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.

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Judd Zulgad of the Minnesota Star-Tribune had an interesting tidbit this morning about Rush Limbaugh, the Vikings and a little city called Los Angeles.

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.)

Defensive end Ray Edwards told 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he’d rather focus on his boxing career than play for the Vikings under his one-year tender.

“I’ve openly said I won’t play for the Vikings, because of the simple fact of my backup is getting paid 70 more percent than I am — there’s no way I can do that to myself. I’d rather do what I love doing. I love doing football as well. But if there’s nobody that’s going to trade for me, I will be definitely focusing on boxing.”

In case anyone was wondering if Edwards was harboring any hard feelings towards “his backup,” (Brian Robison) he’s not.

“I was happy for (Robison),” Edwards told 1500 ESPN. “He’s a definitely great guy. I love the guy off the field, love him on the field. Great teammate. I wished him all the best, because we both were up for contracts. So, I told him that more than likely they’re going to keep you because of the numbers situation.

“They’re paying Jared (Allen, who signed a six-year, $73.26 million contract in April 2008). You’ve got Kevin (Williams), who’s almost due for a contract and he’s been there forever and he’s a six-time Pro Bowler, I believe. I don’t know if they’re going to try to keep Pat (Williams) or not. It’s just a numbers game.

“In this business, and I understand that, sometimes there’s an odd man out, and I believe that I was always that odd man out.”

This goes against the cliched “it shouldn’t be about the money for athletes” that some writers love to overuse, but I actually don’t blame Edwards. The NFL is a nasty league and the life expectancy for players is short. Football is their career and they want long-term security just like your average Joe. Granted, athletes are making 10-times what your average Joe is, but it’s still the same concept in the end: they want to be financially set up for the long term.

Let’s say your contract is about to run up with your company and for the moment, let’s forget about the money involved. Instead of giving you a new three-year deal, your company hands you a one-year contract and on top of that, the guy under you is given a three-year deal. Assuming you deserved a raise, wouldn’t you feel a little disrespected by your company? If the answer is yes, then that’s how Ray Edwards feels.

That said, I still wouldn’t have handled the situation like Edwards is and he’s in for a rude awakening if he thinks he’s going to make more boxing than he is on that one-year tender. But I get why he’s frustrated and why he’s saying the things he is. He feels like he’s earned a long-term contract. (Although some fans feel like his production is a byproduct of playing opposite Jared Allen.)

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier has made it clear to the media in Minnesota that first round pick Christian Ponder will have every opportunity to win the starting quarterback job this year.

“That would be the ideal situation – we’ve got our Matt Ryan, we’ve got our [Joe] Flacco,” Frazier told ESPN 1500 Twin Cities. “But because of the uncertainty of the offseason, it’s just hard to determine exactly how you want to approach it.”

Translation: If we don’t wind up trading for Donovan McNabb, then the rook will probably start for us next season. (Because hey, who else would start? Patrick Ramsey? Hahahaha…ahhhhhh.)

After taking Ponder in the first round last Thursday, it seems unlikely that the Vikings would trade for McNabb, but you never know. What they could wind up doing is waiting to see if Washington releases McNabb and then pursuing him on a one-year deal. That way Ponder could sit and learn Bill Musgrave’s offense for a year before taking over in 2012. The only problem with that line of thinking is that you assume McNabb would be fine only taking a one-year deal so that he could groom his eventual replacement.

While I was just as surprised as anyone when the Vikings selected Ponder in the first round last week, I do think he’s a perfect fit for Minnesota’s offense. Musgrave has been heralded for his work with young quarterbacks and he’ll have the opportunity to show what he can do with Ponder, who was arguably the best West Coast Offense prospect in last weekend’s draft. Musgrave obviously did a great job grooming Ryan in Atlanta and it’s not like Ponder wouldn’t have talent around him if he wound up starting as a rookie. As Frazier pointed out, we’ll just have to wait and see how the rest of the offseason plays out to see if Ponder will have the opportunity to start in ’11.

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote a couple interesting blurbs about Donovan McNabb and Brett Favre in his recent column:

Possible scenario: The Vikings trade their No. 12 overall pick in the draft with their 2012 first-round pick to move high enough to get Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert.

It still looks, though, like Donovan McNabb from the Washington Redskins will end up as the Vikings’ starting QB for next season.

Don’t discount the possibility of Brett Favre, who turns 42 in October, returning next season, but not with the Vikings. Maybe Carolina.

It’s important to take this with a massive grain of salt considering Walters buried these comments at the end of an article that focused on Minnesota Gophers AD Joel Maturi and under the heading “DON’T PRINT THAT.” Clearly Walters is just throwing crap against a wall to see if it sticks.

That said, the McNabb scenario makes sense. Take it for what it’s worth, but I’ve held the belief that the Vikings would go with a veteran quarterback this offseason and then draft a signal caller in the middle rounds for new OC Bill Musgrave to groom. But recent comments made by head coach Leslie Frazier indicate that the Vikings might want to draft a QB in the first round and start him.

Either way, McNabb would be a fit if the Vikes were interested.

As for Favre landing in Carolina, eh, I doubt it. General manager Marty Hurney invested a second round pick in Jimmy Clausen last season and I’m sure new coach Ron Rivera wants to draft a QB like Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert with the first pick. When it comes to Lord Favre, nothing can be ruled out. But him landing in Carolina doesn’t make much sense.

When the Vikings hired Bill Musgrave as their offensive coordinator in January, they knew one of his best attributes was working with quarterbacks. And in his most recent stop, he worked with a young signal caller that went on to win the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year.

That “stop” was Atlanta and that “young signal caller” was Matt Ryan. Musgrave oversaw Ryan’s development with the Falcons as his quarterback coach and if beat writers Judd Zulgad and Tom Pelissero are right, he might have a similar opportunity to work with another rookie QB in Minnesota.

In his latest column for the Star Tribune, Zulgad writes that Vikings coach Leslie Frazier talked “extensively” about the quarterback position at the NFL coaches breakfast at the league meetings on Tuesday. Per Zulgad, Frazier “made it clear that his desire would be to draft someone and plug him in as the starter.”

In that same article, Zulgad also quoted Frazier saying that the Vikings would talk internally about different quarterback “scenarios,” which includes trading for Kevin Kolb. But if the team does want to draft a young signal caller, then there will be a couple of options at No. 12 overall.

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Breaking news on the story that will never die: The Minnesota State Court of Appeals has sided with the NFL in the 2008 StarCaps case against Vikings’ defensive tackle Kevin Williams.

The other players that were impacted by the ruling were Pat Williams, Will Smith, Charles Grant and Grady Jackson. The latter two players are out of football and Pat Williams is a free agent. This means Kevin Williams and Smith could be on the reserve/suspended list for the first four games in 2011 (assuming there even is a season, that is).

StarCaps was a dietary supplement the players took that is banned under the league’s substance abuse policy. The supplement can be used as a masking agent for steroid use, which is obviously what the NFL was most concerned with. Of course, cough drops are probably banned under the league’s substance abuse policy, so what isn’t the NFL concerned with? (Not that I’m complaining about the league wanting to be drug-free.)

This has to be one of the most annoying stories in sports and here’s hoping that it finally has an ending. It would be nice if the league were just as motivated and relentless in its efforts to sign a new CBA deal as it is trying to suspend these four players.

A day after the St. Paul Pioneer Press suggested that he would be given a chance to win a starting job this offseason, Vikings’ defensive end Everson Griffen was arrested twice in three days.

On Monday, he was tasered and arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer during a traffic stop. The incident took place near USC’s campus, where Griffen attended school. He reportedly became aggressive with officers after he was asked to show an I.D. that he didn’t have. After attempting to run away, he finally assaulted one of them and was charged with felony battery.

Three days prior to that arrest, he was also hauled in for public drunkenness on Friday night in Hollywood.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

The Los Angeles Times reported that Griffen said “he did not want to go back to jail.”

Griffen also was cited by police in Nantucket, Mass., for a noise violation on July 4, 2009, but it wasn’t completely clear initially why he would have mentioned going back to jail. TMZ’s website helped to clear up why Griffen mentioned returning to jail when it was the first to report that he spent time Saturday in police custody.

I don’t see why this fine, upstanding gentleman wouldn’t be given a chance to start next season. Clearly his decision-making is top notch and obviously he’s dedicated to football in the offseason.

Looks like the Vikes might be seeking a defensive end this offseason.