Is Pat Williams Ready to Eat His Words?

Since he appears to enjoy eating anything else he can find, Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams should prepare to eat his words. I'm not sure the calorie count, but if you add enough salt, they can be quite tasty.

Especially if you mix in a little crow on the side.

He apparently didn't think he'd said enough when he boldly predicted that his Vikings would hand new Green Bay starter Aaron Rodgers his "first damn loss" Monday night. Williams added - in essence - that Brett Favre was the only reason the Packers were any good.

I remind you of these comments only because of the fact that Williams wasn't done. After a few weeks of relative silence, probably because he was too busy eating to talk, Williams struck again Friday.

So Williams says Packers' running back Ryan Grant won't run for 100 yards Monday night. Along those lines, I'd like to predict that Williams won't, either.

Saying that they're going to hold Grant under 100 yards isn't exactly a stretch. Grant and St. Louis' Stephen Jackson are the only backs to top 100 yards in a game against the Vikings over head coach Brad Childress' time there. Not only that, but Grant is nursing a hamstring injury that severely limited him in training camp and the preseason. That injury opened the door for second-year pro Brandon Jackson, who had a solid finish to last season and followed that up with a strong training camp.

The Packers attacked the Vikings' line with outside runs in their last meeting, a 34-0 win. Williams didn't have a strong game, but neither did anyone else wearing purple.

One has to assume that a prideful and talented defense is going to play better this time around, but can they slow down the Packers' receivers long enough to focus on stuffing the run? That's their key to the success Monday night. No one thought anyone could run on the Vikings' run defense last year, either, but Grant still had nearly 100 yards in the first quarter.

I have a ton of respect for Pat and Kevin Williams, as well as most of the Vikings defense. But it would help if they kept their mouths shut. Then again, as Packers head coach Mike McCarthy noted during a press conference last week, "It speaks toward the way they do business there". It was the closest thing to a direct shot you'll find the Packers taking entering this game Monday. They're too busy preparing for the game.

As badly as I want to see Grant top 100 yards in this game, I'd allow Pat Williams to be right if it meant a Packers victory. Because in this case, a Packers victory means the Vikings have suffered their "first damn loss".