Fans are bleeding purple in Pro Bowl balloting

The Vikings might be one game behind New Orleans in the race for best record in the NFC, but when it comes to fan balloting for the Pro Bowl, they have a decided advantage over the Saints (11-0).

In what appears to be a serious case of cyber ballot-box stuffing (or clicking), the Vikings had the leading vote-getters at 11 of the 19 positions in the NFC in the latest results released by the NFL on Tuesday. Fan voting counts one-third toward determining the 43-man NFC and AFC rosters for the game. Players and coaches also get to vote.

Not surprisingly, quarterback Brett Favre leads the Vikings with 840,498 votes. That puts him third in the NFL behind Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (853,565) and Saints quarterback Drew Brees (848,624), making Brees the leader at his position in the NFC.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is fourth in total votes in the NFL with 838,985, placing him one spot ahead of Arizona Cardinals star and former Holy Angels wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. (529,904).

Vikings who lead in voting at their positions include Peterson; fullback Naufahu Tahi (113,335 votes); tackle Bryant McKinnie (231,282); guard Steve Hutchinson (239,924); center John Sullivan (222,181); defensive end Jared Allen (343,463); nose tackle Pat Williams (221,517); kick returner Percy Harvin (233,726); kicker Ryan Longwell (121,373); punter Chris Kluwe (84,896); and special-teams ace Heath Farwell (103,215).

There are seven other Vikings who are second in the NFC balloting at their positions, including Favre, rookie offensive tackle Phil Loadholt, guard Anthony Herrera, defensive tackle Kevin Williams, outside linebacker Chad Greenway, cornerback Antoine Winfield and free safety Madieu Williams.

Fan voting for the Pro Bowl will end Dec. 21. Teams will be announced at 3 p.m. on Dec. 29 on the NFL Network. The game will be held on Jan. 31 at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, a week before the Super Bowl is played at the same venue. Players from the teams that make the Super Bowl will not play in the Pro Bowl.

Coach Brad Childress was asked Monday how he has meshed with Favre. Many thought the two might clash over how the Vikings offense was run.

"Any professional you ever find that's worth his salt can take coaching," Childress said. "Now, they may have different ideas. I can go to Terrell Owens [Childress was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia when the mercurial receiver played for the Eagles] -- whatever you think about Terrell Owens -- when he got on the football field. [He would ask], 'Do you want this split? Oh, you want it 2 yards.' He never lorded it over you that, 'Geez, this is the way I always did it in San Francisco. It was a 4-yard split.'

"Brett's been tremendous that way. The system has changed a little bit. ... But I think he's got a pretty good mastery of what it is we're doing right now. He's all ears. You can think he's not listening. But you got to remember that he's probably heard [the play-calling terminology] 20,000 times. He can probably do it in his sleep."

• The Vikings had three players in for workouts Tuesday, including quarterback Gibran Hamdan, wide receiver Taye Biddle (Mississippi) and defensive back DeJuan Tribble (Boston College). Hamdan was a seventh-round pick by the Redskins out of Indiana in 2003. He also has spent time with the 49ers, Seahawks, Dolphins and Bills. Hamdan, who was released by Buffalo last month, has thrown two passes in his career. Biddle and Tribble played for the Florida Tuskers of the UFL this season.

• The team also had defensive back Joe Porter (Rutgers) in for a visit. Porter, who had been with Las Vegas of the UFL, did not have a tryout.