Hartman: Vikings' line coach Davidson learned much from Belichick

Jeff Davidson worked as an offensive line and/or tight ends coach under Bill Belichick with the Patriots for eight seasons from 1997-2004, winning three Super Bowls, and he wants to bring the same continuity and success to the Vikings and this year's offensive line that the Patriots have enjoyed under Belichick.

Davidson, one of two coaches that new head coach Mike Zimmer held over from Leslie Frazier's staff, didn't want to talk much about the large number of injuries the Vikings offensive line suffered last season, but he did say he hopes for better production this season.

"I think there is some consistency that we've gained with guys getting the chance to be able to play together, and that communication," Davidson said. "We're still striving to be clean in our communication and making sure that we can get to where we play error-free football. We have a long way to go from where we were this past Sunday. We have definitely got to find ways to improve."

What about those injuries last year?

"To be honest with you, I'm so focused on what's going on with the Patriots this week that I'm hardly thinking about the injuries that we had last year," he said. "The big thing going forward is just finding ways for these guys to individually improve each game."

One key cog in the offensive line who battled injuries last season was center John Sullivan. Davidson talked about how important having a healthy Sullivan is to the line's overall success.

"Obviously he's the quarterback of our line, does all the communicating," said Davidson, now in his fourth season with the Vikings. "Guys kind of joke about the fact that we go in here and have meetings and it's Sully and I doing most of the talking, and that's the way it has to be. He basically controls everything that goes on on the field, and he communicates to put everybody on the same page. It is certainly nice to have a guy like that that I would say is playing pretty close to 100 percent right now."

"I would say we've changed a lot, from protections to run game," he said. "There is some similarities, but there is enough of a change that it's definitely a new year. We come in here today and we put 45 minutes of extra bonus time in just to make sure that everybody knows what they're supposed to do and how they're supposed to do it."

Davidson said he has seen both improvements in each starter on the line as well as what he called "nit-picking" errors, but in general he said the Week 1 performance against the St. Louis Rams left room for improvement.

"I think there is definitely things we have to be able to clean up, and hopefully we get closer to error-free football this weekend," he said. "We were not error-free last weekend."

Davidson has coached in the NFL since 1995, after four seasons as a player, and what he said impressed him most about Belichick was his depth of knowledge all over the field.

"The thing that I learned from Bill is he truly understands the techniques and responsibilities of every position on that football team," Davidson said. "I think the strength that he has is he could coach any one of those positions as well if not better than the position coaches themselves."

"They have had a lot of success," he said. "We're trying to get to where we're Super Bowl champions and that's what we're working towards."

While Davidson said he is focused on the Patriots' defense, he did take a second to talk about Tom Brady's success and performance.

"The guy has always impressed me, the way he quarterbacks the game," Davidson said. "Our defense has their hands full this week."

I've told this story before, but I was visiting with Vikings coach Les Steckel one day in 1984 after he was named head coach to replace Bud Grant. Who should show up at Winter Park but Belichick, who was all set to to leave the Giants as an assistant coach to become defensive coordinator for the Vikings. Belichick had a change of heart, which turned out to be a good move. He became head coach of the Browns in 1991 and has moved up the ladder since then.

TCU rolled up 555 yards of total offense in their season-opening 48-14 victory over Samford two weeks ago, with Trevone Boykin completing 29 of 41 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He later was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. The Horned Frogs had a bye last week, with extra time to prepare for the Gophers.

• Percy Harvin was at his best in the Seahawks' 36-16 season-opening victory over Green Bay, with four carries for 41 yards, seven receptions for 59 yards and three kickoff returns for 60 yards. … Former Gopher Eric Decker also had a great first game with his new team, the New York Jets. Decker caught five passes for 74 yards in a 19-14 victory over the Raiders.

• Meanwhile, former Gophers and NFL rookies Ra'Shede Hageman and Brock Vereen didn't record any tackles for their respective squads. Hageman's Falcons beat the Saints 37-34 in overtime, and Vereen's Bears lost 23-20 in overtime to the Bills. … Seantrel Henderson, a seventh-round selection by the Bills and a former Cretin-Derham Hall standout, started for the Bills at right tackle.

• Former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, now with the Rockies, is tied for first in the NL batting race with Josh Harrison of the Pirates at .316. Former Twins center fielder Ben Revere, now with the Phillies, is third at .310. … Former Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz led the Fort Myers Miracle to a 87-58 record and the Florida State League championship in his second season as manager. Mientkiewicz and the Miracle posted a 79-56 record in 2013 but lost in the first round of the playoffs. … Former Twins infielder Denny Hocking is also managing in Class A. He's with the Los Angeles Angels affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers, in San Bernardino, Calif.

• Spring Lake Park has at least three graduates playing professional sports. Brian Leonhardt, who played his college football at Bemidji State, made the Oakland Raiders roster as a tight end this year. Dave Backes is the captain of the St. Louis Blues. Troy Merritt is doing well on the PGA Tour.