Sid Hartman: Healthy Bengals are on a roll

Madieu Williams, who spent four years with the Bengals before signing as a free agent with the Vikings last year, looks for his former teammates to give the home team a real battle Sunday. The safety -- who signed a six-year, $33 million deal to play for coach Brad Childress -- also isn't surprised by his former team's 9-3 record.

With more players on the Vikings injured list than at any time in the Childress coaching career, there is reason to be concerned about the Bengals, who, among their accomplishments this season, beat the defending champion Steelers twice when they were healthy.

Friday's injury report included Percy Harvin, Tyrell Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Phil Loadholt, who didn't take part at all in the practice, plus nine others who practiced on a limited basis.

The only positive injury-related news is that the Vikings could get outstanding cornerback Antoine Winfield back after he missed five games. Winfield was listed among those who took limited part in practice.

The Bengals could be the best team the Vikings have faced this year and a real threat to their unbeaten record at home this year. The Bengals, who can clinch their second division title in five years, have shown a great combination of running the ball as well as throwing to some outstanding receivers. This game will be a real test for the Vikings minus E.J. Henderson, with fifth-round draft choice Jasper Brinkley, a rookie, replacing the best middle linebacker in the NFL.

"The talent has always been there. They have a very good coaching staff," Williams said about his former team.

A year ago, the Bengals lost their first eight games before beating Jacksonville and wound up with a 4-11-1 record.

Williams said the big thing has been that when quarterback Carson Palmer has been healthy, the team has been very competitive.

"He is always the catalyst on the offensive side of the ball," Willimas said of Palmer. "... Any time you have a top-flight quarterback, it gives you a chance."

Williams said one of the Bengals' strengths on defense is their secondary.

"They have done a good job playing man-to-man coverage and locking down receivers," Williams said, and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's calls have been very aggressive.

The game today will be the toughest one left on the Vikings' schedule, because the Panthers, Bears and Giants have a combined record of 17-19.

Well, one of those players who has shown great improvement is Blake Hoffarber, who showed that in Saturday's 97-74 victory over St. Joseph. Hoffarber scored 14 points in the first half and wound up with a career high of 20 points.

The former Hopkins star hit five of nine three-pointers Saturday, and his ability to hit from long range will have a lot to do with how well the Gophers do this year.

The Gophers have now won 25 nonconference regular-season home games in a row, but critics of the schedule will say that tougher nonconference opponents need to be brought in.

Jottings Twins General Manager Bill Smith said that before going to arbitration with pitcher Carl Pavano, the team will make a strong bid to sign him. "We will have him either through aribitration or through a normal signing," he said. Smith added that he would have preferred to have a look at pitcher Boof Bonser in spring training after all of the rehabilitation he has gone through instead of trading the righthander to the Red Sox, but he had to make room on the 40-man roster for Pavano. ...While manager Ron Gardenhire would like to bring back free-agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who got a lot of clutch hits in the team's drive to the division title, and play Cabrera at second base, Smith doesn't appear to have any interest in making that move.

Tony Dungy was the first choice to be the new football coach at Notre Dame, but the former Gophers player and Indianapolis Colts coach made it clear that he doesn't have any interest in coaching college or in the NFL.

The New York Yankees took Dodgers outfielder Jamie Hoffman of New Ulm with the first pick in Major League Baseball's Rule 5 draft. Hoffman, who led New Ulm to the Class 3A baseball title in 2002, hit .290 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI last season in between Class AA and AAA and .182 with a home run and seven RBI in 14 games with the Dodgers.

Hoffman also played high school hockey at New Ulm and was an eighth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2003 NHL draft while he was playing for Des Moines in the United States Hockey League and was headed to Colorado College, but he chose to sign with the Dodgers. On Monday, in a pre-arranged trade, the Yankees sent reliever Brian Bruney to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later, with the intent of having the Nationals select Hoffman with the first pick in Thursday's Rule 5 draft.

James Green, a 6-2, 203-pound wide receiver from Tallahassee, Fla., has committed to play for the Gophers next season. Green, who originally signed a letter of intent with Tennessee, was academically ineligible for the 2009 season, but he obtained a qualifying test score and has decided to attend Minnesota and should enroll in January, according to Gophersillustrated.com.

Braham, Minn., native Noah Dahlman scored 13 points in Wofford's 73-62 home victory over Navy on Saturday and continues to be the only double-digit scorer for the Terriers, at 18.3 points per game. The 6-6 junior is also Wofford's leading rebounder at 6.0 per game, after averaging 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. Wofford's roster also includes former DeLaSalle players Jamar Diggs (6.7 points per game) and Cameron Rundles (5.3). ... Meanwhile, older brother Isaiah Dahlman is averaging 2.4 points in limited minutes for Michigan State. The start he made Dec. 4 when the Spartans played Wofford was Dahlman's first since his freshman season.

Afterward, coach Tom Izzo said: "Why did I start Isaiah Dahlman? So you know, it wasn't because his family was here. It wasn't because his brother was playing. Those were part of it, but we weren't having a very good practice last night and he brought more energy and more care for each other."