Links Of The Week: When The Going Gets Tough

A hurting Percy Harvin.  A struggling young quarterback.  A leaky defense.  A criticized coaching staff.

The going is certainly getting tough for our Vikings as they approach the toughest part of their schedule, and that means there is plenty of news and even more opinions floating around the internet.  Here are our favorites:

• Percy Harvin didn’t practice on Wednesday, still won’t on Thursday, but Leslie Frazier thinks Friday is a possibility.
• The Wilf family was on the front lines of the NFL’s efforts to provide support for Hurricane Sandy victims.
• Christian Ponder’s love life is new to the public, but not new to him, and he says his girlfriend has nothing to do with his recent struggles.
• We had hoped Kyle Rudolph would be a centerpiece in this offense, but it is looking like he might be more of a complimentary role player.
• Leslie Frazier doesn’t sound confident that the Vikings will be able to scorch the Lions on special teams this time around.
• Recently waived Stanford Routt may be an option that eases the pain from losing Chris Cook.
• Kevin Williams doesn’t receive much praise these days, but that should not have been the case in Seattle.
• Extending a solid player could motivate this roster down the stretch.  Who should get a new contract, though?  Here is a nominee.
• Is it time to add a dimension to this offense by finding ways to incorporate Joe Webb… again?
• Taking it a step further, maybe Webb should simply be our quarterback for the rest of the year.
• Your complete injury report for this week’s matchup against the Lions.
• Seven great storylines to follow as Sunday’s game approaches.
• From blocking to route running to quarterback play, it sounds like the Vikings might be blowing up their passing game.
• With Election Day behind us, it sounds like Chris Kluwe is ready to step back out of the limelight.
• Sunday places Kevin Williams in the Vikings record books for yet one more reason, which provides a chance to look back at his storied history with Minnesota.
• Apparently Percy Harvin’s little tirade on the sideline last weekend wasn’t that big of a deal.
• Leslie Frazier doesn’t think Jerome Simpson has fully recovered from his odd back injury.
• It seems likely that rookie receiver Jarius Wright will finally be activated this week.