While there has been some concern about how the Vikings offense has performed during the preseason, one of the important members of the offense, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, believes the unit will be the equal of last year's group, when it was one of the best in the NFL.

As Shiancoe watched from the sidelines Thursday night -- as all the starters did in the Vikings' 31-24 victory over Denver -- he had to see some reasons why he believes the offense will be OK this season, because some of the backups who played against the Broncos performed very well.

Before the game with Denver, Shiancoe said injured wide receiver Sidney Rice will certainly be missed, but he believes the Vikings have enough threats to get by without him.

Among the encouraging performances on Thursday offensively was rookie Joe Webb putting on a show while completing five of nine passes for 100 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown throw to veteran receiver Javon Walker, who only recently joined the Vikings. Young running back Albert Young had 13 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.

"The more weapons we have on this offense, the better it is," Shiancoe had said. "... The defenses can't key in on one guy. We have weapons here. We have Percy [Harvin], we have me in the middle, we have Bernard [Berrian], Adrian [Peterson], Toby Gerhart. There's a whole lot of weapons. Even Favre can get a little move in there, so I mean, we're just a great offense.

"We have the potential to be a great, great, great, great offense. It all depends on how we approach the work ethic."

Shiancoe said the team has made a lot of progress since it broke training camp.

"Progress, man, it's a whole lot of progress and we're seeing it each and every day," he said. "It's little adjustments and things of that nature that makes this offense so complex and so hard to deal with."

One player the team might miss is running back Chester Taylor, a great third-down back who could catch passes and protect the quarterback. The veteran left as a free agent for the Chicago Bears.

"Chester is a great player, he's always been a great player," Shiancoe said. "A big loss -- but at the same time that's a hole that can be filled, that has to be filled and that's going to be filled."

Big night for Decker Meanwhile former Gophers receiver Eric Decker, who had many big games at the Metrodome, led all players with 10 receptions for 114 yards.

Decker is healthy now after being injured last year as a senior and missing some of Broncos training camp.

"It was fun playing in the Metrodome again," said Decker, who had a big postgame reunion with some of his old teammates such as Nate Triplett, Logan Payne and Marcus Sherels, now all on the Vikings.

U income improves The University of Minnesota earned gross revenue of $17.9 million for the 2009 football season at the new TCF Bank Stadium compared with $10.5 million in 2008 at the Metrodome. Included in that $17.9 million figure is money generated from non-football events at the stadium.

The Gophers turned a profit of $1.9 million, which is near double what the Gophers athletic department earned from football during their last season at the Dome. I've heard that the $1.9 million was a disappointment and that it was expected earnings would be at least $3 million in the first year of the stadium.

However, when the Legislature refused to permit the school to sell alcohol in preferred seating, it likely deprived the university of another $1 million in profit.

Jottings • The word is that the Twins will earn $20 million in corporate income this year compared with no more than $10 million when they played at the Metrodome, another reason the team can spend more acquiring top players.

• In order to make the Vikings roster for the regular season, former Gophers wide receiver Payne will have to impress on special teams. Asked how Payne has performed this preseason, Vikings special teams coach Brian Murphy said: "He's done a great job, he's made a great account for himself. It's going to come down to where he fits offensively, but he's done a nice job in the special teams." Apparently the same is true for linebacker Triplett, a fifth-round draft pick. "He's not a starter on the coverage teams, but we could certainly make room for him if the situation presents itself," Murphy said.

• Some time ago I asked one of the members of the Cretin-Derham Hall football coaching staff if Seantrel Henderson was the best player the current staff had coached. I was surprised when I was told that tackle Ryan Harris was ranked better than Henderson in high school. Harris went on to star at Notre Dame and was here Thursday night with the Broncos to face the Vikings. As for Henderson, he has been running with the first team as a freshman at Miami (Fla.). The Ohio State team that faced secondary NCAA violations in its recruitment of Henderson will entertain Henderson and the Hurricanes on Sept. 11 in Columbus.

• Ryan Wittman, the former Eden Prairie High School standout who was Ivy League Player of the Year at Cornell and led the Big Red to the NCAA Sweet 16 in March, has signed to play in Forli, Italy. Wittman, the son of former Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman, played with two NBA teams in summer league play but was not signed.

• Speculation in hockey circles is that Wild minority owner Phil Falcone has an option to buy out Craig Leipold if Falcone desires. ... Incidentally, even the Wild is having trouble selling tickets, and the team's sellout streak at Xcel Energy Center is in danger. The team is selling ticket packages of 10 and 20 games for the first time.

• Big Ten officials reportedly believe the conference can get as much as $20 million for television rights for the Big Ten football championship game. ... The new 2011 Gophers schedule finds them playing host to Nebraska on Oct. 22.

• Rivals.com recently released a revised list of the top 150 basketball recruits in the 2011 class, and a number of players that the Gophers are targeting made the list. Naadir Tharpe, a 5-11 point guard from New Hampshire who has had an official visit with the Gophers and has been offered a scholarship, is listed at No. 91. Hopkins standout Joe Coleman is listed as a three-star recruit at 116. Josh Oglesby, a 6-5 guard from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is ranked 118th. And Andre Hollins, a 6-2 guard from Memphis, is ranked 126th.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com