FanHouse JarredAllen

Minnesota knew they had to get a defensive end to fix a struggling pass rush, and if they hadn't trade for Jared Allen, they would have turned to the draft. But the worry was that by the time pick No. 17 arrived, there wouldn't be a defensive end worth taking.

If Derrick Harvey had somehow slipped to No. 17, the decision to trade a first and two thirds for Jarred Allen may have looked a little foolish. Harvey could end up being the kind of player that Allen is for a lot cheaper.

But the Vikings' hunch has proven correct. With Jacksonville trading up to No. 8 to take Harvey, the top three defensive ends are all off the board, leaving a big gulf to the next best defensive end (probably Phillip Merling). Chris Long, Vernon Gohlston and Harvey are thought to be immediate impact guys, but none of the remaining defensive ends are thought to be guys who can step in and star.

Given the choice between picking up another project at defensive end or a proven star, Minnesota's gamble seems more and more like the right call.

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with Robert Zepeda of BoltHype, an independent blog that covers the San Diego Chargers.

Dan Benton: "Who in the world are the San Diego Chargers? One week they're dropping the defending Super Bowl champions, then they're getting beat up by the Minnesota Vikings."

Robert Zepeda: "The Chargers are like Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. One minute they're knocking guys out like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, and Renato Sobral, but then the next minute they go and lose to guys like Keith Jardine. Maybe they just got tired of winning and wanted to feel the pain that is associated with a loss. After all, if you are in MMA or Professional Football then you have to be at least somewhat masochistic, right?"

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with Patrick Patterson of Thoughts from the Darkside, a Most Valuable Network column that covers the Oakland Raiders.

Dan Benton: "People talk about the Red Sox/Yankees, Redskins/Cowboys and Giants/Eagles. Why don't you talk a little about the Chiefs/Raiders?"

Patrick Patterson: "The Chiefs-Raiders rivalry is one of the best in sports. Actually, the entire AFC West is one big rivalry which makes it the best division to watch in the NFL. Whether you go back to Big Ben Davidson spearing Len Dawson or Marty Shottenheimer and his frothing at the mouth outright hatred of the Raiders, this game is always one to watch. Despite the Chiefs having pulled off a winning streak, all but one of them have been decided inside the two minute warning. Forget any other rivalry, Chiefs-Raiders is a blood feud to the bone. Nothing in baseball, not even the ESPN love fest for the Red Sox and Yankees comes close. Raiders v Chiefs, it's time to thrown out the records and know that there will be a bloodbath."