Brinkley lands in the middle of things

Jasper Brinkley has spent his rookie season as E.J. Henderson's understudy, although he feels more like his younger brother.

The Vikings middle linebackers shared a teacher-pupil relationship in the film room. Henderson would point to things he did during a given play and then quiz Brinkley about what he just saw on the screen.

"I'll give my answer and he'll be like, 'Yes or no,'" Brinkley said. "We joke about it. He helped me out so much."

Now it's time for Brinkley to apply what he's learned. Pressed into duty because of Henderson's devastating leg injury, the fifth-round draft pick is expected to take over as the Vikings' starting middle linebacker Sunday against the Bengals.

Brinkley has played mainly on special teams, seeing brief action at linebacker in blowouts. He understands he has incredibly large shoes to fill.

"It definitely gives the motivation of, 'Can I answer the call?'" he said. "I definitely want to be able to prove that I can."

Brinkley and his teammates know that it will be impossible to replace everything that Henderson meant to the defense. He is the leading tackler, defensive captain, emotional leader and one of the most respected players in the locker room. Though quiet by nature, when he talks, everyone listens.

"You don't replace E.J.," linebackers coach Fred Pagac said. "E.J. is a guy that does everything that you ask. He's a leader, he's a tough guy, he sets the tempo. But [injuries] are part of football. It's the next guy in."

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's emotions were still on the surface late this week when asked about Henderson. Frazier said in training camp that having Henderson back on the field "made my heart feel good" after he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 4 a year ago. Imagine how he felt when he saw Henderson lying on the field with a fractured femur last Sunday night.

"That was really hard," Frazier said. "When I saw him on that ground and I could see him motioning, it almost seemed like he was looking directly at me motioning for me to come and get him. He was really beginning to play at that E.J. level and doing all of the things that we had grown accustomed to seeing prior to his previous injury. So to find out the extent of it and what it may mean is just very disheartening.

"I spoke to him soon after the surgery, and he really encouraged me, just listening to him talk. He was in a great mood, even though he was still a little bit sedated. He was just encouraging me to encourage the guys to not be worried about him but just get ready for our next opponent. He just wanted us to know that he was going to be fine."

The new guy

The Vikings spent the week expressing confidence in Brinkley. They stressed that their long-term goals haven't changed while also acknowledging the defense suffered an enormous loss.

"It's going to be tough playing without him, but Jasper is a heck of a player," linebacker Heath Farwell said. "I've said it since training camp that this guy is going to be a starter in this league. I obviously didn't think it would be this soon, and I hoped it wouldn't be this soon. But he's ready to go. He's as ready as anybody I've seen."

Brinkley is an extremely physical player who loves to hit and is surprisingly quick for his size (6-1, 252 pounds). Coaches and players rave about the way he plays "downhill."

"When he hits somebody, he does some damage," linebacker Chad Greenway said.

Brinkley's college career took a detour when he tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee as a junior at South Carolina. He had surgery and spent two months in a wheelchair while wearing a cast that covered his entire leg. Brinkley said he didn't feel back to normal until the middle of last season.

"The psychological part of it was hard because you're still thinking somebody's going to run into that leg," he said.

Besides the obvious physical skills, the Vikings were impressed by Brinkley's instincts and football IQ during the draft process. They say he has a good understanding of this defense and what calls to make based off offensive formations and personnel groupings.

Ben Leber will receive the defensive calls through his helmet in base defense and relay the information to Brinkley, who then will position the players. Leber will handle that role in the nickel package.

"I have no qualms, no questions," Pagac said.

He'll have wingmen

Of course, it helps that Brinkley will have Leber and Greenway on each side of him to make sure everything is functioning properly.

"Obviously, we're not going to [say], 'Well, go ahead, if you screw up it's your deal,'" Greenway said. "It's going to be a group effort, and he's very capable of making those calls as well as the rest of us."

The Vikings know it likely will take some time for Brinkley to get comfortable and calm his nerves as a rookie starting his first game.

"You've just got to get through that first series, and once he settles down, I think he'll play well," Frazier said.

Said Leber: "Obviously he's going to have a lot of anxiety. But after the first few snaps, it's just a game. Just try and keep that in perspective and let him go out and play freely in his mind, and he'll make a lot of plays."

Coach Brad Childress didn't want to add any additional pressure by "overdramatizing" the situation with his rookie. He said his staff coached Brinkley the same this week and saw no need for a "meeting of minds."

"There is no initiation rite or anything like that," Childress said. "He's in good shape and he's learned to be a pro. He's enthusiastic and bright-eyed, and he will do a good job."

Henderson's absence will be hard to miss, but Brinkley hopes to plug the hole as best he can.

"I get to go out and just try and make my imprint," he said. "Deep down inside, I'm playing for him."