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We're Black and Blue All Over:

Thanks to everyone who participated in Thursday's late-night Twitter discussion on the draft ramifications of the Indianapolis Colts' last-second upset of the Houston Texans. From an NFC North perspective, here's what I can tell you: If you're hoping the Minnesota Vikings will parlay the result into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, you need to root for another Colts victory.

Based on research from ESPN Stats & Information, the Vikings would lose the tiebreaker with the Colts if they both finish 2-14. The St. Louis Rams would likely have the No. 3 pick in that scenario if they are also 2-14.

Ties are broken in reverse order of strength of schedule (SOS), and the Indianapolis Star has an easy-to-read projection of each team's SOS through 16 games. The Rams currently have a lower SOS than the Vikings, but those figures could swap when you consider the Rams finish the season against the 10-4 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 11-3 San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings' final two games are against the 5-9 Washington Redskins and 7-7 Chicago Bears.

I know it's complicated and more than you're probably willing to think about on the morning of December 23. But in terms of the No. 1 overall pick, the Vikings' best-case scenario is for the Colts to win next weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Combined with two more losses by the Vikings, of course.) That would leave the Colts 3-13 and the Vikings sweating out the SOS tiebreaker with the potentially 2-14 Rams, which they have a good chance of winning based on Week 16 and 17 matchups.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Vikings coach Leslie Frazier expressed support for offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and said he will return in 2012, writes Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson is ready for a full-game workload, writes Dan Wiederer of the Star Tribune.
• Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press speaks with Vikings defensive backs coach Joe Woods, whose group has had its struggles this season.
• It appears the Chicago Bears will start Kahlil Bell at tailback Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, according to Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune. Veteran Marion Barber hasn't practiced this week because of a calf injury.
• The Bears tried to sign free agent quarterback Matt Moore in July, according to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• The Bears' offense has been at the root of their four-game losing streak, writes Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on the offense, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com: "We can’t let it get to us. Our mindset is [to] go back out there and take the ball away for our offense. That's all we can do; just go out there and try and get three-and-outs ourselves or take the ball away. We don't think about it. I mean, we have a hard enough time ourselves. We can't be worried about what happens on offense."
• Detroit Lions veterans Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola aren't getting too hyped about Saturday's potential playoff-clinching game, writes Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press.
• The Lions are trusting tight end Brandon Pettigrew despite a series of drops this season, writes John Niyo of the Detroit News.
• Making the playoffs is "really important to us," according to Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham. Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com has more.
• The Green Bay Packers are getting back to basics in their efforts to limit drops, writes Kareem Copeland of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Packers tight end Jermichael Finley has been a social media lightening rod, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com examines the Packers' intentions for the Wildcat offense with receiver Randall Cobb.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Monday, I joined the chorus of those who say the Minnesota Vikings must find a way to utilize the unique skill set of backup quarterback Joe Webb. The tricky question, of course, is how.

As Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune writes, there are no easy answers. The Vikings have a "Blazer" package for Webb that is similar to the Wildcat, but it's difficult to use that more than a few times a game. Spot use as a receiver, or even a kick returner, isn't effective unless Webb has time to practice and refine those skills. Writes Scoggins: "Webb is an enigma because his skill set doesn't fit into one box."

For this to work, the Vikings are probably going to have to design a package that has never been run before in the NFL. Brad Smith has made a career out of similar circumstances over the past six years with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. It can be done.

I know it's easy to throw out a mandate without offering specific suggestions, but that's why Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave make the big bucks. It's on them to figure it out.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Vikings running back Toby Gerhart gained 51 of his 90 yards after first contact Sunday, according to film study from Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• The Vikings need to sell 3,500 tickets this week to avoid a local television blackout of their game against the New Orleans Saints, according to Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• The Green Bay Packers could get guard Josh Sitton (knee) back to practice this week and have not lost hope for left tackle Chad Clifton, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Packers are preparing for a few weeks without receiver Greg Jennings, notes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Eric Baranczyk and Cliff Christl for the Green Bay Press-Gazette: "Jennings' value can't be measured simply with statistics. More than any other receiver, he makes it easier for the Packers to run the ball and throw short over the middle. He's why defenses don't spy [Aaron] Rodgers. He's why Jordy Nelson draws one-on-one coverage down the sidelines."
• The Detroit Lions didn't force the ball to receiver Calvin Johnson against the Vikings, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• The Lions' makeshift secondary got the job done against the Vikings, writes Justin Rogers of Mlive.com.
• Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press: "It's pretty simple for the Lions. Beat Oakland this weekend. Beat San Diego at home on Christmas Eve. That should guarantee the Lions a playoff spot. ..."
• The Chicago Bears tried Monday to take the heat off tailback Marion Barber, according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Barber's mistakes overshadowed a strong day running the ball, notes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
• The Bears moved to a Cover 2 defense at the end of their loss to the Broncos, but that made sense, writes Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.

A few thoughts on a wild game at the Metrodome with the Broncos winning 35-32:

What it means: In shades of their early-season struggles, the Minnesota Vikings lost another halftime lead and found a way to lose this game at the end. They are 2-10 and the best news is that they maintained their position near the top of the 2012 draft.

PonderWatch: We saw the best and worst of rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, who threw for 381 yards and three scores but also had two game-defining interceptions. Part of me wants to give Ponder credit for that kind of production in the absence of tailback Adrian Peterson. Ponder also appeared to be playing on a gimpy leg. But he threw his first interception into the hands of Mario Haggan, resulting in a 16-yard return for a score. And his second put the Broncos in position for Matt Prater's game-winning 23-yard field goal as time expired.

HarvinWatch: Receiver Percy Harvin, who missed practice Friday because of an illness, was the Vikings' big playmaker in the absence of Peterson. Harvin turned two short passes into long touchdown plays in the second half and finished with 156 receiving yards. He also took another five carries out of the backfield. I like the way the Vikings are using Harvin on offense under new coordinator Bill Musgrave.

Secondary woes: When Tim Tebow completes 10 of 15 passes against you for 202 yards and two scores, and isn't intercepted, you know you've got some issues in your secondary. Rookies Brandon Burton and Mistral Raymond saw plenty of action and, not surprisingly, struggled at times. The biggest insult: The Broncos' offense scored 28 points using basically a traditional offense. They didn't need to resort to the option and Tebow had only four carries.

Highlight reel: Rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph gave fans something to think about for the future by reaching over safety Quinton Carter to haul in a 19-yard touchdown reception. You can't ask more from a tight end in the red zone than to render the defender helpless with his size.

What's next: The Vikings will play at the Detroit Lions next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

After Minnesota Vikings' 24-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, here are three issues that merit further examination:

Kevin SeifertFollowing their loss against the Falcons, the Vikings take a seat in the examination room.
1. Coach Leslie Frazier admitted he erred in deciding to seek a touchdown rather than a short field goal on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter. Frazier said his emotions got the best of him and said the "bad mistake" was "purely on me." Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, meanwhile, said he regretted his play call, a handoff to tailback Toby Gehart. Musgrave told reporters he wished he had used a bootleg play to capitalize on quarterback Christian Ponder's mobility. Both men are to be commended for owning up and avoiding tortured justifications. But the admissions won't sit well with those who are concerned about Frazier's game management and/or Musgrave's lack of innovation. One of the primary attributes Frazier seemed to have as a head coaching candidate was his calm demeanor under pressure. But it hasn't always served him as well in his first season as an NFL head coach.
2. Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com offered an interesting sidenote in his game column: Frazier has quietly taken some play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Fred Pagac and was calling at least "a chunk" of the defense himself in Atlanta. That doesn't bode well for the future of Pagac, who doesn't have a position to coach. You would think there is going to be some fallout from a season that, to this point, is one of the worst in franchise history. Frazier is coaching this season with a mix of new assistants and others inherited from the staff of former coach Brad Childress. A clean slate might be necessary. If Pagac is fired, you wonder if Frazier would be tempted to promote linebackers coach Mike Singletary, his long-time friend and confidant.
3. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Percy Harvin's 104-yard kickoff return was the longest play in NFL history that didn't end in a touchdown. I threw that note out Sunday night via on Twitter and was surprised at the level of sardonic humor Vikings fans have descended into. My favorite response came from @reverik: "No one almost scores like us." In all seriousness, we should note that Harvin has now accumulated 200-plus yards in seven of his 40 career games. Remember, Harvin is still only 23. He has played the entire season without any reported migraine episodes and is one of the brightest spots of the Vikings' future.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

I've suggested that the offensive line should be the Vikings' top priority this offseason, but I'm now wondering if their secondary is in need of more attention. It's injury-ravaged at this point, but even if you assume the full recovery of everyone involved, it's hard to identify a reliable starting combination in 2012. Would you count on any of their safeties to be long-term starters? I'm not sure I would. And the futures of the top two cornerbacks in the program, Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook, are uncertain at best.

A few thoughts on another loss for the NFC North's last-place team:

What it means: Down 17-0 at halftime, the Minnesota Vikings made it interesting but ultimately absorbed their ninth loss of the season. It's the franchise's first 2-9 start since 1962.

Harvin Watch: With tailback Adrian Peterson sidelined by a high ankle sprain, receiver/running back Percy Harvin was the team's lone remaining offensive playmaker. And Harvin made two huge plays to give the Vikings a chance in this game, hauling in a 39-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-13 in the fourth quarter and also returning a kickoff 104 yards to the Atlanta Falcons' 3-yard line with six minutes, 28 seconds remaining. Harvin caught eight passes for 95 yards and, including special teams, accounted for 200 all-purpose yards.

Late-game questions here: The final seven minutes in this game will be hotly debated among Vikings fans. Here are the primary questions: Even without Peterson, were the Vikings justified in using Harvin on two consecutive inside running plays on the goal line after his kickoff return? Should coach Leslie Frazier have challenged Harvin's second run, in which he appeared to have crossed the plane on second effort? Down by 10 points, should the Vikings have taken an easy field goal rather than go for a touchdown on fourth down? And should they have given the ball to tailback Toby Gerhart, who hasn't been much of an effective short-yardage runner in his career?

Opinion here: My quick reaction to those questions goes as following. I'm fine with using Harvin. He was the Vikings' best player Sunday. Frazier would have had nothing to lose by challenging the ruling on third down. I would have taken a field goal, but either way you need a field goal and a touchdown to force overtime. But handing the ball to Gerhart on fourth down, especially with a quarterback in Christian Ponder who excels at plays that give him a pass-run option on the outside, was the least defensible of the decisions we saw from Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.

Injury report: Already playing without safety Husain Abdullah and cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook, the Vikings lost safety Tyrell Johnson (hamstring) and cornerback Asher Allen (shoulder) during the game. I thought their defense played well considering they had Benny Sapp, on the street two weeks ago, playing at one cornerback spot and rookie Mistral Raymond at safety. The Vikings also lost long snapper Cullen Loeffler to a back injury. Defensive end Jared Allen did a flawless job as Loefller's replacement and even made a special teams tackle after his first snap.

What's next: The Vikings will host the Denver Broncos next Sunday at the Metrodome. Remember, the game has been moved from CBS to FOX. As of last week, the team had more than 5,000 tickets to sell to avoid a local television blackout.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

Mobility: Bears quarterback Jay Cutler seems to surprise observers with his mobility. Those who know backup Caleb Hanie, who will start Sunday in Cutler's place at the Oakland Raiders, will not be caught unaware by his ability to move outside the pocket. At Colorado State and in Bears preseason games, Hanie has been a wide-open player who has a live arm but is more than willing to take off downfield if he sees an opportunity. He averaged about seven rushing attempts per game as a three-year starter in college and has had 17 carries in parts of 13 preseason games with the Bears. Mike Martz quarterbacks are typically pocket passers, but, for better or worse, that's not the case with Hanie.

The Gray Hole: The Raiders like to call one of the end zones in their home stadium, now known as O.co Coliseum, "The Black Hole." But, for reasons that aren't entirely clear, they have been a better team on the road this season. They are 2-3 at home and have won four of their five road games. Whether it's a fluke or a trend, it's worth noting. This season, the Bears are 2-2 on the road with victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Getting to Palmer: New Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer threw three interceptions in each of his first two games this season but has combined for only one more over his past two starts. The Bears have made their defensive living this season on turnovers and, in particular, interceptions. (They entered this week ranked second in the NFL with 15 interceptions.) There has been a fair amount of talk about leaning more heavily on tailback Matt Forte in Cutler's absence, but he already was producing more than 40 percent of the Bears' total offense even with Cutler in the game. It's more reasonable to expect elevated play from their defense than from Forte.

Peterson factor: How central has tailback Adrian Peterson been to the Minnesota Vikings' offense? Through 10 games, the Vikings' second-leading rusher has been receiver Percy Harvin, who has 28 carries via reverses and occasional backfield appearances. True No. 2 tailback Toby Gerhart has 24 carries. If Peterson's high-ankle sprain keeps him out of Sunday's game at the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings will have a dramatically different offense. In this case, we're probably being kind. Their offense will be missing its only consistent playmaker and one who has the second-most carries (180) in the NFL this season.

Jenkins' revenge: The Falcons didn't want to re-sign receiver Michael Jenkins, and the Vikings quickly scooped him up in free agency in part because of his familiarity with the offense of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, who had been the Falcons' quarterbacks coach. Jenkins has pretty much played as advertised: He's been reliable when the ball is thrown his way, catching 36 of the 49 passes he's been targeted on, but he hasn't been much of a playmaker after the catch. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Jenkins is averaging only 2.9 additional yards after each catch.

After the Detroit Lions' 26-23 victory Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1. Coach Jim Schwartz did his best to temper excitement Monday about both the nature of the Lions' comeback victory and their first 3-0 start in 31 years. "We don't need to have ticker-tape parade over regular-season wins," he said. Schwartz also said: "Our biggest win hasn't come yet." But statistical analyst Alok Pattani used ESPN's win probability tool to research how unlikely the Lions' victory actually was. The tool uses 10 years of NFL play-by-play data to estimate the likelihood that a team will win at a given point in the game. Early in the third quarter of Sunday's game, the Lions had a two percent chance of winning based on the composite of how similar NFL games have proceeded over the past decade. Put another way: An NFL team trailing by 20 points early in the third quarter loses 98 out of 100 times. That should give you some perspective on what the Lions accomplished Sunday.
Kevin SeifertThe Lions take their three-game winning streak with them into the examination room.
2. This week, the NFL world will be lauding receiver Calvin Johnson now that he is the first player in league history to score two touchdowns in each of his team's first three games. And his best catch of the season, the 40-yard "Willie Mays" catch in overtime, didn't even go for a score. But I hope you know that the play worked only because tailback Jahvid Best got himself between Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Best is kindly listed at 199 pounds, but I'm guessing Greenway outweighs him by at least 50. Greenway broke through the line on a blitz and steamrolled Best, but the collision allowed Stafford enough time to get the throw off. The Lions might not have won had Best not made that block.
3. Left tackle Jeff Backus had one really, really bad series Sunday, but I don’t know that I’m ready to join the chorus of nervous nellies about his overall play. Backus had his hands full with Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, and on that one series he committed consecutive false starts and gave up one of the two sacks Allen beat him for in the game. It’s fair to wonder whether Backus’ offseason pectoral injury has or will impact his ability to extend his arms and pass-block, but if I’m the Lions, I’m more concerned about right tackle Gosder Cherilus. At least Backus got beat by one of the NFL’s top pass rushers. Cherilus was benched after a far less accomplished player, Brian Robison, beat him for a sack. Schwartz wasn’t ready to discuss Monday whether Cherilus will be benched permanently, but his play hasn’t been encouraging this season.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

Immediately after Jason Hanson's overtime field goal, referee Ron Winter blew his whistle and indicated the game was not yet over. With Winter's microphone live, Schwartz angrily blurted: "What the [bleep]? Learn the [bleeping] rules!" Monday, Schwartz implied Winter's crew had momentarily transposed the NFL rule that requires a kickoff after a first-possession overtime field goal during a playoff game. I really, really hope that's not what happened. Surely neither Winter nor his crew got that confused, even if it was for a moment. Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com reported that booth officials were reviewing Hanson's field goal to ensure it sailed through the uprights. I just can't accept that an NFL referee would have confused this rule.

This week's Have at It covered the NFC North's four offensive playcallers. It quickly turned into a debate between two men: Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

I asked who you would hire to call plays on a new staff. Most of you eliminated Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave based on his thin two-game résumé in the NFC North. And let's just say that Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz isn't high on many lists -- at least those who want to see the Bears win games.

Wrote duckieduck78: "Usually OCs call plays that emphasize teams' strengths. Martz calls plays that expose teams' weaknesses."

Our SportsNation poll left McCarthy a clear winner with about 60 percent of more than 8,000 votes. Your comments were a bit less definitive, but sgunderson17 offered this blunt assessment: "MM, hands down. You don't win a SB with a coach that can't shred the Steelers defense."

I was a little surprised by how many of you are down on McCarthy's fourth-quarter play-calling, presumably when the Packers are leading. Biggest Cheese: "Play calling goes ultra-conservative, and we basically let teams back in. I'd take McCarthy in Q1-3."

Wrote ellamont76: "McCarthy needs to improve his 'four-minute offense' where they need to run out the clock at the end of a game with a lead. They seem to have trouble transitioning from pedal-to-the-metal to grind it out and chew up clock."

3c3PO19 termed this debate "a weird one for Packer fans" and added: "He does seem to back off the offense's strengths later in the game to try and grind out wins. While we understand that 'grind-out' nature limits turnovers and eats clock, I think we have all seen enough teams 'catch' the Pack to know he is playing with fire by not utilizing the weapons he has for a full 60 minutes. I still think MM is at the top based purely on past performance. But he's not perfect."

I think I get what you're saying, even if it might be an overreaction relative to the big picture. In Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, for example, the Packers took a 42-27 lead early in the fourth quarter. Then they ran on five consecutive plays to open their next possession, had two unsuccessful passing plays and punted.

The series took nearly five minutes off the clock but obviously left enough time for the Saints to make things interesting. But if the Packers had opened that drive with a few passes that stopped the clock, I imagine many of you would be just as upset, if not more.

Few of you had anything bad to say about Linehan. In fact, the only time I've heard him criticized as a playcaller came when he was with the Vikings in 2004, when he got a little too cute at the end of a game against the Seattle Seahawks; a reverse pass by receiver Randy Moss halted a Vikings comeback.

For the most part, however, you recognized Linehan as flexible, open-minded and humble enough to recognize that what works best isn't always what he would prefer to do.

Wrote Zumayander: "Linehan seems to take Mike Martz's best quality, his aggressiveness as a playcaller, and temper it by making the scheme fit the personnel and maximizing potential."

Bobbyg640 thinks "Linehan gets the best out of his players" and praised his ability to craft an increasingly productive scheme without the benefit of a strong running game: "In spite of their weak ground game, they have been one of the highest scoring offenses over the past two seasons."

ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer offered some kind words in his weekly Insider column, writing that he likes Linehan "because he succeeds without being overly complicated." Linehan, wrote Dilfer, "finds successful plays, then runs plays off those plays, adding deception out of familiar setups. Defensive players will tell you, the gimmicky formations aren't as hard to deal with as teams that use the same formations to do a lot of different things. That's Linehan."

My take? Dilfer listed Linehan as an "underrated playcaller," and if anything, I hope this exercise brought to light that Linehan is running one of the NFL's top offenses. Regardless of what you might think of his time as the St. Louis Rams' head coach, Linehan has successfully developed quarterbacks and offensive schemes at every stop of his career as a coordinator.

With that said, I'm not sure if McCarthy gets enough credit for his creativity and his willingness to try new things. And I would classify your objections to his "four-minute" offense under game management rather than play calling.

Otherwise, let's not forget that on the way to their Super Bowl XLV victory, the Packers used more five-receiver sets and more three-back formations than any other NFL team. You don't see teams finding more distinctive spots on the NFL spectrum than that. And this season, McCarthy has unveiled a modified no-huddle offense that will give opponents a new wrinkle to consider.

Some of you might be tempted to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers credit for making calls or changing some plays at the line of scrimmage. That's fine. Rodgers is following the template McCarthy has established. After last season and the first two games of 2011, I think McCarthy deserves the benefit of our doubt.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- As we discussed in Tuesday's Stock Watch post, Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin was on the field for 30 of the team's 65 offensive plays in last Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For the season, Harvin has played about half of the Vikings' snaps (57 of 111), according to video tracking from Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com, and on Wednesday it seemed fair to ask coach Leslie Frazier why.

The Vikings' offense, after all, has scored only 30 points through two games and ranks No. 27 among NFL teams in total yards. Wouldn't it make sense to have your most explosive pass-catcher on the field more often?

"We know what Percy is capable of doing," Frazier said. "He's a big-time playmaker, whether it's on kickoff return or playing wide receiver. It's just a matter of our using his strengths for our greatest advantage, for our team's greatest advantage, picking our spots when we do that. I think we're taking the right approach with Percy, with his reps and the packages we use him in. It's the right approach."

Frazier didn't really explain why it's the right approach, but he did rule out a few reasons. He said coaches have no concerns about Harvin's downfield run blocking, saying: "He's a very good run-blocker [and is] surprising some of those linebackers and [defensive backs] when he comes back and cracks." Frazier also said there are no concerns about Harvin's health, including migraine headaches that plagued him in 2009 and 2010 but appear to have subsided this year.

"We have certain packages where we want to feature him," Frazier said, "and not necessarily overuse him, but use him to help our football team."

I would understand that sentiment if the Vikings were using Harvin as a full-time kickoff and punt returner, as the Chicago Bears essentially do with Devin Hester. But Harvin is splitting kickoff return duties with Lorenzo Booker. Marcus Sherels, meanwhile, is returning punts.

I can't discount the possibility of some unknown and pressing explanation for making Harvin a part-time player, perhaps one that Frazier prefers to keep to himself. Absent of that wild card, however, I just don't get it.

At the very least, Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave appear too caught up in building a scheme and constructing a template for future success. On some teams, it might make sense to use Harvin as a multi-purpose returner/receiver/running back for use in selected packages. But on this team, now and in the foreseeable future, Harvin is one of the top two scoring threats on the roster.

The Vikings' new offense deserves some patience as it plays catch-up from a lost offseason. But the Vikings also merit scrutiny for letting one of their best players stand on the sideline far too often during a 0-2 start.

NFC North playcallers have been in the spotlight during the first two weeks of the season, moreso than I think any of us would have imagined.

The Minnesota Vikings' Bill Musgrave has gone out of his way to listen to the suggestions of his players. But he went neo-conservative in Week 1 against the San Diego Chargers, calling a run of 15 of 19 first-down plays.

Mike Martz reverted to his pass-happy ways last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, calling for a pass on more than 80 percent of the Chicago Bears' plays.

And Green Bay Packers coach/play-caller Mike McCarthy bristled at questions about what has been roughly a 70-30 pass-run ratio this season.

The only play-caller to escape scrutiny, one way or the other, has been Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, whose group has scored 75 points in two games for a red-hot team.

So I figured now was a good time to dive into this realm. For this week's edition of Have at It, tell me which coordinator/play-caller you would choose if you were hiring a staff. The SportsNation poll embedded in this post puts the question a bit more bluntly, but the results will help form our follow-up post.

I realize we're only two weeks into the season, but I think we all have plenty of NFC North institutional memory for Martz, McCarthy and Linehan. Musgrave is admittedly a little bit more of a mystery.

The chart provides an interesting starting point for your discussion. It shows how each play-caller has approached first down, which theoretically is the uncommitted blank canvas that best reveals true intentions and philosophy. You'll see that McCarthy is nearly 50-50 on those plays, with everyone else veering in one direction of the other.

Keep in mind a few things:

• The numbers in the chart count sacks as passing plays. Most notably, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been sacked five times on first-down passing plays.
• Quarterback scrambles count as running plays, meaning these numbers are a bit conservative toward passing. But we're only two weeks into the season, so I don't know if a few scrambles would changes these ratios dramatically.
• First-down ratios are obviously not the only measure of a play-caller nor even the most important. Points are the bottom line, and here is how NFC North offenses stand in that category, excluding special-teams and defensive scores: Lions (75), Packers (65), Bears (36) and Vikings (30).

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below. As always, I'll publish a representative sample, along with my own thoughts, by the end of the week. Have at It.

Midway through the 1984 season, the Chicago Bears were preparing for a game against the Los Angeles Raiders. During practice one day, defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan pulled aside cornerback Leslie Frazier.

"He starts telling me all about Cliff Branch," Frazier recalled recently. "He's telling me how he is an old guy and how I should play him and what I needed to do and all of that. But I watch tape, too, and I look at it and see this guy can still play."

So Frazier marched to Ryan's office and told him the Bears needed a different game plan for Branch, who at the time was 36 and one year away from retirement. "If that's the way you feel," Ryan responded, "go right ahead."

Frazier left Ryan's office proud, motivated and with an indelible impression that helped steer his post-playing career.

"I was like, 'Man, I've got to make this work,'" Frazier said. "He's empowering me in this way and trusting me to do it this way. He thinks I've studied enough and prepared enough to handle [Branch]. Because if I don't, it affects not only me but the entire defense and the entire team. I've always thought about that. Those players, they are the ones that have to go play. Why not listen sometimes?

"We had a system that everybody in America thought was a great system, the 46, blah, blah, blah. In that system, Buddy Ryan would let us make suggestions, let us tweak things and do things. And to me that was his genius."

Branch didn't have a catch in the Bears' 17-6 victory that afternoon. More important for us, 27 years later, Frazier has brought a similar mentality to his new role as the Minnesota Vikings' head coach. He hired offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to tailor a new scheme around the Vikings' existing players, demanding that he seek input from veterans and maximize the strengths of skill players. Musgrave, in turn, has gone so far as to ask quarterbacks to nominate plays to run in preseason games.

Defensive coordinator Fred Pagac has followed suit in the role Frazier held for the previous four seasons, an important turn of events for a veteran-laden team that isn't likely to allow on-high direction to go unchallenged.

"Buddy's ego wasn't so big that he would say, 'Get out of my office we're just going to run the 46 this week, 60 downs,'" Frazier said. "He'd listen and if it made sense, he'd say, 'OK maybe we could give that a try.' Now as a player, you're like, 'Wow, I'm going to try to make this work, because he listened to me, and then you would go down to the locker room and sell it to your teammates.'"

Frazier's approach is hardly revolutionary and is, in fact, practiced to a degree in most NFL cities. But it's notable in Minnesota for its departure from the rigid and structured program of former coach Brad Childress, who held strongly to his personal convictions -- especially as it related to offense -- and left veteran players complaining about a lack of flexibility and input.

Childress' motivation was understandable; he had been hired with a mandate to clean up what owner Zygi Wilf believed was an undisciplined organization. Sometimes the inmates must be returned to the asylum with no questions asked. But from a schematic standpoint, scores of Vikings players were rendered robotic after finding Childress unwilling to make adjustments they had seen and used in other versions of the West Coast offense.

Musgrave, meanwhile, uses terminology derived from the offense developed by former New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt. But the specific plays and formations will be dictated by his evaluation of the Vikings' in-house talent and supplemented by recommendations from players.

Case in point: Musgrave's first conversation with quarterback Donovan McNabb this summer.

"I told him from the get-go that we have a system that we intend to teach to him, the quarterbacks and all the players," Musgrave said. "But it's really his system. It's Donovan's system. So if something happens here ... that he would like to tweak -- maybe call something differently in the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, maybe want to teach differently -- [we want him] to definitely come and talk to us about it because we're open-minded about it. We like to tailor-make or customize our system to fit our players."

Many NFL coaches seek input from key players. On Wednesday, I'll tell you more about the way Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy works with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But trust me when I tell you it's a relative culture change in Minnesota.

"The thing about it," McNabb said, "is that when you have guys that can make plays, you try to find ways to create plays for them. Bill is going to do that, and he's done a great job with that out here. "

Before each preseason game this summer, in fact, Musgrave gave his quarterbacks a working version of his play-calling sheet. The sheet was divided into roughly nine situational categories. According to rookie Christian Ponder, each quarterback was asked to rank his favorite and second-favorite play in each category.

Musgrave would then update the sheet with numerical notations to remind him during the game which quarterback liked which play.

"So we choose what we want to do and those are the things we're going to run when we get in there," Ponder said. "It's great that we have input."

It's worth noting there is a difference between preseason and regular-season game planning. I'm not sure if McNabb will choose all the plays he runs this season.

There is also a distinction between seeking input and running a democracy. Frazier plans the former but has no intention of broaching the latter. As the Vikings' defensive coordinator, he listened often to suggestions from cornerback Antoine Winfield, defensive end Jared Allen and others -- to a point.

"There were times when I might not agree and I had to make the final decision," Frazier said. "Other times I would say, 'You know what, maybe they've got something. Maybe we'll try that.' With a Percy Harvin or an Adrian Peterson, if you just say, 'This is the system, what you're saying may work but it doesn't fit in our system,' man, it gets kind of tough sometimes.

"You need a system, but not to the point where it will impede certain players on the team just because they might struggle with this particular system. You don't want to see one of your players go somewhere else and thrive and then ask, 'Why couldn't they do this in Minnesota?'"

Not even Buddy Ryan was proud enough to let that happen. Good for Leslie Frazier. And good for the Vikings. And open mind always is preferable to the alternative.

Buried deep in Tom Pelissero's column over on 1500ESPN.com was a line that stopped me cold. Thursday night's preseason finale, Pelissero wrote, could be "the last extended game action" that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder sees until August 2012.

At one point, that line would have indicated a disastrous beginning to Ponder's NFL career. The Vikings made him the No. 12 overall pick in part, they said, because he was the most NFL-ready quarterback available in the draft. That assessment made the late-July acquisition of veteran Donovan McNabb surprising, but I'll be the first to admit the Vikings will be a better team in September with McNabb as their starter than they would have been with Ponder. Based on what we've seen in the preseason and in practice, Ponder isn't ready to start for a team that has postseason hopes in 2011.

There is a trade-off, of course. Getting McNabb up to speed, and somewhat stubbornly giving Joe Webb a chance to compete, has cost Ponder the volume of game action that could have accelerated his development. As it is, Ponder has looked like a typical rookie quarterback in his brief preseason stints, one who is figuring it out as he goes along. He has looked proficient on simple bootleg passes that get him out of the pocket, but his resistance to throwing downfield suggests he isn't yet confident where his receivers and the defense will be.

"He was pretty wide-eyed at first," said offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, "[and] understandably because you're not only trying to learn not only a new system, but learning about how NFL defenses react and attack a young quarterback. He's had a bunch on his plate. He's made progress."

Ponder will start Thursday night's game against the Houston Texans, but his path thereafter is unclear. McNabb appears to have absorbed Musgrave's offense quickly, and if the preseason is any guide, has as firm of a grip on the starter's role as he could possibly have. At this point, it's reasonable to foresee him starting 16 games this season, barring injury. His job was to provide insurance against Ponder's development, and the Vikings will need to cash in on it, at least at the season's outset.

It's difficult to gauge how that dynamic will impact Ponder in the long term. For every football person who insists that quarterbacks need sideline development, you get two more who say the only way to improve is through game action. But when I spoke with Ponder during training camp, I got the sense he was perfectly at peace, if not relieved, by the decision to place him on a slower track.

"I was never really worried about it," he said. "I was just trying to do as much as I can to step into that role if it was going to happen. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was trying to get it all in and see how it played out. ...

"[But] it was kind of a mutual thing. It was the best decision for everyone involved with me and the team. Obviously with the whole summer cut out, it makes things a lot harder if you want to start Week 1. To learn from a guy like Donovan, who has been to so many Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl, there are always things you can pick up."

Speaking to reporters this week, Ponder said he has "definitely learned a lot" this summer. He admitted he is "in that thinking stage" but was looking forward to his extended game action Thursday night.

"I've thought each week I've learned a different thing from each game and hopefully take it into this last one," he said. "I think I've progressed."

As the chart shows, the Vikings have used a total of 12 draft choices to acquire nine different quarterbacks in the six years since Daunte Culpepper suffered a career-altering knee injury in 2005. Their search appeared over after drafting Ponder, but it might be a year or so before we find out for sure.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

A national eye will be on the Detroit Lions during Saturday night's preseason game against the New England Patriots, scheduled to be televised by CBS. Will the country see the debut of the first high Lions draft choice to get on the field?

It appears possible, at least, that rookie receiver Titus Young will get an opportunity to play. He has made it through most of this week of practice while coming back from a hamstring injury. It's still possible the Lions will deactivate him for precautionary reasons, but Young has shown enough progress this week to make it possible to play.

Here's how coach Jim Schwartz put it, via Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com: "I don't know if he's over the hump yet, but he's close to it. He was able to put a week of practice together and was able to finish practices. We have done a lot ... doing individual, adding a little bit more, doing some 7-on-7, doing a little bit more here and there. But I think he's at the point where he can go out and get through a whole practice and be able to play in a game."

Young has spent most of the summer on the sideline. Whether he plays Saturday night, this week has provided significant encouragement that he will be ready to contribute on some level when the regular season begins.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press profiles Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who is "intimidating, impossible to please and more than a bit intense."
• Terry Foster of the Detroit News profiles Lions receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, who last year participated in a practice in shoulder pads.
• Chicago Bears safety Major Wright on his glaring missed tackle Monday night, via Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com: "It's definitely something I can learn from. Taking a better angle, slowing down and breaking down."
• Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times on Bears tailback Matt Forte: "Let's start with what Forte isn't: He's not an elite running back. He's not Maurice Jones-Drew. He's not Chris Johnson. He's not Adrian Peterson. He's not going to make something out of nothing along the line."
• Bears receiver Johnny Knox should be starting ahead of Roy Williams, writes Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald.
• Bears left guard Chris Williams worked out this offseason in a barn, writes Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune.
• The Green Bay Packers have quite a battle going on at tight end for roster spots. Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more.
• Packers guard Josh Sitton, via Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette: "I'm really just trying to establish myself as one of the better guys in this league at [my] position."
• Packers running back Ryan Grant should get a heavy workload in Friday night's preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, notes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Minnesota Vikings guard Anthony Herrera told reporters he has no concerns about making it back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, according to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• The Vikings have a deep group of receivers, according to Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Mark Craig of the Star Tribune on Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave: "He'll accentuate his strengths, but, more importantly, he won't overly expose his weaknesses, which at the moment is an offensive line that has a shaky new left tackle and an ongoing competition at right guard, among other question marks lingering from a poor showing in 2010."

Short echoed the concerns of some other Minnesota Vikings I've heard from during Tuesday's SportsNation chat:

The Vikings' offense looks eerily similar to the one [Brad] Childress ran his first couple of seasons here: run, run, 2-yard slant pass on third down, close your eyes and hopefully fall forward for the first down. How can they expect fans to endure that again? They simply have no one who can stretch the field. Your observations, please.

The question reminded me of the guys who used to sit at the Metrodome, in full Childress costume, carrying a mock playcard that showed two plays: "Chester Taylor right" and "Chester Taylor left." Anyway, while I'll admit the Vikings offense hasn't been too exciting or productive yet this summer, I would caution about drawing too many conclusions about preseason playcalling. And it's also worth noting that two of their most explosive pass-catchers, receiver Percy Harvin and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, have been sidelined by injuries.

Here are the raw numbers, for the record: The Vikings first-team offense unofficially has run 31 plays over four possessions this summer. It has gained 135 yards, including 81 on its final drive last Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks, along with eight first downs and three points.

Based on everything we've heard from coach Leslie Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, the Vikings won't attempt to replicate the downfield passing success they achieved in 2009 and tried to carry over to 2010. This offense will revolve around tailback Adrian Peterson. It will look for occasional big plays from Harvin and wisely take advantage of two really skilled pass-catching tight ends in Shiancoe and rookie Kyle Rudolph.

(Worth noting from Mark Craig of the Star Tribune: "No player in camp has looked better" than Rudolph.)

But I would be careful about putting that general philosophy in the same category of what Childress ran in his early years with the Vikings. From a pure football perspective, Musgrave's scheme is inherently different than Childress'.

Musgrave has said often that he'll tailor his playbook to the skills of his players, and we'll delve into that plan soon here on the blog. But for now, it's worth noting that even the basic terminology and concepts have a different origin than Childress' west Coast scheme.

We all like to put titles on offensive and defensive schemes, so here is how Musgrave described his during a summer interview with The Daily Norseman blog:

"Well, our language is based more on the Ron Erhardt system. Of the three different systems that have withstood the test of time in the NFL, you could count Don Coryell's number system, of course Paul Brown and Bill Walsh's West Coast offense system, and Ron Erhardt's system, which has been run for years, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, now with coach [Ken] Whisenhunt in Arizona. Of course it's being run in Atlanta with Mike Mularkey, and portions of it are being implemented in New England, and with the Giants. So our offense will be rooted in that base language."

For perspective, consider that both the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions run a version of Coryell's number system. The Green Bay Packers, of course, use West Coast terminology and concepts. The Vikings, then, will use the same terminology as the Cardinals, Falcons and Steelers, among others.

In the end, I think the 2011 Vikings will feature the run and won't have nearly as many downfield passing plays as they did in 2009 and parts of 2010. But will it be Adrian Peterson left, Adrian Peterson right and a 2-yard pass to a blocking tight end? It's too early to know that.

Reviewing Saturday's action at CenturyLink Field:

Minnesota Vikings 20, Seattle Seahawks 7

Preseason record: 1-1

Of interest: A fumbled punt return and a defensive touchdown left the Vikings' first-team offense with one possession, a three-out and-out, in the first quarter. Its second drive was more encouraging, an 82-yard jaunt that began at the Vikings' 1-yard line and ended with Ryan Longwell's 36-yard field goal. Starters have produced three points in two games for the Vikings, but quarterback Donovan McNabb without question got in a groove in Saturday's second possession. His 20-yard timing pass to receiver Michael Jenkins was especially noteworthy. ... Second-year cornerback Marcus Sherels fumbled the aforementioned punt return, but he made up for it by intercepting a tipped Tarvaris Jackson pass and dashing 64 yards for a touchdown. ... One concern: Seahawks defensive end Raheem Brock got a free lane to sack McNabb when left tackle Charlie Johnson missed his assignment. ... The same thing happened to Vikings defensive end Jared Allen in the first quarter, but he missed a free shot on Jackson. ... Other than that, the starting defense had a nice night. Jackson was under pressure and couldn't establish any timing even when running his usual plate of bootlegs and screens. ... The second-team defense also had a powerful goal-line stand in the second quarter, stuffing four consecutive goal-to-goal runs. ... Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder played it pretty carefully during a 2-minute drill to end the first half, focusing mostly on checkdowns.

Local coverage: Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com: "For all of the questions surrounding the Vikings' offense entering camp, the one that lingers most prominently at the preseason's midpoint remains along the line. Look no further than coordinator Bill Musgrave's heavy reliance on the short passing game for evidence he knows which unit needs protecting." Sherels on the fumble/interception, via Pelissero: "I felt like I let my team down. Everyone was just saying, 'Just forget about it and play the next play.' I felt I had to make a play. Got a lucky bounce and happened to score." Cornerback Cedric Griffin made his first start since his second ACL injury last October, notes Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was eager to watch the film of what he thought was an encouraging outing, writes Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune.

Up next: Saturday vs. Dallas Cowboys