The Minnesota Vikings defensive line — and the strength of their entire team (sorry Adrian) — is in jeopardy of being completely dismantled. Defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams are scheduled to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell tomorrow to discuss testing positive for a weight-loss diuretic (aka StarCaps) that is on the list of substances banned by the league. They’re both looking at possible four-game suspensions. And defensive end Jared Allen will also meet with Commissioner Goodell to talk about his recent questionable hits on quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (Packers) and Matt Schaub (Texans). He’s facing possible suspension time. To make matters worse, the Vikes other starting defensive end, Ray Edwards, will most certainly be fined this week and possibly suspended (eventually) for a blatant late hit on Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia yesterday.

If any combination of the aforementioned happens (especially Williams, Williams and Allen), the Vikings defense will be severely hindered and any hopes of a division crown (they’re tied for the NFC North lead right now) and subsequent playoff berth will be all but finished. Vikings fans are hoping Commissioner Goodell is in a good mood tomorrow.

Source: NFL.com

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Vikings Defensive Line in Trouble?

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

With key offseason acquisitions like defensive end Jared Allen and receiver Bernard Berrian, the Minnesota Vikings had the kind of 2008 expectations worthy of a Super Bowl contender. As it turns out, the first half of this season didn’t quite go as planned. But coming off one of their most complete games of the season, a 28-21 win over the Houston Texans, the Vikings are back to .500 and close to playing the kind of football they expected of themselves in training camp. I interviewed Vikings cornerback (and 2nd leading tackler) Cedric Griffin from the team’s weight room after practice today.

• 0:12 – Week 9 win over Houston was one of the best Vikings performances
• 0:42 – Limiting Texans receiver Andre Johnson to just four catches
• 1:20 – Welcoming veteran safety Madieu Williams to the secondary
• 2:00 – Packer week, Cedric and coach Childress have never beaten Green Bay
• 2:48 – Facing QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ multiple formations
• 3:40 – Interceptions (and returns) aren’t happening this season … yet
• 4:20 – Cedric’s hit on Saints receiver Billy Miller last month a YouTube favorite
• 5:02 – Vikings coaching staff awards Grape Crush soda for biggest hits
• 5:41 – The increasingly difficult task of playing defensive football in the NFL
• 7:02 – Facing fines and possible suspensions for playing “tackle” football
• 8:02 – Re-evaluate the rules and process of punishment in the offseason?

Links: Vikings.com, NFL Players, NFL.com

Note: My apologies for the snap, crackle, pop coming from Cedric’s phone.

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EMQB Interview: Cedric Griffin

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Here’s an NFL rarity. Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings won’t discuss a potential new contract until after the season is over. He doesn’t want to be a distraction to his teammates. Not even after quarterback Aaron Rodgers got his new deal this afternoon. Greg’s deal is not set to expire until after the 2009 season, but Monday is the deadline for NFL teams to apply any increase in a player’s base salary to the 2008 salary cap. This allows teams to use up any available room they have now. Well, the Packers have (ok, had) more than $20 million of salary cap space to burn and they could use up a good chunk of it to offer someone like Greg an extension. You know he would certainly appreciate it now, but he’s willing to keep things quiet and put the team first:

“I don’t want to be a distraction. I’m not trying to make a big deal out of anything that would take away from the team. I don’t want to do any of that. If there is something going on, I don’t even want to know about it.”

What a class act, especially considering that Greg (statistically) is one of the best receivers in the NFL right now (second in receiving yards and tied for 16th in receptions). All that while making a base salary of $445,000 this year. Give that man a new contract. But do it quietly.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Photo: Newscom

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Greg Jennings Needs a New Contract

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The Green Bay Packers locked up quarterback Aaron Rodgers through the 2014 season today. Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations (wow, that’s a long title) Ted Thompson made the announcement this afternoon:

“As we talked about in the past, we try to be proactive in our discussions with our current players and we felt like this was an appropriate time to try to come to an agreement with Aaron. We feel like this is good for the organization and the players, and we will continue this approach as we move forward.”

Terms of the contract were not immediately disclosed, but it didn’t take much digging to find out the details. Aaron will have $20 million guaranteed on the six-year, $65 million deal. He’s supposed to make $28 million over the first three years of this contract. That would put him in the top five of all NFL players. Now, considering what he has faced in terms of following in the footsteps of future Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre (heck, even not considering that), his 2008 numbers are very impressive — 1,668 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, and a 98.8 passer rating. But top five money for someone with only seven career starts and four wins is pretty risky. Aaron will take it, though. It’s finally one less thing for him to have to think about.

Source: Packers.com, Photo: Newscom

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Aaron Rodgers Gets Long-Term Deal

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The Green Bay Packers will have to wait until Sunday morning to find out if quarterback Aaron Rodgers is fit to play against the Atlanta Falcons. His throwing shoulder is still bothering him. Aaron injured it in a loss to Tampa Bay last week. And it will be during pregame warmups that the final decision will be made. Aaron is officially listed as questionable but did manage to get some throwing in yesterday. If Aaron can’t go, it’s rookie Matt Flynn’s job. Head coach Mike McCarthy thinks the team is ready either way:

“Hopefully [Aaron] will feel good tomorrow. He feels good. His rehab has been positive. The strength is improving. How he responds tomorrow will probably tell the tale. I’m preparing to go either way.”

Keep in mind, Green Bay fans are used to seeing their starting QB play. You know Brett Favre’s story. I won’t insult you by repeating it. But if they have to go to backup Matt Flynn — and nothing against Matt, I’m sure he’s a fine quarterback in the right situation — all I can say is it significantly decreases the Packers chances of winning football games. Matt took the first-team snaps yesterday and if the Packers are thinking long-term, I’m guessing they’ll protect Aaron Rodgers and go with the rookie.

Source: ESPN.com, Photo: Newscom

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Aaron Rodgers a Game Time Decision

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hurt his right shoulder during a 30-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs today. Aaron left the game before the Packers first offensive possession of the fourth quarter and returned seven minutes later with his team down 23-21. The Packers don’t expect to know how serious the injury is until tomorrow (Aaron himself said it might be dislocated or separated) and head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t have any idea if his all-or-nothing quarterback will be OK for next week’s game:

“I have no idea. It’s too early to tell. He was able to go back in and play the one series, so I think tomorrow morning like a lot of cases will have a lot to do. Pat McKenzie (team physician) has not had a chance to put him through a thorough examination.”

If Aaron Rodgers can’t go next week against Atlanta — or for any other game this season — the Packers are screwed. They put all their hope in Aaron being able to lead them through this entire 2008 season when they opted not to allow Brett Favre back. So if Aaron is injured, the next QB in line is rookie Matt Flynn. The Packers are a team built for the playoffs and beyond right now. But not with a rookie quarterback. They’re hoping tomorrow’s news on Aaron Rodgers is good news. Their season depends on it.

Source: Green Bay Press Gazette

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Aaron Rodgers Injures Shoulder

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

After all the mental anguish Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went through in the Brett Favre “unretirement” saga this past offseason, I’m surprised he’s able to complete a forward pass. All he’s done is start the 2008 season with back-to-back stellar performances, beating two division rivals (the Vikings and Lions) in compiling 506 passing yards, four touchdowns and a top five 117.8 QB rating. Those are — dare I say — Brett Favre-like numbers. But Packers head coach Mike McCarthy notices one glaring difference. Aaron is less likely to throw the ball into a crowd like his gunslinging predecessor:

“He’s making good decisions and he’s being accurate with the football. He hasn’t taken many chances, and that’s all part of good quarterback play.”

Not that Brett’s sometimes careless nature on the football field was any reason for the Packers to say “enough already.” You know that story. And enough already. But for all the concern around Packer Nation on how this quarterback transition would fare, so far so good. Aaron has been everything the Green Bay faithful could’ve hoped for.

Source: Packers.com, Photo: Newscom

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Aaron Rodgers is Not Brett Favre?

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Check out this incredible catch by Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones during tonight’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. On a first-and-ten at the Bengals 30, quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw the ball wide to James over the middle of the field, forcing him to really stretch out to make a juggling grab in traffic. But J2 did so without hesitation (no alligator arms), got sandwiched between DBs Deltha O’Neal and Marvin White, emerged without his helmet (which flew about five yards upfield), stayed on his feet and raced into the endzone for a 30-yard touchdown. He topped it off with a “Lambeau Leap”. What a great play. This is preseason football?

Source: NFL.com

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James Jones No Helmet TD Catch

Finally, the other guys. After two weeks of going against teammates in training camp, all NFL clubs will be able to see a real, live opponent this weekend. It’s the first full weekend of NFL preseason football, bookended by nationally televised games tonight and Monday night.

Tonight – New Orleans at Arizona (ESPN, 8 p.m.) New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who has completed the most passes for the most yards in the NFL over the past two years, thinks there is always room for improvement — by himself and his team. He wants to get back to the playoffs. Arizona’s Matt Leinart returns from a broken collarbone suffered last October. He has spent camp perfecting head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s offense, a process that was interrupted last season.

Monday – Cincinnati at Green Bay (ESPN, 8 p.m.) For Green Bay, it will be the first outing as starting quarterback for Aaron Rodgers, the club’s first-round draft choice of 2005. Head coach Mike McCarthy will give Aaron plenty of playing time this summer, starting him in all four preseason games. The Bengals want to get things back to where they were in 2005, when they went 11-5 and won the AFC North. They think they are on the way with a No. 10 finish in total offense last season and a No. 7 in passing. Cincinnati has added to quarterback Carson Palmer’s top-flight receiving corps headed by Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and will use the preseason to work-in the newcomers. The Bengals signed tight end Ben Utecht from Indianapolis to strengthen their passing game down the middle, and rookie wideouts Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson have been strong in camp and will see plenty of action starting Monday.

Other Games to Check Out This Weekend

Tonight: N.Y. Giants at Detroit, Baltimore at New England, N.Y. Jets at Cleveland, Kansas City at Chicago; Friday: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Seattle at Minnesota, San Francisco at Oakland; Saturday: Buffalo at Washington, Tampa Bay at Miami, Atlanta at Jacksonville, Indianapolis at Carolina, Denver at Houston, St. Louis at Tennessee, Dallas at San Diego.

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First Full Preseason Weekend Kicks Off

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Brett Favre was reinstated into the National Football League by Commissioner Roger Goodell today. The decision will become officially effective at 1 p.m. EST tomorrow when Brett will be added to the Green Bay Packers active roster. The Packers accepted Brett’s forced return to the team today after failing to come to a financial agreement that would manage to make him happy while staying retired. A $20 million financial agreement, mind you. So to recap, Brett would rather make $12 million to play football vs. $20 million to not play football. I know, it probably doesn’t make much sense unless you’re Brett Favre, but I was happy to see he turned down the “bribe” to sort of — you know — disappear. Who were the Packers kidding in calling that offer a “marketing deal.” Team president and CEO Mark Murphy released the following statement today:

“Sixteen years after Brett Favre came to the Packers, he is returning for a seventeenth season. He has had a great career with our organization and although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back. We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage. Frankly, Brett’s change of mind put us in a very difficult spot. We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett’s decision last March to retire. As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That’s why this wasn’t easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it’s very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction – but we’ll put this to our advantage. Brett will be in camp tomorrow. Although there has been uncertainty regarding Brett’s return, Ted Thompson and Coach McCarthy had previously discussed this and have had a plan in place. Coach McCarthy will talk to the team and the quarterbacks about the plan moving forward, and after he has done that we will share it publicly. No matter what, I look forward to another successful season for the Packers and our fans. This has been a tough situation, but the Packers will make the most of it.”

Well, that was awkward, wasn’t it? The Packers took Brett at his word when he retired and didn’t want him back. But he’s back whether they like it or not. Head coach Mike McCarthy is now saying he doesn’t know what direction the quarterback situation will take after vehemently declaring that Aaron Rodgers was his man whether Brett was in camp or not. And maybe that statement will stand. But when Coach McCarthy says, “There have been no promises,” it makes me wonder. His unrelenting support of Aaron Rodgers sounded like a promise to me. But he knows who’s going to win an open quarterback competition between Aaron and Brett. And the sooner the team (coaches, players and front office) accepts that, the better off the team will be.

The Packers will still have the option to trade or release Brett. And now that Brett has been officially reinstated, you can be assured any trade talks will take on a more serious tone. But judging from Mark Murphy’s comments, Brett will be on the Packers roster. And my guess is he’ll be their starting quarterback on September 8 against the Vikings.

Source: Packers.com, Photo: Newscom

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Brett Favre is Back