Vikings Insider: Players are still in tune despite bad record

Earlier this week, a prominent Vikings player strolled through the locker room and started fiddling with a few items in his cubicle. Suddenly, he broke into song.

"I'll ... be home ... for Christmas ... this year."

This player was no Bing Crosby, but his tune reflected a fair prediction in the aftermath of a 34-0 embarrassment at Green Bay last week. The real question is not whether the Vikings, 3-6 and without superstar Adrian Peterson for the next few weeks, will make the playoffs. The more pertinent issue is: How will a predominantly veteran team react to a seemingly meaningless stretch of games under a coach whose job security could hang in the balance?

Symbolic tunes notwithstanding, a few warning signs emerged last week. Safety Dwight Smith and others were whooping it up on the Lambeau Field sidelines late in Sunday's loss, creating the unfortunate juxtaposition of smiling faces at the end of a blowout loss. Cornerback Antoine Winfield cryptically spoke of players not being put in position to make plays during an appearance on KFAN (1130-AM).

But in interviews with a cross section of players last week, as well as off-the-record discussions with others, there were no strong indications of a mutiny or even a lack of interest in playing out the season. Coach Brad Childress hasn't conjured the kind of undying loyalty reserved for beloved leaders, but he still has the respect of most key players and does not appear to have lost the locker room despite a 9-16 record in his 1½ seasons.

"The biggest thing you want to see is if guys are coming in and working," said fullback Tony Richardson, one of several players who make up Childress' veteran leadership council. "And they're doing that. They're going to work every day. Most veterans understand that this is not over until the last game of the season and you're being judged on how you play all the way through. We still have a good approach."

By the end of last season, it was clear that a group of veteran players -- receiver Marcus Robinson, tight end Jermaine Wiggins and quarterback Brad Johnson among them -- had not meshed with Childress' program and would be leaving in the offseason. This season, interviews revealed that -- if nothing else -- players' familiarity with Childress' methods have relaxed their working conditions.

"The locker room actually has been pretty good considering the circumstances," linebacker Ben Leber said. "We have a lot of veterans in there. We understand that we're not where we want to be. But we're keeping things pretty light because we still have a lot of the season to go here yet. Nobody has lost sight of the fact that with seven games left to play, anything can happen."

The Vikings did run into a significant hurdle last week, when they attempted to withhold receiver Troy Williamson's game check after he left the team for nine days following the death of his grandmother. Players were surprised and angry, but by all accounts they did not hold it against Childress.

Most correctly surmised that the team's front office initiated the move. Childress, in fact, might have strengthened his standing after heeding the advice of his veteran council and insisting the decision be reversed.

"Guys talked about it inside the locker room," nose tackle Pat Williams said. "We talked to [other] players. Everybody understands the situation. We got everything straight, so there wasn't any bad feelings."

Even if players are not ready to jump ship on Childress, there is another concern: What if they are simply resigned to being a sub-.500 team?

After all, the Vikings finished 6-10 last season amid questions about their offensive scheme, quarterback position and pass defense. This year, they are on pace for a similar record while those three issues remain unresolved.

After 25 games of mostly identical results, interrupted only by a couple of record-setting performances from Peterson, it's only human nature to start drawing conclusions. But for now, while it's clear the Vikings will be home for Christmas, the weather is not quite frightful.

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com