CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 1, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — First, Jay Cutler. Then, Matt Forte. Finally, Brian Urlacher.

The Chicago Bears stopped their five-game losing streak at the end of this what-could-have-been season, but even this victory was plenty painful.

Charles Tillman’s interception return in the second quarter gave the Bears the lead for good in a 17-13 victory over the Vikings on Sunday despite 3½ of Minnesota’s seven sacks by Jared Allen and a late injury to Urlacher, the soul of Chicago’s defense.

“It just breaks my heart to see. He is the Chicago Bears,” quarterback Josh McCown said. “That’s the name you think about, so to see that guy down on the turf is a sick feeling.”

Allen finished the season with 22 sacks, behind Michael Strahan’s mark of 22½ for the New York Giants in 2001. Joe Webb relieved Christian Ponder at quarterback for the Vikings (3-13) for the third time in the past month, but the wild-scrambling Webb wasn’t able to keep the Vikings from matching their worst record in franchise history, set first in 1984.

“I was really hoping for one more one-on-one, one more third-and-9,” Allen said.

The Vikings claimed the third pick in next year’s draft after going 0-6 in the NFC North, the first time in their 51 years they’ve failed to win a division game.

Coach Lovie Smith said Urlacher sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, which bent awkwardly in the end zone while he helped break up a pass with 5:15 left. He’ll have ample time to recover this winter with the Bears (8-8) missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, but that wasn’t a good way to finish for a guy who’ll turn 34 before next season. Urlacher was able to walk off the field without assistance, but he was in enough pain initially that he briefly covered his face with his hand.

The past month has been hard to watch for all of the Bears and their fans, following Cutler’s broken right thumb. They were 7-3 with the postseason well within reach until Cutler was sidelined. Forte, their Pro Bowl running back, sprained his right knee two weeks later, and the Bears stumbled into this meaningless matchup at Minnesota with last season’s trip to the NFC Championship Game a distant memory.

“It’s not a whole lot of fun finishing your season knowing that, but we’re a good football team and we’re going to try and keep as many of our coaches and players together as possible,” Smith said. “We don’t want to tear this team down and start over or anything like that. This is a good football team, and we’re going to win a lot of games with this core remaining the same.”

Smith acknowledged he’s concerned about Urlacher but also noted his recuperative history.

“He heals a little bit quicker than most people, so he should be OK,” Smith said.

Despite Allen being in his face all day, blowing by left tackle J’Marcus Webb often until the tight ends started to help, McCown finished 15 for 25 for 160 yards and a second-quarter touchdown pass to Roy Williams with one interception. Though the season was already lost, McCown fared far better than Cutler’s first fill-in, Caleb Hanie, after being signed off the street to take his first NFL snaps in two years.

“What a great group, and it’s just an honor to play for the coaches and the guys that are on the field today,” McCown said.

The Bears have won five straight in this series, their longest streak against the Vikings since winning six in a row from 1983-86.

“The last time I looked at our record we were 7-3, and from that moment on everything came tumbling down like a small snowball into a huge snowman,” said receiver-returner Devin Hester, who had another quiet game.

Though the circumstances were so much different on this day, the Vikings came full circle with another loss to McCown. He filled in for the Arizona Cardinals in the 2003 season finale and knocked Minnesota out of a playoff spot with a stunning heave into the end zone on the final snap.

The Vikings got the ball back with no timeouts at their own 6-yard line and 1:51 left, but D.J. Moore’s interception — the second of the game by Webb — at the Chicago 29 was the clincher.

Ponder went 4 for 10 for 28 yards before aggravating a hip pointer he suffered a month ago. Webb, who rallied the Vikings to victory last week at Washington and brought them within 1 yard of a win at Detroit on Dec. 11, went 17 for 32 for 200 yards. He netted only 2 yards on four rushes.

“They did a real good job of being gap smart and not letting him escape,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said.

The Vikings had their share of gaffes familiar to this at-times-woeful season. Most notable was Ponder’s 13th interception, a poorly thrown pass behind Toby Gerhart that bounced off the running back’s hands and into the arms of Tillman for an untouched 22-yard return. That was the third pick-six in the past five games against Ponder, the first-round draft pick who took over as the starter for the seventh game of the season.

Webb took a 10-yard loss on one of his scrambles instead of throwing the ball away on third-and-4 at the 20, moving Ryan Longwell’s field goal attempt back to 48 yards. Julius Peppers blocked it, preserving a 14-10 lead. Longwell made a pair of 26-yarders in the first half, but a high snap and a dropped hold led to another botched field goal in the second half.

Notes

• Gerhart carried 15 times for 67 yards for the Vikings before leaving with an injury to his left knee.
• Kahil Bell rushed for 54 yards on 17 carries for the Bears.

This Sunday’s tilt against the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome will mark the final game for long-time Minnesota Vikings’ tight end Jim Kleinsasser. Kleinsasser, who was the team’s second-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft out of the University of North Dakota, has spent all 13 of his NFL seasons in a Minnesota uniform, and recently set the record for most games played by a Vikings’ tight end.

As a way to honor him this Sunday, the Vikings have distributed this little beauty. It’s a cut-out beard, designed to look like Kleinsasser’s, that the team wants folks to print out, cut out, and wear to this Sunday’s game. Not only that, but if you take a picture of yourself wearing the beard and upload it to the Vikings’ official FaceBook page, you can win prizes. (Prizes have not been specified.)

So, if you’ll be at the Metrodome this Sunday for the season finale, show your respect for one of the more unheralded players in Vikings’ history.

Fear the beard!

I know I sound like a broken record, but I’m going to use this line again. The injuries continue to pile up for the Minnesota Vikings as this 2011 season continues to wind towards its disappointing end.

This past Sunday, when the Vikings lost 42-20 to the New Orleans Saints, veteran guard Steve Hutchinson went down with a concussion that could potentially sideline him for the final two games of the season.

In hopes of healing the wounds that the injury bug has left behind, the Vikings signed former USC guard Butch Lewis to their practice squad on Tuesday, Dec. 20. This, however, isn’t Lewis’ first go-around with the Vikings.

After going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, Lewis spent training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs and was signed to their practice squad shortly after failing to make the final cuts for the 53-man active roster. Throughout the first month of the regular season, he was on and off of their practice squad before getting the final axe from the Chiefs on Oct. 6.

On Oct. 26, the Vikings signed Lewis to their practice squad in hopes of providing some depth to their heavily-depleted offensive line. He remained a part of the Vikings’ practice squad up until a week ago when he was waived to make room for two new additions to the team’s wide receiver corps.

Now back with the Vikings, Lewis will work as an extra body along the offensive line for the team to take advantage of throughout the week. Although it’s unlikely that he’ll see the field in the next two weeks, there’s potential to earn himself a training camp invite when the Vikings begin work for the 2012 season.

Lewis will join fellow guard Chris DeGeare as the Vikings’ two practice squad offensive linemen.

In order to make room for Lewis, the Vikings have subtracted wide receiver Owen Spencer from the practice squad. Spencer, who was one of the wide receivers signed when the Vikings initially waived Lewis, is an undrafted rookie out of North Carolina State. He was brought in along with fellow undrafted rookie wide receiver Kris Adams, but apparently didn’t do enough to earn another week with the team.

Only two weeks to go until this nightmare of a season is over.

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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In hopes of lightening the load on their already-depleted wide receiving corps, the Minnesota Vikings have added two young pass-catchers to their practice squad.

The Vikings signed wide receivers Kris Adams and Owen Spencer to the practice squad on Monday. These acquisitions come on the heels of Stephen Burton’s move to the Injured Reserve list and Emmanuel Arceneaux’s promotion to the active roster.

Now with the Vikings, Adams and Spencer will join former Arizona State standout Kerry Taylor as the team’s practice squad wide receivers.

Adams, an undrafted rookie out of UTEP, spent the first few months of his young NFL career with the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams. After spending the preseason in a Bears uniform, Adams was cut and then re-signed to the practice squad but was eventually released. On Oct. 18, Adams was signed to the Rams practice squad but was cut less than a month later. Minnesota will now be his third NFL destination since he went undrafted.

The 6’4”, 195 pound receiver made a name from himself during college as a deep threat who could stretch the field and make highlight catches in traffic. Combining great length with exceptional speed (4.4 40 time), he averaged over 19 yards per catch in his final three seasons at UTEP. His lack of size and blocking ability are definitely negatives, but he makes up for it with his competitiveness and work ethic.

Spencer, another undrafted rookie out of North Carolina State, will now be on his fourth NFL roster after joining the Vikings. Initially signed by the Tennessee Titans, Spencer was cut right before the beginning of the 2011 regular season. Since the beginning of the regular season, he has spent time with both the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions but was out on the street for over two months before the Vikings brought him aboard.

Much like Adams, Spencer is another deep threat who can pick up big chunks of yardage in small amounts of time. During his time at NC State, Spencer racked up a career 19.4 yards per catch average while earning himself second-team All-ACC honors during his senior year. He also holds the ACC record with his 25.5 yards per catch average during the 2009 season. Although he lacks significant straight-line speed and the ability to consistently create separation, Spencer is a solid possession receiver who uses his frame and soft hands to make plays.

In order to open up on the appropriate space for the two wide receivers, the Vikings cut offensive tackle Butch Lewis from the practice squad. The other opening was made available due to Arceneaux’s promotion.

It’s unlikely that either will see the field with only three games remaining for the Vikings. Adams and Spencer will, however, have enough time to prove whether or not they deserve another shot when the 2012 NFL season rolls around.

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.

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

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.

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