FanHouse BobbyWade

Second-hand information is sometimes dangerous, unless it's taken with a grain of salt. And friend-of-a-friend is even worse. But right now, the word on the street from KFAN, a Vikings radio station, via ProFootballTalk.com, is that Bobby Wade, Minnesota wide receiver, spoke out earlier and said that Brian Urlacher thinks Jay Cutler is, um, not the toughest cookie in the jar.

Or, to put it more like Wade apparently did, Urlacher thinks Cutler is a 'p***y.' Now, provided this (meaning either Wade's statement or Urlacher's actual feeling; either one will suffice, really) is true, well, me-ow. Take it away, Florio.

Despite character concerns surfacing before the draft, Percy Harvin still found himself a first-round selection, and he fits rather nicely in the Minnesota Vikings' offense. The dynamic play-maker, who can score from anywhere on the field at any point in the game, can fit in the slot or outside. He can be put in position to run the football with some creative play-calling.

The impact Harvin should have on the real football field won't be measured just in his stats, though. If he realizes his potential, he'll take some attention away from both Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian. He'll accrue some personal numbers of his own, though. Check out the fantasy football ripple effect after the jump.

As if the Chicago Bears needed an extra boost of motivation for tonight's rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers. It's been provided anyway, courtesy of former unproductive Bears' wide receiver, Bobby Wade, who is currently a Vikings wideout.

"We need the Bears to blow it,'' Wade told reporters in Minneapolis with a laugh. ``Where are they playing, at home? Great. They'll definitely blow it.''

I don't know what's so funny. The Bears beat the Vikings 48-41 earlier this year in Chicago, and the Vikings blew the opportunity to control their own fate this week by losing to the Falcons at home. In fact, if you wanna talk about blowing it, the Vikings fumbled the ball seven times and lost four of them. This translated into a loss despite significantly outgaining Atlanta and winning the time of possession battle. If the Vikings didn't blow that game, the Bears wouldn't even presently matter to them.

Maybe Wade's laughing about how he's never mattered in the NFL, or that casual fans wouldn't recognize the difference between him and a used car salesman?

Tampa Bay managed to keep pace with Carolina in the NFC South on Sunday, outlasting the Vikings for a 19-13 win. The Buccaneers (7-3) remain a game behind first place Carolina, as the two teams will meet on Monday night, December 8, in Charlotte. Hopefully it's more exciting than this game was.

As for today's contest, Tampa Bay didn't get the early Christmas gift Jon Gruden was hoping for earlier in the week in Cadillac Williams, but it did get a rock-solid performance from quarterback Jeff Garcia, as the 38-year old veteran completed 23-of-30 passes for 255 yards. He also ran the ball six times for 21 yards.

It's good for Tampa Bay's sake that Gruden quickly realized he made a tremendous error in judgment earlier in the year, when he came to the conclusion that Brian Griese was a better option for his offense. Clearly, Garcia can still play a little bit, and the Buccaneers are a better team for it.

Other than that, not much else happened in this one except a lot of defense and a lot of field goals.

Despite a hamstring injury that made him a game-time decision, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will play against the Carolina Panthers today.

Peterson is the NFL's leading rusher and, really, the only offensive weapon Minnesota has had this season. With the Vikings replacing Tarvaris Jackson with Gus Frerotte, the Vikings need all the help they can give him.

After pre-game warmups, ESPN reported that Peterson would play:

Peterson said all along that he expected to play, but he did not practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday, which raised doubts about his status.

Receiver Sidney Rice (knee) was inactive for the Vikings, replaced in the starting lineup by Bobby Wade. Fullback Thomas Tapeh also was put on the shelf, replaced on the active roster and in the starting lineup by Naufahu Tahi.

This is also huge for fantasy football enthusiasts. Not having Peterson would severly damage his owners from winning their games today.

Despite a hamstring injury that made him a game-time decision, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will play against the Carolina Panthers today.

Peterson is the NFL's leading rusher and, really, the only offensive weapon Minnesota has had this season. With the Vikings replacing Tarvaris Jackson with Gus Frerotte, the Vikings need all the help they can give him.

After pre-game warmups, ESPN reported that Peterson would play:

Peterson said all along that he expected to play, but he did not practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday, which raised doubts about his status.

Receiver Sidney Rice (knee) was inactive for the Vikings, replaced in the starting lineup by Bobby Wade. Fullback Thomas Tapeh also was put on the shelf, replaced on the active roster and in the starting lineup by Naufahu Tahi.

This is also huge for fantasy football enthusiasts. Not having Peterson would severly damage his owners from winning their games today.

If you didn't know any better, you would have thought the Broncos were the team with a shot at the playoffs and the Vikings were playing out the string of a bitter season. After all, it's usually teams that have already mentally quit on the season who make monumental blunders to cost their teams a game and that's just what Minnesota did in the first half of the 22-19 overtime loss in Denver this afternoon.

Their first drive was an excellent combination of Chester Taylor running and Tarvaris Jackson passing that got the ball inside the Bronco five-yard line. Taylor took the ball for an apparent touchdown but, after a review, he couldn't hold the ball long enough to break the plane and the Vikes got no points. Then, in the second quarter, Jackson found Troy Williamson with a perfect parabola only to see the ball bounce off his shoulder pads as if he were a six-year old playing catch for the first time. Williamson would have had a sure six but Taylor fumbled again two plays later.

The Vikings made other mistakes later and, for most of the game, looked like a team that didn't show up. That reflects badly on Brad Childress but, just when all hope seemed lost, there was at least one reason to smile through a playoff-less January.

This is the week that the Vikings offensive line is gaining plenty of positive publicity as writers realize that it's not just Adrian Peterson's greatness that is leading to the Vikings gaudy run totals.

Football Outsiders breaks down the blocking that led to one of Peterson's touchdown runs last week, crediting the offensive line for making some very difficult blocks that set Peterson up. Merrill Hoge gets in on the act, crediting the o-line for making the Vikings a team no one wants to face come playoff time.

It's good to see the front five get some credit as they have gelled to become one of the league's best units. But one thing that is getting lost in all of the credit is some love for the Vikings wide receivers. They might not be the most explosive unit in the passing game, but one thing that has jumped out this season is how well these guys block.

On the best of days, this Vikings offense isn't very good. But we now know that Sunday will definitely not be the best of days.

Both starting wide receivers could miss the game while starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will be playing just a week after sitting out with a broken finger.

Wide receiver Troy Williamson will miss the game as he continues to help his family mourn the loss of his grandmother. Wide receiver Bobby Wade is questionable with a knee injury. If they both can't go, the Vikings will be left with the trio of Sidney Rice, Robert Ferguson and Andrae Allison. Rice and Allison have some long-term potential, but that's a group that won't make anyone forget the days of Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed.

If there is a bright side, getting Rice and Allison extended playing time will help show the Vikings what they have for 2008, which is getting more and more important with every loss. But it also means that Jackson will be even less sure of himself in the pocket, which is a very scary thought.

It's been pretty busy in the Vikings locker room in advance of this weekend's game with the Bears. Chester Taylor and Erasmus James threw punches at each other while two other Vikes are verbally sparring with their rivals to the South.

Bobby Wade broke in with the Bears as a fifth-round pick in the 2003 draft but his warm feelings for the team that gave him his first break in the league don't carry over to their current defense.

The Bears "are a good defense," Wade told Minnesota reporters. "[But] I can't put them above any defense we played this year. They're suffering some losses on defense with injuries."

The Vikings have played Atlanta, Detroit, Kansas City and Green Bay this season so he may actually have a point. Chicago outranks only the Lions defensively but the quality of the Lions D makes Wade's statement hyperbole in the extreme. The Bears have gotten healthier, though, and Wade may rethink his comments if a short pattern finds himself in the path of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side Darren Sharper isn't losing any sleep thinking about the two talented tight ends of the Bears.