a problem for him, but he can't give the ball away more than Frerotte — and he was 8-3 as a starter.

Even if Sage falters, I saw signs of promise in Tavaris late last year. I was almost apoplectic when the Vikings took him in the second round three years ago, but I thought he improved his accuracy and gained more confidence in pulling down the ball and running — until things fell apart in the playoffs.

Matt Birk is also now gone. I can't believe Minnesota couldn't match a thee-year, $12 mil deal. Childress said Birk wanted a change of scenery. First I heard of that, but OK. My favorite response came from a fan who simply said: "Screw you, Major Dad!"

So, who are the replacements for Birk? These guys, I guess. One fan on the Star Trib site had this optimistic take:

Last time this happened?

Remember???......4 time Pro Bowl Center...7 years on the team, long time starter...very popular in the community...left in free agency for … read more big money Tampa Bay..we all thought..how do ya replace Jeff Christy??...whos this Matt Birk kid??....its part of the evolution fo a team....very grateful for Matty B and will keep patronizing his restaurant, however I also saw a guy loosing many one on one run blocks against younger linemen...he probably has 2 years in the tank...he might as well make the extra cash and we might as well groom the next Pro Bowl center.....next!

Possible? Yes. Probable? No. Birk is a big loss.

Still, at least the defense is in tact ... so far. The hearing for the Williamses's steroid controversy is June 15.

Lockdown: Week 4

By Nate Sandstrom

With Missouri having just destroyed Nevada early Saturday, my lockdown picks were 5-1 for the year. An Auburn flub that night and a Vikings collapse a day later, my picks are suddenly a pedestrian 5-3.

Add to that my near miss on UL-Monroe at +450 two weeks ago and the upset special is now 0-3.

Update standings for Mark and I:

Lockdown:
Nate: 5-3 (+170)
Mark 5-2 (+280)

Upset Special:
Nate: 0-3 (-300)
Mark: 1-1 (+110)

Toss-Up
Nate leads Mark 1-0

Onto this weeks picks, which by total coincidence almost totally involve the Tar Heel state. I've also thrown in a bonus pick in an effort to boost my record.

East Carolina (-7) at N.C. State

After narrowly avoiding a loss to Tulane, it looks like the public may be wavering on how good the Pirates actually are. Now that Virginia Tech has looked poor in two games following their opening loss to East Carolina, and West Virginia has lost again, perhaps it's understandable.

But don't fail to notice how bad N.C. State may be. They've been outyardaged by 140 or more in their last three against Division 1-A opponents, going back to last year's 37-0 shutout against Maryland. The Wolfpack won this match-up last year in a game also thought ECU would win, but I think this year the Pirates keep their bid for a BCS Bowl alive.

Pick: East Carolina 27 N.C. State 7

North Carolina (-3) vs. Virginia Tech

The Tar Heels haven't had a winning football team since 2001, but they may have put the nation on notice that they are back after whipping Rutgers in New Jersey 44-12 last weekend. UNC was actually outyardaged by Rutgers, as well as McNeese State in the opener, but their big play capability has Butch Davis' squad back on the map.

Meanwhile, a team know for big plays, Virginia Tech, has certainly lacked them this season. The QB controversy is in full effect as Glennon and Taylor have thrown 1 TD combined. They were outyardaged by 14o in their narrow home win against Ga. Tech last week and I expect the offense to continue their struggles.

Pick: North Carolina 31 Virginia Tech 16

Alabama (-9) at Arkansas

If you've been reading the blog this year, you'd notice that I think the 'Hogs may be one of the most overrated teams in the nation. I called for them to be defeated at home by both 1-AA Western Illinois and two-touchdown 'dog UL-Monroe. Late rallies prevented both picks from coming true, but there will be no rally against the Tide, who are allowing less than 8 ppg.

Pick: Alabama 37 Arkansas 13

Carolina (+3) at Minnesota

Disregard everything I said about the Vikings in this week's faceoff. Sharper, Peterson and Berrian are questionable this week. Rice is doubtful. Frerotte is the starter. Childress is an idiot. Even a time with this much talent in the trenches can't overcome this situation.

Pick: Carolina 20 Minnesota 10

Upset Special: Boise State (+320) at Oregon

As much success as Boise State has had over the past decade, they've never won a road game against a BCS team. But Oregon's QB situation is up in the air again, and we all remember what happened after Dixon went down last year. I'm guessing Oregon will still put points on the board, but costly turnovers will do them in.

Pick: Boise State 37 Oregon 34

Faceoff: NFC Noth

By Nate Sandstrom and Mark Goldman

After a brief hiatus, welcome back to another edition of Faceoff. This week's guest is Dr. Kent Sandstrom, who may not hold a Ph. D. in football, but at least knows enough to be in the lead in Nate's pick 'em league.

Nonetheless, Nate's father, a longtime Vikings fan, has some questions about his purple and gold's prospects in the confusing NFC North:

1) Can we "stick a fork" in the Vikings after their 0-2 start, particularly given the one-dimensional offensive approach favored by Brad Childress? Or, can the Vikes trust AP to find a way to get them to the playoffs? In a related vein, should the Vikings give up on the Tavaris Jackson project?


Mark says:

You can stick a fork in them for 2 reasons. 1)They won't win the division (the Packers are far and away the better team) and 2) the NFC is too deep for them to win a wild card. We saw the shootout in Dallas last night. The NFC East is stacked from top to bottom and the NFC South has two very good teams in Carolina and New Orleans. I still like the Vikings to get to 8-8 on the back of Adrian Peterson. While I don't think Tavaris Jackson is very good, I think Childress's conservative offense is hurting him even more. Childress is trying to reign Jackson in and the result is a predictable, defendable passing game. Though he will throw more picks, they should let Jackson loose and live and die on his ability to win the games. You don't win games when you try to hide your QB. We know that too well in Baltimore.



Nate says:

First of all, don't ever stick a fork in a viking, it may cause them to raid your village. Secondly, there's no reason to panic after two close losses to two quality teams. Expect the third game to be the charm against Panthers this week, even if the Panthers know they don't really have to defend against the bomb.

That said, it would be helpful if opponents did have to worry about the deep ball. It's hard to know whether the lack of that threat is a conservative approach favored by Childress or the Vikings inability to pick out the right QB (See Brooks Bollinger, John David Booty, Kelly Holcomb and others under the Childress tenure). Add to that injuries to Rice and Berrian and the deep ball is now even less a threat. Regardless, they're stuck with Jackson for now, but he's not bad enough to prevent the rest of the team from rallying to finish 10-4.

2) Are the Packers for real this year? Can they make the playoffs with Aaron Rodgers as their QB? If so, would Mike McCarthy deserve coach of the year honors?


Nate says:

It would be hard to name a coach coming off a 13-3 year Coach of the Year the following campaign. That said, the Packers have thus far exceeded my expectations, staving off comeback-attempts against division opponents in back-to-back weeks.

The Packers definitely look like the favorite in the NFC North, but how will this club handle a losing streak, if they have one? What will the locker room say after Aaron Rodgers first three-INT game? This team seems poised enough to avoid any "What if Brett was here?" distractions, but that question still hangs over the team as a potential poison pill.


Mark says:

The Packers are absolutely for real. And they won't win despite Rodgers, they'll win because of him. He'll be a better QB this year than Favre would have been. It doesn't hurt that he's surrounded by one of the most well-rounded teams in the whole league. Good receivers, RB, line and defense. I'll give the coach of the year honors to Ted Thompson for coaching Mike McCarthy through the Favre mess this summer.

3) Can 'da Bears bounce back from their 2007 debacle? What are their chances of winning the NFC North?


Mark says:

The Bears have 37.5 % chance of winning the division. Their week one win was a little overblown. The Colts aren't exactly the team we're used to. But the Bears have a good chance to make it exciting this year. If they get through September with only one more loss, they could go 5-3. Starting October 5th, they have 2 games against the Lions, one against the Falcons, and one at home against the Vikings. I like their chances to pull out 3 wins there and get on a roll. I could easily see the Vikings falling apart this season and the Bears sneaking into second place in the division.


Nate says:

Let's just say I'll let Mark place the bet on the Bears winning the division when we are in Vegas this weekend. Sure, the defense is playing well again, and Orton seems not to be giving the ball up like Grossman did (apparently that is now Greg Olson's job).

However, Devin Hester's ribs are not good, even if he is playing. If Chicago loses the threat he provides to run the ball back, then it will cost the Bears field position. Another year of sub-par offense in Chicago means this team will be competitive but ultimately miss the playoffs.

4) What are the major strengths and weaknesses of each team in the North? Do any teams in this division have a realistic chance of making the Super Bowl? Why or why not?


Mark says:

The Bears major weakness is stil their QB. Their strength remains Defense and Devin Hester. This is a good enough team that if the got hold of a legit QB somehow, they could make a real playoff run. Packers have very few weaknesses. I think Ryan Grant is a little overblown as a running back and their D-line isn't the biggest, but it's a very balanced team.

The Lions' strength and weakness is John Kitna. He has the ability to throw the ball successfully, but the problem is they think he's better than he is and for that reason they have failed to develop a well-balanced attack. They need to learn to grab a lead and hold it with a stubborn running game. Vikings? Well, their weakness is someone named Tavaris Jackson. Their strength? Someone named Adrian Peterson. I don't know that I've seen two players with such polar opposite skill before.


Nate says:

I'm not sure the Lions have any strengths. It's certainly not the front office. Why else would the draft a good-looking rookie and Kevin Smith, cut Tatum Bell, sign Rudi Johnson, then bring in Shaun Alexander and Cedric Benson. Fortunately this team isn't good enough to get to overtime, otherwise they would kick-off to start the extra frame again.

As for the rest of the teams, the Packers are the only legit Super Bowl contender. I agree with Mark's earlier post that the NFC East is totally stacked. It looks like the 80's may be coming back and the NFC East will again dominate the conference for a few years.

Faceoff

By Nate Sandstrom and Mark Goldman

This week's guest questioner dude is Will Pharr, brother in law of blogmaster Mark, devoted Skins fan, golf enthusiast, connoisseur of fine beer, and father of one jiggy little boy, who so far is the Goldman's best shot at a future generation of football fandom.


Q: The 'Skins' late-season run to the playoffs last year was incredibly exciting, but in reality highly unexpected. With QB Jason Campbell entering his fourth pro season and new head coach Jim Zorn running the show where do you see this team going? As a lifelong Washington fan I don't know how many more of these mediocre seasons I can handle.


Mark says: Wah Wah Wah. Mediocre seasons? You've been to the playoffs two of the past three seasons and notched a win in one of those. OK, it was against Tampa, everyone's favorite first-round whipping boy, but still. Sorry, I'm venting. But seriously, until you get an elite QB, you're stuck with mediocrity or worse in this league. I don't buy that Campbell is that guy. And it sure doesn't help that he's getting the 3rd offensive coordinator in his tenure. I think he's quality, but I don't ever see him being a super QB.

As for the rest of the team, it's got lots of depth and quality at every position. I don't know what position I'd say is a glaring weakness. That's a rare thing. The problem is you're in a pretty strong division. And like I said in last week's Faceoff, it's going to be hard to send three teams from one division to the playoffs in back-to-back years. You can write off the Giants — they're in for a big letdown and I think the Cowboys are the top dog of the division. So you and the Eagles are fighting the rest of the conference's understudies for that wild card spot. But, hey, the Giants won last year. So who the hell knows.

Nate says: OK, a little bit of the Redskins' luster has been taken off by the 34-0 hole the starters dug themselves into during the first half on Saturday. Carolina completely dominated the OL and Campbell looked like a lost, scared kitten:




But let's just write that off as a game where everything went wrong. Even last year's Super Bowl Champion Giants gave up more than 80 points at home in their first two games. The 'skins built depth at their one hole, the receiving corps, in the offseason. The secondary is not great, but the Jason Taylor injury turned out not to be so bad and the front seven will apply pressure. Zorn seems to be focusing on making the offense work for the players rather than making the players work for the offense. This team is definitely capable of 11 wins.

Q: The Minnesota Vikings seem to be this year's sexy pick to come out of the NFC. Adrian Peterson is the man and their defense is ridiculous; but I saw Tavaris Jackson quarterback the team a few times and he didn't seem efficient enough to run the Mt. Hebron Vikings' offense, let alone the Minnesota Vikings. What do his supporters see in this kid?

Nate says:

I expect the Minnesota Vikings to win more games this year than the Mount Hebron Vikings, and probably anyone in the NFC North, but not because of anything Tavaris Jackson does. In fact, I expect that Gus Frerotte will start at least four games this year.

Still, Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor rushed for over 5 ypc last year. Even though Peterson's average dropped to just 3.8 in December, Taylor increased his to 7 ypc. I expect the Vikings defense to be as strong as ever, and lead the team to a division title.

Still, I say the Eagles or Saints may be better choices as darkhorses to win the NFC than the Vikings because of the quarterback situation. But I think we all have to be honest and say the NFC is the Cowboys' to lose.

Mark says:

Well, if this is your idea of sexy, then yes, the Vikings are red hot. Forget Tavaris Jackson for a moment. Look for Adrian Peterson to suffer a sophomore letdown.

In the last 30 years, 42 RB's have gone for 1,000 yards as a rookie. Only 14 of those topped their yardage total the next year. Just 11 scored more TDs and nine averaged more YPC. Plus, don't forget that Peterson is injury prone. They do have Chester Taylor to fall back on, but where is Tavaris expected to throw the ball. You're right. The Vikings are sexy and that's why I'm not calling for them to win the division. I look east to Green Bay and I see a more complete team. They're questionable at the QB position, but I like the Packers to rally and win the division. They've let the Favre weight go and the Vikes still have to live with the weight of being this year's sexy pick. Things can fall apart very quickly for teams like this. We're going to be posting our season's predictions here at Sobo soon, but look for the Vikes to end up around 8-8 again.

Q: Do you see Florida QB Tim Tebow repeating as the Heisman Trophy Award winner in his upcoming junior season? What are your thoughts on other contenders?

Nate says:

I think Tebow is certainly the favorite (He's about 3-1 at gamblerspalace.com) this year. His surrounding offense should be even better than last season, when he ran for 23 TDs and passed for 32 more. The schedule also is more favorable as the Gators draw LSU at home and won't face Auburn unless they meet in an SEC Title Game. #5 Florida should also be in the Top 5 for most of the year, so Tebow will have plenty of exposure. However, as the QB gets praise in victory he often takes blame in defeat, and if the Gators were upset on the brink of a national title game, say Nov. 15 at South Carolina, he could take the fall.

The guy besides Tebow most likely to put up gaudy numbers is Texas Tech sophomore WR Michael Crabtree (17 to 2 odds). Last year, he caught 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 TDs! He could produce even bigger stats this year as 10 starters, including all 5 OL and QB Graham Harrell. The #14 Red Raiders should be undefeated when they head to Kansas on Oct. 25, followed by a home tilt with Texas on Nov. 1 and a trip to Norman the weekend before Thanksgiving. What happens in that stretch will determine his fate, and I think ultimately he and Tech will come up short.

The guy I like most to win this award is junior Ohio State RB Chris "Beanie" Wells (11 to 2 odds). Wells' speed and vision will give him a highlight reel that no other player will match in breadth and scope. Add to that the fact I expect #3 Ohio State to earn a bid to the National Championship again, and I will place my wager on Wells.

Looking for a dark horse? What about Clemson QB Cullen Harper? As a junior he posted a gaudy 27-6 TD/INT ration and the #9 Tigers toughest game prior to the ACC Championship and bowl game is probably at Wake Forest. Clemson seems to perennially underachieve, but if Coach Boweden got Clemson to a national title game then Harper would certainly get a look.

If you want more Heisman chatter, you should check out Heisman Pundit, who agrees with me in picking Wells to win this year's award.


Mark says:

As a Ravens fan, I have much interest in this question as I am already scouting the colleges for next year's #1 pick. Then again, take our Heisman winner, please!

But if I had a vote, I'd cast it right now for this Crabtree from TT that Nate mentioned based on his last year's stats alone. Damn, those are crazy numbers. But Nate's probably right and I have a hard time seeing someone from Texas Tech pulling out the Heisman. I also really like Cullen Harper out of Clemson.

I also like Pat White out of West Virginia to garner some of the votes. But it's tough to say now that Rich Rodriguez is in Michigan and Steve Slaton is in Houston. Will White be able to step up and make this his offense? We'll see.

Finally, look for the customary USC nod in QB Mark Sanchez. This team has put out three of the past six national champs.

Maybe Ryan Leaf wants a job too.....

(St. Paul) Pioneer Press reporter does a good job summing this up in his lede:

The Vikings have reached the nadir of their search for a productive and reliable quarterback. Jeff George, who hasn't thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2001, is confident he can upgrade the team's 30th-ranked pass offense.

The rest of the article is here.

Apparently the 39-year-old, ex-Colt, ex-Raider, ex-Viking, ex-Redskin, ex-Bear and others has looked around the league and thinks he could help a team, particularly the Vikings.

This seems to build a case for what Mark (not to be seen at SoBo lately) told me last week — there are almost no good QBs left in the league.

I don't think now is any different than from year's past at that position, but if Jeff George catches on somewhere, I may be turned around.


I'll never get over the Redskins for letting Brad Johnson go for George. Here's how that worked out.

--Nate Sandstrom

Not such a hot ticket.

Obviously Jacksonville and Minnesota fans are not as excited about their teams as I am. Both faced having their games blacked out in local markets, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune reports.

Both need to sell more than 1,000 seats by Friday afternoon.

Growing up in Minnesota, I know the Vikings have had this problem before. I'm not as sure about the Jags.

--Nate Sandstrom