Minnesota Vikings: Grading the First Half of the Season

People often say hindsight tends to play tricks on the mind. After all, the line between fiction and reality can be a bit blurry when analyzed initially.

One of the great things about sports, though, is the said line between fiction and reality is almost impossible to misinterpret. You tune into your television sets Sunday and watch Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers put on a clinic and then realize there is no denying what you just saw.

Once the performance is out there, it's solidified as fact.

That's one of the unique things about football, and sports in general. What you see is what you get. Sure, stats can mislead you a bit at times, but it's still hard to deny how a team or player is doing when it's presented right before your eyes.

Taking that into consideration, said hindsight can either be cruel or rewarding, depending on who is being analyzed. To say this season for the Minnesota Vikings has been disappointing would be a major understatement. 

How about epically disappointing? It hasn't all been bad, though.

Any fan of the Vikings can attest to the fact there are a plethora of solid pieces to build around in the years to come. But before we look ahead to this week's game against the Packers and the rest of the season going forward, here's a glimpse at how some of the Vikings have played during this first half of football.

In letter grade style, here are your top seven performers, both good and bad, through the first half of the season.

Honorable Mention: Christian Ponder

Sure, Ponder may very well be the player who changes the fortune of this season from miserable to average.

He just hasn't logged enough field time to be warranted for a spot on this list. Unfortunately, then, we have to give the coveted QB spot to No. 5.

1. Donovan McNabb

Hindsight tells us McNabb had an absolutely abysmal stretch as the Vikings head honcho. Yet it's easy to completely ignore the fact his stats tell a bit of a different story.

Through the first five weeks, McNabb had a 60 percent completion percentage, which is actually a above his career average. Moreover, McNabb only turned the ball over on two occasions, but what does that really tell us?

Well, it speaks volumes to fact that stats don't really mean a whole lot when it comes to overall production towards your team.

In a league where confidence from both your teammates and your inner person are huge factors for success, McNabb seemed to fail at both.

Like Favre before him, McNabb never really seemed to light that spark under his teammates in the way Ponder has. Going forward, that is essential.

So while technically speaking, McNabb didn't play all that badly, he also didn't play well enough to give his coaches, fellow players and fans any real reason to want to keep him in. 

Grade: C-

2. Adrian Peterson

With Adrian Peterson, you have a running back who is the standard by which other running backs throughout the league are judged.

Whether it's Arian Foster or Michael Turner, each week produces another talented back who is then compared to Peterson. In a league where one good season can earn you such a distinction, (Chris Johnson), it's easy to overlook the true extent to which a player is or isn't producing.

Having said that, Adrian Peterson is having another fantastic year that warrants such praise. 

Through eight games, Peterson has rushed for 795 yards, which puts him 122 yards behind the leader, Fred Jackson.

Coupled with the fact he's second in touchdowns, it's hard to deny Peterson is having a more than productive year.

What's more impressive, though, may just be that Peterson continues to get better with the passing of another year.

He's improved his receiving ability, which in turn led him to a career high of 76 yards in last week's win against the Panthers. He's also cut down on his fumbles, losing just a measly two in his last 24 games.

Peterson may end the year a few yards back from the rushing title, and the Vikings themselves may continue their struggles throughout the remainder of the season.

Still, Peterson not only alters opposing teams' defensive schemes each week, he continues to make all the players around him look much worse than they really are.

He's just that good.

Grade: A

3. Cedric Griffin

It doesn't seem like that long ago when Cedric Griffin seemed to be materializing into a Pro Bowl-caliber player. The 2008 and 2009 seasons showed the Vikings seemed to have something special brewing on the defensive side of the ball.

Aside from Antoine Winfield, Griffin slowly began showcasing his ability to go up against the league's best and come out successful on the other side.

2009 was Griffin's crowning achievement, as he managed four interceptions alongside 60+ tackles. Then, in the blink of an eye, not one but two tears would seemingly spell disaster for Griffin's career.

With that, it's a bit difficult to be too harsh on a player who seems to have taken a few steps back in terms of overall development.

His ability to stop on a dime and turn has diminished, and the speed that used to be one of his great strengths has been somewhat non-existent.

Moreover, it's fair to suggest the confidence a player needs to posses in order to be successful at this elite level has evaporated from Griffin's overall aura. 

At the end of the day, though, wasn't that to be expected?

It should be more of a negative reflection on the Vikings staff as a whole as apposed to Griffin's inability to regain the form he once had. In what instance has a player torn his ACL in both knees, all the while maintaining the same level of play he had before?

One would imagine that more times than not you'd get similar results to what the Vikings have seen from Griffin thus far.

While it's tough to fault a guy who has  showcased a ton of heart and determination, his level of play just hasn't been high enough for the Vikings to continue to give him reps week in and week out.

It would be a great story for a guy like Griffin to eventually regain the form Vikings fans grew to love. The problem is, in today's NFL, you're judged by the performance you give right now.

And the performances Griffin has given lately don't reflect highly on the hopes of a future resurgence.

Grade: D

4. Jared Allen

In terms of sacks, Jared Allen is certainly having a career year. Moreover, he seems to always be around whenever a big play breaks in the favor of the Vikings' defensive squad.

Yet eight games in, something seems to be slightly askew for Allen. Sure, it's plausible to assume that for a guy who's as competitive as Allen, lapses in effort and energy can pop up from time to time when a season is going as badly as this season has for the Vikings.

Dating back to the 2010 season, Allen has had to perform while surrounded by turmoil. One wonders how a guy at the apex of his career has been able to suit up each week.

If nothing else, it's a testament to the character Allen does posses. 

It may appear outlandish to fault a guy like Allen, who's played at such a high level for such a long time. And even going one step further, it may be outlandish to fault a guy who's half a sack away from leading the NFL.

But that very positive trait about Allen can prove to be as big of a flaw.

Because he has set such a high standard, and because we are used to seeing No. 69 flying all over the TV screen, it's startling to watch a Vikings game and have to ask, "Where the heck has Allen been?" 

While these instances have been few and far between, and certainly not drastic enough to deny the overall impact he has had this season, it's been just enough for Leslie Frazier to call out the lack of intensity throughout the defensive line.

With Ponder at the helm, however, it's likely the newly found energy that seems to be coursing through the veins of every other player will more than ignite Allen in the remaining games.

Grade: A-

5. Percy Harvin

Stomach aches, bruised ribs, and headaches aside, Percy Harvin continues to be one of the NFL's most dynamic playmakers. Issues seem to be part of the deal with Harvin, yet few have been serious enough to truly diminish the impact he has had throughout his young tenure as a Minnesota Viking.  

Simply put, Harvin is a touchdown threat waiting to happen.

The one problem is Harvin has found himself playing in a situation that he's both not suited for and not overly comfortable in.

When the Vikings let Sidney Rice go, most thought they would make a major push to fill the spot with another top receiver. Instead, they simply put Harvin in his place and hoped for the best.

While it hasn't necessarily been a bad thing to have Harvin as the main deep threat, can you imagine how productive he might be if he was in his typical slot position?

In all fairness, he's still managed to produce in his new role as the team's top receiver. And coupled with the resurgent Michael Jenkins, it could end up developing into a productive combo for Ponder to utilize in the next couple years.

Harvin's overall production shows up in more ways than one, though, and that's the main reason he will be a dynamic player for years. He's always a threat when returning a kickoff or punt, his downfield blocking is better than most third-year receivers and he's a highlight machine when given the ball in the backfield.

If you want to get the most out of Harvin, put him in the slot.

Settling for the second best scenario, though, is still better than most could ask for.

Given it usually takes a few years for a player to settle into his role as an NFL starter, there is a very scary thought in that Harvin could just now be maturing into his full potential.

To think Harvin could only become more dangerous as time progresses means the Vikings have a great player, regardless of where they stick him.

Grade: B

6. Steve Hutchinson

Steve Hutchinson is a shoo-in Hall of Famer once he calls it quits from his impressive career. Continuing in the long-running tradition of Pro Bowl offensive lineman to grace the Minnesota Vikings roster, Hutchinson has been a rare talent unseen since the days of Randall McDaniel.

In other words, you won't find many players who can equal or surpass the level of consistency Hutchinson has maintained since being in the NFL.

Injuries and age have started to catch up with Hutch a bit, as his on-field production has slowly started to decrease. Even at a bit of a decline, though, an older Steve Hutchinson would still start on just about any team in the NFL.

For a guy who is known for going entire seasons without so much as a penalty, it's much easier to notice the little dips in performance in comparison to someone who always plays at a middle level of football.

The offensive line for the Vikings seems to have improved over the last few weeks, however.

Dating back to the dreadful 2010 season, offensive line play had been in an overall decline for the Vikings roster. With the trade of Bryant McKinnie at the beginning of the 2011 season acting as an apex to the drama that has plagued the line, Hutchinson has still been that consistent force opening holes for Peterson.  

You're not going to see Hutchinson give up many sacks, and it's likely the 10-year vet still has some football left in the tank. But the occasional penalty mixed in with his string of nagging injuries seems to suggest the all-time great's 2011 season has been a slight step down in comparison to his dominant years past.

Grade: B

7. Kevin Williams

The Oklahoma State alum has been an immovable force for the Minnesota Vikings ever since they drafted him back in 2003. Coupled with former Viking Pat Williams, the then-dominant "Williams Wall" was synonymous throughout the NFL as the premier defensive front.

If you wanted to run against the Vikings during said tenure, you were going to have to do it in the opposite direction. 

Playing in his ninth seasons as the Vikings' defensive tackle, Williams has always managed to be productive in one way or another. For a stretch of time, Williams was constantly double-teamed, which in turn seemed to open things up for the rest of the defense.

In recent years, however, teams have focused more of their attention on wild man Jared Allen.

One would then think this would essentially open things up for the six-time Pro Bowler. After all, if you try to stop one of them, the other will get through. Wishful thinking, of course, yet allowing Williams to again assert himself as a dominant force along the defensive line has proved harder than some would have thought. 

With eight long and tedious seasons logged along the defensive line, it's fair to assume a player's production would gradually start to decline with each passing season.

And maybe Williams's lackluster year thus far can simply be chalked up to that very philosophy.

However, what's a year in decline for Williams supposed to look like? Maybe a handful of sacks and just over the double-digit point in tackles?

Sure, that's somewhat reasonable. If someone were to say 10 tackles and zero sacks, however, it would be hard to imagine Williams could be responsible for such numbers.

Unfortunately, though, such is the case for Kevin Williams's 2011 campaign.

Some might throw out the tidbit that he missed the first two games of the season (suspension), all the while battling a nagging foot injury. Some might even suggest his current slump is but a minor blip on a giant radar. More to that point, Williams does deserve a tiny bit of leeway when you take into consideration the fact he's performed at such a high level for such a long time.

However, valid points aside, the numbers in this case paint too vibrant a picture—Kevin Williams's 2011 season has been one to forget.

There have been players in the past who have seemingly reached their peak, only to regain the greatness they once possessed. Moreover, the last two seasons have been extremely tricky for almost every player wearing a Minnesota Vikings jersey, maybe even more so for a guy like Williams.

For a guy who has played at such a high standard for such a long time, though, Williams is simply in search of some of that fire coursing through Christian Ponder and the rest of the Vikings locker room.

Regardless of what the future holds for Williams, look no further than Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers to bring out just a taste of that desperately needed fire.

Grade: C-