National Football League

Dome damage fitting during fallen season for Vikes

Published Dec. 14, 2010 3:45 a.m. ET

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The Minnesota Vikings were already cracking under the weight of conflict, expectations and injuries this year before a snowstorm roared into town and the roof of their domed stadium literally collapsed.

The accident and the uproar over when and where to play their next game seem a fitting metaphor for a team with a 41-year-old wounded quarterback in Brett Favre, an interim head coach after the firing of Brad Childress and a losing record in a season that began with the Super Bowl as the only goal.

''I don't think there's anybody on our team that can stand back and say, 'You know what? I've done my part,''' said Leslie Frazier the day he took over for Childress with the Vikings at 3-7.

They won their first two since the coaching change, restoring some confidence and energy to the locker room. But there will be no reversing the disappointment, with their elimination from playoff contention official after Monday's 21-3 loss to the New York Giants. This talented, veteran group has gone from a dominant team that lost in the NFC championship game by three points a year ago to a dysfunctional squad that sputtered from the start.

The story of the 2010 Vikings hasn't simply been the loss of last year's winning touch. The entire season has been a can't-make-this-up drama that has managed to top itself each week.

''Just when you think you've seen it all, there's always tomorrow,'' quick-witted punter Chris Kluwe posted on Twitter this weekend.

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie, whose career in Minnesota started in 2002 with a three-month contract holdout and has been marked by the escapades of Randy Moss and the shenanigans of the bye-week boat party in 2005, summed it up on Twitter: ''I promise this season has been the weirdest by far in my 9yrs here.''

His comment came Sunday, after the Vikings learned their stadium was unusable for the weekend, sending them to Detroit for Monday night's game against the Giants. While Metrodome officials assessed the repair process, the goal was to fix the roof in time for next Monday night's game, the home finale, against Chicago.

Wherever the Vikings play their remaining games, there will be plenty of attention as Favre winds down his 20th season and likely his epic career. He remains under an NFL investigation over alleged inappropriate messages and photos sent to a Jets game hostess two years ago.

''Every time I come to work, I see the news trucks sitting out there,'' linebacker Ben Leber said last month. ''I feel like something is going on. I roll in and keep my ears open.''

Several star players, including running back Adrian Peterson and wide receiver Sidney Rice, decided to spend most of the offseason working out on their own rather than join the majority of the team at Winter Park, the team's suburban offices and practice facility. Childress wasn't pleased.

Then there was the summer-long wait for Favre, who for the second straight year was recovering from surgery and waited until the middle of training camp to commit to another season. This time, it took an in-home visit by three of his teammates to persuade him to come back.

Rice needed surgery on his hip, wide receiver Percy Harvin had another bad bout with migraine headaches and after Favre's late arrival the offense had trouble getting going.

The Vikings traded a third-round draft pick to New England for Moss, who didn't make much of an impact on the passing game and then was hastily dumped by Childress after deciding the team was better off without him. Childress was fired a few weeks later amid player grumbling.

''It's just a whirlwind,'' wide receiver Greg Camarillo said recently. ''We've had highs. We've had lows. We've had crazy news. We've had regular news. Even when there's no news there always seems to be something to make the news.''

Then Favre sprained his throwing shoulder after a jarring hit against Buffalo, threatening his NFL-record streak of 297 straight games started. And that was before last weekend's blizzard blew in.

''Our guys are resilient. They are professionals. This is what we do for a living. They will adjust,'' Frazier said Sunday. ''We talk all of the time about being able to handle adversity and they will handle this.''

Favre has insisted all along, despite all the setbacks, that he doesn't regret his decision to return.

''This team has had really good attitude. We've had great effort. We'll see where we fall here at the end of the year,'' Favre said. ''I'm glad I came back. I wish at this point we were in better shape, but there's no guarantees. I enjoy working with these guys. It's been a struggle. Just the polar opposite of last year. But you know what? Again, I'm glad I'm here and hopefully we can finish this thing strong.''

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