ESPN NFL

My NFC West colleague Mike Sando put together a chart that confirms in quantitative fashion what you might have realized intuitively. The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, two of the NFL's better teams last season, have to this point retained the vast majority of players with whom they finished the 2009 season.

Much can change between now and September, but the analysis is especially relevant when compared to the rest of the league. The Vikings' 94.4 percent retention rate is the league's highest, while the Packers' rate of 87.3 ranks fourth.

According to my records, the only players Minnesota hasn't brought back is running back Chester Taylor, cornerback Karl Paymah and offensive lineman Artis Hicks. The Packers' list includes punter Jeremy Kapinos, running back Ahman Green, safety Matt Giordano and defensive end Mike Montgomery. (The Packers' percentage is lower because they had a larger base of players when taking into account those on injured reserve.)

Perhaps you've seen this report from ESPN's Adam Schefter: Green Bay has re-signed left tackle Chad Clifton to a three-year contract that includes $7.5 million guaranteed.

The deal came amid reports that Clifton was visiting Washington, which is looking for a new left tackle following the retirement of veteran Chris Samuels. Did the visit loosen the Packers' purse strings? Or did Clifton merely realize he didn't want to leave Green Bay? Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel suggested the latter rationale earlier Friday. We might never know the truthful answer to that question, but in the short term it means the Packers won't be transitioning their left tackle position in 2010.

As we've discussed recently, the Packers are in a difficult situation. Clifton has struggled at times during the past two years and is nearing the end of his career, but the Packers have no obvious replacement on their roster. I don't think anyone considers T.J. Lang a short- or long-term answer at the position. It's possible the Packers will draft a starting-caliber left tackle next month, but obviously there are no guarantees.

Now the question is whether the Packers will re-sign right tackle Mark Tauscher or whether they will turn the position over to Lang. Part of the difficult situation is that Tauscher might have more career longevity than Clifton -- but the need to retain the incumbent was more acute at Clifton's position.

I have a feeling that this post wouldn't be complete without the near-obligatory "stay tuned."

Two other quick Packers notes from Friday: The team released defensive end Mike Montgomery and safety Matt Giordano.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

Adrian Peterson considers his first game against San Francisco the worst of his career and has set his sights on avenging a 14-carry, 3-yard performance Sunday at the Metrodome.

The 49ers broke out a new way of defending Peterson in that game, which the Vikings ultimately won 27-7 on Dec. 9, 2007. Both cornerbacks crashed the line of scrimmage, effectively creating a nine-man box that tested Peterson’s patience.

Peterson: "[After] watching film, I wasn't being patient enough, rushing my plays, not giving the offensive line time to do their job. That really is what disappointed me the most when I watched the film."

As Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune reports, Peterson has been waiting for this rematch for two years. You might consider this some brand of corny motivation, but knowing Peterson’s competitive fire, I’m sure those three yards have been burning a hole in his pocket for two years.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams on the Vikings’ home stadium: “The Metrodome is terrible.” Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press takes a look at the building.
• Barring some kind of surprise, newcomer Derrick Martin will make his first NFL start at safety Sunday for Green Bay, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Just in case, the Packers are giving newer-comer Matt Giordano a crash course to be ready to play, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee speaks with Packers general manager Ted Thompson about the week's personnel moves.
• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times on Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris: “The Bears know they have to get more from Harris, but what can they do?”
• Bears defensive end Alex Brown (ankle) is determined not to break his streak of 114 consecutive games played, notes Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago.
• Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune reviews the impressive two-week performance of Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, who did almost no football work this offseason because of shoulder and back surgeries.
• Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com looks at the challenge of facing Washington tight end Chris Cooley.
• John Niyo of the Detroit News on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford: “I understand not wanting to push the panic button. But what's the harm in calling a rookie mistake a ‘rookie’ mistake -- something [coach Jim] Schwartz seems unwilling to do -- when that's exactly what it is? Who's kidding whom? There's no need to insulate Stafford, not after handing him the richest rookie contract ($41.7 million guaranteed) in NFL history.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

Surprising move coming out of Green Bay this morning: The Packers released safety Aaron Rouse to make room for free-agent safety Matt Giordano, who worked out and signed with the team Tuesday.

Rouse

Rouse started last Sunday’s game against Cincinnati and was expected to continue replacing injured starter Atari Bigby. Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette notes Rouse struggled in last week's game, but given the injuries to Bigby and fellow starter Nick Collins (sprained clavicle), it’s surprising to see the Packers shedding any depth at the position.

Giordano spent the past four seasons with Indianapolis. I’ll circle back on this move, and take a closer look at the Packers’ safety situation, once we hear from coach Mike McCarthy later Wednesday.