After weeks of being asked who his starting middle linebacker and strong safety will be, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer beat reporters to the punch at the start of his press conference this morning.

"I know you all want to know who the starting Mike linebacker is," Zimmer said. "It's Jasper Brinkley, so I don't get that question asked anymore. At strong safety, [it's] Robert Blanton. OK? We good?"

Whew. Yes, indeed.

But this might not be the last time this subject comes up. Blanton received far less than a glowing endorsement and Brinkley was pushed hard by Audie Cole, a promising prospect with a different skill set than Brinkley's.

"It's a one-week deal; one week at a time," Zimmer said when asked specifically about the middle linebacker job. "If they play good, they keep playing. So I think the defensive team feels comfortable with Jasper making the calls. He's been lining up with the first group since the first day. In a game like this, it's nice to be settling in. Everything nice and smooth and hearing the same voices and stuff like that.

Asked why he picked Blanton, Zimmer answered in a way that won't hurt his image as a straight shooter.

"He probably made less mistakes than anybody," Zimmer said. "He's got some cover skills. And all those safeties, we probably didn't see them enough because of injuries or whatever. But Robert is a good kid, a smart kid. We'll see how he does. Hopefully, he'll do well."

Brinkley, Zimmer said, got the starting job this week in part because of his run-stopping ability. The Rams lost starting quarterback Sam Bradford to a torn ACL and probably will be leaning more on its running game when they face the Vikings at home on Sunday.

"Jasper is a little bit more of a thumper in the running game and I think this week," Zimmer said. "[St. Louis] has got a good running game. So I think their offensive line does a nice job in run blocking. So I think it will be a good match for him."

Zimmer also said he expects to use Cole in some defensive packages along the way this season.

"Yeah, definitely," he said. "And just because these guys aren't starting doesn't mean they won't be playing in some packages that we have in the game. We just have to put 11 out there to start with.

"Audie has made a lot of plays and does a lot of jobs. Sometimes, special teams come into play on these decisions, too."