By Chris Mortensen
Special to ESPN.com
Initially, even a month ago, my primary thought about the Vikings was that they won't be able to get over the NFC title loss to the Falcons. But then that was what I thought about the Denver Broncos when they lost to Jacksonville in the playoffs at home three years ago.
At the time Shannon Sharpe and other Broncos said they didn't know how they would get over that loss, that it could take three years. What we learned from that experience is great teams get over it. And Minnesota was a great team last year. There's no reason to think the Vikes won't be a great team this year.
Sometimes, we can overanalyze, and I think this will be one of those cases. The Vikings aren't going to go 15-1 again. That has only happened two other times (the '85 Bears and the '84 Niners) since the NFL went to a 16-game season. If they don't go 15-1, it won't mean the Vikings didn't get over the Atlanta game. If they go 12-4 or 11-5, then I think they will have bounced back. I think if you put a gun to my head right now and asked, "Who's going to the Super Bowl?" I'd say Minnesota and Jacksonville.
The Packers and the Buccaneers are also teams to watch. It wouldn't surprise me if the Vikings fell short of the Super Bowl again. But the Vikings have far too much talent. The other day I spoke to Cleveland Browns GM Dwight Clark, who finally got to see Randy Moss up close in a preseason game. And he was in awe of Moss. He described Moss as Deion Sanders on offense. There's no reason to think Moss isn't going to get better. He might be the best player in football.
The Vikings have struggled some in the preseason. There are a couple reasons for it. Last year, they were trying to prove a point, so they went undefeated in preseason. They had a new owner and were energized by that. This year, they are going through the typical veteran blahs where the offensive line is maybe saying, "When does the regular season begin?" It could be dangerous, and maybe we'll find out in the season opener against Atlanta whether it was dangerous to take that attitude.
But people keep forgetting their offensive line is one of the best in football. Their skill talent is probably the best in football. People think Randall Cunningham is going to turn into a pumpkin. I don't think he'll have an MVP-type year, but the talent around him is too good. If he does turn into a pumpkin, Jeff George will be Cinderella.
The defense has problems, but they had problems a year ago. They do have four or five Pro Bowl-caliber defensive players, like linebackers Dwayne Rudd and Ed McDaniel, defensive end John Randle and safety Robert Griffith. The Vikings will give up some points. They might have to win a game 60-50. But they are the only team in football capable of scoring 60 points.
The key for the Vikings will be their first four games. They play Atlanta, Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay. If they go 3-1 or 4-0, they will be fine. If they are 2-2 or 1-3, we'll say maybe they didn't get over the NFC title game loss. I'm betting they get over it.
|
|
By Merril Hoge
Special to ESPN.com
It will be very difficult for the Vikings to bounce back from their NFC Championship loss, because they need to have so many players play at almost a perfect level. Despite how well they played, they still fell short of the Super Bowl. I don't believe they will rebound enough to play at such a high level again.
Can you expect Randall Cunningham and Randy Moss to do the things they did last year on a consistent basis? I think that's what hurt them in the championship game. They failed to complete those deep balls that were nearly automatic all season long.
The Vikings suffered a key blow in the offseason, losing offensive coordinator Brian Billick. Nothing against Ray Sherman, who is very capable as Billick's replacement, but there's going to be an adjustment process. And that's not good when the Vikings face divisional rivals Green Bay and Tampa Bay in the first four weeks.
Offensively, they want to run the ball more. While that's great -- and what they should do -- how will that be perceived when they were so successful at throwing the ball last year, posting record numbers? That approach could set off some ill will which could lead to problems.
Defensively, can they step up and pull their weight and win games? I don't think they're strong enough to do that yet either. Their defense is more suspect than it was last year, with the losses of Corey Fuller, Jerry Ball and Derrick Alexander. They have too many question marks. So I think it's too much to ask a team to go 15-1 again and have all the good things that happened to them last year repeat itself.
The loss to the Falcons will carry over a little bit. Sometimes, it can be a positive in the sense that you want to prove people wrong. The media can create a sour image that could motivate the Vikings as if it were a battle cry.
Then again, they could be lulled into a false of security by all the great things they did last year. The Vikings could think that all they have to do is show up to make the same things happen again.
I think the Vikings will struggle mentally. That's one of the challenges Denny Green has, keeping this team focused on the objective and not get caught up in what happened last year and having it transfer over to last year. They have to make things happen, but I don't think they will -- at least to play for a Super Bowl.
|
