Taking Off the Purple Shades: A look At the 2009 Minnesota Vikings

But perhaps even the most hopeful and die-hard Vikings fans must learn to accept that their season won’t always be as it appears through purple colored lenses; so, let’s take a look.

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a season in which they captured their first division title since 2000; they look to continue that success this year. The NFC North was considered one of the weaker divisions in the NFL in 2008, but every team made improvements that will make it a tough task for the Vikings to repeat as division champs.

Even with the departure of veteran players Matt Birk and Darren Sharper, the Vikings have the talent necessary to be the best team in the division. Adrian Peterson will continue to be a dominating force in the back field, especially with his plans to add 12 pounds of muscle.

The Vikings first two draft picks should see significant play all season; Florida WR Percy Harvin will look to stretch the field with his athleticism and versatility and Oklahoma OT Phil Loadholt is a candidate to start at the right tackle position. The defense will also receive a huge boost with the return of MLB E.J. Henderson from toe injury.

Ultimately, the Vikings destiny rests on what kind of play they get from the most important position on the field. Expectations are high in terms of Sage Rosenfels’ ability to bring consistency to play at quarterback—something that Tarvaris Jackson has struggled with.

As it stands now, Jackson and Rosenfels will battle it out during training camp to see who is going to lead this team; however, speculation that Brett Favre will come out of retirement and join the Vikings is heating up and if his partially torn right biceps tendon can heal completely, he would be an upgrade to any quarterback currently on the roster.

He could be the quarterback that head coach Brad Childress has wished for since coming to Minnesota. We will all have to wait and see what happens here, but Favre could be the missing piece to the puzzle.

Another looming issue will determine the fates of Pro Bowl defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams. They may still be required to serve the four-game suspensions that a Minnesota judge lifted last season. Both players violated the NFL’s drug policy by testing positive for bumetanide, a banned substance that is found in the product StarCaps.

Losing them for a quarter of the season would be a tremendous setback for the top ranked run defense in the NFL in 2008. If ruled that the players will not have to serve the suspensions, the Vikings will continue to be near impossible to run on and DE Jared Allen will be able to take advantage of one-on-one matchups all season long.

While many questions remain going into training camp, the Vikings have a legitimate shot at winning the division for a second straight season. They have the second easiest schedule based on opponent’s winning percentages from 2008 and should be favorites in their first five games.

It is important that the Vikings establish a strong foundation early on; they put themselves in a 0-2 hole last year but were able to finish strong at 10-6. If they can remain consistent for an entire year, they could win 11 or more games this season and even clinch a bye week.

A spot in the divisional round is definitely a possibility and with a player like Favre they may even find themselves playing for the NFC Championship; however, the Vikings defense is still vulnerable in the passing game and this is where the elite teams in the NFC are capable of picking them apart. Consequentially, it still may be a couple of years before the Vikings are competing for a Super Bowl.

With that being said, it looks to be an exciting season ahead. Just remember: please drink your purple Kool-Aid responsibly.