FanHouse PurpleJesus

Earlier this week, EA Sports released the player ratings for Madden 10. And now, with the NFL Draft in the rearview, and nothing else to do between now and training camps, we'll ponder the important questions. Like: How is [Player who is obviously rated too high] rated above [Player who is obviously rated too low]?

It's fun and original!

This seems like a horrendous idea, but it's June, the time of year when no suggestion, no matter how ludicrous, isn't dismissed out of hand. Hashmarks' Bill Williamson writes that Raiders "head coach" Lane Kiffin told reporters Thursday that fourth-overall pick Darren McFadden is among the candidates to return kicks for the upcoming season.

Williamson adds:

Kiffin said during the Raiders' minicamp last week that he has to be careful not to use McFadden too much. Using him as a kick returner -- in addition to utilizing him as a receiver -- may qualify as too much.

Yes, McFadden is a burner and he'd be a fine return man. But he has bigger fish to fry. McFadden is going to be a dynamic running back and receiver. The Raiders may decide not to risk him getting hurt as a returner, even though it will surely be tempting.

I'm sure legions of Raiders fans are against the idea, but the Patriots had Laurence Maroney returning kicks his rookie season, and the Vikings occasionally did the same with Purple Jesus last year. And both players came out of the experience injury-free.

For a team that needs all the scoring help it can get, having McFadden return kicks and this guy return punts would be a good start. That said, I don't see it happening.

Because Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie can't seem to steer clear of the back seat of police cars, there's a chance NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will fine or suspend him (or both) at some point in the near future.

Last Friday, McKinnie met with Goodell, presumably to discuss McKinnie's off-field, po-po-related run-ins, the last of which took place two months ago.

Judd Zulgad, on the Star Tribune's Vikings Blog, writes that:

McKinnie's attorney, Larry Kerr, has asked that the state of Florida allow his client to enter a pre-trial diversion program; that could lead to the charges being dismissed. Right now, McKinnie has a court hearing scheduled for June 20 in Miami-Dade County Court.

The latest incident marks the fourth time McKinnie has been involved with law enforcement since being drafted in 2002: in one case, no charges were filed, another case the charges were dropped, and Al and Alma's resulted in a $2,000 fine, 48 hours of community service and an NFL game check.

If McKinnie is suspended, the Vikings will have to re-shuffle their line, and although he's been something of an underachiever in his seven-year career, no one's advocating for Artis Hicks to replace him at left tackle. Particularly Tarvaris Jackson and Purple Jesus.

There is much consternation among some (most?) Vikings fans about the current state of the quarterback position. Tarvaris Jackson is the favorite to be the starter in 2008, but I suppose that could change if Gus Frerotte puts up one of his patented Pro-Bowl performances during training camp.

To avoid such a scenario, head coach Brad Childress has given Jackson some things to work on this off-season. From the Star Tribune's Kevin Seifert, who caught up with Childress at last week's NFL owner's meeting: Jackson "needs to take care of the football, ... learn how to throw the ball away, ... and, then, just the decision making."

Not exactly earth-shattering stuff -- although I don't think anybody would disagree -- but the bigger issue is if Jackson will be able to actually do these things next season. Right now, Minnesota doesn't have a fallback plan (Frerotte isn't really going to have a Pro-Bowl training camp).

There's always the draft, but the Vikings don't pick until 17th, and the only consensus franchise quarterback is Matt Ryan, and I'm guessing he doesn't get past the Ravens at No. 8. I suppose you could make the argument that Minnesota should've taken Brady Quinn when they had the chance, but that would've meant passing on Adrian Peterson.

And while I'm the first guy to say running backs are fungible, I'm not willing to suggest that Quinn would've been a better fit for the Vikings than Purple Jesus.

The Vikings have had a pretty successful off-season, signing wide receiver Bernard Berrian and safety Madieu Williams. But the recent news that Gus Frerotte will join the team as Tarvaris Jackson's backup has been met with "WTF?" incredulity from a relatively tolerant fanbase.

Generally speaking, the quarterback position is a sore spot for this team, and at the NFL owner's meeting, head coach Brad Childress talked about why Minnesota passed on Brady Quinn last year.

"I think people valued another position obviously more,'' Childress said. "There was some common thinking if he got past Miami there [at No. 9], as you looked at the teams that were after, they weren't really lined up to take a quarterback. That's probably the biggest reason.''

Not all that insightful, but it's not like a coach makes it a habit of spilling his guts to the media about the organization's draft philosophy. Fair enough. One reason the Vikings may have shied away from Quinn last year is because Jackson had just one season in the league. There's plenty of upside for a guy long on athleticism and short on experience. Plus, with other needs (like, say, running back), Minnesota could address the quarterback position at some point in the future.

Now, though, I wonder what the Vikings would do if they had the seventh-overall pick this April. There's a change Matt Ryan could be on the board, and while Jackson showed glimpses of ability in 2007, I think it would be much tougher for the organization to pass on a potential franchise quarterback twice in as many drafts.

Purple Jesus may be coming off a Pro Bowl MVP performance, and have his sights set on 2,000 rushing yards in 2008, but head coach Brad Childress thinks there are some areas where Adrian Peterson can improve his game.

Two areas in which Childress wants to see Peterson progress are in his pass protection and in making reads while running the ball. Peterson, who missed two games because of a knee injury, frequently was replaced by Chester Taylor on passing downs because of concerns about his ability to pick up would-be rushers.

It seems kinda crazy to think that Peterson can get better at making reads as the play develops, but as the StarTribune.com's Judd Zulgad writes, this became an issue late in 2007 when teams finally figured out how to contain him. Peterson didn't have a 100-yard rushing game the last month of the season and with defenses putting eight and nine players in the box, it'll become an important part of his game going forward.

Zulgad also notes that as Peterson's pass-blocking improves, he and Chester Taylor could find themselves on the field at the same time. Not only would this create issues for the defense, it would make quarterback Tarvaris Jackson's job a helluva lot easier. And that is a good thing.

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

James Butler, Giants
You know, I was a little hard on Manning the Younger last night. I accused him of playing great football for 30 minutes, and then turning into an interception-throwing pumpkin, while the Patriots did what they do: mount a second-half comeback and win in handsome Tom Brady fashion.

But after some soul-searching, I've come to the realization that the Patriots-Giants game didn't turn on Manning's fourth-quarter pick, but on what transpired three plays prior. You can see the birds-eye view here, but all you need to know is this: safety James Butler must've blacked out because when the cameras finally caught up with him, he was about 15 yards behind Randy Moss. Moss was making his way to the end zone after hauling in a 65-yard bomb from Brady.

That was the game-changer. To that point, the Giants' offense was moving the ball without much trouble, and the defense was like Plexiglas Burress: bend but don't break.

On the bright side, Manning played probably his best game as a professional, and the timing couldn't be better.
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You can never have enough good cornerbacks. That's the conventional wisdom in the NFL, and while it seems obvious, it's true. The problem is that finding quality defensive backs comes at a cost. For the 49ers, the price tag was $80 million over eight years for Nate Clements.

Clements was the best available free agent last off-season. When he signed with San Francisco, he thought he was leaving behind all the losing he experienced during his six years in Buffalo. Well, the 49ers started 2-0, but have gone 1-9 since. The Bills, on the other hand, are 6-6. Yeah, it doesn't always work out as planned.

Still, despite San Francisco's record, Clements is having a solid season. I don't know if it's worth $80 million, but there's a good chance he won't see most of that money anyway. Unlike most cornerbacks, Clements not only excels in coverage, but he's one of the teams' best tacklers. Which should come in handy against Purple Jesus this afternoon.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge," Clements said. "Adrian Peterson is a stud. He's one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league. This week is a different situation. I might have to be up there (near the line of scrimmage) to support the run."

According to Football Outsiders, Clements ranks ninth in the NFL against opponents' No. 1 receivers. Pass coverage probably won't be much of an issue against the Vikings, but it's good to know Clements hasn't gotten all fat and sassy after his new deal.

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

A.J. Feeley, Eagles
Well, so much for a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. After one of the most impressive performances of the season last Sunday night, Eagles backup A.J. Feeley followed that up with what we've come to expect from A.J. Feeley: noodle-armed underthrows, poor decision making, and a bunch of passes to the other team. Check, check ... and check.

For the second straight week, Feeley threw a pick on the Eagles' first possession, but luckily, Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu didn't return it for six. That would be the highlight of Feeley's day.

The first interception set up a Shaun Alexander touchdown, which, these days, happens about as often as a Lions Super Bowl run. Pick No. 2 led to another Seattle touchdown. No. 3 killed an Eagles drive late in the third quarter with Philly trailing 28-24, and the final interception came with 23 seconds to go, Eagles still down by four.

Yeah, I think you could say this one's on Feeley.
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This isn't really shocking, I suppose. When a team is 0-11 and played most of the last game with the fourth third-string running back -- Cedric Patrick Cobbs, a player who went undrafted and didn't get a single carry as a rookie last season -- this actually makes perfect sense:

Because of the uncertain timetable on Ronnie Brown's return from knee surgery, the Dolphins could retain [Ricky] Williams for the length of his contract, or they could use their possible top pick of the draft on a running back such as Arkansas' Darren McFadden.

Unless something drastically changes between now and the last weekend in April, McFadden will be the first back drafted. And if the Dolphins take him, he'll be the first overall pick. The last time a running back went No. 1 was 1995 when the Bengals took Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter. Interestingly, running backs went second overall in '05 (Brown) and '06 (Reggie Bush).

If Brown if fully recovered by training camp, McFadden would be overkill, particularly when the Dolphins have plenty of other needs. Unless, of course, the Arkansas Razorback can have a Purple Jesus-type impact. (Is it blasphemous to even suggest such a thing?)