Vikings 'not satisfied' with season, but clean out lockers with optimism
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Slowly the Minnesota Vikings started to trickle into the locker room at the team facilities Monday following meetings. Players exchanged jerseys and boxed up their personal belongings to depart after a 7-9 season.
Instead of preparing for the playoffs, like divisional foes Green Bay and Detroit are doing, Minnesota is left to say goodbye and think about what might have been in a season that went off track following an impressive opening-week victory at St. Louis.
Ultimately, finishing 7-9 and missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons will stick with the Vikings. The mood in a filled locker room for the final time this season didn't bear the same disappointment that had defined many of those previous five seasons.
"This year, I think, the thing that is a good sign going into the offseason is nobody is satisfied where we are at," defensive end Brian Robison said. "A lot of people think that we had a good year comparatively to where we were a year ago, but none of us are satisfied where we are at. It still wasn't good enough for us, so that's a good thing when you can get a win and still not be satisfied and go into an offseason and be able to build on this and hopefully be better next year."
A year ago, the players cleaned out their lockers unsure of the offseason ahead. As reporters interviewed players for the final time last season, Minnesota hadn't yet decided the fate of head coach Leslie Frazier following a 5-10-1 season. Players expressed their support of Frazier, understanding the likelihood Frazier wouldn't return.
Many players weren't even sure if they would be back with the Vikings.
While the uncertainty of individual jobs is still present in the ever-changing NFL, Minnesota heads into the offseason sure coach Mike Zimmer will be leading the way. The Vikings have an identity, a head coach who oversaw a dramatic turnaround on defense and what appears to be a franchise quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater at the helm of the offense.
"Not that we're where we want to be, but it's trending that way," safety Harrison Smith said. "I think that's what you're seeing in the locker room."
There were no downtrodden feelings Monday as players and coached prepared to go their separate ways. Optimism was expressed from player to player after ending the season with a 13-9 victory against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
"I definitely get that same vibe," Smith said of the positivity. "I think there's a lot of confidence moving forward; not that we're happy with where we're at, but I think there's just a positive mindset of where we can go."
The Vikings lost star running back Adrian Peterson in Week 2 and then had to deal with three starting offensive linemen and tight end Kyle Rudolph missing large portions of the season. Second-year receiver Cordarrelle Patterson didn't have the breakout season many expected, and there were some growing pains along the way for a defense learning its way under Zimmer.
Yet, after a 2-5 start and having to transition to Bridgewater at quarterback following Matt Cassel's season-ending injury in Week 3, Minnesota demonstrated growth.
The Vikings were 6-6 in games started by Bridgewater, who finished with the third-best completion rate (64.4 percent) and the eighth-best quarterback rating (85.2) for a rookie in NFL history.
Optimism and hope ride on the arm of Bridgewater and the mind of Zimmer.
"The head coach and the quarterback are two positions that every team has to have playing or coaching at a high level to be successful," linebacker Chad Greenway said. "To have a guy (Bridgewater) that everyone is confident in him being the guy, that just makes him more confident in his job because everyone thinks he's the guy for the job. Having success like he did, his rookie year, having success where he's thrown into a situation really just makes it even better.
"Had he played in a couple of games, in spot duty, and did OK, it wouldn't be the same feeling. But the way he handled the situation he was thrown into says a lot about him and our staff. You look at the production, you always want to have more wins and more production, even on defense, but you have a shell of guys that are very young. I'm holding that stat back a little bit. But we're a young team with a lot of bright spots. There's a lot to be excited about."
There will still be turnover for the Vikings in the ever-changing NFL, and Greenway knows he could be one of the players not returning. But the only thoughts as Minnesota finishes its season are building on the promise created in the first year with Zimmer.
"The expectation level is pretty high," Bridgewater said. "We want to be a playoff team. Next year around this time we don't want to be cleaning out our lockers and booking flights and heading out. We want to be getting ready to either play a wild-card game or sitting at home with a home-field advantage. We didn't meet our goals, but there are some positive takeaways from this season and it was a great season."
McKinnon had back surgery: Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon said he had surgery a few weeks ago to fix a back injury that relegated him to the injured reserve list to end his first season.
"I'm feeling much better now," McKinnon said. "I'm back smiling, stuff like that. Walking normal, so it's pretty good."
McKinnon, a third-round draft pick this season, finished second on the team with 538 yards rushing. Matt Asiata, with 91 yards on Sunday, finished with 570 rushing yards in absence of Peterson.
McKinnon said he's lost "a couple pounds" and will work to put weight back on. He said he will be ready when organized team activities begin. The offseason workouts begin in April for Minnesota.
Wright also has back injury: Receiver Jarius Wright is also dealing with a back injury. Wright left Sunday's season-finale early because of it, only playing eight offensive snaps.
"It's a little sore today, but for the most part I'm doing pretty good," Wright said.
Wright said he won't need surgery for the injury and will just have to rest before he starts offseason conditioning.
Draft set: The 7-9 record will leave the Vikings drafting 11th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, which will be held April 30-May 2 in Chicago.
Minnesota was one of three teams with 7-9 records. The Vikings will draft ahead of Cleveland and New Orleans based on strength of schedule. Minnesota's opponents finished 121-134-1 this season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the No. 1 spot. Tennessee drafts second, followed by Jacksonville, Oakland, Washington, the New York Jets, Chicago, Atlanta, the New York Giants and St. Louis.
Opponents also set: By finishing third in the NFC North, the Vikings' 2015 opponents are also set.
Minnesota will face two games against Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay within the division. The NFC North also features games against the NFC West and AFC West next season. The Vikings will face the third-place team in the NFC East, the New York Giants, as well.
In the second season at TCF Bank Stadium, Minnesota will host Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, St. Louis, Seattle, New York, Kansas City and San Diego.
The Vikings will travel to Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Arizona, San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver and Oakland.
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