2010 Minnesota Vikings might be the 2007-2009 Chicago Bears.

This might upset some of the hardcore Minnesota Vikings fans who happen to look over at this page every now and then, but I don't mean it as an insult-- just as an interesting observation.

Allow me to explain...

... In 2006, the Chicago Bears took there "force the turnover" defense and all-star return man Devin Hester to the Super Bowl to square off against the indestructible Peyton Manning and Lovie Smith's BFF Tony Dungy.  The game really could have went either way (IMO), but ultimately a few costly turnovers by the offense and one terrible coverage play from the safety position (where else?) led to a decisive win for the Colts and Manning's first Super Bowl victory.

Chicago fans were devastated and-- if you were like me-- turned off anything remotely associated with sports for a couple weeks.

In 2007, the Bears brought back essentially the same team minus Ron "Chico" Rivera and a few reserve players.  They were thought to be the preseason favorites to win the NFC, but the issues that plagued them in 2006 (inconsistent QB play, secondary concerns) were prevalent still along with a few outlining factors.  These same factors just might be the same problems for the 2009 NFC North Champion Minnesota VIkings.  I see it as three things:

1. Offensive line-- One of the problems with the 2007-2009 Chicago Bears, was that they never had a "lineman-in-waiting" for the aging veterans that were brought in once Angelo took over as GM and Director of Personnel. John Tait (32), Rueben Brown (35), and Fred Miller (34) were thought to be stop gap free agents that were supposed to fill in for a few years until Angelo was able to select talent through the draft and slowly infuse them into the lineup.  Terrence Metcalf, Anthony Oakley, and Josh Beekman (just to name a few) really never panned out as expected.  Beekman has shown some promise, but might never be more than a quality backup his entire career.  The offensive line was a strong point for the Bears in 2005 and 2006, but age crippled their effectiveness and the offense slowly went with it.  The Vikings veteran offensive line, which has led to some VERY successful offensive campaigns, has been in the throws of a few injuries to their key lineman-- Hutchinson & McKinnie.  There have been several reports of recent suggesting that both of these guys might be on the decline.  In fact, I think that the offense did well in spite of the offensive line; not because of it.  Like the Bears, the Vikings seem to be rolling the dice by allowing McKinnie and Hutch to line up side-by-side another year and hoping for another 2008 season, but I don't know if that's what they will get.  And with no player in the wings-- this might be a costly strategy.  Favre is 40+ and was on his back most of his "one series".  Adrian "Purple Jesus" Peterson is still a great back and has a lot left in the tank, but there was a considerable difference in his YPA in 2009 than in both of his first two seasons.
2. Void at WR-- One of the BEST moves the Vikings were able to do in 2008 was take away the Bears only receiving threat in Bernard Berrian.  Now, I would not have paid "B2X" the amount of money that the Vikes did either, but it did leave the Bears with no options at the receiver position for the 2008 season.  In 2007, the Bears were thought to have a plethora of options along with Devin Hester seeing some action at receiver for the first time, but (looking at no. 1 on this piece) the offensive line's inability to protect and block left that option a mute point.  In 2010, the Vikings will be relying on Bernard Berrian to step up and be a no. 1 receiver with Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice BOTH being injured to start the season. Can Berrian be the no. 1 receiver he is being paid to be?  I'm not sure.  However, with only Visanthe Shiancoe and a host of fringe talented receivers at Favre's disposal like Javon Walker (think Marty Booker) and Greg Lewis (think Brandon Lloyd)-- I see this being a matter of time before it shows that a lack of "playmakers" to throw to becomes problematic.  Who steps up out of the young bunch of receivers (outside of the ones listed) is the main concern.
3. Secondary?-- On defense, the Vikings are led by one of the best front line in the game. Jared Allen is as dominant a pass rusher as there is in the NFL; when he doesn’t get to the quarterback for sacks, he’s incessantly hitting and hurrying them. On the other side, Ray Edwards has used opposing focus on Allen to put up his own outstanding numbers. And in the middle, Pat and Kevin Williams comprise a force that has put the Vikings at or near the top in run-stopping metrics every season over the last few years.  But, one statistic reveals the Vikings’ current primary liability. Minnesota hurried opposing quarterbacks on 23.8 percent of pass plays, the highest in the league, according to Football Outsiders. However, they had the worst Defensive DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) in the NFL when they did so. This was primarily the fault of a secondary that finished the 2009 season ranked 22nd in DVOA against the pass.  The Vikings run a C2 just like the Bears do-- to a fault!  They rarely blitz (Football Outsiders have them at 67% rushing only 4) and drop their LBs into coverage or spy.  So, you would assume that they would have their hands on more passes than they did in 2009.  But, injury and "lack of talent" has that secondary very suspect.  The Bears relied upon a banged up Charles Tillman and a injured Nathan Vasher from 2007-2009.  They also never could replace the oft injured Mike Brown at safety (a critical position for ANY C2 system).  They had some young talent, but none of them have ever showed promise.  I think this is also something that the Vikings should be wary about going into the 2010 season.

... Saying all this to say, if the Bears can some find some consistency in their offense, there is nothing "guaranteed" that the Vikings are better than the Bears in 2010.  In fact, I'm not sure the VIkings with Brett Favre are the apparent favorites to win the NFC North in 2010 as the Packers with their consistent offense and well-coached defense would be my preseason favorites at this point.

I think the Vikings are at the "closing" of their Superbowl window and need to address several different areas; including QB in 2011...

 

... That too was a concern for the Bears in 2008 and puts another "year" on a team that is primed to win now.