Scout's views: observations and opinions from two NFL pro scouts, one from each conference.(NFL)

Losing Mike Alstott is a big blow for the Bucs. Since the beginning of last season, he had accounted for 11 of their 12 rushing touchdowns. His impact is huge in the second half of games because of the way that team is built. It's built around a strong defense, a short passing game and him wearing out the other team's defense with his running and catching.... The Browns have an athletic group of young linebackers that can fly around and make plays. All three--Andra Davis, Kevin Bentley and Ben Taylor--run well. Davis looks like a future Pro Bowl middle linebacker.... The officiating has been poor this season. What else is new? It's terrible every year. They brought back instant replay, and they still screw up half of those plays that are reviewed. As a player, you just have to play through that and hope that there's not a bad call at the end of the game that costs you.... The Vikings have a lot of interceptions because 1) they've been ahead in a lot of games, which has forced the other teams to throw the ball more, and 2) they've had more pressure up front, which has created more opportunities for those defensive backs to make plays on the ball. They've placed an emphasis on making the quarterback throw a higher ball by having the defensive linemen get their hands up in his face more often. When the quarterback can't get into those throwing lanes or gets his passes tipped, that's ...