It's not like I was trying to get the Vikings' defenders all twitchy by bringing up a sore subject so early in minicamp. In fact, I didn't bring it up. Ben Leber did.
Count me among those who think the Vikings' defense did a remarkable job under trying circumstances last season. But Leber, an analytical type, was a bit more self-critical. So he referred to Monday night, Oct. 30. That was the evening in which a large crack appeared in the Vikings' world. From that point, the playoffs were out of the question.
On Oct. 30, the New England Patriots showed the rest of the NFL exactly how to attack the Minnesota defense. Tom Brady and Co. glided to a 31-7 victory. The Vikings were 4-2 entering that game. They finished 6-10.
"I think it just exposed our weaknesses, the chink in our armor," Leber said. "New England spread us out. People figured it out. It seemed like almost every team we faced after that had the personnel to do it."
