http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/3387 Recent articles about Darren Sharper en-us The Vikings go into camp with 80 men on their roster, and will have to trim that to 53 by the time the season starts.  The current position-by-position breakdown follows the jump (depth chart positions subject to debate in some cases; starters in italics): Offense Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson Gus Frerotte John David Booty Brooks Bollinger Running Back Adrian Peterson Chester Taylor Maurice Hicks Albert Young Fullback Thomas Tapeh Jeff Dugan Naufahu Tahi Tackle Ryan Cook Bryant McKinnie Marcus Johnson Chase Johnson Drew Radovich Guard Steve Hutchinson Anthony Herrera Artis Hicks Brian Daniels Mike Jones Center Matt Birk John Sullivan Dan Mozes Tim Mattran Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe Jim Kleinsasser Garrett Mills Braden Jones Wide Receiver Bernard Berrian Bobby Wade Sidney Rice Robert Ferguson Aundrae Allison Jaymar Johnson Martin Nance Nate Jones Darius Reynaud Daniel Davis Defense/Special Teams Defensive End Jared Allen Ray Edwards Brian Robison Jayme Mitchell Ellis Wyms Otis Grigsby Martail Burnett Defensive Tackle Kevin Williams Pat Williams Fred Evans Letroy Guiron Kenderick Allen Leger Douzable Linebacker E.J. Henderson Ben Leber Chad Greenway Heath Farwell Vinny Ciurciu Derrick Pope Rufus Alexander David Herron Erin Henderson Jeremy Leman Cornerback Antoine Winfield Cedric Griffin Marcus McCauley Charles Gordon Benny Sapp Dee McCann Marcus Walker Brandon Sumrall Safety Darren Sharper Madieu Williams Michael Boulware Tyrell Johnson Eric Frampton Jusain Abdullah Kicker Ryan Longwell Steven Hauschka Punter Chris Kluwe Long Snapper Cullen Loeffler Hard to find any real positional battles there.  The best one is probably at tight end, where I'm hoping Garrett Mills, who showed flashes in the final game of last season, will push Visanthe Shiancoe.  Maybe Marcus McCauley or Charles Gordon can make things uncomfortable for Cedric Griffin?  Everything else looks set, barring injury or guys suddenly forgetting how to play.  I'll continue to update this as camp progresses, reflecting cuts, and any changes in depth chart position. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:24:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294950 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294950 Presumably, the Packers don't really want Favre back after all that's happened. Essentially, their message is they aren't going to free him to sign with any of the league's other 31 teams — especially not NFC North division rivals Minnesota, Chicago or Detroit — and he won't be given his starting job back if he returns to Green Bay. The most likely scenario would have Favre petitioning the league for reinstatement and the Packers trading him to an AFC team, or at least an NFC team outside the division. Among the teams that fit that profile are the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. The Packers' best-case scenario, in which Favre would've simply stayed retired, almost certainly won't happen. The Packers went so far as to send an intermediary down to Mississippi last week to try to talk Favre into staying retired, but their attempt failed. The Wisconsin State Journal's article puts serious contenders for Favre out there for the first time in a while. But would these really help Brett Favre? He obviously wants to go to a contender and the Minnesota Vikings are rumored to be his top choice (which means he's looking to follow Darren Sharper and Ryan Longwell), but Minnesota most likely isn't going to happen. Do these really give Favre a chance to be a winner though? The Miami Dolphins were 1-15 last year and are starting from the ground up. They have a new coach in Tony Sparano and a new head man in Bill Parcells. If Favre wants to win, Miami would probably not be the best option. Parcells and Sparano are getting reputations as strictly business, given their run-in with superstar-turned-wanna-be-actor Jason Taylor. A Taylor-for-Favre swap is pretty intriguing, but I don't think that's what Taylor wants and Favre wants a winner, but I don't see the Dolphins turning into playoff contenders right away. Right now, John Beck, Chad Henne, and Josh McCown are the quarterbacks on the roster for the Dolphins. Beck started last year and had a lot of trouble adjusting to the pro-game. He could have been Cam Cameron's quarterback of the future, but with Parcells coming in, his future is up in the air. Parcells used a high draft pick on Henne, who could be Parcells' "guy" while McCown is the veteran in the mix. McCown also happens to be a friend of the Packers family, along with Nathan Poole, for knocking the Vikings out and Packers into the playoffs in (I think) 2003. God, I love opening old wounds. So the Dolphins do not look that likely if Favre wants to win. If he wants to play and end up on MediCare, he can go for it. The Baltimore Ravens would be the worst situation for me besides an NFC North team. I may be in the Baltimore area, but I do not like the Ravens. Besides the personal anguish this would cost me, the Ravens cannot quite afford Favre. Right now the Packers have 2008 first round pick Joe Flacco, 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, and bust Kyle Boller. The Ravens are also reeling from the Steve McNair-era where they were at the mercy of an aging quarterback on the downside of his career. I have read many columnists in the Baltimore-area newspapers, and it's clear they do not want Favre. They know that on the heels of a 5-11 season that they need to rebuild and devote time and confidence to either Flacco or Smith, something they did not do with Boller. The only way to get their quarterbacks better and to put themselves in a position to win in the future would be to let Flacco and Smith play and become experienced. I pretty much covered the Chiefs, one of the most inept franchises in history. But they can still have fantasies. Like this one. And this one. And finally this one. The Jets are intriguing. Favre is older than head coach Eric Mangini. Kellen Clemens looks like he could be a good quarterback if he is given time to play, which wouldn't happen if Favre joined the team. Chad Pennington is still on the team and he has had some pretty good moments in his time in the Big Apple. I'm no Jets expert, but this scenario is pretty mysterious. Who knows here. I just don't know whether Favre would want to play for a team coming off a losing season. It seems like every year Sports Illustrated picks the Panthers to win the Super Bowl. But it doesn't happen. They are mired in the .500-ball heave that is the NFC South. The team does not have many offensive weapons outside of Steve Smith and at times last year, it seemed like they could not do anything right. Sure, they played in Super Bowl XXXVIII. But that feels like ancient history.  Also, the Panthers seems set with Jake Delhomme as their signal caller. Tampa Bay is quarterback heaven. Jon Gruden is apparently tight with Favre because of the days of the Holmgren regime.  But seriously, how many quarterbacks on the roster?  Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Luke McCown, Chris Simms, and rookie Josh Johnson.  They've got about every type in there.  Let's add aging-gunslinger to that category.  The Bucs won the division in 2007, but the fact that they won it at 9-7 leaves no guarantee for them to be a winner in 2008.  Not seeing Favre here. The Redskins are another interesting possibility.  They've got plenty of money (aka Dan Snyder) and a young quarterback in Jason Campbell.  The Redskins know what they are doing with Campbell by letting him play last year.  The only reason a player can get better is by playing.  And he got better as the season went on before he got hurt and Todd Collins led the team to the playoffs.  The Skins have been down this road before with Mark Brunell.  I don't think that worked too well. So there we have it.  I'd say Favre doesn't have any really good options out there.  Anywhere he went (Minnesota included) he would get in the way of the development of a team. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:55:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290414 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290414 From: Pro Football Weekly Having seen him perform in organized team activities this spring and summer, the Vikings feel even more confident that the addition of S Madieu Williams will have a big impact on their secondary. He has come in and shown better range and coverage skills than the man he's replacing, Dwight Smith, which should allow fellow S Darren Sharper to take more chances and not have to spend as much time in coverage. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:34:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287634 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287634 Darren Sharper gives us a look at the practice facility cafeteria where the Vikings eat. Darren wants to get into TV when he retires. He's got a long way to go. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:59:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286772 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286772 Darren Sharper gives us a look at the practice facility cafeteria where the Vikings eat. Darren wants to get into TV when he retires. He's got a long way to go. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:59:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286772 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286772 Cleaning up some business from the past week… Kenechi Udeze, who has been stricken with leukemia, announced on KFAN host Dan Barreiro's show Friday that he will have a bone marrow transplant early next month. Udeze will receive the donor marrow from his older brother Thomas Barnes who is a 100% match.  Obviously, we wish Kenechi well.  But from a heartless pragmatic strictly-business point-of-view? Udeze's loss became irrelevant when we traded for Jared Allen. On the legal front:  Bryant McKinnie learned Friday that his criminal case will be continued. McKinnie's lawyers have been trying to get the assault charges dismissed by convincing the judge to let him enter a pretrial diversion program.  The next court date is September 24, but it won't interfere with Bryant's football schedule because he doesn't have to show. It somewhat sucks having the McKinnie thing hanging over the team, especially given all the enthusiasm we feel over Jared Allen and Bernard Berrian and a second season of Adrian Peterson.  But that's how it is when you have an overgrown juvenile delinquent on your squad. On the personnel front:  The Vikings pared their roster down closer to the 80-man limit by cutting RB Arkee Whitlock and WR Justin Surrency.  I like the name Arkee.  It reminds me of legendary B-movie producer Samuel Z. Arkoff. Darren Sharper participated in an NFL broadcasting bootcamp. Said Darren of the experience: It's excellent. I'm learning a lot about all the different areas of broadcasting from script writing, to reporting, to interviewing guys. It's a great because I'm meeting a lot of great contacts and learning things that will help you grow to be in whatever type of broadcasting that you want to get into. Darren will one day work for ESPN I suppose.  They have a never-ending need for ex-players who have nothing to say, and are willing to become pure corporate stooges. A final item of interest:  USA Today says Maurice Hicks is the favorite to return kicks.  Well, that's why they signed him.  Cripes, USA Today is really on top of things, hey?  I bet they'll soon report that Steve Hutchinson is the favorite to start at left guard. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:45:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281395 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281395 When you hear the name Darren Sharper - what comes to mind? Green Bay Packer? Minnesota Viking? Hall Of Famer? Team Leader? Interception Leader? Well one if not all apply! Darren currently has 53 INTs with leads all active players. If you want to include non-active players, he is tied at 21st with Dieon Sanders - not bad company if you ask me. Here is where it get interesting! If he gets 6 INTs this year (has been averaging 5.5 the last 9 year), which seeing the addition of Jared Allen could potentially help with pressure which typically increases INTs - he will not only be among some of the best in the NFL, but he will pass some of the greatest names in NFL history. Six interceptions would move him past Darrell Green, Willie Brown, Eric Allen, Aeneas Williams, Pat Fischer, Lem Barney, Everson Walls, Johnny Robinson, Eugene Robinson, Bobby Boyd, Mel Blount and Emmitt Thomas into ninth on the career list. If he does and accomplishes this, would he/should he be considered a inductee of the Hall of Fame?? Tue, 27 May 2008 09:11:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271340 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271340 "He wants to get out of there," Sharper said Sunday during the Colts-Chargers AFC divisional playoff game, where the Minnesota Vikings safety was doing television work. "I know all about it, and he wants out. He's not happy. He wants the ball. He doesn't feel like he's part of the offense." Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:26:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72748 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72748 Six of them are starting and Viking Country is buzzing. The Vikings will be represented with 3 starters on each side of the ball. On the offensive side they will have the entire backfield with Adrian Peterson and Tony Richardson. Peterson is having a monster year if you haven't noticed, but what some people overlook is the Fullback that gives the Halfback some of those wide open gaps. Richardson has been a staple in Minnesota on and off the field since he came from Kansas City last year. Also starting will be Steve Hutchinson. One of the best Guards in the league, I doubt anyone is really going to argue with this one, either. On the defensive side of the ball they will be represented by the two big guys in the middle. Kevin and Pat Williams are one of, if not the best combos in the league. And on top of the run stopping ability, Kevin has a knack for finding the end zone for six. The other rep is Darren Sharper at safety. Sharper is one of the league premiere ball hawks in the league, and all of the sports broadcasters love to spout stats about how many picks he's had in the past few years. Any snubs from the Purple? Well, some have pointed out the lack of Center Matt Birk in the starting lineup. Birk is having another solid year and the evidence of his stellar play is shown partly in Adrian Peterson's big year. He'll be backing up Anthony Gurode, but I'd rather see him as a starter. Another slight snub would be the Punter Chris Kluwe. Kluwe may have deserved to go, but no one is really going to gripe about it. Except maybe his Mom. And lastly, special teams expert Heath Farwell was not selected. The man can flat out rock people on kick-offs but he gets no love. I will hold true to the fact that Brendon Ayanbadejo always gets picked mainly for the fact that his name is first on the special teams ballot. Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:57:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/48689 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/48689 A Week 6 NFL matchup between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. Just a few things to watch for in this game. Fri, 12 Oct 2007 05:05:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/30795 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/30795 So what I have decided to do is rip off the Mike and MIKE show on ESPN and hold my version of 'two-a-days'. Only instead of breaking down two teams in the NFL, I have decided to breakdown two divisions a day. This will consist of breaking down each team in a division and ranking each team from who will finish last to who will win their respected divisions. My Rankings will be estimated by how each team faired last year, how they improved their teams through free agency and the draft, their schedule strength and just how good they are doing in the preseason thus far. NFC NORTH Last year it was the Chicago Bears who were above and beyond any other team in the NFC north. They won their own division by five games. Their dominance in the NFC North transferred over into the rest of the conference as they went on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Where the Colts defeated them. This year I do not see the Chicago Bears running away with their division championship as they did so easily last year. Lets start off with the Green Bay Packers. Who finished five games behind the NFC champion Bears in 2006. This year the Packers have in my opinion improved on defense. I think Outside Linebacker A.J. Hawk is going to be a beast in this league and he will eventually give Brian Urlacher a run for best linebacker in the NFC North. Second year head coach Mike McCarthey; will have yet another chance to grow and become and even better coach. Now with that being said, their offense is in shambles. It used to be you could never say that about a team who has Brett Favre as a leader. But that isn't the case any more. He needed help and the Packers simply did not supply him with enough help in the off-season. They had the opportunity to get Brett the help he has begged for. But they failed to acquire Wide Receiver Randy Moss before the NFL Draft. It is assumed that they could have had Randy for a very cheap price but opted not to trade for the Star receiver. Now the only playmaker that the Packers have on offense went down to an injury in the Packs last Preseason game. (Donald Driver) Obviously their success depends on Donald Driver can return healthy this year. Next we turn to the Detroit Lions, who acquired the best collage player coming out of the draft when they drafted Calvin Johnson. A lot of so-called experts say that Calvin's impact won't be felt for at least a season or two at the most. But I am one of the few that disagree. I think that this young receiver will make an immediate impact in this Mike Martz Pass-happy offense. He is too talented not to do so. On the other side of Calvin is a top ten Receiver in Roy Williams and he's not the only really good wide receiver that they have. They also have Mike Furrey who turned heads last year. So the Lions aren't lacking any talent in the receiver department. I will go as far to say with a little work they can be one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL. Now their Quarterback isn't that bad either. Jon Kitna isn't a Peyton Manning by any stretch of the imagination. But he has enough talent in his arm to win you games. The only problem I see for the Lions on Offense is their Running back. Kevin Jones is now reported to be out for the season. I do believe their running situation will improve with Tatum Bell and TJ Duckett helping them out. But we will have to see just how good they can be as the season unfolds. But the true test is within their defense, if their D can hold up and improve then I see a much improved team all round. The Minnesota Vikings finished last year with the best run defense in the National Football league. They have improved their DB position when they added Mike Doss in the off-season and Darren Sharper is a good safety. I would say that their defense will improve this year, but there is only one problem, their defensive coordinator is now the head coach of the Steelers. So if they can transition well with their new Defense Coordinator than I see no problems for this team. On offense I see a team improving and rebuilding. So as the offense improves the team improves. They drafted Adrian Peterson who many foresee becoming the next game breaking running back in the NFL if he can remain healthy. They just acquired Kelly Holcomb who is a suitable QB who can manage a game for them. Giving their young hopeful Quarterback Tavaris Jackson room to grow into what Coach Brad Childress says is the next Donovan McNabb. This team will be great, but not yet. They still need to make strides on offense with Tavaris and with Peterson before they take over this division. Next is Da' bears, the reigning NFC Champions. They lost their Defensive coordinator in the off-season but since Lovie Smith is a defensive minded coach it really won't affect this team. Because most people give credit to Lovie for making this defense what it is and not Rivera. So with that being said we all know that their defense will probably continue their dominating ways from last year. The question is can Rex Grossman silence the critics and become a Quarterback who belongs in the super bowl instead of one who hitched a ride with his defense there. So far in the preseason he's had his ups and downs. But there offense is ranked third in scoring in the preseason. But we saw this before; last year he came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. Some even began to call him the next Brett Favre. But it wasn't going to last because once midseason came he was losing games for the Bears. If not for that stout defense, Rex probably wouldn't be enjoying that NFC championship Ring he has. Another problem I see is their star running back Thomas Jones now plays for the Jets. Now I am sure the reasoning behind getting rid of Jones was to allow their top draft pick Cedric Benson room to grow. So far Cedric Benson has been doing well in the preseason. But the odds on a Running Back who never started an entire season before doing well aren't that great. Their new Tight End Olsen I believe will be a stud. And Muhsin Mohammed and Bernard Berrian are two top receivers in the game. The receivers, the tight end and the transition of Devin Hester; (Their star return man) as a Wide Receiver, Will give Rex all the weapons he needs. The problem is Rex. Can he take the steps needed to become the Quarterback he needs to be to return to the super bowl? Personally I do not see it happening. But we do have to remember that the Bears have the single best defense in the NFC. Which is a shutdown defense. So if Rex can only learn to manage the Game as Big Ben did, and not throw it away. Then they should repeat as NFC North Champions. Followed by the Lions, Vikings and Packers. AFC NORTH The Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North last year. With their always tough as nails Defense, they proved in 2006 to be the second most Winn ingest team in the NFL (Tied with the Bears at 13-3.) They led the AFC north by the same amount of games as their NFC counterpart, with five games. So will they repeat as AFC north champions in 2007? Let's break down the teams and find out. Let's start of with the Cincinnati Bengals, who in many people's minds have one of the most high-powered offenses in the National Football league. Their Quarterback, Carson Palmer is ranked in the top five of Quarterbacks in the NFL. Most believe that he only takes a backseat to Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. During the 2005 season the Bengal's were having their most successful season in recent memory. Their defense was clicking almost as well as their high-powered offense, by producing pickoff after pickoff. Keeping the ball in the hands of their offense as they won the NFC North. Going into the Playoffs they were one of the teams that was favored to go to the Super bowl. It wasn't until Carson Palmer got hurt in the Wildcard playoff game against the Pittsburg Steelers that their hopes were all but lost. The injury was to Carson's ACL and caused the Bengal's to lose to the eventual Super Bowl XL Champions Steelers. Most sports Physicians and trainers agree that it takes a player at least year to recover from an ACL injury as bad as Carson Palmer's was. During the 2006 season Palmer made his return and even though Carson was playing well, he just wasn't playing at one hundred percent. In 2007 everyone in Bengal's Nation are crossing their fingers and holding their breaths in hope that Carson Palmer will comeback one hundred percent once the season begins. So far in the preseason the Bengal's haven't won a single game yet. But it is the preseason and we all know that these games don't count to most starters in the NFL. I do see Carson Palmer returning to the Carson Palmer of old this year. He has plenty of help on Offense to do so. With T.J. Houshamzadeh and the always entertaining, always controversial Receiver Chad Johnson for Carson to toss the ball to. Obviously there is no lack of top receivers on the Bengal's. Once Chris Henry returns to the fold the Bengal's receivers will be even more deadly. Their Running back is Rudi Johnson, who is considered to be a top tier running back in the NFL. To most opposing defenses the Bengal's have a "Pick your poison" type of offense. But when you are in a division with two top defenses with the Ravens and Steelers, you have to have a good defense. And that has always been this team's akilies heel. That and keeping their players out of the slammer. Their offense has always been dominant. But when it came to their defense, with the exception of 2005. It has always been a crapshoot. It is a defense that relies on the interception to win games. But you cannot always win in the NFL that way. So if they manage to step up this year and become a good defense again I see this team making it into the 2007 playoffs. Not necessarily as the AFC north champions, But as a wildcard team. Next is the Cleveland Browns. Who managed to draft two highly coveted draft picks in this year NFL Draft. When they drafted offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the third overall pick, then they traded up to get in some draft experts opinions, the second best Quarterback in the draft-Brady Quinn. They then signed Running Back Jamal Lewis to be their starter. So far the browns are obviously rebuilding for the future, which makes this year pretty much a wash. I mean, don't get me wrong they could do well. But I highly doubt it. With the types of teams in this division I would advise the Browns to keep rebuilding. And PLEASE CLEVELAND, do NOT throw Brady Quinn to the wolves so soon. Allow him to hold the clipboard and learn. Let Charlie Frye take the hits, and then bring him in gradually. In the past this has worked to benefit teams. Look at Philip Rivers who learned by watching Drew Brees. When a player especially a quarterback is just thrown onto the field almost disastrous consequences occur. The Browns have witnessed this before. When they drafted Tim Couch in 1999 with the first overall pick. They let him do his learning on the field and now he hasn't played a NFL game in years. Then again, there are cases of teams throwing their QB out there and he does well. But the odds are against any team who does that. I believe the Browns have some valuable assets on their team. Their defense shows flashes of brilliance. Being coached by a man who owns three super bowl rings for coaching defense will do that for you. But it should be more than just flashes. On the other side of the ball when they drafted Joe Thomas they made their Offensive line a lot tougher. And with Wide Receivers Joe Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards and Tight End Kellen Winslow Jr. Their Future looks bright for quarterback Brady Quinn. However if I detect a weakness anywhere on this offense it is at the running back position. Sure they have Jamal Lewis, but which Jamal Lewis do they really have? Is it the one who will rush for over 1,000 yards and 10 plus touchdowns, or the most recent Jamal Lewis? The one who gains most of his yards in meaningless games. Here's a fact for you, Jamal Lewis rushed for the majority of his yards against the Browns. Which as we all know he currently plays for. So with that being the case, whom will he rush for the majority of his yards against? Will it be his old team the Ravens? Hell no. Then maybe the Steelers? Hells no again. Let us cut to the chase, Jamal Lewis' best days are behind him. But they better sign or trade for that Running back because the odds of the drafting one in 2008 are weak since they traded their pick to Cowboys to get Brady Quinn. The Pittsburgh Steelers, It was almost two years ago that they "Rode the bus" to a Super Bowl victory as a wildcard team. We all recall that memorable journey that the Steelers were on in 2005. They were all but done when they turned their season around and went on that winning streak that led them to win Super Bowl XL. Their Quarterback, Big Ben became to youngest quarterback to win a super bowl. In 2006 it was the exact opposite. The Season started out with Ben Roethlisberger being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. After that, concussions plagued the young Quarterback all season. The Steelers finished with an 8-8 record and Big Ben led the league in interceptions. They weren't able get into the playoffs in order to defend their World Championship. Shortly after the season ended long-time head Coach Bill Cower retired. Now with a healthy Big Ben, this team is ready to take their rightful place with the AFC's elite. New Head Coach Mike Tomlin, has installed a freshness in Pittsburgh that most of the team has embraced. Tomlin, who coached the leagues number one rush defense with the Vikings, became the first African American head coach in Steelers history. To help big Ben regain respect to this team is the breakout running back "Fast" Willie Parker. Who in a few short years has become one of the better running backs in the NFL. They also have top NFL receiver and former Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward catching the ball. That coupled with a tough defense makes the Pittsburgh Steelers a dangerous team when they are healthy. Now we turn to the 2006 AFC North Champions – The Baltimore Ravens. Arguably the best defense in the entire NFL. The Ravens take no prisoners when they are on the field. Lets put it this way; The Ravens are the Modern day Spartans. They do not care if you are the biggest guy out there or the lonesome kicker. If you are opposing them, you will get hurt. A lot of players say that the Ravens play "Prison Yard Ball". Because of their mentality to want to hurt their opponents. But that is exactly the way Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan coaches them. The Defense led by Ray Lewis hasn't skipped a beat since the turn of this century. On the other side of the ball, their offensive line was always stout. They also have a tight end in Todd Heap who has been a Top Receiving tight end since he signed his contract. Up until this year it was Jamal Lewis who ran the ball for the Ravens. And he did run it well. But with his recent lack of production the Ravens decided to go in a different direction this year. So they traded for Willis McGahee. Willis was always considered to have potential to be great but behind a weak offensive line in Buffalo, he was limited to what he could do. Now behind this strong offensive line in Baltimore. McGahee can show the world what he is worth. And the Ravens will benefit from that. The weak part of this team for a long time was at Quarterback. The Ravens waited a long time for top pick Kyle Boller to come around. It wasn't until last year that the Ravens were sick of waiting so they went out and got former NFL MVP Steve McNair to lead their offense. Now with Pro Bowler Steve McNair and the group of receivers they have. Baltimore is poised to repeat as AFC North Champions. I believe that the AFC North Champions will be the Baltimore Ravens for the second year in a row, followed by the Steelers, Bengal's then Browns. I feel that there is a strong possibility that both Wildcards could end up coming out of the AFC North with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. If they can manage to stay healthy. Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:10:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25344 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25344 This is my list of the 20 best safeties in the league. I had a hard time on 10-20, but I put the best up, I think. 1. Troy Polamalu 2. Ed Reed 3. Brian Dawkins 4. Bob Sanders 5. Roy Williams 6. John Lynch 7. Sean Taylor 8. Adrian Wilson 9. Darren Sharper 10. Rodney Harrison 11.Chris Hope 12. Nick Ferguson 13. Danieal Manning 14. Mike Doss 15. Lawyer Milloy 16. Michael Boulware 17. Mike Brown 18. Pat Watkins 19. Adam Archuleta 20. Donovin Darius Honorables: Dexter Jackson, Sammy Knight, Antoine Bethea, Jordan Babineaux Not Proven Yet: Brandon Meriweather, LaRon Landry, and Reggie Nelson Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:22:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23862 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23862 "In 10 years in the league I haven't had a quarterback do that any time to me, so we definitely remember that and the guys in the locker room remember that," Vikings Safety Darren Sharper said Wednesday as the teams got ready for a rematch Sunday at Soldier Field. The article doesn't really go into specifics as to what was said, but it seems to be a big story in the Vikings locker room. Expect Minnesota to try to get into Grossman's head again this Sunday. The bears got the best of the Vikings in their first contest by a score of 16-13. Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:41:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/5956 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/5956