Five ways the 2008 Vikings could fail

By Jonathan Mohr  |   Thursday, March 27, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Minnesota Vikings
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Few teams in the NFL have proven as adept at snatching gut-wrenching failure from the jaws of seemingly inevitable victory as the Minnesota Vikings. So as the team retools this offseason, here are five ways the wheels could come off in 2008.

1. The most obvious: Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson doesn't grow, continues to turn the ball over and can't do enough to take pressure off the Vikings running game.

With a viable passing attack, Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor could both rush for 1,000 yards this season. Without one, the Vikings offense will once again struggle to sustain drives and score points.

The team was 15th in the league last year in scoring at 22.8 points per game. But that includes 8 defensive touchdowns, which, when subtracted from the total, would drop Minnesota to 21st.

The lack of receiving talent, combined with the relative inexperience of several players, contributed to last year's anemic passing attack. But Jackson should have the tools around him he needs to produce results in 2008. If he doesn't make it work this year, his career as a starter, and the Vikings season, will likely be over.

2. Suspension takes its toll: It’s hard to envision a scenario in which left tackle Bryant McKinnie doesn’t get suspended for at least two games, and more likely four, due to his February arrest in Miami. When that happens, Minnesota is going to have a big hole to fill at a vital position on the offensive line.

The good news is that the team has all offseason to prepare for that eventuality. The bad news is that there is currently nobody on the roster who seems capable of adequately filling in.

If the Vikings decide McKinnie will remain with the team and try to muddle through in his absence, the team might be in for a slow start in 2008. And that won’t please owner Zygi Wilf as he tries to build momentum for a new stadium.

The Vikings narrowly avoided local television blackouts for several games in 2007. If those blackouts become a reality in 2008, things could get very ugly, very quickly.

3. Pass defense continues its swoon: The Vikings were dead last in pass defense, with 264.1 yards allowed per game in 2007, nearly 100 more than league leading Tampa Bay, which allowed just 170.5. The addition of safety Madieu Williams, whose coverage skills are the strongest part of his game, should help. But the loss of Kenechi Udeze and Erasmus James will hurt a pass rush that wasn’t outstanding to begin with.

Cornerback Antoine Winfield will be another year older (31) when the season starts, and 2007’s other starter at that position, Cedric Griffin, will need to rebound from sophomore slump.

As things stand right now, the Vikings need more significant additions than cornerback Benny Sapp (signed Tuesday) if they expect to greatly improve their pass defense.

4. The wrong player gets hurt: All teams have players they can’t afford to lose. The Vikings are no exception.

Peterson’s injury concerns are well documented, and Taylor can carry the load if need be. But what if Jackson gets hurt? Raw as he is, the Vikings starter has much more talent and potential than backup Brooks Bollinger, who currently has nobody backing him up.

Remove free agent acquisition Bernard Berrian from the mix, and the Vikings are in even worse shape than last year at receiver - unless you view the loss of Troy Williamson as addition by subtraction, as some fans no doubt do.

And if either Steve Hutchinson or Matt Birk were to go down, the offensive line will be a patchwork of journeymen and unproven youth, especially given McKinnie’s situation.

5. A poor draft: The Vikings mantra is build through the draft. You horde draft picks, then make them count. The team did a great job of this in 2007 as several rookies played significant roles during the season.

The 2008 rookie class is, it seems, already being counted upon to have a similar impact and shore up significant areas of weakness, given the Vikings free agent moves thus far.

Who those players are, and how they perform this fall, will have a great deal to do with how the Vikings fare in 2008.
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About Jonathan Mohr

A lifelong Vikings fan, I live in the Twin Cities area (about a mile from Winter Park) and work as an editor at a boating magazine. As with all long-suffering Vikings fans, I patiently look forward to the day when Minnesota finally breaks through and wins a Super Bowl. Until then I eat my ...
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