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MANKATO — Preseason, they say, never gives up the truth even when the winds of November blow early. But you must know the Vikings’ fortunes are in the clenched fist of their defense just as sure as the heat and humidity will return to training camp.
Never mind the hand-wringing this summer over protecting Sam Bradford from ruin, scoring more than a baker’s dozen every game and running the football upfield instead of in reverse. Minnesota’s tenacious ‘D’ can cover a multitude of sins, and this star-studded unit will carry this vexing team to glory or decay in 2017.
Just follow the money.
In barely over a year, the Vikings have invested $103 million in guaranteed contracts to top pass rusher Everson Griffen, shutdown cornerback Xavier Rhodes and run-stuffing safety Harrison Smith, securing these three pillars with deals that could keep them in purple and gold into the next decade.
Zygi Wilf’s armored truck soon should be backing up and unloading for linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, followed, perhaps, by emerging defensive end Danielle Hunter and veteran nose tackle Linval Joseph.
Anything short of dominance from these elite defenders will be a collective failure that would nail shut this narrow championship window, turn the Vikings’ payroll into a toxic wasteland and leave a lot of coaches and executives looking for jobs.
http://www.twincities.com/2017/08/03/bri...ll-to-pay/
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