Last week we kicked off this new series by picking the brain of Joe Pinzone from Buffalo Wins. Joe gave us some insightful information, and it's always great to do a little back and forth with a division rival. But we were already kind of familiar with the Bills, their strengths, and their weaknesses. The Dolphins do play them twice a year, after all.

This week it's a different story. Yes, the Vikings get tons of national exposure and frequently play prime time games, but the Dolphins will be in unfamiliar territory on Sunday. They haven't played the Vikings since 2006. That's a year before Adrian Peterson exploded onto the scene. Jared Allen was still in Kansas City, and Brett Favre was still a Green Bay Packer.

The Vikings are now considered by many to be one of the top five teams in the league, and a win on Sunday would springboard the Dolphins some momentum heading into arguably the two biggest games of the season. So let's get this underway. Please welcome in Purple Jesus Diaries, your one stop for Vikings coverage here at the Bloguin network. As always, check PJD for the five questions I answered for them about the Dolphins.

 1) From an outsider's prospective, Brett Favre looked a little rusty against the Saints. Do you fear that he's finally about to fall off, or do you think his struggles had more to do with the Saints' blitz happy defense, or Sydney Rice being out of the lineup? Do you see Favre and company bouncing back in a big way against the Dolphins' secondary?

PJD: Do the Dolphins have a secondary? Didn't they draft Vontae Davis who may be eligible to receive Social Security Disability because of his IQ? Regardless, yes, Favre looked like garbage. I don't think it had anything to do with Sidney Rice, though. Favre apparently always starts off slow over the first two weeks then picks things up. That's not an excuse though. If he knew this, and knew the Vikings offense was in flux, he should have shown up earlier if he was SERIOUS about winning a Super Bowl this year. I think they'll try to get the passing offense rolling this week if the Dolphins pass D is weak, but I think with what we saw from Adrian Peterson that Childress would be smarter to run him all game long. Of course, Childress is an idiot too ...

2) This will be the Dolphins' first game against Adrian Peterson. They held Buffalo's trio of backs to a mere 50 yards last week, but AP is obviously a different animal. With the passing game struggling a little bit, do you expect the Vikings to try and get it going, or turn to increasing Peterson's workload? Do you believe his fumbling problems are a thing of the past, or something the Vikings will just have to deal with?

PJD: I don't put any stock into Peterson's fumbling. People make a big deal out of it, but it's something he'll correct. It's kind of like when you get with a hot chick for the first time and you're REAAALLLLY trying not to be premature ... the more you think about it, the more likely it'll happen, so I think Peterson is pretty nonchalant about it and doesn't worry about it. Nor will I. As said, the Vikes SHOULD run him more this week, but I bet they'll feel confident with Favre at home and be split pretty 50-50, which of course will make it a close game in the end.

3) Everybody knows that the Vikings have had one of the better run defenses in the league for years now. If you were the Dolphins, how exactly would you go about trying to get Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams going? We know the Williams brothers make up a brick wall in the middle. Do offenses ever have success testing the edge?

PJD:While the Vikes have been stout against the run in years past, I think they are starting to taper off. The Saints showed that with a hefty offensive line that you can run straight up the middle. A lot of this is Pat Williams getting older than Moses, and EJ Henderson still a bit timid at linebacker after his thigh got busted up last year. I think these are things the Vikings D coordinator, Leslie Frazier, will correct as time goes on, but defensive line is one of the Vikings deepest positions. If anything, they're more susceptible to counters, the WildCat and things like that, as the D ends like to rush the passer. Get them out of their assignments and the Dolphins could run effectively.

4) Many perceive that the only real weakness the Vikings have is their secondary. It's obviously hard to see much progress against an elite passing attack like the Saints, but do you think they will improve any this season? Would you abandon the run like the Saints did in the first-half Thursday night, if you were the Dolphins?

PJD:I wouldn't. I think things are starting to change a bit for the Vikings. The passing D is always so easy to piss on for the Vikings, but Winfield is healthy and a heavy hitter, Asher Allen is coming up, and they have a veteran in Lito Shepperd who isn't GREAT, but certainly serviceable. As the year goes on, they'll have 2010 2nd round pick Chris Cook come back (he was already practicing this week), who looks to be a tall, strong, stud ala Hugh Jackman (what?) as well as last year's starter Cedric Griffin. If people stay healthy, by year's end, the CBs may be the Vikings strength. The Safety position is another matter though, as all the team's safeties couldn't pass a standardized reading test. Strikes down the middle of the field could work.

5) Finally, who do you see winning this game and why?

PJD:I find it hard to imagine a Vikings team this talented, this ready for a Super Bowl, is going to lose back to back games, with one of them being a home opener. The Metrodome, aka, Zygi's Hood, is a tough place to play regardless (They didn't lose there last season), and I don't see them losing the opener. I predict a 27-17 win for the Vikings, largely because I don't know how great the Dolphins offense really can be against the Vikings, on the road, in the second week of the season. Maybe I just don't trust Henne that much. Of course, this all goes out the window if Childress starts calling plays like he was last week. It could end up being a nail biter real quick. Good luck!

We weren't quite sure who the Dolphins cut to make room for Erik Walden yesterday. After a phenomenal preseason, Micah Johnson was shown the door today, and is now being exposed to the waiver wire. Personally, I really hope he clears, because the Dolphins would be wise to store him on the practice squad, polish him up a little bit this season, then see if he's ready to contribute a year from now.

On another surprising note, the Dolphins reportedly worked out former Pro Bowl outside linebacker Adalius Thomas. Thomas is still available after a disappointing season with the Patriots last year, both on and off the field. After Cameron Wake and Koa Misi put in a solid performance against the Bills, in which both recorded their first sacks of the season, I'm a little puzzled as to why Ireland would chose to go after an outside linebacker. You would think a defensive end would make more sense with Odrick out a couple weeks.  

Omar Kelly is speculating that if Thomas signs with the Dolphins, Channing Crowder, who has missed a month with a groin injury, could go on the IR. Replacing Crowder with a veteran makes sense, but why would they replace a inside linebacker with an outside linebacker?

Quentin Moses, meanwhile, spent today's practice with the first-team at strong side outside linebacker. It appears the Dolphins were trying him out a bit with the starters, to see how much of an upgrade Thomas would be. That makes a little more sense considering Moses and Thomas play the same position.

Nonetheless, I guess we will just have to wait and see how this plays out, but another interesting day of acquisitions and speculation at Dolphins camp.

Contrary to what NFL.com reported a few hours ago, Jared Odrick has only a hairline fracture in his fibula, and will only be sidelined two weeks. This courtesy of the Miami Herald's Jeff Darlington, who, with all due respect to Jason La Confora, is as reliable as they come with everything Dolphins' news related.

Even though the Dolphins will still likely have to do without their first-round draft pick against the Vikings and Jets, two weeks is considerably better news than the six that was originally reported. And remember too, Darlington is reporting Odrick is out a maximum of two weeks, meaning he could be good to go in the home opener versus the Jets.

What appeared to be a mild injury Sunday after the game, will now cause Jared Odrick to miss a significant amount of time. NFL.com's Jason La Canfora is reporting that Odrick broke his right fibula and will be sidelined for six weeks.

Tony McDaniel and Randy Starks on a limited basis, as he moves over from nose tackle on occasion, will have to make do for now. But is anyone beginning to second guess Ireland's decision to cut Marques Douglas and Charles Grant? Both were proven veterans, and were perfect for this exact situation. Douglas was stout against the run and Grant flashed a bit rushing the passer in training camp.

Let's just hope the run defense can hold together, especially in the next two weeks as the Vikings and Jets have two of the top rushing attacks in the league.

Jeff Ireland was busy back making the rounds yesterday and today. The Dolphins have reportedly re-signed defensive end Lionel Dotson and outside linebacker Erik Walden, two players they dismissed on final cut day about a week and a half ago. To make room for Walden, a decent special-teams contributor, they were forced to waive defensive end Clifton Geathers, who was signed off the waiver wire last week. It's not yet clear who the Dolphins disposed of, or demoted to the practice squad to make room for Lionel Dotson, though. Possibly Walden to the practice squad, but that's just speculation.

All the shuffling at defensive end has to be derived from Jared Odrick's deep bone bruise. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald called Odrick "week to week" today, and ruled him likely out for Sunday's game against the Vikings. That's a pretty big blow to this run defense with two of the best rushing offenses in the league on the schedule in the next couple weeks.

Tony McDaniel, who's flashed some promise from time to time in brief spurts of action, will fill Odrick's void, but Randy Starks could also spilt some action between nose tackle and defensive end. Paul Soliai would then vacate the opening at nose tackle. Soliai did struggle last season with the starting job after Jason Ferguson went down, but had an impressive enough preseason to earn a smaller role this year.