The death of Orlando Thomas was announced on Monday. He was 42 and has been dealing with ALS. Thomas was one of my favorites among the Vikings during the last half of Denny Green's stay in Minnesota. Here's a column from September 2001, at the start of his final NFL season:

The words probably can be found on a plaque hidden somewhere at Winter Park: "Durability is more important than ability." – Bud Grant.

As sacred as Grant held durability, the quality has become more vital in the NFL's modern, salary-cap era. Teams cannot afford to invest a percentage of that precious cap room in a player with a track record for missing a significant part of the schedule.

There were two minor examples of this in recent days, when running back Moe Williams and linebacker Craig Sauer were included in the Vikings' cut to 53 players. Williams was a productive special-teamer, and coach Dennis Green talked up Sauer's ability on several occasions.

Williams was hurt too often. The Vikings tired of waiting for Sauer to recover from a foot injury. See you later, gentlemen.

There are rare instances when a player gets a waiver on the durability requirement, if his contributions when healthy are special. The retired running back, Robert Smith, was one of those players. And so is Orlando Thomas, back in the lineup at free safety for the start of his seventh Vikings season.

Thomas has endured four seasons of injuries, dating to the torn knee ligament sustained in the playoff loss to Dallas on Dec. 28, 1996. He had extensive surgery on his left knee. Hamstring problems - followed by surgery - and two broken shoulders have followed.

Add it up and Thomas has missed 14 regular-season starts and three playoff games since the injuries started. He has hobbled through several other late-season games, trying to help his fellow safety, Robert Griffith, hold together a vulnerable secondary.

It was suggested to Thomas the Vikings must have a sizable respect for his ability - keeping him and paying him despite his injury history.

"I believe that," Thomas said. "I appreciate that. I know when I'm feeling good, I'm one of the best players at my position in the league. I believe the Vikings feel the same way."

Green confirmed this sentiment when asked about Thomas on Wednesday, saying: "When he's healthy, he's a terrific player. Orlando has had some tough luck on injuries. They have been very disappointing and discouraging to him, but he's always hung in there. He's never given up, so we've never given up."

Thomas missed seven regular-season games last season. The Vikings were 7-2 when he was in the lineup and 4-3 when he was missing. He started in the playoff victory over New Orleans. He was absent because of a sore shoulder and gimpy knee in the 41-0 loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game.

Obviously, there was more to winning and losing for the 2000 Vikings than the presence of Thomas at free safety. Just as obviously, Thomas' presence was very beneficial.

"I want to get past this page in my career," Thomas said. "I don't want to be one of those players, when he's done, that people are saying, `He would've been very good, but he was hurt all the time.'"

The doctors tell Thomas there is no physiological reason that would make him more susceptible to shoulder injuries than the next player, yet in each of the previous two seasons he has suffered a broken shoulder - right in 1999, left in 2000.

"There's a little hole, a gap, in my shoulder pads . . . about this big," said Thomas, making a circle with his fingers the size of a 50-cent piece.

Thomas said he made a hit directly on that gap with his right shoulder in '99, then was hit on the gap again with his left shoulder vs. Tampa Bay last season.

"I didn't make the connection that the hole in the pads was the problem until I did it the second time," Thomas said. "I made the hits here, and broke the shoulder back here."

Thomas was reaching around and touching the far back of his shoulder. It was a dramatic example of the impact of the collisions that take place on an NFL field: collision in the front of the pads, broken bone way back there.

Broken shoulders. Surgery scars on his right hamstring and left knee. Limping through games at 80 percent speed when the Purple had to have him.

"I love this job so much," Thomas said. "It's so much fun for me - playing football, being part of the atmosphere that Denny Green has created here. We're playing aggressive defense again. That was the way we played my first two, three seasons here.

"I want to be part of it every week. All I can do is go full speed and not worry about getting hurt. I've done everything I can do in preparation to stay healthy this season. Only the Lord knows if I can."