Revis, Jets close to deal
Dan Graziano of AOL NFL Fanhouse is reporting that the Jets and Darrelle Revis are close to signing a new contract. Graziano claims that an agreement could be announced in the coming days, although it’s important to note that the two sides were reportedly $40 million apart on Monday.

Childress doesn’t rule out IR for Rice
Head coach Brad Childress said on Tuesday that the Vikings won’t rule out the possibility of Sidney Rice being placed on injured reserve following the receiver’s hip surgery on Monday. At the very least, Rice is heading for the PUP list, which means he’ll miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season. If the team places him on IR (which seems like a stretch at this point), his entire 2010 season would be over.

Daniels gets good news on MRI
FOX 26 in Houston is reporting that Owen Daniels’ surgically repaired knee is 100% after the Texans’ tight end had an MRI on Tuesday. Daniels will still have a checkup with Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday, but it appears that he’ll be medically cleared to play by the start of the season.

Bulluck moved back outside
Just one day after I question whether or not Keith Bulluck was a good fit at middle linebacker for Perry Fewell’s defensive scheme in my “NFL Question Marks Series,” the Giants have decided to move him back to the outside where he’s played his entire career. (Obviously Tom Coughlin is a fan of The Scores Report and there’s little to no doubt I’ll be an adviser for the Giants in the upcoming months…ah, sarcasm.) Jonathan Goff will start in the middle for the Giants this season, although fourth rounder Phillip Dillard could get a look if Goff struggles.

LJ, “Fast Willie” on the Skins’ roster bubble?
According to Jason Reid of the Washington Post, it wouldn’t be a shock if both Larry Johnson and Willie Parker were released before the start of the season. Neither back has impressed the new coaching staff in Washington and Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams could wind up backing up Clinton Portis this year.

It’s only one player – a receiver, mind you. And even though this particular receiver caught 83 passes for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns last season, he’s still only a receiver.

The Vikings can get by without Sidney Rice, who has elected to undergo hip surgery and is expected to miss half of the regular season. They still have Adrian Peterson, a solid offensive line, an excellent defense and an above average linebacker corps. And even though Rice was a huge part of their offense last season, Brett Favre has a habit of turning previously no-named receivers into Pro Bowlers.

Just look at Rice himself.

But even though the Vikings made it to the NFC Championship Game last season with practically the same roster, does anyone else get the sense that this team is in store for a freefall this year?

Favre is another year older and is coming off ankle surgery. Rice is out until midseason. Percy Harvin’s migraines are already holding him back. Peterson presumably still has fumbling issues. Versatile backup Chester Taylor is in Chicago. The secondary still has question marks. Etc.

Oh yeah, and Brad Childress is still in charge.

Even before Rice was hurt, I liked the Packers’ chances more than I did the Vikings. Assuming their offensive line holds up, they seem to be a more complete football team right now than the Vikings, whom everyone will be gunning for this season after they ripped apart the competition last year. That’s not to say that Minnesota isn’t a playoff contender because it is. I just don’t get the sense that this team is built to hold up for an entire 16-game season.

Again, Rice is only one player and I’m certainly not suggesting that because he’s out that the Vikings will crumble. But does anyone have more confidence in them right now than the Saints, Cowboys or Packers? I could see the Vikes racing out to a decent start but fading down the stretch. And I have zero faith in Childress to keep everything together.

According to NBC Sports.com (via the ultra-shady Profootballtalk.com), the Vikings have sent a five-day letter to Percy Harvin as a warning to rejoin the team or risk suspension and/or fines.

Harvin has been dealing with migraines over the last couple of days, but there’s speculation that he and fellow receiver Sidney Rice are avoiding training camp a la Brett Favre. (Players hate this time of year and Favre has been known to do whatever it takes to skip camp.)

As a fellow migraine sufferer, I know first-hand how bad they can get. When they come on, your vision can get blurry and it often feels as though someone is driving a metal spike through one of your eyes. People who suffer from them often have a high sensitivity to light and sound, so trying to sleep is about the only thing you can do when one attacks. They can also last for several days.

With that in mind, I don’t blame Harvin for not showing up to camp if he’s suffering from migraines. This isn’t the first time they’ve gotten in the way of him practicing, as he had to miss several days last year because of them, too. That said, if he’s using them as a way to get out of practice, then the Vikings are well within their rights to send him the letter and force him to show up. If nothing else, he could see the team’s doctors and maybe they could help him with his headaches.

This is story is worth following leading up to the regular season. If neither Harvin nor Rice shows up to camp soon, maybe there’s something to the rumors that they’re pulling a Favre and playing hooky. If that’s the case, then the Vikings could have a small problem on their hands.

When training camp rolled around last year, Vikings head coach Brad Childress was fully prepared to head into the season with either Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson as his starting quarterback.

Let’s hope he still feels that way.

Judd Zulgad of the Minnesota Star-Tribune reports via his Twitter page that Brett Favre began telling Vikings officials last night that he will not return for a 20th season. Apparently Favre’s ankle has not responded the way he had hoped and he is now leaning towards retirement.

First and foremost, if Favre has been honest with the Vikings about his ankle this entire time, then there’s nothing more the team or Childress could expect from Brett. Both Childress and Favre have stated this entire time that they didn’t know what would happen and neither of them said either way whether or not he would return for another season.

That said, the cynic in me wonders if Favre led Childress and the Vikings to believe that he would return. For a guy that went to great lengths to make sure he didn’t hand the job to Jackson last offseason (including trading for Rosenfels and completely avoiding giving Jackson any encouragement through the media), Childress has been awfully calm about his quarterback position this offseason. Is he really fine with heading into the season with either Jackson or Rosenfels? Or had he known that Favre wasn’t coming back, would he have gotten another quarterback at some point over the last couple of months (either in free agency or the draft)?

Granted, this is Brett Favre we’re talking about. This is a man that absolutely despises training camp and will stop at nothing (including tormenting the media with his annual retirement dance) to avoid it. Jackson could be lining up to take his first snap under center in Week 1 and Favre could come running out of the tunnel to proclaim his return.

You just can’t put anything past him.

However, if Zulgad’s report holds true and Favre doesn’t come back, then the Vikings could be in a world of hurt. They still have Adrian Peterson, a solid offensive line and an outstanding front seven on defense, but without Favre and the threat of an efficient passing game, opponents will just stack the box to take away AP. Plus, Don Banks of SI.com reported yesterday that two of three hip specialists recommended that Sidney Rice have surgery in the offseason, which he never did. If Rice is hobbled, the Vikes’ passing game would take yet another huge hit.

Again, we just have to wait and see what happens. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if three weeks from now the media started reporting that Favre was coming back. Training camp will have wound down by then and maybe his ankle will start feeling better too. (I’m sure Childress would literally rip his own soul out of his body for Brett to return, so that’s an option as well.)

But if he doesn’t return, then the entire landscape in the NFC North changes. The Packers already proved last year that they were serious threats to the Vikings. Without Favre in Minnesota, Green Bay would become the favorites to take over the division.

Update: Childress, in the denial stage of grief, has reiterated to the media that Favre has not told him he’s retiring.

While I would classify it as “ripping” the young receiver, former Viking Cris Carter was a little testy that Sidney Rice didn’t show up to Larry Fitzgerald’s football camp this year. Rice did so last year and praised Carter and Fitzgerald for his breakout season (83 catches, 1,312 yards, 8 touchdowns) in 2009.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

“I don’t know,” Carter said. “You have to ask him. I don’t know what it’s like to have one good year and then disappear. I don’t know what it’s like. That’s on him. I really don’t know. … If I had that kind of impact on him he should have been here today.”
Carter’s response prompted another media member to ask if he is mad that Rice has not returned to workout with the group.

“I don’t look mad do I?” he said. “I don’t get mad about kids coming or not coming. Larry is the only one who invited me. Larry is the only one but some people in Kansas City as far as their administration kind of knew I was going to be here. We kind of let them know that I would be here for [receiver Dwayne] Bowe. But I’m here for Larry. Everybody else is just getting the benefit of our relationship. But Sidney is not here so I guarantee he’s not getting no better today.”

You’d think that if the camp helped transform Rice into the player he was last year that he’d do it again. But he has reportedly been dealing with a lingering hip injury too, so maybe that has something to do with it (and probably does).

Either way, Carter is probably just trying to motivate Rice.

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
1:00 pm ET
TV—FOX

Of any player that needed the bye week, you have to believe 40-year-old Brett Favre did the most. He might not say so, because in many ways, the man who had an incredible “comeback” season (4202 yards, 33 TDs, 7 picks) thinks he’s still 18. Dallas, meanwhile, has been on quite a roll ever since they upset the Saints in New Orleans in Week 15. They are playing lights out on both sides of the ball, and Tony Romo (whose boyhood hero growing up in Wisconsin was Favre) along with Jason Witten and Miles Austin are going to give the Vikings’ sixth ranked D all they can handle. On defense, the Cowboys rank ninth overall, and even though they are 20th against the pass, that’s skewed a bit because they terrorized Donovan McNabb for two weeks straight, and virtually shut down Drew Brees’ Saints for three quarters in that upset game. The Vikings will likely turn to all-world RB Adrian Peterson a bit more than usual, to try and soften Dallas’ front seven for Favre to take shots down the field with big receiver Sidney Rice and speedy rookie Percy Harvin. And pass rushing specialist Jared Allen will have fun chasing Romo all day. This one has all the makings of a classic, and it’s even more intriguing because these teams have not played each other since 2007. Upset? Don’t be surprised. THE PICK: COWBOYS 27, VIKINGS 20

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers
4:40 pm ET
TV—CBS

Imagine a tug of war where the other team lets go of the rope halfway through the contest. That’s basically what happened to the Jets when the Colts pulled their starters in Week 16, and a 15-10 Colts’ lead turned into a 29-15 Jets’ upset. Since then, the Jets routed the Bengals 37-0, when Cincinnati also basically rested their players most of the game. But rookie head coach Rex Ryan doesn’t think his team had any advantage or luck or whatever, and he proved it last week when his Jets went into Cincinnati and upset the Bengals at full strength, and on the road, 24-14. That #1 defense of the Jets is no mirage, so Philip Rivers and that fifth ranked passing offense will really have their hands full. They do have LaDainian Tomlinson, but based on the fact the Chargers are ranked 31st in rushing offense, either LT or his supporting cast is not the same. So the Jets will likely try to stop Rivers, along with big receivers Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates first, but they can’t make the mistake of paying no attention to Tomlinson or the speedy change-up back, Darren Sproles. The Jets will try and use their top ranked run game to speed up the game, and with the Chargers ranked 20th against the run, they just might be able to do that a bit. What’s likely here is that the team which makes the most mistakes will lose. And the Jets are due for one of those games. THE PICK: CHARGERS 23, JETS 13

For the second straight week, the New York Giants were horrendous. In their pathetic 41-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, they proved that they need to rebuild. It’s easy to accuse Eli Manning, but I’d put more blame on offensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. The Giants looked confused on each of their drives so it’s no surprise that the Minnesota Vikings defense shut them down. Their only score came on a one-yard run by Danny Ware early in the fourth quarter. Still, Manning wasn’t completely absent as he did manage 141 yards on 17 of 23 attempts. With this defeat, the Giants fail to make the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their fans deserved a solid effort but the Giants just didn’t seem to care.

As for the Vikings, they straight up abused their opponents. Not only did they show up on defense, but their offense was even more impressive. Brett Favre posted possibly his best game of the season, repeatedly finding receivers Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Percy Harvin. Gradually picking apart an uninspired Giants defense, Favre went 25 for 31 on attempts for 316 yards and four touchdowns. His passes to Rice were a sight to behold. Rice really worked for both of his touchdowns, running interesting routes to fool the coverage.

The Vikings will now await the results of today’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallsas Cowboys. If the Cowboys beat the Eagles and clinch the NFC East, the Vikings will get the buy in the first week of the playoffs.

Forget the fickleness, the wavering and the constant stroking of his ego – Brett Favre was worth it for the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings remained undefeated in 2009 following their thrilling 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. For all intents and purposes, the Vikings should have won by double-digit points but they blew leads as large as 14-0 in the first quarter and 27-10 in the fourth.

It was Favre that once again stepped up when Minnesota needed it most. After Baltimore shocked the Metrodome crowd by taking its first lead of the game at 31-30 with just over three minutes remaining, Favre found Sidney Rice on a 58-yard reception that got Minnesota down to Baltimore’s 18-yard line. Head coach Brad Childress then decided to play for the field goal by calling three consecutive running plays and setting up a Ryan Longwell 31-yard field goal to give the Vikings the lead back at 33-31. Favre and Minneosta then had to hold their collective breaths as Ravens kicker Steven Hauschka missed a potential game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired.

Putting aside Minnesota’s near-collapse for a second, Favre and Adrian Peterson were incredible. Favre completed 21 of 29 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, while Peterson rushed for 143 yards on 22 carries. I don’t know if Peterson is opening things up for Favre, Favre is opening things up for Peterson or if it’s just a perfect mix of both, but it’s working for the Vikings.

But while I hate to pop the Favre-magic balloon, this was the second time this year that the Vikings got lucky inside the Metrodome. The first time was against the 49ers when Favre found Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone on an improbable touchdown pass. Had San Fran been in a normal defense, Minnesota would have suffered its first loss of the season. And had Hauschka made the field goal today, the Vikings would have lost again. It certainly wasn’t a chip-shot, but that’s a field goal Hauschka has to make while kicking inside a dome.

That said, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. While the Vikings aren’t a perfect football team (the Ravens did whatever they wanted in the second half offensively, exposing some of the Vikings’ defensive issues), they have a perfect record and that’s the only thing that matters at this point.

Oh, and having No. 4 under center certain helps too.