Vikings a turnover-ratio oddity in NFL

Want to know why the Lions and 49ers are a combined 12-3 and two of the bigger stories in the NFL this season?

Start with their combined plus-23 turnover ratio. The Lions rank No. 1 (plus-13), while the 49ers are No. 2 (plus-10).

Long considered the most important statistic in football, turnover ratio tends to go hand-in-hand with the success or failure a team is experiencing.

Of the top 15 teams in turnover ratio this season, 14 have a winning record.

Guess which one doesn't.

Yep, the Vikings. They're tied for seventh with a plus-4 turnover ratio, but have a 2-6 record.

It's further evidence that benched QB Donovan McNabb was careful with the ball, but didn't make enough plays for it to matter. McNabb had a 1-5 record despite a plus-4 turnover ratio. His replacement, Christian Ponder, is 1-1 with a turnover ratio of even.

I got an email from a company called Poll Position. The headline blares: "Poll: QUARTER OF AMERICANS THINK NFL IS TOO VIOLENT." And by "Americans," they actually mean 1,032 registered voters, 20.8 percent of which didn't have an opinion.

Of course, wanting to be politically correct, I did pause for alarm before deducing that "THREE QUARTERS OF AMERICANS THINK NFL ISN'T TOO VIOLENT."