The Vikings only had five picks in the draft last April but every single player they picked made a impact on the team.  WR/KR Percy Harvin fell all the way to the Vikings at #22 in the first round due to off-field problems at Florida.  The Vikings quickly snapped him up and watched him be named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL.  He played in 15 games for the Vikings this season and he caught 60 passes for 790 yards (13.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 15 times for 135 yards (9.0 ypc).  He was also outstanding on special teams as he returned 42 kickoffs for 1,156 yards (27.5 avg) with 2 TD returns including one that went for 101 yards.  In the second round the Vikings took OT Phil Loadholt (#54 overall) out of Oklahoma.  Loadholt played in 15 games (all starts) for the Vikings as a rookie and he is a really good player with a huge upside.  He is a mountain of a man at 6’8″, 343 pounds.  CB Asher Allen was selected in the third round (#86 overall) out of Georgia.  He played in 10 games as a rookie for the Vikings and he made 27 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he had 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  In the fifth round the Vikings picked linebacker Jasper Brinkley (#150 overall) out of South Carolina.  When E.J. Henderson went down to injury Brinkley stepped into the starting line-up and he did a decent job.  Brinkley played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he made 31 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.  He has a nice upside.  In the 7th round the Vikings used the #231 overall pick on safety Jamarca Sanford out of Mississippi.   Sanford played in 14 games as a rookie last season and he made 29 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.

GRADE FOR 2009:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

Turnovers and one very costly penalty cost the Minnesota Vikings the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints yesterday.  Brett Favre had the biggest turnover, which basically cost the Vikings the game.  With under a minute to go and just outside field goal range, Favre rolled to his right and committed one of the biggest sins a quarterback can do:  throwing across his body to the opposite side of the field.  The throw floated in the air too long and the Saints’ Tracy Porter easily picked it off to send the game into overtime.  Favre wasn’t the only one to blame down the stretch, as the Vikings had a penalty for too many men in the huddle and it pushed them out of field goal range right before Favre’s costly interception.  The Vikings played very sloppy football and did not take care of the ball.  They had 6 fumbles as a team, losing three of them, and Favre threw two interceptions.  Favre finished with 310 yards, 1 touchdown,  and 2 interceptions on 28/46 passes for a QB rating of 70.0.  Although Favre was not sacked, he was pressured all game and the Saints roughed him up with 6 hard QB hits.  Adrian Peterson had a big game, but he too struggled to hold on to the ball with 2 fumbles.  None were lost though and AP finished with 122 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries.  The Vikings’ offense racked up a ton of yards (475 yards) but they lost the turnover battle 5-1, which cost them the game.

The Vikings defense held the Saints explosive offense to only 257 yards, but all of the turnovers gave the Saints offense some great opportunities.  Also, the Vikings defense could not stop the Saints in the red zone, as they went 3-3 in red zone situations.  Drew Brees was held to 197 yards, but he had 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on 17/31 passes for a QB rating of 106.5.  The Vikings defense actually played pretty solid, and if it weren’t for all of the Vikings’ turnovers they probably would have won pretty easily.  The Vikings still should have won this game, despite all of the turnovers.  When you have that many turnovers though, things are bound to eventually go the other team’s way.  The Vikings should be disappointed they missed out on a trip to the Super Bowl, but they should be proud of a very strong 2009 season.  Now the big question:  Will Brett Favre finally retire?

The Minnesota Vikings have to travel to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints in tomorrow’s NFC Championship game.  The Superdome is one of the hardest places to play and the crowd will be rowdy since the Saints are trying to make it to their first Super Bowl.  Good thing for the Vikings that they have one of the best quarterbacks ever in Brett Favre, who has plenty of experience in hostile playoff environments.  Favre had a great game with 4 touchdowns in last weeks in the divisional round, but I think they will try and run the ball more this week for two reasons.  First off the Saints do not have a good run-defense and are gave up 122 rushing yards per game this season.  The second reason is the Vikings will want to keep Drew Brees and the high-scoring Saints’ offense off the field as much as possible.  If they can get Adrian Peterson going and control the time of possession, it will make a world of difference for the Vikings defense.

Speaking of the Vikings’ defense, if they can get some hits on Drew Brees and pressure him, it will limit the Saints’ opportunities for big plays.  They are great at making some game-changing big plays down the field, so if Jared Allen and the defensive line can get some sacks it will keep that from happening.  They need to worry about Reggie Bush too, who played some of the best football of his career last week.  He can hurt you in many ways, as he runs the ball well out of the backfield, is great at making things happen out of screen plays, and is an explosive punt-returner.  The Saints are loaded on offense, so the Vikings are going to need one of their best defensive efforts of the year.  I think this will be a close game, but with the Saints having the home-field and such an explosive offense I am going with them.

PREDICTION:  Minnesota Vikings 28, New Orleans Saints 31

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings proved they are one of the top teams in the NFC with the beat down they gave to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round over the weekend.  Favre looked like vintage Favre, dodging pass rushers and firing bullets down field for touchdowns.  He and Sidney Rice have found some great chemistry together and they hooked up for some huge plays against the Cowboys.  Favre had 4 touchdown passes, and 3 of them went to Rice.  Favre went 15/24 for 234 yards, while Rice caught 6 balls for 141 yards.  Adrian Peterson worked hard for 63 yards on 26 carries, helping the Vikings control the clock.  The Vikings offense is clicking at a great time.

The defense was perhaps even more responsible for the win than the offense.  They were all over Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who was leading one of the hottest teams in the NFL with a lot of confidence.  Well, Jared Allen (1 sack, FF) and the Vikings defense harassed Romo all game, sacking him 6 times.  Ray Edwards had 3 of those sacks, which tied a Vikings record.  The Vikings defense forced 3 turnovers, with 2 fumbles and 1 interception.  They also kept a Cowboys running game that rushed for 198 yards a week earlier, to 92 yards.  This was a great all-around effort by the Vikings and its looking like they have a great shot at the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings have had plenty of rest heading into their Divisional Round game against the Dallas Cowboys.  Hopefully for the Vikings’ sake their is no rust from the rest and their fresh legs help them.  They are going up against a Cowboys team that is very hot, winning four straight, including a convincing 34-14 win over the Eagles in the Wild Card round last week.  Jared Allen and company will need to get some hits on Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo, because when he has time he can be as good as any quarterback in the league.  Romo is pretty athletic and uses his legs well, so the Vikings can’t let him roll out and make some big plays down the field.  Marion Barber and Felix Jones can be a dangerous duo in the running game, but the Vikings were one of the best teams in the league at stopping the run so I think they should be able to handle them.  Romo has been playing some of the best football of his career and the Cowboys are clicking at the right time, so this will be a big challenge for the Vikings defense.

Brett Favre looked like he was really starting to break down a few weeks ago, but he finished the season with two solid games.  Add the fact that the 40-year-old Favre has had two weeks to rest up and heal all of the ailments that come with a long 16-game NFL season.  The Cowboys defense is playing some great football, and they will be coming at Favre hard, so the gunslinger has to be careful with the ball.  Favre is known for making some risky passes, and if he does that in this game I think the Cowboys defense will make him pay for it.  Although the Cowboys run-defense is very strong, I think the Vikings should give the ball to Adrian Peterson as much as possible.  Peterson is still the best back in the league to me, despite not having a 100+ rushing yard game since week 10 of the regular season.  If they can get Peterson back to the AP everyone was used to seeing in Minnesota, busting through the hole and breaking tackles for big runs, then the Vikings will win.  However, the Cowboys have been playing such good football and are the hottest team in the league right now, so I think they may be too much for the Vikings to handle.

PREDICTION:  Minnesota Vikings 24, Dallas Cowboys 28

Heading into the playoffs the Vikings have outstanding depth with only maybe the Eagles being able to rival it in the playoffs.  But, 40-year old Brett Favre had the best year of his NFL career and he deserves to be the MVP.  Favre played in all 16 games for the Vikings this season and he completed 363 of 531 passes (68.4%) for 4,202 yards with 33 TD passes and 7 INTs (107.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 9 times for 7 yards (0.8 ypc) this season.  Favre has now played in 289 games in his NFL career and he has completed 6,083 of 9,811 passes (62%) for 69,329 yards with 497 TD passes and 317 INTs (86.6 QB Rating).  Favre has also carried the ball 585 times for 1,836 yards (3.1 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  The Vikings hope the Favre keeps rolling in the playoffs as the Vikings will have their best chance of ever winning a Super Bowl this season.

26-year old Tarvaris Jackson is a solid back-up for the Vikings.  He played in 8 games for the Vikings this season and he completed 14 of 21 passes (66.7%) for 201 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (113.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 17 times for -10 yards (-0.6 ypc) this year.  Jackson has now played in 33 games in his career with the Vikings and he has completed 320 of 545 passes (58.7%) for 3,643 yards with 21 TD passes and 18 INTs (77.9 QB Rating.  He has also carried the ball 112 times for 472 yards (4.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  If Favre decides to play again next season I see the Vikings trying to trade Jackson during the NFL Draft this April.

31-year old Sage Rosenfels is #3 in line.  He did not play in any games this season for the Vikings.  He has played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has completed 351 of 562 passes (62.5%) for 4,156 yards with 30 TD passes and 29 INTs (81.2 QB Rating).  Rosenfels also carried the ball 45 times for 98 yards (2.2 ypc) with a TD run in his career.  One way or another I see Rosenfels being the #2 QB for the Vikings next season.

21-year old WR/KR Percy Harvin has won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.  He played in 15 games this season for the Vikings and he caught 60 passes for 790 yards (13.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Harvin also carried the ball 15 times for 135 yards (9.0 ypc) this year.  Harvin probably also got bonus points for his special teams work although that shouldn’t have mattered with the voters.  He returned 42 kickoffs for 1,156 yards (27.5 avg) with 2 TD returns for the Vikings this year.  This is just the beginning for Harvin who will likely be a key player for the Vikings for a long, long time.

The Vikings absolutely dominated the Giants yesterday.  Brett Favre was on fire completing 25 of 31 passes for 316 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Tarvaris Jackson finished up the game by completing 4 of 6 passes for 42 yards.  The Vikings got Adrian Peterson in and out of this game as he carried the ball 9 times for 54 yards (6.0 ypc) with a TD run.  Albert Young pitched in with 40 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.0 ypc).  Sidney Rice led the way in the passing game for the Vikings yesterday with 112 yards receiving on 6 grabs (18.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  TE Visanthe Shiancoe was also great yesterday with 7 grabs for 94 yards (13.4 avg) with a TD grab.  Rookie WR Percy Harvin finished the season strong with 7 grabs for 59 yards (8.4 avg) and he also carried the ball 1 time for 22 yards.  The Vikings finished up with 487 total yards in this game (129 rushing, 358 passing) as they hogged the ball for 36:52.

LBs Ben Leber (5 tackles, fumble recovery) and Chad Greenway (4 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a INT) led the way for the Vikings yesterday.  DE Jared Allen pitched in with 2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and a sack yesterday.  The Giants finished up with a paltry 181 total yards on offense (35 rushing, 146 passing) in this game.  The Vikings finished the season with a 12-4 record earning a first round bye in the playoffs.

The Vikings need a win and a Eagles loss or tie to be the #2 seed in the playoffs.  With that in mind I look for the Vikings to play all out tomorrow against the Giants.  The Vikings will probably be more run heavy than usual tomorrow with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor getting the workload.  The Vikings will probably keep the passing game short in a effort to protect Brett Favre for the playoffs.  That means that Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian and Visanthe Shiancoe better tighten up their chin straps tomorrow.

The Vikings need to get after Eli Manning tomorrow because they are having problems in the secondary.  That’s not good when you’re getting ready to deal with Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and Kevin Boss.  Ahmad Bradshaw has a broken bone in each foot and Brandon Jacobs is out so the Giants won’t likely be able to do much on the ground.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, GIANTS 20

The Vikings are sending five offensive players, 2 defensive players and 1 special teams player to the Pro Bowl showing what a well rounded team they have been.  40-year old QB Brett Favre is going to Miami.  He has played in 15 games this season for the Vikings and he has completed 338 of 500 passes (67.6%) for 3,886 yards with 29 TD passes and 7 INTs (104.3 QB Rating).  24-year old RB Adrian Peterson has had another outstanding season for the Vikings earning his trip to the Pro Bowl.  Peterson has played in 15 games this season for the Vikings and he has carried the ball 305 times for 1,329 yards (4.4 ypc) with 17 TD runs.  He has also caught 42 passes for 435 yards (10.4 avg) so far this season.  23-year old WR Sidney Rice improved his game big time earning this honor.  He has played in 15 games for the Vikings so far this season and he has caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards (15.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  32-year old guard Steve Hutchinson and 30-year old tackle Bryant McKinnie both have started all 15 games this season for the Vikings.  These two guys are the biggest reasons why Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice are going to the Pro Bowl because they open up holes in the running game and give Favre time to throw the ball.  27-year old DE Jared Allen has been awesome as usual for the Vikings.  He has played in 15 games for the Vikings this season and he has made 48 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, forced 4 fumbles, defensed 4 passes, picked off one pass and he has 13.5 sacks.  29-year old DT Kevin Williams is just a beast in the middle of the D for the Vikings.  Williams has played in 15 games for the Vikings this season and he has made 30 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, forced 1 fumble, defensed 6 passes and he has 6 sacks.  28-year old back-up linebacker Heath Farwell made the Pro Bowl as the special teams player.  He has played in 15 games for the Vikings this season and he has made 18 tackles.  The Vikings hope that the NFL has problems picking 8 replacements for these guys to play in the Pro Bowl because that would mean that they would be preparing for the Super Bowl instead.