Who Will Play WR for Detroit?

Who will the Vikings secondary prepare to stop Sunday for the Lions? As of now, their WR corps looks more like a WR corpse.

The last thing Joey Harrington needs for the Lions in the first road start of his career is not to have his horse with him. However, that's how it looks, if the Lions are to be taken at their word with the NFL's injury report.

Not only are starters Bill Schroeder (ankle) and Az Hakim (toe) both listed as questionable, so are their top two backups -- Larry Foster (hip) and Viking killer Desmond Howard (neck). Foster is currently listed as questionable and Howard is listed as doubtful.

For a secondary that has been blasted in recent weeks, unless some of these injuries heal in a hurry, the Lions may be forced to run an old fashioned Nebraska type of offense -- not by choice, but by necessity. VU will follow up on the status of these players as the game draws closer.

THURSDAY NOTES
* The other name of note on the Lions injury list is DL Shaun Ellis, who is listed as questionable with a hand injury. However, VU has already been told that Ellis is expected to play despite the injury.
* The Vikings have several players on the injury list but no surprises> Two players -- DL Talance Sawyer (knee, out) and LB Henri Crockett (elbow, doubtful) -- won't play Sunday. Two more players listed as questionable -- Lemanski Hall (ankle) and Jim Kleinsasser (leg) -- are still big question marks. The only other player listed is safety Ronnie Bradford, who is probable with a calf injury.
* The Vikings may want to play some Nebraska ball of their own. With a 155-yard per game average, the Vikings are rated No. 4 in the NFL for rushing this season -- even with a patchwork offensive line.
* There is a clause in Randy Moss' contract that could affect the remainder of his signing bonus money -- about $9 million yet to be paid -- if he is convicted on the drug portion of the five misdemeanors he is charged with in Hennepin County.
* Wide receiver Cedric James has changed his number to 89.
* LB Raonall Smith, who had shoulder surgery last month, has begun his rehab program and is expected to be ready for minicamp next year fully healed. He has been placed on injured reserve and is lost for the remainder of this season.