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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota made life tough for Dallas quarterback Tony Romo last Sunday, sacking him six times in its 34-3 victory over the Cowboys.

The Vikings’ next opponent has been sacked six times in his past six games. Indeed, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees went down only 20 times all season -- a combination of his quick release and opponents’ fear of blitzing him.

Opponents blitzed him on only 25 percent of his throws this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. And on those plays, Brees ranked second in the NFL with a passer rating of 111.8.

It doesn’t make intuitive sense to let a quarterback like Brees sit in the pocket, but the Vikings will blitz at their own peril. That’s why cornerback Antoine Winfield’s words Thursday have never rung truer.

“The key matchup of this game,” Winfield said, “is going to be our [defensive line] against their offensive line.”

The Vikings have been practicing this week without defensive tackle Kevin Williams and defensive end Ray Edwards, both of whom are nursing knee injuries. (I’ll update their Thursday status a bit later.) Independent of their situations, however, the Vikings know they’re more likely to impact Brees’ performance in ways other than actual sacks.

“You just have to plug away,” defensive end Jared Allen said. “Bat-downs are as good as sacks. [Or] if you can get him off his spot, force incomplete passes, pressure [him]. ... He gets that ball out so quick that it’s tough to get to him, but you’ve just got to keep plugging away. If you win the game, you’re successful. If you don’t, you’re not.”

There was Ali-Frazier. Hulk Hogan-Andre the Giant. The Coke-Pepsi taste test. The status of the most highly anticipated competitive matchups in American history will be threatened this weekend in the NFC Championship Game, which will feature the two teams that spent most of this season jockeying for conference supremacy. Minnesota-New Orleans should be so good, why, it’ll be better than “Cats.”

ESPN.com bloggers Pat Yasinskas (NFC South) and Kevin Seifert (NFC North) broke down the matchup during an orderly phone call this week. We kept it professional, although we occasionally screamed at each other to practice communicating in what we expect will be ear-splitting noise Sunday at the Superdome.

Kevin Seifert: PAT, IT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND THE ... oh, sorry, I’ll stop yelling. It was somewhere around the third week of September when we realized Minnesota had the potential to be a special team this season. And yet at every point along the way, it seemed the Saints were one step ahead. The Saints were 13-0 at one point and absorbed the conference limelight.

The Vikings had plenty of big games on their schedule, but after they essentially clinched the NFC North in November by completing a season sweep of Green Bay, their eyes privately turned south. I think they knew their path to the Super Bowl would have to go through the Saints, and they’ve been thinking about them ever since. Coach Brad Childress even admitted to watching a few games out of “admiration” for the way Saints coach Sean Payton runs his offense.

Be it admiration or early game planning, this matchup has been on the horizon here for a long time. How about in New Orleans?

Pat Yasinskas: Absolutely. The Saints have kept an eye on the Vikings all season. They were very conscious of everything Minnesota did, because they wanted the home-field advantage in the playoffs and recognized the advantage of playing the NFC Championship Game at the Superdome.

I think they also realize how important hosting this game is to the city of New Orleans. They’ve waited a long time for this game to come.

KS: Indeed, they’ve waited forever. This is the first time the Saints have ever hosted an NFC Championship Game. Their history is long, sordid and not worth recounting here. We could always ask Brett Favre to do it, though.

The Vikings quarterback grew up a Saints fan in nearby Mississippi. He claims he never wore a bag on his head, but more than any player currently in the NFL, Favre knows how far the Saints have come. He also had one of his greatest NFL moments in New Orleans, winning the Super Bowl in January of 1997.

He’ll arrive at the Superdome playing arguably the best football of his career. Counting the playoffs, Favre has thrown 37 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. Over his last nine quarters, dating back to halftime of the Vikings’ Dec. 28 game at Chicago, Favre has a 140.4 passer rating.

So what do you think, Pat: How do people in New Orleans regard Favre?

PY: Favre is a local hero for the entire Gulf Region. He’s on par with Peyton Manning, a New Orleans native, Deuce McAllister and Drew Brees. But Favre obviously will not be the local favorite for this game. He won’t even be the most-popular quarterback, not by a long shot.

That title belongs to Brees, who could be mayor of New Orleans and governor of Louisiana if he wanted to be.


(Read full post)

On Sunday, Minnesota coordinator Leslie Frazier’s defense produced the most dominating performance of the NFL playoffs. Monday, rumors emerged that Frazier had been passed over for another head coaching job -- the seventh such instance in the past three years.

And on Tuesday it became official: Buffalo hired coaching retread Chan Gailey to replace the fired Dick Jauron. Frazier interviewed two weeks ago for the job, but the Bills reportedly preferred a candidate with an offensive background. Unless another job opens this offseason, Frazier will remain the NFL’s most qualified head-coach-in-waiting.

In a league that covets hot coordinators, it’s difficult to understand why Frazier has yet to take that final step. He has overseen a defense that finished among the NFL’s top 10 for consecutive seasons, the first time that’s happened for the Vikings in nearly two decades, and has classic head-coaching credentials with Super Bowl championships as a player (Chicago, 1986) and assistant coach (Indianapolis, 2006).

Former Colts coach Tony Dungy, in fact, is said to consider Frazier his likely head coach if he re-joins the NFL as a team president. Until then, however, the Bills’ loss is the Vikings’ gain. Frazier said recently he has too much on his plate to be either disappointed or to be anticipating his next opportunity.

“I’d like to get a third ring,” he said, “and it’s not hard for me to move on beyond that. It’s not hard at all. I promise you. These opportunities are so rare in the National Football League for players and coaches and for me. Just to be in this situation and know that we’re just a couple games from reaching our goal as a team, no, it’s not hard.”

Frazier will spend Tuesday crafting a game plan for the NFC Championship Game, one he hopes will slow down New Orleans the way his team dismantled Dallas last Sunday. The Vikings’ “Maul of America” defense (Thanks!) held the Cowboys to a season-low in points (three), yards (248) and first downs (16) in a 34-3 victory at the Metrodome.

While Frazier works out those details, let’s take a moment to understand how he’s impacted the Vikings' run to the brink of Super Bowl XLIV.

Subtle scheming

Sometimes I think the perception of Frazier’s role gets diminished in the star power of Minnesota’s personnel. The Vikings, after all, have an elite defensive line and, when healthy, one of the league’s best cornerbacks in Antoine Winfield.

And it’s true: Frazier makes no attempt to be a mastermind schemer, the type that plays a 4-3 one week and a 1-5 the next. The Vikings mostly employ Cover 2 in the back end and occasionally mix in a blitz. This season, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the Vikings sent at least one additional pass-rusher on 30.1 percent of their defensive snaps. That figure was the 10th-lowest in the NFL.

“The key is small menu, big understanding [from players],” coach Brad Childress said. “That is the thing we pride ourselves on.”

Still, Frazier’s strategic fingerprints can be seen if you look closely enough. Last season, he made a subtle change in the way his defensive backs lined up pre-snap during a game at Arizona. The shift befuddled Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who threw an interception, took four sacks and finished with a 78.9 passer rating in the Vikings’ 35-14 victory.

Against the Cowboys, Frazier extended the Vikings’ time window for getting lined up before the snap to enhance their ability to disguise coverages. According to several players, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo repeatedly waited for the Vikings to “show” before typically snapping the ball in frustration and panic. Romo committed three turnovers in the game.

“Our coaches did a great job of getting us ready for this game,” Winfield said. “We knew what they were going to do more than [the other way around].”

Assisting the head coach

Childress made Frazier his assistant head coach in 2008 after he made positive impressions during job interviews with Miami and Atlanta. That title is typically ceremonial, but Childress leans on Frazier for advice and counsel more than you might realize.

When the Vikings were having trouble signing a veteran quarterback to pair with Tarvaris Jackson two years ago, Childress honed in on the nearly-retired Gus Frerotte. Before pursuing him, however, Childress asked Frazier to evaluate game tape to determine whether Frerotte’s arm strength made him a viable candidate for the job. Frazier concurred, and Frerotte led the Vikings to an 8-4 record as a starter last season.

Childress and Frazier can occasionally be seen huddling on the sidelines prior to a significant game management decision. And when Childress was recruiting Brett Favre last spring, he sent Frazier to Mississippi for a quiet one-on-one meeting with Favre. It isn’t often that a defensive coordinator gets involved in signing free agent quarterbacks, but at the time Frazier said: “It was to answer any questions he had, and for him to hear from a different voice, that wasn't offensive-oriented and could come at him from a different slant and try to convey to him a different message.”

Handling adversity

The Vikings were the NFL’s sixth-ranked defense in each of the past two years despite losing middle linebacker E.J. Henderson to season-ending injuries. Frazier navigated the loss by elevating a backup (Napoleon Harris in 2008, Jasper Brinkley in 2009) but shifting play-calling duties to outside linebacker Ben Leber.

Winfield, meanwhile, missed six games because of a sprained foot and was not 100 percent upon returning last month. After watching Winfield struggle to chase receivers for two games, Frazier made the difficult decision to shift him to nickel back and use Benny Sapp as his starter on the outside.

It all came together Sunday at the Metrodome, where the Vikings defense turned in a performance better than any other this season.

“We’ve had some good outings on defense,” Frazier said. “But the setting and the scenario made this the best. … A lot of things went right. You want it to go right another week, and then another week, and then we’ll be some pretty happy dudes.”

Head coach or otherwise.

After Minnesota’s 34-3 victory over Dallas, here are three (mostly) indisputable facts I feel relatively sure about:

1. We spent much of Sunday chronicling the Vikings’ dominating defensive effort. (Colleague Gene Wojciechowski covered quarterback Brett Favre’s day here.) As we discussed, the Vikings overwhelmed the Cowboys in the trenches. How overwhelming was it? From a historical/statistical perspective, it was one of the most dominating performances in NFL playoff history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was only the third time a team had combined at least six sacks and six other tackles for negative yardage in the same game. The other two occasions came during the 1986 playoffs (Cleveland against the N.Y. Jets) and two years ago (Jacksonville against the Pittsburgh). “We had to win certain battles up front in order for us to have a successful day,” defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. “It’s pretty much that way for us. That’s how we’re built. Our defensive line really carries our defense, whether it be run or pass, but particularly defending the pass. We led the league in sacks for a reason. We have some guys that can really get after the passer and they did it today.”
2. Some of you might be weary of my regular mentions of otherwise anonymous linebacker Ben Leber. But I thought Sunday’s game was a classic example of his consistent ability to be in the right spot. When Jared Allen stripped Dallas quarterback Tony Romo in the second quarter, Leber was there to fall on the ball. When the player Leber was assigned to cover in the third quarter stayed in the pocket to pass protect, Leber floated into the flat and intercepted a pass intended for Patrick Crayton. Leber also tied cornerback Cedric Griffin for a team-high nine tackles. In other words, a typical game for one of the Vikings’ least-known starters.
3. I thought it was a smart move for the Vikings to elevate their use of rookie Percy Harvin in the backfield. We’ve been discussing this dynamic since the first week of the regular season, but for the most part the Vikings left it dormant. Were they waiting for the playoffs? I’m not sure if we’ll give them that much credit, but the bottom line is it puts maximum pressure on a defense when Harvin joins Adrian Peterson on the field. You can’t chase two elite open-field runners, especially if they’re headed in opposite directions. On Sunday, Harvin rushed three times for 23 yards, including once from the Wildcat formation in the second quarter. There were also perhaps a half-dozen plays when Harvin circled into the backfield after the snap as a decoy. It can’t be their base offensive set for obvious reasons, but if nothing else, it’s a fool-proof change of pace.

And here is one question I’m still asking:

Actually, someone asked me this question Sunday: Is Sidney Rice the best receiver left in the playoffs? I would probably give that nod to Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne. But I will say this: No receiver has spawned more confidence from his quarterback this season than Rice has with Favre. Rice’s size and ball skills have convinced Favre he can make any catch against any coverage. If he spies Rice in single coverage on the outside, it’s almost a given he’ll throw it his way. Rice’s performance Sunday was among the most explosive for a receiver in NFL postseason history. According to Elias, Rice is one of six receivers all-time to catch at least three touchdown passes and total at least 140 yards receiving in a playoff game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- I know, I know. We spent much of last week discussing Minnesota’s shaky pass protection and its hit-or-miss home-field advantage. So let’s be clear from the top: Brett Favre had enough time to throw four touchdown passes Sunday, and the Metrodome has never been louder.

From my vantage point, however, neither dynamic told the story of the Vikings’ 34-3 victory. To me, it was this: Minnesota battered Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, resurrecting its pass rush just in time to face the NFL’s most explosive passing game for the right to play in Super Bowl XLIV.

The Vikings held Dallas’ offense to a season-low in total yardage (248) and first downs (16), in the process sacking Romo six times and unofficially hitting him on 10 other occasions.

“He was wide-eyed a lot,” defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. “We were getting after him from the start, and that’s what it’s going to take next week, too.”

Indeed, the Vikings will take on New Orleans’ top-ranked passing offense next Sunday at the Superdome. “If we do next week what we did today,” said cornerback Antoine Winfield, “we’ll be good.”

And what exactly did the Vikings do Sunday?

They harassed Romo into three turnovers; on a fourth opportunity, he recovered his own fumble.

Left end Ray Edwards beat right tackle Marc Colombo for three sacks before leaving with a sprained knee.

Right end Jared Allen, capitalizing on an injury to Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams, finished with a sack, a forced fumble and another tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

In all, the Vikings' defensive line totaled five of the Vikings’ six sacks against a Cowboys group that seemed content to single block them for most of the game.

“They were trying to,” nose tackle Pat Williams said. “But we’ve got the best defensive line in the league. Doesn’t matter to us what anyone else says. We go into every game thinking that.”

The Vikings led the NFL with 48 sacks this season, but like the entire team, their pass rush slipped over the final five games. During that stretch, they managed eight sacks.

Sunday, Allen traced that downturn in production to a significant adjustment from opposing offenses.

“I know everyone thinks you should get three sacks a game,” he said. “but that’s just not reality. … [In that stretch], we saw a lot of mass protection, a lot of three-step [drops]. You’re getting chips from the tight end, chips from the back. When we’re rushing four and they’re blocking seven, you’re just not going to get there.”

The Cowboys, however, had different ideas. As he watched film during the Vikings’ recent bye week, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier noted how rarely the Cowboys kept tight end Jason Witten in the backfield to block. With Adams and two Pro Bowl players on their offensive line (center Andre Gurode and right guard Leonard Davis), the Cowboys didn’t seem to be likely candidates for double-teaming the Vikings’ defensive line.

“We liked our matchup from Day 1,” Allen said. “We thought there were some things we could take advantage of and we knew that because they had so much confidence in their offensive line, that we were going to get some opportunities. That’s exactly what happened.”

And it was clearly a mistake. Anyone who watched Sunday’s game can attest to how quickly Romo turned jittery. A quick recap:

Edwards ended the Cowboys’ first drive with a strip sack of Romo.

On Dallas’ second series, Romo recovered his own fumble on a 2nd-and-6 play, losing three yards. The Cowboys fell 1 yard short of converting the ensuing third down, and Shaun Suisham’s 48-yard field goal was wide left.

Should I go on? Edwards sacked Romo on 2nd-and-goal from the Vikings’ 8-yard line on the Cowboys’ third series. Romo still looked stunned when he threw incomplete on 3rd-and-15.

On the second play of his fourth possession, Romo lost a fumble on Allen’s sack.

“This game is not rocket science,” Romo said. “If they have the ability to get pressure from the front four, it allows you to play a pretty sound game defensively.”

How confident were the Vikings in their defense Sunday? Leading 17-3 at halftime, their offense went into a modified four-minute drill. In other words, they started trying to run out the clock. In their 13 third-quarter plays, Minnesota threw only four times.

Keep in mind, this was against a Cowboys offense that had scored 58 points in its past two games.

“They overlooked us,” Pat Williams said, “and that’s fine. Basically, that’s how they ride down there. I don’t blame them, I guess. They’re young. They can be cocky. They’ve got a cocky owner, so that’s how they ride. But they came into this dome, and it was hostile for them. ”

They’ll need a similar effort next Sunday in New Orleans, a topic I’m sure we’ll revisit once or twice this week.

“We skidded a little bit toward the end of the season,” Kevin Williams said. “And so all we heard last week was about Dallas. I’m sure all we’ll hear about this week is New Orleans. All that matters to us is that we played the way we are capable of. We just need a chance to get after them.”

That’s the story -- and we’re sticking to it.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Some halftime thoughts from the Metrodome, where my ears are ringing from the game-long din of the crowd:

• The amazing thing is that Dallas’ offense was moving up and down the field in the first quarter and the start of the second. The Cowboys’ plan to run directly at Vikings pass-rusher Jared Allen seemed smart, and they possessed the ball for 14:54 of the first 17:49 of the game. And yet they had only a 33-yard field goal to show for it. A missed 47-yard field goal and some well-timed pass rushes from the Vikings defense kept Minnesota in the game during that surge.
• In his first career playoff appearance, Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is having the game of his life. He has three sacks and three other hits of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. I’m wondering if the Cowboys would have replaced right tackle Marc Colombo -- if his likely replacement wasn’t needed on the other side.
• That’s right. Cowboys offensive lineman Doug Free ended up replacing an injured Flozell Adams at left tackle in the second quarter. Almost immediately, Allen sprang to life. After Adams departed, Allen had three tackles and a strip-sack of Romo.
• Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson has 25 yards on nine carries, but it should be noted that both of Brett Favre’s touchdown passes to Sidney Rice came on play-action passes. Peterson also converted an important first down with a 19-yard reception.
• The Frisbee dogs are performing at halftime, and they are awesome.
• I was surprised the Vikings didn’t look for Rice or tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on their second-to-last possession of the half. They ended up settling for a 23-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell.
• Remember earlier this week, when we called the Vikings’ home-field advantage a 50-50 proposition come playoff time? I think it’s leaning toward the positive 50 percent to this point. I’ve never heard a Metrodome crowd sustain its energy through an entire half as it has Sunday. The Cowboys are trailing by only two scores and have a high-powered offense, but they seemed pretty demoralized walking off the field at halftime.

Here on the ESPN Blog Network, we’re bracing ourselves for quite possibly the biggest divisional playoff game in the history of the 2010 postseason. Come Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome, Dallas and Minnesota will reprise a storied postseason rivalry -- sans (hopefully) whiskey bottles, push-offs and Hail Marys. (Well, at least the push-offs.)

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley and Kevin Seifert have spent most of the week buried in the film room -- er, basement -- refining the blogging plan for the rest of the week. As now they’re ready to start breaking down this most critical game.

Kevin Seifert: Greetings from the North Pole, Matt. Actually, you’re going to get lucky this weekend. We’re expecting unseasonably warm temperatures here this weekend, with highs in the 30s. Normally we call that “May” in Minnesota. Usually at this time of year, you can get frostbite on half your hand while walking from the parking lot to the media entrance at the Dome.

Matt Mosley: I will look for any excuse to visit Minneapolis in mid-January and this game is as good as anything else I might come up with. Sid Hartman and I have been waiting on this postseason matchup for years. Jerry Jones tried to capture the "charm" of the Metrodome in his new Cowboys Stadium, but I'm not sure things worked out. And by the way, Drew Pearson told me to pass along his best wishes to Vikings fans.

KS: OK, Matt. Let’s get down to it. Everyone in the world thinks the Cowboys are going to win this game. Even ESPN’s Trent Dilfer is convinced of it. You’ve been close to the Cowboys this season. Are they as hot as everyone says they are?

MM: Kevin, in my eight years of covering the team, I've never been around a more confident bunch of players. I think they're the hottest team in the NFC right now because of something that took place last month in New Orleans. The players got sick and tired of all the talk of their December failures and went out and overwhelmed a Saints team in the Superdome. That game did wonders for the Cowboys' confidence. No quarterback in the playoffs has performed as well as Tony Romo over the past six games and he benefits from having a dominant defense. So yes, I think the Cowboys are as hot as everyone at the Mall of America is indicating.

KS: Actually, Matt, you need to be more specific. We now have Mall of America Field here in addition to the Mall of America. At Mall of America Field, the conversation is revolving around two things: Are the Vikings willing to accept that they are a pass-first offense? And can their tackles, Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt, keep DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer at bay long enough for Brett Favre to get the ball downfield?

If they come out of the gates aggressively and use their full array of offensive weapons, I think they can put up some serious points against the Cowboys' defense. The Vikings are one of two teams in NFL history to have six players catch at least 40 passes. That’s too many receivers for any defense to keep track of if the pass protection is there.

What’s your take, Matt? Do you think Ware & Co. can be slowed down?

MM: I agree with the aforementioned Dilfer that Loadholt and McKinnie are outmatched by the Cowboys' outside linebackers. Since the last time you saw this team, Spencer has become a force. Cowboys defensive coordinator/head coach Wade Phillips even lines them up next to each other at times. Donovan McNabb didn't have a chance against the Cowboys' pass rush and you can argue that Jason Peters and Winston Justice are superior offensive tackles to what the Vikings have to offer. The Cowboys' plan is to make sure Favre has to test those 40-year-old legs. The last time he saw this defense, he completed 5 of 14 passes and was intercepted twice before being knocked out of the game at Texas Stadium. He was of course with a 10-1 Packers team at the time in '07. Keith Brooking told me Tuesday that the Eagles and Vikings have similar offenses, but he alluded to the fact that Brad Childress is much more likely to use the running game than his mentor, Andy Reid. Of course, that's a lot easier to do when you have the pride of Palestine, Texas, Adrian Peterson, in your backfield. It's been quite a while since a team has put up points on this defense -- and that includes a Chargers team that was held to a season-low in points. I don't think we'll have a shootout on our hands, but Sid might have other ideas.

KS: I'll check with Sid when I see him. In the meantime, Matt, we have two elephants crowding the room for this game: The head coaches. In Minnesota, there is an unspoken fear that Brad Childress will get in the way and try to force his power running game on the Cowboys. Prior to Favre’s arrival, and at times this year, that has been Childress’ preference. Childress also made a couple of questionable game-management decisions in last year’s playoff loss to Philadelphia.

On the other side, however, is Phillips. Do Minnesota fans have anything to fear in this matchup?

MM: Calling Phillips an elephant is a low blow, Kevin. The man might fill out a pair of Russell coaching shorts, but he deserves better from you. And yes, there's reason for Vikings fans to fear The Wade. No matter what you say about his head-coaching credentials, he's always been an excellent defensive coordinator. He puts players in position to succeed and he does a superb job of exploiting weaknesses. From reading your fine work on a regular basis, I'm aware that Vikings center John Sullivan isn't a large man. He'll be facing one of the best nose tackles in the game in Jay Ratliff. From time to time, the behemoth-type centers give Ratliff a little trouble. But he's been known to destroy the guys who are close to his size. Everyone's focused on the offensive tackles, but I could see the "Ratt" having a big game in the middle. It all starts with him in this defense.

KS: Interesting. OK, Matt. This was great but is only a step in our coverage plan for this week. Keep checking back on the NFC East and NFC North blogs through Sunday.

MM: Just to be honest, my coverage plan for Saturday is a little weak because of travel. But I've thoroughly enjoyed this tremendous show of synergy within the NFL Blog Network. Kevin, I arrive at 8:10 local time on American, so please pass that along to my driver. Peace and courage from the Beast.

That, I would say, is what a Dom Capers defense is supposed to look like.

I saw a good bit of Green Bay’s victory over Dallas while sitting in the Metrodome press box. Every time I looked up, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was under pressure -- and from all different angles. Packers linebacker Nick Barnett had two sacks. Cornerback Charles Woodson had one, along with an interception and two forced fumbles.

Overall, the Packers held the Cowboys’ high-powered offense to 278 total yards and were a garbage-time touchdown away from a shutout. The defensive performance did nothing less than save the Packers season, elevating their record to 5-4 and set a new tone for the second half of the season.

Behind the NFC’s four division leaders, there are four teams with 5-4 records in position to fight for a pair of wild-card berths. After a rough few weeks, the Packers are one of them. Kudos to them.

For postgame reaction, I encourage you to visit Jason Wilde's domain over at ESPN Milwaukee. And for bragging sake, make sure you go over to ESPN Dallas and tell those Cowboy fans what you think.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

Earlier Wednesday, I pointed you toward SportsNation's interactive ranking of the NFL's top 20 quarterbacks, with the promise I would return with my own list. I'm a man of my word. (Except when I'm not, of course). So here is my take, followed by some notes and explanations:

1. Tom Brady
   
2. Peyton Manning
   
3. Drew Brees
   
4. Ben Roethlisberger
   
5. Donovan McNabb
   
6. Kurt Warner
   
7. Carson Palmer
   
8. Matt Ryan
   
9. Aaron Rodgers
   
10. Jay Cutler
    
11. Tony Romo
    
12. Philip Rivers
    
13. Eli Manning
    
14. Jake Delhomme
    
15. Matt Hasselbeck
    
16. Matt Schaub
    
17. Matt Cassel
    
18. David Garrard
    
19. Kyle Orton
    
20. Trent Edwards

I know there was a fierce Brady-Manning debate during ESPN.com's all-decade rollout last month. Sorry, I'm big on championships. Brady has more. And in the one season where he ran a pass-heavy offense, Brady's production was comparable with Manning's best season.

I managed to squeeze both NFC North entrants into my top 10, with an order that shouldn't be surprising to readers of this blog. I'm a bit more comfortable now with Rodgers than Cutler, but that of course is subject to change over time.

To do so, I put some big names in the lower half of my ranking. Romo (11), Rivers (12) Eli Manning (13), and Delhomme (14) have all been named to a Pro Bowl. My NFC West colleague, Mike Sando, notes Rivers' feistiness, but I wonder what his passing numbers would look like without the Chargers' huge running game. And I've never been a huge fan of Eli Manning, who has been pretty average for most of his career. He's a career 56 percent passer.

Sometimes evidence of potential outweighs past performance. I have more confidence in the immediate and future success of Ryan, Rodgers and Cutler than I do in Eli Manning, Delhomme or Hasselbeck.

This is just one blogger's ranking.

Remember these are FUN and NOT NFL canon. With that, please proceed to tear me to shreds in the comments below.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

Kansas City's contract agreement Tuesday with quarterback Matt Cassel brought to mind this offseason post on the crazy money Detroit's Matthew Stafford received as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Stafford

Cassel

Cassel, who threw for nearly 3,700 yards last season in leading New England to an 11-5 record, received $28 million in guaranteed money over a six-year deal from the Chiefs. That's about a third less than the $41.7 million the Lions guaranteed Stafford.

I don't necessarily fault Detroit for the deal; it was more or less the cost of doing business in this year's draft. But we've had two significant quarterback deals since April -- Cassel and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb ($23 million guaranteed) -- and our ranking of contracts with the highest total of guarantees remains the same. Here it is, for those who want a refresher:

1. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford: $41.7 million
   
2. Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth: $41 million
   
3. Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick: $37 million
   
4. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: $36 million
   
5. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan: $34.8 million
   
6. Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning: $34.5 million
   
7. Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell: $31.5 million
   
8. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo: $30 million

What player will break the $30 million threshold? And how long will Stafford remain atop the list? My colleague Matt Mosley suggested earlier this month that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will approach $50 million in guaranteed money. I'll continue revisiting this topic until that day arrives.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

In anticipation of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford's contract with Detroit, I put together an unofficial list of the NFL players with the most guaranteed money in their contracts.

This is what things have come to: Stafford, who has never played a down in the NFL, just set the league record for guaranteed money. His $41.7 million surpasses the $41 million Washington gave Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth during free agency.

Here is the list I compiled, which includes Haynesworth and six quarterbacks:

1. Detroit quarterback Stafford: $41.7 million
   
2. Washington defensive tackle Haynesworth: $41 million
   
3. Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick: $37 million
   
4. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: $36 million
   
5. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan: $34.8 million
   
6. Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning: $34.5 million
   
7. Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell: $31.5 million
   
8. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo: $30 million

We've talked often on this blog about how no team wants the No. 1 pick, and now you can see why: By one measure, Stafford is now the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL. The guaranteed portion of his contract represents a 40 percent increase over the $24 million that San Francisco had to give quarterback Alex Smith in 2005, and a 25 percent increase over what Oakland gave JaMarcus Russell just two years ago.

Good for Stafford. But eventually you would think the NFL and the NFL Players Association will collectively step in to stop this madness. Here is what commissioner Roger Goodell said about the issue Friday on ESPN Radio:

"It's really had a dramatic impact on the way we pay our players and the way teams are built in the draft. ... It's not that I'm opposed to the rookies getting money, I think that's great. But I think the veterans that have proven themselves on the NFL Level deserve the bulk of the compensation. When a player is drafted and doesn't make it and he takes that money out of the system, that's a disadvantage to the other players in the league. That's what I keep trying to get across. We need to keep the money in the system and it needs to go to the veterans that deserve it. ... It's a relatively simple fix if we sit down and address it."

More to come.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

	Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images
	The Packers did not wait long to committ to Aaron Rodgers.

If you were surprised by how quickly the Green Bay Packers offered, negotiated and completed a long-term contract with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, you were not alone.

There wasn't the slightest of public indications that Friday's agreement was approaching. Yes, Rodgers and the Packers did a good job keeping it quiet. At the same time, few players cash in this way after such a brief career. Historically, it wasn't even time to start rumor-mongering about a possible deal, which we in the media love to do.

Look at it this way: Rodgers had almost four times as many regular season games left on his previous contract (25) as he has started in (seven). There were, after all, some people surprised last season when Dallas signed quarterback Tony Romo to a long-term extension. Romo had been the Cowboys' starter since the middle of 2006 and had a tenure more than twice that of Rodgers.

But the Packers clearly have committed to Rogers in both the short and long-term, having stacked two rookie backups behind him. So in that regard, it made sense to pursue a deal that could save them some money over time if Rodgers proves to be an elite quarterback.

Rodgers accepted about $10 million less in guaranteed money than Romo, according to an NFL.com report that pegged Rodgers' bonuses at $20 million and Romo's at $30 million. But in turn, Rodgers received financial security before he reached the midpoint of his first season as an NFL starter. Who would have guessed it?

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

As we told you in Friday's programming note, we're setting out for Wisconsin a bit later this morning and will be in place for Sunday's nationally-televised track meet between Green Bay and Dallas.

We'll most likely be in transit when a few important news items become official later this morning. But there a couple of places you can look for news on Chicago receiver/kick returner Devin Hester (ribs) and Minnesota tailback Adrian Peterson (knee). Game-time decisions for both players must be finalized by 11:30 a.m. ET, and shortly thereafter we should have news stories on the ESPN.com NFL page.

We also have a pretty slick system set up to provide a link to John Clayton's 32-team list of inactive players about an hour before kickoff. That link will be pasted directly into our very own NFC North blog. If Hester and/or Peterson don't appear on that list, you can assume they're playing today.

There is no additional information Sunday morning on either player, but in general Hester has seemed a long shot for playing while the Vikings are keeping their fingers crossed on Peterson.

We'll check in later this afternoon. Until then, let's take a stroll around the division:

• In case you didn't know, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is from Burlington, Wis. Brett Christopherson of Gannett Wisconsin checks in with a lengthy profile. A highlight: Folks in Burlington were glad Romo only needed to change a tire during his now-infamous Good Samaritan act earlier this month. "He has no clue what's underneath the hood," said Steve Berezowitz, Romo's high school basketball coach.
• Do the Packers have enough defensive personnel to stop the Cowboys' offense? Not everyone on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's football staff thinks so.
• Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune check in with profiles of new Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte. Because of his children's school and sports schedule, Frerotte is living alone in the Twin Cities this year while the rest of his family remains in St. Louis.
• Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune reminds us of the last time Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers played in the Metrodome: Three sacks, five quarterback pressures, one pass breakup, nine tackles and a blocked field goal in a 2006 loss to the Vikings. Peppers played most of that game as a left end but is expected to be on the right side today.
• Most members of the Chicago Sun-Times sports staff expect a defensive struggle today between Chicago and Tampa Bay.
• As you read this, Bears defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek might be throwing up. Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune shares the details on Dvoracek's pregame rituals.
• Detroit tailback Kevin Smith on the Lions' mostly listless running game: "We're close, we're not far," Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com writes.
• The Lions had two goals in the offseason: To re-balance their offense by firing coordinator Mike Martz, and to improve their personnel in the defensive secondary. Nicholas J. Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press pre-notes the irony of Martz potentially lighting up the Lions defense today in his new role as San Francisco's offensive coordinator.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

The Chicago Bears aren't shedding much light on receiver/kick returner Devin Hester's mysterious rib injury.

Multiple media outlets have reported Hester suffered some sort of strain at Carolina. Tests revealed no broken bones, according to the reports, and it seemed likely he would play Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Hester, however, was nowhere to be seen during practice Wednesday and coach Lovie Smith would only say: "Game time, if he's ready to go, he'll be on the field."

In the meantime, Danieal Manning worked on kickoff returns Wednesday and rookie Earl Bennett was one of the punt returners, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times. Nathan Vasher is another possibility as a punt returner.

Hester hasn't missed a game since joining the Bears in 2006, and for a team that relies so heavily upon its special teams for scoring, his availability is the biggest issue of the week.

Elsewhere around the NFC North this morning:

• No one will confirm it for obvious reasons, but Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette is convinced the Packers will assign cornerback Al Harris to Dallas receiver Terrell Owens on Sunday night. Owens burned the Packers for seven receptions, 156 yards and one touchdown while matched up primarily against Harris in the teams' 2007 matchup.
• The Packers don't plan to give Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo all day to throw. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you what we're doing exactly," said linebacker Nick Barnett, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. "But we've got some things that we're working on."
• Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson on his demotion Wednesday: "Obviously I wasn't happy, but coach feels like it's the best move for the team and I'm a team player."
• Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune is convinced Vikings coach Brad Childress faced pressure to make the quarterback switch: "[You] would have to be very naive to believe what we saw Wednesday was anything less than a response to ownership's unhappiness with an 0-2 start in this season of high expectations -- and high expenses."
• Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press joins in the conspiracy: "I'd still be curious to know how Childress went from declaring Jackson his starting quarterback on Sunday, to being not so sure on Monday, to benching him for the rest of the season on Wednesday. Maybe he took the game film to the IMAX theater and watched Tarvaris on a really, really huge screen. That could have done it."
• Many Detroit fans are scratching their heads wondering how Lions castoff J.T. O'Sullivan could have emerged as the starting quarterback they will face Sunday at San Francisco. Current Lions starter Jon Kitna is not. "He's one of the best throwers of the football I've ever been around," Kitna said, according to the Detroit Free Press.
  
• Lions third-string quarterback Drew Stanton has recovered from a strained ligament in his right thumb and is available to play if needed.