VIKINGS FANTASY NEWS

March 1, 2006 11:00 AM ET

Could this offseason get more interesting? Starting last training camp with Matt Birk inexplicably coming off the PUP list only to be put on injured reserve a few weeks later, Minnesota has only continued to top itself. There was the late-night arrests of two offensive linemen (they later walked due to bogus charges), Daunte Culpepper's tailspin followed by knee shredding, the "love boat" scandal, the awe-inspiring comeback of Koren Robinson and the constant questions at the end of the season regarding the future of the coaching staff.

The offseason got started about a half hour after the Vikings beat the Bears cheerleaders as Chicago's regulars rested with the playoffs two weeks away. Coach Mike Tice was taken into seclusion immediately following the contest by the Wilf brothers and told of his unpleasant fate. After press releases were handed to the assembled media with news of Tice's firing, Zygi Wilf slammed on the gas to get his people in place.

First, it was time to get a head personnel guy. So, Zygi called up Eagles vice president of player personnel Tom Heckert, who agreed to come interview but never made it to Minnesota after getting a bump in his title and paycheck from Philadelphia. Switching gears, Zygi decided to beat the other nine teams looking for new coaches to the punch. After four days of intense interviewing and negotiations, Philly offensive coordinator Brad Childress was named the Vikes' new head man.

It took little time to figure out what kind of head coach Childress would be – a no-nonsense, his-way-or-the-highway-style of leader. Childress almost immediately cleaned house with the coaching staff, even dispatching of long time head athletic trainer Chuck Barta. He then brought in a young, talented – but most importantly – obedient group of assistants that he was convinced would share their ideas and expertise, but at the end of the day concede to whatever Childress wants to do on both sides of the ball. Mike Tomlin, a college teammate of Vikings safety Darren Sharper was brought in as the defensive coordinator fresh off his stint as defensive backs coach of Tampa Bay. Darrell Bevell, who was most recently the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay (yes, he's younger than Brett Favre), was hired on to be the offensive coordinator. Bevell played quarterback for Childress when he was an offensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin in the mid-1990s.

To round things off on the business side, San Diego Chargers director of pro scouting Fran Foley was hired as Minnesota's new personnel guy, finishing off what Wilf dubbed the "triangle of authority." Childress, not surprisingly, is at the top of the triangle, while Foley and vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski are at the bottom. Wilf, apparently, is somewhere in the middle and doesn't want to be bothered.

Well, that was how he hoped things would go – but then Culpepper showed up at Winter Park wanting a significant pay increase. After all, don't all of us under-perform for half a year of work, take an extended leave of absence because of an injury that could permanently keep us from doing our work as well as we had in the past, then go in and ask our boss for a big raise? Wait, no one does that? Oh, my bad.

But, destroyed knee or rehabilitated destroyed knee, Daunte gets a $6 million bonus if he's still on the Vikings roster on March 17. Wilf has held fast that Daunte will get his money, but Childress won't publicly rule out cutting Culpepper before then or trading him. Minnesota has the money to eat the six-mill if they want to take a gamble on Daunte a) getting healthy and b) fitting in with Childress' system. But to be perfectly frank (can I still be Garth?), Culpepper has been coddled his whole career and no longer will be protected by the organization with Childress running the show. The two will inevitably butt heads, as both obviously like to be in control. Throw in the fact that Culpepper has reportedly asked for raises on three occasions this offseason and been denied every time, he's not exactly feeling that "Minnesota Nice" that supposedly exudes from all lifers of the land-o-lakes. Then again, Zygi's from New Jersey.

Needs
It's no secret that offensive line play was cause of several ills last season, and that's where Minnesota's list of needs begins. The Vikings realized last year just how important Birk is to their line, as communication and chemistry broke down with him in street clothes all season. Besides Birk, only Bryant McKinnie at left tackle is untouchable at this point, as Chris Liwienski, Anthony Herrera, Mike Rosenthal and Marcus Johnson all left something to be desired. Johnson has an excuse considering he was thrown in the starting lineup as a rookie at right guard. Johnson projects to be a right tackle, so an offseason of hard work could be the answer. Toniu Fonoti could be back at left guard, as he played just more than a half of one game for the Vikings after being acquired from San Diego. An in-shape Fonoti (dude is huge, 6-foot-4, and close to 400 pounds on whatever low-gravity planet NFL weights are recorded on) combined with McKinnie could make for a dominant left side. In short, left guard, right guard and right tackle are all positions that need some work this offseason.

Who will run behind that offensive line? That's another question entirely. Michael Bennett has been told he won't be brought back, and Childress' slip of the tongue when he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Mewelde Moore and Ciatrick Fason didn't have the talent to play running back in his system (he backtracked by saying he meant to say depth) show his true feelings for this backfield tandem. What about Mr. Whizzinator, Onterrio Smith? Well, its safe to say that the Wilf family, in an effort to project a clean, fan-friendly image while trying to get a new stadium built, doesn't need the words "prosthetic penis" to appear in any more stories along side the Minnesota Vikings – after this one, of course. There are three big-name free agents on the market – Shaun Alexander, Edgerrin James and Jamal Lewis – but the Vikings could also try to address this need with their first-round draft choice. The hot rumor of the moment has the Vikes taking a keen interest in Alexander's backup and fellow free agent, Maurice Morris.

On the defensive side of the ball, Minnesota is in desperate need of some linebackers. Sam Cowart and Keith Newman are both free agents, and both are likely gone. Newman has the speed to play in the Tampa-2 system that Tomlin will employ, but expect the new Vikings crew to bring in its own people. What about E.J. Henderson, Napoleon Harris and Raonall Smith? Here's to hoping they really like special teams – or being cut.

Sharper is coming off another Pro Bowl and returns to his free safety position. But Corey Chavous is most likely gone via free agency, leaving Dustin Fox as the only other available safety. Minnesota put the transition tag on free agent Brian Williams with the thought of possibly moving him to safety from cornerback, but Williams wants out of Minnesota like a waitress wants off a Vikings charter boat party. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that re-signing Willie Offord appeared imminent, but there's no telling how he will bounce back from his torn ACL. Fox sat out all of his rookie season because of a broken arm. Needless to say, quality depth is a glaring issue.

Salary Cap Situation
According to a bevy of reports in the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press, the Vikings are somewhere between $23-$24 million under the projected salary cap for 2006. You can buy a lot of cheeseburgers with that.

Unrestricted Free Agents
CB Brian Williams, S Corey Chavous, C Cory Withrow, LB Keith Newman, WR Koren Robinson, DE Lance Johnstone, C Melvin Fowler, RB Michael Bennett, RB Moe Williams, PK Paul Edinger, CB Ralph Brown, LB Raonall Smith, LB Sam Cowart, QB Shaun Hill, G Toniu Fonoti, S Willie Offord

Restricted Free Agents
WR, Nate Burleson

Free Agent Signings
FB, Joey Goodspeed

The Draft
The culmination of the Culpepper situation will certainly play a role in what the Vikings decide to do on draft day. Like all teams, Minnesota has played it close to the vest with its comments coming out of the combine and with details about the deteriorating relationship with Culpepper. But considering their needs, the Vikings will likely use their first-round pick on a running back if one they deem talented enough to fill the "Bryan Westbrook role" is still on the board at No. 17. Trading up is still a possibility, but there hasn't been much talk of it in the Twin Cities.

With the exception of one or two offensive linemen thrown into the mix, the Vikings will likely spend most of their draft snatching up speed on the defensive side of the ball. The Tampa-2 defense, which all 32 NFL teams apparently will be required to run in the next five years, requires quick thinking and fast acting, relying less on size and more on technique to get the job done. Minnesota is set on the defensive line with Kenechi Udeze coming back from microfracture surgery and Erasmus James entering his second season as the defensive ends. Kevin at Pat Williams are two of the best tackles in the league, so only a late-round selection in any of those areas would make much sense. As illustrated in the "Needs" section of this fine literary work, safeties and linebackers will be at a premium as far as the Vikings are concerned.

One other possibility for Minnesota is to draft a quarterback. Again, this reverts back to the Daunte situation, but regardless if he is back or not, the Vikings will need another quarterback. If someone sticks out as a diamond in the rough, don't be surprised to see Minnesota grab a QB with a late first-day or early second-day pick. None of the top signal callers will last long enough for the Vikings to snatch up one in the first round. At the end of the day, Brad Johnson is good enough to run the show for one, maybe two more years tops, but a young gun needs to be waiting in the wings regardless if Culpepper is around or not.

Injury Watch
Landing on IR was the "in" thing to do in Minnesota last year just because everyone saw Birk do it early in training camp. By the end of the season, nine players – including team captains Birk, Culpepper, and Offord – were on the shelf. The only one of the nine not projected to be ready for training camp? You guessed it, Frank Stallone. Wait, sorry. Culpepper.

Yes, DC is at the center of everything Vikings these days, and from a health standpoint he's the biggest question mark. Childress said in January that Daunte could do some light footwork drills in mini-camps, but that seems overly optimistic at this point. There's still a slight chance Culpepper could be ready for training camp, but it's too far away to make any accurate conjecture at this point. Plus, Daunte is rehabbing away from the team in Orlando, so keeping tabs on his progress is tough for anyone to do these days.

Moore struggled once again to hold up last season, but that worries Childress none since he will have someone else as his feature back. Birk's health is key, but he said in a radio interview on 830-WCCO this week that with the rest and the rehab he feels fantastic and ready to go come training camp.

Sharper, Fred Smoot, Nate Burleson and several others missed time with various ailments last season, but none of those injuries should have an impact this year. So, the eyes once again all fall on Daunte, as Minnesota must decide if the Culpepper saga will have chapters added in Purple or if Daunte's Viking ship has sailed.

More NFL Offseason News - More Teams...

Vikings 2006 Schedule...

More Bodog Football Articles...