To best understand how the Vikings felt last January, follow these directions: Get in a car, a high-performance sports car. Accelerate to 100 mph or more. Drive head-on into a brick wall. VIKINGS AT A GLANCE

Randy Moss Last year: 15-1, first place in NFC Central

Key returnees:: QB Randall Cunningham (3,704 yards, 34 TDs); WR Randy Moss (69 receptions, 1,313 yards and 17 TDs); RB Robert Smith (1,187 yards); DB Jimmy Hitchcock (7 INTS); DL John Randle (10 1/2 sacks)

New faces: QB Jeff George (Raiders), LB Corey Miller (out of football); TE Carlester Crumpler (Seattle); QB Daunte Culpepper (first-round pick)

New places: DL Derrick Alexander (Browns); QB Brad Johnson (Redskins); FB Charles Evans (Ravens)

Watch out: Randle has moved back from end to tackle, where he has been much more effective during his career.

Better than '98: With teams looking for ways to shut down Moss, Cris Carter can improve on last year's 78-catch, 1,011-yard season.

Worse than '98: The secondary needs some work.



-- Scripps Howard News Service Devastating. The Vikings went from high-flying to ground zero the instant Morten Andersen's field goal gave Atlanta an overtime victory over Minnesota in the NFC title game. After becoming the third team in NFL history to go 15-1, the Vikings became the first such team not to reach the Super Bowl. "It was tough on everybody," said Vikings head coach Dennis Green, who, since the end of last season, has been given the added title of vice president of football operations. "There's not a player, a coach or an owner -- Red (McCombs) or anybody else -- who it wasn't tough on. But you clearly have to put it behind you." That might be the toughest job. But it's not the only one. The Vikings have to overcome the losses of several key components of last year's success. Minnesota lost two coaches this offseason, with offensive coordinator Brian Billick leaving to become the Ravens' head coach, and Chip Myers, who was elevated from QB coach to replace Billick, died from a heart attack in February. They have been replaced by Ray Sherman (offensive coordinator) and Alex Wood (QB coach). The Vikings also lost some key players, though not as many as some other successful teams have (e.g., Pittsburgh). CB Corey Fuller and NT Jerry Ball were the biggest losses, though the team is confident both can be replaced. "I don't think there could be anything better," Green said, "than playing the first game in Atlanta and then playing the last game at Atlanta." The Vikings open the season against the Falcons in Atlanta, the host city for Super Bowl XXXIV. "It's up to us," Green said. Here's a position-by-position look at Minnesota's roster: Quarterbacks

Talk about your career years. Last year, Randall Cunningham resurrected his career in the biggest way. He led the league with a 106.0 passer rating, was second with 34 TD passes and fifth with 3,704 passing yards. The question is this: Was it an aberration or a sign that, in his mid-30s, he is aging like fine wine? The Vikings' defense is the main question. They need to play better defense, because I don't think they are going to get the same kind of offensive production they had last year. Minnesota's chances will depend on how well the defensive line plays. Can they get good pressure on the quarterback from someone other than John Randle. Can they protect a secondary that is suspect at the corner positions? I think the Vikings will finish short of last year's magical season with about a 10-6 record. There will be some adjustments with Ray Sherman as the offensive coordinator. You can't expect players to put out the same type of record-setting production like last year when Randall Cunningham and Randy Moss had career years. The Vikings are convinced that with a top flight offensive line, a receiving corps full of deep threats and a stocked backfield, Cunningham can duplicate last year's success. But the even bigger question is whether Cunningham will stay healthy. If he doesn't, the Vikings have Jeff George, who signed for the paltry sum of $400,000. Imagine George's rifle arm and Randy Moss' fleet feet. No. 1 pick Daunte Culpepper has been tabbed as Minnesota's quarterback of the future. Grade: A Running backs

For every back, there is a purpose. Robert Smith? Under the guise of formations with three or more receivers -- which the Vikings used 52 percent of the time last year -- the slippery, quick Smith will be off on one of his trademark big runs. Smith has a career average of 25.8 yards per rushing touchdown, the highest in NFL history among players with 20 or more rushing scores. Leroy Hoard? He gets the tough yards, on third down or near the goal line. He had a career-high nine TD runs last year. David Palmer? He's Mr. Third-and-Long. He converted 20 plays for first downs last season, 15 receiving and five running. But the Vikings need to replace the departed Charles Evans at fullback. His role will likely be filled with two or more players, including rookie Jim Kleinsasser, who will line up at both tight end and fullback. Grade: B+ Receivers

Hmmm, let's see. Randy Moss said he was never better than 85 percent healthy last year, having played the entire season with a sore ankle. Now he's 100 percent. Cris Carter is a few catches short of the Hall of Fame, and nobody's better over the middle. Last year Carter led the league with 32 third-down receptions, and Moss led the league with 17 TD catches. Add Jake Reed, who is finally healthy after a season marred by a back injury, and the Vikings have three pass catchers with a total of 11 1,000-yard receiving seasons among them. All three are 6-foot-3 or taller. Andrew Glover is an above-average pass-catching tight end. The question defenses must answer is: Which wide receiver do they double-team? It's no wonder the Packers spent their top three draft picks on cornerbacks. Grade: A Offensive linemen

Start with this "line": The Vikings' offensive front has played together, for the most part, since 1995, an eternity in the era of free agency and one reason this group is so cohesive and effective. But it's not the only one. There is also extraordinary talent. ORG Randall McDaniel has made 10 consecutive Pro Bowl trips and should be a Hall of Famer. Todd Steussie, who has missed one start since his junior year in high school, joined McDaniel at last year's Pro Bowl, as did C Jeff Christy, who has allowed two sacks in his last 28 starts. David Dixon is coming back from knee surgery and won't be ready to play every snap until a couple of weeks into the regular season. ORT Korey Stringer has his weight down and looks on the verge of Pro Bowl status himself. The unit's top reserves in-clude veteran OG Corbin Lacina and second-year OT Matt Birk. This is where the Vikings' offensive success begins. Grade: A Defensive linemen

Great expectations, but still big questions. Tony Williams played well at nose tackle in the preseason. But at 285 pounds, can he take a season's worth of beatings at the position, which was so ably manned by the 320-pound Ball last year? If not, stopping the run will be a problem. John Randle is back at defensive tackle, where he had 15½ sacks two seasons ago. But do the Vikings have enough pass-rushing ability at defensive end to take advantage of the mayhem Randle will cause in the middle? That is the biggest question. Duane Clemons, entering the final year of his rookie contract, has beefed up and faces a make-or-break year. John Burrough, signed during the offseason from Atlanta, will play lots of snaps at both DE positions and rush from tackle on passing downs. Stalin Colinet, starting at left end, can play the run, but can he get to the quarterback? With a new, young starter at one CB spot, the Vikings absolutely need to turn up the pass rush. Can this group of ends do it? Consider that Burrough, Colinet and Clemons have combined for only 17 career starts and 12 sacks among them. Grade: B- Linebackers

Ed McDaniel is one of the game's best middle linebackers. Need proof? Consider the team-leading 155 tackles and 15 tackles for loss he had last year. Or the seven sacks, a team record for linebackers. Or the three fumbles caused and two recovered. However, he is coming back from knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the second such surgery he's had in his career. On the weak side, Dwayne Rudd appears to be on the verge of greatness entering his third season. He's fast enough that he was able to play in the nickel defense from Day One. Last year was his first full year as a starter, and he finished second on the team with 113 tackles and third with 10 tackles for loss. Rudd led all Vikings linebackers with seven passes defensed. He also has a nose for the big play. On the strong side, Kailee Wong takes over for the departed Dixon Edwards. It remains to be seen if Wong can take on a tight end regularly, but it won't take much to improve on the play Edwards provided last year. Grade: B+ Defensive backs

The strength of this group lies in safeties Robert Griffith and Orlando Thomas. Griffith, the unit's leader, is a hard hitter who's still able to come up and play a slot receiver one-on-one. By midseason last year, Thomas was looking like he did before a devastating knee injury in '97. The biggest questions involve cornerback and the unit's depth. RCB Jimmy Hitchcock returns after a season in which he made a slew of big plays -- he returned three of his seven interceptions for touchdowns - but also gave some up. In his second season, Ramos McDonald becomes the full-time starter at left cornerback for the departed Fuller. McDonald is big (5-11, 194 pounds) and fast but was picked on during the preseason. Expect that to continue. Reserves include Antonio Banks, who appears headed for the nickel-DB role, and rookie Kenny Wright, who played relatively well in extended preseason action and could work his way onto the field in the dime defense. Grade: B- Special teams

Gary Anderson had the first perfect regular season for an NFL placekicker before missing a crucial kick in the NFC title game. Still, he's back, and he's kicking indoors in 10 of 16 games, which means he won't miss many this year. Mitch Berger turned into quite a weapon last year. Doing the kickoff work, he set an NFL record with 40 touchbacks, though the new league rules regarding the handling of game balls for kickers could lower that number. Berger also finished fifth in the NFC with a 37.0-yard net average per punt. Palmer returns as the sole return man. While he's not overwhelming, he is very steady. He finished eighth in the NFC with a 10.3-yard punt-return average and ninth with a 23.5-yard kickoff-return average last season. He has scored touchdowns on two punt returns and one kickoff return in his five NFL seasons. Grade: B+ Content from Pro Football Weekly.

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