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With the Vikings off this week by virtue of the 1st-round bye, now is a good time to take a quick look around the division to see what else is happening. We’ll address each team in alphabetical order…

Chicago Bears
For the 3rd consecutive season, the Chicago Bears missed the playoffs. This year’s absence from the NFL’s 2nd season is perhaps the most painful because of the high expectations that arose in light of the acquisition of QB Jay Cutler. And so the disappointing developments do not come without consequences.

Head coach Lovie Smith avoided the pink slip, but some of his assistant coaches did not. Much of the offensive staff was released, including offensive coordinator Ron Turner, and Smith will relinquish play-calling duties on defense. As a result, Smith and the Bears front office will be hiring a new offensive and defensive coordinator, and that new offensive coordinator will join with Smith in hiring new offensive assistants.

We’ll leave the speculation up to others about possible candidates for those 2 jobs. Here are a few other quick thoughts about the Bears as they begin their offseason:
– Injuries sure seemed to have been a huge factor in the Bears misfortunes this season.
– Will the Bears acquire more weapons for Cutler and the passing game?
– Will Orlando Pace return for another season?

Detroit Lions
It was another painful season in the Motor City, as they Lions increased their win total by just 2 from their 2008 win-less campaign. But it did mark an improvement, nonetheless, under 1st-year head coach Jim Schwartz and the #1 duty of a head coach is to keep the team moving in the right direction.

So Schwartz has the team heading the right direction, in much the same way Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress had his team going after Year 2 – the Vikings were 6-10 in his 1st season and 8-8 after Year 2. Schwartz is saying all the right things in Detroit and that should be a source of confidence for Lions fans.

Here are a few other quick thoughts about the Lions as they begin their offseason:
– Offseason rehab will be priority #1 for 3 crucial pieces of the Lions offense – TE Brandon Pettigrew, RB Kevin Smith and QB Matthew Stafford. All 3 players suffered knee injuries and are in the midst of rehabbing those injuries for next season.
– It sounds as if QB Daunte Culpepper won’t be back with the team. Where he goes might be worth watching but who Detroit looks to as a backup QB will be important.
– With the 2nd-worst record in 2009, the Lions will have the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft. What position will they address?

Green Bay Packers
The Packers are currently preparing for their Wild Card matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix. Last week, of course, the Packers thrashed a hardly-trying Arizona club that didn’t have much for which to play. Much more is on the line this week and in my view and I’m preparing for a high-scoring affair that will be fun to watch.

It seems as if the Packers and, specifically, head coach Mike McCarthy are well aware of the fact that a different, more motivated Cardinals club will likely show up on Sunday afternoon. Green Bay is hot heading into the playoffs having won 7 of their last 8 regular season games and they’ll look to continue that trend this weekend.

Here are a few subplots to watch this Sunday afternoon when the Packers and Cardinals kick it off:
– Green Bay was +24 in turnover margin this year and if Arizona is to advance to the Divisional round they’ll have to win the turnover battle.
– Sunday will mark the 1st playoff start for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Arizona QB Kurt Warner is a playoff veteran.
– Green Bay has the league’s #1 rush defense and I don’t expect Arizona to challenge them too often on the ground. It will be fun to watch a great passing team (Arizona) go against a defense that has prepared for the pass all week (Green Bay).

We referenced in this blog entry from yesterday the significant contribution the Vikings 2009 draft class had during the regular season. All 5 players made the 53-man roster coming out of training camp and then each of the 5 started at least 1 game during the regular season.

Now one player in that 5-member 2009 draft class has been named the AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year – WR Percy Harvin. The dynamic playmaker was an overwhelming choice as he received 41 of a possible 50 votes; Baltimore Ravens rookie T Michael Oher was 2nd in voting with 6 votes.

Harvin, the 22nd overall pick last April, took the league by storm in 2009, quickly demonstrating his ability to transfer the play-making ability and explosiveness he possessed in college to the NFL level. Harvin played in 15 games during the regular season and in that time set a new Vikings record for all-purpose yards (2,081), breaking RB Adrian Peterson’s record.

The elusive and speedy WR tied for the NFL rookie lead in receptions with 60 and had 790 yards and 6 TDs to go along with the receptions. He also rushed 15 times for 135 yards to set a Vikings franchise record for rushing yards by a WR.

Harvin was just as effective in the return game as he was on offense, returning 42 kickoffs for 1,156 yards and 2 TDs, becoming the 1st Viking to ever record 2 kickoff return TDs in a season and in a career.

Earlier in the week, Harvin was added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster as a returner.

Harvin is the 6th Vikings player to win the award, joining Peterson, Randy Moss (1998), Sammy White (1976), Chuck Foreman (1973) and Paul Flatley (1963).

Vikings QB Brett Favre will be named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last Sunday in the Vikings 44-7 win over the New York Giants.

In leading the Vikings to their 12th win of the year, which helped them secure the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC and a 1st-round bye, Favre completed 25 of 31 passes for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns.

To view Favre highlights from last Sunday, click here.

This is the 3rd time Favre has won the award this season, as he was also honored following the Vikings 30-23 win on Monday Night Football against the Packers in week 4, and after his triumphant return to Lambeau Field against the Packers in week 8.

QB Brett Favre has been named a finalist for FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played during Week 17.

Favre was 25 of 31 for 316 yards and 4 TDs in a 44-7 thrashing of the NY Giants in a game that moved the Vikings to 12-4 on the season and ultimately landed them a 1st-round bye in the NFC playoffs.

The other QBs also named as finalists for this week’s award were Chicago’s Jay Cutler and Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger.

You can vote for Favre by clicking here.

Even though the Vikings are off this weekend, “Vikings GamePlan” will still air this Sunday on KMSP Fox 9 at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday and is simulcast on FS North.  Fans can submit their questions for Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress by clicking here, and if Coach Childress answers your question, you’ll win an autographed picture of Childress.

For more on “Vikings GamePlan,” click here.

In 2008, the Vikings won their first division title since 2000 and therefore become 1 of 5 NFC teams to qualify for the playoffs after missing the postseason party the year prior.

But with parity as solid as it is in the NFL, such a high turnover among a playoff field is not rare. This year, in fact, the Vikings are just 1 of 3 teams to return to the NFC playoffs after also qualifying last year. The other 2 teams are the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.

The AFC is experiencing a similar turnover rate, with half the field returning from last year and the other half being comprised of non-playoff teams from 2008.

So the Vikings return to the playoffs is a notable accomplishment, but one with which they’ve become familiar over the franchise’s history.

The Vikings are 239-143-2 all-time (including 12-4 in 2009) in seasons following a playoff berth, and the team has made 18 of a possible 24 trips to the post-season after an appearance in the previous year.

The Vikings tied a franchise low with 5 draft selections during the 2009 NFL Draft. But while the franchise’s most recent draft class is small in numbers, its impact was big.

All 5 members of the draft class made the Vikings 53-man roster coming out of training camp. That’s an accomplishment on its own. But all 5 members of the draft class also started at least 1 game and all 5 were regular contributors throughout the regular season.

Here’s a brief look at each member of the 2009 draft class and how exactly they made their mark on the team this regular season:

Round 1 – #22 Overall
Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

Harvin was the most exciting player in college football during his time at Florida and he brought that flare and swagger with him to the Vikings. He played in 15 games and contributed both as a kickoff returner and a WR. Harvin finished the season with 60 receptions for 790 yards and 6 TDs while also adding 42 kickoff returns for 1,156 yards and 2 TDs, becoming the 1st Viking to ever record 2 kickoff return TDs in a season and in a career. Harvin set a franchise record for all-purpose yardage and also for rushing yards by a WR.

Round 2 – #54 Overall
Phil Loadholt, RT, Oklahoma

The 6-8, 343-pound RT became just the 5th rookie tackle in Vikings history to start a season opener and he went on to play and start in 15 games during the regular season.

Round 3 – #86 Overall
Asher Allen, CB, Georgia

Allen was inactive for the Vikings first 6 games, but he was called upon once CB Antoine Winfield went down with a foot injury and the rookie CB from Georgia came up big. In 10 games played and 1 started, Allen registered 18 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF and 2 passes defensed. He was also a regular contributor on special teams and tallied 4 tackles.

Round 5 – #150 Overall
Jasper Brinkley, LB, South Carolina

There’s simply no way to replace a player such as E.J. Henderson, but Brinkley, a player who has been through injury issues of his own, took some of the sting away with his ability to step into the starting lineup late in the season. Brinkley played in all 16 regular season games and started 4 contests once Henderson was placed on IR. He tallied 24 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss on defense while also adding 11 special teams tackles.

Round 7 – #231 Overall
Jamarca Sanford, S, Mississippi

Sanford led the SEC in tackles during his 4-year career and he had no problem bringing his aggressive style to the next level. He played in 14 games, including 1 start on defense, and tallied 17 special teams tackles, 15 tackles on defense and 1 forced fumble.

S Jamarca Sanford played 4 collegiate seasons at Ole Miss and during that time he led the Southeastern Conference (SEC), one of the most-respected leagues in college football, in tackles.

The Vikings made Sanford a 7th round selection in last April’s draft and since then, the small-statured but big-hitting safety has displayed his aggressive style in the NFL.

Sanford began his time with the Vikings as a reserve at safety but quickly became a regular on the Vikings kick coverage units. He finished the 2009 regular season 4th on the team with 17 special teams tackles and he also forced 1 forced fumble.

But Sanford also finished the season playing more regularly on defense. When S Tyrell Johnson was forced to miss Week 14 due to injury, Sanford stepped into the lineup and added 4 tackles in a defensive effort that kept Bengals QB Carson Palmer to just 94 yards passing.

Then last Sunday against the Giants, Sanford was inserted into the defensive lineup at times in place of Johnson. Early in the 2nd quarter with New York facing a 3rd and 1 from their own 44, Sanford filled a running lane to stuff RB Ahmad Bradshaw for a loss of 2, forcing the Giants to punt away on 4th down.

“We wanted to get Jamarca in there a little bit and get his feet wet,” Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress said after the game. “He has done a good job with the snaps that he’s had. He’s played extremely well, and continued to play extremely well today on special teams. He’s a good ball player, a good hitter.”

Childress was then asked if he has any designs to make a change at the safety position, but the Vikings head coach said no such plans were in the works. And while there doesn’t appear to be a need to make a change to the starting lineup, there’s nothing wrong with knowing you have multiple players capable of performing in a given spot.

Vikings rookie WR Percy Harvin, who this season set a new team record for kickoff return TDs with 2 and last week set new team records for all-purpose yardage and rushing yards by a WR, has been added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster as a kick returner.

Originally, Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson was tabbed as the NFC’s Pro Bowl returner as well as a WR. Because Jackson was selected at 2 positions, he will participate in the Pro Bowl at the position for which he received the most voting points (WR) and Harvin will be added to the roster and occupy the other slot.

“I feel blessed to make it to the Pro Bowl,” Harvin said on Monday. “It is a great honor and humbling to be recognized by the other players and coaches in the NFC. I also want to thank all the fans who voted for me. But the biggest thanks goes to my teammates. I can’t do much of anything without the ten other guys blocking, so really it’s like a special teams honor for all of us.”

Harvin is the only Viking in team history with2 kickoff return TDs and his 27.5-yard kickoff return average is the 2nd-best single-season mark in team history. He is just the 2nd Vikings kick returner ever to be named to the Pro Bowl (Koren Robinson – 2005).

The 42-man NFC squad is comprised of 21 offensive and 17 defensive players plus 4 specialists.