Vikings encountering rough seas

There's one every summer.

I'm referring to the one or two NFL teams that the public latches onto prior to the start of every season and touts as an emerging Super Bowl contender, usually because of exceeded expectations the previous year and/or an impressive harvesting of talent during the offseason. The Minnesota Vikings are the ones wearing that badge in 2008, with the Cleveland Browns this year's chic pick among the AFC crop.

If early preseason events are any indication, the Vikes could be headed towards the same dreaded fate of the 2006 Carolina Panthers or last year's New Orleans Saints, two other buzz teams that failed to live up to their touted billing. Minnesota is enduring a remarkable run of bad luck over the past week, with a rash of injuries befalling Brad Childress' squad to add to the recent rumors of a lengthy suspension forthcoming for valued offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie.

Minnesota's string of misfortune began in last Friday's exhibition opener, when linebacker Heath Farwell and defensive end Jayme Mitchell each suffered season-ending knee injuries in the game against Seattle. The news got worse on Tuesday, when the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that starting free safety Madieu Williams could miss up to six weeks with a neck problem.

Williams was signed away from Cincinnati in February to upgrade a secondary that was statistically one of the NFL's worst in 2007, and his possible unavailability for the first couple of regular-season games immediately throws untested rookie Tyrell Johnson into the frying pan. Because they're reserves, the losses of Farwell and Mitchell don't seem too significant at first glance. But Farwell ranks among the top echelon of special-teams performers in the league, while Mitchell's absence further weakens the depth at an already-thin position for the Vikings. Kenechi Udeze, last season's starter at left end, is recovering from leukemia and also done for the year and pass-rush specialist Brian Robison will sit out most of the preseason after recently undergoing minor leg surgery.

Word broke Thursday that McKinnie, who's had multiple brushes with the law since entering the league in 2002, will be suspended the first four regular-season games for an arrest at a Miami nightclub in February, although the NFL has yet to confirm the report. If that penalty is indeed accurate, the Vikings will be without the massive left tackle for arguably the toughest portion of their schedule. Minnesota opens the campaign with matchups against Green Bay, Indianapolis, Carolina and Tennessee.

For the record, that's a trio of 2007 playoff participants and three of the premier pass-rushing right ends (Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers, Kyle Vanden Bosch) in the game. Looks like Adrian Peterson will be bracing for a very heavy workload come September.

At least the Vikings don't have to worry about facing Brett Favre twice a year anymore.