ST. PAUL, Minn., March 13 (UPI) — The girlfriend of Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook told Cook, during a phone call played for jurors at his assault trial, she wouldn’t change her story.

The football player is accused of attempting to strangle Chantel Baker during a fight they had at his Minnesota town home in October, the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press reported Tuesday.

The call jurors heard was one of three prosecutors submitted as evidence on the fourth day of testimony at Cook’s trial on charges of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault.

At one point, Baker said she felt bad Cook was behind bars and he replied “No, you’re not.”

“It’s out of my hands,” Baker told him. “They asked me if you choked me and I said you choked me.”

Cook, 25, played his first season with the Vikings in 2010. His arrest caused him to miss a game against the Green Bay Packers.

Jury deliberations in the case could begin as early as Wednesday afternoon if defense attorneys wind up their case Tuesday, officials said.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook became so jealous when he discovered his girlfriend was talking to another man that he squeezed her throat until she couldn’t breathe, a prosecutor said Wednesday during opening statements in Cook’s domestic assault trial.

But a defense attorney said the woman lied about being choked in October. David Valentini told jurors that Chantel Baker was angry and drunk when she punched Cook multiple times, and the 6-foot-2, 212-pound football player reflexively struck her after she hit him in the back of the head.

”Just because he’s bigger doesn’t make him the aggressor,” Valentini said. ”He has a right to protect himself.”

Cook, 25, is on trial in Hennepin County on felony charges of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault. Authorities were called to his home early on Oct. 22 and said they found his girlfriend of 10 months crying and bloodied. They said the marks on her neck and hemorrhaging in her eye were consistent with strangulation. Medical records show her eardrum was perforated and she lost hearing for two weeks.

Cook missed that weekend’s game against the Green Bay Packers because he was in jail. Assistant County Attorney Sarah Hilleren said Cook called Baker from jail and said it was her fault. Baker felt responsible and apologized, Hilleren said, and more than two weeks later, she went to police and said she had lied about being choked.

Hilleren said despite Baker’s recanted statement, the evidence – including photos of her injuries – will prove Cook choked Baker.

”This case is about the defendant’s jealousy and rage, and it is about Ms. Baker’s misplaced guilt,” Hilleren said.

Cook and Baker are both from Virginia, and Cook regularly flew Baker to his home in Eden Prairie. According to opening statements, Cook, Baker, Cook’s roommate and another man went to dinner and drinks and visited a strip club on Oct. 21.

Hilleren said Cook was disrespecting Baker that evening and became defiant, leaving the strip club without him and refusing to get out of the limo. Hilleren said Baker was texting another man, and Cook got angry.

Valentini gave a different version, saying Baker was drunk and told another man via text that she loved him. Valentini said Cook was deflated because he intended to propose to Baker that weekend.

At Cook’s house, Baker threw a lamp at Cook, but missed him. Hilleren said Cook tossed the woman on the bed and began choking her, but Baker fought back. When she got up, Cook ”walloped her so hard on the side of the head” that she hit the wall, Hilleren said.

Hilleren said a neighbor called 911 after hearing bangs, screaming, crying and Cook repeatedly yelling, ”Are you talking to him? Why are you talking to him?”

In Valentini’s account, Cook was trying to talk to Baker when she sucker-punched him in the face. Then, Valentini said, Cook was struck in the back of the head. Thinking Baker had a weapon, Cook whirled around to bat it away but instead hit Baker, Valentini said.

”Mr. Cook is blessed with quick reflexes and strength,” Valentini said.

Valentini said Baker tripped and fell into the wall, then got up and began punching Cook in the face. Valentini said Cook held Baker’s hands together near her throat in an attempt to get her to stop punching him. Valentini said that could have caused Baker’s neck injuries.

”Mr. Cook never put his hands on Ms. Baker’s neck and squeezed it to cut off any blood supply or air to her,” Valentini said.

Cook and Baker are both expected to testify in the case.

Cook has been free on supervised release pending his trial. He missed the last 10 games of the season. The Vikings have said they won’t make a decision about his status until after the trial, and Cook could face discipline from the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy.

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Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/amyforliti

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook arrives for his first court appearance Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

The woman Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook is accused of assaulting last year testified Wednesday that he never choked her and that the whole fracas was her fault.

And that was her testimony as a witness for the prosecution.

In a voice at times inaudible, former girlfriend Chantel Baker, 21, of Norfolk, Va., described the fight in October at Cook’s Eden Prairie townhome that led to his arrest and trial on two felonies.

Baker, who at the time had been dating Cook for 10 months, told jurors she initially claimed he choked her because she was mad at him.

“At that time, that night, I wanted him to go to jail,” she testified.

Her claim Cook twice placed his hand around her neck? A lie, she said.

Her statement to

a police officer that she couldn’t breathe? Made up, she said.

Her silence while police held a ruler to her neck to photograph a red mark? She was confused and the mark was a hickey Cook gave her, she told jurors.

The testimony was no surprise to Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Sarah Hilleren, but she tried to show that the witness was trying to protect Cook and his football career.

“Are you saying you deliberately lied?” Hilleren asked her of her earlier statements to police.

“Yes, I did,” she replied.

Cook, 25, whose first season with the Vikings was in 2010, is accused of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault in the incident Oct. 22, on the eve of the Vikings game against the archrival Green Bay

Packers.

Cook missed that game because he was in jail.

The third-degree assault count, the more serious of the charges, carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

In her opening statement to the eight men and five women who make up the jury and an alternate, Hilleren said Cook became enraged when he found her texting an ex-boyfriend.

“Are you talking to him? Why are you talking to him?” the prosecutor said Cook demanded of Baker.

In the fight that followed, she said, “He

walloped her so hard in the side of the head that he put her into a wall face-first, perforating her eardrum.”

She warned jurors they would hear Baker tell a different version of the story she had given police.

“This case is about two things: the defendant’s jealousy and rage, and it’s about Ms. Baker’s misplaced guilt,” Hilleren said.

In a feisty and theatrical opening statement, defense attorney David Valentini said Baker was the aggressor, not Cook. The player was defending himself against a woman who got angry when she drank.

Valentini said his client’s actions “were reasonable. He gets to defend himself.”

“Mr. Cook is blessed with fast reflexes and strength. It’s his job. There are no weaklings in the NFL, ladies and

gentlemen,” he told jurors. “He reacts – defensively, instinctively – after he gets assaulted from behind.”

And when Hilleren called Baker to the stand, that was the story she told.

She testified that she is a student at Old Dominion University and met Cook two or three years ago at a party at the University of Virginia, where he played college ball.

She said they started to date 1-1/2 years after they met. After he was drafted by the Vikings and moved to Minnesota, Baker said, he paid for five trips from Virginia for her.

One of those trips was on the weekend beginning Oct. 21. She arrived in town, and the plan was to go out that evening with Cook’s roommate and the roommate’s brother.

After dinner, they went to Shiek’s Palace

Royale, a strip club in downtown Minneapolis. Baker and Cook got separate lap dances, but Baker began stewing that Cook’s time with the stripper lasted longer than the girlfriend thought it should have.

“I didn’t like that at all,” she testified. When Cook came back, they argued.

“I guess he didn’t understand why I was upset, and that led to the argument,” she said. They sat on a couch together and got a lap dance together.

The group then headed to a nightclub, but Baker was angry and stayed in the limo. She was sending tweets on her phone when Cook saw her and grabbed it.

Apparently, Cook found texts on the phone that disturbed him. In his opening statement, Valentini said Cook had planned to propose to Baker that weekend – he

even had a ring — but he found texts in which she told her ex-boyfriend she loved him.

As they rode to Cook’s home, he told her, “We’re through,” she testified, so when they arrived, she went inside to pack. “I knew we were going to have an argument,” she said.

“I got mad, and I proceeded to throw a lamp across the room,” she told jurors.

She said Cook grabbed her arms and threw her on his bed and got on top of her. To fight him off, she punched him and pulled out a handful of his shoulder-length dreadlocks.

She testified she still has one of the locks of his hair.

“Was his hand around your neck?” Hilleren asked.

“No,” she said.

When Cook eventually climbed off, she said, she hit him from behind.

“And that’s when he hit me in the left side of the head, and I hit the wall face-first,” she said.

“It’s a foolish question, but did that hurt?” Hilleren asked.

“Yeah,” she replied.

The Vikings’ roster lists Cook at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 212 pounds. Baker testified she is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.

She ran outside, but not before telling Cook he was going to go to jail. Cook followed and grabbed her and carried her back inside. She threw another lamp, she said.

A neighbor called 911, and Cook was arrested. Over the several hours, Baker told police, ambulance attendants and a doctor about her injuries, all of which eventually healed.

She said she went back to Cook’s apartment after getting out of the emergency room and later in the morning, saw stories about Cook’s arrest on ESPN and “felt pretty bad.”

“Why did you feel bad?” Hilleren asked.

“Because he was in jail because of an incident involving me.”

“Did you feel responsible?”

“Yeah.”

On cross-examination, defense attorney John Lucas asked her about changing her story.

“It took a lot of courage to come forward and say that you lied about the choking, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” came her quiet reply.

The trial was scheduled to continue today.

David Hanners can be reached at 612-338-6516.

The Minnesota Vikings have the daunting task of completely overhauling their roster ahead of them this offseason. Although free agency and the 2012 NFL Draft will certainly help them achieve that, there is still one other talent pool that they can tap into before the beginning of the 2012 season: undrafted free agents.

On Monday, the Vikings began the process of scouting some potential undrafted free agents when GM Rick Spielman and several other team officials attended the University of Minnesota Pro Day.

Among a sea of 27 local NFL hopefuls were eight former Golden Gophers, including running back Duane Bennett, offensive lineman Chris Bunders, defensive tackles Anthony Jacobs and Brandon Kirksey, tight end Eric Lair, wide receiver Da’Jon McKnight, cornerback Kim Royston and linebacker Gary Tinsley.

Joining the Vikings’ staff among the spectators were scouts/coaches for the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.

Even though most of the participants had exceptional workouts, a few Gophers really made their presence felt.

One of the biggest standouts was Jacobs, who impressed scouts with a 4.7 40 time, 10.1 inch broad jump and a 35.5 inch vertical jump. For a player of his size (6’2”, 291 pounds), those numbers really say a lot about the type of athlete that Jacobs is.

Bennett also made scouts take notice when he put up 28 reps during the bench press, equaling the highest mark by a running back at the recent 2012 NFL Scouting Combine.

“I was banking anywhere 25 or greater,” Bennett said. “But when I knocked out the first 15, I was kind of like ‘Oh, wow. I’m really going up there.’ I kind of caught myself off guard.”

The other standout of the day was Lair, who posted consecutive 40 times in the 4.5 range and turned in a 36.5 inch vertical jump. Despite admittedly begin nervous, Lair turned in a terrific workout and was pleased with the results.

“Today went fantastic,” Lair said. “Better than I thought it would be. I did well in my position drills, even though I didn’t catch many balls over the break. But yeah, I did better than I thought I would.”

When all was said and done, a number of prospects had increased their draft stock and given themselves reason to believe that they might hear their names called on draft day. Until then, all they can do is stay in shape and prepare mentally for what their futures hold.

“All these kids are going to be late-round, free-agent type guys,” Spielman said. “Hopefully, there will be some guys that we’ll definitely invite or maybe sign in college free agency.”

Although it’s unlikely that many former Gophers will get drafted in late April, the Vikings will give a number of them an opportunity to tryout during their rookie camp the weekend after the draft.

“I think that’s huge as far as the relationship with all the state of Minnesota and all the states that are our neighbors,” Spielman said. “If they have some players that we can help out or take a look at, we should definitely do that and we do do that.”

As evidenced by the Vikings’ signing of former Gophers cornerback Marcus Sherels back in 2010, those rookie tryouts can be just the stepping stone a budding NFL talent needs.

For those 27 potential NFL prospects, the waiting game begins.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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Iowa’s Christian Ballard speaks to the media following practice at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona on Friday, December 24, 2010. (Cliff Jette/Sourcemedia Group News)

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Iowa defensive lineman Christian Ballard was known for his position versatility with the Iowa Hawkeyes. It seems those skills have translated to the Minnesota Vikings.

Ballard enters his second season with the Vikings and he fits into the team’s plans at both defensive tackle and defensive end.

“We think he can play the three-technique for us,” Minnesota Coach Leslie Frazier said. “We also think he can swing outside and play some defensive end as well. He gives us position flexibility that you don’t always see with defensive tackles.

“We’re trying to determine if we want him to settle on letting him play one position or letting him continue to swing but he’s done a very good job in the snaps that we gave him in both three-technique and the left end position.”

At Iowa, Ballard started 21 games at defensive end and 18 at defensive tackle. He had 12 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss as a Hawkeye.

Ballard, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 283 pounds, played in all 16 games last year as a rookie. He started at nose tackle against Green Bay and Detroit — both road games. He recorded 13 tackles last season.

“We are excited about Christian’s future,” Frazier said. “He did a good job for us last season. In the reps that he did get he really showed flashes of some things that we think are going to be really positive for our defense.”

The Minnesota Vikings already lost one of their franchise players in a game where they were already eliminated from playoff contention when Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL against the Washington Redskins on December 24, 2011. Should they take another chance with the man that they drafted with the 12^th-overall draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft?

Christian Ponder is expected to start in Minnesota’s 2011-12 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears on January 1, 2012. Doctors have cleared him to play as he has passed all the necessary tests following a concussion that he suffered against the Redskins. The injury occurred when Redskins linebacker London Fletcher put a powerful hit on Ponder when the game was tied 10-10.

Ponder admitted that this was the second concussion that he has had in his football career. The Vikings invested heavily in Ponder when they selected him with their 12^th pick. Ponder was the fourth quarterback taken after Cam Newton, Jake Locker and Blaine Gabbert.

I’m a bit surprised that the Vikings don’t err on the side of caution. Concussions can be unpredictable. It doesn’t help that Steve Hutchinson won’t be protecting him against a Bears’ defensive line that includes Henry Melton and Julius Peppers. Hutchinson was placed on injured reserve with his own head injury.

Ponder doesn’t need to rush back. Joe Webb has outperformed Ponder in his past two outings. Webb completed 4-of-5 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns against the Redskins. He also had a rushing touchdown as he led the Vikings to a 33-26 victory after Ponder left the game. The Vikings were also trailing 21-0 to the Detroit Lions before Webb led them within a couple yards of a comeback. The Vikings eventually lost 34-28 after a facemask penalty went uncalled.

That doesn’t even include his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Webb outplayed Michael Vick while the Eagles were gunning for a first-round bye. The Vikings won 24-14.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier gave his support for Ponder as the starting quarterback. According to Frazier:

“I think you always want to do whatever is best for your team and whatever gives your team the best chance to win. Right now, Christian being our starting quarterback, that’s our belief.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the Vikings handle their quarterback situation heading into the 2012-13 season. The front office will obviously favor Ponder because of what they invested in him. However, it may be difficult to keep Webb benched if he continues to take advantage of these situations.

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Video from the St. Paul Pioneer Press | TwinCities.com.

I know that there’s this sort of rivalry between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, but somehow their hatred seems to consistently spur treachery.

The Vikings have had a number of players make the move from Wisconsin to Minnesota over the last few years, including quarterback Brett Favre (indirectly) and kicker Ryan Longwell. So who would have guessed that a mere practice squad player would refuse to ditch the cheese and don the horns?

Packers’ practice squad wide receiver Tori Gurley has reportedly turned down the Vikings when they offered him a spot on their active roster.

“If you look statistically, their season is going to be over in three weeks,” Gurley explained. “We’re already locked to have a playoff spot. I’m learning from some of the best wide receivers in the game right now. The way our offense is clicking, the grass isn’t going to be greener on the other side. So just learning and taking it one day at a time, my opportunity is going to come.”

Despite his apparent enthusiasm about sticking with the Packers, the team still gave him a raise in hopes of keeping the practice squad player around.

It seems a bit naïve to pass up an opportunity for a promotion, but this isn’t the first time Gurley has turned down a potential suitor to stay with the Packers this season.

When it comes down to it, there were two options for Gurley: stick with the 13-0 Packers where he’ll probably remain as a practice squad roster until the end of the season or join the Vikings for their remaining three games and hang up the cleats by the first week of January.

Although it seems like the logical choice to choose the jump to someone else’s active roster, I’m sure Gurley had his reasons for staying in Green Bay. Whether it was the potential to play for a playoff team who’s clearly a favorite to make it to the Super Bowl or the possibility of being a small part of only the second undefeated team in NFL history, I’m sure he made the right decision for himself.

Packers’ starting wide receiver Greg Jennings was injured last week, which could mean a potential promotion for Gurley if Jennings doesn’t recover in a timely manner. There has also been speculation that veteran Donald Driver could be pondering retirement, which could also open a door for the young pass-catcher.

Regardless of the possibility that all of those reasons potentially outweighed the chance to be one of the better wide receivers on the Vikings’ roster, the choice is made and window has closed.

In case you are unaware, Gurley is an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina who decided to forgo his junior and senior seasons only to not hear his name called on draft day. During his two years with the Gamecocks, he caught 75 passes for 905 yards and six touchdowns.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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MINNEAPOLIS – The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings couldn’t have been much closer in their epic NFC title game showdown on Jan. 24, 2010, an overtime thriller that Drew Brees and the Saints barely survived on their way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

Less than two years later, the two franchises could hardly be further apart.

The Saints (10-3) roll into the Metrodome on Sunday as one of the model teams in the NFC, an organization with a rock solid foundation at the three most important positions — front office, coach and quarterback.

By no coincidence, the Saints are in first place in the NFC South, two games ahead of the Atlanta Falcons and tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the second-best record in the NFC. Even with the Green Bay Packers looking like the class of the league, the Saints still have a realistic shot at a return trip to the big game.

“We’re a veteran team that’s been through a lot,” Brees said. “We’ve kind of learned the formula for winning and sustaining success.”

The Vikings (2-11), meanwhile, have fallen off the cliff ever since Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard field goal split the uprights to end Minnesota’s hopes of their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1978. Brett Favre returned for one more ill-fated run the next year, a long, miserable 6-10 season in which coach Brad Childress was fired, Favre was embroiled in a texting scandal, Randy Moss came and went in about four weeks and the Dome’s roof collapsed.

“You really can’t explain it,” Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield said. “It’s crazy. The Saints, they’re still a really good football team. Drew Brees still down there, working hard, making plays. I really don’t know what’s going on. We really can’t put our finger on it.”

Start with the lack of continuity. Since that loss, the Vikings have used five quarterbacks — Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Joe Webb, Donovan McNabb and now rookie Christian Ponder — and have had a lot of turnover on the coaching staff.

“In my mind, it seems like eons ago, seems like forever when we played them in the NFC championship game,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. “So much has transpired between that time and where we are today.”

While not as catastrophic off the field, Frazier’s first season has been even tougher on the field. McNabb didn’t pan out as the quarterback who was supposed to keep the team from a rebuilding season, the secondary was decimated by injuries, Adrian Peterson has missed the last three weeks with a high ankle sprain and Ponder has experienced the growing pains everyone expected when he took over as the starter seven games ago.

The Vikings have lost five games in a row, with the only solace to be taken that a team that waved goodbye to meaningful games more than a month ago continues to show up every week and give its opponent all they can handle, including last weekend in Detroit, when the Vikings fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter but still had a chance to win the game on the final play.

“There are a lot of reasons not to really concentrate and focus and battle,” Frazier said. “And they found reasons to battle, to focus, to believe that they could get back in that game and win that game.”

Still, moral victories aren’t giving much comfort to a veteran team that remembers what it feels like to be so close.

“Me and Kevin (Williams) were laughing about it today, saying, ‘We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to turn it around. That can’t be the only memory of being close to the Super Bowl that I tell my grandkids about at some point,’” defensive end Jared Allen said.

The Saints are looking to add another chapter to a book that already includes one fairy tale finish.

Brees is playing as well as he ever has, threatening the single-season passing record and seemingly getting stronger as the season has progressed. He has topped 320 yards passing in four straight games, with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions during that span.

New Orleans has won five in a row and six of seven to keep the Falcons (8-5) at arm’s length and keep pace with the 49ers for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. Jimmy Graham has emerged as one of the dominant tight ends in the game and linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been back in the middle of the Saints defence for the last two games after missing four weeks with knee surgery earlier in the season.

“For us it’s been a journey,” Brees said. “We’ve been able to win a lot of games and put ourselves in pretty good position within our division and playoff wise. It hasn’t been easy by any means. We’ve had to fight through some adversity. We’ve had to fight through some injuries at key positions and certain things.

Saints coach Sean Payton, who has been in place with Brees for the last six seasons, said continuity has been the biggest key to New Orleans’ sustained success.

“When you look at ownership, GM, head coach, players on our team, the staff, there’s been a very stable program where I think everyone understands how hard it is, how difficult it is, the challenges we face in winning games and getting to the post-season,” Payton said.

The Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints don’t have much in common this season. The Vikings are going nowhere and may record the worst record in franchise history; the Saints have already clinched a playoff spot.

But in one regard the team’s are similar: both have defenses that have thus far been much better against the run than the pass. That seems odd at first blush, given most of the top teams in the NFL – Green Bay, New England and New Orleans to name three – are built around a passing attack.

Allen conceded the game isn’t the same he grew up with, and that the battle along the line of scrimmage revolves more around the defensive line getting penetration than it does holding a wall. And Allen himself has made a name for himself by getting to the quarterback, leading the NFL with 100.5 sacks since 2004.

But that does not mean stopping the run isn’t the top priority, in his opinion. Echoing comments Saints Coach Sean Payton made last week, Allen said the goal each Sunday is making an opponent one-dimensional.

The Vikings have the league’s 18th best mark in total defense, while the Saints have slid from 25th to 27th overall in the last two weeks. But both teams have largely stifled the run, with the Saints sporting the league’s 15th best rushing defense and the Vikings the 9th.

Certainly that mix has worked for New Orleans. The Saints have surrendered fewer than 20 points the last two games and won both, while the Vikings lost their last two giving up 69 points. The teams are also tracking in different directions as the 2011 season enters the homestretch. New Orleans is riding a five-game win streak while Minnesota has lost five in a row.

Sentinel contributor Brian VanOchten grades the Detroit Lions following their 34-28 victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.

OFFENSE

You start to think perhaps the Lions were meant to reach the NFL playoffs after all this season. The breaks all fell to them in a lackluster win against the Vikings, including nearly blowing a 31-14 lead at the half. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who finished 20-for-29 passing for 227 yards and a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter, got off to a fast start for once. Detroit scored 24 points off turnovers in the first half. The offense sputtered to a halt in the second half. The running game was nothing to brag about with the loss of Kevin Smith to a high-ankle sprain last week. The Vikings limited Calvin Johnson to three catches for 29 yards, but Titus Young and Brandon Pettigrew came up with scoring receptions. The Detroit offensive line put forth another mediocre effort, surrendering five sacks. Vikings pass-rushing terror Jared Allen had three sacks and probably wishes he could line up every game against left tackle Jeff Backus. Right tackle Gosder Cherilus never gets cheated on his false starts and holding calls.

Grade: D+

DEFENSE

You are sure the Lions were meant to reach the NFL playoffs after linebacker DeAndre Levy didn’t get flagged for a facemask personal foul on the final play of regulation. The wild finish brought Minnesota to the 1-yard line with nine seconds left and the fate of the Lions resting in the hands of Vikings backup quarterback Joe Webb. The ball got moved up to the 1 after a silly encroachment flag on Lions end Cliff Avril, whose penalty stopped the clock. Levy stripped the ball and grasped Webb’s facemask, but the officials missed it. Ironically, it was Avril who ended up recovering the ping-ponging football after it got kicked halfway down the field. The Lions scored a pair of defensive touchdowns. Stephen Tulloch recovered a fumble in the end zone on Minnesota’s first play of the contest when Avril stripped rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, while Alphonso Smith later returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. The Lions let Webb scramble 65 yards for a third-quarter TD and nearly let him steal it at the end.

Grade: D+

SPECIAL TEAMS

Stefan Logan had a 28-yard punt return in the first quarter that set up the Lions’ third touchdown in the first quarter. He also had a 42-yard kickoff return, but fielded another kickoff on the run and stepped out of bounds at the 16. Jason Hanson made a pair of short field goals. Aside from allowing a 47-yard kick return to Minnesota’s Percy Harvin, it wasn’t a complete disaster for the Lions on special teams for a nice change.

Grade: B

COACHING

The person breathing the biggest sigh of relief is Lions coach Jim Schwartz after his team played just well enough at home to defeat a bad opponent. The Lions are 8-5 and in playoff position after the Chicago Bears succumbed to some more Tim Tebow magic and lost in overtime on the road in Denver. It’s a daunting finish with matchups against Oakland, San Diego and Green Bay, but Schwartz did lead the Lions to a 4-0 finish last season.

Grade: B

Listen to VanOchten on The Huge Show on WHTC-AM (1450) and WBBL-FM (107.3) every Tuesday and Thursday from 3-6 p.m.

DETROIT — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is planning to attend this weekend’s Vikings-Lions game in Detroit and will hold a fan forum before the game.

The league confirmed Goodell’s plans Tuesday night and said more details would be announced Wednesday. Detroit takes on Minnesota at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Lions have had Goodell’s attention recently. Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh (ehn-DAHM’-uh-kehn soo) was suspended two games for roughing up a Green Bay lineman in a Thanksgiving game — less than a month after Suh initiated a meeting with the commissioner to discuss his on-field conduct.

Suh sat out the first game of his suspension last weekend against New Orleans.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

If Santa Claus was visiting the Minnesota Vikings, and bringing with him our 2012 wish-list, we would have to hope that his bag is full of goodies. It still seems as though he brought us our quarterback last year (despite some of Ponder’s struggles, he has a good foundation), and we have been pretty lucky at the running back position (Adrian Peterson backed up by Toby Gerhart(notes) is a strong 1-2 punch). However, there are still many positions that need to be filled. Santa, if you are reading this article, here is my 2012 wish-list for the Vikings.

1) A receiver that jumps, makes catches and scores; one that all Vikings fans can surely adore. Percy Harvin(notes) really has broken out the last few games, but we still need that tall receiver that can go up and catch a ball when our quarterback needs a bailout. Harvin has been incredible during the last three or four games, and brings a lot of speed to the game, but he lacks in size what some of these big and physical receivers can bring to the table. A solid receiver will make Ponder even better.

2) A secondary that tackles, and stops all receptions; can help stop the run, and make interceptions. It is no secret that the Vikings have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL (they are in the bottom six). However, watching them get sliced up by Tim Tebow(notes) on Sunday afternoon was too much. Santa needs to bring us an overhaul. This upcoming draft, Minnesota could be served well by looking for three or four new cornerbacks. Or, maybe if we are lucky, Santa will bring them to us yet this year.

3) A coach with some fire, and passion for glory; who brings new desire, not the same old story. When the Vikings fired Brad Childress, many of us thought that the worst coaching we had seen in years was behind us. However, even the announcers on CBS this weekend had harsh words for Vikings coach Leslie Frasier. On third and goal from inside the ten yardline, Minnesota did not have either one of its two big tight ends in the game. Visanthe Shiancoe(notes) and Kyle Rudolph(notes) were both watching the play from the sidelines. Frasier hasn’t been given a whole slate of talent to work with, but his decision to bring in a washed up McNabb and continue to start him while Ponder could have been growing will continue to come under fire for the next several games. Minnesota wasn’t bound for the playoffs this year, but finishing the season with only 2 or 3 wins could have been prevented.

Hopefully Santa is reading this right now in the North Pole, working his magic (and if he wants to bring some coal to the Green Bay Packers, I think we’d be okay with that too). We Minnesota fans have been good this year, and struggled through a long Twins season and Timberwolves season, so I would have to think we are due for some good news, and a stocking full of treasure!

Jack Grunpe is an avid NFL fan as well as an avid lover of Christmas.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Week 13 of the NFL season was a huge day for individual performances. From a record-setting performance by Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton(notes) to huge days by New York Jets running back Shonn Greene(notes) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin(notes), here are the best fantasy football players from each position on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Minnesota Vikings WR Percy Harvin
Wikimedia Commons

Quarterback

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers – 38.26 points*

Week 13 statistics: 204 passing yards, 54 rushing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 3 rushing touchdowns, 27 receiving yards

Along with setting a new NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season, Newton had a dominating performance over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite only completing 12 passes. Newton’s one catch also made him the team’s leading receiver for most of the game until a Legedu Naanee(notes) reception. Newton now has 13 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 13 rushing touchdowns on the year and has been one of the best fantasy players this season.

Honorable mentions: Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers(notes) (32.96), New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees(notes) (25.68), Minnesota Vikings’ Christian Ponder(notes) (24.44)

Running back

Shonn Greene, New York Jets – 29.40 points

Week 13 statistics: 88 rushing yards, 26 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

A disappointment for most of this season with only two touchdowns coming into this game, Greene finished the day with 114 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. While he likely led owners to a Week 13 win, Greene hasn’t put up RB1 numbers this season and has still only had one 100-yard rushing game this year; he is a mediocre RB2 for the rest of the season.

Honorable mentions: Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson (27.70), Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice(notes) (27.40), Houston Texans’ Arian Foster(notes) (21.20)

Wide receiver

Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings – 29.50 points

Week 13 statistics: 19 rushing yards, 156 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

The only reliable player on the Vikings offense when Adrian Peterson is out, Harvin had the best game of his career in a near-victory over the Denver Broncos. With rookie Ponder at the helm, Harvin has now had four straight games with at least six receptions and has shown great explosiveness all over the field. View Harvin as a WR2 against the Detroit Lions in Week 14.

Honorable mentions: Indianapolis Colts’ Pierre Garcon(notes) (27.00), Denver Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas(notes) (26.40), New York Giants’ Hakeem Nicks(notes) (20.80)

Tight end

Rob Gronkowski(notes), New England Patriots – 24.60 points

Week 13 statistics: 2 rushing yards, 64 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

The best tight end this season, Gronkowski’s three touchdowns give him 13 receiving touchdowns on the year and a touchdown in five straight games. One of the biggest threats in the NFL to score in the end zone, Gronkowski is just one touchdown catch away from being the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns by a tight end in a season set by San Diego Chargers’ Antonio Gates(notes) in 2004 and San Francisco 49ers’ Vernon Davis(notes) in 2009.

Honorable mentions: Green Bay Packers’ Jermichael Finley(notes) (14.70), New York Giants’ Travis Beckum(notes) (12.70), Atlanta Falcons’ Tony Gonzalez(notes) (10.00)

Kicker

Connor Barth(notes), Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 18.00 points

Week 13 statistics: 3 FG 40-49, 1 FG 50+, 1 PAT made

Not known as one of the top fantasy kickers this season, Barth made field goals from 50, 47, 46, and 44 yards against the Panthers and all in the first half. Playing for a Buccaneers offense that struggled with Josh Johnson(notes) filling in for the injured Josh Freeman(notes), Barth is an unreliable option due to the offense’s inconsistency.

Another monster day for Janikowski in fantasy football as the Raiders kicker set a team-record six field goals. Consistently giving fantasy owners six to ten fantasy points a week, he is a consistent fantasy producer with upside thanks to his strong leg.

Honorable mentions: Washington Redskins’ Graham Gano(notes) (15.00), San Francisco 49ers’ David Akers(notes) (14.00), Minnesota Vikings’ Ryan Longwell(notes)/New York Jets’ Nick Folk(notes)/Tennessee Titans’ Rob Bironas(notes) (13.00)

Team defense

Kansas City Chiefs team defense – 20.00 points

Week 13 statistics: 3 points allowed, 7 sacks, 3 interceptions

As a team dealing with their own quarterback troubles between Tyler Palko(notes) and Kyle Orton(notes), the Chiefs defense was able to step it up and shutdown Caleb Hanie(notes) in his second career start. In this game, the Chiefs defense set a season-high in sacks and also forced a fumble by Hanie (who did recover the ball) in a dominant performance over an inexperienced quarterback.

Honorable mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers team defense (19.00), San Francsico 49ers team defense (18.00), Baltimore Ravens team defense (15.00)

*Points are determined by Yahoo! fantasy football default scoring settings.

Sources:

Who’s Hot Week 13, Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Cam Newton, CBS Sports

Shonn Greene Game Log, Yahoo! Sports

Percy Harvin Game Log, Yahoo! Sports

Fantasy Football Rob Gronkowski, CBS Sports

Connor Barth News & Notes, Yahoo! Sports

Kansas City at Chicago Box Score, Yahoo! Sports

More from this contributor:

Most Popular Last-Minute Drops for Week 13 Play: Fan’s Take

Most Popular Last-Minute Pickups for Week 13 Play: Fan’s Take

Most-dropped Players into Free Agent Pool for Week 13: Fan’s Take

Most-added Waiver Wire Free Agents for Week 13: Fan’s Take

Six Star Players with Bad Fantasy Matchups for Week 13: Fan’s Take

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and fantasy football player since 2005. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.