Jay Glazer told New York-based WFAN Radio that Vikings' offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell recently talked to him about getting Tarvaris Jackson involved in a Mixed Martial Arts program this offseason. Glazer is very involved in MMA and because he is good friends with people such as Vikings coach Brad Childress teams often confide in him and ask for his help. The Vikings? intention isn?t to have Jackson switch careers but rather, according to Glazer, the Minnesota coaches saw how Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen benefited from MMA training. ?I had gotten Jared Allen in one two years ago,? Glazer said. ?We turned him from a big, stiff white guy to a guy that actually can come off the edge. He came in every day, was committed to us out in Arizona. They asked if we could do the same for Tarvaris to get his hips ? really loosen up his hips. It looks like they are planning long-term with him.?

Darren Sharper, a 12-year veteran that is set to become a free agent, is unlikely to return to the Vikings, and the Saints could make a play for the safety. New Orleans is attempting to fortify their defense this offseason.

Gus Frerotte wants to return to the Vikings next season but only if he's the team's starting quarterback. "I would think, as a competitor, as you get older, knowing the talent we have, I would love to be the starter," Frerotte said. "A lot of people, when they get my age (37), start breaking down. But my arm is still able to wing it pretty good." Frerotte signed a two-year contract before the 2008 season. "I don't know if that's enough after playing this year," Frerotte said of returning as the team's backup. "I think being away from my family was tough on me."

Fans purchased more than 20,000 tickets over six days, assuring there will be no local television blackout when the Vikings host the Eagles at the Metrodome on Sunday. The team said a limited number of tickets were still available, including some returned by the Eagles. The NFL on Friday gave Minnesota an extension until Saturday to sell the 3,100 tickets that remained unsold.

The NFL gave the Vikings a final 24-hour deadline to sell the remaining tickets for Sunday's NFC Wild-Card Game against the Eagles or have the television broadcast blacked out in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The tickets must be sold by 3:30 p.m. Central time Saturday.

Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson knows that it will be difficult to contain Adrian Peterson, the NFL's leading rusher. "He's one of the best I've ever seen," Johnson said. "A special guy. He's just a natural runner, a very gifted runner. He's got that Gale Sayers' feel about the game." The Eagles limited Peterson to 70 yards on 20 rushes in a 23-16 win over the Vikings last year, but the rookie did it against eight-man fronts, since the Vikings had virtually no passing attack to keep the defense honest. "He's a high-effort, talented, strong guy," Eagles' linebacker Chris Gocong said. "And really, I think everybody is going to have to be flying at him. There's not going to be a lot of times when the first guy makes the tackle. You've just got to slow him down and keep flying at him."

The Vikings still reportedly have 8,000 tickets remaining for their playoff game against the Eagles on Sunday. The NFL has granted an extension until 3:30 p.m. local time Friday to reach a virtual sellout, but the possibility of a local television blackout looms. The blackout would not only encompass the Twin Cities but secondary markets in the region, as well.