Judd Zulgad has been on the NFL beat since the 2003 season, when he began a (gasp) two-year stint covering the Green Bay Packers for the Star Tribune. Zulgad has covered the Vikings since 2005 and is as shocked as anyone that he is again following the daily exploits of Brett Favre.
Chip Scoggins knew his second season covering the Vikings would be eventful when he saw the news helicopter tracking Brett Favre to Winter Park and a guy dressed in a full parrot costume standing outside.
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Vikings head into bye week
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DiggVikings players scattered across the country today for rest and relaxation during their bye week. Judging from the mood of some of the players in the locker room, this is a loose and confident group as they enter the bye at 7-1.
“Very, very, very confident,” tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. “We know our potential.”
Shiancoe said that confidence – at least on offense – has steadily increased as the players improved their timing and chemistry with Brett Favre.
“It was there [at the start] but we weren’t sure if it was a mirage or not,” he said. “Now it’s starting to get to the point where it’s a reality. This is a good team.”
One of the best in the NFL?
“Oh yeah definitely,” Shiancoe said. “I feel like we’re one of the best. We have the potential to be the best. I don’t know if we’re the best or not. That’s up to you guys and the fans. It’s up to us to go out there and play. But this is a real good team.”
A different side
Shiancoe had a funny moment with the beat writers today when he gave a spot-on impersonation of coach Brad Childress doing an interview in a deep monotone voice.
“That’s not really him,” he said. “I ask him why he does that. He’s different. He’s a players coach. He knows how to relate with the players. That’s a big deal when it comes to guys giving a little extra. Giving a little extra can sometimes be the difference between a win or loss. The players are out there playing and if you want to go play for somebody that’s a huge difference.”
Shiancoe also talked about posting the picture of Childress dressed up as a flight attendant on the Pittsburgh trip on his twitter account. That picture quickly made its way to numerous media outlets.
“I looked it up and it had almost 20,000 hits,” Shiancoe said. “But I just wanted to show how dynamic our coach can be.”
Asked if Childress said anything to him, Shiancoe said, “We had a little conversation about that. He sent me a text that day I sent it. He was like, ‘Oh, you had to be the one who put out the photos. Just one question: what’s up with that?’ It’s all fun. He keeps us pleasantly on our toes.”
Deliver the punishment
For the second consecutive game, Adrian Peterson made a defensive back pay for trying to tackle him. A week ago, Peterson made all the highlight packages when he flattened Steelers cornerback William Gay.
On Sunday, Peterson sent Packers safety Atari Bigbi flying off his feet and out of bounds with a shot at the end of a seven-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“You have to let guys know that I’m not a punching bag,” Peterson said. “You’re not just going to get easy shots on me. I like to deliver the blow as you saw.”
Show of faith
Brett Favre has praised rookie Percy Harvin for his football-savvy and he showed his faith in the receiver again Sunday on his 51-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. Favre threw the ball into what appeared to be triple coverage but the Packers defensive backs collided and Harvin was able to race into the end zone after making the catch.
“We call it a bang-bang shot,” Harvin said. “You know you’re going to take those hits. It’s just one of those things that’s concentration. Actually talking to Brett today, he didn’t even see me when he threw the ball. I was able to make a play on it and luckily the three people fell down and Greg [Lewis] sprung me to the end zone [with a block].”
Childress said he had no trouble with Favre throwing into that coverage.
“I’m fine with it,” he said. “It’s what we call a basic cross and I thought Percy did a good job of coming off the line of scrimmage. [Packers cornerback Charles] Woodson didn’t really contest him, he kind of trailed it and Percy was able to break it across the middle of the field and Brett’s got enough arm where he could stick it into him. Just because three people ended up there doesn’t mean it was Cover-3 with three people covering him. It was a good throw and it was a good route.”
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| Date/Opponent | Time | W | L | Score |
| Sep 13 - at Cleveland | 12:00 PM | 1 | 0 | 34-20 |
| Sep 20 - at Detroit | 12:00 PM | 2 | 0 | 27-13 |
| Sep 27 - vs. San Francisco | 12:00 PM | 3 | 0 | 27-24 |
| Oct 5 - vs. Green Bay | 7:30 PM | 4 | 0 | 30-23 |
| Oct 11 - at St. Louis | 12:00 PM | 5 | 0 | 38-10 |
| Oct 18 - vs. Baltimore | 12:00 PM | 6 | 0 | 33-31 |
| Oct 25 - at Pittsburgh | 12:00 PM | 6 | 1 | 17-27 |
| Nov 1 - at Green Bay | 3:15 PM | 7 | 1 | 38-26 |
| Open | ||||
| Nov 15 - vs. Detroit | 12:00 PM | 8 | 1 | 27-10 |
| Nov 22 - vs. Seattle | 12:00 PM | 9 | 1 | 35-9 |
| Nov 29 - vs. Chicago | 3:15 PM | |||
| Dec 6 - at Arizona | 3:15 PM | |||
| Dec 13 - vs. Cincinnati | 12:00 PM | |||
| Dec 20 - at Carolina | 7:20 PM | |||
| Dec 28 - at Chicago | 7:30 PM | |||
| Jan 3 - vs. NY Giants | 12:00 PM |
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