The Vikings are on the brink of disaster. With a Redskins win at home versus Dallas (or worse yet, a loss Sunday in Denver), the Vikings would be eliminated from playoff contention after being in the driving seat. It is a disaster for Viking fans to be so close, yet so far.
But we have know that all year, haven't we? The Vikings are so close but so far away. Since day 1, we have known the Vikings have potential but have a major gap: Quarterback. 15 games later, it's unchanged. The last-second gasp move to acquire Kelly Holcomb from the Philadelphia Eagles was too little too late. Do you really expect to trade a 6th round pick for your savior? Me neither.
That's the bad news. But if you read me, you know I love good news. And for the Vikings, it is GREAT news! Look around the league and there are many other teams with more problems than Minnesota. And the Vikings are 1 player away from being in contention. Now it's not easy to find a quarterback but it is possible. Look at Detroit! Huge problems on defense and offense. Can they fix it with one player? No. Chicago, also a QB away, has defensive problems, too. South of Minnesota, Saint Louis has a system problem and are not one player away. San Francisco has players but it won't come together. I look at those messes and think that just being a QB off, it's quite nice.
So Sunday, no matter what happens, yes, it's true. The Vikings are on the brink of disaster but there is hope. I contend the Vikings are one player away from going back to the brink of disaster.
So yes, it could be bad depending on how Sunday shakes out. But the real problem will be if Minnesota fails to act again. They messed up in 2006 with Brooks Bolinger. They messed up in 2007 with Kelly Holcomb. Don't strike out again in 2008. That would be moving from the brink into the mouth of disaster. Until that happens, it's safe: Pull back from the edge.
