EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Not much went right for the Minnesota Vikings last year, and this season's first month has been even worse.

They can't lose this weekend, because they've got a bye. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to worry about.

"You worry about everything when you're 0-4,'' coach Mike Tice said.

The beginning of Tice's regime has been rough, to say the least.

His left tackle, Bryant McKinnie, the top draft pick, held out of training camp and still isn't signed. Lewis Kelly, McKinnie's replacement, missed the first two weeks of the season after his wife and unborn child died of a rare blood disorder.

His quarterback, Daunte Culpepper, forced a pass into triple-coverage in Week 1 and was intercepted, setting up Chicago's game-winning touchdown.

His kicker, Doug Brien, missed two extra points in a wild overtime loss to Buffalo at the Metrodome.

His star receiver, Randy Moss, caught only four passes for 16 yards and got an earful from an agitated Culpepper on the sideline after another failed drive by a struggling offense in a Week 3 home defeat to Carolina.

Then Moss was arrested and jailed two days later for a run-in with a traffic control agent.

Moss suited up last Sunday night, only to drop five balls and watch his team give up 45 first-half points in a blowout loss to Seattle.

This week, a marijuana possession charge was added to Moss's rap sheet, creating the possibility of a suspension by the NFL, if found guilty, because he's already in the league's substance abuse program.

It's enough to give a rookie coach an ulcer.

"I don't know that I've been on a team that's come out of the blocks losing this many games in a row,'' Tice said. "It's hard on all of us.''

Tice has tried to keep a smile on his face, finding some respite in his "other'' job as coach of his son Nate's eighth-grade team.

At least one of Tice's teams has been successful.

"We're 5-0, so that's good,'' Tice said with a weary laugh. ``Maybe that's the only level I can win at.''

Unlike last year, when players frequently squawked on the sideline and coach Dennis Green mostly kept his distance from the turmoil, the Vikings still seem as unified as they were in training camp -- even with Culpepper's and Moss' histrionics.

After the defense lost a three-possession scrimmage Thursday following an unusually intense regular-season practice, Tice ran 100-yard sprints with his team as the offensive players offered encouragement by joining in.

"Before I knew it, except for the injured guys, we had the entire team running,'' Tice said. "It was supposed to be a losers' sprint.''

Though they're losing, none of the divisiveness seen last season has been noticeable yet.

"We're a team,'' center Matt Birk said. "You always say win as a team, lose as a team. We're just trying to stick together. A lot of stuff can happen in 12 games.''

Linebacker Greg Biekert joined the team just before the season opener, but he's quickly earned the defense's respect.

"It's human nature to have negative thoughts,'' Biekert said, "but it's the coaches' job and the leader's job to keep guys focused on the fact we've got a game coming up, and not the fact that we're 0-4. If you dwell on it, you'll end up going 0-16.''

The Vikings purged a significant chunk of their roster after last year's 5-11 finish and filled many of the spots -- most of them on defense -- with draft picks and lower-profile free agents.

Throw in a new coach and several new assistants, and it's not a surprise this team is experiencing some growing pains. But nobody expected it to be this bad, especially with an offense featuring Culpepper and Moss.

What's killed them is turnovers; the Vikings are last in the league with a minus-10 differential. Culpepper has thrown eight interceptions, and they've lost seven fumbles.

Because turnovers are a correctable mistake, the coaching staff has stressed the need to stick with the game plan and avoid making drastic changes.

Panicking is not allowed.

"We've got to expect good things to happen,'' said offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. "At some point in every game, we've self-destructed for two or three series. Other than that, we've played with everybody.''

It's a similar story on the other side of the ball.

"When we settle down and play the way we're supposed to, the young guys will be less of a disadvantage,'' said defensive coordinator Willie Shaw, who's supervising an eight-man secondary that includes four rookies. "The only way of improving is for the guys we have to get better.''

The concern, when the Vikings play next on Oct. 13 against Detroit, is they'll try too hard and find themselves in an even deeper hole.

"I've seen it,'' said guard Corbin Lacina. "I was on a Carolina team that started (0-7 in 1998). It's scary. Things really start to look bad.

"The effort is there,'' Lacina said. "We just have to keep playing hard.''