Vikings know they have plenty to do

One person not surprised to see the Packers in the Super Bowl is former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, now an analyst for CBS Sports.

Gannon, who expected the Packers to beat the host Bears in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, talked about how Green Bay overcame a number of injuries during the season, and how their replacements didn't weaken the roster that much. And the Packers offensive line and defense improved as the season developed.

Gannon, the former Vikings QB who lives in the Twin Cities, also is a big believer in Aaron Rodgers, who gives the Packers an oustanding quarterback for many years to come -- something the Vikings don't have.

At the start of the season, nobody expected the Packers to make it to the Super Bowl, and the way things have developed they are the hottest team in the NFL right now.

Well no doubt, new Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, vice president of personnel Rick Spielman and vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski watched with great interest.

One thing they learned is a team won't win a game if a team loses their No. 1 quarterback like the Bears did when Jay Cutler had to leave because of a knee injury. Backup Todd Collins did nothing in his brief amount of playing time Sunday, leaving No. 3 quarterback Caleb Hanie to direct the offense. Hanie actually did move the ball some, but he also threw two big interceptions, one for a touchdown and one that ended the Bears' final chance. Teams don't win without an outstanding quarterback.

Both Rodgers and Cutler missed one game this season because of injury, but they were much healthier this season than Brett Favre.

What a difference a year makes. At this time a year ago in New Orleans, the Vikings were a field goal away from advancing to the Super Bowl for the fifth time. Now they are in last place in a division where their two biggest rivals played for the NFC crown Sunday.

U breaks jinx Finally beating Michigan on Saturday after losing four in a row to the Wolverines should be a confidence-builder for Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith and his team as they get ready to play Northwestern on Wednesday at Williams Arena.

"It was a good win for us in a very difficult place, and we've had our trouble trying to win there," Smith said.

Smith appreciated having a larger group of students who traveled to Ann Arbor, a trip that took them 11 hours after their bus broke down.

One bad thing about the game was senior guard Al Nolen had to leave because of an injury. Smith said on Saturday it was a sprained right ankle. Nolen missed five games earlier this season because of an injury to his right foot, and it's not clear how long this latest injury will keep him out. Smith did not have an update on Nolen's injury Sunday.

Smith sang the praises of Hoffarber, who played a lot at point guard after Nolen went down.

"Absolutely, six assists and then [he] iced the game the way he did," Smith said of Hoffarber. "We put it in his hands at the end, because you know he's going to make his free throws, and he got everybody involved. The players have a lot of respect for Blake. He's a great leader, he's a great teammate, he's a great student, he's a great person."

Another player who stepped up in Nolan's absence was freshman guard Maverick Ahanmisi, who chipped in five points and three rebounds in 13 minutes.

"Maverick Ahanmisi, he came in the game, he had five points for us, he nailed a nice little jumper there in the first half to give us the lead going in at halftime," Smith said.

The Gophers have had to deal with one distraction after another for the past two seasons. Now there's more concern about Nolen's health; this team is not the same without its outstanding point guard.

• The two Gophers men's basketball commitments for this fall have continued to have solid senior seasons. Joe Coleman leads top-ranked Hopkins in scoring at 23.7 points per game and had 25 points in the Royals' 86-68 victory over Osseo on Saturday. Andre Hollins, the 6-2 shooting guard out of Memphis, is leading White Station, the second-ranked team in Tennessee, in scoring at 25.6 points per game and had 24 points in a 69-66 victory over Ridgeway on Saturday.

• While there are a number of Gophers football players who have to improve on their grades to be eligible this fall, only two players who were on Tim Brewster's squad last season are not in school. Wide receiver Bryant Allen left before Jerry Kill got here, transferring to Illinois State this month, and defensive tackle Jewhan Edwards is no longer enrolled either, Kill said Sunday.

• Peter Mortell is an outstanding punter at Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame Academy who earlier this month said he would join the Gophers. At one time, he was ranked as the nation's No.8 punter by the Kohl's Professional Football Kicking and Punting Camps.

• Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin said he will spend time this offseason working out with Charles Woodson, the great Packers Pro Bowl cornerback and former Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan.

• The latest to contribute to the new Siebert Field Fund is Mike Bailey, who joined the Gophers baseball team from Rochester in 1974 and has donated $200,000 toward the cost of a new stadium. Earlier, the Pohlad family, owners of the Twins, donated $2 million. Former Gophers star and baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, who is chairman of the funding for the project, is reported to have had some success recently in bringing some donors into the fold.