Vikings

THE PRIMARY reason there is more interest in Adrian Peterson's pursuit of history than Calvin Johnson's is that Peterson is chasing Eric Dickerson and a playoff spot. Johnson's team is going nowhere. Football is different, and probably better, than baseball in that regard. Individual football records are respected, but not revered like their diamond counterparts. Quick. Who was the last batter to hit .400 in a season? Anybody who knows the difference between Tom Brady and Carol Brady knows that it was Ted Williams (.406)

Devon Bell has been a slasher and a scorer for most of his basketball career. This season, he'll also be a setup man. That's the tricky combination, but the Eastern senior has the skill and the court sense to make it work, according to coach Joe Murphy. "I want the ball in his hands," Murphy said of Bell, the leader of an Eastern team that will begin the season in the No. 3 spot in The Inquirer's Top 10. The 6-foot-1 Bell averaged 14 points last season as Eastern went 24-4, won the Olympic Conference American Division, and reached the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals, losing to eventual state champion Atlantic City.

THEY DON'T CALL the NFL the "No Fun League" for nothing. On Sunday, Vikings punter Chris Kluwe decided to cover the 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame patch on his jersey with a yellow Post-it Note that read: "Vote Ray Guy. " Kluwe would like to see Guy become the first punter inducted into the Hall of Fame. And why not? Guy averaged 42.4 yards per punt during 14 seasons with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He was also the first pure punter ever drafted in the first round when the Raiders made him the 23rd overall pick in 1973.

VIKINGS LINEBACKER Chad Greenway wants Minnesota fans to be loud, boisterous and "super-duper drunk" at Sunday's NFC North clash against the visiting Bears. The Vikings (6-6), third place in the division behind the Bears and Packers (both 8-4), need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. "We have to play accordingly and our fans have to show up accordingly, which we know they will," Greenway told Minneapolis Star Tribune recently. "Hopefully, they're super-duper drunk.

The Vikings placed ailing wide receiver Percy Harvin on season-ending injured reserve. The move was announced Wednesday afternoon after Harvin missed another practice because of a severely sprained left ankle that has kept him out of the last three games. After an outstanding first half, Harvin's season deteriorated quickly. He was hurt at Seattle on Nov. 4.   Akers' struggles After missing a winning field goal in overtime in two of the last four games, David Akers and his fellow special-teamers on the 49ers (8-3-1)

MINNESOTA PLACED ailing wide receiver Percy Harvin on injured reserve Wednesday, abruptly ending a season that began so well for one of the NFL's most versatile players. Coach Leslie Frazier answered questions about Harvin's status cryptically and vaguely at his regular news conference, when he ruled Harvin out of practice again because of the severely sprained ankle that has kept him out of the last three games. Then about six hours later, the Vikings announced the move that declared their top pass-catcher done for the year.

The formula for the Archbishop Wood football team was pretty simple on Friday night. Give the ball to Andrew Guckin. Need a first down? Guckin will take it for touchdown. Want to dump the ball off on a screen? Guckin will take it 41 yards. How about from the 2-yard line - can the senior tailback get it in the end zone? Yep. Against Interboro, Guckin's 133 rushing yards and four touchdowns helped the Vikings sail to victory, 35-7, in a PIAA Class AAA state quarterfinal at Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Four times this season the Bristol football team has held its opponent to single digits. The fewest number of points the Warriors have allowed in a game this season is six, while they gave up seven points in three other wins this year. But holding the other team scoreless had been elusive all season long, even though it was something head coach Leo Plenski and the rest of the Bristol coaching squad preached. The Warriors sure picked the right time to pitch a shutout. In the first round of the Class A state tournament at Souderton, Bristol upset Williams Valley, 20-0, earning the right to play in the quarterfinals next week.

ANTHONY PULLIAM likes to think of himself as someone whose temper is always under control. Thrice on Thursday morning, however, as Northeast High hosted its almost-forever Thanksgiving rival, Central, in weather that started off semi-chilly but later became borderline balmy, Pulliam got involved in postplay chippiness. Finally, referee Tom McClain, working the final game of his 52-year career, sent Pulliam to the sideline for a cool-your-heels stint. In time, the coaches caught McClain's attention with the hope of getting him to allow Pulliam to return to action.

When the Lenape football team opened the season with six straight losses, coach Tim McAneney told his players that if they kept working hard, good things would happen. He was talking about days like Thursday. Sophomore Jerry Jones kicked a game-winning field goal with five seconds remaining as Lenape won at Shawnee, 17-14, for its seventh win in the 42-year series. Lenape, which closed the season on a four-game winning streak to end at 4-6, drove 70 yards in the final three minutes to set up the winning points in the nonleague game.