Ron Borges

The new captain of the Love Boat's first action was to throw his first mate overboard. Now new coach Brad Childress will sink or swim with his own crew and a more disciplined approach to how things will be done in Minnesota.

Childress inherited a team in sad disarray off the field but one that still managed to finish 9-7, an indication that there is more talent here than last season's nonsense revealed. That gave him reason for optimism even when his first encounter with three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper reminded him too much of dealing with Terrell Owens.

Childress didn't like Culpepper's me-first attitude toward rehabbing his knee, so he sent him packing to Miami and committed himself to veteran signal caller Brad Johnson. Johnson has never been as spectacular as Culpepper at his best, but he led a team to a Super Bowl victory, something Culpepper's Vikings failed to do. He was also 7-2 as a starter after Culpepper went down with a serious knee injury last season, and that was enough to convince the new coach he could win with what he had even though at 37 Johnson is the oldest starting quarterback in pro football.

If Culpepper returns to his old playing form with the Dolphins, there might be repercussions, but Childress believes the addition of 10 free agents will help both the offense and the defense improve enough to challenge the Bears for the division title. If he's right, no one will care what Culpepper is doing, because Johnson is an accurate thrower and sound decision maker.

Childress wants to establish a pounding running game that takes some of the pressure off Johnson, both to keep him healthy and limit the risks he has to face. In that regard, Minnesota signed perennial Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson away from Seattle to anchor the running game. Then the Vikings brought in Ravens backup Chester Taylor, who showed flashes of ability while backing up Jamal Lewis, to become a feature back. Taylor has never carried more than 160 times in a season and has scored only four rushing touchdowns in four years, but the Vikings believe he will gain yards for them running behind a solid left side.

Hutchinson will be sandwiched between former Pro Bowl center Matt Birk, who is coming off two injury-plagued years but claims to be healthy again, and massive tackle Bryant McKinnie. Although Childress runs a form of the West Coast offense, he will run the ball more than most and most of the runs will be to the left. He'll also try to get the ball in Taylor's hands in the passing game, which lacks a true No. 1 receiver and was weakened by the release of troubled Koren Robinson. The signing of Todd Pinkston, who was cut by the Eagles, won't help too much.

Joining the line will be a new right guard, ex-Eagle Artis Hicks, who is familiar with Childress' offensive thinking.

Leading Taylor into the line will be one of the most reliable blocking fullbacks in the game, Tony Richardson, who used to open holes in Kansas City for Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

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Defensively, the Vikings are another team going to the cover 2 scheme. That will require a major improvement at linebacker because speedy backers who can drop deep into coverage are essential. That will take some coordination because there will be two new starters and a shift of E.J. Henderson from the outside into the middle linebacker's role previously held by departed Sam Cowart. That's a lot of changes, but if Childress gets them done, the Vikings will be competitive in a division where only the Bears are a playoff factor.

Hot seat
Chester Taylor. The Vikings believe he's a perfect fit for what they want to do, reminding them of Brian Westbrook, who Childress put to good use in Philadelphia. But Taylor had only eight career starts in Baltimore and just 373 carries in four seasons backing up Jamal Lewis, so who knows what will happen when he has to carry the load. His 4.2 yards per carry average and pass catching ability (41 receptions) are what they're counting on, but if he doesn't come through, Mewelde Moore will be on the field more than Childress expected.

Overheard
The Vikings are looking for a big season from defensive tackle Kevin Williams. Williams had 11 1/2 sacks in 2004, but a knee injury and all the distractions of last season seemed to set him adrift last season.

Now he has his old college coach, Karl Dunbar, as his position coach and he's in shape and healthy. Williams could become the Warren Sapp of this Tampa 2 defense in 2006, especially with equally massive Pat Williams playing next to him and collapsing the pocket.

Outlook
It all depends on Johnson and Taylor. If they are productive and stay healthy, the offense will be productive. The defense doesn't rival Chicago's, but it's good enough to win with if everyone stays healthy and cornerback Fred Smoot rebounds from a terrible season both on and off the field. Then again, if Johnson is hurt their season is over because unlike a year ago, when Culpepper went down and Johnson stepped in and went 7-2 down the stretch, there is no reliable backup quarterback to pick up the slack.

Prediction
Second

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