PPP: Life without the Williams Wall, #4 and Winfield Update

First off, let's start with honoring the men and women who have lost their lives throughout the years defending this great country of our and fighting for freedom around the world. My family and I enjoyed a beautiful day at Lake Independence today and owed it all to our heroic fallen and their families.

Defensive Foundation Weakening
Now on to the Purple where things are looking a bit tougher for Pat and Kevin Williams. A couple of days ago a Federal Judge in Minnesota rejected claims from Pat and Kevin (and three players involved from the New Orleans Saints), agreeing with the NFL that players are responsible for what they put in their bodies, period. So where does this leave them now? There's still a scheduled court date next month that will dictate their fate, but this last rejection appears to be a suffering blow. So looking ahead, what could life be like for the Vikings without Pat and Kevin in the first four games of the season? Let's break down the schedule:

Week 1: At Cleveland - 26th ranked rushing offense in 2008
Week 2: At Detroit - 30th ranked rushing offense in 2008
Week 3: San Francisco - 27th ranked rushing offense in 2008
Week 4: Green Bay - 17th ranked rushing offense in 2008

If there was ever a good time for something like this to happen, it's the beginning of the 2009 season. As you can see from the above, the Vikings first four games are manageable even without Pat and Kevin. That's not to say that any of these teams have done nothing to improve, but going off that and seeing who the teams are, I don't see much of a change going into the 2009 season. Of course the QB situation is still up in the air at this point, so nothing is for certain.

Decide and decide now Favre
Brett Favre has to let the Vikings know what's going on, and he has to do it now. SI's Peter King firmly believes that Favre will make a decision this week. I'm sure I speak on behalf of Vikings Country when I say - I sure as hell hope so. According to Peter's MMQB, Favre could be looking to proceed with a minor surgery that would involve the cutting of one small tendon (the only one holding it together right now) that would require only two weeks of recovery. All indications are that this procedure would have Favre throwing like the days of old within month of rehab. Remember, it was only two years ago that Favre put up great numbers and lead the Packers to the NFC Title game. If that's the Farve we got, with many more offensive weapons and a better defense than the Packers had then, it's got my full attention. Either way, I want a decision now so that rest of the team can put this to rest and prepare for the season.

I'm starting to get a bit more open to this scenario based off what the current roster looks like. It's more than apparent that Childress' little Tarvaris Jackson experiment has failed and failed miserably. Then add Sage Rosenfeld - aka Fumble Copter - to the equation. What has he ever proven in the NFL besides that fact that he can provide rather embarrassing clips on Sports Center for your team? Favre is old, his quest for attention is old, but so is the revolving QB door of mediocrity for the Vikings.

Sharper, Birk, now Winfield?
There's a bad trend possibly continuing for the Purple when it comes to not signing key players. Last year at this time, Darren Sharper and Matt Birk were both looking for deals to stay a Minnesota Viking. A year later, both are on different teams and Birk in particular has to leave behind his home state where he also owns his own chain of restaurants.

Antoine Windfield now finds himself in the same situation. Indications are that the team is waiting to see how the Favre saga ends, but that's no way to treat a player that's been a leader on and off the field. Hopefully this one gets resolved, but the way it's being handled, it could very well be too late, and I wouldn't blame Winfield one bit.

That's all I've got for now, hopefully next time I can start covering some topics with a bit more positivity to them. One thing to point out, Harvin made it to the OTA's and from what I read and saw, he enjoyed himself and continues to say that right things. Here's hoping he pans out and helps to electrify the Dome whether it's catching a five yard swing pass and taking it to the house, or returning a kick making everyone forget about a certain someone in Chicago.