If you were to name the most disappointing players for the Vikings this past season, left tackle Matt Kalil's name would be among the first that came to mind. That's what happens when you set the bar high with a Pro Bowl season as a rookie then regress to one of the league's leakiest left tackles in pass protection in your third season.

No, the 2014 season didn't go quite like Kalil had planned. He had surgery on his left knee in May and wasn't able to practice with the team during spring organized team activities and the June minicamp. That preceded a poor first half of the season for Kalil, who feels that being under so much scrutiny will aid his development.

"I've never really had any kind of injuries my whole career and I think you kind of take that for granted, playing healthy," Kalil said last week as Vikings players cleaned out their lockers. "So as far as being mentally tough and the adversity I had to face this year, I think it made me a lot stronger mentally. It's something that you learn from. … What I see is an opportunity to go into the offseason and correct what I can correct and have a great year next year."

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