Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon is jazzed about Tarvaris Jackson and his prospects for a great 2008 season. That would put him in the minority among the Vikings faithful, but fans are a skeptical lot by nature.

"I'm excited. ... I got a chance to watch some film and sit down with [coach Brad] Childress and really look at him, and talk about him, and evaluate him," said Gannon.

"I think he's made great strides. I think he's a very athletic guy, very gifted, and the big thing for him this year is just consistency."

Childress has also made it clear than Jackson needs to improve his decision-making, but I'm pretty sure he never said he was "excited" about the third-year quarterback. Maybe cautiously optimistic is a better characterization.

Whatever, Gannon, a one-time Vikings quarterback before hitting it big in Oakland, warns that Jackson is still very early in his career and has a long way to go in his development. Again, nothing new there, but Gannon did offer Jackson some good advice:

You have to think that if the Viking were truly worried about the quarterback situation, at least in 2008, they would've taken one before the fifth round. But as NFL Network's Adam Schefter re-reminds us, some of the league's best quarterbacks were taken late in the draft. Like, say, Tom Brady (I couldn't believe it either).

Now there are some in the league who believe that Minnesota's fifth-round pick, former USC quarterback John David Booty, could have the chance to prove he was another player who slipped further than he should have.

Booty is known more for his accuracy and decisions than his arm strength, which could play perfectly in Minnesota. The Vikings have the league's top running back tandem in Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. As long as their quarterback makes few mistakes, Minnesota will be difficult to defend and beat.

Decision making was an issue for Tarvaris Jackson during his first full season as the Vikings starter, and if Booty is allegedly the down-the-road answer at the position, let's hope that there's no correlation between Wonderlic scores and on-field performance.

And just for the sake of argument, didn't Minnesota already have a heady, weak-armed QB? You know, before they released Kelly Holcomb? And Holcomb had the added advantage of experience. Why invest the time and energy into grooming the next Holcomb when he was already on the team?

That's not to say that Jackson might not be the long-term solution, or that Booty won't someday be a swell NFL quarterback. It's just that if the Vikings were serious about upgrading the position, you think they would've done it before the fifth round with a guy who only managed a 14 on an IQ test.

We alluded to the Vikings Jared Allen gamble looking good on draft day, but Mike Florio has added another reason why the Allen trade is not nearly as crazy as some people believed it was.

To fill the team's biggest need, the Vikings traded a first-round pick and two third-rounders for Allen, while the Jaguars traded a first-round pick, two third-round picks and a fourth-round for rookie defensive end Derrick Harvey.
Now the first-rounder the Jags traded was the 26th pick, while the Vikings was pick No. 17, but overall the two trades were pretty comparable as far as what was given up.

Now there is a chance that Harvey will make a Jevon Kearse/Dwight Freeney-like impact as a rookie (although it's unlikely), and there's a chance that Allen will go on a four-day bender that leads to a long suspension, but it's much more likely that Allen will continue to be one of the NFL's best defensive ends, while Harvey will be the typical NFL rookie who shows flashes of greatness and flashes of being lost.

And given the choice, you'd rather have the vet.

On Friday, the Vikings announced that defensive end Kenechi Udeze would be on the reserve non- football illness list in 2008. Doctors diagnosed him with a form of acute leukemia in February.

The Vikings want him to focus on fighting his disease, and not worry about financial problems. I wish more employers could be so generous.

Udeze is expected to receive a bone marrow transplant soon. He's very fortunate his brother was a transplant match because only about 30% of patients find a related donor.

Though you can't directly help Udeze's fight against leukemia, you can honor it by joining the National Marrow Donor Registry. Normally, there is a cost to join the registry, but during the "Thanks Mom Campaign," from May 5-19, the charges to join the registry are waived for the first 10,000 online signups. You fill out the form, and then they send you a cheek swab kit by mail. Some irresponsible TV shows make it look like donating marrow is very painful process, but for most people it can be done in a procedure not much different than giving platelets.

The reason why I know all about this stuff was that my sister Deb was diagnosed with leukemia in October 2005. She had a bone marrow transplant in February 2006. The transplant is the only reason why she is alive today.

For those fans who want to know more about what Udeze is likely facing over the next year, I'm going share my sister's story and provide some basic medical facts. I know if a player on my favorite team was going through something like this, I'd want to know more about it.

Last week a Stateville correctional officer named Lernard Grigsby was shot by an Illinois State Police officer. On Monday he was pronounced dead at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center. His nephew, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Otis Grigsby, considers his uncle's death a murder, and he looks straight into the camera and explains in this video:

According to the Chicago Tribune, police responded to a domestic disturbance call in an employee dormitory at Stateville Correctional Center at about 4 a.m. on Thursday. Police said that when they found the woman who made the call, Lernard Grigsby attacked them. A sergeant shot Grigsby in the abdomen.

Otis Grigsby calls that article "amazingly flawed and ridiculous, and it shows that basically, these people don't earn their paychecks, because if they did, they would have actually asked questions, besides reading a bogus police report."

Says Otis of his uncle, "He defended himself like any person would. No person is going to sit there and take a beating." And for nine minutes, he talks about his uncle's death in a video that raises many questions, provides few answers and won't be easy to forget.

WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer loves three things: the Minnesota Vikings, weather, and making the "quote-unquote" sign when talking about the Minnesota Vikings while doing the weather.

Unsurprisingly, Shaffer's super-pumped about Jared Allen's arrival, not only because Allen will play next to the "Williams Wall," but because he wears the same number as the temperature in New Brighton when Shaffer gave this noon update last week.



That's right, it's an omen: Allen wears 69, it's 69 degrees outside right now ... obviously that portends good things for the upcoming season -- woo-hoo!!! Oh, yeah, 69 sex for everybody sacks for Allen in '08!

Hey, I give the guy credit for his enthusiasm, even if he could stand to work on his enunciation.

Not-so-fun Chris Shaffer facts, courtesy of his WCCO bio:

It is no wonder why Chris is so passionate about Minnesota weather. His great uncle William was struck and killed by lightning while farming in southern Minnesota in the summer of 1952.

His family vehicle was once chased by a tornado near Maplewood, Minn. and one December on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house, his family spent the night snowed in at a church in Winthrop, Minn., praying the blizzard would let up so they could get to Redwood Falls and open their presents the next morning.

Fanatical and hapless. Hey, it's just like pulling for the Vikings!

Hat tip: KSK

Minnesota Vikings 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 2 (43): Tyrell Johnson, FS, Arkansas State
Round 5 (137): John David Booty, QB, Southern California
Round 5 (152): Letroy Guion, DT, Florida State
Round 6 (187): John Sullivan, C, Notre Dame
Round 6 (196): Jaymar Johnson, WR, Jackson State

The Good: There's a reason the Vikings introduced Jared Allen at the team's draft celebration--take him away and there wasn't really any action. After trading away their first, two thirds and fourth-round picks, Minnesota knew they would come out of this year's draft without a whole lot of talent. But second-round safety Tyrell Johnson was rumored to be a late first-rounder by many, and he could step in and start before too long in a secondary led by aging safeties.

The Bad: Sorry Vikings fans, but John David Booty isn't likely to take over for Tarvaris Jackson anytime soon. He's more of a product of a West Coast system who could eventually develop into a solid backup/mediocre starter. He's not the kind of polished quarterback who can push Jackson immediately. Guion was barely a starter at Florida State before surprisingly declaring for the draft after his junior year. He does have some pass-rushing skills, but is a very raw talent. Normally saying that you drafted the best lineman for Notre Dame would mean a lot, but Sullivan was the anchor of one of the worst lines in Fighting Irish history. The hope is that he can eventually replace Matt Birk at center, but he first has to prove he's worthy of a roster spot.

The Grade: D-. We don't get to count Allen's trade in this grade. If so, it would raise the grade to a B-. With only one pick before the fourth round, Minnesota better win soon, because there will be few starters coming out of this year's draft, which will hurt the team over the long run.

Minnesota knew they had to get a defensive end to fix a struggling pass rush, and if they hadn't trade for Jared Allen, they would have turned to the draft. But the worry was that by the time pick No. 17 arrived, there wouldn't be a defensive end worth taking.

If Derrick Harvey had somehow slipped to No. 17, the decision to trade a first and two thirds for Jarred Allen may have looked a little foolish. Harvey could end up being the kind of player that Allen is for a lot cheaper.

But the Vikings' hunch has proven correct. With Jacksonville trading up to No. 8 to take Harvey, the top three defensive ends are all off the board, leaving a big gulf to the next best defensive end (probably Phillip Merling). Chris Long, Vernon Gohlston and Harvey are thought to be immediate impact guys, but none of the remaining defensive ends are thought to be guys who can step in and star.

Given the choice between picking up another project at defensive end or a proven star, Minnesota's gamble seems more and more like the right call.

Vikings fans aren't going to have a whole lot of to worry about today. After trading away their first-round and both third-round picks to the Chiefs for defensive end Jared Allen, Minnesota only has one pick in the first three rounds, although they do have six picks overall.

But just because they don't have a first-round pick doesn't mean we can't speculate over who the Vikings will take with their second-round pick. Defensive end is obviously no longer a need, but Minnesota could still use help at cornerback and safety. Minnesota will likely be at the back end of a run on cornerbacks, and this isn't a great draft for safeties, which makes things tougher.

I was able to find three mock drafts done in the last couple of days that do go deeper than just the first round. There seems to be a lot of thoughts that Minnesota will take a wide receiver, with two of the three drafts picking a wide receiver. But with Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade, Minnesota actually should be OK at wide receiver, especially since this is a run-based team. Adding a corner, a safety or offensive tackle (as Bryant McKinnie insurance) would seem to be a better way to go.

FINAL MOCK DRAFTS
NFL Draft Scout's Rob Rang	Reggie Smith, CB, Oklahoma
NFL Draft Scout's Chad Reuter	Early Doucet, WR, Louisiana State
CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco	Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma

The Minnesota Vikings did not have enough money on hand to pay free agent defensive end Jared Allen's $15.5 million signing bonus when they agreed to a contract with him this week, and owner Zygi Wilf had to issue a capital call to come up with the cash.

That news, first reported by the Star-Tribune, demonstrates that revenues are relatively low for the Vikings, and that Wilf and his investment partners sometimes have to pump the franchise up with their own cash. That doesn't mean the Vikings are a money-losing operation, but it does mean that they're not as flush as most NFL teams.

And it's a reminder of how much faith the Vikings are putting in Allen. It's more than just the draft picks they're trading away for him, it's the financial ramifications of making him one of the league's highest-paid players. If he's anything less than a superstar, he's a failure.