Barr's 'B-minus' Vikings season concludes a month early

Forced to look back on a rookie season that officially has ended a month too early, Vikings outside linebacker Anthony Barr gave himself a favorable grade but stopped well short of touching the bar that he and his defensive-minded head coach have set for him.

"I thought it was decent," said Barr, who was told Thursday night that he needs minor surgery to repair the knee injury that caused him to leave the Panthers game on Nov. 30 and miss the past two games.

"I would say it was a B, B-minus. Something like that."

The Vikings wouldn't reveal the exact nature of the injury, but coach Mike Zimmer described it as a "very minor procedure" that's "very similar to a slight meniscus tear." Barr will have the surgery soon and is expected to make a speedy recovery and participate in most of the offseason program.

"It really should be nothing," Zimmer said. "He's a great kid. I don't think it will be an issue at all."

Barr said he originally felt discomfort in the knee during the Bears game Nov. 16. He played every defensive snap in that game and the following week against the Packers before leaving the Panthers game in the second half and missing the next two games.

When he left, Barr was leading the team in tackles with 99. He also had four sacks, four tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, including one that he forced and returned for a touchdown to beat the Buccaneers in overtime.

Picked ninth overall, Barr became an immediate starter on Day 1 at training camp. Yet the quiet kid from UCLA still was oddly overshadowed by the team's other first-round pick, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who was taken 32nd overall and began the season as a backup.

Barr, however, proved as early as rookie minicamp that his natural size, speed, instincts and athleticism would buy him playing time as a three-down linebacker while he learned Zimmer's complex schemes and the nuances of a position he had only played for two seasons at UCLA.

He also was handicapped by his schools' academic quarters system, which prevents NFL rookies from participating in most of the spring practices.

"Being through the system, understanding things, he's going to be so much further ahead [next year] of where he was when the rookies got here," Zimmer said. "I think that, really, the sky is the limit for him and understanding the things we do. He's been in every meeting, he's been doing all of that stuff and he will continue to do that, as well."

Meanwhile, second-year pro Gerald Hodges will start Sunday in Miami for the third time in Barr's absence. In his first start for Barr, Hodges busted onto the scene by setting a franchise record for fastest defensive score when he returned an interception for a touchdown 12 seconds into the win over the Jets.

Zimmer said the Vikings will decide next week whether to put Barr on injured reserve and use his roster spot to acquire another player for the season finale against the Bears.