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Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Minnesota Vikings and why.

As the Vikings' interim coach in 2010, Leslie Frazier won three games and lost three games. Promoted to the permanent job shortly thereafter, Frazier was part of a 3-13 disaster in 2011 that prompted an organizational shift in power to general manager Rick Spielman and a significant overhaul of the roster.

So in sum, Frazier has a 6-16 record, is entering the second year of a three-year contract and will be asked to compete with a roster that is at least a year from legitimate contention. The team plays in arguably the NFL's toughest division, and he'll have a second-year quarterback in Christian Ponder, three new starters on the offensive line, a rookie place-kicker and first-time starters down the middle of his defense -- at nose tackle, middle linebacker and possibly both safety positions.

Oh, and Frazier's best player -- tailback Adrian Peterson -- is recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in December. Peterson insists he will be ready for the opening of the season, but the Vikings' medical staff has refused to confirm that timetable.

Frazier is a good person and a good coach, but that's a challenging series of obstacles for someone hoping to make it to a third season. At 6-16, the honeymoon period of his tenure is over. If nothing else, he'll be undermanned as he attempts to steer the team toward more victories.

I realize most of Minnesota, and a good portion of the NFC North, is focused on Monday's scheduled debate and vote on the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill. But I'm told by sources close to the situation that the Vikings held a three-day rookie minicamp over the weekend, and while it's dangerous to read much of anything into what happens at such events, two items jumped out to me in reviewing accounts of the weekend.

First, the Vikings will start off fifth-round choice Robert Blanton at safety rather than cornerback, immediately escalating his chances of making the team and seeing the field in 2012. As coach Leslie Frazier told reporters, the Vikings finished 2011 without an established starter at either safety position. "We want an open competition," Frazier said.

The Vikings have not yet re-signed 2011 starter Husain Abdullah, who struggled with concussions last season. That leaves Blanton to compete with Jamarca Sanford and Mistral Raymond for the spot opposite the one likely to be held by first-round draft choice Harrison Smith.

Second, there was no mistaking that the Vikings drafted Georgia place-kicker Blair Walsh to mount a serious threat at incumbent Ryan Longwell, who only a year ago signed a multiyear contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus.

Over the weekend, Ben of Chicago wondered if the Vikings wanted to use Walsh as a kickoff specialist, one who would justify his roster spot by limiting the number of coverage specialists the Vikings might need to keep. Frazier said that scenario is "possible" but made clear "it's not in the game plan right now."

As we discussed over draft weekend, teams don't use draft picks on place-kickers without a significant purpose. In recent history, it's usually been either to unseat an incumbent or to fill an obvious hole.

In the five drafts between 2007 and 2011, NFL teams drafted eight place-kickers. Seven of them appeared on their team's roster at some point during their rookie season, although one of them -- David Buehler of the Dallas Cowboys -- was strictly a kickoff specialist.

Longwell will turn 38 in August, but I wouldn't consider replacing him to be atop the Vikings' list of needs. Still, Frazier said "we are obviously going to take a close look" at Walsh this summer in training camp. Stay tuned on that one.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Monday's scheduled adjournment of the Minnesota state legislature came and went without resolution on any significant issue, meaning the session will continue on. That gives the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill a chance to be heard and approved at some point between now and May 21, the constitutionally required day to adjourn.

As the Star Tribune explains, there are at least two other issues -- business-tax relief and bonding -- that legislators appear to have put ahead in line of the stadium bill.

It's impossible to know how long those issues will take to resolve, and there's no sense trying to project the timetable. We'll keep you updated on any progress.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Vikings coach Leslie Frazier thought the team's depth was "abysmal" in some areas last season. Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com has more.
• Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "I have to admit, my wife had to wake me up at 8 this morning because I was physically and mentally exhausted."
• Former Vikings and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will have to testify in court about sexually suggestive text messages he allegedly sent while with the New York Jets in 2008, according to the Associated Press.
• Tackling skills were a big part of the Packers' draft evaluation, writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com wonders if Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie will hire any former Packers scouts.
• The Packers' unsettled safety position means that rookie Jerron McMillian will have a legitimate opportunity to play, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Detroit News has video of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson's Top 10 list on "Late Show with David Letterman."
• New Lions quarterback Kellen Moore on draft weekend, via Chad Cripe of the Idaho Statesman: "Very frustrating process, but a great outcome in the end."
• Kick returner Stefan Logan might face a roster challenge this summer, writes Justin Rogers of Mlive.com.
• ESPN analyst Mel Kiper backed the Chicago Bears' choice of defensive end Shea McClellin, notes Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune speaks with former Bears running back Rashaan Salaam.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Free agent receiver Jerome Simpson was released from jail last Friday after serving a 15-day sentence in connection with a felony drug conviction. By mid-day Saturday, Simpson was in the Twin Cities, visiting with Minnesota Vikings officials and having lunch with several officials. By Tuesday, Simpson and the Vikings had agreed to a one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Speaking Tuesday at a news conference to discuss this week's NFL draft, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman refused to confirm the deal, because the contract has not yet been signed. But Spielman made clear his pursuit of Simpson was not a whirlwind affair, but instead dated back four years, when the Vikings targeted him as a high priority in the 2008 draft, and said the organization did exhaustive research on Simpson before bringing him in for last weekend's visit.

Spielman also cited previous decisions to bring in players with "character issues," from defensive end Jared Allen to receiver Percy Harvin, that have been "very productive, not only on the field but as citizens."

Spielman added: "We do our due diligence. I've talked to a lot of people. [Coach] Leslie Frazier has talked to a lot of people. We've had a lot of people in this organization reach out to a lot of different avenues besides inside the NFL, things that are outside the NFL, and that's why we brought him in. If we didn't feel comfortable enough with all the information that we have gathered, we probably wouldn't have had him in on a visit.

"But we felt comfortable enough ... that we brought him on a visit. [We had] very direct conversations and felt very strongly [about] Jerome Simpson. ... Did he make a mistake? No one is going to say he didn’t make a mistake, but [we] also think he has a chance to be one of those success stories as well."

There are three important points to be made here.

First, there is no use getting caught up in why the Vikings were willing to sign a player whose crime included having more than two pounds of marijuana delivered to his house. The reality is good players routinely get second and sometimes third chances in the NFL, and Simpson is most definitely a good player who probably qualifies as the Vikings' second-best receiver after Harvin.

Second, the Vikings have made little commitment here from a financial standpoint. Simpson has been suspended for the first three games of the 2012 season, and he isn't in position to make many demands. So the Vikings got a starting-caliber receiver at a bargain price with little financial repercussions if it doesn't work out. You could argue that their reputation would take a hit if Simpson runs into more trouble, but if public perception was this organization's top priority, it would have released cornerback Chris Cook long before he went to trial this winter on a domestic charge. (Cook was eventually acquitted of all charges.)

Third, I don't think signing Simpson should impact your thoughts about who the Vikings will draft at either No. 3 overall, or even in the second or third round. Although Spielman continued to insist that Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon is one of three possible picks at No. 3, I don't believe him. The Vikings don't seem likely to draft Blackmon with or without Simpson, and it's difficult to believe anyone would alter their draft board based on the arrival of a receiver who is probably one incident away from a year-long NFL suspension.

In the end, there is minimal risk here, and a potentially decent reward. Time will tell.

Even a quiet week by NFC North standards leaves us with some loose ends to tie up over the weekend. I see many of your blog comments and Facebook responses, all of your mailbag submissions and every one of your @replies on Twitter. Proceed accordingly.

Several readers think Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier had more to do with this "unfortunate timing" than I debited him for in Tuesday's post about his future. Randal of Cambridge wrote: He is mostly to blame for the 2011 lost year. They could have been one or two steps further into rebuilding. He pushed for the Donovan McNabb trade but even more damaging was when the season was lost in late October; Frazier did not see what he had in his young players. It was inexcusable to play Jared Allen and Brian Robison as much as they did. He should have given the following players more playing time: DE D'Aundre Reed, DE Everson Griffen, G Brandon Fusco and T DeMarcus Love. And signing Benny Sapp was a mistake. There must have been some practice squad CB from another team who could have been given a chance.

Kevin Seifert: I'm torn on how much blame Frazier should get in that regard. If given the choice, few if any coaches are going to take the long-term road. The Vikings made it to the NFC Championship Game in 2009 and were torn apart by internal strife in 2010. Frazier thought they could be competitive in 2011 with a decrease in tension, especially if he could find a veteran quarterback to replace Brett Favre.

In truth, the Vikings would have had a much better record in 2011 if McNabb fit the bill, but his shortcomings have been well-discussed. What Frazier really needed last season was a general manager to tell him that a quick fix lasts only as long as the next one. Frazier needed a general manager to reassure him that he would be evaluated based on what he did with the tools he was given, rather than allowing him to influence the choice of tools themselves.

Rick Spielman's promotion has created that type of structure, and we now see the Vikings taking the longer-term approach that Frazier understandably eschewed when given a choice in 2011.

As far as playing untested youngsters to evaluate them for future years, I've always considered that idea on a case-by-case basis. Only players that have demonstrated in practice that they're ready for such a chance should play. It's reasonable to wish Griffen would have gotten a few more snaps from Robison, but I'm not going to hold it against Frazier for limiting his rookie offensive linemen last season. The Vikings' top priority at the time was to develop quarterback Christian Ponder, and Frazier was obligated to use the best offensive linemen he had -- regardless of their futures -- to facilitate that.

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Wil of Minneapolis wonders if Spielman and owner Zygi Wilf will evaluate Frazier on a curve as a result of the roster overhaul: Do you think that Rick, Zygi, and Frazier had a goal and expectations meeting about the 2012 season? Although no one wants to tell the public we expect a 6-10 or 4-12 record, this youth movement and historical records from other teams would probably indicate that. I think it's only fair to have reasonable expectations of Frazier and the football product. After all, the Vikings can easily go 0-6 in the NFC North alone!!!

Kevin Seifert: That's the unfortunate part of the timing, in my view. It's reasonable to have non-tangible expectations and goals in the first year of a coach's tenure, but generally teams want to see progress in the second year.

The Vikings finished 3-13 last season and are competing in a division that features two 2011 playoff teams along with a much-improved Chicago Bears team. Say the Vikings finish 4-12 or 5-11. That would give Frazier a 10-28 or 11-27 record in two-plus seasons. Most coaches deserve three years to make an impact, but at the very least, it wouldn't be an easy decision to bring back a coach with that kind of record.

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Rick of Moorhead, Minn., notes the list of players invited to the NFL draft and writes: Shea McClellin invited to NYC for the draft? Doesn't that indicate he will go the first night? I thought he was more like mid second round. Green Bay might be the team to take a shot, but it seems like a reach at 28.

Kevin Seifert: McClellin is a Boise State defensive end who would probably project as a linebacker in the Packers' 3-4 scheme. He has been a so-called quick riser in the draft, but whether he is a first-round pick remains to be seen.

Regardless, the NFL invites a cross-section of players so they can have at least some live interviews on site during the first two nights of the draft, which includes the first three rounds. Don't forget that receiver Randall Cobb was in New York when the Packers made him the final pick of the second round last season.

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Facebook friend Steve asked if the new deal Lance Briggs received from the Chicago Bears has a "no more whining about contracts" clause.

Kevin Seifert: Ouch. At the very least, it bought the Bears two more years of relative peace. At that point, Briggs will be approaching his 34th birthday and, like most players at that age and his position, will probably be thrilled to have a job.

As several reports have noted, Briggs will earn $6.25 million this season and $5.75 million in 2013. He'll also be in position to earn $5.275 million in 2014.

In the end, Briggs got less than $2 million in "new money" with this renegotiation. But it just shows that teams don't always have to break the bank to make a player happy. They just need to show a gesture of love, and in this case that's all it took for Briggs.

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It's time for our semiannual reminder about "balance." Mitch of Green Bay writes: At the rate you are discussing the Packers, it'll take you all of next season to "even things out" after how much Bears talk is going on the past few days. Anonymously, another reader added: Five of the last six blog posts have Bear headlines. There are three other teams in the NFC North. You should be a little more balanced in your reporting.

Kevin Seifert: I realize that readers filter in and out of the blog network, so it bears repeating: News doesn't occur in neat and equal 25 percent increments between our four teams. I have no interest in manufacturing posts to maintain daily balance when experience shows that everyone will get their turn over time. If you're taking a three-day, three-week or even a three-month snapshot, you'll almost certainly find an unequal proportion of posts relative to our four teams.

There were interesting things to write about the Bears this week, including the Briggs extension, and that's where I focused my time. Where will we look next week? Only The Shadow knows what evil lurks in the heart of all men.

My trip to the NFL owners meetings last month included a chance encounter with an NFL executive. We discussed the state of what has become a highly competitive and interesting division from a league perspective, given the Green Bay Packers' recent success, the Detroit Lions' explosive offense and the Chicago Bears' flurry of offseason improvements.

And then we got to the Minnesota Vikings.

"Big year for Leslie Frazier," the executive said. "Big year."

That perspective caught me by surprise, given that Frazier has spent exactly one full season as the Vikings' permanent head coach. But Frazier is also entering what reportedly is the final fully guaranteed year of his contract, and the long-term approach the Vikings have taken toward building their roster provides a substantial challenge to a coach with limited job security.

That's a nice way of saying Frazier probably needs to do a lot better in 2012 than the 3-13 record he produced last year, but with a roster that won't be constructed to support a quick turnaround. It's an unfortunate collection of circumstances that Frazier is only partially to blame for, but when viewed in the big picture, you can understand why the executive sees 2012 as a pressure point for his career.

(My friend Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com made a similar point last week.)

When the Vikings promoted Rick Spielman to general manager in January, Frazier said the move "should help me tremendously." Generally speaking, working for a good general manager is a healthy situation for any coach.

But since that point, the Vikings have dismantled their offensive line by releasing both starting guards and making plans to shift left tackle Charlie Johnson inside. They've given young quarterback Christian Ponder one more established playmaker, tight end John Carlson, but otherwise left their offensive skill positions untouched in free agency. They've bid farewell to their nose tackle and middle linebacker, tapping longtime backups as the likely successor in each role, and left untouched two safety positions that ended 2011 in shambles.

Spielman has made no secret of his intention: To get younger, to find blue-chip players in the draft and to supplement with complementary players in free agency. That's a sound philosophy for building long-term success, but it sure doesn't work in favor of a coach whose career record is now 6-16.

Take a look at the chart. A little more than half of the NFL's coaches (18 of 32) have reached a third full season in their jobs. Only four of them made it without the benefit of at least one non-losing season in their first two. And the only two who didn't demonstrate progress were the Washington Redskins' Mike Shanahan and the Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll, both of whom carried enough celebrity status -- and not to mention huge financial investments -- to be all but assured of a third season from the moment they arrived.

But consider the Vikings' placement in the NFC North, which put three teams among the top 10 in ESPN.com's most recent Power Rankings. Remember that they will be starting Ponder, who is in the midst of his first NFL offseason. Ponder will play behind a rebuilt offensive line, with a set of receivers who will either be underwhelming or inexperienced or both.

In a best-case scenario, tailback Adrian Peterson (knee) will resume football activities shortly before the season begins. And in a division that includes star quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler, it's worth noting the Vikings' historically poor pass defense hasn't been enhanced this offseason with a single defensive back who could be considered a starter. (Perhaps that sentence will need editing after the draft.)

Does that seem like a collection of circumstances favorable to a coach demonstrating significant progress in 2012? Not particularly, no.

To be clear, I don't think the Vikings are in an inappropriate spot as a franchise. This has been coming since the moment they failed to reach the Super Bowl in 2009. It's just poor timing for Frazier.

The best time to make these kinds of difficult decisions is in the first year of a coach's tenure. You take the resulting lumps when your job is most secure, and then presumably demonstrate steady progress thereafter. The Vikings lost 13 of 16 games last season in a misguided attempt to push an aging roster toward one final playoff berth. It was a lost year in every way, and only now do they face the proverbial bottoming-out. I don't want to say Leslie Frazier is set up to fail, but the deck seems stacked against him.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- If the nose tackle and middle linebacker represent the gut of a defense, then it's safe to say the Minnesota Vikings have signed themselves up for plastic surgery this season.

(Too much? I liked it. Come on. Lighten up.)

The takeaway from my time with Vikings coach Leslie Frazier on Wednesday morning was that he will have a new starting nose tackle in 2012 and is close to deciding on his next middle linebacker. Fifth-year player Letroy Guion will replace the released Remi Ayodele at nose tackle, while Frazier indicated that Jasper Brinkley is his top choice to start at middle linebacker.

Both players are longtime backups and draft choices of newly promoted general manager Rick Spielman, and their anticipated ascension is a reasonable illustration of how Spielman hopes to run the franchise.

Guion was a fifth-round pick in 2008 and has started three games over four seasons since then. His newly-prominent role became clear when the Vikings signed him to a three-year contract earlier this month that will pay him $2.5 million. Ayodele was subsequently released.

"We want him to be the starting nose tackle," Frazier said.

Brinkley, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick a year after the Vikings selected Guion. He was the backup to starter E.J. Henderson in 2009 and 2010, starting six games after Henderson's broken leg in 2009, but missed all of 2011 because of a hip injury.

"We believe he is healthy now," Frazier said. "And he has started for us when E.J. was injured in the past. We think he is capable of doing it. We just haven't had him do it for 16 weeks. But we think he's about ready to take that role. We'll determine that in the weeks and months to come."

Doctors have cleared Brinkley for all football activities, and if there was any hesitation in Frazier's response, it should be attributed to the universal NFL caveat at this time of year. The Vikings have 10 draft picks, including seven of the top 138, and a starting-caliber middle linebacker could be a target.

Absent that event, however, the chances seem high that Brinkley will team with Erin Henderson and Chad Greenway to form the Vikings' 2012 trio of linebackers. During that 2009 stretch, Brinkley proved to be a physical run-stopper who is most likely not going to be on the field in nickel situations.

Again, everything could change after the draft. But regardless of the ingredients, it seems likely the Vikings will have a new defensive gut in 2012.

We're Black and Blue All Over

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- We've arrived at the final day of the 2012 NFL owners meetings, one that might be the busiest from an NFC North perspective.

There is a 7:15 a.m. ET breakfast with NFC coaches, and I'll do my best to circulate among Lovie Smith, Jim Schwartz, Mike McCarthy and Leslie Frazier without spilling orange juice all over myself. I'll then endeavor to give you a blog post from each interview session, while saving some of the information for later posts, and by midday we should get word on any rule changes approved by NFL owners before the meeting has adjourned. An early-evening flight back to blog headquarters is also on the docket.

I know we've been a little light on Chicago Bears coverage here, but they've been quiet from a news perspective and sometimes life isn't fair. Hang in there.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• The Bears' shift to general manager Phil Emery has been a "smooth transition," according to Smith via Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• Bears receiver Brandon Marshall is still well liked by former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, writes Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has had trade discussions about veteran players while at the owners meetings, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
• Mayhew said he has never been part of a team that put up money for big hits, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• Mayhew admitted he told defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to slow down after a recent traffic ticket, notes Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com speaks with former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, now the Miami Dolphins coach, about his decision to move his family immediately to Miami after the death of his son, Michael.
• Free-agent defensive end Dave Tollefson will visit the Packers at the end of the week, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Nine of the Packers' 12 draft picks will come on the final day of the draft, notes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Minnesota Vikings lobbied owners and then made a presentation of their stadium situation Tuesday at an afternoon session, according to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• Political support for the stadium in the Minnesota state legislature is tenuous, writes Mike Kaszuba of the Star Tribune.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

We haven't heard too much about the Detroit Lions' attempts to re-sign middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, but you wonder if his status will shake loose one way or the other this week.

The Lions are scheduled to host free agent linebacker David Hawthorne this week, notes Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive.com. Hawthorne was a starter the past three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and could be a backup plan to signing Tulloch. If nothing else, his visit could trigger a break in negotiations that haven't yet yielded a deal.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Richardson writes that the Lions' chances of agreeing to a long-term deal with defensive end Cliff Avril anytime soon are slim.
• Re-signing left tackle Jeff Backus was important, writes Terry Foster of the Detroit News.
• Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press explains the Lions' approach to free agency this season.
• The Chicago Bears have always had interest in new backup quarterback Jason Campbell, writes Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald said that people should "get to know" new Bears receiver Brandon Marshall before judging him, according to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Vaughn McClure of the Tribune talks to friends about Marshall.
• Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy helped convince Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider to sign free agent quarterback Matt Flynn, tweets ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
• Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel takes a detailed look at the compensatory draft pick system and how it will be affected by the Flynn signing.
• The Packers could lose free agent defensive back/special teams captain Jarrett Bush, notes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with running back Lex Hilliard, who spent the past three years with the Miami Dolphins, according to Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com.
• Hilliard will have a chance to win the Vikings' No. 3 running back job, writes Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• The Vikings are still shopping for free agents, coach Leslie Frazier told Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune.

You've probably heard by now that a jury has found Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook not guilty on all charges related to a domestic incident last October. The NFL could still levy a penalty under its personal conduct policy, but Thursday's verdict means that Cook almost certainly will remain with the team.

*UPDATE: An NFL spokesman said the NFL does not expect to assess discipline.

Cook hasn't played or practiced since the incident with his girlfriend, which resulted in charges of felony strangulation and third-degree assault. The woman, Chantel Baker, later recanted her story and testified that Cook did not strangle her during an early morning altercation at his Minnesota home.

The Vikings suspended him without pay for two weeks, then sent him home for the rest of the season, with pay, while the legal process played out. Coach Leslie Frazier said that Cook's future with the team was tied to the outcome of his trial, the basis of our assumption that Cook won't be released.

Cook was probably the Vikings' best cornerback during the portion of the season he played in 2011, and he would enter 2012 as a likely starter. If the team offers any comment, we'll pass it along.

Amid the usual uncertainty of the NFL offseason, here's one move you could have bet the house on: The Vikings re-signing veteran quarterback Sage Rosenfels.

Rosenfels is a long-time favorite of general manager Rick Spielman, who has now re-acquired Rosenfels three times since initially bringing him to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports first reported Monday's contract agreement between the sides.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said last month that third-year player Joe Webb would be his No. 2 quarterback, and if that's still the case, the Vikings will be the rare team that carries a veteran as its No. 3 quarterback. But most teams have a veteran presence mixed in either at starter or backup, so with Christian Ponder, Webb and Rosenfels comprising their depth chart, the Vikings' youth-age ratio would match conventional wisdom.

In the end, the most important question is who would replace an ineffective or injured starter. By all accounts, the Vikings' first choice for that role is Webb. Rosenfels offers a better option at No. 3 than most teams can afford.

We don't typically provide a blow-by-blow of every college pro day, but it's worth noting that at least half of the NFC North's head coaches were in Stillwater, Okla., for Oklahoma State's pro day.

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier were both on hand and saw prize receiver Justin Blackmon work out, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Blackmon did not disappoint, running what Thomas reported was an official 4.46 in the 40-yard dash and also hitting 35 inches on the vertical leap.

Both teams have clear needs for a big receiver, but you would think neither team will draft him in their current first-round spots.

The Vikings are situated at No. 3, where you would think they will draft USC left tackle Matt Kalil or else trade down on the off chance that Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III isn't taken at No. 2. The Bears, meanwhile, are in the No. 19 slot and would very likely have to trade up to get him.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

A day after former New Orleans Saints defensive linemen Anthony Hargrove denied he was motivated by a bounty in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, a former Green Bay Packers linebacker has spoken out strongly against the idea of bounties as well.

Brady Poppinga, who spent last season with the St. Louis Rams, told Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com that the story has painted too many players with a broad brush.

Poppinga: "I just can't sit there and be silent. I look at this as an opportunity to share with the public that we, as football players, are not barbaric and out to try and destroy everything in our path. Football is my profession and I take it seriously. It's an art form. It's technical, strategic and takes a lot of intelligence to play. When this came out, it started to confirm the idea that football guys are idiots. That's not who we are. Ninety-five percent of the guys are very intelligent. It's just guys who love to go out and play a physical game."

The Rams' defensive coordinator, of course, is now Gregg Williams -- the same man accused of organizing the Saints' bounty system. I'm guessing Poppinga won't be playing for Williams in 2012, and I'm guessing he would be fine with that.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn't think Packers general manager Ted Thompson will be active in free agency.
• Three people testified Thursday that the girlfriend of Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook complained that he strangled her during a domestic incident in October. The woman has since recanted her story, according to David Hanners of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Legislation for the Vikings' stadium proposal has been written, according to Mike Kaszuba of the Star Tribune.
• It was surprising to hear Vikings coach Leslie Frazier speak of Cedric Griffin's possible future with the team, writes Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press considers South Carolina cornerback Stephen Gilmore as a possible Detroit Lions draft pick.
• Chris McCosky of the Detroit News looks at the Lions' salary-cap issues.
• The Free Press offers a photo gallery of secondary players the Lions could pursue in free agency.
• The family of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson, who committed suicide last year, has settled his bankruptcy case. Jared S. Hopkins of the Chicago Tribune has more.

We might not always agree on what position Joe Webb should play, but here is one indisputable fact: The man is a jumping fool.

You might remember the pre-draft video that circulated in 2010, showing Webb clearing a pile of blocking bags that stood about 5 feet tall after a running start. Wednesday, Webb posted a video in which he performs a 54-inch standing box jump. It's incredible, and it's available for you to see at the bottom of this post.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said last month at the NFL scouting combine that Webb would be the team's No. 2 quarterback in 2012, and not the kind of multi-positional player some have envisioned him as. But when you have a 6-foot-4 player who can jump like Webb -- remember, he pulled off a 42-inch vertical leap at the 2010 combine -- you wonder if he could at least be a designated Hail Mary receiver. Or something.

We spent some time last month discussing the curious playing-time pattern of Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin, who caught a career-high 87 passes in 2011 despite playing on only 58.4 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Why did the Vikings have their best receiver on the sideline for more than 40 percent of their plays? How much better could their offense have been if Harvin played more?

Coach Leslie Frazier addressed that issue a few weeks ago at the NFL scouting combine, and I think it's only fair to add his thoughts to our conversation. Frazier said "the workload was probably what we could afford with him" but acknowledged he has already spoken with Harvin about keeping him "on the field a little bit longer" in 2012.

In explaining why he didn't use Harvin more last season, Frazier implied Harvin was still learning to pace himself during the course of a game in which he might line up at receiver, running back or kick returner.

"We have to find that happy medium without exposing him to injury or wearing him down," Frazier said. "He's one of those guys that goes 100 miles per hour, every snap, even when the ball is not to him. So he's different. You have to take him off the field if you want to give him a blow because he's not going to take a blow when he's on the field."

My point last month was that Harvin is too young to be on such a pitch count. He won't turn 24 until May. I'm not sure if his production would rise dramatically if he plays more in 2012 -- his 87 receptions ranked fourth in the NFL -- but he would at least force defenses to account for him more frequently.

"We have to find ways to keep him on the field, even when we're not using him and let him get his breath in between plays," Frazier said.

Amen.