Very quick hits

I posted my Vikings-Bears preview on Christmas Eve.

Because of the timing, plus the fact a month ago I wrote I wasn’t going to blog for the rest of the season, I don’t think many readers read it.

So here’s the preview again. I’m not optimistic.

Sunday thoughts
– I don’t feel quite so bad about the Vikings getting thumped by the Carolina Panthers now. At least the Vikes were in that game for three quarters.

The good news in all this, of course, is the Panthers play New Orleans at home next week. And if the Vikings can take care of business in Chicago, beat the New York Giants at home next Sunday and Carolina pounds the Saints (note: they’ll have to do it without Steve Smith, who broke his arm against the Giants and is done), the Vikings not only get a first round bye but home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But that’s getting way ahead of ourselves.

– Running backs who arguably are having better years than Adrian Peterson include: Cedric Benson (1,251 yards, 4.2 ypc); Thomas Jones (1,219 yards, 4.3 ypc) and Ryan Grant (1,,202 yards, 4.4 ypc).

God, I want Peterson to have a 300 yard game against the Bears. It seems like we haven’t watched him break a long run since, like, his rookie season.

– I thought Access Vikings Judd Zulgad had an interesting post Sunday publishing excerpts of what some of the big-name NFL analysts had to say about this week’s Brad Childress/Brett Favre brouhaha. (Nice to see Chad Greenway and Brian Robison getting some love as well.)

I find Jon Gruden’s comments the most interesting and enlightening and that’s only partly because his views line up with mine on the issue.

As anybody who’s watched Gruden do a game this year knows, Jon loves Favre. However, it’s still interesting – Favre bias and all– to read that Gruden thinks any friction between the Vikings head coach and quarterback is not what is going to lose the Vikings Monday’s football game.

Instead, he points out what will result in another loss is if the Vikings continue to run and pass block the way they have two of the past three weeks.