The wiseguys in Vegas might be short selling the Vikings a bit coming into this season.  After all, the Vikings were 12-4 in 2009 before bowing out in the NFC Championship Game.  I think that if you think Brett Favre is going to stay healthy you have to bet the over in 2010.  If you think he’s going to break down you have to take the under as the Vikings would have a huge dropoff in play under center.  To me, Favre is the ultimate Iron Man and I would bet the over on wins for the Vikings in 2010.  I would also not be too opposed to putting some bucks down on the Vikings to win the Super Bowl at 11-1.

The Vikings have dealt 24-year old WR/PR Darius Reynaud to the Giants for a undisclosed draft pick.  Reynaud returned 30 punts for 308 yards (10.3 avg) and 4 kickoffs for 90 yards (22.5 avg) last season for the Vikings.  The punt returns last season were the first of his career but he has now returned 12 kickoffs for 291 yards (24.3 avg).  The Vikings have return men that they like better than Reynaud so it was a good move to get something for him.

The Vikings have traded 32-year old QB Sage Rosenfels to the Giants for a conditional draft pick.  Rosenfels did not play in any games for the Vikings last season as he was #3 on the depth chart.  The Vikings showcased him in the pre-season and he played well.  In four pre-season games for the Vikings this year he completed 31 of 51 passes (60.8%) for 402 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs (111.7 QB Rating).  Obviously the Vikings feel good about having Tarvaris Jackson and rookie 6th round pick Joe Webb out of UAB behind Brett Favre on the depth chart.

The Vikings offense was very vanilla last night.  Tarvaris Jackson started this game at QB and he completed 2 of 8 passes for 20 yards.  Sage Rosenfels also made a brief, uneventful appearance as he completed 1 of 4 passes for 10 yards.  Rookie QB Joe Webb finished up things and he looked pretty decent completing 5 of 9 passes for 100 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 48 yards (12.0 ypc) last night.  Albert Young was a workhorse last night for the Vikings with 42 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 2 yards (1.0 avg) last night.  Ian Johnson pitched in with 18 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  WR Javon Walker was the standout in the passing game with 4 grabs for 87 yards (21.8 avg) with a TD.  The Vikings finished up with 133 yards rushing (4.4 ypc) and 112 yards passing in this game as they only had the ball for 24:10.

Linebacker E.J. Henderson led the way for the Vikings’ D in this game with 9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hit and he recovered two fumbles.  One of his fumble returns went for a 35-yard TD.  Fellow LB Jasper Brinkley also had a solid game with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit.  Safety Tyrell Johnson pitched in with 4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception (41 yard return).  The Broncos finished up with 82 yards rushing (2.7 ypc) and 355 yards passing in this game.  The Vikings finished the pre-season with a 3-1 record.

Rookie 2nd round pick (CB) Chris Cook will at least the next two weeks due to a tear in his right meniscus.  Cook has played in all three pre-season games for the Vikings and he made 7 tackles, forced a fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  Cook will miss at least the season opener against the Saints next Thursday Night in New Orleans.  That means that Lito Sheppard will have to step up.  He played in 11 games (9 starts) for the Jets last season and he had 31 tackles, 8 passes defensed and 1 interception.