Vikings 2007: (Not) Seeing is Believing

The Minnesota Vikings are having trouble selling out their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons, thus jeopardizing their getting on local TV this Sunday. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the team in the recent past.

An ineffective veteran quarterback (Brad Johnson, now with the Dallas Cowboys) making way for an inexperienced one (Tarvaris Jackson). One of the best defenses in the National Football League also provided the most offense. And they saw more flags than the United Nations.

In coach Brad Childress' second season, Jackson will be the starting quarterback, even though he hasn't shown much in the few minutes he's played so far. Backing him up will be Brooks Bollinger and (just acquired from Philadelphia) Kelly Holcomb. The Vikings' first round draft pick, Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma, will be making his debut in the backfield. So the offense has to be better.

Otherwise, bad timing has plagued owner Zygi Wilf's efforts to get a new stadium for the Vikings. In the past month, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, meaning they'll have a tough time getting any kind of public money out of the Legislature. Also, Wilf backed out of a deal to buy land from the Star Tribune in downtown Minneapolis as a site for a possible stadium, citing the nationwide credit crunch. The question is, do the Vikings really want to stay in Minnesota past 2011, when the Metrodome lease expires?

Because the Vikings are such an unknown quantity this season, it wouldn't be surprising if they finished last in the NFC North at 4-12, as fans stay glued to their radios during TV blackouts.