Predicting the Top Offensive, Defensive Stat Leaders for the Minnesota Vikings

When the Minnesota Vikings open the season at Mall of America Field on September 9 against the Jaguars, there will be plenty of new faces to help the team battle their way out of the basement of the NFC North. With only nine victories over the past two seasons, there's no doubt that the Vikings are in the rebuilding process.

General manager Rick Spielman currently has the Vikings roster at the NFL maximum of 90 players in an attempt to address most of the teams needs this offseason.

In the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he upgraded the offensive line with the selection of left tackle Matt Kalil with the fourth pick, and with the 29th pick, he addressed the defensive backfield by drafting Harrison Smith. 

With some key free-agent signings, the Vikings upgraded their receiving corp by adding tight end John Carlson and wide receiver Jerome Simpson. They also got deeper at cornerback with Chris Carr and Zack Bowman.

Still, the Vikings will be counting on the leadership of their star players, like running back Adrian Peterson and receiver Percy Harvin on offense and Jared Allen, Chad Greenway and Antoine Winfield on defense.

The Vikings are also counting on the improvement of some of their young starters as they develop into potential stars. Second-year players Christian Ponder and Kyle Rudolph need to be better on offense, and first-year starter Jasper Brinkley at middle linebacker and third-year player Chris Cook at cornerback need to live up to their potential. 

Here's a very early look at who will be the Vikings' statistical leaders on both sides of the ball in 2012.

Starting with a Given: Passing Yards

I've said it before, and I will reiterate—there is no quarterback competition for the Vikings. It's Christian Ponder's job to lose, and the leash will be pretty long. 

Last season he started 10 games for the Vikings, finishing with a 2-8 record, with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and a 70.1 passer rating. His effectiveness was impacted by the fact he was sacked 30 times and really did not have a No. 1 receiver on the outside that could stretch the field.

The Vikings have addressed both of these needs through free agency and the draft. Along with being able to participate in the full complement of offseason activities, Ponder will be better prepared for the upcoming 2012 season.

Still, fans need to keep in mind that this is only his second year in the NFL, and he still needs time to develop. His inexperience will cause him to make plenty of mistakes.

A quick scan of several NFL quarterback's second season in the NFL indicate the results are varied, depending greatly on the talent surrounding them.

Tom Brady finished with an 11-3 record in 2001 when he replaced Drew Bledsoe for the Patriots. Jay Cutler, the Broncos' first-round pick in 2006, went 8-8 with 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions his second year. On the opposite end, Sam Bradford, selected first overall by the Rams in 2010, finished last season 1-9 with a 70.5 passer rating.

Ponder's stats in 2012: 3,200 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 7-9 record as the starter.

Rushing Yards

Since the Vikings drafted him with the seventh selection in the 2007 draft, Adrian Peterson has been the Vikings' rushing leader.  Playing in only 12 games, he finished with 970 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Despite the devastating knee injury he suffered against the Redskins last Christmas Eve, there's no reason to believe that trend to end.  Entering only his sixth season, Peterson needs only 66 yards to become the Vikings' leading ground gainer in franchise history, surpassing Robert Smith, who played with the Vikings from 1993 to 2000.

Toby Gerhart, who picked up the slack by starting five games last season, was second on the team with 531 yards. Wide receiver Percy Harvin, who filled in when both Peterson and Gerhart were out due to knee injuries, was third with 345 rushing yards. 

Peterson has an ambitious goal to be ready when the Vikings open the season against the Jaguars.

Head coach Leslie Frazier would be wide to ease Peterson back into the full-time running back position, assuring that the best running back in the NFL is completely recovered from the surgery to repair both his ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee.

Frazier has indicated that Gerhart will carry most of the load early in the season. Even so, Peterson is eager to prove he is still the best.

Rushing Leader: Adrian Peterson with 1,120 yards.

Receiving Yards

Percy Harvin has been the Minnesota Vikings' leading receiver the last two seasons.The problem is that Harvin has not been able to break the 1,000-yard receiving mark, averaging 918 yards.

Since 2000, only three Vikings have surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Randy Moss accomplished the feat over four consecutive seasons from 2000 to 2003. Nate Burleson displaced Moss in 2004 as the Vikings' top receiver with 68 receptions for 1,006 yards.

The only other receiver to accomplish the task has been Sidney Rice in 2009, Harvin's rookie year with the Vikings, when Brett Favre was slinging the ball for the Purple. Rice finished with 1,312 yards.

With an upgrade to the Vikings' receiving corp, and some better protection for quarterback Christian Ponder, there will be another 1,000-yard season for a Viking.

It will not be Percy Harvin.

Greg Childs, one of the Vikings' two wide receivers from Arkansas taken in the fourth round, will live up to the potential projected when he led the Razorbacks in receptions, yards and touchdowns during his sophomore season in 2009.

Childs will fly under the radar screen of many defensive coordinators when the season opens and will have a fast start. The league will take notice, and his numbers will diminish, but not before establishing himself as the Vikings' No. 1 receiver.

Receiving Yards Leader: Greg Childs, 1,050 yards, 70 receptions and six touchdowns.

Touchdowns

In only 12 games last season Adrian Peterson led the Minnesota Vikings with 13 touchdowns—12 rushing and one receiving. His return to the lineup is very dependent on how quickly he can fully recover from the devastating knee injury he suffered against the Redskins last season.

The Vikings' offense will have several weapons to help score touchdowns this season. Toby Gerhart will carry the rushing load early until Peterson can convince the coaching staff he is ready.

The team has two very talented tight ends in John Carlson, whom the Vikings signed as a free agent, and second-year player Kyle Rudolph, the team's second-round draft pick from last year.

As well, Percy Harvin remains the Vikings' most explosive weapon on offense. Last season he led the Vikings with six touchdown catches. His ability to line up anywhere on the field makes him a threat to score at any time. Last season he led the Vikings with 1,832 all-purpose yards.

Even if Peterson doesn't open the season in the starting lineup, there's no reason to believe that he won't continue to lead the Vikings in scoring as he has done every year since being drafted in 2007. He owns the franchise mark with 64 rushing touchdowns and is currently ninth all-time in scoring for the Vikings.

Offensive leader in touchdowns: Adrian Peterson with 14—10 rushing and four receiving.

Moving to the Defense: Sacks

As easy as it was to select Christian Ponder as the passing leader for the Vikings, Jared Allen will lead the defense in sacks.

In his four seasons in Minnesota, Allen has led the Vikings with an average of 15.5 sacks.

Last season he set the Vikings' franchise record with 22 sacks, a mere half sack short of tying the record set by Michael Strahan in 2001.

The defensive line should be better in 2012. Brian Robison enters his second year as the starting defensive end opposite Allen, Kevin Williams will be healthy and available for the start of the season and Remi Ayodele is back in New Orleans.

Sacks leader: Jared Allen with 14. Although the total will be down, he will still be the Vikings' most disruptive force on defense. 

Tackles

A knee injury that wiped out his rookie season is the only thing to prevent linebacker Chad Greenway from leading the Vikings in tackles every season since being drafted with the 17th pick in the first round of 2006 NFL draft.

Since breaking into the starting lineup in 2007, he has started 79 of 80 games, averaging 87.5 tackles per season.

While Greenway has not been flashy, he has been the Vikings' most consistent player on defense.

The Vikings' defense will return six starters from the opener of last season, seven if you include Kevin Williams, who started the season serving a two-game suspension.  

There will be two new starters at safety, as well as a huge improvement in depth at cornerback and defensive line.

The biggest concern right now is the depth at linebacker. Greenway has the most experience as the Vikings' starting outside linebacker since 2007. Erin Henderson returns for his second year as the starter, and Jasper Brinkley takes over at middle linebacker, a position he started four times in 2009 for an injured E.J. Henderson.

Outside of these three, the Vikings' roster currently only has one other player with starting experience. The Vikings signed Marvin Mitchell, a special teams player with only three starts on defense over four seasons with the Saints and one with the Dolphins.

Leader in tackles: Chad Greenway with 100 tackles.

Interceptions

The Minnesota Vikings' defense was so anemic at intercepting passes last season. They set the dubious mark of going nine games without an interception—something that had never been accomplished.

Over the past dozen years, the Vikings' interception leader has averaged four picks a season. That average is helped by safeties Darren Sharper, who led the Vikings with nine in 2005, and Brian Russell, who had eight in 2003.

Harrison Smith, the Vikings' second first-round draft pick, will be one of the starters at safety.

Potentially, his college teammate Robert Blanton could start along side him on defense.

While Smith will have his share of rookie mistakes in 2012, he will also prove why the Vikings moved up from the second round to ensure they could select him.

Team leader in interceptions: Harrison Smith with five.

Defensive Touchdowns

If the Minnesota Vikings are going work their way out of the NFC North basement, the defense will have to be better and provide an occasional lift to the offense by adding to the scoring total.

The defense was shut out in 2011. It was the first time since 2000 that the Vikings did not score a single defensive touchdown. The high-water mark came in 2007 when Kevin Williams led the defense with two of their eight touchdowns.

The active leaders for defensive touchdowns on the Vikings' roster are cornerback Antoine Winfield and Williams with four each. Jared Allen is next with two touchdowns. Allen is also the Vikings' franchise leader with four sacks. 

Defensive Touchdowns: Jared Allen with two.