Arizona at Minnesota


Production down, satisfaction up for Vikings' Carter

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Sharp, focused and loose. That's how the Minnesota Vikings approached their first full day of preparation for the Arizona Cardinals.

	Head coach Dennis Green was happy to see his Vikings back in the groove Wednesday.

"Now we're back in the groove, so we start the countdown today," coach Dennis Green said after Wednesday morning's workout. "Very good meetings this morning, the guys are clearly focused. Excellent walk-through."

Wednesday typically is the Vikings' most important practice day of the week, with the coaches installing the game plan they developed earlier in the week.

The Vikings have carried over the carefree attitude they picked up during the bye week, the most prolonged stretch of playfulness they've had since training camp. But everyone seems to be properly tuned in when it matters most.

"We had walk-throughs and stuff like that and it looked like everybody was pretty sharp," linebacker Dixon Edwards said. "Everybody was on the right page."

Tags in town

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will watch Sunday's game from the Metrodome box of Vikings owner Red McCombs. Tagliabue will take care of a little business first, though, having lunch with a 50-member advisory committee McCombs assembled this fall to address a wide range of issues.

After that the Vikings hope Tagliabue will get a chance to soak up plenty of Purple Pride.

"This is a great opportunity for the commissioner to witness firsthand what he's been reading and hearing about, and that is the tremendous resurgence of Minnesota Vikings football," general manager Tim Connolly said. "Three hours in the Metrodome, surrounded by a sea of purple fans that defy the decibel meter, will make a lasting impression."

The Vikings hope the atmosphere will have a similar effect on the Cardinals. The noise level in the dome has made it hard for opponents to change plays at the line this season.

"I've heard that it's real, real loud," Arizona quarterback Jake Plummer said. "We're going to see come Sunday just how loud it is and see if we have to work on something special."

Injuries
Just when the Vikings thought they were nearly 100 percent healthy, rookie cornerback Ramos McDonald showed up on the injury report Wednesday as questionable with an ailing back.

Injuries earlier this season forced McDonald into a role as the Vikings' third cornerback, a key role in passing situations. He has handled that duty well, and his absence would be a blow to Minnesota's secondary.

But other than that, all was well with the Vikings.

"Korey Stringer, Everett Lindsay, Jake Reed -- all those guys who are an instrumental part of our offense -- were able to practice," coach Dennis Green said before McDonald's injury was revealed. "Defensively, we are in good shape, too. So injury-wise, we go into the game feeling that we're close to 100 percent."

Green also expects backup receivers Chris Walsh (knee) and Robert Tate (hamstring) to return to their roles as key special teams contributors.

All seven players on Arizona's injury report were listed as probable, including receivers Frank Sanders (knee), Rob Moore (hamstring) and Eric Metcalf (thigh).

Randy's new role
Dennis Green confirmed Wednesday that Randy Moss will remain in the starting lineup with Cris Carter even though Jake Reed is set to return from his back injury.

Moss, who has started the last five games while Reed has been out, said he is just glad to have the team's dangerous receiving trio back together.

"Cris and myself were very excited to see (Reed back)," Moss said. "You hear so much about `Three Deep,' and now that it's playoff time with Jake back in the mix hopefully we can bring some excitement back into the Metrodome."

Not that the thrill left the Vikings' offense with Reed out. They scored 46 and 48 points the first two games without Reed, the first time since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 a team did that in consecutive games, and followed with 38 and 50 points the next two weeks.

"With Jake and Cris back and two weeks to get healthy, it's going to be exciting to watch," Moss said.

Home sweet home?
Jake Plummer has 29.7 million reasons to like Arizona after signing his eye-catching contract extension last month, but he hasn't always been a big Cardinals fan.

Plummer actually hoped to play elsewhere in the NFL after his college career at Arizona State, which shares its home field, Sun Devil Stadium, with the Cardinals.

"I didn't care much for the Cardinals coming out of college, and mainly wanted to get out of here and have a change of scenery," Plummer said, indicating he was annoyed by the Cardinals' complaints about the stadium. "But I wouldn't change anything now."

The money isn't the only benefit.

"You guys will love this," he said. "Being able to go play golf (Tuesday) in 75-degree weather is something that's nice to be able to do in the middle of the winter."