NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Senior writer jclombardi previews Packers vs Vikings game day.

Packers vs Vikings preview: Teams: Packers (6-3) vs. Vikings (3-6). Time: Sunday at High Noon. Place: The Metrodome, Minneapolis. TV coverage: FOX Network.  Packers injury report–WR Donald Driver (quadriceps), DE/NT Ryan Pickett (ankle) and FB Korey Hall (back) are questionable; LB Desmond Bishop (hip), LB Brandon Chillar (shoulder), LT Chad Clifton (knee), CB Pat Lee (ankle), LB Clay Matthews (shin), TE Andrew Quarless (shoulder), C Scott Wells (arch) and CB Charles Woodson (toe) are probable. FIVE THINGS TO WATCH–No dome doom: While Aaron Rodgers has endured his share of sacks at the Metrodome, he and his line worked in perfect concert during the Packers' 28-24 victory over the Vikings at Lambeau Field on Oct. 24, when Rodgers wasn't sacked while completing 21 of 34 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He's 0-2 at the Metrodome and only 9-12 overall (including playoffs) in road games. Return to sender: Sam Shields is the Packers' kickoff returner. Tight quarters: Since Finley was lost for the season to a knee injury Oct. 10 at Washington, the Packers have watched the tight end essentially disappear from the offense. Noise pollution: McCarthy likened playing in the Metrodome to playing "in front of a bad stereo system. But whether or not the Metrodome's famously noisy environment impacts the Packers' performance depends on how apathetic the Vikings' fans are toward their team or how quickly the Packers get off to a good start to quiet the crowd. The last dance: Favre will be making his 295^th consecutive career regular-season start, but it's hard to imagine a game more important to him than what figures to be his last one against his former team. Having stated on several occasions that he won't be back for a 21^st NFL season in 2011, Favre is facing the Packers for the last time.  ”It’s a big deal,” Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said.

Packers vs Vikings preview: Keys to the game–Vikings QB Favre has more than doubled his interception total from last season (seven) with 16, he has a sore shoulder to go with his injured ankle, his receiving corps is banged up and teams are loading the box to gang up on RB Adrian Peterson. So, it’s fair to say the Packers’ aggressive defense will be attacking downhill. Green Bay rushed 23 times in 58 plays in the first meeting but has been held to less than 4.0 yards per carry in four straight games. With more passes flying and Donald Driver (thigh) gimpy, WR Greg Jennings has at least six catches in each of his last four games. Game plan–Packers can’t afford to show up with the Jekyll-and-Hyde offense that they had in squeaking past the Vikings 28-24 at Lambeau Field. Going on the road in a hostile environment to play a division rival that is in desperation mode will require Green Bay to be as crisp in moving the football. Given that Green Bay traditionally doesn’t run the football with success in that dome, a barrage of quick, short passes from Aaron Rodgers against Minnesota’s soft secondary would be the way to establish the ball control. Defensively, Green Bay’s aiming point is running back Peterson who stood out in defeat for the Vikings in the first meeting with 28 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. Mistake-prone Brett Favre, the league’s interceptions leader, can’t be sure to have Harvin, Berrian and Rice on the field to throw to for the entire game. So, the Packers could manage to load the box with 8 defenders to account for Peterson and not lose anything by singling up on the receivers.

Commentary: It’s early Sunday game day reflecting upon the classic intangibles in life that the Lombardi legends understand beyond the sports business.  We reach maybe the final curtain in the Favre watch with the Packers.  The old gunslinger has one final last harrah, although he is an iconic Packers legend who will be missed in the NFL heading toward a murky sunset, the Hall of Fame and the retirement of number four in the Packers organization.  We share the mutual fact of life that management has inherent limitations with nothing to do with fate and destiny.  Like petty competition in sports blogging, they are simply amusing distractions on the journey to greatness and immortal fame.  If the Packers want this game, it is a great opportunity to find their post-Favre identity.  We hope they get it.

By Patriots Columnist Chris Willson

Before I start this article, I want to point something out to the readers. ESPN came out with an article that compared Brady and Manning, and some of the comparisons were a bit surprising. The one that stuck out the most was when the article stated that Manning was the most mobile QB in the NFL. Really, ESPN, Really? Anyways, onto the preview.

The matchup this weekend should be another good battle for both teams. This year, however, is different from matchups in the past because both teams are dealing with boatloads of injuries and have had to make adjustments.

The Pats offense is looking to pick up where it left off last week against Pittsburgh. Brady threw for 3 TD's, all to Gronkowski, on his way to a 350 passing yard performance. The pats were able to throw the ball so successfully because they established a running game. They need to do that this week again versus Indy's depleted defense. If the colts have to worry about our running backs, then there is no question that Brady can make their secondary look foolish.

There was a lot of talk last week about the rise and fall of Gronkowski and Hernandez in the passing game, respectively. I look at that and think that the Pats favored how Gronk matched up against Pittsburgh's D. Don't be surprised if the speedy Hernandez is incorporated heavily into the Pats offense this week. Another key for the Pats is guarding against Indy's DE's. Freeney and Mathis have combined for 13.5 sacks this year and can definitely be a force.

The pats defense also had a good game against Pittsburgh, and will be looking to repeat that this week. We all know what Peyton Manning can do, so that is definitely going to be the focus this week. The top three running backs on Indy's depth chart are all injured, so they will be relying on Jarvaris James this week. James actually was on our practice squad at one point, but then was cut and made his way to Indy. Nothing too threatening there.

Patrick Chung came back last week and his presence was definitely felt on the field. Next to Wilfork, I think he is the biggest difference maker when on the playing field. Look for a lot of nickel and dime packages to protect against the pass.

Shayne Graham was shaky in his pats debut last week , missing a PAT. Hopefully he will be a little more comfortable at Gillette, as it as a turf field and provides more stability.

A couple of finishing notes to monitor leading up to the game.

-Fred Taylor has been practicing this week, so he may be active come Sunday.

-Darius Butler was a healthy inactive last week, which was a surprise, so it will be interesting to see what the Pats will do with him this week.

-Backup safety Jarrad Page has also practiced sparingly this week, and if he is active Sunday he will likely jump right into an active Special Teams role.

The last time these two teams met on October 14, 2007, the Saints defeated the Seahawks 28-17, snapping a dismal four-game losing streak in which New Orleans had started the season a surprising 0-4. The keys to that victory were ultimately solid performances by Drew Brees and Reggie Bush.

Back then the Seahawks were in total control of the NFC West and the Saints were at the bottom of the NFC South despite a very successful 2006 season. Today, the Seahawks are still atop their fledgling division, but barely and the Saints are fighting to eventually gain an advantage over Atlanta to secure a number one spot in theirs. That’s why Sunday’s matchup in the Superdome is so critical for both teams.

The Seahawks come to town lugging some dismal stats behind them. Offensively, they’re ranked 30th overall (28th in points per game, 30th in yards per game, 23rd in passing yards per game, and 28th in rushing yards per game). Defensively they’ve fared a bit better but not much, sitting at 27th overall (19th in points allowed, 27th in yards allowed, 28th in passing yards allowed, and 14th in rushing yards allowed).

With stats like these, the Saints offense should have a field day, but it won’t be easy by any definition of the word. The Seahawks are coming off a huge 36-18 win against their division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, who stunned the Saints in a week 5 upset. You know they’re going to fight hard to keep that momentum going.

Just like last time, Brees’ performance is going to be paramount if the Saints are going to win this one. And I’m not necessarily talking about how many yards he passes for either. He has to eliminate the interceptions that hurt the team against the Cardinals and the Browns. It goes without saying that the offensive line and the receivers have also got to be on their A game as well because they’re not totally devoid of responsibility in some of those interceptions. When Brees’ protection is compromised, he has made poor decisions and turned the ball over. Tipped balls and dropped passes have been equally as damaging.

In a game that with such a high playoff impact, the Saints have got to consistently find the endzone–no two ways about it. Hopefully, the highly-anticipated return of Reggie Bush will allow Sean Payton to open up his playbook a bit more and get this once high-flying offense back off the ground. It would be a bonus to see #23 (Pierre Thomas) suited up as well.

The play of the Saints defense is also going to be critical. Not so much for the sake of padding their already impressive stats, but for the offense to be successful. In the last two games in which the defense has generated takeaways, the offense has looked much better. They played with more confidence and it showed in their production.

Yet, if the defense is going to be effective, pressure has to constantly be put on Matt Hasselbeck. When allowed to get comfortable in the pocket, he can and will pick a defense apart. So the Saints are going to have to establish a pass rush early and often because Hasselbeck has a super fast receiver by the name of Mike Williams who can get vertical and make big plays down the field.

However, the Saints are 1st in pass defense, so I wouldn’t expect too much of that, but you just know they’re going to try it a few times anyway. I expect them to mostly utilize Justin Forsett to try to test the Saints 17th ranked rush defense, which in my eyes is better than it looks on paper.

Still and all, this is going to be a tough matchup. We’ve seen this year more evidently than ever before that there are no givens when it comes to the game of football. Regardless of what the analysts say, the Saints are still one of the best teams in the NFL. But when they come out and turn the ball over and rack up unnecessary penalty yards, they don’t look like it.

Junk about “Superbowl hangover” and stuff like that are just some people’s way of trying to explain what’s wrong with the team that dominated the NFC a year ago before going on to win the Superbowl. The fact of the matter is, they just need to settle down, watch some tape from last year, and get back to whatever it was that made them champions in the first place, not get away from it.

They’ve got to remember what made them so great and go out and duplicate that. I don’t care what anyone says, when the Saints have shown flawless execution, they have won the battles, no matter who was defending. And part of that goes back to the players. Whether anybody else will say it or not, I will. The Saints need Pierre Thomas back in the lineup. He made huge plays for the team even when Bush was standing on the sideline.

People should think about what a valuable asset he has been before they so quickly want to see him ushered out the door. I’m not knocking the tandem that has been filling in for the injured Thomas and Bush because they have shown moments of brilliance. But what the Saints need right now more than anything is consistency and that’s the one element Thomas brings. Say whatever you will, but they guy is consistent and always has been.

As both teams go into Sunday’s game with momentum (the Seahawks after their impressive victory against Arizona and the Saints after coming off impressive back to back wins before the bye), let’s just hope that New Orleans’ focus is all on Seattle and not looking ahead to the Thanksgiving Day battle with the Cowboys. If the Saints come out and play a well-disciplined, turnover-free game, I predict they’ll win 31-17.

What's wrong with that powder blue we've all grown to know and love?

Now that the NFL has made an agreement with Nike to become the new jersey provider to the 32 NFL teams in place of Reebok, it looks like they have decided to take them all in a new direction. Here's what ProFootballTalk had to say on the subject.

On the day that the NFL announced Nike will replace Reebok as the league's uniform supplier in 2012, a Nike official said changes are coming to NFL jerseys.

Nike Brand President Charlie Denson told Darren Rovell of CNBC that the change would be similar to changes that Nike has made to college football jerseys.

"We plan on changing the NFL jersey dramatically just like we've done with the college programs, using new thinking and the greatest technology available," Denson said. "The NFL program hasn't had the same type of advancement in recent years.

After years of Reebok leading the way on NFL jerseys, it will be interesting to see what dramatic changes Nike comes up with. I just hope no NFL team follows the hideous example of Oregon in college football.

If these really are what Nike has in store for the Chargers, I'm a little disappointed. Any other thoughts?

The Vikings will have wide out Sidney Rice back Sunday, as he has been activated and is on the Vikings' 53-man roster Saturday according to Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The move came by Saturday's 3 p.m. deadline and nearly three months after Rice underwent hip surgery that landed him on the physically unable to perform list. He is likley to play against the Packers, though he himself has already said he is not sure how much he’ll be able to go vs Green Bay.

It's a critical week for the Steelers, as they are in a dangerous spot of falling to 6-4 or getting to 7-3 if they can get past the Raiders, a team that suddenly looks like they know what they are doing. Here's our keys and final prediction, one that fans may not be too happy about when they read it.

And now it starts. A year ago, the Raiders got their most improbable win of another disappointing season in Pittsburgh. Led by Bruce Gradkowski, they scored 3 touchdowns in the final 9 minutes of play, including an 11-yarder to Louis Murphy with 9 seconds to play, giving the Raiders a 27-24 win.

What made it even more astonishing wasn't the fact that it was in Pittsburgh or that the Steelers were the defending Super Bowl champs, but that it was sandwiched between a 24-7 lackluster loss in Dallas on Thanksgiving and a 34-13 home loss to the Redskins a week later. There were virtually no signs pointing to a Raiders win.

That's not true this time. A year later, the Raiders are riding high heading to Pittsburgh, while the Steelers are coming off a home loss to the Patriots in which they were completely outplayed. Add to the mix that Pittsburgh's offensive line is completely decimated with injuries and that the Raiders are 3rd in the NFL in sacks, and the signs are pointing to the possibility of another Raiders upset win. But this time, the game actually means something.

Last year, the Raiders were 3-8 and heading towards their NFL record, 7th straight season of double-digit losses. But 2010 has proven that this team can play with anybody, both good and bad. At 5-4, and tied for the lead in the AFC West, the Raiders can't afford to just give away games–and in order to win the West, they're going to need to beat a good team. Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego, Jacksonville, and Kansas City are all still on the docket, as well as Miami and Denver, and trust me, the Broncos are going to want a little revenge after the debacle there last month.

It's not going to be easy, nor should it be. Despite being healthy again, Gradkowski will not start and Jason Campbell will. Head Coach Tom Cable said repeatedly that Gradkowski would start once he was ready to play, but how can anyone justify sitting Campbell right now? But trust me, if he isn't moving the ball on Sunday, Bruce will don a helmet sooner rather than later. So will Louis Murphy, and Nnamdi Asomugha, and Zach Miller. Yes, while the Steelers are beaten up, the Raiders are coming off a bye, rested and healthy.

It really comes down to this: If Darren McFadden can run the ball, which will allow Campbell to use the play-action pass, and if the Raiders can pressure Ben Roethlisberger the way New England did last Sunday, Oakland can win this game and cement itself as a bona fide playoff contender.

Did I really just say that? Gulp.

Senior writer jclombardi highlights Packers headlines.

Packers prepare for Favre: It’s Brett Favre versus the Green Bay Packers one last time. Or is it? It is fair to wonder if Favre would much rather be riding on his tractor in Kiln, Miss., instead of riding out what has proved to be a most difficult season. Off the field, he has been questioned by NFL officials about accusations of lewd behavior toward a female sports reporter. On the field, the Vikings are 3-6. Favre has been supremely battered. There have been major shoulder, foot and ankle injuries. Network cameras zoom in to record grimaces of a broken warrior who looks like he’s just gone 12 rounds with Manny Pacquiao. Wouldn’t he rather be throwing passes against the guys in the Wrangler’s commercials than being chased by Clay Matthews? Favre’s statistics have been consistent with Minnesota’s overall plight. He’s thrown an NFL-leading 16 interceptions and is ranked 31st in overall passer rating. But even the Packers who are not directly responsible for stopping him on Sunday have watched plenty of video and remain Favre fans. ”The man has thrown some interceptions,” said WR James Jones. “I mean the man is running around on a broken ankle and he’s moving around pretty good. He’s throwing the ball like he has for his whole career.” ”Look at what he did two games ago against Arizona where the Vikings won. That’s the Brett we’re preparing for,” said DE Jenkins. “We know he has it in him. Especially with the talent he has out there. Brett sitting back in the pocket, if you give him time in the pocket, he’s going to find somebody open.” If this is indeed Favre’s farewell tour, many defensive players around the league won’t be sorry to see him go. “If he was on my team, yeah,” said Jenkins. “Playing against him? A lot of football fans will miss him. I’m not sure if I’ll miss playing against him but the game of football will miss him.”

Regrets? Favre has a few: It's hard to imagine things going much worse for Favre since kicker Ryan Longwell, guard Steve Hutchinson and defensive end Jared Allen were dispatched to Mississippi this summer by coach Brad Childress to convince Favre to play one more season and the Vikings upped his compensation to a whopping $16 million, or $1 million per game. Not only are the Vikings a disappointing 3-6 after coming within overtime in the NFC Championship Game of reaching Super Bowl XLIV last season, but Favre has struggled. Through nine games, he's completed 180 of 289 passes (62.3 percent) for 2,066 yards with 10 touchdowns and an NFL-worst 16 interceptions for a passer rating of 72.2, which ranks 31^st in the NFL. Favre has also been playing with two fractures in his foot/ankle, tendinitis in his right (throwing) elbow, stitches in a gash in his chin, and a sore throwing shoulder. His wide receiver corps is a mess. Then, there are the off-the-field issues Favre has dealt with. His alleged texting of sexually explicit photos to former New York Jets employee Jennifer Sterger in 2008 triggered an ongoing league investigation into whether he sexually harassed Sterger while he was the Jets quarterback. His relationship with embattled coach Childress can be most politely described as poor. And wide receiver Moss was released after only four games after engaging in conduct Childress deemed detrimental to the team. It has gotten so bad that Bears LB Urlacher, following Chicago's 27-13 victory last Sunday at Soldier Field, said he "felt bad" for Favre. "I don't think I said or did anything that would warrant (Urlacher thinking), 'He's fallen off the deep end,' or something," Favre said, acknowledging that a loss to the Packers, which would drop the Vikings to 3-7, would essentially end the Vikings' season after 10 games. "I have no idea what the rest of this season will hold, but it is a now-or-never, do-or-die, our-backs-against-the-wall (situation)."

Driver, Pickett questionable: Defensive end Ryan Pickett and wide receiver Donald Driver participated in full in practice Friday, but both veterans are still listed as questionable on the Green Bay Packers' official injury report. Packers – WR Donald Driver (quadriceps), DE/NT Ryan Pickett (ankle) and FB Korey Hall (back) are questionable; LB Desmond Bishop (hip), LB Brandon Chillar (shoulder), LT Chad Clifton (knee), CB Pat Lee (ankle), LB Clay Matthews (shin), TE Andrew Quarless (shoulder), C Scott Wells (arch) and CB Charles Woodson (toe) are probable. Packers coach Mike McCarthy sounded encouraged after watching Driver run several go routes during practice. "Donald Driver looked good. We sent him on a few deep balls," McCarthy said. "Really, the biggest factor in Donald Driver being available for Sunday will probably be (Saturday's) evaluation, to see how he responds to the full practice. I would say Ryan Pickett would be exactly in the same category. Ryan did much more team (work) today than he did (Thursday). I'll be very curious when Dr. (Pat) McKenzie has the opportunity to visit with Ryan and Donald both tomorrow and on game day."