What are some of the biggest questions heading into Week 13 of the NFL season?

1. Can the Texans survive with T.J. Yates at quarterback?
And by “survive” I mean win enough games to clinch the AFC South and make their first ever playoff appearance in franchise history. Apparently Gary Kubiak and his staff worked out Jeff Garcia and Jake Delhomme but for the moment, the starting job is firmly in the hands of Yates, who has zero experience outside of the two and a half quarters he played on Sunday. Now, Yates did have an impressive Pro Day back in April and does come from a pro style offense under North Carolina offensive coordinator John Shoop and head coach Butch Davis. He also impressed the Houston coaching staff this offseason and was considered a “sleeper” but some in the draft. But he’s a fifth-round pick and a developmental quarterback. He was never supposed to see the field this year and now all of a sudden the Texans’ playoff hopes are on his shoulders (for the moment, at least). Talk about pressure. This weekend the Texans play the Falcons, who have a solid run defense and who will certainly challenge Houston’s tough defense, unlike Jacksonville did last Sunday. It’ll be interesting to see how Yates on the Texans fare this week.

2. Can the Giants hand the Packers their first loss?
“Detroit and New York” were the two games most people pointed to as the games in which the Packers could suffer their first loss of the season. But after Green Bay somewhat easily disposed of the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, and following the Giants’ pitiful effort in New Orleans on Monday, it’s likely that there are less people on the New York bandwagon this week. If Aaron issues getting past New York. Granted, the Giants usually play better when their backs are against the wall but their backs were pressed firmly against the wall in New Orleans and they didn’t bother showing up. Thus, it makes you wonder if this isn’t another one of the G-Men’s late-season collapses under Tom Coughlin and Green Bay is just going to burn house down. We’ll find out soon…

3. Can the Bengals knock off the Steelers?
Just when you thought they would go quietly into that good night, the Bengals pulled off a come-from-behind victory last Sunday against the Browns and remain in Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s rearview mirror. That said, Cincinnati has to beat Pittsburgh this weekend if the Bengals are going to have any chance of making the playoffs this season. They’re not mathematically out if they lose but they have to prove to themselves that they can beat one of the two best teams in the AFC North. They fell to the Steelers by a touchdown at home three weeks ago but if they can win in Pittsburgh this weekend then the Bengals must be viewed as a legit contender.

4. Will the Cowboys seize control of the NFC East?
With the Giants’ loss to the Saints on Monday night, the Cowboys now have sole possession of first place in the NFC East. And seeing as how the Giants host the undefeated Packers on Sunday and the Cowboys play the 4-7 Cardinals, Dallas has a great opportunity to take a two-game lead in the division. But this is the Cowboys – the same team that needed overtime to beat the hapless Redskins in Week 11 and who were taken to the brink by the three-win Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day. (In defense of Dallas, Miami was on a three-game winning streak.) My point is that the ‘Boys have yet to put together that one signature win of 2011 and haven’t played a team with a winning record since Week 6 at New England. I wouldn’t be shocked if Arizona gives Dallas a game on Sunday.

5. The Broncos can’t keep winning this way, can they?
Actually yes, they probably can. At least this Sunday they can, because they travel to Minnesota to play a Vikings team that may or may not have Adrian Peterson (ankle) for a second straight week. There’s certainly no reason to believe that the Broncos can’t come away with another 16-13 victory as Denver’s defense stymies another opponent and Tim Tebow rushes for the game-winning score as time expires. Whatever “it” is, Denver has it as all of the players believe in Tebow despite his massive shortcomings as a passer. If the Vikings can’t figure the Broncos’ defense out then it’s going to be another long afternoon for Christian Ponder and Co.

Why do you smite me NFL prediction Gods? WHY! WHY I ASK!

For those that continue to fade me, I say nice work. I’m now 17-23 on the year after another 2-2 week (the Steelers and Patriots covered while the over in the Saints/Falcons and under in the Giants/49ers games did not) and chances are I’ll either go 0-4, 1-3 or 2-2 again this Sunday. Winning would be too much to ask apparently.

WHY!

Bengals @ Ravens, 1:00PM ET
When Baltimore jumps out to a 42-point lead in the second quarter I’ll say to myself, “Yep, that makes sense.” But for now, I think Cincinnati is being undervalued while Baltimore is being overvalued. Seven points is a lot in a divisional game, especially considering how the Bengals have played all season. Yes, I know that Leon Hall and A.J. Green are out with injuries but Andy Dalton has made plays all year. Plus, and this is a biggie, Baltimore has been so inconsistent on offense that the Bengals could feasibly win this game outright. I don’t think that’ll happen, but I do like Cincy to keep it close.
THE PICK: BENGALS +7

Raiders @ Vikings, 1:00PM ET
Oakland really needs this game after Denver beat New York on Thursday night making the AFC West race even tighter. The Raiders are banged up but they were banged up last week in San Diego and beat the Chargers by a touchdown. Carson Palmer needs to play mistake-free football, especially considering Minnesota’s run defense isn’t going to allow Michael Bush to run all over them like he did versus San Diego. With the spread sitting so low I like Palmer’s chances of beating the rook Christian Ponder, even through this game is at the Metrodome.
THE PICK: RAIDERS –1

Titans @ Falcons, 4:15PM ET
Six points is way too much to lay with an Atlanta team that likes to keep things conservative by staying on the ground and eking out victories instead of stomping on their opponents’ chests. The Titans should be extra motivated to win now that Matt Schaub is out for the season and they have a realistic shot of winning the AFC South. With Chris Johnson coming alive the past two weeks, I think Tennessee will stick with Atlanta throughout and maybe even win outright.
THE PICK: TITANS +6

Eagles @ Giants, 8:20PM ET
The Eagles are 4-0 against the spread in their last four trips to East Rutherford but I don’t trust Philly as far as I can throw Andy Reid. And I cannot throw him very far. He’s a very large man and I just can’t seem to get the leverage. Vince Young is likely starting tonight for the injured Michael Vick, which means a quarterback with zero experience running Reid’s offense during the regular season will be counted on to win the most important game of Philadelphia’s season. I don’t like the Eagles’ chances. Eli Manning is playing the best fourth-quarter football of any quarterback in the league and I like the Giants to rise up against a Philadelphia team that looked as if it quite last Sunday versus the Cardinals. Let’s up that same Eagle team shows up again tonight.
THE PICK: GIANTS –4.5

Check out the most current NFL Football Betting odds.

For those wondering, no, Brian Urlacher wasn’t yelling at teammate Lance Briggs on the sidelines during the Chicago Bears’ Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night.

“Everyone asked me what happened after the game: ‘Was I yelling at Lance on the sideline?’ I said: ‘I wasn’t yelling at Lance on the sideline. He didn’t do anything wrong,” Urlacher said. “We were both mad because we aren’t used to this. As long as (Briggs) and I have been here, we haven’t played like this.”

It’s been a frustrating year for the 2-3 Bears, who rank 29th in yards allowed per game (419.6) and 17th in points allowed (24.4). Chicago’s play has been down all season, from a poor pass rush to a suspect run defense that allowed Detroit’s Jahvid Best to rush for 163 yards on just 12 carries. In four games prior to his performance on Monday, Best had yet to total more than 72 yards in a single game, which came back in Week 1 against Tampa Bay.

Julius Peppers’ knee injury that he suffered against the Lions only compounds the Bears’ issues on that side of the ball. Peppers has yet to be ruled out for this Sunday’s game against the Vikings, but a sprained MCL usually takes weeks to heal. Briggs also requested a trade at the beginning of the year, so things aren’t going the way the Bears expected they would, especially considering they hosted the NFC Championship Game a year ago.

Much of the focus in the NFC North this preseason is how the Bears’ offensive line could be in major trouble after allowing nine sacks in their preseason debut. But look around – the rest of the division isn’t much better.

Minnesota Vikings
Forget the Bears – the Vikings are the current owners of the worst offensive line in the division, if not the entire league. Once a major strength, Minnesota’s O-line has fallen on hard times over the last couple of seasons. It was major liability last season and somehow it got much worse. Things started off on a bad note when Bryant McKinnie gained so much unhealthy weight during the lockout that the Vikings actually decided to release him just days before camp. Now they have a left tackle in Charlie Johnson who has been manhandled thus far and would probably be better suited to play inside at guard. Speaking of guard, Steve Hutchinson is a shell of his former self and rookie Chris DeGeare will start on the right side because of Anthony Herrera’s injury issues. In the middle, John Sullivan lacks power and remains one of the least productive centers in the league. Good luck this year, Adrian Peterson.

Chicago Bears
Anyone who saw the Bills rack up nine sacks on the Bears last week is well aware of Chicago’s offensive line issues. The good news is that the Bears got Frank Omiyale out of the starting lineup. The bad news is that J’Marcus Webb will be counted on to protect Jay Cutler’s blindside after struggling as a rookie at right tackle last season. At the other tackle position, the Bears had to draft Gabe Carimi in the first round this year after moving Chris Williams (a 2008 first round selection) to left guard. If the team had better options, Williams would probably have been cut already. The most reliable member of Chicago’s O-line is Roberto Garza, but he’s now playing out of position at center after Olin Kreutz signed with the Saints. Mike Tice is a solid offensive line coach but he has his work cut out for him this season. The unit actually started to gel mid-way through the 2010 season but if Chicago’s first preseason game was any indication, it could be a long season for Cutler and Co. The Bears better hope Webb and Carimi develop fast.

Detroit Lions
GM Martin Mayhew deserves plenty of kudos for the way he has slowly rebuilt the Lions’ roster over the last few years. But it would have been more comforting to Detroit fans had he paid more attention to the O-line this offseason. The Lions return five starters from a year ago but they’re not in as good of shape as one would think. Left tackle Jeff Backus has a partially torn pectoral muscle and will likely miss plenty of practice time as he rehabs the injury. At the other tackle position, Gosder Cherilus is coming off microfracture surgery and while he is practicing, the Lions are taking it slow with the former first rounder. Inside, the Lions are actually in decent shape assuming Stephen Peterman’s foot has healed. Rob Sims was a huge pickup from the Seahawks last season and has solidified what has been a big problem area for the Lions over the years. At center, Dominic Railoa is aging and undersized, but the team could do worse. The biggest problem areas are at the tackle positions, which doesn’t bode well for quarterback Matthew Stafford’s health.

Green Bay Packers
This is the lone exception in the division. Once a major concern thanks in large part to injuries, the Packers’ O-line is now a top-5 unit. Losing Daryn Colledge (Cardinals) hurt, but GM Ted Thompson found a gem in Derek Sherrod, who fell into Green Bay’s laps at the bottom of the first round. Josh Sitton continues to be one of the most underrated right guards in the league and RT Bryan Bulaga looks like he could make major strides in his second year. Barring injuries to the starters, Aaron Rodgers won’t have to worry about eating turf like he did in 2009.

Brad Childress has admitted in the past that acquiring Randy Moss from the Patriots last year was a mistake. But he took the Moss situation a step further this week when he criticized the receiver for “vomiting on” his locker room.

“We had good guys, by and large, [but Moss] walked in the locker room and vomited on it.”

Regular readers know that I’m not a huge Moss fan. I think he was blessed with elite talent and if he had Jerry Rice’s work ethic, he could have been the best receiver to play the game. Instead, Moss picked his spots to be great. He was motivated when he first came into the league because so many teams passed on him in the 1998 draft, so he worked his ass off in Minnesota. Then he was traded to Oakland and completely shut it down. When he was sent to New England in 2007, he was hungry again to prove his worth and wound up being an MVP candidate for the Patriots. When he wanted a new contract at the start of last season and didn’t receive one from the Pats, he shut it down again and became a distraction in Minnesota and Tennessee.

But despite my feelings about Moss, I find it interesting that in the same breath Childress didn’t mention how big of a distraction Brett Favre’s situation was last year. Now, don’t make this a race thing – it’s not about race. My point is that there were tons of things that went wrong in Minnesota last year, most of which happened before Moss even arrived. So why didn’t Childress speak out about that while he was busy pointing the finger at Moss?

It’s not hard to believe that Randy Moss was a distraction and now that he’s not associated with the organization any more, Childress has the right to speak his mind. But if he’s looking to point the finger, he might as well point it at more than just Moss. Favre was a distraction from Day 1; first, nobody knew whether or not he was going to return to Minnesota because he did his annual song and dance routine for months, then he became a distraction again when the Jenn Sterger story broke. Funny how Childress says he has no regrets getting on his knees and begging Favre to come back, yet Moss “vomited” on his good-guy locker room.

Please. Childress was the root of the issue in Minnesota. The players didn’t respect him, he never had a handle on how to manage the different personalities in the locker room and he allowed guys like Favre to do whatever he wanted. The head coach sets the tone for the rest of the team and very few players in that Vikings locker room were ready to march to the beat of Brad Childress.

The Vikings may not make the playoffs this year under Leslie Frazier but I can almost guarantee you that it won’t be because the players don’t respect the head coach. And for that, the franchise is in much better shape now than it was at this point last year.

Even if you’re a Green Bay Packer fan, it’s hard not to love Jared Allen.

That’s because the Minnesota Vikings defensive end plays with a fierce relentlessness, isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and is a guy that if you spent an hour with him you wouldn’t have the slightest idea he was a million dollar athlete.

Jared will be hosting his 2nd annual charity golf tournament called “Night-Ops II” on Saturday, June 18, which is an event that benefits his foundation “Homes 4 Wounded Warriors.” As Jared explains in the interview, the root of the foundation is that you “should feel your most comfortable at your most vulnerable state.” Thus, “Homes 4 Wounded Warriors” is about helping wounded soldiers by remolding their homes so that they’re handicap accessible. For someone who also has family members and friends that have served in the military, it’s a truly touching cause.

Jared also shared his thoughts on the lockout saga, whether or not Brett Favre’s situation was a major distraction for the 6-10 Vikings last year, and what quarterback he loves drilling the most. It would be an understatement to say that his answers weren’t entertaining.

For more on Jared Allen, including details and information on his “Homes 4 Wounded Warriors” foundation, check out his official website.

Jared Allen: Hey Anthony!

The Scores Report: Hey Jared! How are you?

JA: I’m doing well.

TSR: Is your schedule busy today?

JA: Not really – I’m actually just being lazy. I was supposed to play some golf and go for a mountain bike ride, but I’ve got the wrong size tube on my tires so…you know. (Laughs)

TSR: So here you are stuck talking to me. (Laughs)

JA: (Laughs) Yeah!

TSR: Your annual charity golf tournament goes to a fantastic cause. Can you fill readers in on how your foundation “Homes 4 Wounded Warriors” got started and what it’s all about?

JA: Absolutely. First of all, my family is all military. My grandfather spent 26 years in the Marine Corps, is a retired Marine Corps Captain, and my little brother is in the Marines. I think two of my uncles were Marines in ‘Nam and another one was in the Air Force for 30-some-odd-years. So I have a family lineage of military members, but I got to go on the USO tour and while it wasn’t exactly what my grandfather or uncles went through, I got a look into what our military services go through during the time of war. To be able to see first hand the sacrifices that they make on a daily basis was so humbling. It makes you realize how much we take for granted. After hearing about the multiple trips that these guys have made overseas, when I got back from the USO tour I realized I wanted to do more. I wanted to help and give back to our men and women that serve in the military. So I talked with an Army buddy of mine that’s been over to Iraq three times and we came up with the Jared Allen’s “Homes 4 Wounded Warriors” foundation. We based it on the idea that when you’re at home, you should feel your most comfortable at your most vulnerable state. I know that when I come home from a bad day, a tough practice or whatever it may be, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I know that I’m home and for that time, I’m relaxed and everything like that. So the one thing that we thought of was that the last thing that these soldiers should have to worry about is not being able to get around their house because they’re missing an arm, or a leg, or are blind, or whatever it may be. So that’s where we come in. We remodel an existing home or, if necessary, we completely build a new home so that it’s handicap accessible and fits the specific needs of our wounded vets. So that’s how we started and we just finished our first house in Minnesota for a staff sergeant up there. Now we’re focusing on building a couple of homes for some people down here in Arizona. We work directly with the V.A. so everyone is 100-percent medically discharged and I’ll tell you what, it’s been a cool thing.

TSR: I can only imagine have the opportunity to go overseas and grasp how much the members of our military do for us back home. This sounds like a truly great foundation that you’ve started.

JA: Oh, yeah. And now we’re getting ready for our golf tournament, which is a fun way to raise money. We wanted to figure out a way to incorporate the military aspect into the tournament so we came up with the “Night-Ops” where we play half the holes during the day and half of the holes at night. And we have Marines out there screaming and Air Guard out there doing stuff, so it’s a good time.

TSR: What kind of response have you gotten so far from the people and the lives that you’ve affected?

JA: You know, I don’t know if I’ve affected anyone’s lives. I think they’ve affected me more than I’ve affected them. My biggest take away from being able to see these people overseas are how humble it makes you. To see a smile on their face and to take their minds off the war for a few minutes…if we did that then that’s awesome. To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re pro-war or against it, republican or democrat – it doesn’t matter. The point is that these military people from the United States are risking their lives every day so that we can be back home enjoying ours. So from that stand point, the dedication that these people give is what has inspired me. They embrace the suck because it’s their job. You talk to these marines who are living in barracks in the middle of the desert and they don’t bitch, they don’t complain. They get up and they do their job day in and day out. So it makes you appreciate the little things that we take for granted and it makes you realize that a bad day at home is a good day over there. (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs) No doubt.

JA: Again, I don’t know how much I’ve affected their lives but I know they’ve affected mine just from the standpoint of the dedication and focus that they’ve had.

TSR: Well I wish you the best of luck at your golf tournament and everything having to do with your foundation, Jared. It’s a great cause and I hope it continues to grow each year.

JA: Definitely, thank you. We’re always looking for ways to better it and the response has been awesome. The one cool thing is that nobody from our foundation makes a dime from it. So 100-percent of these proceeds go directly into building these homes.

TSR: I wanted to get your take on the latest lockout drama. Can fans get their hopes up that this secret meeting held by union officials and the owners last week is a sign that the lockout is ending soon or are the two sides nowhere close?

JA: I think the meetings are a little late but I’m glad they’re happening. Obviously both sides have been negotiating for a while now and the biggest thing that fans need to understand is that this is a lockout and not a strike. The owners have locked us out from work and the reason that we sued was to get back to work. Know what I mean? But these meetings are the only way something is going to get done; by the two sides coming together and finding a middle ground. Unfortunately most of our resources right now on both sides are being wasted on court fees and lawyer costs. Eventually a fair deal has to get done, but at the same time I’m really proud of our guys for standing their ground and not just signing a deal to get it done and get back onto the field. Because there are some fundamental issues that need to be resolved. The long-term healthcare issue is definitely something that needs to be addressed. I know a bunch of retired players that can’t get healthcare unless they own a business or something because they’re so beat up. I’m glad we’re fighting for better benefits for retired players because we’re all going to be retired one day and the outcome of this CBA negotiation is going to determine a lot of things from here on out, just like in ’87. So, there are some fundamental issues that I think must be addressed and the rest is obviously financials and semantics from the ownership side. Remember, we were happy with the deal the way it was. It’s the owners who want us to take a paycut. You don’t give without receiving something back, you know?

TSR: Right.

JA: But I think it is heading in the right direction. There’s a timeline crunch coming on and I think both sides realize that we have the best game in sports and that we have a very good product. Look at what happened in baseball and hockey when they took that product off the field. I mean, they’re still trying to recover. Football is a great game and I think unfortunately they’re implementing too many rules. Heck, I’m in for going back to 14 games and leather helmets – let’s go play ball. (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs) I don’t think receivers who have to go over the middle want to go back to leather helmets. They won’t even make it through one game, nevertheless 14 or 16!

JA: Hey, we all sign on the dotted line! I chose to be a receiver, I chose to be a defensive line – we all know the risks.

TSR: (Laughs)

JA: But yeah, I think both sides are heading in the right direction in getting together recently. I think it does some good to get away from the attorneys and obviously this looming appeal is going to play a huge role in this. I think if something can get done before the appeals court can make a decision, I think it’s the best-case scenario for both sides. Obviously you know how emotions can get played out when they announce these types of rulings. People can suddenly feel jaded one way or another, but I think the only way something is going to get done is by communicating. It doesn’t do us any good to sit and wait for a judge to get something done because that’ll prove to only benefit the attorneys.

TSR: The most frustrating thing to me about all of this, you know, besides the fact that there may not be football next year, is that at the start of this fiasco the best way to resolve this issue was for the two sides to talk. And now here we are so many months later and the best way to resolve the issue is if…the two sides talk.

JA: (Laughs) Yeah you know, and that’s what I’ve been trying to say to our fans. As players, we want to play. We filed the suit for the injunction so that we could play and get back to work. That’s our stance on the deal. But yeah, it is, it is annoying. I think people are starting to see the business side of things. As fans, we tend to look at football as purely a sport but whenever money is involved there’s always another side. Unfortunately through this lockout, fans are seeing the brutal side to our game.

TSR: No doubt.

JA: But like you said, you can’t get anything done without communication. As a player having already had to go through the negotiation process and all of that, one thing they always tell you is don’t negotiate through the media. That’s what the owners and all the organizations tell the players: Don’t negotiate through the media. So why did they go through the media back at the start of this? You know, saying that we’re asking for too much when our thing was, ‘show us your books.’ Let’s make a fair deal. Open your books and let’s make this a mathematical equation. You’re making X amount and if we need to help, let’s work something out.

TSR: Right.

JA: But when you starting negotiating through the media, this is what it leads to. Then emotions get involved and hands get forced. You know, this wasn’t something that just came about. The owners knew they were opting out back in ’08 or ’09. So there has been time to get something done. It’s on the owners. We’re ready to get back to work but at the same time you can’t rake us over the coals.

TSR: This is just a generalization on my part, but I think most fans side with the players because like you said, you guys want to play.

JA: Absolutely and hey, I completely understand the fans’ frustration. As a fan myself, you look at the situation and you say: This is ridiculous. Who’s making the decisions here? Let’s get both sides together and get this thing done.’ Attorneys just seem to cause problems. (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs) Definitely. Let’s switch gears and talk Vikings. I know it’s not one guy that turns a team that played in the NFC title game two years ago into a 6-10 mess. But was Brett Favre a distraction last year or were there bigger factors that led to the Vikings’ struggles in 2010?

JA: Oh, it’s a bunch of factors. I mean, you even look at our NFC championship run and there were games we won…if you look at that Niners game for example, are you kidding me?

TSR: (Laughs) Right!

JA: Greg Lewis was on the team for a week and he makes the greatest catch I have ever seen. (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs) The ending of that game was incredible unless you’re a Niner fan.

JA: You look at games like that where they could have gone in a different direction, and unfortunately it kind of went against us last year. I’m not going to sit here and say that the Brett saga wasn’t a distraction because it obviously led to be more than it was. But as players and as an organization, we have to take responsibility for allowing it to become a distraction. At some point when you enter that locker room, everything outside of that locker room has to be put away so that you can perform your best on the field. We get paid to put our best on the field and win day in and day out. We’re human too, so outside issues are going to cause problems sometimes. But at some point they have to be addressed the right way and moved on from and that’s really what happened. There was a lack of communication from the organization and then they’re scrambling, and then all of a sudden they’re dealing with a head coach-quarterback controversy, then they wind up firing Brad in the middle of the season. And you know, Brad wasn’t to blame for everything. I’m good friends with Coach Childress still and I thank him for getting me to Minnesota. But when things get mishandled, now you’ve got people trying to right a ship by all extreme measures and I’ll tell you what, it really got messed up. Then our dome collapsed and anything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. (Laughs) What is that? Murphy’s Law or something?

TSR: (Laughs) When it rains it pours, right?

JA: (Laughs) Yeah! I’ll never forget, we were getting ready to play the Giants and my buddy Lawrence Tynes, the kicker for the Giants who I played with in Kansas City, calls me. I answered and I asked why he was calling me so early and on the day of the game no-less. He goes, “Your roof collapsed!” I said, “Whaaaaat?” (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs)

JA: It was 5:30 or 6 o’clock in the morning and I was like, you’ve got to be kidding me!

TSR: What else could go wrong?

JA: No kidding. So we had a combination of things happen to us last year and you can’t blame one person. But like I said, I don’t want to make excuses because at the end of the day it’s your responsibility as players to put your best product on the field and to win games. And you know what? It’s part of the league and a lot of teams have gone through it. We’ve got some stability back now. We have Coach Frazier. We don’t really know what’s going on with our offense, our quarterback or the league, but we’ll figure all of that out eventually. (Laughs)

TSR: (Laughs) I don’t want to keep you all day, so let’s go rapid fire from here on out. Give me some quick-hit thoughts on these topics.

JA: No problem.

TSR: Christian Ponder will be your starting quarterback in 2011.

JA: (Long pause) Depends on free agency.

TSR: Ray Edwards will be a Viking next year.

JA: Uh, not looking so good.

TSR: (Laughs) Well how about this: Is he going to be a boxer or a Viking?

JA: Well, I’ll have to go back and study the tapes. (Laughs) I think he’s going to be a boxer over a Viking.

TSR: (Laughs) All right, last one: I know hitting every quarterback is fun, but which one gets you fired up the most? I think I know the answer to this question but I’ll ask anyway.

JA: Peyton Manning. You always like hitting the best, you know? I used to hit Peyton a lot but it took me five years to actually sack him, so that’s probably my most memorable hit. Along with Tom Brady and those future Hall of Famers.

TSR: That’s a good answer but I’ve got to tell you, I’m shocked. I’m shocked it’s not one of two guys: Aaron Rodgers or Jay Cutler.

JA: Oh well yeah, yeah. Aaron is a hell of a quarterback and he’s tough to get to, too. I think I’ve played against him so much now that you just come to expect that you’re going to get to him a couple of times at least.

TSR: That memory from a couple of years ago when their offensive line was a mess and you just teed off on him keeps popping into my head. What was that, a Monday night game?

JA: Yeah, it was a Monday night game. Then I got like sacks three up there so I got him 7.5 times in one year, which is funny because Chad Clifton is a guy I really enjoy playing against. We tend to have these games where up there, he may get the better of me, and then we get under the dome and I usually get a sack or two on him. So we’ve been having some great battles over the last four years of my career.

TSR: This has been a lot of fun and while I could easily talk a couple of hours, I’ll let you go. Thank you for sitting down with us – I really appreciate your time.

JA: Not a problem – any time.

TSR: And best of luck with your golf tournament.

JA: Thank you so much.

TSR: Take care.

I received a few messages on Monday about an exchange between conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has announced his plans to run for President.

During the course of an interview, Limbaugh asked Pawlenty about the Vikings’ stadium situation. Obviously, that isn’t Pawlenty’s problem any longer but he certainly is familiar with what has taken place. Here is the exchange as transcribed by the Limbaugh website.

Limbaugh: I know you’re not in the statehouse any longer, but there’s an issue roiling the state right now and that’s the Vikings and their new stadium and how much of it should be publicly financed. The usual threats are being made: If the public doesn’t chip in and build a new stadium the Vikings are gone. They’ll move to L.A. or someplace.

Pawlenty: The rumor is you’re gonna buy ‘em and move ‘em. Is that true?

Limbaugh: (laughing) Well, uh, this interview is about you. (laughing)

When Pawlenty then laughed, Limbaugh said, “I’ll keep [the interview] focused on you.”

Limbaugh, as you’ll remember, had a hell of a time trying to purchase the Rams a couple of years ago. He wound up being a limited partner but was eventually dropped from the group altogether.

It’d probably be a cold day in hell before Rush ever had the opportunity to not only purchase the Vikings, but also successfully move them to L.A. But since there’s not much going on these days in the NFL thanks to the soul-sucking owners and players, I figured I’d post this anyway. It’s interesting fodder.

Comment starter: Let’s say Rush agreed not to move the franchise from its host city. Would you want him to buy your team? If it were me, I couldn’t care less who bought the team as long as they were committed to winning. Oprah could buy them and as long as the first words out of her mouth were “Just win baby,” then I’d be fine with it. (Again, assuming the Queen of Daytime Television wouldn’t relocate the team or change the name or something.)