Minnesota Vikings' Secret Weapon: Visanthe Shiancoe?!

"Because Shiancoe caught the touchdown."

That's what one of my best friends said to me, explaining why the Minnesota Vikings beat the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 21, and after I had asked him what he thought of the game.

To any nonchalant football fan, this might not mean anything, but to those of you who were suckered in to drafting Shiancoe through fantasy football, or fundamental football fans in general, I can only imagine your pain. Numerous publications have frequently noted Shiancoe's failures to do his job and haul in touchdown passes.

This 2008 edition is only the latest example of Shiancoe's apparent ineptitude. In a very ugly field-goal dominated Week Two game vs. the underachieving Indianapolis Colts, the Vikings' tight end dropped a touchdown that proved to be the difference in an 18-15 defeat at home, in the Metrodome, to a very subpar team.

Granted, it would have been an exceptional sliding catch to the left out-of-bounds sideline, but he had it, and he dropped it.

The Vikings lost because Shiancoe didn't catch the touchdown. I would hope that five years and $13 million would prove to be all the incentive one would need to improve on past mistakes.

That's right, according to several Minnesota media sources and fan message boards, which have been rightfully critical of their 2007 prize offseason acquisition, Shiancoe has done this before, often in critical times. One message board I read debated the actual number of touchdowns he dropped, with the poster concluding "3 or 4 depending on your view."

Why make such a fuss over the 91st pick in the 2003 draft out of Morgan State? Besides the monetary considerations and the expectations that come with signing that contract, you also have to consider that coincidental the team thought highly enough of you to make you a starter in an offense seemingly built around your strengths.

In addition to this, it can be frustrating for Minnesota sports fans to seemingly have to tolerate this every few weeks from the same player.

Good thing he's already in the second year of that five year contract I eluded to earlier. Or maybe Minnesota fans actually expect more out of a player whose number—81—was nostalgically worn by two-time Pro Bowler Anthony Carter about 20 years prior.

Maybe people just expect too much from the 45th-rated overall tight end in ESPN's fantasy rankings, after all, Shiancoe is nestled in between the household names of Brad Cottam of the sorry Kansas City Chiefs and Robert Royal of the upstart Buffalo Bills.

Yesterday, during a very thrilling Monday Night football game versus the New Orleans Saints, Vikings running back, yes running back, Chester Taylor lobbed a very well-timed trick pass to No. 81, this time headed for the right half of the end zone, and this time, he caught it. Minnesota won the game 30-27 in part, because Shiancoe caught the touchdown.

Maybe the moral to the story is Shiancoe should run right instead of left. Maybe he should line up on the right side instead of the left. Maybe he should have half-backs throwing to him instead of mentally inconsistent quarterbacks like Tarvaris Jackson, who was replaced the following week by journeyman Gus Frerotte, much to the celebration from core Vikings fans.

Maybe the Vikings' coaches should take note and further incorporate Shiancoe into their offensive scheme. After all, what better way to redeem a player than to give him multiple opportunities?

All I know is the Vikings are 2-1 with Frerotte at the helm and more importantly, 2-0 this season when Visanthe Shiancoe successfully catches a touchdown pass. While he may not get the accolades that his counterparts Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, or Antonio Gates receive, no fanbase seems as affected or dejected by the way their tight end plays any given week than Minnesota, who rests their fate in Shiancoe's shaky hands.

It should come as no surprise to any casual fan that a correlation between the success of this team exists and depends on the production they get out of this position each week. One quick glance at the box score will be a good indication, all things considered, beyond the final score, of how the team did. It starts and ends here as far as many Vikings fans are concerned.

As of right now, Shiancoe ranks, surprisingly, eighth overall in tight end scoring in the ESPN fantasy leagues. Perhaps no one is more important to their team's (and fanbase's) ultimate success and overall sanity Visanthe Shiancoe.

So now what do you tell someone the next time they ask you to explain the keys to victory—or more likely, why the Minnesota Vikings were able to win?

Excuse me, I think I hear my phone...