ESPN NFL

As you know by now, ESPN.com is unveiling its 20-member "Any Era" team this week. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was among the first four players named, as we noted earlier Monday.

A number of Hall of Famers made the trip to ESPN headquarters in Bristol to help assemble the team, and ESPN's Front Row blog spoke with former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman John Randle, as well as receiver James Lofton, about the project and their choices of their "Any Era" coach.

Randle chose Vince Lombardi, while Lofton cited Bud Grant to complete the NFC North circle.

In the video below, Randle said "if I could have, I would have played the same way [Suh] plays." He said Suh has sent a message to the rest of the NFL: "Don't come to my gap, don't come toward me, because this is what is going to happen to you."

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Mark Craig of the Star Tribune has an interesting column on what it’s like to be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Leslie Frazier has started his first season as the team’s permanent coach 0-4, and the other day he took a walk down the hallway at the Vikings' practice facility to speak with another coach who did the same thing.

Bud Grant was 0-4 in 1967 before getting his first victory. Grant, who still spends time in his office as a team consultant, spoke with Frazier about the value of a breakthrough victory to get the proverbial ball rolling.

Said Frazier: "Bud's a tremendous resource, a great sounding board. He's trying to encourage me, which I truly appreciate. But it's still tough when you lose. We got to get a 'W.'"

Continuing around the NFC North:

• It’s time for the Vikings to start quarterback Christian Ponder, Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton told Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• The Vikings are not ready to throw in the towel on this season, writes Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com gets to know Green Bay Packers defensive end Jarius Wynn.
• Packers tight end Jermichael Finley needs to accept that he can contribute to the offense as a decoy, writes Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Packers receivers value the yards they can gain after the catch, notes Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The performance of linebacker Bobby Carpenter illustrates the newfound depth of the Detroit Lions, writes Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.
• Lions cornerback Chris Houston proved he is resilient this past Sunday at Cowboys Stadium, writes Tim Twentyman of the Detroit News.
• There is a disconnect between the Lions and their fans on the quality of the running game, writes Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com.
• It's obvious the Chicago Bears are lacking a difference-maker at receiver, writes Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Safety is a major concern for the Bears, writes Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Tribune.
• The ESPNChicago.com crew debate four issues, including whether Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has surpassed the Bears' Jay Cutler.

Examining the most crucial event in the history of every team in the division.

The most important moment in Green Bay Packers history was nearly scuttled by an unlikely source. Shortly after Vince Lombardi accepted the Packers' job as head coach/general manager in 1959, his wife was "distraught," according to historian David Maraniss.

Marie Lombardi approached New York Giants owner Wellington Mara, who owned Lombardi's contract as a Giants assistant coach. As Maraniss writes in "When Pride Still Mattered," Marie begged Mara to block her husband's move.

Mara declined, knowing Vince was ready to be a head coach. Marie stood by her husband. And the rest, as they say, is Packers history.

Lombardi's arrival in Green Bay was your overwhelming choice as the Packers' Flash Point, and it received a higher percentage of votes (69 percent) than any individual event offered in last week's series of polls. Lombardi won his first NFL title in 1961 and collected four more before giving up the job in 1967, building an unmatched legend and painting the franchise in gold mystique for generations to come.

Some of you made impassioned arguments for Curly Lambeau's push to sell stock and make the franchise a non-profit organization in 1923, a short-term fundraising effort that embedded a structure still in operation today. "How can it not be Curly?" wrote mallow420. "If Curly doesn't save the Packers then there's no Packers to hire Lombardi."

Hadessniper allowed that "Lambeau making the Packers public is more important for the Packers, as without that there is simply no way Green Bay keeps a team." But, wrote hadessniper, "Lombardi is probably more important for the NFL as a whole. The NFL was gaining popularity, but Lombardi gave the game a legend. Without Lombardi the NFL wouldn't be what it is today."

Timarquardt was more direct: "Get back to me when someone else wins five championships in seven years. That's Lombardi's legacy and with all due credit to Curly, he did it when there was a bunch of good teams. Curly saved the franchise, obviously important, but without those Lombardi years the team never would have had the following through the dark years of the '70s and '80s to be successful."

What's fascinating to me is that Lambeau actually wanted Lombardi's job in 1959, a decade after an internal power struggle led to Lambeau's ouster. As Maraniss recounts, Lambeau flew to Green Bay during the interview process and launched a campaign to capture at least the general manager position that Lombardi ultimately filled. Dominic Olejniczak, president of the Packers board of directors, resisted the urge to hire him despite heavy public support.

The Flash Point mandate was less clear for the NFC North's other three teams. Let's sort through them in alphabetical order:

BEARS: A hero of 1985

About half of you voted for the arrival of defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, the architect of the 46 defense that led the Bears to a championship in 1985.

Lewie21982 was livid and wrote: "Who are these people voting?? Are you just idiot baby boomers, hippies, or the '80s mullet crowd??? I was born in the '80s and clearly know the decision of drafting Red Grange or instituting the T-Formation was the most significant thing the Bears have ever done. The Bears have nine championships and eight of them were before Buddy Ryan, Mike Ditka, or the 46 defense ever came around!!"

I hear ya, Lewie21982. Red Grange made the Bears an early heavy hitter in pro football, and George Halas' schematic innovations led to the golden age in franchise history -- four world titles in seven years between 1940-46. But I understand where the baby boomers, hippies and mulleteers were going.

The 1985 Bears were the best team in franchise history and one of the most dominant of the NFL's post-merger era. With all due respect to Ditka and running back Walter Payton, Ryan's 46 defense was the biggest reason. It's impossible for a single moment to spawn something so impactful, and I heard a suggestion for ex-general manager Jim Finks acquiring many of that team's stars. But without Buddy Ryan, the 46 defense doesn't exist and the 1985 Bears as they were known never come to be.

LIONS: Forgetting yesteryear

The Detroit Lions' Flash Point vote got more action than any team in the division, garnering more than 53,000 votes. On that, we can agree.

But did the decision to draft running back Barry Sanders have more impact than any other event in franchise history? About 60 percent of you thought so, although the comments reflected a wider disparity.

I'm not on board, and neither was j_sleik83. We agree that quarterback Bobby Layne brought the Lions what Sanders never did. J_sleik83: "Bobby Layne in combination with the Hall of Fame defensive backfield the Lions had during the entirety of the '50s IS their defining era. Barry Sanders didn't lead them to the promised land, Layne did."

I mean no disrespect to Sanders, who forged a Hall of Fame career on some otherwise undermanned teams. But with Layne behind center, the Lions won NFL titles in 1952 and 1953. He contributed to a third in 1957, and upon his subsequent departure, Layne placed a (possibly apocryphal) 50-year curse on the franchise. (For that reason, DWargs thought trading Layne away is the defining moment in franchise history: "Haven't gotten close to a championship since.")

Several of you pointed to the ownership of the Ford family as the primary reason for that dubious run. Regardless, I understand that Lions history is defined more by failure than success. But on an otherwise desultory landscape, the Lions once had a brilliant run. Bobby Layne was the single biggest reason why.

VIKINGS: Varied opinions

I did either an excellent or terrible job of choosing options for the Minnesota Vikings' Flash Point: All four possibilities received between 19 and 32 percent of the vote. Assembling the "Purple People Eaters" had the highest percentage, but its total was hardly a mandate among the 38,000 or so votes cast.

Scanning the comments, it was clear that you agreed on only one thing: A Vikings Flash Point needed to reflect a long history of dysfunction.

Even looking beyond the obvious, Ymacdaddy offered this litany: "Herschel Walker, Metrodome [collapse], Gary Anderson, Dimitrius Underwood, too many in huddle, big-game chokers, etc. How about Darrin Nelson before Marcus Allen?"

The 1989 Walker trade, in which the Vikings ultimately gave up five players and six draft choices, received multiple mentions. So did Gary Anderson's shocking field goal miss in the 1998 NFC Championship Game. BuckeyeVikes80 is "still reeling from that 12 years later."

Dbatten1 noted Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach's Hail Mary pass to Drew "Push" Pearson in the 1975 playoffs. TampaPacMan's moment was the final play of the 2003 season, when the Vikings lost the NFC North title and a playoff berth by giving up an improbable touchdown to Arizona Cardinals receiver Nathan Poole. It was "the signature moment in a franchise history littered with failures!" wrote TampaPacMan.

If it were up to me, Bud Grant's arrival would rank as the most significant moment in Vikings history. Many of us would agree that Grant has made the single-biggest impact in this franchise's 50 years. But what do I know? I just work here.

The Minnesota Vikings have entered into what amounts to a 13-day agreement with Ramsey County to build a new stadium, one that requires near-immediate action from the state legislature to approve a $1.057 billion proposal before it adjourns May 23. If not, all bets are off about the future of this project.

That's the upshot of a news conference Tuesday to announce the Vikings' long-awaited site selection. It's a 260-acre plot in suburban Arden Hills, about 10 miles north of both Minneapolis and St. Paul, near the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant that has been abandoned for decades. The proposed stadium would have 65,000 seats, a retractable roof and room for 21,000 parking spaces. It would be publicly owned but privately operated by the Vikings.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf called Arden Hills "an ideal site" but admitted it was chosen, in part, because two other targeted sites offered minimal interest. The Farmers Market site near Target Field was a non-starter because its ruling government body, Hennepin County, bowed out of the running. And it's clear the Vikings didn't take seriously a frantic proposal from the city of Minneapolis to rebuild the Metrodome site.

But if the Vikings and Ramsey County leaders are unable to win legislative approval before May 23, there would be nothing binding either side to the agreement moving forward. Asked several times about the issue, neither Wilf nor Ramsey County commissioner Tony Bennett would offer a commitment beyond this month. Their non-answers at least opened the possibility for a new bidding process this fall or next winter.

I give the Vikings credit for putting forward an exciting, if expensive, proposal, one that had former coach Bud Grant proclaiming that he was ready to "bring on Green Bay." Tailgating and the potential for outdoor football, with a choice of closing the roof when necessary, sounds like a win-win to me.

But I don't think anyone has a feel for whether the proposal will be taken seriously by a state legislature that continues to wrestle over state budget overruns, especially a proposal that is at least $150 million more expensive than one introduced a day earlier. A few additional points along those lines:

• The retractable roof wasn't the only surprise. The Vikings' offer of $407 million was nearly double what they have previously committed to stadium projects.
• According to a news release, Ramsey County would raise $350 million through a 0.5 percent sales tax. Bennett said he had the votes to pass the tax on his county board.
• The state of Minnesota would contribute $300 million through user-fee taxes.
• There is some disagreement, or at least negotiating room, on the cost and necessity of road improvements to access the site. Gov. Mark Dayton estimated the road costs at $175 million to $240 million. Bennett said the work can be done for much less and offered to underwrite a 20-year loan to the state that would require $7 million annual payments, including interest. Combine the stadium cost with infrastructure and roads, and you're exceeding $1.2 billion.
• There was no mention of an NFL contribution toward the $407 million the Vikings committed. We've discussed the NFL's exhausted G-3 program. I'll endeavor to find out if the Vikings are including an estimated payment from a replenished G-3 as part of their contribution.

I know some of you think I'm a bah-humbug stadium observer, but I've been watching this roller coaster for almost 12 years. I cringed Tuesday afternoon while reading celebratory tweets from fans who believe this issue is solved. At best, the Vikings are at halftime.

Selecting a site and proposing a financing plan are fundamental building blocks, not finishing touches. Much of this discussion will be wasted breath unless the Minnesota state legislature jumps on board. We'll know in 13 days.

What key event significantly changed the fortunes of the Vikings -- for better or worse? Give us your take and we'll give you our definitive moment on May 17.

The Minnesota Vikings, founded in 1961, are the relative expansion team of the NFC North. Their early history was marked by a golden age of four Super Bowl appearances, more than the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions over that span. More recently, they've offered an entertaining and drama-filled timeline of off-field shenanigans.

Behind coach Bud Grant, hired in 1967, the Vikings appeared in four Super Bowls in a seven-year span. General manager Jim Finks, who would later play a part in the Bears' renaissance, plucked Grant out of the Canadian Football League.

Finks and Grant assembled a defensive line that changed the game and served as the franchise's anchor. Two of its members, Alan Page and Carl Eller, are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A third, Jim Marshall, played in a then-record 270 consecutive games.

The decision to draft receiver Randy Moss in 1998 was transformative, elevating the Vikings from a team that couldn't sell out the Metrodome to one that has sold out every game since. Ultimately, however, the Vikings failed in their efforts to build a championship team around him.

Finally, the Vikings' humiliating performance in the 2000 NFC Championship Game -- they appeared to give up at halftime of a 41-0 loss to the New York Giants -- sparked a downswing that lasted for most of the decade. It took eight seasons to win another division championship and 10 seasons to return to the NFC Championship Game.

Use the module in this post to cast your vote. If you vote Other, give us your suggestion in the comments area below.

Better late than never, let's take a moment to reflect on the highlights of Tuesday's SportsNation chat. I was too caught up in a whole lot of nothing this week to circle back on our chat, but you brought forth a number of interesting topics to continue mulling.

Topping the list was a surprising number of you who thought the Detroit Lions operated from miscalculated priorities during the draft. We also hit the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback situation, the Chicago Bears' plans for their offensive line and the Green Bay Packers' future returner.

We'll move through the issues one team at a time, adding a few extra smart-aleck comments and commentaries along the way.

Detroit Lions

Nathan (DC)

Everyone loves the Lions pick of [Nick[ Fairley in the first round. I don't. [Anthony] Castonzo and [Prince] Amukamara were still on the board. The Lions won't be able to afford to pay both [Ndamukong] Suh and Fairley in a few years. I think they blew it. Am I way off base?

Kevin Seifert (2:03 PM)

Well, I wouldn't assume they wouldn't be able to pay both of those guys. Even if there is a cap at that point, your management of it is strategic. You put your money in your priorities. The Lions have clearly prioritized their defensive line. And regardless, they should have at least four years of both guys signed to their rookie deals. Four years is about as far ahead as anyone in the NFL looks. I'm fine with them passing on Castonzo and Amukamara as long as they continue to address their needs in free agency. But I do agree it's a risk.

Andy (Arlington, VA)

Kev, Detroit is getting way too much love for their draft. They took their best position on defense, and bolstered it. They left their dreadful LB corps and secondary intact. I realize media types get all drooly thinking about Suh and Fairley together, but don't you think Mike McCarthy might have an idea how to gameplan that?

Kevin Seifert (2:26 PM)

Well, it's hard to gameplan to get around two monsters in the middle. That's why they're so valuable. They're the closest to the quarterback and the first opportunity to disrupt the play.

Further comment: At some point, the Lions are going to have to address an offensive line that has a 33-year-old left tackle in Jeff Backus and a 32-year-old center in Dominic Raiola. But it's clear the Lions' consternation doesn't equal that of some fans. As for cornerback, the Lions might be prepared to make a significant financial investment in free agency. Don't forget they were willing, according to reports, to give up first-, second- and fourth-round draft picks to trade up for LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Minnesota Vikings

doc (montana)

The Vikings have taken a lot of heat for there first round pick. I am old school and Bud Grant once told me the closer the player is to the ball the smarter he has to be, center and quarterback is what he is talking about and if you look a Matt Birk and some of the elite quarterbacks they are a lot smarter then they are physical specimens. If you buy into that in which I do ( think we may have the steal of the draft. What am I missing?

Kevin Seifert (2:16 PM)

Well, Ponder has the first part taken care of. There's no doubt he's a book-smart kid. He'll be able to learn the plays and know the reads without a doubt. But does that mean he can play? Two different issues. A smart quarterback can still get rattled in the pocket and can still make poor decisions. Difference between smarts and instincts.

Elliot (Toronto, ON)

Kevin, you may be no [Rick] Spielman, but if you were, would you have traded the 2nd-round pick to Dallas to get Blaine Gabbert? Getting [Kyle] Rudolph was important, but who'd you rather have, him and Ponder or Gabbert?

Kevin Seifert (2:24 PM)

I would have looked at it this way: Is the difference between Gabbert and Ponder worth a second-round pick? I think that's questionable. But if I felt it were, absolutely I would have done it. Drafting a quarterback in the first round should be a once-in-decade thing. You should do everything you need to do to get it right.

Further comment: Ponder's intelligence is particularly important when you realize he'll be asked to absorb the Vikings' playbook after little to no offseason work and, the team hopes, win the starting job out of training camp. As for whether Gabbert is a second-round pick better than Ponder, I think that's questionable at best.

Chicago Bears

Paul (Denver)

What do you think of [Gabe] Carimi? Does he hold down LT for ten years or will he be shifted over to RT as a nasty run blocker?

Kevin Seifert (2:45 PM)

I'm thinking right tackle, especially this season. But it's incumbent on them finding someone to play left tackle. I wonder if that will be J'Marcus Webb.

Steve (NY)

I read a draft analysis on Yahoo! that said Carimi is overrated... thoughts?

Kevin Seifert (2:28 PM)

As always, it depends on who you talk to. Seems like a mean, tough guy. The Bears could use some more of that, even if he ends up on right tackle. Other than Olin Kreutz, a lot of the linemen they played last year were pretty passive.

Further comment: When people say Carimi is a "Mike Tice" kind of offensive lineman, referring to the Bears' offensive line coach, they mean he is a blue-collar mountain mover who is strong enough to overpower opponents and thick-skinned enough to absorb Tice's barbs constructively. If he is who we think he is, Carimi will help set an important attitude tone for this line.

Green Bay Packers

Bryant (Milwaukee)

Does Randall Cobb instantly become the Packers best option to return punts and Kicks?

Kevin Seifert (2:49 PM)

I would think so, yes. Let's get Tramon Williams as far away from punt returns as possible.

Further comment: The question isn't whether Cobb becomes the Packers' returner. It's the extent to which McCarthy can find an immediate role for him in the offense. Cobb has the potential to be a game-changer.

Bonus "question"

Peter (Atlanta, GA)

Is Rashard Mendenhall the dumbest athlete on the planet right now?

Kevin Seifert (2:46 PM)

I would say yes. Resoundingly.

Further comment: Is any necessary? More than an intelligence issue, Mendenhall has a judgment issue. Free speech is great. Factual distortion, on the other hand, is not guaranteed by the First Amendment.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Five years ago, the Minnesota Vikings swept up Brad Childress during what they believed was a frenzied, multi-team competition for the man they considered the hottest coaching candidate on the market. They flew him into town less than 24 hours after firing Mike Tice and kept him sequestered in a Twin Cities hotel while they half-heartedly interviewed the remaining candidates on their list.

Owner Zygi Wilf triumphantly lauded Childress as a disciplinarian who would restore order to the franchise on and off the field. "Brad Childress is a winner," Wilf famously said.

But Wilf could never answer the follow-up question: How do you know?

At 49, Childress had never been a head coach at any level. He had been the offensive coordinator of the highly successful Philadelphia Eagles, but coach Andy Reid called almost all of the plays over that period. Childress' ability to relate with players was also a debatable proposition; among other stories, it was public knowledge that mercurial receiver Terrell Owens had asked Childress to stop talking to him during the 2005 season.

If I had to sum up why Childress failed in Minnesota, my tight answer would include those two reasons. He had a distant relationship at best with players, feuding with most key veterans at one point or another. And his schemes were uninspiring and rigid, routinely minimizing the skills of talented players.

Few coaches bring both of those disparate skills to the table, but having one can usually mitigate the need for the other. You can inspire players to excel by reaching them personally, or you can put them in position to play well with smart schemes that maximize their skills.

Childress, however, did neither consistently. It's true that his teams won consecutive NFC North titles, something that hadn't happened in Minnesota since 1977-78. But starting with his first season and continuing through those title years, we heard the same complaints about his program.

Veteran quarterbacks from Brad Johnson to Kelly Holcomb to Gus Frerotte chafed in an offense they believed could have been much better if allowed more in-game freedom. When Brett Favre brazenly freelanced last season, Childress angrily considered benching him.

That rigidity wasn't limited to quarterbacks, however. In 2006, Childress minimized receiver Marcus Robinson because his best route -- the fade in the end zone -- wasn't a part of his red zone offense. The scheme provided no avenue to get tailbacks Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor on the field at the same time.

If you searched hard enough, similar whispers could be heard before Childress' arrival. I doubt Wilf heard any of them. Why? His coaching search committee included no one with a football background. The primary interviewers were Wilf, his brother Mark, vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and vice president of operations Kevin Warren.

Brzezinski and Warren are experts in their fields, but neither was qualified to assess if Childress' football acumen was as good as advertised. It's almost as if they assumed it based on Childress' stature as a "hot" coaching candidate. I once asked a high-ranking team official this question: Whom did you use for the "football" portion of the interview, the part where Childress' schematic and actual coaching talents would be measured?

The answer?

Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant, who had been retired for 20 years. My understanding is that it was a cursory conversation, and it's interesting to note that Grant has always been silent about Childress and his performance.

Some successful coaches channel Bill Belichick, attempting to out-think and out-scheme opponents. Others emulate Bill Cowher, whose motivational skills kept his teams playing hard for more than a decade. Childress didn't fall in either category, and ultimately that's why his players turned on him this season. They felt neither inspired nor challenged.

Childress began clashing with players on a personal level early in his first season, starting with cornerback Antoine Winfield, and even in the best of times had what players described as a cold and distant relationship.

Without a foundation of trust and loyalty, Childress watched as his players reached near-mutinous levels at the first sign of adversity this season. It led to a confrontation with receiver Percy Harvin, among many other incidents. It all culminated Sunday when the Vikings sideline fell into chaos during a 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. It's rare when you see a coach keep his job under those conditions.

Childress did make a positive impact in many areas of the organization, cleaning up his team's off-field behavior and professionalizing the team's organizational culture. But without a so-called hook to hang his hat on -- an attribute that could help him navigate tough waters -- he ultimately failed.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

NFL head coaches meet and speak frequently with their team owners, but the discussions take on more public meaning when the team is 0-4 -- and heading to 0-and-who-knows. So it was newsworthy this week to learn that Detroit coach Rod Marinelli met Monday with Lions owner William Clay Ford, a day after the team's 34-7 home debacle against Chicago.

According to Marinelli, there was no discussion about his future with the team. He said earlier this week he would "never" resign.

"I always tell him the truth and what I feel, but I also put it on me," Marinelli told reporters in Detroit. "It's my job. That's what I'm supposed to do, win here."

Marinelli said there were no clues to be gained from Ford's demeanor.

"I never try to read nothing into anything," he said. "I just go in and explain where we're at and what we're trying to do."

The conventional wisdom is that Marinelli will have the rest of this season to prove he should get a fourth as Lions coach. Although Ford already has fired president/general manager Matt Millen, there isn't an obvious in-house replacement for Marinelli to coach out the rest of the season if he fired.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Former Lions receiver Charles Rogers must pay the team $8.5 million in bonus money, an arbitrator ruled. Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com has details. The team successfully argued Rogers defaulted on his contract when the NFL suspended him for a year after multiple violations of the substance abuse policy.
• Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers said there is "no doubt" he will start Sunday at Seattle, according to Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal.
• During a conference call with Wisconsin media, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren commented on the messy divorce between the Packers and quarterback Brett Favre. "It was too bad," Holmgren said, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Packers defensive tackle Justin Harrell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he will be ready to practice when he's eligible to come off the Physically Unable to Perform list next Monday. Harrell had two offseason back surgeries.
• The Star Tribune learned the identities of four punters brought in for workouts Wednesday. The list includes: Former Denver punter Sam Paulescu, former Seattle punter Ryan Plackemeier, Adam Crossett and Glenn Pakulak.
• Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune writes that former Vikings coach Bud Grant never would have apologized for a strange victory like the one Minnesota had Monday night over New Orleans.
• A fire in the hometown of Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte left one building almost completely destroyed. The only thing remaining was a wall painted with a mural of Frerotte, according to Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Frerotte is trying to help the displaced families in Ford City, Pa.
• The Chicago Bears will force rookie quarterback Matt Ryan to beat them Sunday in Atlanta, according to David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears won't let tailback Michael Turner do it and will use safety Kevin Payne near the line of scrimmage to reinforce their run defense.
  
• Bears defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek said teammate Tommie Harris looked "great" in practice Wednesday, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times. Harris rejoined the team this week after a one-game suspension.