I arrived in London on Monday. That feels like a month ago. Between the Vikings' appearances and practices, the intrigue surrounding the quarterback position, some sightseeing and pub-visiting and cobblestone-treading, this has felt like a very long week.

A pleasant, interesting, long week. It's strange to be in a place where I don't feel the need to read every last bit of the sports section or turn on the ``telly." It's strange to be six hours ahead of Minneapolis time. It's strange, mostly, to be in an English-speaking country where I'm jealous of another form of English.

Our bus hostess' accent sounds a bit like a British woman imitating Jon Stewart imitating the Queen of England. At dinner last night, we sat next to a table of Brits who seemed to be celebrating some sort of reunion. I understood even the portions of their conversation I couldn't understand.

My favorite experience of the week might be listening to our Chip Scoggins, who has retained his Tennessee accent, trying to communicate with Brits, who immediately call for a translator.

During the Olympics, we stayed in slightly more working-class neighborhood. There were fewer good restaurants, and I made fun of the quality of food.

It's all about location. We're staying in a more upper-crust neighborhood on this trip, and the food has been excellent,

Today, the Vikings will make an appearance at a block party in PIccadilly Circus, and then there will be no more access or appearances until the game.

I'm ready to see a game.

This could be a pivotal game for a lot of people. If Leslie Frazier starts 0-4, he may not have a chance to keep his job. If Matt Cassel performs well, Christian Ponder may never be an NFL starter again. If Cassel fails, he may never be considered a viable NFL option again. If Bill Musgrave doesn't find a way to use Cordarrelle Patterson, his job may be in jeopardy.

I have a hunch Cassel will play well, Jerome Felton will help spring Adrian Peterson and the game will become a shootout.

-------------------

We'll host the last Ron Gardenhire Show of the season at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on 1500ESPN, then I'll co-host Sunday Sports Talk from London with Scott Korzenowski running the show from Treasure Island Casino from 10-noon.

Please follow me on Twitter at @Souhanstrib, and check in at startribune.com for more features and videos from London.