The Minnesota Vikings have not exactly engaged in a flurry of activity this off-season when it comes to signing free agents, which this writer feels is a prudent move for a team that isn't "one player away" by any stretch of the imagination. It isn't surprising, then, that the folks from Bristol, Connecticut have placed the Vikings just one spot above the basement in the pre-draft version of their 2012 NFL Power Rankings.
↵The only team behind Minnesota in this set of rankings is the Indianapolis Colts, who were one of only two teams that finished the 2011 NFL season with a worse record than the Vikings did. The other team that finished with fewer wins than the Vikings last year, the St. Louis Rams, sit at number 29. In the commentary for the ranking, ESPN's "professor" John Clayton gave us this hard-hitting bit of analysis:
↵"The Vikings officially are in rebuilding mode."
↵Hey, John, thanks for reading those tea leaves for us. I'm not sure anyone would have realized this if you hadn't said anything.
↵As we say, ladies and gentlemen, that's why they are. . .(dramatic pause). . .the Worldwide Leader™.