MANKATO – On a rare summer vacation with his wife, Jeanette, a few weeks ago, Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano failed at his goal of leaving work at work, too pleased, he said, to contain his excitement.

So, he gushed to Jeannette about his optimism for the team’s beleaguered offensive line, pleased both with the talent and work ethic of a revamped unit that will go a long way in determining how successful the Vikings are this season.

Perhaps more than anyone else, Jeanette was thrilled with the prospects of a strong offensive line.

“Because she has to ride home with me after games,” Sparano said with a smile.

That meant eight quiet trips after the team’s final 11 games last season as a once-promising campaign crumbled behind an array of injuries and poor play on the offensive line, which needed 12 players and eight different starting combinations.

Sparano, a coaching veteran of 35 football seasons, had never before seen an offensive line deal with the injuries that left an already overwhelmed offensive line scrambling a season ago. If there’s anything more promising than the additions of two veteran lineman to the starting rotation, it’s Sparano’s confidence that he can’t possibly be that unlucky two years in a row.

“It would be hard for me to imagine something like that happening again,” he said. “I’ve never been involved in a scenario like that.”

Twice last season, the team was down to five healthy linemen on game day. He worked the sidelines, talking with other offensive coaches about what they’d do in the event of another injury. If one more lineman couldn’t play, he said, they would have moved tight end David Morgan in there.

“The good thing is it never got to that,” Sparano said. “But at the same time, it certainly was a challenge.”

The Vikings’ 3.2-yard average per carry last season ranked last among 32 NFL teams.

Sparano pleaded to head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman for reinforcements this offseason, and got them in free-agent tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers, slated to start, respectively, on the left and right this season.

“I actually looked around the (offensive line meeting) room and thought, ‘Man, this is a completely different room than it was a year ago,’ ” Sparano said. “A year ago, I had a Mike Harris — who never even saw the field – and a Phil Loadholt in the room. They never even played.”

Harris, claimed off waivers from San Diego prior to the 2015 season, missed all of last season with an undisclosed illness. Loadholt, a veteran who missed all of 2015 because of an Achilles injury, retired before training camp last summer.

Matt Kalil (hip) and Andre Smith (triceps), who started training camp as the Vikings’ tackles, were lost to season-ending injuries early. Veteran Jake Long was signed midseason but was lost to an Achilles injury in just his fourth game.

“Looking at it right now, and after watching this group in the spring, I’m excited about where we are,” Sparano said. “I love this group of guys. They put their heads down, they work hard, they’re smart, they’re strong, and they’re tough. Those are the qualities you look for.”

Sparano’s resume as a two-time NFL head coach has earned him the ears of Zimmer and Spielman, who asked for his input when evaluating free agents. But it didn’t take Sparano’s urging for them to understand the need to improve the offensive line.

The unit struggled in 2015, too, prompting Zimmer to hire Sparano in hopes of adding toughness.

The two coaches know each other from three years under Bill Parcells in Dallas. So with Sparano hoping to instill confidence in an offensive line that has been the frequent subject of criticism, he invited Zimmer into their meetings this summer.

“Having the head coach sit in there with all his experience telling them, ‘This is what the linebacker is seeing,’ that’s kind of nice,” Sparano said. “Some days, he may only say four words, but they’re four important words.

“I think the biggest thing that we get out of it is our offensive line knows that coach Zimmer is behind them and with them and that’s really important to have his presence in the room.”

If there were a blessing that stemmed from the abundance of injuries, Sparano said he now enjoys the luxury of having an experienced group. Two Vikings backup linemen combined to start 24 games last season – Jeremiah Sirles (10) and TJ Clemmings (14) – while another, Zac Kerin, played in nine games.

“I think, honestly, the fact that there is no unknowns is helpful,” Sparano said. “A lot of people around the league have a lot of question marks – like we did last year. I feel the additions in the room are just the right mix with the attitudes they have and the kind of workers they are. It jibes well with the guys we have. It’s the right blend.”