Tomorrow at 9 in the morning we have some Gophers-Syracuse tickets to give away and will award them to the Rube who can concoct the most creative way for the Vikings to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the best team in the NFL.

It's one segment full of calls and tickets delivered to witness the undefeated Gophers most likely head into conference play 4-and-0. Rubber meets the road the next week, and that's when it gets fun.

The deep-ball terrorists have beaten me down. JOEY NELSON started it Monday and I strongly disagreed the Vikings should be ripped for not attempting many passes at 20 yards or more. Our outside guys just don't win enough one-on-one battles.

For this game, however, given the 49ers play straight-up, tough defense, I have an idea -- first play of the game go play-action to ADRIAN and loop the sucker up there in hopes the singled deep guy makes a play. If it falls incomplete the Rubes will cheer because you tried. If it's a completion we'll try it again later. If it's picked fans will catch a glimpse into why we don't attempt it more.

These Niners will not try to trick you like Indy. Nah, they'll double PERCY and flood the box to slow Adrian and clog the middle to handle your tight ends. DEVIN and MICHAEL will be singled almost every play. Give them a chance, and for PONDER to make that work he has to look off a couple of nice safeties in DONTE WHITNER and DASHON GOLDSON.

He looked them off in the first preseason game and hit BURTON for like 51. It can be done versus this defense, but if you become intimidated by their sweet-tackling ways you are defeated before the game begins. Percy et al will not amass the YAC in this game they did the first two because the Niners are the best tackling team in the game. They missed and NFL-low 58 tackles all of last year but have whiffed 15 times through two this year.

This could be a trap spot for San Francisco given it is coming off two nationally televised night games. Now to the cornfields against some clompers who just lost to Indy and the game is at Noon. They'll be ready; that's what makes JIM HARBAUGH good. He'll have them all wound up to beat us because they want to go undefeated. Shoot, if you win opening night at Lambeau you can do anything, right?

We need to win the turnover battle, fluster ALEX SMITH with a four-man rush and take some shots down the field so they know we are not afraid to try. Adrian traditionally hasn't had great games against San Francisco, and the Niners will put more of an emphasis on slowing Percy than Adrian. Peterson needs to have a big game against this rock-solid defense because he's the identity of the offense. They need to block it up very well against some nasty Rubes wearing scarlet and gold.

Keep it close, own the ball late then ... CAUGHT ... IT'SSTEPHENBURTON ... TOUCHDOWN ... OH,MYHEAVENS ... CHRISTIANPONDERGREGLEWISSTEHENBURTON-HOWDOYOULIKETHAT?!