Given the events of the past two weeks, could we reach the once-incomprehensible conclusion that the Timberwolves, among the three local pro teams with games televised on major networks, have concocted the most sensible plan?
The Wolves are rebuilding with a roster filled almost exclusively with promising young players and expiring contracts. They could remind us that the most underrated aspect of following a team is watching young players improve.
The Twins are now the team surrounding their Kevin Garnetts with a bunch of Troy Hudsons and Mike Jameses. They're too talented to rebuild, yet their talent pool has proved too shallow for them to take advantage of their backsliding AL Central competitors. They risk losing Torii Hunter, Johan Santana and Joe Nathan over the next two years, which might leave them in rebuilding mode as they open a new stadium. Nobody wants to see that.
Which leaves the Vikings, and the question that will define Brad Childress' tenure: Have his quarterback decisions made sense, considering the state of his team?
Childress, considered to be an offensive guru and quarterback tutor when the Vikings hired him, is likely to be defined by his quarterbacks, for better or for worse.
He traded Daunte Culpepper, a decision justified by Culpepper's recurring injury problems and inane public statements. He chose Brad Johnson as his starter, a logical move that failed, because Childress and Johnson never developed a productive relationship.
Now that he could use someone like Johnson to serve as a safety net and mentor for second-year quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, Childress finds himself dependent upon Jackson improving or on Brooks Bollinger becoming more than he seems.
And there is a lot on the line. If Jackson emerges as a franchise quarterback, Childress and the Vikings could surprise this season. But if Jackson is either unfit for the job or too raw to excel in his first full season as a starter, the entire franchise will suffer.
This is a franchise in need of public goodwill in its currently dormant campaign for a new stadium.
This is a franchise in need of positive buzz, in order to sell tickets. At the end of the Vikings' 13-10 loss to St. Louis on Friday night, a voice announced to the few fans remaining that good seats were still available for every Vikings home game this season. That is the latest sign that the Purple fan base is in no mood for a rebuilding project.
This is a franchise stocked with good veteran players in or near the end of their primes. If Jackson takes a year or two to mature, will Pat Williams, Antoine Winfield, Darren Sharper, Dwight Smith and Matt Birk be around to reap the benefits?
Most of all, this is a franchise that committed to a five-year contract for Childress, conformed its operations to suit his tastes, and may be able to give him only a few more months to prove that he's the right man for the job.
Under Childress, the Vikings have essentially chased off Culpepper and Johnson, and traded to move up in the 2006 draft to spend a second-round draft pick on a little-known quarterback from Alabama State. If Jackson isn't good enough, Childress will have no one to blame but himself.
The Vikings had a chance this offseason to pursue a veteran such as Jeff Garcia, but chose to stick with Jackson and Bollinger. If that works, Childress will deserve the credit. If it doesn't, the Vikings won't just find themselves rebuilding. They may have to start all over, from the head coach on down.
Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com.
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