The Vikings offensive line has received its share of criticism since the start of last season, but coach Brad Childress has been quick to defend that unit on several occasions.
Childress had mostly positive reviews of the line's overall performance when discussing his team's 14-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
"I think they did some exceptional things," he said Monday. "You don't have a guy run for 145 yards ... I thought they did some very good things, both in the run game and in the pass game yesterday, with a pretty physical group, a different bunch of guys coming at them."
Adrian Peterson rushed for 145 yards on 28 carries. The Vikings had 364 yards in total offense and held the ball for 35 minutes, 48 seconds.
However, Brett Favre was sacked three times and the line had a major breakdown on Miami's defensive touchdown that gave the Dolphins a 14-0 lead in the third quarter.
The Vikings faced a third-and-10 from their own 5. With Favre in shotgun, Miami linebacker Cameron Wake beat tight end Visanthe Shiancoe off the line. Right tackle Phil Loadholt tried to pick him up by Wake got past him too and knocked the ball out of Favre's hand as he tried to throw.
Miami's Koa Misi recovered the ball in the end zone for the touchdown.
"I'm disappointed a little bit on that ball in the end zone," Childress said. "Phil Loadholt has got to come over with Shiancoe and take a bigger piece of that guy; chipping his way out or standing there and blocking that guy when he drops seven steps into the end-zone. I felt like we're going to have a [receiver] come open. That's just one of those games of inches things. Open hand coming forward with a guy that just barely ticks the football at its most vulnerable spot. It was going to be a nice 17 yard completion, which ends up being seven points for them."
