A day after the Miami LOLphins officially signed offensive tackle Jake Long, another splash was made that could greatly impact what happens over the weekend. Jared Allen, the NFL leader in sacks in 2007, has been shipped off to Minnesota in exchange for a bounty of draft picks. By acquiring the Vikings’ first round pick (#17) and two additional third rounders, the Chiefs have officially entered rebuilding mode.

With the move, the Chiefs now possess few weapons on either side of the ball. However, they do have 6 of the NFL Draft’s top 100 selections in this weekend’s draft. What’s this mean? Rebuilding… and lots of it. Moving Allen hurts on the surface, but lets be realistic here. The Chiefs weren’t going anywhere with him, so why put up with an unhappy veteran with a huge price tag? It’s a deal that makes sense for the Chiefs. Expect the Chiefs to find a replacement for Allen with their 5th selection. Chris Long anyone?

For the Vikings, Allen fills a gaping hole in the defense. With the league’s best rush defense two years running (but little pass rush to speak of), Allen should make things a lot more difficult for NFC North quarterbacks. No longer will they have hours in the pocket because now, a drunken maniac will be there to knock them on their ass.

Does this move make the Vikings a contender in the weaker NFC? On the surface, it would appear so. We know the Vikings can stop the run and now, they have one of the league’s best defensive ends to harass guys like Aaron Rodgers, Jon Kitna and Rex Grossman. Unfortunately, the Vikings still have Tarvaris Jackson under center. That in itself forces me to take their newfound “contender status” with a grain of salt.