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First in a series of posts on NFC North rookies who have generated some spring buzz.

One of the most consistent suggestions I received in the wake of last week's request was for more discussion about intriguing rookies, who in many ways represent the first stop of hope and excitement for the upcoming season. So let's start with Minnesota Vikings receiver Greg Childs, a fourth-round pick who has just emerged from an 18-month recovery from a serious knee injury.

In October 2010, Childs was projected as one of college football's best NFL receiver prospects before tearing the patella tendon in his right knee. Doctors told him it could take up to a year and a half to recover fully, which would have cost him his final season at Arkansas. Childs decided to play in 2011, but as it turned out, he might have been better off sitting out.

His 21 receptions were less than half of his 2010 total, and he put a season's worth of slow route running and minimal separation on tape for NFL scouts. He wasn't much better at the February scouting combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, and suddenly one of the best receivers of 2010 was on track to be a mid-round draft choice.

The Vikings were encouraged by a better performance at his pro day; at 6-foot-3 and nearly 220 pounds, Childs ran a 4.41 and hit 41.5 inches on his vertical leap. Many fans are no doubt miffed that the Vikings didn't devote more resources toward upgrading their downfield passing attack, but if Childs is truly recovered from the patella injury, they might well get away with it.

Childs seems quite aware of his opportunity, telling the "Vikings Tonight" radio show that "I definitely have a chip on my shoulder," adding that he wants to "show everyone that I can still be one of the top receivers and that I will be a steal of this draft."

Indeed, draft analyst Matt Waldman -- writing for The New York Times last month -- considered Childs the fifth-best receiver available in the draft. Waldman wrote that Childs' pro day was indicative of a full recovery and "a return to the skills he displayed as a sophomore and junior."

The Vikings really have only one receiver position locked down, and that's wherever Percy Harvin plays. Veteran Michael Jenkins is expected to return from a knee injury, and newcomer Jerome Simpson will add a level of playmaking when he returns from a three-game NFL suspension. But if Childs can run a true 4.4 at his size, it's going to be hard for the Vikings to keep him off the field once he learns the offense.

The Vikings started him off at the traditional "X" receiver spot that Jenkins played last season, but Jenkins is more of a possession receiver and lacks the explosion Childs will have if his recovery is in fact complete.

And listening to Childs, it is.

"I'm not concerned about the knee problem at all," he said. "I'm 100 percent, full throttle, no slowing down."

Facebook friend Jonathan makes a simple request of the San Francisco 49ers: get Mike Wallace.

"How valuable could the 30th pick be?" he asks.

This is the most enticing argument for chasing after a young, talented restricted free agent such as Wallace, who might qualify as the best deep-threat receiver in the NFL. NFC West fans might remember Wallace's 95-yard touchdown reception against Arizona last season, or his 53-yard reception against Seattle, or his 46-yarder against St. Louis.

Wallace would give the 49ers the deep-threat wideout their rotation has been lacking.

A few considerations:

• Price: The 49ers would have to pay Wallace enough for two things to happen. One, Wallace would have to sign an offer sheet, forcing the 49ers to outbid any other suitors. Two, the deal would need to be structured so that Pittsburgh would not match it. The 49ers would then have to send their first-round choice, 30th overall, to the Steelers.
• Fit: The 49ers have carefully identified which players in their locker room to hold up as leaders. Patrick Willis, Joe Staley and Vernon Davis have gotten lucrative long-term deals. Justin Smith and Frank Gore have also been highly paid. Smith is the perfect example of a free agent from another team who was worth the investment. The 49ers would have to feel good about how Wallace would react to a payday. Signing him affects dynamics at the position, putting Wallace over Michael Crabtree and the other receivers.
• The pick: It's easy to discount the value of that 30th choice because so many draft choices fail to pan out. But that is why teams employ personnel departments. The 2009 first round was largely disappointing, but the Green Bay Packers nonetheless landed B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. Tennessee stood pat at No. 30 and drafted Kenny Britt, who averaged 17.5 yards per reception with 15 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending knee injury early last season. Niner fans will point to the 2004 draft, when San Francisco took receiver Rashaun Woods at No. 31. But a look at receivers drafted from the 28th through 32nd picks since 2001 shows Woods was more exception than rule. Hakeem Nicks, Britt, Craig Davis, Anthony Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins and Reggie Wayne were the other receivers in that group.
• The offense: Would the 49ers maximize their investment in a deep-threat receiver? Would Wallace open up their offense, taking them to another level? Or would the nature of the 49ers' approach and potential limitations at quarterback leave us wondering why Wallace's production had failed to carry over?

I'd have a hard time criticizing the 49ers if they made a strong play for Wallace. They need help at the position. Wallace is only 25 years old. Wallace is established and ascending.

It's true that receivers often disappoint, but very few in Wallace's position hit the market. The new labor agreement gives the best restricted free agents more freedom. This would seem to be a relatively low-risk proposition for the 49ers as long as Wallace's personality and work ethic checked out.

Mel Kiper Jr. is back with his second 2012 NFL mock draft for the first round.

We discussed the first one about a month ago, summarizing Kiper's thoughts and supplementing them with my own.

This updated look works from Kiper's updated mock, concluding with the St. Louis Rams, who hold the second overall choice.

2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St.

Kiper's give: Cleveland, Washington or maybe even Miami could slide into this spot if they want to make a move at quarterback, but Blackmon goes here in this mock because I'm not able to reflect trades. St. Louis is in desperate need of a weapon in the passing game, and will get one with one of its first two picks. Remember, it could also lose Brandon Lloyd in free agency.

Sando's take: Lloyd returning seems like a long shot with his preferred coordinator, Josh McDaniels, now in New England. The team's new general manager, Les Snead, was with Atlanta when the Falcons selected wide receivers 29th (Michael Jenkins, 2004), 27th (Roddy White, 2005) and sixth (Julio Jones, 2011). His teams never drafted a wide receiver in the second round. One way or another, the Rams need playmakers. Their needs extend far beyond receiver, however. Perhaps the combine will help better define the Rams' choices. Trading down for additional picks carries appeal in the absence of an obvious non-quarterback option for St. Louis at No. 2. Sending the second pick to the teams Kiper mentioned would be feasible given that all three -- the Browns, Redskins and Dolphins -- play outside the NFC West.

We're going to get some mileage out of the research I did, and had forwarded to me, for our 2011 All-NFC North team. The first installment is left over from the debate that ultimately led me to choose Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson over the Minnesota Vikings' Percy Harvin.

I checked out their playing time as part of comparing their production. As it turned out, Nelson and Harvin were on the field for almost exactly the same amount of time. Nelson played 609 snaps and Harvin 605. (All numbers in this post exclude penalties, which means they vary slightly from the figures we've used during the season.) The percentages of their team's total snaps were close as well: 58.9 for Nelson and 58.4 for Harvin.

That makes sense for Nelson, who was part of the NFL's deepest receiving corps. But I have a hard time understanding how Harvin -- by far the Vikings' best receiver in 2011 and one of their few playmakers -- was on the sideline for more than 40 percent of a mostly punchless team's snaps.

Across the NFL, 54 receivers played a higher percentage of their team's snaps than Harvin did. That includes teammate Devin Aromashodu, who eventually stepped into the starting lineup after Bernard Berrian's departure and Michael Jenkins' injury. Aromashodu caught 26 passes while playing on 674 snaps, 69 more than Harvin. (Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe led Vikings pass-catchers by playing 76.1 percent of the team's snaps.)

I think we all assumed that Harvin would be the Vikings' No. 1 receiver, and it was immediately surprising when he played about half of the snaps in the Vikings' first two games. At the time, coach Leslie Frazier said: "We have certain packages where we want to feature him, and not necessarily overuse him, but use him to help our football team."

Many of us dropped the issue given Harvin's season-long productivity, but in the end the Vikings finished the season with the NFL's fifth-fewest passing yards while their best receiver was on the sideline for 41.6 percent of their plays. That's hard to defend.

On the other hand, it's possible the Vikings believed Harvin would be more effective with managed snaps. He did, after all, catch a career-high 87 passes while rushing for 345 yards out of the backfield. The Vikings also had him as their primary kickoff returner on 30 of the kickoffs they faced.

Frazier denied during the season that his playing-time plan for Harvin was related to his migraine history, but it's worth noting that Harvin had no reported issues this season. Did the limited contact contribute to that? Assuming Frazier was being truthful, the two events were coincidental.

Regardless, in the big picture Harvin is too young to be on a pitch count. He won't turn 24 until May. It's true that he was managing a rib injury late in the season, but that doesn't account for 431 plays on the sideline. There is every reason to believe that Harvin could and should play at least as much as the No. 1 or No. 2 receivers on other teams.

For context, here are the NFC North receivers who played a higher percentage of snaps than Harvin in 2011:

• Calvin Johnson: 93.2
• Nate Burleson: 87.1
• Aromashodu: 65.1
• Titus Young: 63.1
• Greg Jennings: 62.2
• Roy Williams: 59.6
• Nelson: 58.9

Consider that Jennings played more snaps in 12 1/2 games before suffering a knee injury than Harvin did in 16. In the end, Harvin had the best year of his career when playing limited snaps. The Vikings must spend part of this offseason deciding if that was the reason, or if they artificially capped his production by overcompensating on his playing time.

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

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

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

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

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

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

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

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. Communication in the Green Bay Packers' secondary: It's true that Packers defensive backs made three of the most critical plays in Sunday's victory over the San Diego Chargers. Safety Charlie Peprah and cornerback Tramon Williams each returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Peprah added a second interception to clinch the game with 14 seconds remaining. But anyone who has watched the Packers' pass defense has seen a number of blown coverages in recent weeks, be it on Michael Jenkins' 72-yard reception for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7 or Vincent Jackson's 38-yard play Sunday for the Chargers. With each instance, we learn more about the value of injured safety Nick Collins, who has made most of the positioning calls for the Packers in recent seasons.

2. Clarity in the Detroit Lions' backfield: On several occasions, the Lions have downplayed their modest running game totals by noting how explosive they've been via the air. It's a fair point, and it's not worth obsessing over their running game as we move into the second half of the season. With that said, Monday's return of tailback Kevin Smith makes you wonder exactly what is in store for the backfield moving forward. Was it a sign that starter Jahvid Best's return is far from guaranteed? Is Smith just extra insurance for the people ahead of him, a list that includes Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams? Or are the Lions like the rest of us -- unsure where this is all headed -- and making sure they are fortified for each contingency?

3. High-mindedness in Minnesota: Sure, it sounded like a tough plan in theory for the Minnesota Vikings to release cornerback Chris Cook. He has been charged with a particularly infuriating crime, felony strangulation of his girlfriend, and the Vikings would have gotten a public relations boost in some areas had they cut their losses. But let's get real for a moment. Rare is the NFL team that will justify releasing a 24-year-old cornerback who was making substantial progress this season because of an untried legal issue. Cook's next court date isn't until Nov. 22. In the meantime, the Vikings have given Cook a paid vacation to get himself straight. I can't blame them.

RISING

1. Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears linebacker: There were plenty of heroes in the effort to limit Philadelphia Eagles stars Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson in Monday night's victory. Linebacker Lance Briggs, for one, played an inspired game. But Urlacher seemed to be running all over the field all night, collecting 10 solo tackles and tipping two passes. Vick managed 33 rushing yards and McCoy only 71 -- of which 33 came on one play. What you saw Monday night was a 33-year-old Urlacher playing the way he did when he was 23. An impressive effort, not to mention a lot of 33's.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback: Rodgers could be a staple in this feature, but we try to save him for special occasions. In this case, Rodgers capped his MVP first half with a number of accomplishments worth noting. First, his 64-yard pass Sunday to receiver Jordy Nelson was one of the best throws I've seen him make. Rolling to his right, Rodgers didn't have time to set his feet and simply flung the ball about 55 yards in the air. Second, that pass helped elevate Rodgers' completion percentage on throws of 20 or more yards downfield to 65.2 percent this season. That's a better completion percentage than all but three NFL quarterbacks have on all of their throws. Amazing.

3. Earl Bennett, Bears receiver: How much different did the Bears' offense look with Bennett back after a near two-month absence? He caught all five of the passes quarterback Jay Cutler threw him Monday night, totaling 95 yards and what amounted to the game-winning touchdown. It's long been established that Cutler loves throwing to him, but Monday you saw why: Bennett is tough, sure-handed and reliable in clutch situations. Other than tailback Matt Forte, you really couldn't say that about any other Bears skill position player this season.

MINNEAPOLIS -- An objective evaluation of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder's first NFL start would have to include these facts:

1. He missed more passes (19) than he completed (13).
2. He threw two interceptions into the hands of Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, who afterwards said: "I thought I should have had four."
3. He had help from tailback Adrian Peterson, who rumbled for a season-high 175 yards.
4. He put too much air on a deep pass to wide-open receiver Michael Jenkins, allowing the Packers' defense to catch Jenkins and prevent a touchdown on what was a 72-yard pass.

But the first start of a franchise quarterback is as much an emotional event as it is an opportunity for analysis based on standard NFL performances. And on that level, Ponder indisputably injected a level of competitiveness and fire that had been missing from the Vikings' 1-5 start.

True, they have a 1-6 record to show for it. But I think anyone who watched Sunday's game, a 33-27 Packers victory, recognized Ponder's impact. The Vikings gained 219 yards on his 13 completions, including two touchdowns, and he also scrambled four times for 31 yards.

"I think he's got a bright future," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "I like the way he plays. He moves around really well."

The Vikings smartly, and entirely predictably, mixed in a heavy dose of the kind of bootleg and rollout plays that Ponder demonstrated proficiency executing during the preseason. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Ponder completed 54.5 percent of the passes he threw outside of the pocket and 33.3 from inside the pocket.

Getting outside the pocket proved especially productive against a Packers defense that spent almost the entire game in man-to-man coverage. With Ponder buying extra time, it stood to reason that Packers defenders would inevitably lose track of their men.

"We didn't throw a lot at him today," Woodson said. "A lot of man-to-man, and a lot of running around after their guys. Which I think for them helped out for moving Ponder out of the pocket, and us chasing guys all over the field."

I'm not sure if any offense can sustain itself on bootlegs and rollouts. But for Ponder, Sunday was more about establishing how he would carry himself as an NFL starter as much as it was about how he would play.

On that level, I thought he was impressive. Fans at the Metrodome were obviously excited about him, but there was an unmistakable bounce in the step of his teammates as well. For the first time in a while, watching the Vikings offense was something short of painful. At times, it was even fun.

Ponder took some chances, especially in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard touchdown to Michael Jenkins and a 19-yard pass to Greg Camarillo on third-and-10. He even showed us a flair for the dramatic, using a guns-and-holsters move to celebrate touchdowns.

"I'm just trying things out," Ponder said, chuckling. "We'll see what sticks."

The Vikings didn't win Sunday and Ponder didn't play well enough. But fans cheered and people chuckled at the Metrodome for the first time in 2011. That's a start.

On Monday, we noted that Minnesota Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian took to Twitter in defense of his low production this season. When a follower told him he was "wide open at least 5 times," Berrian responded: "been like that the last 4 yrs."

One of the fans who challenged Berrian on that point was a Minnesota state representative and a co-author of the team's stadium finance bill. That fact was dramatic but ultimately irrelevant. What concerned me was Berrian's implication that getting open is the extent of his job as a receiver, and beyond that, his production is in the hands of someone else -- presumably the quarterback or the play-caller.

So with help from several resources, I sought out some key facts that would help us understand whether Berrian is justified or if he needs to take more ownership for catching only two passes over the Vikings' first four games.

First, it should be noted that Berrian has been on the field more often than any Vikings wide receiver. According to Pro Football Focus, he has played on 182 of the Vikings' 248 snaps. Michael Jenkins is next with 175 plays, Percy Harvin has 141 and Devin Aromashodu has 36.

On those 182 plays, Berrian has been targeted on 13 passes. ESPN Stats & Information doesn't assign a target when one isn't clear, making its number different from press-box statistics that say Berrian has been targeted 15 targeted times. Regardless, Berrian has caught only two of the 13, or 15 percent.

The top NFL receivers typically catch between 60 and 70 percent of the passes thrown their way, according to a spreadsheet I viewed from ESPN Stats & Information. New England Patriots slot man, for example, Wes Welker has caught 70 percent this season. Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson is at 71 percent. Steve Johnson of the Buffalo Bills is at 66 percent and the San Diego Chargers' Vincent Jackson is at 65 percent.

Admittedly, 13 targets on 182 plays is a very small number. There are 84 NFL players who have been targeted more than Berrian this season. But this is where his career history, at least with the Vikings, needs to be reviewed for context.

Katie Sharp of ESPN Stats & Information provided the following chart. It shows that in the four years Berrian was referring to, he's caught 52 percent of the passes thrown his way. Since the start of the 2010 season, that number is 45 percent.

There are many factors that go into how frequently a receiver should catch the passes thrown his way. Obviously, quarterback accuracy is one of them. So is the route a receiver is asked to run; a short route is more likely to be completed than one that takes a receiver 30 yards downfield.

But there are some factors that a receiver can control. Does he need the ball delivered precisely to his hands? How good is he at catching imperfect passes? Can he win a physical fight with the defender? To what extent can he twist his body or shield defenders or maintain control after a big hit?

All of these factors go into the pot when evaluating Berrian's past four years. He obviously hasn't gotten as many passes as he would have liked. But over that stretch, he's worked with four different veteran quarterbacks: Gus Frerotte, Tarvaris Jackson, Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb. Have they all inexplicably looked elsewhere when he Berrian was open, presuming he has been? Or did Berrian's extended history of catching about half of the passes thrown his way play a role in their (possibly subconscious) decision-making?

Berrian isn't totally at fault for his two-catch season. McNabb has under-and overthrown him on a number of occasions already. But I hope Berrian doesn't think that getting open is the sole factor in a quarterback throwing his way. That's only half of the battle, and perhaps Berrian hasn't won enough of the other half to justify additional attention. Just a thought.

The young season has already brought some interesting developments within the Air and Space division. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is part of the early MVP discussion after throwing for 599 yards and seven touchdowns while not taking a sack. Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, meanwhile, has been a human shock absorber, and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is off to the best two-game start from a yardage perspective (620 yards) of his career.

What I have found particularly interesting, however, is the way the Minnesota Vikings have used new starter Donovan McNabb. Watching the Vikings from an anecdotal perspective, McNabb has seemingly made every throw off some variation of the bootleg that gets him out of the pocket and creates a natural short-range opening for a receiver. The reality, ESPN Stats & Information tells us, isn't that far off.

As the chart shows, McNabb has thrown 11 of his 45 passes this season from outside of the pocket, including his sole touchdown pass, a 3-yard strike to receiver Michael Jenkins in Week 1. Only Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns has thrown a higher percentage of his total passes from outside of the pocket, and McCoy is nine years younger than McNabb and more prone to unplanned scrambles.

But the Vikings are purposely getting McNabb outside. They are attempting to capitalize on his career-long success throwing on the move and also want to monetize the respect opponents are showing for tailback Adrian Peterson. It's also worth noting that a bootleg to McNabb's right gets him away from any backside pass rush potentially allowed by new left tackle Charlie Johnson.

To little surprise, McNabb's performance has been dramatically better on those plays than when he has remained in the pocket. He said this week that he's "willing to do whatever it takes to win" and hopes the early threat of a bootleg will soften defensive reactions to Peterson's every move.

"Teams are going to pursue to try to stop him from getting that big run," McNabb said, "which is going to open up lanes outside on the nakeds and boots to get the ball to our receivers on the outside. That's going to happen all throughout the course of the year and we just have to capitalize on the play-action game and get the ball down 15, 20, 25 yards to create some more explosive plays."

To this point, McNabb's eight completed passes on the outside have netted a total of 67 yards. But even if they start netting more yardage, it's difficult to imagine an NFL team winning consistently when its best (and only) passing play is a bootleg. The chances for producing a big play are smaller, and frequency can become predictable.

Like any offense, the Vikings will have to find at least some success via traditional pocket passing. To this point, McNabb has the fewest number of completions on passes thrown from the pocket (17) than any starter in the NFL. For comparison's sake, NFL leader Tom Brady of the New England Patriots has about four times as many.

McNabb accurately noted that the Vikings are finding alternate ways to make explosive plays, noting a 42-yard screen play last Sunday to tailback Toby Gerhart. Ultimately, however, the bootlegs and screens will have to be part of a bigger picture that includes at least the potential to score quickly on traditional downfield passes rather than at the end of long drives.

"I think people are seeing teams throwing deep balls for 60, 70-yard touchdowns," McNabb said. "And that's going to come. But you have to methodically move the ball downfield and move the chains and we [are] able to do that."

MINNEAPOLIS -- So that's enough of that. Donovan McNabb surpassed his Week 1 passing total in the first quarter of the Minnesota Vikings' Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Using a healthy mix of bootleg and play-action passes, McNabb completed six of nine passes for 55 yards in the first quarter. As you know by now, he managed just 39 through four quarters of a 24-17 loss last week to the San Diego Chargers.

The Vikings led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 90-yard, 12-play drive that ended with Adrian Peterson's 1-yard touchdown run. McNabb has completed two passes apiece to receivers Michael Jenkins and Percy Harvin, and running back Toby Gerhart has a 31-yard scamper.

A few quick thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings' season-opening 24-17 loss at the San Diego Chargers:

What it means: The Vikings lost in Leslie Frazier's debut as the team's full-time head coach. They're not exactly out of the NFC North race, but it's worth noting they were the only Black and Blue team to lose in Week 1. Their passing offense is of particular concern after it netted 28 yards, the eighth-worst passing game in team history.

The good news: The Vikings got off to an explosive start on Percy Harvin's 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Adrian Peterson's 46-yard run set up Donovan McNabb's 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Michael Jenkins and the Vikings led 17-7 at halftime.

The bad news: It was pretty much downhill from there. The Vikings didn't score again, McNabb finished with seven completions (you read that correctly) and 39 gross passing yards. There has obviously been concern about the Vikings' offense since the lockout began, considering its quarterback and scheme transition. I don't think Sunday's issues were all McNabb's fault by any means, and it's a little early to start talking about rookie Christian Ponder. But in a passing league, the Vikings aren't going to win many games with the kind of offensive game they played Sunday.

Rivers rolls: I put the over-under on Philip Rivers' passing totals at 300, and many of you took the over. You were right. He finished with 335 yards by completing 33 of 48 passes, realizing in the second half especially that the Vikings' secondary can be beat. He did throw two interceptions, but overall it was difficult to imagine the Vikings holding Rivers down for the entire game.

What's next: The Vikings will make their home debut next Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Reviewing Saturday's action at the Metrodome:

Dallas Cowboys 23, Minnesota Vikings 17

Preseason record: 1-2

Of interest: The Vikings first-team offense converted a touchdown for the first time this preseason when Donovan McNabb found receiver Bernard Berrian behind the defense for a 49-yard touchdown pass on their first possession. Berrian later caught a 15-yard pass in showing his first signs of life in more than a year. ... Most important for the offense: It controlled the line of scrimmage for a good portion of its stint against the Cowboys' first-team defense. Tailback Adrian Peterson rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries, possibly coinciding with the return of right guard Anthony Herrera. ... McNabb also connected on another nice downfield pass to receiver Michael Jenkins (26 yards). ... Defensively, the Vikings looked pretty vulnerable against Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who completed 15 of his 20 passes. Cornerback Antoine Winfield's right shoulder stinger was a scary, but apparently not long-term, sight. At this point, depth is a big concern. ... Place-kicker Ryan Longwell hit a 44-yard field goal, but was short from 52 and had a 47-yard attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown. ... No. 2 quarterback Joe Webb had a 36-yard scramble and also a 10-yard touchdown run, showing again why the Vikings should make room for him somewhere in their offense. But the flip side was that rookie Christian Ponder didn't get much work. Perhaps he will start the preseason finale Thursday.

Local coverage: Winfield and cornerback Chris Cook (hamstring) will be "fine," coach Leslie Frazier told reporters, according to Mark Craig of the Star Tribune. ... Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "The Vikings may have to put a 'help wanted' sign out on I-494 in front of Winter Park. 'Defensive Backs Inquire Within.'" ... Frazier on the Vikings' secondary, via Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com: "What I was encouraged by was when Chris was out there, when Cedric [Griffin] was out there, when 'Toine was out there, we held our own. That is really encouraging for our defense and for our team, because we're going to need those three guys to really play at a high level in order for our defense to play well. When they were there, I thought we held them in check." ... McNabb on the pass to Berrian, via Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com: "I know everyone kind of thought we were going to kind of stay intermediate and kind of play it safe. But we've been trying to open up the offense. It really depends on what the defense is dictating for us." ... The Vikings worked hard to develop a rapport between McNabb and Berrian in practice last week, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave told Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.

Up next: Thursday against Houston Texans

Reviewing Saturday's action at CenturyLink Field:

Minnesota Vikings 20, Seattle Seahawks 7

Preseason record: 1-1

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

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

Up next: Saturday vs. Dallas Cowboys

If you think the Atlanta Falcons player who will benefit most from the arrival of rookie receiver Julio Jones will be quarterback Matt Ryan, you might be wrong.

It could end up being Harry Douglas. If you didn’t see the Falcons' 15-13 preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday night and don’t know what I’m talking about, catch a replay of the game.

There’s a second-quarter play that demonstrates exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a 76-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Douglas.

It’s the kind of play the Falcons didn’t have nearly enough of last season. In fact, Douglas probably couldn’t have made the same play last season. The difference is the presence of Jones.

With Jones and Roddy White lined up at wide receiver, Douglas lined up in the slot. He ran a slant route and never really was covered. He caught it in the middle of the field and headed for the sideline. He never was touched. But, just in case he needed help, Jones was downfield and ready to throw a block. That wasn’t needed.

Douglas was with the Falcons last season, but he didn’t supply the kind of big plays the Falcons wanted. That’s partly because former starter Michael Jenkins was hurt early in the season and Douglas had to play his position. Douglas isn’t a big guy and isn’t the kind of receiver who can help you as a run blocker and he really isn’t a possession receiver.

The Falcons believe he’s a natural slot guy. That’s where Douglas is playing now and the difference is significant. With White and Jones on the outside, there are going to be plenty of times when Douglas doesn’t draw much coverage. If he makes a few big plays, he’ll get more coverage and that will mean less attention on White.

That will mean more big plays and that’s exactly what the Falcons want.

A few other observations on the Falcons.

• Defensive end Ray Edwards, who is coming off knee surgery, sat out his second straight preseason game. Without him, the Falcons still got some pressure on the quarterbacks. Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux stood out.
• Scary moment in the first half when defensive tackle Peria Jerry had to leave the game after colliding with teammate Trey Lewis. Jerry missed most of his rookie season with a knee injury and wasn’t at full strength last season. But the good news is Jerry was just shaken up and returned to the game a bit later. He had one play where he got good pressure on Blaine Gabbert in the second half.
• Cornerback Brent Grimes continues to have a strong preseason. He had an over-the-shoulder interception deep in the end zone in the first half. He took it out and made several athletic moves before getting stopped around midfield. Although undersized, Grimes might be the best natural athlete to come through Atlanta since Deion Sanders.
• With cornerback Dunta Robinson sitting out, Chris Owens and Dominique Franks, who are competing for the starting job at nickel back, each got a lot of playing time. Although I was also keeping a close eye on Cam Newton in the Carolina-Miami game, I also kept a watch on Owens and Franks. I saw some good coverage from both at times. Franks did fall in coverage once. But he also knocked down a pass near the line of scrimmage.
• Second-year linebacker Sean Weatherspoon had a very active outing, highlighted by his fumble recovery in the first quarter. He also looked good in pass coverage several times.
• Outside linebacker Stephen Nicholas also looked good and may have a chance to take the starting job from veteran Mike Peterson. That’s a bit ironic because Nicholas was playing in his hometown and against a team that many speculated he’d jump to as a free agent.

MANKATO, Minn. -- Donovan McNabb sat through four practices this week. Then he watched for another 37 minutes Thursday afternoon before finally getting the all-clear to jump into drills. At 4:03 p.m. local, McNabb took his first snap from center John Sullivan. At 4:07 p.m., he lined up for his first 11-on-11 series.

Receiver Bernard Berrian sprinted down the left sideline. McNabb watched him the whole way, drawing on what we later learned were some throwing sessions he had with Berrian and others this week at a local high school. Berrian got a step on cornerback Cedric Griffin, and McNabb dropped a deep pass into his hands in stride for a 60-yard touchdown.

We all had our theories on how McNabb would practice after a whirlwind week that saw him traded to the Vikings, thrust into an unfamiliar offensive system and forced immediately into a leadership role -- all while knowing the Vikings' No. 1 draft choice is in hot pursuit of his job. Given the circumstances Thursday, McNabb proved more than competent and was nowhere close to the top of the team's concerns.

(That trophy goes to the left tackle position. We'll get to that in a moment.)

"Our first play we connected and just kind of started going after that," McNabb said. "For myself, [the focus] was really just to calm down. Everything's moving a mile a minute, your legs feel so fresh, your drop is extremely fast and you just have to calm down. As practice continued on, I started to get in that rhythm and relax a little bit. We still have time to work on our chemistry and timing from quarterback to receivers. This is my first day having an opportunity to throw to all the guys, so it was a good start. But we have a lot to clean up."

Let it now be said: McNabb has now devoted more practice time to Minnesota State University, Mankato, than their most recent starter did in the past two summers combined. (The math was heavily in McNabb's favor as soon as he reported Sunday afternoon.) As it turns out, McNabb organized daily outings this week for players who, like him, were ineligible to practice because of the unratified collective bargaining agreement.

That meant McNabb, Berrian, receiver Michael Jenkins and others were making regular trips to a local high school for light football work.

"I think it was something that really is going to pay off," McNabb said. "This is my first time with these guys. I'm unfamiliar with how they run routes and the speed and things of that nature so the guys who weren't able to participate in the early practices, we spent some time together, we were able to bond and now it's time for me to work with the rest of the guys and the offensive linemen so we can be on the same page."

There's no sense trying to deeply analyze and evaluate McNabb's first full practice of the summer. But if you/I/we thought he would look lost, overwhelmed, frustrated or tense, then you/I/we were wrong. From an amateur vantage point, he appeared in command of the offense. I spotted only one glaring mistake, when he pulled away from center ahead of the snap count, and he even took some good-natured ribbing from now-backup quarterback Joe Webb -- who squirted water on his head in a mock cool-down attempt after McNabb sat idle for the first portion of practice.

After a while, in fact, I stopped watching McNabb and focused on the massacre taking place at left tackle, where Jared Allen and other Vikings defenders were blowing up new left tackle Charlie Johnson. Like McNabb, Johnson was dropped unexpectedly into a new role over the past week. McNabb admitted he was disappointed when the Vikings released former starter Bryant McKinnie and said: "As a quarterback, you don't want to hear about anything like that."

I'm sure Johnson will settle in as he learns the offense, but it will be interesting to track the Vikings' transition at the two most important positions on offense. Just a few days ago, would you have guessed left tackle would be a greater early-camp concern than quarterback -- or that the following quote from coach Leslie Frazier would be about Johnson rather than McNabb?

"We've got to start somewhere," Frazier said, "and the downside is those guys didn't get a chance to go through that period where we were just in shoulder pads, not in shoulder pads, but in helmets. So he missed that from a timing standpoint but, hey, he'll catch up to the speed of the game like we all will."

In reality, the time has finally come for the Vikings -- and everyone else in the NFL -- to move past the logistical strains caused by the lockout and focus on the season in a single-minded way.

"[We're] looking forward to normalcy if there is such a thing in the National Football League," Frazier said. "Every team has gone through the same things that we've gone through this entire offseason and every team experienced what we experienced today so we're not in the minority in that regard. Right now we can put some of those things behind us and we can concentrate on getting our team prepared to play this season."

At last.