FanHouse SteveHutchinson

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

Mike Holmgren has long been one of the primary identities of the Seattle Seahawks. He took them to the Super Bowl and made them a perennial winner of the NFC West. Then last year happened. As Holmgren's retirement tour rolled along, more and more injuries piled up, Seneca Wallace had to start at quarterback for a few games, and the Seahawks stumbled to a 4-12 record.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

In an NFC that is heading into the offseason without a clear favorite, the Minnesota Vikings have almost all the pieces to be the presumptive favorite. They have an outstanding defensive line, an improved secondary and the best running back in the business. They also have a very good offensive line and thanks to Bernard Berrian, the receiver corps no longer is a joke.

If you thought there was any chance that Chris Kemoeatu was coming back to the Steelers, there are some pretty strong signs that he will be heading elsewhere in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Steelers already have Kendall Simmons (back from an Achilles injury) and 2008 starter Darnell Stapleton under contract for 2009. They also have a starting right tackle (Willie Colon) who almost every scout/player personnel man not employed by the Steelers believes would be better off playing guard. So the only real reason to bring Kemoeatu back is if he's willing to agree to a very reasonable deal.

But if you listen to Kemoeatu's agent, it sure sounds like he's expecting a landmark offer. And he hopes it comes from the Steelers.

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers were announced a short while ago, and why make some pointless comment you are sure not to laugh at when we can just give you the rosters instead? Here goes.

Every week I take a look at the line play in one NFL game. Check back every week for a new Between The Lines.

When the Vikings faced the Titans it was a match-up of two of the best young running backs in the game: Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson. As you would expect, that got plenty of publicity.

But if you were looking for the best matchup of the week, it was the Clash of the Titans when defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth lined up head-up against guard Steve Hutchinson. There may not be a better one-on-one line battle all year, as Haynesworth is arguably the best defensive tackle in the game, while Hutchinson has been considered the best guard in the league (with apologies to Eric Steinbach and Alan Faneca) for several years.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Well, it all comes down to this. If Tarvaris Jackson is an average NFL quarterback this year, the Vikings should be one of the teams to beat in the NFL. But Jackson has not been an average NFL quarterback during his two years in the league. There are some positive signs this August, but the jury is truly still out on Jackson. At his best, Jackson is a strong-armed QB with good mobility. At his worst, Jackson is an inaccurate QB who doesn't do a good job feeling pressure, and struggles to connect on passes further than 10 yards downfield. Gus Frerotte is a better backup than the Vikings had last year, but he's deliberately not good enough to give Jackson a threat for the starting job. Likely third stringer John David Booty has shown he's not ready for the NFL yet. Heat Index: 4.

While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of the next couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the Crème de la Crème, the Highly Competent, the Serviceable, the Pretty Grim, and the Bunk.

Just six NFL offensive lines made their way into the 2008 group of the Crème de la Crème. If you see a team on this list, rest assured your running game is safe, your quarterback with have decent pocket time, and you might just dig up some big time sleepers amongst these rosters. Consider this your early birthday present. You ride with these guys and you're ridin' in drop top, six-four, tinted windows, top down, AC on style.

Read on for the best six offensive lines in the NFL.

To get you ready for week 12, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New Minnesota Vikings/New York Giants preview.

2007 Records:

New York Giants: 7-3 (2nd in NFC East)
Minnesota Vikings: 4-6 (t-3rd in NFC North)

Last Game(s):

Giants 16 - Lions 10
Vikings 29 - Raiders 22

When the Vikings have the ball: Minnesota's gameplan is a simple one: run, run and run. They have the best ground attack in the entire league and it doesn't matter who they put back there; both Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor get the job done.

However, they have a bit of a challenge this week. The casual fan may not realize this, but the New York Giants have one of the best rush defenses in the NFL, allowing only 91.3 yards per game. And if they have any chance at winning this game, that unit, led by Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield, will have to step-up huge.

Adrian Peterson is already the league's best running back and he's single-handedly making what would be a very boring Vikings season interesting. But after rewatching Sunday's game (thanks DirecTV shortcuts) it's also very apparent that the Vikings offensive line should also be talked about among the game's elite.

Considering the money the Vikings have spent on the line, there is some argument that the Vikings better have an outstanding line. But against a still very solid Chargers defense, the Vikings were getting good return on their dollar.

Even more than the blocks that helped spring Adrian Peterson's long runs, it was most impressive to watch the surge on goal line plays. On the play that set up Peterson's first touchdown all five Vikings offensive linemen drove their man back at least three yards. When you consider that the Chargers were in a goal line formation, it was an amazing performance by the Vikings line.