ROLLER COASTER RIDE FOR LONGTIME MINNESOTA SPORTS FANS.

IN PERHAPS THEIR BEST GAME OF THE SEASON, THE VIKINGS BEAT THE GREEN BAY PACKERS LAST SUNDAY BUT LOST STAR QUARTERBACK KIRK COUSINS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON TO A TORN ACHILLES TENDON.

IF THAT'S NOT BAD ENOUGH, THE WOLVES SEEM DESTINED FOR A ROLLER COASTER SEASON OF THEIR OWN WITH ONE BIG LOSS AND ONE BIG WIN THIS WEEK.

AND THE MINNESOTA WILD'S LOSING STREAK HIT FOUR GAMES LAST NIGHT.

LARRY FITZGERALD, SR., IS BACK.

WHEN HE'S NOT VISITING US HERE IN STUDIO B, HE DOES RADIO WORK FOR THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

OKAY, VIKINGS QUARTERBACK SITUATION, WE GOT JAREN HALL STARTING, ROOKIE FROM BRIGHAM YOUNG.

>> THAT'S CORRECT.

>> Eric: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

>> HE'S TALENTED, THERE'S A REASON THEY WENT OUT AND DRAFTED HIM.

YOU KNOW, KEVIN O'CONNELL'S A QUARTERBACK HIMSELF, SO HE KNOWS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.

AND THEY TOOK HIM WHEN HE WAS AVAILABLE IN THE DRAFT.

THEY WORKED HIM.

YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN ON A MISSION ALREADY.

YOU KNOW, THAT HAPPENS FOR SOME ATHLETES PARTICULAR SCHOOLS THEY GO TO.

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> SO HE'S GOT A GREAT AMOUNT OF MATURITY.

I WAS IMPRESSED WITH WHAT I WAS ABLE TO SEE THIS EEK.

AND HAVE SEEN IN CAMP.

HE'S GOTTEN SOME WORK IN.

AND I HINK, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, O'CONNELL WILL TAILOR AN OFFENSE FOR HIM TO SPECIALIZE IN CERTAIN THINGS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO.

HE'S MOBILE.

AND ELUSIVE.

SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THEM GOING INTO ATLANTAN AND -- ATLANTA AND PLAYING A TYPE OF GAME WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THERE WITH A WIN.

PARTICULARLY, IT'S NOT JUST A QUARTERBACK, IN SPORTS, THEY TALK ABOUT FANTASY THIS, FANTASY THAT, IT'S HOW THE TEAM'S PLAYING.

AND THE TEAM IS PLAYING VERY WELL RIGHT NOW, AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME ON BOTH SIDES.

>> Cathy: YOU CAN SCREW IT UP WITH A BAD QUARTERBACK.

I MEAN, CAN'T YOU?

I DON'T KNOW HOW JOSHUA DOBBS IS, HE'S BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

WELL, REMEMBER, HE STARTED EIGHT GAMES IN THE NFL WITH THE ARIZONA CARDINALS.

THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE GAMES OTHER THAN BEATING THE DALLAS COWBOYS, YOU HEARD OF THAT TEAM, $9 BILLION TEAM, THEY BEAT THAT TEAM, RATHER, AND PRESCOTT.

I LOOK AT IT FROM AN OPEN MIND STANDPOINT.

IT'S OW THE TEAM'S PLAYING.

YES, IT'S A TERRIBLE SITUATION TO LOSE YOUR STARTING QUARTERBACK.

BUT THE VIKINGS ARE READY FOR THIS CHALLENGE.

>> Eric: AND YOU'VE BEEN MAKING THE CASE AND IT'S A GOOD ONE THAT HE PLAYOFFS ARE VERY MUCH IN PLAY FOR THE VIKINGS.

>> THEY WOULD BE IN THE PLAYOFFS RIGHT NOW, IF THE SEASON ENDED AFTER EIGHT WEEKS.

THE VIKINGS HAVE PLAYED ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SCHEDULES IN FOOTBALL.

THEY PLAYED BOTH SUPER BOWL TEAMS, INCLUDING THE INNER.

THEY'VE PLAYED THE CHARGERS, WHO WERE IN THE PLAYOFFS.

AND, YOU KNOW, LET'S NOT FORGET, THEY BEAT A PRETTY GOOD TEAM HERE ON MONDAY NIGHT, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THE 49ers, WHO WERE, OU KNOW, THEY WON 12, 13 GAMES IN A ROW.

SO I LIKE WHERE THEY'RE AT.

THEY'RE GETTING READY TO GO INTO A PART OF THEIR SCHEDULE WHERE THEY'RE GAMES, IF THEY CONTINUE TO PLAY WELL, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO WIN THEM.

>> Cathy: GIVE US A SENSE, BECAUSE YOU ARE A PERSON WHO KNOWS A LOT ABOUT, GIVEN YOUR SON, BEING IN THE NFL, COUSINS' FUTURE?

I MEAN, I KNOW THE INJURY, YOU CAN REHAB AN INJURY, HE'S WHAT, 35, 36 YEARS OLD.

DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OLDER AND TRY TO COME BACK FROM SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

>> WELL, SOME GUY NAMED AARON RODGERS SAID HE'S GOING TO PLAY THIS YEAR, HE HAD THE SAME INJURY, BASICALLY, TORN ACHILLES.

SO IF YOU BELIEVE THAT AARON'S GOING TO BE READY TO PLAY THIS YEAR, THE SAME YEAR, WHAT, FOUR, FIVE, I MEAN, A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, HE WAS STARTING.

AND THEN HE GOT HURT THE FIRST GAME.

HE CLAIMS HE'S GOING TO BE READY TO PLAY BECAUSE OF WHAT HE BELIEVES IN AND THE DOCTORS AND THAT TYPE OF THING.

KIRK COUSINS IS DONE FOR THIS SEASON.

I THINK BECAUSE OF HIS SITUATION AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS IN THE LAST YEAR OF HIS CONTRACT, THE VIKINGS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO COMMIT TO HIM NOW BECAUSE HE WOULD BE IN AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT AND HE LEADS THE NFL IN TOUCHDOWN PASSES.

WHY WOULDN'T YOU KEEP HIM?

>> Eric: EVEN AS HE'S OUT WITH THE INJURY, HE MAY NOT BE WITH THE TEAM NEXT YEAR UNLESS THEY ACT, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?

>> THEY GOT TO ACT NOW.

OKAY?

THE WINDOW'S CLOSING BECAUSE THE INSURANCE IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE REST OF HIS MONEY THIS YEAR.

THEY OWE HIM 45 MILLION.

SO, THEY'RE HAPPY WITH WHAT HE'S DOING FOR THIS TEAM.

THIS TEAM, HE LEADS THE NFL IN TOUCHDOWN PASSES.

YOU CAN'T LOOK PAST WHAT HE DID TO GET YOU WHERE YOU'RE AT.

OKAY?

AND, SO, I THINK, YEAH, PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WELL, ARE WE GOING TO GET PAST THIS GUY, HE'S BEEN HERE SIX YEARS, ALL THIS GUARANTEED MONEY, WE HAVEN'T WON A SUPER BOWL, ALL THAT STUFF, HE'S PLAYING WELL, HE'S DOING HIS JOB.

>> Eric: YOU CAN THROW OUT THE RECORD BOOK WHEN THE VIKINGS AND THE FALCONS MEET.

WHO DO YOU LIKE ON SUNDAY?

>> I LIKE THE VIKINGS, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO DO A BETTER JOB OF RUNNING THE FOOTBALL.

AND I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO TURN IT OVER.

IF THEY GO TO ATLANTA, DON'T TURN IT OVER, THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMING HOME 5-4.

>> Cathy: WOW, REALLY?

>> Eric: ALL RIGHT.

WE APPRECIATE -- >> I KNOW YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE QUARTERBACK.

>> Cathy: I AM KIND OF.

>> THEY'LL BE FINE.

>> Cathy: LARRY